Guwahati, April 21: Seven sub-committees, constituted to outline a roadmap for overall development of indigenous minorities in Assam, submitted their recommendations to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma here on Thursday.
The sub-committees on cultural identity, health, education, skill development, population stabilisation, financial inclusion and women empowerment were formed consequent to an interaction between the chief minister and over 150 leading personalities from indigenous minority communities across various fields here last year.
Each sub-committee also comprises a member secretary from the Assam government.
Making a presentation on the recommendations in regard to identity of indigenous Assamese Muslims, chairman of the sub-committee on cultural identity, Wasbir Hussain suggested that the state government, through a notification, might recognise the Assamese Muslims as an indigenous Assamese-speaking community of Assam.
“Five sub-groups of Assamese Muslims – Syed, Goriya, Moriya, Deshi and Julha – should be clearly mentioned and recognised in the government notification,” Hussain said.
He further recommended that a separate directorate/Authority may be set up for Assamese Muslims to provide necessary documentation to the people of the community to reflect their distinct identity.
“The Assam government may undertake a census to identify and document the Assamese Muslim community,” he said.
In regard to political representation, Hussain suggested that a provision similar to Article 333 of the Indian Constitution may be enacted to provide representation of Assamese Muslims in Parliament and Assam Legislative Assembly.
“An Upper House (Legislative Council) may be created in Assam as per Article 169 of the Indian Constitution. Once the Legislative Council is formed, specific number of seats may be reserved for the Assamese Muslim community in this Council,” he suggested.
The chairman of the sub-group on cultural identity further suggested that an Azaan Pir Kalakhetra may be established in Guwahati to showcase the life and work of Azaan Pir.
“The same Kalakhetra may house auditoriums, library, etc, in the name of other prominent Assamese Muslim personalities. For example, an Ali Mech Library or a Bagh Hazarika Auditorium may be set up,” he said.
The Assam government may provide financial grants for the preservation and promotion of the Azaan Pir Dargah at Saraguri Chapori in Sivasagar as a historical and tourist site, Hussain said.
“The Azaan Pir Award (which was introduced by the Assam government in 2004) may be revived by the state government. Books on the life and works of Azaan Pir may be published by Assam Publication Board,” he said.
Among other recommendations, he suggested that prominent Assamese Muslim personalities need to be popularised and the Syed Abdul Malik Literary Award (given only once in 2015) resumed.
Later, addressing the gathering, chief minister Sarma said that the recommendations submitted by the seven sub-committees appear to be implementable even as some that might require clarity would be discussed and reviewed.
“We are accepting the reports in full earnestness and will examine the recommendations before initiating the implementation process. The definition given by the sub-committee to define indigenous Assamese Muslim is positive because once it is accepted we would have a clear idea about the target group for whom we are working, the area, population,” the chief minister said.
“The next phase will be the legislative mechanism, administrative decisions and financial support. We will meet again before we move ahead,” he added.