Sachar Committee

Background and evolution

For decades after Independence, there was little systematic data on the condition of India's largest religious minority. Debates about minority "appeasement" and discrimination were conducted largely without evidence. In 2005, the Union government set up a High Level Committee to collect information on the social, economic and educational status of Muslims, covering their representation in public employment, access to credit and schooling, and living conditions.

The committee, chaired by Justice Rajinder Sachar, included experts such as economist Abusaleh Shariff as member-secretary. It gathered data from the National Sample Survey, the Census of 2001, government departments, banks and public sector bodies, and held consultations across states. Its report, submitted in November 2006, became one of the most cited documents in Indian public policy on minorities.

Key features and provisions

• Education: Muslim literacy (59.1% in 2001) was below the national average (64.8%); the share of Muslims among graduates was low, and only about 4% of Muslim children of school-going age attended madrasas, countering the belief that most went to madrasas.
• Employment: Muslims were about 13.4% of the population but held only about 4.9% of government jobs and an even smaller share of senior posts, such as about 3% in the IAS.
• Credit: Muslim-concentrated areas received a small share of priority sector lending, and many areas had been "red-lined" by banks.
• Poverty: poverty levels among Muslims were comparable to those of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in many states, especially in urban areas.
• Services: Muslim-concentration villages had poorer access to schools, health centres and pucca roads.
• Security and identity: the report noted that a sense of insecurity and identity-related discrimination affected Muslims' participation in public life.