‘Census ’01 proves Sachar wrong’

Data from the 2001 Census points at two conclusions which go against the Justice Sachar Committee Report that says there is a high discrepancy between Muslim literacy rates and that of the rest, and that the decline in growth rate of population among Muslims has been higher than that among Hindus.

These conclusions have been drawn in the book, "Population of India in the new millennium: Census 2001", by noted demographer and former JNU professor Mahendra K. Premi, which was launched today. The book contains a separate chapter on religious composition.

The data shows that among Muslim males, the literacy rate is higher in most states, than among males of other major religions. In Andhra Pradesh, the rate as per the data was 76.5 per cent against 70.3 per cent among Hindus, and 50.4 per cent state average for males. In Gujarat, it was 82.4 per cent against 79.1 per cent for Hindu males and 57.8 for all males. In Madhya Pradesh, it was found that 79.8 per cent Muslim males were educated, compared to 75.5 per cent Hindu males, while the state average was as low as 50.3 per cent.

Even among women, 49.2 per cent Hindu women were literate in Andhra Pradesh, compared to 59.1 per cent Muslims, while the state's average was a dismal 50.4 per cent. In Chhattisgarh, 74 per cent Muslim women were literate as against 50.8 per cent Hindu women, which was less than the state average. However, in most other states, the literacy rate for Muslim women was not up to the mark.

"Moreover, while the Sachar Committee Report claims that the Muslim population growth rate has declined faster than the Hindu growth rate over the past two decades, the book concludes that the decline has been equal," pointed out Prof Moneer Alam of the Institute of Economic Growth, at the book's launch.

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