Putting the process of implementation of the Sachar Committee recommendations for the upliftment of Muslims on the fast track, the Government on Thursday announced the setting up of two expert groups.

The two new committees—determining the structure and functioning of the Equal Opportunity Commission and a panel for deciding the “diversity index” for the minorities—have been directed to submit their reports within three months.

The specific projects include augmenting the entrepreneurial skills of the minorities, development of Wakf properties and putting in place a data bank on the minorities, enabling the Government to form particular schemes for them.

The terms of reference of this expert group will be to recommend the structure, scope and functions of the proposed Equal Opportunity Commission, to advise on an appropriate legislative framework for such a Commission and to make any other recommendations relevant to the above.

The group, headed by N R Madhava Menon, will include Javeed Alam, Satish Deshpande, Yogendra Yadav and Gopal Guru as its members. The Commission is expected to be political in nature and will address the issues of discrimination against the Muslims in the Government as well as private sector.

The expert group on “diversity index” will “develop and devise an acceptable index to measure diversity in the areas of education, Government and private employment and housing,” as suggested by the Sachar Committee. It will be headed by Amitabh Kundu and would include Sugata Marjit, Abdul Kalam and Hasb Dabru as its members.

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