The Approach Paper to the eleventh five-year plan has mentioned about the economic and political empowerment of Muslim women and the need to give special focus to "poor" Muslims in the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
"It is imperative to promote education among all other backward sections, including minorities, particularly among poor Muslims, who have fallen far behind the national average in all aspects, particularly in the field of education," it says in a section with a header 'Bringing on Par: SCs, STs, Minorities and Others Left Behind'.
It is necessary to go to the root of the problem and examine the reasons for such a distressing situation so that remedial measures can be taken during the eleventh plan, the paper adds.
"In addition, the plan will explore ways of creating incentives for students belonging to these communities. It will work towards the economic and political empowerment of Muslim women by increasing their access to credit and ensuring their presence in decision-making bodies," the paper says.
Efforts in the eleventh plan, it notes, should be to ensure that state and central government departments implement the 15-point programme for welfare of minorities, which it says has the potential to improve the quality of life of the country's Muslim population.
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