Shimla: Expressing concern over encroachments of Christian cemetery’s, WAKF board management and teaching of Punjabi, Urdu and Bhoti languages, members of National Minority Commission asked the Himachal government to set up a state commission for effective implementation of the 15 point national program for minorities.
Interacting with the media after holding a meeting with the state government, commission members Spalzes Angma and HS Hanspal said that a lot of members of the minority committee in Himachal were ignorant about the various central and state programs for them.
Though it was not mandatory, but we did suggest setting up a state minority commission, said Hanspal.
The Christian community have approached us about encroachments and maintenance of their cemetery’s, he said. The WAKF board is without a chairman which is hindering its functioning, he added.
Seeking implementation of the three language formula in school curriculum, Angma pointed out that despite a large population of Buddhists residing in the state, there were not enough Bhoti teachers available. So was the case of Punjabi and Urdu languages, said Hanspal.
Minorities constitute about 4.4 percent of states population with Muslims being the largest minority community, followed by Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians. There were practically no Parsis in Himachal, said Angma, the member commission incharge for the state.
Later the commission members also met Governor Prabha Rao in the Raj Bhavan.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
