x

Like our Facebook Page

   
Early Times Newspaper Jammu, Leading Newspaper Jammu
 
Breaking News :   Stop behaving like ‘feudal lord’: Imran Ansari tells Omar Abdullah | Satellite-based toll collection system to replace toll plazas: Nitin Gadkari | MHA extends validity of FCRA registered NGOs | India’s borders totally secure: Rajnath Singh | ‘Govt open to change in Agniveer scheme’ | CS reviews development of skilling portal by BISAG | Leopard snatches 5-year-old girl | Rains lash Kashmir, more in offing | Notification issued for Jammu Lok Sabha seat | 11 injured in Poonch accident | Properties of drug peddler attached | JKBOSE reschedules 11th class exams | Yoga competition held | BLOs imparted Training about electoral process at different assembly segments of Kupwara | SVEEP programme Galvanizes Participation in electoral process at High School Nagulta | Missing girl traced out within 2 days, reunited with family | Police Reunites missing girl with Family | PCCF chairs 8th UT Level Monitoring Committee meeting | Police thwarts bovine smuggling bid, Apprehends Culprits | DEO flags-off SVEEP Van for Voter awareness in Kulgam | Chorus Grows Louder | Hilly, rural areas confronting development deficit under J&K Govt: Sadhotra | Ex-Army Chief VK Singh Sabotaged Revocation Of AFSPA In J-K, Alleges Omar Abdullah | CUK declares Mar-29, 30 as working days for all non-teaching staff | RGCN organizes workshop on Nursing edcuation | Secretary Sports Council Inaugurates Softball/Baseball5 Championship 2023-24 | GDC Vijaypur Starts Lecture Series | GDC Ramnagar conducts programme on Nasha Mukti Se Yuva Shakti | SPMR College Organizes SVEEP Programme Promoting Voter Awareness | Khour Holds Successful Anti-Drug Awareness Programme | Students Rally Against Drug Abuse in Dewan Devi Public School Event | Psychological Support for Young Adults: Lecture at GDC Bishnah | GDC Udhampur organizes awareness programme | Jammu Police started proceedings under section 82 CrPc against a Psa Absconder | Amit chairs meeting in Ladakh | Two persons injured in scuffle in Bemina Srinagar | Back Issues  
 
news details
RSS ideologue questions scholarship scheme for 'minorities, terms it unconstitutional
6/18/2019 12:41:15 AM

Early Times Report

JAMMU, June 17: Last Tuesday, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister for Minority Affairs announced that scholarships shall be awarded to five crore 'minority' students over the next five years. One doesn't know if it was a statement of proposed policy or a Cabinet decision that had been taken and awaiting notification. However, the announcement has not gone down well with the RSS. Its ideologue and a Delhi-based advocate Raghav Awasthi has questioned the whole scheme and virtually termed the scheme unconstitutional.
Questioning the scheme, Awasthi has said: "The Constitutional scheme in this regard is as follows: Article 14 of the Constitution of India states that if classification is to be done between citizens then the same has to be intelligible and that it should also have a nexus with the objective of the government policy/statute/executive order. Now, if it were to be said that only students belonging to the minority community would be able to get the benefit of these scholarships, and if the stated objective of the scheme is to promote education, then can it be concluded that there is any rational basis to the exclusion of those who do not belong to the 'minority'? Article 15 (1) also expressly states that the State cannot discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of, inter alia, religion". "Hence, if someone is awarded a scholarship just because he or she is a member of a religious minority community, the same would be Constitutionally untenable. The exceptions to this general doctrine are found in the next provision. However, even the enabling provision in Article 15 (4) does not empower the State to make provisions for the advancement of 'minorities' in the religious sense. The reference made here is to socially and educationally backward class of citizens, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Finally, the only form of positive discrimination in favour of minorities, for which an enabling provision has been made under the Constitution, is the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice under Article 30 (1) of the Constitution of India," he has also said.
Not just this, he has taken on the BJP and said the vote-bank politics must be discarded. "If the BJP or certain sections therein feel that such attempts shall enable them to create a captive Muslim vote bank for themselves like the Congress did in previous decades, they are badly mistaken".
The upshot of his whole attack was: "To conclude, this proposal is a bad idea from the word 'Go' and needs to be junked as expeditiously as possible. A statement in this regard from a senior member of the Cabinet would not be remiss".
  Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network  
  Comment on this Story  
 
 
 
Early Times Android App
STOCK UPDATE
  
BSE Sensex
NSE Nifty
 
CRICKET UPDATE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
Home About Us Top Stories Local News National News Sports News Opinion Editorial ET Cetra Advertise with Us ET E-paper
 
 
J&K RELATED WEBSITES
J&K Govt. Official website
Jammu Kashmir Tourism
JKTDC
Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board
Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board
Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board
UTILITY
Train Enquiry
IRCTC
Matavaishnodevi
BSNL
Jammu Kashmir Bank
State Bank of India
PUBLIC INTEREST
Passport Department
Income Tax Department
JK CAMPA
JK GAD
IT Education
Web Site Design Services
EDUCATION
Jammu University
Jammu University Results
JKBOSE
Kashmir University
IGNOU Jammu Center
SMVDU