State-owned banks in India have been accused of discriminating against the country's Muslim minority.India's minorities watchdog has received a record number of complaints from Muslims who say they have been prevented from opening bank accounts.India's Muslim community is among the poorest in the country.Some bankers say it is not so much their religious background, but their economic status that makes it hard for Muslims to get banking facilities.The National Commission of Minorities says that there has been a 100% increase in the number of complaints it has received over the past year from Muslims who say they are being prevented from opening accounts in state-run banks.Reports say the worst case took place in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, where some 90,000 Muslim students were unable to open accounts to deposit scholarship cheques given to them by the government.Official reports frequently put Muslims at the bottom of India's social and economic ladder - even beneath than low-caste Hindus.Their economic status means they are often excluded by private banks, which prefer more well-to-do clients.Already a number of reports have suggested that India's Muslims fare poorly when it comes to getting access to quality education or employment opportunities.This latest finding will add more pressure on a government which is seen as doing very little for the country's largest minority group.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Queen's Baton Relay arrives in Guwahati
Braving inclement weather, people of Guwahati turned out in large number to receive the Queen's Baton, on the country wide relay of the 2010 Commonwealth Games at Delhi. The Baton, arrived here this afternoon, and was received ceremonially by Assam Olympic Association General Secretary and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain at a brief function held at the Nehru Stadium.The Baton was then handed over to the state Chief Secretary N K Das and Director General of Police Shankar Barua who in turn handed it over to several veteran and present international and national players from the state before it was carried in a convoy to the state secretariat at Dispur.Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi received the Baton at the state secretariat and after a brief felicitation of players from the state, the baton was handed over to Arjuna awardee table tennis player Monalisa Barua Mehta.Mehta resumed the last leg of the rally here to the Srimanata Sankardeva Kalakshetra, the premier cultural hub of region, and was joined by Assam Director of Sports and Youth Welfare Sanjiv Gohain Boruah and Sports Authority of India's North East Director Subhas Basumatary enroute.A colourful cultural function and fireworks display was held at Kalakshetra before the Baton was handed over by Assam Sports Minister Bharat Narah to the Chef de Mission of the Indian Commonwealth team and Rajya Sabha MP Bhubaneswar Kalita and Baton Relay Director Colonel Kuldip Singh for its onward journey to the Meghalaya capital Shillong.
