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 The Indian government agency NSSO survey made public last night proves and confirms what the Catholic Union and Christian Council have always said based on their own spot surveys nationwide -- that Christian prosperity in a very few metropolitan cities is a mere shimmer that hides utter poverty, unemployment, under employment and illiteracy among the vast rural masses who are mostly Dalit and Tribals and may constitute over 90 per cent of the population of Christians in the country.
It is significant to note that in spite of all the schools Catholics and Protestants run in the country, illiteracy is still a problem in both urban and rural areas. In some areas, illiteracy is more than thirty per cent -- which means one in every three Christian is illiterate. The figure for women is much more in tribal and Dalit areas. The survey also shows very categorically how vulnerable Christians are because they are employed in the service sector. The figure for self-employment is the lowest for them. If a Sachchar committee had focused on Christians, or even if the Justice Misra Commission had an economic and development charter, the grim reality of the Christians would have been exposed. Even what has come is cause enough for the church and Christians leaders to think about. They have to take urgent steps and set their priorities correct. While I am on the job, may I also express our disappointment at the Supreme Court staying the implementation of the OBC Reservations; Christians in many states would have benefited from such reservations in central institutions as they come under OBC and Most Backward communities groupings. I am surprised that the established church has not come out and demanded that the Supreme Court show sensitivity towards the aspirations of the poor and the deprived. 30 Mar, 2007 2346hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK By Mahendra Kumar Singh NEW DELHI: In what could further fuel the reservation demand from minorities, the latest survey of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) reveals that the unemployment rate among Christians is higher than among Muslims and lowest among Hindus. The NSSO report, made public on Friday, with its findings on the status of employment belonging to major religious groups, suggests that in rural areas, the unemployment rate was 4.4% among Christians, 2.3% among Muslims and 1.5% among Hindus. In urban areas too, Christians were more prone to unemployment than those from other major religious groups. However, the unemployment rate in urban areas was a little more for Hindus at 4.4% than for Muslims at 4.1%. Further, the rate for women was generally higher in all major religious groups as compared to men in both rural and urban areas. Unemployment was highest (14%) among urban Christian women. This is despite the fact that the survey also shows that Christians had the lowest illiteracy rate both in rural (20% for men and 31% for women) as well as urban areas (6% for men and 11% for women). Except for rural women, the proportion of literates among Hindus was higher than that among Muslims. Among men in the rural areas, the literacy rate for Hindus and Muslims was 68% and 63%, respectively. In case of urban men, the literacy rate for Hindus and Muslims was 89% and 77%, respectively. Among women in urban areas, the literacy rate for Hindus and Muslims was 73% and 60%. Among rural females, the illiteracy rate was almost equal among Hindus and Muslims (59%). According to the survey, nearly half the Muslims living in urban areas are self-employed, while the incidence of wage employment is higher among Hindus and Christians. In 2004-05, when the survey was conducted, about 49% of Muslim households in urban areas were self-employed as against 36% Hindu households and 27% Christian households. In urban areas, the survey highlights that only 30% of Muslim households worked for regular wages as compared to 43% Hindu households and 47% Christian households. It pointed out that 14% Muslim households worked as casual labourers as compared to 12% Hindus and 11% Christians. In rural areas, the worker population ratio (WPR) among men was the highest among Christians (56%), followed by Hindus (55%) and Muslims (50%). The WPR for women in rural areas was 36% for Christians, 34% for Hindus and 18% for Muslims. The WPR among men in urban areas was the highest for Hindus (56%) followed by Muslims (53%) and Christians (51%). The WPR for Christian women was 24%, followed by Hindus (17%) and Muslims (12%).
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