One hopes that Naveen Patnaik will follow the Kerala kings who made it possible for Christians, Muslims, Jews to be part of society and contribute to the economy.

Prabhir

Since you mentioned Kerala -- here is some news for you.

In Kerala, Hindus need help - Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/825415.cms
16 Dec 2006, 2320 hrs IST, Ananthakrishnan G,TNN

NEW DELHI: As the committee under retired judge Rajender Sachchar was
busy culling out figures of Muslim deprivation, a more generic
exercise was being carried out in Kerala by an influential
socio-scientific organisation — and with dramatically different
results.

Results of the survey titled 'Kerala: How It Lives, How It Thinks' are
enough to shatter traditional postulations and shows that it isn't
minority Muslims or Christians, but Hindus comprising 54.47% of the
state's estimated 3.2 crore population who are at the economic
downside.

But hold on. The study is not the handiwork of any radical right wing
group, but the Kerala Sasthra Sahitya Parishad whose Marxist
antecedents are well known.

Hindus, according to numbers compiled by it, constitute the major
chunk of the state's poor with an astounding 39.3 lakh living below
the poverty line.

Muslims follow with 24.7 lakh and Christians, 8.2 lakh. Though Muslims
lead the poverty index on a religion-wise breakup, the difference with
Hindus is a marginal 5.9%.

The majority community also trails in land holdings. While a
privileged Hindu family owns only an average of 0.69 acres, a Muslim
family owns 0.77 acre and a Christian family, 1.264 acre.

The report published in September this year says only 80.1% of Hindu
houses are in a livable condition, less than that of Muslims (89.7%)
and Christians (83.6%).

Also only 90.4% Hindu homes have a toilet as against 93.8% Muslim and
94% Christian homes. In 18.75% Hindu dwellings, the water is not safe
compared to only 11.55% Muslim homes and 15% Christian.

The minority communities are also ahead in electrification of houses
and access to pipe water. Also, 14.5% Hindu houses are in danger of
water log-ging suggesting they are not located uptown. Corresponding
figures for Muslims and Christians are 12.8% and 10.9% respectively.

One reason for the better showing by Muslims could be the large Gulf
remittance, says Parishad vice president K P Aravindan, who edited the
report.

As the results show, 34.5% Muslim families have Gulf income against
11.61% Christian and 10.4% Hindu. The Christian community, however,
leaves others far behind on most economic indicators.

Even in matter of dowry, Christians lead the tally with 80% families
following it. Muslims tag along at 76%. Though less, Hindus too are
yet to rid themselves of the social evil with 52% still under its
grip.

Christians also top the per capita income chart at Rs 21,897 followed
by Hindus Rs 17,762 and Muslims Rs 17,538. Statistics on unemployment
also throw up some interesting combinations.

The rate is highest among Muslims at 17% followed by Christians at
14.6% and Hindus at 14.3%. But on a caste wise break-up, it is more
rampant among the forwards (14.8%) compared to SCs (13.1%) and STs
(14.6%).

Reached for comments, Kerala social welfare minister P K Sreemati
Teacher told TOI that she was yet to see the report.

But BJP reacted predictably with the party's state vice president V
Muraleedharan demanding setting up of a committee to study the
condition of Hindus in the state.

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