Chairman of National Minorities Commission to take up grievances of Anglo-Indians

The Federation of Anglo-Indian Associations in India comprising of its President-Dr.Charles Dias,Ex.MP(Kochi); and Vice-Presidents-Dr.A.Roy Rozario (Chennai)&Mr.Gilbert Faria(Delhi); Joint-Secretary-Mr.Colin Fitzgerald (Kolkatta) and the Chaplain Rev.Fr.Nicholas Dias (Delhi) met Shri.S.Iqbal Singh Lalpura ji, Chairman of the National Minorities Commission, New Delhi on Wednesday, 12th April 2023 and requested his kind intervention due to the setback faced by the Microscopic Anglo-Indian Community scattered in 16 States of the Indian Union with a total population of around 4 Lakhs, due to the discontinuance of the Constitutional guarantees one by one since the adoption of the Indian Constitution in 1950,especially the 5% Job Reservation in Central Government Services like Railways in 1960 and the Nominations to Parliament and State Assemblies since 26th January'2020. 

Dr.Augustine Roy Rozario,Vice-President/Fed of AI Assns in India stated that the Main demands for which they sought the Commission's intervention was mainly about recommend setting up a committee to "Appoint a National Commission for Anglo-Indians", as guaranteed since 1950 under Article 338(10) of the Indian Constitution,(as done for the SC &ST Communities) under Article 338&338(a),for the protection, welfare and socio-economic development of the Anglo-Indian Community and to award the 4 lakhs Anglo-Indian Community the Status of a Separate Minority Community as per NCM Act'1992,on the basis of our National, Ethnic, Cultural, Language and Linguistic Identity, instead of clubbing us under the Head of Christian Religion of 2.78 Crores Christian population to protect  identity and culture.

Furthermore the Federation also has recommend to the Central Government to restore the Special Reservation of Nominations of 2 MPs to Parliament (Lok-Sabha) and a Nominated MLA to the State Assemblies, which was available since 1950,but discontinued unjustifiably under Article 334(b) effective 26th January'2020 on the basis of an erroneous enumeration of a fraction of 296 Anglo-Indians under a separate sect termed-"ANGLO-INDIAN RELIGION", when the term is used to define our Community,  as per Article366(2),of the Indian Constitution and advise the Union Minority Ministry to upload in their Portal/Website, the September' 2013-Fact Finding Report published in a Booklet of the Socio-economic Study of the Anglo-Indians conducted by the Union Minority Ministry across 5 Major States between 10 to 16th Sep'2013 and advise all Ministries to undertake remedial measures for the development of the Community.

"Dr.A.Roy Rozario, Vice-President/FAIAI stated that during the discussions with the Chairman/NCM ,the Federation Representatives expressed the point that the Indian Constitutional Framers especially its Chief  Architect -Dr.B.R.Ambedkar had included certain  guarantees in the Indian Constitution exclusively for the Anglo-Indians at that time because it  was felt that the population of Anglo-Indians at the time of Indian Independence was around one and half lakhs, which was too small for them to have elected MPs and they were not confined to any State. There is no change in the Socio-economic conditions of the present 4 Lakhs Anglo-Indians as per the observations made in the Fact Finding Report based on the Socio-economic Study conducted by the Union Minority Ministry in September'2013." The Chairman gave a patient hearing and said that he would take up the issues and grievances at appropriate level.