While the financial aid schemes of the Ministry of Minority Affairs have been helping students from various minority communities clear the coveted Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination, data shows that Muslim students have been the biggest beneficiaries of such aid. Although the number of aid-students clearing the UPSC examination is not high, among those who have qualified, Muslim students have benefited the most.
As many as 135 students from various minority communities cleared the UPSC this year, out of whom seven students were provided financial assistance under the ministry’s Nayi Udaan scheme. While the scheme enrolled a total of 105 students from different minority communities this year, all seven who qualified were Muslims. In 2016, the total number of students who were enrolled under the ministry’s scheme was 152, out of whom seven cleared the UPSC. Among them, five were Muslims and two Jains. In 2015, the ministry supported 87 students, out of whom only five could clear the examination, but even among them, three were Muslims, while one student each belonged to the Sikh and Buddhist communities.
The ministry has been running free-coaching programmes such as Nai Udaan and Naya Savera through various institutions and organisations for minority youths preparing for the civil services, other UPSC examinations, medical, engineering and administrative examinations. The rate of financial assistance for clearing the UPSC preliminaries was revised last year to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 50,000.
The ministry also started an awareness campaign through television channels, newspapers and different institutions and organisations for youths belonging to the minority communities to ensure that they participated in these examinations.
In all, 131 candidates from the minority communities, including 51 Muslims, cleared the civil services examination in 2017. The total number of successful candidates in the examination was 990. The break-up for other minority communities was not available, but ministry sources said they included Christians, Sikhs, Jains, neo-Buddhists and a lone Parsi. In the 2016 UPSC examination, 126 youths from the minority communities, including 52 Muslims, were selected out of a total 1,099 candidates. In 2015, 38 Muslims cleared UPSC, while in 2014, only 30 Muslim candidates could clear the examination. Notably, Muslims have historically been the least represented group in the civil services despite being the largest minority community in the country, comprising 14% of India’s population.
Saad Miya Khan, the highest rank holder (rank 25) among candidates from the Muslim community this year, told The Sunday Guardian, “It is important for youths from minority communities to aspire for the civil services since this allows them to represent the larger voice of society in those rooms where crucial decisions are taken that can affect the masses.” Saad, an engineering student based in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, did not enrol himself in any coaching institute and studied on his own for five years. This was Saad’s fifth attempt. He had appeared thrice for the personality tests. “All this while I have been unemployed. I chose Indian Police Service (IPS) because I have always been interested in it and I wanted to wear the uniform. This is going to be my first job ever. My family has been a huge support to me. Every time I did not clear the examination, my parents told me to prepare for the next attempt. My father is a district collection officer and my mother is a home maker. Allah has been kind to us,” said Saad.
On the other hand is Benson S. Ninan, the only candidate from the Christian community to make it to the top 100 list. He had to go through a legal battle to appear for UPSC. Sharing his story with The Sunday Guardian, Benson said, “I joined the Railway Traffic Service (RTS), but was not allowed to appear for UPSC due to a change in rules. I spoke to other aspirants in the Railways from different departments and 20 of us challenged the restriction at the Central Administration Delhi (CAD), which gave the judgement in June last year, allowing us to appear for UPSC. This judgement came just two weeks before the Prelims.”
Benson comes from an engineering background and worked for three years before he decided to appear for UPSC. “I saved my earnings and chose to fund my studies myself. My father retired meanwhile and so, of course, there was not enough cash flowing in and I knew this was going to be my last attempt. I have lived in Mumbai for a long time. Now that I have passed the examination, my church and our relatives and friends are congratulating my family. Coming from a minority community, it is crucial for us to find inspiration for careers that drive us. I have decided to choose Indian Foreign Service (IFS). My father worked in the Air Force, and we regularly discussed foreign policy, which motivated me to pursue this career.”
Breaking stereotypes is another candidate from the minority community, Ilma Afroz, who has chosen to become an IPS officer dropping her illustrious academic career at St Stephen’s College, Oxford University and United Nations. Explaining why she let go of an opportunity to work at Columbia University, Ilma said, “I did not want to work at a place where nobody needed me. In India, I know I am needed. I have a hard working mother who is a farmer and a country to serve. All those people who have helped me and my family through our tough days, I want that they, too, should benefit from those achievements that I had attained so far. But I could not do that from overseas. So I chose to settle down here.”
Asked why she chose to become an IPS officer, Ilma told The Sunday Guardian, “A police officer has been my sworn-brother throughout our difficult life. He is Dr Yashveer Singh, SP. He has been a huge inspiration for me. My father passed away when I was 14 years old. My mother worked as a farmer and raised me and my brother who is also preparing for civil services. Serving my mother and serving my country are equally important for me. With UPSC, I have a chance to do both.”