According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey conducted in 2021-22, the literacy rate among Muslims aged seven years and above was 77.7 per cent, and the labour force participation rate for all ages stood at 35.1 per cent.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Muslim population in the country is estimated to be 19.7 crore by 2023, accounting for 14.2 per cent of the total population in the census 2011, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.
Replying to a question from Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mala Roy, Union Minister of Minority Affairs Smriti Irani said the government has used the proportion in census 2011 to project the total Muslim population share by the end of the current year, media reports said.
The minister also provided information on various socio-economic indicators for the Muslim community. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in 2021-22, the literacy rate among Muslims aged seven years and above was 77.7 per cent, and the labour force participation rate for all ages stood at 35.1 per cent.
Based on census 2011 data, the Muslim population was recorded at 17.2 crore with the country’s projected population in 2023 expected to be 138.8 crore.
Regarding access to basic facilities, the Multiple Indicator Survey 2020-21 conducted by MoSPI indicated that 94.9 per cent of Muslims reported having an improved source of drinking water, while 97.2 per cent reported access to an improved toilet. Furthermore, 50.2 per cent of Muslim households had purchased or constructed new houses or flats for the first time after March 31, 2014.
However, the reply did not include specific information on population data related to Pasmanda Muslims, as inquired by Mala Roy. The questions also sought details on the socio-economic status of Pasmanda Muslims in the country.
Roy had asked three questions — whether there was any countrywide data on the Muslim population as on May 30, whether there was any population data on Pasmanda Muslims with the government and details of the socio-economic status of Pasmanda Muslims in the country.
Owaisi, Irani clash on ‘semantics’
Meanwhile, a Twitter war broke out between AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Smriti Irani over the statistics of the Muslim population.
Owaisi remarked that even though the Union minister said in the Lok Sabha that the Muslim population ‘won’t exceed 20 crore’, right-wing groups, who he termed as ‘Shakhaputra Sanghis’, believe that India will be a Muslim majority in a few years, and this “evil propaganda demonises Muslims”.
“If they don’t understand basic maths, I hope they at least believe @narendramodi’s govt,” he said.
Irani responded to the Hyderabad MP’s tweet correcting him that the newspaper article doesn’t say ‘won’t exceed’ anywhere. “Sir kindly check the report you have used in the image; it does not use the phrase ‘won’t exceed ‘. I’m sure you don’t want to mislead,” she tweeted.
