J.B. Koshy Commission recommends welfare measures for economically, socially backward Christians in Kerala

The Justice J.B. Koshy Commission on Christian Minorities in the State has recommended that reservation norms be reworked to ensure adequate representation of economically and socially backward Christian sections, especially Scheduled Caste Converts to Christianity (SCCC), in jobs and education.

The Cabinet had, in principle, accepted the commission’s report on February 24 and given its nod for publishing it. The 357-page report, published on Saturday, underscores the need to guarantee minority benefits to Christians proportionate to their share of the population.

Large sections of the report deal with the plight of backward Christian sections including Dalit Christians (SCCC). It is only fair that the latter receive the same reservation benefits enjoyed by Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, the commission said. “As far as the SCCC Christians are concerned, their situation is far more dismal than the SCs before conversion,” the panel noted. It has suggested that the reservation quotas for SC and Scheduled Tribes (ST), if no candidate is available from these communities, should be made available to SCCC members rather than merging them with general merit.

The panel observed that a vast gulf persists between the reservation for jobs and that of education for Christian sections. Reservation in educational institutions should be increased to 6% for Latin Catholic/Anglo Indian, Nadar Christians, and SCCC on a 3:2:1 ratio, as backward Christians are mostly from these communities. At present, job reservation stands at 8%, and that of education, 4%. SCCC members too should receive the same protection given to SC and ST communities under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, it said.

Sunday School teachers

Further, the commission has recommended that a legislation be framed on the lines of the Kerala Madrassa Teachers Welfare Fund Act, 2019, for establishing a welfare fund board for Sunday School and religious teachers. The annual scholarship given to Yateemkhana residents for professional courses should be extended to orphanages run by Christians and other minority communities. New courses and centres of higher education should be started in minority-run colleges, especially in the coastal and hilly regions, it said.

The panel has urged the police to be vigilant against ‘centres’ that engage in forcible conversion of girls. Such incidents should be prevented and stern legal action should be initiated against perpetrators, the commission said. It also urged the government to ease the hurdles for establishing cemeteries.

Finance corporation

Further, the commission has urged the government to create a Kerala State Christian Minorities Development Finance Corporation. It also wanted the government to set up an agency to study the socio-economic conditions of the State’s Anglo-Indian community. The commission has made recommendations regarding the protection of rites and canonical laws, Church properties and customs, including those pertaining to marriage laws.

Further, the report dwells on the plight of the traditional fishing communities. They should be designated as ‘Most Backward Community,’ ‘Utterly Backward Community’ or ‘Backward Micro Community’ and extended special benefits, according to the commission.

The commission also called for a pro-farmer policy in incidents of human-wildlife conflict. The commission had as its members Christy Fernandez (former secretary to the President) and former State Police Chief Jacob Punnoose.