Archive

"Bharat needs more contribution from Parsis and therefore we need more Parsis,” asserted Kiren Rijiju, union minister for minority affairs, Government of India. On a visit to Bombay, he had sought a meeting with select members of the Zoroastrian community to assure them that the government financed Jiyo Parsi (JP) scheme will continue its endeavors to stabilize their rapidly declining numbers. 

"My office is open to the Parsi community whenever it is in need of central government’s intervention,” he addressed the "small yet powerful gathering” at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre on September 14, 2024. Seated in the front row were six of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees (chairman Viraf Mehta, former chairwoman Armaity Tirandaz, Xerxes Dastur, Anahita Desai, Hoshang Jal and Dr Adil Malia). The others in the audience comprised heads of some community organizations and trusts, beneficiaries of the JP scheme, representatives of the Parsi Press and the general media, plus functionaries from the National Commission for Minorities (NMC) as also the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission. 

  George Kurian, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Kersi Deboo; Photo: Press Information Bureau, Mumbai 

"India cherishes the outstanding contributions of the Parsi community. They have significantly enriched our culture… We have to not only celebrate their contributions but foster new horizons where Parsis can play a major role,” added the minister.Although he knew of Parsis since his childhood, Rijiju mentioned that he had an opportunity to associate with them in the last few years. As law minister he remembered being "enriched by the experiences” of senior Parsi lawyers. He was aware of Parsis being associated with the Olympics way before the Indian Olympic Association was constituted. (The first Indian contingent comprising four athletes and two wrestlers with Sohrab Bhoot as manager was sent for the Summer Olympics in Antwerp in 1920 thanks to a generous donation by Sir Dorabji Tata. The industrialist’s wife Meherbai Tata who excelled in tennis had participated in the 1924 Paris Olympics, playing mixed doubles matches.) "There are so many different fields in which the contributions of Parsis have not been recognized,” he continued. 

While assuring support from the government, Rijiju commented that although the development of the JP scheme is in the hands of the government, "increasing the numbers is primarily in the hands of the community…known to be very hardworking, learned and well aware of its responsibility.” 

On the dais with Rijiju were George Kurian, union minister of state for minority affairs; Abdul Sattar, minister of Maharashtra Minorities Department; Iqbal Singh Lalpura, chairman of the NCM; Kersi Deboo, vice chairman of NCM; Pyare Khan, chairman of the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission; Richa Shankar, deputy director general of MOMA (ministry of minority affairs); and Richa Bagla, additional secretary, Government of India. 

Following a quick round of shawls and bouquets for the dignitaries, Shankar, Kurian and Sattar had to necessarily condense their remarks to prevent Rijiju from missing his afternoon flight to Bangalore. Appreciating the contribution of yesteryear Parsis in the freedom struggle and in the fields of science, industry and law, Kurian noted, "It is the duty of Indian society to preserve and increase the Parsi community.” Acknowledging the importance of the Parsi community to this country and to remove the obstacles along their path, Sattar sought funds from MOMA and received Rijiju’s wholehearted assurance for "financial, material, manpower support… whatever it takes, for minorities.”

Jiyo Parsi operations

Through the course of the morning and afternoon sessions it was repeatedly stated that the Parsi community in India which numbered 1,14,000 in 1941 had declined to 57,264 or nearly half in 2011. This fact was printed in the Jiyo Parsi Improved Guidelines booklet distributed at the entrance, emphasized in the five-minute film (that took longer to start than to run) to indicate the government’s commitment to protect the minorities under its "sabka saath, sabka vikas (in harmonious efforts lie mutual progress),” and referred to in the speeches by the dignitaries. 

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has great respect for the Parsi community,” stated Rijiju, adding, "We don’t want your numbers to come down below 50,000.” (Facing an 18% decline every decade, community demographers believe that the Parsis in India may already be under 45,000 but are awaiting an official confirmation from the next government census. The census due in 2021 was initially delayed due to the pandemic and subsequently due to disagreements on the data to be collected.) Since the introduction of the government financed scheme in 2013, JP takes credit for over 400 births in the community; with the maximum number of 70 babies born in 2019-20. For the subsequent three years there were 55, 52 and 49 births and in 2023-24 it was "approximately 40.”

With a budgetary provision of Rs 50 crore (USD 5.97 million) for five years from 2021 to 2026, the JP scheme supported by the central government has allocated Rs 2.11 crore (USD 251,849) on advocacy (awareness), Rs 3.62 crore  (USD 432,082)on the medical component and Rs 4.27 crore (USD 509,665) on the health of the community each year. 

Advocacy involves outreach programs like seminars and medical camps, as also publicity material to sensitize the community and inform them of the assistance available.

The medical component extends funding for infertility treatment up to a maximum of Rs 6,00,000 (USD 7,162) on in vitro fertilization (IVF), intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (a type of IVF that involves injecting a single sperm directly into an egg), surrogacy, etc plus other medical expenses up to Rs 4,00,000  (USD 4,774) during pregnancy and delivery, and a further Rs 2.50 lakh (USD 2,984) if the newborn requires neonatal intensive care treatment. The percentage of financial assistance varies depending on the annual family income: 100% for income up to Rs 15 lakh (USD 17,904); 75% for income between Rs 15 lakh to Rs 25 lakh (USD 29,840); 50% for income between Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh (USD 35,808). This would be subject to verification of submitted bills and standard medical protocols as prescribed by the ministry of health and family welfare.

The healthcare component can be availed of by those who have given birth to a child after 2017-2018 and whose annual family income is less than Rs 15 lakh. To take care of the existing children and the new addition to the family, financial assistance at the rate of Rs 8,000 (USD 95) per month is offered until the age of 18 years. If they have elderly dependents (aged over 60 years), assistance of Rs 10,000 (USD 119) per month per elderly dependent would start from the birth of the child and continue until the senior family dependent is alive. The maximum overall number of beneficiaries under this component will be 200. For beneficiaries or their family members opting for distance learning of Avesta-Pahlavi language courses at the University of Mumbai, an annual fee up to Rs 6,000 will be reimbursed. 

While initially the JP scheme, envisioned by Prof (Dr) Shernaz Cama, operated under the aegis of the Delhi based Parzor Foundation, under the revised guidelines, the scheme is to be "implemented by the state governments with the assistance of selected Parsi punchayets/anjumans/agiaries.” There will additionally be district and state level committees to screen applications, sanction proposals and monitor the progress. 

Couples seeking financial assistance have to apply on the JP portal (www.minorityaffairs.gov.in), provide their Aadhar numbers and Aadhar-linked bank account details and other relevant information. The biometric authentication of all beneficiaries would be annually undertaken by the state. Ultimately funds would be released under Direct Benefit Transfer Mode through the Aadhar-based Payment System (ABPS)/ Aadhar Payments Bridge System.

Yet some financial avenues made available by MOMA to all six minorities (Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Parsis and Jains) are the loans and credit facilities offered by its undertaking, National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC). As explained by the deputy general manager Kumar Sudesh, NMDFC was established 30 years ago with an authorized share capital of Rs 3,000 crore (USD 357.99 million) to promote "economic empowerment of ‘backward sections’ of minorities by extending ‘concessional credit.’” Of the 24,32,000          NMDFC beneficiaries assisted since inception, 77.84% have been Muslims followed by 20.58% Christians, with three other minorities constituting less than two percent. There has not been a single Parsi beneficiary.

For term loans to finance income generation ventures, 60% have been male beneficiaries; for micro-finance credit extended to members of self-help groups who are unable to take advantage of formal bank credit, 99% have been females; and for education loans for job oriented technical and professional courses, 57% have been males, Kumar presented the highlights. There are different limits and rates applicable depending on whether beneficiaries fall under Credit Line 1 [annual family income below Rs 3,00,000 (USD 3,581)] or Credit Line 2 [annual family income up to Rs 8,00,000 (USD 9,549)]. The schemes are enumerated on their website: nmdfc.org.

The R. D. Sethna Scholarship Fund gives education loans at two percent to all communities, pointed out its chief executive officer Farrokh Rustomji. Kumar responded saying, "In our case, our kitty is very large.”

Interactions with beneficiaries

In the scheduled post-lunch time slot as also earlier when a speaker was delayed Shankar invited queries from the audience as the aim of JP is "to further improve the scheme and bring in more partners as the scheme is by, of and for Parsis.”

Tirandaz enquired, "What about beneficiaries who haven’t still received their funds?” According to Shankar, "As per our list there are only 10 or 12 such applicants.” A couple of beneficiaries voiced their grievances on not receiving the child care and elderly support grants despite spending half a day on biometric verification and following up persistently through the online portal. When Shankar stated, "You have to appreciate if 97 out of 100 are receiving… Don’t be impatient,” the beneficiary responded, "We are not getting a point of contact with whom we can communicate. It is very easy to say ‘Don’t be impatient.’” 

Yet another lady spoke up on behalf of her daughter and son-in-law who would like to have a second child, funds permitting, but feel the bureaucratic procedures are self-defeating. One Parsi gent advocated the ministry should have a facility with some centrally located hospital in Bombay for creation of an embryo bank but Shankar noted the scheme is meant not only for Bombay residents but also those in other cities and towns; "it cannot be biased towards Mumbai.” She invited the man to send an official email based on which the ministry could reconsider its earlier decision but considering his past experience in dealing with government authorities he noted, "The government is not good in communicating.” Assured Shankar, "We are building a new team. I’ve instructed them that no mail should be left unanswered.”

JP counsellor Pearl Mistry who had worked with the erstwhile implementing partners Parzor and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences before the government took over the scheme stated that "for six months even I was without a salary. All promises made by the ministry will be honored” once the administrative issues are ironed out. "Let’s think of productive ways of improving instead of complaining. Let the government have a sweet idea of how we (Parsis) add sugar in the milk.” (When Parsiana subsequently sought a clarification from Mistry whether she continues to be associated with the program, she responded that she is uncertain of the status as she has yet not received any written communication from the ministry, "all employees being put on hold for the last six months.” She was just told to attend the September 14 meeting without any brief on what she was expected to speak.) 

On the occasion of Rashtriya Hindi Divas (National Hindi Day), Deboo as the Zoroastrian representative to the NCM, addressed the assembly in the post-lunch session in Hindi. He mentioned that when the Government was sceptical about continuing with the JP scheme since there were only 400 births in the last 10 years after allocating crores of rupees, he reminded them that considering the tiger population increased by 1,200 after investing Rs 1,450 crore (USD 173 million) on Project Tiger, the outcome from Parsis was better.

Deboo referred to Rijiju’s decision of giving top priority to Parsis, the smallest of the six minorities and launching the JP portal to facilitate online applications and operations. Currently the medical component of the portal is functional but not the child-care component that is facing some glitches.

The government takes interest but not Parsis in increasing their numbers. If the Parsi community "apna bhala-bura nahi sochégi (will not determine what is good for it),” the future is bleak, lamented Deboo. The community is known for late marriages, 30% not marrying, 30% interfaith marriages and many migrating.  

Shankar regretted that there were few young Parsis in the audience on whom she could impress the importance of getting married early and producing children, "not for the JP scheme but for the future of the community.” She was keen that the JP benefits reach community members in need in different corners of India. 

As a birth certificate in India no longer provides a column for religion of parents, Shankar stated that it becomes difficult to ascertain the number of community births. Realizing the need for such information for better planning, she urged the BPP to maintain an age wise, data base. "You all are a well-knit community,” she added. 

Appreciating the assistance rendered by the government, Mehta requested that seats be made available to Parsis in educational institutions founded by community members so that the quota system does not adversely impact Parsi students seeking admissions. Jal specified that they sought revival of seats once reserved for Parsis (In the past when a couple of seats were reserved for Parsis in distant engineering and dental colleges, they were not availed of — editors). Shankar responded that it was beyond her scope to assist, making Malia comment, "In the jungle of bureaucracy we don’t know where to go.”

When Mehta enquired if it was possible to have a physical nodal office where a JP representative could be present on certain fixed days in a month, Shankar stated that this facility could be provided. What should an applicant do if there is no response to an email? one of the applicants enquired. Route the request through the BPP, Shankar advised. 

Valuing the insights she gained from the interactive session, Shankar concluded with an observation that "in this educated, elite community, those who can provide for four children are having only a single child while those from the economically weaker sections are having (more)!”