3 February, 2006

My dear Balraj,

I have just read your article on the grievances of the Muslims of Jammu.  As usual, this article opens a new window to let in more light to illumine my mind, you have mentioned your 8-point formula to determine allocation of development funds to different areas, say, a district.  This will ensure that backward districts get more per capita than relatively forward districts. 

Yet, the question of just and fair distribution of benefits among various social groups remains unresolved.  Some groups because they are politically or administratively well placed or well connected will take the lion’s share, while those marginalized shall not receive their due.  Theoretically this implies that either the scheme should be universal in scope, irrespective of social category, or distribution should roughly be proportionate to population of various groups and, what is more important, to the families and individuals in each group which really deserve it according to common and uniform criteria.

I shall, therefore, be grateful to you for throwing more light on your suggestion.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

 (SYED SHAHABUDDIN)

Shri Balraj Puri,

Karan Nagar,

Jammu – 180 005 (J&K).