Team Herald
MARGAO: The Global Romi Lipi Abhiyan (GRLA) has expressed that the establishment of a Goa State Minorities Commission (GSMC) could significantly benefit the Roman Script Konknni community, as well as address various issues affecting minorities in Goa.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Kennedy Afonso, President of GRLA, emphasized that such a commission would provide a vital platform for the Roman Script Konknni community to voice their concerns and advocate for the official recognition of their language and script. It would also serve as a mechanism to address grievances related to the perceived neglect and marginalization of Roman Script Konknni.
“The Commission can push for the inclusion of Roman script Konknni in the school curriculum and advocate for policies that recognize and promote it as an essential part of the cultural identity of minorities,” Afonso stated.
He further pointed out that the Union government had established the National Commission for Minorities in 1992 to safeguard the constitutional and legal rights of minorities. Under the Constitution, every state is allowed to establish its own State Minority Commission, yet Goa has yet to set one up.
“Article 29(1) of the Indian Constitution guarantees minorities the right to protect their language, script, and culture. Unfortunately, this fundamental right has been denied to the minorities of Goa since 1987, when the government recognized only the Devanagari script under the Official Language Act, effectively sidelining the Roman Script, which is widely used by the minority community,” Afonso added.
He also raised concerns over the fact that Roman Script Konknni is not taught in schools, which has hindered the growth and development of the Konknni language overall. A State Minority Commission in Goa could help resolve these issues, he suggested.
Afonso recalled that in March 2012, the BJP government had promised to establish a minority commission as part of its election manifesto. While a bill was introduced in the Legislative Assembly, it was referred to a select committee and has remained stuck there for over 12 years.
“When a bill is deferred to a select committee, it typically signals a lack of seriousness from the government. It is high time the BJP government fulfills its promises and stops deceiving the public of Goa,” Afonso remarked.
He also criticized the Congress government, which has often relied on the secular votes of minorities to remain in power, for failing to set up the Goa State Minority Commission and protect the interests of the minorities.
