The Assam government has decided to provide minority certificates to six minority communities in the state, said state Health Minister Keshab Mahanta on Sunday.

Speaking to ANI, Mahanta said that the people of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis will be provided minority certificates.

"Assam Cabinet has decided to provide minority certificates to the people of six religious minority communities - Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis," said Mahanta.

The decision was taken during the state cabinet meeting held in Guwahati under the chairmanship of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Notably, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his thoughts on redefining the minority status in Assam in April this year. The CM had stated that Muslims, who many think are the only minorities in India, are a majority in Assam's several districts such as South Salmara-Mankachar in the west, where Muslims account for nearly 95% of the population.

Speaking during the Budget Session of the Assembly, the Assam Chief Minister had also rooted for a more granular division of religious minorities, which he believed should be decided at the district level. His remarks came after the Centre told the Supreme Court that states have the power to designate minority status.

While the Opposition had come down heavily on the CM's statement, at the same time, the Assam government had set up a panel that recommended a notification be passed in order to identify Muslims in the state as an 'indigenous group', to safeguard the rights of Assamese Muslims.

The panel recommended that a separate authority needs to be set up for Assamese Muslims so that the Directorate could provide the necessary documentation. This will help them to reflect their distinct identity which will be in the form of an identity card or a certificate, it asserted.

Image courtesy: ANI