The Ministry of Minority Affairs today said that the National Commission for Minorities conducts ‘Sarv Dharam Samvad’ with representatives of minority communities to promote communal harmony and discuss problems of Buddhist, Jain and other communities. In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that since December 2021, the Commission has conducted 38 such meetings, including Jain and Buddhist communities. He further said that five of these meetings have specifically focused on the Jain and Buddhist communities.

Mr Rijiju said issues concerning the Jain community, such as Sammed Shikharji, Girnar Parvat, and the safety and security of Jain monks during Viharas, were discussed in the meetings. He said further that issues concerning the Buddhist community, such as the management of the Bodh Gaya temple, the promotion of the Pali language, and the provision of amenities such as schools and community halls for Buddhists living in remote areas, were also discussed.

The Union Minister further added that a total of 102 visits were conducted by concerned Jain and Buddhist members to various locations, including Karnataka, Leh-Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and other states.

Mr Rijiju added that in addition, three autonomous organisations are working under the administrative control of the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, and three of them—the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh; Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda, Bihar; and Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies,  Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh have been accorded status of deemed to be university.