ABSTRACT
Muslims are recognised as numerically the most important among religious minorities in India. Broad-Basing has covered them, but the rate of catching up with the rest is not satisfactory. There has been a faster decline in poverty rate among Muslims than among the rest. The preponderance of the informal economy into which most of the Muslim workers are caught, their lower representation in higher education and gender biases are major stumbling blocks in their progress. The lower work participation of Muslim women is a significant factor in Muslims lagging behind others in employment. Most Muslim converts in India are believed to have come from the lower social groups, particularly artisans. Rural artisans suffered deprivation both during the colonial period due to cheaper imports of manufactured goods from England, and also subsequently after independence due to the rise of modern industry. Most of the artisans were reduced to the status of agricultural labourers. Thus the destiny of Muslims in India is tied up greatly with that of the informal sector. Their Broad-Basing can be promoted with the improvement in the status of the informal sector.
