A/HRC/WG.6/1/IND/4 page 15 71. Morocco welcomed the efforts made by India in advancing the rights of women and of their empowerment in the political and social fields. Given the importance of Indian communities worldwide, Morocco asked what are the plans and initiatives of India to protect the interests and rights of this community. 72. Following the dialogue, the delegation of India, in their responses, stated that they had listened with attention and respect and would take home the comments and deliberate on them and gain a lot of experience and knowledge. Brazil, Algeria, and Nigeria had referred to India’s phenomenal growth but rightly raised questions about whether this was an all inclusive growth and if the gulf between the rich and poor is not growing. This is one of the greatest concerns of India and every effort is made to ensure there is no disparity between the rich and the poor. Recently, in the budget presented by the Finance Minister, India decided to write off US$ 15 billion worth of farmers’ debt. This is one of the largest schemes undertaken by any government to promote the welfare of its farmers. However, this was not a one time exercise. India is committed to make sustained efforts and coordinated programmes. The growth of India’s economy was phenomenal and one of the engines is the Special Economic Zones. This has led to some agitation in some parts of the country but the accent of the Government is to see that special economic zones bring prosperity to the areas in which they are being set up. There were schemes for rehabilitation, reemployment and community development of the affected people. India remained conscious that the path to reducing disparity was through providing opportunity for both employment and education. In this regard, India stated that it is likely to achieve 100 per cent success in primary education by 2010. 73. India noted that Canada, as well as others, referred to the impunity for human rights violations under the Armed Forces Act which was incorrect. India stated that no forces, armed or police, function with impunity. Armed forces were under strict orders not to transgress human rights and the strictest action is taken, and incidents are swiftly adjudicated, including through courts-martial. 74. Regarding castes and racial discrimination, India noted that both Canada and Germany mentioned India’s position on the scope of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). India stated that their position on ICERD is unchanged and that while they recognize that caste-based discrimination exists in India, since the caste system, which is unique to India, is not racial in origin, caste based discrimination cannot be considered a form of racial discrimination. 75. Regarding questions on minorities from Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, India noted that minorities, both religious and cultural, enjoy a very special status. The right to administer institutions of their choice for imparting education and carry on their religious instructions and cultural life is a fundamental right which has been repeatedly protected in a series of judgments by the Supreme Court. The Prime Minister’s 15-Point Programme contained interesting elements such as enhancing opportunities for education. One of the greatest successes in this area has been the increase in the number of Muslim women who are turning to organize education in the secular sphere. This will greatly contribute towards the mainstreaming of minorities. In communal-sensitive areas, India has set up street-level, district level committees to bring about a greater sense of understanding and tolerance. This has had great success in eliminating mistrust and suspicion. 76. With regard to human rights education, India stated that a novel programme in the form of the national legal literacy program, started in 2005, works to increase awareness of legal rights and make the people aware of their legal rights and that they have access to courts, particularly for people in rural areas.