New Delhi, Jan 20 : Vice President Hamid Ansari today said that India is a land whose diversity includes religious minorities. Every sixth Indian is in this category. In absolute terms, it amounts to almost 200 million people.

Delivering inaugural address at the ''Annual Conference of State Minorities Commissions'' organized by the National Commission for Minorities here, the Vice President said that in law, they are beneficiary of all rights; in fact, deprivation exists and has been acknowledged. This has impacted on the overall progress of the country.

"There are three broad and inter-related dimensions to consider while discussing the question of minorities including the identity, security and equity," he added.

He said the policies and programmes initiated in the wake of the Sachar Report are indicative of the corrective action under way. The key to success lies in close monitoring of the implementation at ground level.

He further expressed his concern that the rights of minorities have acquired renewed salience in the last two decades.

"The ''declaration on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities'' adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1992 noted that minorities ''contribute to the political and social stability of states in which they live'' and that promotion of minority rights would contribute to the strengthening of friendship and cooperation among peoples and states," he added. (ANI)