The Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of
Minorities is an initiative of the Government to bring the people of minority
classes in the mainstream of development.
This Programme for the
Welfare of Minorities was announced in June, 2006 under the Ministry of
Minority Affairs to ensure a more focused approach towards issues relating to
the minorities. The purpose was to facilitate the formulation of overall policy
and planning, coordination, evaluation and review of the regulatory framework
and development programmes for the benefit of the minority communities.
An important aim of the new programme is to ensure that the benefits
of various government schemes for the underprivileged reach the disadvantaged
sections of the minority communities. In order to ensure that the benefits of
these schemes flow equitably to the minorities, the new programme envisages
location of a certain proportion of development projects in minority
concentration areas. It also provides that, wherever possible, 15 percent of
targets and outlays under various schemes should be earmarked for the
minorities.
The objectives of the programme are: Enhancing opportunities for
education; Ensuring an equitable share for minorities in economic activities
and employment, through existing and new schemes; enhanced credit support for
self-employment and recruitment to State and Central Government jobs; Improving
the living conditions of minorities by ensuring an appropriate share for them
in infrastructure development schemes; and Prevention and control of communal
disharmony and violence.
Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) have
been notified as minority communities under Section 2 (c) of the National
Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
Scholarship Schemes for Students of Minority Communities
Three scholarship schemes for minority communities namely,
pre-matric scholarship from class-I to X, post-matric scholarship from class XI
to PhD and merit-cum-means scholarship for technical and professional courses
at under-graduate and post-graduate levels have been launched. It is felt that
the scholarship will encourage parents from minority communities for educating
their children. The scheme will form the foundation for their educational
attainment and provide a level playing field in the competitive employment
arena. Empowerment through education, which is one of the objectives of this
scheme, has the potential to lead to upliftment of the socio economic
conditions of the minority communities.
Scholarships are awarded to the students who have secured not less
than 50 percent marks in the previous final examination and annual income of
their parents/guardian from all sources does not exceed Rs 1 lakh and 2 lakh
for school and higher education respectively. 30 percent of scholarships are
earmarked for girl students. In case sufficient number of eligible girl
students is not available, then the balance earmarked scholarships may be
awarded to eligible boy students. As the number of scholarships for minorities
available in a year is fixed and limited it is necessary to lay down preference
for selection giving weightage to poverty rather than marks.
Another scheme of merit-cum-means based scholarship to students
belonging to minority communities is to enable them to pursue professional and
technical courses. Every year 20000 scholarships are distributed among the
students of minority communities throughout the country.
Online Scholarship Management System (OSMS)
An Online Scholarship Management System (OSMS) for merit-cum-means
based
scholarship scheme
has been introduced as a pilot project from the current financial year i.e.
2011-12 through the website of the Ministry of Minority Affairs
www.minorityaffairs.gov.in. Students may apply online. For this they should
visit the website through URL www.momascholarship.gov.in. The OSMS has proved
to be useful, both from the user and the stakeholder point of view. This is the
first time that in a Government Scholarship Scheme such a system has been
introduced.
Significant Achievements in Minority Affairs
In pursuance
with the recommendations of the National Commission for Religious and
Linguistic Minorities (NCRLM), the Government have carved out a sub-quota of
4.5 percent effective from 1st January, 2012 for backward classes of minorities
from out of 27 percent quota of Other Backward Classes (OBCs). This reservation
is available to those minority communities who are included in the Central list
of OBC published by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment from time
to time. The reservation will be for the Central Government jobs and services
and also admissions to Central Government educational institutions.
For educationally empowering minority communities, the Ministry of
Minority Affairs within a short span of four years in the 11th Plan, have
awarded more than One crore scholarships to minorities, out of which 50.34
percent has been awarded to girls students. Among other achievements during the
year 2011-12, 29.23 lakh pre-matric scholarships were awarded of which 53.80
percent went to girl students; 4.38 lakh post-matric scholarships were awarded
of which 55.65 percent went to girl students ; and 29579 Merit-cum- Means
scholarships were awarded of which 38.06 percent went to girl students.
Increased Budget
Union
Budget 2012-13 has provided major incentives for the uplift of students of
minority communities. The outlay for scholarship schemes for the students
belonging to the Minorities has been increased significantly. The Ministry of
Minority Affairs has got an outlay of Rs. 3,135 crore as Central Plan Outlay in
the Union General Budget 2012-13. This is an increase of Rs. 385 crore over the
Revised Budget Estimates for the FY 2011-12 (which stands at Rs. 2,750 crore).
Provision for Pre-Matric Scholarship has been increased from Rs. 540
crore to Rs. 810 crore; Post-Matric
Scholarship gets Rs. 450 crore – up from Rs. 405 crore; Merit-cum-means
Scholarship scheme gets Rs. 198 crore - as against Rs. 126 crore in the Revised
Budget Estimates for the 2011-12. Provision for Maulana Azad National
Fellowship for Minority students has been enhanced from Rs. 47 crore to Rs. 63
crore.
New Initiatives
The Budget 2012-13 also provides Rs. 4.50 crore for a new scheme to
provide free cycles to girl students of class IX with the objective of
retention of minority girl students from class IX onwards.
Another new scheme of Skill Development Initiatives
has been provided Rs. 18 crore in the Budget to allow urban and rural
livelihoods to improve for inclusive growth by providing skill to the Minority
communities who do not posses any, to allow them to gain employment.
Rs. 45
crore each have been provided for Scheme for promotion of education in 100
Minority Concentration towns/cities; and Village Development Programme for
1,000 villages not covered under Minority Concentration Blocks/ Minority
Concentration Districts.
The
Ministry of Minority Affairs also gets Rs. 19.70 crore as Non-Plan provision so
that the total finances available with the Ministry for the FY 2012-13 are Rs.
3,154.70 crore.
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