Separate Budget for Minorities’ 15 Point Programme

New Delhi, Aug 11: The Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the welfare of minorities is an overarching programme, covering many schemes implemented by various Ministries/Departments including Ministry of Minority Affairs, throughout the country.

This programme aims to monitor the implementation of 24 different schemes of Government of India (of 11 Ministries/Departments) and to see that equitable share of the schemes (except those schemes, which are implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs and exclusively meant for the welfare of minority communities) is spent for the welfare of minority communities.

Funds are allocated for different schemes by the respective Ministries/Departments. The target setting and their implementation for welfare of minorities is monitored by Ministry of Minority Affairs, being Nodal Ministry for implementation of 15 PP. Owing to the complexity of the programme and its wide reach, wherever possible, the concerned Ministries/Departments earmark 15% of the targets/outlays for minorities in areas with substantial minority population. These are (all funded through the budget of the concerned Ministries/Departments):

• Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme providing services through Anganwadi Centres (Ministry of Women & Child Development);
• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Ministry of Human Resources Development);
• Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (renamed as Aajeevika) (Ministry of Rural Development);
• Swarn Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SJSRY) (Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation);
  Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) [M/o Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (erstwhile Ministry of Labour & Employment)];
• Bank credit under priority sector lending (Department of Financial Services); and
• Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) (Ministry of Rural Development).

Besides above, various schemes being implemented for minorities by the Ministry of Minority Affairs are also included in the Programme, in which 100% of funds are utilised for the welfare of minority communities. These include:

• Pre-Matric Scholarship
• Post-Matric Scholarship
• Merit-cum-Means Scholarship for technical & professional courses
• Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students
• Equity to National Minority Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC) for providing concessional loans
• Schemes of Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) for promotion of education
• Free Coaching and Allied scheme.

A total of Rs. 2,534.53 crore have been expended during 2014-15 against these schemes, exclusively for the minorities by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Further, there are some other schemes included in the programme for which flow of fund to minority concentration areas is quantified, which include (all funded through the budget of the concerned Ministries/Departments):

• Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) – Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation
• Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP) – Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation
• Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) – Ministry of Urban Development

Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG) – Ministry of Urban Development
National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) – Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation

On implementation of these schemes, most of the people living in such minority concentration areas would be benefited although.

In addition to above, there are some special initiatives included in the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities, which are as under (all funded through the budget of the concerned Ministries/Departments):

• Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madarsa (SPQEM) (Department of School Education & Literacy);
  Scheme for Infrastructure Development of Minority Institutions (IDMI) (Department of School Education & Literacy );
• Greater Resources for Teaching Urdu – Scheme for Appointment of Language Teachers (Department of School Education & Literacy);

The Government has also issued instructions/guidelines regarding protection of minority interests. These are:

• Recruitment of minorities in Govt. Departments/ Organisations (Department of Personnel & Training)
• Guidelines on Communal harmony (Ministry of Home Affairs)

These are meant for the benefit of minority communities.

The details of the status of implementation of these schemes, along with physical and financial targets fixed and achieved, wherever applicable, are available on the website of the Ministry of Minority Affairs i.e. www.minorityaffairs.gov.in and on the websites of concerned Ministries/ Departments implementing the schemes.

This information was given by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Minority Affairs in response to a written question in Rajya Sabha today. (INN)