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Study on Conditions of Muslim Population in the Country
Pursuant to the receipt of Sachar Committee Report and under the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme, with an objective to enhance opportunities for education, ensure an equitable share for minorities in economic activities and employment, enhanced credit support for self-employment, recruitment to State and Central Government jobs, skill development of minorities, measure for special development initiatives, protection and management of Waqf Properties, etc. the Government has already undertaken various schemes/initiatives for the welfare of six notified minorities, including Muslims, the details of which are listed.
All these schemes/initiatives are being implemented by various Ministries/ Departments of the Central Government either exclusively or by earmarking of 15% of overall physical/financial target (under the scheme) or by monitoring the flow of funds in the minority concentration areas for the welfare of minorities throughout the country. These schemes are being implemented in addition to other schemes of the Central and State Governments, which are meant for different beneficiaries stipulated under such schemes without any differentiation on socio-religious ground. The details of implementation of these schemes/initiatives are available on the website of the Ministry of Minority Affairs – www.minorityaffairs.gov.in
Subsequently, the Ministry of Minority Affairs constituted a committee on 05.08.2013 under the Chairmanship of Prof. Amitabh Kundu to evaluate the process of implementation of decisions taken by Government of India on the recommendations of Sachar Committee Report; to assess the schemes/programmes implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs; to assess the efficacy of the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme, etc. The committee submitted its report on 09.10.2014. The report of the committee was examined in the Ministry of Minority Affairs and decided that since the recommendations of the committee are overarching, covering the policies and programmes of other Ministries/Departments also, the views of the concerned Ministries/Departments are required. Accordingly, all the concerned Ministries/Departments have been requested to give their views/comments on the recommendations of the committee. Further action is contingent upon receipt of the comments from all the concerned stakeholders.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs has not received any such report.
The Government of West Bengal has informed that such study was conducted by a private organization and it has not taken cognizance of that study.
Details of schemes / initiatives for the welfare of minorities are as under:
- Enhancing opportunities for education
- Pre-Matric Scholarship
- Post-Matric Scholarship
- Merit-cum-Means Scholarship
- Maulana Azad National Fellowship
- Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme for providing services through Anganwadi Centres
- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and opening of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas
- ‘Padho Pardesh’- Interest subsidy on educational loans for overseas studies
- ‘Nai Udaan’- Support for students clearing Prelims conducted by UPSC, SSC, State Public Service Commissions, etc.
- Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madarsas (SPQEM)
- Scheme for Infrastructure Development of Minority Institutions (IDMI)
- Greater Resources for Teaching Urdu
- Free Coaching and Allied Scheme
- Schemes of Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) for promotion of education.
- Mid Day Meal Scheme
- Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA)
- Sakshar Bharat/ Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Balighan
- Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS)
- Block Institutes of Teachers Education
- Women’s Hostel.
- Ensuring an equitable share for minorities in economic activities
- Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (renamed as Aajeevika/ National Rural Livelihood Mission)
- Swarn Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SJSRY) (renamed as National Urban Livelihood Mission)
- ‘Seekho Aur Kamao’ – Skill Development Initiatives
- Upgrading Skill and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development (USTTAD)
- Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs)
- Restructuring of NMDFC and Loan schemes of National Minority Development & Finance Commission (NMDFC)
- Bank credit under Priority Sector Lending
- Issue of guidelines for giving special consideration for recruitment of minorities.
- Opening of new Bank Branches/ awareness campaigns.
- Nai Manzil – An integrated Education and Livelihood Initiative for the Minority Communities
iii. Improving the conditions of living of minorities
- Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY)
- Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP)
- Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP)
- Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG)
- Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT)
- National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP)
- Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP)
- Waqf matters
- Strengthening of State Waqf Boards
- Computerisation of records of States Waqf Boards.
- Prevention and control of communal disharmony and violence
- Issue of guidelines on communal harmony.
- Others
- ‘Nai Roshni’- Leadership development of minority women
- ‘Jiyo Parsi’- Scheme for containing population decline of small minority community
- Hamari Dharohar
- Representation of minorities in Urban & Rural local bodies
- Exemption of Waqf properties from State Rent control Act
- Appropriate training modules to be prepared for sensitization of Government functionaries
- Multi-media campaign for wide publicity of Government schemes/programmes
- Annual Meeting between CWC and ASI and protection of Waqf monuments
- Setting up of Assessment & Monitoring Authority (AMA)
- Setting up of National Data Bank (NDB)
- Review of Delimitation Act
- Dissemination of information in vernacular languages.
This Information was given by Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi the Minister of State (IC) for Ministry of Minority Affairs in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha yesterday.
