15 Points Programme for Minorities Welfare Schemes

15 Points Programme for Minorities Welfare Schemes

Part of: GS-Prelims and GS-II: Government schemes and policies

Context: It is an overarching programme which covers various schemes/initiatives of the participating Ministries/Departments with an aim to ensure that the underprivileged and weaker sections of six centrally notified minority communities have equal opportunities for availing the various Government welfare Schemes and contribute to the overall socio-economic development of the Country.  

1. Enhancing opportunities for education
2. 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
3. Improving the conditions of living of minorities by ensuring an appropriate share for them in infrastructure development schemes
4. Prevention and control of communal disharmony and violence.

Schemes covered are – 

 A. Educational Empowerment

1. Scholarship Schemes- Pre-Matric Scholarship, Post-Matric Scholarship and Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship.
2. Maulana Azad National Fellowship Scheme, provides financial assistance to students from notified minority communities, to pursue higher education such as M.Phil and Ph.D.
3. In addition, the Maulana Azad Education Foundation implements the scheme viz. Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship for meritorious girls belonging to minorities studying in Classes IX to XII.
4. Naya Savera – Free Coaching and Allied Scheme which aims to enhance skills and knowledge of students and candidates from minority communities where total annual family income is less than Rs. 6 lakh to get employment in Government Sector/ Public Sector Undertaking, jobs in private sector, and admission in reputed institutions in technical and professional courses at under-graduate and post-graduate levels.

B. Economic Empowerment

1. Skill Development:
   • Seekho aur Kamao (Learn & Earn): It is a skill development initiative for minorities and aims to upgrade the skills of minority youth in various modern/traditional skills depending upon their qualification, present economic trends and market potential, which can earn them suitable employment or make them suitably skilled to go for self-employment.
   • Upgrading the Skill and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development (USTTAD) scheme to give an effective platform to minority artisans and culinary experts from across the country to showcase and market their finest handicraft and exquisitely crafted products through “Hunar Haats” organized by the Ministry. Ministry has engaged institutions of national repute namely, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), National Institute of Design (NID) and Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) to work in various craft clusters for design intervention, product range development, packaging, exhibitions and brand building etc. 
   • Nai Manzil – A scheme to provide education and skill training to the youth from minority communities.
   • Gharib Nawaz Employment Training Programme for providing short-term job oriented skill development courses to youths belonging to minority communities.
   • Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY):  Under Skill India Mission, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is implementing a flagship scheme known as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 2016-20 with an objective to provide skilling to one crore people including persons from minority community under Short Term Training (STT) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) across the country for four years i.e. 2016-2020. 
2. National Minorities Development Finance Corporation (NMDFC) Loan Schemes provide concessional loans for self-employment and income generating activities for the socio-economic development of the ‘backward sections’ amongst the notified minorities.
3. Priority Sector Lending by Banks.(Department of Financial Services)
4. National Urban Livelihoods Mission (M/o Housing & Urban Affairs)
5. National Rural Livelihoods Mission (M/o Rural Development)
6. Deen Dayal Upadhyay – Gramin Kaushal Yojana (M/o Rural Development)
7. Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin)- (M/o Rural Development)

In addition, another scheme namely Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) is implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, which aims to improve the socio-economic conditions and basic amenities of minorities so as to improve their quality of life and reduce imbalances in the identified Minority Concentration Areas.

News Source: PIB