A.        Prime Minister's New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities:

1.       The Prime Minister's New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities was announced in June, 2006. The new programme envisages location of a certain proportion of development projects in minority concentration areas for ensuring that the benefits of the schemes, included in the programme, flow equitably to the minorities. It also provides that, wherever possible, 15% of targets and outlays, under schemes considered amenable to earmarking, should be earmarked for the minorities.

2.       Some of the notable achievements made during 2006-07, 2007-08 and till 31st December, 2008 are given below:-

(a)      Under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), 961 primary schools were constructed in 2006-07 in minority concentration areas and this increased to 2008 in 2007-08. In 2008-09, 3226 primary schools have been constructed till 31st December, 2008. In respect of new upper primary schools, 1,114 were opened in such areas during 2006-07. This increased to 3,001 during 2007­-08. In 2008-09, 2531 new upper primary schools have been constructed till 31st December, 2008. Similarly, the number of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) sanctioned for educationally backward blocks, having a substantial minority population, rose from 97 in 2006-07 to 219 in 2007-08. In 2008-09, till 31st December, 2008, 120 KGBVs have been constructed.

(b)      Under the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY), 60,494 Swarojgaris belonging to the minorities were assisted in 2006-07 and this went up to 1,43,385 in 200'7-08. In 2008-09, 1,86,570 swarojgaris have been assisted till 31st December, 2008.

(c)      Under the Indira Awas Yojana (lAY), 14,236 BPL families belonging to the minorities were assisted for construction of houses in 2006-07. This went up to 1,55,980 in 2007-08. In 2008-09, 2,39,235 families have been assisted till 31st December, 2008.

(d)      Under the Swarn Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SJSRY), 15,933 beneficiaries were assisted for skill training in 2006-07. In 2007-08, the achievement rose substantially to 41,466. The target for minorities has been fixed at 22,535 for 2008-09 and 20,931 beneficiaries have been assisted till 31st December, 2008.

(e)      The proportion of priority sector lending (PSL) flowing to the minorities has been targeted to increase from 9% of the total priority sector lending to 15% over three years i.e. 2007-08 to 2009-10. In 2007-08, Rs.58,662.67 crore, which was 9.67% of the total priority sector lending, was disbursed to minorities. The target for minorities is Rs. 86,774.01 crore for 2008-09 which come to 13% of the national target of PSL. Of this, Rs.71,566.58 crore have been disbursed till 31st December, 2008, which is about 82.47% of the target fixed for minorities.

(f)      Under Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP) 101 projects (costing Rs. 5234.39 crore) were sanctioned in 12 cities having a substantial minority population during 2008-09. Under Integrated Housing & Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) 117 projects costing 1660.16 crores sanctioned in 90 towns having a substantial minority population during 2008-09.

 

3.         Schemes to improve representation of minorities in government service:

(a)      Revised guidelines to improve the representation of minorities in government service and public sector undertakings have been issued by the Department of Personnel & Training in January, 2007. Since then, there has been an improvement in recruitment from 6.95% in 2006-07 to 8.65% in 2007-08 in Central Ministries/Departments.

(b)      Coaching and allied scheme has been launched in July, 2007 with a view to enhance the skills and knowledge of students and candidates from the minority communities to secure employment in government service, public sector undertakings and jobs in the private sector. Sixty proposals for coaching 4147 candidates were sanctioned in 2007-08 covering 14 States/UTs and 72 proposals for coaching 5522 students have been approved till 31 March, 2009 in 2008-09 covering 20 States/UTs.

 

B.        Exclusive schemes for minority communities

1.         Scholarship schemes for students belonging to the minority communities:

(a)      Three scholarship schemes for students belonging to the minority communities have been launched. To ensure that girl students get a fair share, all three schemes have 30% scholarships earmarked for them. These are: -

(i)       Merit-cum-means scholarship: 17258 scholarships were awarded in 2007-08, the first year of implementation of which 29.02% went to girl students. For 2008-09, 26,195 scholarships have been sanctioned of which 32.01% went to girl students.

(ii)      Post-matric scholarship: 57112 scholarships were awarded in 2007-08, the first year of implementation of which 56.80% went to girl students. In 2008-09, 1.5 lakh scholarships have been sanctioned of which 55.75% went to girl students.

(iii)     Pre-matric scholarship: 2008-09 is the first year of implementation of this scheme. 5.13 lakh scholarships have been sanctioned of which 50.89% went to girl students.

 

2.       Special area development programme: 90 minority concentration districts (MCDs), which are backward in basic amenities and socio-economic parameters, were identified in 2007-08 A multi-sectoral development programme to address the 'development deficits' specially in education, skill development, employment, sanitation, housing, drinking water and electricity supply has been launched from 2008-09. Baseline surveys to identify 'development deficits' have been carried out in all the districts. Plans of 47 districts in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Bihar, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Orissa and Andaman & Nicobar Islands have been approved and Rs.270.85 crore has been released till 31st March, 2009

 

3.         Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF)

MAEF corpus had been enhanced from Rs.100 crore to Rs.250 crore by 2007-­08 to enable it to expand its education development activities. A further sum of Rs.60 crore has been sanctioned in 2008-09. The foundation has sanctioned grant of Rs.115.36 crore to 881 NGOs all over the country since its inception. In 2008-09, the foundation has sanctioned scholarships for 12,064 girl students amounting to Rs.14.48 crore till 31st January, 2009.

 

4.         National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC)

The authorised share capital of the NMDFC was increased from RS.650 crore to RS.750 crore in 2007-08 and to RS.850 crore in 2008-09. NMDFC has given financial assistance to 425156 beneficiaries amounting to Rs.1172.36 crore in 25 States and 3 Union Territories since inception till 31st January, 2009. In 2008-09, an amount of Rs.130.72 crore has been disbursed to 51,198 beneficiaries. It has been approved 'in-principle' that NMDFC will be restructured.

5.         Measures for the development of Wakfs

The Cabinet has given in principle approval for the restructuring of the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation. As part of the restructuring of the NMDFC a National Wakf Development Agency will be set up. Prime Minister has approved to make a suitable plan provision in the annual plan of 2009-10 for (a) computerisation of the records of the State Wakf Boards, (b) to finance the State Wakf Boards, and (c) to make provision in the non-plan to make grants to the Central Wakf Council to meet its administrative expenses.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs is taking action accordingly. The Ministry has also circulated a draft note for the Cabinet on amendments to the Wakf Act, 1995 after considering the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Wakfs.

 

C.         INITIATIVES TAKEN IN PURSUANCE OF THE SACHAR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS:

(a)      All public sector banks have been directed to open more branches in districts having a substantial minority population. In 2007-08, 523 branches were opened in such districts. In 2008-09, 329 new branches have been opened till 31st December, 2008.

(b)      An expert group constituted to study and recommend the structure and functions of an Equal Opportunity Commission submitted its report on 13th March, 2008. A proposal in this regard is under inter-ministerial consultation.

(c)      The expert group constituted for evolving an appropriate Diversity Index to measure diversity in the areas of education, housing and employment has submitted its report on 24th June, 2008. The recommendations of the expert group are under consideration.

(d)      A National Data Bank, to compile data on the various socio-economic and basic amenities parameters for socio-religious communities, has been set up in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

(e)      An autonomous Assessment & Monitoring Authority (AMA), to analyse data collected for taking appropriate and corrective policy decisions, has been set up in the Planning Commission.

(f)      The Madarsa modernization programme has been revised to make it more attractive by providing better salary to teachers, increased assistance for books, teaching aids and computers, and introduction of vocational subjects, etc. This scheme, now known as Quality Improvement in Madarsa Education, has been launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. In the year 2008-09, Rs.49.50 crores have been released for 14539 Madarsa teachers in 8025 Madarsa in the 14 States/UTs.

(g)      A new centrally sponsored scheme of financial assistance for Infrastructure Development of Privately Managed Elementary / Secondary / Sr. Secondary schools set up by minorities has been launched with an allocation of Rs.125.00 crores during Xlth Plan.

(h)      National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has prepared text books for all classes in the light of the National Curriculum Framework-2005.

(i)       Thirteen universities have been provided Rs.40 lakh each for starting centres for studying social exclusion and inclusive policy for minorities and scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.  

(j)      A training module has been developed by the Indian Institute of Public Administration, for sensitization of government officials. The module has been sent to all the Central/State Training Institutes for implementation. Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) has prepared a module for sensitization of organised civil services and it has been incorporated in their training programmes.

(k)      Under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT), additional central assistance of Rs.1602.20 crore has been sanctioned for 69 towns having substantial minority population, out of which Rs.659.37 crore has been released in 2008-09 till 31st January, 2009.