# Ministry of Minority Affairs

The Ministry of Minority Affairs is the ministry in the Government of India which was carved out of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and created on 29 January 2006. It is the apex body for the central government's regulatory and developmental programmes for the minority religious communities and minority linguistic communities in India, which include Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains notified as minority religious communities in The Gazette of India under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
The current minister is Kiren Rijiju who has been in office since 10 June 2024, and the Minister of State is George Kurian (since June 2024).

## Character

The ministry is also involved with the linguistic minorities and of the office of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, representation of the Anglo-Indian community, protection and preservation of non-Muslim shrines in Pakistan and Muslim shrines in India in terms of the Pant-Mirza Agreement of 1955, in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs. The Minister in charge is also Chairperson of the Central Wakf Council, India, which manages the running of the State Wakf Boards. Ministry of Minority Affairs provides Moma scholarship to minority community students of India every year. Moma Scholarship is a scholarship scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs initiated with the aim of supporting minority communities student who is not financially strong and wants to pursue higher studies in India. Minority communities in India includes Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains. The scholarship is awarded to the students by India Government through State Government/UTs. The scholarship is awarded for the undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Linguistic Minorities, according to Indian Constitution should have a Special Officer appointed.
Constitutional Article: 350B.
   * There shall be a Special Officer for linguistic minorities to be appointed by the President.
   * It shall be the duty of the Special Officer to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for linguistic minorities under this Constitution and report to the President upon those matters at such intervals as the President may direct, and the President shall cause all such reports to be laid before each House of Parliament, and sent to the Governments of the States concerned.
It is to be decided based on states as the states have been formed on linguistic basis.

## Cabinet Ministers

The Minister of Minority Affairs is the head of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and one of the cabinet ministers of the Government of India.
* Note: MoS, I/C – Minister of State with Independent Charge
| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | From | To | Period | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| 1 | | | A. R. Antulay (1929–2014) MP for Kolaba | 29 January 2006 | 22 May 2009 | 3 years, 113 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan I | | Manmohan Singh |
| 2 | | | Salman Khurshid (born 1953) MP for Farrukhabad (MoS, I/C until 19 January 2011) | 28 May 2009 | 28 October 2012 | 3 years, 153 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 3 | | | K. Rahman Khan (born 1939) MP for Karnataka (Rajya Sabha) | 28 October 2012 | 26 May 2014 | 1 year, 210 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 4 | | | Najma Heptulla (born 1940) Rajya Sabha MP for Madhya Pradesh | 26 May 2014 | 12 July 2016 | 2 years, 47 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| 5 | | | Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (born 1957) Rajya Sabha MP for Jharkhand (MoS, I/C until 3 September 2017) | 12 July 2016 | 30 May 2019 | 5 years, 359 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| 5 | | | Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (born 1957) Rajya Sabha MP for Jharkhand (MoS, I/C until 3 September 2017) | 31 May 2019 | 6 July 2022 | 5 years, 359 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 6 | | | Smriti Irani (born 1976) MP for Amethi | 6 July 2022 | 9 June 2024 | 1 year, 339 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 7 | | | Kiren Rijiju (born 1971) MP for Arunachal West | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | 121 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi III | | Narendra Modi |

## Ministers of State

| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| No. | Portrait | Portrait | Minister (Birth-Death) Constituency | From | To | Period | Political party | Ministry | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| 1 | | | Vincent Pala (born 1968) MP for Shillong | 19 January 2011 | 28 October 2012 | 1 year, 283 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 2 | | | Ninong Ering (born 1959) MP for Arunachal East | 28 October 2012 | 26 May 2014 | 1 year, 210 days | Indian National Congress | Manmohan II | | Manmohan Singh |
| 3 | | | Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (born 1957) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh, till 2016 Rajya Sabha MP for Jharkhand, from 2016 | 9 November 2014 | 12 July 2016 | 1 year, 246 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| 4 | | | Virendra Kumar Khatik (born 1954) MP for Tikamgarh | 3 September 2017 | 30 May 2019 | 1 year, 269 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi I | | Narendra Modi |
| 5 | | | Kiren Rijiju (born 1971) MP for Arunachal West | 31 May 2019 | 7 July 2021 | 2 years, 37 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 6 | | | John Barla (born 1975) MP for Alipurduars | 7 July 2021 | 9 June 2024 | 2 years, 338 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi II | | Narendra Modi |
| 7 | | | George Kurian Rajya Sabha MP for Madhya Pradesh | 10 June 2024 | Incumbent | 121 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Modi III | | Narendra Modi |

## Organisations

* Constitutional and Statutory Bodies
** Central Wakf Council (CWC)
** National Commission for Minorities (NCM)
** Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities (CLM)
** Haj Committee of India
* Autonomous Bodies
** Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF)
* PSUs and Joint Ventures
** National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC)

## Schemes & Scholarship Programmes

* Jiyo Parsi - Scheme for containing population decline of Parsis
* Nai Roshni - Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women
* Nai Manzil - An Integrated Education and Livelihood Initiative for the Minority Communities
* Nai Udaan - Support for minority students clearing prelims exam conducted by UPSC, State PSC and SSC
* Seekho aur Kamao (Learn & Earn) - Scheme for Skill Development of Minorities
* Hamari Dharohar - A scheme to preserve the rich heritage of Minority Communities of India under the overall concept of Indian culture
* Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme
* Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme
* Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme
* Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students
* Padho Pardesh - Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Educational Loans for Overseas Studies for the Students Belonging to the Minority Communities