Lok Sabha Question No. 4762 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-31
Subject: Schemes for Welfare of Minorities
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Sanjay Seth

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION NO. 4762 ANSWERED ON 31.03.2022

## SCHEMES FOR WELFARE OF MINORITIES

## †4762. SHRI SANJAY SETH:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state

(a)  the  number  of  schemes  being  implemented  at  present  for  the  welfare  of  minority communities;

(b) the number of schemes out of the above from which Jharkhand is getting benefit along with the details thereof, scheme-wise;

(c)  the  number  of  minority  community  persons  who  have  gone  for  Haj  pilgrimage  from Jharkhand during the last three years; and

(d)  the  details  of  the  amount  of  subsidy  and  other  facilities  made  available  by  the Government to such people?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI)

(a) & (b): The Government has implemented various schemes for the welfare and upliftment of  every  section  of  the  society  including  minorities  especially  the  economically weaker and deprived  sections  of  the  society  with  schemes  like  Pradhan  Mantri  Jan  Arogya  Yojana (PMJAY),  Pradhan  Mantri  Mudra  Yojana  (PMMY),  Pradhan  Mantri  Kisan  Samman  Nidhi (PM  KISAN),  Pradhan  Mantri  Ujjwala  Yojana  (PMUY),  Pradhan  Mantri  Awas  Yojana (PMAY), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana, etc. Ministry of Minority Affairs also implements programmes/schemes across the country including State of Jharkhand for socio-economic and educational empowerment of six centrally notified minority communities namely Christians, Sikhs,  Buddhists,  Muslims, Parsis and  Jains.  The  schemes/programmes implemented  by the Ministry in brief are as under:

## (A): Educational Empowerment Schemes:

(1)  Pre-Matric  Scholarship  Scheme-  Scholarship  is  provided  to  minority  students  from Class I to X,out of which 30% scholarship are earmarked for girls.

Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme- Scholarship is provided to minority students from Class XI to PhD., out of which 30% scholarship are earmarked for girls.

Merit-cum-Means  based  Scholarship Scheme-  Scholarship  is provided to minority students  for  Professional  and  Technical  courses,  at  Under  Graduate  and  Post  Graduate level, out of which 30% scholarship are earmarked for girls.

All  the  three  Scholarship  schemes  are  on  boarded  on  the  National  Scholarship  Portal (NSP)  and  the  scholarship  amount  is  disbursed  through  Direct  Benefit  Transfer  (DBT) mode.

(2)  Maulana  Azad  National  Fellowship  Scheme  -  Under  the  scheme  fellowship  in  the form of financial assistance is provided to minority candidates who clear the UGC-NET or Joint CSIRUGC-NET examination.

(3) Naya Savera - Free Coaching and Allied Scheme - The Scheme aims to provide free coaching  to  students/candidates  belonging  to  minority  communities  for  qualifying  in entrance examinations of technical/ medical professional courses and various Competitive examinations.

(4) Padho Pardesh - Under the scheme interest subsidy is provided to students of minority communities on educational loans, for overseas higher studies.

(5)  Nai  Udaan  -  Support  is provided  to  minority candidates  clearing  Preliminary examination  conducted  by  Union  Public  Service  Commission  (UPSC),  State  Public Service Commission (PSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC) etc.

## (B): Employment Oriented Schemes:

(6) Seekho Aur Kamao - Skill development scheme for youth of 14 - 35 years age group and  aiming  at  providing  employment  and  employment  opportunities,  improving  the employability of existing workers, school dropouts etc.

(7) USTTAD  (Upgrading  the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development). An effective platform to provide self-employment, market and opportunity to traditional artisans and craft persons from the minority communities. Hunar Haats are being organised across the Country to provide employment opportunities and markets to artisans/craftsmen.

(8) Nai Manzil - A scheme for formal school education & skilling of school dropouts or educated in community educational institutions like Madarsas.

(9) Nai Roshni - Leadership development of women belonging to minority communities and non-minority communities (not exceeding 25% of each batch).

## (C): Special Schemes:

(10) Jiyo Parsi - Scheme for containing population decline of Parsis in India.

(11) Hamari Dharohar- A scheme to preserve rich heritage of minority communities of India under the overall concept of Indian culture.

## (D): Infrastructure Development Programme:

(12)  Pradhan  Mantri  Jan  Vikas  Karyakram  (PMJVK)  -  A  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme (CSS),  identified  as  Core  of  the  Core  Scheme  by  NITI  Aayog,  is  an  area  development programme aimed with the objective to develop socio economic assets and basic amenities in the  identified  areas.    The  scheme  provides  for  infrastructure  support  in  sectors  such  as education, health, skill, sports, sanitation etc.

(13)  Maulana   Azad    Education    Foundation    (MAEF)    implements   education   and    skill related    schemes    as    follows:-    (a)    Begum    Hazrat  Mahal    National    Scholarship    for Meritorious  Girls  belonging  to  the  economically  weaker  sections  of  Minorities  (b) Gharib Nawaz  Employment  Scheme  started  in  2017-18  for  providing  short  term  job oriented  skill  development  training    to  youth  (c)  Grant-in-aid    to  NGOs  for  infrastructure development of educational institutions.

(14)  Equity  to  National  Minorities  Development  and  Finance  Corporation  (NMDFC)  for providing  concessional  loans  to  minorities  for  self-employment  and  income  generating ventures.

Details of Schemes mentioned at S. No. (1) to (12) are available on the website of this Ministry (www.minorityaffairs.gov.in) and those at serial no. (13) and (14) are available on the website of MAEF (www.maef.nic.in) and NMDFC (www.nmdfc.org) respectively.

Since  2014-15,  688  projects  worth    Rs.  274.87  crore  have  been  approved  under PMJVK in the State of Jharkhand. Projects approved in Jharkhand includes 286- Additional Class Rooms (ACRs), 190 - Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), 11 - Drinking Water facilities, 139 -  Health  Projects,  7-  Hostels,  3  Residential  Schools,  7-  Sadhbhav  Mandaps,  25-  Sanitation Toilets, 17- School Buildings, 2- Science labs, 1- Skill Training Centre.

Since 2014-15, scholarships  to 4,02,810  minority students have been sanctioned with financial  implication  of  Rs.  261.53  crore  and  skill  training  have  been  provided  to  14881 trainees of Jharkhand state for which an amount of Rs. 5.92 crore have been released to the project Implementing Agencies. (c  )  The  number  of  pilgrims  from  State  of  Jharkhand    who  have  performed  Haj  in  the years, 2018 and 2019 are 2614 and 2063 respectively. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia did not permit International Pilgrims for Haj 2020 and 2021, due to COVID- 19 Pandemic. (d)  Haj  subsidy  has  been  discontinued  from  Haj  2018.  However,  to  ensure  that  there  is minimum financial burden on Haj pilgrims even after removal of Haj subsidy on air travel of the pilgrims, from Haj 2018, pilgrims from specified embarkation points are given choice to opt either for their designated embarkation point or the nearest economical embarkation point on the basis of actual airfare of previous year. Government  of  India  through  Ministry  of  Minority  Affairs,  Ministry  of  External Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Haj Committee of India (HCOI), Consulate General of India (CGI), Jeddah along with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia  (KSA)   provides  various  facilities  and  arrangements  for  the  Haj  Pilgrims  viz conducting  orientation/training  programme,  vaccination  of  the  pilgrims,  insurance  for  the flight Operation  from  India  to  Kingdom  of  Saudi  Arabia  and  back  etc.    Further,    CGI,  Jeddah provides various  necessary administrative support, information and guidance to the pilgrims as  well  providing  necessary  medical  facilities  to  the  Indian  Haj  Pilgrims,    accommodation pilgrims for accidental deaths/disabilities, obtaining of Haj  Visas,  Haj Charter etc. in the Kingdom of  Saudi Arabia.

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