Lok Sabha Question No. 4573 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-20
Subject: Special Schemes for Women belonging to Minority Community
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Smt. Geniben Nagaji Thakor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †4573

ANSWERED ON 20.08.2025

## SPECIAL SCHEMES FOR WOMEN BELONGING TO MINORITY COMMUNITY

†4573. SMT. GENIBEN NAGAJI THAKOR:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  running  any  special  schemes  to  provide  self-employment opportunities, education and health services to the women belonging to minority community;
- (b) if so, the name of such major schemes; and
- (c) the number of women who have benefitted so far under the said schemes, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

(SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

- (a)  and  (b):  The  Ministry  of  Minority Affairs  is  implementing  Pradhan  Mantri  Virasat  Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS), a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry which converges five erstwhile  schemes  viz.  Seekho  Aur  Kamao,  Nai  Manzil,  Nai  Roshni,  USTTAD  and HamariDharohar  schemes  and  focuses  on  socio-economic  empowerment  of  six  notified minority communities through skill development; entrepreneurship and leadership of minority women; and education support for school dropouts. Skill training was provided to youth from minority communities to increase employment and livelihood opportunities under the 'Seekho Aur Kamao', 'Nai Manzil', 'Nai Roshni' and 'USTTAD' schemes, which have now  been  converged  into  PM  VIKAS  scheme.  A  brief  of  these  schemes  along  with achievements made therein is as under:
- (i)  Seekho aur Kamao (SAK) scheme ,  started in 2013-14, targeted upgrading the skills of minority  youth  (14-45  years)  in  various  modern/  traditional  skills  depending  upon  their qualification, prevailing economic trends, and market potential, that could earn them suitable employment or make them suitably skilled to take up self-employment.

Since inception, about 4.68 lakh beneficiaries were trained under this scheme.

- ii) Nai Manzil scheme started in 2015, and was implemented with an objective to benefit the minority  youth  who do  not  have  formal  school  leaving  certificate. The  scheme  provided  a combination of formal education (Class VIII or X) and skills and enabled the beneficiaries to seek  better  employment  opportunity  and  livelihood.  Since  inception,  98,712  beneficiaries were trained under this scheme.
- iii) Nai Roshni scheme was a Leadership Development Programme for Minority Women and was  launched  in  2012-13  with  an  objective  to  empower  and  instill  confidence  among minority  women  by  providing knowledge,  tools and techniques for interacting with Government  systems,  banks  and  other  institutions  at  all  levels.  It  was  a  six-days  nonresidential/five-days  residential  training  programme  conducted  for  the women belonging  to minority community between the age group of 18 years to 65 years.Since inception, about 4,35,125 beneficiaries were trained under the scheme till date, and all were women.
- iv)  USTTAD scheme started  in  2015  and  targeted  capacity  building  and  upgrading  of  the traditional skills of master craftspersons/ artisans. Since inception, approx. 21,611 beneficiaries were trained under this scheme.
- (c): The number of women who were benefitted under the above 4 schemes,are as below:

| Name of States                               |   Seekho Aur Kamao | Nai Manzil   | USTTAD   | Nai Roshni   |
|----------------------------------------------|--------------------|--------------|----------|--------------|
| Andaman& Nicobar                             |                259 | 259          |          |              |
| Andhra Pradesh                               |               9845 | 682          | 325      | 6875         |
| Arunachal Pradesh                            |                989 | 427          |          | 625          |
| Assam                                        |               9940 | 4276         | 1660     | 24500        |
| Bihar                                        |              20378 | 4987         | 393      | 10000        |
| Chandigarh                                   |                191 |              |          |              |
| Chattisgarh                                  |               2200 | 1376         | 89       | 3000         |
| Delhi                                        |               7251 | 1640         | 5        | 4925         |
| Goa                                          |                386 | 343          |          |              |
| Gujarat                                      |               5622 | 2278         | 90       | 3900         |
| Haryana                                      |               7562 | 1032         | 149      | 2225         |
| Himachal Pradesh                             |               1659 | 413          | 133      | 500          |
| Jammu and Kashmir                            |              25385 | 4580         | 1819     | 2950         |
| Jharkhand                                    |              10662 | 4176         | 501      | 5500         |
| Karnataka                                    |               6356 | 1563         | 45       | 9875         |
| Kerala                                       |               2157 | 1082         |          | 5700         |
| Ladakh                                       |                  2 |              |          |              |
| Madhya Pradesh                               |              26993 | 2500         | 1684     | 43975        |
| Maharashtra                                  |               8424 | 746          | 602      | 7475         |
| Manipur                                      |               2440 | 611          | 582      | 6975         |
| Meghalaya                                    |               1419 | 1332         | 89       | 250          |
| Mizoram                                      |                850 |              | 291      |              |
| Nagaland                                     |                937 | 467          |          | 1700         |
| Odisha                                       |               1469 | 920          |          | 6375         |
| Puducherry                                   |                 71 |              |          |              |
| Punjab                                       |              20965 | 2821         | 579      | 3525         |
| Rajasthan                                    |               6076 | 1069         | 692      | 18600        |
| Sikkim                                       |                786 | 1379         |          | 400          |
| Tamil Nadu                                   |               2999 | 2604         |          | 5200         |
| Telangana                                    |               9329 |              | 174      | 1150         |
| The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |                  1 |              |          |              |
| Tripura                                      |               1391 | 242          |          | 850          |
| Uttar Pradesh                                |              53518 | 6469         | 8365     | 237900       |
| Uttarakhand                                  |               3684 | 379          |          | 11325        |
| West Bengal                                  |              17921 | 3580         | 983      | 8850         |
| Grand Total                                  |             270117 | 54233        | 19250    | 435125       |

Further, the implementation of PM VIKAS has commenced only recently.

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