Lok Sabha Question No. 720 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-07
Subject: Schemes for Minority Community Children
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Mohammad Jawed, Amar Singh, Behanan Benny, Dean Kuriakose, T.N. Prathapan, Faizal P.P. Mohammed, Kumbakudi Sudhakaran, Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, K. Muraleedharan, Anto  Antony, A. Chellakumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.720

ANSWERED ON 07.12.2023

## SCHEMES FOR MINORITY COMMUNITY CHILDREN

## 720.     DR. MOHAMMAD JAWED:

SHRI MOHAMMED FAIZAL P.P.:

SHRI KUMBAKUDI SUDHAKARAN:

SHRI BENNY BEHANAN:

DR. A. CHELLAKUMAR:

DR. AMAR SINGH:

ADV. DEAN KURIAKOSE:

SHRI K. MURALEEDHARAN:

SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

SHRI T.N. PRATHAPAN:

SHRI SAPTAGIRI SANKAR ULAKA:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  details  of  the  number  of  children  belonging  to  the  Minority  community  who  have applied and been provided scholarships during the last five years, State-wise;
- (b)  the  reasons  for  discontinuing  the  Maulana  Azad  Fellowship  particularly  when  all  the students from minority communities are not covered under OBC, SC or ST categories having specific fellowship schemes;
- (c) whether the Government has proposed any policy or scheme for children belonging to the Minority Community that provides opportunity to study abroad;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (e) the Quantum of funds allocated by the Government to Minority Board or Entity across the country, State-UT-wise; and
- (f) the time by which the Union Government would increase the amount of fellowship under MANF as per new UGC JRF/SRF amount restriction?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

- (a): The Government has been implementing various schemes for the welfare and upliftment of every strata, including minorities, especially the  economically  weaker  and lesser privileged sections of the society, through different Ministries/Departments.

Ministry of Minority Affairs has specifically implemented  various  welfare  schemes, including various Scholarship schemes, across the country for socio-economic and educational empowerment of the notified minority communities. The details of the number of  applications  received  from  Minority  communities  and  scholarships  provided  during  the last five years, State-wise are available in the website of the Ministry i.e. https://www.minorityaffairs.gov.in.

(b): The Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) Scheme of UGC and CSIR is open for students of all  communities/categories.  Besides,  students  from  minority  communities  are  also  covered under National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Castes and OBCs implemented by Ministry of  Social  Justice  &  Empowerment  and  National  Fellowship  Scheme  for  Scheduled  Tribes implemented  by  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs.  As  the  Maulana  Azad  National  Fellowship (MANF) Scheme overlapped with various ongoing fellowship schemes for higher education, implemented by various Central Government Ministries, the Scheme has been discontinued from 2022-23.

(c) and (d): The National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC), a PSU under Ministry of Minority Affairs, provides educational loan for education abroad, at low rate of interest, exclusively to students belonging to minority communities. It has also been observed  that  benefits  of  interest  subsidy  that  got  accrued  to  the  beneficiaries  under  the Padho  Pardesh  scheme  were  limited  and  also  that  there  is  an  overlap  with  other  similar schemes  being  implemented  by  other  Ministries  viz.  Ministry  of  Social Justice  and Empowerment  and  Ministry  Of  Tribal  Affairs,  which  are  applicable  to  eligible  minority community students as well. In view of the aforesaid overlap, limited benefits and ease of availing  education  loans  on  low  rate  of  interest,  it  has  been  decided  to  discontinue  Padho Pardesh Scheme from 2022-23.

(e): Under the Scholarship Schemes of this Ministry, funds are not allocated to the Minority Boards and entities in the States/UTs.

(f):  All  aspects,  including  increase  in fellowship amount under the Scheme, are looked into by the Ministry.

*****