Schemes

About Schemes

Government has taken following initiatives for the welfare and upliftment of the minority communities:-

• USTAAD:- The Scheme aims at upgrading Skills and Training in preservation of traditional   Ancestral Arts/Crafts of minorities.
• Hamari Darohar:- The Scheme aims to preserve rich heritage of minority communities in context of Indian culture.
• Khwaza Garib Nawaz Senior Secondary School will be established at Ajmer by Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) to give a fillip to minority education.
• Nai Manzil: A bridge course to bridge the academic and skill development gaps of the deeni Madrasa passouts with their mainstream counterparts.
• Strengthening of State Wakf Boards: The scheme envisages to provide assistance for meeting the training and administrative cost of State Wakf Boards, removal of encroachment from Waqf Properties and also strengthening of Zonal/Regional offices of Waqf Boards.

Overview of Schemes

Pradhan Mantri Virasat ka Samvardhan

The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) seeks to facilitate opportunities for minority communities in education, skilling, and employment to ensure their inclusive development in the national fabric. MoMA has designed an integrated scheme, called the Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS), combining five (5) existing schemes of MoMA viz. Seekho aur Kamao, USTTAD, Hamari Dharohar, Nai Roshni and Nai Manzil.

PM VIKAS is aligned to the 15th Finance Commission cycle period up to 2025-26 and is a Central sector (CS) scheme under the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

The government has taken the following steps to ensure that these benefits reach the intended beneficiaries.

• The Scholarship Schemes have been restructured to allow for greater transparency and accountability during processing and sanction.
• To help evaluation of flow of benefits, segregated data for the different minority communities is being sought from all Ministries. The states/UTs have also been requested to provide better and timely feedback.
• The scholarship schemes are reviewed regularly through interaction with the State Governments at regular intervals and field visits by the Ministry officials.
• The Online Scholarship Management System (OSMS) earlier introduced for the Merit-cum-Means scholarship scheme has now been extended to Post Matric scholarship scheme.

Nai Roshni

The scheme is envisaged to reach out to women through nongovernmental organizations who will be provided with financial support for conducting leadership development trainings so that women are empowered and emboldened to move out of the confines of home and community and assume leadership roles and assert their rights collectively or individually.

For more information, visit Nai Roshni- The Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women

Seekho aur Kamao (Learn & Earn)

Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India on 23 September 2013 launched a central sector scheme for Skill Development of Minorities

Main Objectives

• To bring down unemployment rate of minorities during 12th Plan period (2012-17).
• To conserve and update traditional skills of minorities and establish their linkages with the market.
• To improve employability of existing workers, school dropouts etc and ensure their placement.
• To generate means of better livelihood for marginalised minorities and bring them in the mainstream.
• To enable minorities to avail opportunities in the growing market.
• To develop potential human resource for the country.

For more information, visit, "Seekho aur Kamao (Learn & Earn)"- The Scheme for Skill Development of Minorities.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK)

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram, Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry provides infrastructure in the identified Minority Concentration Areas particularly in the field of education, health, skill development, women empowerment etc. for improving the socio- economic condition of the said areas.

To know more about the scheme, click here.

Scholarship Schemes

Students belonging to notified minority communities viz. Muslim / Christian / Sikh / Buddhist / Jain / Parsi (Zoroastrian) studying in India only and fulfilling the Scheme guidelines are eligible to apply for these scholarships.

For more information, visit the following links:

• Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities (for Class I to X)
• Post-matric Scholarship Scheme for Minorities (for Class XI to Ph.D.)
• Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme (For Professional and Technical courses)
• Begam Hajrat Mahal National Scholarship for Meritorious Girls belonging to Minorities-Implemented by Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) (for minority girls studying in Class XIth and XIIth Standard).

Naya Savera

Free Coaching & Allied Scheme (for Competitive Examinations of Professional Courses and Government jobs)

• The scheme aims to empower the minority communities by assisting the economically weaker sections of students among them through coaching institutions for enhancing their skills and capabilities to make them employable in industries, services and business sectors in addition to the government sector. It has built-in resilience to adapt to the market dynamics on a continuous basis so that the target groups are not deprived of the professional acumen demanded by the changing/emerging market needs and opportunities for employment at domestic as well as international levels.
• Separate schemes for providing coaching to students belonging to scheduled caste, minority communities and backward classes were being implemented from 6th Five Year Plan. These separate schemes were amalgamated with effect from September 2001 into a combined Scheme of Coaching and Allied Assistance for Weaker Sections including Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes and Minorities. After creation of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the “Free Coaching and Allied Scheme” for candidates belonging to minority communities was launched on 17 th July 2007.
• The scheme has been revised with effect from September, 2017, and as per the revised scheme, students/candidates belonging to the notified Minority Communities, having total annual family income from all sources not exceeding Rs.6.00 lakh, are eligible for coaching under the scheme.

Objectives

The objectives of the scheme are to assist students belonging to minority communities by way of special coaching for the following:-

1. Qualifying examinations for admission in technical/professional courses such as engineering, law, medical, management, information technology etc and language/aptitude examinations for seeking admission in foreign universities.
2. Competitive examinations for recruitment to Group 'A', 'B', 'C and 'D' services and other equivalent posts under the Central and State governments including police/security forces, public sector undertakings, Railways, banks, insurance companies as well as autonomous bodies; and
3. Coaching for jobs in the private sector such as in airlines, shipping, information technology (IT), business process outsourcing (BPO) and other IT enabled services, hospitality, tours and travels, maritime, food processing, retail, sales & marketing, bio-technology and other job oriented courses as per the emerging trend of employment.
4. Remedial coaching at undergraduate and post graduate level to improve the academic knowledge and enable the student to catch up with the rest of the class and complete the course successfully.

For more information, visit, Free Coaching and Allied Scheme for Minority Communities Students

Jiyo Parsi

Jiyo Parsi, the Central Sector Scheme for containing population decline of Parsis in India was launched on 23 September 2013 by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India.

Objectives

The main objective of the Jiyo parsi scheme is to reverse the declining trend of Parsi population by adopting scientific protocol and structured interventions, stabilize the Parsi population and increase the population of Parsis in India.

Main features

• 100 percent funded by Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India.
• Medical interventions under Standard Medical protocols in empanelled hospitals/clinics.
• Confidentiality of the patients to be given utmost importance.

Target groups

• The scheme is meant for only Parsis community.
• Parsi married couples of child bearing age who seek assistance.
• Adults/young men/women/adolescent boys/girls for detection of diseases resulting with consent of parents/legal guardians.

For more information, visit "Jiyo Parsi" - The Central Sector Scheme for Containing Population Decline of Parsis in India

Padho Pardesh (for overseas studies at Masters, M.Phil. and Ph.D. Level)

Government of India, Ministry of Minority Affairs has now introduced a new scheme for providing 'interest subsidy' for minority students for overseas studies.  This scheme came into force from 2013-14.  The loan for overseas studies for specific courses should have been sanctioned by the bank under IBA model scheme.  The annual income of the parents should be less than 6 lakhs.

If the student is eligible, the Government of India provides full interest subsidy during the moratorium period. (course period plus one year or six months after getting employment, whichever is earlier).

For more information, visit "Padho Pardesh" - Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Educational Loans for Overseas Studies for the Students Belonging to the Minority Communities.

Shahari Waqf Sampatti VIkas Yojana

With a view to improving the financial position of the auqaf and the Waqf Boards and to enable them to enlarge the area of their welfare work, this Yojana has been formulated with a view to protect vacant Waqf land from encroachers and to develop economically viable projects on these properties for generating more income and /or to widen welfare activities.

Under the Yojana, interest free loan to Waqf Boards (WBs)/waqf institutions is granted to various Waqf Boards and Waqf Institutions in the country for construction of economically viable buildings on the Waqf land, such as commercial complex, marriage halls, hospitals, cold storage etc.

Old schemes

Nalanda Scheme

Union Ministry of Minority Affairs has launched the Nalanda Project for Minorities Higher Educational Institutions on 4 March 2014.

Nalanda Project is an innovative Faculty Development Program of Union Ministry of Minority Affairs. The Nalanda Project is being taken up at Aligarh Muslim University, a premier Minority University of world fame. The Aligarh Muslim University is also a Nodal Staff College of University Grant Commission.

About Faculty development program

• The primary goal of faculty development is to help faculty learn new ways to achieve excellence and to grow as faculty members. It is an ongoing process of understanding, learning, and growth. Faculty development includes education, collaboration, resources and support.
• Faculty development is an essential element of institutional effectiveness in higher education. It has become a priority at many academic institutions as a way to improve the quality of academic programs and to respond to emerging faculty, student, program and industry needs.
• The extent to which the University or College supports faculty development will be strongly reflected in levels of student engagement and motivation, and thus ultimately, student learning.
• Through educational programs and workshops faculty can learn the skills necessary to reach excellence in a changing academic environment.
• Faculty who engage in professional development experiences benefit also in terms of increased vitality, informed pedagogy, teaching innovations and scholarly teaching.

For more information, visit Nalanda Project (1.6MB)

Minority Cyber Gram

The MCG programme seeks to introduce digital literacy skills in identified minority clusters in India through designated Digital Fellows towards knowledge empowerment and entitlement gains of minority focused groups and beneficiaries.

Background

With basic literacy level low among the backward sections of the minorities, the social and economic profile is further aggravated due to lack of basic digital skills and knowledge to derive advantages from digital tools, devices, platforms and knowledge networks. In order to mainstream minority groups and communities with national development goals and objectives, it is extremely important and relevant to deploy and introduce digital literacy skills to get benefits in knowledge based networks and in public schemes and other services through information empowerment.

Objectives

• To impart digital literacy and skills among identified minority groups and beneficiaries through designated Digital Fellows (DFs) in identified minority clusters for information and knowledge empowerment and entitlement gains.
• To provide opportunities in information and knowledge networks for local communities.

For more information, visit Minority Cyber Gram

Maulana Azad Sehat scheme

• Under the scheme, Sehat Card will be issued to every student of the Institution financially aided by Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF).
• Preventive Health Check-up Camps will be organized by the Institute twice in a year, through government or private hospitals or nursing homes.
• All findings of the preventive health checkups will be entered in the Sehat Card of the student by the doctors.
• In exceptional and deserving cases for serious ailments the poor students belonging to notified minorities will be provided financial assistance for the treatment in government or recognized hospitals. Serious ailments of kidney, heart, liver cancer and brain or any life threatening diseases including knee and spinal surgery will be covered.
• A dispensary or health care centre is to be set up in the educational institutions (school) to provide daily medical facilities to the students studying in the educational institutions funded or aided by MAEF.

For more information, visit Maulana Azad SEHAT scheme for Institutions financially aided

Computerization of Records of State Wakf Boards

Background

The Waqf Properties are spread out all over the country but even the basic survey of waqf properties have not been completed in most of the States. There is hardly any development of Waqf Properties and therefore, a very substantial income that the Waqf Properties could have generated for the welfare schemes of the community, are lost every year. There is also large scale encroachment of Waqf Properties.

Objectives

As recommended by Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf in its 9th Report, the Scheme for "Computerization of records of the State Wakf Boards" was launched by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, to streamline record keeping, introduce transparency, and to computerize the various functions & processes of the Waqf Boards and to develop a single web-based centralized software application.

In this Scheme, Central financial assistance is given to the State Waqf Boards for setting-up of ICT Infrastructure, Technical Manpower for initial hand-holding period for managing & operating the ICT infrastructure and software applications, imparting training and knowledge transfer to the State Waqf Boards staff for managing & operating the ICT infrastructure and software applications and data management life cycle during and at the end of hand-holding period.

The scheme helps in the following

• Waqf Properties Registration Management
• Annual Returns Filing of assessable Waqf Properties Management
• Transparency in Leasing of Waqf Properties under Direct Management of Waqf Board
• Litigations (Internal as well as External Hon'ble Courts) Tracking Management
• Waqf Properties Ownership establishing Documents Archiving & Retrieval Management
• GIS of Waqf Properties using GPS Field Survey alongwith Photographs of Waqf Properties
• Funds Management to Mosques, Durgah, Kabristan, Imams, Muazzins, Widows, Girls Marriages, Scholarships, Schools, Hospitals, Dispensaries, Musafirkhanas, Skill Development Centres, etc.
• Loans Management for Development of Urban Waqf Properties

For more information, visit the following links.

• WAMSI On-line System
• Allocation and Sanction (624KB)
• Performance (32.4KB)
• Scheme Details (116KB)
• Wamsi Project

Source : Ministry of Minorities Affairs, Government of India

Shaadi Mubarak Scheme of Telangana state government

The Telangana State Government has introduced Shaadi Mubarak Scheme for Muslim Minorities. Under the Shaadi Mubarak Scheme, a financial assistance of Rs 51,000 (Rupees Fifty one thousand only) is provided to each unmarried girl at the time of marriage. The scheme is applicable to those residing in Telangana only.

Eligibility

1. An unmarried girl belonging to
   a) Muslim community.
   b) Resident of Telangana State
   c) Completed 18 years of age at the time of marriage.
   d) Wedding of the Mulsim girl should be on or after October 2nd, 2014.
2. Income Criteria - The combined income of the Parents shall not exceed Rs. 2,00,000/- per annum.

• Applicants can apply online by accessing the website https://telanganaepass.cgg.gov.in/ShaadiMubharak.do .
• Applicants can also apply through any MEESEVA centre or submit the application directly at the Tashildar Office.
• The following certificates are required to be attached:
  i) Date of birth – Issued by the competent authority through MEESEVA Centre
  ii) Community Certificate – Issued by the Competent authority through MEESEVA Centre
  iii) Income Certificate (the certificate shall be latest and shall not be older than 6 months from the date of marriage)
  iv) Aadhaar card of the bride and bride groom to be scanned and uploaded.
  v) A scanned copy of the first page of Bank Pass Book (Savings Account) containing the photo of the bride and the account details in the name of the bride.
  vi) Wedding Card if available
  vii) Wedding Photograph
  viii) Letter by the Gram Panchayat/Mosque/any other authority/ institution which has performed the marriage to be scanned and uploaded
  ix) Optional details for scanning and uploading: SSC Hall ticket number and year of passing where applicable

Online application process

• Visit the website https://telanganaepass.cgg.gov.in/ShaadiMubharak.do
• Fill the online application form which is divided into four sections ie.,
  1. Bride particulars
  2. Bridegroom particulars
  2.  Details of the marriage and
  3.  Upload the required document.
• Fill the following details in the section of Bride particulars:
  1. Details of the Bride such as name of the bride, father's name, date of birth, educational qualification, Aadhar number, caste and sub caste.
  2. Income Certificate Details
  3. Permanent and present address
  4. Bank account details
• Fill the following details in the section - Bridegroom particulars
  Name of the bridegroom, name of the father, Date of birth, UID (Aadhar) No., educational qualification, religion and family income (per annum).
• Fill the following details in the section - Details of the Marriage
  Date of marriage, Place of marriage and Address of marriage place
• In the upload section, please upload the following files of the marriage details. These files should be in Jpg/Ipeg format
  Bride’s Photo, Age proof certificate, Bride’s Scanned Aadhar Copy, Bride Groom’s Scanned Aadhar Copy and Scanned Bank pass book.

Once filled in, enter the code shown in the image and click on the submit button. A print out of the application is to be taken for further reference.

Related Resources

1. Compendium of Schemes/ Programmes run by the Ministry of Minority Affairs and its Subordinate Organizations .