Parliament Question: Welfare and Empowerment of Minority Communities

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3997 ANSWERED ON 12.08.2026 WELFARE AND EMPOWERMENT OF MINORITY COMMUNITIES IN MATHURAPUR PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCY 3997. SHRI BAPI HAIDAR: Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state: - (a) the steps taken by the Government for the socio-economic upliftment of minority communities in the Mathurapur Lok Sabha Constituency particularly in the fields of education, healthcare, skill development and employment during the last three years; (b) the details of Central Government schemes being implemented for minority women and youth in the constituency along with the number of beneficiaries under each scheme; (c) whether the Government has assessed the effectiveness of these schemes in improving educational and livelihood outcomes in the constituency and if so, the details thereof, and (d) the details of further measures proposed to enhance the socio-economic development and inclusion of minority communities in Mathurapur particularly in the remote Sundarban region? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU) (a to d): Ministry of Minority Affairs implements following schemes/programmes across India for socio-economic empowerment of the six (6) centrally notified minority communities namely Buddhists, Christians, Jains, Muslims, Parsis and Sikhs: i. PRADHAN MANTRI JAN VIKAS KARYAKRAM (PMJVK) PMJVK, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aims to create community infrastructure in Minority Concentration Areas across the country in sectors such as Health, Education, Skill Development, Women-centric Projects, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Sports, Renewable Energy and other community infrastructure. PMJVK is a demand driven scheme wherein projects are received as well as implemented by the respective state government. During the last three years, no project proposed under the Scheme has been for the district of South 24 Parganas including Mathurapur Lok Sabha Constituency.ii PRADHAN MANTRI VIRASAT KA SAMVARDHAN (PMVIKAS) The Ministry of Minority Affairs is implementing Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS), an integrated Central Sector Scheme by combining the five erstwhile livelihood schemes, namely Seekho Aur Kamao, USTTAD, Hamari Dharohar, Nai Roshni and Nai Manzil, to facilitate opportunities for minority communities in education, skilling and employment. The Scheme comprises four components, namely (i) Skilling and Training, (ii) Women Leadership and Entrepreneurship, (iii) Education, and (iv) Infrastructure development through convergence with Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK), wherever required. The scheme has been designed to improve employability, entrepreneurship, educational attainment and livelihood opportunities of minorities communities, and the scheme is available across India. However, no proposal for the constituency of Mathurapur Lok Sabha has been received under the scheme. iii. MAULANA AZAD NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP (MANF) SCHEME The Ministry of Minority Affairs implements this scheme though the National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC), a non-profit company incorporated under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956. As per the data available on the Scholarship and Fellowship Management Portal (SFMP), the number of beneficiaries under the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) Scheme during the last three financial years for the state of West Bengal is given below, as district-wise data is not maintained under MANF Scheme: Financial Year 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 Beneficiaries* 178 127 111 *The number of beneficiaries in each year includes fellows availing fellowship during the successive years of their Ph.D. programme iv. SCHEMES OF NATIONAL MINORITY DEVELOPMENT & FINANCE CORPORATION (NMDFC) NMDFC schemes are implemented in States through State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs) appointed by State/UT Governments. In West Bengal, West Bengal Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (WBMDFC) is the nominated SCA. The agency has executed different loan schemes for the financial upliftment of minority communities in the Mathurapur Lok Sabha Constituency during last 3 years. The constituency is primarily looked in the South 24 Pargana district of West Bengal. The details of beneficiaries along with the amount disbursed during the last three years are given below: Amt. in Lakhs Term Loan Micro Finance Education Loan Year No. of No. of No. of Amount Amount Amount Beneficiary Beneficiary Beneficiary 2023-24 305 171 2301 464 21 105 2024-25 274 163 4400 1178 6 22 2025-26 325 198.575 3549 989.84 13 130 TOTAL 904 532 10250 2632 40 257Many beneficiaries and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been financially established by taking Term loan/DLS through entrepreneurship and most of the education loan recipients are established in different Govt. and non-Govt. sectors as well as have become self-sufficient in the field of engineering, medical service, nursing etc. The following measures have been undertaken to further enhance the outreach of NMDFC schemes and simplify access to financial assistance across India including Mathurapur in the Sunderban region: (i) Enhancement of income eligibility and loan limits under NMDFC schemes. (ii) Introduction of concessional interest rates, including special concessions for women beneficiaries. (iii) Tie-ups with Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) where State Channelising Agencies (SCAs) are non-functional. (iv) Grant-in-Aid (GIA) is released by the Ministry through NMDFC to strengthen the infrastructure and institutional capacity of State Channelising Agencies (SCAs) for improving the implementation and delivery of NMDFC's schemes, enhancing the loan recovery mechanism, and supporting the organization of awareness camps to promote the schemes among eligible beneficiaries. (v) Aadhaar-linked/KYC-based direct transfer of loan amounts to beneficiaries. (vi) Simplification of the loan application process through acceptance of self-attested documents. *****