Parliament Question: Residential schools, hostels, skill centres under PMJVK in Bihar

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 1882# ANSWERED ON- 09/03/2026 RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS, HOSTELS, SKILL CENTRES UNDER PMJVK IN BIHAR 1882# DR. DINESH SHARMA: SHRI SHAMBHU SHARAN PATEL: Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:- (a) the criteria adopted for expanding the coverage of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) beyond traditional minority-dominated areas, through convergence with the Central Government organizations and higher educational institutions; (b) the extent to which the Minority and Classical Languages Excellence Centres established under PM-JVK have been integrated with research output, digital documentation, and academic programmes; (c) whether Government has carried out any assessment of the long-term socio-economic outcomes of projects such as residential schools, hostels, skill centres and community infrastructure established under PM-JVK in minority-dominated districts in the State of Bihar; and (d) if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU) (a) & (b) Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK), the coverage of the scheme has been expanded beyond traditional Minority Concentration Areas by extending support to Central Government Organisations (CGOs) and Universities for creation of community-oriented infrastructure, ensuring wider outreach and institutional convergence for the benefit of minority communities. The Ministry has extended support to 14 CGOs and 6 Universities, including establishment of four Centres of Excellence for Minority Languages in National/State Universities. An amount of Rs. 1246.45 crore has been sanctioned under this expanded coverage, out of which Rs. 707.28 crore has been released for approved infrastructure facilities. The four Centres of Excellence, established at University of Mumbai, University of Delhi, Gujarat University and Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya with a total approved cost of Rs. 142.11 crore, function as integrated academic and research facilities. These Centres will provide manuscript preservation, research blocks, libraries, archival units, specialized laboratories and modern digital systems. They also support advanced academic programmes, promote research on minority and classical languages, facilitate digitization and documentation of manuscripts, and create sustainable digital repositories to strengthen long- term scholarly engagement and research output.(c) & (d): Yes, Sir. The Government has assessed the long-term socio-economic outcomes of projects under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) in minority concentration areas, including Bihar. Independent third-party evaluations were conducted by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) and the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog. These studies examined the impact, efficiency and sustainability of assets such as residential schools, skill centers and community infrastructure, and identified gaps in awareness, fund flow, monitoring and maintenance. Under the Third Party Quality Assessment (TPQA), field assessments were conducted in several States, including Bihar (covering blocks such as Narkatia, Ramgarhva, Mainatanr, Sikta, Bettiah and Uchkagaon).TPQA has been made mandatory for all PMJVK projects. Release of subsequent installments is linked to submission of TPQA reports, ensuring quality control, monitoring and technical compliance. *****