Parliament Question: Welfare schemes for Minorities

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1830 ANSWERED ON 29.07.2026 WELFARE SCHEMES FOR MINORITIES 1830. SHRI VIRENDRA SINGH Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:- (a) the current status of the educational scholarship, skill development, self-employment and other empowerment schemes being implemented by the Government for minority communities particularly for Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis; (b) the details and extent to which benefits of these schemes have effectively been reached the minorities residing in rural and backward areas; (c) the details of major challenges being faced in ensuring transparency, monitoring and effective implementation of the said schemes; and (d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to address the said challenges? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU) (a) & (b): Ministry of Minority Affairs implements following schemes for socio-economic empowerment of the six (6) centrally notified minority communities namely Buddhists, Christians, Jains, Muslims, Parsis and Sikhs in India: 1. Educational Scholarship Schemes (Legacy Cases): • Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme; • Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme; and • Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme These three Scholarship Schemes were not approved for continuation beyond Academic Year 2021-22 following a comprehensive review. Consequently, no fresh scholarships are being awarded thereafter. However, committed liabilities relating to renewal beneficiaries for Academic Year 2022-23 have been released in accordance with the approved guidelines. Further, liability payments under the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) are also being continued for existing beneficiaries as per the extant guidelines. The benefits of these schemes are extended across the country, including rural and backward areas, through all State Governments/UT Administrations, Project Implementing Agencies andimplementing institutions, with emphasis on economically weaker sections belonging to the notified minority communities. 2. PRADHAN MANTRI JAN VIKAS KARYARAM (PMJVK) PMJVK, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, is one of the flagship programs of the Ministry of Minority Affairs for creation of community infrastructure in the Minority Concentration Areas of the country in the sectors viz. Health, Skill Development, Education, Women Centric Projects, Drinking Water and Supply, Sanitation, Sports, Renewable energy and Other Community Infrastructure. A total of 5.10 lakh infrastructure units has been created in Minority Concentrated Areas with a central share of ₹16,251 crore. Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyaram (PMJVK) is a community infrastructure development scheme and thus the infrastructure developed is for the benefits of the whole population of the respective minority concentration areas. 3. PRADHAN MANTRI VIRASAT KA SAMVARDHAN (PMVIKAS) The Ministry of Minority affairs is implementing Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) schemes to improve the economic, educational and social status of minority communities across India. PM VIKAS Scheme is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. The scheme is implemented through eligible Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs), Government institutions, Central and State PSUs, Minority Community Institutions, Institutions of National Importance and Institutions of Eminence selected by the Ministry for implementation of various components of the scheme. PM VIKAS covers beneficiaries from both rural and urban areas, including artisans, traditional crafts persons and economically weaker minority households, through skill development, entrepreneurship support and livelihood opportunities. Under the PM VIKAS scheme a total of 59 PIAs have been allotted a target of 1.56 lakhs beneficiaries across 31 States/UTs. So far, 32,138 candidates have been trained for assessment. 4. JIYO PARSI Jiyo Parsi is a unique Central Sector Scheme launched in 2013-14 with the objective of to reverse the declining trend of Parsi population by adopting a scientific protocol and structured interventions, stabilize their population and increase the population of Parsis in India. The scheme has two components: i) Financial Assistance for treatment of infertility issues -This financial assistance is provided to Parsi couples for treatment for infertility, pregnancy complications, Child birth and new-born complications; this is available to Parsi couples with annual family income up to Rs 30 lakh. ii) Health of Community - To provide financial assistance to Parsi couples towards care of children and dependent elderly family members (60+ years of age); this is available to Parsi couples with annual family income up to Rs 15 lakh. Under this component, financial assistance would be available to Parsi couples to take care of existing children and the newborn child(ren) at the rate of Rs. 8,000/ per month till the age of 18 years and financial assistance for elderly dependents @ Rs. 10,000/- per month per dependent elderly (aged 60 yrs or more).5. PROGRAMMES OF NATIONAL MINORITY DEVELOPMENT & FINANCE COOPERATION (NMDFC) NMDFC is functioning to promote socio-economic development of notified minorities. Persons with annual family income up to Rs. 3.00 lacs are eligible to get financial assistance under NMDFC schemes under Credit Line-1. Annual Family Income eligibility criteria under Credit Line-2 is upto Rs.8.00 Lacs. NMDFC implements its schemes through State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs) nominated by the respective State Govt/UT administration. Further, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has designated it as the Implementing Agency for the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) Scheme with effect from 22/11/2022, in place University Grants Commission (UGC). The Ministry of Minority Affairs has discontinued the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) Scheme from the financial year 2022-23 onward. However, all existing MANF Fellows are receiving fellowship benefits till the completion of their sanctioned tenure, subject to adherence to the extant guidelines. Financial assistance under NMDFC's concessional credit schemes is extended through the State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs), nominated by respective states/UTs and they implement the schemes at the grassroots level, including those in rural and backward areas. (c) & (d): The steps taken by the Government to introduce procedural reforms to address the challenges in the schemes are as below: 1. Scholarship: To ensure transparency, accountability and effective implementation of the schemes, the Ministry has taken several measures, including: implementation through digital platforms with end-to-end online processing wherever applicable; Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into beneficiaries' Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts; Aadhaar-based authentication and integration with the National Scholarship Portal for scholarship schemes during their operational period; periodic monitoring and review meetings with States/UTs and implementing agencies; physical inspections, audits and verification of records; institution of recovery proceedings and legal action, including registration of FIRs, wherever irregularities have been detected; strengthening of monitoring mechanisms through data analytics, validation processes and inter-agency coordination; and organization of regional workshops and regular consultations with States/UTs to improve implementation, resolve issues and ensure timely compliance. The Government continues to review and strengthen implementation mechanisms to ensure that welfare benefits reach eligible beneficiaries in a transparent, accountable and efficient manner. 2. PRADHAN MANTRI JAN VIKAS KARYARAM (PMJVK): The execution, operation and maintenance of the approved project units under PMJVK Guidelines is the sole responsibility of the respective State Governments/ UTs Administration, as the case may be. However, delay in execution of approved project units has been noticed as the key challenge. To ensure accountability and transparency in project implementation, the Ministry has developed a dedicated PMJVK Portal, which provides an end-to-end digital platform for monitoring the entire project lifecycle from proposal submission to approval, fund release and completion. States/UTs upload real-time progress reports, geo-tagged photographs and milestone updates on the portal. In addition, the NIGRANI Mobile App has been launched to facilitate field-level reporting through geo-tagged photographs and data uploads directly from project sites. These digital platforms enable real-time monitoring, enhance transparency and support timely corrective action wherever required. These mechanisms help to ensure that minority communities receive the intended benefits of infrastructure supporting education, skill development and health services in an efficient and transparent manner.3. PMVIKAS: To ensure transparency, the PM VIKAS scheme is implemented through the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) portal like all government of India skill development scheme for ensuring transparency and monitoring. The Ministry has selected a third-party agency for concurrent monitoring of the centres at different zones. 4. Jiyo Parsi: The major challenges in implementation of the Jiyo Parsi Scheme include: • Micro community geographically dispersed target population and limited awareness about the scheme among eligible beneficiaries. • To address these challenges, the Government has taken several measures, including: Development of dedicated Medical Portal and Health of Community (HoC) Portal for online submission, processing and monitoring of applications; • Integration of the Beneficiary Satyapan App (BSA) for biometric authentication of eligible beneficiaries under the HoC and Medical component of the scheme • Regular review meetings with State Governments to strengthen monitoring; and • Continued awareness and outreach efforts through community-based newspaper and digital platforms to improve access and participation under the scheme. The advisory committee of Jivo Parsi has also been constituted for taking suggestion and spreading the awareness about this scheme. 5. NMDFC: As far as National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC) is concerned, it undertakes following measures to ensure transparency and effective implementation of its concessional credit schemes:- (i) Periodic Regional Review Meetings (RRMs) are organized with the State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs) to review the physical and financial progress of the schemes, resolve implementation issues and improve scheme delivery. (ii) Beneficiary verification and impact assessment studies are conducted periodically through independent expert agencies as well as by deputing NMDFC officers to assess the effectiveness of the schemes. (iii) Aadhaar-linked/KYC-based bank accounts of beneficiaries are being adopted to facilitate direct transfer of loan assistance into the beneficiaries' bank accounts. (iv) Mandatory insurance of beneficiaries and financed assets has been incorporated under the schemes to provide financial protection to beneficiaries and their families against unforeseen contingencies (v) Beneficiary information has been placed on NMDFC's Management Information System (MIS) Portal, and SCAs have been advised to host beneficiary details on their respective websites in the public domain to enhance transparency. (vi) In line with the principle of "Minimum Government, Maximum Governance", SCAS have been advised to accept self-attested documents relating to residence, religion, income, educational qualifications, etc., to simplify and expedite the loan sanction. *****