The Government has implemented various schemes for the welfare and upliftment of every strata, including minorities, specially the economically weaker and lesser privileged sections of the society, through various schemes of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Rural Development.

Ministry of Minority Affairs specifically implements various schemes across the country for socio-economic and educational empowerment of the six (6) centrally notified minority communities. The schemes/programmes implemented by the Ministry in brief are as under :

(A) Educational Empowerment Schemes

(1) Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme

(2) Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme

(3) Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme

(4) Maulana Azad National Fellowship Scheme

(5) Padho Pardesh

(B) Employment and Economic Empowerment Schemes

(6) Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan

(7) Equity to National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) for providing concessional loans to minorities.

(C) Special Schemes

(8) Jiyo Parsi: A scheme for reversing the population decline of Parsis in India.

(9) Qaumi Waqf Board Taraqqiati Scheme (QWBTS) and Shahari Waqf Sampatti Vikas Yojana (SWSVY) .

(D) Infrastructure Development Schemes

(10) Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK)

The details of all the above mentioned schemes are available on the website of the Ministry i.e. www.minorityaffairs.gov.in.

Total number of 444 workshops/seminars/conferences have been approved all over India, including rural areas during last five years under the scheme of Research/ Studies, Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Schemes including Publicity. In addition, under the USTTAD scheme 110 workshops have been conducted for artisans across various states including rural areas.

The Government has taken up multi-media campaign for spreading awareness on welfare schemes meant for minorities through print and electronic media, All India Radio Network including FM Channels, and websites all over the country. Effective use of social media has also been made to promote the present schemes. Regional Coordination & Review Conferences are also held with State Governments from time to time physically and through Video Conferencing where, inter-alia, information about the Ministry’s schemes is provided. This helps to further promote the schemes through the machinery of the State Governments, leading to increased beneficiary participation.

The details of the schemes and achievements of the schemes during the last three years are available on the website of the Ministry i.e. www.minorityaffairs.gov.in.

This information was given by the Minister of Minority Affairs, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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SS