By TwoCircles.net news desk
Press release:
The Ministry of Minority Affairs was created on 29th January, 2006 to ensure a focused approach to the issues relating to the minorities and to play a pivotal role in the over all policy, planning, coordination, evaluation and review of the regulatory and development framework for the benefit of the minority communities.
In a relatively short period of time, the Ministry has been made functional and efforts have been made to streamline ongoing programmes/schemes and to launch innovative and effective schemes/programmes for the welfare of the minority communities.
Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities
The programme was approved by the Cabinet in June, 2006. All States and Union Territories and all Union Ministries/Departments have been advised of the programme. Prime Minister has written to all Chief Ministers seeking their cooperation and advising them to put in place a suitable monitoring mechanism. Detailed guidelines have been issued. Earmarking of outlays and targets for eight of the nine schemes, considered amenable to such earmarking, has been done with the approval of Prime Minister. The Ministry of Rural Development has amended the guidelines for the three schemes included in the programme. Guidelines have been issued by the Department of Personnel & Training (DOP&T) for improving the representation of minorities in government and public sector enterprises. The Ministry of Home Affairs has taken initiative to put in place a mechanism for dealing with communal violence, offences and rehabilitation of victims.
National Commissioner for Minorities (NCM)
(a)Tabling of Reports and ATM in Parliament
The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) had submitted 12 Annual Reports before this Ministry was formed. One more report was submitted afterwards in October, 2006. In a period of 12 years from 1994, only three reports of the Commission, along with Action Taken Memoranda (ATM), were placed in Parliament. Thereafter, all nine reports, along with ATM, were tabled in Parliament by the end of the last Budget Session. The last Annual Report (13th Report) of the Commission which was submitted in October, 2006, was tabled in Parliament along with the ATM in the Monsoon Session, 2007.
(b)Constitutional status to the National Commission for Minorities
The Cabinet in its meeting has approved the Note for the Cabinet to move official amendments to the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Bill, 2004 and the National Commission for Minorities (Repeal) Bill, 2004.
Certain issues, raised in representation received by PM, pertaining to the official amendments approved by the Cabinet are being examined afresh in consultation with the Ministry of Law & Justice, Govt. of India. Fresh notices to the Lok Sabha Secretariat will be given only after these issues are resolved.
National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC)
The achievement of NMDFC has been grossly inadequate in comparison with the size of the target group. While only about three lakhs beneficiaries have been given assistance, crores are eligible to be helped. The Corporation has to be revamped completely and a fresh structure put in place if it is to meet its obligations to the target group. A Committee of bankers and financial experts was set up to look into this. The Committee has submitted its report which has some very innovative ideas. Based on the recommendation of the Committee, a proposal for restructuring of NMDFC has been prepared and a draft Cabinet Note has been circulated for inter-ministerial consultation.
Follow up action regarding the report of the Sachar Committee
The Sachar Committee submitted its report on 17th November, 2006. This has been tabled in Parliament on 30th November, 2006.A total of seventy-six recommendations/suggestions contained in the report were examined by the Ministry in consultation with twenty-two other Ministries/Departments. A statement on the “Follow- up action on the recommendations of the Sachar Committee” has been laid in both Houses of Parliament on 31st August, 2007. Appropriate action has been taken to implement the Cabinet decisions. The concerned Ministries/Departments have been requested to furnish updated position of action taken to the Ministry of Minority Affairs on a quarterly basis by the 15th day of the month following the quarter ending. They have also been advised to nominate a nodal officer, not below the rank of a Joint Secretary, to represent their Ministries/Departments in quarterly review meetings. The Principal Secretary to PM has decided to hold meetings on a monthly basis to review the status of the follow-up action on the recommendations of the Sachar Committee. The first review meeting was held on 7th November, 2007.
Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs)
The Ministry has been able to complete the identification through a comprehensive exercise based both on a population cut-off and relevant backwardness parameters. The proposal was considered by the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) and recommended for consideration of the Cabinet. The Cabinet approved the proposal on 17th May, 2007, including formulation of a special area development plans designed to tackle the relative backwardness of these districts. A sum of Rs.120 crore has been provided in the Annual Plan 2007-08 for implementing a multi-sectoral development programme. An amount of Rs 4.98 crore has been sanctioned to the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, for carrying out a baseline survey in the identified minority concentration districts.
Implications of the geographical distribution of minorities
This subject was examined by the Ministry in view of the uneven distribution of minorities in the country. A note was submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration. As decided by him, an Inter-Ministerial Task Force has been constituted under the chairmanship of Dr. B.L. Mungekar, Member, Planning Commission to devise an appropriate strategy and action plan for developing these areas rapidly in a holistic manner. The Task Force has submitted its report to the Prime Minister on 8th November, 2007.
Plan Proposals
A Working Group on empowering the minorities was set up last year. The recommendations of the Working Group have been examined by the Ministry and a plan proposal of Rs. 11724.50 crore for the XIth Five Year Plan and Rs. 1134 crore for the Annual Plan were submitted to the Planning Commission. An outlay of Rs. 500 crore has been provided for 2007-08.
Scholarship Schemes
i) Merit-cum-Means scholarship for professional & technical courses: Three new scholarships schemes for students belonging to the minority communities were to be launched during 2007-08. One is the Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme for technical and professional education. The scheme was approved by the CCEA on 21st June, 2007. The scheme is expected to be an effective instrument for the empowerment and mainstreaming of the minority communities. A budget provision of Rs 54 crore has been made for this scheme in the Annual Plan 2007-08. States/UTs have advertised the scheme inviting applications from eligible students. Ministry has started the process for sanctioning proposals.
(ii) Coaching & Allied Scheme: The Coaching & Allied Scheme has been revised to cater to the emerging trends of the job market and to ensure that the economically weaker sections of students belonging to the minority communities are able to avail the job opportunities in an era of economic liberalization. A budget provision of Rs 10 crores has been made for this scheme in the Annual Plan 2007-08.
(iii) Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities: A post-matric scholarship scheme for students belonging to the minority communities in class-XI and XII, including technical, professional and vocational courses, and students from undergraduate to P.hd course in colleges/institutes/ universities recognized by an appropriate authority. 15 lakh scholarships are targeted for the Eleventh Five Year Plan period.
Maulana Azad Education Foundation
The corpus fund of the Foundation, which stood at Rs.100 crores, received by MAEF over a period of 15 years, was doubled to Rs.200 crores in one stroke in December, 2006. There is a provision of a further amount of Rs. 50 crores for the corpus fund of MAEF during the current year. For ensuring that the larger resources available to the Foundation are utilized property, a SAG rank officer of the Govt. of India has been appointed as Secretary to the Foundation. An evaluation study has been entrusted to the Organization Research Group (ORG) to assess the impact of the schemes of the Foundation. The report of the Evaluation Study is being examined. Directions have been given to the Foundation to ensure that the funds available are allocated in an equitable and transparent manner to all States, based on objective and relevant criteria.