By Najia O., TwoCircles.net,
Kochi: The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs is set to roll out a program for skill development and leadership training to Muslim women exhibiting entrepreneurial skills. Cleared by the Congress-led UPA government in its first term, the program is among the top priorities of newly-appointed Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mr Salman Khurshid.
The program seeks to provide leadership, support and entrepreneurial training to selected Muslim women. About a thousand Muslim women from all over the country will be selected for the program annually. Though the scheme would be implemented directly by the Minority Affairs Ministry, the services of state governments and NGOs would be sought to identify the beneficiaries. A selection committee would be set up to screen the individual applications and the names forwarded by states and NGOs. The screening committee may include self-help groups or Muslim women who have done exemplary work in the field of social empowerment.
The Centrally sponsored program will have a flexible one-time financial support component as well. Under the program, a project can get a maximum of Rs. 10 lakh as one-time assistance. However, National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation could be linked with the beneficiaries to ensure regular financial support to them till they became self-reliant.
According to the Sachar Committee Report, although Muslim women are overwhelmingly self-employed and engaged in home-based work, they do not have independent access to credit facilities, opportunities for skill up-gradation, or access to markets. Besides, there is discrimination in giving Muslim women credit facilities.
The program was brought out by the Women and Child Development Ministry, but later it was transferred to the Ministry of Minority Affairs. The ministry began working on it after the interim budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The budget earmarked Rs 45 lakh for the implementation of the scheme.
Initially, the scheme will be implemented in select states only where there is a large minority population.
An internal analysis by the Ministry of Minority Affairs revealed that the UPA’s efforts in the last five years had brought a positive result for the alliance in at least 33 constituencies, reports say. The UPA also made remarkable gains in 90 minority-concentrated districts. The Sachar Committee Report was widely welcomed and discussed by the Muslim leaders. All these have resulted in the Congress’s electoral gains, reports suggest.
Among other priorities of Minister Salman Khursheed are computerization of Waqf documents and extension of scholarship programs.