By TCN News,
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs will have a review meeting next week with the Principal Secretaries/Secretaries of States/UTs dealing with scholarship schemes of the Ministry. They will discuss and review the implementation of the Online Scholarship Management System (OSMS) for the Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme of the union ministry.
Creation of institute level user ID and Password and scrutiny of online applications at ‘Institute’ level will be specifically discussed as these aspects are basic to the implementation of OSMS. The Ministry has requested the States/UTs to come up with feedbacks received from students, institutes and other stakeholders on OSMS.
Besides, the ministry will also review submission of Utilization Certificate and uploading of beneficiary list of 2010-11 with respect to Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship Schemes.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has informed that under its flagship Multi-Sectoral Development Programme in Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs) the central government has so far released a total amount of Rs. 2,176.13 crore to the States/UTs.
As per the data available with the Ministry, out of a tentative allocation of Rs. 3,780.40 crore the total cost of projects approved by the Ministry of Minority Affairs for the MCDs is over Rs. 3,348.62 crore; out of which the total Central share committed as on 30.6.2011 was over Rs. 3,111.55. Now the balance available for approval under MsDP is still over Rs. 431.77 crore
However, the expenditure reported by the States/UTs as on 30.6.2011 is only Rs 925.93 crore which is only 42.55 % of the total amount released by the Ministry to them. In this context review meetings with the Principal Secretaries/Secretaries of States/UTs handling Minority welfare were held last month.
The Multi-sectoral Development Programme was launched in 2008-09 and is being implemented in 90 MCDs spread over 20 states/UTs.