SRINAGAR: In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on July 28, Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju laid out the Central Government’s current schemes aimed at the economic, educational and social empowerment of the six notified minority communities—Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains. Responding to a query by Member of Parliament Ryaga Krishnaiah, the Ministry said that multiple ongoing schemes are focused on infrastructure, skilling, education, health and cultural support in regions identified as Minority Concentration Areas (MCAs).
Among the key interventions, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) is a flagship centrally sponsored programme that focuses on developing infrastructure such as schools, health centres, skill development institutions and women-centric amenities in MCAs. According to the government, this scheme is meant to address development deficits and improve the socio-economic conditions of minorities in underserved areas.
On the educational front, the Ministry implements three main scholarship schemes—the Pre-Matric, Post-Matric, and Merit-cum-Means scholarships—all administered through the National Scholarship Portal and disbursed via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). While earlier schemes like Padho Pardesh and the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) have been discontinued, the government maintains that support continues through other existing platforms and fellowships.
The Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) scheme brings together five earlier skilling and heritage-linked schemes and focuses on traditional and non-traditional skilling, women’s leadership and entrepreneurship, education, and credit access. The scheme is now being delivered through the SIDH portal of the National Skill Development Corporation, with knowledge partners like the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts. Projects under this scheme have already been launched in collaboration with institutions in Delhi, Tripura and Kerala, targeting over 40,000 candidates in total.
In terms of financial empowerment, the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) offers concessional loans for self-employment ventures. These loans are routed through state-level agencies and partner banks such as Punjab Gramin Bank and Canara Bank.
On the health front, the government said that several health infrastructure projects have been sanctioned under PMJVK, including medical colleges, dispensaries, PHCs and CHCs. A specific initiative for the Parsi community—the Jiyo Parsi Scheme—continues to provide medical and family support to help reverse the declining population trend within that group.
To promote communal harmony and inter-community integration, the Ministry reported that 40 ‘Sarvdharm Samvad’ events and 25 ‘Sarvdharm Sadbhav’ celebrations had been organised by the National Commission for Minorities during the last Commission’s tenure. These events were aimed at promoting religious harmony and collective celebration of festivals. The Ministry has also conducted four ‘Lok Samvardhan Parv’ events to showcase the crafts and cultural heritage of minority artisans and encourage entrepreneurship.
The government also noted that the PM VIKAS scheme allows a limited share of non-minority candidates from the economically weaker sections to participate, particularly in traditional skills training, to encourage inclusion and shared growth.
The statement concluded that all these schemes are part of the government’s broader vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’, emphasising the integration of minority communities into the national development framework.
