Empowering Minority Communities: Overview of Social Security and Development Schemes in the Country

Empowering Minority Communities: Overview of Social Security and Development Schemes in the Country

1512#  SHRI GHANSHYAM TIWARI:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that various schemes are being run in the country for the social security and all-round development of Minority Communities;

(b) if so, the scheme-wise and State-wise details of the amount of money spent by Government in last three years;

(c) whether it is a fact that the beneficiaries have not been able to get the due benefits in some of the above schemes in absence of necessary certification by various State Governments; and

(d) if so, State-wise details thereof?

(a) & (b) The Government implements various Schemes for the welfare and upliftment of every strata, including minorities, specially the economically weaker and lesser privileged sections of the society, through 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 are as under:

• (1) Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme
• (2) Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme
• (3) Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme

• (4) Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PMVIKAS)
• (5) National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) Scheme for providing concessional loans to minorities.

• (6) Jiyo Parsi: A scheme for reversing the declining trend of Parsi population.
• (7) Qaumi Waqf Board Taraqqiati Scheme (QWBTS) and Shahari Waqf Sampatti Vikas Yojana (SWSVY).

• (8) Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK)

The scheme-wise expenditure during the last three years is available on the website of the Ministry www.minorityaffairs.gov.in. In the schemes of the Ministry, State-wise funds are not allocated. However, State-wise release of funds under PMJVK and concessional loans disbursed by NMDFC during the last three years and State-wise scholarships sanctioned upto 2021-22 are available on the website of the Ministry i.e. www.minorityaffairs.gov.in.

(c) & (d): The benefits of the welfare schemes meant for the minority communities are being availed of by the eligible beneficiaries and in order to ensure that the benefits of the schemes implemented for minorities actually reach the intended beneficiaries, efforts have been made to further improve the monitoring mechanisms of the Ministry for better control and implementation of the Schemes. The scholarship amount/ stipend/ financial assistance under various schemes of this Ministry including skilling is released directly into the account of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. Further, the Scholarship schemes are being implemented through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) which has features of sanity check, avoiding de-duplication, thereby resulting in elimination of middlemen,  ghost beneficiaries etc. The Project Implementing Agencies (PIA) who implement the welfare schemes of this Ministry are also required to pay the stipend amount directly into the account of the beneficiaries through Public Finance Management System (PFMS).

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