Four years of Modi sarkar: A 62 per cent increase in funding for minority affairs

Rs 4,700 crore was allocated for minority affairs, the Modi government which completed four years in office. In fact this was the largest increase in a union budget for minority development.

The Ministry for Minority Affairs says that more than 45 lakh minority community students have benefitted from scholarships, fellowships, skill development and coaching schemes during the last one year. The budgetary allocation for minorities went up from Rs 3,743 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 4,700 crore in 2018-19.

Let us take a look at the initiatives and achievements of the Ministry for Minority Affairs.

Haj without Mehram

Muslim women can go for Haj Pilgrimage without male guardian, if their school of thought permits.
Keeping in mind the objective of womens' empowerment, the restriction on women above 45 years of age to perform Haj pilgrimage unaccompanied by their male relatives has been removed.
This year, more than 1300 women are going on Haj pilgrimage without Mehram.

Educational Empowerment

Scholarship Schemes
Maulana Azad National Fellowship
Padho Pardes
Free Coaching and Allied scheme
Nai Udaan

Haj Subsidy abolished

Government in January 2016 abolished Haj subsidy. Savings worth Rs. 700 crores from this head to be used to finance the education of Muslim girls.

Economic Empowerment

Learn and Earn- Seekho aur Kaam Karo
USTAAD
Nai Manzil
Maulana Azad National Academy of Skills- MANAS

USTTAD (Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/ Crafts for Development)

Objective: To preserve the rich heritage of traditional arts/crafts of minorities. The scheme aims at capacity building and updating the traditional skills of master craftsmen/artisans; documentation of identified traditional arts/crafts of minorities; set standards for traditional skills; training of minority youths in various identified traditional arts/crafts through master craftsmen; and develop national and international market linkages.

Achievements:

Ministry has selected 38 Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) for training of 16200 trainees in 11 States during 2016-17. Accordingly, Rs. 19.77 Crore has been released to 38 PIAs.
Rs. 21.80 Crore has been released to PIAs during 2017-18 for the 2nd Instalment of 2016-17.
Total 3504 trainees have been allocated to the 216 PIAs during 2017-18.

MANAS

Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills set up to address skill development needs of minority communities.

Hamari Dharohar

Aims at preservation of rich heritage and culture of minorities, by supporting curation of iconic exhibitions, calligraphy, preservation of old documents, research and development, etc.

Nai Manzil

Objective:

To benefit the minority youths in the age group of 17 to 35 years who are school-dropouts or those educated in the community education institutions like Madarsas, by providing formal education and skill training along with certification.

Achievements:

69,840 trainees have been allocated for education and skill training in 22 States in 2016-17.
30,160 trainees have been allocated during 2017-18.

Computerisation of Waqf Boards

Increased revenue & transparency in functioning of the endowments.

Garib Nawaz Skill Development Centres:

Objective:

Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) under "Gharib Nawaz Skill Development Training for Minority" scheme has started training programmes to meet skill development/ skill up-gradation needs of minority communities viz; Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains in the country to achieve Government's goal of "Skilling India" by providing meaningful and sustainable livelihood options, in terms of wage employment/ self-employment opportunities to all minority youths.

The objective of the scheme is to enable a large number of minority youths of India to take-up relevant skill sets which are in demand. Under the scheme MAEF will use the cutting-edge of information technology to ensure quality, transparency and credibility to its skill training programmes. All training programmes will be covered by real time CCTV footage for the purpose of monitoring and GPRS enabled bio-metric attendance machines will be used for capturing attendance of trainers and trainees.

Achievement:

Under this flagship scheme, Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) has allocated 1,06,600 beneficiaries to 108 Program Implementing Agencies (PIAs). 212 centres have already commenced training programmes.

GST Facilitator

Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi announced that a certificate course for GST Facilitator was launched in Hyderabad. The course is being run at the Gharib Nawaz Kaushal Vikas Kendra, Vijay Nagar, Hyderabad through empanelled PIAs of MAEF.
Apart from this, a similar course "Accounts Assistant using Tally with GST" is also being run at the various Centres established by PIAs under the Gharib Nawaz Skill Development Training Programme of MAEF.

Other Initiatives

The allocation for Minority Affairs has been increased to ₹. 4700 Crore in 2018-19 from ₹4,195 crore in 2017-18.

Ministry of Minority Affairs received more than 1.16 crore applications for various scholarships during 2017-18.

During 2017-18, 04 (four) "Hunar Haats", were held at (i) Puducherry from 24th to 30th September, 2017, wherein about 54 artisans and 14 culinary experts participated (ii) India International Trade Fair (IITF) from November 14-27, 2017, wherein 136 artisans participated (iii) Mumbai from 3rd to 10th January, 2018, wherein 117 artisans participated and (iv) Baba Kharak Singh Marg from 10th to 18th February, 2018, wherein 160 artisans participated.

Qaumi Waqf Board Taraqqiati Scheme (QWBTS) has been launched this year after merging and modifying two ongoing schemes namely, Computerization of Records of State Waqf Boards and Strengthening of State Waqf Boards. Central Waqf Council is the Implementing Agency. In this scheme 100% Central Grant is provided for deployment of manpower for doing data entry in WAMSI Modules, GIS Mapping of waqf property, maintenance of Centralized Computing Facility (CCF), ERP Solution for better administration of SWBs, setting up of Video Conferencing facility in SWBs, Cash Award to Muttawalli/Management Committee, to strengthen their legal & accounting section as well as for training & administrative cost of SWBs. Under the scheme, GIA is also provided for appointment of Survey Assistant, Accountant and Legal Assistant, setting up of Zonal Office in those Waqf Boards having more number of Waqf Properties and Financial Assistance @ Rs.3.00 lakh per SWB having more than 6000 Waqf Properties and Rs.2.00 lakh per SWB having less than 6000 Waqf Property to be provided for capacity building of Muttawalli/Management Committee.

Erstwhile scheme of Grants in Aid to Waqf has been modified and continued for another 3 years and renamed as Shahari Waqf Sampatti Vikas Yojana with a view to protect vacant urban Waqf land from encroachers and to develop it on commercial lines for generating more income in order to widen welfare activities. Central Waqf Council is implementing Agency of the scheme. GIA under the scheme is provided to CWC for further disbursement of interest free loan to Waqf Institutions/Waqf Boards. Under the Scheme interest free loan is extended to various Waqf Institutions in the country for taking up economically viable buildings on the urban Waqf land for development such as commercial complexes, marriage halls, hospitals, cold storages etc.