The Government already 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 :
(A) Educational Empowerment Schemes
(1) Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme
(2) Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme
(3) Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme
(B) Employment and Economic Empowerment Schemes
(4) Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PMVIKAS)
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National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) Scheme for providing concessional loans to minorities.
(C) Special Schemes
(6) Jiyo Parsi: A scheme for reversing the population decline of Parsis in India.
(7) Qaumi Waqf Board Taraqqiati Scheme (QWBTS) and Shahari Waqf Sampatti Vikas Yojana (SWSVY).
(D) Infrastructure Development Schemes
(8) Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK)
The Ministry implements Pre-Matric, Post Matric and Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Schemes for educational empowerment of the students belonging to 6 notified minority communities, including Jain community. Besides the Scholarship Schemes, National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC), a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under this Ministry implements Education Loan Scheme for the benefit of students belonging to minority communities including the Jain community. Under this Scheme, concessional credit is provided for pursuing technical and professional courses with maximum course duration of 5 years. Educational Loan of upto ₹ 20.00 lakh is available for 5 year courses in India @ ₹ 4.00 lakh per annum and ₹ 30.00 lakh for 5 year courses abroad @ ₹ 6.00 lakh per annum.
This information was given by the Minister of Minority Affairs Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
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SS/RKM