The Scholarship Schemes for Religious Minorities in India

  • August 28, 2023
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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The Scholarship Schemes for Religious Minorities in India

Subject : Schemes

The Significance of Education for Religious Minorities

  • Niti Aayog’s policy document emphasizes education’s significance for religious minorities.
  • Government’s commitment to inclusive growth and improving implementation of programs.
  • Role of education in the socio-economic development of a nation.

Scholarships for Religious Minorities’ Introduction

  • Over 30 crore people from religious minority communities in India.
  • Focus on Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Zoroastrians.
    • Under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992
  • Economic, health, and education challenges faced by Muslims.
  • Recognition of Muslims as the largest religious minority.

Rajinder Sachar Committee and Ministry of Minority Affairs

  • The Rajinder Sachar Committee, commonly referred to as the Sachar Committee, examined the social, economic, and educational standing of Muslims in India.
  • The committee’s comprehensive 400-page report highlighted the deprivation and neglect faced by minorities in development dimensions.
  • Ministry of Minority Affairs was established in 2006 to address issues affecting notified minorities.
  • Ministry’s mandate includes policy formulation, coordination, evaluation, and development programs.

Welfare Schemes 

  1. Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme
    1. Earlier focus on minority students from classes 1 to 10, now for 9 & 10.
  2. Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme
  3. Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme: Support for professional and technical courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
  4. Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF): Financial assistance for research scholars pursuing M.Phil and Ph.D.
  5. PadhoPardesh: Interest subsidy on education loans for overseas studies.
  6. Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship: Scholarship for meritorious girls’ higher education.
  7. Naya Savera: Free coaching for minority students for entrance exams.
  8. Nai Udaan: Supported minority students preparing for competitive exams.
  9. Scheme for Providing Education to Madarsas and Minorities (SPEMM): Financial assistance for introducing ‘modern’ subjects in madrasas.
  10. Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK): Infrastructure development in minority concentration areas.

Articles 29 and 30:

  • Article 29 protects the interests of minorities by allowing them to conserve their distinct language, script, or culture.

Article 30 grants religious and linguistic minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

Schemes The Scholarship Schemes for Religious Minorities in India