Annual report - Performance Management Division

CHAPTER 2PRIME MINISTER’S NEW 15 POINT PROGRAMMEFOR THE WELFARE OF MINORITIES2.1 The Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities wasannounced in June, 2006. It provides programme specific interventions, with definite goalswhich are to be achieved in a specific time frame. The objectives of the programme are: (a)Enhancing opportunities for education; (b) Ensuring an equitable share for minorities ineconomic activities and employment, through existing and new schemes, enhanced creditsupport for self-employment, and recruitment to State and Central Government jobs; (c)Improving the conditions of living of minorities by ensuring an appropriate share for themin infrastructure development schemes; and (d) Prevention and control of communaldisharmony and violence.2.2 An important aim of the new programme is to ensure that the benefits of variousgovernment schemes for the underprivileged reach the disadvantaged sections of theminority communities. In order to ensure that the benefits of these schemes flow equitablyto the minorities, the new programme envisages location of a certain proportion ofdevelopment projects in minority concentration areas. It also provides that, whereverpossible, 15% of targets and outlays under various schemes should be earmarked for theminorities.2.3 The target group of the programme consists of the eligible sections among theminorities notified under Section 2 (c ) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992,viz. Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis). In States, where one ofthe minority communities notified under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission forMinorities Act, 1992 is, in a majority, the earmarking of physical/financial targets underdifferent schemes will be only for the other notified minorities. These States /UT are Jammu& Kashmir, Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Lakshadweep.2.4 The progress of implementation of the programme is monitored by each of theMinistries/Departments concerned on a monthly basis. At the Central level, Ministry ofMinority Affairs reviews the overall progress on a quarterly basis with the Nodal officers ofother Ministries. The progress is reviewed once in six months by the Committee ofSecretaries, and thereafter, a report is submitted to the Union Cabinet. The Cabinet hasalready reviewed the progress of implementation six times since the new programme waslaunched in June, 2006. As envisaged in the guidelines, the States/UTs are required toconstitute the State Level Committees to monitor the progress. Similar mechanism has alsobeen envisaged at the district level.8