Minority Affairs in India

Subjects Allocated to the Ministry of Minority Affairs in India 

SUBJECTS ALLOCATED

1. Overall policy, planning, coordination, evaluation and review of the regulatory and developmental programmes of the minority communities.
2. All matters relating to the minority communities except matters relating to law and order.
3. Policy initiatives for protection of minorities and their security in consultation with other Central Government Ministries and State Governments.
4. Matters relating to linguistic minorities and of the office of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities.
5. Matters relating to the National Commission for Minorities Act.
6. Work relating to the evacuee Wakf properties under the Administration of Evacuee Property Act, 1950 (31 of 1950) (since repealed).
7. Representation of the Anglo-Indian Community.
8. Protection and preservation of non-Muslim shrines in Pakistan and Muslim shrines in India in terms of the Pant-Mirza Agreement of 1955, in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs.
9. Questions relating to the minority communities in neighboring Countries, in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs.
10. Charities and Charitable Institutions, Charitable and religious Endowments pertaining to subjects dealt with in the Department.
11. Matters pertaining to the socio-economic, cultural and educational status of minorities; minority organisations, including the Maulana Azad Education Foundation.
12. The Wakf Act, 1995 (43 of 1995) and Central Wakf Council.
13. The Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955 (36 of 1955).
14. Foundation of programmes and projects for the Welfare of minorities, including the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation.
15. Employment opportunities for minorities in the Central and State public sector undertakings as also in the private sector.
16. Formulation of measures relating to the protection of minorities and their security in consultation with other concerned Central Ministries and State Governments.
17. National Commission for Socially and Economically Backward Sections among Religious and Linguistic Minorities.
18. All matters relating to the Justice Sachar Committee.
19. Prime Minister's new 15-Point Programme for Minorities.
20. Any other issue pertaining to the minority communities. 

Regions of Minority Areas in India

Minority Education

The National Policy on Education 1986, updated in 1992 envisages paying greater attention to the education of the educationally backward minorities in the interest of equity and social justice. In pursuance of the revised Programme of Action (POA) 1992, two new Centrally-sponsored schemes were launched during 1993-94. These are,

1. Scheme of Area Intensive Programme for Educationally Backward Minorities; and
2. Scheme of Financial Assistance for Modernisation of Madarsa Education

Over a time, it has been felt that all these schemes need to be implemented in an integrated way so as to have wider coverage, greater thrust and visibility of minority education programme. In the Tenth Plan the aforesaid two schemes have been merged to form the Area Intensive and Madarsa Modernisation Programme.
 
The National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions 2004 has been set up by an Act of Parliament under which minority education institutions can seek affiliation to Scheduled Universities. University of Delhi, North Eastern Hill University; Pondicherry University; Assam University; Nagaland University and Mizoram University are at present in the Schedule.