Recent Post – Empower India Foundation https://empowerindiafoundation.org Empowerment of marginalised sections Thu, 24 Feb 2022 06:51:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.7.6 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-fav_icon-32x32.png Recent Post – Empower India Foundation https://empowerindiafoundation.org 32 32 Union Budget 2022-23 and Muslims https://empowerindiafoundation.org/2022/02/24/union-budget-2022-23-and-muslims/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=union-budget-2022-23-and-muslims Thu, 24 Feb 2022 06:26:29 +0000 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/?p=2353 Continue readingUnion Budget 2022-23 and Muslims]]>

Empower India Foundation in association with the Institute of Policy Studies and Advocacy, Delhi held an online discussion about “Union Budget 2022-23 and Muslims” focussing on the union budgetary allocations to the Muslim community, its availability to the community and the utilisation of the allocation by the community, etc.

Dr Jawed Alam Khan, Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), Delhi and Dr Khalid Khan, Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, Delhi were the speakers.

Dr. Enamur Rahman, Presidency University, Kolkata was the Moderator.

 

 

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EIF Success Story Series – Association of Muslim Professionals https://empowerindiafoundation.org/2022/02/15/eif-success-story-series-association-of-muslim-professionals/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eif-success-story-series-association-of-muslim-professionals Tue, 15 Feb 2022 09:37:38 +0000 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/?p=2312 Continue readingEIF Success Story Series – Association of Muslim Professionals]]>

In this episode, we are introducing Association of Muslim Professionals who works with a mission to empower Muslims for the greater benefit of the society in general and nation as a whole.

Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) is a Platform for all Muslim professionals and volunteers to share their knowledge, intellect, experience, and skills for the overall development of not just the Muslim community but also the society at large, and further empowering Muslims in the educational, social, political and economic front of life. AMP is an intellectual organisation spread out at national level. Having more than 100 active Chapters across India and it is growing further with a strong presence of professional base across the country. AMP has been instrumental in conducting various activities for the benefit of society across the length and breadth of the country.

Interviewer: Faiz Mohammed, Relations Head, EIF

Interviewee: Mr. Aamir Edresy, President, Association of Muslim Professionals

 

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EIF Success Story Series – LEAD Trust, Bengaluru https://empowerindiafoundation.org/2022/02/15/eif-success-story-series-lead-trust-bengaluru/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eif-success-story-series-lead-trust-bengaluru Tue, 15 Feb 2022 09:27:18 +0000 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/?p=2305 Continue readingEIF Success Story Series – LEAD Trust, Bengaluru]]>

In this episode, we are introducing LEAD Trust, Bengaluru

LEAD Trust is an NGO formed by a group of highly qualified professionals and academicians of Bengaluru city. They aim to promote excellence in the fields of education and leadership among Indian youth. To achieve this, they set up coaching and guidance centres, conduct seminars, workshops, education fairs, inter-school programmes to improve the overall excellence of students and to propagate human values, ethics, morality and virtuous character. Their aim is to identify students who are brilliant, but due to inadequate awareness of good educational opportunities coupled with their poor economic condition are unable to get into prestigious academic institutions and pursue their dream careers.

LEAD focusses on preparing bright students for Engineering (IIT-JEE and AIEEE), Medicine (NEET), Law (CLAT, LSAT) and Pure Sciences (Indian Institute of Sciences, Chennai Mathematical Institute, Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research and National Institute of Science Education and Research) from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu and Kerala.

Interviewer: Faiz Mohammed, Relations Head, EIF

Interviewee: Mr. Ameen A Mudassar, LEAD Trust, Bengaluru

 

 

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Jaipur2047 Launched https://empowerindiafoundation.org/2022/02/08/jaipur2047-launched/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jaipur2047-launched Tue, 08 Feb 2022 16:48:36 +0000 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/?p=2220 Continue readingJaipur2047 Launched]]>

‘Jaipur2047,’ the fifth Chapter in the country and the first one in Rajasthan was launched on 6th February 2022.

Abdul Razzak, Senior Addl. Director(retd), Govt of Rajasthan was elected as the president and Nida Hashmi, Teacher as the secretary. 17 members were inducted into the Chapter during the launch. Mohamed Salim was the moderator of the event.

Empower India Foundation CEO Mohamed Shaffeeq spoke about the relevance of the Chapter and presented the one-year working plan; and Faiz Mohammad presented the Chapter concept.

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15 Years of Sachar – Online Seminar https://empowerindiafoundation.org/2022/02/05/15-years-of-sachar-online-seminar/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=15-years-of-sachar-online-seminar Sat, 05 Feb 2022 18:07:08 +0000 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/?p=2213 Continue reading15 Years of Sachar – Online Seminar]]>

Empower India Foundation conducted an online seminar “15 Years of Sachar”

Prof. Amitabh Kundu, Chairman of Post Sachar Evaluation Committee chaired the seminar.  Dr. Amir Development Economist and Adjunct Professor at the MCRHRDI of the Government of Telangana, Dr. Varghese K associated with Jawaharlal Nehru University, Dr. Khalid Khan, Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, and Dr Jawed Alam, Centre for Budget and Governance spoke in the seminar

 

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Shaheen Group of Institutions https://empowerindiafoundation.org/2022/02/05/shaheen-group-of-institutions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=shaheen-group-of-institutions Sat, 05 Feb 2022 17:33:52 +0000 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/?p=2206 Continue readingShaheen Group of Institutions]]>

In this episode, we are introducing Shaheen Group of Institutions.

Shaheen Group of Institutions is a non-profit organisation committed to advancing brilliance in education by developing value-integrated curriculum, by increasing public awareness, and stirring the community to invest in education. Shaheen group is graciously shepherded by one of India’s well-known educationists and philanthropist: Dr. Abdul Qadeer, founder secretary of Shaheen Group of Institutions. He has initiated various educational projects in various parts of the country. Dr. Abdul Qadeer has been awarded by Highest Civilian Award of Karnataka, Kannada Rajyothsava Award for his yeoman services in the field of education. Shaheen campuses in Bidar are the cradle of education for 12000 thousand students. Since 2008 Shaheen has attained more than 4200 free Government seats in Medical, Engineering, and other Professional courses setting a new record. Shaheen is ambitious to share its experiences and bring a change in society, through Shaheen Education Foundation.

Interviewer: Faiz Mohammed, Relations Head, EIF
Interviewee: Dr. Abdul Qadeer, Founder secretary, Shaheen Group of Institutions.

 

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Relative Difference in Population Growth Rate among Different Religious Communities in India https://empowerindiafoundation.org/2022/02/05/relative-difference-in-population-growth-rate-among-different-religious-communities-in-india/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=relative-difference-in-population-growth-rate-among-different-religious-communities-in-india Sat, 05 Feb 2022 17:11:58 +0000 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/?p=2198 Continue readingRelative Difference in Population Growth Rate among Different Religious Communities in India]]>

Dr Md. Safikul Islam / Dr Mehebub Sahana

Latest author’s podcast on EIF study paper “Relative Difference in Population Growth Rate among Different Religious Communities in India”

 

Link: https://empowerindiafoundation.org/2021/10/08/relative-difference-in-population-growth-rate-among-different-religions-in-india/

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Role of Madrassa Education in Muslim Empowerment https://empowerindiafoundation.org/2022/01/21/role-of-madrassa-education-in-muslim-empowerment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=role-of-madrassa-education-in-muslim-empowerment Fri, 21 Jan 2022 13:30:06 +0000 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/?p=2190 Continue readingRole of Madrassa Education in Muslim Empowerment]]>

Dr Fathimath Fouziya. M

Abstract

Madrassa education system has attained worldwide attention of educationalists, sociologists and historians in recent times, especially after the Taliban’s resurgence and September 11 Twin Tower attack. It has originated as a tributary of the Arabian culture and has contributed significantly to the development of the Arabic language and literature. There is a constructed feeling and observation that madrassas are centres of ‘Jihad’ disregarding its contributions to the mainstream social life. As a result of this constructed ‘Islamophobia,’ the madrassa system in many nations is under close observation of the authorities. In fact, the prominent freedom fighters in India also grew up as part of the madrassa education system that has now been branded as the “centres of terrorism.”

The development of any community depends on its educational system and it is proved that education is the key to human progress and social change. Education is a powerful tool for the empowerment of individuals. It helps in developing confidence in individuals and communities about their own capacities, inherent strengths to shape their lives and thus enhance their inner strength. Education is the means by which the societies in history have grown out of oppression to democratic participation and involvement. Madrassas are an integral component of the education system in India. Historically, the country’s Muslim population has been disproportionately disadvantaged in education. Even as they comprise nearly 14 percent of India’s population, their enrollment rate at the primary school level (Class 1-5) was a meager 9.39 percent of total enrollment in 2006.  More than 90 percent of madrassa students in India belongs to poor families. In some parts of the country, even poor non-Muslims send their children to these schools. Education holds the key to the empowerment of Indian Muslims. Education is one of the most powerful factors for the political, social, economic, or spiritual development of individuals and communities. It helps individuals to acquire confidence and capability to match the levels of the mainstream in society.

Role of Madrassa in Educating the Society

Madrassa education system in India aims at educating Muslim children living in this country. Madrassas were originally established to spread the messages of Islam and impart religious teaching to their followers. The scholars (ulemas), a group of religious specialists, used to perform the role of teachers in madrassa to spread Islam outside the Arabian Peninsula. A madrassa was treated as a high school or college earlier. In the Islamic era, there were thousands of madrassas which were as big as some universities today. They were full of exhibit museums, libraries, and visiting scholars. Great scholars and professors dedicated their lives to the madrassas for learning the philosophy of Islam, the Farsi language, and more significantly, to broaden the knowledge among the ordinary public. Rulers of the country as well as the public were educated in the madrassas in the past. And even today, madrassa education in India is playing a vital role in educating thousands of Muslim children. The importance of madrassas lies in its potential to make education available to the poorer section of society. Education in general and professional education in particular, is in great demand. The common people are aware of the advantages of modern education and even for an enlightened and inclusive democracy. All sections and classes of people should be well educated and intellectually equipped to shoulder the responsibility of a free nation. Education occupies a unique role in the process of empowerment of minorities, especially Muslims in the contemporary Indian context. As the Muslim community has lagged behind in education over the decades, it is necessary to foster and promote the education of this community at a quicker pace and as a matter of priority.

Islam and Education

Islam wants mankind to attain knowledge as much as they can. The first ayah of the Quran revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was “Read in the name of your Lord who created.” Islam commands us to pray to the Almighty to increase knowledge. We should learn from the words of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to seek knowledge even if it is found in a place as distant as China. During Prophet Muhammad (SAW), most of the Muslims were illiterate. After becoming believers, they began to acquire knowledge as much as they could. The Prophet (SAW) sent his followers to the Jewish physicians who were arch-enemies of Islam, and asked them to learn medical science from them. Knowledge should be considered as the lost property of a believer and should be reclaimed as their own from wherever it is found.

Madrassas and makthabs are age-old institutions for imparting religious education among Muslims, based on Islamic theology and religious practices. Islamic education has different stages, from the beginner’s stage to the highest level, almost comparable to modern education in terms of levels of education. Almost every mosque has makthabs/madrassas where Muslim children are taught Quran and religious rituals and practices. As the children complete the early stages, there is scope for gaining higher knowledge and degrees in madrassas, based on Islamic theology and jurisprudence. The madrassa, thus, is a well-established institution of imparting Islamic education with strong roots in theology and religious practices. The madrassa education system was started in India after the arrival of Muslims in the 10th century. Makthabs and madrassas were initially established in the towns of Sind, Dabel, Mansura, and Multan. With the passage of time, it gradually spread across different parts of the country, such as Oudh, Multan, Lahore, Khairabad, Patna, Surat, Delhi, and Agra. The British period is generally considered as a period of setback to the traditional/indigenous education system in India. However, the madrassa education continued and survived as there was wide acceptance and support for the madrassa education system among the Muslims. There are different types of madrassas in India (1) Registered madrassas receiving government grants for salaries and infrastructure (2) Community-based madrassas. They are also of four types (a) Makthab – primary level (b) Dursul Qur’an – high school level (c) Madrassa – college level and (d) Jamia – university level. They are run by the Muslim community through donations.[1]

Religious Education in Kerala

The Islamic education system in Kerala is entirely different from the other parts of the country. It is parallel to the mainstream education of the state government. It has undergone rapid scientific changes for the last two to three decades, particularly due to the efforts of Islamic reformist movements, who were instrumental in transforming the Dars system into a modern Islamic education system covering various aspects of educational philosophy.  They adopted educational psychology and incorporated different subjects in the syllabus more scientifically. Reformist movements understood the need to revise the curriculum and started the combination of religious and modern system. They started 5 major madrassa boards like 1. Majlissu Ta’limul Islami Kerala 2. KNM Vidhyabhyasa Board 3. Samastha Kerala Islam Matha Vidyabhyasa Board. 4. Samastha Kerala Sunni Vidyabhyasa Board and 5. Dakshina Kerala Matha Vidyabhyasa Board. These reformist movements conduct different kinds of training programmes for teachers and organise workshops for timely revision of curriculum and syllabus. This system has initiated activities like seminars, debates, literary meetings, student parliaments, sports meets and arts meets for the overall development of the students. Schools supporting the madrassa system is a noteworthy contribution introduced by these movements. Students going to the madrassas get the opportunity to perform in both Islamic and modern education setups. The reformist movements of Kerala also have a roll in streamlining the working time in accordance with the school timing. They have managed madrassas either in the morning or evening or during the holidays. It is only because of this kind of management that the students are coping up with their education properly. In Kerala there are some other unrecognised educational institutions who run their own pre-school madrassas.

Education for girls

Women are an integral part of every society. In the early period, the Muslim community failed to realise the importance of opening avenues of education to girls. The lack of widespread opportunities for education for girls happened due to the negative approach of the traditional schools. If we go through the history of Kerala Muslims, we can see that the traditional ulemas prohibited girl-students attending madrassas and regular schools.  Later, girl students were allowed to attend primary level madrassas along with boys. In the traditional madrassa system, boys and girls attend madrasas at primary levels only. These traditional ulemas, later started girls’ orphanages and now they are being pressurised by the community to start separate Arabic or Islamic and Arts colleges for girls. All these are the impact of reformist movements in Kerala. The lack of vision of these ulemas had played a major role in keeping the Muslim women lagging in the race to progress. Had the residential institutes for girls been started by these ulamas as early as they started it for the boys, it would have helped the girls of the community to see the light of progress much earlier.

Co-education

Co-education is already there at the primary level. There is no hindrance for boys and girls studying together in an Islamic learning system; but that will not be like the present regular campuses. They have to obey the rules and regulations put forth by Quran and Hadith. Co-education has its benefits and students must get the advantage of it.

The Challenges and Issues Faced by the Current Madrassa System in General

  • Absence of definite aims and objectives
  • In most madrassas, especially outside Kerala, even the basic infrastructure needed for a primary school including proper building and teaching equipment is not available
  • Outdated traditional methods and techniques of teaching and learning. Isolation from modern developments in the area of natural sciences and social sciences and over-emphasis on the traditional subjects, with a negative outlook towards modern subjects
  • Teachers are not trained like regular school teachers
  • Teachers’ salaries are low and they do not receive any government benefits. There is no yardstick set on the qualification of teachers
  • Islamic higher education institutions do not get any kind of assistance from the government; they manage their institutions by themselves and meet the expenses. It affects the quality of education and infrastructure
  • Lack of coordination among various madrassas and organisations
  • These madrassas have an outdated system of examination and evaluation
  • Poor quality of planning and administration
  • Poor financial condition and management. The government has neither recognised these institutions nor their courses. Very few institutions of the country have been affiliated with foreign Islamic universities like Madeena Islamic University, Malaysian University, and Qatar Islamic University for higher academic excellence

 Suggestions

  • Enlarge the scope of madrassa beyond the religious education to school, teaching subjects like science, mathematics, English, and computer science
  • An arrangement whereby Muslim students may be able to access both religious and school education is required to ensure their completion of education till eighth standard, the least
  • Infrastructural development like classrooms, furniture, blackboards, etc. is very important for the makthabs and madrassas
  • Quality education should be provided in madrassas with an emphasis on Information and Communication Technology
  • There should be provision for teachers training programme for the teachers who wish to associate with madrassa education. They should be either accommodated in existing training institutes affiliated with the universities, or there should be a separate system of training for them
  • It should be the responsibility of the Union and State Governments to provide adequate grants for these madrassas. Availability of books and teaching-learning materials at all levels of madrassas is necessary to enable Muslim children to attain the standards of the national education system

Conclusion

Muslims in India must realise that they are at the bottom level of development in the field of education in this era of global village. Information Technology and further cultural transmission through electronic media have brought the international community very close to each other. In order to attain integrity, peace and prosperity, and basic security of their life, the Muslim community must concentrate their efforts on the task of restructuring their system of education in general and madrassa education in particular. In respect of the madrassa education, there is a need for the society to preserve the delicate balance between the emphasis on the religious underpinning of the community, on which the Muslim community lays special emphasis; and the need to make education a powerful tool for empowering the community to claim its legitimate place within the educational and developmental mainstream of the country. In Kerala, the community has its own syllabi and curriculum to empower the society. But they are facing so many crises today. Some of these crises are structural while others are content related. The main complaint is that with the advent of English medium schools, there is not enough time for religious studies. To overcome this, some organisations have chosen to conduct madrassas at night, which is a very crucial situation and it is undeniable that children who have to do homework with the help of their parents going out at night for madrassa studies would do more harm than benefit. It can also lead to many behavioural disorders in children. So, the community should find an alternative. Similarly, extreme party austerity and sectarianism have been the mainstay of most madrassa teachers. There is no doubt that madrassa education will be a waste of time as long as the teachings are not practiced in life. The generation must grow up with a clear vision of what Islam is and what it is fundamentally about and how it treats other sections of society.

References:

  1. Farook College Golden Jubilee Souvenir.
  2. Samastha Souvenir, 2002.
  3. Thoolika varshikapathipp, 1995.
  4. Prabodhanam Varika, 2015 April 24.
  5. The Malabar, Journal of Kunhali Marakkar Center of West Asian Studies, University of Calicut, August 2003.
  6. Evaluation of the Implementation of the Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM) Report, 2018. National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration 17-B, Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi -110016.
  7. Role of Madrasa Education in Empowerment of Muslims in India, IOSR- JHSS, Feb- 2015, Sana Asma and Thasneem Shazli.
  8. Mappila Muslims of Kerala, A study in Islamic Trends, Orient Longman Limited 1992, Rollend E. Miller.

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The author is Assistant Professor of Arabic, MES Kalladi College Mannarkkad. Palakkad, Kerala. Email: [email protected]

 [1] Evaluation of the Implementation of the Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM) Report, 2018. National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration 17-B, Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi -110016.

 

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Budget for Minorities in India: Need for Community Participation and Monitoring https://empowerindiafoundation.org/2022/01/20/budget-for-minorities-in-india-need-for-community-participation-and-monitoring/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=budget-for-minorities-in-india-need-for-community-participation-and-monitoring Thu, 20 Jan 2022 07:36:06 +0000 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/?p=2174 Continue readingBudget for Minorities in India: Need for Community Participation and Monitoring]]>

Dr. Jawed Alam Khan

Democratic India’s Constitution makes it obligatory for legislators to scrutinise public expenditure and resource mobilisation. However, legislative scrutiny of the budget is generally found to be weak. As per the Constitution, all revenues and receipts go to a consolidated fund and money can be withdrawn only from the Consolidated Fund in accordance with the laws passed by the Parliament.

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and concerned citizens of the country have been engaged with monitoring of budgets for a long time. This responsibility entails an analysis of the budgets as the key instrument for demystifying priorities underlying public policies and priorities in budget allocations and effectiveness of implementation of development schemes. A major objective of engaging with budgets by CSOs has been assessing the impact of government development interventions on disadvantaged sections of the population. CSOs also believe that exercise of budget analysis and advocacy with governments significantly contribute towards increasing accountability and transparency in the governance system at various levels across the country.

Budget is a statement of estimated expenditure and receipts during the ensuing financial year. Larger objectives of the government budgetary policy are to provide effective governance, improving social and physical infrastructure, promoting employment opportunities, increasing human resource development, reducing income equalities and finally to maintain fiscal balance through economic and price stability[1]. Preparation and presentation of the budget is an annual exercise at various levels of the governance system. The annual budget is prepared for optimal allocation of scarce financial resources taking into account the realities of socio-economic and the country’s political situation.

Budget provides three types of services against annual government expenditure which includes general, economic and social sectors. General services are related to own maintenance, general services-line, general administration, defence, and pension and interest payment. Sub sectors like rural development, industry, commerce and trade, agriculture, banking and transport are part of Economic Services/Sector. Social Sector focuses on services provided by government related to health, education, and also covers the development needs of underprivileged sections like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women, children, persons with disability and religious minorities.

For development of minorities, there have been two policy strategies, namely the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme (15 PP) for welfare of minorities and the Area Development Programme or Multi Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP) since 2006 and 2008 respectively. MSDP was renamed Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) in 2018. With regard to activities, the 15-point programme for the welfare of minorities focuses on enhancing opportunities for education, an equitable share in economic activities and employment, improving living conditions, and prevention and control of communal riots. Except MSDP/PMJVK, all the schemes run by the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) are also part of 15 PP, and meant 100 percent for the development of the minorities.

Inadequate Availability of Financial Resources

Looking at the total budgetary allocation for minorities in the Union Budget, it may be noted that less than 0.2 percent of the total Union Budget 2021-22 has been earmarked for development of minorities. The ministries and department allocated fund for minorities include 15 PP (100 %), MSDP and 15 PP (15 %). The total expenditure reported for minorities by the central government through 15 PP and MSDP has shown declining trend in the total expenditure since 2012-13, although the religious minorities constitute 21 percent of total population as per census 2011.

With regard to availability of resources for minorities, the Ministry of Finance has not allocated the same in accordance with the MoMA demand. For 2019-20 and 2020-21, only Rs 4,700 crore and Rs 5,029 crore were allocated as against the demand of Rs 5,795.26 crore and Rs 6,452 crore respectively. The reduction in the budget demanded by MoMA has affected the scholarship schemes. Further, there is a decline of 4.5 percent in this budget from the previous year’s budget. Also, the MoMA budget has been reduced from Rs 5,029 crore Budget Estimates (BE) to Rs 4,005 crore Revised Estimates (RE) in 2020-21.

In the Union Budget for last many years, the finance minister has made no mention about the budgets for welfare of minorities, and no new scheme has been announced for their development. Ministry of Education scheme, known as Scheme for Madrasas and Minorities, has been shifted to MoMA with a reduced allocation of Rs 174 crore in 2021-22. The Ministry of Education has reported a figure of Rs 310.22 crore in the RE of 2020-21 for the scheme, which provides financial assistance to introduce modern subjects in Madrasas, trained teachers, and augment school infrastructure in minority institutions. Only Rs 70.94 crore of the Rs 120 crore allocated to the scheme was utilised in 2019-20, affecting the education of children in Madrasas due to non-payment of honorarium to teachers.

Issues in Programmme Design of 15PP

15 PP has certain features of Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) of allocation in terms of fund flow towards religious minorities. The resource allocation made through 15 PP for minorities is a mere accounting exercise to book the expenditure under the general schemes for minorities by select ministries and departments. In terms of allocating the fund (15 percent wherever it is possible) under the 15 PP, the proportional share of minorities in total population was not taken into account which is 21 percent as per the census-2011. In this respect, instead of the current provision of 15 percent of fund allocation under 15 PP, the resource allocation should be made as per the need of minority community.

The data on fund utilisation and achievements of target has to be prepared on general sector programme of 15PP so that it should influence the allocation process in the ensuing financial year. Further, there is an inadequate target for general schemes focusing on minorities through 15 PP by different departments and ministries. The ministries like IT, industry, trade and commerce have been kept out from the preview of 15 PP.

The design of 15 PP is not appropriate in terms of comprehensive coverage of minority population and addressing their development needs until and unless the government initiates/designs some exclusive schemes/programmes for the minorities in Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) renamed after 2014-15. Further, it is focusing just on the Centrally Sponsored schemes without any changes in the guidelines of those CSS. The guidelines of CSS covered under 15 PP should allow for customised intervention by identifying and filling up the development gaps in minority dominated localities.

Minorities have not been included in budgetary process of either the Union or the State government by opening a minor head in detailed budget book and introducing a budget statement on minority related programmes. The government should include minorities in the budgetary processes based on the strategy of implementation of SCSP and TSP.

Targetted outlays of the 15 PP should be disaggregated to the level of hamlets and wards to ensure benefits reaching targetted beneficiaries and the data on achievement should also be reported. It should have the assessment report on achievement of intended outcomes. For effective monitoring, there is need for constitution of a Committee of Secretaries under the Cabinet Secretary, State Level Committee and District Level Committee; and quarterly meeting should be held on regular basis and minutes of the meeting should be made available in the public domain.

There is a need to have more clarity on the part of District and State level implementing agencies on scheme guidelines and mechanism of resource allocation under 15 PP. Social auditors should get access to the data on physical targets and outlays from wards and hamlets for providing feedback that is actionable.

Challenges in Area Development Programme

MSDP/PMJVK guidelines should be revised to focus on undertaking initiatives that are need-based instead of topping up approach adopted in the existing CSS covered under 15 PP. MSDP/ PMJVK should emphasise plans to overcome local development deficit instead of aiming to saturate the coverage of already existing national programme. Secondary and senior secondary schools already constructed under MSDP/ PMJVK in many Minority Concentrated Blocks (MCDs) need to be made functional. Further, there is a need for establishing degree colleges and constructing women hostels in the MCDs for promoting higher education among the minority communities. MSDP has been restructured and the programme is to be implemented as “Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK)” for the period of 14th Finance Commission i.e. up to 2019-20. We recommend that PMJVK should be continued until 2024-25.  

Ineffective Implementation of Scholarship Programme

Union Government should make scholarship schemes for minorities demand-driven, looking at the current total number of applications received. The Union Government announced that they are going to give one crore scholarship annually under umbrella scholarship programme. However, it is less than the current total number of applications received annually by Ministry of Minority Affairs. MoMA has made the target for fresh scholarship to be distributed to an average of 30 lakh students in Pre-Matric, 5 lakh in Post-Matric and 60,000 in Merit-cum-Means annually in 2007-08, whereas the scholarships awarded in 2020-21 for the same were 50,46,292, 6,48,133 and 1,17,614 against 90,61,211, 17,62,512 and 2,36,966 applications, respectively. Nearly, 52,48,650 students belonging to minority communities are left out of these schemes every year after receiving applications.  

As far as the current annual 5 lakh application quota for PMS is concerned, it is very less compared to the 80 lakh annual quota for the Scheduled Castes in PMS-SC.  Further, the eligibility criterion in terms of parent/guardian income is 2 lakh whereas in PMS-SC is 2.5 lakh. MoMA has been allocating around Rs. 2,400 crore for roughly 36 lakh scholarships under umbrella scholarship programme. If government aims to distribute 1 crore fresh scholarships annually, the resource requirement could be Rs. 5,000-6,000 crore. Hence, the government should allocate additional resources of Rs. 3,000 crore to Rs. 3,500 crore if it really wants to distribute 1 crore scholarships annually to minorities.

The Department Related Standing Committee on Social Justice, 2018-19 raised concerns about inadequacy of the amount of Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Merit-cum-means scholarships given to the students. The unit cost for scholarships has not been revised since inception of the schemes (2007-08). Only Rs. 1,000 per annum is given to day-scholars in Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme. The scheme for post-matric scholarship provides the financial support of Rs.7,000 per annum in terms of admission and tuition fees for classes XI and XII; and a maintenance allowance of Rs. 380 and Rs. 230 per month for hosteller and day-scholars respectively. 85 institutes for professional and technical courses have been listed in the scheme. Eligible students from the minority communities admitted to these institutions are reimbursed full course fees. A course fee of Rs.20,000/- per annum is reimbursed to students studying in other institutions. Besides, a student is also given maintenance allowance of Rs. 500 for day-scholar or Rs. 1,000 for hostellers per month. It is suggested that there is need for revision in these guidelines of Pre-Matric, Post-Matric and Merit Cum Mean Scholarship. Unit cost for scholarship schemes for minorities should be increased and made it inflation indexed. (Department Related Standing Committee on Social Justice- Demand for Grants, Ministry of Minority Affairs 2018-19).

Large numbers of students are deprived of scholarships due to technical glitches at State level and many minorities-run institutions are not able to register on online scholarship web portal. Many students are not able to apply in rural areas due poor internet connectivity and lack of electricity. Therefore, manual application form needs to be allowed along with online application, so, students can take the benefits of the scholarship in rural areas.  There is a lack of coordination between minority institutions and officials/offices managing the registration on the online web portal for scholarship and also between banks and district administration in terms of opening bank account of students, which cause delays in availing scholarships.  Also, the application procedures need to be streamlined.

Key Recommendations

 

  1. Increase Budgetary Allocation for development of minorities/Muslims. The budget allocation should be made for the religious minorities proportionate to their population.
  2. Strengthen implementation of Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme (15 PP) for Welfare of Minorities. In this respect, instead of the current provision of 15 percent fund allocation under 15 PP, the resource allocation should be made as per the need of the minority community.
  3. Ensure effective implementation of Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK)/Multi Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP) in terms of need-based projects and theses projects should be operational on time.
  4. Scholarship schemes for minorities should be made demand-driven and free chip card should be issued at the time registration.
  5. Unit cost for scholarship schemes for minorities should be increased and made it inflation indexed
  6. Provide disaggregated level data on status of recruitment of minorities in public services and credit facilities
  7. Strengthen the online management system of scholarship
  8. A comprehensive evaluation/ CAG Audit has to be done for scholarship programmes, PMJVK and MSDP in terms of assessing the impact

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Author works with CBGA and advisor to Institute of Policy Studies and Advocacy, New Delhi

 

[1]Ministry of Finance (2016): ‘Guidelines Note on Merger of Plan and Non-Plan classification’, Government of India, New Delhi

 

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𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/2022/01/11/%f0%9d%97%9c%f0%9d%97%bb%f0%9d%98%81%f0%9d%97%b2%f0%9d%97%bf%f0%9d%97%bb%f0%9d%98%80%f0%9d%97%b5%f0%9d%97%b6%f0%9d%97%bd-%f0%9d%97%9c%f0%9d%97%bb-%f0%9d%97%a6%f0%9d%97%bc%f0%9d%97%b0%f0%9d%97%b6/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=%25f0%259d%2597%259c%25f0%259d%2597%25bb%25f0%259d%2598%2581%25f0%259d%2597%25b2%25f0%259d%2597%25bf%25f0%259d%2597%25bb%25f0%259d%2598%2580%25f0%259d%2597%25b5%25f0%259d%2597%25b6%25f0%259d%2597%25bd-%25f0%259d%2597%259c%25f0%259d%2597%25bb-%25f0%259d%2597%25a6%25f0%259d%2597%25bc%25f0%259d%2597%25b0%25f0%259d%2597%25b6 Tue, 11 Jan 2022 08:32:31 +0000 https://empowerindiafoundation.org/?p=2131 Continue reading𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸]]>
Empower India Foundation conducted a 7-Day Internship session in Kozhikode, Kerala. The session titled Internship in Social Work was part of the EIF efforts to deliver the empowerment initiatives to grassroots level and introduce the NGOs that are engaged in empowerment activities in the country.
 
Empower India Foundation Chairman Mohammad Raphy; CEO Mohamed Shaffeeq and Head of Relations Faiz Mohammed led the session.
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