UPSC » UPSC CSE Study Materials » General Awareness » Minority Welfare Department

Minority Welfare Department

The government has a number of initiatives in place for minorities' social development, economic growth, and improved education in order to help them integrate into society and participate fully in State Government Welfare Schemes.

Introduction

The Minority Welfare Department was formed in 1991 to assist minority populations such as Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jain, Buddhists, and Parsis with financial, social, and intellectual development. The agency has been working to improve minority communities and linguistic minorities since its foundation. A Directorate and a Corporation are currently under departmental creation. Under Regional Settlement, a District Minority Welfare Officer has been appointed in all districts, and a Block Minority Welfare Officer has been appointed in minority concentrated blocks. 

The department is determined, through its social initiatives, to integrate the minority group into society and gain their cooperation in nation-building. The Minority Department’s vision is as follows: Introduce systems to encourage faster learning. The government has a number of initiatives in place for minorities’ social development, economic growth, and improved education in order to help them integrate into society and participate fully in State Government Welfare Schemes. The State Government established the Minority Welfare & Waqf Department on August 12, 1995, with the goal of empowering minorities.

Last three years for the welfare and upliftment

The extensive constitutional structure set up for the uplift of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes reflects the genuine concern of the Constitution’s founders for their uplift. and Scheduled Tribes, and to safeguard them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.”Article 335 states that in making appointments to services and posts in line with the Constitution, the claims of members of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes shall be taken into account, commensurate with the maintenance of administrative efficiency.The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the focal ministry for the Scheduled Castes’ interests. 

Though all Central Ministries and State Governments have main responsibility for promoting the welfare of the Scheduled Castes in their areas of operation, the Ministry supplements their efforts by intervening in important sectors through specifically crafted initiatives. The Ministry’s Scheduled Castes Development (SCD) Bureau works to improve the welfare of Scheduled Castes by providing educational, economic, and social opportunities. State governments and central ministries are also monitored for their efforts to preserve and promote the interests of Scheduled Castes.

What is the Downtrodden Section?

Downtrodden is a chronic illness in which a victim feels oppressed, deprived, humiliated, or held back by a situation or a ruler. A downtrodden person is one who has been oppressed, tyrannised, and persecuted by those who have power or authority. 

A downtrodden person is someone who is suffering from severe poverty and hardship, as well as humiliation and social isolation at the hands of so-called upper caste individuals. They are exploited, and this is a man-made creation. All nations, castes, ethnicities, and colours are produced from the same soil by the Supreme Power. The man himself had erected boundaries between them in the form of the caste system. Hinduism split society into four sections and labelled them castes based on their social status, thinking that these classes were created by God. 

Brahmans are the highest caste, or priestly caste, who are closest to God. They think that because they were not born to work, other castes will take care of their needs. Kshatriyas-the ruling class, which includes kings, queens, lords, and other rulers, Vaishyas-the class of merchants, traders, and farmers.

What is Economically weaker and downtrodden?

In India, the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) is a subset of people who fall into the Economy Based Un-Reserved Category and have an annual family income of less than Rs. 8 lakh (US$10,000) and do not fall into any of the reserved categories such as SC/ST/OBC or MBC in Tamil Nadu. 

Candidates who do not fall within the SC/ST/OBC categories but meet the EWS economic criteria will be considered for the EWS category.The Union Council of Ministers adopted a 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in government employment and educational institutions in the General category on January 7, 2019. The cabinet agreed that this would be in addition to the existing 50% reserve for SC, ST, and OBC groups. 

On January 9, the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper parliament, enacted the measure. On January 12, 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind signed the bill, and it was published in the Gazette, making it law. The law will take effect on January 14th.

Conclusion

The Minority Welfare Department was formed in 1991 to assist minority populations such as Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jain, Buddhists, and Parsis with financial, social, and intellectual development. The department is determined, through its social initiatives, to integrate the minority group into society and gain their cooperation in nation-building. The government has a number of initiatives in place for minorities’ social development, economic growth, and improved education in order to help them integrate into society and participate fully in State Government Welfare Schemes. The extensive constitutional structure set up for the uplift of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes reflects the genuine concern of the Constitution’s founders for their uplift and Scheduled Tribes, and to safeguard them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation”.

faq

Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the UPSC Examination Preparation.

What exactly are minority welfare schemes?

Answer. Scholarship Programs National Fellowship Maulana Azad (MANF) Padho Par...Read full

How can we improve the well-being of minorities?

Answer. During the last four years, the government has launched a number of ne...Read full

Who announced the 15-point Program for Minority Welfare?

Answer. The Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, provided this information in a written re...Read full

What are the advantages afforded to minorities in India?

Answer. Empowerment through Education (b) Post-Matric Scholarship Progr...Read full

How many minorities exist in India?

Answer. According to the 2011 Census, the percentage of minorities in the country is approximately 19.3 percent of t...Read full