Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme

The Indian government has developed the “Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme for Minority Welfare.” An important goal of the Program is to ensure that a proportionate share of priority sector lending is directed toward minority communities and that the benefits of various government-sponsored schemes reach the underprivileged, which includes disadvantaged minority communities. The Programme is being carried out by the concerned Central Ministries/Departments via State Governments/Union Territories, and it envisages the placement of a certain proportion of development projects in minority concentration districts.

What is the Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities?

The “Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities” is a revision of the previous programme on credit facilities for minorities. The new program’s goal is to ensure that the benefits of various government programmes for the underprivileged reach the disadvantaged segments of minority communities, which are as follows:

a) Expanding educational opportunities.

b) Ensuring an equitable share of economic activities and employment for minorities through existing and new schemes, increased credit support for self-employment, and recruitment to State and Central Government jobs.

c) Improving the living conditions of minorities by ensuring an equitable share of infrastructure development funds for them.

d) The prevention and management of communal discord and violence.

Although the underprivileged among minorities are included in the target groups of various government schemes under Priority sector advances, the new scheme envisions that the benefits of these schemes are distributed equitably to minorities. 

The new programme also calls for a certain proportion of development projects to be located in minority concentration areas. It also states that minorities should receive 15% of all targets and expenditures under various schemes, whenever possible. However, no change or relaxation of any criteria, norms, or eligibility conditions in any scheme for minorities is contemplated by the programme. These would remain unchanged from the original schemes included in the programme. 

As a result, all scheduled commercial banks are required to take sufficient care to ensure that, within the overall target for priority sector lending and the sub-target of 12% for the weaker sections, minority communities receive an equitable share of the credit. Lead banks have been instructed to keep this requirement in mind when developing district credit plans. Scheduled commercial banks are advised to closely monitor credit flows to minorities in 121 districts with at least a 25% minority population, excluding States and UT’s where minorities are the majority (J & K, Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Lakshadweep).

Religious minorities

Many immigrant groups and religious minorities have demanded various forms of cultural recognition and accommodation. In some cases, this takes the form of positive assistance, such as funding for bilingual education and ethnic studies in public schools or public recognition of religious holidays observed by minorities. 

In other cases, it takes the form of exemptions from laws that would otherwise disadvantage them due to their religious beliefs. Jews and Muslims, for example, have sought exemption from Sunday closing legislation, while Sikhs have sought exemption from motorcycle helmet laws and police force official dress codes. 

These rights, like self-government rights, are not considered temporary because the cultural differences they protect are not something we hope to eliminate. However, unlike self-government rights, accommodation rights are usually associated with integration into larger society. Indeed, for ethnocultural groups that govern themselves through their own institutions, accommodation rights are not required. 

Accommodation rights are only required when ethnocultural groups work within majority institutions governed by majority laws; the purpose of accommodation rights is to revise these laws and institutions to make them more accommodating of ethnocultural identities. As a result, immigrant groups are more likely to demand them than national minorities. 

These policies are intended to assist immigrant groups and religious minorities in expressing their cultural uniqueness and pride without impeding their success in the dominant society’s economic, educational, and political institutions. Indeed, it could be argued that these rights aid in the long-term integration of immigrants by making them feel more at home in larger society institutions.

Sachar Committee Report

In light of the Sachar Committee report, the Central Government must develop a concrete programme backed up by adequate financial resources to address discrimination against minority communities, particularly the Muslim minority community, in the economic, social, and educational spheres. It is critical to identify Muslim areas and conduct concrete surveys as soon as possible so that assistance can be provided. This exercise must be completed within a specific time frame.

Report that highlighted that minorities

The report focuses on the minority community’s struggle with a lack of available land for graveyards. According to the report, Christians have only one graveyard in Bathinda district, which serves people from Bathinda, Mansa, and Barnala. The commission also discovered that competitive exams are being held on the occasion of Christian religious festivals such as Easter, Good Friday, and other minority community holidays. 

According to the report, members of the Muslim community in Bathinda have complained that the owners of marriage halls frequently refuse to rent them out to members of the minority community for social functions. Members of the Bathinda Sikh community complained about three liquor shops being operated in proximity to the Girls Higher Secondary School, and their repeated requests to the district administration for the shops to be relocated proved futile.

Conclusion

The Indian government has developed the “Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme for Minority Welfare”. An important goal of the Program is to ensure that a proportionate share of priority sector lending is directed toward minority communities and that the benefits of various government-sponsored schemes reach the underprivileged, which includes disadvantaged minority communities. The Programme is being carried out by the concerned Central Ministries/Departments via State Governments/Union Territories, and it envisages the placement of a certain proportion of development projects in minority concentration districts. Although the underprivileged among minorities are included in the target groups of various government schemes under Priority sector advances, the new scheme envisions that the benefits of these schemes are distributed equitably to minorities.