The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) has been making huge strides to take various welfare measures towards possible socio-economic development among minority communities by implementing several skilling and education-oriented schemes to improve employability among them. The main initiative of the ministry has been the Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) scheme, the flagship program for empowering minorities through necessary skill development, entrepreneurship, and education support. The scheme converges five earlier programs-now covering Seekho Aur Kamao, Nai Manzil, and USTTAD-into a more effective packaging for development of minority communities.

It aims to enhance the skills of minority youth; support entrepreneurial initiatives for minority women; and provide educational assistance to dropout students from schools. This redesigned and combined set of objectives would lead up to a strong structural support put in place to raise the status and livelihoods opportunities of still more underprivileged communities.

Being initiated in the FY 2013-14, Seekho Aur Kamao targeted the youth falling within the age bracket of 14-45 years from minority communities. It primarily aimed at skill upgradation in various trades as per educational qualifications, current market trends, and the economic viability of such trades for these youths. The initiative intends participating either in placement or self-employment through this route. Since inception, the scheme has trained around 4.68 lakh individuals. As per the statistics available on the scheme portal, around 298,909 of these beneficiaries are employed, which has contributed greatly toward reducing unemployment rates within these communities.

The Nai Manzil scheme was launched in 2015 to meet the educational and skill training needs of minority youth who had dropout from formal schooling. It has provided an unconventional combination of formal education equivalent to Class VIII or X certification and vocational training that would provide these youth with yet another shot since they do not have such important credentials as well as appropriate skills that would enable better job opportunities and livelihoods. Since its launch, this program has provided training to 98,712 beneficiaries, of whom around 58,879 have already got employment.

Launched also in 2015, the USTTAD scheme dealt with conserving and promoting traditional craftsmanship and skills in the artisanal domain in minority groups. It aimed at developing capacity and strengthening skills of master craftsman and artisans while helping them cope with market requirements today. It has trained around 21,611 beneficiaries under this scheme since its initiation. It is also recorded that about 4,946 beneficiaries have been employed, self-employed, or organized into Self-Help Groups towards the revival and sustainment of traditional crafts.

It has had a positive effect of the lives of countless people from minority communities as they have now disentangled themselves from social and economic clutches to a more favorable personal future. These successes are indicative of the Ministry of Minority Affairs’ drive for inclusive development and the wider government agenda of promoting skill development and entrepreneurship among heterogenous sections of society.

He, Union Minister of Minority and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, mentioned all these achievements through a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. He emphasized the value of such integrated schemes to address specific issues faced by minority communities to prosper along with the rest of the nation in socio-economic progress.

The PM VIKAS makes these schemes converge. It is the newest policy in implementing an innovative concept as it reduces duplication of efforts in maximizing resources. The holistic paradigm of focusing on skill training, education, and entrepreneurial support thereby paves way for creating sustainable livelihood opportunities and community upliftment. 

While the government pursues inclusive growth into a more commercially oriented arena, schemes like PM VIKAS and many others will be instrumental in filling that socio-economic gap through a fairer society and develop a more prosperous society. The success stories flowing from these initiatives are eloquent testimonies of how targeted interventions and innovations in policy can change lives and, ultimately, an entire nation for the better.