Context: Recently,Minister of Minority Affairs shared information about the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities (PM’s New 15 PP), which is an overarching programme covering various schemes/initiatives of the participating Ministries/Departments, and  is implemented throughout the country.
About the Programme

• It is an overarching programme covering various schemes/initiatives of the participating Ministries/Departments, and  is implemented throughout the country.
• It provides that, wherever possible, 15% of targets and outlays under various schemes should be earmarked for minorities. 
• The performance of schemes/initiatives of Ministries / Departments included in the PM’s New 15 PP, is evaluated by the concerned Ministry/ Department and is a continuous process.  
• It meant exclusively for the centrally notified minority communities viz. Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains are also evaluated from time to time.
• The awareness and publicity of these schemes is taken up through multimedia campaigns i.e. through print and electronic media as well as radio Channels.
• The objective of this scheme is to enhance opportunities for education and ensuring an equitable share for minorities in economic activities and employment, through existing and new schemes, enhanced credit support for self-employment, and recruitment to State and Central Government jobs in those districts which have substantial minority population.
• The term ‘substantial minority population’ in the 15 Point Programme applies to such districts/sub-district units where at least 25% of the total population of that unit belongs to minority communities.

The objectives of the programme are as follows:-
(A) Enhancing opportunities for Education

1. Equitable availability of ICDS Services: The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme is aimed at holistic development of children and pregnant/lactating mothers from disadvantaged sections, by providing services through Anganwadi Centres such as supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-up, referral services, pre-school and non-formal education. A certain percentage of the ICDS projects and Anganwadi Centres will be located in blocks/villages with a substantial population of minority communities to ensure that the benefits of this scheme are equitably available to such communities also.
2. Improving access to School Education: Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme, and other similar Government schemes, it will be ensured that a certain percentage of all such schools are located in villages/localities having a substantial population of minority communities.
3. Greater resources for teaching Urdu: Central assistance will be provided for recruitment and posting of Urdu language teachers in primary and upper primary schools that serve a population in which at least one-fourth belong to that language group.
4. Modernizing Madarsa Education: The Central Plan Scheme of Area Intensive and Madarsa Modernization Programme provides basic educational infrastructure in areas of concentration of educationally backward minorities and resources for the modernization of Madarsa education. Keeping in view the importance of addressing this need, this programme will be substantially strengthened and implemented effectively.
5.  Scholarships for meritorious students from minority communities eg Schemes for pre-matric and post- matric scholarships for students from minority communities will be formulated and implemented.
6.  Improving educational infrastructure through the Maulana Azad Education Foundation under which Government shall provide all possible assistance to Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) to strengthen and enable it to expand its activities more effectively.

(B) Equitable Share in Economic Activities and Employment

7. Self-Employment and Wage Employment for the poor

• Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY).
• Swarn Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SJSRY).
• Sampurna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY).

8. Upgradation of skills through technical training

• Locate technical institutions in areas predominantly inhabited by minority communities and upgrade them to ‘Centres of Excellence’.

9. Enhanced credit support for economic activities

• Strengthening the National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC).
• Ensuring an appropriate percentage of the priority sector lending targeted for the minority communities.

10. Recruitment to State and Central Services

(C) Improving the Conditions of Living of Minorities
11. Equitable share in rural housing scheme

• Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY)

12. Improvement in condition of slums inhabited by minority communities

• Integrated Housing & Slum Development Programme (IHSDP)
• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) which was earlier Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

D. Prevention and Control of Communal Riots
13. Prevention of communal incidents

• Posting of efficient, impartial and secular record in communally sensitive and riot prone areas.

14 Prosecution for communal offences

• Severe action should be taken against all those who incite communal tension or take part in violence. Special court or courts specifically earmarked to try communal offences should be set up so that offenders are brought to book speedily.

15 Rehabilitation of victims of communal riots 

• Victims of communal riots should be given immediate relief and provided prompt and adequate financial assistance for their rehabilitation.