Context: Recently, Union Minister of Minority Affairs has inaugurated “Sanskritik Sadbhav Mandap” at Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.
About Sanskritik Sadbhav Mandap
- It is being constructed with the cost of Rs 92 crore by Union Minority Affairs Ministry under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram (PMJVK).
- This community centre will be utilized for various socio-economic-cultural activities, skill development training, coaching, relief activities during disaster such as Corona and different sports activities.
- It is constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram (PMJVK)
About Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karykram
- The erstwhile Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP), a centrally sponsored scheme has been restructured and renamed as Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram.
- MsDP, a centrally sponsored scheme, launched to address the development deficits in 90 minority concentration districts in the country to address the development deficits.
- It has been identified as one of the Core of the Core Schemes under National Development Agenda.
- It aims at improving the socio-economic parameters of basic amenities for improving the quality of life of the people and reducing imbalances in the Minority Concentration Areas.
- Minority Concentration Areas have been identified based on both population data (25% of the total population belongs to minority communities) and backwardness parameters of Census 2001 of these areas.
The backwardness parameters are:-
Religion-specific socio-economic indicators at the district level –
- Literacy rate;
- Female literacy rate ;
- Work participation rate; and
- Female work participation rate; and
- Basic amenities indicators at the district level –
- Percentage of households with pucca walls‘
- Percentage of households with safe drinking water &
- Percentage of households with electricity
The projects considered are additional class rooms, laboratories, school buildings, hostels, toilets, buildings for Polytechnics, ITIs, Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres / Sub-centres, Anganwadi Centres, Rural Housing etc.
- Education, Health and Skill are the priority under MsDP.
- The projects are funded in the ratio of 60:40 and for NE and Hilly States at 90:10 between the Centre and States.
Other schemes which aim at the inclusive growth of the minority communities:
- Seekho Aur Kamao.
- Usttad.
- Garib Nawaz Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
- Nai Manzil.
- Nai Roshni.
- Begum Hazrat Mahal Girls scholarships.
About Minorties in India
Constitutional Provisions: The term "Minority" is not defined in the Indian Constitution. However, the Constitution recognises only religious and linguistic minorities.
- Article 29: It provides that any section of the citizens residing in any part of India having a distinct language, script or culture of its own, shall have the right to conserve the same.
- It grants protection to both religious minorities as well as linguistic minorities.
- However, the Supreme Court held that the scope of this article is not necessarily restricted to minorities only, as use of the word ‘section of citizens’ in the Article that include minorities as well as the majority.
- Article 30: Under the article, all minorities shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
- The protection under Article 30 is confined only to minorities (religious or linguistic) and does not extend to any section of citizens (as under Article 29).
- Article 350-B: Originally, the Constitution of India did not make any provision with respect to the Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities. However, the 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 inserted Article 350-B in the Constitution.