It is to be seen whether this new effort of the Planning Commission will help to elevate the condition of Muslims, thereby making the economy to grow towards faster and more inclusive growth and also bring the Muslims within the ambit of the national mainstream.

The plan period is 2012-17, but as the plan was finalised in December 2012, the actual implementation of the new plan document will take place from April 2013.

According to the new document, the 12th Plan will initiate a review of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) using a gender lens. Documentation of the gendered dimensions of violations and needs assessment of women in disturbed areas presently under AFSPA will be done. Himayat, SEE J&K and Parvaaz schemes for employment and skill development are in operation in Jammu and Kashmir, where AFSPA is in vogue.

The Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM) and Infrastructure Development in Minority Institutions (IDMI) will be merged. Urdu would be offered as an optional language in schools located in Muslim dominated areas, along with its attendant requirements like teachers training and TLMs.

The Plan document suggests that representation of Muslims in Government employment and in graduate and post-graduate studies be increased in proportion to their population as per Census 2011.

Apart from the systematic modification of the existing schemes, the 12th Plan has proposed participation of Muslims in planning and monitoring and appointment of Government facilitators to improve the delivery. Facilitators will work at the village.

The criteria for designating Minority Concentrated Districts (MCDs) will be brought down from 25 to 15 percent of Muslim concentration. The Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP) guidelines will be revised to emphasise local need-based plans to overcome local development deficits, instead of duplicating the efforts of Prime Minister’s 15-Point Programme. The MSDP and PM’s 15-PP will work in synergy. The 15-PP will take care of sectoral investments and ongoing Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and MSDP will fill the gaps that a particular community or settlements face and which are not being covered by the existing CSS.

The 12th Plan document noted that the Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women launched in 2010 could not be implemented due to anomalies in the process of selection. This scheme, therefore, should be revised. Free Coaching and Allied Scheme for Minorities will be comprehensively corrected in the 12th Plan period. The Maulana Azad Education Foundation will be restructured and would create a ‘hub of innovations’ to encourage skill development and innovation.

The six new schemes proposed to be launched are Pilot Scheme for Leadership Training for Young Leaders among Minorities, Support for Students Clearing Prelims under Civil Services Examinations, Scheme for Promotion of Education in 100 Minority Concentration Towns and Cities, Pilot Scheme for Urban Youth Support Lines, Scheme for Protection and Projection of Minority Culture and Heritage and a Special Scheme for Linguistic Minorities.

The 12th Plan period will pay special attention to inter-state variations, rural-urban divide, income inequality, gender disparities and persons with disabilities, particularly among Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Muslims.

Sector-wide health plans prepared by the States should incorporate all dispensations of health and healthcare including Unani. For improving accessibility to health services, coverages of Minority dominated blocks under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) will be specifically reviewed. Sanitation and health facilities, including construction of toilets, along with social education, will be provided for in religious educational institutions including Madrasas.

Muslim women artisans, who desire occupational diversification, will be provided alternative training. Jan Shikshan Sansthan Scheme of the Union Ministry for Human Resources Development should be used in providing vocational training to illiterate, neo-literate youths in Minority Concentrated Districts. Skill development in all MSDP blocks and towns should be linked with the National Skill Development Mission.

The Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and Development (TREAD) Scheme of the Union Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises should be extended to cover Muslim women under the PM’s 15-Point Programme. Also several schemes under the central ministries of youth affairs, agriculture and rural development, particularly MGNREGA should be included in PM’s 15-Point Programme with focus on Muslims.

Skilling of Minorities will be accorded priority through initiatives of the National Skill Development Coordination Board attached to the Planning Commission. The National Minority Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) should take up skill development programme.

The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs has been urged to incentivise sectors, States and Panchayats where social inclusion indicators related to children of socio-religious communities – including Minorities – improve with peer learning/motivation through sharing of best practices within and across States and Districts.

The specific activities of minority institutions supported by the schemes of the Union Minister of Human Resources Development should be part of the larger district plan prepared for Minorities, particularly with regard to the convergent infrastructure approach which is recommended.

Midday Meal Scheme will be expanded to cover pre-primary schooling in a progressive manner, private unaided schools, particularly in the SC/ST and minority-concentrated areas and poor children should be admitted in neighbourhood private schools against 25 percent earmarked seats as per provisions of the RTE Act.

Intense desire of Muslims children at primary level to seek modern higher education should be noted. Scholarships thus should target this band and be top-heavy, while continuing to support the primary levels. Neighbourhood schools and schools up to middle level need to be provided in Minority concentrated blocks, large villages and urban Minority concentrated settlements. In rural areas, schools for girls up to senior secondary level should be made mandatory to ensure that girls continue their education. There is a need for village level centres to target the rural drop out girls or girls out of schools in the age group of 8 to 16 years. This should be linked to schemes such as the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for the Empowerment of Adolescent Girls.

Disadvantaged Minority community students living in congested urban areas will be put into study centres having same set as the existing school building to function after regular school hours. More public sector bank branches will be opened in Minority Concentrated Districts (MCDs).

Scholarships to eligible Muslim students should be automatic and hassle free. Pre-Matric Scholarships should be extended to hostellers studying in classes 1 to 5. Provision of maintenance allowance to hostellers as deemed appropriate should be considered says the 12th Plan document. The rates of maintenance amount will be revised in accordance with the changes taking place in the Consumer Price Index on a regular basis. The upward revision of the ceiling for course fees should be done rationally in order to match the actual fee costs. Scholarships should be equitably distributed as per demand. Rationalisation through integrated scholarships awards will be introduced in the 12th Plan period to check dropouts.

Scholarships disbursed to Minorities by different Central Government Ministries will be harmonized and parity in norms across Ministries implementing similar scholarship schemes will be established. The Online Scholarship Management System will be further strengthened and fully implemented during the first two years of the 12th Plan.

There should be at least one more Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in each of the educationally backward districts (EBBs) having high concentration of Muslims. This should be a part of the Sarva Shiskhsha Abhiyan (SSA) and also linked with KGBV schools.

Muslim girls will be given additional support for education, including provision of collective transportation facilities (not limited to bicycles), which can largely improve their enrollment and attendance.

The 12th Plan document advocates one residential school on the lines of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and KGBV in Minority concentration blocks, towns and cities with norms for admitting at least 50 percent children from Minority communities. Model Schools and Inter-Colleges under existing scheme should also cover these Minority concentrated areas.

The Saakshar Bharat Scheme, anchored with Panchayati Raj Institutions in 372 districts, will focus on women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Minorities and give emphasis on quality, user content and group specific approach, promote convergence and partnership and effectively use ICT in implementation. It will focus on young adults and out of school adolescents between 15 to 19 years.

Schemes for establishing model degree colleges, community colleges and new polytechnics in low gross enrollment ratio (GER) districts would be modified to cover districts that have concentration of Muslims. Women colleges will also be set in small towns and number of hostels should be increased to accommodate Muslim girl students.

Special scheme will be devised to support those higher education institutions (HEIs) in districts that have Muslim concentration. Particular emphasis will be given to educational opportunities for girls.

All equity-related schemes in higher education across different Central Government ministries would be brought under one umbrella – Equal Opportunity for Higher Education Initiatives. (IPA Service)