More welfare schemes for minorities

 
The Union Cabinet has decided to include three more schemes for minority concentrated areas.

The National Rural Drinking Water Programme, the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns and the Urban Infrastructure and Governance Scheme would now be part of the Prime Minister’s new 15-point programme.

The Cabinet decided to include the MPs and the MLAs in the state and district-level committees to monitor the implementation of the 15-point programme.

Union Minister Ambika Soni told reporters that improvement has been observed in the recruitment of minorities in the Central government and the PSUs since issuing of guidelines on January 8, 2007, for giving special consideration to their recruitment.

The percentage of recruitment of minorities, which stood at 6.95 per cent in 2006-2007, went up to 8.22 in 2007-2008 and was 9.18 per cent in 2008-2009. In respect of maintenance of communal harmony guidelines in July  2008, the states and Union territories have been advised to submit reports “to review the progress of implementation of these guidelines.”