FKCA

Schemes for Minorities

Governments at Central and State levels have instituted a number of schemes for welfare of minorities, particularly for their education, skill development, setting up enterprises and community welfare. Christians are eligible for benefits under these schemes.

Caution: The schemes are generally available for people belonging to lower middle class and poorer sections only. The number of beneficiaries in each scheme is limited. Therefore special efforts will have to be made to ensure that applications are sent in time and to the right authority. In each district there is a District Officer in charge of minorities schemes. All applications will have to be routed through him. Application forms are available online or through district officer; Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation web site has the applications or request for application forms could be sent to it. Its address is : http://www.gokdom.com. The address of the Minorities Commission is : www.karmin.in Other useful sites : http://www.nmdfc.org/ kmdcblr@yahoo.co.in , www.kmdc.in

Postal Address: Directorate of Minorities, 20th Floor, V V Tower, Ambedkar Veedhi, BLR - 1
Karnataka Minorities Development Corportion Ltd., 12th Floor, V V Tower,
Karnataka Minorities Commission, 5th Floor, V V Tower

Christians are also advised to form co-operative societies for welfare activities. Applications forwarded through these societies would get preference. But in sectors like educational assistance, such societies are not needed. However, hostels meant for minorities and minority schools are also eligible for assistance. Please seek to benefit from these schemes. Parish leaders must make special efforts to identify potential beneficiaries and enable them to apply in time and in proper manner. For more information look up the KMDC and NMDC websites.

Just like the Muslims have the WAKF Board through which they get all the benefits for their community, it has been decided that the BMSSS (Bangalore Multipurpose Social Service Society) would be the nodal agency for all Christians to work for availing all the benefits from the Government. Christians are urged to apply directly for any of the benefits, schemes under the Minorities Department, and forward a copy to BMSSS (Fr. Balraj J, Director, or Sr. Nancy, fmm, at BMSSS, C/o Archbishop’s House, Millers Road, Bangalore). This way we will have a record and statistics of all the applications made by members of the Christian Community, and the benefits granted to us. It would also help us to follow up the applications on behalf of the individual applicants, and that would have greater weightage. All are requested to kindly co-operate and try to make our efforts successful. Let us help our less fortunate brothers and sisters to get from the Government whatever benefits they are entitled to.

Schemes under the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation Ltd:

1. Swawalamban Margin Money scheme:- if you have a small or micro enterprise in view loans and subsidies are available under this. Apply through the district officer.

2. Shramashakti Scheme : Minority artisans will be trained to upgrade their artistic and technical skills and also loan of upto Rs.25,000/- will be provided at a low rate of interest i.e., 4% to set up and improve their business. 75% will be considered as a loan and 25% will be considered as back end subsidy.

3. Arivu scheme:- Christian students pursuing professional courses in medicine, engineering, education, business administration, nursing, technical courses under ITI, are eligible for loans to cover their educational costs at a nominal 2 per cent interest rate, to be repaid in installments to be repaid a year after completion of the course.

4. Micro Loan Scheme :- Christians doing small businesses like vegetable vendors, tailors, fish sellers, tea shops, cycle repair etc. are eligible for loans upto Rs 10,000 at five per cent rate of interest. Actually the state Corporation is only channeling this loan given by the National Minorities Development Finance Corporation.

5. Margin Money Loan Assistance : Margin money required to be paid by a beneficiary on his loan application for a project, could be given as loan by the Corporation. This loan will carry interest @ 7% per annum.

6. Loans through Co-operative Societies : The Corporation also implements the loan scheme through Co-operative Societies registered under the Co-operative Societies Act, 1959.

7. Ganga Kalyana Scheme (Community Irrigation) : The Corporation provides irrigation facility for minority farmers through lift irrigation scheme utilizing water from rivers. Where such a source of water is not available, borewells are dug and maintained by the Corporation for 5 years before being handed over to the beneficiaries. This is an entirely subsidy scheme.

In cases where selected beneficiaries hold 2 - 5 acres of land, a borewell will be drilled and pumpset supplied by the Corporation upto Rs.1lakh . Energisation etc., will have to be got done by the beneficiaries.

8. Community irrigation projects set up by small and medium farmers with an annual income not exceeding Rs.22,000/- are also eligible for loan assistance.

9. Land Purchase Scheme : 2 acres of dry land or one acre of wet land is purchased by the corporation and given to por landless minorities farmers in the rural areas, t a cost of Rs.30,000/- per acre as guidance value. Of this, 50% will be treated as loan and the remaining 50% as subsidy to the beneficiaries. The loan would need to be repaid in 4 yearly installments with interest @ 6% per annum.

10. Minority clusters in Dharwad, Gulburga, Mangalore and Bellary are eligible for loan/assistance for training or various vocations, for creating awareness, micro-finance, women empowerment schemes etc.

11. Mahila Samridhi Yajana:- Christian women should form self-help groups and come up with production based activity for loan assistance up to Rs. 25,000 per person, with an interest rate of 4%.

12. Vocational training: For unemployed Christian youth there is provision for six months training in call center work, web technologies, computer operation and for women candidates in fashion technology and embroidery etc.

For any of these schemes approach the District Officer for minorities welfare posted in each district.

You will have to provide important documents when applying- these include a certificate about caste, income certificate, photograph. etc. the details of which could be had from the District Officer.

Directorate of Minorities:- Website : www.gokdom.com

This Government body provides assistance in building:
Shadi Mahal / Community Halls for Minorities - Financial assistance for construction will be provided upto Rs.50 lakhs at district headquarters and upto Rs.20 lkhs for non-district headquarters.

Construction of Hostel Buildings for Minorities : Hostels are constructed thru the Deputy Commissioner or the Zilla Panchayats .

Skill Development Programme (Koushalya) : To help unemployed youth of minority communities to upgrade their skills, training is imparted in :

Computers, Air hostesses, Apparel Training and Fashion Designing, Plastic Technology Training, Government Toolroom Trades and other trainings including local trades.

Nursing students fees fixed by the government are reimbursed for GNM and B.Sc. Nursing courses.

Morarji Desai Residential Schools : These free residential schools are run for standards VI to X on a co-ed basis. Selection of students is done through local advertisements.

Teaching and Learning Aids to Government Minorities Schools : Minority schools are provided with aids upto Rs.10,000/- every year

Incentives for Minority Students : (Scholarship)

To encourage children of minority communities to continue education and preent drop-outs, financial grant is extended as follows :

Those who complete SSLC and take admission to PUCI & II - Rs.3,000/- per year
Those who complete PUC II and take admission to degree courses - Rs.4000/- p.a.
Those who complete any degree and take admission to any post graduate course - Rs.5,000/- p.a.

New Hostels for Minorities - 75 new government hostels have been sanctioned for minorities in several districts.

Scholarship for Minority Students : Scholarships are available for minority students from
std. 1 -=10 (Pre matric). These need to be applied for during May/June every year.

Grant-in-Aid to Hostels run by Minority Organisations : Under this scheme, matching building grant upto a maximum of Rs. One lakh can be provided to minority organizations like NGOs, voluntary organizations etc., to carry out minor repairs, additions and alterations to their hostels.

Occupational Training for Minorities : Training for unemployed youth in various trades such as electrical, wireman, civil work supervision, radio and TV repairs, tailoring, embroidery, etc., is provided under this scheme. Training fee and stipend to candidates will be paid by the department.

Grant-in-Aid to Minority Orphanages : Under this scheme, orphans and destitute children studying from 1st to 10th standard are eligible to get grant @ Rs.150/- per month per boarder.

Training for Law Graduates belonging to minority communities : Under this scheme, financial assistance in the form of monthly stipend is provided to law graduates of the minority communities. They are trained under Government advocates and will be given Rs.1000/-stipend per month for four years.

Stipend for Minorities : Under this scheme, stipend @ Rs.150/ p.m. is provided to ITI/diploma students for 10 months.

Enquiries should be with Directorate of Minorities.

Applications for following scholarships to be submitted only when called by Director of Minorities (normally at the beginning of each academic year)

Centrally Sponsored Schemes: Christian students getting 50 per cent and more marks are eligible for scholarships from class 1 to 10 under Prime Minister’s 15 point programme for minorities. The students will get reimbursed for admission fees, tuition fees and also get a maintenance allowance. Students in hostels will get Rs.600 or actuals for maintenance and others Rs. 100 per month. There are strict conditions to obtain these benefits - minimum marks in previous final examination of 50% and an annua income of their parents from all sources not exceeding Rs. 1 lakh. Application forms can be obtained from the office of the state Minorities Commission.

There is provision for scholarships for ‘Post Matric’ and Professional courses for Christian students if they have got more than 50 per cent marks and if they belong to families with incomes below Rs 2 lakhs per annum.

Besides there is also a Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme for Minority Communities Students for pursuing professional and technical courses.

The state government is the implementing agency with the Centre bearing the expenditure.. Karnataka has been allotted 106 of these scholarships for Christian students so the benefit is actually limited with the students from the poorest among the applicant families getting priority. The scholarship includes course fee upto Rs. 20,000 and maintenance allowance of upto Rs. 10,000 per annum.

Government has also notified specific institutions where minority students course fee would be fully reimbursed by the Central Government. List is available on the web site of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Govt. of India.