Minorities Welfare

Legal and Constitutional Framework

Article 29 (Protection of Interests of Minorities) and Article 30 (Right of Minorities to Establish and Administer Educational Institutions) provide constitutional protection. The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) operates under the National Commission for Minorities Act 1992, with 6 notified religious minorities: Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis), and Jains (notified 2014).

Rajasthan's minority population (Census 2011): Muslims 9.07%, Sikhs 1.4%, Jains 0.9%, Christians 0.1%, Buddhists 0.06%. The Meo community in Mewat region (Alwar and Bharatpur districts) is the most socio-economically backward Muslim sub-group in Rajasthan.

Central Schemes for Minorities

Scheme	Implementing Ministry	Key Feature
PM VIKAS (PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman)	Ministry of Skill Development	OBC/minority artisans; 25 trades; 5% credit; ₹3 lakh in tranches
Nai Roshni	Ministry of Minority Affairs	Leadership training for minority women; 1-day to 6-month programs
Seekho aur Kamao	Ministry of Minority Affairs	Skill training aligned to market demands for minority youth
Usttad (Upgrading Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development)	Ministry of Minority Affairs	Preserving traditional crafts of minority communities; apprenticeship
Nai Udaan	Ministry of Minority Affairs	Support for competitive exam preparation for minority candidates
Pre-Matric/Post-Matric Scholarships (Minority)	Ministry of Minority Affairs	Income limit ₹1 lakh (pre-matric) and ₹2 lakh (post-matric); merit-cum-means scholarship up to graduation
Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PM-JVK)	Ministry of Minority Affairs	Area development program in Minority Concentration Blocks; school, hospital, and livelihood infrastructure

Source: Ministry of Minority Affairs, Annual Report 2024-25

Rajasthan Minority Welfare

• Rajasthan Minority Finance and Development Corporation — Subsidised loans for self-employment, education, and business to minority community members
• Mewat Balika Residential Schools — 10 schools with 722 girl students; addresses low female literacy in Mewat (Alwar, Bharatpur) — Muslim-majority areas where female literacy lags significantly below state average
• KGBV (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya) — 342 residential schools with 43,543 girl students; 75% seats reserved for SC/ST/OBC/Minority/BPL girls (Source: Rajasthan Economic Review 2025-26)
• Waqf Board — Rajasthan State Waqf Board manages and audits waqf properties; the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2024 introduced governance reforms including mandatory survey, database, and limits on Board power to declare property as waqf
• Mukhyamantri Anuprati Coaching Yojana — Minority students eligible; separate merit list per category and district

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