Minority youth schemes in India: scholarships, skill training, and entrepreneurship

Maulana Azad National Fellowship for higher-education research, Pre-matric and Merit-cum-Means scholarships, the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation for term loans, and PM-VIKAS for skill training are the largest central programmes. The umbrella Multi-sectoral Development Programme also funds infrastructure in minority-concentration districts.

YouthPower tracks 97 schemes in this category, of which 7 are central government programmes and 90 are state government programmes.

What to look for when applying

Scheme eligibility extends to six notified minority communities: Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis. Verify the minority certificate issuing authority. Many programmes require the applicant to be the first graduate in the family.

Named examples

• Coaching Schemes For Sc/st/obc (non-creamy Layer) & Minority Students For Universities (Central · training · Ministry Of Minority Affairs)
  Coaching schemes for students belonging to SC (Scheduled Caste), ST (Scheduled Tribe), OBC (Other Backward Classes) (non-creamy layer), and minority communities are implemented to provide them with equal opportunities and support in pursuing higher education.
• Education Loan Scheme of NMDFC (Central · loan · Ministry Of Minority Affairs)
  Loan of upto Rs. 20 lacs for domestic courses & Rs. 30 lacs for courses abroad under Credit Line-1 and Credit line -2 is extended to beneficiaries belong to minority communities at 3% p.a. & 8% p.a respectively.
• Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students (Central · scholarship · Ministry Of Minority Affairs)
  Maulana Azad National Fellowship For Minority Students was launched in 2009 by the Ministry of Minority Affairs for providing financial aid to students for their higher studies.
• Micro Finance Scheme of NMDFC (Central · loan · Ministry Of Minority Affairs)
  Under the scheme, an amount of Rs. 1 lakh under credit Line-1 & upto Rs. 1.5 lakh under Credit Line-2 is extended to each member of SHG (belong to Minority communities) at interest rate of 7% & 10% respectively. Concession of 2% is extended to women beneficiaries under Credit Line-2.
• Padho Pardesh (Central · subsidy · Ministry Of Minority Affairs)
  Padho Pardesh is a scheme of interest subsidy on educational loans for overseas studies for the students belonging to the minority communities. The scheme was launched by the Ministry of Minority Affairs in 2006 under the Prime Minister's New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities.
• Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (Central · subsidy · Ministry Of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)
  Launched in August 2008, Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) is a credit-linked subsidy scheme, administered by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). PMEGP aims to generate employment opportunities through the establishment of micro-enterprises in
• Term Loan Scheme of NMDFC (Central · loan · Ministry Of Minority Affairs)
  Under this scheme, credit of up to Rs. 20 lacs under Credit Line-1 and up to Rs. 30 lacs under Credit line -2 is extended to beneficiaries among minority communities at 6% p.a. & 8% p.a. respectively for financing economically viable income generation ventures.
• APJ Abdul Kalam Scholarship (State · scholarship)
  The scheme aims to provide financial assistance to minority students pursuing Polytechnic Diploma courses. Through this scheme, scholarships are provided to eligible minority students. The scheme is implemented by the Directorate of Minority Welfare.
• Alpasankhyak Post-Maitrik Chhaatravrtti Yojana (State · scholarship)
  The Alpasankhyak Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme under the Madhya Pradesh Government is to provide financial assistance to students from minority communities in Madhya Pradesh pursuing post-secondary education.
• Alpsankhyak Merit-Cum-Means Chatravriti Yojana (State · scholarship)
  Under the Alpsankhyak Merit-Cum-Means Chatravriti Yojana, the Government of Madhya Pradesh provided financial support to those people who are not able to study due to financial circumstances.
• Alpshankhyak Vikas Nidhi (State · other)
  The scheme establishes a ₹4 crore fund to support marginalized minorities in Uttarakhand, targeting gaps in existing central/state welfare programs through district-level initiatives.
• Ambedkar Overseas (State · scholarship)
  Overseas higher-education assistance for eligible students from disadvantaged communities in Andhra Pradesh.

The most active ministries in this category are Ministry Of Minority Affairs, Ministry Of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

States with the highest number of dedicated state-government schemes in this category are Karnataka, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Haryana, All, Kerala, Gujarat.

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