Utilisation of Funds Under PM’s New 15-Point Programme

A number of schemes under the “Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme” for the Welfare of Minorities are implemented by various Ministries/Departments of Government of India. Giving this information in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Shri Vincent H. Pala, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, said that his Ministry has not received any information regarding misappropriation or misutilization of funds under these schemes in the last three years. 

Shri Pala further informed the House that in order to streamline the implementation of various schemes taken up under the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has been taking various steps. At the local level, the progress of implementation of the programme is reviewed by the State and District Committees regularly where Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly, representatives from the Panchayati Raj Institutions and also representatives from Non-governmental institutions dealing with minorities have been included. At the Central level, Ministry reviews the progress on quarterly basis. The Committee of Secretaries and the Government at the highest level also reviews it on half-yearly basis. 

The Minister also informed the House that recently the Ministry of Minority Affairs has started monitoring the implementation through a special computerized programme called MIS-MsDP software for the Multi-sectoral Development Programme. In order to ensure transparency in selection of beneficiaries and scholarship awardees, the lists are displayed in the websites of the States/UTs and the Ministry. In order to facilitate under-graduate and post-graduate students for applying for scholarship, On-line Scholarship Management System has been launched from this year for merit-cum-means scholarship for technical and professional courses. In order to help and guide the intended beneficiaries, a helpline for guidance has been set up by the Ministry. Information with regard to guidelines for various schemes, progress reports, photographs of work done etc. are also made available on the website of the Ministry, Shri Vincent H. Pala said.