PM's 15 point programme: Gujarat govt 'refuses to implement minority schemes'

By Rajiv Shah
Latest information, gathered by Gujarat-based non-government organization (NGO) Janvikas, indicates that even a decade after the Gujarat government declared it favoured implementing the controversial 15 point programmes of the Prime Minister for “ameliorating” the plight of minorities, things remain struck where they were in 2006. Official sources say, the matter has been under “active consideration” ever since, and there is no indication when it will be implemented.
The Prime Minister's 15 point programmes – floated by Manmohan Singh in 2006 following the high profile Sachar Committee report sought a “helping hand” to overcome minorities' social and economic exclusion – was initially criticized by Narendra Modi, then Gujarat chief minister, as minority appeasement. Modi and the BJP had dubbed it “communal budgeting” and a “ploy” to divide the society on religious lines.
Yet, at the policy level, under him, not only did the state government allow the programme to be floated in Gujarat, it even held meetings to implement it. More recently the government has even allocated funds for it, which it was not doing earlier. This suggests that the thinking at the official level to allow it continues. If in 2014-15, the state government make a budgetary allocation of Rs 2 lakh, while in 2015-16, the allocation shot up to Rs 10 crore.
Minutes of a meeting on February 14, 2011 – in which the ministers in charge of revenue, roads and buildings, panchayats, and social justice and empowerment, participated, and where the state finance secretary was present – suggest that the 15 point programme would need to be implemented in Gujarat.
The minutes quote the finance secretary as saying that “the Government of India has laid down guidelines for development of minorities” under the programme, and that the “state is obliged to cover maximum 15 per cent of the target under the various development schemes of the Centre government, and allocate 15 per cent of the budget for the same.”
The minutes say, a state level implementation committee under the social justice and empowerment secretary needed to be formed, with representatives from all the implementing departments – education, woman and child, panchayats, housing, urban development. It was also agreed that representatives from NGOs, especially minority-related NGOs, should be taken as members.
Says Janvikas activist Hofeza Ujjaini, who has gathered this information by filing right to information (RTI) application, there is “no progress” in implementing the 15 point programme even after 2011. In RTI replies on August 20 and 31, 2015, the state government acknowledges that the implementation the Prime Minister's 15 programme remains “under consideration”, but no “circulars/ government resolutions” have so far been issued on it.
The replies specifically says, “In the financial year 2014-15 Rs 200,000 and in 2015-16 Rs 10 crore have been allocated” for minority concentrated blocks – Kutch district's Obdasa, Gandhidham, Bhuj and Lakhpat – but as “no applications for taking up developmental work have come in, the funds have remained unutilised.” Minority concentrated areas or blocks are identified as those with more than 25 per cent minority population.
While accepting in principle the UPA government's 15 point grammes for minorities, the NDA government under Narendra Modi has made modifications in its implementation. Even as not allocating any separate budget, a new monitoring mechanism is claimed to have been in place under the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, for proper flow of funds to minorities or areas with a substantial minority population under different schemes.
Interestingly, failure to implement the 15 point programme in Gujarat comes amidst news that Gujarat will soon provide funds to the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation to make soft loans available to minorities. The assurance has come for the “economic upliftment of backward section of minorities” during a meeting minority affairs minister Najma Heptulla took during a review meeting of minority welfare programmes of the western region last week.

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

CFA flags ‘welfare retreat’ in Union Budget 2026–27, alleges corporate bias

By Jag Jivan The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has sharply criticised the Union Budget 2026–27 , calling it a “budget sans kartavya” that weakens public welfare while favouring private corporations, even as inequality, climate risks and social distress deepen across the country.

From water scarcity to sustainable livelihoods: The turnaround of Salaiya Maaf

By Bharat Dogra We were sitting at a central place in Salaiya Maaf village, located in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, for a group discussion when an elderly woman said in an emotional voice, “It is so good that you people came. Land on which nothing grew can now produce good crops.”

'Big blow to crores of farmers’: Opposition mounts against US–India trade deal

By A Representative Farmers’ organisations and political groups have sharply criticised the emerging contours of the US–India trade agreement, warning that it could severely undermine Indian agriculture, depress farm incomes and open the doors to genetically modified (GM) food imports in violation of domestic regulatory safeguards.

Why Russian oil has emerged as the flashpoint in India–US trade talks

By N.S. Venkataraman* In recent years, India has entered into trade agreements with several countries, the latest being agreements with the European Union and the United States. While the India–EU trade agreement has been widely viewed in India as mutually beneficial and balanced, the trade agreement with the United States has generated comparatively greater debate and scrutiny.

When free trade meets unequal fields: The India–US agriculture question

By Vikas Meshram The proposed trade agreement between India and the United States has triggered intense debate across the country. This agreement is not merely an attempt to expand bilateral trade; it is directly linked to Indian agriculture, the rural economy, democratic processes, and global geopolitics. Free trade agreements (FTAs) may appear attractive on the surface, but the political economy and social consequences behind them are often unequal and controversial. Once again, a fundamental question has surfaced: who will benefit from this agreement, and who will pay its price?

Trade pacts with EU, US raise alarms over farmers, MSMEs and policy space

By A Representative A broad coalition of farmers’ organisations, trade unions, traders, public health advocates and environmental groups has raised serious concerns over India’s recently concluded trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, warning that the deals could have far-reaching implications for livelihoods, policy autonomy and the country’s long-term development trajectory. In a public statement issued, the Forum for Trade Justice described the two agreements as marking a “tectonic shift” in India’s trade policy and cautioned that the projected gains in exports may come at a significant social and economic cost.

From Puri to the State: How Odisha turned the dream of drinkable tap water into policy

By Hans Harelimana Hirwa, Mansee Bal Bhargava Drinking water directly from the tap is generally associated with developed countries where it is considered safe and potable. Only about 50 countries around the world offer drinkable tap water, with the majority located in Europe and North America, and a few in Asia and Oceania. Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, and Singapore have the highest-quality tap water, followed by Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the USA, Australia, the UK, Costa Rica, and Chile.

Michael Parenti: Scholar known for critiques of capitalism and U.S. foreign policy

By Harsh Thakor* Michael Parenti, an American political scientist, historian, and author known for his Marxist and anti-imperialist perspectives, died on January 24 at the age of 92. Over several decades, Parenti wrote and lectured extensively on issues of capitalism, imperialism, democracy, media, and U.S. foreign policy. His work consistently challenged dominant political and economic narratives, particularly those associated with Western liberal democracies and global capitalism.

Search This Blog