The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved a proposal for renaming and restructuring the Multi-sectoral Development Programme as the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram', with an aim to provide better socio-economic infrastructure facilities to minority communities and widen the scheme's coverage.
The restructuring would result in lessening of the gap between the national average and the minority communities on backwardness parameters, an official statement said.
The statement said that the criteria for identification of minority concentration towns (MCTs) and clusters of villages, where the programme would be implemented, have been rationalised by lowering the population percentage criteria of the communities and the fulfilment of backwardness parameters.
This means the area to be covered under 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram' would be 57 per cent more as compared to the existing MsDP. The MsDP covered 196 districts of the country whereas PMJVK would cover 308 districts of the country.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the prime minister, has also approved continuation of the programme during the remaining period of the 14th Finance Commission (till 2020).
“The restructured programme would provide better socio-economic infrastructure facilities to the minority communities particularly in the field of education, health and skill development as compared to the present situation, which would further lead to lessening of the gap between the national average and the minority communities with regard to backwardness parameters,” the statement said.
The flexibility introduced in the programme would help in addressing important issues that would result in speedier implementation leading to greater inclusiveness of the minority communities, it said.
The government said that 80 per cent of the resources under the PMJVK would be earmarked for projects related to education, health and skill development.
“33 per cent to 40 per cent of resources under the PMJVK would be specifically allocated for women centric projects,” the statement said.
Earlier, only those towns which were found backward in terms of both basic amenities and socio-economic parameters were taken up as MCTs. Now, the towns, which were found backward in either or both the criteria, have been taken up as MCT, the statement said.
“Earlier, only those cluster of villages which were having at least 50 population of minority community were taken. Now the population criteria has been lowered to 25 per cent. The rationalisation of criteria would facilitate the inclusive growth of communities and social harmony,” it said.
Funding of the scheme would be from budgetary provision of the minority affairs ministry. The Expenditure Finance Committee, Department of Expenditure, has recommended for the continuation of the programme as PMJVK at the cost of Rs 3,972 crore, the statement said.
The identification of minority concentration areas has been done on the basis of presence of substantial population of notified minority communities based on Census, 2011.
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