Deliver on minority agenda, PMO tells ministry

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has asked the minority affairs ministry to begin providing, for the first time, disaggregated data to show how each of the five national minorities were benefiting from government programmes.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has asked the minority affairs ministry to begin providing, for the first time, disaggregated data to show how each of the five national minorities were benefiting from government programmes.

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The PMO, in a stock-taking exercise held by the PM's principal secretary Pulok Chatterjee, has called for hiring an external agency to evaluate PM's flagship 15-Point Programme for minorities.

The ministry is expected to put out community-wise figures - for example employment data - from September. Currently, the ministry only puts out figures for minorities as a whole.

The ministry has also been asked to "expeditiously" bring the Wakf (Amendment) Bill for the cabinet's consideration. The PMO also asked for a "good agency" to evaluate the PM's flasgship scheme for minorities.

Undertaking a broad review, the PMO sought speedy implementation of the PM's 15-point programme, designed to address major recommendations of the 2008 Sachar Committee.

The committee's findings relate to disadvantages faced by Muslims, India's largest minority, who hold fewer than 5% government posts and made up only 4% of undergraduates.

Chatterjee, sources said, has decided to separately move the Planning Commission at his level on minority-related proposals for the 12th five-year plan, which began this year.

A PMO source, requesting anonymity, said the PM wanted the ministry to streamline its programmes and root out bottlenecks in schemes, such as scholarships.