The Minister of Minority Affairs, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today informed that the Government has been implementing various schemes for the welfare and upliftment of every strata, including minorities, specially the economically weaker and lesser privileged sections of the society, through Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Education etc.

In addition to above, Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) implements various schemes for the upliftment of the six notified minorities in the country including Muslims. A large section of the beneficiaries from the Muslim communities belong to the backward sections/classes also called the Pasmanda Muslims. The welfare schemes implemented by MoMA are targeted towards the poorest of the poor.

Pradhan Mantri Virasat ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) is a scheme of MoMA which targets notified minorities with a focus on artisan communities and their families, including those belonging to the backward sections/classes of all communities including the Pasmanda Muslims.

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