The Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, entered into a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with prominent academic, research and innovation institutions at IISc Bengaluru on 25 September 2026, in the presence of Dr. Srivatsa Krishna, Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs and other senior officials of the Ministry and institutions. Through these, the Ministry has made significant strides in strengthening the implementation and impact of key initiatives of the Ministry, with a focus on infrastructure quality, independent monitoring, entrepreneurship, innovation, skilling and sustainable economic opportunities for minority communities.

The collaborations bring together the institutional strengths of the Centre for Urbanization, Buildings & Environment (CUBE), IIT Madras; Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID), IISc Bengaluru; Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore); and IIMB Innovations (NSRCEL).

These partnerships will enable the Ministry to access specialised technical and academic expertise, strengthen evidence-based decision-making, improve monitoring and assessment mechanisms, support innovation and entrepreneurship, and create stronger institutional pathways for capacity building and enterprise development.

Independent third-party monitoring of PM VIKAS training

In a bid to strengthen transparency and accountability under the Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) Scheme, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, and Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) signed an agreement for independent third-party monitoring of PM VIKAS training across the South zone.

Under this partnership, IIMB will conduct field-level inspections and concurrent monitoring, assessing training delivery, infrastructure, beneficiary and trainer participation, attendance, certification and placement outcomes through on-ground verification and stakeholder consultations.

The evidence-based insights generated through the partnership will help the Ministry strengthen implementation quality, identify and address gaps, improve monitoring mechanisms and enhance outcomes under PM VIKAS.

Independent third-party assessment of PMJVK infrastructure projects

The Ministry of Minority Affairs signed an MoU with CUBE, IIT Madras, for independent third-party quality (technical & social) assessment of infrastructure projects under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK).

The assessment will cover selected completed and ongoing PMJVK projects across the sectors of education, health, skill development, and women & child development. It will focus on key parameters, including infrastructure quality, functionality, accessibility, utilisation, maintenance and sustainability.

 

This partnership will provide the Ministry with independent, evidence-based assessments and actionable recommendations, enabling better asset management, identification of implementation gaps and more informed planning for future PMJVK projects. It will also deepen the understanding of the functionality and utilisation of infrastructure assets and contribute to more sustainable outcomes.

Strengthening entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems

The two tripartite MoUs signed by the National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC) with the Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID), promoted by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and IIMB Innovations (NSRCEL), the entrepreneurship and incubation centre of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, will establish a framework of cooperation to strengthen the startup and innovation ecosystem and promote economic growth of minority communities.

The collaboration with FSID, IISc Bengaluru focuses on startup ecosystem development, innovation promotion and technology commercialisation, along with data governance, digital transformation and public interest technology.

The MoU with IIMB Innovations (NSRCEL) focuses on strengthening the startup ecosystem, along with skilling and capacity building, innovation and entrepreneurship promotion, research studies, policy support and evidence-based decision-making.

Under the Prime Minister Minority Venture Fund (PM-MVF) framework, these collaborations envisage entrepreneurship awareness and capacity-building programmes, innovation challenges and startup identification, incubation and mentoring, investor connect, market access and enterprise development. They also provide access to knowledge networks, institutional support, industry linkages and innovation ecosystems, with a focus on developing scalable, sustainable and innovationdriven enterprises.

The two collaborations bring together the complementary strengths of IISc-FSID in deep-science and deep-technology incubation, technology commercialisation and innovation promotion, and IIMB-NSRCEL in entrepreneurship, incubation, marketoriented opportunities and fintech. Together, they seek to support minority entrepreneurs and strengthen their access to startup and innovation ecosystems.

A collaborative approach to inclusive development

The signing of these MoUs represents a collaborative approach towards strengthening the impact of initiatives of the Ministry by bringing together technical expertise, academic knowledge, research capabilities and established entrepreneurship ecosystems.

While addressing the gathering, Dr. Srivatsa Krishna said, “The focus of the government is EEE to enable employment through entrepreneurship. The focus of the MoUs with premier technology institutions in the country, namely:

- Indian Institute of Science Bangalore

- Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

 - CUBE of Indian Institute of Technology Madras

is to synergise and bring together their expertise to make this mission possible. 

The end goal is to select, curate and fund those startups which can create employment through entrepreneurship and ensure that the quality of built assets for the minority community and their utilisation is at par with the best. "

Speaking on the occasion, Professor U Dinesh Kumar, Director-in-charge, IIM Bangalore, said, “IIMB values the responsibility entrusted to it through such efforts, particularly where its expertise can help strengthen public programmes and their outcomes. Through our Centres of Excellence, both of which have over 25 years of experience in creating impact on the ground, we are keen to bring our understanding, knowledge and capabilities to initiatives that can expand opportunities for minority communities as well as enable pathways for enterprise.”

While the partnership with CUBE, IIT Madras strengthens independent assessment and evidence-based improvement of PMJVK infrastructure, the collaborations with IIM Bangalore, IISc-FSID and IIMB Innovations (NSRCEL) create institutional pathways for entrepreneurship, innovation, incubation, skilling and enterprise development.

Through these partnerships, the Ministry has undertaken another positive step in strengthening its institutional capacity for quality assessment, independent monitoring, data-driven decision-making, innovation, entrepreneurship and enterprise development, while building enabling ecosystems that support sustainable economic opportunities for minority communities.

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