The Government has implemented various schemes for the welfare and upliftment of every strata, including minorities, especially the economically weaker and lesser privileged sections of the society, through various schemes of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Rural Development.
Ministry of Minority Affairs has specifically implemented various schemes, including Pre Matric, Post Matric and Merit-cum-Means Scholarship schemes, across the country for socio economic and educational empowerment of the six notified minority communities. The National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC), a PSU under Ministry of Minority Affairs, provides educational loan for education abroad, at low rate of interest, exclusively to students belonging to minority communities. It has also been observed that benefits of interest subsidy that got accrued to the beneficiaries under the Padho Pardesh scheme were limited and also that there is an overlap with other similar schemes being implemented by other Ministries viz. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Ministry Of Tribal Affairs, which are applicable to eligible minority community students as well. In view of the aforesaid overlap, limited benefits and ease of availing education loans on low rate of interest, it has been decided to discontinue Padho Pardesh Scheme from 2022-23 onward. The Scheme benefitted 20,365 beneficiaries since inception. As of now, there is no proposal to reconsider the continuation of the Padho Pardesh Scheme.
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