THE APPROACH PAPER
* The plan reiterates on the need for benefits of government schemes reaching minorities
* Besides availing Central assistance for development, the plan also recognises the role of community-based organisations and the private sector.

THE OBJECTIVES FOR DEVELOPMENT

Education
* Enhancing education, especially for girls. For this, the preparation of a block-level map of the state has been suggested. This is targeted at identifying minority concentration areas where there is a need to have more schools.
* At present, there are about 1,161 villages with an over 40 per cent Muslim population that do not have schooling facilities.
* To increase enrollment, minority specific intervention under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has been proposed. Priority has been given to minority-dominated areas for setting up Sishu Siksha Kendras.

Middle and higher levels of education
* Proposal to collect district-wise data on the performance of minority students in matriculation and higher education.
* The higher education department should prepare a district-level map of colleges to ascertain the number of colleges in minority-dominated areas and in areas where minority students are pursuing higher secondary education in large numbers.

Vocational training
* Priority will be given to minority-dominated areas while setting up new ITIs and polytechnics.
* New institutes for training youth in newly-emerging service areas — medical transcription, insurance processing, mobile repairing — should be opened in Kolkata and districts like Malda and Murshidabad.

Education for girls
* Setting up schools exclusively for girls.
* Increasing number of hostels for Muslim girls.
* Minorities other than Muslims, will also be allowed to reside in such hostels.

Educational incentives and guidance
* Mid-day meals
* Enhancing coverage of interest-free education loans offered by the West Bengal Minorities Development and Finance Corporation to more students.
* Full scholarship to be given to poor students who get admission to medical, engineering, management or other educational institutions.
* Setting up career guidance and counselling centres in Kolkata, Malda and Murshidabad.

Madrasa education
* The document states that in its efforts to “modernise madrasas”, the state government must not overlook its constitutional obligation (under Article 21-A) to provide good quality, subsidised “mainstream” education.
* Providing additional educational facilities and infrastructure to madrasas with over 1,000 students.
* Strengthening laboratories
* Assistance to unrecognised madrasas through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
* Mobility for students from madrasa education system to formal education system
* Increasing vocational training in madrasas
* Upgrading Calcutta Madrasa to university status
* In the long run, exploring community-based initiatives in the form of minority educational institutions

EQUITABLE SHARE IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES AND EMPLOYMENT
* Increasing employment through various schemes and allocation of a proportion of schemes for minorities
* Financial aid and training facilities in minority-dominated areas
* Re-training facilities in stagnant sectors where there is high concentration of minority workers
* Formation of self-help groups in informal sector
* Increasing awareness about benefits of government schemes
* Mandatory representation of minority in selection boards/committees
* Persuading private sector for fulfilling social obligations (offering jobs to minorities) through sensitisation to the minority issue

Enhanced credit support
* Encouraging banks to extend priority sector advances to minorities
* Addressing the issue of certain areas being designated as negative zones by the scheduled commercial banks. Many such areas are inhabited by minority communities.
* State government should increase its contribution to the equity capital of National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation

SHARE IN INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES
* New primary health centres and sub-centres in minority-dominated villages
* Intensification of Integrated Child Development Services in minority areas
* Earmarking proportion of funds in development schemes
* Flow of equitable benefits of the land reforms programme to the minorities
* Earmarking of benefits of various pension and social security schemes for minorities