The Ministry of Minority Affairs is the ministry in the Government of India which was carved out of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and created on 29 January 2006. It is the apex body for the central government's regulatory and developmental programmes for the minority religious communities and minority linguistic communities in India, which include Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains notified as minority religious communities in The Gazette of India under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
The current minister is Kiren Rijiju who has been in office since 10 June 2024, and the Minister of State is George Kurian (since June 2024).
Allocation of Business PM-JVK (Jan Vikas Karyakaram) Direct Benefit Transfer Vigilance National Wakf Development Corporation Education Empowerment Closure Cell Madarsa Establishment PM-VIKAS (Virasat Ka Samvardhan) National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation Information Technology General Administration Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities National Commission for Minorities Haj Wakf Capacity Building Commission Reservation matters Dargah Special Campaign for Disposal of Pending Matters Amrut Mahotsav Maulana Azad Education Foundation, Maulana Azad National Academy of Skills Parliament
Character The ministry is also involved with the linguistic minorities and of the office of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, representation of the Anglo-Indian community, protection and preservation of non-Muslim shrines in Pakistan and Muslim shrines in India in terms of the Pant-Mirza Agreement of 1955, in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs. The Minister in charge is also Chairperson of the Central Wakf Council, India, which manages the running of the State Wakf Boards. Ministry of Minority Affairs provides Moma scholarship to minority community students of India every year. Moma Scholarship is a scholarship scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs initiated with the aim of supporting minority communities student who is not financially strong and wants to pursue higher studies in India. Minority communities in India includes Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains. The scholarship is awarded to the students by India Government through State Government/UTs. The scholarship is awarded for the undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Linguistic Minorities, according to Indian Constitution should have a Special Officer appointed.
Constitutional Article: 350B. There shall be a Special Officer for linguistic minorities to be appointed by the President. It shall be the duty of the Special Officer to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for linguistic minorities under this Constitution and report to the President upon those matters at such intervals as the President may direct, and the President shall cause all such reports to be laid before each House of Parliament, and sent to the Governments of the States concerned.
It is to be decided based on states as the states have been formed on linguistic basis.
Cabinet Ministers The Minister of Minority Affairs is the head of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and one of the cabinet ministers of the Government of India.
Note: MoS, I/C Minister of State with Independent Charge
PortraitMinisterTerm of officePolitical party MinistryPrime Minister From To Period A. R. Antulay 29 January 2006 22 May 2009 Indian National Congress Manmohan I Manmohan Singh Salman Khurshid(Minister of State, I/C until 19 Jan 2011) 28 May 2009 28 October 2012 Manmohan II K. Rahman Khan 28 October 2012 26 May 2014 Najma Heptulla 26 May 2014 12 July 2016 Bharatiya Janata Party Modi I Narendra Modi Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi(Minister of State, I/C until 3 Sep 2017) 12 July 2016 6 July 2022 Modi II Smriti Irani 6 July 2022 9 June 2024 Kiren Rijiju 10 June 2024 Incumbent Modi III
Ministers of State
PortraitMinisterTerm of officePolitical party MinistryPrime Minister From To Period Vincent Pala 19 January 2011 28 October 2012 Indian National Congress Manmohan II Manmohan Singh Ninong Ering 28 October 2012 26 May 2014 Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi 9 November 2014 12 July 2016 Bharatiya Janata Party Modi I Narendra Modi Virendra Kumar Khatik 3 September 2017 30 May 2019 Kiren Rijiju 31 May 2019 7 July 2021 Modi II John Barla 7 July 2021 9 June 2024 George Kurian 10 June 2024 23 June 2026 Modi III
Organisations
Constitutional and Statutory Bodies Central Wakf Council (CWC) National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities (CLM) Haj Committee of India Autonomous Bodies Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) PSUs and Joint Ventures National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC)
Schemes & Scholarship Programmes Jiyo Parsi - Scheme for containing population decline of Parsis Nai Manzil - An Integrated Education and Livelihood Initiative for the Minority Communities Seekho aur Kamao (Learn & Earn) - Scheme for Skill Development of Minorities Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme
References
External links Ministry of Minority Affairs, Official Website Current Affairs News and Magazines