With an aim to provide better socio-economic infrastructure facilities to minority communities, Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram has expanded its reach. The scheme will help the minorities in education, health and skill development. This scheme has been expanded from 196 to 308 districts of the country. Earlier this scheme was implemented to 27 states and UTs till last year. But, now it will be implemented in districts across 32 states and UTs.
Expansion of this scheme is an attempt to reduce the gap between the national average and minority communities on backwardness parameters.
States that will get from the PMJVK are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bengal, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Manipur and Punjab.
Details about PMJVK
PMJVK, previously MsDP, was designed to address the developmental gaps in identified minority concentration areas by topping up existing centrally sponsored schemes without any change in norms and funding patterns. Launched back in 2008, the Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) has now been restructured as the PMJVK. It will now cover five more states and UTs: Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Goa and Puducherry. While expanding the scheme, the government “rationalised” criteria for identification of minority concentration towns (MCTs) and village clusters.
