Guwahati (Assam): As a part of scheme of Skill Development for Minorities, Najma Heptulla, Union Minister for Minority Affairs inaugurated Skill Development Centers under Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills (MANAS) for Madrassa students in Assam.

Using remote video link, Heptulla on Saturday inaugurated the Skill Development Centers in four different madrassas in the district of Kamrup from the campus of University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM). She also inaugurated one such centre at USTM.

Before this, she launched four Skill Development Centers on Friday in Nagaon and Morigaon districts.

Government’s objective behind launching of this scheme is to highlight the significance of skill, vocational education and entrepreneurship amongst the minority community of the country and to make them feel that by getting skilled at their door-steps they shall also become an integral part of the Skilled India Mission.

Launch of the Skill Development Centers through traditional educational institution is considered as an important milestone towards achieving the objective of providing skills to the minority community with speed, scale and standards across the country.

The launched facility of the Development Centre at USTM will also be availed by the Christian minority residing in its neighborhood. USTM will provide the technological support for the programme. In future MANAS is expected to implement this scheme at more institutions in the remote interior regions.

On this occasion, Heptulla also inaugurated the Maulana Azad Academic Block and laid the foundation of Maulana Azad Central Library of USTM.

Moreover, Heptulla also chaired a meeting at Assam Administrative Staff College to review the implementation of schemes and programmes for welfare and development of minorities of northeastern states.

She examined the progress of 11th and 12th Five Year Plan of northeastern states and evaluated the progress of schemes like Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP), Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme, Scholarships, National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC), Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills (MANAS), Waqf Matters and National Waqf Development Corporation (NAWADCO).

Heptulla declared that henceforth all welfare schemes for the minorities will be based on the 2011 census. “In this regard, the union ministry of minority affairs has made a comprehensive survey of the population of minorities up to the block level so that fund distribution for minorities reaches the target audience,” she added.

At the review meeting Heptulla asked the states to come up with proposals based on the needs and demands of the market. She further deliberated that the final focus should be on employment generation of individuals at the micro-level.

During the review meeting, Amarendra Sinha, secretary of the ministry of minority affairs asked senior officials representing the NE states to set up under-graduate and post-graduate women’s hostel and working women’s hostel at respective state headquarters for the benefit of women.