Background

1.1 The scheme aims to empower the minority communities, which are relatively disadvantaged section of society, by assisting them as well as those institutions working for them, towards enhancing their skills and capabilities to make them employable in industries, services and business sectors in addition to the government sector. It has the built-in resilience to adapt itself to the market dynamics on a continuous basis so that the target groups are not deprived of the professional acumen demanded by the changing/emerging market needs and opportunities for employment at domestic as well as international levels.
1.2 Separate schemes for providing coaching to students belonging to scheduled caste, minority communities and backward classes were being implemented from 6th Five Year Plan. These separate schemes were amalgamated with effect from September, 2001 into a combined Scheme of Coaching and Allied Assistance for Weaker Sections including Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes and Minorities. However, after the creation of Ministry of Minority Affairs, a new scheme called “Free Coaching and Allied Assistance for candidates belonging to the minority communities is being implemented by this Ministry. The scheme has to be made more comprehensive keeping in view the emerging trends of employment in the era of economic reforms, liberalization and globalization.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR CANDIDATES/STUDENTS

i) Candidates must have secured the requisite percentage of marks in the qualifying examination prescribed for admission into the desired courses/recruitment examinations.
ii) Only candidates belonging to the minority communities, having total family income from all sources not exceeding Rs.2.50 lakh per annum, will be eligible under the scheme.
iii) Benefits of coaching/training under the scheme can be availed by a particular student once only, irrespective of the number of chances he/she may be entitled to in a particular competitive examination. The coaching/training institution will be required to take an affidavit from the student that he/she has not taken any benefit under this scheme earlier.
iv) In case, where the examination is conducted in two stages i.e. preliminary and main, the candidates will be allowed to take coaching of the preliminary as well as the main examination, but coaching for the main examination will be allowed only to those who have qualified in the preliminary examination for the year concerned.
v) Students covered under the scheme shall have to attend all classes. In the event of any student remaining absent for more than 15 days, without any valid reason or leaving the coaching/training midway, the entire expenditure incurred on the candidate will be recovered from the institute concerned.
vi) 30% of the numbers sanctioned for coaching/training shall be earmarked for girl students/candidates. It may be transferred to boy students only in case girl students meeting the standards for coaching/training set by the institute were not available.