The Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India has been implementing the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) Scheme on the lines of the JRF Scheme of UGC and CSIR. The UGC and CSIR Fellowship Schemes are open for candidates of all social categories and communities including minorities.
In addition to this, students from minority communities are also covered under the Fellowship Schemes being implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for SC and OBC students and for ST students respectively.
In view of the overlap among the aforesaid Schemes – it has been decided to discontinue the MANF Scheme from 2022-23 onward. The existing MANF Fellows will continue to receive Fellowships till the end of their respective tenure, subject to compliance with the extant guidelines. As of now, there is no proposal to restore the Scheme said minister of minority affairs, Smriti Zubin Irani.
The Government has implemented various schemes for the welfare and upliftment of every strata, including minorities, especially the economically weaker and lesser privileged sections of society, through various schemes of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Rural Development.
Ministry of Minority Affairs has specifically implemented various schemes, including Pre-Matric, Post-Matric, and Merit-cum-Means Scholarship schemes, across the country for the socio-economic and educational empowerment of the six notified minority communities.