Special Leadership and Capacity-Building Programmes by Ministry of Minority Affairs for minority women in Odisha

The Ministry of Minority Affairs’ earlier ‘Leadership Development of Minority Women (Nai Roshni)’ scheme, which aimed to build confidence and awareness of rights among minority women through knowledge of government systems, banks and institutions, has been merged into the integrated umbrella scheme PM VIKAS (Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan). PM VIKAS targets socio‑economic and educational empowerment of six notified minority communities via skill development, leadership and entrepreneurship initiatives, and infrastructure support. Minority women in Odisha are eligible to participate in these components, subject to scheme guidelines. The information was provided by Union Minister of Minority Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.