Minority Affairs Minister launched Jiyo Parsi Yojana Portal to facilitate Parsi couples to apply for Jiyo Parsi Yojana.
Jio Parsi Yojana
- It is a Central Sector Scheme implemented to address the problem of declining population of the Parsi community in India by using scientific protocols and structured interventions.
- It will provide financial assistance to Parsi couples for medical treatment under standard medical protocols, as well as support to child care and dependent elderly persons.
- Beneficiaries and applicants will be able to check the status of their application and receive financial assistance online through Direct Benefit Transfer mode.
- Since its launch in the year 2013-14, the scheme has provided assistance to more than 400 Parsi children.
Minorities notified by the Government of India
- At present, only those communities notified by the Central Government under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 are considered as minorities.
- Despite the judgment of the 11-judge bench of the Supreme Court in the TMA Pai case, which clearly laid down that linguistic and religious minorities should be identified at the State level rather than at the national level, Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Act, 1992 gave “unbridled power” to the Centre to notify minorities.
- The MC became a statutory body in 1992 with the enactment of the NCM Act, 1992, which was renamed as NCM.
- In 1993, the first statutory National Commission was set up and five religious communities, namely, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis were notified as minority communities.
- Jains were also notified as a minority community in the year 2014.
Constitutional Provisions for Minorities
Article 29
- It provides that any class of citizens residing in any part of the territory of India having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to preserve it.
- It provides protection to both religious minorities as well as linguistic minorities.
- However, the Supreme Court held that the scope of this article is not limited to minorities only, as the use of the term ‘class of citizens’ in the article includes minorities as well as the majority.
Article 30
- All minorities shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
- The protection under Article 30 is limited only to minorities (religious or linguistic) and not to any class of citizens (under Article 29).
Article 350(B)
- The 7th Constitutional (Amendment) Act, 1956 inserted this article which provides for a Special Officer for linguistic minorities to be appointed by the President of India.
- The duty of this Special Officer shall be to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for linguistic minorities under the Constitution.