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Respecting and supporting minorities is an integral part of Indian culture. Our ideology, Hindutva, treats all religions equally and with utmost respect, following the principle of ‘Sarva Mata Sama Bhava’. We believe that truth is one, but it can be perceived in different forms, as stated in ‘Ekam Sad Viprah Bahudha Vadanti’. This principle forms the foundation of our government’s functioning. Prime Minister Modi guarantees the social and economic upliftment of India’s minorities, drawing strength from the centuries of dedication and heritage that Bharat embodies.

The minority groups in India, including Jains, Parsis, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, and Muslims, make up approximately 20 per cent of the country’s population. Among these, Muslims and Christians are the largest minority groups in India. Since the beginning of his first term in office, Prime Minister Modi has implemented various outreach initiatives to connect with minority communities. While Muslims account for around 14.23 per cent of India’s population, Christians make up 2.30 per cent.

Modi’s efforts to engage with the Bohras and Sufi Muslim communities have included delivering a keynote address at the 2016 World Islamic Sufi Conference in Delhi and visiting a Dawoodi Bohra mosque in Indore, where he met with community leaders during an Ashara commemoration. The government has consistently reached out to the Pasmanda Muslim community, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, where 35 per cent of PMAY beneficiaries, 37 per cent of PM Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries, and 30 per cent of PM Mudra Yojana beneficiaries belong to this community. Prime Minister Modi has been honoured by many Islamic republics around the world in recognition of his efforts to strengthen collaborations with Islamic nations and to propagate world peace through mutual collaborations.

He has made regular visits to churches and celebrated Christmas with the Christian community last year. Nagaland has more than 85 per cent Christian population and Meghalaya has more than 75 per cent Christian population and these two states have openly embraced Prime Minister Modi’s vision of inclusive India. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today has the largest number of legislators belonging to the Christian community than any other political party of Kerala. Modi’s visit to the Holy See in October 2021 was taken well with Christian believers across the world. Continuous outreach programs have also been initiated for Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi, and Jain communities, including events like Veer Bal Diwas, the retrieval of the holy Guru Granth Sahib from war-torn Afghanistan, and the Kartarpur Corridor. The abolition of Triple Talaq has empowered women in Muslim minorities, while the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has provided Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

Through a series of policies and legislations over the past decade, the government has ensured the protection of minority rights in India.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), focuses on improving the socio-economic condition of identified minority concentration areas. It provides infrastructure in various sectors such as education, health, skill development, and women empowerment. Additionally, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has introduced the Pradhan Mantri Virasat ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) scheme, which combines five existing schemes to support the underprivileged segment of the minority community throughout their life cycle. This scheme aims to provide livelihood opportunities and aligns with the objectives of the fifteen finance commissions for transparent and effective utilisation of grants. Notably, the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) has achieved significant credit disbursement, reaching a record high of Rs 881.70 crore in the fiscal year 2022-23, benefiting over 2.05 lakh beneficiaries. Since its inception, NMDFC has disbursed over Rs 8,300 crore, benefiting more than 22.5 lakh beneficiaries, with a majority of them being women.

In a groundbreaking move for the Haj pilgrimage, the Lady Without Mehram (LWM) category allowed single ladies to apply for Haj without the need for a group. This resulted in a record-breaking number of over 4000 successful applications under the LWM category for Haj 2023. The elimination of VIP culture during the pilgrimage is a significant step forward.

The interim budget of 2024-25 reflects the government’s commitment to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, with an increase of Rs 574.27 crore from the revised estimates of 2023-24. Out of the total allocation of Rs 3183.24 crore for the welfare of minorities, Rs 1575.72 crore has been specifically designated for educational empowerment. This highlights the continuous emphasis of the Modi government on the education of minority communities and showcases their vision of achieving intellectual excellence through educational empowerment.

As the BJP continues its march towards achieving a majority of 400 seats, it is evident that the minority community will play a leading role. The minority communities have been the primary beneficiaries of the guarantees provided by Prime Minister Modi. As India strives to become a developed nation, we will set an exemplary model for the world on how to uplift our minorities socioeconomically. India will serve as a shining example to other countries on how to effectively harness the skills of minority populations for the collective progress of the nation. The Indian example of minority progress will pave the way for the creation of benchmarks for future international conventions on minorities across the world. This election will witness a significant shift in the voting patterns of these minority communities towards Prime Minister Modi and his party.

Adarsh Kuniyillam is a Parliamentary, policy and political analyst from Kerala and has supported various Members of Parliament in Parliamentary works. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.