Presenting a progress report on the last three years’ work of his ministry, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Thursday said the Central government was committed to the empowerment of the minority community through education and employment.

“The Modi government is committed to provide quality education to students belonging to minority communities and keeping this in mind, the Minority Affairs Ministry is establishing five world class educational institutions which will provide education in technical, medical, Ayurved, Unani fields across the country.

“A high-level committee, constituted on 10 January 2017 to frame a roadmap including places where these institutes will be established, will soon submit its report. Our target is to start academic session in these institutes from 2018. We have proposed 40 per cent reservation for girls in these institutions,” Naqvi told a press conference here.

The minister said about hundred Navoday Vidyalaya like schools would soon come up in areas with concentration of minority population. He said for ensuring quality education to poor among the minority community “Tehrike Taleem” campaign was being initiated. Students would be provided with resources and facilities under the scheme, he added.

Naqvi said to honour minority artisans and craftsmen and begin a campaign for education two separate programmes would be launched for the minority community.

“The USTTAD Samman Samaroh will be launched during Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya birth centenary under which the artisans and craftsmen of the minorities will be honoured. The other scheme Campaign for Education will be launched on the anniversary of former president APJ Abdul Kalam on 15th October 2017. This campaign will be held during 2017-18 and one hundred districts have been identified for this,” the minister said.

Naqvi claimed that the government had been able to bring the poor, backward and weaker sections of the minorities into the mainstream of development through “3E”- Education, Employment and Empowerment. “Our ‘Empowerment without Appeasement’ policy has created an atmosphere of development and trust among minorities,” the minister asserted.