“Think beyond becoming sarkari babus.” This will be the Ministry of Minority Affairs’ new mantra for students from minority communities availing its revamped Coaching and Allied Scheme. With a thrust on unconventional sectors like hospitality, airlines, entertainment and retail, the scheme will now be in tune with the emerging trends in the job market.

“Till now the scheme was UPSC-centric. We are now reworking it to enable minority students to get their due in new sectors which have more jobs than the Government,” said an official associated with the ministry. The scheme also plans to give special training for students seeking admissions in foreign universities.

Assistance will also be provided to students who want to make a career in sports, art and culture or even the film industry. Which means any student who wants to get trained as an actor, singer or dancer will be eligible for government assistance. “Certain sections of minorities have some special talent. We are planning to nurture all those dreams,” said the official.

Any government body, private institution or NGO willing to train minority students will be provided financial assistance with a cap of Rs 20,000 per student. An extra amount of Rs 1,500 will be provided for infrastructure. “Training institutes like APTECH , NIIT, etc., can conceptualise a scheme for minority students and approach us for assistance,” said the official, adding that the institute will however have to ensure that only meritorious students are admitted.

There are some conditions too. The institutes must have an experience of imparting coaching for a period of not less than three years in the respective field and must also have a minimum success rate of 15 per cent over a fixed period. Priority will be given to coaching institutes with better success rate in competitive examinations and private sector placements.

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