The Minority Ministry will no more solely depend on the routine statistics-based progress reports given by the states to monitor implementation of its various welfare programmes. In a unique move, it is drawing up plans to recruit “citizen volunteers” to keep track of its schemes on the ground.

Sources said a scheme was being finalised wherein the ministry would hire “responsible citizens” like retired government employees or ex-military personnel in every state to undertake field visits to check the progress in implementation of the various Centrally sponsored welfare schemes for the minorities.

The ministry would fix a monthly honorarium for the monitors and is planning to come out with an advertisement campaign for recruiting over 100 such volunteers soon. A detailed questionnaire would be handed out to each of these monitors, who would approach beneficiaries of the schemes to get their feedback.

The thrust would be on the pre-matriculation, post-matriculation and merit-cum-means educational scholarships instituted by the government for minority students lacking financial means. The idea is to find out whether the beneficiaries faced any difficulty in getting the scholarships, whether the right person has secured it and on time and whether there was any discrimination on the ground, according to a senior official.

Besides the scholarship schemes, the monitors would also look at the multi-sectoral development programme being implemented in 90 minority-concentrated states across 20 states. Currently, the ministry relies solely on the data submitted by the states to monitor the development works taken up under the scheme.

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