The Ministry had invited proposals from Govt/Pvt. institutes/NGOs for participating in the Scheme.
The last date for receiving proposals along with the recommendations of the concerned State Government was July 15.
These proposals are now being scrutinised/processed in the Ministry and will be placed before a Committee which is headed by the Secretary of the Ministry of Minority Affairs for selection of institutes for release of Grants-in-aid subsequently.
The budget for the Scheme for 2011-12 has been fixed at Rs. 16 crore and the target is to coach 6,000 students during the year.
The Free Coaching and Allied Scheme for Minorities aims to empower the Minority communities, which are relatively disadvantaged section of society, by assisting them as well as those institutions working for them, towards enhancing their skills and capabilities to make them employable in industries, services and business sectors in addition to the government sector.
It has the built-in resilience to adapt itself to the market dynamics on a continuous basis so that the target groups are not deprived of the professional acumen demanded by the changing/emerging market needs and opportunities for employment at domestic as well as international levels, said an official.