Panel: Bring more minority populated districts under development programme

A Parliamentary panel has asked the government to relax the eligibility criteria for inclusion of minority concentrated districts in the flagship Multi-Sectoral Development Programme. The suggestion was to bring down the cut-off percentage of Muslim population in a district from the present 25 per cent to 15 per cent so that more districts can be covered under the scheme. The recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment comes at a time when the government has already initiated steps to add more districts to the special area development scheme launched in 2008. The ministry,sources said,has approached the Planning Commission to relax the eligibility criteria.