Union Minority Affairs Ministry’s 2017 priority list is topped by education and employment opportunities.

2016 saw change of guard in the Ministry with Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi assuming its charge following resignation of Najma Heptulla (now Manipur Governor) while the management of Haj pilgrimage was also transferred to it from Ministry of External Affairs from October 1, 2016.

Seeking to highlight the difference between governance of previous UPA and present NDA regimes, Naqvi said, the number of Muslims employed with central government has increased from 6.9 %  to around 9 %.

Mr Naqvi lauded his ministry for making sure that scholarships reaches deserving students through direct benefit transfer (DBT), which helped to eliminate scope of middlemen siphoning off money. A total of Rs. 6,715 crore have been disbursed to three crore students until now, he added.