The Ministry of Minority Affairs has provided details about its capacity-building programs for minority women in Odisha, as disclosed by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. The Ministry previously implemented the Leadership Development of Minority Women (Nai Roshni) scheme aimed at empowering minority women by providing knowledge, tools, and techniques for interacting with government systems, banks, and other institutions. This scheme was implemented across the country, including Odisha, through empanelled Project Implementing Agencies with the objective of enhancing leadership qualities, promoting awareness about rights and entitlements, and facilitating socio-economic empowerment.
The Ministry has now subsumed various welfare schemes under the integrated umbrella scheme PM VIKAS (Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan). This new scheme focuses on the socio-economic and educational empowerment of six notified minority communities through skill development, leadership and entrepreneurship development, education support, and infrastructure-related interventions. Minority women from Odisha remain eligible to participate in and benefit from the various components of PM VIAS, including skill development, leadership development, entrepreneurship, and related capacity-building initiatives, subject to the scheme guidelines. The information was formally disclosed on August 10, 2026, through the Press Information Bureau.