The Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, entered into multiple Memoranda of Understanding with premier academic institutions on September 25, 2026, at IISc Bangalore, in the presence of Dr. Srivatsa Krishna, Secretary of the Ministry. These partnerships aim to strengthen the implementation and impact of key ministry initiatives focused on infrastructure quality, independent monitoring, entrepreneurship, innovation, skilling, and sustainable economic opportunities for minority communities.
The collaborations involve Centre for Urbanization, Buildings & Environment (CUBE) at IIT Madras, Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID) at IISc Bengaluru, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), and IIMB Innovations (NSRCEL). These partnerships will provide specialized technical and academic expertise, strengthen evidence-based decision-making, improve monitoring mechanisms, and support innovation and entrepreneurship development.
Independent Monitoring Agreements
IIMB signed an agreement for independent third-party monitoring of PM VIKAS (Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan) training schemes across the South zone. The institute will conduct field-level inspections and concurrent monitoring, assessing training delivery, infrastructure, beneficiary and trainer participation, attendance, certification, and placement outcomes through on-ground verification and stakeholder consultations.
CUBE, IIT Madras, will conduct independent third-party quality assessment (both technical and social) of infrastructure projects under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK). The assessment will cover selected completed and ongoing PMJVK projects across education, health, skill development, and women & child development sectors, focusing on infrastructure quality, functionality, accessibility, utilisation, maintenance, and sustainability.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development
The National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC) signed two tripartite MoUs with FSID, IISc Bengaluru, and IIMB Innovations (NSRCEL). The collaboration with FSID focuses on startup ecosystem development, innovation promotion, technology commercialisation, data governance, digital transformation, and public interest technology.
The MoU with IIMB Innovations focuses on strengthening the startup ecosystem, skilling and capacity building, innovation and entrepreneurship promotion, research studies, policy support, and evidence-based decision-making. Under the Prime Minister Minority Venture Fund (PM-MVF) framework, these collaborations will include entrepreneurship awareness programs, capacity-building programmes, innovation challenges, startup identification, incubation, mentoring, investor connect, and market access.
Institutional Statements
Dr. Srivatsa Krishna stated that the government's focus is on "EEE to enable employment through entrepreneurship" and aims to synergize expertise from premier technology institutions to select, curate, and fund startups that can create employment through entrepreneurship while ensuring quality of built assets for minority communities.
Professor U Dinesh Kumar, Director-in-charge of IIM Bangalore, emphasized the institution's commitment to strengthening public programmes through its Centers of Excellence, which have over 25 years of experience in creating ground impact, to expand opportunities for minority communities and enable enterprise pathways.
These partnerships represent a collaborative approach to strengthening the Ministry's institutional capacity for quality assessment, independent monitoring, data-driven decision-making, and building enabling ecosystems that support sustainable economic opportunities for minority communities.