NEW DELHI: As many as 466 applications seeking minority status for educational institutions are pending with the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI), the Lok Sabha was informed Monday.
Of the 466 educational institutions awaiting approval, 119 are in Tamil Nadu alone.
After Tamil Nadu, the state where the maximum number of educational institutions are awaiting minority status is Uttar Pradesh where 109 institutes’ applications are to be given a go-ahead.
It is followed by Karnataka (65), Madhya Pradesh (40), Jharkhand (17), Odisha (15) and Andhra Pradesh (12). The figure is till March 10.
However, the number of educational institutes granted minority status have jumped many fold in the last four years.
While in 2019-20, the figure was 12, it went up slightly in 2020-21 to 14. In 2021-22, 86 such educational institutes were accorded minority status as compared to 150 in 2022-23 till March 10.
Tamil Nadu also tops in the number of educational institutes that were accorded minority status in both 2021-22 and -2022-23 (till March 10). While in 2021-22, the figure was 37, the number doubled in the preceding year to 68. Tamil Nadu is followed by Uttar Pradesh (21).
Only in Madhya Pradesh where in 2021-22, 23 educational institutes were accorded minority status, in 2022-23, dipped to 19. As many as 17 educational institutes got accorded minority status, as compared to six in 2021-22.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Education Dr Subhas Sarkar said the government provides grants to various institutions recognized under section 2(f) and 12(B) of the UGC Act, 1956, including minority institutions, as per norms and applications received from them in this regard.