- Why in news
- On 4 April 2026, the Ministry of Minority Affairs held a facilitation camp in Mumbai under the Universal Parsi Registration Drive, with the Bombay Parsi Panchayat. About 300 fresh registrations were made on the Jiyo Parsi portal.
- What it is
- Jiyo Parsi is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs. It aims to reverse the falling population of the Parsi community, a small minority in India. It combines medical help, community health support and outreach.
- Type of scheme
- Jiyo Parsi is a Central Sector Scheme, so the Centre funds it fully.
- Launch
- The scheme was launched in 2013-14.
- Medical Assistance component
- It covers fertility treatment and pregnancy-related care.
- Health of Community component
- It gives financial aid for childcare and for care of dependent elderly.
- Advocacy component
- It includes counselling, awareness campaigns and outreach programmes.
- Implementing ministry
- The Ministry of Minority Affairs runs the scheme.
Don’t confuse with Central Sector Scheme vs Centrally Sponsored Scheme: A Central Sector Scheme is fully funded and run by the Centre. A Centrally Sponsored Scheme is shared with states, which implement it.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Targets the survival of a very small community with a falling population, protecting its cultural and demographic heritage.
Problems
- Low birth rates, late marriage and migration among Parsis are social factors that financial aid alone may not change.
Way forward
- Continue outreach and portal registration so eligible families can claim help, and track demographic results through Census data.
- 2018Mains GS2 · Q7Why community-level health intervention is needed for Health for All.
- 2023Mains GS2 · Q17Are welfare schemes for vulnerable inherently discriminatory? Justify your stand.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Central Sector Scheme launched 2013-14 to stabilise Parsi population. Schemes are 16% of news-linked Prelims questions, but a minority-specific scheme is a modest question risk.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.