The Centre had made budgetary announcement in 2010 for a scheme to tackle the falling population of religious minorities but the plan panel had rejected the scheme on many grounds including that the government should not be poking its nose in social issues.
Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, however, today sounded confident about the scheme getting through the panel.
"Planning Commission had a sub-committee meeting on it. A decision is likely to be taken in next few days. On factual grounds, we think we should get it (approval). But the final decision has to be taken by the Planning Commission... We hope it will be included in the 12th plan," Khurshid told reporters here.
Sources said that the ministry is now approaching the planning commission with fresh data showing the rapid decline in the population of the community as per 2011 census figures.
According to the last census in 2001, the number of Parsis declined from 1,14000 in 1941 to 69,000 in 2001.
A budgetary provision of Rs 2 crore has been made for the scheme in this finacial year and the scheme aims to address the issue of population decline among the Parsis through fertility treatments and awareness campaigns.
The Central Sector Scheme launched in 2010-11 earlier had a budgetary provision of Rs one crore. The government's move had then come as the National Commission for Minorities pressed the panic button after a thorough survey among the community. (MORE)