Inaugurating a conference on 'Minority Welfare and Education' here, he said it was "distressing" that minorities' representation in public and private sector has remained low and posed if there could be a public-private partnership to look into the issue.Sigh referred to the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) headed by his party Congress and said "we will promote modern and technical education among all minority communities" and promised to allocate additional funds to the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation.

He said it would be pertinent to see if the Government's existing schemes for uplift of minority groups could be integrated with community-driven measures.

Singh chose the occasion to announce the proposals to set up a commission that will directly affiliate minority professional institutions with universities and as also a separate panel for the welfare of backward sections among religious and linguistic minorities through reservations in education and employment.

Pointing out that investment in education was not merely a welfare measure, he said "it is also a means of empowerment.

It was not at all surprising that every modern industrial and newly industrialising economy has a literacy rate upwards of 80 per cent, he added.