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National Commission for Minorities

GS Paper 2

Topics Covered: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.

 

Context:

Former IPS officer Iqbal Singh Lalpura, has been chosen as chairman of National Commission for Minorities.

 

About the NCM:

  • National Commission for Minorities (NCM) was set up under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
  • It Monitor the working of the safeguards for minorities provided in the Constitution and in laws enacted by Parliament and the state legislatures.

Please note, Six religious communities, viz; Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains have been notified in Gazette of India as minority communities by the Union Government all over India.

 

Background:

Setting up of the Minorities Commission (MC) was envisaged in the Ministry of Home Affairs Resolution In 1978.

  • In 1984, the ‘Minorities Commission’ was detached from the Ministry of Home Affairs and placed under the newly created Ministry of Welfare.
  • In 1992, with the enactment of the ‘National Commission for Minorities Act (NCM Act), 1992’, the MC became a statutory body and was renamed as the ‘National Commission for Minorities’ (NCM).
  • In 1993, five religious communities The Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) were notified as minority communities.
  • In 2014, Jains were also notified as a minority community.
  • At present National Commission for Minorities functions under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Composition:

  • NCM consists of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and five members and all of them shall be from amongst the minority communities.
  • Total of 7 persons to be nominated by the Central Government should be from amongst persons of eminence, ability and integrity.
  • Each Member holds office for a period of three years from the date of assumption of office.

 

Other constitutional provisions to safeguard the Minorities:

  • Article 15 and 16.
  • Article 25.
  • Article 26.
  • Article 28.
  • Article 29.
  • Article 30.
  • Article 350-B: The 7th Constitutional (Amendment) Act 1956 inserted this article which provides for a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities appointed by the President of India.

(Find out what these constitutional provisions say).

 

Insta Curious:

Do you know how are minority schools exempt from RTE and SSA? Reference: read this.

 

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

  1. About NCM.
  2. Composition.
  3. Functions.
  4. Minorities in India.
  5. Procedure to be followed for inclusion or exclusion from the list.

Mains Link:

Discuss about the rights conferred on minorities by the Constitution.

Sources: the Hindu.