National Commission for Minorities
- 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.
- 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.
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.