National Commission for Minority

Published on 21 Jan 2025

National Commission for Minority

The National Commission for Minorities is an institution established under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 to look into the matters related to the welfare of minority communities in India. 

Functions of National Commission for Minority (NCM)

Issues associated with the office of National Commission for Minority

• Apathetic attitude of the commission: The commission has not been responsive to the plight of the minorities and has done very little for their welfare, making them a toothless power.

• Example: Majority victims in cow vigilantism cases are Muslims minorities and the NCM has failed to take adequate action upon the matter.

• Absence of constitutional power: This reduces the authority of the body to conduct independent investigations in cases of the transgression of minority rights.

• Example: The states are yet to provide information to the commission on the impact of 1984 Sikh riots.

• Partisan representation: The appointees to the commission have little understanding of minority politics and are mostly social activists associated with the ruling party.

• Example: The present (2024) chairperson of NCM has been a member of a political party for the past 10 years.

• Poor quality of reports: There has been irregularity in submitting the reports. Even when these are submitted, the Parliament may not consider them for discussion.

• Poor functioning of state commissions: The formation of state minority commissions has been delayed in many states. The powers associated with them are also limited in states which have formed the commission.

• Example: Around10 states, including Gujarat, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana etc, are yet to form the State Minority Commission.

• Resource deficit: There is shortage of human resource and financial resources which affects the efficiency of operation.

• Example: The budget for the Minority ministry got cut down by 38% in the 2023-24 budget. This could affect the functioning of NCM.

Due to these lacunae in its function, the body has been criticized as the National Commission for Tokenism.

Way Forward

• Constitutional status: Giving constitutional powers like the NCSC and NCBC can empower the institution to look better into minority issues.

• Nonpartisan appointment: Appointees should have prior experience in minority related matters. This can make the institution more proactive.

• Common data bank on minority related incidents: This negates the need for the commission to depend on records from various departments to formulate their report.

• Bridge resource gap: Ensure better flow of resources and equip the office with skilled staff to properly manage the fund.

As minorities occupy around 20% of India’s population, there is an urgent need to strengthen the National Commission for Minorities to ensure these vulnerable communities are not falling prey to majoritarianism.

Tags:
Polity

Keywords:
Non constitutional bodies National commission for Minority Statutory bodies

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 2

Topics:
Indian Constitution