New Delhi, Jan 21: The NCM has drafted a "Model Act" for state minority commissions to do away with variations in their structure, rights and functioning.
The draft has been circulated among state minority
commissions of 16 states.
Once the state units give their nod to the State
Commission for Minorities Act, the NCM will send the final
draft to respective state governments for enactment by state
legislatures.
"The need for the Act was being felt as there was no
uniformity in the functioning of state minority commissions,"
NCM member Harcharan Singh Josh said.
While some has just one member, few others have over a
dozen. Rights of different commissions in different states
also vary. Interestingly, in some states commission members
are not even paid.
"The Act aims at addressing these problems," Josh said.
The draft was brought before a conference of state
minority commissions yesterday but failed to get a approval as
a number of state units opposed certain provisions and sought
time to study them.
"After receiving their views and suggestions, we will
send a final proposal of the Model Act to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and the state governments for their approval,"
NCM Chairman Md Shafi Qureshi told reporters.
The Act seeks to ensure that all state commissions have
five members each with a common tenure of three years.
It also aims at vesting powers of a civil court in the
commissions for dealing with related offences.
The Act also enables the state commissions to utilise the
services of any officer or investigation agency of the state
government for conducting any probe pertaining to its enquiry.
The new Act also aims at introducing transparency in
the functioning of the state minority commissions and
regularising the recruitment and retrenchment process of
members.
Currently, Uttar Pradesh state minority commissions has
22 members, Tripura has only one member, while the Commission
in Maharashthra has ten members.
Out of the seven members of Uttarakhand state minority
commission, only two -- the Chairman and Vice Chairman are
paid, Josh added.
Bureau Report
