Concern over India’s ‘near-defunct’ minorities panel

(UCAN) Religious minority leaders, including from the Christian community, have expressed concern over the non-appointment of a head and members of India’s National Commission for Minorities (NCM).

- 

The federal panel is a statutory body to safeguard and protect the interests of minority communities as provided in the Constitution of India. It works under the Federal Ministry of Minority Affairs

It’s chairperson, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, a former legislator from Punjab who represented the Sikh community, retired in April.

The NCM has had no Christian representation for more than five years.

George Kurian, its former vice-chairperson who is currently a junior minister for minority affairs in the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was the last Christian representative.

Kurian, who hails from the southern state of Kerala, retired on March 31, 2020.

The Commission is mandated to have one member each from six minority communities — Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, and Jains.

However, all seven posts, including that of chairperson, have remained vacant following the retirement of the previous members.