Following the recent Cabinet go ahead for setting up of Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) for minorities, the Centre directed the State Government to immediately constitute Minority Commissions.
“The Centre is pursuing the matter for constitution of Minorities Commissions, in States where they still do not exist,” said an official from the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
“We have written to the Chief Ministers that these commissions should be set up without much delay, as they are meant to ensure that rights of minority community in any part of the country do not feel neglected or cheated in any way. The platform for redressal should be within their reach,” he said.
The Ministry, along with the National Commission for Minorities has informed the head of States and Union Territories where the commission is yet to be formed get the process started.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim and Union Territories of Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, lakshadweep and Puducherry are yet to set up the State Minorities Commission.
“With regards the State of Tripura, State has informed us that they have already passed a Bill in this regard which awaits assent of the President,” said the official.
“The National Commission of Minorities Act does not extend to the State of Jammu & Kashmir, so we are not pursuing the matter with them,” he said.
The State Minority Commission’s primary function is to examine the working of the various safeguards provided in the Constitution of India or laws enacted by Parliament and State for the protection of the minority communities, and to make recommendations to ensure their effective implementation. The notified minorities in India are Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis, Buddhists and Jains.