Minorities panel gets 5 members

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 24

The Centre has appointed five members to the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), including its chairman, sources said.

The commission was left with no member after the term of former chairman Nasim Ahmed and six other members ended in March. They were appointed by the previous UPA-II government.

According to sources in the Union Minority Affairs Ministry, social activist from Uttar Pradesh Gayarul Hasan will be the chairperson of the panel.

BJP leader from Kerala George Kurian, former Maharashtra minister Sulekha Kumbhare, Jain representative from Gujarat Sunil Singhi and Vada Dasturji Khurshed, chief priest of Udvada Athornan Anjuman, are other members of the panel.

The process to appoint two more members of the panel, which is expected to be functional in a day or two, “is on”, sources said.

This is reportedly for the first time that a Jain member will be part of the panel after the community was notified as ‘minority’ in January 2014.

The tenure of the panel members is of three years.

Minister of State for Minority Affairs (independent charge) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi confirmed the development. “These are very capable people. We hope they will do justice to the issues related to minority community,” Naqvi said.

The government had come under Opposition fire over the alleged delay in filling the vacancies during the last Parliament session. The government had then assured that the posts will be filled “immediately” and said it was committed to the minorities’ welfare.

UP activist is chairman 

• Sources say social activist from Uttar Pradesh Gayarul Hasan has been picked as the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities
• BJP leader from Kerala George Kurian, former Maharashtra minister Sulekha Kumbhare, Jain representative from Gujarat Sunil Singhi and Vada Dasturji Khurshed, chief priest of Udvada Athornan Anjuman, are other members of the panel. Their term will end after three years
• The commission was left with no member after the term of former chairman Nasim Ahmed and six other members ended in March.