National Minority Rights Day, also known as Minorities Day, is annually observed across India on 18th December to create awareness about the constitutionally assured rights of religious minorities.
- The day aims to uphold the right to freedom and equal opportunities for the minorities in India and create awareness about their rights.
- 18th December 2023 marks the observance of the 11th Minority Rights Day.
Theme:
i.The theme of Minority Rights Day 2023 is ‘Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion’.
ii.The theme highlights the importance of recognising and embracing the richness of diversity in Indian society.
Note: The first-ever Minorities Rights Day in India was observed on 18th December 2013.
Why 18th December?
On 18th December 1992, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution A/RES/47/135 and the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.
Who are minorities?
i.A minority group is defined as a community that lacks social, political, and economic dominance and is numerically inferior within a country.
ii.Under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities(NCM) Act, 1992, the Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jain and Zoroastrians (Parsis) have been notified as minority communities.
- However, Jains were notified as minority community only in 2014.
Minority Communities in India:
i.According to the 2011 census, minorities constitute around 19.3 % of the total population of India.
ii.The states like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Lakshadweep accommodate most of the minorities.
National Commission for Minorities (NCM):
i.NCM was established by Government of India(GoI) as a statutory body through the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
ii.NCM aims to safeguard and protect the interests of minorities as provided in the Constitution of India and laws enacted by the Parliament and the State Legislatures.
iii.As per Section 9(1) of the NCM Act 1992, the functions of the NCM include,
- Evaluation of the progress of the development of minorities under the Union and States.
- Monitoring of the working of the safeguards for minorities provided in the Constitution and laws.
- Making recommendations for the effective implementation of safeguards for the protection of the interests of minorities.
- Looking into specific complaints regarding deprivation of rights and safeguards of minorities and taking up such matters with the appropriate authorities.
Additional Info:
For the welfare of minorities in India, the Ministry of Minority Affairs(MoMA) was constituted in 2006 by carving out from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment(MoSJE).
About National Commission for Minorities (NCM):
Chairperson – Iqbal Singh Lalpura
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
About Ministry of Minority Affairs(MoMA):
Union Minister – Smriti Zubin Irani (Constituency: Amethi, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of States(MoS) – John Barla (Constituency: Alipurduars, West Bengal)
