16-Dec-2022: Minority Rights Day celebrated at the National Commission for Minorities

Minority Rights Day which is observed on December 18th every year was celebrated at the National Commission for Minorities on December 16, 2022. The United Nations on December 18, 1992 adopted and broadcast the Statement on the individual's Rights belonging to Religious or Linguistic National or Ethnic Minorities. Minority Rights Day upholds the right to freedom and equal opportunities for the minorities in India and creates awareness about their rights.

The Minister of State for Ministry of Minority Affairs, Shri John Barla graced the function as the Chief Guest which was presided over by Shri Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities, Chairman, National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, Justice NK Jain also graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour.  Vice-Chairman of National Commission for Minorities, Shri Kersi Kaikhushroo Deboo, Dhanyakumar Jinnapa Gunde Jain Member, Syed Shahezadi Muslim Member, Rinchen Lhamo Buddhist Member, and senior officials of NCM were  present on the occasion.

The National Commission for Minorities invited various intellectuals from the six minority communities namely - Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jain and Zoroastrians. Representing their community, they shared the difficulties faced by the minorities of India, expectations of the minorities from the State, recommendations for the improvements in the schemes and programmes for the minorities. An interfaith delegation also attended the function.

In his remarks the Minister of State for Ministry of Minority Affairs, Shri John Barla emphasised on the need to generate awareness about the schemes and programmes of the minorities in the areas of education and employment. He said, "It is necessary to spread knowledge and generate awareness about the Government schemes for the minority communities. Religious leaders of the communities should be roped in for this purpose as they have access to a massive audience." He also emphasized on continuous dialogue between different communities.

The Vice-Chairman of National Commission for Minorities, Shri Kersi Kaikhushroo Deboo, highlighted the efforts of the Commission. Members also spoke of the need to work tirelessly for the welfare of the minorities.

The representatives of the Minority communities also spoke on the occasion. While appreciating the initiatives taken by the Commission, they also pointed out some issues pertaining to their communities and requested the Commission to look into them.

The Chairman Shri Iqbal Singh Lalpura delivered the vote of thanks. He said "In 1978, India envisaged the idea of setting up a National Commission for Minorities much before the United Nations, where it all started in 1992.” He added, “We can work towards the development of minorities by including religious leaders, educationalists and social workers for generating awareness among the members of minority communities.”  Chairman also discussed other minority issues like Anand Marriage Act and Prime Minister's 15 Point Programme. He also assured that NCM will be meeting the Religious Leaders at their own places on a regular basis and have detailed deliberations. NCM also regularly celebrates religious festivals of all the religions of India.

On this occasion, the Commission reiterated its mandate of working towards the maintenance of peace and communal harmony in the society irrespective of the religious, linguistic and other differences and maintaining the dignity of the minority communities in India by safeguarding their rights.

6-Dec-2022: Meeting organized by National Commission for Minorities with the Sikh Intelligentsia regarding Veer Bal Diwas

The National Commission for Minorities held a meeting with the Sikh Intelligentsia today  for inviting suggestion/advice for commemoration of the Veer Bal Diwas. The meeting was presided over by the Chairman of National Commission for Minorities, Shri Iqbal Singh Lalpura. Smt Rinchen Lhamo,  Member, National Commission for Minorities and senior officials of NCM were also present in the meeting.

Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi has announced that 26 December will be observed as Veer Bal Diwas to mark the martyrdom of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji (7 years old) and Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji (5 years old), who were martyred in Sarhand by prisoning them alive by bricking them in the walls on 26th December, 1704. Thereafter, the Government of India has decided to commemorate December 26 as Veer Bal Diwas. In order to make this event more meaningful, the Commission invited eminent personalities and intellectuals from Sikh community to provide their suggestions.

 Chairman of National Commission for Minorities, Shri Iqbal Singh Lalpura hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to mark December 26 as Veer Bal Diwas. Expressing gratitude towards the Prime Minister ,Chairman, NCM said, “We appreciate Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recognizing supreme-sacrifice of the four Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh ji by marking December 26th  as Veer Bal Diwas.”

He further added that, “It has been more than 318 years since the martyrdom of Sahibzadas, however, we are yet to name any institution after them as a tribute to their sacrifice. We need to make an effort in this direction. It is necessary to institute a National Bravery Award in the name of Sahibzadas. The story of the Sahibzadas needs to be disseminated far and wide within India and across the world.”

The National Commission for Minorities received various suggestions for a meaningful observance of the ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ on 26 December, 2022. Most of the suggestions were focussed on generating awareness about the sacrifices of the Sahibzadas across the country, making use of literature and culture for the same, including the story of Sahibzadas in the school syllabus and promoting it through comics and short films among the students in all the languages and States of India. The National Commission for Minorities will take up these suggestions with the PMO and the Ministry of Culture for making commemoration of the Veer Bal Diwas, a grand success.

22-Nov-2022: National Commission for Minorities holds meeting with delegation from New Zealand

Shri Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities held a meeting with a delegation from New Zealand today.  Those who  participated in the meeting included  Mr. Phil Goff,  Mr. Mathew Robson, Mr. Daljit Singh, Mr. Lali Ranvir Singh and   Mr. Anurag Sharma.

The meeting was also attended by Ms. Rinchen Lhamo, Member, NCM and Ms. Paramita Tripathi, Joint Secretary, MEA along with officials of NCM.

Chairman, NCM apprised  the delegation about the functions and mandate of NCM.  They were informed that NCM works on education, employment of minorities other than dealing with issues of discrimination against the minorities.  The delegation also explained the situation of minorities and their problems in New Zealand and the ways they are being handled there.   There was fruitful exchange of dialogue and ideas between the two countries.

3-Aug-2022: Security and Protection of Minority Communities

“Public Order” and “Police” are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. The responsibility of maintaining law and order, registration and prosecution of crimes against all citizens including minorities, rests with the respective State Governments. Government of India monitors the internal security and law and order situation in the country and issues appropriate advisories to States from time to time to maintain peace, public tranquility and communal harmony. Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are deployed to aid and assist State Governments, on their request, to maintain law and order and public tranquility. Government of India has issued communal Harmony Guidelines, which, inter-alia lay down standard operating procedure to deal with situations arising out of communal violence. These guidelines are aimed to maintain due vigilance, careful planning and preparatory measures to prevent and pre-empt communal violence.

Whenever NCM receives any complaint in the matter, reports are called from the concerned Authorities. In some cases, when the report is not satisfactory, NCM also conducts hearings to resolve the issue. Further, in cases of media reports, NCM takes Suo moto cognizance and calls for report.

13-Apr-2022: Shri S. Iqbal Singh Lalpura assumes charge as Chairperson, National Commission for Minorities.

Shri S. Iqbal Singh Lalpura has assumed charge as Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, NCM, in New Delhi today after being re-nominated as Chairperson vide Ministry of Minority Affairs Notification dated 12.4.2022. During his previous term as Chairperson, NCM,  he worked tirelessly for the welfare of all the Minorities with a focused approach to ensure that the grievances of the Minorities are addressed and they avail the benefits of the Welfare schemes run by the Government.

10-Feb-2022: Percentage of Population as Minorities

Government notifies the minorities as per Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, and the Central Government has so far notified six communities as minority communities namely Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains.

The term “Minority” is not used in Census. However, data on all religions as reported by the people of India are collected in each Census. The last Census was conducted in 2011 and the Population of Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist and Muslim of India (including Chhattisgarh) as per Census 2011 is given below: 

9-Aug-2021: Definition of Minority

Central Government notifies minority communities at the national level in consultation with various stakeholders under Section 2 (c) of National Commission for Minorities(NCM), Act,  1992.  The six communities notified as minority communities under Section 2(c) of the NCM Act, 1992 are Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains. Notification of any community specific to a State as minority community with in a State comes under the purview of the State concerned. 

The Article 29 and 30 of the Constitution provide for protection of interest of minorities which includes linguistic minorities also. The working definition followed by the Commissioner for linguistic minorities is as follows:- “Linguistic Minorities are group or collectivities of individuals residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language or script of their own. The language of the minority group need not be one of the twenty two languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. In other words, linguistic minorities at the State level mean any group or groups of people whose mother tongues are different from the principal language of the State, and at the district and taluka/tehsil levels, different from the principal language of the district or taluka/tehsil concerned.” The linguistic minorities are therefore identified by the respective States/UTs. The State/UT wise, broad linguistic profile is available in the 52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities(CLM). Further, the interest of linguistic minorities are accorded due consideration and the office of Commissioner of Linguistic Minorities has been mandated to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for linguistic minorities in the country.

The Government has already enacted the National Commission for Minorities(NCM) Act, 1992 to  constitute a National Commission for Minorities. The NCM receives petitions/grievances from the aggrieved persons and the said petitions/grievances being received by Commission are dealt with by calling for reports from the concerned authorities under the Union and State Governments. On receipt of the reports, the Commission makes appropriate recommendations to the respective authorities for redressal of the grievances.

2-Aug-2021: Revaluation of Minority Commission

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has informed that the erstwhile Minority Commission in its Annual Reports for the period 01.01.1981 to 31.03.1982 and 01.04.1982 to 31.03.1983, had recommended for setting up of a Committee to consider the need for considering and, if necessary, to formulate a scheme to establish a National Integration-cum-Human Rights Commission for promotion of secular traditions and national integration.           

The Government has already enacted the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 to constitute a National Commission for Minorities and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.  Accordingly, the first Statutory NCM was set up on 17th May 1993.  The  Section 2 (c) of NCM Act, 1992 stipulates that ‘Minority’ for the purposes of the Act, means a community notified as such by the Central Government.  The functions of the Commission as laid down in Section 9(1) of the Act are related to the six notified minority communities i.e. Jain, Parsi, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist and Muslim. The functions of NCM broadly include   (a) evaluate the progress of the development of minorities under the Union and States; (b) monitor the working of the safeguards provided in the Constitution and in laws enacted by Parliament and the State Legislatures; (c) make recommendations for the effective implementation of safeguards for the protection of the interests of minorities by the Central Government or the State Governments; (d) look into specific complaints regarding deprivation of rights and safeguards of the minorities and take up such matters with the appropriate authorities; (e) cause studies to be undertaken into problems arising out of any discrimination against minorities and recommend measures for their removal; (f) conduct studies, research and analysis on the issues relating to socio-economic and educational development of minorities;  (g) suggest appropriate measures in respect of any minority to be undertaken by the Central Government or the State Governments; (h) make periodical or special reports to the Central Government on any matter pertaining to minorities and in particular difficulties confronted by them; and (i) any other matter which may be referred to it by the Central Government. The NCM receives petitions/grievances from the aggrieved persons and the said petitions/grievances being received by Commission are dealt with by calling for reports from the concerned authorities under the Union and State Governments. On receipt of the reports, the Commission makes appropriate recommendations to the respective authorities for redressal of the grievances.

7-Dec-2017: NCM forms committee to consider Minority tag for Hindus

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has formed a three-member committee to look into whether Hindus should get minority status in eight states where they are not the dominant religious group. The committee will submit a report on this in three months.

Hindus are in a minority in Lakshadweep (2.5%), Mizoram (2.75), Nagaland (8.75), Meghalaya (11.53), J&K (28.44), Arunachal Pradesh (29) Manipur (31.39) and Punjab (38.4). It is argued that in the absence of the “minority” tag, benefits meant for the minority communities were being given away to majority community in each state in an illegal and arbitrary manner.

The Union Government set up the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. Six religious communities, viz; Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains have been notified in Gazette of India as minority communities by the Union Government all over India. Original notification of 1993 was for Five religious communities Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Christians and Muslims.

The NCM adheres to the United Nations Declaration of 18 December 1992 which states that “States shall protect the existence of the National or Ethnic, Cultural, Religious and Linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity.

26-May-2017: Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi assumes charge of Chairman of National Commission for Minorities

Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi assumed charge of the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities.

Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi is a graduate in Arts and also holds Diploma in Mechanics. He served as Chairman, U.P Minority Finance Development Corporation Ltd.

Shri Rizvi has been actively participating in social service. He worked for the improvement of the basic facilities and working conditions of Beedi workers and Weaver community in Uttar Pradesh. He also worked for Communal Harmony and National Integrity.

9-Dec-2022: GHAR-GO Home and  Re-Unite portal  developed  and launched by NCPCR to digitally monitor and track the restoration and repatriation of children

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), has developed and launched a portal namely GHAR - GO Home and Re-Unite (Portal for Restoration and Repatriation of Child). The GHAR portal has been developed to digitally monitor and track the restoration and repatriation of children according to the protocol. The following are the salient features of the portal:

1. Digital tracking and monitoring of children who are in the Juvenile Justice system and have to be repatriated to another Country/State/District.
2. Digital transfer of cases of children to the concerned Juvenile Justice Board/Child Welfare Committee of the State. It will help in speedy repatriation of children.
3. Where there is a requirement of a translator/interpreter/expert, request will be made to the concerned State Government.
4. Child Welfare Committees and District Child Protection Officers can ensure proper restoration and rehabilitation of children by digitally monitoring the progress of the case of the child.
5. A checklist format will be provided in the forms so that the children who are being hard to repatriate or children who are not getting their entitled compensation or other monetary benefits can be identified.
6. List of Government implemented schemes will be provided, so that at the time of restoration the Child Welfare Committees can link the child with the schemes to strengthen the family and ensure that child remains with his/her family.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is administering the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act, 2015) (as amended in 2021) and Rules thereunder, for ensuring safety, security, dignity and well-being of children. The Act provides for protection of children in need of care and protection and those in conflict with law by catering to their basic needs through care, protection, development, treatment and social re-integration.

Under the JJ Act, 2015 (Sections 27-30), the Child Welfare Committees have been empowered to take decisions with regard to the children in need of care and protection for the best interest of the children. They are also mandated to monitor the functioning of the Child Care Institutions (CCIs). Similarly, under section 106 of JJ Act, 2015, every State Government has to constitute a District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) for every district to take up matters relating to children to ensure the implementation of JJ Act, 2015 and rules thereunder. To ensure effective coordination in the Child Safety, Protection and Development; District Magistrates have been made the head of DCPUs. DMs have been empowered to review the functioning of DCPUs and CWCs at regular intervals to ensure prompt decisions as per provisions of JJ Act and Rules are taken by these bodies, keeping in mind best interests of Children.

9-Nov-2022: NCPCR holds workshop on ‘Child Rights: Contemporary Challenges in Telangana’

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights which is mandated to spread child rights literacy held a one day Orientation cum Sensitization programme on ‘Child Rights: Contemporary Challenges in Telangana’ in Hyderabad today which was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Governor of Telangana and  Lt. Governor of Puducherry, Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan said that children are like flowers and they should be handled carefully with love and care. She said, “It is disheartening to see cases of sexual harassment of children. Saying that mere laws can't protect the children and the mind-set of society needs to change, the  Hon’ble Governor exhorted the parents to be a role model and mould the kids instead of just imposing conditions. “Happy and healthy children are the foundation of a progressive society” she opined.

The following issues were discussed during the workshop:

• Timely identification of children related issues.
• Lack of monitoring of Children Homes.
• Convergence and information sharing with all important stakeholders.
• Effective use of MASI portal.
• Emerging issues related to cyber safety of children.
• Child trafficking cases, knowledge sharing and their tracking for effecting action.

In today’s digital age, children use technology not only for attending school online classes, but also for recreation. Therefore, it is important that the commitment of the Government to provide a safe learning environment to children extends to the digital space as well. As per the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) data of 2021 a total number of 1081 cases of Cyber Crimes against children were registered in India. Out of these, 164 cases were reported from Karnataka followed by Kerala (138), Andhra Pradesh (40),Tamil Nādu (15) and Telangana (3). The NCPCR has developed a Manual on Safety and Security of Children in Schools. The manual also includes FAQs and a checklist for different stakeholders such as State/District authorities, school managements, teachers and students to understand the safety parameters put in place by the schools/educational institutions.

In order to monitor the Child care institutions (CCI) the NCPCR has developed an App base monitoring tool called ‘Monitoring App for Seamless Inspection’ (MASI). This App is helping the officials for seamless inspection of CCIs of their jurisdiction. Through this tool an online live data of CCIs inspection is available which is used by the officers for repatriation of children to their homes and track improvements done after first inspection visit to the next visit. The issue of child trafficking also came up for discussion in the workshop.

Earlier, welcoming the gathering, Smt. D. Divya, Special Secretary and Commissioner of Women Development and Child Welfare to Govt. of Telangana, said that all stakeholders, be it at the central or state government level should join hands to ensure that the children get safe and nourishing environment to grow up. She talked about the initiatives that the Telangana Government has undertaken like  Bal Rakshak vehicles , Bharosa Centers, Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) , POCSO Courts etc to  support women and children who are victims of violence.

The workshop was supported by Bharat Niti, a public policy advocacy platform and saw the participation of members of Child Welfare Committee, District Child Protection Officers, Advocates, NGOs working in the field of Child Rights, School Principals and Teachers. Activities like orientation on Cyber Crimes and Prevention, session on Child Trafficking and orientation session of MASI App were undertaken during the day long workshop.

7-Oct-2022: First of its kind workshop on Accountability Framework: Responsibility of stakeholders on the implementation of School Safety guidelines organized by the NCPCR at the National level

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) organized a one-day National Review and Orientation Workshop on “Accountability Framework: Responsibility of stakeholders on the implementation of School Safety guidelines with reference to Psycho-Social aspects,”  here today. The workshop was organized  on the occasion of celebrating “World Mental Health Week, 2022”.

The main objective of the national workshop was to give orientation on the matter of school safety and security and to review the accountability fixed of the concerned authorities and stakeholders in this regard. This is first of its kind workshop being organized by the Commission at the National level. Further, as a follow up in the next quarter of the year and in next year, NCPCR will conduct the regional level meetings to address the safety and security of children in schools with the major stakeholders.

The Commission invited participants from SCERT, State Education Boards, Regional Institute of Education, Regional officers of CBSE, Management board of group of schools. Approximately. 100 participants participated in the workshop.

In his inaugural address, Shri Dinesh Prasad Saklani, Director, NCERT emphasized on the need to adopt ‘Panch Kosh Siksha’ for the holistic development of children. Mental wellbeing is of paramount importance for productivity and growth. He said that  Prime Minister‘s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ too focuses on the mental wellbeing of children.  He further explained the indispensable role of mental health & wellbeing by re quoting “No Health without Mental Health”. He also mentioned that result of recent survey report published by Ministry of Education in 2022, reflecting that the happiness quotient of school children was found to be comparatively high.

Shri Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson NCPCR, emphasized the current situation of children and stated that the issue of school safety is a major concern at all levels of government from local to federal. He mentioned that in order to counter the increasing number of reports regarding physical and psychological harm and harassment caused to students, NCPCR along with NCERT and other experts trained a comprehensive manual and checklist for accountability of child safety by schools. He opined that a framework laying equal responsibility on parents and schools for child safety needs to be developed. Shri Kanoongo further explained that the new education policy 2020 provides guidelines to private schools for accountability of safety of children. He stated that Prime Minister gives importance to children mental wellbeing and his  Pariksha Pe Charcha programme is conducted annually to eliminate child suicide.

The workshop was divided into two technical sessions. The first technical session started with presentation by NCPCR on overview of School Safety and Security.  It was followed by the session taken by Dr. Jitendra Nagpal  Programme Director-Expressions India & Sr. Consultant & Incharge of Institute of Mental Health and Life skills Promotion, Moolchand Medcity. .

In the second half, group discussions were undertaken with presentation on four different topics  i.e. Psycho social aspects of school Safety-Integrating with whole school approach, the teacher as a First Aid Counselor for the Psychosocial safety of students, Monitoring Roles and Responsibilities of multiple stakeholders and Effective Family school partnership in Psychosocial safety.

26-Jun-2022: NCPCR organizes Regional Consultative meeting of Western Region on “POCSO

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights organised a regional consultative meeting of Western Region State/ UTs today, 26th June 2022 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. This meeting was organised with National Forensic Sciences University  and also  in  joint collaboration with NALSA , SVPNPA, and BPR&D.  Shri. Harsh Ramesh Sanghvi, Home Minister of Gujarat was the Chief Guest of the consultation. Around 300 representatives of District Legal Service Authorities (DLSAs) of States/UTs , Heads of Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPUs) of Districts, Forensic Science experts  and State Commissions  for Protection of Child Rights(SCPCRs)   from 8 States/UTs  viz Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Dadra Nagar Haveli / Daman & Diu and officials from NFSU , NCPCR and others  participated in the consultative meeting.

Prior to this,  Regional Meeting of Northern region State/UTs was held on 2nd April, 2022 in  New Delhi, Eastern region States/UTs was held in Bhubaneswar ,Odisha on 30thMarch, 2022   and  State wise meetings  on  the similar topic were held in North East region  from 22nd to 30th March 2022.

POCSO Act, 2012 has been implemented to provide for a gender-neutral special law regulating the sexual offences against children. The issues of non-reporting of child sexual offences, long delays in disposal of sexual abuse cases and the absence of strict punitive punishment for offences committed against children were addressed through the implementation of this Act. Provisions under this Act make reporting of child sexual offences as mandatory and provides for timelines for each and every authority/stakeholder that needs to be followed for speedy disposal of cases. However, implementation of the law since its enactment shows that there are still issues being faced by authorities in understanding of the provisions and capacity building for support services.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson, NCPCR highlighted that there is not enough testing facility in examining evidences in the country for POCSO victims. However, our collaboration with NFSU would definitely ensure to fill up that deficiency. Chairperson shared that in the areas of protection of children, all pillars of the State i.e. legislature, administration and judiciary stand together. He mentioned about some of the recent initiatives of the Commission which have already started working on preparing district level compendium. This compendium would capture the district wise information on translators, interpreters, support persons and counselors. This is going to be made available to the SCPCRs, NCPCRs and other functionaries. Similarly, the Commission has also started the process to set up an online tracking mechanism to capture information and all the required processes of individual POCSO cases. This tracking system will help building evidence and expedite the judicial process. Whatever is learnt in this consultation from the participants would help extending support to the children, said the Chairperson.

Home Minister of Gujarat Shri Harsh Ramesh Sanghvi assured to take all appropriate actions needed for effective implementation of the POCSO Act in Gujarat. He further mentioned that Gujarat is implementing the POCSO Act effectively. There are instances of filing charge sheets by the police on same day of the incident, SIT team working day and night that result into passing judgment of death penalty within 68 days to the perpetrator etc. All these have helped building faith in the system especially in the areas of POCSO implementation. The State is also documenting the impact of punishment to the perpetrators with an objective to create awareness to prevent the cases of sexual offence.

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament. The Commission's mandate is to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Commission has also been entrusted with the important responsibility of monitoring the implementation of the provisions of Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, POCSO Act, 2012 and Right to Education Act, 2009. NCPCR has a mandate to monitor POCSO Act, 2012,Section 44 r/w & rule 12 of the POCSO Rules, 2020 whereby it monitors the status of implementation of the POCSO Act by seeking information from the States/UTs on the following 1. Setting up of Special Courts, 2. Appointment of Special Public Prosecutors, 3. Formulation of Guidelines by all States/UTs for the stakeholders for the implementation of the POCSO Act, 2012, 4. Designation and Implementation of module for training of police etc., 5. Steps taken by State Govt. for spreading awareness on POCSO Act and 6. Collect information and data on its own or from relevant agencies regarding reported cases of sexual abuse and their disposal under the processes provided under the Act.

8-Jun-2022: NCPCR launches “CiSS application” under Baal Swaraj portal to help rehabilitation of children in street situations

The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has launched a “CiSS application” under the Baal Swaraj portal to help in the rehabilitation process of Children in Street Situations. (CiSS)

Baal Swaraj is a portal launched by NCPCR for online tracking and digital real-time monitoring mechanism of children in need of care and protection. The portal has two functions- COVID care and CiSS. COVID Care link caters to the children who have lost either or both parents due to COVID-19 or otherwise post March 2020.

It follows six stages framework for the rehabilitation of children. The first stage is the collection of the child’s details, which is accomplished through the portal. The second stage is Social Investigating Report (SIR) i.e. investigating the child’s background. This is done under the supervision of the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) by the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) by conversing and counselling the child. The third stage is formulating an Individual Care Plan (ICP) for the child. The fourth stage is the order of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) based on the SIR submitted to the CWC. The fifth stage is allocating the schemes and benefits that the beneficiary can avail of. And in the sixth stage, a checklist is made for the evaluation of the progress i.e. (Follow Ups).

The Standard Operating Procedure for Care and Protection of Children in Street Situations 2.0 categorizes any child under ‘Children in Street Situation’ if the child is living on the streets alone, living on the streets during the day, or living on the streets with the family. The root cause of this phenomenon is the migration of families from rural to urban areas in search of a better standard of living.

This portal, developed by, NCPCR is a first-of-its-kind initiative in India to help children in street situations. The CiSS application is used for receiving data of children in street situations from all the states and union territories, tracking their rescue and rehabilitation process. The initiative is taken under the direction of the Supreme Court of India.

The program embodies Article 51 (A) of the Constitution of India, as it provides a platform to the public and organizations catering to the welfare of the children to report any child in need of assistance. The platform serves to collect data and report to the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) for them to take necessary action.

To report a child under “Children in Street Situations”, visit https://ncpcr.gov.in/baalswaraj/login, click on “Citizen Portal”, then go to “Report a CiSS to help a child”.  It will lead to a form that will ask for the child’s and the informant’s details. Once registered, a registration ID is generated along with the contact information of the concerned DCPO for further follow up. The DCPO will get information of the child on the dashboard for further action that is, rescue and rehabilitation.

It also provides a platform for professionals and organizations to provide any help that they can to children in need. Help can be provided in the form of open shelters, counselling services, medical services, sponsorships, de-addiction services, education services, legal/paralegal services, volunteering, student volunteering, identification of hotspot, identification of CiSS, or any other assistance. The organizations and institutions that can utilize the platform are the Non-Government Organization, Civil Society Organization, higher educational or technical institutions, Foundation, Society, or a Trust.

To provide professional help, visit https://ncpcr.gov.in/baalswaraj/login, click on “Citizen Portal”, go to “Providing Services to help CiSS”. Select “For Individual/Professional” to opt to provide a service as an individual or select “For Organizations & Institutions” to opt to provide as an organization. Fill in all the required details and submit. Once registered, a registration ID is generated along with the contact information of the DCPO of the state or union territory.

The participants- informants, professionals, or the organizations will be awarded a digital certificate acknowledging their contribution to helping the children in street situations after the assessment of the DCPO.

2-Mar-2022: NCPCR in collaboration with Narcotics Control Bureau conducts National Level Review-cum Consultation on Roll out of Joint Action Plan “ Ek Yudh Nashe Ke Virudh” on Prevention of Drugs and Substance Abuse among Children and Illicit Trafficking

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in collaboration with Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) conducted a National review cum Consultation on “Roll out of Joint Action Plan” in the States, here today. This Joint Action Plan is a policy document prepared based on various laws, regulations, policies and programmes that are already in place. It is an initiative to prepare a convergent platform for action at various levels starting from School, District to State wherein actions are indicated for various departments and authorities to implement. The Joint Action Plan was prepared by the NCPCR & NCB and released on 9th February, 2021. In first phase, the Joint Action Plan has been rolled out in 272 vulnerable districts identified by the NCB and Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. NCPCR has started monitoring the implementation from April, 2021 and District-wise review meeting was held virtually in July-August, 2021.

Representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Education, NDDTC- All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), United Nations Organization for Drugs Control (UNODC) and Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti (GSDS) participated in the program. Participants from the States included, Chairpersons and Members of SCPCR’s, Officers from the Dept.. of Home, WCD, Social Justice, Health,  Excise, State Drugs Controller, State AIDS Control Society and Police.

Shri Satya Narayan Pradhan, DG, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in his inaugural address mentioned about some of the special initiatives of NCB i.e., running an online e-pledge through mygov.in to spread awareness against drugs especially among the youth of the nation. Till date more than 14 lakh people have taken this virtual pledge against drugs. He hoped that till 15th August, 2022, i.e., the 75th anniversary of India's independence at least 75 lakh people would have taken the e-pledge. He requested all the participants to take this e-pledge and also make others aware of the same. NCB along with NCPCR, through social media platforms, has undertaken the task of streaming celebrity video messages on JAP – 'Ek Yudh Nashe ke Virudh'. Further, he suggested for the creation of a mechanism for coordinated action between 8,000 Nasha Mukt Bharat volunteers, who are presently working in 272 vulnerable districts alongside NCB and State Police officers in performing the stated objectives of the campaign.

Shri Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson, NCPCR in his address stated about the background of preparing the Joint Action Plan. He mentioned that the Prime Minister takes a keen interest in the issues related to children and personally monitors the programmes and activities meant for children. He had expressed his concerns about the drugs & substance abuse amongst children and directed NCB and NCPCR to undertake a joint initiative involving all the authorities and stakeholders. He stressed that awareness and sensitization is crucial for preventing drugs.

District Magistrates/Collectors of 20 Best Performing Districts viz: Namsai, Udalguri, Chandigarh, Daman, South Goa, Sirsa, Shimla, Udupi, Thiruvananthapuram, Shillong, Jabalpur, Narsinghpur, Champhai, Mehsana, Gajapati, Patiala, Bundi, Tirunelveli, Etawah, Uttarkashi on roll out of Joint Action Plan (from July to December, 2021) were felicitated in the programme.

Video Messages of Bollywood Actor/Actress on 'Ek Yudh Nashe ke Virudh' were also released in the programme.

In this review meeting, States made their presentations on the progress made on different indicators provisioned under the JAP. During the review, focus was laid on the strict implementation of the provision of installing CCTV cameras in the chemist shops selling Scheduled X & H drugs, tobacco free zone of the school areas, awareness, and roles to be played by all the stakeholders. The participants agreed to implement this Joint Action Plan in all Districts of the Country.

9-Feb-2022: Steps Taken By NCPCR On Child Trafficking And Child Marriages

The functions of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) are mentioned under Section 13 of the CPCR Act, 2005; and Rule 17 of NCPCR Rules 2006. Copy of the CPCR Act, 2005 is available at NCPCR’s website on link: https://ncpcr.gov.in.

Steps taken by NCPCR regarding child trafficking during the last five years

1. NCPCR organized series of one day district level workshops on Combating Child Trafficking at various potential Source and Destination Hotspot districts of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and West Tripura, NER.
2. Virtual meetings to discuss the issue of Child Trafficking with SCPCRs of Source Hotspot States with State CPCRs of trafficking prone Hotspots States with focus on Eastern and North Eastern States of our country.
3. National Level Multi- stakeholders E- Consultation meeting to Combat Child Trafficking Post Lockdown Situation due to COVID-19
4. NCPCRs Document containing Recommendations on “Preventing Child Trafficking Post Lock Down “Due to COVID 19 Pandemic based on the inputs received and observations made by the Commission through various meetings conducted virtually with SCPCRs, other stakeholders, various rescue operations conducted during lockdown period and inquiries taken up by the Commission.
5. The Commission held three (3) One Day State Level Workshop on Preventing Child Trafficking during Extra Ordinary Situation of COVID 19 in the State of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura in September 2021.
6. State level Orientation on the problems of Trafficking of Children and POCSO Act, 2012 in West Bengal to combat Child Trafficking and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 in Kolkata on 19th December 2017
7. Advisory to States to regulate placement agencies for prevention of trafficking and exploitation of children to Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs on 31st January 2018 to take initiative to bring law to regulate placement agencies to prevent trafficking and exploitation of children.
8. Quick Response Cell (QRC):NCPCR has constituted a Quick Response Cell (QRC) to address various issues requiring immediate redressal including instance of child trafficking.
9. District-level Workshops on Combating Child Trafficking in Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland  with an objective to (i) assess the current situation of child rights with focus on child trafficking effectiveness of the provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, J. J. Act, IPC and other laws for the rescue and post-rescue work; (ii) sharing of experience amongst the concerned agencies with regard to rescue and post-rescue work; (iii) the involvement of NGOs; (iv) roles, responsibilities and functions of the various stakeholders; and(v) assess programmes, legislations and judicial interventions at the state level.

Steps taken by NCPCR regarding child marriages during the last five years

1. The Commission requested Principal Secretaries of Women and Child Development Department of all States/ UTs vide letter dated 7th April 2021, to direct District Magistrates, Deputy Inspector General, Superintendent of Police, Sarpanches, Civil Society Organizations and Child Marriage Prohibition Officers and Child Welfare Committees in their respective States/ UTs to take proactive steps and preventive measures to stop child marriages on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya.
2. Benches/Camps in aspirational district on the issues of child rights in 55 Benches/Camps in aspirational districts of various States/UTs during 2019-20.
3. NCPCR organized 35 online meetings with all State/UTs during October–November 2020.
4. One day state programme on Child Marriage, Adolescent pregnancy and POCSO Act in Jaipur in Collaboration with Young Lives Organisation organised a one day state programme   on   Child Marriage, Adolescent pregnancy and POCSO Act in Jaipur on 11th October 2019.
5. National Analysis of Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy’ based on NFHS 4 (2015-16) was released. The report is available at the link on NCPCRs website: https://ncpcr.gov.in.
6. The Commission organised a multi-stakeholder Consultation on ‘Status of Child Marriage in India on 18.10.2016 at Delhi in collaboration with ‘Young Lives India’.

8-Feb-2022: NCPCR organizes National level meeting on Identification, Rescue and Rehabilitation of Children in Street Situations

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) organized a National level meeting, here today, on Identification, Rescue and Rehabilitation of Children in Street Situations with NGOs/CSOs and UN agencies for seeking assistance from them. The meeting was organized in connection with Hon'ble Supreme Court’s directions on the issue of identification and rehabilitation of Children in Street Situations.

NCPCR as per its mandate has developed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 2.0 for Care and Protection of Children in Street Situations to create a convergence among the various functionaries, institutions/agencies, Government of India schemes and policies and to ensure a more holistic approach in providing care, protection and restoration of CiSS. It has been formed with the view that children should either be with their families, guardians or under appropriate care and not in the street situation. In case the family needs support, it may be provided by the respective States/UTs keeping in mind the best interest of the child.

During the program a detailed presentation was made on Baal Swaraj portal - Children in Street Situations (CiSS). In his inaugural address Shri Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) highlighted the current conditions of Children in Street Situation (CiSS). He laid emphasis on the partnership of the Commission with the NGO’s to work jointly to Rescue and Rehabilitate such children. The Chairperson invited the NGOs to share their suggestions in improving SOP 2.0 for its effective implementation.

The meeting was attended by more than 100 participants, across States which included UN agencies and NGOs/CSOs in the Open house discussion on CiSS- identification, Rescue and Rehabilitation of children. The representatives from various NGOs/Institutions shared their experiences and made suggestions on this important topic.

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