Minority Commission:
- The “Minorities Commission”, aimed to safeguard and protect the interests of the minorities, was set up by the Government of India in January, 1978.
- This Commission became a statutory body and was renamed as the “National Commission for Minorities” with the enactment of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
- Under Section 2(C) of this Act, the Government of India, vide notification dated 23rd October, 1993, notified five religious communities, namely, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zorastrians (Parsis) as minority communities in India.
- Similarly, in the Sixth Plan (1980-85) it was acknowledged that the minorities were a separate socioeconomic group and hence special provisions were made for them through the Minimum Needs Programme