Statutory Commission to safeguard rights and welfare of minority communities in Haryana
Chandigarh: The Haryana Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini here today, approved the Haryana State Commission for Minorities Bill, 2026. The proposed legislation seeks to establish a statutory Haryana State Commission for Minorities to safeguard the rights and interests of minority communities, monitor the implementation of constitutional and legal safeguards, and promote their social, educational, economic and cultural development in the State.
The Commission will comprise a Chairperson, five non-official Members and a Secretary appointed by the Government. The Chairperson and Members will hold office for a term of three years, with provisions relating to resignation, removal and filling up of vacancies incorporated in the legislation.
The Commission will examine the implementation of constitutional and statutory safeguards available to minority communities and recommend measures for their effective enforcement. It will monitor Government policies, welfare schemes and programmes relating to minorities, conduct studies and research, assess the representation of minorities in Government services, recommend measures for their welfare and development, and promote communal harmony and national integration in the State. The Commission will also inquire into complaints regarding deprivation of rights and safeguards of minority communities and take up such matters with the appropriate authorities.
To ensure effective discharge of its statutory functions, the Commission will be vested with powers of a Civil Court while conducting inquiries. These powers will include summoning and enforcing the attendance of witnesses, requiring the production of documents, receiving evidence on affidavits, requisitioning public records and issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses and documents.
The Bill also provides for the appointment of a Secretary and supporting staff, preparation of the Commission’s annual budget, Government grants, maintenance and audit of accounts, submission of annual and special reports to the Government and laying of such reports before the State Legislature. It further empowers the Government to establish a Library, Information Cell, Research Cell and other specialized cells on the recommendation of the Commission to strengthen its functioning.
