GUWAHATI, April 2 — The Assam Legislative Assembly today passed the Assam State Commission for Minorities Bill, 2003 to pave the way for setting up of a State Commission for Minorities. The Commission will consist of a chairperson and two members — one from the religious and one from linguistic minority groups — to be nominated by the State government. Retired judges of the High Court will be appointed as chairpersons and members and their term will be for a period of three years. The State government will provide the Commission with a secretary and such other officers and employees as may be necessary for efficient functioning of the commission.
As per the Bill, the functions of the Commission will include: evaluate the progress of the development of the minorities, monitor the working of safeguards provided in the constitution and in laws enacted by Parliament and State Legislature, make recommendations for effective implementation of safeguards for protection of interests of minorities, look into specific complaints regarding deprivation of rights and safeguards of the minorities and take up such matters with appropriate authorities under the control of the State government, case studies to be undertaken into problems arising out of any discrimination against minorities, conduct studies, research and analysis on the issues relation to socio-economic and educational development of the minorities etc.
The Commission will have the power of a civil court trying a suit in matters of summoning of any person to examine him an oath, requiring the discovery and production of any document, receiving evidence on affidavits, requisitioning any public record or copy from any office, issuing summons for examinations of witnesses and documents etc. The advice of the Commission and especially the findings concerning deprivation of any right of the minorities will ordinarily be binding upon the State government.
Earlier, replying to the debate on the Bill, Minister of State for Minority and Char Area Development Department Wazed Ali Choudhury said that the State Commission will be formed in the line of the National Minority Commission. He admitted the people living in the char areas remained backward till date and about 69 per cent of the people of the chars still live below the poverty line. He said that the State government has submitted schemes worth Rs 60 crore to the Centre under the non-lapsable pool of Central funds for development of the char areas.
Participating in the discussion, Pabindra Deka (Ind) said that the people living in the char areas face serious hardship during floods. He said that the government should take steps for a survey of the chars and the Indian citizens living in the chars should be given land settlement. Zoii Nath Sarma (AGP) said that it should be mandatory for the government to accept the recommendations of the Commission. Bimalangshu Roy (BJP) suggested that the number of members of the Commission should be increased to five.