Communal Violence Bill tops NAC agenda

The National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has prioritised minority welfare, food security and prevention of communal violence bill as those issues to be immediately addressed by the government.

The 14-member NAC was constituted on June 1 and is expected to advise the government on various social programmes like food security and rural development.

According to a Prime Minister's Office release, the NAC will now focus on the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, besides minority welfare, natural resource management, poverty alleviation, employment generation, land reforms, etc.

NAC has also decided to revisit the Communal Violence (prevention) Bill, which has been lying with the UPA government for the past two years.

The Standing Committee on Home Affairs has given its recommendations on the bill which outlines specific ways to prevent and control violence between religious communities as well as rehabilitate victims.

The NAC members, meanwhile, have agreed that the primary focus ought to be on the pro-poor programmes and that the Council's recommendations to the government, should as far as possible, be specific and result-oriented to facilitate further expeditious action in this behalf, according to the PMO statement.

The next meeting of the NAC on July 1 will focus on Food Security Bill, which seeks to provide the legal right to poor to get rice or wheat at Rs 3 per kg.