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New Delhi : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India, on February 17, 2022, held in hybrid mode the first meeting of the Common Programme Committee of the NHRC and State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs). Justice Arun Mishra, Chairperson, NHRC, chaired the event.
NHRC Members : Justice M M Kumar, Dr D M Mulay, and Rajiv Jain, SHRC Chairpersons, representatives of Statutory Full Commission, senior officers including Secretary General Bimbadhar Pradhan, DG (I) Santosh Mehra, Registrar (Law) Surajit Dey, Joint Secretaries Anita Sinha and Harish Chandra Chaudhary attended the meeting and made suggestions.
The Common Programme Committee was constituted at the last meeting of the NHRC-SHRCs on October 13, 2021, with the aim to developing a common action programme to work in synergy for the promotion and protection of human rights in the country, according to an NHRC release.
Justice Mishra said that strengthening of SHRCs in terms of manpower, financial and infrastructure resources is necessary and requested all the SHRCs to specifically mention their issues so that the NHRC may take it up with the State Governments concerned. He said that there are several areas concerning human rights wherein the SHRC may intervene locally. They include issues of environment degradation posing a threat to people’s right to life. He said that water, soil and river pollution deforestation are a matter of concern for sustainable development. The SHRC may highlight such issues and take up with the local authorities for correctional measures to address the challenges related to the climate change right from the grassroots to help evolve, construct, and strengthen a nationwide movement, he added.
Several suggestions including creation of a mental health wing in Prisons and Correctional Homes, starting a Human Rights App by all the Commissions as already put in place by some others, boarding HRCNet portal of the NHRC by all the SHRCs to reduce duplication of complaints and fast tracking and processing thereof were made.
Highlighting the importance of such dialogues, the NHRC Chairperson said that all the suggestions will be further fine-tuned to finalise a common action plan for the promotion and protection of human rights throughout the country.