New Delhi, Sep 22 (ANI): The sixteenth meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) will be held here on Monday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Convened in the backdrop of Muzaffarnagar clashes in Uttar Pradesh, the 148 member NIC will discuss the measures taken to promote communal harmony, role of social networking sites in promoting national integration and how to tackle hate propaganda.
According to the agenda, the NIC will discuss safety and security of women, confidence-building measures taken to tackle communal disturbances and involving all sections of society in removing communal tension.
The proposed Communal Violence Bill is expected to be discussed in the meeting.
Steps taken to tackle crimes against Scheduled castes and Tribes, associating all sections of society in removing inter-caste tension will also be discussed in the day-long meeting.
The NIC was constituted to combat the evils of communalism, casteism, regionalism, linguism and narrow-mindedness as a follow up of National Integration Conference under the then Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru in September- October, 1961.
The first meeting of NIC was held in 1962.
The NIC declared its objectives in the meeting held in 1968 as unity in diversity, freedom of religions, secularism, equality, justice-social-economic and political, and fraternity among all communities.
The NIC, however, notes with concern the increase in communal incidents in different parts of the country over the last few years. The council emphasizes that notwithstanding sporadic occurrences of communal and other divisive conflicts, the vast majority of common men and women, irrespective of their religious affiliations, live in peace and harmony and have no interest in violence and disorders.
The council wishes to emphasize that this task is not of governments alone although governments have to play a major role in strengthening the forces of integration and in implementing expeditiously and effectively the recommendations that this council makes. This task is the collective responsibility of all citizens-politicians, educationists, artists, writers, teachers, parents and students, intellectuals, businessmen and trade union leaders.
This council invites all Indians, regardless of their linguistic, religious, ethnic or cultural affiliations to join in this great and urgent task of promoting national unity and solidarity. (ANI)
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