West Bengal Minorities’ Commission Act, 1996
No: 16 Dated: Jul, 22 1996
THE WEST BENGAL MINORITIES' COMMISSION ACT, 1996
West Bengal Act XVI of 1996
An Act to constitute a Minorities’ Commission to study and suggest additional social, economic, educational and cultural requirements of religious and linguistic minorities of West Bengal with a view to equipping them to preserve secular traditions of West Bengal and to promote national integration.
Whereas it is expedient to constitute a Minorities’ Commission to study and suggest additional social, economic, educational and cultural requirements of religious and linguistic minorities of West Bengal with a view to equipping them to preserve secular traditions of West Bengal and to promote national integration;
It is hereby enacted as follows:-
1. Short title, extent and commencement. - (1) This Act may be called the West Bengal Minorities’ Commission Act, 1996.
(2) It extends to the whole of West Bengal.
(3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification, appoint.
2. Definitions. - In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) "Commission" means the West Bengal Minorities’ Commission constituted under section 3;
(b) "Member" means a Member of the Commission;
(c) "Minority", for the purpose of this Act, means a community based on religion such as Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, or Zoroas-trian (Parsee), and includes-
(i) such other minority as the Central Government may notify under clause (c) of section 2 of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, or
(ii) such other minority based on language within the purview of article 29 of the Constitution of India ( hereinafter referred to as the Constitution) as the State Government may, by notification, specify from time to time;
(d) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette;
(e) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act.
3. Constitution of the Commission. - (1) The State Government shall constitute a body to be known as the West Bengal Minorities’ Commission to exercise the powers conferred on, and to perform the functions assigned to, it under this Act.
(2) The Commission shall consist of the following Members:-
(a) a Chairperson, who shall be a person of public eminence, to be nominated by the State Government,
(b) a Vice-Chairperson to be nominated by the State Government,
(c) a Member-Secretary,
(d) the Secretary, Minorities’ Development and Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal, ex-officio,
(e) a representative of the West Bengal Minorities Development and Finance Corporation, ex officio, and
(f) such number of other members from amongst persons of public eminence, [not exceeding nine,] of whom one shall be a woman, as the State Government may nominate:
Provided that [at least nine members,] one of whom shall be a woman, shall be from amongst the notified minority communities.