​Cabinet approves draft bill for better protection of human rights

A draft bill to promote greater protection and promotion of human rights and strengthen human rights institutions in the country has been approved by the government.

A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, endorsed the Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018, according to an official statement.

The proposed amendment will strengthen human rights institutions in the discharge of their mandates, roles and responsibilities.

The amended Act will be also incorporates the agreed global standards and benchmarks towards ensuring the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual in the country, the statement said.

The key features of the Bill include

• Deeming the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
• Adding a woman member in the composition of the NHRC
• Enlarging the scope of eligibility and scope of selection of the NHRC Chairperson, as well as State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs).

It also includes a mechanism to address cases of human rights violation in Union Territories, and to amend the term of office of the Chairperson and members of the NHRC and SHRCs to bring them into consonance with the terms of Chairperson and members of other commissions.

The amendment to the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 will make the NHRC and SHRCs more compliant with the Paris Principle in relation to issues of autonomy, independence, pluralism and wide-ranging functions to effectively protect and promote human rights, the statement said.

Date: 4 April 2018

Source: Times of India