National Advisory Council chaired by Sonia Gandhi reviews progress of its suggestions

The reconstituted National Advisory Council (NAC) met Friday and reviewed the progress since it was formed two years ago. The NAC is headed by Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Congress President.

The meeting, chaired by Sonia Gandhi, approved a report which takes stock of the work done in the past in terms of issues taken up and recommendations made to the union government. Union ministries of labour and employment and finance made presentations before the NAC on its recommendations to the government on social security for the unorganised sector.

These included universalising maternity benefit of Rs.1,000 for six months to pregnant and nursing mothers under the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana in 52 districts, widening of the health insurance cover under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to the unorganised sector workers and enhancing the life and disability insurance, as well as the pension scheme.

In the past year, the NAC has sent the draft National Food Security Bill and the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011, to the government. Soni8a Gandhi was eager to get these bills passed at the earliest.

While the Food Security Bill is being examined by a Parliamentary Standing Committee, the Communal Violence Bill is being considered by the home ministry. The NAC also discussed issues such as ways to prohibit manual scavenging, protect the livelihood rights of street vendors and enhance the rights of persons with disabilities and land acquisition. NAC under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi was instrumental in the UPA policies like MGNREGA, Right to information, Right to education  and the above said new proposals also show the commitment of the NAC and its chairperson Sonia Gandhi towards the poor and the downtrodden in the country.

The advisory body has already given its inputs on draft legislations to protect children against sexual offences, prevent sexual harassment of women at the workplace and has suggested amendments to existing laws on prohibiting child labour.

Earlier, the NAC had sent recommendations to the government on social sector policies relating to the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan, denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes, the Jarawa tribe, domestic workers, shelters and other services for the urban homeless, unorganised sector workers, and on improving the sex ratio at birth.

This article is posted by pressbrief.in