Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Justice K G Balakrishnan today said the panel's visits to different states are aimed at helping them in promoting good governance.
"The commission's visits are aimed at helping the state governments in promoting good governance," Balakrishnan said inaugurating a three-day NHRC Open Hearing and Camp Sitting in the state capital.
"Madhya Pradesh has a large number of marginalised sections of the society. The commission has come to the state to impress upon the government to improve the situation related to people's rights violations," he added.
The commission has been organising such programmes of public hearings in different states of the country time to time to reach out to people and have a first-hand account of the problems faced by dalits and issues of the violations of their rights, he said.
NHRC members Justice Cyriac Joseph and S C Sinha, Secretary General Rajesh Kishore, Director General (Investigation) Kanwaljit Deol and several senior officers of the Commission and the state government were present on the occasion.
Minister of State General Administration Lal Singh Arya said the state government is committed to protect the rights of the dalits and will implement NHRC's recommendations in fulfilment of Constitutional obligations in this regard.
He assured that efforts will be made to do whatever more is needed to be done in the interest of human rights as per the directions of the commission.
State Chief Secretary Antony Desa said the NHRC, through such programmes, has strengthened its reputation in the minds of people. The visit of the commission will underline the importance of human rights in the state.
The government will accord top priority to the implementation of the directions of the commission.
The commission heard 74 fresh complaints in the 'Open Hearing' in the three Benches headed by Justice Balakrishnan, Justice Cyriac Joseph and S C Sinha and passed appropriate recommendations for relief to the victims.
The complaints were mainly related to discrimination, land compensation, false implication, payment of retiral benefits, granting of Scheduled Caste status, payment of relief, rehabilitation and compensation on displacement.
In the camp sitting tomorrow, 45 cases pending in the Commission will be taken up by the Full Commission and its two Division Benches.
