A former Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment and ex-BJP MP, Vijay Sampla, on Wednesday took charge as chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), a post that was vacant since May 2020.
Mr. Sampla, the former MP from Hoshiarpur in Punjab and MoS from 2014-2019, said the Commission would not only work to ensure justice is done to the SC community, but would also work proactively to prevent injustice. He said the Commission would engage with the government when it came to planning socio-economic development schemes for SCs and prevention of atrocities against them.
The post had been vacant since BJP MP Ram Shankar Katheria’s term ended in May 2020. The delay in filling the vacancy of the chairman’s post as well as vice-chairman and members had been taken up by an NGO that moved the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had in January issued notice to the Centre.
Mr. Sampla said the President had appointed him to the post, Arun Haldar as vice-chairman and Anju Bala and Subhash Ramnath Pardhi as members.
