National Integration Council

National Integration Council set up in June 1962 by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to address the problems of communalism and regionalism in India.

Chairman and Members

It is chaired by Prime Minister of India. The members of the NIC include union ministers, leaders of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, chief ministers of all states and Union Territories, leaders of national and regional political parties, chairpersons of national commissions, eminent journalists, and other public figures in India. The NIC had set up Standing Committees, sub-committees and sub-groups over the years to discuss on specific problems. The NIC is an extra-constitutional body which does not has either statutory or constitutional backing.

Functions

The objective of National Integration Council is to promote guiding principles of idea of India such as unity in diversity, inclusiveness, equal rights for all, philosophy of coexistence & tolerance.

Till now, the council met 16 times, the last time in September 2013. The 16^th NIC meeting was chaired by the then former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The 16^th NIC included 148 members. At the 16^th NIC, the main agenda of discussion was on issue of communal violence in the country, atrocities on women, increasing crimes against SC’s and ST’s, and not allowing any political party to get benefit from communal violence.