->Lakhan Singh Bhargav at 12:03, 6 August 2021

2021-08-06T12:03:27Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = National Integration Council
| bgcolor = green
| fgcolor = blue
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| abbreviation = NIC
| motto = |chairman of NIC is the prime minister of India at the time of the council.
| predecessor =
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| formation = 1961
| full_name = राष्ट्रीय एकता परिषद
| extinction =
| type = Government advisory body
| status = Active
| purpose = Address the problems of communalism, casteism and regionalism
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| region_served = [[India]]
| membership = 147
| language = [[Hindi]]
| general =
| leader_title = Chairman
| leader_name = [[Prime Minister of India]]
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}}
The '''National Integration Council''' (NIC) is a group of senior politicians and public figures in [[India]] that looks for ways to address the problems of [[Communalism (South Asia)|communalism]], casteism and regionalism.<ref name=Hindu20100413/> Council members include cabinet ministers, entrepreneurs, celebrities, media heads, chief ministers, and opposition leaders. The 2013 council was chaired by Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]], and its members included movie star [[Jaya Bachchan]], cardinal [[Baselios Cleemis]], news editors: [[Shobhana Bhartia]], [[Siddharth Varadarajan]], [[Aroon Purie]], [[Barkha Dutt]], political leaders; [[Rajnath Singh]], [[Kumari Mayawati]], [[Bhim Singh (politician)|Bhim Singh]], [[Sonia Gandhi]], and billionaires; [[Anand Mahindra]], [[Rajashree Birla]], [[Cyrus Mistry]], and [[Azim Premji]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/FINAL-LISTOfNIC-2013MEMBERS.pdf|title=List of Members of The National Integration Council, 2013|website=Government of India}}</ref>

==Origin==
The National Integration Council originated in a conference convened by [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] in September–October 1961. The purpose was to find ways to counter problems that were dividing the country including attachment to specific communities, castes, religions and languages.

The conference set up the NIC to review national integration issues and make recommendations. The NIC met for the first time in June 1962. The fourteenth meeting was held in New Delhi on 13 October 2008. The fifteenth meeting was held on 10 September 2011 in New Delhi. The latest meeting (sixteenth meeting) was held on 23 September 2013.<ref name=MinHome2005/>

uted and met again in August 2005.<ref name=MinHome2005/> The new council had 103 members.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/03/stories/2005020306531100.htm
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125053552/http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/03/stories/2005020306531100.htm
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=25 January 2013
|title=National Integration Council reconstituted
|date=2 February 2005
|work=[[The Hindu]]
|accessdate=2012-03-05}}</ref> The inaugural meeting was attended by Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] and [[Indian National Congress|Congress Party]] leader [[Sonia Gandhi]]. Twelve Chief Ministers and twelve Union Ministers attended, as did leaders of all the main political parties.
The NIC met in October 2008 soon after the [[United Progressive Alliance]] (UPA) government had taken office.<ref name=Hindu20100413/> In this special meeting chaired by Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, the NIC raised its voice against spreading [[anti-Christian violence in India]].<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Editorial/India_under_siege_/articleshow/3610403.cms
|title=India under siege |newspaper=The Economic Times
|date=18 October 2008
|first=C P
|last=Bhambhri
|accessdate=29 October 2018}}</ref>

In April 2010 the council was reconstituted with 147 members, again chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.<ref name=Hindu20100413/>
The fifteenth meeting was scheduled in Delhi for 10 September 2011.
The agenda included discussion of measures to eliminate discrimination, promote communal harmony and curb communalism and communal violence.
The attendees were also to discuss ways in which the state and police should handle civil disturbances and ways to curb radicalization of youth in the name of religion and caste.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/fifteenth-national-integration-council-meeting-in-delhi-today-132678
|title=Fifteenth National Integration Council meeting in Delhi today
|date=10 September 2011
|work=NDTV
|accessdate=2012-03-05}}</ref>
The Communal Violence Bill came under attack at the meeting, with [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] leaders saying the bill would encourage rather than curb communalism and that the bill unjustly assumed that in a riot the majority was always at fault.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/communal-bill-comes-under-attack-in-nic-meeting/844620/0
|title=Communal Bill comes under attack in NIC meeting
|work=The Indian Express
|date= 10 September 2011
|accessdate=2012-03-05}}</ref>

On 19 October 2010 the government established a standing committee of the National Integration Council.
Home Minister [[P. Chidambaram]] was appointed chairman and four Union Ministers and nine Chief Ministers were appointed members.
The committee would decide on agenda items for future council meetings.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://news.oneindia.in/2010/10/19/chidambaramappointed-chairman-of-national-integrationcounc.html
|title=Chidambaram appointed chairman of National Integration Council
|date=19 October 2010
|work=One India
|accessdate=2012-03-05}}</ref>

Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos has been nominated as a Member of the National Integration Council under category IX (Eminent Public Figures). The National Integration Council under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister was reconstituted on 28 October 2013.

==References==
{{Reflist |refs=
<ref name=Hindu20100413>{{cite web
|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article395575.ece
|date=13 April 2010
|title=National Integration Council reconstituted
|author=VINAY KUMAR
|work=The Hindu
|accessdate=2012-03-05}}</ref>
<ref name=MinHome2005>{{cite web
|url = http://mha.nic.in/pdfs/NICmaterial020707.pdf
|title = NATIONAL INTEGRATION COUNCIL (NIC)
|publisher = Ministry of Home Affairs
|year = 2013
|accessdate = 2012-03-05
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110928030826/http://mha.nic.in/pdfs/NICmaterial020707.pdf
|archivedate = 2011-09-28
}}</ref>
}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Human rights in India]]
[[Category:1962 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Nehru administration]]
[[Category:Councils of India]]
[[Category:Government agencies of India|Integration]]

National Integration Council - Revision history

->Lakhan Singh Bhargav at 12:03, 6 August 2021