Rijiju Congratulates New NCM Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson
Synopsis
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on July 17, 2026, congratulated Harjit Singh Grewal, S. Munawari Begum, and Glenn E. Souza Ticlo on their appointments as Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Member respectively of the National Commission for Minorities, expressing confidence in their leadership for minority welfare.
Key Takeaways
Harjit Singh Grewal has been appointed Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities .
Munawari Begum has been appointed Vice-Chairperson of the NCM.
Souza Ticlo has been appointed as a Member of the NCM.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju oversees minority affairs and welcomed the reconstitution on July 17, 2026 .
The NCM is a statutory body established under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 , first constituted in 1993 .
The commission serves India's six notified minority communities and monitors constitutional safeguards for their welfare.
Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday, July 17, 2026, congratulated the newly appointed leadership of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), welcoming Shri Harjit Singh Grewal as Chairperson, Ms. S. Munawari Begum as Vice-Chairperson, and Shri Glenn E. Souza Ticlo as Member of the statutory body.
Context
Rijiju extended his 'heartiest congratulations' to all three appointees and expressed confidence that 'under their leadership, the Commission will further strengthen its efforts towards safeguarding the rights and welfare of minority communities.' The minister also invoked the broader national goal, expressing hope that the reconstituted commission would 'contribute meaningfully to the vision of an inclusive, empowered and developed India.'
The appointments signal a fresh reconstitution of the NCM, a move that periodically renews the institutional mandate of the body and ensures community representation at its helm.
Policy Backdrop
The National Commission for Minorities is a statutory body established under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, and was first constituted in 1993. Its mandate covers monitoring constitutional safeguards for religious and linguistic minorities, receiving grievances, and making recommendations to the central and state governments.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs, created in 2006, works in tandem with the NCM to coordinate central schemes covering education, skill development, and infrastructure in minority-concentrated areas. Rijiju, as the minister in charge of both parliamentary affairs and minority affairs, oversees the administrative relationship between the ministry and the commission.
Stakeholders and Impact
The reconstituted NCM will serve India's six notified minority communities — Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis), and Jains — whose combined population runs into tens of crore citizens. The new leadership's composition, spanning different community backgrounds, reflects the government's stated objective of broad-based representation within the commission.
Civil society groups, minority welfare organisations, and state minority commissions will look to the incoming leadership to take up pending grievances, review the implementation of centrally sponsored schemes, and table recommendations that carry institutional weight with the government.
What's Next
The newly constituted NCM is expected to hold its inaugural sittings and begin receiving petitions and representations from minority communities across states. Parliamentarians have historically used question hour and committee proceedings to scrutinise NCM functioning, making the commission's early agenda a subject of legislative attention.
The tabling of the NCM's next annual report in Parliament will be an early test of the new leadership's priorities, and any recommendations on minority welfare schemes will be closely watched by both the Ministry of Minority Affairs and advocacy groups working in this space.
Point of View
Reflecting the government's need to keep statutory minority-welfare institutions operationally active. The choice of appointees spanning different community backgrounds signals an effort to project cross-community representation at a time when minority affairs remains a politically sensitive portfolio. For Rijiju, who holds the dual charge of parliamentary and minority affairs, the announcement reinforces his ministerial visibility on a subject that attracts close legislative and civil-society scrutiny. How the new NCM leadership translates its mandate into concrete recommendations will determine whether this reconstitution is remembered as consequential or merely procedural.
NationPress
17 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities?
Shri Harjit Singh Grewal has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, as announced on July 17, 2026 .
What is the National Commission for Minorities and what does it do?
The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) is a statutory body set up under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 , and first constituted in 1993 . It monitors constitutional safeguards for religious and linguistic minority communities, receives complaints, and makes recommendations to the central and state governments on minority welfare.
Who is the new Vice-Chairperson of the NCM?
Ms. S. Munawari Begum has been appointed as the Vice-Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities.
Which ministry oversees the National Commission for Minorities?
The Ministry of Minority Affairs , created in 2006 , oversees coordination with the NCM. The ministry is currently headed by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju .
Which communities does the National Commission for Minorities serve?
The NCM serves India's six notified minority communities: Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis), and Jains .
