- National Advisory Council
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National Advisory Council 
Sonia Gandhi and the fourteen members Agency overview Formed June 2004 Jurisdiction Government of India (Union Government) Headquarters New Delhi Agency executive Sonia Gandhi, Chairman Website Official site The National Advisory Council (NAC) of India is an advisory body set up to monitor the implementation of the UPA government's manifesto, the Common Minimum Programme(CMP). It is a brainchild of Congress party president, Sonia Gandhi. It is also informally called as UPA's Planning Commission for social agenda. NAC is also called as Shadow Cabinet. On 23 March 2006, Sonia Gandhi had resigned from the post of chairmanship of the NAC after Office of profit controversy. On 29 March 2010, she was back as the chairperson of NAC.
Contents
History
NAC was set up on 4 June 2004 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during UPA-I, to implement the National Common Minimum Programme, or CMP. [1]
Organization (2010 - present)
The NAC - II is a mix of activists, retired bureaucrats, economists, politicians and an industrialist.
- Sonia Gandhi - Chairman
- Prof. M.S. Swaminathan - Agricultural scientist and MP
- Dr. Ram Dayal Munda - MP
- Aruna Roy - Retired bureaucrat
- Jean Dreze - Development economist
- Narendra Jadhav - former bureaucrat & Member, Planning Commission
- Harsh Mander - Retired Bureaucrat
- Prof. Pramod Tandon - Vice Chancellor, North Eastern Hill University
- Deep Joshi - Social activist
- Madhav Gadgil - Ecologist
- Farah Naqvi - Social activist
- Dr. N. C. Saxena - former bureaucrat
- Anu Aga - Businesswoman
- A. K. Shiva Kumar - Economist[2]
- Mirai Chatterjee - Coordinator, SEWA, Ahmedabad
The NAC secretariat has Rita Sharma as its Secretary.[3][4]
Focus areas
- Natural resource management, including revitalisation of agriculture,
- Development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
- Welfare of minorities
- Poverty elimination and employment generation
- Land rights and land reforms
- Right to education, disadvantaged children
- Health security and medical insurance
- Social security and safety net for the disadvantaged groups
- Urban poverty
- Development of the northeast
- Special Component plan for Scheduled Castes and the tribal sub-plan for Scheduled Tribes.
NAC - I (2004 - 2006)
- Sonia Gandhi - Chairman UPA and Congress party president
- M.S. Swaminathan - Agricultural scientist
- Aruna Roy - Social activist
- Jean Dreze - Development economist
- C.H. Hanumantha Rao - Economist
- Madhav Chavan - Educator, founder Pratham
- Sehba Hussain - Founder, Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA)
- A. K. Shiva Kumar - Economist
- Jairam Ramesh - Politician
- Jayaprakash Narayan (Lok Satta) - Politician and former bureaucrat
- V. Krishnamurthy
- Dr. N. C. Saxena - former bureaucrat
- Mrinal Miri - Educator
Achievements
- NREGA
- Right to Information Act
The RTE act neglected the constitutional rights of tribal councils in north east India, which are the bodies having controlling powers over Elementary Education in their respective areas.
Criticisms
The NAC has been criticized by opposition parties and scholars as not in keeping with India's constitution, and that it would emerge as an alternative, cabinet. [5][6][7][8]. However there's an alternative view [9] which states that the NAC could deepen democracy by facilitating greater prelegislative/pre-policy consultation
References
- ^ http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/sonia-gandhi-returns-as-head-of-national-advisory-council-nac-18688.php
- ^ http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article452119.ece
- ^ http://www.pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=62199
- ^ http://www.livemint.com/2010/06/14001050/Newlook-NAC-as-the-new-Left.html?d=1
- ^ http://go4quiz.com/vincent/2010/india/national-advisory-council-is-unnecessary/
- ^ http://governancenow.com/views/columns/nac-think-tank-super-cabinet-or-unconstitutional
- ^ http://www.financialexpress.com/news/formation-of-nac-unconstitutional-sonia-super-pm/110695/
- ^ http://www.indianexpress.com/news/soniabenisthemostpopularpoliticianinindia/597734/
- ^ http://www.india-seminar.com/2011/624/624_comment.htm
External links
- Official site
- New NAC Members
- Editorial by Dr. Jacob Kani in Indian Currents
- Editorial in the Times of India on NAC.
- statement by George Fernandez, leader of the opposition on the formatio of NAC.
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