Former union minister to head national commission for schedule caste

Former union minister and BJP MP Prof (Dr) Ram Shankar Katheria on Wednesday was appointed as the chairman of the National Commission for Schedule Caste (NCSC), filling up the vacancy eight months after Congress leader PL Punia's term came to an end last October.

President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday approved the appointments of Katheria and four others to assist the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), giving each of them a tenure of 3 years with effect from the date they assume respective charges, said the ministry of social justice and empowerment in an official statement.

A BJP MP from Agra, Katheria was dropped from union council of ministers last July after controversy erupted over his alleged forged post-graduation and graduation mark-sheets. He was also accused of giving hate speech early last year.  Katheria had denied all these allegations.
 
L Murugan will be vice chairman while K.Ramulu, Dr Yogendra Paswan and Dr. (Ms) Swaraj Vidwan members of the constitutional body, said the government.