Handfull of authors in reconstituted NIC

Very few authors have made it to the reconstituted National Integration Council (NIC), chaired by the Prime Minister.

The writers named to the council include Gulzar, Vikram Seth, Mrinal Pande and Sitakanta Mohapatra.

NIC has 147 members, including Union Ministers, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and all Chief Mininisters. The Council includes leaders of political parties, mediapersons, public figures, business leaders and representatives of women's organisations.


The NIC was set up way back in the early 1960s and held its first meeting in 1962. The decision to set up the council, to review all matters pertaining to national integration and to make recommendations thereon, was taken at the National Integration Conference convened by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in September-October, 1961.