NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION F. Core and Expert Groups 5.12 Core and Expert Groups consist of eminent persons or subject experts or representatives of Government or technical institutions or non-governmental organizations in a given field required by the Commission, be it health, mental health, disability, bonded labour, etc. These Groups render expert advice to the Commission as per their expertise. Some of the important Core and Expert Groups that functioned in the NHRC during 2016-2017 were : • Core Advisory Group on Health • Core Group on Mental Health • Core Group on Disability • Core Group on NGOs • Core Group on Lawyers • Core Group on Right to Food • Core Group on Protection and Welfare of Elderly Persons • Core Advisory Group on Bonded Labour • Expert Group on Silicosis • Expert Group on Emergency Medical Care • Core Group on Trafficking, Women and Children 5.13 Meetings of the Core and Expert Groups are called by the NHRC periodically at regular intervals or as and when deemed necessary, in the Commission. The details of some of the Core and Expert Group meetings held in the Commission during the period under review are given in subsequent chapters of the Annual Report where these issues have been taken up. Meeting of Core Group of NGOs 5.14 In pursuance of Section 12(i) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the Commission, right from its inception, has been encouraging the efforts of non-governmental organizations and institutions working in the field of human rights. The Commission associates and partners with reputed NGOs in various programmes, projects initiated by it in the area of human rights awareness. As awareness of human rights is an important factor in the better protection of human rights, there is greater scope of increasing the interaction with NGOs. 5.15 In order to facilitate its interaction with the NGOs and civil society organizations, the Commission constituted a Core Group of NGOs on 17.07.2001. The Group was last reconstituted on 16.09.2011 with 11 members. The matter regarding reconstitution of the Core Group of NGOs ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017 79