NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION to Parliament. The Commission had adopted twin pronged approach to deal with the issue of silicosis. On one side, it has made recommendations to pay compensation on individual complaint received by it and on the other side, it has recommended and reviewed various legislations, policy and monitoring mechanisms to deal with this occupational hazard. The Commission organized a series of meetings with the Experts on Silicosis, which were held on 23rd January, 7th February and 6th April 2017 to give concrete suggestions with regard to preventive, remedial, compensatory and rehabilitative measures to alleviate the problem of silicosis suffered by the affected workers and their family members. The suggestions were later drafted in the form of recommendations. The Commission has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India in writ petition (Civil) No. 110 of 2006 (Peoples’ Rights and Social Research Centre Vs Union of India), submitting its recommendations on preventive, remedial, rehabilitative and compensation aspects of Silicosis. Core Group of NGOs 2.54 In pursuance of Section 12 (i) of the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993, the Commission, right from its inception, has been encouraging the efforts of the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and institutions working in the field of human rights. The Commission associates and partners with the reputed NGOs in various programmes and 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 interaction with the NGOs. In order to facilitate its interaction with the NGOs and civil society organizations, the Commission constituted a Core Group of NGOs on 17th July, 2001. The Group was last reconstituted on 16th September, 2011 with 11 Members. The matter regarding reconstitution of the Core Group of NGOs is again under consideration of the Commission for giving wide representation of credible NGOs from diverse fields of human rights across the country. State Human Rights Commissions 2.55 The National Human Rights Commission was constituted in 1993, in accordance with the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993. The PHRA, in Section 21, provides for constitution of the State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs) in the States. The existence and functioning of a Human Rights Commission in the States will go a long way in the protection of human rights in the remote areas of the country. The Commission has been urging the State Governments, where no State Commission has been constituted, to initiate action to constitute a State Human Rights Commission to fulfill its responsibilities to the people in accordance with the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993 and the ‘Paris Principles’. Annual Report 2017-2018 23