NHRC, India CHAPTER - 6 ADVOCACY AND OUTREACH A. National seminars and conferences 6.1 Despite the outbreak of Covid-19 virus, virtual conferences and webinars were organised by the Commission throughout the year. These included conferences on rights of domestic workers, manual scavengers, victims of human trafficking, women and children and webinars on cooperation between NHRC and CSOs and NGOs, HRDs on human rights issues, and digital education for children in the advent of Covid-19. All the virtual conferences and webinars have been enlisted under Annexure – 9. B. Commission’s meeting with state human rights commissions 6.2 The PHRA, in Section 21, provides for constitution of the State Human RightsCommissions (SHRCs) in the States. 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 fulfil its responsibilities to the people in accordance with the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 and the ‘Paris Principles’. 6.3 The Commission takes the initiative to hold regular interactions with the State Human Rights Commissions to explore and further strengthen areas of cooperation and partnership. 6.4 The Commission has taken up with the concerned StateGovernment the issues for evolving a basic structure, minimum manpower and financial requirement of SHRCs to enable them to discharge their functions assigned under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 and to streamline complaint disposal by the SHRCs. In response, the Government of India has requested to send the details of complaints registered, disposed of and pending division-wise existing manpower, financial allocation, details of shortage being experienced and justification for providing additional amount, etc. by each SHRC. The details, as received from SHRC, have been sent to the Government of India. 6.5 The National Human Rights Commission organised the NHRC-SHRCs Interface Meeting for Chairpersons, Members, and Secretaries of all the State Human Rights Commissions and Statutory Full Commission’s Members as special invitees, on 13 October 2021 to discuss important issues related to various thematic areas of human rights and also to explore the probable areas of collaboration between NHRC and SHRCs for effective protection and promotion of human rights. The meeting was inaugurated by Justice Mr. Arun Kumar Mishra, Hon’ble Chairperson, NHRC and attended by Members, Secretary General, Senior Officers of NHRC and Chairpersons/ ANNUAL REPORT 39 2021-22