Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti takes charge as Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes
Former Union Minister of State Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti assumed charge as Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) on 18 March 2026; former Amravati Mayor Kiran Umesh Mahalle joined as Member on 20 March.
Summary
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti assumed charge as Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) with effect from 18 March 2026, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti is a former Member of Parliament who served as Union Minister of State in the Ministries of Rural Development and of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Kiran Umesh Mahalle, a former Mayor of Amravati Municipal Corporation, assumed charge as a Member of the NCBC from 20 March 2026. The NCBC is a constitutional body under Article 338B, inserted by the Constitution (One Hundred and Second Amendment) Act, 2018; it was earlier a statutory body set up under the NCBC Act, 1993, and consists of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and three other Members.
Key facts
- Chairperson
- Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, from 18 March 2026
- Background
- Former MP; former MoS Rural Development and Consumer Affairs, Food & PD
- Member
- Kiran Umesh Mahalle, from 20 March 2026 (former Mayor, Amravati)
- Ministry
- Social Justice and Empowerment
- Constitutional status
- Article 338B, inserted by the 102nd Amendment Act, 2018
- Earlier
- Statutory body under the NCBC Act, 1993
- Composition
- Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and three other Members
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Who assumed charge as Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes on 18 March 2026?
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Correct answer: D — Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti assumed charge as NCBC Chairperson with effect from 18 March 2026; Kiran Umesh Mahalle joined as Member on 20 March.
Kiran Umesh Mahalle, who joined the NCBC as a Member in March 2026, was earlier Mayor of which Municipal Corporation?
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Correct answer: A — Amravati
Kiran Umesh Mahalle has served as Mayor of the Municipal Corporation, Amravati.
Consider the following about the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), whose Chairperson took charge in March 2026: 1. The NCBC is a constitutional body under Article 338B, inserted by the Constitution (One Hundred and Second Amendment) Act, 2018. 2. Before 2018, the NCBC functioned as a statutory body under the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct: the 102nd Amendment Act, 2018 inserted Article 338B and gave the NCBC constitutional status; it was earlier constituted under the NCBC Act, 1993, which was repealed in 2018.