Bhubaneswar, Jan. 11: The chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Justice H.L. Dattu, today stressed the need to include human rights education in the state's school curriculum.

Speaking on the concluding day of the commission's camp here, Justice Dattu said NHRC provided support for conducting such programmes in schools and colleges. He said there was a need to strengthen the State Human Rights Commission by filling all vacancies and improving physical infrastructure. Justice Dattu said the commission had sought timely submission of reports on human rights violations. Effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act, he added, would ensure that the rights of scheduled tribes were not violated.

Justice Dattu appreciated the state government for agreeing to provide additional monetary compensation to the next of kin of a minor blind girl who was brutally raped and murdered in Konark district in 2013. The chief secretary had appeared in person before the panel during the hearing of the case at the camp court here yesterday and promised to provide the relief as soon as possible.

On the first day, the NHRC chief said, the panel considered complaints received from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes about alleged violation of human rights by public servants, in response to the public notice. He added that three benches of the panel considered a total of 107 complaints.

Of the 107 complaints, 47 cases were disposed of. In two cases, the panel ordered spot enquiries. In five cases, the panel recommended relief of Rs 4.65 lakh. In one case of prima facie violation of human rights, a showcause notice was issued. In the remaining cases, the panel called for further reports from the authorities concerned or comments from the complainant.

On the second day, the panel considered 25 cases. These included cases of alleged violations in Koraput-Balangir-Kalahandi, Posco project site, practice of witchcraft, death of infants in hospital, malnutrition, child labour, deaths due to electrocution and Japanese encephalitis.

Justice Dattu said in 10 cases of electrocution, the commission recommended monetary relief of Rs 23.10 lakh.

Today, the commission considered six cases.The commission also issued a notice to the district collector of Kendrapara in the case of a scheduled tribe woman purportedly forced by poverty to sell her newborn. The commission issued a notice to Kendrapara district magistrate to submit a report within four weeks along with the steps taken for rehabilitation.