Former Cabinet Secretary Alok Rawat has been appointed as the first male member of the National Commission for Women, filling the fourth seat in the five-member body. A 1977 batch Sikkim cadre IAS officer, Mr Rawat has served as Director/Joint Secretary in Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Secretary (UPSC); Secretary (Coordination and Public Grievances) in the Cabinet Secretariat and Secretary in Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Mr Rawat said that working with the Commission will be a new experience and his first focus will be to learn the job. Two other members Sushma Sahu and Rekha Sharma were appointed to the Commission in August.

National Commission for Women

• The National Commission for Women (NCW) is a statutory body of the Government of India, generally concerned with advising the government on all policy matters affecting women.
• It was established in January 1992 under the provisions of the Indian Constitution, as defined in the 1990 National Commission for Women Act.
• The first head of the commission was Jayanti Patnaik.
• On 17 September 2014 Lalitha Kumaramangalam was appointed Chairperson.