Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday termed as "historic" the Lok Sabha passing a bill to modify the lists of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to add four communities -- Gadda Brahmin, Koli, Paddari Tribe, and Pahari Ethnic Group -- to the list of Scheduled Tribes in Jammu and Kashmir.
"A historic day for Jammu and Kashmir. Lok Sabha has cleared the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to grant scheduled tribe status to Paharis, Padari Tribes, Koli and Gadda Brahmin, fulfilling the long pending demand of these communities," the Lt Governor said in a statement here.
He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has ensured inclusion of these communities in the Scheduled Tribes list, and it will have no impact on the current level of reservations available to Gujjars, Bakarwals and other tribes. They will continue to get reservations like before, Sinha said.
"After the bill is cleared in the Rajya Sabha, the UT administration will issue necessary notifications ensuring that the people included in the existing list of Scheduled Tribes continue to get the same level of reservation," he said He also appealed to people and community elders to counter any "misinformation being spread" by miscreants on the level of reservation to the communities.
"I reiterate that the inclusion of new communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes will not impact the current level of reservations available to the existing Scheduled Tribe communities such as Gujjars and Bakarwals," he said.
Over the past one year, the Gujjars and Bakarwals have openly voiced their opposition over granting of Scheduled Tribes status to the Pahari community on the pretext that they are not tribals.
