Parliament on Tuesday approved granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the hill community living in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
जम्मू-कश्मीर: पुंछ-राजौरी में इंटरनेट और भीड़ के इकट्ठा होने पर रोक, पहाड़ी समुदाय को अनुसूचित जनजाति का दर्जा देने की मंजूरी बताई वजह
After Parliament approved granting Scheduled Tribe status to the hill community in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities on Wednesday imposed restrictions on internet and crowd gathering in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
Parliament on Tuesday approved granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the hill community living in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Till now, the Gujjar/Bakarwal community enjoyed Scheduled Tribe status and there was nine percent reservation in government jobs for members of this community.
The Gujjar/Bakarwal community has opposed the granting of ST status to the Paharis, claiming that it will curtail the reservation given to the Gujjar/Bakarwal community. He said that the Paharis are a well-settled community in the Union Territory.
Parliament has passed a bill granting ST status to the hill people as well as the Padari tribe, Koli and Gadda Brahmins of the Union Territory.
Retired IGP Raja Aijaz Ali is a prominent member of the Pahari community, who belongs to Uri border tehsil.
He said, “We have been agitating for this status since 1991. We were told that even after including the Pahari language in the 8th Schedule, we will not get the status of Scheduled Tribe. The group should not be given such status on the basis of language. Could.
He said, “Our argument has been simple and logical. Pahari are not a language based ST group, we are an ethnic minority with a distinct culture.
He said, “We also live in the same places along with our Gujjar/Bakarwal brothers. We have high levels of poverty, lack of educational and developmental opportunities, and the complexities of being an ethnic minority that deter our boys and girls from seeking better exposure to compete with better-off members of society.
“If someone is claiming that we are in a better situation by quoting Raja Aijaz Ali and two or three other members of our community, it is a self-serving argument,” he said.
He said, “The good performance of just three individuals in a hill community of over 15 lakhs proves how unfavorable the situation of our community is. We have said that whichever political party supports our claim will get our support.
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