Lok Sabha passes Bill to grant ST status to Paharis in J&K
Bill to grant SC status to Valmiki community in J&K also passed
New Delhi, Feb 6: In a historic development, Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill to grant ST status to Paharis besides granting SC status to Valmiki community in Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies.
The lower house provides reservation to Other Backward Classes in local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir, with the government asserting that important changes have taken place in the Union territory since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Currently, there is no provision for reservation of seats for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in panchayats and municipalities in Jammu and Kashmir.
The ST Bill also includes Gadda Brahman, Koli and Paddari communities to the ST list of Jammu and Kashmir. The house was adjourned for the day soon after the two Bills were passed.
The Bills will now be taken up in the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage. These Bills were passed nearly seven months after they were introduced in the Lok Sabha. The Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 26 last year.
The announcement to grant ST status to Pahari Ethnic Group was made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during public rallies in Baramulla and Rajouri in October 2022.
The grant of ST status would make Paharis eligible for all benefits available to ST category in Jammu and Kashmir. The Paharis are in majority in Nowshera, Kalakote-Sunderbani, Rajouri, Thanmandi, Surankote, Poonch-Haveli, Mendhar, Uri and Karnah assembly segments of J&K.
Notably, Paharis have been fighting for more than three decades for their inclusion in the Schedule Tribe (ST) category.