Jammu: Decks have been cleared for recasting the social identities in Jammu and Kashmir, including reservation to Pahari speaking people and expanding the ambit of Other Backward Classes, as Government has listed three Bills in this connection for consideration and passage in the current Budget Session.
The Ministries of Home Affairs and Social Justice and Empowerment have listed for introduction three Bills which seek amendment in the overall Reservations, Scheduled Tribe Order and the Scheduled Caste Order.
To accommodate the Pahari Speaking People in the list of Scheduled Tribes, the Government is understanding a massive restricting of all reserved categories and to enlarge the ambit the Other Backward Classes by including at least 15 more castes.
Among the three Bills listed for introduction, the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment Bill), 2023 seeks to change the nomenclature of weak and under-privileged classes (social castes) provided in the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005 to Other Backward Classes. This is in follow up to the recommendations of the Jammu and Kashmir Socially and Economically Backward Classes, popularly known as Justice G.D. Sharma Commission.
The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill 2023 revises the list of Scheduled Tribes pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir. The Pahari speaking people, Padri people, Kohli and Gadda Brahmans have been recommended to be included in the list of Scheduled Tribes.
The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill 2023 seeks to revise the list pertaining to Scheduled Castes in Jammu and Kashmir.
These three Bills have been listed for consideration and passage in the current Budget Session of Parliament.
This story is being updated with more details
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