Amid street protests led by the Scheduled Tribe Gujjar-Bakarwal community in Jammu against the inclusion of the Pahari Ethnic group in the Union Territory’s Scheduled Tribes list, Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Bill to include this community in the UT’s ST list, with Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda categorically asserting that benefits meant for existing STs in the UT will not be disturbed whatsoever.
The Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order Amendment Bill, 2023, through voice vote with support from across party lines even as Anantnag MP Hasnain Masoodi sought guarantees from the government on its specific strategy to ensure the quota for existing STs is protected. Other Opposition MPs questioned the government over its delay in processing requests for inclusion from other communities in other states.
In addition to the Pahari Ethnic Group, the Bill also adds the Gadda Brahman, the Paddari Tribe, and the Koli communities to the ST list of Jammu and Kashmir. Together with this, Lok Sabha also discussed and passed a Bill to add the Valmiki community to the Scheduled Castes list of the UT, along with its synonyms.
