Gujjars , Bakarwal demanded more laws, schemes to befit JK Tribes
Anantnag, October 28, 2021: The Gujjar Bakerwal Ethaad Council functionaries today organized a programme at Kokarnag to discuss various countrywide laws extended to Jammu and Kashmir to benefit Tribal population at large. They demanded more laws and schemes to benefit tribes. The programme was presided over by the President of the Ethaad Chowdhary Haroon Khatana while the tribal of Kashmir valley participated in the programme.
In his Presidential address Chowdhary Haroon Khatana stated that during the visit of Home Minister of India , Sh Amit Shah to Jammu and Kashmir , the Gujjars widely hailed the new laws including Forest Rights Act, SC/ST Atrocities Act, Constitution of Delimitation and they termed it as a historic steps to correct the discrimination, injustice meted out to tribal people and forest dwellers of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
While informing the tribal, he said that the Gujjar Bakerwal Ethaad Council in its meeting with Union Home Minister expressed heartiest gratitude to Prime Minister of India Sh Nredendra Modi for historic initiatives including implementation of FRA, grant of reservation to schedule tribes in Panchayat and local urban bodies besides extension of all the Centrally sponsored scheme to tribal areas which will empower the tribes Socially, economically and educationally .
He hoped that the Central government will accede to our long pending demands we put before the Home Minister regarding inclusion of Gojri Language in 8th schedule of Indian constitution, reservation in promotion to ST employees, recruitment of youths of tribal community in Central forces etc.
Regarding FRA Ch Haroon said The Act gave back to traditional forest dwellers their rights to freely access, independently manage and govern forest lands and all other resources related to forests, within village boundaries, which had been controlled by the Forest Department of erstwhile State of J&K , prior to 31st of October 2019, the date of implementation of Reorganisation Act, 2019 in J&K.
Others who spoke include Ch Anwar Phamra, Mushtaq Chowdhary, Hassan Parwaz, Wali Mohd, Ahmed Din Poswal and others.
