Home Minister announces Scheduled Tribe status for Pahari community in J&K

Tags: State News

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Pahari community in Jammu and Kashmir on 5 October.

Important facts

• In the report submitted to the government by the Justice GD Sharma Commission, it was recommended to give reservation to the Paharis.

• Reservation will be started after completing the administrative formalities.

• The President of India may, after consultation with the Governor of the State, designate tribes or tribal communities as Scheduled Tribes.

• The Indian Parliament may by law include or exclude any caste in the list of Scheduled Tribes.

About Pahari Community

• Pahari people is a term used for several heterogeneous communities settled in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

• Pahari is a term used to describe the various northern Indo-Aryan languages spoken by the people, most of them found in the lower Himalayas.

Four tribes to the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST)

• The Hatti tribe in the Trans-Giri area in Himachal Pradesh.

• The Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran hill tribes of Tamil Nadu.

• The Binjhia tribe in Chhattisgarh.

• The Cabinet also approved a proposal to bring the Gond community of Uttar Pradesh under the ST list.