Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said passage of Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in Lok Sabha is a historic day for Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that inclusion of new communities in ST list won’t impact reservations to Gujjars and Bakarwals.

“A historic day for Jammu Kashmir as Lok Sabha has cleared the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to grant scheduled tribe status to Paharis, Padari Tribes, Koli & Gadda Brahmin, fulfilling the long pending demand of these communities,” Lt Governor said in a statement.
He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has ensured inclusion of these communities in the Scheduled Tribes list will have no impact on the current level of reservations available to Gujjars, Bakarwals & other tribes & they will continue to get reservations like before.
“After the bill is cleared in Rajya Sabha, the UT administration will issue necessary notifications ensuring that the people included in the existing list of Scheduled Tribes continue to get the same level of reservation,” he said.
Sinha said UT administration is committed to build a J&K which focuses on balanced development and benefits all sections of society with the Mantra of inclusive development.
“I also appeal to the people and community elders to discharge their responsibilities well and counter any misinformation being spread by miscreants on the level of reservation to the communities. I reiterate that the inclusion of new communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes will not impact the current level of reservations available to the existing Scheduled Tribe communities such as Gujjars and Bakarwals,” he added.