Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 13: A delegation of J&K Jatt Sabha today called on the Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Dr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan.
The delegation was led by former Minister and President J&K Sabha Manjit Singh. The delegation of Jatt Sabha comprised of Senior Vice President and DDC member Taranjeet Singh Tony, Vice President and Ex-MLC Vikram Randhawa, former MLC and General Secretary, Surinder Choudhary, President Jammu District Urban and Corporator, Dwaraka Choudhary and District President Rural, Manjit Singh Jatt, Youth Leader, and Mandeep Choudhary.
During their meeting with the Minister, the Jatt community delegation appraised him about their demand of granting OBC status to the Jatt community which is socially, educationally, economically and politically backward.
“There is a need to take steps for their upliftment as they have remained neglected with regard to employment in J&K”, the delegation said.
Manjit Singh, the President of J&K Jatt Sabha informed the Minister about the condition of the Jatt community in Jammu and Kashmir as they are living in a very miserable condition due to no political reservation in the Union Territory.
“Jatt community has a long pending demand for OBC status which should be accepted for their upliftment. These people had to abandon their home in 1947, 1965 and 1971 and settle in the border belt of Jammu plains,” Manjit Singh informed the Union Minister.
He said that the Government of India should organise a special recruitment drive for the youth of Jatt community in the border belt in paramilitary forces and Indian army.
He further demanded that the construction of bunkers in left out villages should be completed at the earliest. He also demanded a veterinary hospital for the border villages and demanded benefits of the Animal Husbandry schemes like dairy etc., for border villagers especially the Jatt community.
After giving them a patient hearing, the Union Minister assured the Jatt Sabha delegation that he would look into their demands.