Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 14: The Gujjars constitute a significant and sizeable proportion of the total population of the Jammu and Kashmir and they are the symbols of patriotism and nationalism, said senior BJP leader and former Minister Choudhary Sukhnandan Kumar today.
New era of Tribal upliftment and welfare commenced in J&K with the introduction of new laws after 2019, which empowers ST communities at large, the former Minister further said.
While talking to group of members of Gujjars community Choudhary narrated a seven decades story of the struggle of J&K Gujjars for the recognition of their separate identity as a Tribal. Gujjars are nationalist by conviction and they have proved it in the past during extreme testing times.
New laws including ‘Forest Rights Act, SC/ST Atrocities Act, political reservation to STs and other laws extended to J&K in 2019 will defiantly change the socio-economic profile of the Tribal Gujjars, Bakerwals, Gaddis and Sippis.
Due to grant of the rights under political reservation now 102 Sarpanchs, 66 block chairmen, 43 DDC members and three chairpersons of DDC were earlier under ST category across J&K. The Delimitation Commission has recently announced the reservation of nine seats for STs in JK Assembly which is a great step towards Tribal empowerment, the senior BJP leader Sukhnandan Kumar added.
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