If din persists, legislation may get through without debate
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 31: Senior officers of the civil administration reached New Delhi today in anticipation of tabling of four Reservation bills of Jammu and Kashmir for passing in Lok Sabha anytime now this week.
Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta also reached New Delhi this afternoon. Besides, other concerned Administrative Secretaries are also camping in the capital.
As per the officials, all four Reservation bills on Jammu and Kashmir which have already been introduced in Lok Sabha are likely to be taken up for pass motion on any working day now this week, as the Parliament is scheduled to adjourn on August 11.
The bills may even be taken up tomorrow or following day, they said.
After the bills are approved by the Lok Sabha where the BJP enjoys majority on its own, they will be tabled in Rajya Sabha for passing.
“If the bills are cleared by both Houses of Parliament, they will go to the President of India for assent,” the officials said.
There has been uproar in Parliament most of the time with Opposition seeking discussion on Manipur violence.
“Senior officers have reached New Delhi to be present in the Officers’ Gallery to assist the concerned Ministers in case of debate on the bills,” the officials said.
As per the sources, all four bills are likely to be taken up for discussion and passing in single day as all of them pertained to Jammu and Kashmir.
“Even if pandemonium persists from the Oppositions, the bills are likely to be taken up for discussion and pass motion,” they said.
One of the bills pertained to nomination of two Kashmiri migrants including one woman and a Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) refugee in Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir by the Lieutenant Governor while the other is about grant of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to Pahari Ethnic Tribe, Paddari Tribe, Gadda Brahmans and Kolis.
Third bill proposed to change nomenclature of Other Social Castes (OSCs) to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for grant of reservation while fourth bill will include Valmikis in the list of Scheduled Castes.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 provides for nomination of not more than two members, one of whom shall be a woman, from the community of Kashmiri migrants, and one member from displaced persons from Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir, to the Legislative Assembly of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Delimitation Commission, while undertaking the delimitation process of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, had received many representations from the Kashmiri migrants as well as from the displaced persons from Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir regarding reservation of seats in the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to preserve their political rights and identity, they said.
“It is proposed to amend Section 2 of the Reservation Act by the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 so as to change the nomenclature of ‘weak and under privileged classes (Social Castes)’ occurring in Sub-clause (iii) of clause (o), to ‘Other Backward Classes’ and to make consequential amendment in Clause (q), of Section 2 of the said act,” the statement on the OBC bill stated.
The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order Bill 2023 seeks to include the Valmiki community as a synonym of Chura, Bhangi, Valmiki and Mehtar in the list of Scheduled Castes of Jammu and Kashmir.
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