SRINAGAR: The bill to amend the Reservation Act in Parliament to grant ST status to the Pahari Ethnic Tribe (Pahari Kabila), Paddari Tribe, Koli and Gadda Brahman could come up during the last session of the 17th Lok Sabha, the Excelsior reported.
The bill is likely to be taken up for consideration and passing in last session of 17th Lok Sabha starting January 31 and scheduled to conclude on February 9.
It was introduced in Lok Sabha in Monsoon session of the Parliament in July last year along with two other bills for nomination of two Kashmiri Pandits and one Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) refugee in the UT Assembly and grant of reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Government jobs and educational institutions in Jammu and Kashmir. Last two bills were passed by the Parliament in its winter session in December while the ST status bill was not taken up.
The STs enjoyed reservation in jobs, education, but they were denied political reservations in Jammu and Kashmir for a long time though such a reservation existed in Lok Sabha and Assemblies across the country.
However, after reading down of article 370 the Government extended political reservations to STs in J&K.
