The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has endorsed the proposal for designating the Pahari ethnic group as a Scheduled Tribe in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir less than a month after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s commitment at a public meeting in Jammu.

Following Shah’s commitment at a public meeting in Jammu’s Rajouri district last month, the Registrar General of India had suggested including Paharis, the Paddari tribe, Koli, and Gadda Brahman clans on the UT’s list of STs.

The NCST has now made room for the four new groups to be recognised as STs in Jammu and Kashmir. Shah had stated that the Pahari group would receive ST classification, resulting in reservation in government jobs and admission to schools.

According to a statement released by the NCST, “The commission has evaluated the proposal submitted from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs… The commission supports the proposal based on the suggestion of the Office of the Registrar General of India [RGI].”

This occurs just one month after Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared during a speech in Rajouri that the Pahari people would receive reservations in both employment and education.

Shortly after Mr. Shah’s speech, on October 7, the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs wrote to the ST Commission to get its thoughts on the idea of including these four communities in Jammu and Kashmir’s ST list. According to government sources, the commission approved the proposal for their inclusion in its meeting on October 20 after numerous sessions.

The commission in J&K established for the socially and educationally underprivileged classes was headed by Justice (Retd.) G.D., and it made the request for the addition of the four new groups. Sharma.

Six of the nine Assembly districts in the Pir Panjal valley—the Gujjar and Bakerwal-dominated Rajouri, Poonch, and Reasi districts of Jammu—were previously set aside for the STs by the Delimitation Commission.

The Union Cabinet must give the final approval in accordance with the procedures the Union government follows when adding new communities to the ST list once the NCST and the Office of the RGI have approved the proposal for inclusion.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs will therefore be needed to introduce a bill in Parliament to alter The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order, 1989 in order to include the newly added STs in J&K.

The addition will then be completed once the amended timetable has been officially announced by the President of India in accordance with Article 342 of the Indian Constitution.