There is a potential development in the Parliament concerning the bill aimed at amending the Reservation Act.
This bill specifically seeks to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to various communities, including the Pahari Ethnic Tribe (Pahari Kabila), Paddari Tribe, Koli, and Gadda Brahman, reported Daily Excelsior.
The anticipated timeline for the discussion and passage of this bill is set to occur during the last session of the 17th Lok Sabha, commencing on January 31 and concluding on February 9.
Notably, this bill was initially introduced in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session of the Parliament in July of the previous year.
It was presented alongside two other bills, one addressing the nomination of two Kashmiri Pandits and one Pakistan administered Jammu Kashmir (PaJK) refugee in the Union Territory (UT) Assembly.
The second bill aimed at providing reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs and educational institutions in Jammu and Kashmir.
Interestingly, the latter two bills successfully passed through the Parliament during the winter session in December.
However, the bill seeking ST status did not undergo consideration at that time.
The Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the region have historically enjoyed reservation benefits in jobs and education.
However, they were previously excluded from political reservations in Jammu Kashmir, despite such reservations existing in Lok Sabha and Assemblies across the country.
It was only after the reading down of Article 370 that the government extended political reservations to Scheduled Tribes in Jammu and Kashmir, marking a significant shift in the political landscape of the region.