Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Feb, 18
The All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) on Thursday demanded that the income bar in providing reservation benefits to border dwellers be removed so that all people living along the international border are benefitted.
Addressing a press conference here, Gurdeep Singh, General Secretary of AJKPC and Sarpanch of Gandali Panchayat of Block RS Pura said that while the AJKPC was grateful towards the union territory administration for inclusion of 43 villages situated in 0-6 kilometers area in the list of reserved villages of International Borders under SRO 518, the income bar will lead to deprivation of benefits to a large number of youth of the area.
“The AJKPC is grateful to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the union territory administration and in particular District Development Commissioner Jammu Sushma Chauhan for inclusion of 43 villages in the list of reserved villages under SRO 518, which were left out in the initial list of reserved villages.
Their inclusion will ensure that residents of these areas from special reservations will not be deprived from reservation benefits,” he said.
However, Singh noted, certain parameters which need to be fulfilled to avail these benefits, need to be reconsidered.
“Under the new rules, there has been inclusion of an income bar which states that families whose annual income is above Rs 8 lakh will not be eligible for these reservation benefits. This is a wrong move on the administration’s part and AJKPC demands that this bar be done away with,” he said.
Singh said that the border dwellers have been facing the brunt of Pakistani shelling since decades now and the cross-border firing doesn’t distinguish on the basis of one’s income.
“The mortars and bullets fired by Pakistani do not distinguish between rich and poor, or a family earning 2 lakh rupees or 8 lakh rupees. Irrespective of their income, all the border dwellers have been living in a terrifying atmosphere,” he added.
Singh appealed to the UT administration to reconsider and revise the parameters at the earliest.
“On behalf of AJKPC and the people we represent, I urge the government to remove the income bar and provide all the reservation benefits to all the border dwellers in line with guidelines issued by the Centre government,” he said.
