JAMMU, Aug 25: A delegation of the BJP OBC Morcha, Jammu & Kashmir, led by Braham Jyot Satti, State President, BJP OBC Morcha, met Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Chairperson, National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), and submitted a detailed memorandum highlighting several long-pending issues concerning the welfare, constitutional rights and socio-economic empowerment of OBC communities in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
The delegation comprised Sunny Sangotra, State General Secretary, BJP OBC Morcha; Sham Mehra, State General Secretary; Manohar Babar, State Executive Member; and Ashish Kumar, District Vice President, OBC Morcha.
The delegation drew the Chairperson’s attention to the difficulties faced by members of OBC communities, particularly those residing in urban areas of Jammu & Kashmir, and urged the Commission to take up the issues with the concerned authorities for their early resolution.
The primary demand was the removal of the “Rural Only” condition from the Central List of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for four communities—Teli, Potter (Kumhar), Dhobi and Barber.
The delegation submitted that the Government of Jammu & Kashmir has already recommended deletion of the “Rural Only” condition from the Central OBC List for these communities. In this regard, the Under Secretary to the Government of Jammu & Kashmir, Social Welfare Department, Civil Secretariat, Jammu, forwarded the recommendation to the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, vide Letter No. SWD-BCC/25/2022-01 (E-7038471) dated September 19, 2023.
It was further informed that a reminder was submitted on March 6, 2024, to the office of the Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment. However, despite the passage of considerable time, the matter is still awaiting resolution.
The delegation pointed out that members of the Teli, Potter (Kumhar), Dhobi and Barber communities are currently being issued OBC caste certificates only in rural areas of Jammu & Kashmir. It argued that the restriction has created an anomaly, as members of the same communities are eligible for OBC certificates in both rural and urban areas in other parts of the country.
Braham Jyot Satti stressed that continuation of the “Rural Only” condition has deprived a large number of OBC members living in urban areas of Jammu & Kashmir of the benefits of constitutional safeguards, reservation and various welfare schemes. He urged the NCBC to facilitate removal of the condition at the earliest and ensure that eligible members receive equal benefits irrespective of their place of residence.
The delegation also demanded that OBC caste certificates be issued to eligible members of these communities residing in urban areas of the Union Territory, thereby ensuring uniform implementation of OBC provisions and eliminating the existing disparity.
Another key demand was an increase in the OBC creamy layer income limit from the existing Rs 8 lakh per annum to Rs 12 lakh per annum. The delegation said the revision was necessary in view of inflation, rising living costs and changing socio-economic conditions.
The delegation further requested that financially weaker OBC students who successfully pass Class 12 examinations be provided laptops to support their higher education. It said such assistance would promote digital learning, improve access to educational resources and help economically weaker students compete on a more equal footing.
During the meeting, the delegation emphasised that addressing these issues would contribute significantly to the educational, social and economic empowerment of OBC communities in Jammu & Kashmir and ensure that eligible beneficiaries receive the intended benefits of government policies.
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti gave a patient hearing to the delegation and assured the members that the issues and demands raised in the memorandum would be taken up and efforts would be made to seek their resolution at the earliest.
The BJP OBC Morcha delegation expressed gratitude to the NCBC Chairperson for considering the concerns of the OBC community and hoped that concrete action would be initiated soon on the long-pending issues.