In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress party has said that the people of the entire Chenab belt should be given Scheduled Tribe (ST) status as it is their long-pending genuine demand.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Congress spokesman, Dr Jahanzaib Sirwal addressing a press conference in Jammu said the people of the Chenab belt are living in extreme geographic and climatic conditions as landslides have become a permanent feature in the region.
He further said that the cosmetic road, education and health infrastructure, which are the basic essentials, lie in shambles across this tough mountainous region and the people are compelled to live in miserable conditions.
The spokesman said that the people, residing in the entire Chenab belt, should be declared as Scheduled Tribe (ST) as they are facing discrimination and step-motherly treatment by the authorities.
He added that lakhs of educated unemployed youth from the Chenab Valley can be benefitted by declaring the people as STs as this would facilitate these youth in getting employment.—INP
