UTTARANCHAL’S RECOMMENDATION NECESSARY TO INCLUDE KOLTA COMMUNITY IN THE LIST OF SCHEDULED CASTES

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The recommendation of the government of Uttaranchal is required for the Centre to consider inclusion of "Kolta" community in the list of Scheduled Castes. This was stated by the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Satyanarayan Jatiya in the Rajya Sabha today. He said that ‘Bajgi’ community has been specified as Scheduled Caste throughout the state of Uttaranchal. ‘Bajgi’ community is also notified as Scheduled Caste in Uttar Pradesh. Dr. Jatiya said that Jaunsari community of the then Uttar Pradesh and now Uttaranchal was notified as Scheduled Tribe in June 1967. He said that since Jaunsari is a territorial term encompassing all the residents of the area, people belonging to Kolta and Bagji communities residing in Jaunsar-Bawar region in Dehradun district are entitled to get the benefits due to Scheduled Tribe in the name of Jaunsari, provided the claimants or their parents were permanent residents of Jaunsar area prior to June24, 1967.