STATE TIMES NEWS
UDHAMPUR: The Jammu and Kashmir Batwal Welfare Association held its General Body Meeting at Village Garhi which was chaired by Subedar Major Romesh Sargotra and attended by a huge majority of Batwal community members hailing from different corners of the State.
In the meeting, an Advisory Committee was established to function as a think tank for the association for working at its direction. Advisory Committee comprised of Capt. Ram Lal Sargotra, Capt. Kamal Chand Motan, Capt. Darbari Lal Sargotra, Sub. Maj. Guni Ram Kaith, Sub. Baldev Chand Sandhu, Sub. Narayan Dass Bassa, Hav. Gari Lal Lakhotra, Hav. Mohan Lal Motan, Hav. Uttam Chand Sandhu, Hav. Gandherb Ram Motan, Naib Sarpanch Ram Lal Lakhotra, Naib Sarpanch Som Nath Tugga, Kamal Singh Kaith, Harbans La lMotan, Baljeet Kumar Kaith, Suraj Parkash Sargotra, Madan Lal Kaith, Bua Ditta Kaith, Munshi Ram Motan, Darshan Lal Kaith, Laju Ram Kaith, Nand Lal Lakhotra and Ram Singh Kaith.
The meeting also discussed the pitiable economic condition of Batwal people putting up in urban, rural and hilly areas of the State. Former MLA and Association President Sat Pal Lakhotra said that in early 1994, the Government of India with an aim to ameliorate the living standard of the Batwal community people launched a study to assess their socio, economic and cultural life in the J and K State. The field work, as laid down by the Planning Commission of India, started in about forty villages of Jammu region, got completed by the end of April, 1994.
Thereafter, the then Deputy Registrar General, India visited the State and exchanged the views with the elite of the Batwal community to explore the ethnographic/anthropological back ground and other related details and also collected the Survey Report from the Directorate of Census Operations, J&K but even after passage of 22 years, nothing has been done by the Government for amelioration of Batwal community.
In this regard, the General Body passed a resolution to urge the Prime Minister NarendraModi (who also happens to be the Chairman of the Central Planning Commission) to look into the matter and sanction ‘Special Package’ in favour of the Batwal community on the basis of its survey report.
Adding further, Lakhotra said that in the last three decades they also submitted a series of memorandums of demands to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir but it never took any action to consider even a single demand. The General Body appealed the State Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to pay attention towards the matter.
Criticising the recently constituted State Advisory Board for Welfare and Development of SCs, the community leaders alleged that no able member from the Batwal community has been included in it.
Prominent among others who attended the meeting include Capt. Om Parkash Tugga, Sub. Baldev Raj Targotra, Naib Sarpanch Shamsher Singh Sargotra, Dilay Ram Kaith, Bisso Ram Kaith, Chaman Lal Tugga, Ganesh Lal Sargotra, Khajan Chand Tugga, Pritam Chand Sargotra, Bishan Dass Lakhotra, Jagat Raj Sargotra, Krishan Lal Lakhotra, Charan Dass Targotra, Rashpal Chand Sandhu and Shanker Dass Motan.
