Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 5: Amid a growing sense of urgency over the protection and welfare of marginalized communities, B R Kundal, working president of the Bharatiya Dalit Sahitya Academy (JKUT), has drawn attention to a range of unresolved issues affecting Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Union Territory.
While acknowledging the Government’s recent move to reconstitute the High Power Vigilance and Monitoring Committee under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and its 1995 rules, Kundal emphasized that much more needs to be done to address systemic challenges and ensure justice for vulnerable communities. He stressed that atrocities, especially against SCs, have been on the rise, and there is mounting concern over delays and procedural lapses in the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) under the Act at police stations.
Highlighting long-pending demands, Kundal called for urgent enhancement of the annual income ceiling for SC/ST students to qualify for pre-matric and post-matric scholarships. He noted that the existing limits are outdated and exclude many deserving students from receiving critical educational support.
Another key issue raised was the absence of a full-time Vice-Chairman for the Scheduled Castes Advisory Board, which he said hampers the Board’s effectiveness in addressing policy and welfare concerns. Kundal urged the administration to immediately appoint a dedicated Vice-Chairman to provide consistent leadership and advocacy for the community.
He also pressed for the conferment of proprietary rights to occupants and allottees of evacuee properties, pointing out that many families have been living on such lands for generations without formal ownership. Legal recognition of these rights, he asserted, is vital to ensuring dignity and security for affected residents.
Kundal recalled that under his leadership, the Academy has submitted several memoranda to both the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant Governor’s offices. In a recent meeting with CM Omar Abdullah at the Civil Secretariat, Jammu, he reiterated these concerns and called for prompt Government action.
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