STATE TIMES NEWS AKHNOOR: The Jammu and Kashmir Batwal Welfare Association (JKBWA) held a meeting with its Akhnoor tehsil body at Taryai (in Tehsil Akhnoor) on Tuesday. The meeting discussed the problems being faced by the community youths who told the meeting that despite being educated they are hankering for job which is being denied to them by the recruiting agencies. They said without job they cannot come out of poverty and lead a dignified life like that of an evolved product of the society. The meeting appealed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the rearmost Batwal community be granted an ‘Economic-cum-Employment Package’ on the basis of Ethnographic Study of J&K Batwals undertaken in 1994 by the Planning Commission of India. The meeting said that only the said package can enhance the economic position of community members and bring them prosperity. The meeting also appealed the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to kindly direct his Secretariat to refer to JKBWA’s series of memorandums pending with it since 2011 and kindly consider the same sympathetically even though belatedly. The meeting also urged for lowering down the eligibility criteria (adopted by the recruiting agencies) in view of the survey report of the said study so that sufficient number of poor Batwal youths get absorbed in Govt. services. Later, the JKBWA team met various community members at Tachrwan, KambalDunga and TaliMorh in Reasi. Prominent among those who attended the meeting included HonyCapt Kamal Dass Kaith, Hony Captain Kamal Chand Motan, Hony Captain Ram LalSargotra, Subedar Major Ramesh Sargotra (Retd), SubedarKaku Ram Kaith (Retd), NaibSubedar Boxer Mast Ram Kaith (Retd), HavildarUttam Chand Sandhu (Retd), HavildarGandherbMotan (Retd), Ex NaibSarpanch Ram LalLakhotra, Kamal Singh Kaith, Mela Ram Tugga and Dilay Ram Kaith.
