Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today requested the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram over telephone to include the Vimukat Jatis including Baazigars of the state in the list of Scheduled Tribes with immediate effect.While presiding over a meeting of Punjab Baazigar Front led by the Chairman of Punjab Baazigar and Taprivaas Development Board Mr. Labh Singh Devigarh here at Chief Minister’s Residence this morning, Mr. Badal informed the members of the front that Mr. Oram had assured him that he would soon get this matter resolved on the priority thereby conceding their long pending demand to declare Vimukat Jatis including Baazigars as Scheduled Tribes.The delegation was apprised in the meeting that the Chief Minister has already written a letter to Mr. Oram urging him to include 33 sub-castes of the state as Schedule Tribes. It may be recalled that two books of ethnographic study done by the Punjabi University Patiala in this regard were already sent to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India (GoI) to take an appropriate call on this issue.The Chief Minister also asked the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to thoroughly examine the demand of the front for seeking allotment of suitable land in Mohali for the construction of Bhawan in the memory of Bhai Mani Singh, the Great Sikh Martyr who laid down his life against the tyrannical oppression unleashed by the then Mughals.
The Chief Minister also asked the newly appointed Chairman of thePunjab Baazigar and Taprivaas Development Board Mr. Labh Singh to work relentlessly for the welfare of downtrodden and weaker section of the society with missionary zeal. He appreciated the remarkable services rendered by Mr. Labh Singh for overall development of the Baazigar Community in the areas where they were in majority.Prominent amongst other who were present in the meeting included Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Secretary Welfare of SCs & BCs Mr. Kirpa Shankar Saroj and Special Secretary Welfare of SCs & BCs Mr. Hari Krishan Nagpal.