Srinagar, Jul 30 (KNO): Jammu & Kashmir has a Scheduled Tribe (ST) population of 12,75,106, while Ladakh has 2,18,193 ST population as per the Census 2011, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The information was provided by Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey in response to an unstarred question by Lok Sabha MP Shri Rajkumar Roat regarding the Scheduled Tribe population in Union Territories and benefits being provided to tribal communities.
The ministry, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the latest census-based figures of the ST population would be available after the release of the next population census. It added that the Government continues to support the welfare and socio-economic development of tribal communities through various schemes covering infrastructure, education, health, livelihoods and other basic services.
On reservation, the Centre said political reservation for STs in Union Territories is provided in proportion to their population under applicable laws in UTs having notified ST populations. For administrative services, reservation in direct recruitment follows the DoPT policy, which provides 7.5% reservation for STs at the all-India level, while higher reservation may be provided in UT/local cadre recruitment in areas having a substantial ST population, as notified by the concerned administration—(KNO)