Positive steps will be taken to include Dhangars in ST category: CM Shinde

Mumbai: Chief minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday met members from the Dhangar (shepherd) community who have been on strike for a week and assured them that positive steps will be taken to include the Dhangar community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
Shinde said that efforts will be made to ensure that this inclusion stays within the framework of law and does not do injustice to any other community.He met with members of the Sakal Dhangar Jamaat Coordinating Committee at the Sahyadri State Guest House.
The Dhangar community is categorised as Nomadic Tribe and gets 3.5% reservation in govt jobs and education. They want to be categorised as ST, which gets a 7% quota.
Shinde said the demand of the Dhangar community has been pending for many years. For this inclusion to take place, the procedure prescribed by law has to be followed. Efforts will be made to follow up immediately at the secretary level and the state Advocate General will be consulted.
The chief minister also directed that urgent action should be taken regarding other demands with the active participation of the secretaries of the tribal development department and other related departments, as well as the members of the coordination committee.
The Dr Sudhakar Shinde Committee, which was formed regarding the inclusion of Dhangars as ST, was also instructed to submit a report at the earliest.
On this occasion, MLA Gopichand Padalkar, former MP Vikas Mahatme, former MLA Sarveshree Prakash Shendge, Ramhari Rupanwar, Ramrao Vadkute, Pandurang Meregal, Vijay Goffane, Pankaj Devkate, and Madhu Shinde of the coordination committee raised various issues. Former minister Mahadev Jankar and members of the coordination committee were also present.
Meanwhile, state minister Shambhuraj Desai on Sunday said that govt will form a panel, including three IAS officers and five representatives from the Dhangar community, to establish that Dhangar and Dhangad are different names of the same community.
(With PTI inputs)