Jammu, Feb 10: The State Cabinet has decided to recommend to the union Government the grant of scheduled tribe status to the Pahari speaking people. The Cabinet, which met here last evening with Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in the chair, besides this took several other decisions of major import.
The Cabinet also decided to introduce a Bill in the State legislature for enacting a law in respect of reservations for the scheduled castes. The proposed law would replace the existing SRO.
In yet another significant decision, the Cabinet decided to request the Central Government to register the claims of property left in Pakistan occupied Kashmir by refugees of 1947 settled in Jammu and Kashmir. While the claims of refugees migrating from Pakistan in 1947 had been registered by the Central Government, those of the refugees from PoK are still unregistered.

The Cabinet also accorded approval to the creation of an Electric Maintenance and Rural Electrification Division in Kishtwar by corresponding reduction of the Transmission Line Maintenance Division No.4. The decision would involve no creation of fresh staff. While the EM&RE Division, Doda would comprise three sub-divisions of Doda-I, Doda-II and Bhadarwah, the newly created EM&RE Division, Kishtwar would include Sub-Division of Tathri and Kishtwar besides the new sub-divisions of Bhalessa and Chatroo.