Dehradun: The 10 percent horizontal reservation bill in jobs for Uttarakhand state agitators and their dependents has got the approval of the Raj Bhavan. In February this year, the Dhami government, accepting the recommendations of the Select Committee, sent the bill to the Raj Bhavan after some amendments. With the approval of the bill, more than 11 thousand state agitators and their dependents will get its benefit. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed his gratitude to the Governor for this. He said, the government can never forget the struggle and sacrifice of the state agitators. Providing facilities to them is a top priority.
The government had introduced the bill in the House on 8 September 2023 to provide the benefit of horizontal reservation in government service to the identified state agitators or one of its dependent members, but some members had demanded to send it to the Select Committee for some amendments in the provisions of the bill. On the demand of the members, the Speaker had sent the bill to the Select Committee.
On 6 February 2024, the bill was passed incorporating the recommendations of the Select Committee. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had recently spoken on this issue in the Raj Bhavan. After which the bill has now been approved. The approval of the bill has brought smiles on the faces of the state agitators. They say that they were deprived of this benefit for the last several years. The High Court had declared horizontal reservation in government service for state agitators unconstitutional in March 2018.
The state government passed the Assembly Bill on 7 February 2024 to provide reservation in government jobs to state agitators and dependents. The Raj Bhavan has also approved the bill. We had assured the state agitators that the government would give the benefit of 10 percent horizontal reservation. We did what we said. The sacrifice and sacrifice of the state agitators can never be forgotten. The government is dedicated to the welfare of the agitators and their families.
– Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Minister
