Vote for the party n candidates who guarantee, bringing Uttarakhand under the jurisdiction of 27% OBC reservation, writes to Cong Chief Sonia Gandhi

The former Uttarakhand Congress president and leader of Uttarakhand Forest Rights Movement Kishore Upadhyay has appealed to the electorates of his constituency and the state to vote for only that party or leaders who guarantee bringing Uttarakhand under 27% reservation by granting OBC status to the Himalayan state and fulfil the demands of Vanadhikar Andolan.

He urged the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to include the demands of Uttarakhand Forest Rights Movement in the election menifesto of the Congress, including bringing Uttarakhand under OBC reservation.

In a detailed letter written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi the former Congress chief of Uttarakhand n industrial advisor to the then CM ND Tiwari, who also worked with former player Rajiv Gandhi in close proximity Kishore Upadhyay and been left of of important Congress committees of Uttarakhand said:

I am writing to put forth some important points for inclusion in the Congress manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttarakhand. These points are based on my experience of working on state-level issues for the last five years. It may also be noted that the Jharkhand Assembly elections were won on similar issues pertaining to the state.
The two key points that I would like to submit for inclusion in the party manifesto are as follows:

1. Implementation of The Forests Rights Act 2006
   According to The Forests Rights Act 2006, the people of Uttarakhand will be given their ancestral rights, including water, forest and land. Uttarakhand is a border state adjoining China. Our forests have been snatched and injustice has been done with the people of the state. We are living on only 3% land – the remaining is forest. We demand that the Forests Rights Act 2006 is implemented, and our rights are compensated in the form of:
   a. Skill – based government job for one member of each family
   b. Reservation in central government services
   c. Free electricity, water and cooking gas
   d. Right of local communities on medicinal herbs
   e. In case of damage caused by wild animals, permanent government job for one member of the family and compensation of Rs 50,00,000 on loss of life; and compensation of Rs 5,000 per nali on loss of crop
   f. Wood for construction of a housing unit
   g. Free sand, gravel and stone
   h. Free education and medicine
   i. Declaration of Uttarakhandi-s as OBC
   j. Formation of land law that includes forests and other land
   k. Immediate land consolidation
   Further, Uttarakhand fulfils all points of the 27% reservation under Mandal Commission and so we should be included in the central government’s categories of reservation.
2. Declaration of Uttarakhandi-s as OBC
   Page 52 of the Mandal Commission Report says that those race or classes in which
   25% people never received any education or 25% did not complete their education or 25% people have only passed 10th grade, such race or communities should be included in the list of OBCs. Even today the hilly and rural areas of Uttarakhand fulfil these criteria.
   This report1 also includes four economic criteria:
   a. When the family wealth of 25% people is less than the state’s average
   1 National Commission for Backward Classes (www-ncbc-nic-in.translate.goog) b. When 50% people have to cover a distance of at least half a kilometer to access drinking water
   c. When the domestic debt of 25% people is more than the state’s average
   d. When more than 25% people live in mud houses
   He added that since no survey has been done on these four criteria, no indicators/statistics are available for these. Although, according to the report developed by G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment & Sustainable Development – Almora in 2018 in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, more than two-thirds of villages in Uttarakhand do not have adequate supply of water. Out of the state’s total villages (15,165), approximately 20% face some water – related issues.
   Given this background he said, it becomes imperative that the State Legislative Assembly passes the
   resolution to constitutionally declare all communities of Uttarakhand as OBC, so that people of Uttarakhand, especially those living in hilly regions get their constitutional rights and it is ensured that people of Uttarakhand can exercise their constitutional right of being included in the category of 27% reservation for central government jobs. He said the Legislative Assembly is requested to direct the state government to conduct a comprehensive survey based on the Mandal Commission criteria. Since the National Backward Classes Commission enjoys a constitutional status, therefore the state government may request the Central Government.
   Reminding the Congress chief of his incessant association with ground level movements in Uttarakhand Kishore Upadhyay wrote : you may remember that I have been working on ground level issues for more than two decades and was associated with the anti – liquor movement, Tehri rehabilitation movement, Save Ganges Movement, Save Himalaya movement and Forest Rights Movement. He concluded saying : I am hopeful that you will consider these points as we prepare for the upcoming elections.