Today's Pahari Group
To
The Honorable Lieutenant Governor,
Jammu & Kashmir
Subject: Request for Establishing a Girls' Pahari Hostel in Jammu and Srinagar City.
Education is a crucial element for socio-economic development, and the education of women is particularly important as it improves their social status and equips them to take advantage of emerging opportunities in both employment and other economic activities.
Currently, the urban female literacy rate is 64%, while the rural female literacy rate is only 31%. This disparity is primarily due to poor infrastructure, such as a lack of schools, colleges, and universities, as well as socio-economic conditions and family pressures.
The Pahari women in Jammu & Kashmir face significant challenges. They experience a triple disadvantage: as women, as a less literate segment of society, and as most vulnerable . The Pahari community is mainly located in remote and border areas like Poonch, Rajouri, Kupwara, Anantnag, Uri, and Ganderbal. When Pahari girls come to urban areas like Jammu to pursue their education, they often encounter issues such as a lack of hostel facilities, financial & personal security as most of these girls come from low-income families and cannot afford accommodation in cities like Jammu and Srinagar.
While there is a hostel for male Pahari students in Jammu city, there is no similar facility for female Pahari students . Moreover there is mushrooming of educational institutions only in Jammu like professional institutions (such as IIT, IIM, GCET, Law colleges, etc.) and academic institutions like women colleges, Universities , etc. Thus lack of accommodation is a significant reason for educational dropouts among Pahari girls.
As Government of India has given ST-status to Pahari commmunity to bring them in mainstream So as a tribal group it is our right to used this status for our community development especially the most disadvantaged group i.e Pahari women.So it is our request to consider our demand under Tribal sub-plan and provide the Phari hostel for girls to pursue their studies especially higher studies.
Therefore, we request the LG Administration to support the creation of a hostel specifically for Pahari girls in Jammu and Srinagar city. Such a facility would provide a secure environment, foster community living, and offer essential academic resources like libraries and study rooms.
Given the economic challenges faced by many Pahari girls, who often cannot afford accomodation in cities like Jammu and Strinagar , establishinga hostel would be a significant step in supporting their education.
We believe that a proactive approach is needed to address the educational needs of Pahari girls and ensure that they have the infrastructure necessary to succeed.
Thank you for considering this request.
Yours sincerely,
TODAYS’ PAHARI Group
Today's Pahari Group Contact the author of the petition