Summary:
At present, Dhangars are entitled to 3.5 per cent reservations in the VJNT category. He said they had no objections if the existing 3.5 per cent quota for Dhangars was raised, but sought that they must not be accommodated in the ST category. Elected representatives from the tribal communities unanimously opposed the demand for the Dhangars (shepherd) to be included in the scheduled tribes (ST). Another elected representative from the Adivasi community said they were also against the plans to create a separate ST-B category to accommodate Dhangars. In the meeting, Fadnavis also asked for tribals to be given land rights under the forests right act..