NEW DELHI: The Gorkhas have urged the central government to give Other Backward Class (OBC) status to the community, an official statement said on Sunday.
A delegation of the community leaders and members from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Uttarakhand made the demand when they met Union minister for Development of North Eastern Region( DoNER) and PMO Jitendra Singh here on Saturday.
According to the release, the minister gave a patient hearing to the delegation led by Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha president SM Moktan.
The Parisangha is a national organisation of Gorkhas in the country, the release said.
Jitendra Singh, who also holds the portfolio of youth affairs and sports, personnel, public grievances, pensions, atomic energy and space, said the Gorkha community has served the nation in the most difficult times, through thick and thin.
The community is known for valour and patriotism, he added.