Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 19: Stressing upon the State Government to formulate a compact ‘tribal policy’ for Jammu and Kashmir to address issues of nomads, the members of Gujjar and Bakerwal communities today stated that only a well defined policy can pave way for their overall development.
In a programme organized by Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation here today, the speakers demanded to form a defined plan to rehabilitate, and educate tribes. Besides other demands, they urged for health and other facilities to be provided to them. The programme was presided over by researcher of Gujjar community, Dr Javaid Rahi while a number of tribal elders and youth were present on the occasion.
Dr Javaid Rahi, in his address, stressed that tribal communities must be developed without touching their culture, ethnicity and migratory way of life. He said their overall growth is not possible without any set plan.
“The problems of tribal and nomadic communities of J&K are the same which were being faced by other ST communities of India and J&K tribes are entitled for same treatment under Constitution of India available to tribes of other States ,” he said added that they must be treated at par with tribal of other States of India.
The other speakers stated that a majority of Scheduled Tribes continue to live below the poverty line, have poor literacy rates, suffer from malnutrition, vulnerable to displacement and requires special attention of State Government. They said that the Scheduled Tribes in general are repositories of indigenous knowledge and wisdom in certain aspects which must be preserved immediately and tribal policy must be formulated with the aims to address each of these problems in a concrete way. It also lists out measures to be taken to preserve and promote tribals’ cultural heritage and languages.
Others, who spoke on the occasion, included Abdul Ghani, Mohammad Alam, Waseem Choudhary, Dil Mohammad Ghegi, Akraam Choudhary, Nafees Ahmed, Zahir Ahmad Khatana and others.
Follow our WhatsApp channel