An organisation representing Gujjars and Bakerwals in Jammu and Kashmir today demanded a compact tribal policy to rehabilitate the nomadic and migratory tribes.
Stressing upon the state government to settle the issues facing the nomadic communities to enable them to get education, health and other facilities, The Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation (TRCF) said the tribal population in the state are facing a number of hardships and issues like dispossession of land, violence, poverty and loss of identity.
"Only a well-defined tribal policy can help in eradicating illiteracy, economic instability and cultural shyness in nomads," it said in a statement.
Asserting that the tribal communities must be developed without disturbing their own way of life, the TRCF said such policy, if formulated, can pave the way for grant of rights on forest and other ancestral lands on prototype of other tribes residing in different states of the country.
Due to non-existence of a tribal policy for protection and development of Scheduled Tribes in a holistic manner, the tribes, especially Gujjars and Bakerwals which constitute more then 80 per cent of tribal population of the state, are lagging in every field of life, it said, adding, "A comprehensive and visionary policy for tribal can restore the confidence of the two communities."
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