JK News Today
JAMMU, DECEMBER 18 ( JKNT ) Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has cautioned the elements fomenting communal trouble by pitting one community against the other , while asserting that her government would ensure that such designs were defeated .
Addressing a tribal Convention here today, the Chief Minister said “her Government will not tolerate injustice to any section, region or community and everything would be decided on merit. “
She said the State has seen many unfortunate uprootings of communities in the past and history is witness that nobody has benefitted from such events but everybody has suffered.
She termed Gujjar community as “guardians of forests.”
Chief Minister said the State and the Centre have released adequate funds for the welfare of tribal communities including Gujjars in the State which reflects seriousness of the two Governments for their welfare.
On the initiatives being taken for the welfare of Gujjar community, Mehbooba Mufti said a concept of cluster villages is being piloted to provide all basic facilities of life like healthcare, drinking water, electricity and communication to the community inhabited areas without disturbing their ethno-cultural ethos. She said she has thought of a Milk Village scheme under which model villages would be developed where the milk collection, dumping and distribution would be done under scientific supervision and giving the beneficiaries a good market return for their produce.
The Chief Minister said her Government has already launched a scheme under which smokeless chulhas would be given to families of Gujjar community to ensure a clean and pollution free space in their kitchens. She said she would be asking the concerned Departments to raise sheds on the tracks used by members for the nomadic community members during their migratory trips to save them from heat and rain.
Asking the Gujjar community to impart quality education to their children, Mehbooba said that education is the only way to empowerment for communities and nations. “It is heartening to note that through various initiatives at the Government and the civil society level, the educational standards have started improving and more youth from the Gujjar community are now qualifying the prestigious competitive examinations like IAS, IFS, IPS, KAS and KPS every year,” she said and added that the “nurturing of competitiveness in academics is going to go a long way in the real empowerment of the community.”
Vice-Chairman, Gujjar Bakerwal Advisory Board, Choudhary Zaffar Khatana; Patron, Gurjar Desh Charitable Trust, Masud Choudhary; former MLA, Nizamuddin Bhat and a large number of people were present on the occasion.
