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Bring pastoral communities into mainstream: Rajasthan Government

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Government's Social Justice and Empowerment Department has initiated steps to identify everyday challenges that lie before rustic and pastoral communities and to bring them into mainstream development. The measures are in line with the recommendations of a working group of the Planning Commission.

The department organised a meeting with the representatives of these communities at Mantralaya Bhavan here in order to get first-hand accounts of their difficulties and expectations and to discuss possible solutions. Principal Social Justice Secretary Aditi Mehta presided over the meeting.

Ms. Mehta said the department would analyse the minutes and outcome of the meeting to formulate new proposals on development schemes for pastoral communities in the 12 {+t} {+h} Five Year Plan. At the meeting, about 40 representatives of the Sansi, Banjara, Kanjar, Kalbelia and Gadia Luhar communities interacted with senior officers from the Social Justice, Forest, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, School Education, Medical and Health, Food and Civil Supplies and Animal Husbandry Departments as well as from the State Human Rights Commission.

The first half of the meeting was devoted to specific problems faced by pastoralists in continuous relocation, earning livelihood and moving the cattle from place to place to find water and food. The community representatives also raised the issues of housing, below poverty line (BPL) cards, ration cards and caste certificates.

“During the second half, special development schemes aimed at extending benefits [directly] to the pastoral communities were discussed,” said Ms. Mehta.

The department would soon write letters to all District Collectors asking them to conduct regular meetings with the community representatives and resolve their grievances, department Director T. Ravikant said.

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