Jammu, Dec 21 : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti today said the state government aims to promote the concept of cluster villages in the state for extending maximum facilities to the Gujjar community without disturbing their culture and lifestyle.
The government is taking steps to improve the standard of living of the members of this community. This year, funds allocated for tribal affairs have been enhanced to Rs 120 crore from last year’s Rs 45 crore, she said while chairing the 35th meeting of J-K State Advisory Board for Development of Gujjars and Bakerwals.
The Chief Minister said her government will identify Gujjar villages and provide basic facilities to these like good schools, including smart classes, healthcare facilities, clean drinking water, playgrounds, shops and adequate rearing and medical facilities for livestock.
These cluster villages would also be made tourist attractions, Mufti said, adding all development works will be done without disturbing the culture and lifestyle of the community by utilising manpower available locally.
She said her government will identify some villages as ‘milk villages’ where facilities of collection, testing and market distribution of milk and other products from it would done scientifically and professionally to save the milk producers from the exploitation of middlemen.
The Chief Minister directed all Deputy Commissioners that nomads carrying livestock from one area to another should not be harassed and also told them to take into confidence members of advisory board while deciding projects regarding community welfare in those districts.
The idea behind constructing Mughal Road and other roads was to connect the Gujjars with other communities and put them on the track of development, the Chief Minister said.
“Forests and Gujjars have been living together as per the law of the nature and everything would be done to give them their dues. An institutional mechanism would be evolved to determine and quantify the modalities in this regard, Mufti said.
She also directed the departments concerned to ensure that the works being done for the welfare of the community are not delayed for want of funds.
