Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 28: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti today said the large Gujjar community after having suffered centuries of neglect and exploitation need a focussed and composite development plan to ensure their progress and decent life.
Addressing a gathering of community representatives at Peer-ki-Gali, on the historic Mughal road, she said while making efforts to give a push to the development of this most backward section of our society, it has to be ensured that their traditions are preserved. Mehbooba said Gujjars are an important community of the state and their input to our economy and cultural variety has been immense, but the benefits of progress have failed to reach them. These people have always been exploited for vote bank.
Stressing the need for improving education and health care facilities to Gujjar community, who are spread all over the State and living in far flung places, Mehbooba said the number of schemes, launched by the Government of India, for their focussed welfare, have in Jammu & Kashmir been derailed by the present Government. The mobile schools and mobile dispensaries have almost become dysfunctional, leaving the children and other members of nomadic Gujjars without any access to basic education and health care. She said, similarly, the tribal sub plans, approved for the community, have generally been sabotaged by allocating funds on political considerations, which has resulted in frequent suspension of allotment of funds by Government of India.
She said the tension and fear along the LoC and borders, which had ended following the ceasefire pact between India and Pakistan in 2003, has returned to haunt the people and among them is the larger section of Gujjar population. She said even though the community had traditionally supported and voted for National Conference, but all key welfare majors, benefiting the community were taken when NC was out of power.
Senior party leader Tariq Hameed Karra, MLA Chaudhary Zulfiqar Ahmad, MLA Abdul Haq Khan, MLA Syed Bashrat Bukhari, Chief Spokesperson & MLC Naeem Akhtar, party state secretary Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, district president Mohammad Shafi Banday and Gujjar leader Zaffar Chaudhary were also present and spoke on this occasion.
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