Welfare of tribals; govt’s top priority: Javed Rana

Jammu: Minister for Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology & Environment and Tribal Affairs, Javed Ahmed Rana, on Saturday held detailed interaction with prominent citizens of tribal community from different districts at Panchayat Bhavan, Jammu.
The meeting was convened to get firsthand appraisal of issues faced by the Tribals from Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Kathua and other areas.
The tribal community leaders highlighted the pressing issues faced by them and sought intervention of the Minister for resolution.
The Minister gave a patient hearing to the issues raised by the delegations and individuals and assured them that the same will be given due prominence for redressal.
Choudhary Basharat Ali from Samba raised the issue of absence of lack of educational facilities for the tribal people. He also demanded provision for slaughter houses and mandis at district level for their livestock in order to get better market prices.
Choudhary Dawood from Udhampur raised the issue of water shortage in his area and demanded sustainable solution for water supply. He said the Gujjar basti lacks basic road facilities in his area that puts huge inconvenience to the people.
Advocate Mehmood Rizvi raised the issue of improving educational facilities for tribals saying that we need to lay more stress on education.
Shamim Begum DDC Dansal, Jammu raised the issues pertaining to her constituency and submitted a memorandum of demands.
Shama Akhter from Sidhra emphasised on the education and said that more efforts should be initiated towards improving access to education for upliftment of the people. She added that though the water issues have been solved in her areas but certain areas still remain uncovered.
Choudhary Sharief Hussain from Udhampur also raised certain developmental issues pertaining to his area.
Mushtaq Ahmad khatana raised the issue of basic health facilities in the tribal areas.
Razaq Choudhary from Jammu demanded full implementation of Forest Rights Act saying that most of the issues of tribals will be resolved.
Similarly, other individuals also raised issues pertaining to their areas and demanded an early resolution.
The Minister, while listening to the issues, issued directions to the concerned officers to resolve these issues in a time bound manner.
Rana assured the participants that the government is fully committed to the overall development of tribal population, prioritizing their welfare. He emphasized that the rights of tribals, as guaranteed under the Constitution, shall be enforced and protected.
Rana reaffirmed that improving the lives of Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC) and other downtrodden sections of society is top priority of the government led by Omar Abdullah. He also sought details from the concerned officers about the landless families in the district and said the same should be submitted to the tribal department.
Regarding the easing of tribal movement, Rana said that the government will provide facility at all routes and ease the process for permission during migration. He said that the government is particular about the development of tribal routes and significant steps have been taken in this regard.
He said that CAPEX and district CAPEX budget will be finalised only after holding consultation with the tribal people so that aspirations and developmental needs of the tribal people are reflected.
Rana said that Forest Rights Act will be implemented in totality while giving due prominence to grazing rights and community benefits.