J-K govt covers 2 lakh Gujjar,Bakarwal families under PDS

Jammu and Kashmir government will bring around two lakh nomadic Gujjar and Bakarwal families in the state.

Jammu and Kashmir government will bring around two lakh nomadic Gujjar and Bakarwal families in the state under the Public Distribution System enabling them to receive ration even while they are on the move.

“They (nomadic population) will be issued temporary ration cards so that they get ration while migrating from one place to another without any difficulty,” an official spokesman quoting Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Qamar Ali Akhoon said.

The government’s move to issue temporary ration cards meets the long-standing demand of the Gujjars and Bakerwals who complained that due to their migratory nature they had not been receiving benefits of different government schemes launched for BPL families,Akhoon said.

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The Gujjars and Bakerwals,third largest ethnic group in Jammu and Kashmir,constitute more than 20 per cent population of the state.

They are mostly concentrated in border districts of Rajouri and Poonch followed by Anantnag,Udhampur and Doda districts.

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