National

Special package for Gujjars

JAIPUR: The Ramdas Agarwal Committee, appointed by the Rajasthan Government two months back to look into the backwardness of the Gujjar community, announced a geographic-specific Rs. 282 crore special package for its members on Saturday. The announcement followed a meeting of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Mr. Agarwal at her official residence in the presence of Gujjar Ministers, MLAs and Gujjar leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

However the leaders, who led the violent agitation demanding Scheduled Tribe status to Gujjars in May-June the previous year, including Kirori Singh Bainsla, were absent.

“The package will directly benefit a population of 9-10 lakh Gujjars living in the districts of Alwar, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Dholpur and Jhalawar,” Mr.Agarwal said. “It is for the first time that such a large and specific package is being offered to the community which does not have even a single serving IAS officer from it,” he observed.

Of the Rs.282 crores, an amount of Rs.182 crores was already earmarked in the current year’s budget. “We have done maximum possible within the budgetary limits. With this is the first phase of the committee’s work is over,” Mr.Agarwal said. The other members of the committee are Ministers, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Digamber Singh and Madan Dilwar. Mr. Agarwal expressed the hope that the package would satisfy the community and improve the situation greatly at ground level.

“Nothing very exciting but it surely is a step forward. This is an acknowledgement that we are a deprived community. Gujjars still demand ST status and would continue working for it,” Roop Singh, a close associate of Col. Bainsla said talking to The Hindu from Alwar. “The Chopra Committee earlier and now the Agarwal Committee have recognized our extreme backwardness,” he said. The Gujjars had other demands also pending with the Government. “hirty eight persons from our community are still in jail,” Dr. Roop Singh said.

There is an estimated population of 25 lakh of Gujjars in Rajasthan. The Justice Chopra Committee, which looked into their demand for ST status, had submitted its report in December 2007. On the basis of the recommendations of the Chopra committee -- which had termed the demand for ST status unacceptable due to the laid out criteria for the same -- Mr.Agarwal was appointed in January with the mandate to prepare a special package for the community.

“We had 4-5 sittings and the last one in the presence of the Chief Minister. The package involves the Ministries of PHED, PWD, Cooperatives and Education,” Mr.Agarwal noted.

The other demands from Gujjars, such as jobs to one member of each family, which had a casualty in the agitation, assistance to those injured and withdrawal of the cases would be complied with by May 27, he informed.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu