Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 19: The Jammu and Kashmir Batwal Welfare Association at its meeting held here discussed the matters pertaining to ethnographic study of J&K Batwals undertaken in 1994.
Association members stated that in the year 1994, the Government of India launched a study to assess their socio, economic and cultural life in the J&K State.
The field work, as laid down by the Planning Commission, started in about forty villages of Jammu region, got completed by the end of April, 1994. Thereafter, the then Deputy Registrar General, India visited the State and exchanged the views with the elite of the Batwal Community to explore the ethnographic/anthropological back ground and other related details and also collected the Survey Report from the Directorate of Census Operations, J&K but even after passage of 26 years, nothing concrete has been done to ameliorate the living standard of rearmost Batwals of the State.
Association Members urged the Central Planning Commission to keep a provision of ‘special economic package’ for their community people in the next five year plan. |
