Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali today said that the present Government is committed to reach out to the neglected sections including Gujjars and Bakerwals and address their issues.Addressing, Gujjar and Bakerwal Conference held here said that the present Government’s main focus is on the equitable development of all the sections of the society. “Our priority is to bring the marginalized and economically backward sections into the mainstream and for this best efforts are being made to resolve their issues” he asserted.As far as Gujjars and Bakerwals are concerned, they are the real patriots. These people have sacrificed lives for the country when the militancy was at its peak in the state, the Minister appreciated the community by describing them as ‘Unarmed Army’.He said Gujjars are important part of Jammu and Kashmir and the development of the state is not possible without their development like it’s all other individuals and sections. The state Government led by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is living no stone unturned to improve the living condition of the common masses by providing all basic facilities, further assured the Minister.The Minister further said that such conferences are being held across the state with an aim to address various grievances and problems being faced by the Gujjars and Bakerwals of the state.
The Minister also stressed on the education of this section and said that it is very important for their emancipation. The Government is constantly working for the welfare of the Gujjars and Bakerwals and framing of a Nomadic ration policy and establishment of Mobile Ration shops are some important steps taken in this direction. Gujjars and Bakerwals have been kept under Priority Household (PHH) category so that they can get ration at cheaper rates” he added.Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, the Minister called the Guest Control Order as a revolutionary step and added that it would definitely provide relief to the poor and the middle class by keeping a check on big fat weddings that involve huge wastage of both money and food. He told that the order would come into force from April 1 and also sought the cooperation of the common masses for its proper implementation.Later, the Minister chaired a meeting of district officers to review the implementation of NFSA, MMSFES and PMUY in the district.During the meeting, he directed the department to expedite the process of AADHAR Seeding in the district and asked the functionaries to ensure that all those beneficiaries whose Aadhar card have been generated get their cards without any delay. He also asked the officers present to give top priority to Nomads and migrants and asked them to organize special camps for them.MLA Udhampur, Pawan Kumar Gupta, Deputy Commissioner, Niraj Kumar, Director FCS & CA, G S Chib, Joint Controller Legal Metrology V.S Sambyal, besides several district officers attended the conference.