‘More awareness required on welfare schemes for nomadic communities’

Chairperson of Karnataka ST/SC Nomadic & Semi-Nomadic Communities calls for awareness programs to empower marginalized communities.

As members of nomadic communities are deprived of benefits in spite of various government schemes, there is a need for extensive awareness programmes to sensitise them, chairperson of the Karnataka Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities Development Corporation G. Pallavi has said.

She was chairing a review meeting of officials in Dharwad on Friday.

Ms. Pallavi said the government has announced various welfare programmes for the nomadic tribes to facilitate their economic, social, and educational development. “As per the 2011 Census, there are 51 SC nomadic communities, 23 ST nomadic communities, and 25 tribal nomadic communities. Direct loan facility, self-employment, ‘Swavalambi Saarathi’, microcredit, Ganga Kalyana, and land ownership scheme for women are being implemented by the government,” she said.

She said that for monitoring the implementation of the programmes, a committee had been constituted at the district-level headed by the respective Deputy Commissioners. Five members, including a woman from a nomadic community, would be in the district committees, she said.

Pointing out that the government was providing adequate funds for purchasing private land for establishing residential layouts for the shelterless members of the communities, she asked the district administration to hold a joint survey with Social Welfare Department to identify land for a residential layout within 15 days.

Subsequently, Ms. Pallavi visited the Siddeshwar Nagar in Dharwad and heard the grievances of nomadic communities living there. She also asked officials to earmark survey no. 533 of Hebballi village for the landless people of nomadic communities. She also promised to take steps to provide residential plots for them. Senior officials of the district administration accompanied her during her visit.