Nomadic Tribal Families in J&K Struggle for Basic Rights: Rajya Sabha Member Highlights Challenges

KNT: Rajya Sabha Member Ghulam Ali has raised serious concerns about the plight of landless, homeless, and paperless nomadic tribal families in Jammu and Kashmir.
In an unstarred question posed to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ghulam Ali sought clarity on whether these families, lacking basic identification documents, are being deprived of access to major central socio-economic schemes.
Responding to the question, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey acknowledged the challenges faced by these communities. The minister highlighted that the responsibility for addressing issues related to De-notified, Nomadic, and Semi-Nomadic Tribes lies primarily with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The minister as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust outlined key schemes available for these communities under the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, which included Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED), Pre-Matric Scholarships for OBC, EBC, and DNT Students, Post-Matric Scholarships for OBC, EBC, and DNT Students, Top-Class School Education for OBC, EBC, and DNT Students and Top-Class College Education for OBC, EBC, and DNT Students.
‘However, to avail of these benefits, individuals must possess a DNT certificate, the Minister said adding that advisory instructions have been issued to state and UT authorities, including Jammu & Kashmir, to expedite the issuance of DNT certificates after verifying applicants’ credentials.
The Minister further added that the  Government of Jammu and Kashmir has taken several measures to address the challenges faced by these marginalized communities. The Department of Tribal Affairs in the UT is conducting door-to-door surveys and verifications to identify families without Aadhaar or other mandatory identification documents. Outreach programs ensure that even paperless families are included in socio-economic schemes using alternative documents like Pasture Passes, Job Cards, and Labour Cards.
Further, Aadhaar centers and Common Service Centers (CSCs) have been established in tribal areas to help individuals obtain necessary identification documents. In collaboration with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the government has also organized Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) camps to assist in the preparation of Aadhaar cards, Jan Dhan accounts, and other documents required for scheme registration. [KNT]