Land title deeds handed over to Lambanis

The BJP government established the Karnataka Thanda Development Corporation in 2009 with grants periodically disbursed for the development and modernization of 3,395 'thandas'. More than Rs 430 crore was released for the purpose between 2014-15 and 2018-19.

New Delhi, Jan 26: Five families from the Banjara (Lambani) community, a nomadic Scheduled Caste (SC) group, received 'Hakku Patra' (land title deeds) from Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a symbolic ceremony at Malkhed village in the Kalaburagi district of Karnataka recently.

The five families were among the more than 50,000 households that received land title deeds as part of the initiative. PM Modi lauded the initiative as "a huge day" for the community and pointed out that past administrations had done little to turn Banjara 'thandas' (habitations) into revenue villages. The Kalyana Karnataka area in North Karnataka is home to a sizable population of the Lambanis, a traditionally nomadic tribe.

The Banjaras are a significant SC sub-group in Karnataka, despite the fact that given the way they live, they are viewed as tribals. Together, the SCs and Scheduled Tribes make up around 24% of the State's population, making them a crucial constituency for the political parties. The ruling BJP declared in October last year that the reservation for SCs in educational institutes and employment avenues will increase by 2%, bringing the State's quota for the community from 15% to 17%.

The Karnataka Thanda Development Corporation was established by the BJP government in 2009 with grants periodically disbursed for the development and modernization of 3,395 thandas. More than Rs 430 crore was released for the development of thandas from 2014-15 to 2018-19, according to a statement presented in Lok Sabha. Title documents have also been given in the past to numerous landless populations, notably the State's Banjara community.

It was suggested in 1993 to provide revenue village status to "Thandas," but Congress, the political party that ruled for the longest time, utilised the Lambanis as its voter base and never made an effort to improve the lives of these impoverished folks.

"The people of thandas had to fight for their rights for a very long time and endure numerous hardships. They were forced to wait a long period," Modi said, adding, "But that gloomy situation has now changed for good. I want the Banjara mothers to know that their son, Modi, is currently saddled in Delhi."

The move is seen as an attempt by the BJP to reach out to the minority communities of the country as they have been neglected by other major political parties. This can also be seen as an attempt by the BJP to initiate its national minority executive outreach program.