Abstract

India hosts the large number of tribal ethnic groups with assorted socio-cultural, economic and geographical backgrounds. The state of Jammu and Kashmir is also inhabited by such communities; the most prominent among them are pastoral Gujjars and Paharis. The Pahari community lives in disgusting conditions and is socially and economically backward in comparison to the mainstream population of J&K. The Jammu and Kashmir government has introduced a number of socioeconomic schemes and programmes to benefit the pahari communities. The present study specifically focuses on evaluation of various schemes implemented by government of India for the welfare pahari community in Jammu and Kashmir. The study finds that the government fails in implementation of various schemes for the welfare of pahari communities at ground level.

Key words: pahari community; government policies; evaluation; Rajouri district.