Meeting on presentation to SC Empowered committee for Pastoral Issues.

[RAMESH BHATTI]

This message is only for Indian members.

 

Dear Colleagues

Hope that this email finds you well.  You might be aware that the Supreme Court has constituted an empowered committee to listen to the farmers' issues and find out the possible ways to resolve them.  The committee is organizing meetings with various states, listening to the Farmers across the country. The committee was wondering to listen Issues of pastoral communities.  I approached one of the committee members about pastoral issues. He asked us to share a note, and I shared it accordingly. Note is attached here. The  Committee has officially invited us to have a detailed presentation before the committee on 19th August at Panchkulla,  based on which they will submit their report to the Supreme Court. 

 To prepare the detailed presentation according to their questionnaire, we would like to seek your valuable suggestions, views on it to make a comprehensive presentation. 

We have scheduled a virtual meeting to discuss it on 16th August at 11;00 am. Requesting all of you join this meeting to share your valuable suggestions and recommendations.

I will share the meeting link soon.

Regards:

Ramesh Bhatti

--

Ramesh Bhatti

(Center for Pastoralism)

Address:

Sahjeevan

175, Jalaram Society, vijaynagar

B/h Vishwamangal Apartment

Bhuj - Kachchh, Gujarat

370001

Centre for Pastoralism: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Website

Pastoral Times: Instagram | Twitter | Medium

[Dr. D. K. Sadana]

I will attend the meeting. 

--
You may add to the issues we deal with, or like to deal with. We are: "LIFE - A Network of NGOs and individuals dealing with AnGR and allied issues including pastoralism, CPR, Communities, Breed Societies and livelihoods"
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "LIFE Group" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to life-egroup...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/life-egroup/CANoyhg%3Df%3D%3Dw92VGiWRE-Nr_KiU3sPqCnrXutrPBmP6MCOdGMuA%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Founder, ILSI ~ Indigenous Livestock Society - India; 21 Sector 8, UE, Karnal-132 001

Founder, HimRRA; President, Himachali Pahari Gauvansh Society, Board Member (Sahjeevan)

Rtd. ICAR Scientist, Ex Board Member, RRA_N, & Ex-Chair RISG-South Asia of IYRP-2026.

डॉ. डी. के. सडाना  ਡਾ. ਡੀ.ਕੇ.ਸਡਾਨਾ  ڑی۰کے۰شڑانا  ಡಾ.ಡಿ.ಕೆ. ಸ ಡಾ ನಾ Dr. D. K. Sadana  

+91 94160.30654   𝕏: @Sadana 

[Shalini Bhutani]

Dear Ramesh Bhai,

Thank you for your work on this draft.

Just three points from my side to consider:

1. There must be express mention in the note and at the committee meeting of women pastoralists and the challenges on the ground with the gender dimension.

2. Please note that in the free trade agreements (FTA), particularly the proposed US-India FTA the import of both soya bean and maize for animal feed is currently on the table. These are genetically modified (GM)! So, biosafety concerns need to be raised, particularly when there is a ban on GM food crops in the country.

3. The GoI through the Department of Biotechnology has undertaken a major programme on genome sequencing of indigenous cattle breeds. The biggest controversy globally under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is around the sharing of benefits from digital sequence information (DSI) of genetic resources (GR). India's national Biological Diversity Act and its Regulations on ABS have recently been amended to cover DSI. Pastoralists and local livestock keepers must stay the legitimate 'benefit claimers', when DSI from GR is used for commercial and non-commercial purposes. The fact that DSI enables access to genetic information of an organism (such as an indigenous animal breed) without physically accessing it, reiterates the need for focused discussions towards
impact of DSI on sharing of benefits arising from utilization of GRs.

Regards,

Shalini

---

Shalini, BHUTANI (she/her)

+91 9810433076

[Dr. Mahadev Pachegaonkar]

Pastoral issues may start with Pasture s in every ecological environment.For example  Deccan pletue before six decades was perennial grasses dominant species such as Dicanthium.Sehima and Ischemium rugosum In southern peninsular area Cenchrus ciliates .   Survival of pastoral depends upon Pasture and soil

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/life-egroup/CAPgErRUTykmH9QaPQN09%2BG8MG6Cn%2BWEekzAHmkAZkzkY%2Bs79xA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Nitya Ghotge]

Thanks Shalini for raising some very important points.

Nitya

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away."

Maya Angelou

Nitya Sambamurti Ghotge 

10,Lantana Gardens , NDA Road , Bavdhan , Pune 411021

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/life-egroup/055e5496-d060-46e7-9fc2-e20992b7632b%40gmail.com.

[RAMESH BHATTI]

Dear  Colleagues

Please find the Meeting Link.

presentation to SC Empowered committee for Pastoral Issues.
Saturday, August 16 · 11:00am – 12:00pm
Time zone: Asia/Kolkata
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/npi-mxsw-baj
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 262-977-4563‬ PIN: ‪207 856 685‬#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/npi-mxsw-baj?pin=3007067535372

[RAMESH BHATTI]

Dear Colleagues

Just a sweet reminder that we are meeting today at 11;00 !

Requesting all members to join the same. 

Regards:

Ramesh

[Bhavana Rao]

Dear all , 

As decided in today’s  meeting , my colleague Harshit will send the meeting link for tomorrow 10.30 am / 11.00 am . 

Those who are free please do join. 

Sub: preparing a brief note for SC empowered committee on Pastoralism . 

Draft will

Also be circulated for inputs . 

With regards 

Bhavana Rao 

Sent from my iPhone

--
You may add to the issues we deal with, or like to deal with. We are: "LIFE - A Network of NGOs and individuals dealing with AnGR and allied issues including pastoralism, CPR, Communities, Breed Societies and livelihoods"
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "LIFE Group" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to life-egroup...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/life-egroup/CANoyhgmrQ-AP_%3DQAgK1mr44sxaug%3Dt5xZrFdtAS0i%2Bhn7vvNrg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Nitya Ghotge]

Dear All, 

I had to drop off the meeting early today and may not be able to attend tomorrow's meeting . 

I just have a couple of points of concern

1. The document "points of discussion" have framed the pastoralist situation incorrectly . Pastoralists in  India are not a homogenous group .By trying to address those we run the risk of falling into an inconvenient mess.

2. Many significant points are mentioned in the Sahjeevan note . Perhaps these can be distilled out and taken forth for the meeting 

3.  I am attaching the policy brief from the IYRP gender working group which summarises some points related to gender. Perhaps this brief can be shared . Next year is also the International year of women farmers . 

All best 

Nitya

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away."

Maya Angelou

Nitya Sambamurti Ghotge 

10,Lantana Gardens , NDA Road , Bavdhan , Pune 411021

On Sat, Aug 16, 2025 at 4:03 PM RAMESH BHATTI <ram...@sahjeevan.org> wrote:

Please find the SC order on the constitution of the empowered committee, if anybody wants to refre it. 

--
This is the emailing group for the South Asia Regional IYRP Support Group (RISG-SA). The group is a communication channel to lobby, plan and organise actions for a UN declared IYRP that will recognise how rangelands and pastoralists contribute to the world’s food, culture, economy and environmental health.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RISG-SouthAsia" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to risg-sa+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/risg-sa/570C6D71-D758-4F24-B8D0-95C108FE0808%40gmail.com.

--

Ramesh Bhatti

(Center for Pastoralism)

Address:

Sahjeevan

175, Jalaram Society, vijaynagar

B/h Vishwamangal Apartment

Bhuj - Kachchh, Gujarat

370001

Centre for Pastoralism: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Website

Pastoral Times: Instagram | Twitter | Medium

--

This is the emailing group for the South Asia Regional IYRP Support Group (RISG-SA). The group is a communication channel to lobby, plan and organise actions for a UN declared IYRP that will recognise how rangelands and pastoralists contribute to the world’s food, culture, economy and environmental health.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RISG-SouthAsia" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to risg-sa+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/risg-sa/CANoyhg%3DkGhm9iU2RkPFp8e2gROTnaiF8n1u-GRogqSa91zOazg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Ilse Köhler-Rollefson]

Dear All,

I just had a look at the Points of Discussion and I was struck how pastoralists are framed as being below the poverty line. From my experience in Rajasthan, pastoralists are not poor, they are only hassled. The Raika equate "education" with being poor, and livestock with relative wealth. Nutritionally they are certainly better off than many.

Also there is a mistake in the first paragraph. 3 USD is INR 262, not 62. 

It is very positive that the government is willing to talk and engage, but it will be quite a task to get it re-oriented.

Rather than answering the questions, it might be best to try to educate government about the enormous economic contribution that pastoralists make and how crucial they are for India's food security.

Best wishes,

Ilse

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/risg-sa/CAOHhcmEtS1k9QgRJWob111rpv_SwPnstxZYT8JYsFzp5Jkf-dQ%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Dr. Ilse Köhler-Rollefson
Butibagh, Sadri 306702, District Pali, Rajasthan, India
Mobile+91-9829477535
Skype ilse.kohler.rollefson
www.ilse-koehler-rollefson.com

https://linktr.ee/ethicallivestock

Projects Coordinator
League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development
- We move the world of pastoralists -
Pragelatostr. 20
64372 Ober-Ramstadt
Germany
Tel. +49-6154-53642, mobil +49-1783069083
email il...@pastoralpeoples.org
www.pastoralpeoples.org

Learn more about camels in "Camel Karma. Twenty Years among India's Camel Nomads" soon to be republished by Speaking Tiger Press. www.camel-karma.com.

Watch TEDX talk about The Nomads that feed us

Follow on Twitter @IlseKohler

[Harshit Mishra]

Dear all,

Just a reminder for today's meeting at 10 30 AM today. See you there.

Note for the meeting with SC Empowered Committee for Pastoral Issues
Sunday, August 17 · 10:30am – 12:00pm

Time zone: Asia/Kolkata
Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/pxw-tcwe-fsx

Regards,

Harshit

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/risg-sa/CAMCYTSN%3DXu14UukRJ60sG4%2BXqm4FLSAfKhUoz476M%2BhUtGkvyg%40mail.gmail.com.

[RAMESH BHATTI]

Dear Dr. Sadana sir and Shalini

Thanks for your response, and we will do the needful. 

Ramesh 

[RAMESH BHATTI]

Dear Colleagues 

A Gentle Request

Do you have any data, reports, or statistics on the first 3 points of the committee, which have been asked of us.  Specifically, Question no. 3 income, poverty, and nutritional aspects

Please provide or share with us.

Thanks and regards. 

On Wed, Aug 13, 2025 at 12:32 PM South Asia Pastoral Alliance <southasiapas...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Rameshbhai, 

This is indeed a great opportunity, I will attend the meeting. 

Thanks and Regards

Megha Sheth

For South Asia Pastoral Alliance (SAPA)

On Tue, 12 Aug 2025 at 16:36, Arun Dixit <arunm...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Ramesh Bhai,

This is a good way to integrate pastoral issues in larger national concerns of farmers.  

We must appreciate that some of the questions the Empowered Committee put before us are really hard hitting. 

Frankly speaking, to my understanding, we may not be having straight forward answers to many of those questions. and therefore, may require efforts to review the Govt. data, literature and reports (including reports emerging from National Sample Surveys). We must make a strategy for this.

thanks and regards

sincerely

Arun Dixit

 

      

--
This is the emailing group for the South Asia Regional IYRP Support Group (RISG-SA). The group is a communication channel to lobby, plan and organise actions for a UN declared IYRP that will recognise how rangelands and pastoralists contribute to the world’s food, culture, economy and environmental health.

---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RISG-SouthAsia" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to risg-sa+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/risg-sa/CANoyhg%3Df%3D%3Dw92VGiWRE-Nr_KiU3sPqCnrXutrPBmP6MCOdGMuA%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Dr. Arun Mani Dixit

Centre for Environment and Social Concerns (CESC)
A-307/308, Supath-II Complex,
Near Juna Vadaj Bus Stand,
Ashram Road, Ahmedabad- 380013

Gujarat (INDIA)

Ph. +91 79 29706323

Mob: 93743 37471

--
This is the emailing group for the South Asia Regional IYRP Support Group (RISG-SA). The group is a communication channel to lobby, plan and organise actions for a UN declared IYRP that will recognise how rangelands and pastoralists contribute to the world’s food, culture, economy and environmental health.

---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RISG-SouthAsia" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to risg-sa+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/risg-sa/CAPjcZZjCdiGyv%2B-0jA-1jJ-SRd5J%3Dv%3DXYq98G8M8Xi_N20O7jQ%40mail.gmail.com.

--
This is the emailing group for the South Asia Regional IYRP Support Group (RISG-SA). The group is a communication channel to lobby, plan and organise actions for a UN declared IYRP that will recognise how rangelands and pastoralists contribute to the world’s food, culture, economy and environmental health.

---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RISG-SouthAsia" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to risg-sa+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/risg-sa/CAOJ6vESKLeWL3_2CbviT5RZv42u9Vq0maZarakxYmi5H%3DQmMAg%40mail.gmail.com.

[RAMESH BHATTI]

Please find the SC order on the constitution of the empowered committee, if anybody wants to refre it. 

On Sat, Aug 16, 2025 at 12:46 PM Bhavana Rao <bhava...@gmail.com> wrote:

--

This is the emailing group for the South Asia Regional IYRP Support Group (RISG-SA). The group is a communication channel to lobby, plan and organise actions for a UN declared IYRP that will recognise how rangelands and pastoralists contribute to the world’s food, culture, economy and environmental health.

---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RISG-SouthAsia" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to risg-sa+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/risg-sa/570C6D71-D758-4F24-B8D0-95C108FE0808%40gmail.com.

[RAMESH BHATTI]

Dear All Friends 

Hope that this email finds you well, we had a very fruitful meeting with the High Power Committee on Agrarian Reforms constituted by the Supreme court.  Whole committee listened to us for two and half hours,  and we jointly made a powerpoint presentation to educate the committee about the pastoral production system. We all Vasant, Sabyada, Bhavna, 3 Pastoralis spoke. Following a para from Devindar Sharma's BF post on our meeting.

"Pastoralists are not below the poverty line, the High-Powered Committee on Agrarian Reforms, constituted by the Hon'ble Supreme Court, was told today. This was conveyed by a delegation of pastoralists which made an insightful presentation before the committee today, which met at it's office in Panchkula. The visiting delegation, led by Ramesh Bhatti from Sahjeevan Trust in Kutch region. Comprising some 1.5 crore people, the 75 communities that form Pastoralists only need to be allowed to graze in jungles. "Slowly but steadily, pastoralists are being debarred from the common resources that sustain their livelihood," Bhatto said. Sadly pastoralists do not find mention in the official records. Nor do they get rights over the numerous services that are provided to the majority population, like ration, medical and education. There were three members of the pastoral communities in their traditional attire, among the 8-member stong delegation that came to meet the HPC"

Thanks to all who contributed a lot in a very short notice. Special thanks to Sabyada, Bhavna, Pooja, Ishakbhai for joining us in a very short notice.  Committee has promised us that they will do their best for pastoralists, we have to send them a written note on their points and the whole presentation. We will develop and share the note to the committee.  

Requesting Sabyada, Vasant, Bhavna to add in it.  

Regards

Ramesh Bhatti

On Mon, Aug 18, 2025 at 4:08 PM KHEM CHAND <kcn...@gmail.com> wrote:

I agree with Ilse 

Khem Chand 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/risg-sa/CABEesBCZWtcVje_vSmdZJ%3Dn7sS409x59WZDHyEG4TvNdUM0qAA%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Dr. Khem Chand
Principal Scientist (Agricultural Economics) & OIC PME
ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (NIAP)

DPS Marg, Pusa, New Delhi 110012
PH: +91(11)25847628, +91(11)25848731, ext. 314
Mobile - 7839932709, 9125992217
email: khem....@icar.gov.in, www.niap.res.in

--
This is the emailing group for the South Asia Regional IYRP Support Group (RISG-SA). The group is a communication channel to lobby, plan and organise actions for a UN declared IYRP that will recognise how rangelands and pastoralists contribute to the world’s food, culture, economy and environmental health.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RISG-SouthAsia" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to risg-sa+u...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/risg-sa/CAGh6%3DR7e6gN%3DCp6O01YhYSvzYcMjB%2BjZBan3AArYHBqV9MfE4A%40mail.gmail.com.

[Nitya Ghotge]

Glad to note this went well. Fingers crossed it results in desirable actions.

Nitya  

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away."

Maya Angelou

Nitya Sambamurti Ghotge 

10,Lantana Gardens , NDA Road , Bavdhan , Pune 411021

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/life-egroup/CANoyhgk%3D8zHbbcpFEcK9VSguCa1n6k8xtSuk%2Byb26ZWJKGr2cA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Kandasamy N]

Well done Ramesh.

I appreciate your sustained efforts.

Dr.N.Kandasamy,Ph.D.,
Professor of Animal Genetics(retd.),
6,Veeramathi Amman Kovil Street,
P.N.Pudur,
Coimbatore-641 041,
Tamil Nadu,
India,
Ph:+914222433784
Mobile:+919487282995
Email: pama...@yahoo.co.in
pamar...@gmail.com

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/life-egroup/CANoyhgk%3D8zHbbcpFEcK9VSguCa1n6k8xtSuk%2Byb26ZWJKGr2cA%40mail.gmail.com.