Jammu, Aug 13 - The nomadic Gujjars, who comprise about 20 percent of the 11 million population of Jammu and Kashmir, are angry at the 'meagre' allocation for tribal welfare in the state budget 2009-10.

In the budget proposals, presented by Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather in the assembly Monday, Rs.20 crore (Rs. 200 million) has been allocated for the tribal plan. This amount is to be shared with various schemes for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) as well as for women and children.

'This is sheer injustice. How can the government attend to the problems of Gujjars, spread all across the state, with this meagre amount?' Haji Shamsher Ali Boken, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Gujjar Forum, said in a statement.