Context: Prime Minister of India symbolically distributed Hakku Patra (land title deeds) to five families of the Banjara (Lambani) community, a nomadic Scheduled Caste group in Karnataka.

What are hakku patras or title deeds?

• A title deed is a property ownership document, and the bearer of the document owns the land.

• The title deeds enable owners to avail of bank loans with the said document.

• They will also be eligible to buy or sell land to which the title deed is granted by the government.

The Banjara community

• The Banjaras are a key scheduled caste sub-group in Karnataka, although they are considered to be a tribal group in terms of the lives they lead.

• The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes together make up nearly 24 per cent of the state population.

• The Banjara are a historically nomadic trading caste who may have origins in the Mewar region of what is now Rajasthan.

• All of the Banjara people profess faith in Hinduism and follow Hindu culture.

• Fire dance, 'Ghumar' dance and Chari dance are the traditional dance forms of the Banjaras.

• Banjaras have a sister community of singers known as Dadhis or Gajugonia.

• They are traditionally travelled from village to village singing songs to the accompaniment of sarangi.

• The Banjara community has been listed as a Scheduled Tribe in the states of: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha.

• They were designated as an Other Backward Class in: Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

• They were designated as a Scheduled Caste in: Karnataka, Delhi and Punjab.