A delegation of 50 people, led by BJP MLC A H Vishwanath, will head for a conference at Geneva to espouse the cause of the shepherd community.
Vishwanath, the founder-president of Shepherds India International, told a news conference that the delegation will have experts, former vice-chancellors and scientists.
The Shepherds India International was started to unify 12 crore people belonging to the community known as Kuruba in Karnataka, Kurumba in Tamil Nadu, Kuruma in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Gadaria in Bihar and so on.
During the visit, the delegation wants to meet UNESCO authorities and submit demands of the shepherd community, which includes priority for development using funds available for the upliftment of ethnic people.
"We are also visiting some of the sheep farms during our tour to study and will submit a report to both the state and central governments," Vishwanath said. He added that shepherds should not be just a caste, but a community as well.