As BJP eyes power in Jammu and Kashmir, Centre readies a Pandit rehab plan ---------------- J&K Breaking News ---------------- As the BJP looks to form its first government in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre has drawn up a detailed rehabilitation package, including jobs, flats and cash, for Kashmiri Pandits forced to flee the Valley in the ’90s under militant threat. The rehabilitation of Pandits has long been on the agenda of the BJP and was one of the promises it made during the Assembly elections in the state. The Union government has a provision of Rs 500 crore in its budget for rehabilitation of Pandits. Under the package, the first lot of 6,000 migrants to return would be offered Class III and IV government jobs (salary Rs 15,000-30,000). A 20-acre land near Srinagar has been identified by the Union Home Ministry for building 1,000 flats to those who take up the government jobs. Besides, Rs 10 lakh each would be given to families who want to reconstruct their damaged houses. On behalf of the Centre, the J&K government would be conducting a limited competitive examination for Kashmiri migrants. “Once a person has cleared the examination and qualifies for the job, he or she will be eligible for government accommodation,” said the official, adding that it will be a “multi-pronged approach” to rehabilitate the Pandits by “empowering them”. The Centre’s package also takes into consideration certain proposals of the J&K government. Currently, 60,452 families of Kashmiri migrants are registered with the government, of which 38,119 are in Jammu, 19,338 in Delhi and 1,995 in other states. Incidentally, nearly three-fourth of the Kashmiri Pandits who had registered as voters stayed away from the recent Assembly polls, hurting the BJP’s chances to some extent. In 2008, then UPA government had announced a package for return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants, including Rs 7.5 lakh each to families for repair of their houses. That package didn’t draw too many Pandits to return. On September 5, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh wrote to former chief minister Omar Abdullah to identify land where houses for Kashmiri migrants could be constructed. Sources said 20 acres near Srinagar had been identified but the formalities of the Centre purchasing the land from the state had not been completed.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 03:47:48 +0000
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