Arun Jaitley promises to allocate more funds for Kashmiri Pandits

 Keen on facilitating return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits to Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre on Friday promised to raise the allocation for the purpose over and above Rs 500 crore provided in the Budget for 2014-15. "The government will provide more resources, if required, from what has been allocated for rehabilitation of internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits or if someone is out of the state and if one wants to return to the state," Finance Minister Arun Jaitely said. His assurance during the reply to debate on Budget in Lok Sabha came against the backdrop of the contention by some sections that Rs 500 crore earmarked in the Budget was not enough.

In his Budget speech on July 10, Jaitley had announced a Rs 500 crore package for displaced Kashmiri Pandits living in various parts of the country and for rebuilding their lives. The Rs 500 crore package came against the demand raised by the state government for sanctioning Rs 5,820 crore for rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants. The Modi government has flagged rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants, who left the Valley after the onset of militancy in 1990, as its priority. At present, 60,452 families of Kashmiri migrants are registered in the country, of which 38,119 are in Jammu, 19,338 in Delhi and 1,995 in other states.

The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also announced setting up of a special fund of Rs 2,000 crore in the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for development of food parks in the country. He also announced tax incentives for the wind energy sector saying the accelerated depreciation benefit will be restored Expressing concern over menace of narcotic drugs, Jaitley announced an initial fund of Rs 50 crore for setting up drug de-addiction centres in Punjab.