Twenty years after Kashmiri pandits were displaced from the valley, the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government has begun the process for their return.
“We have received applications from over 4,400 families who are ready to come back. We have asked them to furnish details of their plans so that the government can make necessary arrangements,” J&K’s relief commissioner Vinod Koul said.
Official figures reveal around 59,542 families had migrated from Kashmir after the onset of militancy in 1990. Of these, 34,202 went to Jammu. Around 21,684 families are registered as migrants outside J&K. Around 2,168 Muslims and 1,749 Sikh families had also migrated from the valley.
Under the prime minister’s financial package, the Centre will offer Rs1,618 crore to the returning migrants — Rs7.5 lakh to each family for renovation or reconstruction of houses. Nearly 6,000 government jobs have also been created for Kashmiri pandits. J&K is banking on the Centre’s employment package to attract young unemployed panditsand their families back to the valley.
Kashmiri pandit organisations reacted guardedly. “Let the government allot flats constructed during the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed regime at Mattan, Sheikhpora and Tulmulla to migrants. We also demand three satellite townships where pandits can be rehabilitated,” Vinod Pandit, chairman of Migrant Coordination Committee, said.
Comments