5502 KPs provided jobs
NEW DELHI, July 20: The Central Government has approved construction of 6,000 transit accommodations for Kashmiri migrant employees working in the Valley under a special package of the Prime Minister, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said the Government has acquired State land (including Khalsa Sarkar, Kahcharie, Shamilat, etc.) measuring 2,359.45 hectares for various public purposes such as roads, railways, schools, playgrounds, parks, border fencing and industrial estates during 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-2022 (up to June 2022).
“The Government of India approved the construction of 6,000 transit accommodations for Kashmiri migrant employees engaged or to be engaged in different districts of Kashmir valley under Prime Minister’s Development Package, 2015 (PMDP-2015) announced on November 7, 2015.
“Construction of 1,025 units has been completed or substantially completed, 1,872 units are at different stages of completion and work on remaining units has been taken up,” he said replying to a written question.
He further said that the Central Government and its agencies have acquired as many as 331.90 hectare land in Kashmir since August 2019 after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked.
In a written reply, Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the land have been acquired for various projects like national highways in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
“As per the information provided by the Government of Jammu & Kashmir, land measuring 331.90 hectare has been acquired by the Central Government or its agencies for various projects like national highways in Kashmir from August, 2019 till July 13, 2022,” the Minister said.
He said in terms of the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, the Central Acts regarding Land Acquisition, which means the National Highway Act, 1956 and the Right to Fair Compensation Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, have been made applicable to the Union Territory of J&K.
He further said that acquisitions undertaken and the compensations provided are under the legal framework of these Acts, which also prescribe the criteria to determine the compensation and timelines for the steps involved in the process.
“The compensation in full is provided as per the time-lines provided therein,” Rai said.
Meanwhile, as many as 118 civilians, including five Kashmiri Pandits and 16 other Hindus and Sikhs, were killed in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the Minister said.
Rai also said in Rajya Sabha that 5,502 Kashmiri Pandits have been provided jobs in different departments of Government of Jammu and Kashmir in the valley and no Kashmiri Pandit has reportedly migrated from the Valley since August 2019.
Rai said there has been substantial decline in terrorist attacks in last three years – from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021.
“From August 5, 2019 till July 9, 2022, 128 security force personnel and 118 civilians were killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Out of 118 civilians killed, 5 were Kashmiri Pandits and 16 belonged to other Hindu and Sikh communities,” he said, in a written reply to a question.
He said no pilgrim has been killed during this period.
The Minister said the Government has a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and the security situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said jobs to the Kashmiri Pandits were given under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP).
Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated on August 5, 2019 and the State was bifurcated into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. (PTI)
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