NEW DELHI : Stressing on the need of early rehabilitation of migrant Kashmiri pundits, Home Minister Rajnath Singh urged Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to work on identify land for resettling them in their native state.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Mr Singh urged for early implementation of their rehabilitation scheme and advised him to identify suitable land near the native places of the migrants.
The Home Minister said such areas should be selected keeping in view the availability of adequate security in close proximity of the chosen place. At present, there are about 62,000 registered Kashmiri migrant families in the country, who migrated from the Kashmir Valley to Jammu, Delhi and other parts of the country in the aftermath of militancy in the state during early 1990s. Mr Singh in his letter mentioned that the Centre is committed to facilitating the return of the Kashmiri migrants to the Kashmir valley and their proper rehabilitation. A sum of Rs 500 crore has been earmarked in the Union Budget 2014-15 for this purpose, the Home Minister said. The ruling BJP in its manifesto has committed for early and suitable rehabilitation/resettlement of the displaced pundit families.
At the subsequent occasions, the new Modi government and Mr Modi himself had reiterated the commitment. Now the Home Minister’s initiative signifies a vital political move ahead of the assembly polls that is likely to emerge as the poll plank for the saffron party.
(AGENCIES)
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