Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 4: Former Minister and senior Congress leader, Sham Lal Sharma, today visited the site of dharna of PoK refugees and assured them that as and when Congress Government comes in power, the resolution of problems of PoK DPs will be its top priority.
In order to express his solidarity, he also sat on dharna with the members of SOS International -an organization for PoK Displaced Persons (DPs). While sitting on dharna, he held detailed discussions with the members.
Speaking on the occasion, chairman, SOS International, Rajiv Chuni asserted that successive Governments at the Centre had never extended a helping hand towards the most destitute community of the World. The previous Government of BJP-PDP, he alleged, also followed in their footsteps. “If one displaced community gets monthly cash relief then why the other community doesn’t gets the same treatment?” he said.
The SOS Intl organization members informed Sharma that during the Congress-NC coalition Government, the Cabinet has approved package for PoK DPs which include payment of cash assistance of Rs 25 lakh, reservation to wards of PoK DPs in various professional & technical institutions across the country and providing of Central Government jobs to educated unemployed youths of PoK DPs but these demands were not met by Central Government which instead sanctioned Rs 5.50 lakh but that too has not been paid as lot of hurdles are being created by the bureaucracy.
During this, the organization submitted its charter of demands to Sham Lal which includes sanction of whole package already approved by the erstwhile -NC Congress Government, providing all the facilities at par with Kashmiri migrants, reservation in LA for PoK DPs, to allow PoK DPs to visit their religious shrines located in PoK, include 5300 PoK DPs families registered outside the State in the ambit of package for DPs and return cash deposits with interests to PoK DPs lying with J&K Bank Mirpur Branch.
Sharma listened to the issues raised by the DPs’ organization patiently. He assured them that he will take up these issues with high authorities and will not rest till these are resolved.
Pertinent to mention here that, PoK DPs’ chain dharna at head office of SOS International entered into 9th day. Today, the dharna was being led by Arun Kumar Gupta and he was accompanied by Vinod Sharma, Sharda Devi, Tilak Raj, Sham Lal and Shakuntla Devi.
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