Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 9: To work for the betterment and welfare of refugees in general and PoJK refugees in particular, Refugees Sadar Sabha was constituted here, today.
Announcing the launch of new organization at a press conference here the newly elected chairman of the Sabha, Kewal Krishan Sharma said that the constitution of the new body was a great need of the hour.
He said the Sabha will work in the field of education and health care particularly to ameliorate the lot of refugees’ children by working in the field of education to create better opportunities of schooling for them.
He said the Sabha will also work for betterment of social and economic status of refugees’ majority of whom live in abject poverty.
The Sabha, however, appreciated the work and struggle launched by different refugee organizations for years together for restoration of refugees’ rights.
Sharma said the main concern of his organization will however be education and health sector. He said Sabha also appreciated the initiative of Union Government for redressal of refugees problems and appealed the State Government to work in close co-ordination with the Union Government on this issue to end 65 year long injustice to which refugees’ were subjected.
He said the Refugees Sadar Sabha will also launch its website soon and the refugees Wards are requested to make their registration with it for seeking guidance for various educational programmes.
The Sabha also strongly demand one time settlement be made to PoJK and West Pak refugees on the basis of their family position in 2014 as families have multiplied in last 65 years of their displacement. Besides, new registration counters be established for registration of left out families, Mr Sharma added.
He also demanded that refugees’ colonies be established at district headquarters and allotted to refugees so that they can shift from remote areas there for better education of their children. The chairman also demanded reservation for the Wards of refugees in professional colleges within State and all over the country.
The chairman strongly condemned the publication of a map by US Defence Ministry, Pentagon showing PoK as part of Pakistan and specifying that the territory belongs to India. He urged the Union Government to convey its strong concern to US in this regard.
The other members present in the press conference included Satvir Singh, Rajiv Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Vishal Sharma and Rajnish Kumar.
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