Govt removes income cap, to release pending relief for Kashmiri migrant families

In a major relief to Kashmiri migrant families settled in the capital, the Delhi Government on Thursday announced the abolition of the income ceiling for monthly assistance and promised to clear all pending arrears up to September 2025.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the move was aimed at addressing the “long-standing pain” of Kashmiri Hindu families who were displaced during the early 1990s due to terrorism and resettled in Delhi and the NCR. “Relief is not charity — it is a rightful entitlement arising from historical displacement, and must be granted on humanitarian grounds,” she said.

Under the new rules, all registered migrant families will be eligible for the allowance irrespective of their income. Currently, around 1,800 Kashmiri migrants live in Delhi. Four members per family are eligible for relief. Each individual receives Rs 3,250 per month, amounting to nearly Rs 13,000 for a family.

The government also announced a Special Opportunity Scheme, allowing families to update their records without penalties or recovery of past payments. This, officials said, would simplify the distribution process, which had been stalled for nearly 18 months due to technical and procedural hurdles.

Gupta, along with Education Minister Ashish Sood, recently met representatives of the community before directing the Revenue Department to act swiftly. “Delhi has been their refuge for over thirty years. Now it must provide them with dignity and security,” she said, stressing that the decision aligns Delhi’s provisions with those already in place in Jammu and Kashmir.