3,509 Pandit youths returned to Valley since 2010: Govt

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 20

Even though there is still no clarity over the Central government’s plan to resettle 3.50 lakh displaced Kashmiri Hindus in their ancestral homes, 3,509 youths have returned to the Valley under the Prime Minister Employment package since 2010.

Interestingly, 2,905 were recruited under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP), announced in 2008 by the UPA government, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Only 604 youths have joined since 2015 under the BJP-led government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The information was given by the Minister of State in Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) G Kishan Reddy in the Lok Sabha in response to a question raised by MP Mala Roy.

“The selection process has been concluded in respect of 1,781 posts and 604 candidates had joined different departments as on February 22, 2020. These are out of 3,000 jobs created for the migrants at an outlay of Rs 1,080 crore in 2015,” the government said.

The MHA further said that under the Prime Minister’s Package-2008, 2,905 jobs had been filled out of 3,000 jobs created.

As per the information provided by the MHA, a total of 64,951 families from Kashmir Valley who were forced to leave the Valley had been registered in relief organisation.

Of those 43,618 are registered in Jammu, while 19,338 are registered in the NCR, New Delhi. A total of 1,995 migrants are living in other states.

On return and resettlement, the government said, “In order to encourage the rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants back at their ancestral places in the Valley, approval was given to the Jammu and Kashmir Government for implementing schemes under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP- 2015).

“There was plan for the construction of 6,000 transit accommodations at an outlay of Rs 920 crore for accommodating 3,000 Kashmiri migrants employed under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) PMRP- 2008 and for 3,000 additional migrants under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP-2015. “A total of 849 flats have already been constructed,” the MHA said.

PM employment package

• The MHA said under the Prime Minister’s Package-2008, 2,905 jobs had been filled out of 3,000 jobs created
• A total of 64,951 families from Kashmir Valley who were forced to leave the Valley had been registered in relief organisation
• Of those 43,618 are registered in Jammu, while 19,338 are registered in the NCR, New Delhi. A total of 1,995 migrants are living in other states of India

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