Rs 689 crore spent on rehabilitation of PoK refugees in 2024-25: MHA

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the government had provisioned additional funding for the rehabilitation of displaced persons from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the Chhamb Niabat areas, as well as for West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) during the financial year 2024-25, which ended on March 31.

As a result, the initial budgetary estimate of Rs 539 crore for 2024-25 increased to Rs 689 crore under the revised estimates in the Union Budget for 2024-25, under the category “Funds provided under Relief and Rehabilitation for Migrants and Repatriates.”

However, for the financial year 2025-26, the budgetary allocation under the same head has been reduced significantly to Rs 123 crore.

Official sources attributed this decline to the completion of rehabilitation and financial assistance targets for the aforementioned groups, reducing the need for additional funds.

In efforts to assist Kashmiri migrants, the government had announced the creation of 6,000 government jobs, of which 5,724 appointments have been completed, while the remaining positions are in the process of being filled. Similarly, out of the planned 6,000 transit accommodations, 3,120 have been completed, with construction ongoing for the rest.