The Union Cabinet has approved the inclusion of 5,300 Displaced Person (DP) families of Jammu & Kashmir-1947 who initially opted to move outside the state of Jammu & Kashmir but later on returned and settled in the state, in the Rehabilitation Package for Displaced Families of PoJK and Chhamb under the PM’s Development Package 2015 for Jammu & Kashmir. Initially, these families were kept out of the Rehabilitation Package approved by the Union Cabinet on 30.11.2016. The families will receive ₹5.5 lakh as compensation under the package.
The government stated that in the wake of the 1947 Pakistani aggression in J&K, 31,619 families migrated from Pakistan Occupied Areas of J&K (PoJK) to the state of J&K. Of these, 26,319 families settled in the state of J&K and 5300 families initially opted to move out of the state to other parts of the country. Furthermore, during the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971 10,065 more families were displaced from the Chhamb Niabat area. Of these 3,500 families were displaced during the 1965 war and 6,565 families were displaced during the 1971 war.
The government further stated that 36,384 displaced families covered under the package approved by the Cabinet on the 30th of November, 2016 included 26,319 displaced families from PoJK settled in J&K and 10,065 Displaced Families displaced from Chhamb Niabat area. The 5,300 DP families of PoJK who had initially opted to move out of the state of J&K to other parts of the country were not included in the approved package. Now those DP families who had moved out of the State but later returned and settled in the state are being included in the package.
The government said that the inclusion of these Families in the existing scheme will enable them to earn a reasonable monthly income and become a part of mainstream economic activities. It will also improve the Government’s capacity to respond effectively to such families who are in need of financial assistance. The requirement of funds will be met out of the already sanctioned funds for the existing scheme.
After the abrogation of Article 370 and the decision of the Union government to bifurcate the state into two Union Territories, the government has announced various administrative reforms directed towards improving the circumstances in the state. The latest move towards the inclusion of DP families in the rehabilitation package is further directed towards improving the living conditions of people in the state.