The Home Ministry on Wednesday announced the Modi Government’s approval for the extension of seven existing sub-schemes under the Umbrella Scheme of “Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates”. Under the move, existing schemes which provide assistance to displaced Kashmiri Pandits, Srilankan Tamil refugees and other groups who are victims of violence, riots and terrorism have been aided for further continuance.
The Modi government has decided to continue several schemes under the “Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates” scheme for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26. A provision of a total of Rs.1,452 crore has been made by the government for the same. The decision will ensure that assistance under the umbrella Scheme continues to reach beneficiaries through the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) led by Amit Shah.
“The scheme enables migrants and repatriates, who have suffered on account of displacement, to earn a reasonable income and to facilitate their inclusion in mainstream economic activities,” says the statement by MHA. The seven schemes started by the government at different points of time provide assistance for the relief and rehabilitation of displaced families of Pakistan Occupied Areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Chhamb. The relief assistance also includes Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, Bru people lodged in relief camps in Tripura, 1984 Anti-Sikh Riot Victims.
The umbrella scheme also has provisions for providing financial assistance to families of affected civilian victims of terrorist violence including militancy, insurgency, communal/ Left Wing Extremism violence and cross border firing. This also helps victims who died in mine/IED blasts anywhere on the Indian territory. The scheme covers grants-in-aid to the Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC) and special grants to the government of West Bengal for infrastructure development in 51 erstwhile Bangladeshi enclaves in India, situated in Cooch Behar District and for resettlement of 922 returnees from erstwhile Indian enclaves in Bangladesh.
Since the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s, The central government has outlined many schemes for them including financial assistance, reserved government jobs and rehabilitation of the Hindu population in parts of the country and also in the valley. The Narendra Modi government in 2015 announced additional 3000 jobs for the Pandits in the state government and the construction of around 6000 transit accommodations in the Kashmir valley.