Discrimination will be undone: Dr Jitendra
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 16: In a major decision that will benefit lakhs of people living along 198 kilometers International Border in three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua in Jammu region, the Central Government has called upon the State Government to approve reservations for the people living along the IB at par with the Line of Control (LoC).
“The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has endorsed the proposal for giving reservations to the people living along the International Border at par with LoC and called upon the State Government to work out the proposal at the earliest and give the people of IB their due rights, which they had been denied by the previous Governments merely on the ground that all three districts having International Boundary with Pakistan falls in Jammu region,” official sources told the Excelsior.
People living on the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts and some parts of Jammu district, mostly Akhnoor tehsil and Baramulla and Kupwara districts in Kashmir valley spread over 285 villages were getting reservations in the State Government jobs, educational institutions and professional colleges but the same benefits had been denied to the residents of the International Border for the past several years despite the issue being raised repeatedly by the people of the border belt on the ground that people of IB and LoC were equal sufferers of Pakistan shelling and firing.
Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Dr Jitendra Singh, who mooted the proposal for reservations to the people of International Border at par with Line of Control and took it up with Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, told the Excelsior that the reservations to the IB people had been denied on “political considerations’’ by the previous Government and the BJP was determined to undo the injustice with the IB people.
“It was a clear case of discrimination with the people of International Border as people of both LoC and IB suffer from Pakistan shelling and firing but the people of LoC were getting benefits of reservations while those living on the IB had been denied the same. This discrimination now will be removed,’’ Dr Jitendra Singh said.
Sources said all necessary formalities required to bring the people of International Border at par with LoC are being worked out by the State Government. The people living along the IB were likely to get reservations at par with LoC in the Government jobs, educational institutions and professional colleges in the State.
The Government move, they added, will benefit lakhs of people living along the International Border from Lakhanpur to Akhnoor in Jammu region, where boundary with Pakistan has been designated as the IB. From Akhnoor to Rajouri and Poonch, the ceasefire line is called as the Line of Control (LoC). The LoC also falls in Baramulla and Kupwara districts of Kashmir.
Sources admitted that with the grant of reservations to the people living on the International Border, a long pending demand of the border dwellers will be fulfilled, which had been ignored by the successive Governments.
Recently, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had announced increase in compensation for next of kin of the civilians killed in Pakistan shelling and firing from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and for death of cattle from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000. He had also removed ceiling of relief for only three cattle and ordered that the people would get relief for all the cattle killing in Pakistan action.
The Home Ministry has also approved construction of individual and community bunkers for the border people at the cost of Rs 413.5 crore besides Seema Bhavans.
During the past few days, a virtual peace prevailed along the International Border as well as Line of Control barring couple of sniper shot injuries.
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