Include 5300 families of DPs in package or face agitation: Chuni

PoK DPs’ leader Rajiv Chuni addressing rally in Jammu on Sunday. —Excelsior/Rakesh
PoK DPs’ leader Rajiv Chuni addressing rally in Jammu on Sunday. —Excelsior/Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 19: SOS International, chairman Rajiv Chuni today cautioned the Government to include 5300 families of PoK DPs residing outside the State in the list of PM’s package or get ready to face tough agitation.
Addressing a rally of displaced persons from PoJK near Tawi bridge here today, Chuni said that Government must clear its stand that under which logic, 5300 families of PoK DPs (1947) out of 31, 619 families, were excluded from the cash assistance. He said there was unprecedented resentment among the community members over this injustice.
The DPs’ leader further said that various political parties are in pursuit of playing foul to gain political mileage over the interest of PoK DPs. There is a race going on among ruling parties to grind their axes and enhance their vote bank by exploiting the issues of PoK DPs. These parties are trying their best to exploit DPs by all means as it seems their ultimate goal is to keep them in state of trauma, Chuni alleged.
He recalled that State Cabinet during 2014 approved ex-gratia grant of Rs 25 lakh, reservation to the wards of PoK DPs in professional and technical colleges across the country, employment package for unemployed youths and many more. Package was sent to Central Government for implementation where All Party Parliamentary Standing Committee reviewed the package and felt the package insufficient, then it recommended Rs 30 lakh instead of Rs 25 lakh and now, it has been reduced to mere Rs 5.5 lakh and moreover 5300 PoK DPs families residing outside J&K State were excluded from it.
He said 31, 619 PoK DPs families have been swollen up to more than 2 lakh but it is very sad that they are still counted 31, 619 families even after the lapse of seven decades and out of which 5300 families are under exclusion. This is cruel joke with the DPs, Chuni maintained.
Refugee leaders Prof JS Mangal, Roshan Lal, Prof NN Sharma, VK Datta, Pramodh Ghai and Sharda Devi also spoke on the occasion.

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