Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 20: In a major relief to the non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits living in the Valley, Government has extended the benefits of Prime Minister’s Special Package meant for Kashmiri migrants by amending J&K Migrants (Special Drive) Recruitment Rules, 2009.
The amendment has now made 561 non-migrant unemployed Kashmiri Pandits eligible for the Government jobs under the PM Special job package.
Government has passed a direction to Relief Commissioner State to consider the claim of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti in accordance with the rules and take decision preferably within a period of six weeks in the matter.
The benefit of posts specially created from time to time in the Valley under the Prime Minister’s Special Package (PMSP) for return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Migrants to the Valley has been extended to the Kashmiri Pandit community, who have not migrated to outside, by making certain amendments to the actual SRO No. 412 of 2009.
Taking into account the direction passed by the Court, Department of Disaster Management Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction Civil Secretariat, Srinagar by way of notification under SRO No. 425 dated October 10, 2017 has made certain amendments in the actual SRO and added ‘Kashmiri Pandit’ which means a person who belong to the Kashmir Pandit family and has not migrated from Valley after November 1, 1989 and is presently residing in the Valley.
Aggrieved of the decision of Government for excluding from PMSP, Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti approached the Court with the plea that the clause 2 (d) read with section 5 of actual SRO No. 412 (in which only migrant was mentioned but not Kashmiri Pandits) are unconstitutional.
Samiti also sought direction from the Court that they along with other 561 non-migrant Pandit community aspirants be allowed to apply for the posts notified under PMSP scheme.
In this backdrop the petition of Samiti came to be decided with direction to Relief Commissioner State of J&K to consider the claim of the petitioners-Samiti in accordance with the rules and take decision preferably within a period of six weeks in the matter.
As per the census carried out by Special Secretary to Government Revenue Department, there are 808 families consisting of 3445 souls who are still living in the Valley and as per the census carried for unemployed youth it has been stated that 145 youth are in district Baramulla and 2, 108, 16, 25, 145, 48, 5, 41 and 26 unemployed youths are in district Kupwara, Pulwama, Srinagar, Shopian, Anantnag, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kulgam and Bandipora respectively.
“Government of India has approved funding of additional 3000 State Government jobs. The Kashmiri Pandit families, who did not leave the Valley during the armed violence and are still residing in the Valley, will also be eligible for these jobs and preferably formula of one job per family is to be adopted”, read the reply of Relief and Rehabilitation Department.
It may be mentioned here that the Cabinet in its earlier decision desired that the Revenue Department immediately work out an employment package for Kashmiri minorities, who did not migrate, on the same lines as is available to the Kashmiri migrants.
Now by making certain amendments to the actual SRO non-migrant youth can apply for those posts notified under PMSP scheme and may have benefits of the said package.
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