Foreign investment in PDC's 20,000 mw power projects soon
Jairam hopeful of cross-LoC trade in 90 days

From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Mar 17: Union Minister of State for Commerce, Jairam Ramesh, today said that the cross-LoC trade between India and Pakistan through the divided State of Jammu & Kashmir was likely to start in the next 90 days as its entire groundwork had been completed. He said that in tandem with the State Government, Government of India was introducing and facilitating a slew of revolutionary measures---including declaring the strife-torn State as an SEZ in Education sector and seeking Foreign Institutional Investment for power projects---for socio-economic transformation of Jammu & Kashmir.

Addressing a press conference between laying the foundation stone of an ambitious International Trade Centre (ITC) at Pampore and a scheduled meeting with Srinagar-based businessmen at SKICC, Jairam Ramesh revealed that the entire groundwork for the proposed cross-LoC trade between India and Pakistan through Jammu & Kashmir had been completed. He said that after an exercise with the Government in Srinagar and Jammu, his Ministry had proposed cross-LoC trade of 14 items. Islamabad cleared nine items for import through J&K, which, according to the Minister, constituted for 90 percent of what the State Government and the business community had proposed.

"As soon as the new Government takes over in Islamabad, we will execute an agreement with Pakistan. I am pretty hopeful that the (cross-LoC) trade would start in the next 90 days", Jairam Ramesh said. He said that he had strong apprehensions of a negative response from the Pakistani officials and politicians. "But, ironically, we found them all positive and enthusiastic to our proposals", he said and revealed that Pakistan would mainly import handicrafts through Jammu & Kashmir.

Jairam said that handloom and handicrafts were the mainstay of J&K's economy, alongside horticulture and tourism, and both, the State and the Central Governments, were making substantial efforts to boost the trade in this sector. He said that India had last year beaten Iran and become the largest exporter of carpets, earning foreign currency worth Rs 4,000 cr. He was proud to declare that J&K alone exported hand-knotted carpets worth Rs 1,000 cr. He said that with an amount of Rs 85 cr, all the 40,000 carpet weaving looms in J&K State were being replaced with the modern looms developed by Indian Institute of Carpet Technology at the rate of 8000 per year in the next five years. While the State and the Central Governments would pay 75 percent of each loom, costing Rs 22,000, the beneficiary artisan would have to contribute just 25 percent of the amount.

Holding his second press conference at the same venue in five months, Jairam Ramesh said that Government of India was also raising Rs 9-cr Craft Development Centre in Srinagar in addition to Rs 116-cr ITC at Pampore. He said that the Union Ministry of Commerce had sanctioned Rs 30 cr for phase-I of the ITC which would cost Rs 49 cr. No more than Rs 15 cr had been provided to such ITCs established at Chennai, Gowahati, Bangalore and Kolkata. He said that the ITC at Pampore would attract businessmen from all over the world and the trading, which would continue round-the-clock and round-the-year, would start in two years. Horticulture and handicrafts would be the main items of sale.

Making a significant announcement, Jairam Ramesh revealed that the typical Kashmiri Kani shawl would be protected with Geographical Indication (GI) "in the next few days" even as the process would be extended to the exquisite Kashmiri Pashmina and Kashmiri Sozni shawls immediately thereafter.

Jairam said that with a special outlay of Rs 630 cr, Government of India had just sanctioned a special outlay of Rs 630 cr for a countrywide project of cultivation and preservation of medicinal plants. With an amount of Rs 160 cr, five medicinal plant processing zones were currently being established in the country. He revealed that one of such zones, involving expenditure of Rs 32 cr, would be established by National Medicinal Plants Board in Jammu where 100 acres of land were being procured for this purpose with the help of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. He disclosed that two private companies---Himalayan Drug Company Bangalore and Sami Labs---were already studying the prospects of business in Jammu.

Flanked by Chairman of J&K Bank Ltd and Economic Advisor to J&K Government, Haseeb Drabu, Jairam Ramesh said that the Centre, in collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd, would soon start yearly selection, training and placement---mainly in BPO---of over 4,000 Science and Engineering graduates in the Information Technology (IT) sector in J&K. He said that TCS would send a team, led by a CEO, to kickstart this project in J&K and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) would finalise an agreement with the process partner, J&K Bank.

Expressing his disappointment that J&K did not figure on India's IT map, which had been dominated by Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune etc, Jairam said that he had also interacted with the WIPRO chief Azim Premji who, according to the Minister, had shown keen interest in developing J&K as an IT hub. The insurgency riddled Northeast had been already pushing 7,000 incumbents a year in the IT stream for which NASSCOM had been holding tests and job fairs, he informed.

Minister of Commerce expressed dissatisfaction over J&K Bank's Credit Deposit Ratio which, he said, was just 40% as compared to over 80% in southern States and around 50% in the eastern States. He advised J&K Bank to simplify and speed up the process of lending notwithstanding the fact that it had reached a stupendous 8,000 cr in 2007-08 as against 2,500 cr three years ago. Drabu claimed that J&K Bank's CDR had now touched 47% and the volume of its local crediting was more than 50%.

Jairam and Drabu revealed that a delegation of high-flying foreign investors had just visited Srinagar and an enormous capitalization was being generated through Foreign Institutional Investment for the Special Purpose Vehicles of J&K Power Development Corporation---a number of hydro-electric generation projects in two river basins in Jammu region. They said that J&K had a hydro-electric potential of 20,000 mw and the foreign investors were going to make huge investments in these power projects as also in small and medium enterprises in the State. Drabu said that 40% of his bank's market capitalisation was already from FIIs.

Tarigami hints at re-alignment, emergence of Third Front

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 17: Hinting at the emergence of Third Front and possible participation of the Hurriyat Conference in the coming Assembly elections the State secretary of CPI (M) and MLA Kulgam Mohd Yousuf Tarigami has said that process of re-alignment of various political groups has set in motion.

Addressing press conference here today the CPI (M) leader said that his party sees more transparency in the upcoming elections and those, who remained out of focus in 2002 elections and even before, would be participating this time.

"Surely there would be a re-alignment of political forces in the 2008 polls. New entrants either in the form of groups or individuals, would come under one front to take part in electoral process. We are in touch with many like minded groups and the process of re-alignment has started gaining momentum," Mr Tarigami maintained. "Political parties from the mainstream or separatists groups, are duty bound to lead the people of the State and our party will certainly encourage new contestants," he said, adding that there would be no single ruling party in the State after coming Assembly elections. Those parties should forget now to win single majority.

Referring to Kashmir issue, Mr Tarigami said,’’ the J&K State requires an autonomous voice. There is no readymade solution to solve the Kashmir problem but resumption of dialogue process with the new Government in Pakistan will bring out solution. He stressed for making LoC more irrelevant and increasing level of people to people contact on both the sides of LoC besides opening trade between the two countries.

The CPI (M) leader also advocated the restoration of the status in its original form as it was after the signing of Instrument of Accession by the then Maharaja of J&K with the Union of India. He further stressed for setting up of three regional councils in the regions of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir.

The MLA said it was a responsibility of any political groups representing the State to forward the peace process between India and Pakistan. Even the Hurriyat leadership has its role to play for the welfare and development of the people of the State. He hoped that separatists may also play a crucial role in the coming elections.

"Though we have different ideology, opinions and agendas but parties can join one platform to resolve 60 years old issue," he said while asserting that Common Minimum Programme (CMP) should be evolved to resolve issue between both the neighbouring countries.

Criticising Azad Government over lack of coordination among coalition partners, Tarigami said no coordination committee meet took place since long and all the Common Minimum programme could not be taken up.

Mr Tarigami has been re-elected as secretary CPI (M) for the second term at eighth CPI (M) State level conference, held at Jammu on March 15 to 16.

Troops forced to wear defective boots, socks in Siachen

New Delhi, Mar 17 : Troops deployed at Siachen have been forced to wear defective and inferior quality boots and woollen socks to fight extreme cold climatic conditions in the world's highest battlefield by the authorities in the Udhampur-based Northern Command during the past several years, according to CAG.

In his latest report tabled in Parliament, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India said special clothing was a vital requirement for troops deployed in extreme cold climatic conditions such as Siachen glacier.

Despite the fact that the Army headquarters procured clothing items for more than two decades, the procedure for formulation of technical specifications, evaluation of offers and selection of vendors had not been streamlined, he added.

Of ten contracts concluded during 2002-06 for purchase of special clothing for Rs 48.88 crore, the report said items valuing Rs 28.81 crore (59 per cent) were rejected either in receipt inspection or by end users, 20 per cent (worth Rs 9.98 crore) accepted after re-inspection or by levying small penalty for defective items supplied, all due to adoption of unscientific and ad hoc evaluation and selection procedure.

The Army's annual average expenditure on procurement of special clothing is about Rs 34 crore, it said, adding out of the 55 authorised items, 19 critical products such as down feather jackets, trousers, sleeping bags, multipurpose boots, woollen socks and rucksacks were being imported as no indigenous sources have emerged.

During the past five years, there were 388 casualties due to cold injuries such as frost bite and chill-blinds as per data provided by the Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS).

In 1998, multipurpose boots (Model Arctic Expe India) of Ms Koflach, Austria, were approved in trials and about 12,000 procured for two years (1999 and 2000). The boots were later found to be defective and unsuitable by the soldiers.

The CAG said multipurpose boots (Model Vega HA) of Ms Scarpa, Italy, were approved in user trials in 2001 and 44,989 pairs valuing Rs 31.33 crore supplied till 2005.

The Northern Command later found these boots unsuitable at below minus 20 degrees Celsius though suitability of use below this temperature was supposed to have been evaluated during trials.

Despite the reported defects, the report said the Northern Command headquarters in January 2006 requested to continue the procurement of the model to meet urgent requirement till suitable replacement was found.

Similarly, multipurpose boots (Model Shivling, modified) of Ms Millet, France, were approved by the Army headquarters for user trials in 2004. The Director General Quality Assurance (DGQA) found technical defects in the boots while developing specifications from the sample sent by the firm in July 2005.

Instead of rejecting the boots, the CAG said the Northern Command recommended wider user trials. Thereafter, based on the recommendations of the Master General Ordnance (MGO) led delegation which visited Europe in September 2005, orders were placed for 500 boots with the firm in December 2005 for wider user trials.

The sample sent by the firm in July 2005 was found to be defective by the DGQA in its final evaluation report of July 2006, citing poor water resistance, stiffness of sole and weight heavier by one kg. Thus, it took one year for the DGQA to evaluate the sample, the CAG said, adding meanwhile the orders were placed and boots already supplied by the firm.(UNI)

Stage managed protest to prevent visit: Ronga
KBA delegation unable to meet Kot Bhalwal detenues

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Mar 17: Amidst protests outside and chaos inside, a four member delegation of Kashmir Bar Association (KBA) returned from outside high security Kot Bhalwal jail after waiting for about one and a half hour without meeting the detenues inside as per directions of the High Court.

Youths and local people held a massive demonstration outside the jail premises opposing KBA’s visit to the jail. The KBA described the protest as "stage managed" to prevent their meeting with the detenues as their condition inside was "not good".

KBA president Nazir Ahmed Ronga, who was leading a four member delegation to Kot Bhalwal jail, asserted that their lives were "vulnerable" here and that they have decided to cancel their visit to other jails tomorrow including Kathua. He said the KBA went on strike in Srinagar soon after getting a report of ill treatment with the delegation.

Besides Mr Ronga, three other members in the delegation include Mohd Abdullah Pandit, KBA vice president, Mohd Ashraf Bhat, general secretary and Bashir Siddique, joint secretary.

Official sources said over 100 youths belonging to Parshuram Youth Club, joined by local people, had gathered outside Kot Bhalwal jail premises right from 10 am after getting a report that a KBA delegation was scheduled to visit the jail.

They were shouting slogans like "Kashmir Bar Hai Hai", "Uggarbadi Hai Hai" and "Jail Ka Superintendent Kaisa Ho, Mirza Baig Jaisa Ho". The sloganeering intensified when the KBA delegation reached the jail premises at 1.55 pm.

Police parties led by Additional SP Jammu Shakti Pathak, who had already taken positions outside Kot Bhalwal jail, chased away the protesters to facilitate the KBA’s visit to the jail. However, some of the youths took position inside the shops and repeatedly indulged in sloganeering but there was no untoward incident.

The protesters were not allowed to reach close to the KBA delegation, police said.

Mr Ronga told the Excelsior that they were virtually trapped between slogan shouting protesters outside and a hostile jail administration inside. "Despite repeatedly informing jail authorities and submitting them an order of the High Court under whose directions we had come to see the condition of detenues, we were made to wait outside the jail for more than one and a half hour", he said, adding at 3.25 pm "we decided to return as our lives were under threat".

The KBA president alleged that police even denied them a vehicle to return to the City. "We had to wait for one of our colleague to bring a car for us to return from Kot Bhalwal", he added.

Describing the protests as "stage managed" aimed at "preventing KBA’s visit to jail", Mr Ronga observed that all this was done to stop their visit to the jail where condition of some of the prisoners was "pathetic".

Jail authorities said after speaking to the KBA president and taking requisite documents from them, the delegation’s visit to the jail was cleared but they "refused to come in".

"We were ready to facilitate the KBA’s visit and take them to any barrack they wanted to visit but they didn’t turn up. Slight delay in allowing the KBA delegation inside the jail was only because of protests outside and completion of formalities inside", they said, adding "we have nothing to hide. Everything is fine in the jail. All detenues are well. None has turned insane as alleged. They were receiving due attention and food as per the jail manual. The only problem is that luxurious items and delicacies have been denied to the detenues as they didn’t fall under the manual".

Mr Ronga said the delegation has cancelled its visit to other jails including district jail, Kathua and will return to Srinagar tomorrow.

"We will report to the High Court that Kot Bhalwal jail authorities have committed breach of court order by not allowing them to visit the jail", he said, adding that the Kashmir Bar suspended work soon after getting a report of misbehaviour with its delegation outside the jail premises. The Bar has also decided to suspend work tomorrow till the delegation returns to Kashmir and informed the Association about their visit.

Mr Ronga said they had faxed the Court order as well as the names of their delegation to Kot Bhalwal jail authorities at 11.11 am today soon after landing at the Airport here. "Our meeting was fixed for 2 pm but we reached Kot Bhalwal five minutes short of 2 pm", he added.

It may be mentioned here that the State High Court in Srinagar had asked the KBA delegation to visit the jail and report to them about condition of the detenues following complaints that some of them had allegedly turned insane due to "inhuman and ill treatment". Jail authorities have already denied that any detenue has turned insane.

Authorities were of the view that they had seized mutton delicacies like ‘ghustaba’, ‘kabaabs’ and ‘rishta’ being brought by Hurriyat Conference leader and separatist Masarat Alam Bhat besides G M Bhat and Meeraj Din Bangroo and, as a result, they were creating uproar against the jail authorities.

Presently, there were 280 detenues in Kot Bhalwal jail. Of them, 200 were militants including Pakistanis and few Afghanis.

Fast track recruitments
No compromise on merit: Mehbooba

Excelsior Correspondent

Kupwara, Mar 17: Welcoming the Government's decision to accelerate process of recruitment through a fast-track mechanism, People's Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned that at the same time there should be no compromise on established procedure and institutions.

"While speeding up the recruitment process is imperative, it should not, however, be achieved at the cost of merit and fairness or dilution of established procedure and institutions," PDP president Ms Mehbooba Mufti said at a public meeting here today. She said utmost care has to be taken that the recruitment procedure didn't provide reason for suspicion or allegations that could dent the anti corruption drive launched by the Government or seem to compromise its credibility.

"While implementing the proposed employment package, it would be very important that the Government sticks to highest standards of fairness and transparency," Ms Mufti said and added that politicization of recruitments, prior to establishment of the coalition Government in 2002, proved highly counter-productive both for the then Government and the society.

She said with no transparent and fair recruitment system in place, Government jobs had, during that period, become a commodity available either against a price or for reasons other than merit. "That in fact became one of the reasons for downfall of our predecessors," she said and added that the PDP would not allow recurrence of any such scandalous scenario.

Ms Mufti said the coalition Government can have genuine satisfaction over the fact that, immediately after 2002, it streamlined recruitment procedure to a great extent. "Though the desired speed is still to be achieved but by and large the selection process at all the levels of recruitment has been fair, transparent and judicious," she said and added that even the contractual appointments were made through a very fair system which was based exclusively on merit. "The selection to Rehbar-e-Taleem posts was a path-breaking experiment which infused a hitherto unknown credibility in the Government system," she said.

Ms Mufti said starting with the engagement of Anganwari workers, a proper system, at the district level, preferably supervised by concerned District Development Commissioners, must be put in place so that deserving and meritorious aspirants get justice. She said the people have now become extremely conscious and any move to dilute the set procedures in recruitments could have colossal negative fallout. "We must be extremely cautious as the State is trying to come out of most difficult times and any wrong move hurting the youth at this crucial juncture could through us back into an undesirable situation," she said and added that whether the Government would be making 70,000 or seven recruitments, it should be strictly as per merit.

The PDP president said her party has stood by people of State in the most crucial circumstances and didn't allow dilution of its principled stand on pro-people issues, despite being targeted from various quarters, within and outside the State. "However, we draw satisfaction from the fact that despite testing times, we stood by our people to represent their aspirations and just concerns," she said and added that today everybody has suddenly started taking credit for the relief measures that were piloted by PDP for people of the State.

Threat of submersion due to Baglihar dam
Rehabilitation a distant dream for Pul Doda families

By Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Mar 17: Though entire Pul Doda was declared ‘unsafe’ due to the Baglihar hydro electric project quite a long time back yet the State Government has not formulated any concrete plan for the rehabilitation of 220 families of the area so far.

Authoritative sources told the EXCELSIOR that on the completion of the Baglihar hydro electric project in September-October this year the whole of Pul Doda alongwith some other hamlets in the newly carved district of Ramban will be under the spate of the dam water and this was conveyed to the concerned authorities in the State much earlier.

In low lying Pul Doda, a total of 220 residential houses alongwith adjoining 250 private shops and 12 municipal shops will become the first casuality to the dam water after the completion of the project, the sources disclosed, adding in the rainy season the situation will become more alarming and create massive havoc in the area if urgent steps were not initiated for shifting the populace under ‘threat’ before the commissioning of the project.

However, the concerned authorities continue to remain ‘sleeping’ over the issue and have neither identified any suitable land nor prepared concrete plan so that these families could be rehabilitated timely, the sources regretted.

They disclosed that though an amount of Rs 12.53 crore has been earmarked by the authorities of the Baglihar project to provide compensation for the structures to the populace of Pul Doda yet an amount of only Rs 35 lakh has been disbursed so far, which speaks about the seriousness on the part of authorities about this grave issue.

The Government has till date only identified 18 kanals of land at village Paryote on upper hill side of Pul Doda with the proposal to give one marla of land each to 250 shopkeepers for opening of shops with facilities like mini-bus stand, recreation park, primary school and allopathic dispensary and State Power Development Corporation (PDC) has agreed to pay Rs 25 lakh to purchase the land.

"But the proposal has not taken practical shape so far as the people have turned down this offer of the administration and are demanding that the land in lieu of their shops should be given in Bagerni area instead of Paryote, the sources said.

"The stalemate over land at Paryote between administration and people is continuing as the administration is also not ready to concede this demand of the people on the ground that Bagerni is erosion prone area and construction of shops there would be fraught with dangers", sources revealed.

A senior officer of the Revenue Department, when contacted, said that apart from bringing an end to the stalemate over the land for construction of shops, the efforts were also on to identify suitable land to be given to the people for the construction of residential houses and something concrete will come out within next few months.

He said that the remaining compensation for all the structures will be disbursed by the Baglihar authorities only after the transfer of the required amount to the Collector of the project.

However, sources stressed that the process of rehabilitation of the people should be expedited by the State Government and people should also shun the path of confrontation in order to avoid any tragedy. The people should also keep in mind that Baglihar project will help the State in tiding over the prevailing power crisis, they added.

State cabinet meets today

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 17: The State Cabinet is meeting here tomorrow to discuss an employment package for the youths.

The State Cabinet to be chaired by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will meet at 6 pm, official sources said.

An employment package is high on agenda of the Cabinet, they said.

Recently, the Government had issued a circular to all Departments advising them not to advertise any posts. Sources said the Government had also asked Chief Secretary B R Kundal to identify total vacancies in the State and report to the Cabinet accordingly.

According to sources, the Cabinet is likely to discuss employment package and guidelines to be adopted for fast track recruitment.

In addition, there is some routine administrative agenda before the Cabinet.

Peer posted Spl Secy to CM

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 17: Chairman, J&K Services Selection Board Farooq Ahmad Peer has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary to Chief Minister with immediate effect.

An order in this regard was issued by General Administration Department today.

Meanwhile, the Government has ordered that Secretary, Technical Education Department shall deal with the subjects pertaining to Technical Education in State excluding Engineering Colleges and National Institute of Technology, Srinagar.

The Engineering Colleges and NIT, Srinagar will continue to be dealt with by the Higher Education Department.

10 more Flying Squads pressed

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 17: Following recent incidents of burning down of vehicles at different places, police authorities today added 10 more Flying Squads in the City to keep a strict vigil on the miscreants.

SSP Police Control Room (PCR) Shakeel Beig told the Excelsior that 10 more Flying Squads on motorbikes were added to the fleet of 15 Flying Squad Gypsies in the City today on the directions of IGP Jammu K Rajendra.

Mr Beig said the Flying Squad operators were briefed for over two hours at PCR before launching them into the City especially for night patrolling to maintain surveillance on anti-national elements and miscreants.

The Flying Squads have been pressed into services in different areas of the City especially in sensitive places.

Police authorities have also ensured immediate repair of eight surveillance cameras in the City which were out of order for last couple of months.

2 infiltrators arrested in Valley

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Mar 17: Troops guarding the border arrested two more infiltrators immediately after they sneaked into this side from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in Keran sector.

An official spokesman said troops of 12 Bihar Regiment guarding the Line of Control (LoC) noticed a group of two militants sneaking into this side from PoK last night under the cover of darkness.

When challenged, both infiltrators surrendered before the troops, he said.

He said they were identified as 23-year-old Mehmood Sheikh and Zaheer Ahmad Abasi.

They had crossed into PoK to receive arms training few years ago.

This was the second infiltration attempt in the Kashmir valley after snow started melting on the border this year. Two militants surrendered in the same sector last week.

A senior Army officer recently said more than 1500 militants are waiting at launching pads near the LoC to cross over to this side this summer.

More than 100 militants and their family members surrendered before the security forces immediately after their return from PoK last year.

About 60 infiltrators, who refused to surrender, were killed by the troops during the same period.

Another kidney racket unearthed

AMRITSAR, Mar 17: The Punjab Police today claimed to have busted a racket involving sale of kidneys after arresting six people from the Panj Peer locality here.

According to SSP Vijay Pratap, the arrested included two middlemen who were involved in establishing contact with prospective kidney buyers in Punjab and Chandigarh. These two were identified as Ajay Bansal and Surinder Kumar, he said.

The others who were taken into custody were Raju, a resident of Dhariwal in Gurdaspur district, Kala of Ramdass in Amritsar district, Gurvinder of Bijnore in UP and Rajesh Kumar of Mirzapur in UP. Raju had already given his kidney to a buyer at a hospital in Mohali while the other three were waiting for buyers.

Mr Pratap said the Police raided a house in Panj Peer and took into custody all the six. However, the kingpin, Vicky Bhatia was still absconding, he added.

Giving details, the SSP said the four kidney ‘sellers’ were virtually under detention at the house. Further details will emerge after their questioning, he added.

The SSP pointed out that Vicky Bhatia and Ajay Bansal were involved in the kidney sale racket and had been arrested previously in the infamous kidney racket of 2002, which was the first such organised crime unearthed in Punjab, involving a few renowned doctors and a transplant surgeon.

The six apprehended were arrested under sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 371 and 120-b of the IPC, he said.(UNI)

60 years after citizenship, they still can’t
vote in J&K polls

NEW DELHI : They can vote for Parliamentary elections but are barred from exercising their franchise in Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls.

This predicament is being faced by 1.5 lakh people who migrated from West Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir. They are treated as Indian citizens but with several "disabilities" like barring them from taking Government jobs.

In reply to a written question in Lok Sabha today, Minister of State for Home Manik Rao Gavit said that in 1947, as many as 5,674 families comprising 47,215 people migrated and settled in Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri districts.

At present, the number of families has gone up to 24,200 and 1.5 lakh people.

The Minister informed the House that these refugees could not acquire property in Jammu and Kashmir state, could not mortgage the land in their possession for raising of loans and were not allowed to take up Government jobs.

The Scheduled Castes among these refugees could not avail the reservation quota and their children were not entitled for admission to Government professional or technical educations institutions in the State, he said.

In response to a query, the Minister said the issue of "disabilities" suffered by the refugees is the concern of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. (PTI)