Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Nov 21: The BJP led NDA Government has betrayed and cheated the refugees of 1947, 1965 & 1971 from PoK and those from West Pakistan in the recent package announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the State.
Reacting to a the PM package, PCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said that the package of one time settlement of refugees of 1947, 1965 and 1971 comprising financial assistance/ex-gratia relief of Rs 25 lakhs per family amounting to over Rs 9000 crore alongwith several other concessions including reservation to their wards was recommended by the previous Congress-NC coalition Government to the Centre, after hot pursuit by the Congress and various organization of refugees.
The BJP which promised to ensure one time settlement of refugees for PoK including from Chhamb area, Mirpur, Poonch and Muzaffarabad districts under illegal occupation of Pak besides promising citizenship to West Pakistan refugees before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, has betrayed them after assuming power both at the Centre and sharing the same in the State. Soon after coming to power, the Modi Government had returned the package to the State Government without any reason, adding insult to their injuries.
PCC leader pointed out that the package of ex-gratia recommended by the Congress-NC Government for the PoK refugee families alone was to the extent of over 9000 crores but the present Centre Government failed to grant the same in the recent package of Rs 80,000 crores, which is more or less a packaging exercise of summing up the figures of revised costs ongoing and approved projects and the next five years share of the State. The package mentioned that Rs 2000 crore only has been earmarked under the component comprising Kashmiri migrants, construction of their houses, expenses on the IRP Bn comprising 4000 personnel and refugees. However the break up of Rs 2000 crores provided that Rs. 1080 crore has been kept for the provision of jobs for KPs besides Rs 920 crores on the purchase of land and construction of accommodation for them.
Regarding the grant of relief to the Jammu migrants at par with their counterparts of Kashmir valley, he said that all those who are eligible to be covered in this category have not been included as only about one thousand families have been shown as against that claims of over two thousand such eligible families already admitted by the Government before the Court. He demanded extending the benefit to all such eligible families in this regard and full compliance of court orders.
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