Govt readies to give Rs.2000 Crs to PoK refugees
posted on Aug 28, 2016 @ 5:49PM
The central government is all set to announce a Rs 2,000 crore package for displaced people of PoK living in the country. The Modi government had earlier in January 2015 approved certain concessions for the refugees from West Pakistan settled in Jammu and Kashmir after considering the problems being faced by them. The Home Ministry is expected to place the details of the package before the Union Cabinet for approval soon, a senior official said.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has already identified 36,348 families for distribution of the package under which each family will get around Rs 5.5 lakh. Jammu and Kashmir Sharanarthi Action Committee (JKSAC), an organisation representing the displaced people of the PoK has been maintaining that the package should not be seen as final settlement as Rs 9,200 crore was required to settle all of them.
The refugees from West Pakistan, mostly from PoK, got settled in different areas of Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri districts. However, they are not permanent residents of the state in terms of Jammu and Kashmir Constitution. "We hope that within a month, the package will get approval from the Union Cabinet and the funds could be distributed among the beneficiaries," the official said.