Govt approves Rs 5.5 lakh resettlement package for 5,300 displaced families

The Centre on Wednesday approved a resettlement package under which Rs 5.5 lakh will be given to each of the 5,300 displaced families which had come from PoK, initially settled outside Jammu and Kashmir and later relocated to the state.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

The families will get a one-time financial assistance of Rs 5.5 lakh under the existing scheme, and in turn, be able to get some sustained income, an official statement said.

The Cabinet approved the inclusion of the families from Jammu and Kashmir which were displaced in 1947 and had initially moved out of the state but later on returned and settled there in the Centre's rehabilitation package.

These families were left out of the package approved by the Cabinet on November 30, 2016 for displaced families of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Chhamb under the PM's Development Package 2015 for Jammu and Kashmir.

In the wake of the 1947 Pakistani aggression in Jammu and Kashmir, 31,619 families migrated from PoJK to Jammu and Kashmir.

Of these, 26,319 families settled in Jammu and Kashmir and 5,300 families initially moved to other parts of the country.

Further, during the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971, a total of 10,065 more families were displaced from Chhamb-Niabat area.

Of these 3,500 families were displaced during the 1965 war and 6,565 families were displaced during the 1971 war.

The 36,384 displaced families covered under the package approved by the Cabinet in 2016 included 26,319 displaced families from PoJK settled in Jammu and Kashmir and 10,065 displaced families displaced from Chhamb-Niabat area.

The 5,300 displaced families of PoJK who initially moved out of Jammu and Kashmir were not included in the approved package in 2016 but are now being included, the statement said.

The families have suffered on account of wars and hostilities and the resettlement package will enable them to earn a reasonable monthly income and be part of mainstream economic activities, the statement said.

This will also upgrade the government's capacity to respond effectively to the displaced families need of financial assistance.

Requirement of funds will be met out of the already sanctioned funds for the existing scheme, it said.