india

Updated: Oct 10, 2019 02:29 IST

Over 5,000 displaced families in Jammu & Kashmir, many of whom came over to India from Pakistan-occupied territories in 1947 will get a Rs 5.5 lakh grant from the Centre.

The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday decided to include these 5,300 families among those who are provided this grant, Information and Broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters.

“A historical wrong has been corrected,” Javadekar said.

Javadekar said that these families initially opted to move outside of Jammu and Kashmir but later on returned and settled there. In the rehabilitation package approved by the Union Cabinet on November 30, 2016 for displaced families from Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Chhamb under the PM’s Development Package 2015 for Jammu & Kashmir, these families were not included.

The approval will enable such displaced families to become eligible to get one-time financial assistance of Rs 5.5 Lakhs under the existing scheme, an official statement said.

It added that in the wake of the1947 Pakistani aggression in J&K, 31,619 families migrated from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to the state of J&K. Of these, 26,319 families settled in the state and 5300 families initially opted to move out of the state of J&K to other parts of the country. Further, during the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971 10,065 more families were displaced from Chhamb-Niabat area. Of these 3,500 families were displaced during the 1965 war and 6565 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 PoK settled in J&K and 10,065 Displaced Families displaced from Chhamb-Niabat area. The 5300 families from PoK who initially opted to move out of the state to other parts of the country were not included in the approved package. Now those out of the 5300 who initially opted to move out of the State but later returned and settled in J&K are being included in the package, the statement said.

“It is a good move. They definitely qualify. It should help them improve their situation,” said former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah said.