After the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and made it a Union Territory in two pieces, questions are being raised all over the world that what is the plan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Home Minister Amit Shah had already made it clear that the priority of the Modi government is to make the Valley free from terrorism. However, he also claimed that the Modi government would soon complete the resettlement work of Kashmiri Pandits. In the meantime, questions have been arising continuously that what were the efforts made to resettle Kashmiri Pandits after they left the state in 1990 and after all, what are the difficulties in resettling them in the Union Territory in the last 32 years?
what steps have been taken by the governments from 1990 till now to resettle Kashmiri Pandits? We will also try to tell you what is the plan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government after the removal of Article 370 and how much work has been completed for this scheme so far. Also, what are the claims of the government so far and the demands of Kashmiri Pandits?
How many Kashmiri Pandits were displaced in the official figures?
According to the report of the Relief Office set up for the displaced people from Kashmir in 1990, a total of 44 thousand 167 families were forced to flee from the valley due to terrorist violence. Of these, 39 thousand 782 families belonged to Hindus, while the rest were Sikhs, Buddhists, and Muslims. In 1990, 90 percent of those who left Kashmir were Kashmiri Hindus, with a large number of Kashmiri Pandits. It is followed by Gujjars, Dalits, and other communities. However, the government's statement does not mention the number of Kashmiri Pandits. According to the website of the Jammu and Kashmir government, around 1.6 lakh to 3 lakh Kashmiri Pandits had to leave Kashmir after the violence in the Valley.
In 2015 also, in response to a question asked in the Lok Sabha on the displacement of Kashmiris, the government had said that in the early 1990s, 62,000 families had to leave the Valley due to terrorism. When the same question was repeated on 17 March 2020, Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said that since 1990, 64 thousand 951 families of Kashmiris had left the Valley.
Different figures of displaced Pandits in different claims
It is believed that the number of Kashmiri Pandits displaced by the government could not be properly reported because the number of their registration has been increasing continuously from year to year. Alexander Evans, who wrote a book on Kashmir, believes that out of the total Hindus who left Kashmir after 1990, there were about 1.6-1.7 lakh Kashmiri Pandits, whose number could be much higher. At the same time, according to the figures of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center of the Norwegian Refugee Council, 2.50 lakh Pandits were displaced since 1990.
Apart from this, US intelligence agency CIA data says that three lakh Pandits were displaced from Kashmir after the terrorist violence. On the other hand, according to AG Noorani, a well-known Supreme Court lawyer who has written books and articles on Kashmir and Article 370, the number of Kashmiris leaving the Valley has never been revealed correctly and this figure could be between seven and eight lakhs.
Where are the families of Kashmiri Pandits settled at present?
According to the latest data, out of 64 thousand 951 families who left Kashmir after 1990, 43 thousand 618 families are living in Jammu. After this, the second number is from Delhi, where 19 thousand 338 families of Kashmiris are settled. Apart from this, 1995 families are living in other states. The government did not give a clear figure of Kashmiri Pandits in these. But the number of these families can be considered between 52 thousand to 57 thousand families.
What happened till now to settle Kashmiri Pandits?
18 years after the displacement, the Congress government came out with the first major rehabilitation plan to return and help Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir. Under this, a provision of Rs 1618.4 crore was made in the budget for Kashmiri Pandits. The then Congress government announced many schemes like giving relief to Pandits, which was later vigorously pursued by the Modi government.
In 2015, Prime Minister Modi announced the Prime Minister's Development Package (PMDP) for Jammu and Kashmir. Under this, a provision of Rs 80 thousand 68 crores was made for the development of Jammu and Kashmir, and work started on many schemes to resettle Kashmiri Pandits back in the valley.
1. Financial Assistance
In the 1990s, the Center and the Jammu and Kashmir government took out relief schemes at different times to settle the Kashmiri Pandits who were displaced. Under this, initially, a help of Rs 500 was announced to each displaced family. At present, the help of about 13 thousand rupees is being given to each family under the Modi government. That is, at the rate of Rs 3250 per person. Apart from this, in the states where Kashmiri Pandits have settled, the state governments are running schemes related to financial help and reservation for the migrants at their level.
2. Home Rehabilitation
In 2004, the Congress government constructed 5242 two-room colonies in four areas of Jammu - Purkhu, Muthi, Nagrota, and Jagti for Kashmiri migrants and people were settled in them. Apart from this, 200 flats were also constructed in Sheikhpura located in Budgam of Kashmir Valley, which was allotted to the employees working under the state government.
In 2008, each family was promised an assistance of Rs 7.5 lakh for the construction or repair of the house. It is said that this plan brought by Congress was stopped after some time. But it was started again in the relief package released by the Modi government in 2015.
3. Job
In the relief package of 2008, three thousand Kashmiri Pandits were promised government jobs in the first phase. Apart from scholarships to the students, there was also talk of rebates in loan rates. Till November 2015, only 1963 Pandits were able to get state government jobs. But under the 2015 PM relief package, six thousand government posts were removed in the Kashmir Valley, in which 3800 Kashmiri migrants were given jobs. These migrants are currently working in Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, Shopian, Kulgam, Kupwara, Pulwama, Bandipora, Anantnag, and Ganderbal in Kashmir. According to the government, many more jobs are currently in the pipeline.
What changed in the condition of Kashmiri migrants after the abrogation of Article 370?
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi took away the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August 2019 and announced the separation of Ladakh into a union territory. With this step, the government has intensified efforts to rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley.
What happened after the Modi government came and abrogation of Article 370?
1. The second major plan was announced in 2015 for Kashmiri Pandits. Since its implementation, 610 Kashmiri Pandits have been returned to their Kashmir homes in five years between 2017 and 2022. A large section of Kashmiri Pandits was forced to leave all these homes in the 1980-90 era.
2. The government says that from August 5, 2019, till now 1700
Kashmiri Pandits have got government jobs. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai had told that the work of resettling Kashmiri migrant families in this union territory was expedited from 2019 and till February this year, first 1697 and then 1140 additional jobs were given. Since 2015, more than 3800 migrants have returned to the Valley for jobs. Apart from this, the possibility of returning two thousand more migrants has been expressed in 2021 itself.
3. Arrangements are also being made for Kashmiri Pandits to stay in the Valley along with government jobs. Under this, at present 6000 transit houses are being built in Kashmir for Rs 920 crore. As the number of Kashmiri Pandits in government jobs increases, they will be given these places to live. The 19 places where these flats are being built include many places including Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam. Apart from this, as a temporary arrangement, the government has made 1025 shelters for the returnees.
What have been the current demands of Kashmiri Pandits?
Kashmiri Pandits had recently demanded that 2.5 percent of the Union Territory's annual budget should be spent for the resettlement of migrants, ahead of the presentation of the budget. Along with this, there was a demand of Kashmiri Pandits that the government should issue domicile certificates to the people at the earliest so that Kashmiri Pandits get their rights in the valley and they return to the mainstream of Kashmir. Apart from this, the families have also raised the demand to increase the relief amount from 13 thousand to 25 thousand.
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