Union Environment Minister, Prakash Javadekar announced that the centre will give financial assistance of Rs 5.5 lakh each to 5300 refugee families that had migrated to Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan.
Following a cabinet meeting while briefing the mediapersons, Javadekar said, ” The first lot of refugees came to India after Partition and the second lot came after the accession of Kashmir to India, and then many refugees from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Prime Minister in 2016, had already announced a package of Rs 5.5 lakh to the refugees families.”
The rehabilitation package was approved by the cabinet in November 2016.
He said that the delay in providing the financial assistance to these families is due to the reason that initially they opted to move outside the state of Jammu and Kashmir, but later returned. They finally settled in the state.
“Injustice was done with them, but now we have brought justice for them. I think it will be welcomed in Kashmir. 5300 families will gain the financial assistance of Rs 5.5 lakh. A historical wrong has been corrected”, Javadekar said.
He further added that the families had initially gone to Kashmir but they later settled in other states.