Paying homage to brave civilians martyred in the October 1947 attack by Pakistani raiders, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said the development of new J&K is incomplete without complete integration of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) displaced persons in the mainstream development.
Sinha inaugurated the L-G’s Special Governance camp for displaced persons of PoJK. The drive aims at taking the welfare schemes to every house and ensuring coverage of all beneficiaries under centrally sponsored schemes and UT schemes will be held at Udhampur, Rajouri, Jammu, Poonch and Kathua.
“Displaced families of PoJK have suffered a lot. Prime Minister Narendra Modi understood their sufferings and made arrangements for their financial support and settlement. We have organized this camp on the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to saturate social security schemes, handholding of youth so they pursue their dreams of becoming entrepreneurs and ensuring that they can avail all facilities like other citizens. Steps will be taken to regularize the colonies of displaced families,” said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor announced that the J&K Government will construct Smriti Bhawan in the memory of martyrs of PoJK. Every effort will be made to preserve and promote the culture and traditions of displaced families. Land has already been identified and soon the construction work will start, he added.
The Lt Governor also paid homage to the brave civilians who were martyred in the October 1947 terror attack by Pakistan. We remember their supreme sacrifices and understand the pain and sufferings of displaced families. It is our responsibility to secure their rights and build an enabling environment to fulfill aspirations of the young generation from the community, observed the Lt Governor.
“PoJK is an integral part of India. Commitment made in Parliament regarding PoJK will soon be fulfilled by the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi and Baba Amarnath,” said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor said, development of new J&K is incomplete without complete integration of PoJK displaced persons in the mainstream development. We are committed to ensuring the welfare and well-being of all so they can realize their true potential and contribute in nation building, he noted.
We had started outreach programmes in 2021 for families living outside UT so that no one is left behind in any welfare scheme and focusing on skilling, self employment, social assistance, scholarships, sports, financial inclusion to aid economic development and financial stability, the Lt Governor said.
In the last 30 months, we have ensured governance is inclusive, transparent, effective and accountable and provides equal benefit and equal opportunity to all, the Lt Governor observed.
On August 5, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended the decades-long injustice, and provided equal opportunities to Valmiki, Gorkha, Safai Karamcharis communities and displaced persons, noted the Lt Governor.
“Families from West Pakistan were facing discrimination for many decades. Several communities were denied voting rights and other rights of citizens as enshrined in the constitution. Many generations were treated as second-class citizens. After August 2019, they were given equal rights and equal opportunities are being provided to all, said the Lt Governor.
More than 21,000 domicile certificates were issued through camps in Delhi, Chandigarh, Himachal, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. We will continuously run such camps in Jammu Kashmir and other states and UTs so that all the affected families can get the benefits of government welfare schemes, informed the Lt Governor.
Under ‘One Time Central Assistance’ for the Displaced Persons of PoJK, 33,636 cases were approved and an amount of Rs 1452.33 crore was distributed. This scheme ended on 3 March last year. Somehow, more than 5000 families could not submit the claim within the time frame. The issue will be taken with the Central Government, the Lt Governor noted.