Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decision to approve a resettlement package for displaced families from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who initially opted to move outside Jammu and Kashmir but later on returned to the state.
"Thanks PM @narendramodi for another major breakthrough for Jammu and Kashmir:Union Cabinet approves the inclusion of 5,300 DP families of J&K-1947 which initially moved outside J&K but later returned and settled in State, in Rehab Package 30.11.2016 for Displaced from PoJK and Chhamb," the minister said in a tweet.
Earlier today, while announcing the resettlement plan, the Centre said that the displaced families were earlier left out in the rehabilitation package that was approved by the Cabinet on November 30, 2016.
"It has been decided that 5300 displaced families (from PoK), who had settled in regions others than Jammu and Kashmir but later came to the state, will also be provided Rs 5.5 lakh each. This will provide justice to these displaced families," Union Minister Prakash Javadekar had told reporters at a press conference after the cabinet meeting.
The Prime Minister had announced a reconstruction plan for Jammu and Kashmir in November 2016. The plan included a rehabilitation package for a one-time settlement of 36,384 displaced persons' (DPs) families of PoK-1947 and Chhamb.
Notably, during the partition of India in 1947, scores of families from the PoK migrated to Jammu and Kashmir. Not only that, even during the India-Pakistan Wars of 1965 and 1971, thousands of people were displaced from Chhamb Niabat area of Jammu and Kashmir.
( With inputs from ANI )