Shocking figures have emerged from a reply to an RTI query seeking details on how many Kashmiri Pandits left Kashmir valley.
By Varun Singh
Shocking figures have come to the fore, from the Ministry of Home Affairs in an RTI seeking response details on Kashmiri Pandits.
The query specifically asked to the home ministry’s department for Jammu, Kashmir and Laddakh Affairs has revealed that more than 64,827 Kashmiri families have migrated from Kashmir.
The reason being attributed to this migration is due to the onset of militancy in the 1990s.
Prafful Sarda, a Civil Rights Activist had filed an RTI with the home ministry seeking a response to his query, on how many Kashmiri Pandits left the state after 1990.
The ministry replied, “As per information furnished by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, 64,827 migrant families left the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir due to the onset of militancy in 1990s.”
Government Apathy At It’s Peak, 1 kg sugar per Kashmiri Migrant family.
The RTI response had also sought a reply on what are the steps being taken to rehabilitate the Kashmir Pandits back in their homeland.
To this the reply says, “At present monthly cash relief of Rs 3,250 per head with the ceiling of Rs 13,000 per family and monthly dry ration of 9 kg of rice, 2 kg Ata per head and 1 kg sugar per family are provided to the Kashmiri migrants.”
For rehabilitation, the RTI further reveals that in approval was given under the Prime Minister’s Relief Package 2008, to the government of Jammu and Kashmir for creation of 3,000 state government jobs to the migrants out of which, 2905, posts have been filled.
Prime Minister’s development package 2015 also had given an approval for creation of 3,000 additional jobs to Kashmir migrants at a cost of Rs 1080 crore and for construction of 6,000 transit accommodation in Kashmir Valley for the migrants who were provided jobs.
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Figures Mismatch.
Sarda claims that the shocking figure of 64,827 was 61,000 when he had filed a similar RTI with the ministry in 2017.
The response to Sarda’s 2017 RTI stated, “Due to onset of militancy in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s, most of the Kashmiri Pandit families along with some Sikh and Muslim families migrated from Kashmir valley to Jammu, Delhi and other part of the country.”
The 2017 RTI also revealed the figure of a total of 61,000, where it stated that, more than 40,000 registered migrant Kashmiri families migrated to Jammu, 19,000 to Delhi and remaining 2,000 to various parts of the country.
Whereas the recent response sought and received in February 2020 has put the figure to 64,827 families, who have migrated because of onset of terrorism in the valley.
The recent RTI also says that as per information furnished by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, 44,837 registered migrants are settled in Jammu, 19,338 in Delhi/NCR, and 1,995 in few other states/UTs in the country.
Sarda says, “It’s shocking to see different revert on the same query by ministry of home affairs. Wondering how numbers have changed after a year? The rehabilitation for Kashmiri Pandits after demolishing 370 is not enough under PMRP 2008 and PMDP 2015. Hope firm and effective steps will be taken for our very own Kashmiri Pandits.”
