3,800 Kashmir Migrants Returned To Valley And Over 2,000 May Return In 2021, Govt Tells Rajya Sabha

A total of nearly 3800 migrant candidates have returned to Kashmir in the last few years to take up the Prime Minister (PM) package jobs.

Post abrogation of Article 370, as many as 520 migrant candidates have returned to Kashmir for taking up the jobs that have been provided to them under the rehabilitation package.

Another nearly 2,000 migrant candidates are also likely to return under the same policy in the year 2021 on successful completion of the Selection process.

This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, G Kishan Reddy in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

As per the report of Relief Office setup in 1990 by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, 44,167 Kashmiri Migrant families are registered who had to move from the valley since 1990 due to security concerns. Out of these, the count of registered Hindu migrant families is 39,782.

The government has devised policies for return and rehabilitation of kashmiri migrants, under the Prime Minister’s packages in 2008 and 2015 for return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants to Kashmir valley.

Special jobs for the Kashmiri migrant youth under the PM package has been an important component for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants.

Out of a total of 6,000 posts announced under the PM package, nearly 3,800 Kashmiri migrants have been rehabilitated directly by way of providing government employment. These employees are working in various districts of Kashmir valley, which include Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, Shopian, Kulgam, Kupwara, Pulwama, Bandipora, Anantnag and Ganderbal. Remaining posts are also at final stages of recruitment.

In order to provide accommodation to the 6,000 Kashmiri migrants who are getting employed in the government of Jammu and Kashmir in the valley, 6,000 transit accommodation units are being constructed for Kashmiri migrants employees in various districts of Kashmir valley at an estimated cost of Rs 920 crore.

So far, 1,025 dwelling units have already been constructed which include 721 dwelling units in the district of Budgam, Kulgam, Kupwara, Anantnag and Pulwama. Another 1,488 units are under construction and land has been identified for about 2,444 units.