Union MoS Dr Jitendra Singh said here that, following a request made to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), it has been agreed that the MHA will reimburse all the funds spent by the Jammu & Kashmir State Government to pay compensation for damages and losses to the victims of cross-border firing.
Back to the union capital after the weekend visit to the border districts of Kathua and Samba, Dr Jitendra Singh today took a briefing from the officials of Union Home Ministry, led by Joint Secretary In-charge J&K, Gyanesh Kumar.
After the briefing, Dr Jitendra Singh said, this decision by the MHA should put an end to the repeated complaints from the State about non-payment or inadequate payment of compensation to the border victims. The delay in providing compensation, he said, can be avoided by the State Government by adopting an expeditious mechanism and seeking prompt reimbursement of funds from the Centre. He also appealed to the State Government to ensure better coordination in order to avoid delay in payment of compensations and said that possibly, an exclusive Nodal Officer for the purpose could be appointed by the State Government in order to put an end to frequent complaints from the border areas.
