On Wednesday in the ongoing budget session of the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly at Srinagar. M.L.A from R.S.Pura Dr. Gagan Bhagat raised the issue of refugees during the question hour and asked from the Government that what rehabilitation measures is the govt. taking and has taken for them, in the reply the Govt. replied that the a rehabilitation package under the Prime Minister Reconstruction Plan (PMRP)-2015 has been included for One Time Settlement (OTS) for the Displaced Persons (DP) families of PoJK and WPRs ,and Rs. 2000/- Crores have been earmarked under the said plan, the govt. also told that there are total 5764 WPR families and 31619 PoJK families and among these 26319 of PoJK families are settled within the State of Jammu & Kashmir and 5300 outside the State of Jammu & Kashmir. The Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation replied that the total 36384 families will get the assistance over and above any other benefit or assistance to the families in the past, and will be credited into the accounts of these DPs though Direct Benefit transfer(DBT) on the question of creating advisory Board for Refugees of POJK and WPR, the Government said that till date there is no such proposed Dr. Gagan Bhagat demanded that the said package should be released to the beneficiaries as early as possible because these people have been struggling for their rights for the past several years and they have been betrayed by the previous successive govt. in the state and in the centre. He also appealed to the Govt. to provide special quota for the Refugee community in the raising of 5 IRP Battalions in Jammu & Kashmir. On the matter of “Individual Intekaal” .He also appealed to the Govt. to consider the issue on priority basis, which will certainly benefit such families. Dr.Gagan Bhagat urged that WPRs are mainly concentrated in the Jammu Province hence their issue have been taken very lightly by the political parties who remained in power for the last several years.
