SRINAGAR: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary informed the Legislative Assembly today that 5868 appointment orders have been issued under the Prime Minister’s Special Package for Kashmiri Migrants and Non-Migrant Kashmiri Pandits, out of the 6000 sanctioned posts.
Replying to a question raised by MY Tarigami, Choudhary stated that 5724 appointment orders were issued up to the fiscal year 2023-24, while an additional 144 were finalised in the current financial year. The remaining 132 posts, he added, are at various stages of processing, with 42 positions pending due to court cases.
Providing further details, the Deputy CM highlighted that the Prime Minister’s Return and Rehabilitation Package, amounting to Rs 1618.40 crore, was announced in 2009. The package covers multiple components, including housing, transit accommodation, cash relief continuation, student scholarships, employment opportunities, assistance for horticulturists and agriculturists, and waiver of interest on loans.
Choudhary stated that the construction of 6000 transit accommodations was sanctioned in December 2015 across different districts of Kashmir Valley. Of the 5160 flats currently under construction, 3120 have been completed as of January 2025, while 2040 remain under development. The remaining 840 flats, he said, will be taken up for construction soon.
Discussing relief measures, he informed the House that the government has proposed an increase in relief benefits for newborn babies of Kashmiri Migrant families from Rs 400 per month to Rs 3250 per month without altering the overall ceiling of Rs 13,000 per family.
Regarding ex-gratia compensation, Choudhary said payments for damaged properties due to bomb blasts or fires are being assessed and disbursed based on reports from the Roads and Buildings Department and concerned Tehsildars. However, there is no provision for additional payments beyond the Rs 1 lakh sanctioned at the time of compensation approval.
On the reallocation of posts, he explained that in addition to the 3000 posts created in 2009 under the first tranche, another 3000 supernumerary posts were created in the second tranche following a Cabinet decision. A review in 2020 found that 1997 posts remained unfilled and were subsequently withdrawn from various departments before being reallocated to Finance, Agriculture Production, Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, and Revenue departments. These posts included positions such as Junior Assistants, Legal Stenographers, Junior Engineers, and Draftsmen (Civil/Mechanical).
Responding to a query on religious properties, Choudhary stated that while no Shrines and Temples Management Committee has been constituted, authorities are maintaining strict security measures to safeguard religious sites. Any violations related to these properties are dealt with by the competent authorities, including eviction and legal action against encroachments.
Several legislators, including Dr Narinder Singh Raina, Bashir Ahmad Veeri, Altaf Ahmad Wani, Showkat Ahmad Ganie, Hasnain Masoodi, Mir Saifullah, Kuldeep Raj Dubey, Balwant Singh Mankotia, and RS Pathania, raised supplementary questions on the matter.kashmir life