'Relief fund of ₹13,000 too less': Kashmiri Pandit group demands redressal of issues

June 26, 2024 by News Desk

A meeting of the Jagti Tenement Committee (JTC) and Soan Kashmir Front (SKF) took place on Tuesday at Jagti township, under the leadership of their president, Shadi Lal Pandita.

During the meeting, Pandita addressed the pressing issues faced by Kashmiri Pandit migrants, who have been living in exile for the past 34 years. He urged both the local and the Central Government to urgently address their long-standing challenges.

Pandita highlighted that Kashmiri migrant relief recipients have been protesting for four years, demanding an increase in their relief funds, which currently stand at Rs 13,000 per month. “Due to rising inflation, these funds are insufficient for meeting basic needs, and we demand an increase to Rs 25,000 per month. Additionally, we seek the creation of 20,000 new jobs for the community’s youth to combat growing unemployment,” said Pandita

Other key demands included the release of outstanding ex-gratia payments for houses destroyed by militancy, compensation for properties damaged over the past 34 years of unrest, and the establishment of three satellite townships in Anantnag, Srinagar, and Baramulla for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits.

Pandita also called for compensation for the loss of other immovable properties, including orchards, and the provision of soft loans for educated, over-aged Kashmiri Pandit youth.