Jammu, Jan 8: The All-India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS) has expressed deep concern over a recent Public Notice issued by the Relief & Rehabilitation Commissioner (M), Jammu, regarding the integration of Migrant Ration Cards into the National Food Security Act (NFSA) database.
The notice, published in a local newspaper, has sparked confusion and distress among the displaced Kashmiri Pandit (KP) community due to its lack of clarity about the benefits it claims to provide.
During its Core Committee meeting on Monday, AIKS highlighted the ambiguities in the notice, which vaguely mentions benefits associated with government schemes such as the Antyodaya Yojna and assistance for households without shelter. The absence of specific details regarding these benefits has left the displaced community anxious about how these schemes would apply to them.
The organization raised a critical issue, pointing out that the NFSA of 2013 neither mentions the Kashmir Migrants nor includes them in any official annotations. This omission, coupled with the term “migrant” used to describe displaced Kashmiri Pandits, was described as a reflection of the government’s insensitivity toward a community uprooted from their homeland for over 35 years.
AIKS questioned how displaced persons could access the promised benefits when their permanent settlement in the valley remains unresolved. “Without clarity on implementation and inclusion, such notifications only add to the uncertainty of our community,” a spokesperson for AIKS remarked.
The organization has appealed to the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, who also serves as a Member of the State Food Commission, and the Secretary of the Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction to urgently address these concerns. AIKS has urged the government to clearly define the benefits outlined in the notice and to provide assurance to the displaced community.
The AIKS Core Committee stressed that decades of displacement have left the Kashmiri Pandit community vulnerable and reliant on government policies for relief and rehabilitation. They called for greater transparency and sensitivity in addressing the needs of the community, which has long faced exclusion and uncertainty. The issue has once again highlighted the broader struggles of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, who continue to demand permanent resettlement and recognition as an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir’s socio-political framework.
