Jammu, Mar 22: In a significant update regarding the relief of displaced families from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) from the 1947 conflict, the Jammu and Kashmir government said that out of 26,319 displaced families, 21,084 have applied for benefits under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) announced in 2015. Of these applications, 20,523 cases have been approved, while 561 cases remain pending or have been rejected due to deficiencies in documentation or ongoing court cases.
This information was disclosed in the House on Saturday, following a query raised by BJP MLA Dr Narinder Singh Raina.
The government elaborated that the Centre has sanctioned a relief package amounting to Rs 5.5 lakh for each family categorized as Displaced Person Families (DPF). This package covers 36,384 families, which includes the 26,319 families displaced in 1947 and 10,065 families who were displaced during the wars of 1965 and 1971 from the Chhamb region.
In its effort to ensure the comprehensive inclusion of eligible PoJK displaced persons from 1947 under this relief scheme, the government has implemented various measures over time.
The steps include easing out of prescribed documents for establishing displaced status and 577 outreach camps by the designated authority (PRO Jammu) at the teshsil level in Jammu division for guidance/awareness of the left out families to ensure that no family having required documents is left out with the claim.
Apart from this, awareness was also generated through print media and public notices for availing the benefit of the scheme, the government said.
