STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: JKPCC Working President and Former Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla , Chief Spokesperson and former MLC Ravinder Sharma along with Refugee Congress leaders Pawan Raina Secretary JKPCC, Sahil Sharma Spokesperson JKPCC and Amrit Bali Vice Chairman Refugee Cell have strongly criticised the Central Govt. for closing the ongoing relief package for POJK, Chhamb DPs and termed it clear betrayal and backtracking of the promises with them by the Modi government and BJP.
Addressing the press conference at PCC HQ here on Thursday, Raman Bhalla along with other senior leaders reacted sharply to the recent notice of the government closing the relief package from 10th February onwards, and termed it great betrayal with the suffering communities who were exploited by the ruling party by making hollow promises especially full implementation of the 2014 relief package recommended by then state coalition government on the initiative of Congress party and Dr Manmohan Singh government.
Bhalla said that BJP and Modi Govt befooled the POJK Refugees and sanctioned only the meagre amount of Rs 5.5 lakh per family against Rs 30 lakh per family recommended by the State Govt.
They questioned the closing of the ongoing package when all eligible families could not be even covered with the installment of 5.5 lakhs per family, which was described as first installment but with the closing of the package, it is clear that there is nothing more for them, which is clear betrayal with them.
He said after long struggle of refugees of POJK, Chhamb, and hot perusal by the Congress, a package was worked out on the direction of Dr Manmohan Singh government in 2014 and recommended to the centre by state government.
It comprised of Rs 25 lakh per family as financial package besides jobs, reservation package and coverage of all left out DP families under land allotment and land deficiency categories, which was enhanced to Rs 30 lakh per family by the JPC.
The said package was not only endorsed by the all party joint parliamentary committee but also enhanced the relief amount to Rs 30 lakh per family, however the Modi Govt. and BJP failed to sanction the package. Only a meager amount of Rs 5.5 lakhs was sanctioned but that too has not been disbursed to all eligible families because of various hardships in the procedure and documentations for them. There are several hundred claimants pending and large number of others still deprived of the ongoing relief package.
Demanding sanction of full package of 2014 for them, without further delay, they announced that that Congress shall fully support the struggle of the refugees of POJK, and Chhamb for their due rights especially to get full benefits of the entire package endorsed by the parliamentary committee.