The Jammu and Kashmir administration, led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, has announced plans to provide land to Kashmiri Pandit employees at affordable rates in Srinagar. This initiative comes after the successful allocation of 5 marlas of land to landless individuals in Jammu and Kashmir under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme.
Speaking during an event at the under-construction Bhaderkali temple in Devi Angan Thalwal, Jammu, on the occasion of Ram Navmi, Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha said, “We are trying to make such a situation so that you can permanently live in Kashmir.” He also announced the appointment of a nodal officer within the LG Secretariat to address the issues and concerns of the Kashmiri Pandit community.
Under this new plan, Kashmiri Pandits who are government employees in Srinagar will have the opportunity to acquire land at reduced or subsidized rates, allowing them to build their own houses in the region.
Lt. Governor Sinha further emphasized the accessibility of government officials to address the community’s needs, stating, “The members of the community can also take up issues with the Divisional Commissioner, ADGP, IGP, and the concerned Deputy Commissioner, and their matters will be taken up on priority.”
Commissioner Relief and Rehabilitation, KK Sidha, has been directed to ensure the regular allotment of completed transit accommodations to Pandit employees in the Valley. The government is actively establishing transit accommodations in various locations across central, south, and north Kashmir to accommodate migrant Pandit employees during their return.
This initiative follows the mass migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in 1990 after outbreak of militancy. Many Pandits resettled in Jammu, New Delhi, and other parts of the country.
The central government, under the Prime Minister’s employment package, had previously created 6,000 job opportunities for Pandits in the Valley.
