More than half of Kashmiri migrant relief package unused

New Delhi: More than half of the Rs 580 crore in funds allocated for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants remained unutilised during fiscal 2015-16.

According to the Union Budget presented today by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Rs 580 crore was allocated during 2015- 16 but as per revised estimates, only Rs 280 crore was provided, leaving Rs 300 crore unutilised.

This year, a consolidated budget of Rs 849.12 crore has been allocated for "relief and rehabilitation of migrants and repatriates".

It covers reimbursement to Jammu and Kashmir government for Kashmiri migrants and border migrants, refugees from Sri Lanka, Tibet and former West and East Pakistan, relief and rehabilitation to North Eastern states of Tripura, Assam and Mizoram as well as enhanced compensation for 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims.

The government had recently announced an additional Rs five lakh to about 3,325 victims of the 1984 riots.

There are about 62,000 registered Kashmiri migrant families in the country which left Kashmir Valley due to the start of militancy/terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s.