UT admn enhances Kashmiri migrants' cash assistance

In a relief to Kashmiri migrants residing in the city, the UT administration has decided to enhance cash assistance provided to them.

In a relief to Kashmiri migrants residing in the city, the UT administration has decided to enhance cash assistance provided to them.

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The administration accorded sanction to enhancement of cash assistance to Kashmiri migrants from `1,250 per head per month subject to a ceiling of `5, 000 per month per family of four or more members to `1,650 per head per month subject to ceiling of `6,600 per family per month of four or more members.

This is for the third time that the financial assistance given to Kashmiri migrants has been enhanced.
According to official figures, the city is home to around 1,000 migrants from Kashmir who shifted to the city in the late '80's when terrorism was at its peak in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Centre had issued a notification regarding enhancement of their cash assistance on July 1, 2012.

Though the administration took its time in implementing Centre's decision to increase the financial assistance, Kashmiri Migrants Relief Holders Welfare Association lauded the step.

"We have been taking up the issue with the administration since a while. It's good that they agreed to increase cash assistance," said Vikram Tickoo, general secretary of the association.

Migrants rued erratic transfer of cash assistance in their accounts. Tickoo maintained that there was no fixed date on which funds were transferred in their accounts. "We face the problem as we are not sure when we will get the money.

Sometimes, money is transferred in the first week of the month, while there are times when funds are released in the third or last week," said Tickoo.

Migrants have been urging the administration for allotment of houses from Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) under the reserve quota from past several years.

"The Center has framed so many policies for Kashmiri migrants, which have been implemented. However, the UT administration has failed to allot houses to us despite having a scheme for the same," Tickoo added.

The association has requested the administration for providing them with government accommodation on rent till houses are allotted by the CHB. The association has given several representations to the administration in the past as well, and also appeared before UT administrator Shivraj Patil in this connection, but in vain.