The NDA government’s Diwali gift to Kashmiri migrants is expected to be announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi next month in the form of a Rs 2,000-crore resettlement package to facilitate their re
The NDA government’s Diwali gift to Kashmiri migrants is expected to be announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi next month in the form of a Rs 2,000-crore resettlement package to facilitate their return to the Valley after more than two decades.
There is good news for the tourism sector in the Valley as well, which is set to get a major overhaul after a dry summer.
Notably, last year Mr Modi had celebrated the festival with the flood victims in Kashmir. This time, following up on his government’s promise to ensure return and rehabilitation of the Kashmiri migrants, the Rs 2000-crore package is expected to kickstart the first phase of their permanent residentships, with more funds flowing subsequently. The wait has been long since August last year when home minister Rajnath Singh spoke of his government’s commitment in Parliament: “Whenever we make a commitment, we do so after giving full thought and strong conviction.”
The finance ministry is burning the midnight oil to make it a reality this Diwali and set the ball rolling. Importantly, J&K is also set to witness a major overhaul in its tourism sector, with major sops to be announced by the Prime Minister.
The Valley had seen a dip in tourism, especially with the floods causing worry to the tourism ministry and the entire tourism sector in the Valley, which virtually sat through the summer this year with little earnings.
Mr Modi’s sops for Kashmir before Diwali are once again likely to trigger a political storm, with separatists leading the charge against the government. Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had last year termed Mr Modi’s gesture of expressing solidarity with the flood victims on Diwali “cultural aggression”. He had said visiting a Muslim-majority state on Diwali was “nothing but cultural aggression” and called it an “election stunt”.
However, unfazed by the criticism, the Centre is keen to give J&K the boost it requires for all-round development with its “special package” of more than '70 crore, keeping Kashmiri migrants high on its priority list.
The home ministry is, meanwhile, awaiting clearance from the state government for acquiring land to build the townships for the migrants’ return, which will not be “exclusive” townships but would be available to both the majority and minority communities.
