WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has called for a comprehensive assessment of security, housing, livelihood, education and social concerns hindering the return of Kashmiri migrants, besides a structured survey of migrant families living outside Jammu and Kashmir, to facilitate their safe, voluntary and dignified resettlement in the Kashmir Valley.
The Administration informed the committee that the Government has undertaken a series of policy interventions to facilitate the relief, rehabilitation and dignified return of Kashmiri migrants to the Kashmir Valley.
The Committee was informed that a comprehensive Prime Minister’s Package for Return and Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Migrants, amounting to ₹1,618.40 crore, was announced in 2009. 3.11.8
The administration stated that the rehabilitation package adopts a multi-dimensional approach and comprises the following major components: Housing Assistance; Transit Accommodation; Continuation of Cash Relief; Educational Assistance and Scholarships; Employment Opportunities; Assistance to Agriculturists and Horticulturists; and Waiver of Interest on Eligible Loans.
The rehabilitation package provides financial assistance of ₹7.50 lakh per family to migrant families willing to return and permanently settle in the Kashmir Valley. Applications were invited from displaced families, against which 6,510 applications were received expressing willingness to return. However, the Administration informed that, owing to prevailing security concerns and socioeconomic considerations, only 3 migrant families ultimately returned and resettled in their native places. Financial assistance amounting to ₹22.50 lakh was released to these families under the housing assistance component.
Employment generation forms an important component of the rehabilitation package, with the objective of encouraging the return of displaced migrant families by providing Government employment to eligible unemployed migrant youth. Against the approved target of 6,000 Government jobs, appointments have been provided to 5,875 migrant youth, while recruitment against the remaining 125 posts is presently under various stages of the selection process and is being expedited.
Secure residential accommodation is being created for employees appointed under the Prime Minister’s Package through construction of 6,000 transit accommodation units at various locations in the Kashmir Valley. As on 30th April 2026, 4,648 transit accommodation units had been completed, while 1,352 units were under construction. Of the completed units, 3,257 units had already been allotted to eligible employees appointed under the rehabilitation package.
Monthly cash relief continues to be extended to eligible migrant families to provide financial support until conditions become conducive for their permanent return and rehabilitation in the Kashmir Valley.
Scholarships and other educational assistance are being provided to students belonging to migrant families to ensure continuity of education and facilitate skill development and higher educational opportunities.
The rehabilitation package also provides assistance to migrant agriculturists and horticulturists, including financial assistance and waiver of interest on eligible loans, with a view to restoring livelihood opportunities and facilitating economic rehabilitation.
Alongside the rehabilitation package, the Government has continued to strengthen measures for the protection, restoration and retrieval of migrant properties through legislative safeguards, institutional monitoring mechanisms, online grievance redressal, and district-level enforcement measures. These initiatives are intended to create an enabling environment for the safe, secure and dignified return of displaced migrant families to the Kashmir Valley.
The committee appreciates the substantial progress made in providing relief and rehabilitation assistance to 48,451 registered migrant families, particularly the appointment of 5,875 migrant youth against 6,000 sanctioned posts and completion of 4,648 transit accommodation units. The Committee recommends that the remaining recruitments and construction works be completed expeditiously and that all completed units be allotted promptly to eligible beneficiaries.
The committee observes that, despite 6,510 families initially expressing willingness to return, only three families have permanently resettled in the Kashmir Valley. It, therefore, recommends a comprehensive assessment of the security, housing, livelihood, education and social concerns inhibiting return, including a structured survey of migrant families residing outside the Union Territory, so that the rehabilitation package may be suitably reviewed and a safe, voluntary and dignified return facilitated.
The Committee notes that the Government has adopted a comprehensive approach towards the relief, rehabilitation and welfare of Kashmiri migrants through the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package, encompassing housing assistance, employment opportunities, transit accommodation, continuation of cash relief, educational support, livelihood assistance and measures for the protection and restoration of migrant properties.
