Initiatives rolled out for border residents

Jammu, Jun 08: Union Minister for Home Affairs, Rajnath Singh Friday rolled out string of relief and employment initiatives for border residents.
Addressing border residents at series of interaction sessions here in R S Pura, the Home Minister said that centre is committed to provide every possible relief to the people living along the border areas. “We are abreast with your problems, you are facing tremendous hardships,” the union Home Minister hailed border residents while acknowledging their problems as recurring.
The participants at the interaction sessions held at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, SKAUST and Chakroi in Tehsil R S Pura included shelling affected Border residents and youth from C-BYTE Trainees (Centre for Border Youth Training & Empowerment).
Also present were Deputy Chief Minister, Kavinder Gupta, Union Minister of State for PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Sham Lal Choudhary, Vice Chairman SC Advisory Board, Bhushan Lal Dogra, Member Parliament, Jugal Kishore Sharma, MLA Gagan Bhagat, Union Home Secretary, Rajiv Gauba, Chief Secretary, B B Vyas, Principal Secretary Home, R. K. Goyal, DGP SP Vaid, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Rohit Kansal, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Hemant Kumar Sharma, Rajeev Ranjan, IGP Jammu Dr SD Singh, DIG Jammu Samba Kathua Range Rafiq-Ul-Hassan and Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Kumar.
Assuring more welfare programmes, Home Minister said government knows there is much to be done to solve the problems of border residents. Rolling out the employment initiatives, the Home Minister announced 2 Border Battalions especially for exclusive recruitment of border area population.
Giving further details, he said the government has decided to keep 60% posts reserved for border youth in the proposed 5 IR battalions. He also announced about the government’s plan to raise 2 Mahila Battalions, one for Jammu and one for Kashmir to give due representation to females in the security forces.
Announcing relief for shelling victims, the Home Minister said that the centre has decided to pay Rs 5 lakh to the Next of the Kin (NoK) of those killed in the cross border firing. He further announced enhancement of compensation for loss of each milch animal in border shelling from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000.
He also announced that the fixed depositing of the ex-gratia will be done away and the Rs 5 lakh compensation will be deposited directly into the bank account of the beneficiaries.
The Home Minister also assured to expedite the work of construction of individual and community bunkers proposed in border areas.
He also announced 5 bullet proof ambulances for border areas.
Earlier, DC Jammu, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan gave a power presentation- the Border Profile of the Jammu District- in which he gave a brief view of shelling affected villages, loss of human lives and damage to property from January 2018, relief provided to the affected families, implementation of central assistance scheme, houses re-constructed under PMAY, Relief Camps and bunkers constructed, remedial classes facilitated for students from border areas and other major concerns of the Border residents.
Meanwhile, the Border residents submitted a memorandum to the Home Minister demanding permanent rehabilitation at safer places, One job to for every border household and assured income for every family, enhancement of compensations, ambulances, compensation for land affected due to fencing, age relaxation in government jobs for border youth, reservation in jobs and many alike issues.
Later, the Union Home Minister also addressed the media persons at a crowded press conference here at Hari Niwas.