Tuesday, 8 January 2013


JK Govt to amend Constitution in next assembly session:Bhalla
State subject, domicile certificate for refugees
Vijaypur (Samba),Jan 6: In a significant development,state revenue minister Raman Bhalla on Sunday disclosed that Jammu and Kashmir government will bring an amendment in the state Constitution in next assembly session to clear hurdles related to issuance of Permanent Resident Certificates (PRCs) and Domicile Certificates to the refugees. “The State government will bring necessary amendment in the Constitution in the next Assembly Session to clear all hurdles related to this issue. The domicile certificate is an internal matter which would be sorted out shortly,” Bhalla, who was flanked by health minister Sham Lal Sharma, said addressing a gathering of West Pakistani refugees at Swankha More in Vijaypur on Sunday.
He said State Congress President, Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz is personally monitoring the progress of the outcome of discussion with the Central leadership which recently took place at Delhi.  Sharma, while addressing the refugees, said that a delegation of state leaders under the leadership of President Pradesh Congress Committee, Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz and MP Madan Lal Sharma met the Central leadership recently and discussed the issues of West Pakistani and PaK refugees. An official statement said both the ministers said the issues are under the active consideration of Central and State Governments and a road map has been drawn for their amicable solution in a phased manner.  Sham said that issues which are in the preview of State Government will be segregated and addressed within the constitutional framework, for which the coalition Government was committed.
He said top officers of State Government are working out the modalities related to each issue.
Vice Chairman, OBC Advisory Board Kuldeep Verma also spoke on the occasion and supported the demands of the refugees. He urged Central as well as State Governments to show flexibility on the issues of refugees and address them sympathetically without wasting more time as they have already suffered for so many years.  Earlier, President West Pakistani Refugee Action Committee, Labba Ram Gandhi highlighted the long pending issues of the refugees and demanded their early settlement. He said that refugees are confronting for their genuine rights since independence, but all successive governments failed to address their issues, with the result the refugees lived in a painful environment. He renewed the demands and urged both Central and State Government to address them on priority.
Meanwhile, Ram demanded special recruitment of wards of refugees in the Central para-military forces as an internal relief, as agreed to by the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad some time back. He also demanded issuance of caste and domicile certificates to the children of refugees enabling them to secure jobs in Central Government which is one of the requirements

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