Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has approved certain concessions for the West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) settled in Jammu and Kashmir after considering the problems being faced by them.
He has directed the heads of all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) that such West Pakistan Refugees from Jammu and Kashmir, who are Indian citizens and have valid Voter IDs, be considered for recruitment in the forces, including the special recruitment drives conducted in the State.
The Home Minister has also written to the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that similar concessions, like waiving off the condition of producing DC and other Identity Certificate, may be permitted in the recruitment to the Armed Forces.
Singh has also written a letter to the State Government of JandK to resume issuing the DC to WPRs settled in the State so as to enable such people avail equal employment opportunities.
On the directions of the Union Home Minister, instructions have also been issued to the Department of School Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development to accommodate the children of such WPRs of Jammu and Kashmir for admission to the Kendriya Vidyalayas in the State.
Similar instructions have also been issued to the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development to extend those concessions available to the wards of Kashmiri migrants to the wards of WPRs of Jammu and Kashmir for admission to technical/professional institutes outside the state.
As of now, WPRs face difficulty to fulfill documentary evidence of residency in support of their applications as the CAPFs recruitment rules seek furnishing of Domicile Certificate (DC) from the candidates while the state government issues only Voter ID with Non-Permanent Residency (NPR) status to such Indian nationals.