Kashmir migrant employees not eligible for transfer outside Valley: GoI

Srinagar: The Government on Wednesday said that a Kashmiri Pandit employee, recruited under a special drive, was not eligible for transfer outside the Valley “under any circumstances.”

In a written reply to a query if the administration was considering the transfer of Kashmiri Pandit
Employees’ to safe havens outside the valley, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai said that in terms of Jammu and Kashmir Kashmiri Migrants (Special Drive) Recruitment Rules, 2009 notified on 30 December 2009, the appointees shall have to work within Kashmir Valley and “shall not be eligible for transfer outside the Valley under any circumstances.”

“However, they have been posted at safer zones in various District/Tehsil/Headquarters within the Kashmir Division,” he said while responding to a query by Vivek K Tankha.

Besides, Rai said, the government of India has taken several measures to ensure the safety of minorities in the Valley. “These include a robust security and intelligence grid, day and night area domination, patrolling and proactive operations against (militants), round the clock checking at Nakas, deployment of armed forces at strategic points to thwart any (militant) attack,” he said in the reply, a copy of which lies with GNS.

Rai said that nine government employees (excluding armed forces) including one Kashmiri Pandit have lost their lives in militancy-related incidents in JK.

“The Government has a policy of zero tolerance against (militancy) and the security situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). There has been a substantial decline in (militant) attacks from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021,” he said, adding, “Since the repeal of Article 370, 09 Government employees (excluding security forces) including 01 Kashmiri Pandit have lost their lives in (militancy)-related incidents in J&K.”

He was responding to a question by the parliamentarian regarding the number of employees, including Kashmiri Pandits, of the State and the GoI in JK and Ladakh who lost their lives in militancy-related incidents since the abrogation of Article 370 on 5th August 2019.

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