Govt ‘denying’ ration to West Pak refugees

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 17

Notwithstanding fresh assurances by the Union Government to solve issues of West Pakistan refugees on humanitarian grounds, the PDP-BJP coalition in J&K has allegedly initiated the process to delete the names of West Pakistan refugees from the list of beneficiaries getting subsidised ration under the National Food Safety Act (NFSA).

The names of nearly 60 refugee families living in Uttam Colony on the outskirts of Jammu city have reportedly been deleted from the ration card beneficiaries’ list issued by the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) department.

“We have been told bluntly by the authorities that from this month our names have been deleted from beneficiaries’ lists as refugee families do not have Permanent Resident Certificates (PRCs),” said Tara Chand, a West Pakistan refugee.

“Without any notice, we were asked to submit our ration cards to get them updated. Now we have been asked to produce PRCs to be included in the list,” he said, adding that for the last 25 years refugees living in the colony have been getting subsidised ration.

Angry about the “inhuman” decision of the state government, refugees’ leader Labha Ram Gandhi alleged that it appeared that the government wanted to “starve” them as they had been demanding constitutional rights. He warned that they would come on the streets against the decision. “In a day or two, I will meet Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh. If he fails to solve the issue, we will knock the doors of the Central government.”

Gandhi said that just two days ago Union Minister Jitendra Singh had given the assurance that all rights would be provided to the West Pakistan refugees but the coalition government, with the BJP as an equal partner, was treating West Pakistan refugees as “Bangladeshi or Rohingya refugees”.

Gandhi said he had received information from other parts of the region as well that refugees were being asked to produce PRCs for getting subsidised ration.

When contacted, Director, CAPD, Rashid Ahmed Inqlabi said Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Rajiv Ranjan was chairman of the committee empowered to include or exclude beneficiaries under the NFSA scheme. Ranjan, on the other hand, said the lists were prepared in 2015, before he assumed charge. He, however, said anyone had the right to make a representation to get their name included in the list.

Over 1.5 lakh West Pakistan refugees living in camps since 1947 have not been given PRCs because they are not state subjects.