J&K Govt extends rehabilitation assistance schemes for PoJK displaced families, WPRs

Srinagar, Jun 11: The Jammu and Kashmir government has extended the timelines of two major rehabilitation and financial assistance schemes benefiting displaced families from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), Chhamb migrants besides West Pakistani Refugees (WPRs), following approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India.

As per the two separate government orders issued by Principal Secretary, Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (DMRRR), Chandraker Bharti, the deadline for the Central Assistance Scheme for one-time settlement of displaced families from PoJK (1947) and Chhamb (1965 and 1971) has been extended by six months, while the financial assistance scheme for West Pakistani Refugees has been extended by one year.

As per Government Order No. 34-JK(DMRRR) of 2026 dated June 10, the timeline of the rehabilitation package for displaced families of PoJK and Chhamb, which had expired on March 31, 2026, has now been extended up to September 30, 2026.

The order reads that the scheme, originally adopted by the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir Government under the Prime Minister's Development Package (PMDP)-2015 and notified in March 2017, had undergone several extensions over the years.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, through a communication dated May 25, 2026, has approved a further extension of the scheme.

The government has sanctioned continuation of the scheme within the approved outlay of Rs 2,000 crore, while making it clear that the package will not continue beyond the revised "sunset date of September 30, 2026."

In a separate order, the government has extended the Scheme of Financial Assistance to West Pakistani Refugee families settled in Jammu and Kashmir, from March 31 of 2026 to March 31 of 2027.

The scheme was originally notified in October 2018 after approval by the Ministry of Home Affairs and has also been extended periodically since then.

According to Government Order No. 35-JK(DMRRR) of 2026, the MHA conveyed its approval for extending the scheme up to March 31, 2027 through its communication dated May 25, 2026.

The extension has been sanctioned within the approved financial outlay of Rs 317.02 crore.

The government order, however, stipulated that the scheme shall not continue beyond March 31, 2027, the revised sunset date fixed for the programme.