Centre tells J&K government to come up with effective Rehabilitation policy

New Delhi: The Centre has directed the J&K government to take forward the peace initiatives and formulate a new rehabilitation policy for Kashmiri militants.

According to the news reported in the Times of India, the existing surrender and rehabilitation policies which were formulated in 2004 and 2010 did not yield significant results. The financial package was also meager.

The new policy is likely to increase the amount to three times and facilitate for economic rehabilitation and suitable training to run their own businesses. The new policy will facilitate not only the return of the militants into the mainstream of the society but also ensure that they do not slip back to the militancy.

Over the past few months, a series of measures have been rolled out by the Centre in consultation with the J&K state government. Recommendations in this regard have also been provided by the Centre’s special representative for J&K dialogue Dineshwar Sharma.

The Home Ministry is also considering of providing amnesty to the stone pelters who did not commit grave crimes.

One official said that “In no other state in the country are stone-pelting cases against the youth pursued after the law and order situation has normalised. Kashmiri youths should be treated with similar leniency if they have reacted out of frustration or impulsively joined an ongoing protest”.