Srinagar, March 21 (KNO): Kashmiri Pandits on Saturday expressed strong resentment against the Union Budget stating that they feel betrayed as Budget has nothing about their relief and rehabilitation.
In a statement issued here to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a KP Satish Mahaldar led Pandit group, which is fight for Pandit rights and seeking a dignified return of KPs, said that J&K Budget, 2020 does not have anything for their rehabilitation, relief and welfare. “We had been betrayed,” he said. He said that a few cases in point are: in the budget, during the current financial year, Rs 1,705 crore has been disbursed through DBT to 45 lakh beneficiaries. 60,000 new pension cases shall be covered through Direct Benefit Transfer. But, till date not a single Kashmiri Pandit has got any benefit under this Scheme.
“J&K has a rich source of cultural heritage sites and Rs 100 crore has been earmarked in 2020 budget for preservation of cultural heritages. Union Minister of State Kishen Reddy had earlier said that Rs 5,000 crores would be spent towards the restoration of temples. In Kashmir, there are more than 1,387 temples and heritage which are more than 3,000 years old,” he said. “ The Union Finance Minister has proposed introduction of following three religious circuits: Shankaracharya – Mata Khir Bhawani – Martand (Mattan), Why not Hari Parbat? Mata Chakreshwari is the creator of Kashmir land. why not the Shiv temple of Baramulla , Sharda temple of Kupwara , and Jawala ji khrew.”—(KNO)