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J&K government announces relief package for victims of shelling

The Jammu and Kashmir government today announced a relief package for victims of ongoing shelling and firing from across the Line of Control in Kargil and other parts of the state.

Giving details of the package, an official spokesman said that a displaced family would get nine kilograms of foodgrains, seven kilograms of rice and two kilograms of atta in the Kashmir division while in the Jammu division every family would get seven kilograms of atta and two kilograms of rice.

The spokesman added that ten litres of kerosene would be given per family each month while every member would receive a cash assistance of Rs 200 every month. The state would also pay the costs of medical treatment, he said.

In addition to the above recurring expenditure, the next of kin of the killed will receive Rs 100,000 as one-time relief. The relief, which would be available in Kargil and Leh districts only, also includes one blanket per member, subject to a ceiling of six blankets per family.

However, the cost of medical treatment would be applicable to all border villages coming under shelling and firing from across the LoC. Also, the issuing of relief items such as ration, kerosene oil and blankets would be applicable to all families displaced from the five-kilometre belt from the LoC and from villages between the international border and Jammu and Kashmir districts.

''The state government has projected the requirements to the Centre for the displaced persons and Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has personally taken up the issue with the prime minister and the home minister during their visits to the state and also in the national capital,'' the spokesman pointed out.

The Centre has agreed to the proposal of the state government to reimburse the expenditure on providing relief to affected and displaced persons in Kargil and other areas of the state. More than 100,000 people have migrated so far from border areas to safer places in Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts, he added.

The Kargil Crisis

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