Govt has introduced rehabilitation package for 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots victims: Minority Affairs Ministry in LS

Responding to a question on provision for providing relief amount for Sikhs who were victims of 1984 riots, the Union Minority Affairs Ministry on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha said that the Government of India has introduced a rehabilitation package to provide relief to victims of 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots.

New Delhi:Responding to a question on provision for providing relief amount for Sikhs who were victims of 1984 riots, the Union Minority Affairs Ministry on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha said that the Government of India has introduced a rehabilitation package to provide relief to victims of 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots. While responding to Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Santosh Pandey's question in the Lower House of Parliament, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stated that the scheme contained ex-gratia payment of Rs 3.5 lakh for each death case and Rs 1.25 lakh in case of injuries.

Naqvi was responding to the following set of questions raised by the SP MP, "(a) whether there is any provision for pension or relief amount for Sikhs who are victim of 1984 riots; (b) if so, the details of pension or relief amount for which provision has been made; (c) whether the said amount is disbursed by the Union Government or the State Government and if so, the details along with the disbursement process thereof; (d) whether the victims are getting regular pension; (e) the total number of victims in Chhattisgarh along with the details thereof, district-wise; (f) the number of victims, out of above, who have not received pension and the time since when their pension is due along with the reasons therefor; and (g) the time by which pension amount is likely to be paid to the said victims?"

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The Union Minister further stated that the scheme also contained a provision for State Governments to grant pension to widows and old aged parents of death victims at the uniform rate of Rs 2500 per month, for whole life. The expenditure on payment of pension was to be borne by the State Government, he added. According to the Minister, in 2014, the Government of India introduced a scheme for grant of enhanced relief of Rs 5 lakh per deceased person, who died during the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots.

Naqvi stated that in the Union Budget-2021-22, a provision of Rs 4.5 crore has been made for payment of enhanced compensation to the next of kin of deceased of 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots. For payment of enhanced ex-gratia amount, the States/UTs would disburse the money from their own funds and the Ministry of Home Affairs would reimburse the amount to the concerned State/UT Government on receipt of utilization certificate, said the Union Minister.

"The State Government of Chhattisgarh has informed that there are 11 victims in the State, and the district wise details are- Bilaspur-01, Rajnandgaon-02, Durg-01, Mahasamund-01, Sarguja-04, Raipur-01, Janjgir Champa-01. The State has a provision of paying relief/pension of Rs 3500 per month," added Naqvi.

(ANI)