Delhi L-G enhances eligibility criteria for obtaining AMR to Kashmiri migrant families (Lead)

New Delhi, Oct 18 : In a major relief to Kashmiri migrant families in the national capital, L-G V.K Saxena has approved the enhancement of eligibility criteria for obtaining Adhoc Monthly Relief (AMR), being paid to these families, from Rs 10,000 per month to Rs 27,000 per month.

According to a release from the Raj Bhawan, this enhancement in eligibility will increase the number of beneficiaries being covered by about 70 per cent.

“Now, beneficiaries earning upto Rs 27,000 per month rather than the previous amount of Rs 10,000 per month will be eligible for AMR,” it said.

This enhancement comes after a long gap of 16 years, when the eligibility for AMR was doubled from Rs 5,000 per month to Rs 10,000 per month, in 2007.

In 1995, the GNCTD had fixed the eligibility for AMR amount at Rs 5,000 per month.

The LG also approved bifurcation or addition of names in the Kashmiri Migrant Cards issued by GNCTD to facilitate, grown up and married children of migrants, to get their own cards made and accordingly become entitled for AMR as separate units or families.

The registered Kashmiri migrant families will now be allowed to declare their family and allow splitting of the family due to increase in size, it said, adding that birth to a couple in the migrant family would lead to addition in the family and death of a member would lead to deletion of that member.

“Apart from this, a non-migrant girl marrying into a migrant family will be added as a member of the Kashmiri migrant family,” it said.

It also said that there shall be mandatory Aadhar seeding of data relating to the family members eligible for AMR.Also, the payment of relief to the migrants will be only through Aadhar Payment Bridge System or PFMS, which will be as per the extant norms.

AMR is provided to the J&K migrants under the “Security Related Expenditure (Relief & Rehabilitation)” introduced by the Central Government in 1989-90,for supporting the relief and rehabilitation of those who were uprooted from the Kashmir valley during the militancy.

In Delhi, AMR is provided to the migrant families registered by GNCTD during 1990-93.

At present, approximately 2000 families in the national capital are being paid AMR at the rate of Rs 3,250 per person per month, subject to a maximum of four people per family.

Out of this amount, Rs 1,000 is the share of the GNCTD, and Rs 2,250 is the share of the government of India, which is reimbursed by the MHA.

The monthly expenditure incurred on AMR is Rs 2.50 crore and the number of beneficiaries is, however, expected to increase by nearly 70 per cent after factoring in increase in the number of “units” because of raising of the eligibility criteria and rise in the number of family members due to splitting and addition that will now be allowed.

Earlier, a release from the Raj Bhawan said that L-G has approved a substantial enhancement of the Adhoc Monthly Relief (AMR) they receive.

The AMR, which was previously set at Rs 10,000 per month, has now been increased to Rs 27,000 per month, marking a 170 per cent increase.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva has welcomed the 70 per cent increase announced in Adhoc Monthly Relief by the L-G Delhi for Kashmiri migrants.

aks/dan