J&K border residents to get 60 pc reservation in 5 new IRP battalions: Rajnath

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the Centre had decided to raise five Indian Reserve Police (IRP) battalions in which people from border areas of Jammu and Kashmir would be given 60 per cent reservation.

The minister was speaking after meeting people living in border areas in the frontier Kupwara district, on the second day of his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh reached the north Kashmir district this morning and later, took a flight to the state's Jammu region, officials said.

He was accompanied by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh to Kupwara, they said.

"We have decided to create two battalions from the people living from zero to 10 km distance from the border, and also create five IRP battalions having over 5,000 personnel in which 60 per cent reservation will be given to people living in zero to 10 km range from the border," Singh said.

Besides, two female battalions will also be created, he said.

The Home minister met several local delegations, including that from the Gujar and the Bakerwal communities, at the Dak Bungalow, the officials said.

The delegations informed him about the initiatives taken by the state as well as the central government, they said.

"They also talked about what needs to be done in this area," the minister said.

Singh also visited the District Police Lines in Kupwara where he paid tributes to police personnel killed in the line of duty, the officials said.

He also addressed police and CRPF jawans at the police lines.

Talking to reporters in Kupwara, Singh reiterated that a decision on extension of Centre's unilateral ceasefire would be taken after reviewing the security situation in the Valley.

"We will have a meeting after a few days and will review the whole security situation. We will also talk to some of the representatives from here to take a decision, he said.