Centre approves ₹25 cr additional aid for homes hit by Pak shelling in J&K

The Centre on Monday approved an additional amount of Rs 25 crore as compensation for houses damaged in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir due to Pakistani shelling during Operation Sindoor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced the additional compensation amount for the houses damaged by Pakistani shelling.

As a special case, Modi said an additional compensation amount of Rs 2 lakh will be given for each fully-damaged house and Rs 1 lakh for each partially-damaged house.

Following the prime minister's announcement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah ensured swift action by facilitating an additional provision of Rs 25 crore from the Ministry of Home Affairs for 2,060 houses, an official statement said.

A similar compensation amount will also be provided in the border areas of Punjab, it added.

The home minister visited the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir on May 29-30.

During the visit, he handed over appointment letters on compassionate grounds to the family members of those who lost their lives due to the cross-border firing.

According to norms, compensation for the damage caused by the cross-border shelling was provided immediately.

After Operation Sindoor, several incidents of cross-border shelling were reported from the border districts of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Hundreds of families suffered due to the shelling on residential areas, schools, religious structures, including gurdwaras, temples and mosques, and commercial properties.

The administration took proactive measures to anticipate possible events and ensure an effective response.

A total of 3.25 lakh people were evacuated from the border districts, of whom about 15,000 were accommodated in 397 shelter sheds and accommodation centres, equipped with facilities like food, water, healthcare services, electricity etc.

A total of 394 ambulances were deployed in the border districts to ferry patients to hospitals, including 62 ambulances in Poonch alone, the statement said.

A total of 2,818 civil-defence volunteers were also deployed for services related to health, fire and emergency, livestock, essential supplies etc., it added.