Rekha Government’s Major Step for Kashmiri Migrant Families

Delhi Government Abolishes Income Ceiling; All Registered Kashmiri Migrant Families to Receive Relief Allowance

Migrant Families to Get a Special Opportunity to Update Family Details

Government to Release Pending Relief Allowance up to September 2025; Healing a Pain of Over Three Decades

New Delhi, Oct 2025 : Acknowledging the pain of Kashmiri migrant families, the Rekha Gupta government in Delhi has taken a historic and humanitarian decision. The Chief Minister said that for Kashmiri Hindu families forced to live away from their homes for more than three decades, this move brings a new ray of hope. The government has not only addressed their long-standing grievances but also taken concrete steps to resolve them. Relief distribution has been simplified, including the removal of the income ceiling, and payments will begin shortly.

Recalling the early 1990s, the Chief Minister noted that thousands of Kashmiri Hindu families were compelled to abandon their homes due to terrorism and were resettled in Delhi and the NCR. The government had been supporting them through an Ad-hoc Monthly Relief allowance. But rigid rules such as the income limit and difficulties in updating family records caused immense hardship. As a result, no allowance had been released for the past one and a half years.

The Chief Minister said that she, along with Education Minister Ashish Sood, met representatives of the displaced community, heard their concerns, and directed the Revenue Department to take immediate action. Following this, the Delhi government has taken two significant and historic decisions.

Firstly, the income ceiling of Rs 26,800 per month has been abolished. From now on, all registered Kashmiri migrant families will receive the allowance regardless of their current income. “Relief is not charity- it is a rightful entitlement arising from historical displacement, and must be granted on humanitarian grounds,” the Chief Minister emphasised.

Secondly, a Special Opportunity Scheme has been introduced, giving families a one-time chance to update the details of their current members. Records can now be corrected without penalties or recovery of past payments, ensuring transparency and fairness.

The government further announced that all pending arrears up to September 2025 will be cleared without delay. At present, around 1,800 Kashmiri migrants reside in the capital. Under the rules, a maximum of four members per family are eligible for support, with each receiving Rs 3,250 per month amounting to nearly Rs 13,000 for a family.

“This decision will not only make the relief distribution process more efficient but also bring it in line with the provisions already in place in Jammu and Kashmir,” the Chief Minister said. “Most importantly, it recognises the immense suffering of the displaced community and offers a humane balm to wounds that have remained unhealed for decades.”

She added, “Delhi has been their refuge for over thirty years. Now it must also be their home with dignity and security. These citizens lost their homes, land and identity, but never compromised their faith in the nation or their culture. For more than three decades, Delhi gave them shelter; now it is our duty to give them respect and protection too.”