'Dawn of new era': Minister hails J&K domicile notification

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has termed the Jammu & Kashmir Domicile Rules Notification as the dawn of a new era. "History will vindicate us and prove that this course correction was in keeping with the principle of equality and the norms of a healthy democracy," he said.

Singh said a serious miscarriage of history had been undone after 70 years by the notification. Addressing the media, he said it was an anomaly waiting to be corrected and that "perhaps it was God's will that it got corrected only when Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister".

Singh also complimented Home Minister Amit Shah for the "clarity with which the entire exercise was carried out".

Singh went on to state that three generations of people in Jammu & Kashmir had been denied the right to live with dignity. "It was heartening to see this redemption happening in our lifetime, which would prove to be a blessing for the future generations".

While West Pakistan refugees and displaced persons from PoJK have been restored their legitimate rights, Dr Jitendra Singh said, a discrimination of several decades has been undone. "Those who are opposing the move are only exposing themselves to the accusation that for the last 70 years, they had been thriving on the politics of discrimination".

Singh has called it an irony that all-India services officers, including IAS and IPS, who devoted 30-35 years of their life to serve in Jammu & Kashmir were, at the end of the day, after superannuation, asked to pack up, leave and look for a place elsewhere to settle. This was, he said, in contrast with the arrangement in several states and UTs where the all-India service officers of state Cadre are not only allowed to settle but are also provided plots of land.

He alleged that gross injustice was being done to the children of these officials who did their entire schooling in Jammu & Kashmir but were debarred from applying for admission to higher education institutions.

Hailing the move, the Minister said this should be seen as an opportunity for wider exposure and capacity building "for our children so that they could prepare themselves to flourish in global India".

( With inputs from IANS )