Kashmiri Pandits' organisation seeks relaxation for PM package employees amid spike in COVID cases

About 4,500 Kashmiri Pandits were provided government jobs in the valley under the special package announced by the Centre in 2008 but many of them are sharing accommodation. "We appeal to the Lt Governor to announce relaxation for the pandit youths provided jobs under the PM package in joining their duties or arrange separate accommodation for them as social distancing cannot be maintained in shared accommodations,” All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC) chairman Vinod Pandit said in a statement here.

Amid the rising coronavirus cases in Jammu and Kashmir, an organisation of Kashmiri Pandits on Wednesday appealed to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to either exempt the community members selected under the prime minister's employment package from joining their duties right now or arrange separate accommodation for them. About 4,500 Kashmiri Pandits were provided government jobs in the valley under the special package announced by the Centre in 2008 but many of them are sharing accommodation.

"We appeal to the Lt Governor to announce relaxation for the pandit youths provided jobs under the PM package in joining their duties or arrange separate accommodation for them as social distancing cannot be maintained in shared accommodations," All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC) chairman Vinod Pandit said in a statement here. He said the employees, particularly teachers, have been asked to rejoin their duties on September 21 but they are worried about their safety.

"Most of the employees are either living in shared accommodation provided by the government or living in rented houses where the landlords were apprehensive of infection and are discouraging them to return," he claimed. In south Kashmir's Mattan camp, four to six families were sharing a single kitchen, the APMCC chairman said, urging the Lt Governor to visit these places to know the situation first hand.

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