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To support the widows and orphaned children of the killed ultras, Jammu and Kashmir Council for Rehabilitation of Militancy Victims on Thursday widened its area of action and included dependants of militants killed over 15 years of violence.
The decision to widen the area of action to include dependants of the slain militants was taken at the governing council meeting of JKCRMV chaired by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
The council said it will also devise mechanism to help the recent earthquake victims. Stressing the need to cover the families of the killed ultras that are in dire need of help under the ambit of rehabilitation council, Sayeed asked the governing council to take a decision on this and said the state government would meet the requirement of funds on this account.
He also asked Chief Secretary Vijay Bakaya to take up with the Prime Minister's Office release of annual grant of Rs 3 crore earlier agreed by the union ministry of social justice. He said orphaned children and widows of the killed ultras need education and support to live a normal life and the council should expand its purview to include such families.
Sayeed said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also underlined the need to reach out to these people.
Communist Party of India-Marxist state secretary and legislator Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said the destitute families of the killed militants could not live a condemned life.
Militants do not take up guns after seeking permission from their families, Tarigami, who survived a militant attack on his life on Tuesday, said.
In another significant decision, the rehabilitation council would set up two orphanages, one each at Srinagar and Jammu for the victims of militancy.
The Srinagar orphanage would be exclusively for girls while the Jammu orphanage would be for boys.
The chief minister asked the council to set up hostel for the two orphanages and provide for faculty to impart education to the inmates of the orphanages.
He emphasised the need to provide quality education and residential facilities to the inmates.
The chief minister referred to the recent massive earthquake that besides leaving a trail of destruction in terms of loss of life and property in the state has thrown up a full crop of widows and orphans.
He called for ways and means to help these victims of calamity and asked the rehabilitation council to see how best they could be helped.
The meeting said centre would soon give an action plan to state government for rehabilitation of these widows and orphans following which concrete steps would be taken.
Meanwhile, several injured orphan children who have been discharged from hospitals and have nobody to take care have been lodged in youth hostel here.
Sayeed issued instructions for their proper care and asked the social welfare department to arrange for their education.