Centre announces special relief package for victims of recent Pak shelling

Union Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday announced a special relief package for Line of Control residents of Jammu-Kashmir affected by recent shelling from Pakistan. The Home Minister said that, in addition to the existing 90,000 underground bunkers, additional steps will be taken to strengthen the safety and support of border communities. Addressing a gathering in the town of Poonch after distributing appointment letters to the family members of victims killed in the shelling, the Home Minister said the administration is currently assessing the damage in the affected areas. 

The Central Government will provide all possible



support to the victims’ families. He said that the Indian Army had carried out Operation Sindoor, during which terrorist infrastructure across the border was targeted and destroyed. Mr. Shah emphasized that the operation was aimed solely at terrorist camps and not against civilians or security personnel in Pakistan. He added that, in response, Pakistan carried out shelling that hit civilian areas in J&K, including religious sites. Mr. Shah also said that development work in the region will continue, as it has since 2014, and that security forces will carry on with their operations against terrorism.