Summary: Deccan Chronicle reports that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated 1,416 newly built flats for Kashmiri Pandit employees under the Prime Minister's Special Employment and Rehabilitation Package at three sites in the Kashmir Valley. Sinha said the community's return is tied to Kashmir's composite culture and heritage. The article gives the programme's scale, around 6,000 employees placed in jobs over 15 years and a 6,000-flat project, of which more than 5,200 units are complete.
Why it matters: The return of Kashmiri Pandits after their displacement in 1989-90 is central to Hindu rights and to the restoration of Hindu heritage in the Valley.
“Dignified Return of Kashmiri Pandits Key to Restoring Valley’s Historical Legacy: L-G Manoj Sinha” — Deccan Chronicle, 1 Nov 2026
SRINAGAR: In a significant step towards the rehabilitation and dignified return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits to their homeland, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday inaugurated 1,416 newly constructed residential flats under the Prime Minister’s Special Employment and Rehabilitation Package at three locations across the Kashmir Valley.
The largest of these transit accommodation complexes, built at Zewan on the outskirts of Srinagar, was inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who reaffirmed the government's commitment to facilitating the safe and respectful return of the minority community that was uprooted during the militancy and violence that engulfed the Valley in 1989-90.
Emphasising the broader significance of the rehabilitation effort, Sinha said the return of Kashmiri Pandit families is closely linked to the preservation of Kashmir’s composite culture, spiritual traditions and civilisational heritage. He noted that the Valley’s literary legacy, intellectual traditions and cultural splendour have been profoundly shaped by the contributions of the Kashmiri Pandit community over centuries…
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