Central Assistance for One-Time Settlement of Displaced Families from PoK and Chhamb (PM Development Package)

What is the Central Assistance for displaced families from PoK and Chhamb?

This scheme is a component of the Prime Minister's Development Package for Jammu and Kashmir, announced in November 2015. According to Ministry of Home Affairs records, the package included a one-time central assistance for the rehabilitation of families displaced from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and from Chhamb during the 1965 and 1971 wars, who are settled in Jammu and Kashmir.

The scheme pays a one-time assistance of Rs 5.5 lakh per family, disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) using the Public Financial Management System (PFMS). The stated purpose is to enable each displaced family to earn an income and support their livelihood. This is a single lump-sum settlement, not a recurring welfare payment.

The scheme is targeted and finite. It covers a defined set of displaced families recognised by the state administration rather than the general public. Reporting around the package has referred to tens of thousands of displaced families covered under the broader rehabilitation effort, with the per-family amount fixed at Rs 5.5 lakh.

This assistance sits within a wider set of rehabilitation measures the Government of India has extended to displaced and migrant communities in Jammu and Kashmir. Related but separate schemes cover families displaced from PoK in 1947 and West Pakistani Refugees. Because these run under their own approvals and timelines, a family should confirm with the district administration which specific component applies to them rather than assume a single common scheme. The PoK/Chhamb one-time settlement described here is defined by displacement from PoK or from Chhamb during the 1965 and 1971 wars.

Who is eligible for this assistance?

You can be considered if:

• Your family is recognised as displaced from PoK, or from Chhamb during the 1965 or 1971 war.
• Your family is settled in Jammu and Kashmir and appears in the identified list maintained by the state administration.
• You can produce the identification and verification documents the district administration requires.

You cannot apply if:

• You are a general resident of Jammu and Kashmir with no recognised displaced-family status under this scheme.
• Your family is not on the identified list of displaced families for this component of the package.
• You are seeking a recurring benefit — this is strictly a one-time settlement.

Because eligibility is tied to a recognised list of displaced families, the state administration verifies each claim before payment. There is no open, self-nomination route for the general public.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the one-time settlement

Because this is a targeted relief scheme rather than an open citizen benefit, there is no public online application portal. The process runs through the Jammu and Kashmir district administration:

1. Approach the office of the Deputy Commissioner or the Relief and Rehabilitation (Migrants) authorities in the concerned district of Jammu and Kashmir.
2. Establish your family's recognised displaced status with the required proof and identification documents.
3. Submit your Aadhaar and bank account details so the assistance can be paid through DBT via PFMS.
4. Allow the administration to verify your claim against the identified list of displaced families.
5. On approval, the Rs 5.5 lakh one-time assistance is credited to the family's bank account.

Deadline and status

The Jammu and Kashmir government extended the completion deadline for the one-time settlement from 31 March 2026 to 30 September 2026. Families who believe they are eligible but have not yet been settled should contact their district administration before the deadline, as this is a time-bound settlement of an identified set of families rather than a continuously open scheme.

Help and where to get it

• Nodal authority: Jammu and Kashmir district administration: office of the Deputy Commissioner and the Relief and Rehabilitation (Migrants) authorities.
• Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs (mha.gov.in), which administers the Prime Minister's Development Package.

There is no online self-application and no agent can secure this payment. All verification and disbursement is handled directly by the state administration.