Centre to let Pak Hindus buy land, open bank accounts

New Delhi: People belonging to the minority communities of Pakistan and staying in India on long-term visas (LTVs) will soon be allowed to buy property, open bank accounts and get PAN and Aadhaar cards.

According to sources, other concessions the Centre is set to offer them include reduction in fees for registration as citizens of India from Rs 15,000 to as low as Rs 100. Though the exact number of minority refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan living in India is not known, according to rough official estimates there are around two lakh such people, mostly Hindus and Sikhs, they added.

There are around 400 Pakistani Hindu refugee settlements in cities like Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Raipur, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Kutch, Bhopal, Indore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Delhi and Lucknow. “The Central government has been constantly reviewing the hardships being faced by the people of minority communities of Pakistan staying in India on LTVs. To ease some of their difficulties, it is proposed to provide the facilities,” a recent notification issued by the Union home ministry says. The facilities include permitting opening of bank accounts without prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India subject to certain conditions, permission for purchase of dwelling units for self-occupation and suitable accommodation for carrying out self-employment without prior approval of RBI subject to fulfilment of certain conditions.

“Issue of driving licences, PAN and Aadhaar cards, permission to take up self-employment or for doing business which is considered safe from a security point of view, dispensing with the requirement of personal appearance before the Foreigners Registration Officer for registration are a few other facilities being planned,” sources said. Permission for transfer of LTV papers from one state/Union Territory to another state/ UT, waiver of penalty on non-extension of short-term visa/LTV on time, and permission to apply for LTV at the place of present residence in cases where the applicants have moved to the present place of residence without prior permission are some of the other highlights, they added. It has also been proposed to simplify the procedure for grant of Indian citizenship to such nationals belonging to minority communities in Pakistan.

Powers will be given to the collectors or the district magistrates of a few select districts in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and UP for a period of two years for registration of such Pakistani nationals as India citizens. “Reduction of fees for registration as a citizen of India for nationals of Pakistan belonging to minority communities from the existing level, ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000, to Rs 100/ each,” the notification says.