Govt committed to return land to Kashmiri Pandits: Minister

New Delhi: The government is quite committed and capable of returning the land that has been forcibly taken away from Kashmiri Pandits, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Responding to a question during the 'Question Hour', Rai said: "Those who have left the Kashmir Valley due to oppression... whose land has been forcibly taken away, the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is quite capable to ensure that their land is returned to them."

He also told the House that the properties of 610 applicants so far have been returned to them in Jammu and Kashmir, and the land of all those whose complaints are found to be correct, will be returned one by one.

Responding to another question on the overall infrastructure development in Jammu and Kashmir, the Minister said the government has taken several steps to improve the road connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir, and has fast tracked all the under-construction hydel projects while other measures are being taken to complete the projects in a time-bound manner.

The Minister also said Jammu and Kashmir has received investment proposals worth Rs 51,000 crore and these investments would provide employment opportunities to 4.5 lakh people.