Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 23 (ANI): Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh said that the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch on Saturday to meet the families of victims killed in recent shelling by Pakistan.

In a post on X on Friday, Ramesh said, 'Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Shri@RahulGandhi will be visiting Poonch tomorrow, May 24th, to meet the families bereaved during the shelling by Pakistan very recently.'

'Earlier he had visited Srinagar on April 25th to meet with those injured during the brutal Pahalgam terror attack and many other stakeholders. He had also met with the LG and the CM then,' he said on X.

https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/1925771108503994493

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had visited the victims of the shelling in both Poonch and Rajouri, stressing that the proper rehabilitation of affected families is his top priority.

According to an official statement from Raj Bhavan, the closest kin of the victims will be offered government jobs, and assistance will be provided to the families from the Central government.

'The proper rehabilitation of affected families is my top priority. The J&K administration, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, is committed to ensuring proper rehabilitation, enhanced border infrastructure, and security for the residents of border areas. We are significantly expanding our efforts to construct individual and community bunkers across Jammu and Kashmir under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE),' said the Lieutenant Governor.

Apart from Poonch, Rajouri district has also been affected. Locals have suffered damage to their homes and lost their sources of livelihood due to the shelling. The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of those killed.

Lieutenant Governor Sinha has held several meetings with civil administration officials, police, and local residents to assess the situation. He added that a rehabilitation package for the victims will soon be approved by the Central government. (ANI)