Two committees constituted at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's [Images] initiative to provide proper compensation and jobs to Sikhs who suffered in the 1984 riots, are likely to submit their reports this week after making 'genuine efforts' to do justice and assuage the feelings of the community.

Set up on August 13 by the Union home ministry to look into payment of compensation to next of the kin of about 3,500 Sikhs killed in the riots and deal with the issue of providing additional livelihood to them, the two committees will make all 'efforts to fulfill the promises made by the prime minister' in Parliament during the last Monsoon Session in the wake of Nanavati Commission's report, official sources said.

• Read all about the Nanavati report

While 2,733 Sikhs were killed in Delhi alone followed by about 250 in Uttar Pradesh and the rest in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and certain other places during the riots, thousands of them were also injured in the violence that broke out after the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi [Images].

The first committee headed by Special Secretary in the Home Ministry K P Singh, whose terms of reference include examination of adequacy and uniformity of compensation given to next of kin of those killed, may suggest that the compensation be 'substantially' raised and recommend that they be made uniform everywhere.

In Delhi, next of the kin of those killed were paid Rs 3.5 lakh while the amounts were much lower in other places.
The second committee, headed by Secretary (Border Management) D K Sankaran, was tasked to look into the adequacy of relief and rehabilitation measures for the riot victims and work out details of additional relief in terms of livelihood support, is likely to recommend providing jobs in para-military forces to relatives of those killed in the riots.

The committees were asked to submit their reports in about two months time.

The Sankaran committee is exploring the possibility of enhancing compensation to Sikh families, which lost property and industry during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, by 25 to 50 per cent.

It is also considering providing jobs in Central paramilitary forces to the relatives of those killed.

After the riots, the state governments had paid as compensation to Sikh families, which had lost property, amounts varying from Rs 1,000 to Rs 50,000 and in rare cases Rs one lakh.

The sources said compensation to the families which lost property and industry during the riots were likely to go up by 25 to 50 per cent. This means that a family that received Rs 1,000 as compensation may now get Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 depending on the recommendations being accepted by the Union cabinet.

Jobs for the next of the kin of those killed may be given in Central paramilitary forces like CRPF, BSF, ITBP and CISF, which are under the administrative control of the home ministry.

The government of states that had been affected by the riots may also be requested to provide jobs, the sources added.