Jammu, Nov. 22 -- Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday laid the foundation stone for the construction of new houses for families affected due to recent natural calamities and "unprovoked" Pakistani shelling during Operation Sindoor, in Poonch and Rajouri.

133 houses in Poonch and 388 houses in Rajouri that were completely damaged will be built free of cost with the help of High-range Rural Development Society (HRDS India), an official press release informed.

It said the LG reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of India, "under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi", towards the complete rehabilitation of affected families and to improve the life of every resident of Poonch and Rajouri.

"Earlier, ex-gratia relief and...