AIZAWL: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma that the Central government would provide rice worth Rs 10 crore to the state government for the relief and support of refugees currently sheltered in the Northeastern state, officials said on Saturday.
A senior official of the Mizoram Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that during a meeting with the Union Home Minister on Friday evening in New Delhi, Lalduhoma informed Shah that nearly 40,000 refugees from Manipur, Bangladesh and Myanmar are presently residing in Mizoram.
"In response, the Union Home Minister informed the Chief Minister that the Central government would provide rice worth Rs 10 crore to the government of Mizoram for the relief and support of the refugees," an official statement issued on Saturday said.
The Chief Minister, who is currently in the national capital on official engagements, met the Union Home Minister at his office in Kartavya Bhawan and discussed several important issues related to the development and welfare of Mizoram.
According to the CMO official, Lalduhoma pointed out that under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme, Mizoram has not been receiving assistance, unlike several other Northeastern states, because the state has remained peaceful and free from insurgency-related law and order problems.
The Chief Minister requested that assistance under the SRE Scheme also be extended to Mizoram to strengthen the state government's efforts in combating drug trafficking, trans-border crimes and emerging cybercrime threats.
The Home Minister advised the state government to submit more project proposals under the PM-DeVINE (Prime Minister's Development Initiative for North East Region) Scheme, a special initiative aimed at accelerating development in the North-Eastern region, and assured his support in pursuing the projects. (IANS)
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