Rs 1,200-crore plan to resettle Mizoram's tribals in Tripura

AGARTALA: The Centre and the Tripura government have undertaken a Rs 1,200 crore ambitious project to rehabilitate 36,140 tribal migrants who fled from Mizoram 24 years ago following ethnic strife in the adjoining state, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said.

Deb said that the Tripura government has selected 13 locations in different districts to rehabilitate the internally displaced Reang tribals, locally called 'Bru'."Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have taken bold steps to resolve the 24-year-old ethnic crisis of the Reang tribals," said the Chief Minister, who on Thursday visited Dhalai district to supervise the arrangements for the resettlement. He said that the Prime Minister has already announced a Rs 600 crore package for the resettlement of these tribal migrants in Tripura.

According to the agreement signed in January last year by the Chief Secretaries of Mizoram, Tripura, Union Ministry of Home Affairs Joint Secretary Satyendra Garg and the representatives of the refugees in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, 36,140 tribals from around 5,400 families of the Reang tribal community would be resettled in different districts of Tripura.

Since October 1997, the Reang tribals have been sheltered in northern Tripura's seven relief camps in Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub-divisions. The resettlement of the first batch of around 890 Reang tribals had started on April 19, more than 15 months after a four-partite agreement was signed in Delhi.

Dhalai District Magistrate and Collector Govekar Mayur Ratilal said that the tribals would now temporarily stay in the newly built makeshift houses in Ambassa and Longtharai Valley sub-divisions before their permanent resettlement. "The concerned departments have arranged water, electricity and other basic amenities for the tribals," the DM told IANS over phone.

The agreement came after the Tripura Chief Minister in November 2019 agreed to accept the 36,140 tribal refugees and rehabilitate them in the State. The Reang tribals would also be included as voters in Tripura as maintained in the agreement, which was signed on January 16 last year.

The Centre has announced a Rs 600 crore package for the settlement of the Reang tribals, recognised as a primitive tribe in Tripura. Of the package, Rs 150 lakh will be earmarked to the Tripura government for land acquisition and the rest would be spent on the welfare of these tribals. (IANS)

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