Amit Shah has assured Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma that the Central government would provide rice worth INR 10 crore to the state government for the relief and support of refugees currently sheltered in the Northeastern state
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AIZAWL — Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma that the Central government would provide rice worth INR 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 INR 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.
Lalduhoma also highlighted the humanitarian challenges arising from the large influx of refugees from neighbouring regions and informed the Union Home Minister that the state government has been making every possible effort to provide shelter, food, healthcare and other humanitarian assistance to the displaced people.
Meanwhile, more than 30,000 Myanmar nationals, including women and children, have taken shelter in Mizoram in different phases following the military coup in the neighbouring country in February 2021.
The refugees, most of whom belong to communities sharing ethnic, cultural and familial ties with the people of Mizoram, are currently staying in various districts of the state with support from local communities, civil society organisations and the state government.
In addition, around 2,365 refugees from Bangladesh are currently sheltered in four districts of Mizoram after they fled the Chittagong Hill Tracts region in the wake of ethnic unrest and security concerns in the mountainous areas of the neighbouring country.
Mizoram has also provided shelter to several thousand internally displaced tribals, mostly belonging to the Kuki-Zo, Hmar and other related communities, who fled ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in neighbouring Manipur since May 2023.
Officials said that despite limited resources, the Mizoram government has continued to provide humanitarian assistance and support to the displaced populations on compassionate grounds.
Myanmar’s Chin state shares a 510-km-long unfenced and mountainous international border with Mizoram, covering the districts of Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual and Serchhip, making the state a natural destination for refugees fleeing unrest across the border.
Similarly, Mizoram’s Mamit, Lunglei and Lawngtlai districts share a 318-km-long unfenced international border with Bangladesh, facilitating cross-border movement during periods of instability and humanitarian crises in the neighbouring country.