By NE NOW NEWS
Aizawl: The Centre has agreed to provide rice worth Rs 10 crore to support nearly 40,000 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as internally displaced persons from Manipur currently taking shelter in Mizoram, according to an official statement issued on Saturday.
The assurance was given after Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma raised the issue during a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Friday.
During the meeting, Lalduhoma highlighted the humanitarian burden borne by the state in accommodating thousands of refugees and displaced persons. He informed the Union Home Minister that Mizoram is presently sheltering around 40,000 people, including refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh and those displaced by ethnic violence in Manipur.
The Chief Minister said the state government has been making sustained efforts to provide humanitarian assistance despite limited resources and urged the Centre to extend additional support.
Responding to the request, Shah assured that the Centre would provide rice worth Rs 10 crore to strengthen relief measures and help meet the food requirements of those taking shelter across the state.
According to officials, more than 28,000 refugees from Myanmar, largely belonging to the Chin community, have taken refuge in Mizoram since the military coup in the neighbouring country in February 2021.
In addition, around 2,300 members of the Bawm community from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts crossed into Mizoram following military operations against an ethnic insurgent group in 2022.
The state is also hosting nearly 7,000 Kuki-Zo people who were displaced from Manipur following the outbreak of ethnic violence in May 2023.
The Chin, Bawm and Kuki-Zo communities share close ethnic and cultural ties with the Mizo people, which has contributed to the state’s humanitarian response.
The meeting also covered several development and security-related issues concerning Mizoram. Lalduhoma urged the Centre to extend financial assistance under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme to help the state strengthen efforts against drug trafficking and cybercrime.
He noted that Mizoram has so far not benefited from the scheme, unlike several other northeastern states, largely due to its relatively peaceful security situation.
In response, Shah advised the state government to submit additional proposals under the PM-DeVINE (Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North Eastern Region) scheme and assured support in pursuing the projects, the statement added.