Centre committed to Bru pact, will give financial aid to those who would abide by it: Home Ministry

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Union Home Ministry is committed to implement the agreement signed to repatriate nearly 33,000 Bru refugees, currently living in camps in Tripura, to Mizoram notwithstanding the community leader's decision to walk out of the pact, officials said.

The ministry representative, former Special Secretary (internal security) M K Singla, is visiting Tripura to assess the situation in the wake of the decision of the leader of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF), who signed the July-3 agreement in the presence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief Ministers of Tripura and Mizoram - Biplab Kumar Deb and Lal Thanhawla respectively.

The central government is committed to implement the agreement and all the benefits, including cash assistance, would be given to the refugees who abide by it, a senior official said.

 

A group of Bru refugees in Tripura yesterday forced MBDPF president A Sawibunga to withdraw his signature from the agreement. The refugees were unhappy with the outcome of the agreement and demanded a better deal. They also ransacked the outfit's office.

As per the agreement, signed by the central government and the governments of Tripura and Mizoram besides MBDPF leadership, each of the 5,407 families will get Rs 5,000 per month along with free ration for two years, besides house-building assistance of Rs 1.5 lakh.

An one-time financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh will also be given to each of the family but the amount will be kept as fixed deposit in the name of the family head.

There are a total 32,876 people belonging to the Bru community who are in relief camps in Tripura. The Bru people fled Mizoram in 1997 following an unrest and multiple efforts have been made since then to repatriate them.

Around 8,000 Bru refugees have gone back to Mizoram since 1997 in six batches and they have been living peacefully in the state, another official said.