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Tripura: Govt doles cut off, Bru refugees stare at uncertain future
News:
- Recently government assistance was stopped to Bru refugees at the six relief camps in Tripura.
Important Facts:
- About Bru tribes: It is a scheduled tribe of Mizoram which has been recognized by the Government of India as “Riang” tribe. Living amidst dense forest, they practice slash & burn or shifting cultivation.
- Clashes and displacement: About 5000 Bru (Reang) families were displaced from Mizoram to Tripura during 1997-98 due to ethnic violence in Mizoram. Approximately 800 Bru (Reang) families have since been repatriated to Mizoram.
- Crises now: Between 1991 and 2001, the population of Bru (Reang) tribals in Tripura had increased by nearly half (47%), from under 1.12 lakh to over 1.65 lakh, Census figures compiled by the Tripura government show.
- Issue of repatriation: An agreement was signed among the governments of Mizoram and Tripura and the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF) in July 2018 for repatriation of nearly 32,000 Bru tribals in Tripura, who were displaced from Mizoram in the stipulated one-month period till September 25, 2018 and relief given out by the government was scheduled to be stopped from October 1,2018.
- However, according to government data, only around 180 Bru people have repatriated during the stipulated one-month period.
- Demands of Bru tribals before repatriation:
- Formation of area development council in their villages in Mizoram.
- Allotment of at least 5 hectares of land to each family.
- Formation of model villages with at least 500 families.
- More financial assistance to each family are met.
- These demands were left out of the July 3 agreement. So adequate steps, including deployment of security forces, have been taken to prevent any law and order situation in the area.
