Modi govt restored peace in Tripura, resettled 38,000 Bru migrants: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre with restoring peace in Tripura, and resettling 38,000 Bru Reang migrants, a tribal community indigenous to the North-East.

“The Modi government restored peace in the state by making three agreements with the rebel groups of Tripura and one with the Bru Reang community,” the Home Minister said, while addressing a gathering in the Dhalai district of the northeastern state.

Shah was in Tripura to lay the foundation stone for several development projects, including the Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI) in Agartala. The objective of this initiative by the Ministry of Home Affairs is to strengthen security in the region and its neighbouring countries, and to establish high standards in policing.

In his address, Shah criticised the previous Communist and Congress governments for ignoring the plight of the Bru Reang people. “For nearly 25 years, the Bru Reang people, who have been living in extremely difficult conditions, did not have access to basic facilities like water, toilets, electricity, education, employment and healthcare,” said Shah.

A large number of the minority Bru Reang families migrated to north Tripura in 1997-98 due to ethnic violence in the western part of Mizoram. Approximately 30,000 Bru migrants (5,000 families) were given shelter in six relief camps set up in Kanchanpur district of North Tripura.

Repatriation of Brus to Mizoram was started in 2010. Till 2014, approximately 1,622 Bru families (8,573 persons) were repatriated in six batches and resettled in Mizoram.

In July 2018, an agreement was signed between the Centre and governments of Mizoram and Tripura and the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF) for repatriation of 5,407 Bru families, which were residing in temporary camps in Tripura.

As a result, 328 families of 1,369 persons returned to Mizoram under the agreement till November 2019.

Later in 2020, a new agreement was signed for permanent settlement of Bru Reang community in Tripura with a financial package of Rs 661 crore.

The Home Minister, in his address, mentioned that Prime Minister Modi not only made a plan for the Bru Reang, but also resettled 11 villages at a cost of Rs 900 crore.

“PM Modi has ensured that people living in these 11 colonies are provided with all rights, just like any other citizens of the country. These people have been included in the voter list, and the Modi government has also provided them ration cards, health cards and cooperatives to ensure employment opportunities,” Shah said.

He further claimed that during the tenure of the previous government, only 2.5 per cent of the people had access to drinking water, whereas today 85 per cent households have tap water.

“Today, under Modi’s leadership, 82 per cent of the people in Tripura receive 5 kg of rice for free. The dropout ratio in Tripura has decreased to below three per cent, and enrolment has increased from 67 per cent to 99.5 per cent,” the Minister said.