Brus refused ration despite 'starvation deaths' in camps

AGARTALA: Refusing to resume ration supply for Bru refugees living in six camps of North Tripura, the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has said the Centre would provide an additional amount of Rs 25,000 to each family moving to Mizoram in the next three days.
"Ration will not be released for October and November, 2019. The ministry of home affairs has decided to give additional Rs 25,000 directly in bank accounts as cash assistance in lieu of ration and transportation after reaching Mizoram only.This special assistance is available only for the inmates who will repatriate from Tuesday to Thursday," said an official.
Officials said the Tripura government had taken up the matter of road blockade and agitation by Bru refugees with the MHA. The state government has also sent a medical team with necessary logistics following the report of seven deaths of Brus allegedly due to starvation in the past one week, they added.
Before the commencement of the final repatriation process on October 3, each adult in the relief camp used to get Rs 2.67 and a minor Rs 1.33 a day as cash dole. Besides this, 450 grams of rice for an adult and 225 grams for a minor per day was also given. Since the ration and cash dole stopped, the Brus have been staging protests and road blockades between Dosda in Kanchanpur and the Anandabazar area in North Tripura district. This has forced the Mizoram government to halt the repatriation process. Officials said that till October 3, around 216 families had returned to Mizoram.