Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah presided over the signing of an agreement between Government of India, Governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives in New Delhi on Thursday, to end the 23-year old Bru-Reang refugee crisis.

Present on the occasion were Chief Minister of Mizoram,Zoramthanga, CM of Tripura, Biplab Kumar Deb, Chairman, NEDA, Himanta BiswaSarma, Chairman, TIPRA,Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, representatives of Bru tribes,along with senior officers.

This historic agreement is in line with PM Modi’s vision for the progress of the North East and the empowerment of the people of the region.

Ever since taking office, PM Modi has initiated numerous policy level interventions that have improved infrastructure, connectivity,economic growth, tourism and social development of the region.

 Briefing the media,Shah said that under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi a permanent solution has been arrived to this long standing issue of rehabilitating thousands of Bru-Reang people in Tripura and they can now look towards a bright future.

Under the new agreement, he informed, around 34,000 Bru refugees will be settled in Tripura and would be given aid from the Centre tohelp with their rehabilitation and all round development, through a package of around Rs 600 crores.

These people would get all the rights that normal residentsof the States get and they would now be able to enjoy the benefits of socialwelfare schemes of Centre and State governments.

The settlement has been reached after detailed discussionsheld by Union government with the State governments of Mizoram and Tripura andthe representatives of Bru tribes and it was decided that the Bru refugees, headded.

The Home Minister informed that under the new arrangement,each of the displaced families would be given 40x30 sq.ft. residential plots,in addition to the aid under earlier agreement of a fixed deposit of Rs. 4lakhs, Rs. 5,000 cash aid per month for 2 years, free ration for 2 years andRs. 1.5 lakhs aid to build their house.

The government of Tripura would provide the land under thisagreement.

Shah mentioned about how the North East is being put on thetrack of fast paced development under the leadership of Narendra Modi.

He talked about the recent surrender of 88 armed insurgentsof the NLFT(SD) group and assimilating them into the mainstream.

 "This majorstep, along with the Bru-Reang agreement today, is important milestones inbringing fast paced development to the State of Tripura. Soon, a lasting peacewould be established in the whole of the North East under Prime Minister’sleadership," he added.

In 1997, following ethnic tension, around 5,000 familiescomprising around 30,000 Bru-Reang tribals were forced to flee Mizoram and seekshelter in Tripura. These people were housed in temporary camps at Kanchanpur,in North Tripura.

Since 2010, Government of India has been making sustainedefforts to permanently rehabilitate these refugees. The Union government hasbeen assisting the two State governments for taking the care of the refugees.Till 2014, 1622 Bru-Reang families returned to Mizoram in different batches.

On 3rd July, 2018, an agreement was signed between the Uniongovernment, the two State governments and representatives of Bru-Reangrefugees, as a result of which the aid given to these families was increasedsubstantially. Subsequently, 328 families comprising of 1369 individualsreturned to Mizoram under the agreement.

There had been a sustained demand of most Bru-Reang familiesthat they may be allowed to settle down in Tripura, considering theirapprehensions about their security.