The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will allocate Rs 5 crore to distribute free rice as humanitarian assistance to over 31,300 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as more than 7,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) from Manipur taking shelter in Mizoram, state home department officials said on Saturday.
Second Round of Central Assistance
This marks the second time the central government has provided humanitarian assistance to refugees in the state, following a similar initiative in 2024, an official stated. The state food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department has procured 1,291.3 metric tonnes of rice from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution through the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
District-Level Distribution
Administrations of all 11 districts have been tasked with lifting their respective quotas of rice and distributing supplies to refugees promptly. Donny Lalruatsanga, Deputy Commissioner of Lawngtlai district in south Mizoram, told TOI over the phone that distribution will begin on Monday. We will lift 2,850 quintals of rice to be distributed to refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as internally displaced people from Manipur taking shelter in the district, Lalruatsanga said.
Lawngtlai hosts 6,328 refugees from Myanmar, 1,353 from Bangladesh, and a few IDPs from Manipur. The district provides shelter to the second-largest number of Myanmar refugees and the largest number of Bangladesh refugees among the 11 districts.
Rice Allocation by District
- Champhai district, with the largest number of Myanmar refugees at 12,083, has been allocated 4,460 quintals of rice.
- Lawngtlai district follows with 2,850 quintals.
- Aizawl district will receive 2,794 quintals.
- Siaha district will get 1,118 quintals.
The state food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department issued a despatch order on May 25, instructing all district administrations to lift the rice by June 30.
Background and Delays
Andrew H Vanlaldika, Additional Secretary for Home and Chairman of the state-level task group on displaced persons, said the central government cleared the proposal for humanitarian assistance in the form of rice at Rs 5 crore in April last year. However, an apparent communication gap between the MHA and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution delayed the implementation of providing free food for refugees and IDPs in the state.
