Congress demands white paper on Rs 650 crore Bru-Reang rehabilitation fund in Tripura, alleging fund misuse, benefit cuts, and exclusion of families, raising concerns over transparency, accountability, and implementation of the 2020 refugee rehabilitation agreement.
The Tripura Pradesh Congress has intensified its demand for transparency by calling for a comprehensive white paper on the expenditure of Rs 650 crore allocated for the rehabilitation of Bru (Reang) refugees. The demand comes amid growing allegations of financial irregularities and incomplete implementation of promises made under the landmark Bru-Reang Rehabilitation Agreement 2020.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress Bhavan on Tuesday, party spokesperson Prahlad Chakraborty accused the government of failing to properly utilize funds sanctioned by the Central Government for one of the most vulnerable communities in the region. He stated that the rehabilitation initiative, once hailed as a historic resolution to a decades-long displacement crisis, is now mired in controversy.
The agreement, signed in 2020 between the Centre, the governments of Tripura and Mizoram, and representatives of the Bru community, aimed to permanently resettle over 30,000 refugees who had been living in relief camps for more than 23 years after ethnic unrest forced their displacement. Under the terms of the pact, each family was entitled to a financial package of Rs 6 lakh, monthly assistance of Rs 5,000 for two years, and free ration supplies.
However, Chakraborty alleged that the ground reality tells a different story. “Most families have reportedly received only Rs 4 lakh, significantly less than the promised amount. Moreover, the monthly financial support has either been irregular or not provided at all,” he claimed. Congress leaders, after visiting all 13 designated rehabilitation sites, reportedly found widespread discrepancies in the delivery of benefits.
The party has urged the government to immediately publish a detailed white paper outlining how the Rs 650 crore fund has been spent. It also called for an extension of the rehabilitation agreement by at least two more years, arguing that many families are still struggling to achieve stability in their new settlements.
Another major concern raised by the Congress is the exclusion of nearly 400 families from the rehabilitation process. According to Chakraborty, these families were deemed ineligible because their names did not appear in the 1997 refugee list. He argued that many of them are legitimate beneficiaries who formed independent households over time, especially after marriages, and should not be denied assistance.
“The exclusion reflects a lack of sensitivity and fairness. These families have suffered the same hardships and deserve equal support,” he added.
The Congress has also demanded that free ration supplies be extended for an additional two years to ensure food security for resettled families who are still in the process of rebuilding their lives.
The Bru-Reang rehabilitation project has long been seen as a critical step toward addressing a prolonged humanitarian crisis in Northeast India. However, the latest allegations have raised serious questions about governance, accountability, and the effective implementation of welfare schemes.
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As political pressure mounts, all eyes are now on the government’s response to the demand for a white paper, which could determine the future course of one of the region’s most significant rehabilitation efforts.
