Tripura CM Saha says govt focused on sustainable livelihood for resettled Bru families

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday said his government has not only resettled Bru families in the state but also taken steps to provide them with sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Addressing a programme where toolkits were distributed among members of the community who were trained under a government scheme, Saha said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had taken the initiative for the permanent resettlement of Bru families who fled Mizoram in 1998.

"The Bru families had been languishing in miserable conditions in refugee camps in the state since 1998. The Communist government, which ruled the state for 35 years, could not solve the crisis. Ultimately, the BJP government under the leadership of Narendra Modi solved it," he said at the programme in Amarpur in Gomati district.

A tripartite agreement involving the Centre and the governments of Mizoram and Tripura was signed in January 2020 for the resettlement of more than 8,000 internally displaced Bru families in Tripura.

Saha said the Centre has sanctioned Rs 600 crore for the rehabilitation of these families.

"The BJP-led government has been working to ensure sustainable livelihood for the Bru families because stipends or other monetary assistance cannot provide sustainable income. The Skill Development Department has been imparting training to Bru families and distributing toolkits to those who complete training in 16 different trades," he said.

The CM said 5,100 members of 4,318 Bru families have already received skill training and toolkits to take up sustainable income-generating activities.

He also criticised the opposition for "encouraging" youths to seek government jobs instead of motivating them to become self-reliant.

"The BJP-led government has already filled 21,000 permanent posts in the last eight-and-a-half years, and more are in the pipeline. But the government sector is not the only option for addressing unemployment," he said.

Saha lauded the Skill Development Department for conducting various training programmes under the Mukhyamantri Dakshata Unnayan Prakalpa to equip youths with skills.

He stressed the need for training programmes in areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and digital marketing to encourage youths to pursue self-employment.