Centre sanctions Rs 5 crore as aid for displaced persons in Mizoram

way2barak, Aug 15: The central government has sanctioned Rs 5 crore worth of food pro- visions for approximately 45,000 displaced people currently sheltering in Mizoram. The long-awaited approval was conveyed in a letter issued on Wednesday by Subrata Sanyal, Under Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Con- sumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, to the Secretary for Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs of Mizoram.

The letter noted that the Mizoram government had requested assistance on August 6 for those displaced by natural calamities, social, and political disturbances in the state. In response, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), through its O.M No. 7/ 3/2024-NE-II dated 18 July 2024, recommended extending aid by providing rice valued at Rs 5 crore to the affected individuals at no cost.

“In view of the exigencies of food grain distribution and in line with the Department of Food and Public Distribu- tion’s guidelines, the competent authority has approved an additional allocation of rice to Mizoram for displaced persons due to natural calamities and law and order situations,” the letter stated.

The total rice allocation amounts to 1,379.34 metric tonnes, with 675 metric tonnes procured at a Minimum Support Price (MSP) derived rate of Rs 32,582.08 per metric tonne, and 704.34 metric tonnes at the Economic Cost of Rs 39,753.90 per metric tonne.

The letter further stipulated that the allocation’s cost would be borne by the MHA and is contingent on the availability of food grains in the Central Pool. The validity period for lifting the additional allocation is set for 60 days from the issuance of the letter.

State home department officials have indicated the need to swiftly organise lo- gistics for the procurement and distribution of the allotted food grains, in coordination with the state’s Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs department. The distribution will be man- aged through the respective Deputy Commissioners of Mizoram’s 11 districts.