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Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Sunday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the state's pressing challenges, including the need for a "peace bonus" as Mizoram is denied security-related expenditure (SRE) despite maintaining peace.
He stressed the necessity of continued central support, particularly in addressing the welfare of approximately 41,000 displaced people from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Manipur, who require food, shelter, and education. Lalduhoma also raised concerns about poor internet connectivity in Mizoram, which has hindered the implementation of new criminal laws. He urged the Ministry of Communication and IT to develop a solution to address this issue. Speaking to reporters after meeting Amit Shah, he said, "The main challenge in implementing the new criminal laws in Mizoram is poor internet connectivity. The Ministry of Communication and IT must introduce a scheme to resolve this issue immediately." Highlighting the burden of hosting displaced populations, he added, "We have around 41,000 displaced people from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Manipur. Providing them with food, shelter, and education is a major strain on our limited resources. We need continuous support from the Centre. Additionally, with our long international border, we require more immigration checkpoints." The Chief Minister also pointed out severe shortages in law enforcement resources, including police department vacancies, insufficient vehicles, and lack of funding, which are affecting overall performance. He further said, "Other states receive security-related expenditure (SRE), but Mizoram is denied this because we are the most peaceful state in the country. So, being the most peaceful state in the country means you become a loser. So peace doesn't pay. Peace doesn't have dividends. So I will request the Home Ministry; if they cannot extend the SRE facility to us, then at least we should be given a peace bonus so that it will be a good example for other states that peace pays," Lalduhoma said. Lalduhoma emphasized that recognizing and incentivizing Mizoram's peaceful status would encourage other states to follow suit. (ANI)
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