Guwahati: The northeastern state of Mizoram, which is suffering from a financial crisis and is already overburdened with Kuki-Chin refugees from conflict-torn Myanmar, has this year seen a new influx of displaced people from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), a region with ethnic ties to the Kuki-Chin.
Notably, after fighting between the Bangladesh Army and militants from the Kuki-Chin National Army, more than 300 Kuki-Chin refugees from CHT sought safety in the northeastern state (KNA).
A total of 40,000 refugees from Bangladesh and Myanmar are now staying in the state.
The COVID-19 outbreak and the Center’s holdup in distributing the state’s portion of taxes and funds have put the Zoramthanga administration in a dire financial bind.
The issue has caused delays in the proper payment of government employee salaries and retiree pensions, in addition to the clearing of debts.
The state government does anticipate that the problem will be resolved in 2023 thanks to additional funding from the Center.