Govt of India 'fails to provide' livelihood to Bangladeshis resettled under 2015 accord

An apartment building for resettlers

By A Representative
Claimed to have been brought from Bangladesh under the 2015 Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh, currently residing in two room apartments at Dinhata village-1 under Fakirtari Gram Panchayat, Cooch Behar district, a complaint filed by a senior human rights leader with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairman has said even seven years later the livelihood issues of some 58 families remains resolved.
The 58 families, consisting of 246 people, were brought to India as part of the exchange of erstwhile enclaves between both the countries. On November 24, 2015, these people were taken by bus and kept in temporary settlement camps at Dinhata Krishimela, Kirity Roy, who heads two NGOs, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) and Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity (PACTI), said.
The temporary settlement camp was not fit for human habitation in dearth of jobs, foods, cloths and other basic necessities of life. Though each family was granted one 10/10 feet tin-roofed house with one electric bulb and drinking water facilities, several people from the camp were forced to leave the camp to different states as migrated labour, said Roy.
This happened even though, said Roy, it was mentioned in the Land Boundary Agreement that the livelihood issues of these people will be taken care of by the Indian government. The situation got worse, as the ration given to them was not sufficient for a family, and these people had no way to earn an income, one reason why most of them started work as land labour and some of them migrated to other states.
The situation became so bad in the temporary settlement camp that several people -- Puti Burman, Samsul Haque, Binod Chandra Roy, Dhirendra Chandra Burman and Anila Burman -- “died without proper medical treatment”.
On September 13, 2020, these persons were provided with apartments at Dinhata village-1 under Dinhata Sub-Division and Police Station where they were finally settled. However, some families having more members failed to get accommodation.
Only some of the members of the family were given apartments, whereas others have to live outside, in shack-like structures made with plastic in the open field, said Roy, adding, these families are provided with flat residence despite the fact that they traditionally used to keep cows, goats, and ducks, catch fish, and grow vegetables.
Worse, the flats provided to them are in bad condition. Cracks in the walls of the flats are open. The district administration of Cooch Behar has not issued any documents to these persons so that they could substantiate their ownership rights.
A Parliamentary standing committee report led by Sashi Tharoor, MP, recommended in that an Indian citizen who return from Indian enclave situated in Bangladesh should be provided compensation and rehabilitation by the Central government, yet, no compensation has provided to these people. \

In August 2022, those residing in the Dinhata Permanent Rehabilitation Centre submitted a mass deputation before the Cooch Behar district administration, but till date no positive action has been taken by the concerned authorities, complained Roy.

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Health Day ads spark row as NAPi targets Britannia campaign, criticizes celebrity endorsement

By A Representative The advocacy group Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi) has raised concerns over what it describes as misleading advertising of ultra-processed food products (UPFs), particularly those high in sugar, fat and salt, calling for stricter regulations and an end to such promotions across media platforms.

Search This Blog