Saying that Sri Lankan Tamil refugees deserve a better life, India’s Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay reminded that their BJP government at the Centre under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Modi is taking steps to redress their grievances.

Responding to a query that there was no improvement in the life of Tamil refugees staying in the special camps across the country he said it was largely owing to policy paralysis during the previous government regime that nothing much could be done to improve the conditions of the Lankan Tamil refugees.

However, their government is committed to bringing a speedy resolution to the sufferings of the Tamil refugees. Two officials from the Sri Lankan government have visited the refugee camps located at Gummidipoondi and Puzhal, said Tarun, reminding that the visit was part of follow-up after Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to the island nation recently.

He said they were in talks with the Sri Lankan government with regard to providing rehabilitation to those willing to return to the island republic and reminded that they were getting a positive response from that government.

Mangala K Prabhu, director of Indian Foundation for International Relations, said while there were about 65,000 Lankan Tamil refugees living in about 100 camps across Tamilnadu, about 45,000 of them were living outside these camps with no betterment to their lives.

While refugees staying outside India had witnessed betterment in their lives with amenties like citizenship and other facilities, the condition of those in India was not better as they didn’t have voting rights, ration cards or chances of employment here. Tibetan refugees have about 54 schools that are funded, Bangladesh refugees have MLAs, the Lankan Tamil refugees cannot boast of such things. Even politicians do not visit the camps where the refugees are living in pathetic conditions, he said.

Source: News Today 

-Agencies