Sri Lankan refugees won’t be sent back to their country without their consent: Minister

TRICHY: Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu will not be sent back to their country without their consent, minister for minorities’ welfare and non-resident Tamil welfare, refugees, evacuees and wakf board Gingee KS Masthan said on Tuesday.
“The DMK government will never force the Sri Lankan refugees to return to their home country against their wish,” the minister said while addressing people at the refugee camp in Vazhavandhankottai in Trichy.The minister inspected refugee camps at Vazhavandhankottai and at Kottapattu in Trichy.
The minister also recalled chief minister M K Stalin’s assurance to provide a financial assistance of Rs 4,000 each to 13,553 families of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees residing outside refugee camps. The government allotted Rs 5.42 crore for the financial assistance.
In Tamil Nadu, 18,944 families of Sri Lankan refugees have been residing in 108 refugee camps. They have already been entitled to get the Covid-19 relief cash assistance of Rs 4,000.
The minister gave an audience to the refugees in the two camps to air their grievances and demands. The minister assured that the DMK government would make efforts to sort out the issue surrounding the conferring of Indian citizenship to the Sri Lankan refugees.
During the interaction, the refugees pointed out the lack of infrastructure such as drinking water and education development. The minister got the approval of Trichy collector S Sivarasu to construct an Anganwadi centre at Vazhavandhankottai camp. The minister also assured that his department officials will sort out 75 % of their grievances in a month’s time.