পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৮০৩

775 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড Unfortunate and unparalleled circumstances leading to enormous human suffering that caused this exodus of vast numbers from East Pakistan from end of March. 1971, onwards are well-known already. In these most distressing circumstances, India had to extend, on purely humanitarian grounds, shelter and relief to millions who crossed over into border States of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura from East Pakistan. Influx was so sudden and so rapid that India had to strain her economic and administrative resources to very great extent from very beginning. Thus, beginning from end of March, within a couple of months total influx of refugees into India had gone up to nearly four million, and today it has crossed 9 million already, without any signs of them returning to East Pakistan at all. Average inflow per day still continues to be between 30,000 to 50,000 persons, and if this rate continues at this scale we may well have not less than 12 million refugees on our hands by end of this year. For organizing gigantic programme of providing relief to such phenomenal number of refugees, Government of India has had to establish special Branch Secretariat in Calcutta under a very senior officer. This Secretariat is intended to be the executive outpost of the Central Rehabilitation Department, and has been given necessary financial and other requisite powers for undertaking and executing on-thespot decisions with regard to relief measures, by setting up camps providing food and other necessary supplies, including medical supplies and for organizing co-ordination with different State Governments as well as other voluntary agencies concerned. Also at Centre in Delhi, a Department has been established with a Central Co-ordination Committee for providing liaison, advice and assistance in implementation of Government's policies as well as various international agencies' efforts in this behalf. The Government of India has made provision of Rs. 260 crores (US dollars 360 million) for all this relief work up to end of December 1971. This includes expected amount of Rs. 50 crores (US dollars 69 million) in foreign aid. However, now for 8 million refugees in camps (which, it is considered, will be the figure shortly because of increased inflow, as well as demand of those who had come to friends and relatives to be helped by Government now) it is estimated that for a period of six months we would require Rs. 419 crores or US dollars 558 million, Grand total is Rs. 4,187.89 million or say Rs! 4,188 million. This is equivalent to 558 million US dollars, Details of these calculations have been worked out carefully in Government of India and have also been duly communicated lately to Focal Point at Delhi. It has been necessary to ease pressure in area where it had become unbearable, and so Government of India has had to disperse three million refugees to central camps into interior where properly organized arrangements under direct supervision of Centre are being run. Even with enormous influx into India, we have tried our best to provide some shelter at least to refugees in whatever way we possibly could. In this, we have had very significant assistance from U.N. Focal Point in procuring requisite shelter material. As a result, 50 per cent of families will be accommodated in improvised huts, and rest will get tents, tarpaulins, polythene sheets, etc.