Volume-XII, Issue-II, March 2026 |
ত্রাণ ও পুনর্বাসনঃ স্বাধীনতা-উত্তর বাংলায় পূর্ববঙ্গ থেকে আগত উদ্বাস্তুদের জন্য সরকারি ব্যবস্থাপনা, ১৯৪৭-৭১ মোঃ নাসির আহমেদ, গবেষক, ইতিহাস বিভাগ, যাদবপুর বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, কলকাতা, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Received: 15.03.2026 | Accepted: 24.03.2026 | Published Online: 31.03.2026 | Page No: | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.02W. | |||||||
Relief and Rehabilitation: Government Measures for Refugees from East Bengal in Post-Independence Bengal (1947–71) Md. Nasir Ahmed, Research Scholar, Department of History, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
In the aftermath of Independence, the influx of refugees into West Bengal created a protracted and complex crisis of relief and rehabilitation for both the state and central governments. A vast population arriving from East Bengal required shelter, land, and employment, yet the absence of reliable statistics prevented the formulation of sustainable solutions. Although the central government allocated funds, planning and implementation rested with the state, restricted by rigid budgetary categories. Continuous refugee arrivals, uncertain demographic data, and resistance to resettlement outside West Bengal under the Dandakaranya project further complicated the situation. The government’s inadequate grasp of ground realities led to repeated establishment and withdrawal of relief camps, acute land shortages, and rising population density, rendering agricultural rehabilitation nearly impossible. Moreover, policy indecision and short sightedness at both state and central levels obstructed durable resolutions. Consequently, refugee relief and rehabilitation in West Bengal emerged not merely as an administrative challenge but as a multidimensional crisis of economic, social, and demographic balance in modern Indian history. | ||
Keywords: Partition, Refugee, Relief, Rehabilitation, Camps, Dandakaranya |