A historic Karbi Anglong Agreement to end the decades-old crisis ensuring Assam’s territorial integrity was signed in New Delhi on Saturday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“Today’s historic Karbi Anglong agreement will be written in golden letters in the history of Assam,” Amit Shah said. He said that it is another milestone in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Insurgency free prosperous Northeast’.
With this historic agreement, over 1,000 armed cadres have abjured violence and joined the mainstream society, the Home Affairs Ministry said in a release.
“It is the policy of the Modi Government that those who give up arms are brought into the mainstream and we talk to them even more politely and give them more than they ask for… due to this policy only, we are getting rid of old problems one by one that the Modi Government had inherited,” Amit Shah said.
(PHOTO: Twitter)
Under the Agreement, a Special Development Package of Rs 1,000 crore over five years will be given by the Union Government and Assam Government to undertake specific projects for the development of Karbi areas, the ministry stated.
It stated that this Memorandum of Settlement will ensure greater devolution of autonomy to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, protection of identity, language, culture, etc. of Karbi people and focussed development of the Council area, without affecting the territorial and administrative integrity of Assam.
The Ministry stated that the Karbi armed groups have agreed to abjure violence and join the peaceful democratic process as established by law of the land. The Agreement also provides for rehabilitation of cadres of the armed groups.
Team Karbi Anglong along with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma after singning historic peace accord (PHOTO: Twitter)
The Home Ministry also stated that as per the agreement, the government of Assam will set up a Karbi Welfare Council for focussed development of Karbi people living outside KAAC area. The Consolidated Fund of the State will be augmented to supplement the resources of KAAC. Overall, the present settlement proposes to give more legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers to KAAC, it added.
Others present on the occasion were Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH Minister Sarbananda Sonowal; Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanad Rai; chief executive member of KAAC Tuliram Ronghang; representatives of Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), People’s Democratic Council of Karbi Longri (PDCK), United People’s Liberation Army (UPLA), Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers (KPLT) factions along with senior officers from Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Government of Assam.
