NEW DELHI: The Centre, Assam government and rebel tribal group Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) signed a tripartite peace pact in the presence of home minister Amit Shah here on Thursday, as part of which more than 168 armed cadres have agreed to abjure violence, surrender all arms and ammunition, disband the outfit and vacate all its camps, to join the democratic process as established by law.
With the inking of this memorandum of settlement — during which Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and senior officers of the home ministry and Assam government were also present — not only has insurgency in the Dima Hasao district of Assam come to an end, but there are no armed groups active in Assam anymore.
Shah, while welcoming the peace agreement with DNLA or Dimasa People’s Supreme Council as yet another milestone in the journey towards a terror-free northeast by 2024, stated: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put forward the vision of a terror-free, violence-free and developed northeast before the country and the ministry of home affairs is moving forward in that direction.”
Just a few days ago, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh had signed an agreement in Shah’s presence to settle their five-decade old boundary dispute.
As per terms of the tripartite memorandum of settlement signed on Thursday, over 168 armed DNLA cadres will abjure violence and join the mainstream. The Assam government will reciprocate by setting up a Dimasa Welfare Council to protect, preserve and promote social, cultural and linguistic identity of Dimasa people; fulfil their political, economic and educational aspirations; and ensure focused development of Dimasa people residing outside the jurisdiction of the Autonomous Council.
A commission will be set up under Paragraph 14 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India to examine the demand for inclusion of additional villages contiguous to North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) with the Council.
The agreement also provides for rehabilitation of the surrendered DNLA cadres, for which the Centre and Assam government will offer a special development package of Rs 500 crore each. To be implemented over five years, the package will seek to ensure all-round development of NCHAC as well as Dimasa people residing in other parts of the state.
With the inking of this memorandum of settlement — during which Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and senior officers of the home ministry and Assam government were also present — not only has insurgency in the Dima Hasao district of Assam come to an end, but there are no armed groups active in Assam anymore.
Shah, while welcoming the peace agreement with DNLA or Dimasa People’s Supreme Council as yet another milestone in the journey towards a terror-free northeast by 2024, stated: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put forward the vision of a terror-free, violence-free and developed northeast before the country and the ministry of home affairs is moving forward in that direction.”
Just a few days ago, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh had signed an agreement in Shah’s presence to settle their five-decade old boundary dispute.
As per terms of the tripartite memorandum of settlement signed on Thursday, over 168 armed DNLA cadres will abjure violence and join the mainstream. The Assam government will reciprocate by setting up a Dimasa Welfare Council to protect, preserve and promote social, cultural and linguistic identity of Dimasa people; fulfil their political, economic and educational aspirations; and ensure focused development of Dimasa people residing outside the jurisdiction of the Autonomous Council.
A commission will be set up under Paragraph 14 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India to examine the demand for inclusion of additional villages contiguous to North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) with the Council.
The agreement also provides for rehabilitation of the surrendered DNLA cadres, for which the Centre and Assam government will offer a special development package of Rs 500 crore each. To be implemented over five years, the package will seek to ensure all-round development of NCHAC as well as Dimasa people residing in other parts of the state.