Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday sealed the Bodo Settlement Agreement, thus marking an end to the 50-year-old Bodo crisis. The agreement, as part of which Centre will provide a Rs 1,500-crore-assistance-package over the next three years for the development of Bodo areas, was signed with the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).
Over 1500 armed cadres will abjure violence and join the mainstream after the signing of the agreement, said the Union Home Minister.
Terming the agreement as “historic,” he said the new agreement was clearly better than the agreements in 1993 and 2003, which had left the Bodos “unsatisfied” due to lack of consensus on the modalities of the previous agreements. Each Bodo group is on board, said the Union Home Minister.
“The Union Government and the Government of Assam will take necessary measures to rehabilitate over 1500 cadres of NDFB (P), NDFB (RD) and NDFB (S), as per the laid down policy of the government,” said Shah.
Here are some other salient features of the new Bodo deal:
1. A commission under Section 14 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India will be set-up, which will recommend the inclusion or exclusion of tribal population residing in villages adjoining BTAD areas
2. The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) will be given additional teeth, which is a step towards increasing its autonomy
3. There are provisions for the quick development of tribal areas and rehabilitation of members of NDFB and its factions
The signing of the agreement was also witnessed by Assam’s chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Executive Member of BTC Hagrama Mohilary, representatives of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), United Boro People Organization (UBPO), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) factions – Gobinda Basumatary, Dhirendra Boro, Ranjan Daimary, B Saoraigwra, along with senior officers from Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of Assam.
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