Special security cell put in place for NE people in Delhi: Kiren Rijiju

Guwahati:  Concerned about the honour and identity of the people of northeast region living in the national capital, the Centre has set up a special security cell and asked CBSE and UGC to incorporate lessons and subjects about the region, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju today said.

"We are concerned about the honour and identity of the people of the North East region living in Delhi. Therefore, we had set up the Bezbaruah Committee.Any problem faced by them will be addressed by the special security cell and a legal aid service authority," he told reporters here.

"There will be a dedicated helpline and cases related to racial discrimination, personal issues, rental issues, etc., will be registered immediately.

"A special programme has also been initiated by Delhi Police. Among the 90,000 strong force there are only 43 personnel from the northeast," the minister, who hails from the region, said.

"So at the first ever DGPs (Director General of Police) meet outside Delhi in Guwahati last year, we took a decision to recruit ten women and ten men from each NE state and 20 each from Assam," Rijiju said.

"There are a lot of northeast people in Delhi and their presence has to be there in the police," he added.The minister said the CISF IG, designated as IG-Northeast, based in Kolkata, would now be based in Guwahati as per a recent order.

Also, for the people across the country to know about the northeast, the HRD ministry has directed CBSE to incorporate chapters of the region's history and geography in its text books, Rijiju said.

At the college level also the UGC was asked to have subjects on the region upto the Post Graduate level, he added.

The Delhi University colleges and Jawaharlal Nehru University were further asked to construct hostels reserving 50 per cent of their seats for N-E students with the money for construction provided by the government, he said.

Besides, a Northeast Centre in Delhi would be constructed for celebrating occasions with people from other parts of the country to popularise the region, showcase its culture and promote harmony, Rijiju added.