Centre Signs Tripartite Peace Agreement With Assam Govt & Eight Tribal Groups

New Delhi: A tripartite peace agreement was signed between the Centre, Assam Government and eight tribal groups of Assam in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi today. The agreement was signed to end the decade-old crisis of tribal groups and tea garden workers in Assam.

The tribal groups which have signed the agreement include Birsa Commando Force, Adivasi People’s Army, All Adivasi National Liberation Army, Adivasi Cobra Military of Assam, and Santhal Tiger Force.

Terming this a historic day for the North East region, Mr. Shah said, several steps have been taken to ensure peace and development in the North East under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said the agreement will prove to be another milestone in the direction of making the North East region extremism free by 2025. He said, 1182 cadres of the tribal group of Assam have shunned the path of violence by laying down arms and joining the mainstream. He said the Centre is committed to resolving all border disputes between the North Eastern States and all disputes related to armed groups by 2024.

Shah said several agreements have been signed to ensure peace and development in the North Eastern region in the last three years.

He said the NLFT agreement in 2019, BRU-REANG and Bodo accord in 2020, the Karbi Anglong agreement in 2021, and Assam-Meghalaya inter-state boundary agreement this year has resolved around 65 per cent of border disputes.

Mr. Shah stressed that it is the responsibility of the Government of India and the Assam Government to fulfill the political, economic and educational aspirations of tribal groups. He said, the agreement also provides for the establishment of a Tribal Welfare and Development Council to ensure speedy and focused development of tea gardens. He said, a special development package of one thousand crore rupees will be provided over a period of five years for infrastructure development in villages and areas with tribal population.

The Union Home Minister underlined that around eight thousand insurgents have joined the mainstream by laying down their arms since 2014. He said, the year 2020 recorded the lowest number of insurgency incidents in the last two decades. In comparison to 2014, there has been a 74 percent reduction in the incidents of insurgency in 2021.

On this occasion, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, this is an important day as the agreement will provide social justice and political rights to the people who have left the path of violence. He said, this agreement will also ensure the welfare of these people as they came into the mainstream.