Team News Riveting
Guwahati, September 4
A tripartite agreement among five insurgent groups of Assam, the Centre, and the state government was inked on Saturday to end years of violence in the Karbi Anglong region.
The insurgent groups which signed the peace accord are: People’s Democratic Council of Karbi Longri (PDCK), Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), Karbi People’s Liberation Tiger (KPLT), Kuki Liberation Front (KLF), and United Peoples Liberation Army (UPLA).
With this historic agreement, over 1000 armed cadres have abjured violence and joined the mainstream of society. A Special Development Package of Rs. 1000 crores over five years will be given by the Union Government and Assam Government to undertake specific projects for the development of Karbi areas.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in whose presence the historic Karbi Anglong Agreement to end the decades old crisis ensuring Assam’s territorial integrity was signed in New Delhi today, said that it was another milestone in Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of “Insurgency free prosperous North East”. He added that today’s historic Karbi Anglong agreement would be written in golden letters in the history of Assam.
The salient features of the agreement include:
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 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.
The Government of Assam shall 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.
