Guwahati, April 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the incidence of violence in Northeast has come down by about 75 percent in the past eight years, paving the way for withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from many areas of the region.
Addressing a ‘peace, unity and development rally’ at Diphu in Karbi Anglong district, the Prime Minister said that for a long time, AFSPA had been imposed on many states of the Northeast.
“However, during the last eight years, we have removed AFSPA from many areas of the Northeast owing to the return of permanent peace, development and creation of better law and order conditions,” Modi said.
“For a long time, AFSPA was imposed on Northeastern states. In Assam, the Act has been effective for three decades and periodically extended by previous governments. But now, it has been removed from 23 districts of Assam. We are making efforts to bring the situation to normal in other areas of the region too so that the Act can be removed from there as well,” he said.
The Prime Minister further said that “when people come to the tribal areas of Assam or go to other states of the Northeast, they appreciate the transformation.”
“The signing of the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) by the Centre, Assam government and six Karbi militant outfits last year has ushered in a new era of peace in the region. The MoS has brought the misguided youth to the mainstream. The area (Karbi Anglong) was once known for its bombs and gunshots …now what we hear here is applause and celebration,” the Prime Minister said.
“The Bodo Accord in 2020 also opened doors for permanent peace. Similarly, the Prime Minister said, in Tripura too, peace has returned while the two-and-half-decades-old Bru-Reang issues have been solved,” he added.
Referring to the recently-signed boundary disputes resolution MoU between Assam and Meghalaya on six areas, the Prime Minister said the agreement reached between the two states would encourage other states of the region to find similar solutions.
“This will give impetus to the development aspirations of the entire region”, he emphasised, while appreciating the initiatives of the chief ministers of the region.
During the programme at Diphu, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation of various projects, including a veterinary college (Diphu), degree college (West Karbi Anglong) and agriculture college (Kolonga, West Karbi Anglong).
“These projects, worth more than Rs 500 crore, will bring new opportunities for skilling and employment in the region,” he said.