Guwahati, July 6: In a major peace push in Assam, as many as 1,182 former cadres, belonging to five Adivasi militant groups, laid down arms and formally joined the mainstream during a ceremony here on Thursday.
The former cadres of the militant groups – Adivasi Cobra Militant Assam (ACMA), Birsa Commando Force (BCF), All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA), Santhal Tiger Force (STF) and Adivasi Peoples’ Army (APA) – laid down arms, including 304 sophisticated arms and 1460 rounds of ammunition, in the presence of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and top police officials of the state government.
It may be recalled that a tripartite peace agreement was signed between the Centre, Assam government and eight Adivasi rebel outfits from the state in New Delhi in September last year.
The Adivasi outfits had surrendered before the government on January 24, 2012. On October 4, 2016, the outfits signed an agreement for Suspension of Operations (SoO). Since the signing of the SoO agreement, several rounds of talks had taken place between these groups and the government.
After signing of the tripartite peace pact and in pursuance of Clause 3 of the agreement, the Assam had on May 22, 2023, constituted a 16-member Adivasi Welfare and Development Council with the objective of fulfilling the political, economic and educational aspirations; protecting, preserving and promoting social, cultural, linguistic and ethnic identities of the Adivasi community in the state.
The council is expected to ensure speedy and focused development of tea gardens and measures for rehabilitation and resettlement of armed cadres and welfare of tea garden workers.
Members of the 16-member council, led by its chairman Ashim Hasda, took oath during the programme here on Thursday.
In his address, chief minister Sarma requested the former militants not to be swayed towards armed activities and instead stay committed to the path of peace and development.
The chief minister outlined various welfare measures for the cadres, one of them being the creation of a fixed deposit of Rs 4 lakh for each of the 1,182 members of the Adivasi groups who have surrendered.
“The fixed deposit will be made before August 15, 2023. Subsequently, the cadres can avail a loan of Rs 3 lakh to pursue business ventures. Police officials will conduct workshops in regard to employment generation to help cadres to adapt to the mainstream. Additionally, Rs 6,000 will be provided to each cadre every month for the next three years for meeting day-to-day expenses,” Sarma said.
“The Adivasi Welfare and Development Council will work with the state government for the uplift of the Adivasi society. Our government has reserved 30 seats for the Adivasi and tea tribes in medical colleges. Soon we will keep three percent reservation for Adivasi and tea tribes in all government jobs,” the chief minister said.
Calling upon the former militants to actively participate in the development process, Sarma assured that the Adivasi community would be empowered through skill development and that their representation across various sectors would be ensured in the coming days.
Taking note of the challenges faced by villages in Adivasi-inhabited areas in regard to basic infrastructure, he assured that the government would lay emphasis on construction of roads to improve connectivity in the rural areas.
He also reiterated the state government’s initiatives in regard to the development of schools and colleges for the Adivasi community.