Guwahati, Oct 20: The Assam government on Friday distributed financial grant of Rs 2 lakh each among 181 former cadres of the National Liberation Front of Bodoland (NLFB) to enable them to reintegrate into the society.
Notably, the cadres of the militant outfit had laid down arms in July 2021.
Welcoming the former cadres to the mainstream, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged them to utilise the rehabilitation support for self employment opportunities and undertake various skill development programmes offered by the state government.
“Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) is completely peaceful now, thanks to the tremendous trust people have in our Prime Minister’s policies. A heartfelt welcome to those who have chosen the path of peace over violence. The holistic growth of the Bodo community remains our utmost commitment,” the chief minister posted on his official microblogging site.
Chief executive member of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Pramod Boro, who attended the financial grant distribution ceremony here, took to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) to post: “The visionary leadership of our honourable PM Shri Narendra Modi ji and honourable Union home minister Shri Amit Shah jihas brought an end to the dark decades of violence in BTR. Today, a sustained peace reigns across our region and BTR is steadfastly advancing towards peace and progress.”
“I also take this opportunity to laud the NLFB’s decision of shunning violence and embracing the path of peace,” Boro said.
Several dignitaries along with top state government officials were present during the financial grant distribution ceremony.
Earlier this month, as many as 1,182 former rebels, belonging to five Adivasi militant groups along with three factions, were provided fixed deposit certificates worth Rs 4 lakh each by the Assam government as part of their rehabilitation process after joining the mainstream.