Union Minister Nityanand Rai in the ongoing parliament session informed the session on the developments and improvements made in the northeastern state’s security situations.He informed the session that, there were substantial improvements as insurgency violence got down by 74% as the states experienced an 89% fall in the casualties caused by the violent outbursts.
Northeastern states’ history of insurgency
Northeast of India has mainly 8 states: Meghalaya, Manipur, Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim, sharing borders with five countries — Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China and Nepal.
The region stands as the hotpot of insurgencies post India’s independence for ethnic differences, separatist’s secessions stances and regional issues.
Various insurgent outfits that remain the point of disturbances in the region: United Liberation Front of Assam (U.L.F.A.), Bodo Liberation Tigers, National Democratic Front of Bodoland (N.D.F.B.), the United People’s Democratic Solidarity (U.P.D.S.) in Assam; United National Liberation Front in Manipur; Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) and Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) in Meghalaya; Arunachal Dragon Force (ADF)/ East India Liberation Front (EALF) in Arunachal Pradesh.
These insurgencies made the government of India blanket the region by providing immunity to the armed forces with AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) to regulate the region’s insurgent disturbances.
Present Developments
With the administration of the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER), the government could accelerate the pace of socio-economic development in the region.
By bringing the regions into the purview of various dedicated schemes of development and providing inter-transportations, improvements became more viable as the tension between the Centre and the insurgents eased out.
The government initiated peace talks with the major stakeholder of regional insurgency, to forward the abjuring of violence.
Several rebel groups have already entered into Suspension of Operations and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of India. The government is facilitating their willful surrenders with the Memorandum of Settlements to dissolve them back into civilian life.
Union minister said in a written reply,
“Due to the above strategy, the security situation in the Northeastern States has improved substantially since 2014.”
Even though the law and order is a state issue, the Centre’s supplementing efforts directed to the northeast region procured commendable success in maintaining normalcy in the region and booming the overall development in the northeast.
Published By : VATSAL KOTHA
Edited By : KHUSHI THAKUR
