New Delhi, April 28: The Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Settlement with the Centre and the Assam government. The signing ceremony took place in New Delhi, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Minister of Cooperation, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The agreement is a significant step towards fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a peaceful and prosperous North East and making the region insurgency-free by 2024.
In the MoU, the representatives of DNLA have agreed to renounce the path of militancy for good, surrender all arms and ammunition, disband their armed organization, vacate all camps occupied by DNLA caders, and join a peaceful democratic process as established by the law. pic.twitter.com/T6bMfLBiaL
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 27, 2023
Under the agreement, representatives of DNLA have agreed to abjure violence, surrender all arms and ammunition, disband their armed organization, vacate all camps occupied by DNLA cadres, and join the peaceful democratic process as established by the law. The agreement will put a complete end to the insurgency, and there are no more armed groups in Assam.
HCM Dr @himantabiswa speaks to the media in New Delhi after the tripartite Memorandum of Settlement between Government of India, Government of Assam and representatives of Dimasa National Liberation Army was signed earlier today. pic.twitter.com/8ao3yv80Ns
— Chief Minister Assam (@CMOfficeAssam) April 27, 2023
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Prime Minister has put forward the vision of a terror-free, violence-free, and developed Northeast, and the Ministry of Home Affairs is moving forward in this direction under the Prime Minister’s guidance.
With the signing of today’s Memorandum with Dimasa National Liberation Army, curtains have finally come on armed movements in tribal areas.
This follows after similar agreements were made with other Adivasi resistance groups and groups in Bodo & Karbi Anglong regions.
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— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 27, 2023
Over 168 cadres of DNLA are joining the mainstream by laying down their arms. The agreement also provides for necessary measures to be taken by the Centre and the Assam government to rehabilitate the surrendered armed cadres of DNLA.
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The agreement also includes the establishment of the Dimasa Welfare Council, which will protect, preserve and promote the social, cultural, and linguistic identity of the Dimasa people, meet political, economic, and educational aspirations, and ensure speedy and focused development of the Dimasa people residing outside the jurisdiction of the Autonomous Council.
The agreement provides for the appointment of a commission under Paragraph 14 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India to examine the demand for the inclusion of additional villages contiguous to the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) with Council.
The Centre and the Assam government will provide a special development package of Rs.500 crore each, over a period of five years, for the all-around development of NCHAC as well as Dimasa people residing in other parts of the state. The agreement will bring a complete end to the insurgency in the Dima Hasao district of Assam.
The signing of the agreement marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to bring peace and development to the Northeast region. It is hoped that this agreement will pave the way for similar agreements with other insurgent groups in the region and contribute to the overall development of the Northeast.
The Centre and the Assam government must continue to work towards ensuring that the provisions of the agreement are implemented effectively and that the promised development reaches the people who need it the most.
