Karbi Anglong Agreement: A Step towards “Insurgency free prosperous North East”

• 07 Sep 2021

On 4^th September 2021, a historic tripartite Karbi Anglong Agreement was signed by the Union Govt., the Assam government and five insurgency groups from the state to bring peace to the Northeastern state’s Karbi-Anglong district.

• Karbis are a major ethnic community of Assam dotted by many factions, and marked by ethnic violence, killings, abductions, taxation since the late 1980s.
• The five groups concerned are: Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), People’s Democratic Council of Karbi Longri (PDCK), United People’s Liberation Army (UPLA), Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers (KPLT) and the Kuki Liberation Front (KLF).
• With this historic agreement, over 1000 armed cadres have abjured violence and joined the mainstream of society. A Special Development Package of Rs. 1000 crores over five years will be given by the Union Government and Assam Government to undertake specific projects for the development of Karbi areas.

Salient Features of the Agreement

• This Memorandum of Settlement will ensure greater devolution of autonomy to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), protection of identity, language, culture, etc. of Karbi people and focussed development of the Council area, without affecting the territorial and administrative integrity of Assam.
• The Karbi armed groups have agreed to abjure violence and join the peaceful democratic process as established by law of the land. The Agreement also provides for rehabilitation of cadres of the armed groups.
• The Government of Assam shall set up a Karbi Welfare Council for focussed development of Karbi people living outside KAAC area.
• The Consolidated Fund of the State will be augmented to supplement the resources of KAAC.
• Overall, the present settlement proposes to give more legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers to KAAC.