Karbi Anglong Agreement

On 4th September 2021, the Karbi Anglong Agreement was signed between 5 insurgent groups in Assam and the Central Government and the State Government.

The signing of the agreement is in sync with the Central government’s vision of ‘insurgency free North East’ that envisages an all-round development of the North-East, peace and prosperity.

This article will give further details about the Karbi Anglong Peace Accord within the context of the IAS Exam.

Background of the Karbi Anglong Agreement

Following the independence of India in 1947, several tribes of the Northeast like the Naga, Mizo Bodo etc began demanding separate states, as well as complete independence, on the basis of their cultural identity.

In Assam, when the state government declared the Assamese language as the official language in 1960, it alienated other tribes and languages in the region. This led to agitation both by the common people and as well as insurgent groups. The states of Nagaland and Meghalaya were formed in 1963 and 1971 respectively. Following Meghalaya’s formation, the Karbi Anglong district was invited to join the newly created state, but the district refused to do so following promises of greater independence from the State of Assam.

The promise for greater autonomy was more partly or wholly diluted by the Assam State Government. This led to a new round of agitations in the next few decades.

With the signing of the Karbi Anglong Agreement, which has promised a greater degree of autonomy to the district, it is hoped that peace and prosperity will further prevail in the region in the years to come.

Highlights of the Karbi Anglong Agreement

The agreement was signed in the presence of:

1. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
2. Shipping and Waterways and Minister of AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal
3. Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai
4. Chief Executive Member of KAAC (Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council)
5. Representatives of Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front
6. People’s Democratic Council of Karbi Longri
7. United People’s Liberation Army
8. Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers
9. Senior officers from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Government of Assam.

Further highlights of the Karbi Anglong Agreement are as follows:

• Five insurgent outfits, KLNLF, PDCK, UPLA, KPLT and KLF, opted to lay down their arms and will join mainstream society as a result
• A special development package of Rs. 1000 crore will be allocated by the Central Government and the Assam Government in order to develop the Karbi areas through the setting up of special projects.
• The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council will have more autonomy than before. This autonomy will not affect the administrative integrity of Assam. The KAAC is an autonomous district council protected under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
• The State Government of Assam will set up a Karbi Welfare Council to oversee the social development of the Karbi people living outside the KAAC jurisdiction.
• The agreement will further guarantee the protection of the culture, identity, language etc of the Karbi people as well as the development of the region.
• Under the agreement, 32 projects estimated at Rs 350 crore under the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council package announced under the previous agreement are in various stages of completion.

To know more in detail about the Scheduled Tribes of India, visit the linked article.

Karbi Anglong Agreement – UPSC Notes:- Download PDF Here