Guwahati, 10 May: On the eve of the state government’s second anniversary, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that efforts are being made to repeal the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) in the state’s remaining 5 districts this year.
Chief Minister declared that the removal of the AFSPA from 60% of the state and the signing of peace agreements with numerous armed organisations in the state had led to a tranquil environment.
”Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s various initiatives have led to peace agreements with several armed groups, removal of AFSPA from 60 per cent of the state, besides resolving boundary issues with Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya”, he said.
He said that this has given a message of hope for the youth and ”we hope that the AFSPA will also be removed from five more districts by the end of this year”.
On April 1, 2022, the central government revoked AFSPA from the entire state of Assam, with the exception of nine districts and a subdivision of the Cachar district. Later, it was also removed from the West Karbi Anglong district and the Lakhipur subdivision.
The state was designated a “disturbed region” under the AFSPA on the intervening night of November 27–28, 1990 and this designation has since been renewed every six months. Sarma claimed that the border dispute with Arunachal Pradesh has been fully resolved and that negotiations on the remaining six of the twelve disputed territories with Meghalaya will start next month.
He pointed out that the Assam government has also made an effort to settle border problems with Mizoram and Nagaland.
According to the Chief Minister, the state government will also set up five new Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) courts as well as a specialized judicial cadre of newly appointed and government-nominated Public Prosecutors.
Adding that 5,659 instances had been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the preceding two years with more than 5431 drug traffickers imprisoned, he stated that the government would continue to have a zero-tolerance policy towards drug trafficking.
In order to find drugs concealed in vehicles’ hidden compartments, the authorities would also set up a dog squad, he added. The four-year integrated degree programme is set to start this year, according to the Chief Minister and the state will adopt the New Education Policy (NEP) this year.