New Delhi: The Centre Thursday signed a tripartite agreement with the Nagaland government and the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation for the formation of ‘Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority’, a long standing demand for a new administrative body within the state aimed at addressing the demands of eastern Nagaland.
The agreement was signed in presence of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who said the Centre will extend all help and fulfil all its responsibilities for the development of eastern Nagaland.
The ENPO, the apex body representing eight tribes across six eastern districts of the state, has been demanding a separate state since 2010, alleging decades of neglect. It later agreed to the Centre’s proposal for a certain degree of autonomy under the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) framework.
The MoU aims to create Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority for the focussed development and governance of eastern Nagaland which covers six districts – Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator and Tuensang.
There should be no doubt on the Nagaland and central governments and every year an amount will be decided and released, the home minister said, adding initial expenses for the establishment shall be borne by the Union home ministry.
“In 2021-22 elections, all office bearers of ENPO had come to meet me. I had called them because they had decided to boycott the elections. I had told them that Narendra Modi Government wants to find solution of every pending dispute. You have trust, participate in the democratic process you will justice and respect. I am happy that MHA officials had acted as a bridge between the state government and ENPO for a long time to come to the solution ending the dispute,” Shah said.
After the creation of Nagaland, the people of eastern Nagaland had a feeling that they did not get justice, he said.
Shah said he had spoken to Rio during elections and Rio had assured him that he would listen all demands of ENPO, discuss them and accept.
“I thank Rio, the Nagaland government, ministers and all MPs for taking this to logical end,” he said.
Shah said barring one or two points, all issues have been sorted.
Since 2019, we have done 12 important agreements in the Northeast, he said.
“It has been a tradition of the Narendra Modi government that we make full effort to implement the agreements we have entered into. I want to assure the representatives of ENPO that the Centre will extend lot of help for the development of Eastern Nagaland and will also fulfill its responsibility too,” Shah said.
Rio said this agreement “reflects mutual trust, addresses the aspirations of eastern Nagaland and the state at large, and reaches out to take development to every doorstep”.
“Through this MoU, the local demands and aspirations of the area will be met. And this MoU will enable us to conclude the long drawn negotiations,” Home Secretary Govind Mohan said earlier.
