Assam-Arunachal border dispute likely to be resolved by next year: Shah

Efforts underway to make North East insurgency-free, 9,000 militants of region returned to mainstream in last 8 years, says Shah in Arunachal

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the inter-state boundary dispute between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam is likely to be resolved before 2023.

Asserting that efforts are underway to make Northeast insurgency-free, he claimed 9,000 militants from the region have surrendered during the last eight years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

Addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of Ramakrishna Mission School at Narottam Nagar in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh, Shah said, "Almost 60 per cent of the inter-state boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya has been resolved amicably. I am confident that the dispute between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam will be settled before 2023," he said.

He said that the Centre is committed to bringing peace and development to the region.

"Youths of Northeast no longer carry guns and petrol bombs. They are now carrying laptops and are launching startups. This is the path of development that the Centre has envisaged for the region," he said.

"Manipur, which was earlier known for bandhs and blockades for more than 200 days a year, is now witnessing a sea of change without any bandh during the last five years of BJP rule in the state," he said.

Shah said that the insurgency in the Bodoland region of Assam was resolved through the signing of the Bodo Peace Accord.

"Surrender of militant groups in Tripura and resolving of the Bru refugee issue was undertaken by the Modi government. The Union Home Ministry has taken initiatives to bring peace to Assam's Karbi Anglong," he said.

The Union home minister said that a three-pronged agenda has been prepared for the development of the Northeast.

"Firstly, we would preserve and promote the indigenous cultures and languages of the region. Secondly, we want to end all disputes among the northeastern states and make it free from insurgency and thirdly, we want to make the eight states the most developed in the country," he added.