New policy for welfare of Northeastern people on the anvil

The Government will soon come out with a policy for the security and welfare of people from the Northeast based on the recommendations of the Bezbaruah committee report.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said his Ministry was in constant touch with all the agencies and will soon make an announcement.

"Very soon, we are going to define the policy guidelines on the basis of the recommendation we have received from a committee called 'Bezbaruah Committee', which was constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs. We are almost ready with the action taken report, concerning all the Ministries and departments under the Government of India. We are in constant touch with all the agencies and hopefully very soon we are going to make the announcement," said Rijiju.

The 11-member committee headed by retired IAS officer M P Bezbaruah was set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs to look into the concerns of people of the Northeast living in other parts of the country.

The committee was formed in the aftermath of the shocking killing of 19-year-old Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Tania in a Delhi market.

In its report, the committee had recommended a clear, stringent law to punish incidents of racial nature.

It also called for a strong and determined law enforcement agency to prevent such incidents and an adequate support system for the victims of such incidents.

For people from the Northeast, the committee recommended education and sensitization before arrival in metros about ways of living and adjusting to the culture in which they have to live and work.