Guwahati, December 20 (PTI): The Assam government is yet to constitute a panel for studying recommendations of the high-level committee formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, for implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord with nearly two years having passed since the submission of the proposals, a report laid in the assembly on Monday said.
Clause 6 of the 1985 Accord reads: “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the culture, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.
The prevailing situation due to COVID-19 has led to the delay in forming the panel, it said.
As per discussion with the Ministry of Home Affairs, a process has been initiated by the state government for the formation of a panel to study the recommendations of the committee to “reconcile any constitution or legal challenges” that may arise during its implementation, the Annual Administrative Report of Implementation of Assam Accord department for 2020-21, laid by minister Atul Bora, said.
The committee, which was formed by the MHA at the request of the Assam chief minister in 2019, had submitted its report to the CM on February 25, 2020.
The panel, headed by the former judge of Gauhati High Court Justice Biplab Kumar Sarma, was mandated to suggest measures for the effective implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.
The Annual Administrative Report further said a meeting of the department was held under the chairmanship of the chief minister with representatives of All Assam Students Union (AASU) wherein it was decided to form a sub-committee for preparing a framework for implementation of all clauses of the Accord in general, with special emphasis on certain clauses.
Issues of flood and erosion, updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and other problems faced by the people would also be dealt with by the sub-committee.
Among the new initiatives undertaken by the Assam Accord Implementation as mentioned in the report are the construction of a ‘Swahid Smarak' (memorial for martyrs) and a park in memory of those who lost their lives in the six-year-long Assam agitation, which ended with the signing of the Assam Accord in August 1985.
It has also decided to set up a trust to formulate and chalk out plans, programmes, and schemes for effective rehabilitation of the victims of the Assam agitation and their family members, or to provide other benefits to the victims and their kin.
A six-volume data book on the agitation, ‘Assam Andolan Tathyakosh', has been planned by the department, with the first volume already published and work for the next two volumes also completed, the report said.
It further said out of an estimated Rs 3,89,09,000 passed by the assembly for the department for 2020-21, an amount of Rs 1,84,05,754 had been spent.
.jpeg)
