Former insurgents belonging to the now-disbanded National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) may soon be recruited in the army and paramilitary forces as promised in the new Bodoland Accord, signed in January last year.
A meeting held on Saturday decided to organise pre-recruitment training for the absorbtion of the eligible former cadres of the outfit in a phased manner.
"The Clause 9 of the new Bodoland Accord promised that the eligible former cadres of the NDFB would be absorbed in army, CRPF, BSF, SSB and CISF. A pre-recruitment training will be conducted from next week in different parts of Bodoland Territorial Region," Chief of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) and one of the leading signatories of the new Bodoland Accord, Pramod Boro said on Sunday.
The meeting was held in Kokrajhar, the headquarters of BTC, an autonomous council constituted in 2003 under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
"But there are some who has already crossed the age of eligibility and do not possess other qualification. A skill development training programme will soon begin for them under State Institute of Rural Development, panchayat and rural development department, the state police and other related agencies," Boro said.
"We are constantly trying to ensure that the former insurgents, who decided to give up arms and join the mainstream can lead a normal life with respect and dignity. And at the same time they can contribute to nation-building," he said. Boro also said the process was underway to segregate the cases pending against them for speedy disposal.
The state government on June 8 approved Rs 160 crore for the rehabilitation of 4,036 former NDFB members in a phased manner.
The Centre had earlier announced one-time assistance of Rs. 4 lakh to each of the former insurgents as per the new rehabilitation scheme.
The NDFB cadres had carried out large-scale violence since 1986, before the accord was signed in January last year, with their leaders and other organisations leading a movement for a separate Bodoland. The NDFB was subsequently disbanded.
After the accord was signed in New Delhi, top leaders of the NDFB and those representing All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) joined politics and contested in the BTC elections in December last year and the Assembly elections in March-April this year. Many joined United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) and wrested power of the BTC with the help of BJP.
The UPPL and BJP are in power in the BTC now.
The two parties also contested the Assembly elections together, with UPPL winning six of the eight seats it contested in Bodoland Territorial Region, which has 12 Assembly seats. The BJP won four. UPPL presently has two ministers in the Assam government.