Guwahati: Just ahead of the New Year, the central and state governments signed a historic peace agreement with the pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), a secessionist group that had waged a guerrilla war against the government since the 1990s.
In its heyday, the ULFA was a feared and formidable outfit that was believed to be behind several targeted killings and explosions. These incidents brought the state under the ambit of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and isolated it from the Indian heartland. According to the state government's statistics, 10,000 people including civilians, security personnel, and ULFA cadre had been killed since the group took up arms.
The current government, however, has always been clear about its resolve to bring the ULFA cadres, including those hiding in jungle camps in Myanmar, into the mainstream. The signing of the pact between the centre, the state government, and the pro-talks faction, which has some 720 members, of the armed group marked a culmination of those efforts.
“The signing of the agreement is sure to foster a congenial atmosphere for trade and commerce in Assam”, a senior government official of the Industries & Commerce industry told Business North East. “This is sure to be seen as a positive development by investors and market confidence is higher. Already, the state government is drawing investments amounting to thousands of crores”, said the official.
In September, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma publicly stated that the state had attracted investments worth more than Rs 11,000 crores within six months. With such a figure, the Chief Minister says around 12,000 people in the state are expected to find employment.
“Big brands like Pepsi are already here and the Chief Minister is also paving the way for more investments from Tata”, said the official, adding that these developments indicate a spike in interest as far as investments in Assam are concerned.
Eugene Willemsen, the chief executive officer of PepsiCo in South Asia last year announced that the American soft drink giant is planning to invest Rs 778 crore in a manufacturing facility in Assam. Biswa Sarma has also declared that the Tata Group has applied to set up a semiconductor processing plant in Assam with an investment of Rs 40,000 crore. The multinational company is planning to recruit around 1,000 young people from Assam to work at the plant.
As if on cue, the Chief Minister announced eight more infrastructural initiatives encompassing various sectors - from healthcare and transportation to education and environmental conservation on January 2, days after inking the pact.
Anup Chetia, the general secretary of ULFA believes the endowments under the treaty should facilitate "holistic" development in Assam, as that had always been one of the core tenets of the armed struggle.
“As the government has announced a special package worth Rs 5,000 crore for the rehabilitation of the ULFA cadres, we are mulling what kinds of developmental projects we can undertake to become self-reliant”, Chetia shared with Business North East. “We are looking towards entrepreneurs and contractors from the state to help us with our projects. Our vision is that there should be holistic development in Assam not only for the surrendered ULFA cadres but for the people of Assam as a whole everyone should come on board.” The senior ULFA leader also disclosed that a committee has been formed for the implementation of such projects with him as the convenor.
On the day the pact was signed, the CM said an Indian Institute of Management (IIM), new railway lines, and more national highways were part of the deal. Altogether, the peace treaty lists 87 projects, valued at around Rs 1.5 lakh crores, which will be implemented by the centre and Assam government.
Advocate-turned-social activist Upamanyu Hazarika, however, believes the signing of the accord will not translate into any discernible benefit for Assam as the ULFA "has not been active for a while." "Not only ULFA; all these insurgent groups that have signed agreements with the government in the recent past have been dormant for a long time", Hazarika told Business North East.
After signing the agreement with ULFA, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that with this peace accord, the total number of militants to have surrendered in Assam went up to 8,250.
“Businessmen do not wait for accords. From what I have observed, investors from outside only seem interested in buying tea gardens or setting up agro-based industries in the countryside”, Hazarika opined. “As far as some of the projects mentioned in the accord are concerned - most of them appear to be a rehash of projects that are already underway. A few others are ambiguously worded; it remains to be seen whether the government will actually disburse the proposed funds", he added.
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