Spotlight

New Delhi, 2 January 2015 

Action On N-E Concerns Set Rolling

New Delhi, 2 January (INFA): The New Year ushers in hope for the people of the North East, with the Centre’s resolve to address their concern with action. Taking the initial step, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has spelt out some concrete ‘immediate’ remedial measures to implement the recommendation of the M P Bezbaruah Committee report.

Fast track courts to deal with North-east cases, induction of 20 police personnel from each State in the region in Delhi, police exchange programme in different States, special helpline 1039 to be synchronised with PCR 100, N-E Special Police Unit, Delhi State Legal Service Authority to provide legal assistance with a seven-member panel of lawyers, under graduate scholarships of Rs 3500-5000 for 10,000 students, IITs and NITs to provide internships, setting up of hostels by Delhi university, NDMC, Municipal Corporation etc are some of the ‘immediate steps’ underway.  

The Ministry is also ‘considering’ amending the section 153 (c) and 509 (a) of the Indian Penal Code to deal with racist violence and hate speech against persons from the North East. This should help, given that there is an absence of an anti-racial law in the country. While the actions spelt out suggest that the government may be eyeing the Delhi elections, Rajnath Singh said these had to be accomplished within “six months.”     

Recall the Bezbaruah committee, which was set up soon after the brutal death of a 20-year-old student from Arunachal Pradesh in Lajpat Nagar market, had submitted its detailed report to the Home Ministry in July and spelt out “immediate, short and long-term remedial measures,” to address the concerns of the North East. With some five-lakh odd people from the region residing in Delhi and other metropolitan cities in pursuit of higher education and employment, concerns such as their security, racial discrimination, problems faced with law enforcement agencies, landlords, employers etc came to the fore before the committee.

Therefore, the panel was firmly of the view that an integrated approach to deal with the issues was critical and that the Ministry of Home Affairs must involve the Department of North Eastern Region, the Ministries of Human Resources Development, Tourism and Culture, Sports, Urban Development, Information & Broadcasting, the Resident Commissioners offices, among others should work in tandem.   

Importantly, other than security, which was the immediate concern, the report has recommended the daunting task of ‘integrating and not segregating’ the people of the North East as “even if they try to adjust to their new atmosphere, their Mongolian features and their pale skin often makes them distinct in public places and even their easy going, friendly outlook is often misunderstood.” The Ministry should sooner than later consider setting up the North East Centre in the national capital given the “need for sustained, systematic and continuous exposure of the North East to the rest of India and the world”. 

Till then, the Home Ministry has shortlisted that while the Ministry of Tourism should put in place a plan to promote tourism in the region and focus on it in its “Incredible India” campaign, the Ministry of Human Resources shall be asked to have a review of the NCERT books “to not just put in a few instances of North East history or few heroes in the text books but to bring the entire north ethos in the entire gamut of education.” Festivals of the North East would too give the needed exposure. Indeed, the do’s list is long, but Rajnath Singh has assured the recommendations would be implemented in a “time bound manner.” Sooner, the better. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)

New Delhi, 2 January 2015