RENGMA NAGAS DEMAND AUTONOMOUS COUNCIL

RENGMA NAGAS DEMAND AUTONOMOUS COUNCIL

Subject: Polity

Context: The Rengma Nagas in Assam have written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding an autonomous district council amid a decision by the Central and the State governments to upgrade theKarbiAnglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) into a territorial council.

Concept:

• With Assam government on verge of inking peace Accord with KarbiAnglong based militant outfits, NSCN-IM stated any agreement that victimize the RengmaNagas would not be acceptable.
• The issue in focus is KarbiAnglong, erstwhile known as Rengma Hills. Rengma Hills are made the victims of aggressive influx of outsiders for vested interests.
• The Rengma Hills was partitioned in 1963 between Assam and Nagaland at the time of creation of Nagaland State.

What are Autonomous District Council?

• As per the Sixth Schedule, the four states viz. Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram contain the Tribal Areas which are technically different from the Scheduled Areas.
• Though these areas fall within the executive authority of the state, provision has been made for the creation of the District Councils and regional councils for the exercise of the certain legislative and judicial powers.
• Each district is an autonomous district and Governor can modify / divide the boundaries of the said Tribal areas by notification.

The Governor may, by public notification:

• Include any area.
• exclude any area.
• create a new autonomous district.
• increase the area of any autonomous district.
• diminish the area of any autonomous district.
• alter the name of any autonomous district.
• define the boundaries of any autonomous district.

Constitution of District Councils and Regional Councils:

• There shall be a District Council for each autonomous district consisting of not more than thirty members, of whom not more than four persons shall be nominated by the Governor and the rest shall be elected on the basis of adult suffrage.
• There shall be a separate Regional Council for each area constituted an autonomous region.
• Each District Council and each Regional Council shall be a body corporate by the name respectively of the District Council of (name of district) and the Regional Council of (name of region), shall have perpetual succession and a common seal and shall by the said name sue and be sued.