Efforts on to remove AFSPA completely from Northeast: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said efforts were underway to restore "normalcy" in rest of the Northeast so that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) can be removed from the entire region.

"In the past eight years, violence in the Northeast has come down by 75 per cent. As peace is returning to the Northeast, we are also making changes in the systems which were in place here for long. This is the reason why we have withdrawn the AFSPA from many places in the Northeast. It was first withdrawn from Tripura and Meghalaya.

In Assam, AFSPA was in place for three decades and recently the act has been withdrawn from 23 districts. We are trying very seriously to restore normal situation in rest of the places so that the act can be completely removed. Efforts are underway very seriously in Nagaland and Manipur also," Modi said while addressing a public meeting at Diphu in Central Assam's Karbi Anglong district.

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Modi was addressing the massive public meeting after laying the foundation of a veterinary college in Karbi Anglong and a agriculture college and a model degree college to be set up in neigbouring West Karbi Anglong districts. The three colleges with estimated budget of Rs 463 crores are being set up as per an accord signed with insurgent groups in Karbi Anglong in September last year. "We are trying for proper rehabilitation of those who decided to give up arms and took a pledge to join peace and the mainstream society," Modi said.

Interestingly, AFSPA is still in place in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts even as the same was withdrawan from 23 other districts in Assam (60 per cent of the state's geography) from April 1.

"It is good to see that the sounds of bomb blasts and gunshots in this area has been replaced by sounds of claps now," he said.

The Prime Minister also virtually launched a project for conservation of 2,985 water bodies across Assam under the Centre's Amrti Sarovar project.

Modi also lauded the efforts of chief ministers of the Northeast to resolve the border conflicts which has troubled the region.

Cancer care hospitals

The Prime Minister later visited Dibruagarh in eastern Assam where he first inaugurated Dibrugarh Cancer Care Centre at Assam Medical College and Hospital campus and then virtually unveiled six more cancer care centres in Barpeta, Tezpur, Jorhat, Darrang, Kokrajhar and Lakhimpur districts. Modi also virtually laid the foundation stones of seven more cancer care centres to be set up in Goalpara, Dhubri, Nagaon, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Nalbari districts.

The cancer hospitals are being set up across Assam under Assam Cancer Care Foundation, a joint venture between Assam government and Tata Trusts. Some other corporate groups have also supported the project.

"Cancer has become a big problem for people not only in Assam but also in rest of the Northeast. People now have to visit hospitals outside the region for treatment. This results a lot of financial burden on them. The network of these cancer care hospitals will bring a big relief to such people," Modi said.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the project, once completely finished will become the single largest cancer care facilities not only in India but in the entire South East Asian region. Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata was also present at the function.

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