Bodo Accord marked beginning of end of insurgency in Assam

Context

• First anniversary of Bodo Accord was celebrated in Assam.

2020 peace agreement and the formation of the Bodoland Territorial Region

• A peace agreement was signed in 2020 between the Government of Indiaand the Government of Assam on one side and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, (NDFB) the All Bodo Students’ Union and United Bodo People's Organisation on the other.
• Under the terms of this agreement, a Bodoland Territorial Region was formed with enhanced executive and legislative powers.
• The Bodoland Territorial Council will have competency over almost all areas defined by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India and its membership will be increased to 60.
• The boundary of BTR will be redrawn to make Boro speakers majority within the region.
• This will be done by forming new districts and the boundary of the region will be adjusted to include contiguous Bodo inhabited areas from neighbouring districts and exclude the non-Bodo inhabited territories which are currently under the jurisdiction of the BTC.
• Bodoland will also have the right to be represented at national level sports and cultural events such as the National Games of Indiaand the Khelo India Youth Games.
• The agreement also makes the Bodo language with Devnagri script an associate official language of Assam.

Bodoland Territorial Council

• Thefirst Bodo accord was signed with the ABSU in 1993.
• It led to the creation of the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC) with some limited political powers.
• In 2003,the second Bodo Accord was signed by the extremist group Bodo Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF), the Centre and the state.
• This led to thecreation of BTC, which is an autonomous body under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution
• The region is administered by an elected body known as the Bodoland Territorial Council(BTC) which was established in 2003.
• The BTC has 46 members (30 seats reserved for scheduled Tribes, 5 seats for non-scheduled tribes and 5 open seats) and 6 seats of which are nominated by Governor of Assam from unrepresented communities.
• The council appoints a cabinet of 14 executive members each looking after a specific area of control.