NEW DELHI, Dec 7 ? Days after the Prime Minister?s Office (PMO) clarified the Centre?s stand on talks, Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil offered proposal to talk with any group, which abjures violence.
Participating in a question hour discussion, the Union Home Minister said that the Centre was willing to talk to any group in Jammu and Kashmir or in NE, which abjured violence. The policy to tackle militancy was to bring them to the mainstream, bring in development, ensure social justice and correct any excesses committed by security forces.
Responding to a question by Kirip Chaliha, Patil referring to mediation by Dr Mamoni Raisom Goswami, said that some private individuals had already met the Prime Minister. ?If their feedback and information proves correct, such steps would be taken,? he said.
Earlier Chaliha wanted to know the reaction of the Government to offer by individuals to mediate a dialogue between the Government and the ULFA. On Sunday the PMO in response to Dr Goswami?s appeal, told her that while the Government of India was committed to solving any problem, it was willing to talk with any group without preconditions.
Meanwhile, on the withdrawal of the contentious Armed Forces Special Powers Act, he said that a committee had been set up to look into the Law and suggest whether its draconian provisions were to be amended or the entire Act totally repealed. The Union Home Minister has contended that the overall violence in NE has gone down during the current year and law-and-order situation has improved.
According to the figures tabled by the Minister, there were 941 violent incidents in the region leading to death of 82 security personnel, 25 militants and 351 civilians. He named the ULFA and the NDFB in Assam, the HNLC and the ANVC in Megalaya ? both factions of NSCN in Nagaland as well as in two districts of Arunachal Pradesh ? and the ATTF and the NLFT in Tripura as responsible for the incidents. The Minister also conceded that the Government had reports about activities and camps of Indian ultras groups inside Bangladesh. Reports also indicated that the ISI was providing material and logistical support to the militants.
Meanwhile, in reply to a separate question, Minister of State for Home S Reghupathy said that the Central Government was implementing a 100 per cent Centrally funded surrender and rehabilitation scheme for surrendered militants in the North East. Under the scheme, applicable to militants who surrender with weapons, the surrendered militants are to be initially for a period of up to one year, lodged in rehabilitation camps. A monthly stipend not exceeding Rs 2,000 per month for a period of 12 months is paid.
Minor crime cases against successfully rehabilitated surrenderees are withdrawn. Monetary incentives have been built into the Scheme for the surrendered weapons and ammunition. In case of surrendered militants, while all sops remain same, they are in addition given an immediate grant of Rs 1.5 lakh kept in shape of fixed deposit in a bank in their name. T
he amount is kept locked in for a period of three years. In Assam, during the current year 709 militants have surrendered, which is the highest in the country. In the North-east 1058 militants have surrendered this year.