Assam tribal council prepares community-based vision document for Bodoland development
Guwahati: The chief of Bodoland Territorial Region Pramod Boro has embarked upon an ambitious plan by releasing a first of its kind Community Vision Documents to meet the aspirations of all the 26 communities living in the council areas.
Informing that it aims at to promote inclusivity and tackle persistent challenges such as economic underdevelopment and lack of employment opportunities, Mr Boro described the document as a strategic roadmap for sustainable growth, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He said that the document identifies and addresses the unique challenges faced by the 35-lakh population of the region, ensuring representation for all communities.
He explained that the initiative to prepare a community-based roadmap for developing the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) was taken up more than six months ago. “An expert group was formed to hold a series of consultations with the representatives of each community to understand their problems and examine the memorandums they submitted,” Mr Boro added.
Mr Boro said the demands and aspirations of each community were slotted into three categories—those that can be addressed by the Council, the State, and the Centre. He added that the demands and aspirations of each community within their limited means will be supported by the Council, while issues outside their ambit would be forwarded to the state and central governments.
Asserting that vision document is a gift from the BTR for the 26 communities, most of whom did not get the kind of attention they deserved from the government as citizens of the country with equal rights, Mr Boro said that his experience of dealing with the bureaucrats and politicians as a social activist and a student leader heading a statehood movement for more than two decades went into the ideation of the community-based vision document.
It is significant that the Bodoland areas were caught in an armed conflict for decades before the Centre signed the BTR peace accord in January 2020 with some now-disbanded extremist groups. Mr Boro, then president of the All Bodo Students’ Union, was an architect of the accord.
“There were conflicts between communities, within communities, and state and non-state actors. People want such conflicts to be permanently removed from the Bodoland region. The development-focused vision document is a step in that direction,” he said.
A separate department will also be started for the purpose soon.
The Vision Document which was released by Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya outlined a comprehensive roadmap for the socio-economic, cultural, and infrastructural development of the region.
