GUWAHATI
The authorities of Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) have undertaken an exercise to educate the people about their right to demand good governance.
The exercise to mark the 155th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was initiated simultaneously on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) with the installation of a citizens’ grievance box at each of the 19 circle offices across the 8,970 sq. km BTR covering five districts.
The five districts — Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Tamulpur, and Udalguri — are administered by the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).
“In Bodoland, we have freed ourselves from violence by following the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. Over the past three years, smiles have returned to the faces of our people, fear has disappeared, and communities are rediscovering love and trust,” BTC’s chief executive member, Pramod Boro, told a gathering at an event to mark Gandhi Jayanti and International Day of Non-Violence.
The grievance boxes, installed as a part of the Vibrant BTR Mission, were in line with the Gandhian ethos for good governance. “This grievance redressal mechanism in the council is aimed at helping the general public know why they should demand good governance at government offices,” he said.
This year, the BTR government commemorated the Gandhian ideals and values by launching several initiatives. These included enlisting more than 2,000 youth for the Green Bodoland Mission which entails peaceful activism towards making BTR plastic-free, restoring its biodiversity and natural resources, and conserving groundwater.
“We must revive and nurture nature. Without cleanliness, we cannot serve the environment. I encourage everyone to contribute to building a peaceful, smart, and green Bodoland,” Assam’s Soil Conservation Minister Urkhao Gwra Brahma said.
Among several programmes launched on Wednesday was the Dr. Bashiram Bodo Doctoral Fellowship to provide financial support to the meritorious students from the BTR pursuing doctoral studies in reputed Indian universities and higher educational institutions.
The BTR was the first council under the Sixth Schedule to have initiated a land record digitisation programme through its flagship Mission Bwiswmuthi. It was also the first among the Sixth Schedule areas to introduce the e-office governance mechanism.
The celebration of the International Day of Non-Violence marks a U-turn in the socio-political and economic landscape of the Bodos. The region had witnessed bloody fratricidal and ethnic conflicts in 1993, 1996, 2015, and 2016.
More than 5,000 people have died in the region due to conflicts between 1987 and 2020.
Published - October 02, 2024 07:50 pm IST
