Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said incidents of violence have reduced by about 70 per cent in the northeast in the eight years of the Narendra Modi government.

Speaking at the inauguration of the National Institute of Tribal Research (NITR) in the national capital, Shah said that several problems related to tribals in the North-East, Left Wing Extremism affected areas, and Jammu and Kashmir were pending before the Ministry of Home Affairs which gradually turned into law and order situations.

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“Prime Minister Modi has taken many steps one after the other in the northeast after 2019. We have signed agreements with many tribes and today we have lifted the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from more than 66 per cent of the area and restored peace. In the eight years of the previous government from 2006 to 2014, there were 8,700 incidents in the northeast, whereas in the 8 years of the Modi government, these incidents have come down by about 70 per cent,” Shah said.

Shah noted that earlier 304 security personnel had died which now has seen 60 per cent reduction, the civilian death toll has also come down by 83 per cent compared to earlier and one can imagine how big a change has come in the northeast.

“Development takes place in an area where there is peace, whether it is Left Wing Extremism affected areas or the northeast, which is mainly inhabited by tribes. A safe northeast and safe Left Wing Extremism-prone areas of Central India will pave the way for tribal welfare,” Shah said.

Noting that the Modi government has done much work for the respect of tribals, he further said, “Prime Minister Modi has given glory to the tribal leaders who have been rejected and forgotten in many states. Be it the Khasi-Garo movement, the Mizo movement, the Manipur movement, the bravery of Veer Durgavati or the sacrifice of Rani Kamlavati, the Modi government has glorified all of them. We have also decided to celebrate Adivasi Tribal Pride Day by associating with Lord Birsa Munda. We are also building 10 museums at a cost of about Rs 200 crore,” he said.

The union home minister further said that previous governments used to talk about tribal welfare, but houses of tribals did not have water, toilet, and health cards, there was no housing scheme, and they did not receive the Kisan Samman Nidhi.

Shah listed that today, water has reached 1.28 crore tribal houses under the ‘Har Ghar Jal Yojana’, 1.45 crore tribals have toilets in their homes, 82 lakh tribal families have been given Ayushman cards, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana houses were provided to more than 40 lakh tribal families and about 30 lakh tribal farmers are getting the benefit of the Kisan Samman Nidhi.

“Prime Minister Modi has closely monitored all these schemes and brought them to the ground for implementation. The Prime Minister has done this for tribal welfare in eight years, and he has full faith that after the completion of this research centre, for the first time in a structural way, welfare of tribals in the country will be looked after, by accommodating even the smallest tribes,” Shah added.