State govt examining committee report on Clause 6 of Assam Accord, MHA tells Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: A committee, set up by the Centre for putting forward recommendations for the implementation of Clause 6 of the 1985 Assam Accord, has submitted its report to the state government and it is under examination, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said, “The High Level Committee for implementation of Clause 6 of Assam Accord, headed by Hon’ble Justice (Retd) B K Sharma, has submitted its report to the Assam government. The recommendations are under examination of the state government.” The committee was set up for giving recommendations for the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord that came at the culmination of a six-year-long movement (1979-85) against illegal immigration from Bangladesh. Clause 6 reads: “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.” According to the terms and conditions of the committee, it will “assess the appropriate level of reservation of seats in Assam Legislative Assembly and local bodies for the Assamese people”. “The committee will recommend the appropriate level of reservations in employment under the government of Assam for the Assamese people,” according to a home ministry notification. The committee, headed by Justice (Retd) BK Sharma, submitted its report to the Assam government in February 2020.