Guwahati, Sept 25: The Assam government and All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) took a significant step towards making 1951 as the baseline year and taking a step towards implementing Article 6 of the Assam Accord according to the recommendations by Retd. Judge Biplob Sarma Committee on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the government and AASU have agreed to use 1951 as the baseline year for identifying Assamese individuals.

“This decision marks a crucial milestone in our efforts to implement the Assam Accord,” Sarma said during a press conference.

The recommendations of Retired Judge Biplab Sarma committee on Article 6 were made public on this day, categorizing subjects into state, collaborative, and central government jurisdictions.

Sarma assured that the state government would urge the central government to engage with AASU on subjects under its jurisdiction and devise an action plan for state-level implementation by next month. The Chief Minister also stated that for public access the Assam Accord Implementation Department would upload the recommendations on its website by Thursday.

AASU chief advisor Sammujjal Bhattacharya expressed support for the developments, emphasizing the need for full implementation of the Biplab Sarma Committee’s recommendations.

The Barak Valley and Sixth Schedule areas will be exempt from Clause 6 implementation unless they decide to opt-in.

Implementation of the 40 state-level subjects is targeted by April 2025.

Clause 6 of the Assam Accord states that “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.”