| Staff REPORTER |
Itanagar, Mar 9: A total of 165 underground (UG) cadres surrendered in the insurgency-infested Tirap-Changlang-Longding (TCL) region of Arunachal Pradesh between 2020 and 2025. This information was provided by Home Minister Mama Natung in a written reply in the State Assembly on Monday.
The TCL region—comprising Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts—has long witnessed insurgent activities linked mainly to factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland and other underground groups operating along the Indo-Myanmar border.
According to the year-wise data presented in the Assembly, Longding recorded the highest number of surrenders with 77, followed by Tirap with 47 and Changlang with 41. The year 2021 saw the maximum number of militants (62) laying down arms, followed by the years 2022 and 2023 with 42 and 34 surrenders respectively, reflecting intensified counter-insurgency operations and sustained outreach by security forces and the state government.
To facilitate the reintegration of surrendered cadres into mainstream society, the State Government is implementing a Surrender and Rehabilitation Scheme, which provides financial assistance, stipends, vocational training and other rehabilitation benefits.
Under the financial assistance component, a stipend of Rs 22.68 lakh has been sanctioned for 21 inmates of the first batch for an 18-month period (January 2025 to June 2026). Additionally, Rs 3.9 lakh has been disbursed as stipend to five inmates of the second batch for 13 months (June 2025 to June 2026).
The government has also deposited Rs 4 lakh per inmate as an immediate grant in fixed deposits in the bank accounts of 26 surrendered cadres, which can be withdrawn after completion of three years of stay at the rehabilitation camp as per prescribed norms.
To enhance employability, short-term vocational training programmes are being conducted at ITI Roing since November 2025, covering all 26 surrendered cadres currently lodged at the Rehabilitation Camp at Bhismaknagar in Lower Dibang Valley district. The government has allocated Rs 8.17 lakh for these training programmes during the 2025-26 financial year.
However, the minister clarified that no direct employment provision or housing assistance currently exists under the scheme, though the vocational training is expected to improve livelihood opportunities for the rehabilitated cadres.
He added that the government continues to monitor the reintegration and livelihood status of surrendered militants and is strengthening rehabilitation measures to ensure lasting peace and stability in eastern Arunachal Pradesh.