UKHRUL: A historic tripartite agreement was signed on Thursday between the Centre, the Government of Nagaland and the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO), marking a significant step towards granting executive, legislative and financial autonomy to the proposed Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT).
The agreement was signed at Kartavya Bhawan-3 in the presence of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah. The proposed arrangement will cover six districts—Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator and Tuensang. It is aimed at granting significant administrative, financial and legislative powers, while maintaining Nagaland’s territorial unity.
Speaking after the signing, Shah said the accord reflects the Centre’s continued focus on addressing unresolved concerns in the Northeast and described it as a major milestone in the region’s peace-building efforts. He noted that feelings of marginalisation had persisted in eastern Nagaland since the state’s formation and said the agreement represents a constructive response to those long-standing grievances.
The Home Minister recalled that the ENPO’s movement had stretched over more than a decade, including an election boycott in the past, and credited sustained engagement between the organisation and the state government for bringing the talks to fruition. He assured that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs would extend institutional and financial backing to the proposed territorial authority, with the Centre bearing initial development costs.
The ENPO, which represents seven Naga tribes from eastern Nagaland, had been pressing for separate statehood since 2010, citing neglect and lack of development. In April 2025, however, the organisation agreed to accept an autonomous framework as an interim solution. Formal negotiations intensified after meetings with the Union Home Minister in 2022 and were carried forward through a series of tripartite discussions facilitated by A.K. Mishra, Special Adviser to the MHA.
Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan said the agreement would help fulfil the developmental and administrative aspirations of the people of eastern Nagaland. While the detailed provisions of the pact have not yet been made public, officials indicated that it would spell out governance mechanisms, funding arrangements and functional authority for the FNT, alongside coordination safeguards with the state and central governments.
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Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio welcomed the agreement and acknowledged the role of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister in steering the process. He expressed confidence that the arrangement would foster trust and balanced development across the state, while reiterating that Nagaland’s territorial integrity would remain unaffected.
Officials also noted that earlier proposals for special constitutional provisions had been set aside due to concerns over state bifurcation. The present framework, they said, offers a compromise that enhances local self-governance without altering existing state boundaries.