Citing improved security in the Northeast, Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the Centre has decided to further reduce the jurisdiction of ‘disturbed areas’ under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. “With the consistent efforts of the Central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there has been an unprecedented improvement in the security situation in Northeast India, and, in a historic move, after decades, the Centre from April, 2022, had reduced disturbed areas under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur. Taking another important decision today, again from April 1, 2023, disturbed areas under AFSPA in these three states are being further reduced,” a Home Ministry statement said. Last year, the Centre removed AFSPA from several districts across Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. While the notification was removed from the entire state of Assam, except nine districts and one sub-division of another district; in Manipur, 15 police station areas of six districts were taken out of the disturbed area notification; and in Nagaland, it was withdrawn from 15 police stations of seven districts. With the latest decision, starting April 1, the Disturbed Areas notification will be lifted from one more district in Assam, four more police stations in Manipur and three more police stations in Nagaland. This means that AFSPA will now be restricted to only eight districts of Assam. In Manipur, after last year’s announcement and the latest one, the statement said, AFSPA has been removed from a total of "19 police stations in seven districts of Manipur"; and in Nagaland, a total of "19 police stations in seven districts of Manipur have been removed from the disturbed area notification under AFSPA". Minister Shah said that the decision to further reduce the jurisdiction of areas under AFSPA has been taken in view of the significant improvement in the security situation in the Northeast. “Prioritising the security, peace and development of the Northeast was done for the first time, as a result of it, the region today is rapidly heading on the path of peace and development," minister Shah said. "Due to the effective steps taken by the Central government, there has been a significant improvement in the security situation in the Northeastern states and pace of the development has increased. Compared to the year 2014, there is a reduction of 76 per cent in the extremist incidents in the year 2022. Similarly, the deaths of security personnel and civilians have come down by 90 per cent and 97 per cent respectively during this period,” read the statement. An MHA spokesperson further said, “Realising PM Modi’s vision of a peaceful and prosperous Northeast, several peace accords were implemented in the Northeastern states in the last four years. As a result of which, most of the extremist groups expressing faith in the Constitution of the country and the policies of the government have laid down their arms and became partners in the peace and development of the Northeast.” Reacting to the development, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the region was “witnessing a golden era”. “This second reduction, in less than a year, is reflective that the governance model led by Hon PM @narendramodi ji, rests on the twin pillars of decisiveness and responsiveness,” Sarma wrote in a series of tweets. Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh said that the step was a result of a “significant improvement in the law and order situation in the state.” “This historic moment was achieved, following the era of peace and prosperity that came in the state with the arrival of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi led BJP government in Manipur” he tweeted. Later, speaking to the media, Singh said, “With the financial assistance provided by the government of India, the state government has been able to persuade many underground organizations/insurgent groups to come to the table for peace talks or to surrender and join the mainstream.” Nagaland Rajya Sabha MP S Phangnon Konyak called it a “bold step” which “highlights the people’s confidence in the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. On Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued two separate gazette notifications, extending for six months the disturbed area status in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland under the AFSPA. With inputs from ENS, Guwahati, Imphal