Manipur’s Zomi people push for BTC-like council

State’s Zomi ethnic group has renewed its demand for a self-administered zone on the lines of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in Assam. Zomi council is an apex body of the Zomi tribes which include Gante, Kom, Mate, Paite, Simte, Tedim Chin, Thangkhal, Zou and Vaiphei.

• The Zomi Council, representing nine Zomi tribes, said it was banking on the decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Shah and Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh for the creation of Zoland Territorial Council (ZTC) under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
• SoO is the abbreviation for the tripartite suspension of operations among the Centre, the Manipur government and 25 extremist groups belonging to the Kuki-Zomi groups. 
• While 17 of these groups formed the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), eight came together as the United People’s Front (UPF).
• The SoO agreement was first signed by the underground Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) in 2005. The other groups came on board later.
• The KNO and UPF had demanded the creation of an autonomous hill state within Manipur . The demand evolved into that of a BTC-like territorial council

Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) :

• The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) is an autonomous district council for the Bodoland Territorial Region in India. It was established in February 2003.
• The BTC has 40 elected members and an additional six members that are appointed by the Governor of Assam. 
• The area under the BTC jurisdiction is officially called the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). The region falls within the geographical map of the least developed region in India.
• The agro-based economy is the only source of livelihood of the people. Industrialisation and other employment opportunities are scant.