President of India Droupadi Murmu has granted assent to the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Bill 2026, which was passed by the Nagaland Assembly in September.
“I thank Hon’ble President of India, Smt. I thank @HMOIndia for coordinating the process. It’s a key step towards realising the aspirations of the people of Eastern Nagaland,” Rio posted.
Droupadi Murmu, for granting assent to the FNTA Bill 2026; unanimously passed by the NLA on Sept’ 3, 2026. Announcing this on Sunday, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio thanked President Murmu in a post on X.
During the transitional period, the state government will constitute an interim council to oversee the affairs of the FNTA until it is constituted through elections. Special constitutional provisions under Article 371A, along with the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, and exemption from Panchayati Raj will continue to apply to the FNTA without any amendment or dilution, according to the Bill. The Bill was drawn in line with a February 5 memorandum of agreement (MoA) signed between the Centre, the Neiphiu Rio-led Nagaland government and the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO).
