President Droupadi Murmu gives assent to the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Bill 2026, passed unanimously by the Nagaland Assembly on September 3.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio announced the development on Sunday and thanked the President for her approval.

“I thank Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, for granting assent to the FNTA Bill 2026, unanimously passed by the NLA on Sept. 3, 2026. I thank @HMOIndia for coordinating the process. It's a key step towards realising the aspirations of the people of Eastern Nagaland,” Rio posted on X.

The Bill provides for the creation of the FNTA, granting legislative, executive and financial autonomy to six eastern districts: Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak and Shamator.

It aims to establish a system of decentralised self-governance within Nagaland, in line with the spirit of Article 371A of the Constitution. During the transition, the state government will form an interim council to manage the authority until elections establish the first FNTA. The council will serve for one year or until the first authority is constituted, whichever comes earlier.

The Bill also ensures that the special constitutional provisions under Article 371A, the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR), 1873, and the exemption from Panchayati Raj will continue without any changes or dilution.

The FNTA aims to help eastern Nagaland’s people fulfil their social, economic, educational, cultural and linguistic aspirations through democratic self-governance within the state.

The legislation follows a memorandum of agreement signed on February 5 between the Centre, the Nagaland government led by Rio and the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO).

The agreement came after prolonged discussions over the ENPO’s demand for a separate state for eastern Nagaland, raised in 2010 over alleged developmental gaps in the region. The organisation represents the Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Phom, Sangtam, Tikhir, Yimkhiung and Eastern Sumi tribes across the six districts.