Consider the following statements regarding the administration of the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) during the early post-independence period: 1. Verrier Elwin served as the prominent anthropological advisor whose philosophy guided the formulation of the tribal policy for NEFA. 2. The administration of NEFA was immediately transferred from the Ministry of External Affairs to the Government of Assam upon independence. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Statement 1 is correct because the noted anthropologist Verrier Elwin played a foundational role as an advisor to the Government of India, shaping the North-East Frontier Agency's tribal policy based on respect for indigenous culture, land rights, and self-development. Statement 2 is incorrect because NEFA continued to be administered directly by the Union Government through the Governor of Assam as its agent until 1965, when administrative control shifted to the Ministry of Home Affairs. This special governance structure protected tribal autonomy during the formative decades of the republic.