Free Movement Regime (FMR)

Free Movement Regime (FMR): In February 2024, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the scrapping of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along the Myanmar border.

• No official notification by the Ministry of External Affairs or bilateral agreement with Myanmar has been issued so far.
• About FMR: Introduced in 1968 for people with familial and ethnic ties across the border.

o Allows all hill tribes (citizens of India and Myanmar) to travel within 16 km on either side of the Indo-Myanmar Border (IMB).

o Travelers must produce a border pass with a one-year validity issued by the competent authority.

o Each visit permits a stay of up to two weeks.

oImplemented in 2018 as part of the Central government’s Act East policy.

o Jointly implemented by both India and Myanmar for communities living along the IMB.

o Facilitates cultural assimilation, including weddings, common festivals, and trans-border trade.

o Reflects physical, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and fraternal linkages among trans-border villagers.

• Key Facts about Indo-Myanmar Border (IMB): It’s total extension of 1,643 km along with Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.

o Extends from: North – Tripoint with China & South – Tripoint with Bangladesh.

o Guarded by: Assam Rifles.