What is the Free Movement Regime (FMR)?

About Free Movement Regime (FMR):

• Under the FMR, all the hill tribes, whether they are citizens of India or Myanmar, can travel within 16 km on either side of the Indo-Myanmar Border (IMB).
• They can cross the border by producing a border pass with a one-year validity issued by the competent authority and can stay up to two weeks per visit.
• The FMR was implemented in 2018 as part of the Central government’s Act East policy.
• FMR is implemented by both governments for the people living along the IMB.
• This helps locals get more culturally assimilated with trans-border villages through weddings, celebrating common festivals together, and trans-border trade.
• It is a reflection of the physical, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and fraternal linkages among the trans-border villagers.

Key Facts about Indo-Myanmar Border (IMB):

• It runs for 1,643 km in the four states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• It runs from the tripoint with China in the north to the tripoint with Bangladesh in the south.
• Assam Rifles is tasked with guarding the IMB.