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The Assam government has announced increasing the daily wage of tea garden workers by Rs 30 from next month, an official notification said. The hike will be applicable for workers in estate gardens as well as in small tea gardens in the state, which is the country's largest tea-producing state. "Consequent upon the recommendation of Minimum Wages Advisory Board for tea plantation workers of Assam in its meeting on 26.2.2026, Governor of Assam is pleased to allow an interim increase of Rs 30 in the interim minimum wages of the tea plantation workers with effect from 1.4.2026," the notification issued on March 7 said. Accordingly, tea workers in Brahmaputra valley will receive Rs 280 per day against the existing Rs 250, while those in Barak valley will be paid Rs 258 daily against the current Rs 228 from April one. The increase in the interim wages will also be applicable for workers engaged in small tea gardens both in Brahmaputra and Barak valley, the notification added. The minim
Emphasising that women empowerment has been central to Assam's growth story, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday, on the occasion of International Women's Day, said that nearly 40 lakh 'Orunodoi' beneficiaries will receive Rs 9,000 each next week. The consolidated payment comprising grants for four months along with an additional amount will be made on Tuesday, making it a record bank transfer of Rs 3,600 crore on a single day under a government scheme, he claimed. The single-day transfer to women beneficiaries comes as the state gears up for Assembly elections, when the BJP-led government will seek a third straight term. "On March 10 at 10.30 am, 40 lakh Orunodoi families will receive Rs 9,000 each," Sarma said in a Facebook Live. Orunodoi is a flagship poverty alleviation scheme of the current government, under which eligible women beneficiaries receive Rs 1,250 per month. On the occasion, meetings will be held at the local level across the state, and the CM invited the
More than one lakh mature full-grown trees have been felled across Assam since May 2016, when the BJP formed its first government in the state, for various public and private projects, according to official records. The Assam government, on the other hand, said that all these trees were cut in "dire necessity" to develop the projects, while more than 3.5 crore saplings have been planted in the last two years alone to compensate the loss in green cover. However, experts from different state-run institutions opined that cutting so many trees have resulted in "significant ecological loss" and comparing felling of mature trees with planting saplings is "problematic", while terming it "scientifically concerning" for no study to assess the impact. Replying to a set of queries sent to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) through an application under the Right to Information Act, 15 out of 44 wildlife and territorial divisions across Assam have said that 1,06,896 trees have been
Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah on Sunday joined the ruling BJP in the presence of its state unit president Dilip Saikia here. Borah became a BJP member during a function held at the Assam BJP headquarters 'Vajpayee Bhawan'. Along with him, former Congress worker Sanju Bora, too, joined the saffron party. Borah had resigned on February 16, with the Congress high command not accepting it and senior leaders rushing to his residence, while Rahul Gandhi also spoke to him. He had asked for time to reconsider his decision, but the next day, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma went to his residence and announced that he would join the BJP on February 22. The 126-member Assam assembly is expected to go to polls in March-April.
Asserting that if India can be free of Naxals, it can also be free of infiltrators, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the illegal immigrants would be removed not only from the electoral rolls but also from the country in the next five years. Shah was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for a new campus of the Assam Police 10th Battalion, which he said would be constructed on land freed from encroachments by infiltrators. "It is, however, not enough to evict the infiltrators from the encroached land as they will go and settle elsewhere... They must be removed from the country," he said. Attacking Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Shah said that the Congress leader had once said that infiltrators would be removed, but the "Congress can't do so as illegal immigrants are its votebank". Congress' policy of protecting the infiltrators has threatened Assam's 'jati' (people), 'mati' (land) and 'bheti' (foundation), he alleged. "If t
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Barak Valley on March 14 to launch the Rs 22,000-crore expressway connecting Guwahati and Silchar. The expressway will enable travel between Guwahati and Silchar in four-and-a-half hours from over eight hours at present, he told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Silchar. The tender process is complete and clearance from the wildlife board has also been obtained, Sarma said. ''The acquisition of land has also progressed well and construction of roads will begin soon,'' he said. The PM will also inaugurate the Silchar flyover during his visit, Sarma said. Assembly polls are due in Assam in a few months. On the proposed greenfield airport in Silchar, the CM said the state government received the environmental clearance for it on Thursday. ''Now, it will need approval of the state cabinet... time is less now, but we will try to start the process by March. If it is not possible,
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the new terminal of the Guwahati airport will commence operations from February 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the new terminal of the Lokpriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport (LGBIA) on December 20. ''From an open space to a world-class gateway in just a few years. This transformation reflects a clear vision for a more connected and confident Assam,'' Sarma said in a post on X. ''Inaugurated by Adarniya Shri @narendramodi ji, the @GuwahatiAirport opens its doors to the world from Feb 22,'' he said. Domestic and international flights are likely to operate from the new terminal by March, while the old terminal will be converted into a cargo hub, an official said. The Rs 4,000-crore Integrated Terminal-2 Building is designed to handle 13.1 million passengers per year, he said. The airport is named after Assam's first chief minister, whose 80-foot statue was also unveiled by Modi outside the terminal.
US chip firm Qualcomm Technologies and Tata Electronics have signed a pact under which Tata Electronics will manufacture Qualcomm Automotive Modules in Assam, a joint statement said on Friday. With this new cooperation, Tata Electronics joins Qualcomm Technologies' global network of module manufacturing partners aimed at supporting the growing global demand for modular automotive platforms. "Aligned with the 'Make in India' initiative, Qualcomm Technologies will manufacture Qualcomm Automotive Module products in India at Tata Electronics' upcoming semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facility in Jagiroad, Assam," the statement said. The collaboration aims to enable local production of automotive technologies for digital cockpits, infotainment, connectivity, and intelligent vehicle systems, addressing growing demand from Indian and global automakers while enhancing supply chain flexibility and geographic diversification. Qualcomm Automotive Modules integrate the Snapdragon Digital
In a major jolt to the opposition Congress in Assam ahead of the assembly polls, its former state president Bhupen Borah will join the BJP on February 22, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday after meeting him. Sarma visited Borah's residence in the Ghoramara area of Guwahati, a day after the senior leader resigned from the Congress. The CM was welcomed by Borah's wife and son with 'aarti'. After the over one and a half hours long meeting, Sarma announced that Borah will join the BJP along with his supporters, and state BJP president Dilip Saikia will finalise the modalities. "Borah, along with some of his supporters, will join the BJP in Guwahati, but there will be another joining programme at Lakhimpur from where he hails, as many Congress members have expressed their desire to follow his steps," Sarma said, with the veteran leader by his side. The CM claimed that Borah's joining the BJP would show that Congress is not a place for Hindus. "He is the last recognise
Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog on Tuesday presented a Rs 62,294.78 crore interim budget for the financial year 2026-27, ahead of the assembly elections due in a couple of months. Tabling her last budget before the state goes into polls, Neog said Assam is, at present, the fastest-growing state in India as per the RBI data. "I seek a vote on account on the demands for grants for the initial months of the financial year 2026-27, amounting to Rs 62,29,478.30 lakh to enable the government to carry on with its normal services pending full budget," she said. In her 33-page budget speech, Neog said Assam is poised to become a Rs 10 lakh crore economy by 2028, ahead of the state's own 2030 target for the same. "At constant prices, the state's Gross State Domestic Product expanded by 45 per cent between FY 2019-20 and FY 2024-25, significantly outperforming the national growth average of 29 per cent," she added. The finance minister said Assam's per capita income has more than doubled
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said the doors of the BJP were open for Bhupen Borah, hours after the former state Congress chief resigned from the party. Sarma also said that if Borah joins the BJP, he would try to get him elected from a "safe seat". Borah sent his resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge earlier in the day, dealing a blow to the party ahead of the Assam assembly polls. In the letter, he claimed that he was being "ignored" by the party leadership and not being accorded his due in the state unit. Borah was the president of the Assam Congress unit from 2021 to 2025, and was replaced by Gaurav Gogoi last year. He has been a two-time legislator in Assam. Sarma said Borah was the "last Hindu leader" in the Congress without a family background father or mother not occupying a ministerial post or being an MLA. ''His resignation carries the symbolic message that in the Congress, no one from a normal family can prosper. Congress doe
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain petitions seeking action against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over a viral video purportedly showing him taking aim and firing with a rifle at members of a particular community. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi asked the petitioners to approach the Gauhati High Court with their grievances. The top court also asked the chief justice of the Gauhati High Court to expedite the hearing in the matter. "Why haven't you gone to the Gauhati High Court? Don't undermine its authority Will ask parties to use restraint and remain within the boundaries of constitutional morality, but this is becoming a trend just before the polls. "This is a disturbing trend that every matter ends up here. We have already deprived high courts of environmental and commercial litigations," the bench observed. During the hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi submitted that Sarma is a habitual and .
The Union Cabinet has approved a Rs 18,662-crore project to construct a four-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor between Gohpur and Numaligarh, featuring India's first road-cum-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra river in Assam. Currently, the connectivity between Numaligarh on NH715 and Gohpur on NH-15 is 240 km -- from the existing Kaliabhambhora road bridge near Silghat on NH-52, which takes 6 Hours passing through Numaligarh, Kaziranga National Park, and Biswanath Town, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) said in a statement on Saturday. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the construction of a four-lane, access-controlled greenfield road connecting Gohpur on NH-15 to Numaligarh on the 715 section, including a 15.79 km road-cum-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra River, to be developed at a total cost of Rs 18,662 crore in Assam, it added. The project will be developed on an engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) model, MoRTH said. This
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched an all-out attack on the Congress, accusing it of neglecting the Northeast and promoting insurgency in Assam during its rule. Addressing BJP workers at a rally here, Modi alleged that the Congress always endangered the nation's security, with fear and insecurity prevailing during its tenure in Assam. ''The Congress indulged in polarisation and vote bank politics, and took decisions that promoted these,'' he said. "The partition of the country took place due to the Muslim League, but now there is 'MMC' Maoist, Muslim, Congress and people should be aware,'' Modi said. The PM accused the Congress of protecting infiltrators, but the BJP is "committed to end illegal immigration, and so the next five years are very important for the state''. He also claimed that the Congress, being out of power in Assam for 10 years, is "more dangerous than when it was in power, and this is evident from the venomous statements made by its leaders". Fo
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated several projects in Assam, including a bridge on the Brahmaputra River, an IIM and a data centre for the northeastern region. The projects, which were rolled out months ahead of Assam assembly elections, aim to boost connectivity, strengthen digital infrastructure, promote higher education and enhance public transport. Modi reached the state on a day-long visit to inaugurate an emergency landing facility (ELF) at Moran in Dibrugarh district and launch projects worth over Rs 5,500 crore. The first project the prime minister inaugurated in the state capital was a six-lane bridge over the Brahmaputra River. He launched the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, built at a cost of around Rs 3,030 crore. The six-lane extradosed Prestressed Concrete (PSC) bridge will connect Guwahati with North Guwahati and is the first extradosed bridge in the Northeast. After the inauguration, Modi took a walk on the bridge. Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Achar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday unveil a range of projects in Assam, including a bridge over the Brahmaputra River and a data centre for the northeastern region. Modi reached the state on a day-long visit to inaugurate an emergency landing facility (ELF) at Moran and launch projects worth over Rs 5,500 crore. The projects aim to boost connectivity, strengthen digital infrastructure, promote higher education and enhance public transport, officials said. The PM will inaugurate Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu across the Brahmaputra in Guwahati, built at a cost of around Rs 3,030 crore. The six-lane extradosed Prestressed Concrete (PSC) bridge will connect Guwahati with North Guwahati and is the first extradosed bridge in the Northeast. It will cut travel time between Guwahati and North Guwahati to just seven minutes. Presently, only the Saraighat Bridge in Jalukbari area connects the two banks of the Brahmaputra in the capital region, with the travel time taking around 30 ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a historic landing at the first Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) of the northeast aboard the C-130J aircraft in Assam's Dibrugarh district. Modi took off from the Chabua airfield after his arrival, and landed at the ELF in Moran on a stretch of National Highway-37. The Rs 100-crore ELF, a 4.2-km reinforced stretch on the Moran Bypass, which was inaugurated by the PM, will act as a strategic and multi-functional runway for IAF fighter jets and transport aircraft, strengthening defence, logistics and disaster response, officials said. The facility is designed for both civil and military use, serving as an alternative to the Dibrugarh airport in case of emergency, they said. The PM was received at the ELF by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh and other ministers of the Assam cabinet. After landing on the runway, Modi drove to the venue nearby from where he witnessed an aerial
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to consider listing another plea filed by four people seeking a direction against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over a series of alleged hate speeches targeting Muslims in the state. On Tuesday, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant had agreed to list for hearing a separate plea of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and CPI leader Annie Raja seeking action against the chief minister over a viral video allegedly showing him taking aim and firing with a rifle at members of the Muslim community. On Wednesday, the bench was urged to list the fresh plea along with the one filed by Left leaders. "We will see," the CJI said. The fresh petition was filed by former professor Hiren Gohain, former DGP of Assam Harekrishna Deka, senior journalist Paresh Chandra Malakar and senior advocate Santanu Borthakur. The plea alleged that the chief minister has repeatedly made statements that incite discrimination, social and economic boycott and ..