Page 20 - Assam

Samsung, Hyundai looking at Indian shipbuilding industry: Sarbanda Sonowal

Sonowal is opening up the Indian seas and ports to the world. In an interview with Dhruvaksh Saha and Shreya Jai in New Delhi, he talks of about the ministry's plans

In 1st Cabinet meet, Soren forms panel to study Assam tea tribes' plight

Hours after JMM leader Hemant Soren was sworn in as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand, his government on Thursday approved the formation of a panel to study the plight of the "marginalised" tea tribes in Assam. The decision, taken in the first cabinet meeting of the Soren government, came against the backdrop of the poll battle between the JMM-led coalition and NDA, in which Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma repeatedly raised the issue of the "predicament" of Jharkhand's tribal community due to alleged large-scale infiltration from Bangladesh. "In Assam, tribes from Jharkhand are being marginalised. A large number of original inhabitants of Jharkhand are residing there. We have decided that an all-party panel will study the ground situation there. The panel will submit its report to the Jharkhand government," Soren said while briefing the media on the decisions of his first cabinet meeting. Sarma was the BJP's election co-in-charge for Jharkhand. Soren had raised the issu

Barring few incidents, Northeast free from law and order issue: Assam CM

ssam Chief Minister also proposed the establishment of tourism museums in New Delhi and Guwahati, which would play a crucial role in promoting Northeast India as a distinct tourism circuit

Kukis who fled Manipur will be sent back, talks to begin soon: Assam's KAAC

The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) in Assam said it will facilitate the return of around 1,000 Kuki-Zo people who took shelter in the Singhason hills since the outbreak of violence in Manipur last year. Meetings will be held with different stakeholders on the issue to facilitate the return of the Kuki-Zos who have come here, KAAC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang said. "We are not going to forcefully evict them but will facilitate their return after discussions with various social and political organisations, including those from the Kuki community," he said. Ronghang said land rights would be given only to people who have lived in the Karbi Anglong district since its establishment or have been longstanding permanent residents. "Individuals migrating from outside the district, particularly those from Manipur, would not be granted land rights through our initiative of distributing land documents," he said on the sidelines of a land rights distribution programme

No appeasement, justice to all: Himanta outlines strategy for Assam polls

Sarma emphasised that the BJP would focus on at least five key constituencies in Assam, particularly those with significant religious minority voters

Assam to host business summit in February, PM Modi to inaugurate: CM Sarma

Assam will be hosting a two-day business summit in February next year with a focus on attracting investment and developing the state's infrastructure, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Sunday. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the 'Advantage Assam 2.0 - the Global Infrastructure and Investors' Summit' on February 24, with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to be invited for the valedictory session. "We hosted the first 'Advantage Assam' investment summit in 2018, which led to agreements for investments of Rs 1 lakh crore. But due to the COVID pandemic, we could not hold any follow-up meet, even though the state has been attracting investments," Sarma said, addressing a press conference here. He maintained that good governance and peace have contributed to the state emerging as an investment destination. "Taking it forward, we will be hosting the two-day summit in February. The prime minister has already accepted our invitation, and we ar

Assam govt renames Karimganj district to Sribhumi; CM Sarma justifies move

The Assam government on Thursday changed the name of Karimganj district in the Barak Valley to Sribhumi, according to an official notification. The district headquarters Karimganj town has also been renamed Sribhumi town. "The Governor of Assam is pleased to rename the Karimganj district as Sribhumi district and Karimganj town as Sribhumi town," General Administration Department Principal Secretary Mukesh Chandra Sahu said in the notification. The changes will be applicable with immediate effect, it said. The Assam cabinet had on Tuesday decided to rename Karimganj district to Sribhumi. "Over 100 years ago, Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore had described modern-day Karimganj district in Assam as Sribhumi - the land of Maa Lakshmi. Today, the Assam cabinet has fulfilled this long-standing demand of our people," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said after the cabinet meeting. The decision to rename the district will reflect the expectations and aspirations of the people of the ...

Assam police seize fake currency notes worth Rs 60.58 lakh, 1 person held

Diganta Barah, Commissioner of Guwahati said that, based on input a team of Guwahati city police and staff of Inter State Bus Terminal police outpost had apprehended 1 person named Hafiz Ali

JPC meeting on Waqf Bill chaired by Jagatambika Pal begins in Guwahati

The meeting is part of the JPC's study tour in five cities namely Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow from November 9 to November 14

New India-Bhutan ICP at Land Port Darranga to be inaugurated to boost ties

The inauguration ceremony will be graced by the presence of Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Governor of Assam and Dasho Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan

Assam bypoll violence: Vehicles of Congress MLA, NSUI chief damaged

At least three vehicles in which two Assam Congress MLAs and NSUI national president travelled were damaged in bypoll-related violence at Samaguri in Nagaon district, police said on Wednesday. According to Kaliabor Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rupjyoti Dutta, the incident took place when the Congress leaders were addressing the public at Puthikhaiti village after inaugurating a new election office on Tuesday night. Barpeta MLA Abdur Rahim Ahmed, Golakganj MLA Abdus Sobahan Ali Sarkar and NSUI chief Varun Choudhary had travelled in the three vehicles. At the time of the attack, they were not in the vehicles. "A police case has been filed by Congress workers alleging that the attack was carried out by BJP supporters. We have seized the vehicles and are investigating the matter. The situation is under control now," Dutta told PTI. Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain, who was the Samaguri MLA before he was elected to Lok Sabha earlier this year, visited the site and demanded immediate ..

Assam: CM Himanta dismisses tree cutting controversy over Guwahati flyover

Amidst the ongoing row over cutting century-old trees to give way for a flyover, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that a section of people have created "unnecessary controversy" to target the developmental works of the government. The Gauhati High Court on Tuesday slapped notices on Assam government over its plans to cut around 25 century-old trees for construction of a four-lane 5.05 km long flyover, the longest in the city, from Dighalipukhuri tank to Noonmati at a cost of Rs 852.68 crore. "For the last six months, I have been noticing that one particular circle is trying to create an unnecessary controversy regarding the flyover and trees of Dighalipukhuri," Sarma told reporters after visiting the construction site near the pond around midnight on Tuesday. He said the second controversy was shifting the statue of doyen of Assam literature Sahityarathi Lakshminath Bezbaroa, and claimed that the flyover will pass above the statue and it will remain where it is .

Veteran Assamese actor-director Kulada Kumar Bhattacharya passes away at 91

Veteran Assamese actor and director Kulada Kumar Bhattacharya died at a private hospital here after a brief illness, his family said. He was 91. The award-winning screen and stage personality had been unwell for the last few days and had been admitted to the hospital, where he breathed his last at 8.20 pm on Friday, they said. The mortal remains of Bhattacharya will be taken to his residence and then to the city-based Surjya Theatre for people to pay their last respects. As Bhattacharya had donated his body to medical research, his mortal remains will be handed over to the authorities concerned, his family members said. Actively associated with films even in his advanced years, Bhattacharya won the Best Narration/Voice Over Award at the National Film Awards 2023 for his voice over for the documentary 'Hatibondhu'. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, condoling the death of Bhattacharya, wrote on X, "I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of veteran actor Kulada Kumar ...

Centre designates Assam's Darranga as authorised immigration check post

This designation allows for the entry into and exit from India for all classes of passengers with valid travel documents, following sub-rule (b) of rule 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 195

Assam govt to reconsider cutting century old trees for Guwahati flyover

Amidst ongoing public outcry, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the government will reconsider its plans to fell dozens of century-old trees in Guwahati to make way for a flyover. On Tuesday, prominent personalities and residents criticised the BJP-led government for planning to chop around 25 treessome as old as 200 yearsalong the banks of Dighalipukhuri tank for the project. The protests continued on Wednesday, with college students, citizens, and local leaders gathering at Dighalipukhuri to voice their concerns. "I want to assure you that the government is deeply committed to preserving our city's heritage and environment while advancing infrastructure. In constructing the flyovers from Dighalupukhuri to Noonmati, we are sincerely working to protect the old trees in the area. I urge all stakeholders to allow the Public Works Department a few days to explore an alternative proposal and assess its feasibility," Sarma said in a post on X. The government is .

Assam Cabinet approves 3% dearness allowance hike for state govt employees

The Assam Cabinet on Sunday approved 3-per cent dearness allowance (DA) hike for state government employees, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The increase will be effective from July this year, he said. Addressing a press conference after chairing a cabinet meet here, Sarma said, With this, the total DA will be 53 per cent, which is at par with central government employees. He said the increased DA will be payable with retrospective effect from July, and the arrear amount will be paid in four equal installments with the monthly salaries from January to April next year. The employees will draw salary with revised DA from December, the CM said. The cabinet also decided to do away with the earlier provision in the Assam Tea Plantation Provident Fund scheme, which barred a tea garden worker whose monthly wage is more than Rs 15,000 from getting provident fund (PF) benefits. As wages of the workers are now increasing, we do not want anyone to be deprived of PF benefits. Hence,

Recruitment test for grade 4 posts in Assam to be conducted on Oct 27

Written examination for various categories of grade 4 posts of Assam government will be conducted on Sunday amidst elaborate arrangements, including suspension of mobile internet services across the state during the test hours. The tests under the State Level Recruitment Commission (SLRC) will be held in two shifts in 28 districts, official sources said. Altogether 8,27,130 candidates are eligible to appear in the recruitment examination to be conducted for HSLC level posts in the first shift from 9 am to 11.30 am at 1,484 centres. A total of 5,52,002 candidates have applied to appear in the examination to be conducted for Class 8 level posts in the second shift from 1.30 pm to 4 pm at 808 centres. The examinations in the two shifts are being held for 5,023 posts, including 2,102 posts of read up to Class 8 level. Mobile internet services will remain suspended across the state from 8.30 am to 4 pm, the third such instance in two months. Mobile internet, mobile WiFi and mobile dat

Assam bypolls: 38 candidates file nominations for 5 assembly constituencies

A total of 38 candidates have filed their nomination papers for five assembly constituencies in Assam to be contested for the by-elections.By-elections for five assembly constituencies in Assam - Behali, Dholai, Samaguri, Bongaigaon and Sidli, will be held on November 13.On the last day of filing nomination papers, a total of 24 candidates filed their nominations for the five assembly constituencies on Friday.According to the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam, three candidates filed nominations for Dholai, one filed for Sidli, five filed for Bongaigaon, 12 filed for Samaguri and three candidates filed their nominations for Behali assembly constituency on Friday.With these nominations, the total number of candidates who have filed nominations is 38.The ruling BJP has fielded its candidates for three assembly seats - Behali, Samaguri and Dholai, while its ally parties Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) are contesting in Bongaigaon and Sidli respectively.The

ADB commits $434.25 million loan to improve energy security in Assam

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 434.25 million (about Rs 3,600 crore) loan to increase renewable energy capacity and improve energy security in Assam. Addressing the renewable energy capacity shortage in Assam is crucial to meet growing demand and reduce dependency on fossil fuels, ADB said in a statement on Friday. This project will help Assam develop a renewable energy road map and increase its solar energy capacity to achieve its target of 3,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030, it said. The Assam Solar Project will construct a grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) facility in Karbi Anglong district with a capacity of 500 MW, it said, adding the project will support the development of a grid-connected battery energy storage system to ensure grid stability and meet peak power demand. This storage system will be established through a joint venture between the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. Tripura Power Comp

Cong announces candidates for Assam, Madhya Pradesh Assembly bypolls

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge approved the proposals to nominate candidates for two assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh and four seats in Assam