Page 20 - Assam

Afspa extended in four districts of Assam due to situation in Bangladesh

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA, under which an area is declared "disturbed" for the convenience of security forces, was extended in four districts of Assam for six months in view of the "recent disturbances" in Bangladesh and its potentially inimical effect on the law and order situation, according to a notification issued on Tuesday. The districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo and Sivasagar will remain "disturbed area" under the AFSPA, it said. Reports from various agencies obtained through the police headquarters have indicated that "due to sustained efforts and proactive counter-insurgency measures of the Security Forces, the overall scenario in the State of Assam has significantly improved during the last few years and particularly during last three years", the notification said. "However, due to the recent disturbances in the neighbouring country Bangladesh and its potentially inimical effect on internal law and order situation, the Government of Assam ...

CBI takes over investigation of 41 online trading scam cases in Assam: CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially taken over the probe of 41 cases of the online stock trading scam registered across the state. "To ensure a fair investigation on the online stock trading scam, we requested Govt of India to formally hand over all 41 registered cases to the CBI," he said in a post on X. "The CBI is officially taking over this matter and the state government will extend all possible support to ensure that justice is served at the earliest," said Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio. The online trading scam in the state came to light during the last week of August when investors, who had put in huge amounts of money in 29-year-old Deepankar Barman's company, complained that he had not paid them the due returns and his office has been closed since August 21. He is absconding at present. The Assam cabinet in September decided to transfer 32 cases registered till then in connection

Assam CM gives appointment letter to youth in education, health sectors

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma handed over appointment letters to 385 youths in the health and education sectors on Monday, claiming that the government has already exceeded its election promise. At an official function, Sarma said with these new appointments, a total of 125,030 people have been given government jobs since he took office in May 2021. "Our government fulfilled its election promise of providing one lakh jobs long ago. No other government in Assam's history has created so many jobs in such a transparent and efficient manner," he said. The BJP had pledged to provide one lakh government jobs annually during the 2021 assembly election campaign but later clarified that this figure pertained to the entire five-year tenure. The Chief Minister noted that the process to fill around 35,000 additional posts is ongoing and that by May 2025, the total number of recruits is expected to surpass 150,000. "Health, Education, and Police have accounted for the highest number

Assam's innovative schemes being adopted by other states: CM Himanta

Despite being a small state, Assam is showing the way to other states which are adopting various innovative schemes being implemented by the BJP-led government here, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday. Inaugurating three co-districts under Kamrup (Metropolitan) district here, the chief minister said that Assam is the first state to operationalise the concept of co-districts which will revolutionise governance at the grassroots level by taking administration to the doorsteps of the people. "I am confident that other states of the country will also adopt this concept in the next four to five years though they will give different names to it," he said. Earlier, Assam's administrative machinery was modelled on that of West Bengal and other developed states as the British governed the region as a single administrative unit but "now we have adopted several landmark schemes which are inspiring the other states", Sarma said. He pointed out that schemes like Orundoi for wom

Guwahati idol-makers anxiously await end of rains to complete Durga idols

An anxious Ratan Paul peeks towards the entrance of his smoke-filled workshop in Guwahati's Pandu area, hoping to catch a bright ray of sunlight without the raindrops cutting it out. Paul claims not to have witnessed such a long spell of incessant rains in his career of nearly 50 years as a sculptor of idols as he, like other idol-makers in Assam's largest city, pray to the heavens to clear the weather so that they can complete their Durga idols in time. "I have been in this profession for 49 years now and never has it rained for so long before Durga Puja. We are really worried about how to complete the idols," Paul told PTI while giving the finishing touches to special decorative pieces of clay for the idols at his workshop. "We are using firewood, coal and even burners connected to LPG cylinders to dry the idols," he said, pointing to the sculpted idols being placed in groups around lit stoves with the smoke filling the entire workshop. Paul's son, Kanchan, who joined his family

Nobody got govt jobs without bribe in Cong tenure: Assam CM Sarma

Alleging that nobody during the Congress rule in Assam got government jobs without paying a bribe, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said he is aiming at providing employment to two lakh youths in his tenure. Addressing a function to hand over financial assistance to young entrepreneurs, he said already 1.4 lakh youths have got jobs in the state since he assumed charge as the CM. "The youths during the Congress rule could not believe that they would get government jobs without paying a bribe. Even for low-paying jobs, they were required to pay Rs 1 crore of bribe," he claimed. For the chairman post of the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC), the Congress government had chosen those who could "collect money" from job aspirants, Sarma alleged. "An era full of thorns has passed. Now, we have been able to conduct recruitment tests transparently without any bribe," he added. The CM said that 1.4 lakh youths have already "got government jobs against its target of one lakh"

News HIGHLIGHTS: Several Aam Aadmi Party leaders, workers join Congress in Delhi

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Mobile internet services to be suspended in Assam for eight hours today

The mobile internet services will remain suspended for eight hours on Sunday during a written examination for recruitment to Grade III posts."The mobile internet services will remain suspended across the state from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on September 29 during a written examination for recruitment to Grade III posts. Voice calls and broadband connectivity based on fixed telephone lines will remain functional," the state government said on Saturday."In the interest of holding free, fair and transparent written examination and also to prevent arising of any law and order issues having bearing on public safety, I, Shri Ajay Tewari, IAS, Addl. Chief Secretary to the Govt. of Assam, Home & Political Department, hereby promulgate this Notification under the provision of Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 read with the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017 to prohibit the Mobile Internet/ Mobile Wi-fi/ Mobile Data Service of ...

Mobile internet to be disabled in Assam for 8 hours on Sept 29 for job test

For the second time in September, mobile internet services in Assam will be disabled for eight hours on Sunday to prevent malpractices during the written examination for a recruitment test to Grade III posts. The suspension of mobile internet/ mobile data/ mobile wi-fi connectivity will be in place from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, an official release said on Saturday. All are requested to bear with the inconvenience in the interest of holding a free, fair and transparent recruitment examination and thereby securing the future of the youths of the state, the release, issued by the secretary, State Level Recruitment Commission for Class-III Posts, said. Mobile internet services were suspended for three-and-a-half hours on September 15 when the first phase of the written examination for Grade III posts was conducted. The written tests of the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE) for Grade III posts of bachelor degree level and HSLC level will be held in two halves on Sunday. The first

What is Clause 6 of Assam Accord? Himanta govt to implement its provisions

State govt to implement Clause 6 of Assam Accord recommendations, sets 1951 as cut-off year: What does this mean?

BJP membership in Assam has already crossed 4 mn: CM Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the number of BJP members in Assam has already crossed 40 lakh with the party setting a target of 50 lakh in the state. The membership drive is underway in all 126 assembly segments and will conclude across the state on October 9, a day before the Durga Puja festivities begin, Sarma told reporters after attending a programme here. A target of 40,000 members has been set for each constituency, and if any segment is 'unable to achieve the goal, we will again take up the drive there after Durga Puja', he said. 'Till last night, we had over 43,67,000 members and Assam has contributed 10 per cent of the party's total membership in the country...The BJP membership drive in constituencies held by its allies AGP and UPPL has also been very encouraging. The BJP members will also vote for the allies," Sarma said. The membership drive in the upper Assam constituencies has been 'very encouraging with around 10 segments having already .

'450 families evicted from Assam's forest to reduce man-elephant conflict'

Around 2,000 "illegal settlers" belonging to 450 families were evicted on Tuesday from 55-60 hectares of forest land in Goalpara district of Assam, an official said. Several government installations were also removed from that area during the eviction drive which will help prevent man-elephant conflict, he said. The exercise was carried out at Bandarmatha Reserve Forest, spread across 118 hectares, in Lakhipur Range in presence of a heavy posse of security personnel and civil and forest officials. "The eviction drive is being carried out as per a Gauhati High Court order directing that all reserve forest areas in Goalpara be cleared of encroachments. Man-elephant conflict is the highest in Goalpara in the entire country," Goalpara Divisional Forest Officer Tejas Mariswamy said. After clearing the area, an afforestation drive will be carried out and make it suitable for elephant habitation, he added. "We are clearing 55-60 hectares. Around 450 families consisting of about 2,000 peo

Assam's rhino population grows fivefold as poaching drops 86% since 2016

Kaziranga National Park houses 80 per cent of India's rhino population, while Orang National Park holds 4 per cent, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary 3 per cent, and Manas National Park 1 per cent

Assam Police Constable 2024 admit cards are out; check direct link here

The admit card for the Assam Police Constable 2024 PST/PET has been released by the State-Level Police Recruitment Board (SLPRB). Here's how to check and download

Kaziranga leads rhino conservation with training for 700 safari drivers

These initiatives were designed to engage the community and highlight the importance of protecting the one-horned rhino

Assam faces heatwave conditions, school timings changed in Dibrugarh

The order stated that school hours would start early and end accordingly and similar other guidelines

Four Bangladeshi infiltrators pushed back by Assam Police: CM Himanta

Assam Police on Friday pushed back two Bangladeshis who attempted to cross the international border at Karimganj district, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. He said on Thursday also Assam Police pushed back four Bangladeshis who attempted to cross the border in Karimganj district. "In line with our zero-tolerance policy toward illegal infiltration, earlier today @assampolice successfully pushed back the following Bangladeshi nationals who attempted to cross the International Border at Karimganj," Sarma posted on X on Friday. The two illegal immigrants were identified as Dilara Begum and Shoel Hawladar, he said. In another post on the micro-blogging site on Thursday evening, Sarma had said four Bangladeshi nationals were pushed back. "Maintaining strict vigil along the Indo-Bangladesh border, @assampolice identified four Bangladeshi nationals near the border in Karimganj," he said. They were identified as Romida Begum, Abdul Elahi, Marijna Begum and Abdul Sukkur. "They wer

Why Hemant Soren hosts Jinnah's party leaders but dislikes Shah: Himanta

Launching a frontal attack on Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday accused him of hosting Indian Union of Muslim League (IUML) leaders but "showing disdain" for BJP leaders including Amit Shah. A delegation of IUML comprising party MPs ET Mohammed Basheer, MP and Haris Beeran, besides MLA Mohammad Bashir, met Soren at his residence here during the day. A CMO statement said it was a "courtesy meeting". Sarma, who is also the BJP's co-incharge of assembly elections in Jharkhand that are scheduled later this year, took a jibe at Soren saying he has no hesitation in extending a warm welcome to a delegation of "Muslim League" founded by Muhammad Ali Jinnah but has objection to BJP leaders coming to his state. The Jharkhand government had earlier this month urged the EC to ask Union Home Minister Amit Shah to issue an advisory to BJP leaders Sarma and Shivraj Singh Chouhan to desist from "instigating" communal tension in the state fo

Assam's 3rd poverty alleviation scheme launched for 372K beneficiaries

The Assam government on Thursday rolled out the third edition of its flagship poverty alleviation scheme 'Orunodoi', covering 37.2 lakh beneficiaries for direct cash transfer. The 'Orunodoi 3.0' has upped the number of beneficiaries by over 12.5 lakh people across the state from 24.6 lakh recipients of the second edition of this scheme, and thus became the largest state-run DBT initiative in Assam ever. During the day, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the process of distributing Orunodoi Cards to new beneficiaries at a programme held here. The scheme, which is designed to empower women members of poor families, will deposit Rs 1,250 per month directly to their bank accounts on the 10th day of every month. "As substantial time has elapsed since its first launch, it has become essential to update information and implement the scheme with improved standards and procedures. Therefore, it has become vital to phase out Orunodoi 1.0 and Orunodoi 2.0, without transferring any ..

Assam villagers vacate homes as deadline to clear encroached land ends

A large number of families in Kochutoli village in Assam's Kamrup (Metropolitan) district, which witnessed violence during a recent eviction drive, started vacating their homes with the deadline to clear "encroached land" ending on Monday, officials said. The villagers were seen going with their belongings, including livestock, in vans. According to officials, these villagers are "illegal settlers in the tribal belt". Most of the alleged encroachers have land in other districts, like Darrang, Morigaon and Barpeta, and have started returning to their homes there, the officials said. The Kamrup (Metropolitan) district authorities have set September 16 as a deadline to vacate the Kochutoli village. Eviction notices were served to those "illegally occupying government land" and stringent action would be taken against those who would remain there after the deadline, one of the officials said. A team from the Sonapur Circle office and the police had gone to Kochutoli village to evict .