Page 21 - Assam

Assam orders suspension of mobile net on Sunday for govt recruitment exam

The Assam government on Saturday ordered suspension of mobile internet services across the state for three-and-half hours from 10 am on September 15 during a written examination for recruitment to Grade III posts. Voice calls and broadband connectivity based on fixed telephone lines will remain functional, a notification said. The notification, signed by Ajay Tewari, additional chief secretary, Home and Political department, said it has been issued in the interest of holding free, fair and transparent public examination and also to prevent arising of any law and order issues having bearing on public safety. Mobile Internet/ mobile data/ mobile wi-fi services in the entire state will remain suspended from 10 am to 1.30 pm on Sunday. It is however clarified that the voice calls and the broadband connectivity based on fixed telephone lines may remain functional during the aforesaid period, the notification said. According to it, 11,23,204 candidates are scheduled to appear for the e

Centre grants in-principle approval to oil exploration in Assam's sanctuary

The Union environment ministry has granted in-principle approval to divert around 4.50 hectares of forest land in Assam, home to the endangered hoolock gibbon, for oil and gas exploration by a Vedanta Group company. Cairn Oil & Gas will carry out exploratory oil drilling in the ecosensitive zone of the Hoollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Jorhat district, the sole habitat for India's only ape species. The ministry's Forest Advisory Committee approved the diversion of 4.49 hectares of forest land during a meeting on August 27, according to minutes published on the Parivesh portal. On August 8, Assam's principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) and chief wildlife warden recommended the clearance, saying that the project served "national interest". The project site is located within the ecosensitive zone of the sanctuary, an area also used by wild elephants to move between the sanctuary and the Dessoi Valley Reserve Forest, the official noted. "Conservation and management

Assam CM urges ULFA(I) to refrain from activity jeopardising Assam's future

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday called upon proscribed ULFA(I) head Paresh Barua not to indulge in any activity that will jeopardise the future of the youth when the state is poised to "become a powerhouse" in the next ten years. The planting of bombs across the state on August 15 is a "matter of deep concern which may affect the ongoing growth and development of the state", Sarma said at The Assam Tribune's Dialogue 2024' here. "We are marching strongly and resolutely. I am sure if the state remains peaceful, the eco-system remains the same and there is cooperation and enthusiasm among the youth, then we will become a powerhouse in India's landscape in the next ten years'', Sarma said. There is, however, deep concern regarding the planting of explosives across the state, he said, adding, "I take this platform to urge the ULFA(I) chief not to indulge in any activity that will jeopardise the future of the state's youth". The police had unearthed bomb-like ...

Assam mulls withdrawing 81K petty and minor cases, cabinet approves SOP

The Assam cabinet decided to amend the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the withdrawal of petty and minor cases in subordinate courts to allow time for serious offences, and decongest jails by releasing undertrial prisoners. This will lead to the withdrawal of 81,000 petty and minor cases till March 2024, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after the cabinet meeting on Friday. The council of ministers also approved the proposal to establish a Centre of Excellence in aerospace, defence, automotive and electric vehicle industries and others by Dassault Systems Private Ltd, he said. Dassault will invest Rs 200 crore along with external monitoring, advisory and implementation support, while the state government will put in Rs 40 crore in the project. As a part of this initiative, 3,000 engineering graduates will be trained in robotics, aerospace, defence, AI and more, Sarma said. The cabinet also approved the procurement of 100 mw of wind-solar hybrid power from NTPC, which

Two dead, 7 injured in police retaliation against mob attack: Assam CM

Sarma said that the eviction drive was conducted peacefully but the situation became worse after Congress' interruption

Ex-Assam Congress chief Ripun Bora returns to party from TMC after 2 years

Former Assam Congress chief Ripun Bora, who had recently resigned as the state Trinamool Congress president, returned to the grand old party on Sunday. AICC general secretary in-charge of the state, Jitendra Singh, welcomed Bora back into the party fold at the beginning of an Extended Executive Committee meeting at Charaideo. Besides Singh, state Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah, Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia and other leaders were present on the occasion. "On behalf of AICC, I welcome Ripun Bora back into the party. It is a 'ghar wapsi' (returning home) for him," Singh said. He maintained that though Bora may have joined TMC and became its state president, Congress is in his DNA. "We are happy that he has returned without any condition. He is with us as a party member," Singh added. Bora, expressing happiness on returning to the Congress, said, "For whatever reasons, I had left Congress for two-and-a-half-years. But it is the demand of the state and country that BJP

Assam Police form 14 SITs to investigate unregulated deposit scheme cases

DGP GP Singh detailed that the Assam Police's action against unregulated deposit schemes has spanned 14 districts, resulting in 28 cases being registered and 59 arrests made

'Will implement 52 recommendations on Clause 6 of Assam Accord', says CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that his government will implement 52 recommendations of the Justice Biplab Sarma committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord to safeguard the interests of the indigenous people. These recommendations of the panel will be implemented by April 15, he said. The Clause 6 of the Assam Accord states that appropriate constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards will be provided to protect cultural, social and linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people. "The implementation of the committee's recommendations can be divided into three parts- 52 of which can be implemented directly by the state government, five jointly by the state and the central governments, while the rest comes within the purview of the Centre," Sarma said at a press conference here. Notably, the state cabinet, in its meeting on Wednesday, had decided to implement 57 of the 67 recommendations of the committee. The cabinet had discussed in .

New Aadhaar applicants in Assam need to submit NRC receipt number: CM Sarma

All new applicants for Aadhaar cards in Assam need to submit their NRC application receipt number (ARN), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday. 'Applications for Aadhaar cards are more than the population...It indicates that there are doubtful citizens and we have decided that new applicants will have to submit their NRC application receipt number (ARN)," the chief minister said at a press conference here. This will "stop the influx of illegal foreigners" and the state government will be 'very strict" in issuing Aadhaar cards, he said. "It will not be easy to get Aadhaar in Assam," Sarma said. Submission of the NRC application receipt number will not be applicable for the 9.55 lakh people whose biometrics were locked during the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process, and they will get their cards, he added. Sarma also said his government will "intensify the process of identification of illegal foreigners as several Bangladeshis were apprehended in the last two .

No govt in 78 years provided 100K jobs in its tenure like us: CM Himanta

Stating that over one lakh recruitments have taken place during his tenure, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday claimed no government since Independence provided jobs to so many youths in its ruling period. Addressing a function to distribute permanent appointment letters to 23,956 contractual teachers and state pool teachers, Sarma said the government will give jobs to another 50,000 youths by next year. "Prior to today's appointments, we have given jobs to 1,00,389 youths, which fulfilled our promise of providing one lakh jobs. If we consider today's appointments, there will be 1,24,345 jobs till now since May 2021," he said. The BJP had promised to provide one lakh government jobs every year in Assam, during the campaigning of the 2021 assembly polls, but later modified that the figure was for the entire five-year tenure. "In 78 years of Independence, no government could give one lakh appointments at one time. Our government has crossed that golden phase and we ho

Assam ADRE Admit Card 2024 out; here's how to check and download

The SLRC has released the Assam ADRE admit card 2024. Candidates who have applied for the examination can check and download the admit card through the official website, sebaonline.org

Assam TMC president Ripun Bora resigns, cites party's regional perception

Assam Trinamool Congress president Ripun Bora on Sunday resigned from the party, claiming that the people of the northeastern state consider it as a "regional party" of West Bengal and are "not willing to accept" it as their own. In a letter to All India Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the former Rajya Sabha member said he had offered many suggestions to party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to make TMC acceptable in Assam, but those were "not implemented". "Assam TMC has great potential, but several recurring issues have hindered our progress, including the perception of TMC as a regional party of West Bengal. To counter this perception, we made several suggestions," Bora said in his resignation letter. He claimed that he had suggested the need for an Assamese leader at the national level of TMC, declaring the residence of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika at Tollygunge in Kolkata as a heritage site and converting the Madhupur Satra at .

Heavy rain inundates several roads in Guwahati, normal life affected

A spell of heavy rain early on Sunday inundated several arterial roads and residential areas in Assam's Guwahati, disrupting vehicular movement and causing inconvenience to residents of the capital city of the northeastern state. People were seen wading through knee-deep waters in some areas of the city while the water level reached up to the chest in several localities. Inundation was reported from Zoo Road, Nabin Nagar, Ganeshguri, Hedayetpur, Guwahati Club, Ulubari, Hatigaon, Gita Nagar, Maligaon, Lachit Nagar, Chandmari, Panjabari, Jorabat, Jatia, Jyotikuchi and Ghoramara and RG Baruah Road areas. The three-hour downpour also led to waterlogging in GS Road, Anil Nagar, VIP Road, Tarun Nagar, Rajgarh Road, Jorabat, Rukmini Gaon, Survey and Chatribari areas in the city. Vehicles on GS Road were stopped at Dispur from moving further towards Choy Mile due to flooding in Rukmini Gaon area. They were also diverted through the Last Gate point along Survey-Beltola Road, which was also

Wages of Assam tea workers meagre, welfare scheme implementation poor: CAG

Wages of tea garden workers in Assam are meagre, with several shortcomings and areas of concern in implementation of labour laws and worker welfare provisions, a recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has said. It also found the state government's intervention in fixing wages as per the Minimum Wage Act (MW Act) insufficient, noting that efforts to improve the lives of the workers have fallen short of making any substantial change. The performance audit on Implementation of Schemes for Welfare of Tea Tribe' for the period 2015-16 to 2020-21 maintained that low income and lack of education have been major barriers to the overall development of the workers in the state. The audit was performed in four zones Cachar, Dibrugarh, Nagaon and Sonitpur. There are 390 tea estates in the four sampled zones, of which 40 estates (10 per cent) were selected based on the size of the plantations and number of workers employed. Apart from scrutiny of records, the exercise included ...

Focus on quality rather than quantity: Assam govt to tea industry

Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota on Saturday called for concerted efforts to revitalise the tea industry by focussing on promoting quality over quantity. Addressing the 10th Annual General Meeting of the Federation of All India Tea Traders Association (FAITTA), he urged the stakeholders to ensure safe and quality tea. He also expressed concern over the ongoing trend of selling tea products at low prices and stated that it must be addressed immediately for the economic well-being of lakhs of small tea growers and tea garden workers across Assam. Kota also urged packers to promote high-quality teas with the government taking a firm stand by supporting the closure of production within November 30 to prevent the production of poor-quality teas. He said the Assam government has implemented several initiatives to ensure that tea as India's national beverage remains safe and its sales processes transparent. The state government remains committed to the tea industry and all associated ...

Assam govt to notify Poba Reserve Forest as wildlife sanctuary: State min

The Poba Reserve Forest, a rainforest located in the northeastern part of Assam, will soon be notified as a wildlife sanctuary, state Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said. The proposed Poba Wildlife Sanctuary will encompass an area of 257.29 sq km, including the Poba Reserve Forest, Kabu Chapri Proposed Reserve Forest and the surrounding riverine areas, he said. Making the announcement on Friday, the minister said it is a testament of the government's commitment for conservation and sustainable development of the state's natural resources and biodiversity. Known for its rich wildlife, Poba Reserve Forest serves as an important migratory route for various animals, particularly elephants, as it connects the D' Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary, Kabu Chapri Proposed Reserve Forest and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, an official statement said. This corridor is the second significant elephant migration route from the north to the south bank of the Brahmaputra river

Assam govt's outstanding debt rises 107% in 5 years from FY19: CAG

The Assam government's outstanding debt increased by over 107 per cent from 2018-19 to 2022-23 with the growth rate of outstanding liability also rising during the period, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report said on Friday. The report for the 2022-23 fiscal, which was tabled in the assembly, noted that the capital expenditure by the state government decreased by over 20 per cent in FY'23 as compared to 2021-22. The outstanding debt of the state "rapidly increased by 107.34 per cent from Rs 59,425.61 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1,23,214.80 crore in 2022-23", the report said, adding that the growth rate of outstanding liability also increased from 20.60 per cent in 2018-19 to 23.32 per cent in 2022-23. The outstanding liabilities-GSDP ratio also rose from 19.21 per cent in 2018-19 to 24.98 per cent in FY'23 due to increased borrowings from the open market, the auditor said. The public debt constituted 81.98 per cent of the total borrowing at the end of 2022-23. During the year

Assam Assembly passes bill to abolish Muslim marriages, divorce act

The Assam Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to repeal a law to register marriages and divorces of Muslims. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan had on August 22 tabled The Assam Repealing Bill, 2024 in the Assembly to abolish The Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 and the Assam Repealing Ordinance 2024. Taking part in the discussion, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: "Our aim is not only to abolish child marriages, ... also to get away with the Kazi system. We want to bring registration of Muslim marriages and divorces under the government system." He said that registration of all marriages has to be done as per a Supreme Court order, but the state cannot support a private body like that of Kazis for this purpose. Mohan in the Statement of Object and Reasons of the Repealing Bill said, "There remains a scope of registering marriages of intended person below 21 years (in case of male) and 18 years (in case of female)." It hardly had a

Assam CM Himanta hits out at Mamata Banerjee over 'provocative' speech

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hit out at his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday for allegedly threatening the northeastern state with unrest. He claimed that Banerjee was trying to provoke the public to hide her own failures. Didi, how dare you threaten Assam? Don't show your anger to us, Sarma wrote on X, sharing a 46-second video clip of a speech by the West Bengal CM. In the clip, Banerjee is seen stressing that though Bangladesh and her state share the same language and culture, both are two different countries with West Bengal being part of India. Alleging that Modi's party is trying to fuel the situation in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress supremo said, If Bengal is set on fire, Assam, northeast, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Delhi will also be affected. She was addressing a gathering on the occasion of the foundation day of her party's student wing, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad. Don't even try to incite India with your politics

935,000 people with locked biometrics to get Aadhaar card: Assam CM Himanta

Over 9.35 lakh people of Assam who were not being able to get their Aadhaar cards as their biometrics submitted during the NRC updating process, were locked, will be issued the cards soon by the UIDAI, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday. He said the Central government has instructed the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to issue the cards as it has been established that there is "no correlation between inclusion of name in National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Aadhaar registration". Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said, "There were total of 9,35,682 people who had submitted the biometrics for Aadhaar cards between February to August, 2019, at Aadhaar centres, which also doubled up as NRC centres. It was due to a confusion that the biometrics of these people were locked." "They were facing problems due to it, like not being able to apply for scholarships, get ration cards, etc. We had been pursuing the matter with the government of India,