Page 23 - Assam

Assam's future at risk as Hindu-Muslim population balance eroding: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the future of the state is "not secure" as the population balance between Hindus and Muslims is declining fast. Hoisting the Tri-Colour here, Sarma also said that the indigenous people have gone in a defensive mode due to demographic change in Assam as "we are a minority in 12-13 districts". "The future of Assam is not secure for us. The Hindu-Muslim population balance is declining fast. The Muslim population in 2021 rose to 41 per cent, while the Hindus were down to 57 per cent. The rest is shared by Christians and other communities," he claimed. In his official speech on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day, the CM asserted that the Hindu population is slowly going down to 50 per cent from 60-65 per cent. "In such a crisis phase, I am trying to bring back the population balance. I request all Hindus, Muslims and others to follow the family planning norms. We should be aware against polygamy by all sections of the ...

50-yr-old Dulon Das becomes first in Assam to get citizenship under CAA

Dulon Das (50) has become the first person in Assam to receive citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), sparking strong reactions from opposition parties and student groups. Originally from Bangladesh's Sylhet, Das entered India in 1988 and settled in Silchar, Cachar district. He did not apply for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) but managed to obtain various government documents, including a voter card, driving licence and PAN and Aadhaar cards, despite his illegal status, one of his kin alleged. "He applied for citizenship through the dedicated online portal on April 1. It was approved yesterday and he received a mail from the Union Home Ministry. Das has now been asked to collect the citizenship certificate physically," he added. During the application process, Das provided a land deed from his father, who had purchased land in Sylhet district in 1986. Das is married to an Indian woman, and they have two children born in Assam. The Citizenship (Amendment)

Karnataka, Himachal, Assam got highest funds for flood relief: Govt

The Centre granted the highest allocation to Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Assam under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) in the last two years, 2022-2024, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The funds were given for relief and rehabilitation of people affected in natural disasters. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said while Rs 941 crore was approved by the Centre's high-level committee for Karnataka, Rs 873 crore and Rs 594 crore were approved for Himachal Pradesh and Assam for floods and landslides in 2022-24. In a written reply, he said Rs 939 crore was released to Karnataka from the NDRF, Rs 812 crore to Himachal Pradesh and Rs 160 crore to Assam in the last two years. Rai said Tamil Nadu has been given Rs 276 crore for flood and cyclone, Sikkim Rs 267 crore for flood and landslides, Nagaland Rs 68 crore in the last two years. The minister said during 2024-25 (as on July 31, 2024), Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) have been constit

Assam CM Sarma raises concern over infiltration amid turmoil in Bangladesh

Himanta Biswa Sharma also voiced the possibility of Bangladesh becoming a safe ground for terrorist activities in the future

Heavy rain causes waterlogging, disruption of normal life in Guwahati

Heavy rain lashed Assam's capital Guwahati on Monday, leading to waterlogging in several areas, inconveniencing commuters and school students. Accumulation of water was reported from almost all peripheral roads in the city, with people stranded in their vehicles for hours amid heavy traffic. People returning from office, school children and even ambulances were reportedly stuck till late in the evening due to inundated roads. "My daughter is a Class-3 student and she left her school at 1:30 pm. But, the school bus continued to be stuck at Choy Mile. I also could not take out my car. So, I walked around three km and just met her," said Pranoy Sharma, holding her in his arms on a flooded street. The Kamrup Metropolitan administration, which primarily comprises the Guwahati city, has ordered the closure of all educational institutions on Tuesday in the wake of inclement weather. "In view of the flash flood caused by heavy rains in Guwahati City, all educational institutes, both govt

Assam to make 'love jihad' punishable with life imprisonment, says CM Sarma

Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh have enacted 'love jihad' legislation

West Bengal floods: Mamata points finger at Jharkhand; Assam CM hits back

Mamata Banerjee raised concerns about the sudden and huge release of water from Tenughat, which has already started flooding Bengal

Assam govt to bring law soon for life imprisonment in 'love jihad' cases

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said his government will soon introduce a law for life imprisonment in cases of love jihad'. Speaking at the state BJP executive meet here, he said, We spoke about love jihad' during the elections. Soon, we will bring a law, which will award life imprisonment in such cases. Sarma also said a new domicile policy will be introduced soon, under which only those born in Assam will be eligible for state government jobs. He maintained that indigenous people have received priority in the one lakh government jobs provided as per a pre-poll promise, which will be evident when the complete list is published. The CM said the Assam government has also taken a decision regarding the sale of land between Hindus and Muslims. Sarma said though the government cannot prevent such a transaction, it has made it mandatory to take consent of the chief minister before going ahead.

Tea Board officials inspect several gardens in Bengal to check quality

A special team of Tea Board officials inspected several gardens in North Bengal to determine the quality of leaves manufactured in these estates. An official of the Tea Board told PTI that several samples have been collected from these estates and their quality will be determined. "The operation was conducted at various tea gardens in North Bengal over the last several days on a large scale. Tea Board has collected samples from these estates and future course of action will be determined as per provisions of the Tea Marketing Control Order (TMCO)," the official said. President of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Association (CISTA) Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty said "We welcome the action taken by Tea Board in inspecting several gardens of North Bengal. We demand that exemplary action be taken against these entities so that it becomes a deterrent in future". Chakraborty said CISTA had come to learn that some tea gardens are procuring tea waste from Assam and mixing it with .

Tata Electronics Assam chip plant to be operational in 2025: Chandrasekaran

Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, expressing optimism about the project, said that the construction of the Assam plant will boost the overall ecosystem in the region

Tata's Rs 27,000 cr chip plant in Assam operational by 2025: Chandrasekaran

Tata Electronics' Rs 27,000-crore chip assembly plant in Assam will create 27,000 jobs and is expected to become operational in 2025, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion of chip plant's Bhumi Pujan ceremony, Chandrasekaran said that the company has already employed 1,000 people from Assam and as the facility expands it will bring entire semiconductor ecosystem companies. "At its capacity it will employ 27,000 people, 15,000 direct jobs and additional 12,000 indirect jobs. We want to move fast. We are trying to accelerate the building of this factory. We hope sometime in 2025 we will be able to complete this facility and quickly start operations," Chandrasekaran said. Already we have 1,000 people who have been employed from Assam. He said the other semiconductor ecosystem companies will start as supplier but gradually they will set up units in the country. The ceremony was attended by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who said it wa

Assam CM lauds PM, Tata Sons for Rs 27,000 cr semiconductor plant

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday asserted that it was a 'golden day' for the people of Assam as Bhumi pujan was performed for the Rs 27,000 crore semiconductor assembly and test facility at Jagiroad in Morigaon district. Sarma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tata Sons Limited for taking the initiative to set up the semiconductor assembly and test facility at Jagiroad. The chief minister assured the Chairman of Tata Sons Limited N Chandrasekaran that the company will face no difficulty in setting up this industry and the people of Assam will always be grateful for this facility. 'The setting up of this facility will herald industrial development in the state leading to employment opportunities for the youth', Sarna said after participating in the Bhumi pujan of the facility here. He said that it was due to the initiative of Prime Minister, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Electronics Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw that this facility became ...

Assam CM Sarma to perform Bhumi Pujan of semiconductor plant at Jagiroad

The Bhumi pujan of the Rs 27,000 crore semiconductor assembly and test facility in Assam's Morigaon district will be performed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday in the presence of Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran. The Tata semiconductor assembly and test facility will be India's first semiconductor assembly and test facility. 'Look forward to be in Jagiroad shortly and initialise work on the semiconductor facility by performing the Bhumi Pujan of the plant", Sarma posted on X. The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) in another post on X said, "Today is a historic day for Assam as HCM Dr@himantabiswa will perform the Bhumi Pujan of the Tata Semiconductor Assembly and test facility at Jagiroad'. 'Once operational, it will transform the industrial landscape of Assam and herald a new era of growth', the CMO said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually laid the foundation stone of the facility on March 13 this year. The greenfield project of Tata Electronics at Jagiro

117 dead in Assam floods this year; toll over 5 yrs 880: MHA to Rajya Sabha

The MoS of Home Affairs further said that the Assam government has informed that, the Water Resources Department has been implementing flood and River bank erosion management schemes

Rohingya infiltration into India has increased manifold: Assam CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that Rohingya infiltration into India has significantly increased, and the threat of demographic invasion is both real and serious. 'Rohingyas are continuously coming into India using the India-Bangladesh border and many states are suffering from the demographic invasion', Sarma said at a press conference here. Assam is guarding only a part of the Indo-Bangladesh border but a large area is still porous, he added. The West Bengal and Jharkhand governments are soft on these infiltrators and have taken no action to stop it, he alleged. 'In fact, West Bengal's Chief Minister gave a statement that the state will give shelter to those coming from Bangladesh which even the government of the neighbouring country has not endorsed', Sarma said. Assam and Tripura governments have taken strong steps in this matter with police in both the states arresting several Rohingya infiltrators on several occasions, he said. 'Assam is no longer

Unemployment rate in state down to 6.1%, will further dip: Assam CM Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday claimed that the unemployment rate in the state was gradually declining and stood at 6.1 per cent in the 2023-24 financial year. Sarma said the BJP's one of the major election promises as well as governance focus was to reduce unemployment and give the youths of the state ample growth opportunities. "After 3 years, the statistics speak for itself; unemployment is down to 6.1% and will further dip in the coming days when the results of our policy interventions will start to show up. "We are always committed to the youth of Assam!" he said in a post on X. In a graphic analysis uploaded along with the post, the CM said the unemployment ratio was 8 per cent in 2022-23. "State government's proactive policies have ensured that Assam's youths are engaged in meaningful employment," he added. He, however, did not share the details if these new jobs were created in the public sector or private entities. Sarma further said that the governm

SC raps Assam govt over 'sorry state' of detention centre for foreigners

A Supreme Court bench asked the Assam Legal Services Authority to visit the detention centre to establish sub-par facilities and assess the quantity and quality of food and kitchen hygiene

'Pyramids of Assam' Moidams included in Unesco's World Heritage List

The Moidams, often hailed as the 'Pyramids of Assam' have become the first cultural site from the Northeast to be added to the Unesco World Heritage List

Rajnath Singh's positive response to defence corridor in Assam: CM Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has responded positively to the proposal of setting up the country's third defence corridor in the state. Sarma met Singh during his recent visit to New Delhi and discussed the issue of setting up of a defence corridor in the state after Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. 'After the setting up of a semiconductor unit in the state, we are keen that it becomes a defence production hub and Singh has responded positively to the proposal', Sarma said at a press conference here. Sarma asserted that the proposal is under "advanced consideration" but it may take some time due to its sensitivity. The Chief Minister pointed out that several factors need to be evaluated before a final decision is made, but establishing a defence corridor would significantly impact the state's economic landscape. Sarma also noted that, for the first time, the Union Budget acknowledged that Assam's floods are exacerbated by water

Tata Sons raises Tata Electronics' equity capital to Rs 10,000 crore

Tata Sons plans to establish a large-scale semiconductor fabrication plant and invest an additional Rs 27,000 crore to develop a new semiconductor assembly and testing facility in Assam