Page 28 - Assam

Commando battalions to be deployed in Kaziranga to save animals: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said three commando battalions will be deployed in Kaziranga National Park to ensure that no animal is killed during the flood season. The battalions will ensure that no animal is killed in accidents while crossing the national highway and poachers do not take advantage of the flood situation to kill wild animals, Sarma said at a meeting of civil, police and park officials at Kaziranga. Around 600 personnel of a new forest battalion will also be pressed into service in Kaziranga National Park during the flood season, he said. The chief minister directed the officials to take all necessary steps and ramp up the response system for the protection of animals. Sarma also took stock of the loss of land in the Kaziranga National Park primarily due to swift flow of river water. A joint task force will be formed comprising experts from Forest department, Water Resources department and the Kaziranga National Park to study the phenomena a

Assam CM Sarma lays foundation stone for 25-MW solar power project

A joint venture between the Assam Power Generation Corporation and Oil India Limited, the project will span 108 acres and is expected to cost Rs. 115 crore

NBCC bags Rs 100 cr from Oil India to build core repository in Guwahati

State-owned NBCC (India) Limited has bagged a Rs 100 crore contract from Oil India to construct a centralised core repository with advanced laboratory facilities at Guwahati in Assam. In a statement on Wednesday, NBCC said it has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Oil India for the construction of a centralised core repository with advanced laboratory facilities at Guwahati in Assam. "This work is valued at Rs 100 crore approximately," it added. The MoU was signed by SalomaYomdo, ED (E&D), OIL and Pradeep Sharma, ED (Engg.), NBCC in the presence of Ranjit Rath, CMD, OIL, K P Mahadevaswamy, CMD, NBCC, Saleem Ahmad, Director (Projects), NBCC and other senior-level officials from both the organisation. NBCC and OIL are also in the final stages of discussion for undertaking various other works, such as the execution of a hospital, group housing, guest house, installation of solar rooftop panels etc. in Assam. "The anticipated value of these works is Rs 900 crore ...

Assam announces monthly stipend to curb child marriage, support education

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday announced that his government would provide monthly stipends to all girl students from class 11 to post-graduation over the next five years, aiming to prevent child marriages. Addressing a press conference, Sarma said the scheme, 'Nijut Moina', was approved by the cabinet, which estimated that Rs 1,500 crore would be required in five years to give the incentives to around 10 lakh girls. "A married girl will not get the benefit. The only exception will be those married girls who are enrolled in PG courses, they will also benefit," he said. The sole aim of this scheme is to delay the marriage of a girl so that she can be financially independent and start earning for herself and her family, Sarma said. "The scheme will increase the gross enrollment ratio of girls substantially," he asserted. All girls studying in classes 11 and 12 will get Rs 1,000 every month, it will be Rs 1,250 for degree students and Rs 2,500 for girls doing .

Assam: More than 625K affected by devastating floods, 5 more dead

The flood situation in Assam deteriorated on Monday with five more persons losing their lives, while over 6.25 lakh are reeling under the deluge across 10 districts, an official bulletin said. According to the daily report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), three people at Sonai and one person at Silchar revenue circles of Cachar district died due to the flood. Besides, one more person lost his life in Kamrup Metropolitan district owing to landslides, it said. With this, the toll in this year's flood, landslide and storm rose to 23. The report said more than 6,25,000 people have been impacted due to the floods in Cachar, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Dima Hasao, Hailakandi, Hojai, West Karbi Anglong, Karimganj, Morigaon and Nagaon districts. Nagaon is the worst hit with nearly 3.64 lakh people suffering, followed by Cachar with more than 1.36 lakh people and Hojai with over 90,000 people impacted, it said. Till Sunday, around 5.35 lakh people were affected across 10

Assam flood death toll rises to 15, over 600,000 affected by heavy rains

The death toll in floods in Assam increased to 15 after three more persons lost their lives in the calamity, as the number of affected population went up to over six lakh, an official bulletin said on Saturday. The number of affected people was 3.5 lakh in 11 districts on Friday. An Assam State Disaster Management Authority release, however, said the number of affected districts has come down to 10. One death each was reported from Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts, taking the toll in floods and storms from May 28 to 15. Three major rivers, Kopili, Barak and Kushiyara, were flowing over the danger level, the ASDMA bulletin said. The number of affected population has reached 6,01,642, with Nagaon being worst-hit with 2,79,345 reeling under waters. Among the other severely hit districts are Hojai (1,26,813 affected population) and Cachar (1,12,265). Altogether 41,564 displaced people have taken shelter in 187 relief camps set up in various districts. NDRF, SDRF, local ..

Flood in Assam: Nearly 200K people including 36,000 children affected

The flood waters submerged 3238.8 hectares of crop area in the flood-hit districts

Cyclone Remal: Assam flood situation worsens; one dead, 198,000 affected

Assam's flood situation worsened on Thursday with over 1.98 lakh people affected in nine districts, and one person drowning to death as the water level of major rivers rose following incessant rainfall in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, officials said. A person drowned to death in Hailakandi district, pushing the toll in the state to six due to floods and rain since Tuesday, while 18 others were injured. Altogether 1,98,856 were affected in the districts of Nagaon, Karimganj, Hailakandi, West Karbi Anglong, Cachar, Hojai, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, according to an Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) report. Cachar is the worst affected district with 1,02,246 people reeling under flood waters, followed by 36,959 in Karimganj, 22,058 in Hojai and 14,308 in Hailakandi, among others, it said. A total crop area of 3,238.8 hectares has also been washed away, while 2,34,535 animals have been impacted. Rivers Brahmaputra and Barak, along with its tributaries, ar

Mizoram: 29 dead, several missing as rain, landslides wreak havoc

At least 25 people, including 14 in a stone quarry collapse, were killed in Mizoram on Tuesday due to landslides and incessant rain in the aftermath of cyclone 'Remal', state disaster management authority said. Several other people went missing in landslides, mostly in the state capital region, which was cut off from the rest of the country for several hours during the day and bore the brunt of the natural calamities. In a massive landslide, at least 14 people, including two minors, were killed and around eight others were missing as a stone quarry collapsed in Aizawl district, the Mizoram State Disaster Management Authority (MSDMA) said. Four persons were also killed and 18 others injured in separate incidents in Assam on Tuesday as heavy rain accompanied by strong wind lashed the state in the aftermath of the cyclone. In Nagaland, four deaths and damage to more than 40 houses were reported while two persons died and over 500 others were injured as downpours wreaked havoc in ...

Assam small tea growers face uncertainty as factories to stop production

Small tea growers in Assam, who account for nearly half of the tea grown in this North Eastern state, are staring at uncertainty with the bought leaf tea factories (BLFs) to stop procuring their green leaves from next month over quality compliance regulations. The Assam Bought Leaf Tea Manufacturers Association (ABLTMA) had announced shutting down its factories from June one as it is not possible to produce FSSAI-compliant teas from untested green leaves provided by small growers. A Team Board India notification earlier this year made it mandatory for manufacture of only compliant tea by the BLFs. With no testing done of the green leaves, if the made tea is found non-compliant when sent for mandatory public auction, the failed teas will be destroyed with penal action against the BLFs, as per the notification. The small-scale planters, on their part, maintained that they are working on cent per cent compliance by all their members, while urging for more time to ensure it and seeking

Tripura govt working on arrangement to bring fuel, goods via B'desh: Min

The Tripura government has been working on an arrangement to strengthen the supply of fuel and essential goods via Bangladesh, a minister said. The alternative arrangement to bring fuel and goods to Tripura will bypass rail links through Assam and the national highway connecting the state's capital Agartala with the neighbouring state, he said. Notably, the northeastern state had faced a severe fuel crisis after the derailment of a goods train in Assam's Jatinga. Disruption of traffic movement on the AssamAgartala highway, considered a lifeline for Tripura, and through the rail links connecting the neighbouring state due to landslides during the monsoon season is common. "In view of the recent disruption in the railway network in Assam's Jatinga, we are working on alternative arrangements to ensure a seamless supply of fuel and goods via Bangladesh. The Agartala-Gangasagar (Bangladesh) rail tracks will be ready for goods transportation in the next six months to one year. Once the .

New criminal laws enacted with humane approach, says Assam Guv Kataria

Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has said the three new criminal laws, which replace those from the British era, have been enacted with a more humane approach, marking a significant shift from previous regulations. He made these remarks during a two-day conference titled 'India's Progressive Path in the Administration of Criminal Justice System,' organised by the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, here on Sunday. The three new criminal laws will be rolled out across the country from July 1. In his valedictory address, Kataria noted that the insights and lessons from the conference would significantly impact the effective implementation of the new laws, an official release said. "These laws represent a major departure from the earlier colonial laws, instilling pride in every Indian by shedding the remnants of colonial legal heritage, not only in Assam but throughout the region," he said. The governor highlighted the humane nature of these laws, mentioning .

Bengal could not be proactive to attract industry: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Citing the example of the proposed semiconductor project in Assam, Sitharaman said that India's own big-ticket investment in chip manufacturing had gone to Assam, crossing Bengal

61% voter turnout recorded in LS polls Phase 3, Assam records highest

Assam recorded the highest voter turnout of 75.01 per cent and the lowest was recorded in Maharashtra, where it was 53.95 per cent

Lok Sabha polls 2024: 81.71% voter turnout recorded in 4 seats in Assam

An estimated 81.71 per cent of the 81.49 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise in the elections held in four Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam on May 7, officials said on Wednesday. The final polling percentage could be further revised as compilation of figures are yet to be completed, an official said. Polling in all the three phases in Assam was peaceful with no repoll held in the first two phases and none announced so far for the third. Dhubri recorded the highest polling percentage of 86.80 per cent, followed by Barpeta with 81.02 per cent, Kokrajhar with 80.44 per cent and Guwahati the lowest at 75.67 per cent. There are 47 candidates in the fray in the final phase. A total of 81,49,091 voters, including 41,00,544 men, 40,48,436 women and 111 of the third gender, were eligible to exercise their franchise in 9,516 polling stations. The prominent candidates in the fray are AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal, seeking a fourth successive term from Dhubri, and his rival and .

Phase 3 Lok Sabha elections 2024: What was the voter turnout at 1 pm?

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Phase 3 of the general elections sees 93 constituencies in 11 states and Union Territories going to polls. Votes will be counted on June 4

Phase 3 Lok Sabha elections 2024: What was the voter turnout at 9 am?

In the Phase 3 of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, 93 out of 543 constituencies have gone to polls in 11 states and Union Territories. Votes will be counted on June 4

Lok Sabha polls: 15 'crorepati' candidates in third phase in Assam

Altogether 15 candidates out of the 47 in the fray for the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam going to the polls on May 7 are 'crorepatis', with the richest being AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal contesting from the Dhubri seat. The 'crorepati' candidates include two each from Congress and AGP, one each from BJP, AIUDF, Bodo Peoples' Front (BPF), United People's Party, Liberal (UPPL), Trinamool Congress, CPI(M) and Ekam Sanatn Bharat along with four independents, according to the affidavits filed by the contestants. Independent candidate Triptina Rabha, contesting from Kokrajhar (ST) constituency has the lowest assets with Rs 25,521 as movable assets. There are two women in the crorepati list and they are BJP's Bijuli Kalita Medhi and Congress's Mira Borthakur Goswami, both contesting from Guwahati constituency. All the four candidates of the ruling NDA are crorepatis. Barpeta and Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency have five crorepati candidates each, Dhubri three and Kokrajhar (ST) tw

LS polls: Oppn must unite to stop BJP post-polls, says Assam TMC chief

Asserting that opposition unity is a "must to stop BJP" post-election, Assam Trinamool Congress (TMC) president Ripun Bora said lack of joint opposition candidates in the state "will neither affect Lok Sabha poll results nor help BJP in any manner". He claimed that though the opposition parties are contesting against each other in some seats in Lok Sabha elections Assam, it will not favour the BJP as the opposition, especially TMC, refrained from putting up candidates in constituencies where another party has a substantial base to take on the ruling regime. "The BJP won't benefit from the opposition not fielding joint candidates in the state as we have approached it tactfully. In constituencies like Jorhat, Nagaon, Dhubri and Karimganj, we didn't allow opposition to get divided and are hoping that Congress pools all the votes from our camp," Bora said in an interview with PTI. "Where we have seen that Congress is powerful and can take on BJP, we, especially TMC, have not let the vot

LS polls 2024: Priyanka, Rahul 'irrelevant' in Assam, says CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are "irrelevant" in this North Eastern state and they are "past expiry date". He dismissed Vadra's allegations that there is a 'mafia raj' in Assam and claimed that there was peace across the state and all welfare measures were reaching the people. He also hit back at the opposition party's 'washing machine' jibe at the BJP and alleged that the Congress has a "big, high voltage washing machine" which was used to cleanse Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. "They (Congress) have a big washing machine. In which washing machine did they wash Arvind Kejriwal? I ask Priyanka Gandhi, four months ago she was saying Kejriwal has looted money through the liquor scam and now he is a good person, which high voltage washing machine she has?" Sarma said on Thursday, responding to the opposition leader's swipe at him. "Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are irrelevant in Assam. They are past expiry .