Page 32 - Assam

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Women focal point of all governance initiatives: Assam CM Himanta Biswa

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the focal point of all initiatives of his government is women. On #InternationalWomensDay, celebrating the women of Assam; courageous, enterprising, resilient and changemakers. We are committed to ensure that each women in the State gets a fair opportunity to grow as the focal point of all our governance initiatives are women! the CM said on X. In another post, Sarma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reducing cooking gas cylinder prices by Rs 100. With the earlier cut of ?200 & latest cut of ?100 on LPG cylinders, our mothers and sisters can now significantly save and put this money to better use. On behalf of entire #ModiParivarAssam, I sincerely thank Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, for this bold decision, he added. Announcing the price cut on the occasion of International Women's Day on Friday, the PM said it will significantly ease the financial burden on millions of households across the country, ...

Jail official held over gadgets seized from 'Waris Punjab De' inmates

The superintendent of Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam was arrested on Friday over the seizure of electronic gadgets, including a smartphone, from the possession of inmates belonging to radical outfit 'Waris Punjab De', police said. The jail official was arrested early in the morning for "laxity" and is currently at Dibrugarh Sadar Police Station, an officer said. He said the arrest was made in connection with the seizure of electronic gadgets cells of the National Security Act (NSA) detenues in the jail last month. Among the gadgets seized from the possession of the inmates belonging to the pro-Khalistani outfit were a smartphone along with a SIM card, a keypad phone, a TV remote with keyboard, a spy-camera pen, pen-drives, a bluetooth headphone and speakers. "Reference NSA Detenues at Dibrugarh Jail, Assam-On receipt of information about unauthorised activities taking place in NSA cell, additional CCTV cameras were installed in the public area of NSA block," Director General of ..

PM Modi to embark on Assam visit today, to inaugurate several projects

PM Modi will also inaugurate the Tinsukia Medical College and lay the foundation stone of Sivasagar Medical College under the PM-DIVINE scheme on Saturday

NDA will win 22 of 25 Lok Sabha seats in Northeast: Assam CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday asserted that the ruling BJP-led alliance will win 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the Northeast in the upcoming elections. Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said only three of the 14 seats in Assam are "uncertain at the moment". "The NDA will win 22 of the 25 seats in the Northeast. Barring Assam, we hope to win all seats in other states of the region," he added. The convenor of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the regional arm of the NDA, asserted that the upcoming Lok Sabha polls are "simple elections" for the ruling front and it will win the polls without any difficulty. "This time, development is the only issue. Enormous works have been done to improve the overall infrastructure of the region," he added.

PM to inaugurate, lay foundation of projects worth Rs 18,000 cr: Assam CM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation of projects worth around Rs 18,000 crore during his two-day tour of Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday. Addressing a press meet here, Sarma said that Modi will, for the first time, visit UNESCO heritage site Kaziranga National Park and undertake a safari. Modi will arrive in Assam on Friday late afternoon and will spend the night at Kaziranga National Park, he added. "The next day, he will inaugurate the 125-foot tall statue of Ahom general Lachit Borphukan in Jorhat, following which he will address a public meeting," Sarma said. From the venue of the public meeting, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation of various infrastructure development projects worth around Rs 18,000 crore, he added. After the function, he will leave for West Bengal, Sarma added.

Assam CM launches country's largest PM Gramin Awas Yojana in Dibrugarh

The CM launched Rs745 crores of developmental projects in Dibrugarh and inaugurated 46 projects in Lakhimpur worth Rs807 crores on Wednesday as a part of the Vikas Yatra

LS polls: Congress will revoke CAA if voted to power, says Pawan Khera

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera on Wednesday asserted that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 will be repealed if the party comes to power after the Lok Sabha elections. He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur, which has been witnessing ethnic strife since May last year. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Khera said, The cut-off date of 1971 is sacrosanct for Assam. But CAA will take it away and 2014 will be the cut-off date." He was referring to the cut-off date of March 25, 1971, for granting Indian citizenship to people entering Assam from Bangladesh, according to the Assam Accord. Under the CAA, the Modi government wants to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who had come to India till December 31, 2014. The Congress will repeal the CAA if voted to power, Khera said. There were massive protests in some par

CID summons Assam Cong Chief Borah in Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra clash case

Debabrata Saikia said that he had received the notice from the CID under section 41A of the CrPC

2023 most successful year for anti-drugs operations in Assam: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said 2023 was the most successful year for the state in terms of anti-drugs operations. The chief minister said drugs worth Rs 718 crore were seized over 4,700 arrests made during the period. "The Modi government is deploying a whole-of-government approach to build a #DrugsFreeBharat," Sarma wrote on X. "In 2023, Assam Police seized drugs worth Rs 718 cr and arrested over 4,700 drug traffickers making it the most successful year for anti-drugs operations in the state," he added. Sarma also shared a video on the various steps being taken by the central government in the war on drugs. Meanwhile, two persons were arrested and 500 grams of heroin was recovered from their possession in Guwahati, Sarma said in another post on X. The operation was carried out by the special task force of state police. Two persons were apprehended by the STF after a hot pursuit in Guwahati, Sarma said. "... Search and seizure were conducted on their p

Manipur violence: CBI files charge sheet against seven in armoury loot case

The CBI has filed a charge sheet against seven accused in connection with the looting of arms and ammunition from the Bishnupur police armoury during the Manipur ethnic violence last year, officials said on Sunday. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently filed its charge sheet before the court of chief judicial magistrate in Kamrup (Metro) in Assam's Guwahati. The accused named in the charge sheet are Laishram Prem Singh, Khumukcham Dhiren alias Thapkpa, Moirangthem Anand Singh, Athokpam Kajit alias Kishorjit, Loukrakpam Michael Mangangcha alias Michael, Konthoujam Romojit Meitei alias Romojit, and Keisham Johnson alias Johnson. On August 3 last year, a mob looted more than 300 weapons and 19,800 rounds of ammunition from two rooms of the 2nd Indian Reserve Battalion headquarters at Naranseina in Bishnupur. Around 9,000 bullets of different calibres, an AK series assault rifle, three 'Ghaatak' rifles, 195 self-loading rifles, five MP-5 guns, 16.9 mm pistols, 25 bulletpro

Assam CM tells CAA protestors to approach SC for grievance redressal

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday urged those opposed to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) to approach the Supreme Court for redressal of their grievance rather than taking up agitations. While voicing his support for the Act, Sarma said many are opposed to it and there is a need to accommodate both points of view. "In Assam, there are two sections of people, some support the CAA and I am one of them, and there are many who oppose it," Sarma said, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme here. "We have to accommodate both points of view. We don't have to criticize somebody for opposing or supporting it," he added. Citing the example of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) (IMDT) Act, the CM said, "A large section of people was opposed to it. It got scrapped by the Supreme Court and not by any agitation." Urging those opposed to CAA to seek legal recourse, he said, "It was already taken to the Supreme Court but was not listed as rules

Assam approved investment proposals worth Rs 1,600 cr: Health minister

The Assam Cabinet on Friday approved investment proposals worth over Rs 1,600 crore, Health Minister Keshab Mahanta said. "Four (business) groups have come forward to invest in Assam, and the cabinet approved their proposals," he told reporters. The total proposed investment is to the tune of Rs 1,612 crore, which will create employment potential - both direct and indirect - for 4,125 people, Mahanta said. The council of ministers also took several other decisions, including construction of a flyover in Jorhat district, amendment to the Right to Public Service Act, and officials taking over operations of panchayati institutions as per law.

Lok Sabha polls 2024: BJP to contest 11 seats in Assam, AGP 2, UPPL 1

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said the BJP will contest 11 seats in the state for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and the party's allies AGP and UPPL will field their candidates for the remaining three seats

Tata's semiconductor unit in Assam to be gamechanger for NE: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Rs 27,000-crore semiconductor plant approved for the state by the Union Cabinet on Thursday will be a game-changer for the economy of the entire North East region. The plant will trigger a new Industry 4.0 revolution in the state, he added. The Union Cabinet approved setting up three semiconductor-making units at an investment of Rs 1.26 lakh-crore as part of an attempt to cut India's dependence on imports to meet requirements of chips, of which one will be in Assam. Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test Pvt Ltd (TSAT) will set up a semiconductor unit in Morigaon, Assam, at an investment of Rs 27,000 crore. It will have a capacity of 48 million chips per day for automotive, electric vehicles, consumer electronics, telecom, and mobile phones. Construction of the three units will begin within the next 100 days, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters after the cabinet meeting. "People of Assam will remain eternally grateful

Assam Congress leader Rana Goswami resigns, likely to meet BJP's Nadda

Congress leader Rana Goswami resigned from the party on Wednesday, and headed to New Delhi where he is likely to join BJP. Goswami, who resigned as the working president of the state Congress recently, is the former MLA of Jorhat. Soon after sending the resignation letter to Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, he went to New Delhi where he is likely to meet BJP president JP Nadda and join the party. Asked about the speculations of Goswami switching sides, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said he had no information about it, but "he is a powerful leader of the Congress and if he joins the BJP, I will welcome it". Earlier this month, Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha resigned as state Congress working president and along with another party legislator, Basanta Das, expressed support for the BJP-led government's "development agenda".

Sarma distributes land pattas to 11K families under Mission Basundhara 2.0

A total of 20,419 applicants from Lakhimpur district were found to be eligible for land pattas under Mission Basundhara 2.0 that was concluded recently

Repeal of Muslim Marriage Act to distance Muslims from their religion: Min

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday claimed that the Assam Cabinet's decision to repeal the Muslim Marriages Act is aimed at distancing Muslims from their religion and religious practices. "In Assam, the BJP government has done away with the law that was 90 years old. According to that law, the marriage of Assam Muslims used to happen through 'qazi' or registrar, and they used to get the 'nikahnama' certificate," he told reporters here. The government has removed that system,he said and asked is there a provision of 'nikah' in the special marriage act. The wedding should happen as per one's religion, he said. There is no religion in the special marriage act which is a neutral, secular law, he said. Observing that 'Mehr' which is given to bride in Muslim marriage has been removed, he asked whether it is a loss to women or not. "If marriage is registered under special marriage act, inheritance will not be available under Muslim personal law. The purpose is to distance Muslim

WATCH | 'Hear me carefully': Assam CM's angry outburst on child marriages

The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Assam, led by Himanta Sarma, has been cracking down on child marriages since February last year

PM Modi launches microbiology lab, 17 food testing vehicles for Assam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually unveiled a new microbiology laboratory and 17 Food Safety on Wheels (FSW) vehicles in Assam, collectively valued at Rs 13.11 crore. In a major step towards enhancing food testing infrastructure across Assam, the laboratory was set up by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in Guwahati. In addition, 17 mobile food testing laboratories, known as FSWs, have been provided to Assam in a stride towards ensuring food safety to the last mile. All these facilities were inaugurated by Modi through virtual mode from an event at Rajkot in Gujarat, an official release said. "The microbiology laboratory will play a pivotal role in safeguarding food safety by detecting various microorganisms, including pathogens in food products," it added. The FSWs, equipped with cutting-edge facilities and expert staff, will not only enhance testing capabilities but also deliver essential training to strengthen food safety practices, the release