Page 41 - Assam

NIA files chargesheet against 2 members of Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group

The National Investigation Agency has filed a supplementary charge sheet against two members of an Assam-based module of an Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group conspiring to spread terror and violence in the country, officials said Tuesday. The supplementary charge sheet has been filed against Akbar Ali and Abul Kalam Azad who were arrested on April 5, they said. They were part of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) based in Assam's Barpeta which was led by Bangladeshi national Saiful Islam who operated under the cover of an Arabic teacher at 'Shaikhul Hind Mahmadul Hasan Jamiul Huda Islamic Academy' and Imam at the Dhakaliapara Masjid, officials said. The agency is on the trail of Bangladeshi handlers of the module, they said. The NIA has invoked various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in its supplementary charge sheet against the duo, officials said. The central agency had filed the first charge sheet against eight other accused

Assam flood situation worsens, over 191,000 people affected in 17 districts

On the other hand, the water levels of several other rivers are also rising. The ASDMA flood report said that a total of 522 villages under 42 revenue circles were affected by the flood

Flood situation in Assam grim, over 190,000 affected, toll rises to 15

The flood situation in Assam turned grim on Monday with over 1.90 lakh people affected by the deluge and one person dying, according to an official bulletin. Incessant rains in the higher altitudes have led to an increase in water levels of most rivers with many flowing above the danger mark in different parts of the state, it said. Ferry services on the Brahmaputra river have been suspended in Guwahati, and at Nematighat in Jorhat due to the rising water levels. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said one death was reported from Demow in Sivasagar district, taking the toll to 15 in this year's flood. As many as 17 districts are currently reeling under the deluge, affecting 1,90,675 people, it said. The worst hit is Lakhimpur district where 47,338 people have been affected, followed by Dhemaji with 40,997 affected population. Altogether 427 people are taking refuge in two relief camps, while 45 relief distribution centres are functional. Local administration a

Flood situation in Assam turns grim again, 53,000 marooned in six districts

According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), incessant rainfall led to an increase in the water level of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, inundating surrounding areas

Direct export of fruits from Assam to Singapore successful: Officials

The trial exercise of directly exporting fresh fruits and vegetables from Assam to Singapore under the supervision of the island country's Ministry of Trade and Industry was successful, officials said on Saturday. The cargo included coffee plum, star fruit, jackfruit, Assam lemon, and pineapple, the exporter Achintya Kumar Das, the Founder of KADlien Innovations and Export Centre, told PTI. The 24-kilogram cargo was carried by Druk Air on August 23. The project is a collaborative effort of Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry and India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry, with support from the Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), APEDA, and KADlien, he said. "Singaporean authorities have expressed satisfaction after visiting and witnessing the fruits at the importer's site," Das stated. Singapore High Commissioner to India Simon Wong also took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the team behind the project. "I am happy to announce the first air cargo shipmen

Mudslide blocks Sonapur tunnel, traffic to Tripura, Mizoram cut off

A mudslide caused by incessant rainfall blocked the Sonapur tunnel on NH 6 in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district on Saturday blocking traffic movement to Tripura, Mizoram and Assam's Barak valley, police said. The mudslide was caused by incessant rainfall in the state in the past 24 hours. Two vehicles were stuck in the mudslide, Superintendent of Police, Jagpal S Dhanoa told PTI. He said the NHAI was informed for necessary clearance and to make sure traffic on the important NH 6 connecting to three other north eastern states flow normally. Earthmovers and personnel were put to work to clear the debris and the stuck vehicles, an NHAI official said.

People in Assam's Biswanath celebrate after getting district status

Earlier, on December 31 last year, the Assam cabinet had decided to merge four districts with their parent districts

Assam Cabinet approves creation of 4 new districts, 81 sub-districts

The Assam Cabinet has decided to create four new districts and 81 sub-districts following completion of the delimitation process, to improve administrative efficiency, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Friday. The districts to be created are Hojai, Biswanath, Tamulpur and Bajali, Sarma said at a press conference, after presiding over the 100th cabinet meeting of his government. "We have reconstituted the four new districts, and it is co-terminus with assembly constituencies declared by the Election Commission under delimitation, he said. Assam will now have a total of 35 districts after creation of the new ones.

Assam Govt issues notification banning plastic water bottles below 1 litre

"It is observed that the use of packaged drinking water bottles up to 1000 ml volume and their pollution potential is higher than packaged drinking water bottles of larger volume"

Explore potential of handloom, fisheries in Assam's Bodo areas: Guv

Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has suggested framing of strategies to explore the handloom, sericulture and fisheries sectors in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) areas so that the products could be taken to the markets across the country. While reviewing various development schemes at the administrative headquarters of the BTC at Kokrajhar on Monday, Kataria advised the departmental heads of the BTC to ensure equitable development in all its four districts, according to an official release. The BTC, an autonomous elected authority, was created under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution for the tribal Bodo community in Assam. The governor emphasised the potential of the handloom, sericulture, tourism and fisheries sectors in the BTC areas and suggested framing of marketing strategies so that the products could be taken to the country-wide audience, the release said. Kataria took stock of the sector-wise physical and financial progress of central and state flagship scheme

Unhappy Central Assam BJP leader Rajen Gohain resigns from cabinet post

Gohain had been representing the Nowgong constituency of Central Assam since 1999 and secured four consecutive terms until 2014

Assam Forest Minister hands over appointment letters to 6 appointees

Assam Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on Thursday handed over appointment letters to six candidates at his conference hall at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati. The candidates have been given appointments on compassionate grounds in Environment and Forest Department."The six appointees who received their appointment letters today are Helen Aman as Forest Guard, Rajen Sinha as Forest Guard, Sowaiba Sultana as Forest Guard, Manas Jyoti Gogoi as Constable AFPF Bn, Mohan Basfor as Constable AFPF Bn and Debraj Sarma as Constable AFPF Bn," the Environment and Forest Department said.Minister of Environment & Forest Patowary extended his congratulations to the new appointees and said, "The present state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been striving to fulfil its commitment of providing employment."He urged the new recruits to dedicatedly work in the department and contribute to the process of making Assam one of the top states in .

Assam far from being self-sufficient in egg, meat production: CM Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the state is far from becoming self-reliant in egg and meat production. Attending the closing ceremony of the Platinum Jubilee Celebration of the College of Veterinary Science here, Sarma said that a State Health Mission for the veterinary sector will be launched soon. "Assam is far from attaining self-sufficiency in meeting the demand for egg and meat products. An ecosystem needs to be built that will unleash the state's growth potential in these fields," he added. Sarma said that to meet the country's milk demand by 2030, milk production shall have to grow at the rate of seven per cent year-on-year for the next seven years and Assam has immense potential for growth in this field. "In comparison to other states in the country, the Northeastern region and Assam are yet to make the best use of the opportunities the agriculture sector offers. In order to compete with Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and other states, an ecosystem that .

69,523 grievances redressed in July, Sikkim tops N East complaint disposal

As many as 69,523 public grievances have been redressed by different states in July, with Sikkim being the topper in disposing maximum number of complaints in the north east, an official statement issued on Wednesday said. Sikkim is followed by Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, it said. The ranking has been released by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in its 12th monthly report of Centralised Public Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) for states for July, 2023. The CPGRAMS allows raising of public grievances online. The DARPG ranks states/Union Territories across four categories, i.e. north eastern states, Union Territories, with two other categories for states being bifurcated based on the number of receipt of grievances. In the Union Territories category, Lakshawdeep has got the first rank followed by Andaman and Nicobar and Ladakh, according to the Personnel Ministry statement. Uttar Pradesh has topped among the states which rec

Assam to create sub-districts in all assembly constituencies: Himanta

The state government will start a series of administrative reforms within the next one month, he added

Assam mulls full withdrawal of AFSPA by year-end: CM Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said his government will take necessary steps to withdraw AFSPA from the entire state by the end of this year. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) is now limited to only eight districts of the northeastern state, he said. Hoisting the national flag on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day here, Sarma also said around 8,000 "revolutionaries" have returned to the mainstream in the last three years. "I want to assure the people of Assam that by the end of this year, we will take fruitful steps to withdraw the AFSPA from every district of Assam. That will be an 'amritmoy' time for Assam's history and we are eagerly waiting for that day," he said. Since the beginning of its application in the state more than three decades ago, the extension of the AFSPA was recommended 62 times, Sarma said. "The northeast region is now free from terrorism. In the last three years, four peace accords have been signed with ...

Over 65,500 people still affected by flood across 7 districts in Assam

Two more persons died on Monday due to flood in Assam, while the number of affected people across seven districts came down to 65,500, an official bulletin said. According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), two persons lost their lives due to the deluge in Chariduar of Sonitpur district. The death toll in this year's flood in the northeastern state has now gone up to 14. Over 65,600 people are still reeling under the deluge in Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Kokrajhar, Sivasagar and Sonitpur districts, the ASDMA bulletin said. Till Sunday, more than 75,200 people were suffering from the flood across seven districts of the state. Dhemaji is the worst-hit district with over 31,000 affected people, followed by Sivasagar with more than 29,300 and Chirang with around 2,200, it said. The administration has been operating seven relief camps in Sivasagar, where 1,329 people have taken shelter, and running 20 relief distribution centr

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Flood situation in Assam worsens as more than 27, 000 people affected

19,163 people have been affected in the Dhemaji district while 5,666 people affected in the Dibrugarh district

Assam delimitation: Oppn cries foul, CM says some request' for changes met

Opposition parties in Assam on Friday criticised the final report on delimitation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies and termed it a ploy by the ruling BJP to safeguard its political future. They also maintained that the Election Commission of India (ECI), which carried out the process, has failed to address the objections placed before it by the political parties as well as individuals and other organisations. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has, however, claimed that the final notification has accepted some of the suggestions placed by the state government in line with the demands of people. In its final order, the poll panel had kept intact the number of assembly constituencies at 126 and Lok Sabha seats at 14, while revising the nomenclature of one parliamentary and 19 assembly constituencies as mentioned in the draft notification. According to an ECI statement, 19 assembly and two Lok Sabha constituencies have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs). One Lok Sabh