Page 5 - Assam

A tribute to Bhupen Da: Remembering the legendary voice of India

This year marks the beginning of his birth centenary celebrations. It is an occasion to revisit his monumental contributions to Indian artistic expression, public consciousness

Assam govt employees to get special leave in Nov to spend time with parents

The Assam government has declared two days of special casual leave' in November for its employees to spend time with their parents and parents-in-law, an official notification said. The leaves under the Matri Pitri Vandana' scheme can be availed on November 14 and November 15 by applying through a dedicated portal as per guidelines, it said. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had made an announcement in this regard in his first Independence Day speech after assuming office in 2021. ... The Governor of Assam is pleased to allow the State Government employees to avail Special Casual Leave under Matri Pitri Vandana Scheme on 14th November, 2025 (Friday) and 15th November, 2025 (Saturday), the notification said. It added that the leaves can be utilised along with November 16 (Sunday), under the scheme.

Tea industry seeks minimum sustainable price amid imports, price fall

Indian Tea Association warns of existential threat to producers in Assam and West Bengal as falling prices, rising imports and US tariffs strain the country's tea industry

Shah to visit Assam to take stock of BJP organisation ahead of 2026 polls

Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Assam on Thursday to take stock of the party's organisation ahead of the assembly elections, which would be due next year. After reaching Guwahati, Shah will attend a meeting of the state BJP's core committee, and later have dinner with party members. "He will discuss the preparation for the forthcoming Assam assembly elections, which is very important for the party. The home minister takes a keen interest in it," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday. On Friday, Shah will inaugurate the newly-constructed Brahmaputra wing of the Raj Bhavan, followed by the inauguration of the National Cyber Forensic Laboratory and unveiling of various projects of ITBP, SSB and Assam Rifles. Later in the day, he will also attend a convention of the newly elected panchayat members of the NDA. After that event, he will review the progress of the Jyoti Bishnu Cultural Complex, an auditorium with a seating capacity of 5,000 people. In the evening,

IndiGo flight with Assam CM diverted to Agartala due to bad weather

A Guwahati-bound IndiGo flight with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on board was diverted to Tripura's Agartala airport due to inclement weather conditions in the neighbouring state, an official said on Monday. The flight diversion was carried out on Sunday evening as a precautionary measure, he said. The aircraft, later, flew to Guwahati after an improvement in the weather conditions in Guwahati, said KC Meena, the director of the Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport at Agartala. "The IndiGo flight from Mohanbari airport in Dibrugarh was unable to land in Guwahati due to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, and was diverted to Agartala as a precautionary measure. Later, the aircraft departed for Guwahati," he said. The Agartala airport director said the Chief Minister's Office in Guwahati confirmed that Sarma was on the flight. "The diversion was due to weather conditions with no technical issues reported," Meena said. As the flight landed at the Agartala airport, Tripura To

Evicted people's names to be removed from local voter rolls: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the names of people evicted from encroached land will be deleted from the voters' list of the place where they were living illegally. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Margherita in Tinsukia, Sarma claimed the previous generation of the state failed to "save" lower and central Assam, but efforts must be made to "save" upper and northern parts, in an apparent reference to the sizeable population of Bengali-speaking Muslims in those areas. "If someone is evicted from a place, their name cannot be on the voter list of that place. Along with eviction, names will be deleted from the voter list," he said. "Their modus operandi is to enter upper and northern Assam now. Our attempt is to ensure that, like lower and central Assam, these parts are not gone. We and our previous generation failed to save lower and central Assam, but we are now trying to save upper and northern Assam," he added. Sarma had earlier sai

SC bars Assam police from coercive action against journalist Varadarajan

The Supreme Court on Friday restrained Assam Police from taking any coercive action against senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan and other journalists, including consulting editor, working with web portal "The Wire" in connection with an FIR lodged against them over a news article. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi passed the order after senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, appearing for the journalists, said that Assam police was circumventing the earlier orders passed by the court. She said Vardarajan and other journalists, including a consulting, editor have been summoned Friday for recording statements in an old FIR lodged in May and there is apprehension that they may be arrested. The bench, while protecting the journalists, said everyone is expected to follow the law and asked the journalists to join the investigation and file a status report on the next date of hearing. On August 12, the top court had protected Vardarajan and restrained the Assam police fr

Assam Rifles recovers weapons, ammunition from Mizoram's Champhai

According to officials, the operation was launched in the early hours of August 20 based on specific intelligence inputs

No Aadhaar card for first-time applicants 18 years or older: Assam CM Sarma

The Assam chief minister also said adult members of SC, ST, and tea tribes will get Aadhaar cards for one year only

Guwahati airport's international terminal to be opened in Nov: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the international terminal of Guwahati airport will be opened to travellers in November this year. Sarma accompanied a delegation from Bhutan to review the progress of the construction of the new terminal on Wednesday night. "It will be opened in November and we will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate this state-of-the-art modern infrastructure," he said. The Bhutan delegation from the Gelephu Mindful City also expressed their appreciation for the new terminal building, which will help enhance connectivity with the neighbouring country, Sarma said. "On the verge of completion, it will boost connectivity in the Northeast and also enhance connectivity for our neighbour Bhutan. Come November, get ready to fly into a whole new experience," the CM posted on X. Sarma also announced the construction of five additional foot over-bridges between Khanapara and Jalukbari in Guwahati to facilitate safe road crossing for ...

Rahul Gandhi is anti-national, backs foreign Muslims: CM Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is anti-national and only supports the Muslims of Bangladesh and Pakistan. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an election campaign meeting in Bodoland Territorial Region, Sarma also claimed that the Congress does "not respect icons of Assam", like the Kamakhya temple and Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva. "Rahul Gandhi is an anti-India person. He is only with Bangladeshi and Pakistani Muslims. He is not with Indian Hindus, not even with Indian Muslims. Rahul Gandhi is an anti-national personality," Sarma alleged. He, however, did not elaborate on the reasons for branding Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, as "anti-national".

More than 2 million farmers in Assam get ₹422 crore under PM-KISAN

Over 20 lakh farmers in Assam have received more than Rs 422 crore under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, officials said on Sunday. The amount was disbursed on Saturday as part of a nationwide programme, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, a senior official of the Agriculture Department said. "Under the 20th instalment of the PM-Kisan scheme, more than 20.31 lakh eligible farmer families in Assam have received the benefit," he added. As per the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, eligible farming families receive Rs 6,000 annually in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each. "Nearly 20.31 lakh farmers across our state have received Rs 422.05 crore directly into their bank accounts under the PM-KISAN scheme. This timely support is a testament to the unwavering commitment of the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji towards ensuring dignity, security and prosperity for our Annadatas," Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora said in a

Assam govt, not Adani acquiring land near Guwahati airport: Himanta

The Assam government has initiated the process of acquiring around 500 bighas (around 166 acres) near Guwahati airport to construct a stadium for concerts and a convention centre, but a section of media outlets is wrongfully claiming that the Adani group is acquiring it, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here. The government aims to secure land from genuine investors who want to sell their land, and residents will not be evicted, Sarma assured at a press conference. 'This move has been initiated by the state government to safeguard the land for the people of Assam, and we plan to take up three specific projects in the area,' he said. These include a state-of-the-art stadium to promote Assam's concert economy, a convention centre on the lines of the Bharat Mandapam and an entertainment zone or amusement park on the lines of Universal Studios, but not on such a big scale, he added. 'All these projects will be fully planned and implemented by the state government and not by any

Assam govt starts drive to clear encroachment on 3,600 acres of forest land

The Assam government on Tuesday began a massive eviction drive to clear alleged encroachment on over 3,600 acres of forest land in Golaghat district, officials said. The move by the state government will affect at least 1,500 families, they said. Several senior officials of the Golaghat district administration and the forest department told PTI that the eviction drive started in the morning to clear the alleged encroachment on almost 11,000 bighas (over 3,600 acres) of land of Rengma Reserve Forest in Uriamghat along the Assam-Nagaland border in Sarupathar sub-division. "The eviction drive started from the main market in the Bidyapur area. We will gradually proceed to residential areas and demolish the illegal housing structures," an official said. He claimed that around 10,500 bighas to 11,000 bighas of land were encroached upon by the people. "Around 2,000 families are living in those areas. Out of them, notices were served to about 1,500 families, who illegally settled here. Th

Assam CM meets PM Modi, briefs him about state's welfare schemes

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise him of the progress made in various socio-economic indicators and welfare schemes in the state. "Had the privilege of calling upon Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji in New Delhi today", the Chief Minister posted on 'X'. "Briefed him on Assam's notable strides across socio-economic indicators and the near saturation of major welfare schemes", he added. Sarma said he also conveyed "on behalf of the people of Assam, our anticipation to welcome him on 8th September a moment that will mark another milestone in our state's development journey". The PM is scheduled to visit Assam on September 8 to inaugurate the year-long celebration of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika's birth centenary and dedicate the nation's first bio-ethanol plant at Numaligarh in Golaghat district.

Assam's Muslim population will match Hindus by 2041, says CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday claimed that the population of Muslims in Assam will be almost equal to that of the Hindus by 2041 if the current growth rate is maintained. Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting here, Sarma claimed that out of around 34 per cent Muslims as per the 2011 Census, 31 per cent were those who had migrated to Assam earlier. When asked if Assamese indigenous people will become a minority after some years, he said, "This is not my take, it is just the Census result. Today as per the 2011 Census, 34 per cent of the population is Muslim." Out of the total Muslim population of the state, three per cent are indigenous Assamese Muslims, Sarma stated. "...then the 31 per cent are the Muslims who had migrated to Assam. And if you project that for 2021, 2031 and 2041, you will come to almost a 50:50 position. I am just stating what the statistical census report says," he claimed. The CM said that empirical data and past census

China constructing dam on Brahmaputra not immediate concern, says Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday tried to alleviate fears on China's move to construct the world's largest dam on Brahmaputra and said he does not foresee any immediate cause of worry as the river gets most of its waters from Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, Sarma said the exact impact of the massive dam, the construction of which began last week, is not properly known as different theories are being floated, and hoped that the Centre must be in touch with China on the matter. China on Saturday formally started the construction of a USD 167.8 billion dam over the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, close to the border with India in Arunachal Pradesh. "I am not immediately worried because Brahmaputra is a mighty river and it is not dependent on a single source (of water)," Sarma told reporters here. When asked about the possible downstream impact of the dam on Assam, he said it is not yet known whether it will be good

Assam BJP holds two-day meet to plan 2026 Assembly poll strategy

With an eye on next year's assembly elections, leaders of the ruling BJP in Assam brainstormed over two days, drawing up organisational strategies and a roadmap. The discussions held in the meeting will be the basis for the party leadership to take forward its preparations for the polls, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. "A two-day @BJP4Assam organisational meeting was held in the esteemed presence of Hon'ble CM Dr. @himantabiswa & BJP National General Secretary (Org) Shri @blsanthosh ji," state BJP president Dilip Saikia posted on X on Sunday after the end of the meeting, which was held at a resort in Sonapur on the outskirts of Guwahati. Key discussions included the state's political scenario, organisational strategies and roadmap for the 2026 assembly polls, he added. Sarma, talking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme later, said, "The meeting focused on preparation for the assembly polls, manifesto preparation, candidate selection, campaign strategy, and ...

Assam to reach 10 lakh litre milk processing capacity in 3 years: CM Sarma

The Assam CM announced that the NDDB (National Dairy Development Board) and the state government are jointly working to set up new processing units in Silchar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat and other locations

Mild earthquake of 2.9 magnitude recorded in Assam's Nagaon district

Earlier this month, on July 8, a stronger earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale struck the Karbi Anglong district of Assam