Page 52 - Assam

No information when delimitation will be over, says Assam CM Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said his government has no information on when the process for delimitation of constituencies will be over. Speaking in the assembly, Sarma said any question the opposition may have about the process can be placed before the Election Commission (EC) when its full team visits the state next week. "The state government cannot say when the process will be completed as we are not directly or indirectly involved. EC is a central agency. Our work is only to provide the data," he said in reply to a question on the delimitation process by Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed. The process began on January 1, the chief minister said. The delimitation exercise was not stalled in the state due to the updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), he said. "The then Congress government had written to the delimitation commission that the law and order situation was not conducive for carrying out the process then. "When we were asked if it can b

PM Modi lauds Assam guv, CM's gesture of visiting 3 iconic places in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed the gesture of Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the state government's ministers to visit the National War Memorial, National Police Memorial and the PM Sangrahalaya here. In a tweet, Kataria said, "I along with CM Dr. Himantab Biswa Sarma and his cabinet colleagues, had the profound privilege of visiting the National War Memorial in New Delhi today." "We paid our tribute to the valiant soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in safeguarding our nation's territorial integrity," he said. "As the day progressed, we embarked on an awe-inspiring journey through the remarkable National Police Museum and the distinguished Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, marveling at the extraordinary exhibits on display," Kataria said. Tagging Kataria's tweet, Modi said on Twitter, "A great gesture by the Assam Governor @Gulab_kataria Ji, CM @himantabiswa Ji and Ministers of the Assam Government to visit three iconic pla

34 more Amritpal supporters held, key aides shifted to Assam prison

Police on Sunday conducted flag marches and searches across Punjab in their manhunt for radical preacher Amritpal Singh, arresting 34 more supporters and shifting four men in custody to a jail in far-off Assam. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has, however, asked the state government to respond on Tuesday to a habeas corpus petition, that claiming that the preacher is already in illegal police custody and should be released. Justice N S Shekhawat held the hearing at his home-office as the courts were closed. Police stuck to their version that the Waris Punjab De chief gave them the slip during a car chase in Jalandhar district on Saturday, when the crackdown against the group began. They have slapped fresh FIRs against the Khalistan sympathiser and his supporters. Section 144 of the CrPc, which prohibits congregations, was imposed in the union territory of Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana. Prohibitory orders were already in force in some parts of Punjab. Polic

4 Assam Civil Service officers suspended for MPLAD fund 'irregularities'

Four Assam Civil Service (ACS) officers have been suspended for alleged financial irregularities in the execution of projects under the MP Local Area Development Fund, officials said. The CM's Special Vigilance Cell had carried out an inquiry into the allegations and detected "irregularities and anomalies" in the execution of works and utilisation of funds of Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan for 2021-22 and 2022-23, they said. All the accused have been placed under immediate suspension, pending drawal of departmental proceedings, an official order said on Saturday. The suspended officers include the deputy secretary in the Home and Political Department, and the additional deputy commissioner and the assistant commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan.

Election Commission's full bench to visit Assam for delimitation exercise

Prior to the delimitation exercise of constituencies in Assam, the full bench of the Election Commission of India will meet and hold discussion with various stakeholders, including political parties and civil society. According to an official release on Saturday, the full bench of the Election Commission, comprising Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and two Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, will be visiting Assam from March 26 to 28 to hold talks with various sections. "The Commission has decided to visit Assam for knowing the ground reality and expectations of the stakeholders and general public on the ongoing delimitation exercise in the state," it added. The Election Commission of India has been entrusted for the delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies of Assam. "During this period, the Commission will interact with political parties, public representatives, civil societies, social organizations and state administration ...

Over 857,000 people encroaching 5,404 sq km of land, says Assam govt

Over 8.57 lakh encroachers are occupying more than 5,404 sq km of land across Assam, the state assembly was informed on Friday. Of them, 2.12 lakh are landless people, 1.24 lakh are from the minority community and 31,839 are erosion-hit people. In a written reply to a query by Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan said a total of 8,57,060 people are living on government, forest, wetland, Satra and railway lands across the state. Sharing a table, the minister said these people include at least 2,11,698 landless people, 31,839 erosion-affected, 1,03,422 from the economically weaker section, 68,981 Scheduled Castes, 77,616 Scheduled Tribes, 1,21,089 from the general category and 1,24,150 from the minority community. The table further termed 1,18,265 people in Charaideo and Dhemaji as encroachers, but did not elaborate on their class, caste or community. Mohan said these people have encroached more than 40,39,450 bighas (over 5,404

Entire exam system to be analysed, rectified: Assam minister after leaks

With two tests of the state board-conducted Class 10 exams cancelled within a week following leak of question papers, Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu on Friday asserted that the entire examination system will be analysed and rectified. Admitting that there are lapses in the system, he said the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) has to figure out where the problems are and take corrective measures. We have to rectify it together, Pegu told reporters here. Days after the general science question paper leak of the Class 10 state board exam, the Assamese paper also got leaked, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said on Thursday evening. All the Modern Indian Language (MIL) subject papers, including Alternative English, which were to be held tomorrow, have been cancelled as a precautionary step, as one of the accused revealed about leaking the Assamese question paper. The new dates will be announced by SEBA today, Pegu said. In Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong and Dima

Assam boards question paper sold for up to Rs 3,000 on WhatsApp: Police

Investigations have revealed that the General Science question paper of class 10 state board examination in Assam were sold for up to Rs 3,000 on WhatsApp, Director-General of Police Gyanendra Pratap Singh said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters, Singh said WhatsApp's assistance was being sought to identify the origin of the leak of the question paper. "The investigation has revealed that the question paper of the General Science examination were sold for anything between Rs 100 and Rs 3,000. We have found that somewhere it was sold for Rs 100, somewhere for Rs 200-300, and it went up to Rs 3,000. Assistance is being sought from WhatsApp to identify the origin of the leak," he said. "I am happy with the investigation and the progress we made over the last three days. Hopefully, we will crack this case soon. We will send some more packets of the question paper from upper Assam to the CID headquarters for the purpose of the investigation," he added. The General Science question paper

First case of H3N2 detected in Assam, health dept keeping close watch

The first case of H3N2 influenza was detected in Assam, and the Health Department was keeping a close watch on the situation, an official bulletin said. According to the bulletin issued by the National Health Mission, Assam on Wednesday night, a confirmed case of H3N2 influenza was detected. "The Health Department is keeping a close watch on the evolving seasonal influenza situation in Assam through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network on real-time basis," it said. The district surveillance officers under the IDSP network are fully geared to meet this public health challenge in Assam in line with the guidelines formulated by the Centre and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), it added. "Globally, influenza cases are typically seen to increase during certain months of the year. India usually witnesses two peaks of seasonal influenza: one from January to March and the other one in post-monsoon season," the NHM said. The cases arising from seasonal influ

Over 150k illegal foreigners detected in Assam, more than 30k deported

Over 1.50 lakh illegal foreigners have been detected in Assam, and more than 30,000 of them have been deported from the state, the state Assembly was informed on Wednesday

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Assam CEE 2023: Exam dates announced, check complete information on website

ASTU has released the examination dates online for the Assam CEE 2023. Candidates for Assam CEE 2023 can check the exam plan from the official website at astu.ac.in

Assam Police seizes 5 kg heroin worth Rs 20 crore, one arrested: Officials

Acting on a tip-off, the heroin was recovered from a vehicle during checking along the Assam-Nagaland border

Mandatory CCTV cameras in public spaces bill introduced in Assam Assembly

The Assam government on Friday introduced a bill in the state Assembly making it mandatory for installation of CCTV cameras in all spaces that have congregation of people to ensure public safety. The owners of such spaces have to install the surveillance equipment within a stipulated period, failing which the premise may be sealed by local authorities, as per the proposed legislation. "The Assam Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Bill, 2023," was introduced in the House by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal. The statement of objects and reasons of the bill mentioned that the proposed act will serve as a bulwark against crime and through its enforcement, ensure public safety in areas like commercial places, industrial establishments, religious places, educational institutions, government buildings, sports complexes, residential buildings, etc. The bill mandates the use of surveillance equipment, like CCTV cameras, as per specifications in spaces that see public ...

Assam tourists department eyes over 10 mn domestic traveller in FY23

Assam Tourism Development Corporation is eyeing over one crore domestic traveller footfall in 2022-23, following a surge in tourists' interest in visiting the state. "Till January of this fiscal, we have hosted over 88 lakh domestic visitors, which is more than double of what we received during FY20 (51 lakh). This is a positive sign as more and more people are looking at exploring the North East and Assam as a destination," Tourism and Managing Director of Assam Tourism Development Corporation Secretary Padmapani Bora told PTI. This is mainly due to the confidence people have gained about the state's law and order situation, he said, adding that "this has given us confidence that the domestic tourist footfall is likely to cross over one crore in FY23." Assam had witnessed visitor footfall of 13.5 lakh during 2020-21, and 17 lakh during 2021-22, according to data, he stated. The state, mainly known as the gateway to the North East, is well connected to the rest of the country with

Assam's lady police officers reminisce work experience on Women's Day

If it was a senior woman police officer officer narrating how she used her short stature to her advantage for controlling a mob, it was her junior who was enthralling everyone with her experience of becoming a crowd controller from being part of such crowds. Another officer was sharing her experience as a woman in the police force, where even basic amenities like getting a proper toilet was a challenge. They were among the 13 personnel of the Assam Police who were participating in an interactive session on the occasion of International Women's Day, moderated by singer Zublee Baruah here on Wednesday. Nagaon superintendent of police (SP) Leena Doley pointed out that women who are given a leadership position in any sphere come under doubt as it is usually associated with men. Though things are changing, a woman has to make clear, in whatever profession she is, that she means business, Doley said. Accepting that there are some gender-specific challenges for a woman in the police forc

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Assam eyes Guinness record on Bihu with 11,000 performers; PM to attend

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will witness 11,140 dancers and drummers performing on Bihu in Guwahati to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest recital of the folk dance form. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Modi will be present at the state government event on April 14, mainly initiated to popularise Bihu at the international level. "We will also invite all the governors and chief ministers of India. Our ministers will travel to the states from March 20 to 30 to invite them," he added. Besides, all the ambassadors and high commissioners of the G20 countries and South-East Asian nations in India will be extended invitations to witness the spectacular programme, Sarma said. "In total, 11,140 dancers and drummers will take part. The ratio of boys and girls will be 30:70. There will be participants from each district of Assam," he said. The chief minister said that the government has already sent a sample vi

No encroachment by Assam in state's territory: Mizoram Home Minister

Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamlianna Monday told the state legislature that no encroachment was made in the state's territory by Assam. Mizoram did not lose any land to Assam, rather it occupies some areas which fall in Assam according to the 1933 notification, he said. No farmer practicing plantation or farming along the Mizoram-Assam border has faced harvest problem till now, the minister said. "Assam does not encroach or grab Mizoram's territory. In fact, some areas occupied by Mizoram now fall under Assam as per the notification issued on 9 March, 1933, which the neighbouring state (Assam) accepts as its constitutional boundary," Lalchamliana said in a written reply to a question from opposition Congress leader Zodintluanga Ralte. He said measures are being taken by Mizoram to occupy the inner line reserve forest notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) in August 1875. The 1875 notification is accepted by Mizoram as its actual boundary, he said. Mizoram .

Assamese culture benefitted from richness of Bodo art, literature: CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday attended the 62nd Annual Conference of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha held at Patgaon in Kokrajhar district