Page 54 - Assam

Assam: Families point to faulty data in ID cards for child marriage arrests

As more and more young men find themselves behind bars with the Assam government continuing its crackdown on child marriage, their wives are running from pillar to post to find documents to prove they were not underage at the time of wedlock. Many affected families also claimed that identity documents with erroneous birth dates of women were cited by police for registering cases. A total of 2,241 arrests have been made so far in the state, based on 4,074 FIRs, as part of the crackdown launched four days ago. An elderly resident of Bhuragaon in Morigaon district claimed that most of the child marriage cases were registered on the basis of data collected from local health workers, who keep track of pregnant women, lactating mothers and families with small children to ensure coverage of government schemes. These health workers use Aadhaar card information, as this is the latest document in possession of the villagers. However, errors related to birth dates have been spotted in the ...

Crackdown on child marriage continues in Assam, total arrests 2,441

Amid opposition criticism and protests, the Assam Police continued its crackdown on child marriage in the state, with the number of arrests totaling 2,441 over a span of three days, officials said. Chief Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma had on Saturday asserted that the drive to end the social menace would go on till the next assembly polls, drawing flak of opposition camps, which called the move a "hurriedly carried out publicity stunt". The arrests have been made based on 4,074 FIRs filed across the state, the officials said. At least 139 people were apprehended in Biswanath district, followed by 130 in Barpeta and 126 in Dhubri, a police statement said. Other districts where over 100 arrests have been made are Baksa (123) and Bongaigaon and Hojai (117 each), it said. Dhubri registered the highest number of FIRs against child marriages at 374 cases, followed by Hojai (255) and Morigaon (224). Protests have been held at different places in the Barak Valley against the ...

Assam to host first Youth20 Inception Meeting from Feb 6-8, in Guwahati

Guwahati is all set to host the first Youth20 (Y20) Inception Meeting 2023 from February 6 to 8, under G20

'Over 120 kms of waterways in Assam to be dredged for weather fairway'

The agreement will affect dredging, banding, channel markings, and river training works in order to ensure the safe navigation of vessels

Assam govt's motive malicious: Owaisi on crackdown on child marriages

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday questioned the Assam government's motive behind its crackdown on child marriages in the state and said the exercise reflects a "failure of governance" by the BJP dispensation. "There is a malicious motive behind all the action that is being taken," the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader told PTI in a telephonic interview, when asked about the hundreds of arrests made in the northeast state. More than 2,250 people have been arrested in Assam till Saturday in the crackdown on child marriage, according to an official statement by the state government. Owaisi, who was in Lucknow to attend the executive committee meeting of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), said, "As you know the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act was passed in 2006, and it is the BJP's government which is in power in Assam for the last six years. Now, why did the government not stop all these in the last six years? This really shows the failure of

Assam police arrest 2,278 in 3 days in state's child marriage crackdown

The Assam Police continued with its crackdown on child marriage in the state for the third day in a row, with the number of arrests touching 2,278 on Sunday. A police statement said the arrests were made based on 4,074 FIRs across the state. At least 139 people have been apprehended in Biswanath, followed by 130 in Barpeta and 126 in Dhubri, the statement said. Other districts where over 100 arrests have been made are Baksa (123) and Bongaigaon and Hojai (117 each), it maintained. Dhubri registered the highest number of FIRs against child marriages at 374 cases, followed by Hojai at 255 and Morigaon at 224. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had on Saturday asserted that the drive against child marriage will continue till the next assembly elections in 2026. He had said parents involved in underage marriages are currently being let off with a notice. The CM added that men marrying girls below 14 years of age will be facing non-bailable charges, while those marrying girls between

Crackdown against child marriages continues in Assam; over 2,000 held

Barpeta district has the second highest number of arrests, which stands at 128 against the total number of 81 cases lodged

Assam Police arrests 1,800 people in a crackdown against child marriage

The Assam Police have arrested over 1,800 people so far on Friday in a massive crackdown on child marriage, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The crackdown began early in the morning across the state and it will continue over the next three to four days, Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here. The police had registered 4,004 cases of child marriage in less than a fortnight since the state cabinet decided on January 23 to take action, with the arrest of offenders and a simultaneous launch of an extensive awareness campaign. The chief minister said the crackdown was continuing and a clear picture will emerge by evening on the number of arrests and the districts from where those were made. The highest number of 136 arrests so far has been made in Dhubri where 370 cases have been registered, followed by 110 in Barpeta and 100 in Nagaon. Those having married girls below 14 years of age will be booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO

4,004 child marriage cases registered in Assam: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that a total of 4,004 child marriage cases have been registered across the state, adding that "more police action is likely in days ahead"

First-ever G20 meet in Assam begins at Guwahati, CM inuagurates the event

The first-ever G20 meeting in Assam began on Thursday with Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurating the two-day event, which will deliberate on sustainable financing solutions. More than 100 delegates, including 95 foreign officials, comprising representatives of G20 nations, guest countries and international organisations have assembled in Guwahati for the discussions of the influential world grouping. "Today's meeting being held in the vicinity of this magnificent land of Guwahati has a special meaning to it as communities from diverse ethnicity and culture, socially coexist in harmony with nature through sustainable practices," Sonowal said during his inaugural speech. The G20 group through the '1st Sustainable Finance Working Group Meeting' (SFWGM) in Guwahati is sharing a timely message of sustainable finance to maximise sustainable investment, the Union Shipping, Ports and Waterways Minister said. "As the world continues to battle the fragilities of our fundamental glob

Assam to host G20's Sustainable Financial Working Group meeting on Feb 2-3

The two-day meeting will be attended by 94 delegates from the member countries of G20, guest countries, different international organizations and also officials from the Union government

Assam Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi adopts 10 TB patients for 6 months

Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi has adopted 10 tuberculosis patients under the Centre's Nikshay Mitra initiative. The governor will take care of their nutritional and allied support needs for a period of six months. He handed over prescribed food packets to health officials in Raj Bhavan on Monday for distribution among the 10 patients. Under the Nikshay Mitra initiative of the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, individuals or organisations can adopt tuberculosis patients for six months and help meet their nutritional and medical requirements. Speaking on the occasion, the government said common people have always helped transform government programmes into mass movements, and hoped that the TB eradication mission will also be a huge success.

Assam set to host first series of G20 events, meeting to begin this week

Assam is all set to host the first set of G20 events, with delegates arriving in the northeastern state for a meeting that will begin later this week, an official release said. The state will host the first Sustainable Financial Working Group (SFWG) meeting and Youth 20 Inception event in February as part of India's year-long G20 presidency. The state will also host two events in March and one in April. The first SFWG meeting will be held at a hotel in the state's largest city Guwahati on February 2-3 and will be attended by 94 delegates from the member countries of G20, guest nations, different international organisations and officials from the Centre, said the statement issued on Monday. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared on Twitter a video of a traditional musical performance at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here to welcome the delegates and hoped that the guests will enjoy their visit. Welcome to India -land of incredible diversity, beauty and gloriou

Assam CM hands over appointment letters of govt jobs to 1,200 people

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday distributed appointment letters to over 1,200 people who got jobs in various government departments. Among the candidates were appointees on compassionate grounds who are family members of police personnel killed in action since 1988. Happy to distribute appointment letters to 1,208 selected candidates for Health & Family Welfare and Home & Political departments at Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati. With 41,710 appointments so far, we are marching towards our goal of providing 1 lakh Govt jobs, Sarma tweeted later. Speaking at the programme, the chief minister said the government is working overtime to ensure jobs for families of every slain police personnel. Between 1996 to 2005, almost all the communities of the state had an armed outfit, he said. The biggest challenge was from the ULFA and Bodo groups, and many police personnel lost their lives in the line of duty. Initially, their families would receive government jobs on .

Minor confrontation between Assam Rifles, NSCN-IM in Nagaland's Peren

A minor confrontation occurred between Assam Rifles troopers and cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) in Nagaland's Peren district, according to army sources

Assam BJP to improve its performance in 2024 LS polls, says Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the BJP will improve its performance in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections though he refused to predict the number of seats it is likely to win. The saffron party had bagged nine out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, its best show so far in the northeastern state. Briefing reporters after the party's state executive meeting here, Sarma said, The discussions here were not purely election-centric. But when a discussion is held about strengthening the organisation, the issue of election also comes in. To a question on the party's prospects in the next Lok Sabha polls, the chief minister said, The party will have its own assessment, I will have my own. It (the result) will be better than before. The Lok Sabha election winds haven't even blown yet. It is not good to proceed with a number in mind at this moment, he said when asked for his prediction on the number of seats the BJP will win in the state. Th

Assam to book men under POCSO Act for marrying girls aged less than 14

Sarma also said that police have been ordered to launch a state-wide crackdown against child marriage

Men marrying girls below 14 to be booked under POCSO Act: Assam CM

The Assam Cabinet on Monday decided to book men who marry girls below 14 years in the state under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Assam has a high rate of maternal and infant mortality and the primary cause is child marriage. The state has an average of 31 per cent marriages in the prohibited age, Sarma said at a press conference following the Cabinet meeting. Men marrying girls in the age group of 14-18, will be tried under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and necessary steps will be taken against them under this law, the chief minister said. The police have been directed to conduct a massive crackdown against child marriage across the state, he said. A Child Protection Officer will be appointed in every village and it will be the duty of the Gram Panchayat Secretary to file a complaint against any child marriage taking place in their area, Sarma said.

Centre to set up floating jetty on northern bank of Brahmaputra: Sonowal

The Centre will set up a modern floating jetty on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra river in Assam's Sonitpur district to facilitate movement of cargo and passengers via waterways, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said. The union government has prepared a plan to build such a facility at the historic Biswanath ghat, he said. Once the proposed floating jetty is operational, it will facilitate the docking of three ships simultaneously, Sonowal said, while interacting with BJP workers here on Saturday. "The new jetty will help the local economy flourish, as farmers and traders will be able to transport and export their produce via waterways," Sonowal, the shipping minister, said. The Centre's 'Act East' policy has made "wonders for the economic revival of the region in the global trade map", he said. "By reenergising our traditional routes of trade via the Brahmaputra river, we have a tremendous opportunity to regain our glory as an important hub of trade in this part of the worl

BJP youth wing to launch 'Sampark Yatra' in border villages from Jan 20

According to the report, they will go to the border villages in Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam and Tripura to study the development works carried out by the PM Modi-led Central government