Page 7 - Assam

PM inaugurates ₹5,000 cr bamboo-based ethanol plant in Assam's Numaligarh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a Rs 5,000-crore bamboo-based ethanol plant at Numaligarh in Assam's Golaghat district. The plant is a zero-waste' facility, which will utilise all parts of the bamboo plant, and is expected to give a Rs 200-crore boost to the rural economy in the state, officials said. It will source 5 lakh tonnes of green bamboo from four northeastern states, benefitting over 50,000 people directly and indirectly, they said. Earlier in the day, the PM laid the foundation stones for health and infrastructure projects worth Rs 6,300 crore at Mangaldoi in Darrang district. Modi had arrived in Assam on Saturday evening and attended Bharat Ratna awardee Bhupen Hazarika's birth centenary celebrations.

PM Modi inaugurates health, infra projects worth ₹6,300 crore in Assam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stones for health and infrastructure projects worth Rs 6,300 crore at Mangaldoi in Assam's Darrang district. He launched the construction of Darrang Medical College and Hospital, along with a nursing college and a GNM school. The combined investment in these healthcare projects is worth Rs 570 crore, officials said. The PM also laid the foundation stones for the 2.9 km-long Narengi-Kuruwa bridge with an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore and the 118.5 km-long Guwahati Ring Road project, connecting Kamrup and Darrang districts in Assam and Ri Bhoi in Meghalaya. The cost for the Ring Road project was estimated at Rs 4,530 crore. The PM will, later in the day, inaugurate the newly constructed over Rs 5000-crore bamboo-based ethanol plant and the Rs 7,230-crore Petro Fluidised Catalytic Cracker Unit at the Numaligarh Refinery in Golaghat district. Modi had arrived in Assam on Saturday evening and attended Bharat Ratna awardee B

PM Modi to inaugurate projects worth ₹18,530 crore in Assam today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil projects worth Rs 18,530 crore in Assam's Darrang and Golaghat districts on Sunday and will address two public rallies there. The PM will lay the foundation stones for Darrang Medical College along with a nursing college and a GNM school in Mangaldai town, and the combined investment for these healthcare projects is Rs 570 crore, officials said. The PM will also lay the foundation stone for the 2.9 km-long Narengi-Kuruwa bridge, with an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore and the 118.5 km-long Guwahati Ring Road project, connecting Kamrup and Darrang districts in Assam and Ri Bhoi in Meghalaya, they said. The cost for the Ring Road project was estimated at Rs 4,530 crore. The PM's programme at Mangaldai is scheduled to begin at 11.30 am, the officials said. The prime minister arrived in Guwahati on Saturday on a two-day visit to Assam and attended the birth centenary celebrations of Bharat Ratna awardee Bhupen Hazarika. Later in the day, Modi

PM Modi to visit Assam, honour Bhupen Hazarika, unveil ₹19,000 cr projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive here on a two-day visit to Assam on Saturday to pay tribute to Bharat Ratna awardee Bhupen Hazarika and unveil projects worth over Rs 19,000 crore in the state, officials said. During his visit, the PM will also release a commemorative coin of Rs 100 to honour the legendary singer and a biography of the maestro titled 'Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika', they said. The celebrations will include an 18-minute musical tribute by 1200 artistes who will render 14 evergreen songs of Hazarika in a medley. The prime minister will arrive here on Saturday at 4.20 pm and attend the meeting of Hazarika's birth centenary celebrations at 5.15 pm, the officials said. Modi will stay the night at a state guest house here. On Sunday, Modi will leave for Mangaldoi in Darrang district, where he will lay the foundation stone for Darrang Medical College along with a nursing and a GNM school, in the morning, the officials said. The combined investment for

PM to visit Assam on Sept 13-14, lay foundation for ₹18k cr worth projects

The Prime Minister will attend the programme of the birth centenary celebration of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika at Veterinary College Field, Khanapara in Guwahati on September 13

PM Modi to visit Assam on Sept 13-14, inaugurate projects worth ₹18,000 cr

The Prime Minister will also attend the programme of the birth centenary celebration of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika at Veterinary College Field, Khanapara in Guwahati on September 13

Assam cabinet approves SOP for expulsion of foreigners, says CM Sarma

The Assam cabinet on Tuesday approved the standard operating procedure (SOP) for removal of foreigners under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The district commissioner and the additional district commissioner of a co-district have been empowered by the Centre under the Act to serve a 10-day notice period to suspected foreigners to provide documents necessary to prove their citizenship, Sarma said at a media briefing here. 'If the DC or ADC is convinced that the person is a foreigner, the expulsion order will be issued on the 10th day itself,' he said. This process will bypass the Foreigners' Tribunals (FTs), and be a much faster and easier way for the Assam government to push back foreigners, he said. If, however, the official concerned cannot take a 'prima facie decision and is confused', the matter will be sent to the Foreigners' Tribunal, the CM said. The decision to issue an SOP was taken following an order passed by th

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