Page 8 - Assam

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

PM Modi to visit Assam on September 8, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

CM Sarma said, 'On September 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Assam and he will attend three government programmes'

At least 1 killed as evicted people clash with security forces in Assam

At least one person was killed and several others were injured, including policemen, in a clash between evicted people and security personnel in Paikan reserve forest in Assam's Goalpara district on Thursday, officials said. He said forest guards and police personnel were attacked by alleged encroachers with sticks when they had gone to cordon off a part of the Paikan reserve forest, where an eviction drive was carried out on Saturday. The evicted people also hurled stones at the forest guards and police personnel there, the official said. The forest department wanted to dig a channel to ensure that no attempt is made for future encroachment. It was carried out peacefully yesterday. But when the team reached this morning, people in the area attacked them with stones and sticks, he said. In a retaliatory action, the police had to fire to control the situation, in which one person was killed and two others were injured, he said. Several policemen and forest personnel were injured in

Kharge slams Assam govt, promises relief for evicted families if Cong wins

The Congress president also warned that the BJP could use voter list revisions and delimitation to undermine the Congress ahead of next year's Assembly elections

Kharge, Rahul on day-long visit to Assam, to interact with Congress workers

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Assam on Wednesday, during which they will interact with party functionaries in the state. This will be the first visit of the party's top leaders since Gaurav Gogoi took over as the state president, ahead of next year's assembly election. Kharge and Gandhi are scheduled to attend two meetings, including one at Chaygaon -- about 40 km from Guwahati, during the day-long trip. Gogoi said on Tuesday that the district, block and mandal presidents of the party will be able to present their views before the leadership during the meetings. "The visit reaffirms the Congress party's shared commitment to justice, harmony, and inclusive progress for all," he said in a post on X.

'Invasion by people of one religion' altering demography: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed on Tuesday that the indigenous communities of the state are facing "invasion" from people of "one religion", who are allegedly encroaching on land in different parts to alter the demography of those areas. He said the government's eviction drives, through which over 1.19 lakh bighas have been cleared since 2021, are a major step towards checking this alleged attempt by migrants to gain a political foothold in Assamese-majority areas. The chief minister did not specify who was making this alleged attempt, but most of the evicted people are Bengali-speaking Muslims. Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said that it has been found while conducting eviction drives that the encroachers are mostly people with own land in their native districts, and yet they move to settle illegally in distant parts of the state. Forest destruction is one of the issues. These people migrate to change the demography of that place, he claimed. Sarma sai

Assam halts green hydrogen policy; investors reassess plans: Report

Assam's decision to pause the green hydrogen policy surprised some of the companies, forcing them to recalibrate potential returns and investment plans worth millions of dollars, three of the sources

25,000 acres of land cleared of encroachment in Assam in 4 yrs: CM Himanta

Asserting that eviction drives will continue in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that over 25,000 acres of land have been cleared of encroachment across the state in the last

Northeast can be national model for sustainable mining: G Kishan Reddy

At a conclave in Guwahati, G Kishan Reddy said the Northeast can lead India's sustainable mining drive as Centre backs real-time enforcement and resource mapping

Assam GT TET 2025 results out at madhyamik.assam.gov.in; Check details here

DSE Assam has declared the GT TET 2025 results for Graduate Teacher posts. Check your marksheet and download the document verification admit card from the official website

Litmus test awaits new Congress Prez Gaurav Gogoi ahead of Assam polls

Elections to the Bodoland Territorial Council will test his leadership in Assam

ONGC reports major progress in controlling Assam gas well blowout

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Saturday said it has made "significant" headway in controlling the gas blowout at the Assam well, with flow rates reducing substantially. The blowout -- or uncontrolled flow of natural gas -- took place on June 12 at a well of the Rudrasagar oil field of ONGC at Barichuk. A private firm, S K Petro Services, was operating the well on behalf of the company. In a statement, ONGC said it "has made significant headway in its well control operations at RDS#147A, with the flow rate of gas having reduced substantially, marking a critical step forward in containment efforts." The international expert team from CUDD Pressure Control, USA, who arrived on site on Friday, has conducted a preliminary assessment of the situation and reviewed all actions undertaken by ONGC teams so far. "The experts have expressed their agreement with the strategy and execution carried out to date, reaffirming the effectiveness of ONGC's approach to safely ...

US experts join ONGC effort to contain Rudrasagar gas leak in Assam

An expert US team has begun assessment at ONGC's Rudrasagar gas field where a gas leak continues for the eighth day as evacuation and control efforts intensify in Assam

Over 5K social media accounts from Islamic nations back Assam Cong: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday alleged that over 5,000 social media accounts, mostly operated from Islamic countries, have become active in favour of the Assam Congress. Addressing a press conference, Sarma claimed that these accountsoriginating from 47 countries, with the highest numbers from Bangladesh and Pakistanhave been focusing exclusively on the activities of a particular Assam Congress leader and the party's state unit pages over the past month. "It is surprising that they do not comment on or like posts by Rahul Gandhi or even the Indian National Congress. They are only focused on a particular leader and the Assam Congress," Sarma said. Besides Assam, they post Islamic fundamentalist content, including pro-Palestine, Iran and Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Prof Md Yunus. Though the CM did not name the leader, he appeared to be referring to Gaurav Gogoi, who was appointed Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president in May last week. Sarma remarked, "We are