Page 13 - Northeast India

People's trust, hard work of SKM behind landslide victory: Sikkim CM Tamang

Sikkim Krantikari Morcha supremo Prem Singh Tamang on Sunday gave credit for the party's landslide victory in the assembly election in the state to the hard work of the SKM cadre and the trust of the people in his government. The SKM returned to power in the Himalayan state for the second time in a row by securing 26 seats till now in the 31-member assembly. Counting is underway and the party is leading in five other seats. After the landslide win, Tamang who is also the chief minister, congratulated the party supporters and the voters of Sikkim. "It is because of the love and trust of the people which we have managed to secure in the past five years in government. Besides, party cadres worked very hard. Now we have the next five years to give our 100 per cent for the people of Sikkim," he said at a gathering in Paljor Stadium in Gangtok. Tamang won from both Rhenock and Soreng-Chakung constituencies that he contested. In 2019, the SKM had won 17 seats and unseated the Sikkim ...

Death toll in Mizoram landslides rises to 29; among them 21 locals

The death toll in landslides in Mizoram climbed to 29 after the body of a 34-year-old woman was found in Tlawng River in Kolasib district, officials said. The woman, identified as Vanlalruali, and her husband had been missing after being hit by a landslide in Aibawk village in Aizawl district on Tuesday. The woman's body was found in the river in Hortoki village in Kolasib district, which borders Assam, on Friday, they said. Her body was taken to Kawnpui after being fished out of the river and her family members confirmed her identity. Search for five other missing persons four of whom are from Melthum, including a six-month-old, besides Vanlalruali's husband is underway. The deaths were reported in multiple landslides in Aizawl district on Tuesday. Of the deceased, 21 were locals while eight were migrants from Jharkhand and Assam. Chief Minister Lalduhoma announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased. He said the government has earmarked

Flood in Assam: Nearly 200K people including 36,000 children affected

The flood waters submerged 3238.8 hectares of crop area in the flood-hit districts

Arriving early: Monsoon sets in over Kerala and Northeast, says IMD

Meteorologists meanwhile said that the rains after arriving over Kerala will quickly cover neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka but then might slacken a bit

Cyclone Remal forces train cancellations in Northeast as water levels rise

Several train are being cancelled in the northeast regions due to Cyclone Remal which triggered heavy rains and landslides in the region. A special train will run on May 30 for affected passengers

Southwest monsoon arrives in Kerala, says IMD: Here is what it means

The Southwest Monsoon has arrived in Kerala and advanced into much of Northeast India, the IMD announced on Thursday

Meghalaya set to attract pvt investments worth Rs 8K cr: CM Conrad Sangma

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday said Meghalaya is set to attract private investments amounting to Rs 8,000 crore in the current fiscal, attributing this to a new industrial policy aimed at transforming the state into a USD 10 billion economy. "The investment in Meghalaya is an outcome of the new industrial policy that has created an ecosystem for ease of doing business," he said while addressing a workshop on the 'Human Development Leadership Programme' in Tura. Discussing past policies that discouraged investors, Sangma noted, "The system was tedious and time-consuming. Our new industrial policy has provided a framework to give clearance to different statutory requirements within a specified time frame, which is facilitating investors". He revealed that nearly Rs 4,000 crore in investment has been secured in the past year alone. This includes a Rs 2,500-crore thermal power plant to generate 450 megawatt of electricity, an ethanol plant, a beverage manufacturing unit, and

Tripura govt working on arrangement to bring fuel, goods via B'desh: Min

The Tripura government has been working on an arrangement to strengthen the supply of fuel and essential goods via Bangladesh, a minister said. The alternative arrangement to bring fuel and goods to Tripura will bypass rail links through Assam and the national highway connecting the state's capital Agartala with the neighbouring state, he said. Notably, the northeastern state had faced a severe fuel crisis after the derailment of a goods train in Assam's Jatinga. Disruption of traffic movement on the AssamAgartala highway, considered a lifeline for Tripura, and through the rail links connecting the neighbouring state due to landslides during the monsoon season is common. "In view of the recent disruption in the railway network in Assam's Jatinga, we are working on alternative arrangements to ensure a seamless supply of fuel and goods via Bangladesh. The Agartala-Gangasagar (Bangladesh) rail tracks will be ready for goods transportation in the next six months to one year. Once the .

Maitri Setu, Agartala-Akhaura rail link to be operational soon: Tripura CM

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said the Maitri Setu in South Tripura and Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) rail link will become operational very soon. The Matri Setu built over river Feni connecting South Tripura's Sabroom with Bangladesh's Ramgarh was jointly inaugurated on March 9, 2021 and Agartala- Nischintapur (Indian part of Agartala-Akhaura rail link) was inaugurated on November 1, 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina. But both connectivity facilities are yet to be made operational. "Election is almost over, and a new government will be formed. Under the leadership of PM Modi, who has always emphasized the Act East Policy and provided us with the HIRA (highway, i-way, railway, airway) model, the Maitri Setu will become operational soon", the chief minister told reporters on Friday. "The trial in Agartala-Akhaura railway link has already been completed, and it will also be made operational soon," Saha said, adding that many investo

Share of North East in MF assets more than doubles to Rs 40,324 cr in 4 yrs

The share of North East in overall mutual fund assets in the country more than doubled in the last 4 years to Rs 40,324 crore in March 2024, spurred by increased awareness and growing interest among retail investors to invest in equities, a report by ICRA Analytics said. Also, this signals a growing appetite among investors from smaller towns and cities to invest in mutual funds. The combined share of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura rose to 0.73 per cent of the total average asset under management (AAUM) of the mutual fund industry, which stood at Rs 55.01 lakh crore in March 2024. The share was around 0.67 per cent in March 2020, when the industry's AAUM was at Rs 24.71 lakh crore. Data for Sikkim was not provided. In March 2020, these states had an asset base of Rs 16,446 crore as compared to Rs 40,324 crore in March this year. "Though the contribution of these states to the total AAUM of the industry is still small in percentage terms,

Storm, heavy rains damage homes in Meghalaya's Khasi Jaintia hills

Several houses were damaged and more than 400 people affected as a storm accompanied by heavy rains lashed several villages in Meghalaya's Khasi Jaintia Hills region, officials said on Monday. The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in the region for another 48 hours, they said. "At least 427 people were affected as their homes were destroyed or partially destroyed in at least 13 villages of Khasi Jaintia Hills region of Meghalaya on Sunday," a senior disaster management official told PTI. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the district administration is working on a war footing to provide relief to the affected people. "Due to strong winds and heavy rains in some parts of the state, many houses have been damaged. Have asked the administration to immediately provide relief," the CM posted on X. The district deputy commissioners have been directed to remain alert and to provide relief whenever required, a Home Department official said.

In conflict-torn Manipur, youngsters take up arms to 'protect' villages

Every day in shifts, morning and night, a group of armed youngsters patrol roads around Manipur's Koutruk village. Their objective: Keep residents safe from the warring factions of Meitei and Kuki, two communities that have been in conflict since last year. These youngsters, mostly in their late 20s and early 30s, identify themselves as volunteers and say they have taken up the responsibility to keep their own safe as security forces "could not do enough to protect us". Kotruk in the Imphal Valley is one of the many villages in the state that is "protected" by such groups which identify themselves as "Village Volunteers", "Village Volunteer Force", "Village Defence Force" and "Village Protection Force". These groups, officials say, are not associated with any security agency or the armed forces. Trained in basic combat tactics, the village forces have vowed to keep their areas safe from the ethnic violence that has left many dead, injured and displaced. Their presence in villages

Mizoram records 52% growth in GST collection in April, says CM Lalduhoma

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma said the northeastern state has registered a 52 per cent growth in Goods and Services Tax (GST) in April this year. Quoting the data released by the Union Finance Ministry, Lalduhoma on Friday said that Mizoram collected Rs 108 crore in GST in April this year against Rs 71 crore collected in the same period the previous year. He attributed the growth in GST collection to massive efforts made by the state finance, planning and taxation department in revenue collection. "The reason behind the growth in GST collection is due to the massive efforts made by the finance, planning and taxation departments. People and business communities in particular are also aware of the importance of giving taxes to augment our revenue," the chief minister said. He claimed that the state's financial condition is moving towards stability due to the austerity measures being implemented by legislators and officials. In the Union Finance Ministry's data, Mizoram collected

Over 196K people including foreigners visited Mizoram in 2023: Tourism Dept

Over 1,96,000 tourists including foreigners visited Mizoram in the year 2023, the state Tourism department said. A total of 1,96,880 tourists visited the northeastern state in 2023 of which 1,93,445 were domestic and 3,435 were foreigners, the state tourism department. With 1,162 tourists, Americans topped the list of foreigners visiting the northeastern state, it said, adding that tourists from other foreign countries including Japan, Australia, Israel, Canada and the United Kingdom, also visited Mizoram last year. The tourist footfall in 2022-23 was over 2.22 lakh of which 2.18 lakh were domestic tourists and 3,551 were foreigners. The tourist footfall in the state was minimal during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was 20,564 in 2020-21 and 1.32 lakh in 2021-22. Mizoram tourism is making headway with a 'responsible' tourism policy that came into force in August 2020. The 'responsible' tourism policy envisages a sustainable development strategy, coordination, strengthening institutio

Shutdown of businesses begins in Nagaland in protest against extortion

Markets were shut and private offices were closed as an indefinite shutdown of business establishments began in Nagaland on Saturday to protest against extortion by underground groups. The shutdown was first observed in the state's commercial capital Dimapur on Friday, following which the other districts joined on a call given by the Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce & Industries (CNCCI). The CNCI said harassment of the business community over extortion cannot be tolerated any further. It urged the government to take immediate steps to stop the "unabated" extortions, intimidations and summons by the underground groups. The CNCI said that banks, educational institutions, government offices and hospitals have been kept outside the purview of the shutdown. State Home Commissioner Vikeyie Kenya said that it has "come to the notice" of the government that "rampant collection of taxes" from businesses, particularly in Dimapur, by various groups, most of which have signed ...

IED explosion damages bridge on NH 2 in ethnic violence-hit Manipur

A bridge on the National Highway 2 in ethnic violence-hit Manipur's Kangpokpi district was partially damaged in an IED explosion early on Wednesday, disrupting traffic movement in the area, police said. The blast occurred on the bridge between Sapermeina and Koubru Leikha areas around 12.45 am, an officer said. No casualties were reported so far in the improvised explosive device (IED) blast, he said. Three craters and cracks on both ends of the bridge were noticed, the officer said. Movement of heavy vehicles has been stopped on the bridge connecting Manipur's capital Imphal with Nagaland's Dimapur. Minutes after the explosion, police personnel rushed to the spot and cordoned off the bridge, he said, adding that an investigation into the IED blast has been initiated. Some two-wheelers, however, were seen plying on the bridge this morning. The IED explosion occurred hours after gunfights broke out between village volunteers of the two warring communities in Imphal West district

All should vote to help make our nation Viksit Bharat: Nagaland Min Temjen

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDPP-BJP coalition secured a significant victory over the Indian National Congress, emerging as the winner

NE's integration with rest of India happened under Modi govt, claims Nadda

BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday claimed that integration of North East with the rest of the country has happened under the Narendra Modi-led government, accusing the Congress of keeping the region in "isolation and ignorance". He alleged that the opposition parties are not bothered about people's welfare, and are out to save themselves from being indicted in multiple scams. Addressing a rally here for NDA candidate Jayanta Basumatary, Nadda said, "Congress' policy was to keep North East in isolation and ignorance. It is the Modi and Himanta Biswa Sarma governments which worked to join you with the rest of the country." "Ten years ago when you visited Delhi, people asked which country you are from. But now integration is complete," Nadda said in the tribal-dominated region. Referring to the peace accords signed under the Modi regime, especially with Bodo militant outfits, the BJP chief claimed insurgent attacks and the number of civilian deaths have decreased drastically in the

LS polls: Small tea growers fight for land rights in Assam's Lakhimpur

It has been a single-point agenda for small tea growers in Assam's Lakhimpur district, along the border with Arunachal Pradesh, before every government for several years allotment of garden land in their names. The repeated pleas have so far not yielded any positive result, though they remain hopeful whenever an election approaches that their demand will finally be met by the new regime. "Most of the areas under tea cultivation here fall under the tribal belt. And hence, we are not getting allotment. We have been repeatedly urging the government to de-notify the area or make provisions for allotment for us as the tribal population in this part is not even 10 per cent," Jatin Chandra Bora, advisor, Lakhimpur District Small Tea Growers Association, said. Mentioning specifically about Bholabari, Dhalpur, Rajgarh, Rangoti and Simojluguri panchayats in western part of Lakhimpur, he said, "As per information from the office of the deputy director of economics and statistics, these ...

We've many challenges in terms of weather, geography: Meghalaya CEO Tiwari

The Meghalaya CEO also highlighted that there are 50 such polling stations that we can't reach by vehicle so the polling parties will have to walk