Northeast

Nagaland is all set to host the fourth and final event of B20 being organised in north-east region, which is the official G20 dialogue forum for the global business community. The B20 conference scheduled to be held in Kohima from April 4-6 will witness 64 overseas delegates from 29 countries, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Monday told reporters at Chumoukedima. The main Business 20 conference on Wednesday will be graced by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, he said. Rio said his government is making elaborate arrangements, not only to showcase investment and partnership opportunities in the state but also to provide a unique experience for visiting delegates with exposure to Nagaland's culture, local cuisine, art, festivities, and scenic beauty. Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN) along with the government departments are preparing a list of investible projects on varied themes and sectors to be pitched for attracting

The Northeast is all set to debut as an Indian Premier League (IPL) host for the first time since the marquee tournament started, with two Rajasthan Royals' 'home' games scheduled in Assam's Guwahati next month. The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Stadium has been designated as one of the home' venues for RR, which will take on the Punjab Kings on April 5 and Delhi Capitals on April 8. We were allotted two IPL matches of RR in 2020. But, the matches couldn't happen due to the outbreak of COVID-19. We are happy two games have been scheduled here this year, ACA secretary Tridib Konwar told PTI. He said preparations are in full swing, and ACA is working in close coordination with the Rajasthan Royals team. We urge the cricket lovers of Assam as well as the entire Northeast to come and watch the matches. Rajasthan Royals has already started online ticketing for the games, Konwar said. The Jaipur-based franchise had earlier partnered with the association for a cricket academy, which is

The five southern states have a total of 129 Lok Sabha seats on offer and the BJP has a mere 29 of them in the current Parliament. But bolstered by its excellent electoral show in the north-east in the just concluded polls and a changed scenario in some of the southern states between 2019 and 2024, the saffron party is looking at more voters from the south to give thumbs up in its bid to form the third NDA government in a row in 2024. The elections scheduled in the party-ruled Karnataka and BRS-dominated Telangana later this year might just indicate if the political weather is conducive for the Lotus to bloom in the south, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has exuded confidence of the party emerging victorious in Kerala, from where the BJP has neither has an elected MP nor an MLA. The party has rose as a challenger to the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), led by K Chandrasekhar Rao in Telangana, as demonstrated in a couple of Assembly bypolls where it emerged victorious and an

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that people of the three northeastern states where elections were recently held have reiterated their trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi

BJP retains the commanding position

Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt Gen K T Parnaik (Retd) on Tuesday called upon the members of the state Legislative Assembly to act as the link between the people and the government. Addressing a special session of the House, the governor said parliament and legislatures are the cornerstone on which rests the edifice of the democratic polity. One of the basic objectives of a representative democracy is to see that governance is carried out keeping in mind the mantra people first. In parliamentary democracy, the legislature represents the sovereign will of the people, he said. "We have to be sensitive and responsive to the problems of the people and give voice to their grievances by raising them on the floor of the House. While doing so, we must rise above narrow sectarian differences and instead build on our dream of shared prosperity," he said. He said the essence of the democratic values is perhaps best found in the state's tribal societies, which have maintained consultative decis

Shambhu Prasad, a native of Bihar, has been in Nagaland's Mon district for about three decades now, and wants his son to make a living in this northeastern state, too. His wife, Basanti Devi, is also supportive of his idea and wants their three children to earn their daily bread in Mon. "We have lived all of our adult lives here. There are problems at times. But then, is there a place without any problem?" Prasad said, seeking to refute a "perception" that survival of "outsiders" here is difficult. Alam, 70, who came here from Assam's Karimganj decades ago, said he and his family can never imagine a life outside Mon, which has accepted them with open arms. Alam, Prasad and several such migrants, who are now voters in Mon Town constituency, are keenly looking forward to the upcoming assembly elections. The 60-member Nagaland Assembly will go to polls on February 27, while the counting of votes will be taken up on March 2. Employment opportunities for the migrants are still few in

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday said that his government will introduce chapters on unsung heroes of the state in the school syllabus. Addressing the Statehood Day here, the chief minister said that the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, provided a platform to honour the unsung heroes of the state, who sacrificed their lives for the country's freedom movement. We have prepared a report on all unsung heroes of the state after extensive research and fieldwork, which was released today. Based on the history of the freedom fighters, we will soon introduce chapters in the school syllabus on their contribution to the country's freedom fight, Khandu said. Terming Arunachal as the northeast of NE states, the chief minister asserted that the state is developing, for which the region is also developing. Earlier northeast was a neglected region. But in the past eight and half years, the Modi government at the Centre brought a lot of

Addressing an election rally in Nagaland's Mon town, Shah said that the next NDPP-BJP government in association with the Central government would resolve various Naga issues

La Ganesan was sworn-in as the Nagaland governor on Monday. Ganesan succeeded Prof Jagdish Mukhi, the Governor of Assam, who was holding additional charge of Nagaland from September 2021 to February 14 this year. He becomes the 21st governor of the poll-bound north eastern state. Assembly election in Nagaland is slated to be held on February 27. Ganesan was earlier the governor of Manipur since August 2021 and had held additional charge of West Bengal from July to November 2022. He was administered the oath by Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Songkhupchung Serto at the Raj Bhavan here in the presence of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton, Speaker Sharingain Longkumer, cabinet ministers, Director General of Police Lokayukta Banuo Z. Jamir, senior bureaucrats and officers of the state.

Of the total of 21,61,729 voters, the number of male voters in the state is 10,68,801 and that of female voters is 10,92,326

An earthquake of 3.8 magnitude hit the western part of Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday afternoon, an official bulletin said. A report by National Center for Seismology revealed that the latest quake was recorded at 12.12 pm, epicentered at West Kameng, near Bhutan border, at a depth of 10 km. Tremors were felt in central-north Assam and eastern part of Bhutan. There was no immediate report of any injury to anyone or damage to property officials said. The North-eastern region falls in high seismic zone, making earthquakes a frequent phenomenon there.

A substantial number of CAPF is still in different parts of Tripura who would remain in the state till the counting of votes on March 2 to prevent any kind of post poll violence: CEO

Senior BJP leader Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Thursday took oath as the new governor of Sikkim. He was administered the oath of office by Sikkim High Court Chief Justice Biswanath Somadder at a function in Raj Bhavan here. Acharya succeeds Ganga Prasad as the 15th governor of Sikkim. He hails from the tribal Kharwar community of Uttar Pradesh and was a BJP MLC. Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang along with his council of ministers, besides senior officials, were present at the function.

The BJP on Tuesday promised a special package for Eastern Nagaland and establish a development board for the holistic development of the region if the party returns to power in the state for the second time in a row. The BJP and its ally NDPP are contesting the February 27 assembly election with a 20:40 seat-sharing arrangement. In its manifesto released by party president JP Nadda, the saffron party also announced a slew of measures for creating infrastructure, economic development, and boosting healthcare and agriculture, besides skill development. We will work with the central government to expedite the construction of the Trans-Nagaland Highway to enable easy access across districts, especially from Eastern Nagaland, it stated. Eastern Nagaland was in the news recently as there was a vote boycott call by an organisation spearheading an agitation demanding a separate state comprising six districts of the area. However, the call was later withdrawn. The BJP manifesto also promis

In case of a deadlock with no alliance or party able to gain majority in the ensuing three-cornered elections to the Tripura assembly, the Tipra Motha may stake claim to form government, its president Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl said. The regional party, which has been attracting large numbers of adherents in the state's tribal areas, is also willing to give outside support to any party or alliance (either the BJP or the Congress-Left combine) that manages to form government, provided it agrees on paper and on the floor of the House that it will concede to Tipra Motha's demand for creation of a separate tribal state. Hrangkhawl also said his party held a meeting on the possibility of a pre-poll alliance, in Guwahati, where they met the chief minister of Assam and two BJP leaders from Delhi, but it did not yield any results. It may so happen that we may be the single-largest party in the state in a post-poll scenario, we are willing to support from outside (any party which is able to for

Earlier, on January 27, amid the buzz of a possible alliance with the ruling BJP, Pradyot Deb Barma clarified that 'no alliance' will be formed with anyone in the upcoming state Assembly polls

The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) has submitted a memorandum to Governor Ganga Prasad, seeking imposition of President's rule in the state in the wake of deteriorating law and order under the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) rule. An SDF delegation, led by former Lok Sabha MP P D Rai, called on the governor at the Raj Bhavan here on Wednesday and submitted the memorandum to him. "We have, among various demands, urged the governor to ensure safety and protection of socio-economic, political and fundamental rights of Sikkimese people as under Article 371 (F) of the Constitution," an SDF leader said. The delegation also sought assurance from Prasad with regard to a free and fair assembly election in 2024. The SDF leaders alleged that workers of the ruling SKM had attacked their supporters in a village in South Sikkim earlier this week, injuring 15 of them while they were travelling to attend a programme. Meanwhile, the SKM, in a statement, denied the charges and claimed that it was SDF

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always prioritised the energy sector of the North East, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said here on Monday. The prime minister's priority is to put the region in the high growth trajectory and as such he is putting great emphasis on the energy sector, Puri said while participating at the run-up to the India Energy Week event here tonight. Without giving any detail, the Union minister said several big projects in the sector are also in the pipeline in the region. The Petroleum and Natural Gas minister was also present at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) and the Assam government to set up three bamboo nurseries that were signed on the occasion. Each nursery will cover an area of five hectares to accomplish secondary hardening of tissue-cultured bamboo saplings and will be set up in Golaghat, Nagaon and Sonitpur. The three bamboo nurseries will generate saplings that

They are general observers, police observers, expenditure observers, micro observers in each polling station, special observers for the special circumstances, and counting observers