Page 10 - Assam

Assam govt announces hike in DA for employees a day before Diwali

Enhanced rate in DA will be applicable with effect from July this year

Sonowal calls upon experts, researchers of Ayurveda to lead movement

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal visited the Government Ayurveda College in Jalukbari, Guwahati on Saturday

Sonowal hands over appointment letters under 'Rozgar Mela' in Assam

As a part of the 'Rozgar Mela' initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal handed over the appointment letters to the newly selected youths at Guwahati on Saturday.

NHM takes measures to improve maternal, child health in 34 Assam districts

National Health Mission, Assam, has taken a series of measures, including visits by the state team to all 34 districts, for improving maternal and child health. The team stays in the district for three days to review maternal, and newborn deaths and other health-related aspects, NHM mission director Dr. M S Lakshmi Priya told a review meeting. The measures also include organising a monthly consultation-cum-review conclave in the districts, and special health camps. The NHM mission director said that the state has the capability to reduce maternal and newborn deaths if a targeted approach is adopted. The maternal death cases have come down to 289 in the AprilSeptember period of 2022-23 as against 384 during the corresponding period in 2021-22. The number of child deaths has also declined from 3,842 in 2021-22 (April-September) to 3,523 in 2022-23. A monthly consultation-cum-review conclave, 'Swasthya Manthan', is being organised by the NHM in all the districts and so far three suc

SJVN unit, Assam discom to form JV to set up 1kMW floating solar projects

State-owned SJVN on Monday said its arm SJVN Green Energy and Assam's power distribution company APDCL have inked a pact to form a joint venture to set up 1,000 MW floating solar projects worth Rs 6,000 crore in Assam. Nand Lal Sharma, Chairman & Managing Director, SJVN, informed in a statement that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between SJVN's wholly-owned subsidiary SJVN Green Energy Ltd (SGEL) and APDCL (Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd) in Guwahati. According to the statement, the MoU has been inked for developing 1,000 MW floating solar power projects in Assam by incorporating a joint venture company in the presence of the state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The MoU was signed by Sharma and APDCL managing director Rakesh Kumar. Sharma said that the project will generate 2,192 million units in the first year after commissioning, and around 50,425 million units cumulative energy will be generated over 25 years. An investment of Rs 6,000 crore will

1 dead, 3 injured in boat accident on Brahmaputra in Assam's Nalbari

One person died and three others were injured following a boat accident in the Brahmaputra river in Assam's Nalbari district on Sunday evening

Touched at being called daughter of Assam, says President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu Friday said that she was touched at the gesture of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma calling her a daughter of the state' and made her feel at home. Murmu lauded the Assam government for its various developmental projects, specially for tea workers and for women empowerment. The Centre is also contributing its bit by boosting infrastructure, connectivity and all other sectors, she said after launching and laying foundation stones for various central and state government projects on the virtual mode at a programme here. "I must thank the chief minister for calling me a daughter of the state' at the civic reception last night. It has touched my heart. The welcome I have received here has made me feel at home and I will return soon, the President said on the concluding day of her two-day maiden trip to Assam after assuming office. The state government had hosted a civic reception in honour of Murmu on Thursday evening during which Chief Minister Himanta

Centre upgrades Assam CM's security to 'Z+' category on all India basis

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which is currently providing Sarma 'Z' category security, will now facilitate him with 'Z+' category security

President Droupadi Murmu prays at Kamakhya Temple in Assam's Guwahati

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday offered prayers at the famous Kamakhya Temple, one of 51 Shakti Peethas, atop Nilachal Hills in Guwahati on the last day of her two-day visit to Assam. She was accompanied by Governor Jagdish Mukhi, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other dignitaries. "The President and her daughter paid obeisance in the sanctum sanctorum and performed 'parikrama' of the temple. "She offered puja and performed rituals. As the President has several programmes during the day, there was no time for interaction with her," a priest at the Shakti Peetha told reporters. Earlier this year, Murmu had offered prayer at the temple during her visit to the city while campaigning for the presidential election. The President will take part in various programmes and launch several projects through virtual mode later in the day. She will launch model 'Anganwadi' centres with modern facilities and the 'Mission Saubhagya', a scheme to achieve universal household ...

LIVE: Cabinet approves one-time grant of Rs 22k cr for three OMCs

From politics to coronavirus, catch all the latest developments from India and across the globe here

Floods hit over 33,830 people after heavy rains in 3 districts of Assam

Heavy downpour during the past 24 hours in Assam's Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, and Lakhimpur districts has led to the inundation of many areas of 46 villages, affecting over 33,830 people, officials said

President Droupadi Murmu to visit Assam for 1st time on October 13-14

President Murmu will be in Assam for a two-day tour from October 13, in her first visit to the state after taking over the top post, state Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah announced on Tuesday.

BJP aims 12 of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam for 2024 polls: Himanta

The BJP has set a target of winning 12 out of 14 seats in Assam in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday. Addressing a party workers' meet here, Sarma said the BJP will start working from now to make Narendra Modi India's prime minister for the third consecutive time. "Assam has 14 Lok Sabha seats and we won nine last time. This time, we will have to win at least 12 seats," he said in presence of BJP president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "We will not stop till the Lok Sabha polls. We want to see Narendra Modi as prime minister for the third time," he added. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, three seats were won by Congress, one by AIUDF and one was bagged by an Independent. Referring to the recent ban on Popular Front of India (PFI), he said that the government has resolved to permanently eliminate fundamental groups from the soil of Assam. He announced that an "ambitious scheme" worth Rs 5,000 crore will be rolled out ov

No party has ideology, intention, strength to fight BJP: J P Nadda

BJP president J P Nadda on Saturday claimed no other party in the country has the "ideology, intention and strength" to fight the might of the saffron party, which is "on the rise". Addressing a party workers' meet here after inaugurating the new office of the Assam BJP, Nadda asserted that his party is fighting against all the "family-led parties" in every state. "No party has the ideology, intention, and strength to fight the BJP. No party can organise such a large public rally as what BJP is doing with only its workers' meet. Nobody can stop this party," he added. BJP Assam president Bhabesh Kalita had on Thursday announced that around 40,000-45,000 booth workers would assemble at Veterinary College Playground in Khanapara to listen to their leaders. Giving examples of dozens of states and Union Territories like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, Nadda said, "We are fighting against family-oriented parties everywhere."

Will remove AFSPA only after installing peace: Amit Shah in Assam

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government would remove Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) only after installing peace in northeast India."Rahul Gandhi gave Congress an agenda to remove AFSPA from the northeast if they came to power (in 2019), for the sake of appeasement. When it was asked of me, I said we will first bring peace in the northeast and then only will remove AFSPA, which would not happen just for appeasement," Amit Shah said addressing a public gathering at the inauguration of the newly built BJP office-- Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati, which is spread over 95,000 square feet and is the party's biggest office in the northeastern region, expected to be full of all modern amenities.The Ministry of Home Affairs recently extended the AFSPA, an act that empowers the armed forces to maintain public order in "disturbed areas," in some parts of the northeast for another six months.In an order on October 1, the ...

Protection from flood key for further development in Assam: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asked the Assam government to devise a long-term plan to protect the northeastern state from flood so that more development can take place. Almost every year, three to four waves of flood ravage Assam. The average annual loss due to the disaster is to the tune of Rs 200 crore, according to a state government website. "Protection from flood is a key requirement for the development of the state and attracting significant private investment. The state government must go beyond short-term plans and come up with a long-term plan, which would provide protection from flood for decades to come," Shah said chairing a meeting here on Friday. The Brahmaputra and Barak rivers with more than 50 tributaries feeding them, cause devastation in the monsoon each year. The union home minister, who is also the chairman of the North Eastern Council (NEC), directed the state government to prepare a concrete action plan to protect wetlands in the state. "The wetlands mu

Amit Shah on 3-day Assam visit, to check flood regions, address BJP workers

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting Assam for three days beginning Friday during which he will attend a meeting on floods, inaugurate a state-level SPs conference and address BJP workers. Shah will also attend a meeting of chief ministers and DGPs of northeastern states on narcotics, review the functioning of the North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) and inaugurate the newly built office of the BJP's Assam unit during the visit, sources said here. After arriving from Sikkim, the home minister will attend a meeting on 'Flood Free Assam' on Friday evening in Guwahati. On Saturday, he will inaugurate the newly built state BJP office before addressing a BJP 'Karyakarta Sammelan' in the afternoon in the Assam capital. On Saturday evening, he will attend a meeting with the chief ministers and police chiefs of the Northeastern states on narcotics before chairing a review meeting of the NESAC, according to the sources. Shillong-based NESAC is a joint initiative of the ...

Can NITI Aayogs replace State Planning Boards to spur economic growth?

Experts believe merely replacing the state planning boards with such bodies won't make them effective

Assam cops made huts in disputed inter-state border area: Mizoram Police

Amidst the parleys between the two northeastern states to find an amicable solution to the vexed border issue, the Mizoram police alleged that Assam policemen have constructed two temporary huts in the disputed Zophai area. Kolasib superintendent of police Vanlalfaka Ralte told PTI over the phone that the Assam police erected two temporary huts in Zophai area on October 2 at a place opposite to Mizoram's first chief Minister Ch Chhunga's paddy field where a border clash had occurred in 2018. The huts were, however, dismantled on Monday by the Assam police itself, he said. The authorities in Assam could not be contacted for comments. The tension in the area due to the construction of the huts dissipated after the huts were razed demolished. The area is contiguous to Hailakandi district in Assam. The Assam police dismantled the two huts after Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and state Home Minister Lalchamliana spoke to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also its home

Durga puja artisans in Assam see bleak prospects amid budget cuts

The deft hands of 67-year-old artisan, Tapas Pal, move with ease as he moulds the clay to give shape to divine forms at his workshop in Pandu area here but budget cuts, after two years of COVID-19 crisis, are leaving the idol-maker and his ilk dispirited. Pal is worried that this year, too, business may see no revival amid rising prices of raw materials and shortage of labourers, with several organisers having curtailed their spending. "We faced immense difficulties in the last two years due to the pandemic-induced lockdown. Last year, the administration's directive to mark the occasion with small-sized Durga idols had adversely affected our earnings," Pal told PTI. "Prices of raw materials -- clay, hay, wood and even costumes and jewellery -- have skyrocketed post pandemic but organising committees are not prepared to pay more," he lamented. Artisans in the potters' colony in the western part of the city are still burning the midnight oil to ensure that idols of Goddess Durga and