Page 3 - Assam

Assam to undertake Rs 800 cr project to rejuvenate 129 'beels': CM Sarma

Assam government will undertake an Rs 800 crore project to rejuvenate 129 'beels' (lake-like wetlands) in the state to boost fish production and aid in water storage, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday. "To be executed in collaboration with Asian Development Bank, it will revive 4000 hectares of beels to give fillip to indigenous fish production and water management,' Sarma posted on 'X'. Beels are the backbone of Assam's hydrological resources which enable flood mitigation, groundwater recharge, river flow regulation, erosion control and are a source of fisheries. Rejuvenation and restoration of the beels will lead to additional fish production of 1,200 kg/hectare annually, he said. The project is aimed at increasing the water storage capacity of the beels as well as conserving and managing the indigenous fish species. A beel is a lake-like wetland with still water. These lake-like wetlands are biodiversity hotspots in Assam and are home to many types of aquatic

Gujarat: HC allows Sai to meet his father Asaram Babu lodged in jail

Rajen Jadhav, Advocate of Narayan Sai said that 5 lakh rupees has to be deposited and the burder of that expense is on the applicant

Restoration work underway after Agartala-LTT Express derails in Assam

Incident took place under the Lumding division in the Lumding-Bardarpur Hill section on Thursday at 4 PM

Army commemorates valour, sacrifice on 62nd anniversary of Battle of Walong

Indian Army on Thursday commemorated the 62nd anniversary of the Battle of Walong fought during 1962 war with China, marking the commencement of a month long series of events to honour the sacrifices of the brave soldiers and citizens of Walong, a statement said.Dasanglu Pul, Minister for Women, Child Development & Cultural Affairs, presided over the opening ceremony hosted by the Walong Brigade in the presence of officials of the Indian Army, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Citizens of Walong, NCC Cadets, School Children and local youth, according to a statement by PRO defence, Guwahati.The opening ceremony on Thrusday commenced with a scintillating display of Pipes & Drums of the Walong Brigade followed by a mesmerising cultural programme.The Chief guest also flagged off two Battlefield Treks by a combined team of Indian Army and NCC Cadets, retracing the path taken by the valiant soldiers of the lndian Army during the conflict, added the statement.The treks are in ...

Eight coaches of Agartala-Lokmanya Terminus Express derail in Assam

Eight coaches of the Agartala-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express derailed at Dibalong station in Assam's Dima Hasao district on Thursday afternoon, Northeast Frontier Railway officials said. There were no reports of any fatality or major injuries yet, they said. The cause of the derailment, which occurred at 3.55 pm, was yet to be ascertained. The derailed coaches include the power car and the engine of the train. An accident relief medical train has already left for the site from Lumding along with senior officers to supervise the rescue and restoration work. Running of trains on the Lumding-Badarpur single-line hill section has been suspended, the officials added.

SC upholds Section 6A of the Citizenship Act: Key facts explained

ECI announces by-election dates for Assembly seats across seven states

Voting for bypolls on seven assembly seats in Rajasthan will be held on November 13, the results of which will be declared on November 23, according to the Election Commission of India. At a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced the schedule for bypolls in 48 assembly constituencies spread and two parliamentary constituencies spread across 15 states. In Rajasthan, bypolls will be held in Jhunjhunu, Dausa, Deoli-Uniara, Khinvsar, Chaurasi, Salumbar and Ramgarh assembly seats. Out of the seven seats on which bypolls are to be held, four of them were with the Congress. Two of these by-elections are being held due to the deaths of the MLAs: Ramgarh's Congress MLA Zubair Khan and Salumbar's BJP MLA Amritlal Meena. In five constituencies, the MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha polls, necessitating bypolls. They are Congress MLA Brijendra Ola from Jhunjhunu, Congress MLA Harish Chandra Meena from Dausa, Rashtriya Loktantrik Par

Assam BJP's poll unit holds meeting to discuss upcoming Assembly byelection

The election committee of the Assam BJP met on Sunday to deliberate on the upcoming bypolls to five assembly constituencies. In a post on X, the BJP Assam Pradesh said the meeting was attended by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, the saffron party's state chief Bhabesh Kalita and other functionaries. "Today, a significant meeting of the election committee of the @BJP4Assam was held at the State Guest House in Koinadhora. In this meeting, discussions were held regarding the upcoming by-election in the state," it said. The BJP, however, did not make any mention about what transpired at the meeting. The bypolls will take place in Dholai (SC), Sidli (ST), Bongaigaon, Behali and Samaguri assembly constituencies, as these seats fell vacant with the representatives winning the Lok Sabha elections. The elections in these constituencies will be held as per the pre-delimitation status, Chief Electoral Officer of Assam ...

Earthquake of 4.2 magnitude hits parts of Assam, no casualty reported

An earthquake of 4.2 magnitude jolted the north-central part of Assam on Sunday morning, an official bulletin said. There is no immediate report of any injury to anyone or damage to any property, officials said. A National Center for Seismology report said the quake was recorded at 7:47 am in Udalguri district on the northern bank of Brahmaputra, at a depth of 15 km. The exact location of the epicentre of the earthquake is around 105 km north of Guwahati and 48 km west of Tezpur, near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. People in neighbouring Darrang, Tamulpur, Sonitpur, Kamrup and Biswanath districts also felt the jolt. Kamrup Metropolitan, Morigaon and Nagaon districts on the southern bank of Brahmaputra too felt the tremor. The earthquake could be felt in some areas of western Arunachal Pradesh as well as eastern Bhutan, the report showed. The tremor forced people to scamper out of their homes to open areas. The Northeastern region falls in the high seismic zone, making earth

Centre issues notification for CBI probe into Assam online trading scam

The Centre has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe 41 cases linked to a multi-crore online trading scam in Assam. A notification in this connection was issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions on Friday and shared by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on 'X' on Saturday. It states, "the powers and jurisdiction of the members of the Delhi Special Police Establishment has been extended throughout the state of Assam for the investigation of offences under relevant sections of IPC/BNS and other Acts as mentioned in the FIRs and any other law related to the 41 police cases, which are registered at various police stations in Assam concerning unregulated deposits involving fraudulent transactions and trading of large sums of money'. The CMO also noted that the state government, under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has assured full cooperation to the CBI for a swift probe into these cases. The scam came to light in the last week of August

AFSPA extended in 4 districts of Assam amid recent turmoil in Bangladesh

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA was extended in four districts of Assam for six months in view of the "recent disturbances" in Bangladesh and its potentially inimical effect on the internal law and order situation, according to a notification issued on Tuesday. The districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo and Sivasagar will remain "disturbed area" under the AFSPA, it said. Reports from various agencies obtained through the police headquarters have indicated that "due to sustained efforts and proactive counter-insurgency measures of the security forces, the overall scenario in the state of Assam has significantly improved during the last few years and particularly during last three years", the notification said. "However, due to the recent disturbances in the neighbouring country Bangladesh and its potentially inimical effect on internal law and order situation, the Government of Assam recommends that the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 may be retained for ..

Afspa extended in four districts of Assam due to situation in Bangladesh

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA, under which an area is declared "disturbed" for the convenience of security forces, was extended in four districts of Assam for six months in view of the "recent disturbances" in Bangladesh and its potentially inimical effect on the law and order situation, according to a notification issued on Tuesday. The districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo and Sivasagar will remain "disturbed area" under the AFSPA, it said. Reports from various agencies obtained through the police headquarters have indicated that "due to sustained efforts and proactive counter-insurgency measures of the Security Forces, the overall scenario in the State of Assam has significantly improved during the last few years and particularly during last three years", the notification said. "However, due to the recent disturbances in the neighbouring country Bangladesh and its potentially inimical effect on internal law and order situation, the Government of Assam ...

CBI takes over investigation of 41 online trading scam cases in Assam: CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially taken over the probe of 41 cases of the online stock trading scam registered across the state. "To ensure a fair investigation on the online stock trading scam, we requested Govt of India to formally hand over all 41 registered cases to the CBI," he said in a post on X. "The CBI is officially taking over this matter and the state government will extend all possible support to ensure that justice is served at the earliest," said Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio. The online trading scam in the state came to light during the last week of August when investors, who had put in huge amounts of money in 29-year-old Deepankar Barman's company, complained that he had not paid them the due returns and his office has been closed since August 21. He is absconding at present. The Assam cabinet in September decided to transfer 32 cases registered till then in connection

Assam CM gives appointment letter to youth in education, health sectors

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma handed over appointment letters to 385 youths in the health and education sectors on Monday, claiming that the government has already exceeded its election promise. At an official function, Sarma said with these new appointments, a total of 125,030 people have been given government jobs since he took office in May 2021. "Our government fulfilled its election promise of providing one lakh jobs long ago. No other government in Assam's history has created so many jobs in such a transparent and efficient manner," he said. The BJP had pledged to provide one lakh government jobs annually during the 2021 assembly election campaign but later clarified that this figure pertained to the entire five-year tenure. The Chief Minister noted that the process to fill around 35,000 additional posts is ongoing and that by May 2025, the total number of recruits is expected to surpass 150,000. "Health, Education, and Police have accounted for the highest number

Assam's innovative schemes being adopted by other states: CM Himanta

Despite being a small state, Assam is showing the way to other states which are adopting various innovative schemes being implemented by the BJP-led government here, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday. Inaugurating three co-districts under Kamrup (Metropolitan) district here, the chief minister said that Assam is the first state to operationalise the concept of co-districts which will revolutionise governance at the grassroots level by taking administration to the doorsteps of the people. "I am confident that other states of the country will also adopt this concept in the next four to five years though they will give different names to it," he said. Earlier, Assam's administrative machinery was modelled on that of West Bengal and other developed states as the British governed the region as a single administrative unit but "now we have adopted several landmark schemes which are inspiring the other states", Sarma said. He pointed out that schemes like Orundoi for wom

Guwahati idol-makers anxiously await end of rains to complete Durga idols

An anxious Ratan Paul peeks towards the entrance of his smoke-filled workshop in Guwahati's Pandu area, hoping to catch a bright ray of sunlight without the raindrops cutting it out. Paul claims not to have witnessed such a long spell of incessant rains in his career of nearly 50 years as a sculptor of idols as he, like other idol-makers in Assam's largest city, pray to the heavens to clear the weather so that they can complete their Durga idols in time. "I have been in this profession for 49 years now and never has it rained for so long before Durga Puja. We are really worried about how to complete the idols," Paul told PTI while giving the finishing touches to special decorative pieces of clay for the idols at his workshop. "We are using firewood, coal and even burners connected to LPG cylinders to dry the idols," he said, pointing to the sculpted idols being placed in groups around lit stoves with the smoke filling the entire workshop. Paul's son, Kanchan, who joined his family

Nobody got govt jobs without bribe in Cong tenure: Assam CM Sarma

Alleging that nobody during the Congress rule in Assam got government jobs without paying a bribe, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said he is aiming at providing employment to two lakh youths in his tenure. Addressing a function to hand over financial assistance to young entrepreneurs, he said already 1.4 lakh youths have got jobs in the state since he assumed charge as the CM. "The youths during the Congress rule could not believe that they would get government jobs without paying a bribe. Even for low-paying jobs, they were required to pay Rs 1 crore of bribe," he claimed. For the chairman post of the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC), the Congress government had chosen those who could "collect money" from job aspirants, Sarma alleged. "An era full of thorns has passed. Now, we have been able to conduct recruitment tests transparently without any bribe," he added. The CM said that 1.4 lakh youths have already "got government jobs against its target of one lakh"

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Mobile internet services to be suspended in Assam for eight hours today

The mobile internet services will remain suspended for eight hours on Sunday during a written examination for recruitment to Grade III posts."The mobile internet services will remain suspended across the state from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on September 29 during a written examination for recruitment to Grade III posts. Voice calls and broadband connectivity based on fixed telephone lines will remain functional," the state government said on Saturday."In the interest of holding free, fair and transparent written examination and also to prevent arising of any law and order issues having bearing on public safety, I, Shri Ajay Tewari, IAS, Addl. Chief Secretary to the Govt. of Assam, Home & Political Department, hereby promulgate this Notification under the provision of Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 read with the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017 to prohibit the Mobile Internet/ Mobile Wi-fi/ Mobile Data Service of ...

Mobile internet to be disabled in Assam for 8 hours on Sept 29 for job test

For the second time in September, mobile internet services in Assam will be disabled for eight hours on Sunday to prevent malpractices during the written examination for a recruitment test to Grade III posts. The suspension of mobile internet/ mobile data/ mobile wi-fi connectivity will be in place from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, an official release said on Saturday. All are requested to bear with the inconvenience in the interest of holding a free, fair and transparent recruitment examination and thereby securing the future of the youths of the state, the release, issued by the secretary, State Level Recruitment Commission for Class-III Posts, said. Mobile internet services were suspended for three-and-a-half hours on September 15 when the first phase of the written examination for Grade III posts was conducted. The written tests of the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE) for Grade III posts of bachelor degree level and HSLC level will be held in two halves on Sunday. The first