Page 5 - Assam

New Aadhaar applicants in Assam need to submit NRC receipt number: CM Sarma

All new applicants for Aadhaar cards in Assam need to submit their NRC application receipt number (ARN), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday. 'Applications for Aadhaar cards are more than the population...It indicates that there are doubtful citizens and we have decided that new applicants will have to submit their NRC application receipt number (ARN)," the chief minister said at a press conference here. This will "stop the influx of illegal foreigners" and the state government will be 'very strict" in issuing Aadhaar cards, he said. "It will not be easy to get Aadhaar in Assam," Sarma said. Submission of the NRC application receipt number will not be applicable for the 9.55 lakh people whose biometrics were locked during the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process, and they will get their cards, he added. Sarma also said his government will "intensify the process of identification of illegal foreigners as several Bangladeshis were apprehended in the last two .

No govt in 78 years provided 100K jobs in its tenure like us: CM Himanta

Stating that over one lakh recruitments have taken place during his tenure, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday claimed no government since Independence provided jobs to so many youths in its ruling period. Addressing a function to distribute permanent appointment letters to 23,956 contractual teachers and state pool teachers, Sarma said the government will give jobs to another 50,000 youths by next year. "Prior to today's appointments, we have given jobs to 1,00,389 youths, which fulfilled our promise of providing one lakh jobs. If we consider today's appointments, there will be 1,24,345 jobs till now since May 2021," he said. The BJP had promised to provide one lakh government jobs every year in Assam, during the campaigning of the 2021 assembly polls, but later modified that the figure was for the entire five-year tenure. "In 78 years of Independence, no government could give one lakh appointments at one time. Our government has crossed that golden phase and we ho

Assam ADRE Admit Card 2024 out; here's how to check and download

The SLRC has released the Assam ADRE admit card 2024. Candidates who have applied for the examination can check and download the admit card through the official website, sebaonline.org

Assam TMC president Ripun Bora resigns, cites party's regional perception

Assam Trinamool Congress president Ripun Bora on Sunday resigned from the party, claiming that the people of the northeastern state consider it as a "regional party" of West Bengal and are "not willing to accept" it as their own. In a letter to All India Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the former Rajya Sabha member said he had offered many suggestions to party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to make TMC acceptable in Assam, but those were "not implemented". "Assam TMC has great potential, but several recurring issues have hindered our progress, including the perception of TMC as a regional party of West Bengal. To counter this perception, we made several suggestions," Bora said in his resignation letter. He claimed that he had suggested the need for an Assamese leader at the national level of TMC, declaring the residence of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika at Tollygunge in Kolkata as a heritage site and converting the Madhupur Satra at .

Heavy rain inundates several roads in Guwahati, normal life affected

A spell of heavy rain early on Sunday inundated several arterial roads and residential areas in Assam's Guwahati, disrupting vehicular movement and causing inconvenience to residents of the capital city of the northeastern state. People were seen wading through knee-deep waters in some areas of the city while the water level reached up to the chest in several localities. Inundation was reported from Zoo Road, Nabin Nagar, Ganeshguri, Hedayetpur, Guwahati Club, Ulubari, Hatigaon, Gita Nagar, Maligaon, Lachit Nagar, Chandmari, Panjabari, Jorabat, Jatia, Jyotikuchi and Ghoramara and RG Baruah Road areas. The three-hour downpour also led to waterlogging in GS Road, Anil Nagar, VIP Road, Tarun Nagar, Rajgarh Road, Jorabat, Rukmini Gaon, Survey and Chatribari areas in the city. Vehicles on GS Road were stopped at Dispur from moving further towards Choy Mile due to flooding in Rukmini Gaon area. They were also diverted through the Last Gate point along Survey-Beltola Road, which was also

Wages of Assam tea workers meagre, welfare scheme implementation poor: CAG

Wages of tea garden workers in Assam are meagre, with several shortcomings and areas of concern in implementation of labour laws and worker welfare provisions, a recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has said. It also found the state government's intervention in fixing wages as per the Minimum Wage Act (MW Act) insufficient, noting that efforts to improve the lives of the workers have fallen short of making any substantial change. The performance audit on Implementation of Schemes for Welfare of Tea Tribe' for the period 2015-16 to 2020-21 maintained that low income and lack of education have been major barriers to the overall development of the workers in the state. The audit was performed in four zones Cachar, Dibrugarh, Nagaon and Sonitpur. There are 390 tea estates in the four sampled zones, of which 40 estates (10 per cent) were selected based on the size of the plantations and number of workers employed. Apart from scrutiny of records, the exercise included ...

Focus on quality rather than quantity: Assam govt to tea industry

Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota on Saturday called for concerted efforts to revitalise the tea industry by focussing on promoting quality over quantity. Addressing the 10th Annual General Meeting of the Federation of All India Tea Traders Association (FAITTA), he urged the stakeholders to ensure safe and quality tea. He also expressed concern over the ongoing trend of selling tea products at low prices and stated that it must be addressed immediately for the economic well-being of lakhs of small tea growers and tea garden workers across Assam. Kota also urged packers to promote high-quality teas with the government taking a firm stand by supporting the closure of production within November 30 to prevent the production of poor-quality teas. He said the Assam government has implemented several initiatives to ensure that tea as India's national beverage remains safe and its sales processes transparent. The state government remains committed to the tea industry and all associated ...

Assam govt to notify Poba Reserve Forest as wildlife sanctuary: State min

The Poba Reserve Forest, a rainforest located in the northeastern part of Assam, will soon be notified as a wildlife sanctuary, state Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said. The proposed Poba Wildlife Sanctuary will encompass an area of 257.29 sq km, including the Poba Reserve Forest, Kabu Chapri Proposed Reserve Forest and the surrounding riverine areas, he said. Making the announcement on Friday, the minister said it is a testament of the government's commitment for conservation and sustainable development of the state's natural resources and biodiversity. Known for its rich wildlife, Poba Reserve Forest serves as an important migratory route for various animals, particularly elephants, as it connects the D' Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary, Kabu Chapri Proposed Reserve Forest and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, an official statement said. This corridor is the second significant elephant migration route from the north to the south bank of the Brahmaputra river

Assam govt's outstanding debt rises 107% in 5 years from FY19: CAG

The Assam government's outstanding debt increased by over 107 per cent from 2018-19 to 2022-23 with the growth rate of outstanding liability also rising during the period, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report said on Friday. The report for the 2022-23 fiscal, which was tabled in the assembly, noted that the capital expenditure by the state government decreased by over 20 per cent in FY'23 as compared to 2021-22. The outstanding debt of the state "rapidly increased by 107.34 per cent from Rs 59,425.61 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1,23,214.80 crore in 2022-23", the report said, adding that the growth rate of outstanding liability also increased from 20.60 per cent in 2018-19 to 23.32 per cent in 2022-23. The outstanding liabilities-GSDP ratio also rose from 19.21 per cent in 2018-19 to 24.98 per cent in FY'23 due to increased borrowings from the open market, the auditor said. The public debt constituted 81.98 per cent of the total borrowing at the end of 2022-23. During the year

Assam Assembly passes bill to abolish Muslim marriages, divorce act

The Assam Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to repeal a law to register marriages and divorces of Muslims. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan had on August 22 tabled The Assam Repealing Bill, 2024 in the Assembly to abolish The Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 and the Assam Repealing Ordinance 2024. Taking part in the discussion, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: "Our aim is not only to abolish child marriages, ... also to get away with the Kazi system. We want to bring registration of Muslim marriages and divorces under the government system." He said that registration of all marriages has to be done as per a Supreme Court order, but the state cannot support a private body like that of Kazis for this purpose. Mohan in the Statement of Object and Reasons of the Repealing Bill said, "There remains a scope of registering marriages of intended person below 21 years (in case of male) and 18 years (in case of female)." It hardly had a

Assam CM Himanta hits out at Mamata Banerjee over 'provocative' speech

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hit out at his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday for allegedly threatening the northeastern state with unrest. He claimed that Banerjee was trying to provoke the public to hide her own failures. Didi, how dare you threaten Assam? Don't show your anger to us, Sarma wrote on X, sharing a 46-second video clip of a speech by the West Bengal CM. In the clip, Banerjee is seen stressing that though Bangladesh and her state share the same language and culture, both are two different countries with West Bengal being part of India. Alleging that Modi's party is trying to fuel the situation in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress supremo said, If Bengal is set on fire, Assam, northeast, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Delhi will also be affected. She was addressing a gathering on the occasion of the foundation day of her party's student wing, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad. Don't even try to incite India with your politics

935,000 people with locked biometrics to get Aadhaar card: Assam CM Himanta

Over 9.35 lakh people of Assam who were not being able to get their Aadhaar cards as their biometrics submitted during the NRC updating process, were locked, will be issued the cards soon by the UIDAI, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday. He said the Central government has instructed the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to issue the cards as it has been established that there is "no correlation between inclusion of name in National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Aadhaar registration". Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said, "There were total of 9,35,682 people who had submitted the biometrics for Aadhaar cards between February to August, 2019, at Aadhaar centres, which also doubled up as NRC centres. It was due to a confusion that the biometrics of these people were locked." "They were facing problems due to it, like not being able to apply for scholarships, get ration cards, etc. We had been pursuing the matter with the government of India,

Champai Soren under own govt 'surveillance' for 5 months: Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday alleged that Jharkhand minister Champai Soren had been under 'surveillance' of his own government police for last five months. Two sub-inspectors (SIs) of Special Branch of Jharkhand Police were nabbed by Soren's people in a Delhi hotel while they were keeping watch on the ex-chief minister, Sarma said. "This is one of rarest case of surveillance in Indian politics, we will raise it at the highest levels," Sarma said at a press conference here. "As per the two SIs, orders to track Soren came from a 'person in Constitutional position' and the Special Branch chief," Sarma said. He said the two SIs were handed over to Delhi police, who are taking forward the investigation. The Assam CM said it is also suspected now that Soren's phones could be tapped and there might have been a plan to 'honey trap' him as a woman had also been meeting the two SIs. "Soren was put under surveillance even before he was in talks with the BJP," Sarma

Pure communal venom: Sibal slams Assam CM for his remark on Muslims

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his "will not let 'Miya' Muslims take over the state" remark, saying his comment was "pure communal venom" and silence was not the answer to such a statement. Asserting that he would take sides, Sarma on Tuesday said he would not let 'Miya' Muslims "take over" Assam. Sarma was speaking in the assembly on the admissibility of adjournment motions moved by the opposition parties to discuss the law and order situation in the state in the wake of the gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon. Reacting to the remarks, Sibal said on X, "Himanta (Assam CM): 'Will take sides. Will not let Miya Muslims take over all of Assam'. My take: Pure communal venom. Actionable. Silence not an answer." 'Miya' was used as a pejorative term for Bengali-speaking Muslims initially, and the non-Bengali-speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community ha

I will take sides, won't let 'Miya' Muslims take over Assam: Himanta

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that he would take sides, and won't let 'Miya' Muslims "take over" the Assam. Sarma was speaking in the assembly on adjournment motions brought by the opposition parties to discuss the law and order situation in the state in the backdrop of the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon. Replying to the motion, he said the crime rate has not increased if the population growth is taken into account. When the opposition charged him of being partisan, Sarma retorted, "I will take sides. What can you do about it?" "Why will people from Lower Assam go to Upper Assam? So that Miya Muslims can take over Assam? We won't let it happen," he asserted. Amid the heated debate, members of both treasury and opposition benches stormed into the Well of the House, prompting Speaker Biswajit Daimary to adjourn the proceedings for 10 minutes. MLAs of Congress, AIUDF, and CPI(M), and lone Independent legislator Akhil Gogoi had moved four adjournment motion

Opposition protests Himanta govt's failure to prevent crimes against women

The opposition parties in Assam on Tuesday held demonstrations in various parts of Guwahati, including the assembly complex, alleging the failure of the government to protect women and prevent crime against them. Congress MLAs led by Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia marched from inside the assembly building to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi within the compound, holding placards and shouting slogans demanding the safety of women and condemning the targeting of a particular community for all crimes against women. "The Dhing incident is not the only one. After that also, many such cases have taken place in different parts of the state," Saikia told reporters here. "The CM, who also holds the Home portfolio, is not at all serious and concerned about the situation. We discussed in the assembly about crimes against women with NCRB data and asked the government to take action," he said. Saikia claimed that the Home Department has asked the Assam Police not to register "some cases"

Assam CM Himanta bats for stringent law to tackle crimes against women

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday advocated for a stringent law to tackle crimes against women, expressing support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for such legislation. Sarma emphasised that all legal processes, including inquiry, charge-sheet, trial, and conviction, should be completed within six months in cases involving crimes against women. "Crimes against women are on the rise. I welcome the PM's announcement that a strict law is needed," Sarma said. He further remarked, "My only observation is that a deadline of six months should be fixed for all processes such as inquiry, charge-sheet, trial, and conviction in crime cases against women. Then only will we be able to reduce such crimes." Sarma's comments come in the wake of protests over the rape-murder of a doctor at R G Kar Hospital in Kolkata. Speaking to reporters at Union Minister Sanjay Seth's residence in Ranchi, Sarma said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself on Sunday advocated for a strict

Affordable TB testing technology developed by ICMR's Assam centre

An affordable tuberculosis testing technology that can detect the disease using a patient's sputum for just Rs 35 has been developed by apex medical research body ICMR's regional centre in Assam's Dibrugarh. The 'A CRISPR case-based TB detection system' is light, portable and involves three steps of testing. Over 1,500 samples can be tested in one single run in around two-and-half hours, ICMR sources said. Conventional diagnostic techniques for TB commonly rely on culture, which requires 42 days to confirm as TB negative, microscopy, and nucleic acid-based methods. These are also time-consuming and may require sophisticated equipment. An official said, "Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health challenge, necessitating the development of accurate and rapid diagnostic tools for effective disease management. Current diagnostic methods often exhibit limitations in terms of sensitivity, specificity, speed and cost, emphasising the need for innovative approaches". Additionally, some ...

Bigger intention of grabbing land behind crimes against women: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that the recent incidents of crimes against women in the state are being committed with a "bigger intention of grabbing land and threatening the identity of the Assamese people". He hinted at 'political patronage' behind the crimes, while also claiming that financial power is shifting out of the hands of the Assamese people. "No society is perfect. Crimes against women are a reality. These crimes had come down in the state in the last three years. But the real intention in the recent incidents is much bigger, through crimes such as rape the target is our land, civilisation," Sarma said at a press interaction late on Saturday evening. "In Assam, this design is on for the last 30-35 years. That is why the Assam Agitation happened. We have identified the radicals now, but in 1975 itself, the Assamese society was warned that this would happen," he said, referring to the six-year-long movement from 1979 against illegal immigrants from

Two Bangladeshis detected in Assam, sent back home, says CM Himanta

Two Bangladesh nationals who illegally entered India were detected in Assam and sent back to their country, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The duo was apprehended at Badarpur railway station and sent back to Bangladesh on Friday night, he added. "Two Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended at Badarpur railway station by @assampolice," Sarma wrote on X. The apprehended individuals were identified as Masum Khan, resident of an area under Modelganj police station of Bangladesh, and Sonia Akhtar of Dhaka. They reportedly entered India through the Madhoppur (Bangladesh)-Agartala route and were en route to Bengaluru, Sarma said. "In collaboration with the BSF, Assam Police successfully pushed them back across the border last night," the chief minister added. Sarma had said on Saturday that over 30 Bangladeshis trying to enter India without valid documents have been pushed back from Assam in the last one month. They were en route to Bengaluru and other south Indian cities in s