Page 18 - Northeast India

Tripura benefitted most in north east from Act East policy: CM Saha

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Monday asserted that his state has benefitted the most in the Northeast from the Centre's Act East policy. He said the Maitri Setu, which connects Tripura with Chittagong Port and was inaugurated two years ago, will soon be fully operationalised, and the Agartala-Akhaura rail link will be opened by year-end. "Be it connectivity boom or infrastructure building or welfare activities, Tripura benefitted the most among the northeastern states since 2014," he said at a programme marking the nine years of BJP government at the Centre. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended broad gauge railway services to the frontier state, Today, 12 express trains and four local trains run from Agartala," he said. Stating that the survey for constructing another railway line in Tripura is underway, he said that of the target of constructing 888 km of national highway, 374.04 km have already been built. "At least 12-13 flights are operating from the Maharaja Bir Bikr

Sittwe Port in Myanmar, B'desh rail link highlight govt's NE growth push

The port has been built under grant assistance from India as part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP)

Election Commission reviews preparedness for assembly elections in Mizoram

With Mizoram slated to go to polls later this year, the Election Commission (EC) held a meeting with officials in Aizawl on Friday to review the preparedness, a statement said. Various heads and nodal officers of central agencies were present at the meeting, which was chaired by Deputy Election Commissioner Dharmendra Sharma. In the meeting, Sharma emphasised the EC mandate for ensuring free and fair elections, the statement said. He pointed out that checking money and muscle power in the election will be the responsibility of central agencies working in the state. Sharma asked the agencies to work in a co-ordinated manner and maintain vigil at all times. He also directed them to take any perception of threat very seriously and to ensure a level playing field for all. The agencies apprised the EC of their present state of preparedness for the election, the statement said. They informed the EC that they are strictly following the rules and standard operating procedure (SOP) as pe

Assam actively working towards eliminating crime against children: NCPCR

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Wednesday said Assam was pro-actively working towards eliminating crime against children. Addressing a press conference here, NCPCR member Divya Gupta said crimes by juveniles in Assam were also "very less" compared to some other states. "The Assam government is very proactive in preventing crimes against children. It is taking serious actions against criminals of child abuse," she said. Without sharing data, Gupta claimed that crimes against children were going down in the state. Talking about minors involved in crimes, she said that Assam is a "good state" with very few juvenile criminals lodged in correctional homes. "I visited one such home, which houses juveniles from 13 districts. The total number of children staying there is only 50," Gupta said. Referring to the two children allegedly abused physically and sexually by a doctor couple, the NCPCR member said she met them and they were recovering. "They are i

Meghalaya has more schools, teachers than other NE states: CM Conrad Sangma

Meghalaya has close to 14,000 schools and over 55,000 teachers, significantly higher than other small states in the Northeast region, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Tuesday. The state incurs an annual expenditure of almost Rs 2,200 crore for these institutions, the chief minister said while addressing the centenary celebration of Jaiaw Presbyterian Higher Secondary School here. According to Sangma, the expenditure is not enough and Meghalaya needs to strive harder to be among the top-performing states in the country's education sector. He announced that an Education Commission will be set up soon to look into all aspects of improving the education sector in the state. During the function, the chief minister also announced a grant of Rs 20 lakh from the Chief Minister's Special Development Fund for expansion of the school building.

Meghalaya district imposes restrictions to tackle African Swine Fever

District administration has imposed restrictions and prohibited various activities under 144 CrPC in Meghalaya's Eastern West Khasi Hills following outbreak of ASF, officials said

321 people receive appointment letters at Rozgar Mela for 6 NE states

As many as 321 people from six of the eight Northeastern states on Tuesday received appointment letters, during a Rozgar Mela' held in Nagaland, for jobs in six ministries and Assam Rifles. Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhowmik distributed the appointment letters to the new recruits at the common Rozgar Mela' held in Imliyanger Memorial Centre (IMC) here. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives priority to empowerment of women, 67 women were among the 321 newly inducted employees, Bhowmik said. The Union minister said that the Prime Minister had said last year that the government will provide jobs to youths in a systematic manner. It is the promise of the Prime Minister to provide jobs to youths and make India atmanirbhar' and vishwaguru' by 2047, she said, urging the youngsters to work hard and contribute towards nation-building to achieve this feat. Of the new appointees, over 50 people were from Nagaland. The common Rozgar Mela' was held for Arunach

Manipur CM rejects demand of 10 MLAs for separate administration for Kuki

Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday rejected demands made by 10 MLAs including 7 from his own party, for a separate administration for the Kuki-dominated districts of the northeastern state, stating, "the territorial integrity of Manipur will be protected". The chief minister, who had made an air-dash to Delhi on Sunday to confer with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, said measures are being taken to ensure that militants, who had signed a peace pact dubbed suspension of operations', return to their designated camps. Singh also appealed to people not to hold dharnas or rallies in view of the sensitive phase the state has been witnessing since race riots between the majority Meiteis and the Kukis earlier this month. He also said no force would be used to break the blockades imposed by some groups on highways in the state in the wake of the rioting, and instead efforts would be made to reason with these demonstrators. The chief minister, who was speaking to reporters at a press ...

Territorial integrity of Manipur will be protected at all costs: CM Biren

Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday said territorial integrity of Manipur will be protected at all costs, reacting to a demand made by 10 MLAs for a separate administration for the Kuki-dominated districts of the northeastern state. The chief minister, who had made an air-dash to Delhi on Sunday to confer with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, said measures are being taken to ensure that militants, who had signed a peace pact dubbed suspension of operations', return to their designated camps. Singh also appealed to people not to hold dharnas or rallies in view of the sensitive phase the state has been witnessing since race riots between the majority Meiteis and the Kukis earlier this month. He also said no force would be used to break the blockades imposed by some groups on highways in the state in the wake of the rioting, and instead efforts would be made to reason with these demonstrators. The chief minister, who was speaking to reporters at a press conference here, said, I assur

800 farmers, entrepreneurs authorised to use GI tag for 13 NE products

A central government agency has authorised 800 farmers and entrepreneurs to use the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for 13 agricultural products of the northeastern region, an official said. The 13 produces are Arunachal Orange, Tezpur Litchi and Karbi Anglong Ginger of Assam, Kachai Lemon and Chak-Hao' Black Rice of Manipur, Khasi Mandarin orange and Memang Narang orange of Meghalaya, Mizo Chilli of Mizoram, Naga Tree Tomato and Naga Sweet Cucumber of Nagaland, Queen Pineapple of Tripura and Sikkim Large Cardamom and Dalle Khursani chilli of Sikkim. The North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC), under the DoNER Ministry, will forward the 800 user authorisation applications for usage of these products from the eight NE states to the Geographical Indication Registry, Chennai. NERAMAC Managing Director Commodore Rajiv Ashok (Retd) said on Thursday that the initiative is a significant step towards promoting and protecting the traditional agricultural practice

Riots had actually been in decline before Manipur's May violence

State joined the northeast in reporting a fall in the number of terrorism cases, too

NESO urges Centre to help in evacuating people stranded in Manipur

The influential North East Students' Organisation (NESO) on Saturday urged the Centre to immediately intervene in evacuating people of different states of the region stranded in violence-hit Manipur. In an open letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, NESO secretary-general Mutsikhoyo Yhobu said the apex students' body of the region is deeply perturbed over the prevailing situation in Manipur, which has left many people from other states stranded and in need of immediate evacuation. In view of the prevalent law and order situation in Manipur wherein regular air services have been disrupted, it appealed to the Union ministry for immediate intervention to schedule chartered flights for evacuation people to their respective states. Stating that many people have lost their documents in the ongoing arson and violence, NESO appealed to the authorities concerned to sympathise with them and consider other means of identification.

Tribal protest in Manipur turns violent; curfew imposed, internet suspended

The mass protest was organised to oppose the demand to include the state's Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category

Northeast's second largest air cargo terminal opened in Tripura's Agartala

Northeast India's second largest air cargo terminal was inaugurated at the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala by Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Friday. The largest such facility in the region exists at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati. The new building was constructed at a cost of Rs 17 crore and cargo handling facility at the airport was restored after being shut since December 4 last year due to the absence of security vetting by regulatory body, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The suspension of services had caused inconvenience to traders as well as postal service. "Today I inaugurated the domestic air cargo terminal, which will play a pivotal role in flourishing the state's economy. Tripura has witnessed massive growth in connectivity over the last few years. The airport has been upgraded keeping in view future needs," the minister said during the inauguration programme. Chief Minister Manik Saha, during his recent v

Banks need to support MSMEs, startups in northeast: DoNER min Reddy

MSMEs are the backbone of the economy, and banks should support them and startups in the northeast, Minister of Development for the North Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy said on Friday. Addressing the 'Northeast Banking Conclave' here, Reddy said the northeastern region has unique challenges, which require innovative practical solutions. Stressing that the connectivity and transport infrastructure have improved in the region, he said all state capitals should be connected by Railways by 2024. There has been an increase of 113 per cent in air traffic through 17 airports in the region, including 3 international airports. Speaking at the event, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said the Prime Minister has decided to improve the per capita income of the people of the northeastern region. Government schemes for financial inclusion are doing well and there is an increase in credit growth by 85 per cent. He asked bankers to improve banking infrastructure in the region and also o

Banking infra needs further strengthening in NorthEast: Bhagwat Karad

The government schemes on financial inclusion are doing well and there is an increase in credit growth by 85 per cent

CSR spend in Northeast anything but generous in FY22, shows data

The concluding part of a three-part series on corporate social responsibility spending looks at regional disparities in allocation

NE's largest multipurpose indoor stadium being built in Shillong: Sangma

He said that the indoor stadium would have facilities for different disciplines such as basketball, squash, badminton, table tennis, volleyball among others

Centre launches scheme to promote tribal products of Northeastern region

Union Minister Arjun Munda said that through TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation), the scheme aims to empower individuals to become self-employed and self-reliant

Arjun Munda to launch scheme to promote tribal products from northeast

Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda will on April 18 launch a scheme to promote tribal products from the northeastern region of the country, an official statement said on Monday. The scheme -- 'Marketing and Logistics Development for Promotion of Tribal Products from North-Eastern Region (PTP-NER)' -- aims to enhance livelihood opportunities for tribal artisans in the region, the statement issued by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs said. The PTP-NER scheme will focus on increasing efficiency in procurement, logistics and marketing of tribal products from the northeastern states of India, it said. It aims to provide backward and forward linkages through incubation support, aggregation, skill and entrepreneurship development, sourcing and procurement, marketing, transportation and publicity to tribal artisans in the region. As part of the scheme, 68 Tribal Artisan Melas (TAMs) will be organised from April to May in the northeast to empanel tribal artisans from the ..