Page 20 - Northeast India

Assam: Students, others brought to CID HQ in class 10 board paper leak case

Several students from various parts of Assam were on Wednesday brought to the CID headquarters here for questioning in connection with its investigation into the alleged leak of a question paper of the class 10 state board exam, an officer said. The number of arrests in the case remains at three, he said. "We have detained students, teachers and others across Assam. They have been brought to Guwahati for further questioning," the CID officer said. He, however, refused to share any further details. Director General of Police (DGP) GP Singh on Wednesday morning reached Dibrugarh from where around six students have been detained so far. Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, talking to reporters outside the assembly here, said that the CID is investigating to get to the root of the paper leak. "Some students and others have been arrested or detained so far. But we have to be patient and need to wait for the CID probe to be over to know from where the paper leak originated," Pegu said. The

Arunachal developing infrastructure along international borders: Deputy CM

The Arunachal Pradesh government has initiated several infrastructure development programmes in areas of the northeastern state bordering China, Bhutan and Myanmar, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said in the assembly on Thursday. Under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP), infrastructure has been developed in 65 model villages, the deputy chief minister said. Mein was responding to a question by Congress MLA Ninong Ering on the steps taken by the state government in view of the construction activities carried out by China along the international border with India. For developing the education sector, four new Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalayas (VKVs) and four such existing schools have been upgraded under BADP with an estimated cost of Rs 80 crore, he said. Moreover, eight model schools have been established in the border area during 2017-18, the deputy chief minister said. To address infrastructure gaps at the border, development projects such as road connectivity, foot ..

PM Modi begins 2-day NE visit; to attend swearing-in ceremonies in 3 states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday began his two-day visit to the Northeast, where he will attend the swearing-in ceremonies in Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland, and also hold a closed-door meeting with the Assam cabinet. The PM arrived at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, where he was received by Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and senior cabinet ministers and officials. From there, he left for Shillong aboard a helicopter. In Meghalaya, he would be received by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda, who had arrived in the hill state on Monday, along with Assam Chief Minister and NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma. Modi will attend the oath-taking ceremonies of Conrad Sangma-led government in Meghalaya and Neiphu Rio-led council of ministers in Nagaland. He will return to Guwahati in the evening and hold a closed-door meeting with the Assam cabinet before retiring for the night at Koinadhara state guest house here. The prime ..

Sikkim to get 5G services before Independence-Day: Union Minister Vaishnaw

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said Sikkim will get 5G services before Independence Day this year. Addressing a function here after releasing a postal cover titled 'Go Green, Go Organic', the Electronics and Information Technology Minister said the Centre has proposed to cover all villages in the country with 4G and 5G services over the next 18-24 months and work was already in progress. "Sikkim will get 5G services before August 15 this year," he said. Vaishnaw said the Sevoke-Rangpo railway project was underway at a good pace and the development of Sikkim will get a fillip with the commissioning of the project. "The Centre may consider extending the railway network beyond Rangpo and it was working on three alignments, one of which will be finalised in consultation with the state government in the future," he said. The Union minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally taking a deep interest in the ongoing infrastructural projects in northeastern states.

Rivals say 'Mar jaa Modi' while country says 'Mat jaa Modi': PM Modi

PM Modi said that the election results depict people's faith in democracy, adding that the Northeast is neither far from Delhi nor from the heart

Candidate more important than party in Meghalaya, says Deputy CM Tynsong

Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Thursday asserted that an individual candidate was more important than a party in the hill state. The NPP leader, who won from Pynursla constituency, said the party hoped to get an absolute majority, but a different mandate was given by the people. "In Meghalaya's politics, individual candidates matter more than the party. It is the nominees who win the elections, not the party," Tynsong told PTI after his victory was announced. "We expected to cross the magic number on our own. We did not expect such a divided mandate," he added. Though the NPP had run the outgoing government in alliance with five other parties, it fought the 2023 assembly polls alone. Asked about the next course of action, the deputy chief minister said, "We had hoped for forming the government alone, but the electorate has given a different mandate. We don't have any option but to go for a coalition government." He, however, declined to comment anything on wh

BJP alliance likely to return in Tripura, Nagaland; trailing in Meghalaya

In neighbouring Meghalaya, the ruling National People's Party (NPP) won 6 seats and was leading in 19, while the BJP was leading in 3 seats

CM Himanta Biswa Sarma to decide on alliance with NPP: Meghalaya BJP leader

BJP Meghalaya leader Sanbor Shullai on Thursday said that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will take a call on an alliance with the state's ruling National People's Party (NPP)

Votes set to be counted in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland today

The BJP, which has replaced Congress as the dominant party in the northeast, is optimistic of its prospects in the three states

No hung assembly, NDA will form govt in all three NE states: Himanta

Asserting there will not be hung assembly in either Tripura, Nagaland or Meghalaya, as predicted in some exit polls, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the NDA will form the government with an absolute majority in all the three northeastern states. Sarma, the NEDA convenor, said no NDA (National Democratic Alliance) partner will go into any alliance with either Congress or the Trinamool Congress. "There will be no hung assembly. The NDA will form the government in all the three states," he told reporters here. When asked about candidates for the chief minister's post in the three states, he said there will be a status quo in Tripura and Nagaland. "Tripura will have a BJP CM, while we are in a coalition government in Nagaland," the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor said. For Meghalaya, the CM will be decided after considering the number of states won by the BJP. Elections were held in Tripura on February 16, and in Nagaland and Meghalaya on Febru

India approves $3.9 bn hydropower project near China border in northeast

Dibang, which will be built over more than 5,000 hectares (12,360 acres) of forest land, faces similar risks, according to Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator for nonprofit South Asia Network on Dams, River

Magnitude 3.7 quake jolts Meghalaya's Tura, 2nd in less than 5 hours in NE

An earthquake of magnitude 3.7 on the Richter scale occurred rocked Meghalaya's Tura in the wee hours of Tuesday, the National Center for Seismology informed.The tremours were felt at 6.57 am, 59 km north of Tura.The depth of the earthquake was reported to be at 29 kms."Earthquake of Magnitude:3.7, Occurred on 28-02-2023, 06:57:18 IST, Lat: 26.04 & Long: 90.11, Depth: 29 Km, Location: 59km N of Tura, Meghalaya," read a post on the official Twitter handle of the National Center for Seismology.This is the second earthquake in the northeast region to be reported on Tuesday.Earlier, in the small hours of Tuesday, an earthquake of magnitude 3.2 struck the Noney district of Manipur, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS).The quake struck around 2.46 am, at a depth of 25 km."Earthquake of Magnitude:3.2, Occurred on 28-02-2023, 02:46:39 IST, Lat: 24.67 & Long: 93.66, Depth: 25 Km, Location: Noney, Manipur, India," the NCS said in a tweet.Meghalaya, on Monday, polled

Voter turnout 73.65% recorded till 3 pm in Nagaland Assembly polls: ECI

A largely peaceful voting in the assembly polls with a turnout of over 73.65 per cent was reported from Nagaland, which was earlier a hotbed for militants, till 3 pm on Monday, an official said. However, stone pelting and blank firing caused tension in the Bhandari assembly constituency in Wokha district. A tenuous ceasefire prevails in the state for more than a decade now as peace talks are continuing with NSCN (IM) and other groups and the central government. Voting began at 7 am with over 13 lakh electors set to decide the electoral fate of 183 candidates. Long queues were seen in front of polling stations since 7 am when voting began. Polling percentage is 73.65 till 3 pm. Voting is peaceful as of now, barring a few incidents, the Election Commission official said. The nominees are contesting in 59 out of 60 assembly seats, as the Akuluto seat in Zunheboto district was won uncontested by BJP candidate and sitting MLA Kazheto Kinimi. Voting is scheduled to end at 4 pm, while .

Naga political talk will soon end with positive solution: Nagaland CM

The Union government has been holding separate talks with the NSCN-IM and the Working Committee of NNPGs since 1997 and 2017 respectively

Election officials reach polling booths crossing rivers in Meghalaya

Election officials made their way to the polling booths across Meghalaya, trekking steep mountainous paths, crossing muddy rivers and walking for hours, as the northeastern state gears up for the assembly polls on Monday. Over 19,000 polling officials have been deployed at 3,419 booths set up for the elections to the 59 assembly seats, Chief Electoral Officer F R Kharkongor told PTI. "All the teams that left for their respective polling booths since Saturday have now arrived," he said. The polling teams had to trek steep mountain paths, cross muddy rivers while travelling through difficult terrains -- in some areas through ropeways, to reach their destinations, Kharkongor said. A team headed to Nongriat polling station of Shella assembly constituency in East Khasi Hills district trekked 6,000 steps to reach its destination located near the scenic root bridge, he said. Election officials had to row a boat to reach the Amlarem constituency's Kamsing polling station, which has only 3

Northeast region strong pillar of Act East Policy, trade, tourism, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the northeast is a strong pillar of the Act East Policy and Meghalaya along with the entire region has a strong prospect of trade and tourism

Nagaland election: Kharge claims BJP cheated people on Naga political issue

Accusing the BJP-led central government of cheating the people of Nagaland on the Naga political problem, the Congress on Tuesday asserted that given a chance, it will fulfil the aspirations of the citizens of the northeastern state. Solving the decades-old Naga issue is one of the top-most commitments in the Congress' manifesto, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said at an election rally here. The Narendra Modi government does not have the political will to put into effect the agreed solutions to the Naga political issue and has cheated the people of Nagaland and the country as well, he said. Stating that civil society organisations have been demanding the implementation of political solutions, Kharge claimed that the state government is indulging in delaying tactics on the pretext that more talks are needed. Prime Minister Modi announced on August 3, 2015, that the Naga issue has been resolved with the signing of the Naga Accord which was later renamed as Framework Agreement wit

Women's participation must grow in all state Assemblies: President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said that the participation of women must increase in all state assemblies, including that of Arunachal Pradesh, for inclusive development of the country. Addressing a special session of the assembly in the northeastern state, she asserted that Arunachal Pradesh plays an important role in the social and economic development of the country and that the "sun of development" is shining over the state. "For overall and inclusive development of our country, there should be more participation of women in every field of work. Participation of women must increase in all the state assemblies including that of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as in other institutions of people's representation," she said. Murmu asserted that Arunachal Pradesh is an important part of India and a major stakeholder in the Act East Policy. "The Northeast was for long deprived of economic development due to lack of road, railway and air connectivity. But the Centre is giving top ...

Drugs, liquor, cash valued at Rs 147 cr seized in 3 poll-bound NE states

The Commission said that a special inter-agency team has been constituted to control illegal drugs

Election day declared paid holiday in three Northeastern states: Official

This applies to all categories of employees, including the daily wage and casual workers, and also those electors working outside the constituency concerned