Development / Assam

Tinsukia/Imphal, May 19: Organic tea produced by the Singpho tribesmen of Upper Assam and small growers in neighbouring Manipur is set to take the global market by storm.

World Community Development Education Society (WCDES), a Vancouver-based NGO, has joined hands with Singpho tea producers to produce and market organic tea in North America. The Manipur-based Foundation for Environment and Economic Services (FEEDS) has done likewise, signing agreements with three companies from Germany, Japan and the UK.

The Singpho tribe claims to have introduced organic tea to the British way back in the...

GUWAHATI, May 19?The prestigious Rajdhani Express from Guwahati to New Delhi has been be made a daily service following increase in the frequency from Guwahati to New Delhi via Patna from three days a week to five days a week and Guwahati-Dibrugarh town link Rajdhani Express from two days to three days a week. An NF Railway press release said the Guwahati-New Delhi Rajdhani Express has been provided an additional stoppage at Allahabad with effect from May 25. The Express from Dibrugarh via Guwahati will run on Saturday, Sunday and Monday even as the train leaving Dibrugarh on Saturday and...

GUWAHATI, May 18? Adoption of simple, cost-effective and widely available technologies can transform the agricultural scenario in Assam, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Director General (DG) and Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) Secretary, Dr Mangala Rai told newspersons here. Over the next couple of years, such technologies will be put in operation in the State, promising to change the face of rural Assam. Dr Rai, who was addressing newspersons on the sidelines of the two-day 16th ICAR regional committee meeting II, which concluded here today, said that...

GUWAHATI, May 17? Union Minister of State for Water Resources Bijoya Chakravarty today asserted that no water from the mighty Brahmaputra would be taken out if it harmed the interests of the State and the people. Speaking at a ?Meet-the-Press? programme at Guwahati Press Club today, Chakravarty sought to allay the apprehensions arising out of the Centre?s mega project of interlinking rivers of the country, and said the final decision on linking the Brahmaputra was still a far way off and that was to be taken after a careful scrutiny of all the relevant points of the issue.

?If at all any...

GUWAHATI, May 12— Goalpara district in Assam is all set to become the richest district in the state within the next half decade. Till some time back, it was regarded as being among the poorer districts. The transformation in the district’s fortunes is being brought about by the widespread popularity of rubber cultivation.

According to officials of the Rubber Board’s zonal office here, rubber cultivation is becoming a household activity in Goalpara as farmers are reaping good yields and earning much more than they ever did before. Agia, in Goalpara, has now become a major center of rubber...

GUWAHATI, May 4 — The State government has identified five thrust areas during the 10th Five Year Plan for accelerated growth of the State. Three thrust areas include – infrastructure including roads, power and communication, agriculture and allied services including dairy, pisciculture, irrigation, services including information technology, tourism and health care, human resource development including education; skill development and management and industrial development with emphasis on trade and commerce, agro industry, handloom and handicrafts etc.

During his recent discussion with the...

NEW DELHI, May 4 — A cash-strapped Assam Government in an apparent bid to stall the disinvestment of Assam Ashok Hotel Corporation Ltd (AAHCL), has offered to buy Indian Tourism Development Corporation’s (ITDC) stake in the three-star hotel. A joint venture project between the ITDC, which holds majority stake of 51 per cent, and the Department of Tourism of Assam Government, it was identified for disinvestment in keeping with the Centre’s policy of pulling out of loss-making ITDC-run hotels. The Assam Government has 49 per cent stake in the hotel.

The Minister for Disinvestment, Arun Shourie...

NEW DELHI, April 30 —Amidst fervent pleas by the Members belonging to the North-East, Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh today assured to review the proposal to withdraw the excise duty exemption on certain products but stopped short of making any firm commitment. A demand for withdrawal of cess on tea was also turned down. But the Minister tried to dispel the impression of being left out by reiterating the commitment of the Government to implement the special packages given to the region. “My love affair with North-East goes back to 1958”, he said.

“Since that period and during the 1962 war, I...

IMPHAL, April 29 – The Central government will be launching a new project for having double lane on the National Highway-53, connecting Imphal with Silchar. The Union Surface and Transport Minister has given an assurance to this effect. India’s National Highways connecting Myanmar (formerly Burma) through the north-eastern states, particularly Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Assam, have been reduced to targets of the lawful and unlawful organisations. The NHs passing through Manipur are the lifelines for the people of this State which borders western Myanmar.All essential commodities are...

GUWAHATI, April 27 — Militant outfit National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) has demanded an amount of Rs five lakh every year from the National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC). In a release here today, Capt B Habrang, Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion of the NDFB, said that the outfit released NHPC engineer Amitabh Jha from its captivity yesterday with the condition that the NHPC would pay a ‘donation’ of Rs five lakh every year. Jha was abducted on May 14 last year when he was on his way to Guwahati from Gaylegphu in Bhutan. The NDFB release said that the other conditions...