Development / Assam

Guwahati, Jan. 30: The World Bank has said it was ?satisfied? with the law and order situation in Assam, offering to enter into a long-term partnership with the state government for development projects.

Officials of the World Bank met state government officials last evening.

A seven-member mission of the global bank, led by P. Joardar, visited the state to review Phase I of Rs 550-crore Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services Project (ARIASP).

Top government officials were present on the occasion. The bank had earlier told the Assam government that it would not sanction funds...

GUWAHATI, Jan 24? Following Cabinet approval, the State Government has finalised its new power policy for the power sector. The policy, while recognising the imperative for reform and improving the supply of electricity services to the consumers in the State, provides for consumer orientation, competition in access to electricity, strengthening of the regulatory framework and restructuring of the present institutional structure in the State?s power sector, through functional unbundling of the ASEB into separate entities for generation, transmission and distribution in a phased manner.

An...

Silchar, Jan. 23: The projected cost of converting the 204-km metre gauge rail track between this town and Lumding station into the broad gauge, estimated at Rs 608 crore the project was launched in 1996, has escalated to Rs 1,400 crore.

Expressing concern over the escalation, a senior official of the North East Frontier Railway (construction) ascribed the hike to the ?niggardly flow of funds? from the railway ministry.

He said rain and occasional attacks by militants had slowed down the project and had resulted in cost escalation.

The official, however, hoped that the construction would...

GUWAHATI, Jan 21 ? The Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK) and the Area Development Demand Committee (ADDC) of the Sissi revenue circle, have alleged that hundreds of families, who will lose more than 1000 bighas of cultivable land, are going to be deprived of minimum compensation against land acquisition for the Rs 1,700 crore Bogibeel bridge project. The two bodies have demanded that works for the construction of the bridge across the Brahmaputra should be stopped immediately until a settlement of land acquisition and payment of compensation is amicably reached at.

A dharna was staged at the...

BISWANATH CHARIALI, Jan 20 ? The Gramin Krishi Unnayan Prakalpa launched by the Assam Branch of Indian Tea Association (ABITA) throughout the State has yielded good results in the current agricultural season. Through the project, the ABITA familiarised the farmers with modern and scientific methods of cultivation as also with the multiple cropping system.

The project was initiated in 2000 at Panery in Mangaldoi circle of ABITA. When it met with resounding success, its activities were extended and more centres were set up at Biswanath Chariali, Balipara, Mazbat, Koliabor, Bokakhat, Namrup...

GUWAHATI, Jan 20 ? Incredible it may sound. But, truth at times sounds stranger, incredibly stranger. For the past over 50 years, a group of Assamese farmers is living in a sort of commune. Initially, the group consisted of 25 to 30 families, now it consists of 63 families. But, even today, when the strong wind of market economy has been shattering all social structures in the developing countries, these farmers are exercising their minds to strengthen this commune more.

Incidentally, the place where these farmers are living is only about 55 kms off this capital city. Winds of change, modern...

JAGIROAD, Jan 18 ? The historical Jon Beel Mela at Jon Beel, five kilometres from Jagiroad town, got under way on Thursday with a three-day programme. The mela began with the feast offerred by Gova king Deep Singh Deoraja on the beach of Jon Beel.

It is pertinent to mention that the hill tribes surrounding the area come to that place and exchange their agri products with the food items from the plain tribes. That is, the ancient bartar system is still prevailing there till today. For this annual events, hundreds of tribesmen from Karbi Hill and Khasi and Jayantia Hills of Meghalaya reach here...

GUWAHATI, Jan 19 ? The 2,000-MW Subansiri Lower Hydel Power Project has been given the ?Techno-Economic Clearance? by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The 256th meeting of the CEA held on January 13 gave its recommendations on technical and economic viability for construction of the Subansiri Lower project at a total cost of Rs 6418.37 crore and US $ 39.648 million (December 2002 price level). The members of the committee which studied the techno-economic aspects of the project included, apart from the CEA, Department of Power, Government of Assam, PWD and Power Department, Government...

GUWAHATI, Jan 19? Trucks carrying fish to different parts of Assam as well as the other north-eastern States are being forced to pay thousands of rupees at the check posts all along the National Highways and ultimately the burden is shifted to the customers. According to the Assam Wholesale Fish Traders Association, the current demand of fish in Assam is met by importing fish from States like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, as the local production is not adequate. The association said that recently the Assam Government had levied an entry tax of eight per cent, which is not...

GUWAHATI, Jan 18 ? Over 31,000 of the State?s children who have never been to schools, have been brought to the mainstream LP schools, while a new initiative to bring the rest of the out-of-school kids to the mainstream schools is slated to start from February 10 next. A Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) survey has put the number of the State?s out-of-school children, between six and fourteen years of age, to be around 14.5 lakh.

According to SSA sources, the children already enrolled in the LP schools were provided with a brief course of training under the bridge course of the District Primary...