Development / Northeast

Guwahati, Jan. 19: The North Eastern Space Applications Centre has decided to use Indian remote sensing satellites for the early detection and control of endemic diseases in the region.

The project, titled ?Early detection and control of endemic diseases in the Northeast?, will be implemented in collaboration with the Regional Medical Research Centre in Dibrugarh under the Indian Council of Medical Research, which will provide research-based support.

The centre will concentrate on Japanese encephalitis and malaria, the two major killer diseases in the region.

Hundreds of people living in the...

GUWAHATI, Jan 7 – Lack of cooperation from the State governments has hampered the functioning of the National Commission for Schedule Castes and Scheduled Tribe (NCSC&ST) in the region, as several departments of the Assam Government involved in the affairs of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), have not responded to the directives and queries of the National Commission for the last two-three years. Things have come to such a pass that the NCSC&ST field office here does not even have the latest data on the SC and ST population in the State. “The State Government is not...

GUWAHATI, Jan 6 — While cellphone users in the rest of the country can celebrate the over 66 per cent reduction in STD call charges, those in Guwahati and Shillong will have to wait a while before they can join the celebrations. There is no immediate chance of a fall in current rates in the two North East cities, the only two in the region to have cellular phone services.

According to sources here, a rate-cut is possible only if the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), which carry the STD calls, decide to reduce its tariff. Currently, the BSNL peak STD rate is Rs 9 on an average. Last week...

NEW DELHI, Jan 3 — In a bid to avoid massive diversion developmental funds at least 29 projects in North East Region have been taken up for concurrent audit by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) at the request of Department for Development of North Eastern region (DONER).

In Assam, which receives a large chunk of funds 5 schemes worth over Rs 100 crore has been handed for concurrent audit. All the States in the Region have been advised to publicize project details. Time frame for completion of projects given and area Officers for each state earmarked.

However, some of the State including...

GUWAHATI, Jan 1 — North East Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NECCI) signed a partnership agreement with South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) at Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok, Guwahati on December 26. This partnership agreement outlines the basic terms and conditions for achieving specific developmental goals that directly benefits NECCI and indirectly support the growth and development of small and medium enterprises in the region.

Dr Anton de Wilde, Project Manager, SEDF and DK Sarma, secretary, NECCI, signed the partnership agreement. As per this agreement, both SEDF and NECCI will...

New Delhi, Jan. 1: Two government projects in the Northeast, one in Assam and the other in Tripura, have been declared “success stories”, having achieved their “intended goals”. Making it to the Planning Commission’s list of top 20 “success stories” are the rubber plantations of Tripura and a landmark irrigation project of the Assam government.

Originally launched to wean tribals from jhum cultivation, the rubber plantations have now earned Tripura the sobriquet of “India’s second rubber capital”. Kerala leads the sector in terms of production.

Successful Governance Initiatives and Best...

GUWAHATI, Dec 30 —The recent decision of the Central Government to offer special benefits to investors setting up industrial units in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal and Kutch region is likely to prove detrimental to North East Industrial Policy, (NEIP), 1997. The NEIP which has so far failed to take off in terms of luring heavy and permanent investment to the region barring a handful of packaging units, will cease to hold any attraction to the outside investors in the wake of similar sops being offered by the Government of India for setting up new industries in J&K, Uttaranchal and Kutch...

ITANAGAR, Dec 30 — Scheduled Tribe Commission chairman Dileep Singh Bhuria today said that no constitutional body should ever try to snatch away the basic rights of the tribals, which they have been enjoying since the time immemorial, over ‘jaal’ (water), jungle (forest) and ‘zamin’ (land), and described the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, as an irritant to them, reports PTI. Addressing a press conference here, Bhuria, who is on a five-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh to assess the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes, expressed his concern over large-scale eviction of the tribals in various parts of...

GUWAHATI, Dec 29 — The horticulture products of the North East has often failed to make a mark in the export market primarily because of the huge costs involved in its transportation to the exporting centres. The Centre has now decided to offset this disadvantage by offering inland transport assistance for horticulture products. Exporters of banana, guava, lemon, orange, pear, pineapple, plum, ginger, passion fruit and even cut flowers from all the north eastern states, including Sikkim, can now avail the Central assistance that will considerably reduce their transportation costs. The...

GUWAHATI, Dec 27 — While the Chinese dragon is creating ripples in the rest of the country with its flood of consumer goods, it is Bangladesh which is giving the processed food industry in the North East a run for its money. And Bangladeshi goods are emerging the winners. Bangladeshi potato wafers, bhujia, chanachur, fruit juice and mineral water is flooding the North East markets leaving the local industry gasping for breath. Not long ago, it was the North Eastern producers which were exporting such products to Bangladesh.

Industry watchers told The Assam Tribune here that the Bangladeshi...