Development / Northeast

GUWAHATI, May 29 ? Centre has decided to sanction Rs 33 crore for the North East in order to upgrade export infrastructure in the entire region. Highly placed official sources today said that the funds would be spent in the seven States of the region to upgrade the existing infrastructure and the border trade points. It may be recalled that the Centre has sanctioned over Rs 300 crore for upgrading infrastructure, of which 10 per cent will be spent specially in the North East with an eye to give a boost to exports with the neighbouring countries.

The sources further said that in spite of...

NEW DELHI, May 21 ? The hard-hit north-eastern States particularly Assam is likely to see a turn-around in the flow of funds in rural development sector, with the Centre contemplating to change the funding pattern to 90:10 from the prevailing 75:25. The likely shift in funding pattern by Rural Development Ministry to the one adopted by Planning Commission is in response to plea by States like Assam and a favoured recommendation by an inter-ministerial committee constituted by the ministry.

Notwithstanding the change in the funding pattern that is likely to lead to windfall of funds, estimated...

GUWAHATI, May 17 ? The cancer patients of Assam as well as the other States of the North East India are facing problems as two important machines of the B Barooah Cancer Institute have stopped functioning. The machines ? Linear Accelerator and Cobalt machine used for radiation on cancer cells, have been inoperative causing severe hardships for the patients in the region. It is learnt that the Linear Accelerator has been closed down by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for its failure to satisfy certain mandatory guidelines while the Cobalt machine has been out of order for the last one...

GUWAHATI, May 17 ? Education Ministers of North Eastern States today resolved to submit a joint memorandum to the Union Human Resources Development Ministry next week demanding adequate and extended financial assistance for education sector in the region. Following hours-long discussion here today, the Education Ministers of the region were in agreement that the Central government should continue to sponsor Operation Black Board (OBB), Hindi teachers and Sarba Siksha Abhiyan in the region besides modifying the Mid-day Meal schemes suiting the conditions of the region. The Education Ministers...

NEW DELHI, May 16 ? Contrary to general perception that it is always the State which fails to deliver on time, it now appears that Central Government projects also suffer from time overruns, for progress of as many as 26 centrally funded road and bridge projects in the North Eastern Region (NER) have been identified as slow. The Department for Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) having identified the projects, has started reviewing the progress of the work, a few of which have been categorised at critical, for expeditious implementation. The Minister in-charge for DONER, Arun Shourie...

IMPHAL, May 13 ? The transporters? strike in Manipur, which entered its fifth day on Monday, has affected Indo-Myanmar trade at the border town of Moreh in Chandel district, official sources said, reports PTI. Keeping in view the huge financial loss, government was considering various strategies to strengthen security measures along the Imphal-Moreh NH-39, the sources said. The Imphal-Moreh Road Transporters Joint Action Committee which had launched the indefinite strike since May 9 was demanding government action to check extortion from vehicle owners and some government offices by the...

GUWAHATI, May 12? At a time when the Centre is trying to boost export between North-East India and Myanmar in a bid to garner revenue, the export growth rate has fallen drastically in the region. The exporters of the North-east are worried over the prevailing situation as no big company is willing to invest in the region. According to official statistics, the export growth rate between North-east India and Myanmar across the Moreh border, which was recorded at 4.2 per cent during the past couple of years, now has gone down to 2.1 per cent only. The poor growth rate is attributed to lack of...

GUWAHATI, May 12 ? North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Limited (NEDFi) has succeeded in complying with the Prime Minister?s directive on disbursing at least Rs 50 crore per year during the last two fiscal years. The Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of the NEDFi, Sri JP Saikia yesterday informed that the Prime Minister during his visit to North-East in January, 2000 had announced that the Corporation would disburse at least Rs 50 crore a year. Though it meant 240 per cent increase in its operation yet NEDFi achieved the target by releasing Rs 50.46 crore during 2000-01 and Rs 50...

BANGKOK, May 9 ? India and Thailand are looking at widening the trade basket between the two countries, and boosting tourism between Thailand and the North East of India, Indian Ambassador here Leela K Ponnappa said, reports PTI. With Thailand?s contribution being over a billion US dollars, ?we are both each others partners and competitors,? she told visiting journalists from North East and Bihar. The economic crash in 1997 also made Thailand to take a relook at its economic policy of looking westward. Instead it rediscovered India as a potential partner, she said. Ponnappa said that there...

GUWAHATI, May 9 ? Under the Central Sector Scheme on Movement of Seeds to the north eastern States, 100 per cent difference between road and rail transportation charges is made to implementing agencies for the movement of seeds produced outside the States to the State capitals or district headquarters, stated a release. Further, for transportation of seeds within the State from the State Capitals or district headquarters to sale counter or sale outlet is also reimbursed on actual basis subject to maximum limit of Rs 60 per quintal whichever is less to implementing agencies designated by State...