Development / Northeast

NEW DELHI, April 19 ? Assam along with other North Eastern States have failed to utilise funds earmarked for construction of roads and highways under Central Road Funds (CRF), even as roads in the region continue to be in a deplorable state. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways alarmed by the trend has requested the State Governments to expedite progress of the approved works and furnish Utilisation Certificate (UCs) to facilitate the release of funds.

In order to optimise the utilisation, works amounting to at least twice the annual accrual of the State from CRF are being sanctioned...

GUWAHATI, April 19? Several environmental groups and activists have expressed apprehension over the way in which development projects, especially hydro-electric units, are getting clearance in the North East without having the least regard for ecological and biodiversity concerns. The 10th Plan also envisages setting up of 12 hydel projects in the region. The environmentalists feel the projects should be cleared only when they are found to be strictly adhering to the environmental and social norms. Expressing concern over the casual manner in which dams are being cleared by the Government...

NEW DELHI, April 17 ? The north-eastern States have so far been released Rs 1,346.72 crore from the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources, Minister for the Department of the Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), Arun Shourie, has disclosed.

The Non-Lapsable Pool of Resources focuses on taking up appropriate projects, which would reduce the gaps in Basic Minimum Services and Infrastructure in the State in the region, the minister said. Both physical and social infrastructure sectors such as irrigation and flood control, power, roads and bridges, education, health, water supply and...

ITANAGAR, April 17 ? The Centre has not yet given green signal for introduction of mobile telephone in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur due to security reasons, reports PTI. The chief general manager of BSNL, North East II, Krishna Kumar told reporters here Tuesday that BSNL would not introduce mobile phones in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur as it has not received green signal from the Centre on this issue. However, the internet facilities in the three States would be given further extension in due course of time, he said. Kumar said his department was doing its best to bring...

NEW DELHI, April 16 ? Even as railway projects in the North-east continue to suffer for want of funds, Railways have failed to utilise even the sanctioned funds. While the Railways are celebrating 150 years of its existence in the country with much fanfare, in the North-east it is yet to bring all the States into the railway map of the country. And making a scathing attack on the Railways is none other then the Parliamentary Standing Committee for neglecting this sector. ?The Committee expresses displeasure over the fact that even after 54 years of independence, all the capitals have not yet...

NEW DELHI, April 9 ? Even as the country entered 55th year of its independence, rural electrification in the North-east is likely to remain a distant dream for a majority of the rural folks, as flow of funds has been drastically cut in the wake of the serious resources crunch faced by the States. Even as the north eastern State Governments continue to suffer silently, a Parliamentary Committee stunned by the disparity in allocation of funds to the North-east as compared to the rest of the country has directed the Power Ministry to convene a meeting of the north eastern State Governments for...

GUWAHATI, April 9 ? The North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) has undertaken a promotional scheme for commercialisation of some important medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) of the region with special emphasis on Patchouli, an aromatic plant used widely in perfumes, medicines and toiletry. Sri J P Saikia, the Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of NEDFi said this at the three-day National Workshop on Commercialisation of Patchouli that began at the Assam Administrative Staff College here today. A number of experts, scientists, farmers, entrepreneurs and industrialists...

GUWAHATI, April 6? Noted USA-based bio-technologist Dr C S Prakash today stated that economic development of the region was a must for preservation of bio-diversity hotspots in North East India. The professor from Tuskegee University of the USA who is on a visit to the State under the aegis of United States Information Services (USIS), said bio-diversity preservation was directly related to economic development as it was observed that in economically underdeveloped areas human beings became extremely dependent on forest resources for their livelihood, leading to wanton destruction of forest...

GUWAHATI, April 4 ? The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialised agency of the United Nations with the specific mandate of combating hunger and poverty in the most disadvantaged regions of the world, has undertaken several projects in the North East. One of its projects is the North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCRMP) and is being implemented under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is aimed specifically at the uplift of the vulnerable upland farmers of the north-eastern India. The areas of operation in the North East are West Garo Hills...

GUWAHATI, April 4? Chief Ministers of North Eastern States who were in the list of special guests of Air India to travel on board its first flight from Guwahati to Bangkok, were barred from taking the flight together by an emergency directive from the Prime Minister?s Office. Sources informed that the Air India was asked by the PMO not to take so many VIPs including the NE-state Chief Ministers and Union Minister of State for Water Resources, Bijoya Chakraborty in the inaugural flight to Bangkok as no official programmes is being organised by Indian Embassy in the other end for the benefit of...