Development / Northeast

AIZAWL, February 16: Chief Minister Zoramthanga has asked the Prime Minister to allot Mizoram a separate All-India cadre as the officials posted under the present AGMUT cadre were not under the control of the State government, which created hindrance in running a smooth administration, reports UNI. The Chief Minister raised the issue during a meeting with Atal Behari Vajpayee in New Delhi on Wednesday, official sources said here. Zoramthanga observed that while the three newly-formed States had a separate cadre, Mizoram, which achieved statehood in the late eighties, still lacked one despite...

GUWAHATI, February 21: The consequent disastrous situations of an earthquake are mainly the results of the quality of the specific human societies to meet the challenges of the devastating power of the earthquakes these societies, are exposed to. This is the reason why the earthquakes of a similar magnitude fail to cause any significant damage to the peole of a prepared society, while it leaves behind trails of devastation for the people of the unprepared societies, said renowned seismologist Vinod Kumar Gaur here today. Gaur, presently a Distinguished Professor at the Centre for Astrophysics...

NEW DELHI, February 19: The Northeastern States were slammed by the President, KR Narayanan for leakage of development funds, even as he hinted at against any truce offer for the underground outfits by calling for firm action against the militants. The President's address may come as a major embarrassment to the Northeastern States as question marks were put on their track record of utilisation of public funds. The President's critical remarks were in fact a reflection of the Centre's hardboiled attitude towards the erring states on this score. "Substantial developmental resources flow into...

SHILLONG, February 19: As many as 393 earthquakes were recorded by the Central Seismological Observatory, Shillong which shook parts of the Northeastern region and adjoining areas of Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan since 1980, but majority of these tremors were not felt in most parts of the region. Seismologists here are of the view that there is no reason to panic that a major earthquake is imminent in view of the big number earthquakes striking the region which is one of the most quakeprone areas in the entire world. Dismissing predictions of a major quake hitting the Northeast in the near...

NEW DELHI, February 18: As economic and strategic factors take precedence over political consideration in the India-Myanmar relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has mooted the idea of allowing trading in goods of third country across the border points in the Northeastern States with Myanmar. This along with the proposal to allow cross-border movement of people, besides gearing up infrastructure facilities like setting up banking and communication facilities are being suggested to revive the dwindling border trading through the Moreh-Tamu border. Suddenly, a lot appears to be at...

GUWAHATI, February 17: The Central Government should take up capital projects in developing infrastructures like roads, power generation and irrigation system, rather than concentrating on spoon-feeding through long term incentives, for the sustainable development of the NE region, said business economist Gautam Prasad Barua. Barua, a former Corporate Vice-President of Williamson Magor and at present the Banking Ombudsman for NE Region, while talking to The Assam Tribune, said, when asked as to what measures he would suggest for inclusion in the Central Budget being placed in the Parliament a...

SHILLONG, February 18 (UNI): At least 393 earthquakes measuring between two and seven on the Richter scale have rocked parts of Northeast, besides border areas of Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan since 1980. But more than 80 percent of those tremors could hardly be felt in large parts of the region. According to the Central Seismological Observatory Center here, out of these tremors, 22 quakes measuring between 5 and 6.6 on the Richter could have shaken large parts of the region. Most of them had their epicenters on Indo-Bangladesh border near Silchar, Indo-Myanmar border near Mizoram and...

YANGON, February 15: In keeping with the changing perception in their relationship, India and Myanmar have identified at least five points in the Northeastern states of Mizoram and Nagaland for opening of border trade with the neigh-bouring country. The issue of opening of more border trading points in the economically backward NE states and North Western Myanmar received the green signal at a meeting between visiting External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Senior General Than Shwe here this morning. Indian officials revealed that...

GUWAHATI, February 14: As part of the ongoing effort to formulate National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), process is on to formulate State-level strategy to protect and patent bio-resources in all the States of the Northeast India, one of the two biodiversity hotspots in the country. PC Bhattacharjee of Zoology Department, Gauhati University, informed The Assam Tribune that commendable progress had been made towards formulation of State-level strategy and action plan in Assam and Meghalaya while other NE States had just got on with the job. Bhattacharjee who is one of the...

YANGON, February 14: In a major policy shift, the Government of India is attaching top priority in opening all traditional trade routes between the Northeastern States and the neighbouring countries to encourage trade and commerce leading to economic development of the region. Hinting at this policy change was the External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, who said the natural outlet for the Northeast is through the neighbouring South-east Asian countries and not Calcutta. "The Northeastern States has to have an access eastward," he told newsmen accompanying him on his tour to Myanmar, first by...