Development / Northeast

KALEWA (Myanmar), February 13 (PTI): Giving a new impetus to Indo-Myanmar relations, external affairs minister Jaswant Singh today opened a 165-km road built with Indian assistance linking the two countries to pave the way for enhanced tourism, trade and economic ties. Using a special computer-aided design, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed the Tamu-Kalamyn-Kalewa road, costing Rs 100 crore, in a record time of three months. Singh, who is on a three-day official visit, the first high-level from India to Myanmar since the trip by Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister in 1987, arrived...

KALEMEYO (Myanmar), February 13: The border trade between the Northeastern States and the neighbouring Myanmar is likely to see a fresh revival with the formal inauguration of the 160 km Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemeyo Road jointly by the External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh and the Minister for Construction, Maj Gen Saw Tun here this afternoon. Red carpets were rolled out for the high-level Indian delegation led by the External Affairs Minister that also included ministers of four Northeastern States, including Assam, besides top officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Surface Transport and...

GUWAHATI, February 12: The development interests of India's Northeast region are such that it must try to get an assured market for greater utilisation of its natural resources and go for joint venture processing and manufacturing units with Bangladeshi entrepreneurs, setting up growth zones along its international boundary bordering Bangladesh, said Gurudas Das of the Omiyo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development here today. Das, who was addressing a day-long seminar on "India's Northeast and Bangladesh: Problems and Opportunities", organised by the Centre for Northeast Studies...

GUWAHATI, February 11: There are a lot of commonalities between India's Northeast and Bangladesh which can be harnessed for mutual benefit, especially in the economic sphere. Ranked almost parallelly in terms of development, the people of these two areas could benefit immensely if economic integration could be brought about. That was the crux of a discussion on "India's Northeast and Bangladesh Problems of Opportunities" that was held at the Vivekananda Kendra here this evening. Organised by The Centre for Northeast Studies and Policy Research (C-NES), New Delhi, in association with The Assam...

IMPHAL, February 10: Jaswant Singh will inaugurate the Tamu-Kalimyo road, a venture undertaken by the Indian Government with an understanding with the military junta of Myanmar, on February 13 at the Bridge Gate on the Indo-Myanmar border. The construction task of the 108 km-long road was undertaken by the Border Road Task Force (BRTF) since 1997 and is in its final stage. Tight security arrangement has been made in the border town in view of the inauguration function, which will be participated by high-ranking officials of both the countries. There is also an understanding between the...

NEW DELHI, February 8: A special provision has been made under the Deen Dayal Hathkargha Protsahan Yojana (DDPHY) for Northeastern States, Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir. The project cost under the scheme is normally shared by the Central and State Government in the ratio of 50:50. However, in case of project proposals of these States and covering beneficiaries from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes or minority community, the project cost will be shared between the Central and State Governments in the ratio to 90:10. In order to facilitate movement of finished products from north eastern...

NEW DELHI, February 10: The growing warmth in the ties between India and Myanmar is likely to see opening of the barriers for cross-border movement of people through Northeast to the neighbouring country. When the Foreign Minister of India, Jaswant Singh, will cross the international border at Moreh in Manipur on Tuesday morning he may well mark the beginning of the opening up of the border with Myanmar for movement of people. The External Affairs Minister heading a delegation of Indian Government will be in Myanmar on a three-day official visit to the country, first since late Rajiv Gandhi's...

NEW DELHI, February 3: Alarmed at reports of massive irregularities in transport subsidy schemes in the Northeast, the Union Industries Ministry has directed the National Productivity Council (NPC) to probe the allegations and recommend measures to plug the loop holes in the schemes. The joint Secretary in the Ministry of the Industries, S. Jagdessan, who is in-charge for the Northeast, told this newspaper that the NPC has already submitted its draft report to the Ministry recently. " We have received the draft report and are expecting the final report soon after which it would be released,"...

TEZPUR, February 3: The first phase of the 405 MW capacity Ranganadi hydel power project in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh is now at the final stage and is expected to be commissioned by the middle of the year while the second and third phase of the project is expected to be commissioned by 2002. Talking to The Assam Tribune official sources said that the Northeastern Council (NEC) project which started in 1989 at the original project cost of Rs 312.78 crore was entrusted to the Northeastern Electrical Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) and was scheduled to be commissioned in...

KOLKATA, February 2: Jolted by the magnitude of devastation in the Gujarat earthquake, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) is tightening up its seismo-tectonic surveys in quake-prone North Bengal and the Northeast States to advise individual State Governments on model building procedures, reports PTI. "We have already taken up work in the high risk zone on Mizoram, whose capital Aizawl is a nightmare for a seismologist as it has no codes and rules of town planning," GSI Director General K Krishnanunni told a press meet here today. North Bengal and Northeast States, with at least 300 active...