Economy / Assam

GUWAHATI, Jan 20 ? Incredible it may sound. But, truth at times sounds stranger, incredibly stranger. For the past over 50 years, a group of Assamese farmers is living in a sort of commune. Initially, the group consisted of 25 to 30 families, now it consists of 63 families. But, even today, when the strong wind of market economy has been shattering all social structures in the developing countries, these farmers are exercising their minds to strengthen this commune more.

Incidentally, the place where these farmers are living is only about 55 kms off this capital city. Winds of change, modern...

GUWAHATI, Jan 19? Trucks carrying fish to different parts of Assam as well as the other north-eastern States are being forced to pay thousands of rupees at the check posts all along the National Highways and ultimately the burden is shifted to the customers. According to the Assam Wholesale Fish Traders Association, the current demand of fish in Assam is met by importing fish from States like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, as the local production is not adequate. The association said that recently the Assam Government had levied an entry tax of eight per cent, which is not...

GOALPARA, Jan 16 ? Although eri and muga culture has the potentiality to revolutionise the economy of Assam, lack of professionalism is hampering the growth of the silk industry in the State. So far Goalpara district is concerned, which has a history of rearing of eri and muga by the tribal population (mainly), sericulture is perhaps the only sector which can provide employment to thousands of persons and earn foreign exchange. Jogesh Deuri, an experienced extension officer of sericulture said this while delivering a talk on sericulture as an agro-industry, organised by zoology department of...

Guwahati, Jan. 6: The Centre has prepared a bail-out package for Assam’s ailing tea industry. Tea exporters from Assam, who use the inland container depot at Amingaon, will receive an enhanced transport subsidy of Rs 2 per kg. Currently the transport subsidy is Re 1 per kg. According to a Federation of Industries and Commerce of North Eastern Region (Finer) release, the Tea Board and the commerce ministry has agreed on principle to enhance the transport subsidy by Re 1 and a notification in this regard would be issued soon.

The request was accepted by the commerce ministry and the Tea Board at...

Guwahati, Dec. 5: Experts on road-building and maintenance are flipping through the pages of history for inspiration from the Ahom monarchs, who built Assam’s most durable roads and bridges. These experts, gathered here for the ongoing Indian Roads Congress, are of the view that the methods employed by the erstwhile Ahom rulers to maintain the road network of that era were worthy of being adopted even today. “Coupled with modern technology, the system of old can make roads easier to maintain and strong enough to withstand the ravages of time,” engineer B.M. Goswami said in his presentation.

T...

NEW DELHI, Dec 30 — Flood control works in Assam is likely to hit as funds were curtailed by Planning Commission because of a delay by the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) in submitting schemes for approval by competent authority. The MoWR did not submit flood control schemes among other critical proposals for approval leading to a drastic cut in budgetary allocation. As against a proposal for allocation of Rs 1,063.82 crore, all that the Ministry get was Rs 550 crore, which is almost half of what was sought. The reason the Planning Commission said was the apprehension that a higher...

GUWAHATI, Dec 27— Sparks did not fly in the post Khumtai central executive committee meeting of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee today as leaders of the party showed maturity in sharing the blame for the defeat at the hands of AGP in the December 12 by-election to Khumtai LAC while the Chief Minister was made to promise that illegal check-gates in the State will be abolished within March next year. The marathon central executive meeting of the APCC which lasted for over four hours at Rajiv Bhawan here, had detail discussion on party’s defeat at Khumtai by-election and agreed that it had...

GUWAHATI, Dec 26— Assam government today took strong exception to the statement made by Union Minister for Department of Development of North eastern Region (DONER) Arun Shourie that the Centre would consider the request for a ‘special development package’ for North East provided peace was restored in the region. The statement made by Shourie here yesterday has evoked sharp reaction from the Assam government. Minister of State for Planning and Development Himanta Biswa Sharma who claimed to be speaking on behalf of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, today informed that the State government would dash...

NEW DELHI, Dec 21 — The Assam Government has given up hope of achieving the 10th Plan projected growth rate of 6.2 per cent unless the Centre bankrolls its resources gap to the tune of Rs 17,000 crore. Addressing the 50th meeting of the National Development Council (NDC), Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi cautioned the Central Government that the 10th Plan is bound to get derailed, if it does not come forward to solve the acute financial difficulties faced by most of the States. At the outset, he pointed out that given the past track record of Assam in the last two five year plans in which it...

NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — The Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) owes a whopping Rs 993.73 crore to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) even as the power company’s outstanding dues have touched an all-time high of Rs 1,474.92 crore. Even as the tussle among the State electricity boards and NEEPCO for payment of dues continues, interest on oustanding has been piling. Assam for instance owes Rs 795.63 crore as on November but its interest component has touched Rs 198.10 crore. The interest on outstanding dues of all the seven States has been estimated at Rs 259.52 crore.

Assam...