Economy / Assam

NEW DELHI, April 29 ? As many as 75 of the total 86 operational airports in the country were consistently making losses with Guwahati topping the list incurring losses of over Rs 25 crore in 2000-01, the Lok Sabha was informed today, reports PTI. Civil Aviation Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said in a written reply that Trivandrum (Rs.9.96 crore), Nagpur (Rs. 9.85 crore) and Lucknow (Rs. 9.21 crore) are the among major loss-making airports.

NEW DELHI, April 27 ? The logjam over the mega gas cracker project is likely to be resolved in a fortnight, with the estranged Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) narrowing down their differences to 10 clauses including the one relating to quality of gas to be supplied. Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary, BK Chaturvedi revealed this to the Parliamentary Standing Committee attached to his ministry. The Standing Committee, which is headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, submitted its report to the Parliament this week. The Rs 3,700 crore Assam Accord...

GUWAHATI, April 26 ? Because of the failure of the North Eastern States to enforce uniform sales tax, Assam Government?s bid to augment revenue collection through imposition of 20 per cent sales tax and ten per cent surcharge on cost price composition of ex-bond price, excise duty and import fee ? of India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) petered out as large number of IMFL buyers resorted to buy from liquor shops in neighbouring Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh at a cheaper rate thanks to low rate of sales tax in those States.

In the wake of State Sales tax hike made effective from February 15...

NEW DELHI, April 25 ? Meghalaya ranked lowest in utilisation of funds from the Centre?s non-lapsable Central pool of resources scheme for the speedy development of the north-eastern region while Tripura topped the list for maximum per capital utilisation of the allocated money, reports PTI. ?The largest amount of Rs 293.16 crore was released for various projects in Assam during the last four financial years allowed by Rs 215.29 crore for Tripura.

The lowest release of Rs 66.81 crore was for Meghalaya due to poor utilisation of funds and lack of viable project proposals,? PD Shenoy, secretary...

NEW DELHI, April 24 ? Although the highest allocation from the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Fund went to Assam, the State has slipped in utilisation, even as Tripura emerged at the top in terms of utilisation of funds sanctioned out of the pool. For the fund starved north-eastern States, there is encouraging news in store as with the activation of the Central Pool of Resources the allocation is expected to go up. Allocation for the last four years has recorded a quantum jump to Rs 1,346.72 crore. Among the north eastern States, the highest allocation of Rs 293.16 crore has flowed to Assam...

GUWAHATI, April 24 ? All major socio-economic indicators including per capita GDP mortality rate, per capita consumption of electricity etc point towards the widening gap between Assam and the rest of the country. According to the figures given in the Development profile of Assam?, published by the State Government recently, the per capita GDP of Assam at constant prices (1993-94) is Rs 6,733 against the national average of Rs 11,632 and the gap is increasing since the beginning of the 9th Five year Plan. There has been a substantial increase of the population living below the poverty line...

GUWAHATI, April 13?The North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) has chalked out a detailed plan to boost the economy of Meghalaya, and to reach out to the people in the State, the Corporation has set up a branch office at Shillong which started functioning from October 15, 2001, stated a release. Mentionably, NEDFi was set up in 1995 for the development of industries and infrastructure in the North East region. NEDFi has sanctioned Rs 5458 lakhs as assistance to 21 projects in Meghalaya covering industrial/agricultural activities such as food processing, poultry, health care...

NEW DELHI, April 11? The Ministry of Commerce has cleared an Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) sponsored proposal for setting up a multi-crore Agriculture Export Processing Zone (AEPZ). The proposed project would be set up at Balipara in Sonitpur district. The chairman of AIDC said that the APEDA conveyed its decision here yesterday and the Corporation was in the process of commissioning a Project Report. The Project Report is to be prepared an estimated cost of Rs 25 lakh, he added. The project would be first of its kind in the North-East, where farmers from all-over the Region...

NEW DELHI, April 11 ? In an encouraging development, Reliance Assam Petrochemical Limited (RAPL) today submitted Environment Impact Assessment Study report on gas cracker project to the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MOFE). The report prepared by a Bhopal based firm appointed by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) was submitted in presence of top RAPL officials including its vice chairman, MC Bora, Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) led by its chairman Hiranya Bora and environment experts of the Ministry.

Submission of the report notwithstanding, AIDC chairman said that the...

GUWAHATI, April 8 ? Tea majors having estates in Assam may face privilege proceedings in Assam Assembly as Speaker Prithvi Majhi today informed the House that he would refer comments made by certain tea companies undermining the State Assembly resolution favouring shifting of tea headquarters to the State from Kolkata. AGP legislators Dilip Kumar Saikia and Zoiinath Sharma drew the attention of the Speaker to the ??objectionable?? comments made by officials of tea companies against the State Assembly resolution for shifting of tea headquarters to the State. The AGP legislators tabled newspaper...