Economy / Northeast

GUWAHATI, May 31: DONER and Tribal Affairs Minister PR Kyndiah today said that his Ministry would ensure that funds were released to the north-eastern States timely and the schemes completed on schedule. Kyndiah gave this assurance when he called on Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at the latter’s residence here.

Gogoi apprised Kyndiah of the various problems plaguing the State like floods and erosion, burgering insurgency-related expenditure, modernization of the police force, erosion problem of Majuli, hundred per cent reservation of jobs for locals in fourth grades of Central Government...

SHILLONG, May 29–The North Eastern Council (NEC) will not be ‘downgraded’, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs P R Kyndiah has assured.

“There was a move for down-grading the NEC in the recent past but I can now assure that the importance of the Council will never be undermined,” Kyndiah promised at a meeting with NEC officials in Shillong on Saturday. It may be mentioned here that the creation of a separate Central Department for the Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) by the then NDA regime at the Centre had given rise to misgivings in official quarters to the effect that the...

AGARTALA, May 27 – Recognising the need to enhance border trade between India and Bangladesh, US Consul General in Kolkata George N Sibley has said a transit route through Bangladesh, connecting Tripura with Kolkata, should be worked out to explore “untapped resources” of the northeastern State, reports PTI.

The geography has brought Bangladesh and northeastern region of India closer. There is a huge potential for border trade between the two countries and "land-locked" Tripura can be connected with Kolkata with a transit route through Bangladesh, he told reporters yesterday. The Indian and...

GUWAHATI, May 27 – The markets of the North eastern region are flooded with spurious goods including building materials and a section of unscrupulous traders are duping the gullible customers even with fake ISI markings on the spurious goods.

The secretary of the Federation of Industries and Commerce of the North Eastern Region (FINER) Prasanta Goswami told The Assam Tribune that such spurious goods including building materials not only pose problems for the customers but also for the honest traders and manufacturers. He said that several members of the FINER have taken up the matter with the...

GUWAHATI, May 26 – It would be better to open up the North East to Bangladesh rather than try to link up the region with Myanmar, suggested French scholar Renaud Egreteau here today. Egreteau, who was speaking at a seminar in the city, felt that India should “think twice” before opening up to Myanmar.

Egreteau was invited by The Centre for Northeast India, South and Southeast Asia Studies (CENISEAS) of the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development to speak on the topic: “India’s Northeast: Gateway or Boundary with Myanmar?” Egreteau is a doctoral candidate in Political Science...

GUWAHATI, May 25 – The Federation of Industries and Commerce of the North Eastern Region (FINER) today demanded that the office of the Department for Development of the North Eastern Region (DONER) should be shifted to the region. The FINER congratulated PR Kyndiah for assuming the charge of the DONER and hoped that as the seasoned political leader from Meghalaya is well versed with the problems of the region, he would be able to ensure development of this backward region of the country. The FINER called upon the Minister to take immediate steps to shift the office of the DONER to the NE...

New Delhi, May 24: Making a case for a “different approach” towards the region, new Union minister P.R. Kyndiah today said he intended to add teeth to the department for development of the northeastern region. Kyndiah said “peace through development” was the need of the hour and Doner would ensure that.

“All efforts will be made to bring the Northeast on a par with the mainland in terms of economic development. Flow of funds will be ensured and the non-lapsable pool will be rationalised,” he told the media at Vigyan Bhavan, where the department is based.

The Congress leader from Meghalaya is...

SHILLONG, May 24 – After stopping coal export to the neighbouring country of Bangladesh from Meghalaya for 22 days, the Border Security Force (BSF) on Thursday allowed ‘safe passage’ to coal-laden trucks to ply on the road along the international border at Borsora in the West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. The BSF had ostensibly suspended traffic movement along the border road on security concerns, thereby bringing about a complete halt to the export of coal to Bangladesh from the state. Coal exporters, however, described the move as an example of the alleged “highhandedness” resorted to...

GUWAHATI, May 24 – The North Eastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have joined hands to set up a marketing centre for handloom and handicraft products of the North East at Guwahati to channelise corporate spendings on craft products.

A memorandum of undertaking was signed recently between NEDFi and CII to improve handloom and handicraft products of the region. Under this initiative, artisans, institutions and organisations who are directly involved with artisans would be benefited to a great extent and would facilitate improvement of...

GUWAHATI, May 23 – Sounding upbeat over Dr Manmohan Singh assuming office as the Prime Minister of the country, the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi) has expressed confidence that under his able stewardship the state and the North-east would be able to tide over its multitude of problems, especially those concerning the poor industrialisation scenario of the region.

Terming Dr Singh’s elevation to the top post as a very good thing to have happened for the region, NEDFi chairman and managing director JP Saikia today told The Assam Tribune that the industrial policy for the...