Economy / Northeast

GUWAHATI, Feb 2— The need to develop the north-eastern region, particularly Assam, as the business hub centre of the South-East Asian countries will be the main thrust of the presentation to be made by the Minister of State for Home and Industries, Pradyut Bordoloi, who is a member of the Indian trade delegation to attend the international conference of the SE Asian countries to be held at Dhaka on February 6 and 7 under the Kunming initiative. Talking to The Assam Tribune here today, Bordoloi said that the Kunming initiative for regional cooperation was launched following the visit of the...

LUCKNOW, Jan 02 – Air connectivity in North East is all set for a grand takeoff, with some of the major airlines making a beeline to start small aircraft service in the region. The latest to jump into the bandwagon is Air Sahara. With the Civil Aviation Ministry and the north eastern States gearing up to make operational airports in farflung State capitals and smaller towns, North East has suddenly become the most happening destination among air operators. Of particular interest are the concessions expected to the dolled out by both the Centre and the State Governments to attract the airlines...

IMPHAL, April 30: Union Minister of State for Food Processing Thounaojam Chaoba today stated that a horticulture mini mission for the Northeast region is ready to be set up in the state. The five-year mini mission will be divided into four phases. The first three phases will cover the cultivation of fruits right to the plucking season while the final stage will involve works taken up for processing the produce. The mission may entail a total cost of Rs 250 crore, informed the minister. Chaoba further said that the prime minister will be invited to inaugurate the mini mission. He expressed full...

SHILLONG, April 23: Coal trade with Bangladesh has resumed after Bangladesh Rifles, whose incursion into Pyrdiwah left 16 BSF men dead early this week, gave assurance of safe return of drivers with their trucks, official sources here said today. With the situation on the international border returning to normal and assurances given by the BDR, 255 coal-laden trucks on April 20 crossed over the Bangladesh through Dawki checkgate, the sources said. As a result of the tension on the border, a huge amount of foreign exchange and about Rs 15 lakh as royalty was lost, they added. On an average, 150...

IMPHAL, April 20: In order to boost Indo-Myanmar trade, the State authority has urged the Union Minister for Commerce and Industries, Murasoli Maran to provide permission for Indian registered vehicles for its entry into Myanmar territory. The member of the Parliament from this tiny state representing half of the population, Holkhomang Haokip had apprised the matter by submitting an official letter to the Union Commerce minister-recently. Elaborating the steps which are being taken up by the MP in connection with the upgradation of the Indo-Myanmar trade agreement, which was formally signed in...

NEW DELHI, April 17: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has flashed alert notices to several Northeastern States including Assam Government asking them to be on the lookout for at least 26 non banking financial companies (NBFCs), which have vanished after duping gullible customers in the region. What is even more alarming is that 16 out of the 26 NBFC were located in Guwahati before vanishing into the thin air after duping customers. Next to Guwahati is Nagaon from where also a record number of such companies have vanished. The RBI has advised the names of the companies to the concerned state...

NAHARLAGUN, March 25: The Arunachal Pradesh Government is making concerted efforts to reopen the traditional border trade routes with China, Bhutan and Myanmar to make this tribal-dominated state a nerve centre of border trade in near future. "My government is pursuing the matter with the Centre for taking up bilateral talks with the governments of our neighbouring countries on priority basis," Mithi said while responding to a private member resolution on border trade routes moved by the former chief Minister Gegong Apang in the Assembly. Moving the resolution, Apang said: "This Assembly is of...

IMPHAL, March 18: The transaction volume of the Indo-Myanmar border trade has come drastically to an all time low of just Rs 3 crore from the earlier Rs 70 crore involved annually. Officials have attributed the decline to the hike of custom duty on the trade items. Talking to media persons in Moreh yesterday one official of the border trade expressed hope that the decline would be checked as the Customs duty has been reduced by 10 percent after the introduction of the Union Budget in the Parliament. He said the trade method continues to be in the barter system but the rate of export is greater...

GUWAHATI, March 16: "It was the master craftmen of the Northeastern region who taught us what bamboo is all about and its enormous potential as a material for future industrialisation," said MP Ranjan of National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Ranjan who has been associated with research on bamboo for the last 20 years or so, was speaking at the inauguration of "Bamboo Boards and Beyond", an exhibition being organised at Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre here. He said bamboo had enormous potential as an industrial material in the Northeast region and called for a change in the mindest to...

GUWAHATI, March 12: The Coconut Development Board has allotted Rs 350 lakh for implementation of various coconut development programmes in the Northeast for the year 2000-2001, its chairman, P Rethinam, said here today, reports PTI. "Northeast is a goldmine for coconuts but its full potential has remained unutilised and underutilised," Rethinam said at the inaugural function of a workshop organised for extension workers here. He said that under area expansion programme, the physical target is 1250 HA while the financial target is Rs 76.69 lakh. "During this financial year, the Board has given...