GUWAHATI, August 5: Beginning August 15 there will be a statewide ban on sale of mekhela-chadar produced in powerlooms as the state Government has decided to enforce the Handloom (Reservation of Articles for Protection) Act, 1985 for protection and development of handloom sector in the state. Alongwith mekhela-chadar, the ban will be also applicable on sale of powerloom produced dakhana (worn by Bodo women), danka (worn by Mising women), khamlet and phanak (Manipuri dreses) as these items are reserved for exclusive production in handloom under the Act. In pursuance of the above Act, it is...

IMPHAL, August 4: Following the announcement of an inquiry into the Central Agriculture University (CAU) incidents by the Deputy Chief Minister of the state, Leishangthem Chandramani Singh, the situation in the university campus has totally calmed down. It may be noted that a total of 96 students from Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh,Tripura and Mizoram had tried to run away from the Irishemba Agriculture University hostels packing all their belongings on August 2 morning. The Deputy Chief Minister, who is the Chief Minister-in-charge, said that certain developments had come up regarding the...

IMPHAL, August 4: A one man enquiry committee to be headed by the deputy director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural research, ICAR, SL Mehta, has been instituted to investigate the reasons behind the attempted mass exodus of non local hostellers of the Central Agricultural University, CAU, at Iroishemba, according to a CAU press release. The term of enquiry of the one-man committee would also be to identify responsible person for the attempted flight, if any. Meanwhile, although complete normalcy has still not been brought to the crisis, it definitely seems to be very close by...

IMPHAL, August 4: The All Manipur Students' Union, has expresses deep concern at the publication of a news item in a Shillong based daily, to the effect that the AMSU had pressurised students of the CAU, who hail from outside Manipur, to leave the state. AMSU representatives told media persons at a press meet that the AMSU had never pressurised CAU students from neither outside the state to leave nor for shifting of the CAU from Manipur, and questioned the grounds on which the allegations had been made. Remarking that the situation at CAU remained tense in the aftermath of the attempt by...

GUWAHATI, August 4: The National Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) has released a net amount of Rs 978.87 lakh to the Assam Plain Tribes Development Corporation Ltd till the end of June, 2000 providing an opportunity for the tribals to better their lives. About Rs 339 lakh has been made available to the Assam state Development Corporation for SCs Ltd till the end of May for similar development efforts for the Scheduled Castes. Sources in the NSFDC, an organisation under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, told The Assam Tribune here...