SHILLONG, June 18: Meghalaya Government today said it had sanctioned establishment of a biofertiliser laboratory to promote organic farming in the State. Agriculture Minister K Susngi said in reply to a question of NCP’s JM Marak that the laboratory was developing a type of organic biofertiliser called ‘Azolla’ to give more nitrogen to the plants. “It is under trial stage,” he said.

The minister said the Azolla was being developed to produce more organic vegetables and to market those. In a separate question, the minister said the government had already earmarked in the budget a provision for...

AGARTALA, June 28 – CPI, a constituent of the ruling Left Front in Tripura, alleged that CPI-M cadres forced the party’s lone minister, Manindra Reang, to sign the resignation paper on Sunday in a bid to downsize the ministry. The CPI-M had decided to drop five of its ministers from the Cabinet and requested the CPI to drop Manindra Reang, Tribal Welfare Minister. But the CPI rejected the request arguing that Manindra was its lone representative in the Council of Ministers.

Prashanta Kapali, the state secretary of the CPI, told reporters that “Manindra had received a number of threats over...

GUWAHATI, June 28 – The Committee on Environmental Implications associated with the BG railway alignment through the Deepar Beel area, recommended that the existing natural passes of wild animals, including the elephants, should be protected. If it is deemed necessary, the recommendations said that additional high passes might be provided for the purpose. The Committee constituted by the State Government to examine the matter had submitted its report in July 1990.

One of the observations of the Committee was that the railway tract would cause some amount of disturbance to the wildlife in the...

GUWAHATI, June 28 – Close on the heels of the ULFA wrecking havoc in the Upper Assam districts in recent weeks, there is news now that the banned NDFB is preparing to rear its head again in the Lower Assam districts. According to reports here, the outfit, that has been lying low since the operations in Bhutan last December, is preparing to launch a series of attacks in the area. According to sources here, the Bodo outfit has begun to regroup after the massive setbacks suffered in Bhutan where almost half its men either perished or were captured in the Himalayan kingdom. Among them were a few...

NEW DELHI, June 28 – The game of musical chairs among the ministerial aspirants has begun with the AICC constituting a three-member panel to handle downsizing of ministries in consultation with general secretaries-in-charge, chief ministers and PCC chiefs.

Although the three-member committee comprising AICC president’s political secretary, Ahmed Patel, general secretary, Ambika Soni and Treasurer Motilal Vohra is set to formally begin its sittings from tomorrow, preliminary talks with the State leadership have already got under way. Amidst rising tension among the aspirants, chief ministers...