News

Agartala, June 2: Tripura has made a record of sort — though a disheartening one. The state has registered a school dropout rate between Classes I and X at 80 per cent — a whopping 15 per cent higher than the national average. According to official statistics, the rate is even higher at 86 per cent among the tribal students.

Education minister Anil Sarkar today admitted in the state Assembly that the pathetic state of infrastructure and insurgency has wreaked havoc on the state education system. The decade-long insurgency has taken a heavy toll on lives and property, but the education system...

Shillong, June 2: Meghalaya chief minister D.D. Lapang today said the state government proposes to create three new sub-divisions. Lapang announced this at a meeting with the 12th Finance Commission this morning. While seeking the “support of the commission,” Lapang said the three new units of civil administration would be at Pynursla in East Khasi Hills district, at Patharkhma in Ri Bhoi district and at Tikrikilla in West Garo Hills district.

Several political parties and legislators, especially from the Garo hills, have also been demanding creation of three more districts, two in Garo hills...

Imphal, June 2: The fledgling Manipur film industry is all set to get a boost with the finalisation of a new film policy, likely to be announced soon by the Secular Progressive Front government . The government will soon announce two separate policies for culture and film, art and culture minister Moirangthem Nara Singh said today while inaugurating a festival of foreign films at Imphal’s Gandhi memorial auditorium.

“The policies, drafted after consultation with eminent culture and film personalities of the state, have got the administrative approval, but are waiting for the final nod from...

DERGAON, June 2 – A gang of 40 angry tea labourers of Numaligarh tea estate attacked the Numaligarh Forest Beat Office at around 1.30 am on May 29 following a devastation created by wild elephants. The agitated youths destroyed the office building and also assaulted the forest officials. One forest official Thaneswar Nath received a serious injury in the attack. According to information, a group of wild pachyderms came down from Deopahar to the TE in the evening of May 29. The forest officials tried to change the route of the elephants by making noise but the pachyderms again came to the TE...

Kohima, June 2: Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio has led an 11-member delegation to New Delhi in a last-ditch effort to avoid downsizing his ministry in accordance with the constitutional amendment that stipulates that the size of a government should not exceed 15 per cent of the Assembly’s strength.

Rio and his cabinet colleagues are to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to request him to exempt Nagaland from the purview of the Constitution’s 91st amendment. The deadline for downsizing is July 6. As and when the exercise is carried out, the size of the Nagaland ministry will be down to a...