AGARTALA, May 5 ? The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) on Saturday claimed the organisation?s assistant general secretary Sridam Debbarma has been kidnapped by armed ultras from Gurudayalpara in West Tripura district on Friday but though the police were yet to confirm the incident, they launched a search operation, reports PTI. Superintendent of Police (Operations) Dhurjoti Gautam said police launched a search operation to trace Debbarma, also the executive member of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), after his personal guard informed the police that he...

CHIANGMAI, May 5 ?After holding a fresh round of dialogue for two days with NSCN (I-M) leaders here, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee?s emissary K Padmanabaiah today said though steady progress has been made but there was no ?dramatic development.? ?There has been a steady progress in the talks, may be a bit slow, but no dramatic developments to report,? Padmanabaiah told PTI at the end of the fifth round of meeting this morning at this northern Thai city of Chiangmai. He said there was a good understanding of each other?s problems and the two sides were ?trying to work out a solution to...

GUWAHATI, May 5 ? The size of migration of people to Assam between 1951 and 1991 was 28,75,492 and of this, the size of the illegal foreign migrants to the State, during the period, was 12,98,754. This was revealed by a study conducted by the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development (OKDISCD) here. The study entitled ?Migration to Assam : 1951-1991?, was conducted by a team of experts comprising Prof Atul Goswami, Prof Homeswar Goswami and Dr Anil Saikia on behalf of the OKDISCD. The study, however, revealed that during the said period the estimated number of total foreign...

Imphal, May 05: To enhance revenue of the State exchequer, the State Government has decided to increase tax of different categories of land including the Hill House tax. According to an official source the Hill House tax will be increased from its present tax of Rs 6 per year to Rs 50 annually. The last revision of the Hill House tax was effected in 1975 when the tax was raised from Rs 3 to 6 per year. The Government has also decided to impose grazing tax to the tune of Rs 1 per cattle head in the Scheduled Hill Areas including those belonging to Nepalese. Land tax of Rs 52 annually per...

GUWAHATI, May 4 ? In its bid to give a boost to the potent tourism sector in the State, Governmet of Assam in consultation with the Union Ministry of Tourism has prioritised 15 prime projects at a cost of Rs 12.27 crore out of which the State share will be Rs 3.53 crore against Central share of Rs 8.74 crore. Sources informed that in order to facilitate the growth of tourism as well as trade and commerce, the government proposed to set up an Assam International Trade Centre with all modern facilities. Meanwhile, the State tourism department has taken up a massive privatisation...