GUWAHATI, March 6: The much-vaunted 'industrial revolution' in the State is perhaps going to have a nose-dive much before its actual take-off. For, taking advantage of the latest 'far-sighted' Union Budget, the companies, which had set up their tobacco-based units in the State in the recent years, have started preparations to wind up their units pleading 'economic weariness' following the withdrawal of the excise duty exemption. It perhaps needs no mention that most of the industrial units set up in the State during the recent years were tobacco-based units and the latest Union Budget declared...

AGARTALA, March 6: Tripura Government expects to sell 26 million units of power to Mizoram, said Power Minister Badal Choudhury who also holds the Finance portfolio said in his Budget speech yesterday at the State Assembly. "The state government has been importing power during the year from Central sector projects. During 2001-2002, it is expected that 387 million units of power will be generated from our own generating stations. To meet the demand of the State, about 305 million units may have to be purchased from the Central sector projects, he pointed out. Two generation projects are under...

AGARTALA, March 6: Tripura Finance Minister Badal Choudhury presented a non-tax deficit State Budget for the year 20001-2002 yesterday in Assembly. The deficit has been estimated to be Rs 106.91 crore. The size of the Budget is Rs 2892.49 crore which is higher than the previous year's Budget by 19.3 per cent. The Budget showed receipts of Rs 2618.06 crore. On the other hand, Rs 2724.97 crore has been estimated as the total expenditure. The salient feature of this year's Budget is that emphasis is being laid on school education with a Budgetary allocation of Rs 428.38 crore which is 16 per cent...

NEW DELHI, March 6: The Manipur Chief Minister, Radhabinod Koijam, today had to leave Delhi empty-handed. He announced yesterday that the finance minister had agreed to clear Rs 100 crore out of the Rs 200-crore special aid to the state and hence state government employees would receive their salary, pending for three months. The finance ministry held back the money at the eleventh hour, following the home ministry's intervention, sources said. The latter insisted that the money should be cleared only after the state honoured the MoU with it on retrenching around 2000 employees for their...

GUWAHATI, March 7: A number of Western nations have officially warned their citizens not to venture into Northeast, including Assam, citing "civil unrest, insurgent attacks and political killings" occuring in the region. The warning, also posted on government websites of these countries, has evoked a sharp response within the Northeast tourism industry. Apart from recommending remedial measures, the industry here has also blamed the ministry of external affairs and some of the big Indian tour operators for their failure to present the correct picture of the prevailing security situation in...