SHILLONG, March 1: North Eastern Council (NEC) Secretary HWT Syiem today approved Rs 31,34,319 and sanctioned Rs 25,16,520 for implementation of 35 schemes for the Northeastern States, according to NEC sources here. Road and building construction, development of industries, promotion of health services, setting up of handloom units, upgradation of orthopaedic and rehabilitation centres and establishment of diabetes research centres were some of the important schemes, the sources added.

GUWAHATI, March 1: Implementation of the state government's ambitious scheme to provide self-employment opportunities to the unemployed youths, got under-way with the formation of the special district-level cells headed by the Deputy Commissioners to monitor the implementation. An official release said here today that altogether 6,38,977 educated unemployed youths of the State, between 18 to 40 years of age, would be provided self employment opportunities under the Chief Minister's Self Employment scheme. The scheme will cover areas like agriculture, rural development, village industries...

GUWAHATI, March 1: Hundreds of workers, both regular and casual, at the Northeast Tobacco Company Ltd (NETCO) cigarette making plant at Amingaon here, were in for a shock today when, reporting for duty in the morning, they found the factory gates shut and their entry into the premises barred. The management had locked out the factory without taking the workers into confidence. Hundreds of workers, fearing loss of employment, laid siege to the office of the company's consultant at Silpukhuri demanding an explanation. Speaking to The Assam Tribune there, the workers, most of them hailing from...

ITANAGAR, March 1: Centre has given special attention for the development and promotion of tourism in Northeastern region to solve the unemployment problems, according to Director General of Tourism, Atul Sinha, reports UNI. Talking to newspersons at Roing, in Dibang valley district of Arunachal Pradesh recently, Sinha said "Brahmaputra Darshan festival" was organised for this purpose. "Tourism sector will not only generate employment opportunities to the educated youths of the region, it will also boost the economy of the region," he commented. Sinha said infrastructure was the real...

GUWAHATI, March 1: In a major setback to the state government's efforts to promote Assam as a major tourist destination for footloose Europeans, three countries have warned their citizens not to tour the militancy-ravaged state. Though the state government insists that the law and order situation has returned to normal, not everyone is convinced. Governments of United Kingdom, France and Switzerland have advised tourists against visiting Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland. The "warning" has been posted in the official websites of the departments handling foreign affairs of the three European...