Paromita Editor

Protests broke out in Assam's Tamulpur district on Thursday as Koch Rajbongshi organisations intensified their long-standing demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, accusing both the Centre and the State government of failing to fulfil their promises. Members of the All Koch Rajbongshi Students' Union (AKRASU) staged demonstrations on the India-Bhutan highway, where they burned effigies of Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and Assam Tribal Affairs Minister Ranoj Pegu. Protesters raised slogans demanding immediate grant of ST status to the Koch Rajbongshi community. The agitators alleged that despite repeated assurances during elections, the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in…

Assam Forest minister Jayanta Mallabaruah on Thursday conducted an extensive on-ground inspection of the Behali Reserve Forest following reports of large-scale destruction of forest land by cross state border miscreants.The minister reviewed the situation in the presence of senior forest department officials, Assam Police and civil administration, and announced a series of immediate measures to protect the reserve forest, restore the damaged areas and strengthen enforcement on the ground.The inspection was undertaken after reports of extensive forest destruction in the Behali Forest Range along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary.Satellite imagery and drone assessments comparing the condition of the forest over the…

The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), a global organisation working in support of indigenous peoples rights, today condemned the arrest of Pranab Doley, an indigenous human rights defender.In a statement, IWGIA stated that he was arrested by Assam Police, possibly as a revenge for cancellation of a $434.25 million loan of the Asian Development Bank for a solar project in Assam. Doley was arrested from Sundarpur, Guwahati on July 12 in connection with Bokakhat Police Station case number 108/2026, registered on June 29 regarding a protest against the proposed Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) Hyatt luxury hotel project at Ingle Pathar near Kaziranga National Park. He was subsequently taken to Golaghat, formally shown arrested on July 13 at 3.30 am, and remanded…

On the last leg of his two-day visit to Dibrugarh district,  Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, visited Manohari Tea Estate and interacted with tea garden workers, students of Manohari TE LP School and members of the estate community. During the interaction, Governor Acharya enquired about the various welfare measures and facilities being extended to the tea garden community, particularly in the areas of sanitation, drinking water, healthcare and education. He also sought feedback from the workers regarding the welfare initiatives undertaken for their overall development and well-being. Interacting with the students, the Governor distributed sweets among them and quizzed them about…

The Assam government on Wednesday reiterated its commitment to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system through transparent, efficient and people-centric governance.“Strengthening the Panchayati Raj system remains one of our government’s foremost priorities,” said Assam Minister of Panchayat and Rural Development Atul Bora after chairing a review meeting with senior officials of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department in Guwahati on Wednesday.Reviewing the progress of the Department's 100-day action plan, the Minister directed the officials to accelerate the implementation of key schemes, enhance public service delivery and ensure timely achievement of targets.“Necessary directions were issued to further improve efficiency and accountability. I…

Assam Minister of Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs, Kaushik Rai said the ongoing ration card verification process in the State must be completed by July 31 to ensure that only eligible beneficiaries are included and that the Anna Seva Abhiyan continues to reach those genuinely in need.“Through Aadhaar-based verification and e-KYC review, the cases of beneficiaries who have obtained ration cards but have not availed free rice for six months or more must be carefully examined. This will help create opportunities for genuinely needy families to receive ration cards and benefit from the public distribution system,” the Minister stated,…

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday announced a ₹150 crore flood mitigation project for Jorabat under the proposed Guwahati Ring Road, aimed at providing a permanent solution to the recurring flash floods that frequently disrupt life in the area. Making the announcement during the Budget Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly, Sarma said the project has been designed to address the persistent flooding problem in Jorabat, a key entry point to Assam. Referring to the recent flash floods that submerged several localities and brought traffic to a standstill, the Chief Minister said the incident highlighted the need for…

Opposition Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi was on Wednesday suspended from the Assam Assembly for the day after repeatedly interrupting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during a discussion on the state budget.Gogoi attempted to interrupt Sarma on several occasions while the chief minister was speaking.Despite repeated requests by Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass to take his seat, the legislator continued to interject.The Speaker ordered Gogoi's suspension after he questioned the Chief Minister over Assam's ranking in the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).Following his suspension, Gogoi staged a protest outside the Assembly wearing a black scarf as a mark of protest against the…

Natural Rubber (NR) plantations in North East India under Project INROAD (Indian Natural Rubber Operations for Assisted Development) have recorded a significant milestone after completion of five years of the initiative.Launched in financial year 2021–22, the INROAD Project helped in creation of 1,79,376 hectares of new NR plantations across 113 districts in the North Eastern region of India over the last five years and is expected to complete 200,000 hectares of new plantations originally targeted. This represents the highest natural rubber plantation expansion in the country within such a short span.INROAD is a landmark and first-of-its-kind global initiative, wherein the…