Paromita Editor

Diganta Kalita has raised concerns over the use of loudspeakers for Azaan in areas surrounding the Assam Legislative Assembly, stating that while he has no objection to the religious practice itself, he questions the need for amplifiers. Speaking to reporters, the BJP legislator said he has been residing near the Assembly premises for the last five years and hears the Azaan being recited five times daily. “I have no objection to the Azaan itself. Muslims are free to perform the Azaan five times a day, just as Hindus also follow their own religious practices. But why must it be done…

The High-Powered Review Board (HPRB) of the Brahmaputra Board will hold its 14th meeting tomorrow (May 19, 2026) in Guwahati to review the progress of river basin management initiatives and provide strategic guidance for the future roadmap of the Board. The meeting will be chaired by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Paatil. The Union Cabinet Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, will attend the session. Other Union and State Ministers, senior officials from the Government of India and the North Eastern States, technical experts, and…

Taking a major leap in the digital and AI ecosystem, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today inaugurated India’s first AI-powered “phygital” banking branch of Slice Small Finance Bank at GS Road in Guwahati.It may be noted that this next-generation banking space blends physical and digital services seamlessly through AI-enabled self-service kiosks, paperless cash deposits and withdrawals, and streamlined digital onboarding. The branch is designed to make banking more accessible, and inclusive for customers across segments, combining physical trust with digital convenience. Through an expanding physical presence and robust digital infrastructure, the bank will reportedly extend access to responsible credit, savings,…

A nine-member delegation of the All-India Services Pensioners Cell, Assam-Meghalaya Cadre, Assam unit, met MP, Darrang-Udalguri parliamentary constituency and Assam BJP president, Dilip Saikia, and submitted a memorandum on pressing issues concerning the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) in Guwahati.The delegation was led by Paramesh Dutta, president, All India Services Pensioners Cell, Assam-Meghalaya Cadre, Assam Unit, Guwahati and Devajyoti Hazarika, secretary.The memorandum highlighted demands for upgrade of Guwahati from Tier-II to Tier-I under CGHS as a special case, strengthening of Wellness Centre infrastructure, creation of specialist posts, immediate filling of vacancies, and coverage of AIIMS, Guwahati under CGHS.MP Saikia assured…

In a first for India, the country’s first satellite-tagged Ganges softshell turtle was released in the Kaziranga NationalPark.The release coincided with Endangered Species Day.Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called it a major step for wildlife conservation."Marking #EndangeredSpeciesDay, the country’s 1st satellite-tagged Ganges softshell turtle was released in @kaziranga_, a major step for wildlife conservation. A proud moment for Assam as we continue to protect every species that calls our forests home," Sarma posted on X.The Ganges softshell turtle is a freshwater reptile whose distribution is largely restricted to the Ganga, Indus and Mahanadi river systems in northern and eastern…

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav today shared a video on X of a hoolock gibbon using canopy bridge to cross a railway track in Assam, and described it as a watershed moment in gibbon conservation in the country.He captioned the post as "Innovation-led conservation!", and wrote, "Good to see that mitigation measure such as this canopy bridge made over a railway passing through Assam has started being used by hoolock gibbon.This shows science-led small-scale efforts can also be of great help in biodiversity conservation."The railway line shown in the video traverses the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary…

Pawan Khera on May 14 appeared before the Assam Police Crime Branch in Guwahati for the second consecutive day in connection with cases filed by Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma. The cases were registered after Khera alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma possessed multiple passports and undisclosed foreign properties. The Congress leader was questioned for more than ten hours on Wednesday before being asked to appear again on Thursday morning. Khera had reached the Crime Branch office around 10:30 am on Wednesday. Before entering the office, he told reporters that he had been summoned and had appeared in accordance…

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted thunderstorm and lightning with heavy to very heavy rain and gusty wind in the next two to three days at isolated places over Guwahati in Kamrup Metro district and other districts of Assam.“The weather pattern suggests that thunderstorm with lightning and heavy rain is very likely at the isolated places in the city and other districts in the coming two to three days, which may aggravate water logging, slow vehicular movement and increase the risk of localised landslides in vulnerable pockets,” a statement issued here by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA)…