Blog - The Purbottar

19 Aug

From Leaf to Livelihood: Karbi Women Turn Traditional Tea-Making into a New Source of Income

Paromita EditorAssam

A simple tea leaf is emerging as a promising source of livelihood for rural women in Karbi Anglong, as environmental organisation Aaranyak organised a one-day practical training programme to help nine Karbi women transform locally grown tea leaves into higher-value handmade Green Tea and Orthodox Tea. The initiative aims to create sustainable, home-based income opportunities for women while also preserving traditional tea-making knowledge. Women from Chandrasing Rongpi, Barking Engti, Sem Engti and Hemai Lekthe villages participated in the training. Many of them are already involved in tea cultivation and homestead farming. The programme focused on a simple but important question:…

19 Aug

Assam Floods Leave Farmer’s Family Waiting to Return Home and Rebuild Their Lives

Paromita EditorAssam

For small-scale farmer Tankesar Das (name changed) of Bhotiapar in Sivasagar district, midnight on July 19, 2026, marked the beginning of a struggle that continues weeks after the devastating floods hit Assam. Tankesar, who lives with his wife and three children, realised around midnight that floodwaters were rapidly approaching his home. As water began entering nearby areas, frightened neighbours alerted one another. Within minutes, the water level rose sharply, leaving the family with little time to collect their belongings or prepare for evacuation. Tankesar, his wife and their three children rushed towards the main road, which was on higher ground,…

19 Aug

300 Residents Avail Free Health Checkup At Boragaon Medical Camp

Preeti SinghAssam, Guwahati, Health, Latest

A free medical camp was organized jointly by the Assam Institute of Management authorities, local residents, and Life Care at West Boragaon in Guwahati. Around 300 people, including children, women, and men, participated in the camp. The camp, held under the supervision of renowned doctor Dr. Tanisha Baruah, provided attendees with advice on disease treatment, body care, symptoms of illnesses, and ways to stay healthy. At the camp, various physical ailments were examined. People were also made aware of disease prevention and the importance of seeking timely medical treatment.

19 Aug

Study finds nutrition supplement improves growth, muscle and bone health in Indian children

Business BureauBusiness

Indian children at risk of undernutrition showed significantly better growth and body composition outcomes when an oral nutritional supplement was provided alongside dietary counselling, according to findings from a randomized controlled trial announced by Abbott. The six-month study involved 223 children aged about 3 to 7 years with picky eating habits who were undernourished or at risk of undernutrition. While all participants received dietary counselling, around half were also given two daily servings of PediaSure, an Abbott pediatric oral nutritional supplement. Children receiving the supplement recorded approximately 2.4 times greater height gain and nearly 15% higher lean mass gain than…

19 Aug

CFA Institute roundtable in Kolkata focuses on building future wealth management talent

Business BureauBusiness

CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, hosted a Professors’ Roundtable in Kolkata, bringing together 16 professors from 15 leading colleges and institutions to discuss strengthening wealth management education and industry-academia collaboration. The session, themed “Preparing the Future Generation of Wealth Management Professionals”, focused on curriculum alignment, emerging industry trends, skill development and the growing importance of technical expertise and ethical foundations in finance careers.Sayan Banerjee, Senior Officer, University Relations - India, CFA Institute, said the organisation aimed to create meaningful dialogue between academia and industry and help educators align learning outcomes with skills sought by employers. The session…

19 Aug

iQOO Neo 11 Ultra Launched With 9,100mAh Battery and Dimensity 9500 Chipset: Check Price and Features

sunny EditorBusiness

iQOO has launched its latest smartphone, the iQOO Neo 11 Ultra, in China on Tuesday. The new handset comes with a massive 9,100mAh battery and supports 100W fast charging. The smartphone is available in three colour options in the Chinese market. The iQOO Neo 11 Ultra is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 9500M processor built on a 3nm process. The chipset features one core clocked at up to 4.21GHz, three cores reaching up to 3.5GHz and four cores clocked at up to 2.7GHz. The processor is paired with an ARM G1-Ultra GPU and up to 16GB of LPDDR5X Ultra…

19 Aug

South Africa tourism minister to visit India for BRICS meeting, eyes stronger ties with Indian market

Business BureauBusiness

South Africa’s Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille will visit Jaipur on August 21 and 22 to represent the country at the BRICS Tourism Ministers Meeting hosted by India under its 2026 BRICS Chairship. South African Tourism COO Ismail Dockrat will accompany her as part of the delegation. The visit is expected to strengthen tourism cooperation between India and South Africa, with both countries seeking deeper engagement across trade, culture, investment and people-to-people ties. Minister de Lille said India is a “valued and strategic partner” and highlighted tourism as an important avenue for strengthening bilateral connections. India is an important and…

19 Aug

Yamaha refreshes 125cc scooter range with new colours and connected-tech upgrades

Business BureauBusiness

India Yamaha Motor on Tuesday announced a refresh of its 125cc Fi Hybrid scooter range, introducing new colours, updated graphics and technology upgrades across the RayZR 125 Fi Hybrid and Fascino 125 Fi Hybrid models. The company said the move is aimed at meeting the preferences of young and style-conscious riders seeking a combination of design, performance, convenience and connectivity.The RayZR Street Rally variant now gets a Colour TFT instrument cluster with Turn-by-Turn navigation, while the wider RayZR range receives new paint finishes and graphics. The Fascino 125 Fi Hybrid has also been updated with new shades and contemporary design…

19 Aug

Healthcare Workers Demand Timely Salaries Under NHM-PPP Model

nanika EditorArunachal Pradesh, North East

Around 250 doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, pharmacists and other healthcare workers engaged under the NGO-Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in Arunachal Pradesh have demanded the immediate release of their pending salaries, which they say have not been paid since March. The workers said prolonged salary delays have caused serious financial hardship, with similar instances in the past reportedly resulting in payments being withheld for several months and released only partially. Despite the uncertainty, they continue to provide essential healthcare services in remote and difficult areas, including emergency care, maternal and child health services, immunisation, disease screening and outpatient care. The…

19 Aug

Sarma Asks for Evidence of Illegal Coal Mining in Sivasagar

Sonakshi SarkarAssam

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has asked people claiming that illegal coal mining is taking place in Sivasagar district to provide photographic evidence along with the exact geographical location, saying he would take action if the allegations are found to be true. “If somebody says there is illegal coal mining in Sivasagar, send me the photograph with the geographic location. I will take action,” Sarma said. The Chief Minister said the state government had repeatedly sought information from the Mining and Geology Department regarding allegations of illegal coal mining in Sivasagar. According to him, the department has maintained that…