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The 28th convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati will be held on July 12 with Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, chief executive officer of Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) as chief guest.This year, the Institute will award 2266 degrees to its graduating class.An official statement issued on Friday said four Gold Medals, including President’s Gold Medal, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal, and Governor of Assam Gold Medals for both undergraduate and postgraduate categories, will be conferred during the convocation.Speaking about the 28th Convocation event at IIT Guwahati, Prof. Devendra Jalihal, director, IIT Guwahati, said, “IIT Guwahati’s 28th Convocation is a…

The Assam Government introduced Bills aimed at easing business regulations and reducing compliance requirements in the Budget session of the Assam Legislative Assembly on Thursday.State industries, commerce and public enterprises minister Bimal Borah introduced the Assam Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Facilitation of Establishment and Operation) Bill, 2026, which seeks to replace an existing Act governing the MSME sector.Terming it a landmark step towards making Assam a more business-friendly state, Borah said the earlier legislation of 2020 was enacted to ensure time-bound processing of approvals for MSMEs.“However, the experience gained from its implementation, coupled with the Centre's emphasis on ease…

Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota on Thursday met a delegation from Bernhard Schulte Cruise and Hospitality Services (BSM) and Schulte Group from Germany and discussed ways to strengthen Assam's river cruise tourism ecosystem.“The discussions focused on strengthening Assam's river cruise tourism ecosystem, developing internationally benchmarked skill training programmes, and creating employment opportunities for the State’s youth in the global cruise and hospitality sectors.The delegation led by Martin Springer, president – Cruise and Hospitality; Frank Oertel, Managing Director – Cruise; and Capt. Sanjay Kushwaha, Director – Cruise and Hospitality, also shared its interest in assessing Assam's training infrastructure and exploring collaboration…

The Assam government on Friday presented a Rs 2,85,084-crore state Budget for the 2026-27 financial year, proposing a four-fold increase in the tax exemption limit for small tea growers, a reduction in VAT on piped natural gas, continuation of major welfare schemes, and a reduction of the State Budget deficit to Rs 419 crore.Tabling the first full budget of the 16th Assam Legislative Assembly, state finance minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said the state budget is guided by the government’s commitment to fiscal discipline, inclusive growth and the aspirations of every citizen.He said the budget is built on the party’s Sankalp…

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said Assam and Meghalaya will soon resume discussions to resolve their long-pending interstate boundary dispute, asserting that there is no friction between the two neighbouring states. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the concluding day of the Behdienkhlam Festival in Jowai, Sarma said both governments continue to maintain cordial relations and are committed to resolving the issue through dialogue. "There is no friction between us. We are talking amicably and we will soon again talk," the Chief Minister said. However, he did not specify a timeline for the next round of…

The Assam government has informed the Legislative Assembly that the Act East Policy Affairs Department does not implement any independent projects and therefore has no project-wise fund allocation or implementation progress to report.Replying to a question raised by Congress MLA Wajed Ali Choudhury during the Assembly session on Thursday, Act East Policy Affairs Minister Bimal Bora said the department primarily functions as a facilitator for international engagement, policy dialogue and regional cooperation under India's Act East Policy, rather than as an implementing agency.The minister said the department's expenditure has been directed towards organising international conferences, diplomatic exchanges, academic programmes and…

The Assam government has stepped up its efforts to strengthen the digital presence of the Assamese language and create new opportunities for the state's film and creative industries by reviewing the progress of two major initiatives at Janata Bhawan.Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Borah chaired two separate meetings on Thursday to assess the progress of work on the standardisation of the Assamese script in Unicode and the proposal to launch a dedicated over-the-top (OTT) platform for Assamese films and digital content.In the first meeting, the minister reviewed the work being carried out by the expert committee constituted by the state government…