Blog - The Purbottar

27 Aug

Vi Games launches Galaxy Shooters Freedom Fest on Vi App

Business BureauBusiness

In a bid to strengthen its digital offerings and deepen customer engagement, India’s leading telecom operator Vi has launched the Galaxy Shooters Freedom Fest on Vi Games, available exclusively through the Vi App until August 31. The special edition combines gaming, entertainment, and exclusive rewards for users at minimal cost. The highlight of the festival is a chance to win an annual recharge worth ₹4999 for just ₹1, which includes 2GB daily data, Amazon Prime Video, and access to 19 OTT platforms such as SonyLIV, ZEE5, Lionsgate Play, and FanCode via Vi Movies & TV Super subscription. Other rewards include…

27 Aug

Minister Sonam Lama of Sikkim meets with Amit Shah and requests backing for important state issues

Sonakshi SarkarSikkim

Sikkim Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs, Public Health Engineering (PHE), and Water Resources, Ven Sonam Lama, held an important meeting with Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday. The talks focused on a range of pressing issues concerning Sikkim, including religious, cultural, and developmental priorities of the Himalayan state. One of the key subjects raised by Minister Lama was the long-pending demand for the early return of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorji, to India. Lama highlighted that the spiritual leader’s presence is deeply significant for the people of Sikkim and the larger…

27 Aug

DC Swapneel Paul inaugurates ‘Learn-o-verse’ — Tinsukia’s new multimodal learning hub

editorAssam

In front of book lovers, scholars, and distinguished residents, District Commissioner (DC) Swapneel Paul solemnly opened the district library's state-of-the-art multimodal learning area on Tuesday on behalf of the Tinsukia district administration. Using 20 lakh from Paul's Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2024, the ground-breaking facility was named "Learn-o-verse." Additionally, the campaign supports the Assamese government's intention to declare 2024 the "Book Year." The District Library has converted a vacant 1,000-square-foot area into a bustling center with reading nooks, an interactive digital panel, video conferencing capabilities, spaces for group discussions, teaching areas, WiFi, digital resources, and online…

27 Aug

Cartoon Network & POGO launch 18th School Contact Program to foster kindness and sustainability

Business BureauBusiness

Cartoon Network and POGO have launched the 18th edition of their School Contact Program (SCP), one of India’s largest school outreach initiatives. Targeting over one million students across 1,400 schools in 17 cities, the program aims to instill values of kindness and sustainability among young learners. Tanaz Mehta, Head of Advertising Revenues, South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery, stated, “The 18th edition marks another milestone in shaping thoughtful, empowered citizens of tomorrow. This year’s rollout across schools, television, and digital platforms provides partners a unique, purpose-driven way to engage with kids and families nationwide.” The program features ‘POGO Heroes of Kindness’,…

27 Aug

Maruti Begins Electric Vitara Production

Purbalee DuttaBusiness

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd has begun production of its electric SUV, the e-Vitara, at its Gujarat plant, marking the company's entry into the EV segment. Unlike domestic rivals like Tata and Mahindra, who started by focusing on local sales, Maruti is prioritizing exports, targeting 100 countries, including Japan and Europe. The company aims to sell 70,000 units in FY26, primarily in international markets. This strategy follows a slowdown in domestic growth, with Maruti’s market share dropping nearly 9% over five years, and just 3% sales growth in FY25. Toshihiro Suzuki, president of Suzuki Motor Corporation, announced plans to invest over…

27 Aug

Brazil Sees 65% Drop in Amazon Fires This July

Mohini BarmanInternational

According to MapBiomas data, the area burned in Brazil's Amazon rainforest fell by 65% in July compared to the same period last year—a promising improvement in forest protection efforts. Conservationists across South Asia—especially in Nepal’s Terai, Bhutan’s subtropical zones, and Bangladesh’s Sundarbans—are taking note, hopeful this trend signals enhanced fire management and ecological resilience strategies applicable to their own forest landscapes.

27 Aug

U.S. Commerce Hits Indian Goods With 50% Tariffs

Mohini BarmanInternational

On August 27, the U.S. implemented a punitive 25% tariff, adding to an existing 25% duty on imports from India—pushing total tariffs up to 50% on key products including clothing, gemstones, footwear, furniture, and chemicals. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) is warning of steep cost burdens affecting around 55% of Indian exports worth $47–48 billion, advising the government to urgently support exporters.This move complicates trade dynamics, drawing interest from markets across South Asia, such as Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as exporters reconsider supply chain strategies and tariff impacts.

27 Aug

In Assam, Amit Shah will blow the poll war horn on August 29

Sonakshi SarkarAssam

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to visit Guwahati on August 29, where he will combine government programmes with a major political show of strength. His visit is being viewed as the formal launch of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign for the 2026 Assam Assembly elections. According to BJP general secretary Pallab Lochan Das, Shah’s day-long schedule includes the inauguration of the newly built Raj Bhavan and the launch of the year-long birth centenary celebrations of Golap Borbora, Assam’s first non-Congress Chief Minister. However, the highlight of the visit will be the Panchayat Sanmilan at Khanapara’s Veterinary College…

27 Aug

Assam: Supreme Court to hear plea by journalist against police arrest on Aug 28

Mohini BarmanAssam

The Supreme Court is set to take up on August 28 a petition by journalist Abhisar Sharma, who has sought the quashing of an FIR filed by Assam Police over a video post critical of the state’s policies. A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh will hear Sharma’s plea, moved through advocate Sumeer Sodhi. The case carries wider implications as the petition also questions the constitutional validity of Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a provision dealing with acts seen as endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. The FIR, lodged at the Guwahati…

27 Aug

Tezpur University saw the opening of the Nelson Mandela International Hostel

Banasree SarkarAssam

To accommodate the increasing number of international students attending Tezpur University, the university's vice-chancellor, Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh, opened the brand-new, two-story Nelson Mandela International Hostel. The hostel contains 44 single-seater rooms in its initial phase. In order to meet the demands of international students attending the institution for higher study, each room has been carefully constructed to guarantee comfort and privacy. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Singh spoke at the event and said the hostel would enhance the university's standing as a worldwide education destination by fostering diversity and international cooperation on campus in addition to offering high-quality living quarters. Furthermore, there…