Blog - The Purbottar

04 Aug

“Confined, Abused, Forced To Work”: 7 Dhubri Minors Return After Bihar Kiln Rescue

Preeti SinghAssam

Seven minor girls from Assam's Dhubri district, who were rescued from a brick kiln in Bihar after allegedly being sexually and physically abused, were brought back to the district on Tuesday under a Bihar Police escort. They were handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) following the completion of all legal formalities. According to officials, the girls were among 47 bonded laborers—including adults and children from economically vulnerable families in Dhubri—who had migrated to Bihar around five to six months ago to work at the Star Marka Eint Bhatta in Saharsa district. The case came to light in April…

04 Aug

Assam governor launches state-level programme of ’10 crore drug-free pledge’ campaign; calls for people’s participation to to build drug-free nation

Paromita EditorAssam

Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Tuesday launched the State-level programme of the '10 Crore Drug-Free Pledge' mega campaign, a nationwide public awareness movement to be held from August 6 to August 20, organised by the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya at its regional centre in Rupnagar, Guwahati. Speaking on the occasion, Governor Acharya lauded the initiative of the Brahma Kumaris to administer a drug-free pledge to 10 crore people across the country and described it as a significant contribution to the ongoing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. He appreciated the organisation's efforts in promoting spiritual awareness, moral values, family…

04 Aug

Nadda Begins Three-Day Northeast Tour to Review Flood Damage, Relief and Health Services

Paromita EditorAssam

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda began a three-day visit to the Northeast on August 4 to assess the impact of floods, flash floods and cloudbursts and review relief, rehabilitation and healthcare measures in Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. During his August 4–6 visit, Nadda will inspect flood- and landslide-affected areas, relief camps and damaged infrastructure and interact with residents affected by the disasters. After arriving in Dibrugarh on Tuesday, Nadda is scheduled to visit Sivasagar and Charaideo in Assam on August 5. He will inspect flood-hit villages, relief camps, damaged agricultural land and houses and meet families…

04 Aug

CRPF personnel kills two colleagues, injuries one before killing self in Assam’s Nagaon dist

Paromita EditorAssam

A CRPF personnel allegedly opened fire on his colleagues, resulting in two fatalities and one injury before he took his own life.The incident has prompted an immediate and thorough investigation by local police and CRPF authorities.The incident took place at the CRPF's 34 Battalion camp in Katimari, Nagaon, at around 7 am, when Assistant Sub-Inspector (GD) Ballani Premabaram, who was on duty at the main gate, allegedly opened fire on his colleagues, police said.Premabaram later turned the weapon on himself and died at the spot.Head Constable (GD) Vishnu Prasad Baghel and Sub-Inspector (GD) Ramnawal Singh Yadav were killed in the…

04 Aug

An important initiative towards safeguarding Assam’s cultural heritage

Paromita EditorAssam

Amid the devastating floods affecting several parts of Assam, Gauhati University has undertaken a timely initiative to safeguard the state’s rich cultural heritage by conserving invaluable Sanchipat manuscripts damaged by floodwaters at the historic Medhijan Shri Shri Gajala Satra in Sivasagar district. A dedicated team of experts from the University, led by Mr. Medini Mohan Gogoi of the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies and Mr. Dhanjit Talukdar of the Manuscript section of the Krishna Kanta Handiqui Library, is working to recover, conserve and protect several rare Sanchipat manuscripts. As part of the restoration process, the team is carefully separating, cleaning…

04 Aug

Renault clarifies ownership of Chennai manufacturing facility

Business BureauBusiness

Renault Group has clarified that its manufacturing facility in Chennai has been fully owned by the company since September 2025, urging stakeholders and the media to refer to the plant accurately in future communications. The company said the facility, which manufactures vehicles for both Renault and Nissan, continues to be occasionally described as the "Nissan plant" or "Nissan factory". However, Renault stated that such references are no longer factually correct as the Chennai manufacturing facility is now a Renault-owned plant. According to the company, the facility produces vehicles for both Renault and Nissan for the domestic market as well as…

04 Aug

KMSS Alleges ‘Man-Made’ Floods in Upper Assam, Seeks CBI Probe; Nepalikhuti Residents Demand Long-Term Protection

Paromita EditorAssam

The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) has alleged that the devastating floods in Upper Assam were not entirely the result of natural factors, claiming that illegal coal and stone mining, allegedly backed by political influence, contributed to the disaster. The peasant organisation has demanded a CBI investigation into the alleged nexus. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati KMSS general secretary Bidyut Saikia said the latest flooding could not be attributed only to cloudbursts or water flowing in from neighbouring states. Saikia alleged that extensive illegal open-cast mining in the hill areas bordering Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh had created large…

04 Aug

Banks Step Up Foreign Currency Deposit Drive as RBI Swap Scheme Nears Deadline

nanika EditorBanking

HDFC Bank, India’s largest private sector lender, has increased the interest rate on its three- to five-year Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) [FCNR(B)] dollar deposits by 25 basis points to 6.25 per cent from 6 per cent. The revised rate came into effect from August 1 as banks step up efforts to attract foreign currency deposits under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) concessional swap scheme. The rate hike comes at a time when the RBI’s special swap window is entering its final two months, a period expected to witness increased mobilisation of FCNR(B) deposits. Banks are focusing on attracting overseas…

04 Aug

Indian Benchmarks Flatline as Investors Await Upcoming RBI Interest Rate Decision

anuprova EditorBusiness

Indian equity markets opened on a subdued note, with both the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 moving in a narrow range as market participants preferred to remain on the sidelines ahead of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee decision. Benchmark indices showed minimal variation in morning trade, reflecting a cautious consensus across domestic brokerage desks and institutional investors. Broader sectoral activity presented a mixed picture, with defensive pockets offering modest support while rate-sensitive banking and real estate shares experienced range-bound trading as traders awaited clear policy signals regarding key interest rates. Economists and market analysts widely…

04 Aug

FSSAI Restricts Sale of Dabur Products with ‘100%’ Claim Over Advertising Rule Violations

sunny EditorBusiness

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a prohibition order against Dabur India Ltd, directing the FMCG company to immediately stop the sale of several food products carrying allegedly misleading ‘100%’ claims. The action covers products including honey, apple cider vinegar, virgin coconut oil, sesame oil, cow ghee, coconut water and coconut milk, which were marketed on Dabur’s website with claims such as ‘100% Natural’, ‘100% Pure’, ‘100% Purity Guaranteed’, ‘100% Organic’ and ‘100% Tender Coconut Water’. According to FSSAI, these claims violate the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018. The regulator stated…