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More than 3.14 lakh hectares of protected forest land in Assam continue to remain under encroachment, despite extensive eviction drives undertaken over the past decade, Forest and Environment Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah informed the State Assembly on Tuesday. Responding to questions during the Budget Session, the minister said that as of February 12, 2016, a total of 3,15,996.13 hectares of land in wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests had been illegally occupied. Since then, the government has cleared encroachments from 25,588.77 hectares, including 16,937.25 hectares during the last five years. According to the figures placed before the House, 17,421.50 hectares of…

The Assam government has announced an ambitious target of planting one crore saplings across the state under the Amrit Brikshya Andolan, with the mass plantation drive scheduled to be held from August 10 to 14, 2026. The announcement was made by Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah during a plantation programme at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to mark the 77th Van Mahotsav. The campaign is being positioned as one of the country's largest public participation initiatives for environmental conservation. Addressing the programme, the minister said every sapling planted under the campaign would contribute to building a greener, healthier…

Assam Law Minister Susanta Borgohain, on Monday, announced in the State Assembly that benches of the Gauhati High Court will be established in Dibrugarh and Barak Valley.The announcement fulfils a long-standing demand, particularly from Barak Valley, where lawyers, political parties, civil society organisations and residents have been seeking a permanent bench of the Gauhati High Court for decades. Barak Valley, comprising the districts of Cachar, Sribhumi and Hailakandi, is located nearly 300 km from Guwahati. The absence of a High Court bench has forced litigants and lawyers to travel long distances to attend hearings, resulting in substantial expenses and delays.Similarly,…

In a major boost to grassroots tennis development in India, the All Assam Tennis Association (AATA) has announced a strategic partnership with the Kia Tennis Premier League (TPL) to roll out the Race to Gold (RTG) Scholarship Programme across the State.As part of this collaboration, the first Race to Gold (RTG) Tournament will be held at the All Assam Tennis Association (AATA) on July 19-20, 2026.The partnership aims to create one of the most structured grassroots tennis development initiatives in the country by organising a series of junior tournaments across Assam in the Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14 categories. The initiative…

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday called for unanimous political support for the Assam Police in its campaign against drug trafficking, saying law enforcement agencies need the backing of all political parties to effectively dismantle organised narcotics networks. Replying to a discussion on drug abuse during the second day of the Budget Session in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Sarma said police personnel often operate under extremely challenging conditions while taking action against heavily armed drug traffickers. The Chief Minister said the government had launched an extensive anti-drug drive during its previous tenure, but police actions frequently attracted criticism…

The BRICS nations on Tuesday adopted the Guwahati Declaration, reaffirming their commitment to strengthen cooperation to prevent and combat illicit drug trafficking and related transnational organised crime.Concluding the two-day BRICS Heads of Anti-Drug Agencies meeting here, the grouping nations adopted the joint declaration, underscoring the need to enhance the timely exchange of information, intelligence and best practices, consistent with national laws and international obligations.The declaration also emphasised the promotion of innovative technologies, digital tools and data-driven approaches to strengthen law enforcement and regulatory efforts against illicit drug trafficking.The BRICS countries also expressed concern over the evolving nature of illicit drug…

Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, founder Secretary General & Executive Director of Aaranyak and a globally recognised conservation biologist, has been elected as a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (FLS).FLS is one of the highest international recognitions in the field of natural history and biological sciences.The Linnean Society of London, founded in 1788, is the world’s oldest active biological society. It is dedicated to the study and dissemination of knowledge on natural history, evolution, and taxonomy.Past Fellows include luminaries such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.Fellows (FLS) are elected based on their significant contributions to these fields. Election…

Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu has dismissed allegations by Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi that government schools in Assam had lost 2,12,768 students over the past two years and 25,67,793 students between 2021-22 and 2024-25.The Education Minister termed the claims misleading, attributing the decline to demographic changes and ongoing data cleansing.“Assam has around 50 lakh students. If 25 lakh students had disappeared, it would mean a 50 percent decline. Anyone applying common sense would realise that such a claim is unrealistic,” he said, responding to a media query.Throwing light on the trends, Pegu said the enrolment of students in government…