SIVASAGAR: Continuing its protest against construction of mega dams at the site of Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), the Sivasagar district unit led by its district general secretary Raju Gogoi, advisor Lu-chun-Shyam Gohain, publicity secretary Jadumoni Bora and Nari Mukti Sangram Samiti, Sivasagar district president and sister of the peasant leader Akhil Gogoi, Ambika Gogoi Saikia today, led a procession from the Boarding Field here to Sivasagar DC Court, and staged a dharna demanding immediate halt to the construction of the dam.

DIPHU: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), was introduced with an objective to provide legal guarantee of 100 days of wage in a financial year to every rural household, whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work at the minimum wage rate as has been prescribed for agricultural labour in the State.

However, instead of helping the poor in their uplift, MNREGA has become a boon for the officials and politicians in Karbi Anglong. They spare no stone unturned to loot public money with both hands

SHILLONG: The bio-diversity hotspots in the State are vanishing at a faster rate, cautioned State Principal Secretary of the Department of Forest and Environment MS Rao.

Giving an overview of the bio-diversity of the State during an official programme to mark the International Bio-diversity Day in Shillong, Rao said today, “Our State has bio-diversity hotspots to talk about but their richness is under threat.”

Who will now be held responsible? Whose negligence is all this? And will the guilty face the music?

At least 350 girls in Tezpur and 45 in Mangaldoi fell ill after they were given folic acid tablets under a National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scheme in Sonitpur and Darrang district on Wednesday. The Mangaldoi DC has ordered a magistrate-level inquiry into the incident. Condemning the incident, the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) has demanded of the State government to find out the manufacturers of the tablets and punish them.

GUWAHATI: The All Assam Lawyers’ Association has slammed Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for his statement on Akhil Gogoi’s hunger strike in the city.

The Chief Minister dismissed Akhil’s protest stating that the government was not going to invite him for talks. The Chief Minister stated, “Akhil’s protest had political motives. But we are not going to invite him for talks.” General Secretary of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) Akhil Gogoi, who has been leading the anti-big dam campaign in the State, started his indefinite hunger strike in the city from May 19.

GUWAHATI: The All Assam Shramik Krishak Kalyan Parishad (AASKKP) has decried the role of the State Government and the police in the atrocities being meted out on anti-dam protesters at Lakhimpur and Dhemaji district. In a meeting of the central executive committee of the workers’ body held in Guwahati today, the alleged police atrocities on the anti-dam protesters was strongly condemned.

NEW DELHI: Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Monday said there was “nothing to suggest” that China was building dams to divert the waters of the Brahmaputra river towards its northern regions.

Replying to supplementary questions in the Rajya Sabha, Bansal said India has been assured by the Chinese government that all dams being built on rivers that flow into India are only for generating electricity, and will not store water.

GUWAHATI : An effort on the part of the Public Works Department (PWD) of Assam to get funds from the World Bank for the development of the State’s road connectivity has finally paid dividends. The World Bank has already sanctioned the funds to the State PWD.

The funds of the World Bank will be used to build 1000-km of new roads in the State. In the first phase, Rs 1950-crore has been sanctioned for building 500-km of roads in different parts of the State.

SIVASAGAR: At a time when indiscriminate fishing has caused rapid depletion of the local varieties in the region, a section of unscrupulous traders are thriving in Sivasagar sub-division and other parts of Sivasagar district.

Fish production in the district has depleted to such an extent that the people have not been able to meet the minimum requirement, not to speak of export. The district has to procure huge quantities of fish from outside to meet the local demand. The reason behind the large-scale depletion is not hard to fathom.

SHILLONG: “Farmers should be ready to learn new technologies to become competent,” said Dr Mukul Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya.

“Technology linked farming activities are being promoted in the State to make farming more attractive and remunerative. To be rich in farming, we need to learn new technologies, which should be supported by government interventions like market availability, credit availability, etc.,” said Dr Sangma while inaugurating the ‘Tribal Farmers in Climate Resilient Agriculture’ programme at Cherrapunji on Friday.