Assam Forum of Great Britain (AFGB) organized its 4th Annual conference at the London School of Economics on September 5, 2015. MP Sarbananda Sonowal sent a good will message appreciating the efforts of the Assamese diaspora to contribute towards solving the problems of Assam. Dr. Jitendralal Borkakoti, AFGB Chairman, has stated that the objective of AFGB is “to galvanize Assamese people both in England and Assam to think and find solutions for the serious problems of Assam”. He also stated that a Memorandum to Prime Minister Modi was accepted by Ajit Doval last January, and it raised eight important problems of Assam.
This year three burning issues of Assam were discussed in the conference. Smitana Saikia in her paper on “Crisis of ethnic identity: who is an Assamese?” comes to the conclusion that it is impossible to define an Assamese identity as the Assamese society is a composite society; and this has been increasingly realised both in the political and social circles in Assam. In the absence of an inclusive definition of an Assamese identity, it will not be possible to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, as it is divisive. The emphasis should be on Clause 7 so that the people of Assam become united in their struggle to achieve rapid economic development. Dr. Rituparna Sarma and Ms. Rimli Das, in their paper on “Gender Issues in Assam”, reports a worsening situation in Assam with spiralling violence against women including abduction, molestation, rape, dowry killings, and witch hunting. They have pointed out the disturbing development of girls and young women being kidnapped or lured by traffickers. Ignorant and economically disadvantaged people in the remote areas of Assam should be made aware by police and relevant NGOs.
There was also a Panel discussion on poor governance in Assam and how corruption has become institutionalised in Assam. The Panel (Dr. Aburba Baruah, Dr. Jitendralal Borkakoti, Zaved Ckoudhury and Dr. Dinesh Kakati) has stated that good governance requires capacity building, accountability and transparency. It has been pointed out how, because of poor governance, (a) allocation under Five Year Plane remain unutilised (Rs. 13,093 during 2001-02 and 2012-13), (b) how the Water Resources Department failed to use allocated funds (to the tune of 38% to 60% during the period 2002-03 to 2011-12), and (c) how the Government of Assam routinely fail to submit utilisation certificates (20,000 certificates are pending from 58 Departments amounting to Rs.12.000 crore from 2001-02 to 2013-14). Only a movement from civic societies can lead to an end of blatant corruption.
29 May 2014 - 8:34am | AT News
Security forces claimed to have killed a hardcore NDFB-S militant at an encounter in Udaguri district on Thursday.
The encunter took place in the wee hours at Khoirabari area where the Bodo militant...
9 Aug 2016 - 6:02pm | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
BPF party stages protest demonstration in protest against Balajan Tinali bazar terror attack at Debargaon ground in Kokrajhar on Tuesday. The protestors stages with banner, placards shouted...
27 Mar 2014 - 5:44pm | AT News
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is confident that his party will retain power in Delhi the in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a huge poll rally at Chaulkhuwa in Dibrugarh on...
20 Jan 2017 - 3:26pm | Sanjoy K Kakati
At a time when crores of people have been bearing the brunt of demonetization, an annual tribal festival in Morigaon district of Assam seems to have shown an example to beat the cash crunch.Hosted in...
NEHU Campus, 20th April, 2023 - The National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), GoI, has kicked off the Entrepreneurship Awareness Camp (EAC) at the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) campus. The three-day program, organized by the Department of Biomedical Engineering, NEHU and sponsored by the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI), Ahmedabad, aims to equip over 75 students from diverse backgrounds with the knowledge and skills required for entrepreneurship.
Esteemed experts from both industry and academia have gathered to interact with the participants, shedding light on crucial topics such as...
Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, a veteran journalist, will receive the Parag Kumar Das Journalism Award 2023. The award includes a cash prize of Rs 25,000, a citation, and a memento. The award ceremony will take place on May 17.
Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty currently serves as the National Affairs Editor for the digital news publication 'The Wire.'
The Parag Kumar Das Journalism Award was established to honor the courageous journalist Parag Kumar Das, who lost his life while fighting for the truth. The award recognizes and encourages journalists who tirelessly uncover the truth and bring it to the public.
The Incubation and Enterprise Support Centre (IESC) at IIM Shillong recently organized a sponsored bootcamp aimed at nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit among the youth of the North East Region (NER). The five-day residential program, held on the picturesque campus of IIM Shillong, concluded successfully on May 5th. The bootcamp, attended by 55 ambitious and energetic participants from both within and outside the region, focused on equipping them with essential skills in entrepreneurship, innovation, business modeling, market dynamics, and leadership qualities.
As part of its commitment to the development of the NER, IIM Shillong's IESC initiated this funded bootcamp to provide aspiring...
A Special Leave Petition under Article 136 of the Constitution of India has been filed in the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India by advocate Arif Jwadder. The petition appeals against the Gauhati High Court's disposal of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking an independent investigation into all fake encounters that took place from May 2021 onwards. The petitioner's counsel, Prashant Bhushan, filed the petition.
The Assam government had admitted to 171 police encounters in its affidavit dated 29.09.2022, wherein 56 people died and 145 were injured from May till August 2022. The death toll has increased since then. Despite the material placed on record, the Gauhati High Court didn't...
Mizoram University and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham have partnered to launch science, technology and innovation (STI) hubs in the Aizawl and Serchip districts of Mizoram. Funded by the Indian Department of Science...
On 12th December 2022, a devastating fire broke out suddenly at the village called Upper Sonowal of Majuli district in Assam, leaving a trail of destructions among the affected people. The crisis had pushed the affected into an extreme grim situation as they lost everything in the fire. The tragedy had affected vulnerable communities who are also the victims of recurrent floods and river erosions of the island.
Following a Rapid Need Assessment (RNA) at the affected community, NEADS had activated its fire tragedy response among the affected communities of the crisis-ravaged areas. With funding from Start Fund, NEADS had undertaken the humanitarian assistance among the affected peoples,...
The Assamese community in Chennai celebrated the Rongali Bihu festival on Sunday, 16th April, 2023 with great zeal and enthusiasm. The event was organized by the Assam Association Chennai (AAC) and was held at the Blue Lagoon resort located at ECR, Chennai.
The Rongali Bihu festival is an important cultural event in the state of Assam, which marks the start of New Year and agricultural season for the community. It is celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm by the Assamese people, who come together to celebrate their culture and traditions.
The Assamese community in Chennai, gathered at the Blue Lagoon resort to celebrate the festival, where various games were organized, including...
Guwahati. WWF-India Assam State Office organized an evening program at Dighali pukhuri park with a walkathon and a performance by WWF volunteers and Assam Earth Hour Influencer Arghadeep Baruah and his band, "Bottle Rockets India", who performed using solar lights and candles on March 25.
In addition to these landmarks, the Hon’ble Governor of Assam, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, issued a written message appealing to citizens to join in observing Earth Hour. Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma also participated by working with candlelight at Janata Bhavan. The Education Department of Assam supported Earth Hour by advising schools to participate in the campaign.
Historical monuments...
Earth Hour India, in collaboration with HSBC, BYCS India Foundation, EPAM, GCC, and Decathlon-Guwahati, will host a nationwide cycling event called "Pedal for the Planet" on March 25, 2023. The event aims to raise awareness about Earth Hour and promote a healthier, greener, and more sustainable lifestyle. The event will take place in 12 cities across India, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata, with the goal of creating the Biggest Hour for Earth. People of all ages are encouraged to participate and support the cause of Earth Hour. Dr. Bhairrvi Joshi of the BYCS India Foundation emphasized the importance of cycling as a solution to the urban challenges of physical, mental, and...
Assam-based ensemble Tunetellers has made history with the release of their latest Assamese song, "O' Mon". Composed of award-winning singer-songwriter Rupam Bhuyan, lyricist and poet Sasanka Samir, and music producer Jim Ankan Deka, Tunetellers has introduced a new concept called 'Kothare-Gannere Exondhya', which immerses audiences in poetry and music for a two-hour live musical event.
"O' Mon" was recorded live outdoors using a 360° camera, making it the first of its kind in the history of Indian music. Produced by Pragyan Bezbaruah of Pocket Friendly Productions and shot by Music Malt Studios, the video was filmed on the private property of Aabeli Ghat in Tatimara village, Assam, next...
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