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.
9 Apr 2018 - 8:27am | AT News
GUWAHATI: Eight people sustained serious injury when a devastating fire broke out a semi commercial area in the outskirt of Guwahati on Monday. The incident took place in the wee hours at Bihapara...
20 Apr 2018 - 10:53am | AT News
Kokrajhar: Traffic movement remains heavily disrupted along the Indo-Bhutan border areas in BTAD areas as the National Council Elections in Bhutan is holding the country wide polls on Friday. The...
12 Feb 2016 - 9:13am | Shajid Khan
Kalaigaon Anchalik Committee, Ranipukhuri Anchalik Committee, Mudwibari and Bhakatpara Anchalik committee of All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) staged a three-hour dharna in front of...
21 Oct 2016 - 6:06pm | AT News
A crude bomb was found at a house of Abduch Chamad of Kumguri under Tulsibi police outpost in Kokrajhar district late last night. Based on specific information, a search operation was launched by...
Bollywood actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood attended the closing ceremony of the Bodoland International Knowledge Festival in Kokrajhar, Assam on Thursday, where he spoke about his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they changed his outlook on life. Sood, who is known for his efforts to help migrant workers during the pandemic, stated that being able to bring positive change to people's lives is far more rewarding than being part of a successful film or receiving awards. He shared that he has worked in over 100 films in different languages but the pandemic made him realize that success and happiness come from helping others.
Sood also recounted his relationship with...
This report iSiliguri: In a solemn ceremony held at Salesian College Siliguri, North Bengal received its first Psychology Lab, Wellness Studio and Wellness Woods on 10th February 2023.
Located in Taverna Block of Salesian College, Psychology Lab is a facility for research, psychological testing and diagnostics. Wellness studio is a counseling centre opened to both students and anyone who requires wellness therapy.
The Psychology department at Salesian College, started in 2012, is the only College under North Bengal University’s 64 affiliate colleges, offering degree courses in Psychology both in the Undergraduate and Graduate level.
“The Psychological Lab and Wellness...
The Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam's Marigaon district is known for its high density of one-horned rhinoceros and is also an important habitat for various bird species. The Guwahati Wildlife Division of the Assam Forest Department and biodiversity conservation organization Aaranyak recently conducted the third annual waterbird census at the sanctuary.
With active participation from a range of individuals and organizations, the census recorded 56 species of waterbirds with a total count of nearly 8,200 individuals, including both migratory and resident birds. Over 30 people, including forest department staff, Aaranyak members, and volunteers, took part in the census.
The main...
The Kokrajhar LitFest, a literary festival organized by the government of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) in Assam, India, concluded on Sunday with a valedictory ceremony at the Bodofa Cultural Complex. The festival, which was held over three days, featured prominent poets and writers from various languages and focused on promoting peace and harmony through literature. The theme of this year's event was "literature for peace and harmony," and it included discussions on various topics such as poetry, Aijwfwrni Garang, and Angw Alap. The valedictory ceremony was presided over by Prof Anil Boro, chairman of the organizing committee, and featured Biswajit Daimary, Speaker of the Assam...
The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court will hear cases 562/2012, 876/2014, 311/2015, and 68/2016, brought by the Asom Samyukta Mahasangh of Assam, represented by Motiur Rahman and 102 Khilonjiya tribal organizations, against the Government of India, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Election Commission, the Registrar General of India, the Government of Assam, and the All Assam Students' Union. The cases were previously heard by two-judge benches of Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman and Ranjan Gogoi in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, but were referred to a five-judge Constitution bench for final trial because the defendants were unable to provide sufficient...
Dibrugarh: Prof. Chandan Kumar Sharma from Tezpur University hosted the Northeast release of Yale University Press' award-winning Genetically Modified Democracy at Dibrugarh University on Friday. The book release was part of a three-day workshop called Sustainable Futures: Agriculture, Ecology and Conservation in Northeast India. It took place on December 14-16 in Guwahati and Dibrugarh University.
Dr. Aniket Aga is an associate professor of environmental studies at Ashoka University. His research interests are in science and technology studies, democratic politics, and agrarian studies. He works on questions of environmental justice, food democracy, and sustainable agriculture. The...
At the Sanctuary Wildlife Awards ceremony in Mumbai last night, environmentalist Rituraj Phukan was honoured with a Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award. The Nagaon based Climate Reality Leader is a renowned environmental writer, adventurer and conservationist who has represented the region and country in numerous global climate change events.
The loudest applause of the night was for 23 year old Munmuni Payeng, who won the Young Naturalist Award for her work with grassroots communities. It must be mentioned that she is the daughter of Padma Shree Jadav Payeng, famous as the Forest Man of India.
Eminent conservation scientist Dr. Vibhu Prakash, whose is known for his pioneering work...
Arvind Ojha was an experimentalist choosing to dedicate his life to social changemaking through education, working with children, making institutions and keeping people and organisations together. Someone very forthcoming to dialogue and collaborate with youth. Perhaps something that kept him innovating with community for over 40 years in social sector.
He was an artist, storyteller and a social changemaker. In his early years he wrote extensively. Prose and poetry were his forms of storytelling. He used camera to capture his times and stories, principally focusing on desert.
Later years, he committed to working with communities of Thar desert in the remote places and contexts. His...
Guwahati: The main petitioner in the Supreme Court of India with the demand to update the 1951 National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam has lodged a police complaint against information technology firm Wipro alleging the misappropriation of a huge amount of public money in process.
Assam Public Works (APW), which continues raising voices against the ethnic militant outfits along with religious terrorists and Illegal migrants in the region, filed a first information report at Paltanbazar PS, Guwahati- 781024 on Friday, where the influential civil rights group has made the NRC Directorate also a party.
The non-government organisation, which has also been working for the...
Guwahati: A Career Awareness Workshop was organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Assam Don Bosco University School of Technology on 3rd September,2022 at Dharapur Higher Secondary School, Dharapur. The welcome speech of the workshop was given by Utpal Sarma, Principal of Dharapur Higher Secondary School. The resource persons for the workshop were Dr. Buljit Buragohain, a prominent career counsellor of the state and Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering of Assam Don Bosco University School of Technology and Pranjal Sarma, Assistant Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Apart from clearing the...
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