Skip to content Skip to navigation

'Needed in rhino horn verification'

Prominent wildlife organization of Assam, Nature’s Beckon and Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) welcome the recent initiative of Assam government to protect the wildlife in general and conserve the one-horned rhinoceros in particular.

The two organizations, while appreciating the latest initiative to start the process of verification of rhino horns kept in the custody of forest department and different treasuries in the State, urge strongly the government to make public the number of rhino horns in its custody since 1980.

The people of Assam also must know how much rhino horns were there in the custody of the forest department and the treasuries of Assam till 1980 (those recovered before the year), said a statement issued by Nature’s Beckon and JFA.

The issue of one-horned rhinos and rhino horns are not only an environmental affair but also a social concern involving a number of conservation and civil society groups; and hence Nature’s Beckon and JFA demand to the State government to reveal the modalities or mechanism to be followed while verifying the rhino horns kept in the custody.

The Rhino Horn Verification Committee instituted by the State government recently in a press statement mentioned that while the process of verification of rhino horns will continue, only those rhino horns lead to suspicion regarding its authenticity and only those horns would be sent for forensic examination. However, the two organizations argue that each and every rhino horn should be authenticated by the forensic test.

“We also appeal to the State government to inform the people of Assam about the credentials of the members of the Rhino Horn Verification Committee. Since the issue of rhino horn has been a social and emotional issue, the people should know the credentials about the individuals engaged in the process of verification of rhino horns,” added the statement.

Add new comment

Random Stories

Photo division workshop

14 Apr 2013 - 3:13pm | Abdul Gani
A two-day workshop for north-east states on "Photo Documentation and Its Management" was held at IIBM Campus, Jawahar Nagar, Guwahati oon April 11-12. The event was organised by Ministry of I...

4 dead, many hurt in Nagaon road mishap

23 Nov 2017 - 11:52am | AT News
NAGAON: Four persons died and at least 25 others sustained injury when the passenger bus in which they were travelling collided it's head on a truck in Nagaon on Thursday. The accident took place...

In love with 'Assamese Theatre'

18 Jan 2010 - 10:23pm | bishwajeetsinha
When it comes to experiencing rich cultural heritage of Assam , its theatre presents the life full of combination between reel life and real life. Compare to dying state of theatres elsewhere, it is...

2021 ends with the decrease in journo-killings globally: PEC

1 Jan 2022 - 12:16pm | AT News
Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, wishes all media workers around the world a happy, secure and prosperous new year. The bygone year witnessed the killing of 79...

Other Contents by Author

In an effort to cultivate a deeper understanding of nature and sustainability among children, WWF-India launched its whole school programme, Ek Prithvi, in 2016. Since its inception, the programme has empowered over 145,200 students in 11 states by building environmental awareness, knowledge, and skills, and enabling action for conservation. Amid the pandemic, the programme went digital with the "One Earth One Home" initiative, reaching millions of students across 16 states and union territories in 10 languages, including all districts of Assam. WWF-India's Assam chapter commenced the Ek Prithvi programme in 2019, partnering with the SCERT, Government of Assam, to launch the programme in...
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...