A feminine like situation awaits Assam if one goes by the army worms that have been damaging crop lands measuring thousands of hectares in the state.
The worst-hit district is Golaghat where the caterpillar 6,671 hectares of crop field leaving the farming community in utter dilemma.
“Efforts are on to bring the situation under control. We hope it would be over in a couple of days. We are in touch with the authority,” a senior agriculture department official told Assam Times.
Bhadra Saikia, a farmer in Sarupather area said, “ we have noticed it suddenly. Locally known as shur puk, the killer caterpillar have been engulfing more and more crop field in the district.
“We are upset with the development. Nobody is with us to assure us of the measures to end the menace,” said Saikia.
Same picture prevails in Majuli where crops on more than 1700 hectares of land have been ravaged by the army worms in the flood hit river island leaving over 4000 families in dire-straits.
Experts are fanning in the entire area to banish the army worms. “It would take a few days to drive out the caterpillar. We have been using pesticides to counter the menace,” said a senior district agriculture officer who have been visiting the damaged areas.
Majuli I followed by Dibrugarh and Sivasagar districts where the menace has damage 5000 hectares and 2,800 hectares of crop lands respectively.
19 Nov 2016 - 11:02am | AT News
Amid huge security around 1,80,203 electorates are voting in Boithalangsu to elect a new MLA on Saturday. The polling was not brisk early in the morning when it started at 7 in the morning. But more...
16 Aug 2014 - 10:54pm | AT News
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that his government will firmly deal with the scourge of terrorism and violence in any form. After administering oath to state government employees on the occasion of...
23 Aug 2009 - 2:22am | Mowsam Hazarika
The State Agriculture Department has demanded an assistance of Rs. 630.61 crore from the Central Government to overcome the impact of the drought-like situation it has faced this monsoon. The demand...
30 Jun 2012 - 1:44pm | editor
ULFA’s pro talk team on Friday sought Centr’s help to bring back its general secretary Anup Chetia, who is in a Dhaka jail. They also sought the Centre's nod to travel to Bangladesh to...
Guwahati: The annual Chalachitram National Film Festival will begin on Saturday in Guwahati, Assam. This year's festival, themed "Our Heritage, Our Pride," will showcase 50 documentary and short feature films.
The two-day event, organized by Chalachitram, a subsidiary of Vishwa Samvad Kendra Assam, aims to foster nationalism through film and pay tribute to India's rich heritage. The festival will be inaugurated at Jyoti Chitraban premises in Kahilipara on October 26.
A variety of films from across India will be screened, covering topics such as land and people, tourism, arts, handicrafts, and social issues. The inaugural film will be "The Last Generation," directed by Prabal...
The prestigious Golok Samman for 2023 has been announced, honoring four distinguished young individuals for their exceptional contributions in the fields of art, translation, research, and environmental activism. The award, instituted by the UD Foundation in memory of the noted translator and social worker Golok Chandra Datta, celebrates those who have made significant cultural and social impacts in Assam.
This year’s recipients are Dr. Sanjeev Bora, a renowned artist; Avantika Parashar, a noted translator; Rajesh Dattabaruah, an environmental activist; and Dr. Baburam Saikia, a Sattriya dancer and researcher.
Recognizing Talent in Art and Visual Media
Dr. Sanjeev Bora has been...
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Guwahati, September 18: Aaranyak, in partnership with the Namdapha Tiger Reserve Authority and supported by the Arcus Foundation, has initiated a groundbreaking Hoolock gibbon conservation education program in the fringe areas of Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh.
This initiative, which commenced on August 22, is the first of its kind in the state and aims to create a community of young conservationists who can actively contribute to the protection of this endangered primate. The program has reached 17 schools in the Miao subdivision, covering students from upper primary to higher secondary levels.
The sessions, conducted by the Primate Research and...
Diets rich in ultra-processed foods have long been associated with a myriad of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and even premature death. However, the vast category of ultra-processed foods encompasses a wide range of products, from seemingly benign options like whole-grain bread and plant-based milk to more obvious culprits like hot dogs and sugary sodas.
A recent groundbreaking study led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has shed new light on the specific types of ultra-processed foods that pose the greatest risk to heart health. This comprehensive study, published in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas, analyzed data...
Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its one-horned rhinoceros and diverse ecosystems, is at a critical crossroads. Known for its rich biodiversity and the harmonious coexistence of local communities with nature, Kaziranga's landscape and social fabric are under threat. The Assam government's push to boost tourism by transferring land adjacent to the park to private hospitality industries has sparked significant controversy, raising concerns over the rights of indigenous communities and the ecological future of the region.
The Push for Luxury Tourism
Today marks a significant step in the Assam government's tourism agenda, with the signing of another...
The mid-20th century in America was a time when smoking was as normal and ubiquitous as eating. Picture this: in 1956, the average American smoked about 4,000 cigarettes a year. That’s a half-pack a day, for everyone—men, women, and even some children were all puffing away, encouraged by a relentless media, celebrities, and even health professionals. Fast forward to 2019, and while smoking rates have plummeted, a new health crisis has taken its place—our diet.
Today, the leading cause of death and disability in the United States is not smoking; it's what we eat. The Global Burden of Disease Study, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, identifies poor diet as the #1 cause of...
A day after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma declared that he "will take sides" and "will not let Miya Muslims take over all of Assam," opposition leaders filed a police complaint on August 27 accusing him of promoting enmity between different religious and ethnic groups. The complaint was lodged at the Dispur police station by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhupen Borah and Assam Jatiya Parishad's Lurinjyoti Gogoi, representing the United Opposition Forum, a coalition of groups opposed to the BJP and its allies.
The complaint, supported by Independent Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Bhuyan, Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia, and Congress...
During our school days, when the historic Assam agitation broke out, we used to go to Tihu town in western Assam for joining various protest demonstrations against the outsiders (read non-Assamese Indians) and the movement was initially known as ‘Bohiragata Kheda Andolan’ (literary meaning agitation to deport outsiders) to create a prosperous Assam for the indigenous population. Later it was redefined as the agitation against illegal migrants (read Bangladeshi/East Pakistani nationals) by the intellectuals and media barons in Guwahati, the virtual capital of northeast India. Simultaneously an armed movement also surfaced with an initial trigger from the economic domination of Hindi...
The Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP), a prominent national social organization representing Gorkhas across India, has expressed its gratitude towards the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for issuing a notification that resolves the longstanding NRC Biometrics-Aadhaar linkage issue. This development is expected to bring relief to nearly 9.35 lakh individuals in Assam, including over one lakh Gorkhas who have been affected by the issue.
Nanda Kirati Dewan, the General Secretary of the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh, Assam State Committee, expressed appreciation for the MHA’s intervention. He noted that the BGP has been actively engaging with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)...
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