Economy / Assam

GUWAHATI, June 22 ? At a time when the State Government is facing a serious financial crunch and is not even in a position to pay the salaries to the employees regularly huge amounts of money running into crores of Rupees due to the Police Department from banks and other organisations including Central Public Sector Undertakings are lying unpaid for years. According to information available with the Assam Police Headquarter, the total dues from different organisations for providing security would be more than Rs 25 crore. Interestingly, some organisations have not paid the amount due to the...

GUWAHATI, June 18 ? Assam has received the highest amount of Rs 239.16 crore from the Non-Lapsable Pool of Central Resources (NPCR) among all the North Eastern States during the last four consecutive financial years since 1998-99. The release of fund from the NPCR is the lowest at Rs 66.81 crore to Meghalaya during the same period due to poor utilisation of funds and lack of viable projects from Meghalaya Government.

A highly-placed source in the Department of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) informed that total Rs 1346.72 crore were released from NCPR to all the NE States...

GUWAHATI, June 18 ? The State Government today announced a series of austerity measures including a ban on purchase of vehicles, air conditioners and other gadgets. An official release said that with the exception of the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, only one vehicle would be allotted to the entitled officers irrespective of the number of posts and charges held by the concerned officers. All pool vehicles would be under the direct control of the head of departments, directors etc and log books would have to be maintained strictly. Only the Chief Secretary and the DGP will...

GUWAHATI, June 12 ? Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi today urged the Centre to compensate the ?huge disparity?, between the estimates of the Tenth and Eleventh Finance Commissions in respect of shares of central taxes and the actual receipts, reports PTI. Participating in a meeting of the empowered committee of the State Finance Ministers, Gogoi, who holds the Finance portfolio, said in New Delhi there was a shortfall of Rs 675.73 crore in central tax devolution against what projected by the Tenth Finance Commission.

There was also significant shortfalls in Central tax devolutions amounting...

DIBRUGARH, June 10? The current spate of evictions from forest lands by the authorities have not only been criticism but was also condemned by the All Assam Small Tea Growers? Association (AASTGA). AASTGA general secretary Hemanta Kumar Gohain said that in the name of eviction of encroachments in ?so-called reserve forests?, several small tea growers of the State now face a bleak future, as their plantations too have been destroyed. He called for a proper compensation and rehabilitation plan for the eviction-affected person. He also questioned why the ?so-called reserve forests? were allowed...

GUWAHATI, June 9 ? Despite a resolution passed in the State Assembly and demands by a delegation of the State Legislators, the Union Commerce Ministry is yet to take any step for the shifting of the headquarters of the tea companies and the office of the Tea Board from Kolkata to Guwahati.

In a memorandum to the Union Minister for Commerce and Industries, AGP legislator Sarbananda Sonowal and AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said that despite being the largest tea producing State in the country, Assam was not getting its due benefits from the industry. As most of the headquarters of the tea...

GUWAHATI, June 8 ? The State Government has decided to sell off the 14 gardens of the Assam Tea Corporation (ATC) to overcome the prevailing financial crisis in the oldest corporation. The State Government has also asked the Corporation to invite tenders from interested parties to finalise a deal in this regard. It may be recalled that, earlier the chief minister, Sri Tarun Gogoi had asked the Corporation to lease out the gardens, but due to some problems, the private parties had to back out from the process.

Official sources today informed The Assam Tribune that the deal would be finalised...

NEW DELHI, June 6 ? Assam Government today formally sought compensation for the deficit grant awarded by the Eleventh Finance Commission (EFC), even as it called for early release of the outstanding Sales Tax dues to the tune of Rs 499.58 crore payable by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). Accompanied by former Union Finance Minister, Dr Man Mohan Singh, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today met Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee here this evening seeking his intervention in resolving the disputes. The meeting with the Prime Minister was proceeded by a separate meeting with Union Finance Minister...

GUWAHATI, June 6 ? The new Industrial Policy of the State Government for the year 2002 is expected to simplify and streamline the operational guidelines and procedures with a view to ensuring removal of hurdles faced by entrepreneurs and investment in setting up industries in the State, and also to take care of the introduction of Value-added Taxation (VAT) with effect from April 1, 2003. Hiranya Bora, Chairman of Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), said this at a conference on formulation of the new Industrial Policy of Assam here today.

The Industrial Policy declared in 1997...

GUWAHATI, June 1 ? The monthly earnings of the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) are expected to reach Rs 1.5 crore by October-November and by then it will be making a profit of Rs 60 lakh after paying salary to its employees. Transport Minister Anjan Dutta said this today while speaking at the 20th death anniversary of veteran freedom fighter and trade union leader Atul Chandra Saikia, organised by the ASTC Workers? Association. Appreciating the enthusiasm and cooperation extended by the employees in reviving the ASTC, Sri Dutta said from the hopeless situation when he took over charge...