YANGON, February 14: In a major policy shift, the Government of India is attaching top priority in opening all traditional trade routes between the Northeastern States and the neighbouring countries to encourage trade and commerce leading to economic development of the region. Hinting at this policy change was the External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, who said the natural outlet for the Northeast is through the neighbouring South-east Asian countries and not Calcutta. "The Northeastern States has to have an access eastward," he told newsmen accompanying him on his tour to Myanmar, first by...

GUWAHATI, February 14: The Gauhati High Court, by an interim order, has directed the government of Assam and the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) to make a scheme to clear the outstanding arrear amount of Rs 654.21 crores due to the NEEPCO for supply of power to the state. A division bench, comprising Justice H K Sarma and Justice P G Agarwal passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Gautom Uzir regarding the threat by NEEPCO to curtail power supply to the state power grids. While the arrear amount of Rs 654.21 crore is due for the period from January 1997 to...

GUWAHATI, February 13: The Assam Assembly Speaker, Ganesh Kutum today formed a seven member committee headed by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Hitendra Nath Goswami to examine the scope and ambit of the powers of the judiciary to interfere with the functioning of the Speaker and Legislature vis-a-vis the independence of the Legislature under the provisions of the Constitution of India. The other members of the committee are Irrigation Minister Abdul Muhib Mazumdar and legislators Dilip Kumar Saikia, Prithibi Majhi, Bimalangshu Roy, Devakanta Ramchiary and Holiram Terang. The committee has...

IMPHAL, February 13: The student bodies of Manipuris residing in Manipur and Assam have strongly protested the Assam Government's recent order in connection with the introduction of Bishnupriya Manipuri language at primary level schools of Barak Valley districts. A joint meeting of the powerful All Manipur Students Union (AMSU), All Assam Manipuri Students Union (AAMSU) and Northeastern Students Committee (NESCOMI) was also held in this regard at AMSU headquarters here on Sunday evening. The meeting has protested the order of the Assam Government issued on February 7 allowing teaching of...

NAGAON, February 13: The number of voters in seven legislative assembly constitutencies under Nagaon subdivision has increased by 22.57 per cent during the last 10 years, according to the final voters list published here recently. Significantly, the number of female voters during this period was not proportionate to the increase in the number of male voters. In 1991 electioon, the number of voters in seven constituencies was 6,69,894 while in 1996, the number stood at 7,27,384 registering a growth of 8.5 per cent. In 2001, the number of voters stood at 8,20,488 which shows an increase of about...