News

GUWAHATI, May 4 — The State government has identified five thrust areas during the 10th Five Year Plan for accelerated growth of the State. Three thrust areas include – infrastructure including roads, power and communication, agriculture and allied services including dairy, pisciculture, irrigation, services including information technology, tourism and health care, human resource development including education; skill development and management and industrial development with emphasis on trade and commerce, agro industry, handloom and handicrafts etc.

During his recent discussion with the...

NEW DELHI, May 4 — A cash-strapped Assam Government in an apparent bid to stall the disinvestment of Assam Ashok Hotel Corporation Ltd (AAHCL), has offered to buy Indian Tourism Development Corporation’s (ITDC) stake in the three-star hotel. A joint venture project between the ITDC, which holds majority stake of 51 per cent, and the Department of Tourism of Assam Government, it was identified for disinvestment in keeping with the Centre’s policy of pulling out of loss-making ITDC-run hotels. The Assam Government has 49 per cent stake in the hotel.

The Minister for Disinvestment, Arun Shourie...

KOLKATA, May 3 — Two ultras of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, arrested from a city hotel, were being interrogated by the police to ascertain if militant outfits were being funded by major tea companies in West Bengal, reports PTI.

City police detective department’s Deputy Commissioner Soumen Mitra said today that the militant organisation was suspected to be extorting money from tea companies, and the police interrogation was proceeding to ascertain facts.

“Our interrogation is proceeding in that direction, since we suspect their role as extortionists,” Mitra said, refusing to...

GUWAHATI, May 3 — Concerned State police officials at the ground level are yet to be given special instruction as a sequel to the agreements of Assam and Meghalaya governments to go for joint police operation against extremists active along the inter-State boundary. Police sources informed that although chief ministers of both the States recently announced the decision to go for joint anti-insurgency operations along the Assam-Meghalaya boundary areas, particularly in highly-infested boundary between Goalpara district in Assam and Garo Hills in Meghalaya, State police authority was yet to...

May 2: In the Eighties, elite soldiers of Saddam Hussein had undergone training on anti-terrorism combat at the Counter-insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, sprawled across 600 acres of rugged terrain at Vairengte in North Mizoram.

A week ago, even as US-led forces were bombing Iraq to eliminate the Iraqi president, American troops landed at the exclusive training centre for a three-week-long session in jungle warfare.

The joint Indo-US army exercise — codenamed “Balance Iroquois 03-1” or “Vajra Prahar” — was cloaked in utmost secrecy from the beginning to the end on April 26. “We maintained...