Shillong, March 5: Cracks have already begun to surface in the day-old Meghalaya Democratic Alliance led by Congress chief minister D.D. Lapang. Sources today said friction between the Congress and the United Democratic Party (UDP), the two major partners, over portfolios has come to the fore.

They said Lapang was still undecided on the size of the ministry, despite having already inducted 38 ministers. The chief minister parried questions on seeming differences within the coalition but hinted at a “common minimum programme” for governance, which was being worked out to check dissension.

The...

Kohima, March 5: Humour and music play important roles in Neiphiu Rio’s life. On the eve of becoming the 17th chief minister of Nagaland, the veteran politician will have possibly reflected that he will require dollops of humour to retain his sanity while facing the music from a large band of detractors.

The NSCN (Khaplang)’s threat to assassinate prominent persons, not excluding the new chief minister and his Cabinet colleagues, was surely not the beginning Rio had hoped for. However, there is no stopping the Naga community and others who have made the state their home from hoping that the...

NEW DELHI, March 5 — The creation of the proposed Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) is likely to be delayed, with the Ministry of Home Affairs today declining to fix a time-frame to introduce the amendments to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, ID Sami said that there was no firm time-frame fixed in the memorandum of settlement (MoS) to introduce the Bills in the Parliament. Some of the provisions of the MoS require amendments to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the Constitution...

DIBRUGARH, March 5— Under the Samaritan scheme of the Assam Police called Project Prahari, at least one remote village in the district is set to see a happier future. The project is a brainchild of the Assam DGP, Hare Krishna Deka. Ordinarily used to round up ruffians and maintain law and order, cops of the Khowang police station in the Dibrugarh district are taking up an altogether different role as society peers and thereby helping villagers to help themselves.

Project Prahari was launched at the nondescript Bokahulla village on March 17 last year. During the past twelve months, the hundred...

NEW DELHI, March 4— The Union Tourism Ministry, as part of its plan to boost tourism in Assam, has cleared four projects in the current financial year. This was revealed by Union Tourism and Culture Minister Jagmohan in a written reply to a question tabled by Dwijen Sarmah. During the 10th Plan period it has been decided to take up integrated development of tourist circuits and integrated development of major destinations, the Minister said. Under the integrated development of tourist circuits schemes, Rs 30 lakh has been sanctioned for Brahmaputra River Front Development at Guwahati. The...