NEW DELHI, March 1— Government will grant a ten year tax holiday for industries in Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttranchal and the North-eastern States to boost their economic development, reports PTI. Union Budget proposes to insert a new section 80-IC for this to allow a deduction for ten years from the profits of new undertakings or enterprises or existing undertakings or enterprises on their substantial expansion in these States. Substantial expansion for this purpose has been defined as an increase in investment in plant and machinery by at least 50 per cent of the book value of the plant...

GUWAHATI, March 1 ? Noted environment activist Medha Patkar today sounded all the North Eastern States to guard their interests against the Central government?s move to link all the river basins in the country. The Save Narmada Movement crusader, Smt Patkar raised the alarm against the proposed river networking terming it an effort to market and corporatise rivers in the country by the vested politicos in connivance with corporate houses.

Addressing the media here today midway her nationawide tour on bahalf of National Alliance of People?s Movement (NAPM), Smt Patkar stated that it was...

NEW DELHI, March 1 ? Infuriated by the delay in resolution of the logjam over implementation of the mega gas cracker project, Assam Government is likely to explore the possibility of handing over the project to public sector oil company. As a first step in this direction, Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi today held discussions with Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to Assam this evening to consider all pros and cons. A dinner meeting was hosted by Chief Minister to felicitate an interaction on the gas cracker project and the financial crisis with the State?s 21 MPs belonging to both the Houses...

NEW DELHI, Feb 28 — Union Finance Minister Jaswant Singh today repeated what Mamata Banerjee did to the North-east in her 2000 Railway Budget, unveiling a lacklustre Union Budget as far as the region is concerned. Benefits of excise duty exemptions on products manufactured by Assam’s four refineries were withdrawn with retrospective effect along with cigarettes and pan masala. Of the four refineries in NE, only the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd will get a 100 per cent Excise duty exemption while the three other refineries including BRPL, Guwahati Refinery and Digboi Refinery facing partial...

Imphal, February 27: Though Yumlembam Sanamacha was picked up by personnel of 17 Rashtriya Rifles way back in February 1998 and still remain untraced and though his last rites were finally performed on February 23 this year, the investigation of the case taken up by the Yairipok Police Station is still pending as the police have yet to effect examination and arrest the guilty Army personnel. And what is more interesting is that the personnel of the 17 Rashtriya Rifles who were allegedly involved in the case have had already shifted to other States. On February 13 this year, Yumlembam Amubi...