Guwahati, Feb. 18: Unable to resist the lure of a Rs 2,000-crore loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the cash-strapped Assam government has finally drafted a memorandum of understanding with the Centre on fiscal reforms. Highly-placed sources in the finance department told The Telegraph that the MoU, including a commitment to reduce the size of the workforce, would be signed after the state Cabinet approved it.

Dispur is under pressure from Delhi to sign the MoU as early as this month. The rewards are a special financial package of Rs 750 crore from the Centre and the huge ADB loan...

Jairampur (Arunachal Pradesh), Feb. 18: They answered the call of duty and died fighting but it has taken a long time for someone to answer their silent plea for a little respect.

The graves of several valiant soldiers who took on the imperial Japanese army during World War II lie unattended at a cemetery six kilometres from this sleepy town. One of these graves is of Hsiao Chu Ching, a company commander of 2nd battalion of the 10th regiment, Indian Engineers of Chinese Army stationed in India, who died in 1943.

Though belatedly, the New Delhi-based Indo-Taipei Cultural Exchange Centre has...

Imphal, Feb. 18: Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh has adopted a carrot-and-stick policy to collect power dues from consumers, including government departments. This has been necessitated by the power corporations’ threat to snap electricity connections following the government’s inability to clear its outstanding bill.

The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco) recently announced that it would snap power supply to states which have failed to pay their dues. Manipur, which has few sources of power of its own, depends on electricity supplied by corporations such as Neepco and...

Shillong, Feb. 18: Nartiang is internationally known for its monoliths and temples. But the people of this sleepy hamlet in Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills continue to remain in the shadows. Every election raises hope among the residents of Nartiang that politicians would keep their promises and develop this village which has often been termed an “archeological wonder”. Nartiang has some of the tallest and ancient monoliths besides an age-old Durga and Shiva temple where the indigenous tribals still offer prayers.

“We have been told by babus (researchers are thus referred to by the local people)...

Silchar, Feb. 18: The Canadian government is understood to be “eager” to sponsor Northeast-specific research on such diverse topics as information technology, biotechnology, ecology and urban development. The Canadian high commissioner to India, Peter Sutherland, told The Telegraph here yesterday that his country would be glad to help institutes of higher education or NGOs working in the northeastern states to conduct research that would ultimately benefit the people of the region.

He said funds for cultural and academic exchange between India and Canada would be disbursed through the Shastri...