NEW DELHI, Feb 18— The process of detecting illegal migrants has started all over the country even as the Centre has initiated several steps to check the influx of Bangladeshi nationals into India. While the population of the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh is estimated to be in millions, those overstaying in the country are around 24,443, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Haren Pathak said today. The minister stated this in the Lok Sabha this morning in response to a question on illegal migrants overstaying in India. There are reports of large scale illegal influx of Bangladeshi...

GUWAHATI, Feb 18 – Being aware of the tremendous potential for development of inter-regional trade between Bangladesh and North East India, the South Asian Enterprise Development Pacility (SEDF), funded by IFC, has taken up the task to facilitate formal Indo-Bangla trade in the region in a greater scale.

To achieve the goal of formalisation of the huge volume of informal/illegal trade going on across the Indo-Bangla border in the region, the SEDF is trying to facilitate frequent meaningful interaction amongst the businessmen and industry on both side of the border. The SEDF believes...

NEW DELHI, Feb 18 — The role of several human right groups including the Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS) in the North-East is under scrutiny, with the Ministry of Home Affairs identifying them as having close links with the underground outfits. The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Sri I D Swami in a statement in the Lok Sabha said that several NGOs in the North-East have clandestine links with terrorist organisations. The organisations named included the MASS, North-East Coordination Committee on Human Rights (NECCHR). United Committee, Manipur (UCM), Naga Peoples Movement for Human...

AGARTALA, Feb 18 — Under the shadow of insurgents violence, battlelines have been drawn between Tripura ruling Left Front and its arch rival Congress and Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) for the February 26 elections to the member assembly, reports PTI. The dominant Left Front partner CPI-M alone is contesting 55 seats and allies CPI-2. All India Forward Bloc (AIFB)-1 and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP)-2.

Congress has fielded 42 candidates and it ally INPT in 18 constituencies reserved for tribals. Besides Left Front and Cong-INPT combine, BJP and Trinamool Congress and NCP...

KOKRAJHAR, Feb 18— The Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT), which became the first militant outfit from Assam to sign a peace accord with the Government, will be disbanded after the formation of the interim body of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), rehabilitation of the cadres of the outfit may turn out to be a tough job for the BTC authorities. Official sources said that the BLT cadres are well aware of the fact that all of them can never expect a Government job, but the BTC authorities will have to take up self-employment schemes for their rehabilitation. The BLT cadres will surrender weapons...