GUWAHATI, Dec 29 — The horticulture products of the North East has often failed to make a mark in the export market primarily because of the huge costs involved in its transportation to the exporting centres. The Centre has now decided to offset this disadvantage by offering inland transport assistance for horticulture products. Exporters of banana, guava, lemon, orange, pear, pineapple, plum, ginger, passion fruit and even cut flowers from all the north eastern states, including Sikkim, can now avail the Central assistance that will considerably reduce their transportation costs. The...

GUWAHATI, Dec 28 – Illegal felling of trees in the vast tracts of reserve forest along the Assam-Meghalaya border to the south and south-west of Guwahati is going on unabated, exposing the rich, biodiversity zone with its unique flora and fauna to the gravest possible danger. That the smugglers are having a free run should be evident from the fact that an area of 25 sq km of the Garbhanga reserve forest which is among the biggest protected areas in Kamrup district with a total area of 188.6 sqkm, has been totally degraded, at Luki. An area where the smugglers’ writ runs and forest personnel...

KOLKATA, Dec 28 – Doordarshan is planning to introduce direct-to-home telecast of its programmes in the North-east while strengthening its marketing network to earn higher advertisement revenues commensurate with its nationwide reach, reports PTI. The national broadcaster would introduce DTH telecast through KU band in eight states, including Sikkim, in the region, Doordarshan director-general SY Quraishi told reporters here today. “Work has started at 160 villages selected for the purpose. W will initially introduce the facilities at 20 villages in each of the eight states,” Quraishi said...

Imphal, December 28: Taking serious note of alarming rise in corruption cases in the State permanent body of Manipur Peoples' Liberation Front (MPLF) it is product of long existence under India's colonial rule. Corruption today has risen to such an alarming proportion that people consider it as an indispensable part of every day life, said the MPLF statement. Government employees who do not accept bribe is considered unacceptable in the present context of the society, mocked MPLF while attributing the menace to prolong domination of India and the root cause to systems adopted by it to subdue...

Guwahati, Dec. 28: The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) has appealed to the Manipur government to follow the footsteps of the Assam and Mizoram governments in facilitating the peace process between the Centre and the outfit.

The Manipur government has been maintaining that unlike Assam and Nagaland, it would not withdraw arrest warrants against the NSCN (I-M) leaders. Among other demands, the NSCN (I-M) wants cases against its “collective leadership” dropped before its chairman Isak Chishi Swu and general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah visit India to hold talks with Prime...