ASSAM

Four Assam tiger reserves get CATS accreditation

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Four ofAssamhave been accorded CATS (Conservation Assured Tiger Standards) accreditation.State forest minister Parimal Suklabaidyasaid the move would boost conservation efforts of big cats in the state.

TheNational Committeeof Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS) recommended proposals forKaziranga, Manas, Nameri and Orang tiger reserves forCATS accreditation.

The CATS assessment has been conducted by theNational Tiger Conservation Authority(NTCA) in 27 tiger reserves in the first phase.

The NTCA, which sets a benchmark for managing conservation sites through a set of minimum standards based on 17 parameters (F3 element wise) ranging from social, cultural and biological significance to Infrastructure/equipment and from management planning to human-wildlife conflict (HCW) management, have given scores of 81.25% to Kaziranga, 78.49% to Manas, 71.21% to Nameri and 74.01% to Orang Tiger Reserve.

CATS is an international coalition developed in response to the need for stringent conservation procedures for protection of big cats through a PARTNERSHIP between governments and conservation organizations.

Under the accreditation system of CATS, tiger conservation areas provide evidence under seven pillars and 17 Elements of critical management activity to demonstrate that they meet a range of criteria for effective conservation management.

AHSEC to introduce Bodo as medium of instruction for HS Arts course from 2023-24

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The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) on Friday announced that Bodo as a medium of instruction will be introduced for HS Arts course from 2023-24. Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu while informing about the development on Social Media stated that institutions willing to offer Bodo medium of instruction to students are required to intimate AHSEC immediately.

According to the notification, AHSEC has decided to implement the Bodo medium of instruction in addition to the existing medium of instruction initially in the Arts stream from the academic session 2023-24 in the institutions under AHSEC comprising the subjects- HISTORY, Geography, Education, Logic and Philosophy, Economics, Political Science, Environmental Education, Mathematics, Swadesh Adhyayan.

Bhutan king issues decree on oxygen plant work to help India

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Assam Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on Monday issued a royal decree on request from India to permit resumption of construction work of a private Oxygen plant, which was hit due to a lockdown in the Himalayan country last year.

The plant, which will have a daily oxygen generating capacity of 50 MT, is being set up jointly by two entrepreneurs of Bhutan and Guwahati at Bhutans Samdrup Jongkhar district bordering Baksa district of Assam. Bhutan a 267-km border with Assam on its north and Samdrup Jongkhar, which is one of the border entry points to Bhutan in the eastern sector, is about 100 km from Guwahati.

Former Assam DGP takes oath as Chief Information Commissioner

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Former Assam DGP Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta took oath as the State Chief Information Commissioner at Raj Bhawan, Guwahati. Governor Gulab Chandra Kataria administered the oath in the presence of DGP GP Singh, ADGP Hiren Nath and a host of other dignitaries. Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta was an Assam-Meghalaya cadre Ips officer from the 1988 batch (41RR) and had previously served as Director General of Border. He retired as the Assam DGP on January 31.

Assam CM stresses on need to develop work culture

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Assam needs to change its mindset and adopt a Work culture that will put an end to dependency on others, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said. Sarma also said many commodities, including eggs, still have to be procured from outside, which eats into the state’s gross domestic product.

The has initiated efforts to provide citizen-friendly Services to people digitally in a phased manner, Sarma said. He said besides Tinsukia, steps have been taken to extend financial incentives to beneficiaries in Hojai, Darang, Nalbari, Lakhimpur, Karimganj, Nagaon, Marigaon, Goalpara, Hailakandi and Barpeta districts under the scheme. The Assam government will also design a programme for those who have not been able to repay loans.

Sonowal vows to develop Loktak Lake with 100% support from Centre

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Union minister of , shipping and waterways and AYUSH SarbanandaSonowal inspected the Inland Waterways of India (IWAI) jetty at the iconic Loktak Lake in Manipur and promised promotion and development of the lake with 100% central support.

Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal said, “Loktak is one of the largest water bodies in Asia and its beauty, greenery and marine life surrounded by blue Mountains stand out. We have to promote and develop this lake, and make it one of the most important tourist destinations of the globe.”

:Meghalayachief ministerConrad K Sangma said there was likelihood of joint meetings between regional boundary committees of both Meghalaya andAssamafter the autumn session of the assembly gets over.

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Interacting with reporters after going through the first report of regional boundary committees of the state, the chief minister said, there were micro-details in the reports regarding different communities settled along the disputed inter-state boundary, the number of villages, the administrative convenience available, whether they were in the Meghalaya or theAssam Census.

Assam to provide ration cards to 40 lakh people in April

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The Assam government will provide ration cards to 40 lakh people in April, cabinet ministerRanjeet Dasssaid.

The minister also said people have already started applying for the ration cards. He said many who have a government job or come from well-off families have come forward to surrender their ration cards following the state governments appeal.

The Assam government in December last year announced that with the help of the ration cards, consumers will be able to receive cashless medical benefits up to Rs 5 lakh per family at government or private hospitals across the country.

President urges people of Assam to work towards wildlife conservation

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President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday urged the people and the Government of Assam to work towards wildlife conservation. On the last day of his three-day visit to Assam, Kovind made the appeal after being briefed by the on its conservation efforts in the wildlife sector. He also inaugurated a photo and archival exhibition on conservation and was given a presentation on the proposed Kaziranga Elevated Corridor.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, also taking to the micro-blogging site, said the exhibition inaugurated by the President showcased the rich Flora and Fauna of Kaziranga. The President was also given a presentation on the proposed Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, he added. A 35-km elevated corridor on the National Highway 37 passing through Kaziranga National Park has been proposed by the state government to the Centre, to which the latter has given favourable response, Sarma had said in the Assembly in August last year.

Airport sector to see Rs 1 lakh crore investment; Pawan Hans to start UDAN chopper flights in Assam

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India will see an of almost Rs 1 lakh crore in the airport sector over the next few years to both build new Airports and expand existing ones.
New airports targeted to be built in the next five years include Navi Mumbai; Vijayapura, Hassan andShivamoggain Karnataka; Noida (Jewar) in UP; Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat, and Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh, Union minister for state for aviation General V K Singh (retired).

Modernisation projects are underway at the existing Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Guwahati, Ahmedabad and Mangaluru airports. Also, the government plans to develop 100 airports by 2024 under RCS-UDAN.