Rahul Gandhi (Congress leader) promised in a video that Article 244 (A) of the Constitution will be implemented to safeguard the interests of the people in most tribal areas of Assam. Highlights: Article 244(A) of the Constitution:

Article 244(A) of the Constitution allows the establishment of “autonomous states” in certain tribal areas of Assam.

The Congress government inserted it into the Constitution in 1969.

It also includes the provisions of the legislature and the Council of Ministers.

The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)) is a special provision that allows the implementation of decentralized and greater Governance in certain tribal areas in the northeast through autonomous councils managed by elected representatives. If we talk about Assam, then Karbi Anglong, West Karbi, Dima Hasao and the mountainous areas of the Bodo territories are all within the provisions of the sixth schedule.

On the other hand, Article 244(A) provides more autonomous power for tribal areas.

Assam eyes Guinness record with 11,000 Bihu participants on April 14

Assamwill attempt a shot at Guinness World Records for the “largestBihu dancein a single venue” by over 11,000 participants on April 14 here with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The will also invite governors and CMs of all states and all the ambassadors and high commissioners of the G20 countries and Southeast Asian nations in India to witness the spectacular programme, Sarma said.

The event will be held atSarusajai Athletics Stadiumhere on the first day of theAssamese New Yearand the start of the seven-day-longBohag Bihu festivities.

97 Assam elephants were leased to other states since 2006

The state assembly was informed on Thursday by the government that since 2006, about 97 elephants have been sent outside of the state. Most of these elephants were sent for religious activities and many over-stayed there even after the completion of the lease period.

Replying to a question by Nazira MLA and leader of the opposition, Debabrata Saikia, state forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary informed the state assembly that all these are domestic elephants and were transported with permission from the state forest department. The elephants were transported to states across the country including Bihar, Gujarat, UP, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Nadu and Karnataka.

Assam to start leopard census in non-protected forest areas

In a first-of-its-kind initiative,Assamwill conduct aleopardcensus in the non-protected forest areas from Tuesday and the exercise will continue for the next six months.

North Kamrup Forest Division has taken the initiative and will cover an area of 100 sq km, which will include the leopard-dense areas such as Sila Reserve Forest Changsari, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education And Research (NIPER) campus and All India Institute of Medical Science (Aiims) campus in Amingaon in Kamrup district.

He added that the counting would be done through the camera-trapping method. As many as 50 cameras would be installed in the identified areas for six months. “However, we will get a figure about the leopard Population within two months. But we will keep the cameras installed for six months for a better monitoring. Data from each camera will be extracted every seven days. The census will help us get data on leopard population outside the ,” he added.

In order to check trafficking of illicit drugs, it is felt necessary to check all vehicles entering into Assam from Mizoram. Such vehicles will be thoroughly checked by personnel of Assam Police at the point of entry at all Assam-Mizoram borders,” said the order.

The vehicles, it said, will be released only after the officer concerned is satisfied that no drugs were carried in them.

The Assam government said that within a span of two months, 912 cases have been registered and 1,560 persons arrested and huge quantities of illicit drugs confiscated.

PM lauds efforts to boost petrochemicals sector in Assam & Northeast


Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the first methanol consignment to Bangladesh from Assam Petrochemical Plant, an effort towards establishing Assam as a major exporter of petrochemicals.
In a big push towards establishing Assam as a major exporter of petrochemicals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on July 1 flagged off the first methanol consignment to Bangladesh from Assam Petrochemicals Plant in Namrup. The Chief Minister also virtually laid the foundation for the development of Joypur Chariali and Namrup Sonari Tiniali roads to facilitate the movement of industrial outputs from Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizers Corporation Limited, Assam Petrochemicals Limited and Namrup Thermal Plant.

Book highlights legacy of Assamese polymath Sankaradeva

A new book seeks to highlight the uniqueness of Assam’s medieval polymath Srimanta Sankaradeva’s multifaceted contributions in various fields and how he shaped the sociocultural fabric of the state.

These articles deal with the Vaishnavite saint’s contributions, which are quite relevant for knowing Assam’s remarkable contributions in the spiritual and literary Ecosystems.

Though many diverse issues mentioned in the book apparently seem not to be linked together, they actually are interlinked as Sankaradeva worked in all these areas, according to the author.

The diverse aspects also reflect on the lives and culture of Assam, the characteristic contributions of its people as shaped by Srimanta Sankaradeva. Study of the contributions of Srimanta Sankaradeva gives us a holistic understanding about the Assamese Society,” the book says.

It features the institutions created by Sankaradeva and also does comparative studies. Matters like aesthetics, feminism, Philosophy, etc, as seen by Sankaradeva, are covered in the analyses.

Sankaradeva was a pioneer in the resurgence movement of the Indian regional languages and can be considered the first playwright in all the modern Indian languages.

Assam sports journalists’ body names Lovlina Borgohain sportsperson of the year

Olympic bronze medallistLovlina Borgohainwas named for the ‘Best Sportsperson of the Year Award 2021’ byAssam Sports Journalists Association(ASJA).

Young swimmer Shivangi Sarma and weightlifter Sidhanta Gogoi were named for Nripendra Narayna Singha ‘Best Junior Sportspersons of the Year Award’, in a release by the journalists’ body.

The ASJA said it is resuming its annual sports Awards after a gap of few years due to various constraints, and the 2021 edition will be held here on January 11