Rs 1,500 crore will help youths, women: Northeast industry

bodies in the northeast have hailed theUnion Budgetfor earmarking Rs 1,500 crore for development initiatives, which they said will enable livelihood activities for youths and Women in the region.

The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has termed it an extremely Growth-centric budget that they felt every industry needed amid a pandemic and to achieve fast recovery of their respective businesses.

As almost 99% of all enterprises in the northeast come under the MSME category now, AbhijitBarooah, chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), northeast, was hopeful that the budget will give a push to the MSMEs.

‘Nagaland’s adult HIV positivity 1.6%’

Nagaland’sadult HIV positivity ratestands at 1.61%, the second highest in the country, as against the national Average of 0.22%.

Y Kikheto Sema, commissioner and secretary,Nagaland Health and family welfare department, said this while flagging off six mobile integrated counselling and testing centre vehicles for the districts of Kiphire, Phek, Peren, Dimapur, Mokokchung and Zunheboto at the health and family welfare department directorate in Kohima.

Sema said understanding that Nagaland is one of the states of HIV andAIDSepidemics, the Centre has considered replacing all old vehicles.

Arunachal’s 2021 of infra push, climate declaration, China face-offThe Arunachal Pradesh government threw much of its weight behind reinvigorating infrastructure and envisioning climate-resilient development in 2021, a year in which the frontier state also made headlines for alleged Chinese intrusion into its territory. The state government has taken up a comprehensive project to build infrastructure in villages in borderlands to put a check on migration from the remote ice-clad areas.It has already submitted a Rs 4,000-crore proposal to the Union Home Ministry as part of the plan.The project aims at building roads, health centres and educational institutions, besides electrifying villages, improving mobile connectivity and water supply.

Arunachal Pradesh’s endeavour to establish all-weather connectivity got a shot in the arm in February, with the Centre approving road construction projects of 598 km at an estimated cost of Rs 1,100 crore. During the year, the ministry, as part of its Indo-China Border Roads (ICBR) project, also awarded six road stretches in Arunachal Pradesh to the National Highways Development Corporation on a nomination basis, entailing an expenditure of around Rs 5,000 crore.

80% pupils in 3 northeast states walk to school; in Goa, only 20% do

About 80% of the school students in Nagaland, Meghalaya andMizoram, characterised by difficult terrains and remoteness, walk to school while nearly same the Percentage of students in Goa either take the bus, family vehicle or ride bicycles to school.

The Foundational Learning Study report 2022 compiled by theUnion ministry of educationand National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) show that against the national Average of 55% of students walking to school, 84% walk to school in Nagaland, followed by 80% each in Meghalaya and Mizoram. On the other side of the spectrum, only a little over 20% students in Goa walk to school. In the national capital, 50% go to school on foot.

In Nagaland, 9% of students travel to and from school in private four-wheelers or two or three-wheelers while 3% go in school buses, 2% use public transport and the 1% go to school on bicycles.

In Mizoram and Meghalaya, the report said schools are able to provide transportation facility to only 1% and 2% students respectively, while 3% and 4% students respectively avail public transport to attend school.

In Mizoram, 11% of students commute in their own two or three-wheeler vehicles while 3% travel in their family four-wheelers in both Meghalaya and Mizoram. In Meghalaya, the percentage of students going to school in privately owned two or three-wheelers is 5%.

Forensic University to be set up in Tripura

The Centre has sanctioned the setting up of a full fledged National Forenic Science University (NFSU) in Tripura and forensic studies up to the post graduate level will begin in the present academic session in a temporary campus here, state Higher Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said.

The central government has approved a proposal of the for setting up a National Forensic Science University in Tripura and the process for setting up the university has already started. Pending the construction of a full-fledged campus at Srinagar area here, academic courses up to master degree level will start soon within the present academic session.

The state government has already allotted 49.2 acres at Srinagar area for setting up the permanent campus. Rs 100 crore will be invested for the NFSU, Tripura campus in the first phase.

The Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) has launched a regular Jungle Tea Toy Train Safari on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Route.

Toy-train safari will run from Siliguri junction to Rongtong station in West Bengal.

This is the NRFs second attempt to attract tourists and improve tourism business in Darjeeling Himalayan RAILWAY (DHR).

Existing direct DHR Toy train service was discontinued for one and a half years due to covid-19 pandemic.

DREAM to make Meghalaya drug free

In a significant milestone in Meghalayas fight against drug abuse and trafficking,DREAM(Drug Reduction, Elimination & Action Mission) was launched by chief ministerConrad K. Sangmaduring a function organised by theMeghalaya Policeand social welfare department on Monday. The theme of the programme was People First: Stop Stigma & Discrimination, Strengthen Prevention.

The vision of the targeted mission is to build a drug- free Meghalaya that leverages culture and communities through a multifaceted coordinated strategy to eliminate the incidence of substance use in the state.

Assam: NE has potential to lead country in exports, Apeda

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda), which has been helpingAssamfarmers get international markets for their natural, organic and GI-tagged Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture products, said the northeast has the potential to lead the country in exports.
Several consignments of litchi, pumpkin and Assam lemon (commonly known as kaji nemu in Assamese) were exported by Apeda from the state to different countries.

The state agriculture department under the aegis of Apeda held a conference on Friday focusing on the export potential of natural, organic and -certified agro-products here. The prime objective was to create an international market link for the farmers or the producers of the region.

Apeda has also planned to facilitate capacity building to officials of the agriculture department. The selected officials would be sent in batches toKarnataka,Maharashtraand Gujarat.