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Hello Jammu News at 4:30:00 PM 0



Guwahati, Mar 22 :   A journalist of a news TV channel was attacked with knives and seriously injured in an attack in a restaurant Ganeshguri locality here, police said Friday.


Chakrapani Parashar, a journalist of satellite news channel News18/AssamNE, was stabbed by some workers of a restaurant adjacent to his office when he was on duty on Thursday night, police said.

Police have detained four accused in connection with the attack.

Parashar sustained serious injuries in various parts of his body and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he is stated to be out of danger, the police said.

Trouble began on Thursday afternoon when Parashar went with his unit to cover a fight between the main accused, who runs a restaurant in the same building as the news channel and some youths while playing Holi, News18 Assam/NE Deputy Manager (Operations) Aparup Barua said.

"Though the news was not telecast, the restaurant owner started an argument with Parashar for covering the incident. In the evening when about five to six of our journalists, including Parashar, went to the restaurant to settle the matter amicably, the accused took out a dagger and stabbed him repeatedly," Barua said.

The accused has a criminal record and was arrested earlier too, he said.

Various political parties - national and regional and journalists organisations have condemned the attack on Parashar.

The Electronic Media Forum Assam (EMFA) has expressed concern over the attack and demanded stringent actions against the culprits. It also urged the state government to ensure security to media persons by enacting a special protection law at the earliest.

In a statement here on Friday, EMFA claimed that increasing instances of physical assaults are being reported from various parts of the country and the Centre should take the matter seriously.

It also appealed to all media persons across the country to be united over the issue.          [Agencies]
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Hello Jammu News at 10:52:00 PM 0



Guwahati, Feb 17 :  Launching a blistering attack on the Congress, BJP president Amit Shah said Sunday that the opposition party cannot "nurture" the country's democracy and for it only "family matters".


Naming Congress leaders from the Nehru-Gandhi family, Shah claimed that the oldest party of the country does not have "internal" democracy.

"Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi -- I am not mentioning the future name. No question of involving workers at all. Such parties cannot nurture the country's democracy and fulfil its objectives," the BJP chief said at a party meet here.

Taking a dig at the Congress, he said the party, which does not have "internal democracy", cannot strengthen the country's democracy.

"That is why, only one family ruled the country for 55 years... Nehru-Gandhi family of the Congress ruled these 55 years. But what has the country got?" Shah said.

Laying the foundation stone of a nine-storey building that will house the new state headquarters of the BJP in Assam, Shah, in an apparent dig at the Congress, said that "brain, hard work, patriotism do not matter, only family matters".

Stating that such practices are not prevalent in the BJP, he cited his own example, explaining how he rose to the position of national president from a booth worker who put up posters in 1982.

"Our democracy is the biggest in the world. Born in a poor tea seller's house, (prime minister) Narendra Modi is the leader of the world's biggest democracy," he said.

Shah said many political parties across India are working in different ways in the democratic system, but the BJP is different from all as it has preserved its internal democracy even today.

"In every three years, we conduct elections from booth level to that of the national president. That is why the BJP has not become any family party, but remains a party of workers only. BJP has become a national party, not a regional party. It never got split after poll results.

"Father, son or daughter, son-in-law, these things never happen in the BJP. Many parties are just family parties," he said.

Shah claimed that when Modi got the mandate to form government, 60 crore people did not have bank accounts, 18 crore had no gas cylinders, 10 crore were without houses, 2.5 crore had no electricity and 10 crore were bereft of toilets at homes.

The BJP chief said the Modi government has worked to solve these issues.

"We have to win the 2019 elections not for the BJP, but for the development of India and Assam," he said.

                                     Agencies
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Hello Jammu News at 7:15:00 PM 0


Guwahati, Dec 14 : The Gauhati HC has directed the Assam government's health department to ensure examination of a thalassemic patient and issue a disability certificate being sought by her to apply for a UGC fellowship to pursue her PhD studies.

The court observed that the petitioner is suffering from thalassemia, which is a recognised specified disability as per the schedule to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

Besides, she also belongs to the OBC category.

Hearing the case, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan also directed the UGC authorities on Tuesday to consider the case of the petitioner and extend the deadline of the application for her by another seven days from December 24 to December 31, 2018.

The judge directed the petitioner to appear before the joint director of health services Kamrup(Metro) within seven days for examination.

If she satisfies the required criteria, the certificate of disability should be issued to the petitioner within seven days from the date of appearance.

Sabrina Begum, the petitioner, is a thalassemic patient and a PhD scholar of 2017 of Tezpur Central University. 

She had tried to apply for the National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities (2012-2017) granted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) but was not able to produce a disability certificate supporting her application.

Sabrina, who has lost both her parents, approached the Disability Law Unit-North East of the NGO 'Shishu Sarothi' who filed a representation on her behalf before the directorate of health services requesting it to consider her case and issue a disability certificate on an urgent basis.

As there was no response from the health department, the NGO went on to file a writ petition in the Gauhati HC on December 3.

The petitioner's counsel submitted before the court that the health and social welfare departments would be relevant for certification under Section 57 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 though primarily it would be the health department.

Following a query by the HC, the health department counsel produced a copy of a notification issued last year by the secretary to the department stating that the joint director of health services of respective districts were the certifying authority under Section 57 of the Disability Act, 2016.

Justice Bhuyan after hearing the arguments said that as the petitioner is under treatment at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, the competent authority to issue a certificate is the joint director health services of Kamrup Metro district.

After due examination, the joint director of health services of Kamrup metro district must issue the certificate if the petitioner satisfies the criteria, the judge said.    PTI
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Hello Jammu News at 12:39:00 PM 0


Guwahati, Sept 17 :  A bullet-riddled body of a Lance Naik of Assam Police, who was posted at the chief minister's official residence here, was found in his barrack Sunday, a senior police official said.


It was not immediately known whether it was a case of suicide or accidental firing from the AK-47 rifle issued to the Lance Naik, identified as Sukleswar Kathar (40), Guwahati Police Commissioner Pradip Saloi told reporters.

The incident took place around 8 pm Sunday when the Lance Naik was alone at his barrack at the chief minister's official residence. His duty had ended at 2 pm.

After hearing gunshots, security personnel deployed at the chief minister's residence rushed to the barrack to find the Lance Naik lying in a pool of blood with bullet injuries on his stomach, Saloi said.

Five empty cartridges were found beside his AK-47 rifle.

Kathar was rushed to the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Civil Hospital here where he was declared dead, Saloi said. 

The cause of Kathar's death will be known only after an inquiry is conducted by the Director General of Police, Dr Kula Saikia, as ordered by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the police commissioner said.PTI

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Hello Jammu News at 1:40:00 PM 0
Guwahati, Aug 28 : Rain water gushed through the ceiling inside the passenger lounge area of Guwahati airport following heavy showers yesterday but no flight operations were affected, an airport official said today.

Torrential downpour from 8.45 pm to 10 pm caused water to enter through the newly expanded canopy of the passenger lounge, P K Tailong, the manager of the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, told PTI.

"We had recently expanded the canopy and it was an initial teething problem. I was present there and it was immediately attended to," Tailong said.

Passengers claimed they were drenched by the rain water and many of them had to move away with their luggage.

When asked whether the luggage x-ray screening machines were affected, the official said that no machinery was damaged.

"All the scheduled flights operated as usual last night," the airport manager said.PTI

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Hello Jammu News at 6:31:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Aug 27: Nearly 50 per cent of all adults in Assam are tobacco users, according to a survey.

Around 48.2 per cent of all adults in Assam, of whom 62.9 per cent are men and 32.9 per cent women, either consume smoke tobacco or use smokeless tobacco, the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2 (GATS2) said.

The survey found that 13.3 per cent of all adults in Assam currently smoke tobacco and 41.7 per cent of the adults use smokeless tobacco.

Noting that 'khaini' (chewing tobacco with lime) and betel quid with tobacco are the most commonly used tobacco products, it said 23.1 per cent of the adults use khaini and 19.0 per cent use betel quid with tobacco.

The mean age at initiation of tobacco use has increased from 18.1 years in GATS1 to 18.5 years in GATS2.

Consumer Legal Protection Forum, (CLPF) Assam, an NGO that has initiated several tobacco related intervention programmes in the state, today said the state has shown a significant rise in tobacco consumption from 39.3 per cent during the last survey in 2009-10 to 48.2 per cent now.

The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use has increased significantly by 9 percentage points, secretary of the CLPF Ajay Hazarika said.

The ascent in tobacco consumption in Assam is an indicator that government needs to strengthen tobacco control efforts and people need more awareness on the health and financial burden that tobacco use brings with it, Hazarika said.

"The rise in number of tobacco users especially smokeless is a cause of worry because it is easily accessible to children and youth. We are working in the state through our programmes to protect the public, especially youth and children from exposure to tobacco use," said Ashim Sanyal, Chief Operating Officer of Consumer VOICE, a NGO.

According to the GATS2 survey, tobacco use is the leading single preventable cause of deaths worldwide. Each year an estimated seven million deaths are attributed to the use of tobacco

It said India is the third largest tobacco producing nation and second largest consumer of tobacco world-wide. (PTI)

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Hello Jammu News at 5:06:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Aug 10: Four policemen were suspended and six home guards discharged from service in connection with the death of an undertrial who had allegedly escaped from police custody and was found hanging from a tree near Panikhaiti outpost, the police said today.

The action against the policemen and home guards of Panikhaiti outpost in Kamrup metropolitan district in Assam was taken yesterday with immediate effect, they said.

Guwahati City Commissioner of Police Hiren Nath suspended the four policemen of Panikhaiti outpost where the incident had occurred in the night of August seven, a police spokesman said.

Kamrup metropolitan district magistrate has already ordered an enquiry on August eight and directed the Circle Officer, Chandrapur Revenue Circle, Pallab Jyoti Nath to find out the circumstances leading to the death of the 23-year old prisoner.

Nath has been directed to submit his report within 15 days for submission to the National Human Rights Commission and Assam Human Rights Commission, mandatory for the death of any undertrial prisoner.

Chandan Bharali was arrested on August seven for allegedly harassing a girl on social media and was taken to Panikhaiti outpost after being remanded to police custody for three days by the chief judicial magistrate.

The accused was found missing the same night and the police claimed that he had escaped with his handcuffs on.

A search was launched and he was found hanging from a tree in a jungle, about 150 metres away from the Panikhaiti outpost, the police said. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 6:01:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jul 30: Over 40 lakh peoples' fate remains in limbo with the Centre today declining to comment on their citizenship status after exclusion of the names from the "complete draft" of National Register of Citizens (NRC), which contains names of 2.89 crore eligible persons.

At a press conference here, Registrar General of India Sailesh announced that 2,89,83,677 people were found to be eligible for inclusion in the complete draft of the ambitious NRC out of a total 3,29,91,384 applicants.

Around 40.07 lakh applicants, however, did not find a place in the document, touted to be a proof of Assamese identity.

"This is a historic day for India and Assam. The exercise is unparalleled in the size. It is a legal process done under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court," Sailesh said.

Asked about the reasons for excluding names of around 40 lakh applicants, NRC State Coordinator Prateek Hajela, who was also present at the press meet, said, "We are not going to make the reasons public. It will be informed individually. They can find the reasons by visiting NRC Sewa Kendras (NSK)."

He, however, clarified that people belonging to four categories were not included in the draft as their eligibility were put on hold by the Supreme Court.

"These four categories are 'D' (doubtful) voters, descendants of 'D' voters, references pending at Foreigners Tribunals and descendants of the references pending at Foreigners Tribunals," Hajela said.

Without sharing further details, he stated that there are names which were included in the first draft but have been deleted from the complete one and they will be intimated through individual letters in the coming days.

When inquired if any person, who appeared in the complete draft, could be excluded from the final list once the process of claims and objections were over, the RGI replied in the affirmative.

Talking about the status of people who were excluded from the list, Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary (North East) Satyendra Garg said, "We are not calling them Indians or non-Indians. At present, no action will be taken as the claims, objections and correction process has to be undertaken."

The authorities will not forward any name to the Foreigners Tribunals on the basis of the complete draft and the government's focus is to maintain peace and order in the society, he added.

Allaying fears, Sailesh also said, "It is only a draft NRC, not the final one. The claims and objections process will begin on August 30 and continue till September 28. Adequate, ample scope will be given to people for their objections. No genuine Indian citizens should have any fear."

He also said that a status quo will be maintained until the final NRC is published, the timing of which will be decided after assessing the volume of review applications.

Assam is the first Indian state where the NRC is being updated after 1951, with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date, to include names of genuine Indian citizens.

The first draft of the NRC was published during the intervening nights of December 31 and January 1 this year, containing 1.9 crore names.

Hajela accepted that some documents, which were sent for verification to other states, did not return and the NRC authorities had to device their own mechanism for confirming the details.

Asked about alleged "campaigns" against the NRC, RGI Sailesh said, "We have taken up this propaganda issue against NRC with the Centre. The government has informed the agencies concerned, which are taking necessary steps."

The RGI also told reporters that the Centre had approved a total outlay of Rs 1,220 crore for the NRC. The groundwork for this mammoth exercise began in December 2013 and so far over 40 hearings have taken place in the Supreme Court in the last 3.5 years.

The process of filing applications started in May 2015 and altogether 6.56 crore documents were received from 68.31 lakh families across Assam.

During the updating process of the NRC, a total of 62,614 people were involved, of which 52,038 were government employees.

Over 50 software applications were developed for the process by IT professionals, while 102 people in the NRC call centre received 10.68 lakh calls during the application phase.

Minutes after release of the final draft, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the exercise was carried out in an "impartial and transparent" manner.

"No coercive action will be taken against anyone. Hence, there is no need for anyone to panic," he told reporters in New Delhi.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit out at the Centre, accusing it of resorting to "vote bank politics".

"This divide and rule policy will finish the country", she said.

Banerjee also claimed that names of people who have passports, Aadhaar and voter cards have also been excluded from the final draft. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 2:20:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jul 28: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has appreciated the use of his signature romantic pose of outstretched arms by the Assam Police to create traffic awareness in the state.

Responding to an Assam police officer's tweet, Shah Rukh, popularly known as 'Badshah of Bollywood', tweeted yesterday "the best message I think this pose has conveyed. Please please follow traffic rules."

Jalukbari ACP Ponjit Dowerah had on Thursday on his twitter handle posted a graphic with the message: "The universal pose of @iamsrk has touched all down the ages, but please read the message also #FollowTrafficRules @MorigaonPolice @Darrangpol @cachar_police @KamrupPolice".

The graphic has a silhouette of 'King Khan' with one of his outstretched hands holding a placard reading "Traffic niyam ka kripaya palan kare" (please follow traffic rules) and a vehicle with a driver in front.

The Assam Police has been using the social media to create awareness about social issues and also on road safety. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 12:57:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jul 28: Nobody's rights and privileges will be curtailed if his or her name does not figure in the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to be published on July 30, senior Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said.

After the final publication, there will be claims, objections and correction procedure and people will be able to avail these services, he told a press conference here yesterday.

"A draft is a draft. Nobody's rights and privileges will be taken away on the basis of the draft NRC. No one will be sent to any detention camp," the state finance minister said.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had on Thursday stated that no one will be treated as foreigner if his or her name does not figure in the final draft.

Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia told that the police are carrying out community engagement programmes to avoid misunderstanding and keeping a strict watch on social media so that no fake news or hate messages are circulated.

When asked about the preparedness of the police force, Saikia said the Assam Police is fully prepared and alert to maintain peace and order in the society at any cost after the final NRC draft is out.

The Centre has already sent over 22,000 paramilitary forces personnel to beef up security in Assam and adjoining states. The union home ministry has also asked the Assam government not to take any action against those whose names do not figure in the NRC.

Meanwhile, several neighbouring states have kept their police forces on alert to thwart possible infiltration of illegal immigrants post-July 30.

Assam shares its boundaries with Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura.

The NRC is being updated with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date for legitimate claim to Indian citizenship in Assam.

The first draft of the NRC was published during the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, containing 1.9 crore names out of a total applications of 3.29 crore people in Assam.

Assam is the only state in the country having an NRC which was first prepared in 1951. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 7:27:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jul 27: Senior Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said nobody's rights and privileges will be curtailed if his or her name is not included in the final NRC draft, to be published on July 30.

"A Draft is a draft. Nobody's rights and privileges will be taken away on the basis of the draft NRC. No one will be sent to any detention camp," Sarma told a press conference.

After the final publication, there will be claims, objection and correction procedure and people will be able to avail these services, said Sarma, the finance minister of the state.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal yesterday said no one will be teated as foreigner if his or her name does not feature in the final draft.

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being updated with March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date for legitimate claim to Indian citizenship in Assam.

The first draft of the NRC was published during the intervening nights of December 31 and January 1 this year, containing 1.9 crore names out of a total applications of 3.29 crore people in Assam.

Assam is the only state in the country having an NRC which was first prepared in 1951. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 6:50:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jul 25: A girl who had posted on Facebook that she was going to commit suicide was saved by the police in the nick of time after the social media giant's US-based headquarters alerted them.

"Info was received from Facebook last night that a minor girl had updated her status as- 'I am gonna to commit suicide today'. The child was located in 30 mins & her safety ensured. She & her family were counselled. She is safe and in their care," the Assam Police said in a tweet.

"The information was received from Facebook headquarters. A life was saved," police officials said.

The post was later deleted on police advice. (PTI)

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Hello Jammu News at 1:15:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jul 17: Activists campaigning against superstition have welcomed the Presidential nod to the Assam Anti-Witch Hunting Bill but say policing alone cannot deal with the problem which has to overcome by creating awareness in society.

The Assam Assembly had unanimously passed the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2015 on August 13, 2015 and had forwarded it to the Centre for final approval. The President of India gave his assent only last month.

Birubala Rabha, who has been crusading against witch hunting, said it is was very good step but the most important thing was to make people aware and strict enforcement of laws.

"We have been working our whole life against all odds without any support from law. But now because of this Act, those involved in killing people by branding them as witches will think twice before committing the crime," she told.

Rabha and her NGO 'Mission Birubala' have been working in severe hostile situations in remote places where villagers have tried to kill the 'iron lady' by branding her as a witch on several occasions.

Assam Additional Director General of Police (CID) Anil Kumar Jha said between 2001 and 2017, 193 people -- 114 women and 79 men -- have been branded as witches and killed across Assam.

"Police have registered 202 cases during this period. The worst is Kokrajhar district, where 56 cases were reported. It is followed by Chirang with 24, Udalguri with 15 and Baksa with 11 cases," he added.

All the four districts comprise the Bodoland Territorial Area districts.

Jha said, "The new Act is of course a positive step for society to tackle the witch-hunting menace. But the solution of witch hunting problem lies in the active participation of all stakeholders of society."

Renowned theatre personality and film maker Sitanath Lahkar said it will not be so easy to eliminate the heinous crime.

"This is an ugliest form of superstition and has been continuing for thousands of years. Enacting this Act is a real welcome step, but we cannot eliminate witch hunting only by police method. Witch hunting has no reason at all and is shrouded with darkness of superstition, which has to be overcome by society itself," he added.

Lahkar's widely-appreciated 'Aei Maatite' is the first Assamese full-length feature film on this burning problem and is being screened at various rural places with the help of local groups.

He has also written a few stage and street plays on the witch hunting menace and staged them across the state with the help of his group -- Samahar Natya Gosthee.

Welcoming the President's move, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, the General Secretary of the powerful All Assam Students' Union (AASU), which has been working for creating awareness among the people, said providing basic infrastructure in remote areas is essential to eliminate this menace from society.

"It is really unfortunate that even in the 21st Century, such incidents are taking place. It is a shame on our civilisation. Only law cannot eradicate such a practice, which is so deep rooted. People must be given education and government must launch a massive awareness drive," he added.

Gogoi also demanded the government provide facilities such as healthcare, drinking water and schools in areas where witch hunting menace is rampant.

The Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act, 2015 makes every offence related to witch hunting as cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable, making provisions for imprisonment up to seven years along with a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh for identifying and calling a person a witch.

This will come with Section 302 of the IPC if someone is killed after branding as a witch.

The punishment for leading a person to commit suicide after intimidating, stigmatising, defaming and accusing as witch may be extended to life imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 5 lakh.

The Act also talks about various measures that the administration and police need to initiate along with NGOs and civil society to educate people about witch hunting.

Besides, the Act said the fine realised as punishment for an offence shall be paid to the victim or his/her next of kin as compensation by following due procedures. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 7:14:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jul 14: Assam government is committed towards providing quality health care to the people of the state and Atal Amrit Abhiyan has been a major move in this direction, state Health and Family Welfare Minister Pijush Hazarika said today.

Stating that nearly 1.6 crore people of the state have received health cards under this scheme, Hazarika said it is targeted to cover nearly 92 per cent of the total population within the next six months.

Inaugurating a free mega health camp here under the aegis of Atal Amrit Abhiyan, he laid emphasis on the scheme covering nearly 60 hospitals across the country and about 4,600 patients from the state receiving quality health care since April last.

The minister congratulated the Asha workers present in the camp for their commitment and contribution to the health care sector.

The free mega health camp was organised to register patients for health cards under the scheme and free health check-up under different medical departments.

The participating hospitals in the camp were from Gurugran, Kolkata and Guwahati.

Atal Amrit Abhiyan provides comprehensive coverage and cashless medical treatment benefits upto Rs 2 lakh to every individual from BPL and low income households across Assam for treatment of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, kidney diseases, neurological conditions, neonatal diseases and nurns. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 2:03:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jul 13: Bhojpuri singer Kalpana Patowary, who hails from Assam, has joined the BJP in the presence of its president Amit Shah and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi in Patna.

After joining the party yesterday, Patowary told "I am impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision and leadership. I'll use politics as a tool, medium and power to serve more and reach out. BJP for me is an ideology."

"I have not joined BJP for contesting elections as of now, but I am ready to help the party in every possible way through my art", said the multi-lingual singer who has also lent her voice to many Bollywood films.

"Even though I join politics, my field of work will be the same - that is music and more importantly archiving our folk musical heritage", said the singer who is popularly known as 'Bhojpuri Queen'. (PTI)

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Hello Jammu News at 2:45:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jul 11: The Assam Police have started fining people for smoking in public places, selling tobacco products to minors and advertising nicotine-based items, in violation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003.

As part of the drive, which was taken up by the police stations since yesterday, shop owners were also fined for selling cigarette packets with inadequate display of warnings and setting up stalls for selling tobacco products within 100 yards of schools.

Dr Ramandeep Kaur, DCP East Guwahati, said that enforcing the Act would go a long way in reducing prevalence of tobacco use among people.

"We hope this campaign will increase public awareness and help in making our public places and educational institutes tobacco-free," the DCP said.

The police action was taken under the direction of the Guwahati Commissioner of Police Hiren Chandra Nath, Kaur said.

It was being done with the objective of keeping the youth away from tobacco addiction and preventing non-smokers from the bad effects of inhaling passive smoke, Kaur said.

The police officials who are involved in the enforcement of COTPA had participated in a training conducted by Sambandh Health Foundation (SHF) during which they had taken a pledge to support the cause of tobacco control in the state.

Assam has more than one crore tobacco users of whom 13.3 lakh are cigarette users, 18.8 lakh bidi users and 91 lakh smokeless tobacco users, SHF sources said.

Pointing out that over Rs 540 crore is spent annually for treatment of tobacco-related diseases in Assam for persons aged between 35 years and 69 years, the SHF sources said the prevalence of tobacco has gone up from 39.3 per cent in 2010 to 48.2 per cent in 2017.

Dr Ashok Das, a cancer surgeon at B Barooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) here and patron of Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV) said, "The enforcement of COPTA by the police in Guwahati is commendable."

As per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2017 in Assam, 32.9 per cent of people above 15 years, currently smoke or use smokeless tobacco. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 2:48:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jul 3: Assam government will merge the Directorate of Historical and Antiquarian Studies with the Directorate of Museum, officials said.

"The decision has been taken to bring in semblance with the mandate of both the Directorates so that the works of preservation, display, research and communication for the purpose of study, education and enjoyment of the cultural objects of this state can simulated and brought under single umbrella," an official release said yesterday.

In a meeting with the Department of Higher Education, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked the Education Minister to hold parleys with the Department of Culture and draw a blue-print and fix modalities to take the merger to its logical conclusion, it added.

Sonowal maintained that the merger will help to direct both the Directorates to a systematic and comprehensive method of research and collection of rare and old manuscripts along with others.

The meeting also decided to take the offices of the Chief Minister and Education Minister closer to college teachers and as a part of it, Sonowal and Education Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya will hold interactive meetings with 10,000 teachers across the state, the statement said.

"The interactive sessions have been aimed at taking into cognizance the issues of the college teachers and enable them to render their duties and bring in more improvement in the overall landscape of education in the state," it added.

In another decision, the state government announced to give bicycles to all the girl students for securing first division in HSLC Examinations.

To stimulate the employability of engineering and commerce graduates, 10 centres of excellence will be set up where industry bodies will be imparting training to the students as a part of Entrepreneurial Resource Programme. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 2:11:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jun 29: Union Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia has urged the Assam government to frame a holistic state export policy.

"Since Assam is an agrarian state, the potential of food processing sector is immense," Teaotia told Assam Chief Secretary T Y Das yesterday.

She asked the state government to frame a holistic export policy with focus on agri-based products and service sector like tourism, education, nursing and paramedical science, an official release said.

"Assam can be an educational hub for students from South East Asian nations and it would further create a pool of skilled manpower in nursing and paramedical sector which has a rising demand in European countries," she said.

The chief secretary said that a multi-departmental monitoring committee would be constituted to examine and enhance the export figures in the state, the release said.

Additional Chief Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Ravi Capoor said the department would soon prepare an export policy for Assam to boost trade and commerce in the state.

Assam's export items include black tea, oil and petroleum products and cement clinkers mainly to the UK, the USA, Germany, Egypt and Russia.

The Secretary, accompanied by a delegation from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, also interacted with stakeholders of export organisations and discussed issues of logistic, transportation, testing facility, banking and marketing. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 1:35:00 PM 0

Guwahati, Jun 29: A fake Facebook account of Assam Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia has been detected, a senior police officer said.

A fake Facebook account in the name of 'Kuladhar Saikia' was opened on June 11, but the DGP's original account is in the name of Kula Saikia, Guwahati Commissioner of Police Hiren Nath told reporters yesterday.

A case has been registered with the Panbazar police station and investigations are on, he said.

"We have taken the matter very seriously and expect to arrest the culprit soon," he said.

Earlier this month, a fake Facebook account was opened in the name of Nath. A man was arrested in this connection.

Nath has no Facebook account.

Both the fake Facebook accounts of the DGP and the Commissioner of Police had photographs of the police officials in their uniform.

Assam police has launched a campaign against the misuse of social media in the aftermath of the lynching of two men in Karbi Anglong district on June 8 and arrested 35 persons for spreading rumours and hate messages on social networking sites.

Assam Police has upgraded and strengthened its social media presence by recently launching its SMART Social Media Centre as a platform for engaging and providing information to the citizens. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 8:53:00 PM 0
Guwahati, Jun 23 : The flood situation in Assam, which had shown improvement over the last two days, has reversed with two more districts being affected by the rising waters, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said today.

Vast tracts of land in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts have been freshly inundated, taking the number of affected districts to six, an ASDMA report said.

A total of 2,22,792 people in 369 villages have been affected in the current wave of floods, it added.

The deluge has so far claimed 24 lives.

The flood-affected districts were Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Hojai, Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj, the ASDMA report said.

The three districts of Barak Valley -- Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj -- have been severely affected by the floods. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is currently on a visit to these areas to review the situation.

Karimganj is the worst-hit district with 1,55,792 people affected, the ASDMA said.

The authorities have set up 142 relief camps, where 27,871 people have taken shelter. Karimganj itself has 133 of these camps.

The floods had also damaged crops over 2,378 hectares of land and infrastructure, including roads, bridges and embankments, the report added.  PTI
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