Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

ISI threat looms large in Asom, NE: Gogoi New Delhi: The plans of ninety per cent of the operations conducted in Asom by terrorists were hatched in the neighbouring countries, said Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at the Chief Ministers’ conference on internal security at New Delhi on Thursday. “One of the most serious problems that Asom is faced with is the aid that various anti-national groups of the State receive from some inimical forces from across the porous international borders. Almost all such groups have training camps and safe havens in some of the neighbouring countries,” Gogoi said, and added that the threat from Islamic fundamentalists and agencies of Pakistan were being controlled from across the border. “The North-east has become a hub of espionage activities for agencies such as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan,” Gogoi said. Gogoi said the State Government has adopted a four-pronged strategy -— counter-intelligence and counter-insurgency operations, encourag...

Mizo varsity signs agreement with UNCTAD: Aizawl, Dec 20: The Mizoram University’s Economic department has signed a two-year agreement with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for trade-related research in the state. According to the agreement, signed on Wednesday at the University campus here, two individuals will be given doctoral research fellowship (DRF) with a monthly salary of Rs 12,000 and another two individuals will be given post-doctoral research fellowship (PDRF) at the monthly salary of Rs 20,000. The agreement was signed at a seminar on ‘Introduction to trade data bases and modelling of international trade’, attended by UNCTAD officials from Geneva and New Delhi, and researchers from Kolkata and Manipur. The University officials stated that if the varsity and the UNCTAD could work together for two-years, Rs 42 lakhs would be handed over to the University by UNCTAD during the two-year course. Source: United News of India (UNI)

New Delhi, Dec 19: States of the North-east on Wednesday urged the central government to allocate sufficient funds for infrastructure development in the region. Addressing the National Development Council (NDC) meeting here, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said new thrust should be given to promote border trade with South East Asian countries for sustained economic development of the North-eastern region. “A new thrust needs to be given to the promotion of border trade under the Look East Policy,” he said. Rio said opening up of trade with South East Asian countries would not only boost the economy, but also remove the sense of isolation among the people. He said an expressway should be built along the strategic Indo-Myanmar border which will open up the area for trade and economic activities. "The Highway will not only open up the area for trade and economic development, but will also serve as the highway for patrolling the international border, and for checking of illegal tr...

Rebels to camp in New Delhi again: Imphal, Dec 14: Refusing to retreat from their efforts to oust O Ibobi Singh from chief ministership and to put further pressure on the Congress high command at the Centre, the rebel Congress MLAs who were camping in Imphal since a few days back will again shift to the national capital, New Delhi, on Saturday. Meanwhile, chief minister O Ibobi Singh who left the state capital on Friday on an official tour outside the state handed over the charge of chief ministerial duties to the senior most minister, Th Debendra. The chief minister has already reached Guwahati along with his wife Landhoni on Friday. Confirming the shifting of the dissident camp to the national capital, a source in the rebel camp said that air tickets had been booked with the Jet Airways for the MLAs in the rebel camp on Friday. MPCC president Gaikhangam will also leave for New Delhi on Sunday (December 16) to join the camp, the source said. However, four ministers including Th Debend...