PASIGHAT: The Pasighat district health department is going all out to control mosquito-transmitted diseases like malaria, dengue and recently detected Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in the district. Headed
Allegations are rife that the Block Development Officer (BDO) Madhu Sudhan Nath of Ruposi development block under Barpeta district has misappropriated a huge amount of Government fund meant for variou
Dr BK Mukhopadhyay
For the first time the Forest Department here implanted a microchip into a leopard so that it could be easily identified later.
Not just the famed one-horned rhino, but the dense forests sheltering it are also in danger in Asom, as poaching and deforestation continues unabated.
Asom Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today gave away appointment letters to as many as 3,548 unemployed youths of the State against technical and non-technical posts under the National Rural Health Mission
We talk of herds of wild elephants creating havoc in human habitats. But what about humans who encroach on land especially reserved for wildlife. This has come to light when Early Birds, an NGO working for conservation of wildlife went on a cattle vaccination programme to Chanaka and Bharoitari, both fringe villages of Pobitora wildlife sanctuary. These villages are behind the Burha Mayang hill range and have no road connectivity. The team members of the NGO said that they could see a few dwelling houses next to a wildlife sentry camp and around 100-120 such houses of semi-permanent nature had sprang up in the riverside char areas just opposite to the sentry camp. The NGO said that this kind of settlements is a potential threat to the sanctuary and demanded that the park authorities with the help of the Morigaon and Darrang district administration evict the encroachers. The Early Birds team during the programme vaccinated 412 cattle including buffaloes. A large number of free medicines were also distributed.
About 80,000 chickens and ducks were culled and over Rs 20 lakh given as compensation to the affected people in Asom during the recent culling operation undertaken to avert the outbreak of avian flu in the State, especially in the districts bordering West Bengal. State Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Minister Khorsing Ingti informed the Assembly today that though no bird flu case was reported in the State, preventive culling was undertaken in Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts. In his reply to separate questions in the House, Ingti said altogether 50,640 birds were culled in Kokrajhar and 29,069 birds in Dhubri, while Rs 20,50,210 was given away as compensation
The Assam Assembly today witnessed a ruckus during the discussion on the implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in the State during the Question Hour. Replying to questions, State Panchayat and Rural Development (P & RD) Minister Chandan Brahma said the scheme was being implemented in its true spirit, benefiting the poor rural masses. The Opposition members, however, alleged that massive corruption was going on in the name of allocation of job cards under the NREGA, with middlemen and contractors being involved in the scheme. AGPLP leader Chandra Mohan Patowary said: "Even people from families that have Government job holders have been given job cards.' AGP member Keshab Mahanta, CPI-M members Ananta Kalita and Uddhab Barman, CPI member Dhrupad Buragohain and BJP member Ranjit Dutta alleged massive corruption in the distribution of job cards. Brahma, however, refuted the allegations and asked the Opposition to bring discrepancies, if any, to his notice. He said that 14 districts of the State that were not covered by the NREGA till 2007-08 would be brought under the scheme from the next fiscal, thereby extending the benefits of the scheme to all districts of the State. The minister further said that of the total Rs 72,883.93 lakh available for NREGA implementation during 2007-08 (up to January 2008), Rs 34,223.44 lakh had been spent. For the year 2005-06, of the total Rs 25,147.79 lakh made available, Rs 10,519.65 lakh was spent, whereas for 2006-07, Rs 57,987.40 lakh of the available Rs 70,772.10 lakh was spent.
Asom Social Welfare Minister Ajanta Neog has today admitted on the floor of the State Assembly that the problem of undernourishment of children in the State is alarming, and it is a national problem. She, however, said the State Government will not compromise at any level when it comes to the supply of nutritious food for children. "We have taken it as a challenge,' she said. Replying to a call attention notice from AGP MLA Dr Kamala Kalita, Neog said: "Factors responsible for undernutrition of children are many. Funds and public awareness are a must for ensuring proper nutrition of children in the State.' She said all the funds released by the State Government and the Centre for supply of nutritious food for children have already been sent to the deputy commissioners for supply of nutritious food for children. "The supply of nutritious food for children has been decentralized, and the State Government has formed as many as 37,000 management committees to monitor the supply of such food for children,' Neog added.
The forest department seized four trucks of logs worth three lakhs and sealed illegal saw mills at Rohmoria. A team, led by Magistrate, Bipul Das, and Ranger of Dibrugarh forest Division Kushal Deka, made raids at Bogoritolia under Rohmoria Police Station yesterday. It is to be noted that trees felled illegally at Dibru - Saikhowa are transported to Rohmoria where these saw mills run. The conscious citizens have welcomed the forest department's move.
