Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday laid the foundation stone of the proposed Assam Skill University in Mangaldai. The varsity will be built at an estimated cost of rupees one thousand crore. The Chief Minister said: The university will also go a long way in creating skilled human resources in the state. The foundation laying ceremony of the proposed Skill University was also graced by, State Minister of Industries and Commerce, Skill Development, Unemployment, Transport Chandra Mohan Patowary, Lok Sabha MP from Mangaldai Dilip Saikia, Mangaldai Legislator Gurujyoti Das and Sipajhar Legislator Binanda Kumar Saikia among others. The construction of the varsity will be completed by September 2026. It will accommodate around ten thousand students across twelve departments
In-poll bound Assam, after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kicked off the party's campaign 'Assam Bachao' on Sunday in Sivasagar, All India Congress Committee Priyanka Gandhi will be visiting the state on February 24. Priyanka is slated for a one day visit to Tezpur and address a rally here. As per reports, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee has also planned to hold three other rallies of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in Barak Valley, Northern Assam and Lower Assam within this month. Under the campaign 'Assam Bachao', the Congress party leaders, workers will interact with stakeholders – citizens, NGOs, organisations, civil societies and will take their opinions about the party manifesto for the upcoming assembly polls which is scheduled in April-May this year.\
With Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) unable to pay its dues to the Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL), seven hours of power cuts will be effective on daily basis from Sunday. Besides, reports have also mentioned that the frequent power cuts have been triggered due to the receding level of water in the Umiam Reservoir (Barapani Lake). MeCL has posted on social media that there would be seven hours of load shedding. In Shillong and Khasi Hills, the timing of the load shedding is 12 am to 3 am, 9 am to 12 pm and 7 pm to 8 pm.
In a tragic road accident on Monday morning a school student was killed in Dhubri's Bilasipara. The accident occurred after a truck hit the boy. The deceased minor has been identified as Muktarul Islam. Islam hailed from Dudhnath Hill village. An investigation is underway, while, a hostile situation has erupted in the village. Meanwhile, in another separate accident a two-wheeler driver was killed in Tezpur Mission Chariali on Sunday evening. The scooty driver identified as Deepak Deka was hit by a Altro Bus. He died on the spot. Deka was an employee of Tezpur University.
Acting on a tip-off, excise and narcotics department jointly with Assam Rifles seized 237.5 grams of heroin worth Rs 8 lakh during two separate operations on Monday and Tuesday. As per reports, two persons have been arrested, including a Myanmar national, identified as R. Lalrinkhuma (35) and Vanlalngheta (41) respectively. They were caught in possession of the illicit drugs. The two accused were booked under relevant sections of The Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
The Meghalaya government has further reduced the price of petrol and diesel in the state by Rs 5.4 and Rs 5.1 per litre respectively. The decision came amidst a strike by owners and drivers of commercial vehicles due to the increasing prices of the same. CM Conrad Sangma said that that the government has been collecting tax from petrol and diesel which has helped in generating revenue for the state. "However inspite of state facing financial constraint, the government will reduce the VAT for petrol from 31.62 per cent or Rs 17.60 per litre to 20 per cent or Rs 15 per litre. The VAT on diesel has been reduced from 22.59 percent or Rs 12.50 per litre to 12 per cent or Rs 9 per litre," Sangma said, while informing by reducing the VAT, the price of petrol in Shillong will come down from Rs 91.26 to Rs 85.86 per litre while the price of diesel will come down from Rs 84.23 to Rs 79.13 per litre," he said.
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Tuesday announced that it will build a memorial for the 'Anti-CAA movement' in Guwahati if voted to power in the upcoming Assam Assembly Elections.It said will build the memorial "to commemorate the martyrdom of anti-CAA protestors who sacrificed their lives to save 'Assamese Pride'. "After winning the election, we shall make a memorial for the anti-CAA peoples' movement that has been going on in Assam for the last few years. It will highlight the peoples' struggles, sacrifices, protests, songs and paintings which they expressed to oppose the legislation," Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi said in a statement. APCC President Ripun Bora reiterated that a 'grand memorial will be built in Guwahati'.
In a proud moment for Assam, actor Adil Hussain has been awarded the Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor in the short film category for Abhiroop Basu's 'Meal'. Critics Choice Short Stories Award (CCSSA) congratulated Hussain for the same on Twitter. Hussain later thanked the academy for the honor. "Thank you @CCSSAwards and @theFCGofficial for Best Actors Award for the film #Meal directed by @abhiroopbasuforyou. I share this Award with all my co-nominies! And at the cast and crew of #Meal. Gratitude!" he tweeted.
At least 37 killed after a bus fell off a bridge into a canal on Tuesday morning at Sidhi district in Madhya Pradesh, about 560 km from the state capital Bhopal. More than 50 passengers were on board the bus when the driver lost control of the vehicle at around 7:30 AM. "We have found 37 bodies and they have been sent for autopsy," district police superintendent Dharamveer Singh was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. Sixteen women, one child and 20 men were killed in the accident. A team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with other officials concerned, began the rescue operations in the morning, which spanned for more than five hours, reported NDTV. Doctors and ambulances were also rushed to the site, the report said.
Mandagadde Rama Jois, former Bihar and Jharkhand governor and retired Justice, has passed away on Tuesday after prolonged illness. He was 88. According to his family as reported by PTI, Rama Jois was suffering from age-related ailments. Rama Jois was a former Rajya Sabha MP and also served as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High court. He was also associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since the very beginning. Union Home Minister Amit Shah condoled his death along with many other leaders including Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP national president J P Nadda.
Prime accused in the 2002 Godhra Sabarmati train coach burning case, Rafik Hussain Bhatuk, was arrested by Godhra police on Friday after almost 19 years. As per reports, Bhatuk, who used to sell fruits for a living, was apprehended after he returned to the state after quite a long time. His house was raided by a Special Operations Group (SOG) in Godhra town after receiving specific information. In February 27, 2002, at least 59 "karsevaks" were burned to death after the Godhra bound train they were in was torched by a mob. It is considered as one of the worst communal riots in the history of Gujarat and India as a whole.
Rockets hit outside an airport in Iraq where U.S. forces are based late, killing one U.S. led coalition contractor and injuring eight others.At least three rockets were struck between the between the civilian Irbil international airport in the semi-autonomous Kurdish-run region and the nearby base hosting U.S. troops at 9.30 p.m., Associated Press reported. The rockets were launched from an area south of Irbil near the border with Kirkuk province and fell on some residential areas close to the airport, it added.
Assam reported five new coronavirus related cases on Tuesday, while 14 have been discharged. Out of the five cases, two of them were reported in Kamrup (M), and one in Biswanath. The new cases were detected out of 11,922 tests conducted. Today's positivity rate of the state stood at 0.04 per cent with an active caseload of 258. 2,14,615 recoveries have been recorded till today with a recovery rate of 98.76 per cent. Meanwhile, no death was reported today. The death rate is at 0.50 per cent with 1,089 fatalities so far.
