Assam CA 15 June

1.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on June 15 inaugurated a two-day workshop on National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in Assam at AASC, Khanapara.

Himanta Biswa Sarma commenting on the recent university ranking said that some universities have performed well while others were not satisfactory, hence the chief minister stressed that the universities in Assam are among the top 100 ranks.

Earlier, the Minister of State for Education and External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh released the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Rankings 2023 on June 5, 2023.

The workshop has been initiated under the able initiative of Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria.

government of Assam is keen to introduce and implement NEP 2020 in both letter and spirit as all the vice-chancellors are committed to the cause by implementing the same in the higher education framework.

However particular agenda is yet to be taken up such as – joining the entrance examination which will be started from next year onwards.

Every university should come up with a brochure on NEP 2020 in a FAQ mode so that the NEP is demystified

2.

Rabha tribal community celebrated their annual festival ‘Baikho Puja’ at a remote village Gamerimura village under Boko LAC along the Assam-Meghalaya border in Assam’s Kamrup district on June 14. 

The festival is celebrated to propitiate the prosperity of the community and the success of the harvest. 

On this occasion, Rabha traditional game ‘lewa tana’ (tug-of-war) was also organized among the boys and girls of the area.

Rohini Rabha, the main Priest of the Baikho Puja said that the puja or the rituals started in the morning which includes pig sacrifice, by burning incense and worshiping the gods and goddesses. 

 During the Baikho Puja, they worship their thirteen gods and goddesses for good harvest, for children’s progress in education, for no scarcity of water, for people will not getting sick, and to remove evil and misfortune. Moreover, they annually celebrate the puja for the comprehensive development of Rabha tribal community

The most thrilling part of the Baikho puja is the last ritual ‘Barnakkai’ which means fire test dance which is performed by Rabha Tribal priests for fulfilling their wishes.

3.

In what can be called as a major success for Barpeta Medical College, a patient from the neighbouring country got a new lease of life after she was successfully operated for a neck trouble at the medical college.

The leading government medical college and hospital has been able to attract patients from outside the country apart from outside the state.

With the setting up of a new precedent the hospital has been able to cure a patient from the neighbouring country with better medical care.

A complex surgery was performed on a Bangladeshi woman suffering from cancer in the parotid gland. 

Under the leadership of Dr Jyotirmoy Phukan, head of ear-nose-throat department of Barpeta Medical College Hospital, the patient from Bangladesh was given advanced surgery for cancer.

It is to be noted that Dr Jyotirmoy Phukan is the eldest son of renowned poet Nilamani Phukan of Assam who won the Jnanpith. 

4.

Minister for Water Resources, Information and Public Relations, Government of Assam, Pijush Hazarika participated in a joint meeting of the two regional committees formed to resolve the boundary issue between the two states with Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar in Shillong 

Meghalaya Urban Affairs Minister, Sniawbhalang Dhar, on June 14 said that the regional committee will submit a report to their respective state governments by August with regards to the border dispute between Assam-Meghalaya. 

He said this during a meeting of the regional committee which was held to discuss the pending border issue at Psiar-Khanduli in West Jaintia Hills District with West Karbi Anglong District, Hamren, Assam. 

During the discussions, both parties deliberated on the disputed region and mutually agreed to conduct an on-site visit with their respective Chief Ministers.

5.

In a major reshuffle, the Assam government has ordered the transfer of several IAS officers, IRS officers, and ACS officers.

According to the notification, Akash Deep, Commissioner and Secretary to the Assam Government, was transferred and posted as Principal Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Bodoland Territorial Region, Kokrajhar.

IAS officer Akash Deep, who is currently posted as the Commissioner and Secretary to the Assam government, Environment & Forest Department, and Development Commissioner, Hill Areas, State Project Director, ARIAS Society, has been transferred and posted as Principal Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Bodoland Territorial Region, Kokrajhar,

According to the notification, ACS officer Farouk Alam is now posted as commissioner and secretary to the Assam government’s Environment and Forest Department. IRS officer Padmapani Bora, who was handling the additional charge of Director Tourism, Assam, has been relieved from her post. IAS officer Dr. Karuna Kumari, who was handling the additional charge of Director of Training, Assam Administrative Staff College, has also been relieved from his post.

ACS officer Farouk Alam has been transferred and posted as Commissioner and Secretary to the Assam government’s Environment and Forest Department. IRS officer Padmapani Bora is relieved of the additional charge of Director, Tourism, Assam; IAS officer Dr. Karuna Kumari is relieved of the additional charge of Director of Training, Assam Administrative Staff College,” says a notification issued by the Personnel (A) department.

On the other hand, ACS officer Ranoj Kumar Borkataky has been transferred to Director, Tourism. Md. Hanif has been given the responsibility of handling the Director, the Inland Water Transport Department.

ACS officer Ranoj Kumar Borkataky has transferred and been posted as Director, Tourism, Assam; Md. Hanif Noorani has transferred and been posted as Director, Inland Water Transport, Assam,” says a notification issued by the Personnel (A) department.

6.

In a disappointing turn of events, Guwahati’s ACA Stadium at Barsapara is unlikely to host any matches during the upcoming Cricket World Cup 2023, set to commence in October across various cities in India. While it was anticipated that Guwahati would secure at least one match, reports from several media outlets suggest that the city will only be allotted a few warm-up matches.

The prestigious tournament, eagerly awaited by cricket enthusiasts worldwide, will predominantly be held at 10 major venues across India. These include Dharamsala, New Delhi, Lucknow, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata.

Guwahati, known for its cricket-loving population and vibrant sporting culture, will now have to contend with hosting only warm-up matches rather than witnessing high-stakes encounters.

The ACA Stadium in Guwahati had recently played host to two thrilling IPL matches, featuring prominent teams such as Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, and Delhi Capitals. The successful organization of these matches had raised hopes of securing a World Cup fixture for the city.

Additionally, Guwahati has a history of successfully hosting several international matches, showcasing its capability as a cricketing venue.

The reasons behind Guwahati’s exclusion from the list of World Cup host cities remain undisclosed. Local cricket enthusiasts and fans who were eagerly looking forward to witnessing the cricketing extravaganza in their city expressed disappointment over the news.

7.

: In an important move aimed at simplifying the admission process for undergraduate studies, a portal called the Assam State Higher Education Admission Portal, popularly known as eSamarth, has been launched by the state government Education Minister Ranoj Pegu inaugurated the portal here today for convenience of students. Developed under the Samarth eGov, the eSamarth portal intends to not only centralize but also streamline the admission procedures currently being used for enrolling in State Universities and Government-aided colleges across Assam. The portal is expected to serve as a single base platform to facilitate students in their application process for admission to the universities and colleges. Interested students can visit http://assamadmission.samarth.ac.in, starting tonight at 10:00 pm, by logging into the official website of the Assam State Higher Education Admission Portal, in order to submit their applications and track their admission status in real time. The portal has been designed to facilitate easier access to information about various courses and institutions for users. This is also expected to ensure transparency, while doing away with all delays or errors generally associated with admission processes done manually. Also known as the “Society for Advancement of Multiple Activities and Rehabilitation through Technology and Humanity,” Samarth eGov, will be up at the starting line for implementing of innovative solutions in the education sector.

The portal has been developed in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi’s Innovation and Incubation Centre (IIC) and the Ministry of Education (MoE). The people at Samarth eGov has already developed the University Information Management System Project, aimed at automating intake processes in universities and higher educational institutions (HEIs) across the nation. The system is replete with features such as centralized application submission, tracking of admission status in real-time, along with comprehensive information on courses and institutions. With such innovative features, the portal is slated to simplify the admission process for students. The eSamarth portal is the latest in a string of initiatives taken up by the state government for the convenience of students in the state.

8.

Anirban Chakraborty, a native of Digboi, has emerged as a prominent figure not only in his hometown but also nationwide, as he has been offered a prestigious position as a designated scientist at the Research Laboratory of a renowned university in Texas, United States.

Anirban is currently pursuing his groundbreaking research on batteries at this world-class institute.

It is believed that Anirban’s battery invention may bring about significant advancements in various areas such as cars, cell phones, and more, earning him accolades in the days to come.

During his time as an NIT student, Anirban, along with three others, invented a CF decoration with O-CNPs using Ultrasonically Assisted DC-EPD.

This invention received high praise and was subsequently patented by the Government of India’s Patent Office.

Continuing his academic journey, Anirban received admission offers from Chicago North Western University and an executive service position at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), posted at Haldia Refinery.

As he did not receive a scholarship for Chicago, he joined HPCL but worked there for only five months.

Subsequently, he secured a full scholarship and an educational offer from South Dakota State University in the USA. In 2017, Anirban joined the university, resigning from his position at HPCL.

While pursuing his Master of Science (MS) degree in the USA, Anirban focused on enhancing the invention of a 3D Printed Bioreactor with optimized stimulations for ex-vivo bone tissue culture.

In 2018, he submitted his thesis on this topic for partial fulfilment of his degree.

Anirban later joined Texas A&M University with a full scholarship to pursue his PhD. There, he became the “first author” of four inventions, which were published in different internationally renowned journals.

These inventions included studies on in-operando crystallization of Zinc Nitrate Hexahydrate using zinc oxide nucleators and more.

According to documents available from Anirban’s family members, he presented his papers at various summits in Atlanta, San Francisco, Portland, and Washington State, where his inventions were accepted by the International Material Research Society.

His most recent symposium focused on EN11 Advanced Materials for Thermal Management of Human-Building-Energy Nexus.

Recently, on May 29 and June 2, 2023, Anirban successfully defended his doctoral thesis as scheduled by his university and was awarded his doctorate.

Shortly after, he received three job offers. One of them included the opportunity to continue his research on batteries as a Designated Scientist at the same Research Laboratory in Texas, where he is currently close to completing his present research project.

Anirban has also collaborated on several other inventions, which have been published in prestigious international journals.

These inventions can be found through a simple Google search.

9.

With Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) — which excluded 19.06 lakh people— in a limbo since its publication in August 2019, the state authorities are downsizing their staff strength. This has led to a legal suit by the laid off employees, who last month, petitioned the Gauhati High Court against their termination

On 31 May, Partha Majumdar, NRC state coordinator issued individual “release notices” to at least 121 contractual ‘circle project supervisors’ — most recruited in 2014 to oversee NRC-related work at the circle level — stating that their services were “no longer required”.

The letter informed them that they were put on notice for one month, within which they would have to handover all their assets and documents. “The Registrar General of India — which oversees the NRC exercise — has directed [us] that since there is no work at present, the manpower should be removed,” said an official at the NRC head office in Guwahati. “Since December of 2019, these people have only been idle – it has been a huge drain on the exchequer,” he said, adding that the NRC office had followed the “service regulations for NRC employees” while laying off the supervisors, which calls for a one-month notice period before termination of contract.

A 100 contractual employees have now approached the Gauhati High Court seeking a stay on the termination. On June 2, Justice Suman Shyam directed status quo be maintained with regard to the service of the petitioners.

The petitioners argued that the termination notices were “unwarranted” and that there were “no justifiable grounds” to dispense with their services. They also prayed for regularisation, citing Rule 11 of the of the Citizenship(Registration of Citizens and Issue of national identity Cards) Rules 2003, which mandated the NRC to be a “continuous process.”

The NRC — meant to be a list of bonafide Indians citizens in Assam — has been in a state of limbo, ever since it was published: the RGI has not notified it, the BJP-led Assam government has not accepted it either, and is pushing for the re-verification of at least 10 per cent of the names in all the districts. While 19 lakh of 3.3 crore applicants were excluded from the list, none have been issued a rejection slip—explaining reasons for their exclusion —so far

10.

Government of Assam inked two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Railways and NRL for construction of second entry to Guwahati railway station and supply of high speed diesel for IWT vessels respectively

As a part of the MoU with the Railways, Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) and North East Frontier Railway signed the understanding for exchange of land for construction of second entry to Guwahati railway station which is going to be a next generation railway station. Under the MoU,  ASTC handed over four bigha, four kathas and 19 lechas of its land to railways. In exchange railway has given 20 bigha, two katha and one lecha of land to ASTC at Jalukbari along the NH 31. Moreover, the railway has given Rs. 5.93 crore to ASTC.

Moreover, as a part of the second MoU between Directorate of Inland Water Transport Assam and NRL, the IWT will get high speed diesel from the NRL for its vessels in Assam.

in the last nine years in the state, 212 km of metre gauge have been converted to broad gauge in Assam. More than 200 km rail tracks have been made double tracked.  Moreover, railway is also building a dedicated freight station at Agyathuri and another railway bridge over the Brahmaputra parallel to the existing Saraighat bridge.