Assam CA July 1

1.

In a step towards advancing modern science education in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) area, the Bodoland Science Education Project was inaugurated on June 30. The initiative, a collaboration between the Department of Education, BTR Administration, and The Agastya International Foundation, aims to promote and enhance scientific learning among students.

The inauguration ceremony took place at the Entertainment Auditorium of Bongaigaon Refinery in Dhaligaon, Chirang district. 

Under the Bodoland Science Education Project, nine mobile scientific laboratories and 18 motorbikes and scooters equipped with miniature science laboratories were officially launched. These innovative resources, part of the Gyan Swarang Vithangathi scheme, will provide practical training in modern science education to students across 340 educational institutes in nine subdivisions of the BTR.

The event also featured an engaging science exhibition where students from various educational institutions showcased their science models.

2.

 Dibrugarh University is celebrating its 59^th Foundation Day today

 It was set up in 1965 under the provisions of the Dibrugarh University Act, 1965 enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly.

3.

Sivasagar, an abode of historical monuments, which evinces deep devotion from its residents, is all set to celebrate district-hood day, Sivasagar Divas, on July 1. Sivasagar was declared as a district on July 1, 1983, after Jorhat and Golaghat subdivisions of the district were carved out from the undivided Sivasagar district and were made two separate districts.Sivasagar, once the capital of the Ahom rulers, has over 500 historical sites, including the famous Rangghar, several dols like the Shiva dol, huge tanks like the Shivsagar in the heart of the town, Karengghar and the famous burial ground at Charaideo (currently under newly-declared Charaideo district).

The objective of celebrating July 1 as District-hood Divas was to commemorate the formation of the district and to cherish the harmonious co-existence of various communities, to further inclusive development and to motivate the residents to participate in the conservation of historical development in order to highlight the tourism potential of the district.

4.

In the countdown to the highly anticipated Mega Event, the Karbi Youth Festival Golden Jubilee Celebration, an early morning inspection took place today at the Karbi People’s Hall Taralangso, Diphu

The KarbiYouthFestival, a long-standing tradition in the region, holds great significance, particularly in its Golden Jubilee year. With its rich cultural heritage, the festival aims to showcase the vibrant traditions and talents of the Karbi community. 

The Mega Event Karbi Youth Festival Golden Jubilee Celebration promises to be a landmark occasion, drawing visitors from far and wide. It will provide a platform for the younger generation to showcase their talents, fostering a sense of pride and unity within the community.

5.

The Railway Board under Ministry of Railways by a recent notification changed the jurisdiction of Tinsukia, Rangiya and Alipurduar divisions while the railway commuters under Tinsukia Railway Division hailed the decision of transferring certain section of Rangiya –Murkongselek of Rangiya division to Tinsukia division for operational strategy. The commuters under Tinsukia division desired that the passenger amenities and safety in most of the railway stations on mail line should be improved and restructured along with added-up railway stations. In absence of railway footbridges and 2nd platforms in several stations where crossing takes place such as Amguri, Bhojo, Saphekati, Borhat etc, the passengers have to risk their life while boarding the train in 2nd line as the commuters have to cross over the railway track. Conditions of waiting room in most of the stations are in deplorable condition. The passengers of local trains particularly Dibrugarh-Ledu demo and Tinsukia-Jorhat have reasons to resent as minimum fare charged for these trains is Rs 30 instead of Rs 10. These trains were designated as special trains during COVID pandemic but the fare remained unchanged till now unlike other local trains for the reasons best known to the Railways.

6.

The Kamrup Metro district administration will conduct an operation for the coming 10 days across Guwahati to rescue and rehabilitate homeless people of the city.

it was decided that a task force will be constituted in order to conduct regular operations to rescue the people living on the road and bring them to night shelters within the next ten days.

7.

Gauhati University and Dr. Ranjan Kumar Kakati has been selected for the State NSS Award for the session 2021-22 under the National Service Scheme State Cell in the state-wide selection process conducted by the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, Government of Assam.

GU NSS Cell and Dr. Ranjan Kumar Kakati DSW & NSS Programme Coordinator, Gauhati University NSS Cell have been selected for this prestigious award for the first time in Assam.

8.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma opened a series of infrastructure projects in Tezpur which include inauguration of a garden at Litchu Pukhuri, development of Chowk Bazar, integrated sports complex at Hazarapar including waterfront development and bird observatory tower, beautification of Borpukhuri, Tezpur.

Assam has 28 thousand villages and from November to April in all the villages, cultural fest will be organised. In each village during the cultural fest arrangements will be made to hold Jyoti Sangeet, Bhupendra Sangeet, Bishnu Sangeet, Rabindra Sangeet and any of the ethnic dances of the state. The winners of the village will take part in constituency level and then in district level and ultimately in the state level cultural fest will be organised in Guwahati

9.

India’s six-place jump to the 38th rank among 139 countries in the global logistics index is indicative of improvement in logistics efficiency. The cost of logistics in the country, however, continues to be quite high, in the range of 14 to 16% as compared to 8 to 10% in China and 12% in European countries and the United States. Improvements in waterways have unlocked the opportunity of further reducing logistics costs, but investors’ confidence in using those remains a key determinant. High logistics costs in the country are attributed to roads being the primary mode of goods transport. Official data shows that in India, 70% of goods are transported by road, which is the most expensive mode of transport, followed by railway, while waterways are the cheapest mode. India and Bangladesh have already operationalized agreements and also finalized the Standard Operating Procedure, clearing the decks for movement of goods for India through waterways, rail, road, or multi-modal transport through 16 routes to enable access to the northeast region via Bangladesh sea ports—Chittagong and Mongla—and the Indo-Bangla Protocol route. The successful completion of the trial ship movement demonstrated the availability of the required depth after dredging of the river routes, signalling to stakeholders in logistics the viability of using the waterways to transport goods to the northeast region. The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan launched in 2021 and the National Logistics Policy unveiled in 2022 have triggered fresh hopes of transformation in the logistics landscape and more use of waterways, particularly Inland Water Transport (IWT), towards reducing the carbon footprint of freight movement. The current share of IWT in India is only two percent, while Maritime India Vision 2030 envisages increasing it to five percent through improved use of 5000 km of navigable inland waterways under various stages of development. According to the vision document, the country’s maritime sector plays a crucial role in its overall trade and growth, with 95% of the trade volume and 65% of the trade value being undertaken through maritime transport. The report of the Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) 2022, the annual survey undertaken by the Logistics Division of the Department for Promotion of Industrial and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to assess the logistics ecosystem, highlighted that though efforts are being made to develop connectivity and build infrastructure in the northeast region, in states other than Assam it will take some time for a modal shift in logistics. The key reason in the course of the survey is that the region, being a consumption economy, has little to offer for return cargo, which makes it a high-cost logistics territory. Lack of major industries and production centres across the entire region discourages logistics infrastructure development, and the States’ difficult terrain makes operation and management of logistics challenging. This is another explanation included in the report about the region lagging behind in logistics. For the North Eastern States, limited access points, mostly via the long distance and inefficient ecosystems in West Bengal, and logistics development centred primarily around Assam only increase the time and cost of cargo movement to and from the region, which apparently is one of the key reasons why key players in the logistics sector are not showing much interest in investment in the region. The worry over the return cargo going empty has prevented most stakeholders from exploring the IWT potential created in the region. States in the region can play a crucial role in changing the situation, not in isolation, by joining hands to present the region as a contiguous and single economic zone. States synchronising initiatives for the creation of a supply chain and planning it as part of the larger networked supply chain connecting all states can help traders aggregate products that have high demand in other states in the domestic market or in the export market on a large scale and utilise IWT services to send back the container bringing in supplies of essential commodities to the region filled with products from the region. The region is coming out of the mindset barrier of a net-importer state and looking at the new transborder multimodal connectivity through Bangladesh and Myanmar as opportunities to unlock the market potential of unique products from the region. Prioritising IWT and sea routes through Chittagong and Mongla ports in Bangladesh and Sittwe port in Myanmar for marketing products from the region is essential for achieving the goals of decarbonizing the transport sector. This requires the state to stop looking at the market potential of their products in silos and instead identify commercially viable sources of the same products in neighbouring states to facilitate aggregation, with an eye on using the IWT route to cut down on transportation costs. Due to the high transport costs by road or railway, the prices of products from the region are quite high and fail to compete with the same products from other regions. The Northeast needs a new roadmap for logistics.

10.

Over 600 delegates from across the State, representing almost all the leading schools of Assam, have taken part in the two-day-long Inter NPS Model United Nations (MUN) being held in the premises of NPS International School in Guwahati on Friday. This event is considered as one of the largest MUNs in the North-east region of the country. NPS International School is organising such events over the years for holistic development of students. Inaugurating the event, Jitendra Nath Das, founder of NPS International School, spoke on the importance on organising such events for overall growth of student community. MUN is an event in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations