Under the aegis of NDRF, 128 Battalion Army camp at Katamur located near Changchari, a day-long awareness camp on disaster management awareness and human rights was arranged recently for the benefit o

The State has received an amount of $ 250 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as loan assistance to revamp the power sector.

The Centre has denied that the Gas Cracker Project has suffered delays claiming that the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymers Limited (BCPL) would start production according to schedule by 2012.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, while presenting his Budget for 2008-09 today proposed abolition of Value Added Tax (VAT) from rice, pulses, atta, maida, suji and besan.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who is also holding the Finance portfolio, today placed before the State Assembly a deficit Budget of Rs 2,819.23 crore.

Irrigation is specifically meant for increasing agriculture production.

In all, 22 persons have been found suffering from black fever in the State and the disease has been dealt with utmost care and hence has not spread beyond Chapaidong locality of Panikhaiti area in the city. Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated this in the State Assembly today. The Minister was replying to a motion moved by Dr Aditya Langthasa (AUDF) during the Zero Hour. He also expressed the apprehension that the re-appearance of the disease might have some links with the migrant labours from North Indian states like Bihar. The outbreak of the disease in Chapaidong locality was reported on February 13 last and the patients were taken to the Gauhati Medical College Hospital on February 14 and 15. But they fled the hospital when they were told that bone marrow substance test was needed to be conducted on them to confirm the type of their fever, he said. However, with the help of the test kits brought by a team of doctors from the Assam Medical College (AMC) the type of the fever could be determined. Black fever was found afflicting 13 of the 19 patients tested for confirmation. By this time, another team of doctors from Patna also arrived in the city, said the minister. Following this, mosquito nets were distributed and DDT also sprayed in the locality. Injections have been administered to the affected people and doctors with vans have also been deployed in the area for treating the patients. The Health Department has by now procured the test kits The doctors from Patna have also expressed satisfaction over the measures taken by the State Health Department to tackle the situation, he said. The Minister said that new areas were seemed to be vulnerable to diseases, which were eradicated in the State long back. This is may have some links with the people migrating to the State from other parts of the region and country. For, black fever and polio were eradicated from the State long back. But outbreak of these diseases has now been reported from some parts of the State. Recently two cases of polio were reported from Karimganj district. Even malaria, which was brought under control in the State resurfaced with 50 of the State's people who went to the neighbouring states to work as miners returning diseased and they died of the disease. In the case of black fever also, it is feared that the sand fly might have come to Chapaidong locality with the seasonal labours coming from Bihar, he said. State Government is making communications with the Governments of the neighbouring states on matters related to malaria and directed the Health Department to keep strict vigilance on the areas where the habitations of the seasonal labours are located, the minister said.

AIZAWL

The State Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Dr Nazrul Hussain today told the Assembly that deficit production and increase of price at source due to rising demand were at the root of the price rise in essential commodities, especially foodgrains, in the State. Replying to a question raised by Ananta Deka of CPM during zero hour, Dr Islam said that the current price rise was a national phenomenon and affected Assam and the North-East more because of the transportation costs. The Minister said that his department was coordinating with district and subdivisional administrations for properly monitoring the developments so that unscrupulous elements could not take advantage of the situation. The situation in places like Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur, etc., were also kept track of and constantly compared with that of the State. "Deficit production in rice, dal, wheat, mustard, etc., and the lowering of Government subsidies are having an impact on price rise. The recent export of 5 lakh MT rice to Bangladesh has also added to the growing demand in the source States,' Dr Islam said. "Common rice which was sold at Rs 12 a kg in Kolkata on October 8, 2007 shot up to Rs 14 on February 8, 2008. The same rice is being sold in Delhi at Rs 17 a kg. In Guwahati, common rice which fetched Rs 12.50-Rs 14 a kg in October last year, was sold at Rs 14-Rs 16 in January,' he said. The Minister further said that the rise in import prices of various edible oils was contributing to the price rise. "India imports a sizeable quantity of refined vegetable oil and refined rapeseed oil from Malaysia, and recently there has been considerable increase in the their prices. Again, mustard oil produced in the country has also become costlier,' he said. Dr Islam said that the department, during 2007, registered 726 cases regarding the public distribution system (PDS), which "showed that we are taking steps to streamline the system.' Moreover, the Bureau of Investigation of Economic Offences (BIEO) has been entrusted with the job of making an inquiry into the PDS scam that rocked the State last year. Dr Islam said that the six per cent railway fare cut for the North-Eastern States would come into effect from April only.

Unemployment is a common global economic malady, the level of which distintly varies between developed and under developed nations with Keynesian involuntary and frictional type in respect of developed nation and structural type as regard to under developed country like India which contributes to maximum growth of population and insignificant economic growth. Under employment or disguised employment has intensified its dimensions mainly in the rural sector where despite having capacity and willingness, persons fail to avail any gainful activities and as such job seekers out-number the job availability creating a major wastage of manpower. Unemployment in our country is partly due to overwhelming growth of population which has occurred in view of immigration from earstwhile East Pakistan and partially due to non-availability of land, less productivity, lack of industrial infrastructure, haphazard growth of educational institutions and expansion of education which is responsible for cropping up of new entrants in an already over crowded labour market. Agriculture being a seasonal activity fails to provide employment to rural masses throughout the year while perennial activity is not available in reality owing to excessive pressure of population. Exodus from rural areas coupled with slow pace of industrialisation has proved to be a constrain in providing employment opportunity to the growing urban population. Rapid expansion of general education mingted with slow growth of technical and vocational facilities has resulted in a peculiar educated unemployment problem. Accurate estimation of unemployment has become a tough task in view of ever increasing unemployment and under employment and failures of employment exchanges in recording correct figures. While unemployment in this State as a percentage of labour force has become double as compared to the country within 1985-2000 as per NSSO report, it is estimated to be 10.9% of total labour force with a total of 13 lakh (71%) registered educated job seekers, HSLC passed (51%) out-numbered HSSLC passed (30%) and graduates (16%) while technical and post graduate job seekers constitute a very minimal (3%) percentage. Placement of job seekers increased to 16% in between 2004 and 2005 constituting minimal (0.5%) increase in public sector and 9.3% increase in private sector with nearly 31% women employment in organised sector. Rural and women unemployment has become three times to all-India rate having acute unemployment among educated. Most of the self employed or partially employed youth bother a little to inform the employment exchange about their absorption which is also responsible for non-capturing of accurate employment situation. According to the NSSO report, the number of unemployed in this State is 18 and 24 per 1000 respectively in rural and urban area as against only 9 and 19 respectively in national level indicating a greater dimension of the problem in this State. According to the task force, the rate of unemployment in this State increased from 7.96 in 1993-94 to 8 per cent in 1999-2000 which is quite high compared to all India (nearly 7%), 2.93% of Himachal Pradesh and 3.06% of Rajasthan. Youths in this State are mostly interested in Government jobs in lieu of self employment or employment in private venture, which has enhanced the demand for jobs leading to major corruption in the recruitment policy. Ban on creation of posts and restriction on filling up vacancies has created mounting unemployment problem resulting in a grave political, economic and social disorder. Despite shooting up of GDP, employment growth in the State declined significantly within 15 years in agriculture. The call of the hour is to generate job opportunities through filling up vacancies considering intellectual achievement. It is necessary to locate certain sectors where unemployed youths can be accommodated suitably leaving aside Govt assignment. According to a study, the employment elasticity of various sectors varied significantly with primary sector of elasticity 0.74, manufacturing sector 0.19, trade and commerce 0.37 with overall average of 0.45. ILO having its goal of promoting opportunities for both the sex and ensuring security, freedom and dignity depicted persistent unemployment and dismal scenario of the world's employment situation in its