No wonder, the index of industrial production (iip) is on a roller-coaster. The 9 per cent gdp growth targets may well remain just that

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has criticised the Meghalaya government for its failure to provide safe drinking water to the people under various schemes. "The objectives of the schemes remained largely unachieved because of significant shortfall (53 and 45 per cent) in providing safe drinking water to the identified habitations during 2002-2007,' the CAG report stated.

Even before the caves in Meghalaya can reveal clues to climate change, rampant mining is destroying their wealth. AMARJYOTI BORAH goes deep into the issue Meghalaya carries a bewitching world

Regulating mining in Meghalaya is tricky. Since Meghalaya is a Sixth Schedule state, the state government and the mining department do not have a direct control over its mineral resources; it is

SHILLONG

Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) would form a committee to study the techno-economic feasibility of setting up a nuclear power plant in the North-East. The DAE would also prepare a White Paper on proposed uranium mining in Meghalaya, he said. The white paper will be handed over by the DAE to Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkupar Roy on May 31. The Chief Minister will table it in the Assembly and after a threadbare discussion the white paper will be made public.

Mining of uranium in Meghalaya is crucial for India's future nuclear programmes, stated Union Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh. Aware about the opposition to uranium by NGOs and other environmental groups in the State, Ramesh told newsmen in Shillong today, "Our nuclear programme will not be able to expand, if uranium deposits in Meghalaya are not extracted,' adding, "Our nuclear plants cannot even carry 50 per cent of its capacity because the uranium deposit in Meghalaya could not be extracted'.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has underlined the need for accelerating development of the North Eastern Region and assured a delegation from Meghalaya that the Centre would support all round development of the State. The Prime Minister expressed this view when Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkupar Roy, Deputy Chief Minister Timothy D Shira along with former Lok Sabha Speaker and now chairman of State Planning Board Purno A Sangma called on him in New Delhi yesterday, an official release said here today.

Famine caused by bamboo flowering is an indirect phenomenon that happens in 30 to 40 years depending on the species of the bamboo. Senior Congress legislator and NEHU Head of Department of Botany Dr RC Laloo told The Sentinel that bamboo flowering does not directly lead to famine but it occurs after rats have shortage of food. He said when rats feed on the high-protein seeds of bamboo, flowers start to reproduce while their population doubles leading to shortage of seeds. Therefore, the rats are left with no option but to attack the paddy fields, Dr Laloo said.

Meningococcal meningitis continues to increase in the State with five other cases being detected at the region's premier institute, the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS).