Guwahati Mar 25 PTI Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has extended his best wishes to neighbouring state Nagaland as it prepares to host its first international level sporting event Nagaland capital Kohima will be hosting the South Asian Cross Country Championship on Saturday In a message by Sarma shared by Nagaland Athletics Association through Twitter he wrote It is a matter of great pride and honour that India is hosting such a prestigious athletics meet North-East region is increasingly getting into the limelight as a top sports centre in the country and hosting of South Asian Cross Country Championship by Nagaland is another testimony to the fact Sarma added He said the Championship will provide aspiring players from the region to watch top athletes from the South Asian countries in action and will inspire the youth to take up sports Sarma expressed his happiness at the Championship being organised in Kohima under the aegis of South Asian Athletics Federation and The Athletics Federation of India AFI with active cooperation of the local state government Initially scheduled for January 15 this year the Championship was postponed due to surge in COVID-19 cases during that period Along with the second South Asian Athletic Federation Cross-Country Championship the 56th National Cross Country Athletics Championship is also being held in Kohima on Saturday The championships will be held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Kohima and more than 600 athletes will participate in the event from all the AFI affiliated states and union territories of the country and also South Asian countries PTI SSG RG RG

Guwahati Feb 27 PTI Assam logged 11 new COVID-19 cases and zero death on Sunday a National Health Mission NHM bulletin said The 11 new cases pushed the COVID-19 caseload 724110 The new cases were detected from 1788 sample tests conducted during the day The positivity rate at 062 per cent Kamrup Metropolitan district which primarily comprises Guwahati city logged eight fresh infections against four the previous day With no death reported during the day the death toll in the state remained at 6638 with the death rate at 092 per cent The number of COVID-19 positive patients dying due to other reasons also stood at 1347 The number of COVID patients discharged from different hospitals during the day was 22 taking the total number of recoveries to 715903 with the recovery rate at 9887 per cent Assam currently has 222 active COVID-19 cases The state had reported 11 new COVID-19 cases and one death on Saturday The NHM further said a total of 43256388 doses of vaccines have been administered This comprises 23384523 first doses 19614850 second doses and 257015 precaution doses PTI SSG RG RG

Guwahati Dec 25 PTI The Assam government on Saturday issued new COVID-19 directives for New Year celebration lifting night curfew on December 31 It urged all people to maintain COVID appropriate behaviour including wearing of face masks adding that fines will be imposed and legal action initiated against anyone failing to do so The revised directives will remain in force throughout the state from 6 am of December 26 till further orders state Health Minister Keshab Mahanta said He said as per the new SOP night curfew will be in force from 1130 pm to 6 am However it will not be applicable on the night of December 31 Mahanta further said for omicron specific regulation district magistrates superintendents of police and all other authorities concerned shall be responsible for ensuring COVID appropriate behaviour in all public places All work places business and commercial establishments will remain open till 1030 pm For meetings or gatherings in open spaces the district disaster management authority will specify the number depending on the COVID situation in that district while in closed spaces gathering up to 50 per cent of seating capacity would be allowed Iconic religious places can allow 60 fully vaccinated people per hour with the number of devotees or visitors restricted to 40 per hour for other religious placesCinema halls will continue to operate with 50 per cent seating capacity The minister further said district magistrates and superintendents of police will ensure that the people strictly abide by the directives and they will also deploy sufficient number of teams for keeping vigil Any person violating these measures will be liable to be proceeded against as per provisions of Disaster Management Act 2005 and other legal provisions Further any person not wearing face mask or spitting in public places shall be fined Rs 1000 Mahanta urged the people to abide by the regulations specified and follow COVID appropriate behaviour to contain the spread of the virus The COVID-19 tally in the state is at 620025 with 93 new cases reported on Friday while the death toll is at 6155 as per latest National Health Mission data PTI SSG RG RG

Guwahati Sep 25 PTI The Assam government has sought the Centres help in popularising creations by Assam weavers globally as well as modernising the textile industry of the state official sources said on Saturday The request for these interventions was placed before Union Minister of State for Textiles Darshana Jardosh during her two-day visit to the state which concluded on Friday During Jardoshs meeting with Governor Jagdish Mukhi the latter sought the Union ministers special attention towards the textile sector of the state the sources said He requested Jardosh to take up specific schemes for empowerment of women weavers of the state Mukhi also sought her help in popularising the traditional design of the states textile in outside markets Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also sought similar interventions from the Centre in the textile sector during his meeting with Jardosh the sources further said He requested the Union minister to set up an Indian Institute of Fashion Technology in the states largest city Guwahati He sought the Union Textile ministrys intervention to help the textile industry in Assam with modern technology and enable the Assam weavers creation to occupy global market The Union minister also reviewed the implementation of various schemes of the ministry with senior state government officials during the visit She emphasised on the convergence of technology for increasing the beauty and demand of Assamese traditional garments across the globe at the review meeting the sources added PTI SSG RG RG

Guwahati Aug 24 PTI The contribution of frontline forest staff in the field of tiger conservation in Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam during the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn praise from the National Tiger Conservation Authority NTCA an official statement said here on Tuesday The work done by the staff has put the reserve in the running for the NTCAs Bagh Rakshak award for 2021 it added The Inspector General of Forests Project Tiger Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change Amit Mallick has appreciated the contribution made by frontline personnel of Manas Tiger Reserve in the field of tiger conservation the statement said In a letter to the Field Director Manas Tiger Project Mallick expressed his admiration on behalf of the NTCA for the efforts of the forest frontline force at Manas Tiger Reserve during the extraordinary times of COVID-19 pandemic Mallick added that the Manas Tiger Reserve is in the reckoning for the NTCAs Bagh Rakshak award for 2021 As per phase-IV monitoring the tiger population has increased to 48 this year under the Manas Tiger Project the statement said Further stating that there has been a reduction in wildlife and forest offences it added that in 2019 a total of 20 offenders were arrested while the number of arrests in 2020 was 15 In 2021 till date two wildlife offenders were arrested The Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve had bagged CATS Conservation Assured Tiger Standard Accreditation Certificate on Global Tiger Day on July 29 this year It had also received the Global Tiger Conservation Excellence Award under Category 1x2 and Conservation Excellency 2020 - jointly awarded to Royal Manas National Park Bhutan and Manas Tiger Reserve India the statement said It had also bagged the Hemchand Mahindra Foundations Wildlife Warrior Award on April 3 this year under which eight frontline staff were paid Rs 50000 each Besides Manas was awarded the IUCN-WCPA International Ranger Award for which 12 frontline protection personnel were conferred with highly commended certificates PTI SSG RG RG

Guwahati Aug 24 PTI A man died on Tuesday of suspected food poisoning after having prasad comprising gram and fruits at a religious function in Assams Charaideo district a police officer said He was among more than 50 people who had taken ill and were being treated for suspected food poisoning after having the prasad distributed by one of the villagers following a religious function at his house on Sunday The man was admitted to a hospital in the district headquarter where he died on Tuesday morning the officer said Over 50 villagers were admitted to the Geleki Block Primary Health Centre on Sunday night with similar symptoms of food poisoning Those in serious condition were shifted to the headquarter hospital at Nazira A team of the Food and Civil Supplies Department had visited the village under Geleki police station on Monday morning and seized the remaining stock of gram from the shop from which the villager had procured it An investigation has been started to determine how the food poisoning had been caused PTI SSG RG RG