Kick Starting Assam's Tourism Post Covid-19

The COVID-19 outbreak has left a debilitating impact on the tourism scenario of India and Assam in particular. It has also given a crippling blow to the global tourism and associated sectors. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that 75 million travel and tourism jobs are at risk globally due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Indian scenario is also not satisfactory with the assessment by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) of an impact of around 60-65% of projected revenue of 28 billion dollars for October 2019 to March 2020 in the tourism sector. In the backdrop of this scenario, Assam is one, among the hard hit states with regard to the tourism industry. Dhirendra Newar and Angela Newar writes

A Thriving Battle Against Covid-19

The state of Arunachal Pradesh has been able to maintain a low percentage of COVID-19 cases among the returnees who tested positive for corona virus. The success of the state in maintaining this forte depends upon the handling of the situation by the administrative department as well as the people of the region. Northeast Today reports

Covid-19 And Man's Fight Against Diseases

The more human being civilizes, towering buildings, networking world trades and waging wars with neighbours, the more serious the pandemics become, that ruins the world.

THE ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT NOTIFICATION, 2020

The Ministry of Environment and Forests released its latest draft environment impact assessment (EIA) notification 2020 on March that proposes to bring projects that have violated or will violate the environment clearance process under jurisdiction.

The Fitness Industry: Downfall or Evolution?

I have no idea if the government has allowed the reopening of the gyms by the time you read this.

CONTROVERSY OVER TOLL TAX IN ASSAM

Recently the Assam state government and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have opened up a new tollgate at Nazirakhta near Sonapur, the decision of which attracted vehement opposition from both the commuters and the local residents. Earlier toll plazas in NH 37 and NH 31 in the year 2015 and 2018 attracted mass protest from CSOs of Assam. Kishor Kumar Kalita analyses in depth on the reopening of the toll gate amid the pandemic.

Lockdown Diary of a Tattoo Artist

The nationwide lockdown due to the outbreak of the global pandemic COVID19 has casted away people from their normal lives. Renowned tattoo artist Moranngam Khaling, popularly known as Mo Naga, too has put a halt on his 'inking' sessions. Mo Naga is one of the only three artists featured in 'The World Atlas of Tattoo' (Yale University Press), which chronicles the work of one hundred leading global tattooists. However, an artist always finds a way to explore his creativity.

BEIJING THREATENS HONG KONG'S FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Owing to a separate administrative system, Hong Kong has a high degree of autonomy and enjoy executive, legislative and independent judicial power. Unlike Mainland China it exercises freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. However, the freedom has been threatened by the Red Dragon after it announced the imposition of a new national security law in Hong Kong. The law is likely to take effect later this year and change the nature of rights and freedoms for the Hongkongers. The move has ignited massive protest against Chinese dictatorship and has raised global concern. Mumeninaz Zaman reports

4 YEARS OF SONOWAL GOVERNMENT : Standing tall with dignity

Amid the raging coronavirus crisis that has engulfed the world, on May 24, 2020, Assam celebrated a muted political milestone for the state as well as the entire North-east region.

Staying Fit During A “Pandemic”

I wonder how the situation will be by the time you read this. However, I am certain that the situation right now is not very comfortable as it was before the pandemic.

Double Battle: Northeast Fights Both Corona And Racism

Before the first case of the novel corona virus was detected in Northeast India, the people of this region, particularly students, young working men-women staying in Indian metros felt the brunt of the pandemic much early. Surprisingly, it was not this deadly virus, which caused trouble to them, but it was something else, though connected with corona, which brought trouble and trauma to their lives. It is a social disease called racism, which was always there in India since a long time it found its new host among ignorant citizens of the country during the time of corona against the people of Northeast India. Northeast Today writes

Whether Lockdown is the Only Alternative?

As a citizen of the world’s largest democracy, we must have to admit the fact that a backward, superstitious and impoverished country like India could not compete with developed nations in many aspects of polity, economy and over and above in the quality of sustenance of life.

EXTENSION OF INNER LINE PERMIT TO DIMAPUR

On 9th December 2019, the Nagaland government through an official notification has extended the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime to the Dimapur district, the commercial hub of the state. This was the only district that was not under the ILP regime, unlike the rest of Nagaland, which came into being in 1963. The notification issued by the chief secretary of the state stated- "In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 2 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, and in the interest of the public, the Governor of Nagaland is pleased to extend the Inner Line to cover the entire District of Dimapur with immediate effect. The said notification was issued in pursuance of the state cabinet decisions of February 15, 2019 whereby the Cabinet had approved the proposal to extend the ILP to Dimapur. Kishor Kumar Kalita writes

SIKKIM PLANS TO GO EXTRA MILE TO SAFEGUARD FROM COVID CRISIS

The hilly state of Sikkim, which has handled the Covid-19 crisis extremely well and didn’t report a single Covid-19 case till the end of April, is planning to go the extra mile to ensure that the state is not impacted even after the nationwide lockdown is lifted. Amarjyoti Borah reports.

THE DAY AFTER COVID-19

India is hit hard due to the spread of this pandemic situation which has called for a sudden and extended nationwide lockdown and has put every lives of India into a standstill.

COVID-19

economic Impact and A Triple Blow on North East Migrants

Addressing Forest Degradation in Assam

Forests and energy are intricately linked and play a critical role in climate change(Bull 2018). As per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), deforestation and land use change accounts for about 15 percent- 17 percent of the global carbon emissions (IPCC 2007). Globally, nearly 2 billion people depend on fuelwood for the primary energy needs like cooking and heating (UN, 2017). The demand for fuelwood has been extensively cited as rendering forest degradation in many parts of the world, including India. In India, fuelwood extraction for domestic and commercial use in rural and semi urban areas contributes to about 93 percent of GHG emissions from the forestry sector, as per a study by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI, 2018).Therefore, addressing this driver of forest change will be necessary for India to achieve one of its climate targets of creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion CO2e from additional forest and tree cover until 2030.

A DYING RELATION: THE DOCTOR-PATIENT BOND

Let's accept the fact first, doctors are not next to God, they are there to help;

The Pandemic Blame Game

The rate of new infections (COVID-19) across China has been falling. As China seems to be recovering after infecting more than 80,000 people, the other parts of the globe is in dire straits. In March, the US crossed the 100,000 mark of total cases, followed by Italy infecting more than 85,000 people and killing over 10,000 people which is the highest in any other country. The disease has spread to at least 170 countries and territories and killed more than 27,000 people and infected some 600,000 according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. As the world faces the pandemic, two superpowers play the blame game. Mumeninaz Zaman writes.

Understanding Viral Infection

Pandemics have occurred in the past and continues to increase in frequency, the latest being the COVID-19. The present scenario demands for optimal preparedness and response strategy in order to contain the disease which has crossed geographic regions. Viruses, bacteria and fungus are the micro organism which confers immeasurable benefits to us. However, when they become pathogens, treatment becomes imperative. The latest updates on the Corona virus calls upon humanity to introspect and move from a mechanized life towards a natural one.Dr Monjuri Kataki writes in depth about viral diseases and the measures one need to take to curb the menace.

Coronavirus Combat Not Just The Government's Fight

“There is no economic task force; medical infrastructure is pathetic; the Government has failed to act timely, are few of the many statements the Government is bombarded with as India fights the highly contagious Covid-19. But over time, it has become clearly visible that while we, the public scrutinized the Government's actions and inactions and criticized the measures adopted by the Government to control the spread of Covid-19, there are many instances which show the picture otherwise.

KICK OFF THE DREAMS

The very beginning of the year saw the third edition of Khelo India Youth Games 2020 in Guwahati. After successfully hosting the event, Guwahati is all set to host the first ever U -17 Women World Cup 2020 from November, this year.

TRIPURA STEPS UP TO FIGHT ON TWO FRONTS- HEALTH AND ECONOMY

Tripura, which shares its border with Bangladesh, sees the present crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic from a different perspective as the international border remains porous. Despite the issue being a political one, it has contributed to the present crisis due to the possible fear of the virus coming from the other side of the border. Amarjyoti Borah reports.

SINGLE MOTHERS RAISE THE STRONGEST KIDS

Single mothers fight, each day of their lives, especially in a culture like ours where they’re either looked down upon or sympathized with. They’d rather face the waters alone than doing it with someone who goes running back to the shore as soon as the waters get rough. Some broken, some betrayed, some abandoned, these women have always stood invincible throughout history, raising some of the toughest kids the world has seen.

CONTROVERSY OVER A NOMINATION

Before highlighting the core issue of this article, I would like to memorize one unprecedented incident that happened in the year 2018 where four senior judges of the Supreme Court mounted a virtual revolt against the then chief justice of India.

FOOD Fermentation IN NORTHEAST INDIA

Northeast has been the home to a wide range of ethnic tribes and communities and each tribe boasts of its own unique culture, customs and cuisines. When it comes to food, the tribes of Northeast have acquired a very rich melange of traditional knowledge as they have always had the exposure and accessibilty to forests, plants and plant products. These food habits are then passed on from generations to generations which changed along with time depending on the availability of resources.

ACT EAST POLICY AND NORTHEAST: THE ROAD AHEAD

The idea behind developing “Act East Policy” is to boost the economic and social conditions of Northeast India, as well as to improve the trading relations of India with Southeast Asian countries. The primary aim of the policy is to revive the political ties, receive regional security cooperation and developing trading relations for integration with Southeast Asia. The significance of the Northeast region had increased in this policy due to its cultural and historic ties as well as strategic geographical positioning in Southeast Asia. Northeast Today writes in dept about the policy and its possibilities

BUDGET 2020-21 A BUDGET TO LOOK FORWARD

The BJP led Arunachal Pradesh Government, headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu presented a deficit budget of Rs 731.40 crore for the financial year 2020-21. In a bid to satisfy the people of the state, the budget presented was more about calculation, balance and commitment. This was the first full budget of the BJP led Arunachal Pradesh government, which came to power again in 2019. However, chief minister Khandu had a difficult task ahead- to fulfill the aspirations and expectations of the people of the state, cutting across all segments. Northeast Today reports

COVID-19 - Outbreak And Its Implications On 'The Red Dragon'

A cluster of pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan in China’s Hubei province on December 2019. The unknown pneumonia-causing agent was named as Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which lead to infections and death of thousands of people from China and had spread to other countries. Wuhan, a city of 11 million people has been put into quarantine on January 7, 2020. With the increase in number of cases in other countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern”. The deadly outbreak has posed a serious threat to life which is a plain warning sign of what an epidemic can cause. Mumeninaz Zaman writes

THE FATE OF CLAUSE SIX OF ASSAM ACCORD

Finally the high-level committee (HLC) constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in respect of the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord submitted its report to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on 25th February.