Noted journalist Arnab Goswami Sunday said that it is important for legislators to put people first in their agenda. “We are all here because of the people. People should come first whether it is in politics or media,” said Goswami while addressing legislators on the topic: “Legislators and Relationship with Media” during the third phase of Sabal Bidhayak, a series of orientation programmes initiated by the Assam Assembly. The series that will continue on select days until January 2017 next year have been designed and coordinated by Guwahati based think-tank Centre for Development and Peace Studies.
Describing the quality of journalism Goswami said that Indian journalism is stronger than journalism elsewhere because the media here can question everything including religion, something not practiced by the western media. At the same time, Indian media is independent and secular- it can cover issues for instance as to why a woman cannot enter a place of worship. While in UK the media is very structured, in India it is not. Stating that his channel Times Now has broken six major scams so far and each case has been followed by the judiciary, he said that the media in India has kept the judiciary on its toes. Media in India has come a long way. Today’s media is an unusual media. It is confrontational unlike media in earlier days which had information but little impact.
“Politics is about taking responsibilities. Development follows when the media behaves responsibly and politicians too work responsibly,” he said. Terming the New Media as an Activist Media or Campaign driven Media, he said that today’s media followups news until there is response from the concerned quarters. He said that today journalists are no longer disseminators of information only, they have become activists. Media is a reflection of the changing country. Legislatures should open up new relations with the media and both should think about how they can work together and not how they can fight, he added.
Veteran politician and former minister Abdul Muhib Majumder highlighted the participants on procedural devices available to members to raise matters of urgent public importance on the floor of the house. Former Assam Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta also addressed the participants and spoke on Parliamentary etiquette, ethics, customs and conventions. He said that if legislators follow the rules and procedures of the Assembly, it will be beneficial both for them and the public.
Phani Bhushan Choudhry, who has been representing his constituency for the seventh consecutive term, threw light on general rules of procedures of the Assembly – questions, legislations and resolutions. He said that it is very important for a legislator to know how to put a question in the Assembly, which question is to be given priority and how to frame a question. According to him, the question must be focused and proposals should be such that it includes the problems and issues important for the stateas a whole apart from then problems of a particular constituency.
Speaking on the occasion Director, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Guwahati, Gautam Barua said that new and relevant courses should be introduced in the ITIs along with vocational courses for students who cannot pass tenth standard. State Minister for Water Resources Department, Science and Technology, Information Technology, Keshab Mahanta sensitized the legislators on the relationship between legislators and media and said that for legislators media is the medium to reach the masses. Senior journalist Samudra Gupta Kashyap stated that media and politics are inseparably related and while media plays the role of a watch dog, it also has its own responsibilities.
Vice Chairman of the State Planning Board Dipok Kumar Barthakur speaking on “Skilling and Regenerating Assam,” said that courses must be developed with an eye on the employability sectors of the region. He was of the opinion that a Skills University is necessary in the region to boost employment. In the programme that followed the Centre for Development and Peace Studies Executive Director Wasbir Hussain presented an overview of skill development initiatives in Assam. Intense interactions between the legislators and resource persons marked the sessions.
October 14, 2025 - Students from Sarala Birla Gyan Jyoti School emerged victorious in the Assam State finale of the Wild Wisdom Global Challenge, defeating competitors from 109 other schools in what organizers called one of the most competitive rounds in the program's 18-year history.
The competition, held at Miles Bronson Residential School in Guwahati, saw participation from 220 students representing schools from across the state. Ashwin Anand of Class 9 and Anubhadipta Boruah of Class 8 from the winning school will advance to represent Assam in the zonal round of India's largest wildlife quiz competition.
STATEWIDE PARTICIPATION REACHES RECORD LEVELS
This year's competition...
As part of the observance of Anna Sewa Din, Smt. Pratibha Meshram, Co-district Commissioner, Nazira, and Sri Kalyan Jyoti Hazarika, Assistant Director (i/c), Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, conducted an extensive inspection of various Fair Price Shops (FPS) under Nazira Co-district on Day 4 of the programme. The inspection was carried out in the presence of departmental officials with the objective of ensuring the proper and transparent distribution of food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
During the visit, the officials thoroughly verified the stock registers, distribution records, and other related documents maintained by the FPS...
The Rongmei community of Guwahati came together to celebrate its 7th Charuangc Khatni Zawthanh Kariumei 2025 (Cultural and Freshers’ Meet) under the theme “Reaffirming Identity, Shaping Futures” at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre Auditorium on Thursday.
The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from Rongmei residents and freshers from across the city. The celebration was graced by Chief Guest Chaitali Panmei, IRS (Retd.), former Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, North Eastern Region, and Guest of Honour Rev. T.P. Mordecai, Associate Secretary, EFI North East. Both dignitaries inspired the gathering with their reflections on the importance of cultural identity and...
A devastating accident at the Ennore Thermal Power construction site in Tamil Nadu claimed the lives of nine workers from Assam and nearby regions on Tuesday, after a steel arch collapsed.
TANGEDCO Chairman Dr. J. Radhakrishnan confirmed that one worker was critically injured, while over 10 others sustained serious injuries and were admitted to Stanley Government Hospital in North Chennai. BHEL officials have reached the site as rescue operations continue. Police said the exact cause of the collapse is under investigation.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, six workers died and six others were injured when the roof of a private steel plant collapsed in the...
A standoff between taxi unions from Assam and Meghalaya has disrupted travel for hundreds of tourists at the Jorabat border near Guwahati. The confrontation began when the All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) initiated a blockade, preventing Assam-registered taxis from entering Meghalaya. The AKMTTA cited concerns over the livelihoods of local drivers, alleging that the influx of Assam-based taxis was adversely affecting their business.
In retaliation, Assam's Motor Parivan Sewakarmi Sanmilita Mancha organized a strike, halting vehicles from Meghalaya at key transit points, including Guwahati Railway Station, Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, and the...
The Assam Royal Global University (RGU) successfully hosted a two-day national conference on September 15–16 titled “Resilient Futures: Indian Knowledge Systems for Energy, Sustainability, and Climate Action.” In a significant step towards promoting regional languages in higher education, the entire event was conducted in Assamese.
The conference was inaugurated with a ceremonial lamp-lighting, where Chief Guest Dr. Hirak Ranjan Das, Innovation Manager, AICTE (NER), emphasized the relevance of indigenous knowledge in shaping sustainable futures. Coordinator Dr. Saswati Bordoloi noted that AICTE-VAANI seeks to revive Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) while giving voice to diverse...
DIMAPUR, September 13: Zigzak Technologies Pvt. Ltd., a rising technology start-up founded by filmmaker and tech enthusiast Mr. Lorence Kachari, is preparing to launch its flagship lifestyle application, Zigzak, next week. The company has described the initiative as a step towards transforming digital convenience in Nagaland, the North East and beyond.
The application is designed to function as an all-in-one service platform, bringing together facilities such as food delivery, grocery shopping, rides, medicines, parcel services and home services on a single interface.
The development of the app has been undertaken by a team of fifteen engineers and developers based in Hyderabad, under...
Indigenous leaders of Assam have strongly condemned what they described as "barbaric atrocities" by Assam Police on members of the Koch-Rajbanshi community at Golokganj in Dhubri district on September 10. They demanded an impartial judicial inquiry and strict action against the culprits, urging the state to ensure that such incidents are not repeated when communities raise their democratic rights.
At the same press conference, the leaders also expressed outrage over the detention of Bhanu Tatak — a young activist and legal advisor of the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum — at Delhi’s international airport on September 7. Tatak, who had been invited to Dublin City University in Ireland for...
Mumbai: The never-say-die soul of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika enjoyed yet another acme of glory when millions of people across the globe remembered him on his birth centenary on 8th September. From Assam and Kolkata to the capital Delhi, from India’s downtown Mumbai to Bengaluru, the Bard of Brahmaputra came alive with his songs and rhymes.
On 8th September, renowned music therapist and performer Anubhuti Goswami, along with her husband and multi-instrumentalist Emon Goswami, presented a soulful tribute to the legend Dr. Bhupen Hazarika as part of the birth centenary celebrations in Kolkata.
The duo performed at the Assam Bhawan, organized by the Kolkata Assamese Cultural Association,...
Clashes broke out in Churachandpur district on Thursday evening, barely two days before the scheduled visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Manipur, throwing the administration into a state of heightened alert. The incident occurred near Peasonmun village, situated about five kilometres from the Churachandpur police station, when a group of unidentified persons allegedly attempted to damage decorations and arrangements being put up for the Prime Minister’s public engagement.
Police personnel who rushed to the spot were confronted by the miscreants, following which a scuffle ensued. Reports indicate that several properties suffered damage during the course of the incident. While...
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