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.
On the auspicious occasion of the birth centenary of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, the Assam government has handed over the legendary singer’s neglected residence at Kuthori, Kaziranga, to local residents for preservation.
For the past five years, the house—once vibrant with the maestro’s harmonium, tabla, and compositions—had fallen into disrepair, leaving fans and admirers disheartened. Although the government had acquired the property at a cost of ₹2.51 crore from Fatik Nyog five years ago, no concrete conservation efforts had been initiated since.
Responding to repeated demands from villagers, the government announced today that the residence will be developed into a cultural...
The University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika with a vibrant cultural programme at its Central Auditorium.
Themed “Voice of Bhupen Hazarika: Voice of the People; Leading to a Harmonious Society,” the event featured visual presentations, floral tributes, and lively performances by students and faculty.
Prasanta Rajguru, Editor-in-Chief of Prag News, delivered the keynote, highlighting five iconic songs of the maestro and their historical relevance. Actor Kamal Singh presented a special tribute performance, while dignitaries including Dr. Aparna Buzarbaruah graced the occasion.
The celebration...
In a landmark wildlife discovery, the elusive Pallas’s Cat has been documented for the first time in Arunachal Pradesh during an extensive high-altitude survey jointly conducted by the Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of Arunachal Pradesh and WWF-India.
The survey, carried out between July and September 2024, involved 136 camera traps across 2,000 sq km of rugged terrain in Tawang and West Kameng districts. It not only produced the first photographic record of Pallas’s Cat in the state, but also revealed the presence of five other wild cats — snow leopard, common leopard, clouded leopard, leopard cat, and marbled cat — at elevations above 4,200 metres...
In a historic gathering that marks a new chapter in Moran political mobilization, the Moran community today formally launched its new political platform, Jatiya Gan Mancha (National People’s Forum), at a mass assembly held at Kakopathar public ground. The event was convened under the aegis of leading Moran organizations, including the Assam Moran Sabha, All Moran Students’ Union, Moran Mahila Parishad, Moran Sahitya Sabha, Moran Art & Culture Development Centre, and the Moran National Educational Development Forum.
The assembly commenced with ceremonial tributes to the community’s forebears, accompanied by devotional songs and cultural performances, setting a solemn and festive tone...
The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) loves to wear the mantle of regionalism. It proudly recalls its birth from the Assam Agitation and the sacrifices of 855 martyrs. Yet every fresh controversy over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) exposes the party for what it has become: a political outfit addicted to power, reduced to theatrics whenever Assamese identity is threatened.
The script is depressingly familiar. In 2019, when CAA protests shook Assam, AGP staged a high-decibel drama—ministers resigned, alliance with the BJP was declared broken, the party promised to stand with the people. Two months later, under the cover of midnight negotiations, AGP crawled back into power, its leaders...
Arunachal Pradesh law teacher Gemini Loriak has shaken the internet with a viral classroom talk that cuts deep into India’s collective conscience. In her fiery remarks, she dismantles the stereotype of India as a “lawless country,” declaring that it is not the absence of laws but the refusal of citizens to follow them that creates chaos.
Loriak points to everyday hypocrisy: bribing to bypass queues, fastening seatbelts only when police are in sight, dismissing domestic violence as a “private matter,” normalizing harassment, and celebrating VIP culture while preaching equality.
Quoting the Constitution—Article 14 on Equality, Article 21 on the Right to Life with Dignity, and Article...
In a swift development following public outrage, Assam Police have arrested three officials of Bhartia Infra Projects Ltd (BIPL) after the tragic death of a three-year-old boy who fell into an uncovered drain at the Arya Nagar flyover construction site in Guwahati. The incident, which occurred earlier this week, triggered shock across the city and led to demands for accountability from both the company and government authorities.
According to reports, the toddler, identified as Sunit Kumar, slipped into an unguarded drain within the construction zone. CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts later revealed several exposed manholes and drains left unattended at the site. The flyover work had...
The morning broke like any other Teachers’ Day in Assam. Classrooms across the state were filled with garlands, songs, and the eager smiles of children bowing before their teachers. But while thousands of students offered prayers and gifts, more than 9,000 tutors left their schools behind and walked instead to the Latashil playground in Guwahati.
It was here, on this very day of reverence, that the tutors chose protest over celebration. With banners aloft and voices hoarse with slogans, they demanded not flowers but justice.
“We have given our entire lives to teaching,” one grey-haired tutor said, his eyes moist, his voice trembling. “Today we should have been in the classroom,...
Guwahati, September 5: On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, the All Assam Non-Provincialised Teachers’ and Employees’ Association strongly condemned the state government for neglecting their long-standing demand for provincialisation of services.
Addressing a press conference at Dispur Press Club today, the organisation’s leaders narrated the decades of hardship faced by nearly 4,500 teachers and employees who continue to serve schools and colleges without provincial status. Many of them have been working since the 1990s but remain deprived of government recognition and financial security.
Association secretary Purabi Kalita Saikia termed the new provincialisation law introduced by the...
Guwahati today is not just a city of chaos and waterlogging—it has turned into a death trap. Open drains and reckless construction lie in wait, ready to claim lives, while the authorities responsible look the other way.
This week alone, tragedy struck twice. Four-year-old Sumit Kumar slipped into an uncovered drain near Nilachal Nagar and never returned home. Hours later, Phuljit Sharma, an elderly citizen, fell into another open drain in Kahilipara, narrowly escaping death but left seriously injured.
But Sumit and Phuljit are not exceptions. They are part of a long, shameful list. In 2023, Priya Kumari, a college student, lost her life when her scooter skidded near Ganeshguri and she...
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