The Civil Society Alliance – Assam, a solidarity group committed to the cause of promoting and defending indigenous peoples’ rights for peace, justice and equality is expressing to voice its deep concern regarding the proposed financing development model of privatizing the historical monuments of Ahom Kingdoms of Sivasagar district and kaziranga National Park of Assam being crafted through the ambitious ‘adopt a heritage’ in the state. CSAA believe that this kind of aggressive project pose greater challenge to sustainable and people-oriented development which institutionalize the private control over the resources and divert the government attention from addressing the social concerns in a new form of advancing neoliberalism. It is also a thought-provoking matter of concern now for the indigenous people because such privatize sector move may facilitate human rights violation, including land grabbing and displacement of the native community in the long run.
The Alliance group is also deeply concerned about increasing private sector involvement in the state in various forms are becoming an increasingly important actors in social development process. This kind of PPP model which is known is also a privatization by other means in the state run system which has gained momentum since the failure of privatization programs initiated by the International Financial Institution (IFI) such as World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other bilateral and multilateral institutions across many counties earlier.
In a solidarity statement, CSAA would also like to urge that Government of India to comply its international human rights commitments and obligation of Rights of Indigenous Peoples as drawn in United Nation Declaration of the Rights of the Indigenous People, adopted by the General Assembly in 2007 (UNDRIP, Article 11) that Indigenous peoples have the right to practice and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artefacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature.
The Civil Society Alliance – Assam, a collation of NGO, Community Based Institution, indigenous Peoples Organisations & social activist, being connected to this land by virtue of aboriginal are urging to withdraw the current proposal of privatizing modality of corporatizing the historical monuments & national park of Assam instantly to address the negative consequences in order to defend the community control over the basic services and resources for development justice. The alliance also would like to urge the Government for its policy towards the use of development resources for private financing implementation to replace with greater and more democratic public sector leadership with the enforcement of regulatory mechanisms to ensure transparency for people. The press release has been shared which is being endorsed by North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) – Jorhat, United Women Rights Protection Forum, - Upper Assam, Chutia Yuva Sanmilan, Assam – Jorhat District Committee, People Right Forum - Dhemaji, The EAST, Tezpur and Social Activists of the state.
Assam continues to witness an alarming number of suicide cases, with concerns growing over economic distress, unemployment and mental health challenges among vulnerable sections of society.
According to the latest “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) 2024” data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Assam recorded 3,203 suicide cases in 2024, compared to 3,051 cases in 2023.
The issue has remained a major social concern through 2025-26, particularly amid rising living costs, unstable income sources and growing financial pressure on low-income families. Reports and field observations indicate that daily wage earners,...
India has witnessed protest movements, student uprisings, anti-corruption campaigns and meme wars before. But perhaps no recent phenomenon captures the frustration of India’s younger generation as sharply as the sudden rise of the “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP).
What started as an internet joke has rapidly evolved into a national political conversation.
The movement emerged after controversial remarks attributed to Supreme Court judge Surya Kant during a hearing, where unemployed youth and activists were allegedly compared to “cockroaches” and “parasites.” Though later clarifications suggested the remarks were directed at fake-degree holders and not unemployed youth generally, the...
Dudhnoi, May 22: A day-long capacity building programme for agri-export oriented stakeholders was organized by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority in collaboration with ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra Goalpara at the KVK campus in Dudhnoi on May 18, 2026.
The programme witnessed enthusiastic participation from nearly 80 farmers and members of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) from different parts of Goalpara district. The initiative aimed to create awareness about export opportunities in the agricultural sector and equip stakeholders with knowledge on export procedures and support mechanisms.
The programme began with...
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati Off-Campus on Saturday held its 12th Convocation for students who graduated in 2025 at the Zubeen Garg Auditorium of Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU) in Guwahati.
The convocation was attended by Gauhati High Court Judge Justice Soumitra Saikia as the chief guest, along with TISS Chancellor and former UGC Chairperson Prof. D.P. Singh, TISS Vice Chancellor Prof. Badri Narayan Tiwari, Officiating Registrar Dr. Narendra Mishra and Dean Academic Affairs Prof. Sunil D. Santha.
Several dignitaries, including officials from KKHSOU, OKDISC and ICSSR-NERC, and Assam government adviser Dr. Keshav Kumar, IPS (Retd.), were...
Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the Geneva-based global media safety and rights body, has expressed concern over the continued press censorship in Myanmar, as the military junta authorities have recently revoked the licenses of three more independent news outlets. The junta’s information ministry had lately restricted the publication of Myaelatt Athan, Red News Agency, and Asia Citizens News Agency, citing different sections of the law.
Mentionable is that the South Asian nation of 55 million people witnessed a coup on 1 February 2021, when a democratically elected government led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted by the then military chief Min Aung Hlaing. Since then, the junta has revoked...
A grassroots effort to resurrect Spirit Airlines has gone viral after being launched by Hunter Peterson, an aviation enthusiast who has spoken publicly about being autistic and his lifelong interest in airplanes.
The campaign, organized through LetsBuySpiritAir.com, calls for a “community-owned airline” model in which passengers, employees and supporters would collectively fund and govern a rebooted version of the bankrupt budget carrier. The proposal spread quickly across TikTok, Reddit and X, drawing millions of views under the hashtag #Spirit2.0.
Peterson, 24, a content creator, gained attention after posting a video last week in which he said, “I’m kind of autistic, and I...
Scientists conducting the 5th Khangri Glacier Expedition in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang district have reported alarming geomorphological changes in the Khangri Glacier, including the formation of a potentially dangerous proglacial lake that could trigger a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in the Mago Chu Basin.
The expedition was jointly conducted by the Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies in collaboration with the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research and North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology. The scientific mission began on May 4 in the transboundary Mago Chu Basin, a critical headwater region of the larger Brahmaputra river system.
According...
Heavy pre-monsoon rainfall has caused multiple breaches, locally known as “rain cuts”, in the Ulfa dyke at Panigaon in Assam’s Lakhimpur district, raising fresh concerns of flooding in the region.
The 3.7-km-long agri-bund embankment—stretching from Jorkhat-Boniyagaon to Pub-Aamtola Nepaligaon under Pachim Telahi Gaon Panchayat—is popularly known as the Ulfa dyke. It was originally constructed in 1989 by members of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) with community participation.
According to reports, continuous rainfall over recent weeks has led to the formation of more than 20 rain cuts along the embankment, significantly weakening its structure ahead of the...
A district-level convening of humanitarian organisations and civil society groups was held in Jorhat at the premises of the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS), Dhekiakhowa, focusing on Community Feedback Mechanism (CFM) and flood preparedness.
Organised by NEADS in collaboration with the State Inter Agency Group and Roots to Branches Foundation, with support from UNICEF Assam, the meeting brought together civil society representatives, district authorities, and local humanitarian actors to strengthen coordination ahead of the flood season.
The session opened with a welcome address by Tirtha Prasad Saikia, who underscored the importance of community-centred approaches...
In a grim reminder of the city’s crumbling urban infrastructure, four lives were lost within 48 hours after heavy rains triggered widespread artificial flooding across Guwahati. What should have been a seasonal downpour instead exposed a deadly mix of neglected drains, poor planning, and administrative failure.
The first victim, Payel Nath Das (around 30), a Dharapur resident working at a jewellery shop on GS Road, met a tragic end on the night of April 19. At around 9:30 pm, while wading through knee-deep water at Maligaon Chariali, she slipped into an uncovered roadside drain concealed beneath floodwaters. Her body was recovered 150–250 metres away the next morning by SDRF personnel...
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