Kalam scores frequent flier points in NE

PRESIDENT A.P.J. Abdul Kalam seems to have fallen in love with the Northeast. In just three months, he has made as many trips to the region,...

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PRESIDENT A.P.J. Abdul Kalam seems to have fallen in love with the Northeast. In just three months, he has made as many trips to the region, covering Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Assam and Nagaland. At every stop, his first priority was interacting with school children. With development his mantra, Kalam expressed displeasure at the slow pace of projects in the states, a matter that needs to be taken up by Arun Shourie, minister in charge of development in the Northeast.

Arunachal cashes in on wonder grass

EVER since Arunachal Pradesh became a full-fledged state a decade ago, providing income-generating avenues to the rural people has become a major challenge. With agriculture not a very viable option for the tribals in the hills, the government came up with a novel scheme — it got scientists from the Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) at Jorhat to introduce the cultivation of citronella, an aromatic plant, among them. Over 150 families now grow citronella on the hill slopes, selling their produce to the RRL which extracts aromatic oil from it. These 150 families have earned over Rs 35 lakh in three seasons from the wonder grass, encouraging more tribals to take up the cultivation of citronella.

Muga silk patent need of the hour

MUGA, Assam’s golden silk, may soon face the same fate as basmati rice if it is not patented before the World Trade Organisation agreements come into force in 2004. The production of this non-mulberry silk, an exclusive product of Assam, has been fluctuating between 60 to 90 metric tonnes per annum. The Central Silk Board has been laying maximum emphasis on increasing productivity as well as the number of rearers. Also threatened by environmental pollution, muga constitutes only eight per cent of the entire silk industry.

New bridge across Brahmaputra likely

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GUWAHATI may soon get a much-needed second bridge across the Brahmaputra. At present, the only bridge that links Guwahati, the gateway to the Northeast, is increasingly unable to take the traffic that has grown manifold since it was built in the 1960s. Now, Assam Governor S.K. Sinha himself is reported to be taking the initiative to get a second bridge near Guwahati sanctioned. This will not only ease the traffic problem but will also add to the economic development of the north bank. There are three bridges across the Brahmaputra in the state. Work on the fourth, near Dibrugarh, has recently begun.

Nagaland vies for tourist trade

NAGALAND is doing its best to shed the insurgency tag and emerge as a major tourist destination in the country. With over 15,000 domestic and 200 foreign tourists visiting Kohima, Dimapur and other places last year, the state seems to have started off on the right foot. The peace talks between the government and the NSCN has improved the law and order situation. Moreover, the new superfast Jan-Shatabdi Express introduced between Guwahati and Dimapur last month has made the region more accessible.