Climate change: Cong seeks concrete steps
The Congress has asked the Assam government to take some concrete measures on climate change. Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia claimed the state is losing 15-sq km of forests every year due to encroachment and other reasons. “The Centre and Assam government should have been more proactive in this regard. When the government initiates a developmental project, it should transplant the trees elsewhere, instead of lopping them off. Secondly, we want the government not to rehabilitate the landless in and around forests,” Saikia said. Assam has 15 of India’s 25 districts most vulnerable to climate change.
Gun-toting adivasi men demand ST status
Even as militancy-related incidents dropped drastically in Assam after the government signed various peace accords with myriad militant groups, a video, showing some youth in army fatigues wielding guns, surfaced on social media. They claimed they are members of Adivasi People’s Liberation Army, a hitherto unknown insurgent group. One of them in the video demanded that the Assam and Central governments give ST status and land rights to the tea workers’ adivasi community in the state. “Our 125 soldiers and officers want to join the mainstream. We want the government to take necessary steps so we can join the mainstream,” he said.
21% increase in IIT pre-placement offers
The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati registered a 21 per cent increase in placement offers during 2022- 23. The institute has already received 218 pre-placement offers (PPOs) so far this academic year, against 179 offers in 2021-22. The PPOs will continue to be made till the commencement of Phase I of campus placements on December 1. “A major factor behind this performance is the strong internship programme and pre-placement talks arranged by the Centre for Career Development of the IIT. The increase in PPOs is the result of excellent guidance by the mentors and the performance of students during these sessions,” the institute said.
Prasanta mazumdar
Our correspondent in Guwahati
prasantamazumdar@newindianexpress.com