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                       Vol.I, No.98 [*] March 11, 1997
                       -------------------------------

1  AXX PRESIDENT CALLS FOR DISCARDING SEPARATIST IDEAS     [S:09-MAR-97]
   ---------------------------------------------------
   
   With  thousands  of  people thronging the AXX session on March 8, the
   president-elect Dr Nagen Saikia was brought in a colorful  procession
   amidst much  fanfare.    The  procession  comprised  three  elegantly
   decorated  elephants,  few  horses,  50  cultural  groups  and   some
   tableaux.   Dr  Saikia  in  his  speech  reiterated the reflection of
   Indian nationalism in Assamese literature and called upon the  people
   to  discard  parochial  and separatist ideas to work for a united and
   stronger nation.   He  also  cautioned  against  any  move  aimed  at
   sabotaging Assamese literature as well as culture.
   
   Vice President R.K.Narayanan addressing a mammoth  gathering  on  the
   concluding day on March 9 as the chief guest, said while the Assamese
   language  once  fought  for its survival, it should now fight for its
   development under the AXX. Mr Narayanan urged the  AXX  to  take  the
   lead role in coordinating the different languages of India and called
   for translation of Assamese literary works into different languages.
   
   The  64th session of the Axom Xahitya Xabha will be held at Howraghat
   in Karbi Anglong district, according to the outgoing secretary of the
   Xabha, Mr Satish Chandra Choudhury.
   

2  ASSEMBLY WITNESSES UPROAR:  NARAH EXPELLED		[S:11-MAR-97]
   ----------------------------------------
   
   Uproar and chaos dominated proceedings in the State Assembly on March
   10 as Chief Whip of the Congress Legislature Party, Mr  Bharat  Narah
   was  expelled by the Speaker from the House for the day for levelling
   'false' allegations against four Cabinet Ministers and  the  Congress
   staged two walkouts, one in protest against Mr Narah's expulsion.
   
   Security spending:   Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who holds
   the Home portfolio informed the State Assembly on March 10  that  the
   Government  had  to  spend Rs.5,980,888 every month for providing the
   paramilitary forces deployed in the State  with  facilities  such  as
   housing, power, water, transport etc.
   

3  LOC SCAM:  CBI QUESTIONS BUREAUCRATS		       [S:09+10-MAR-97]
   -------------------------------------
   
   Former Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sibasagar, Mr N.Haque,  ACS,
   who  was  interrogated  by  the  CBI  for about 4 hours on March 8 in
   connection  with  the  Demow  LoC  scam,  has  reportedly  told   the
   investigating  team  that  as  the Sibsagar ADC he knew all about the
   scam but  he  could  not  do  anything  because  of  his  subordinate
   position.   The  CBI  also interrogated for two hours Mr N.C.Dutta, a
   retired  IAS  officer  to  ascertain  his  role  as  the  former  DC,
   Sibasagar.
   
   Mr Saraswati Prasad, IAS, former DC of Sibasagar and present Director
   of  Industries  Department  was interrogated on March 10 to ascertain
   whether he was aware of the scam in Demow or  not.    Two  other  IAS
   officers  and  former  DCs  of  Sibasagar, Mr Ravi Capoor and Mr Arun
   Kumar, were issued summons to present themselves  for  interrogation.
   However they failed to appear before the investigating team.
   

4  NEDFi YET TO FIND AN MD				[S:09-MAR-97]
   -----------------------
   
   Ever since the erstwhile  managing  director  of  the  North  eastern
   Development  Finance Corporation Limited, Mr V.J.B.Andrews put in his
   papers and quit the organization following allegations of  graft  and
   nepotism against him, the post have been lying vacant.
   
   Meanwhile, the views expressed by the chairman of the  NEDFi  on  the
   appointment  of a person from outside the region as managing director
   to head the affairs of the Rs.5-billion development bank have  caught
   a  lot  of  flak  from  banking  circles,  contesting the claim of Dr
   Jayanta Madhab that there were no suitable candidates from the region
   to fill the post of MD and that those who were suitable were  already
   well-placed to global institutions outside.
   

5  SANGMA TO VISIT DHAKA				[UNI:09-MAR-97
   ---------------------
   
   Lok  Sabha  Speaker P.A.Sangma said a seminar on economic cooperation
   between Bangladesh and the north-eastern States  of  India  would  be
   held in  Dhaka  early  next  month.  Talking to newsmen on March 8 at
   Shillong, he said he would lead a delegation of  young  entrepreneurs
   from the  region  to  Dhaka for the seminar.  Dhaka would soon open a
   consulate in Shillong for providing better facilities to exporters of
   the region.
   

6  NRL SCHEMES TO PROTECT ENVIRONMENT			[UNI:09-MAR-97
   ----------------------------------
   
   The Numaligar Refinery Limited would spend Rs.600 million to save the
   surrounding ecology  as  well  as the Kaziranga National Park.  These
   measures includes setting up of  a  green  belt,  effluent  treatment
   plant and minimization of atmospheric pollution.
   
   The NRL is developing a 100 metre wide green belt around the refinery
   and 30 metre wide green belt around proposed marketing terminal at  a
   cost of  Rs.10  million.  More than 150,000 of tropical variety would
   be planted in the proposed green belt and  22,000  plant  of  several
   species have already been planted in a naturalistic method during the
   last plantation season.
   
   The  NRL  is  being  set up at Golaghat district, approximately 45 km
   from the world famous Kaziranga National Park, home  of  about  1,400
   endangered one-horned rhinos.
   

7  ITFAA TO ADOPT VILLAGE IN STATE			[S:06-MAR-97]
   -------------------------------
   
   The  Industries  and  Trade  Fare Association of Assam is planning to
   adopt a backward village of the State as part of its basic  objective
   to  bring  about  economic  development for the overall uplift of the
   region.  The vice-president of the ITFAA, Mr  Rajesh  Das  said,  the
   body is a voluntary social nonprofit making organisation  intended to
   plough  back  money  earned from its activities for the uplift of the
   region.
   

8  SARAT PHUKAN AWARDED PHD				[AT:10-MAR-97]
   ------------------------
   
   Mr Sarat  Phukan, SP, CID has been awarded Ph.D.  degree by Dibrugarh
   University for his thesis, 'An analytical and critical study  on  the
   history  of  place  names  of  Upper  Assam  as  gleaned from the old
   Assamese chronicles.'
   

9  GU DEPARTMENT DENIES REPORT				[UNI:09-MAR-97
   ---------------------------
   
   The Anthropology Department of the Gauhati University has denied  its
   involvement  in  the  recovery  of  500-years  old  megaliths  in the
   Baithalangso area of Karbi Anglong district.  It said no expert  team
   from  the  department  was  ever  deputed  to  study  or conserve the
   megaliths at Baithalangso and it was in no way involved in the  work.
   [Ref:AOL-95, Item:6]
   

10 AMERICANS WANT NEWS, BUT NOT FROM THE MEDIA
   -------------------------------------------
   
   Americans  have  a  growing  need for news and most find it useful in
   making everyday decisions, but they give  much  lower  marks  to  the
   media that deliver it, a survey suggests.
   
   Few surveyed felt that freedom of the press should be unconditionally
   guaranteed to  reporters.    About  two-thirds,  or 65 per cent, said
   there are times  when  the  news  media  should  be  restricted  from
   publishing or broadcasting stories.
   
   Most  Americans  believe that profit motives, corporate media owners,
   advertisers, and politicians influenced the way news is reported  and
   presented.   People  between  the  ages of 18 and 29 are increasingly
   interested in the news and often get it from  the  Internet.    Young
   people also tend to trust the media more than the older people.  [AP]
   

______________________________[Mozz-BG]_________________________________
Compiled from newspaper and agency reports for private circulation only.
      [S=Sentinel, AT=Assam Tribune, Agencies = UNI, PTI, PIB]
              http://www.cyberspace.org/~mozz/aol.html  
  http://www.cs.uccs.edu/~kalita/assam/news/news-from-assam-index.html
________________________________________________________________________