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                          Vol.3, No.50 [*]  July 20, 1998
                          -------------------------------

            She who conceives in secret will give birth in public.
                           - Arabic proverb.

   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

1  RAID A GOVT'S PLOT TO KILL ME: AJIT BHUYAN		   [S:20-JUL-98]
   ------------------------------------------
   Veteran  journalist  and  editor of Natun Samoy, a vernacular weekly,
   Ajit Kumar Bhuyan alleged that a group of 16 to 20 Army personnel  in
   plainclothes raided his residence at Rajgarh Link Road in Guwahati at
   around  8:45  pm on Saturday `as a part of a Government conspiracy to
   physically eliminate' him.  Mr Bhuyan in a press statement  said,  `I
   strongly  feel  that  the Indian Army has become a constant threat to
   the life of the honest Indian citizens taking side of  the  oppressed
   masses.'
   
   Briefing  on the raid, he said that the Army personnel, without being
   accompanied by a  magistrate  encircled  his  residence  and  started
   shouting  `bahar  ao,  nahi  to  goli mar dunga' (come out or we will
   shoot you).  Hearing this threat, all members of his family came  out
   of the  residence with their hands raised.  Later some of the Armymen
   led by a Captain took Mr Bhuyan inside  the  house  at  gunpoint  and
   raided all the rooms, he alleged.
   
   Meanwhile,  the Army authorities through a clarification faxed to the
   newspaper offices on Sunday evening said, ``It is  likely  that  some
   people  may  be  operating in various places posing as Army personnel
   and conducting `raids'.  All  the  people  are  cautioned  that  they
   should  check  the  credentials  of the people coming to search their
   houses before allowing them to enter.''
   
2  HEARING OF ANUP CHETIA CASE BEGINS IN DHAKA	         [PTI:19-JUL-98]
   -------------------------------------------
   A Bangaladesh court on Sunday began hearing into the charges  against
   ULFA  leader  Anup Chetia that he illegally stayed in the country and
   possessed forged passports under different names.  Making disposition
   as first prosecution witness  before  the  court,  the  investigating
   officer  said  police  has recovered from Chetia photocopies of three
   passports in which he used different names.  The  officer  also  told
   the  court  that  Chetia,  despite  being  Indian  citizen  which  he
   confessed during interrogations, had been staying  in  at  Adabar  in
   Mohammadpur locality under different names.

3  BILASIPARA MLA ASSAULTED BY BUSINESSMEN IN RETALIATION  [S:20-JUL-98]
   ------------------------------------------------------
   A irate mob assaulted Mr Ali Akbar Miya, MLA of  Bilasipara  West  in
   Bilasipara market at 10:30 am on Sunday.  According to eyewitness the
   MLA,  along  with his aids, assaulted a shopkeeper in connection with
   sugar stock.  In retaliation, the business fraternity  assaulted  the
   MLA and  his aides and broke the window of his car.  Both the parties
   lodged complaints in  the  Bilasipara  police  station.    Mr  Prabin
   Saikia,  Superintendent  of  Police  of  Dhubri  is  supervising  the
   situation.  The business  community  observed  a  `bandh'  after  the
   incident in protest against the MLA's misbehaviour.
   
4  AXOM UNNATI XABHA LAUNCHED				   [S:18-JUL-98]
   --------------------------
   The All Assam Students Union (AASU) sponsored Axom Unnati  Xabha  was
   formally  launched  at  Golaghat  on  Friday with the adoption of the
   constitution and the flag for the organization.  It was decided  that
   until  formation  of  the  State  committee,  the preparatory working
   committee constituted by 31 members, will continue to look after  the
   works  of  the  Xabha,  supervising formation of the subcommittees in
   each district, Assembly constituencies, block and village  panchayats
   on completion  of  which  the  State  committee  will be formed.  The
   central executive will be constituted with representatives  from  all
   sections of the society.
   
5  MASTER PLAN FOR EDUCATION DEPARTMENT UNVEILED	   [S:18-JUL-98]
   ---------------------------------------------
   The Government of Assam took certain major decisions  in  respect  of
   the  Education  Department  and  gave  the seal of approval to a new,
   10-year `Master Plan for the Education in Assam (from 1998 to 2008)'.
   
   The master plan envisages introduction of provident fund accounts for
   all teachers and non-teaching staff of all provincialized schools.  A
   ban  on  opening  of  any  new school or college in the the next five
   years.  Filling up of all vacant clerical and grade 4  posts  in  the
   schools and  colleges. 
   
   The  Inspectors  and  Deputy Inspectors of Schools were authorized to
   recruit teachers  in  high  and  lower  primary  schools  only.    To
   provincialize  as  per  norms,  all  recognized  schools  in a phased
   manner.   In  respect  of  the   founder-lecturers   of   the   newly
   deficit-grant  aided  colleges  who  do not possess University Grants
   Commission norms, a State  scale  of  pay  commensurate  with  higher
   secondary school teacher will be given.
   
   Opening  of pre-primary classes (A and B) in all provincialized lower
   primary and junior basic schools for children of the age group of six
   years in a phased manner.  Opening of one academic staff college  for
   in-service training in every university.
   
   No  decision  was taken on reintroduction of History and Geography in
   the curriculum of schools, compulsory  education  for  all  boys  and
   girls  below  the  age  of  14  years, universalization of elementary
   education etc.
   
6  NO MORE PUBLIC SECTOR UNITS IN ASSAM			   [S:19-JUL-98]
   ------------------------------------
   The State Government will not establish any  project  in  the  public
   sector  in  future  after  it  had to literally sink a whopping Rs.25
   billion in setting up public sector units (PSUs) in the past 50 years
   without  any  return  according  to  it,  Industries  Minister  Gunin
   Hazarika told newsmen at Nagaon on Saturday.  He said, six PSUs would
   be  handed  over  to  the  private  sector though the government will
   continue to have its share in the units.
   
7  PROJECT FOR PROMOTION OF `ERI' AND `MUGA' SILK	   [S:18-JUL-98]
   ----------------------------------------------
   The Union  Ministry  of  Science  and  Technology,  has  initiated  a
   coordinated project  on  sericulture  in  the  Northeast.  Under this
   project, the focus is on `eri' and `muga' silk,  both  of  which  are
   produced in  the Northeast.  A research institute for `muga' is being
   established at Jorhat.  Research on `muga' and  `eri'  is  now  being
   carried  out  by  the  institute  located  at Boko in lower Assam and
   Mendhipathar in Meghalaya.  Experiments are on for indoor rearing  of
   `eri' silk  worms.    Waste  `muga'  pupae  are being studied and the
   possibility of its use in soap, candle  and  cosmetic  industries  is
   being explored, a release stated.
   
8  A TASTE OF FLOOD FOR DC GOLAGHAT !		          [AA:19-JUL-98]
   ----------------------------------
   While accompanying a group of journalists to flood affected areas  of
   Golaghat,  Deputy  Commissioner  Jiban Chandra Pegu himself was swept
   away in the flood waters on Saturday evening.  However, the  security
   and  the  officials  present  quickly rescued a thoroughly shaken and
   soaked Mr Pegu from being carried away by  the  powerful  current  of
   flood waters.    Mr  Pegu who was attired in pair of jeans, a T-shirt
   and an expensive wristwatch at the time of  the  incident,  lost  his
   watch in the water.
   
   The  Deputy  Commissioner  later  told `Amar Asom' a vernacular daily
   from Jorhat and  Guwahati,  that  although  press  has  given  enough
   coverage  of  the  flood  situation  in  Dhemaji,  Nalbari  etc,  the
   newspapers did  not  give  adequate  attention  to  the  grave  flood
   situation prevailing  in  Golaghat  district.   The DC along with the
   local MLA Atul Bora had gone to the the Athkhelia area with a team of
   Newspaper and Doordarshan (TV) media persons to show the true picture
   of the flood in the district, when the DC lost his foothold and  fell
   into the gushing waters, and almost became a flood victim himself!
   
9  ASSAM FLYING CLUB TO BE UPGRADED TO FLYING ACADEMY	   [S:19-JUL-98]
   --------------------------------------------------
   Assam Government has decided to activate the Assam Flying Club  which
   has  been  lying  idle  for  the  past  few years and upgrade it to a
   Northeast Flying Academy. This was decided in a meeting  convened  by
   the  Chief Minister at Dispur on Friday. The Sports and Youth Welfare
   Department was directed to prepare a plan for the purpose.
   
______________________________[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.assam.org/assam/news/index.html
________________________________________________________________________