Aware, Awake & Arise: Issues that concern the region

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Five-star hotel-cum-casino to come up in Sikkim

The tiny north-eastern state of Sikkim is all set to roll its roulette and is gearing up to give Nepal a run for its money, literally. Along with its virgin forests, lofty mountains, mystic valleys, lush green landscapes and spectacular mountain rivers, the Himalayan kingdom is now all set to welcome visitors with state-of-the-art world class casinos."The state government has given nod to Park Sarovar Plaza Group of Hotels to set up a five-star hotel-cum-casino in Gangtok. The project is likely to be completed in this year only," says G P Upadhyaya, commissioner-cum-secretary of the department of tourism, Sikkim.

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http://india.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=136862

US faculty for Shillong IIM

The new Indian Institute of Management in Shillong could become the first among the premier B-schools to hire foreign faculty to boost its brand value as it debuts this year.The HRD ministry has allowed the Shillong IIM to hire foreign experts who will teach “specific subjects” included in the institute’s curriculum, government officials said.Similar proposals from the existing six IIMs are also being studied by the ministry.Fears of a shortage in quality Indian faculty led to the IIM’s decision to look for teachers outside the country, institute sources said.

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080703/jsp/nation/story_9495745.jsp

Guwahati-Tawang helicopter service launched


With an aim to boost tourism and handicraft industry in Tawang, a daily helicopter service between the Buddhist centre in Arunachal Pradesh and Guwahati was flagged off on 29th June.

Read full article on http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Transportation/Airlines__Aviation/Guwahati-Tawang_helicopter_service_launched/articleshow/3177940.cms

Hybrid plant for Tripura

Tripura has set up the first “solar-wind hybrid power project” in the Northeast. The project has the capability to generate 2KW of power, and will utilise solar power and wind energy on a 50:50 basis to produce it.

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080702/jsp/northeast/story_9492460.jsp

Sikkim govt scraps three more hydel projects

After discarding four hydel projects in March, the Sikkim government has scrapped three more such projects in the state accusing private developers of delaying execution of their contracts, a top government official said on Thursday.

Read full article on http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/Sikkim_scraps_three_hydel_projects/articleshow/3193760.cms

Centre approves agri varsity, NIT in Meghalaya

The Centre has given clearance for setting up of a Central agricultural university and an NIT in Meghalaya, giving a boost to the state's education sector.

Read full article on http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Centre_approves_agri_varsity_NIT_in_Meghalaya/articleshow/3189619.cms

Indian researchers examine genetic status of Arunachal Pradesh tribe

A new study by researchers at the Indian Statistical Institute has examined for the first time the genetic status of sub-tribes of a Tibeto-Burman-speaking tribe of Arunachal Pradesh in north-eastern India. North-east India has always been a hotspot for population geneticists due to its unique, strategic geographic location and the presence of linguistically, culturally and demographically diverse populations practicing varied occupations. There are an estimated 532 tribal communities who inhabit the different geographical regions, who vary in their morphological features and ethnic origins of varied cultural features and who belong to three linguistic families.

India Plans 310 Billion Rupee Spending to Build Northeast Roads

By Bibhudatta Pradhan
India plans to invest about 310 billion rupees ($7.2 billion) by 2012 to build roads in the nation's northeast, improving connectivity with the states bordering China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. The government will also build airports and railway links to all state capitals of the region, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, inviting private investment in the region.

Three in race for North-East airline

Apart from Alliance Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, two other companies — Universal Empire and Ace Airlines — have submitted offers to run the new airline.The winning bidder will be eligible for subsidies from the North Eastern Council. The new dedicated regional airline is expected to start operations by the end of this year.


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http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?autono=327693&leftnm=3&sub
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