Author name: OnlineAge

GUWAHATI : Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota on Monday said he has reviewed World Bank-aided projects, worth Rs 16,648 crore, with officials of the lender. The projects span critical sectors including transport connectivity, river basin management, healthcare, school education, governance reforms and resilient infrastructure development, Kota said. The chief secretary said in an X post that he met with a delegation from the World Bank as per the directives of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The delegation was led by Johannes Zutt, Regional Vice President of the World Bank. “The meeting reviewed the progress of ongoing World Bank-assisted projects in Assam and deliberated upon future areas of collaboration aligned with the State Government’s developmental priorities,” he added. At present, Assam is implementing seven major World Bank-assisted externally aided projects with a cumulative outlay of approximately Rs 16,648 crore, of which the World Bank has lent nearly Rs 13,320 crore, Kota said. The official said that in the meeting, they highlighted Assam’s focus on resilient infrastructure, digital governance reforms and citizen-centric service delivery, and emphasised the transformative impact of governance and technology-driven initiatives. The Assam government requested the World Bank to consider greater flexibility in minimum project size norms for governance, institutional reform and digital transformation projects, he added. “Also sought enhanced engagement of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for supporting Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives and infrastructure asset monetisation through technical and transaction advisory support for development of bankable PPP models across key sectors,” Kota said. The World Bank delegation appreciated the state’s implementation progress and reassured flexibility in designing future operations aligned with timelines and outcomes, and emphasised the need to identify sectors where PPP models can be effectively financed, he added. Kota said they discussed sustainable maintenance and lifecycle management of infrastructure assets created under externally aided projects. The Assam government requested support for the creation of an Asset Management Fund, strengthening of institutional mechanisms and development of a digital Asset Management Information System for monitoring and maintenance of public infrastructure,” Kota said in the post. He said that the World Bank delegation appreciated the progress of ongoing projects in Assam and reaffirmed its continued support towards the state’s developmental priorities. (Source: PTI)      

IMPHAL : Security forces launched operations in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district to rescue those who are still being held hostage by armed groups, police said on Monday. Area domination exercises and search operations are also being carried out in different parts of the hill district to rescue “all missing persons and arrest those responsible for holding hostages”, a senior officer said. Thirty-one of around 38 people belonging to the Kuki and Naga communities, who were held hostage by armed groups in Kangpokpi and Senapati districts, were released on May 14 and 15. These people were taken to undisclosed locations after suspected militants shot dead three church leaders and injured four others in Kangpokpi on May 13, while a civilian was gunned down and his wife was wounded in Noney district. “In continuation of the operations to rescue the missing persons, combing and search operations were carried out by security forces in the hill ranges to the north west of Leilon Vaiphei and Kharam Vaiphei villages in Kangpokpi district,” the police statement said. Twelve Naga women from Konsakhul village in Kangpokpi and four men and ten women of the Kuki community in Senapati district were among those who were handed over to the security forces. Earlier, the police had said as a result of “concerted efforts” of the administration, security forces, political leaders and civil society organisations, the “majority of the detained civilians, belonging to different communities, have been released safely”. Meanwhile, the United Naga Council, the apex body of the Naga tribes in the state, has been staging inter-district blockades on the national highway 2 and 37 from Sunday night, demanding the release of six Naga men who are suspected to be in the captivity of militants. Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki tribes in the state, also claimed that 14 members of the community were still missing and being held hostage by various groups in Senapati district. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : Supplies of all types of petroleum products, including petrol, diesel and LPG, are fully normal across Assam, the Oil Ministry said on Monday. It requested the public to continue with normal consumption patterns and refrain from panic buying. The state-level coordinator for the oil industry in Assam-cum-executive director and state head of Indian Oil, has informed that the availability of essential petroleum products, including petrol, diesel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), remains normal and uninterrupted across Assam, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas said in a statement. “Public Sector oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) — are maintaining adequate fuel stocks across all supply locations, and the overall supply position in the region continues to remain stable,” it added. “The public is requested to remain assured and continue with normal consumption patterns and refrain from panic buying. Consumers are advised to rely only on official communications from oil marketing companies for accurate and verified information regarding fuel availability,” the statement said The entire fuel supply chain, from terminals and depots to retail outlets, is operating efficiently and without any disruption, it added. “Fuel stocks are being continuously monitored, and replenishment activities are progressing smoothly across all locations in the state,” the official release said. LPG supplies to domestic consumers are being prioritised and remain normal across the state. “The situation is being closely monitored to ensure uninterrupted delivery to all consumers,” it added. The oil industry is maintaining close coordination on logistics, stock movement and retail operations to ensure seamless availability of fuel across the region. (Source: DH)