Author name: OnlineAge

TIRUPATI : TTD has officially taken possession of over 10 acres of land in Assam for the construction of a Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Guwahati. TTD chairman BR Naidu said the Assam government has allotted 10.3 acres of land, located in Sonapur Circle of Kamrup district, for the temple. “TTD has officially taken possession of 10.33 acres of land allotted by the Assam Government for the construction of a Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Guwahati,” said an official press release from the temple body on Tuesday. The land allotment is in line with TTD’s initiative to establish Srivari temples in state capitals across the country. BR Naidu and senior officials had held discussions with the Assam government representatives regarding the project. The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu, and the TTD Trust Board also extended their support through official communications. On Tuesday, the Assam Metropolitan Deputy Commissioner handed over the land possession certificate to TTD. BR Naidu said Bhoomi Puja for the temple construction will be performed shortly. (Source: PTI)    

SHILLONG : The Meghalaya government on Wednesday put on hold all state-funded foreign visits by ministers, MLAs and officials for six months as part of an austerity drive aimed at rationalising expenditure and prioritising development spending, a notification stated. The decision, taken in the larger public interest, comes amid growing global economic uncertainties, including rising geopolitical tensions and pressure on foreign exchange resources, they said.   According to the notification by the general administration department, the governor has ordered that all official foreign visits of ministers, MLAs and officials of the state government, whether permanent or contractual, shall be on hold for six months. The notification said the measure has been imposed “in public interest and for complying with austerity measures”. As a result of the decision, eight proposed foreign study visits and exposure programmes involving around 63 to 68 officials and representatives from various departments have been deferred. The postponed programmes were related to governance, livestock development, climate-resilient water management, healthcare systems, project implementation, environmental management and electoral administration. The proposed visits were to destinations including the United Kingdom, Denmark, the United States, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Argentina. Officials said the temporary suspension should not be viewed as a withdrawal from international engagement or knowledge exchange. “Rather, it reflects a temporary pause in expenditure-bearing overseas travel while ensuring continued focus on governance priorities within the state,” an official said. The government said many of the intended learnings and collaborations would continue to be pursued through virtual engagements, technical partnerships and other avenues during the restriction period. The notification stated that the order would apply to all foreign visits funded by the Meghalaya government and would cover both permanent and contractual employees. However, it clarified that the restriction would not apply to visits fully funded by the government of India or entirely sponsored by multilateral development banks, subject to obtaining the necessary political clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs. Officials said the move is aimed at curbing non-essential expenditure and ensuring that public resources remain available for development programmes and other priority commitments of the state government. (Source: PTI)          

IMPHAL : Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Wednesday met Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi and discussed the progress of key national highway projects in the state, including the Imphal-Jiribam and Imphal-Dimapur roads, according to an official statement. During the meeting at Gadkari’s official residence, the chief minister also sought early sanction of the proposed elevated highway project in Manipur. The Union minister responded positively to the state’s requests, the statement said. Regarding National Highway-37 (Imphal-Jiribam road), Singh informed Gadkari that land compensation issues in Noney district had been resolved following a revised survey and approval by the state cabinet, and that work on the project had commenced. On the Imphal-Dimapur highway, the chief minister said issues related to Kangpokpi district had been resolved, and a special package had been approved by the state cabinet. Singh also informed the Union minister that land issues continued to affect the Imphal-Ukhrul-Jessami highway project and that the state government was engaging with stakeholders to ensure an early resolution, the statement added. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : A structured pipeline of marquee live events could generate over Rs 700 crore in cumulative economic impact within Assam over the next five years, a report released here on Wednesday claimed. It was based on a survey conducted by BookMyShow, an online entertainment ticketing platform, in collaboration with Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (ATDC) and EY-Parthenon, a global strategy consulting arm of Ernst and Young (EY). The report, ‘The Assam Blueprint: Turning Live Music Economy into a Tourism Multiplier’, examined the economic, tourism, workforce and cultural impact of live entertainment in Assam following a concert by American singer-rapper Post Malone in December last year. It comes days after the announcement of another concert by the legendary rock band Guns N’ Roses in the city in November, as part of the state government’s ‘concert tourism’ policy. Unveiling the report at a press conference here, ATDC managing director Kumar Padmapani Bora said the report was compiled after extensive talks with various stakeholders. As per the report, a structured pipeline of marquee live entertainment events could generate over Rs 700 crore in cumulative economic impact within the state over the next five years. The Post Malone concert generated an estimated Rs 43 crore in total economic impact, including Rs 32 crore injected directly into Assam’s economy through attended spending and another Rs 5 crore in GST revenue. The concert attracted approximately 20,000 attendees, with 53 per cent coming from outside Guwahati, with people from over 200 cities and towns across the country attending it. The report further revealed that for every Rs 100 spent on a concert ticket, attendees spent an additional Rs 899 on accommodation, travel, dining, shopping and local services. Hotels in the city reported a nearly 30 per cent increase in occupancy during the concert weekend, local transport operators experienced more than 50 per cent growth in ride demand, restaurants and cafés recorded over 33 per cent growth in walk-ins, while retail businesses witnessed more than 30 per cent higher footfalls during the event. Bora said the live events are part of the state’s concert tourism policy, adopted last year. “For Assam, the concert economy is not just about entertainment; it is about tourism, culture, youth engagement and economic growth working together. Our objective is to build a facilitative ecosystem where large events become repeatable opportunities that bring visitors into the state, create local employment and showcase Assam to national and global audiences,” he said. As per the policy, at least three marquee live events, featuring national or international performers, will be organised, Bora said. “A concert arena will also be developed in Guwahati in the next two to three years,” he added. Naman Pugalia, chief business officer, Live Events, BookMyShow, also present at the press meet, said the deep-rooted connection of North East region with music serves as a catalyst for hosting concerts here. “The Post Malone concert demonstrated how globally benchmarked live experiences can generate value far beyond the venue, creating impact across tourism, hospitality, local enterprise and employment,” he said. The successful hosting of the event was also a demonstration of the synchronisation of government, industry and local stakeholders, Pugalia added. Raghav Anand, partner and leader, Media and Entertainment, EY-Parthenon, speaking virtually at the press conference, said, “What makes Assam particularly exemplifying is not just the headline economic impact, but the ecosystem behind it — clear policy direction, institutional coordination, infrastructure investment and a commitment to measuring outcomes.” “When live entertainment is treated as economic infrastructure rather than a one-off spectacle, it becomes a repeatable engine for tourism, employment and regional growth,” he added. The Assam government had approved a policy in May last year for promoting ‘concert tourism’, and also joined hands with Bigtree Entertainment, which operates BookMyShow, to organise various national and international musical concerts in the state. (Source: PTI)