BRICS portal to strengthen agricultural trade, technology

Guwahati, June 10 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the state’s emerging “concert economy” is expected to generate an economic impact of around Rs 700 crore over the next five years, highlighting the growing role of large-scale entertainment events in driving economic activity.

In a post on X, Sarma said the planned concert activities in Assam would provide a significant boost to multiple sectors, including tourism, transportation, hospitality and allied services.

“Rs 700 crore! Yes, that’s the economic impact of the planned concert activities over the next five years in Assam. From tourism to transport to stays, every sector of the economy is set to get a major fillip from the concert economy,” the Chief Minister wrote.

The statement comes amid the Assam government’s efforts to position the state as a major destination for cultural, entertainment and tourism events in the Northeast. Officials believe that large concerts and live entertainment shows can create substantial economic opportunities by attracting visitors from within and outside the region.

Industry observers note that concert-led tourism has emerged as a significant economic driver across several cities in India and abroad. Besides ticket sales, such events generate spending on hotels, restaurants, local transport, shopping and other tourism-related activities, creating a multiplier effect across the economy.

Over the past year, Assam has witnessed a growing number of major cultural and entertainment events, reflecting the government’s strategy to leverage the state’s improving connectivity and tourism infrastructure. The administration has been promoting Assam as a hub for investment, tourism and cultural exchanges under its broader economic development agenda.

According to officials, the anticipated Rs 700 crore economic impact will be distributed across various sectors, with hospitality and tourism likely to emerge as key beneficiaries. Increased visitor footfall during major events is also expected to support local businesses, event management firms, transport operators and service providers.

The government has been actively promoting new avenues of economic growth beyond traditional sectors, with the concert economy seen as a promising contributor to employment generation, entrepreneurship, and revenue creation in the coming years.

–IANS

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Agartala, Sep 5 (IANS) Hundreds of surrendered extremists, including women, belonging to two insurgent outfits continued their blockade of vital National Highways and a solitary railway line for the second consecutive day on Saturday, severely affecting the movement of all types of vehicles and disrupting rail services in Tripura, officials said.

According to police officials, around 400 surrendered extremists, including some women, belonging to different factions of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), continued their 72-hour blockade of highways and railway lines that began on Friday.

They are protesting the alleged non-implementation of key provisions of a tripartite rehabilitation agreement signed with the Centre and the Tripura government on September 4, 2024.

Senior officials, including West Tripura District Magistrate and Collector Vishal Kumar, held a marathon meeting with representatives of the agitating NLFT and ATTF members, but the talks remained inconclusive as the protesters remained firm on continuing their agitation.

A police official said that due to the blockade, vehicles of all types, including passenger buses and goods-laden trucks, were unable to ply, disrupting normal life in several parts of the state. National Highway-8, the surface lifeline of Tripura, was blocked at three places in West Tripura and Khowai districts, causing major disruption to road connectivity.

In view of the agitation, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) cancelled, rescheduled or short-terminated 10 express and local trains, disrupting rail services across the state.

The affected trains included the Anand Vihar Terminal-Agartala, Bengaluru-Agartala, Agartala-Bengaluru and Sealdah-Agartala services, among others.

A large number of security personnel, including personnel of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR), led by senior police officials, have been deployed in the blockade areas to deal with the situation and maintain law and order.

After holding a meeting with the agitating surrendered militants, District Magistrate Vishal Kumar hinted that the administration may take action if the protesters continue to block roads and railway lines.

A spokesman for the surrendered militants, Jibonjoy Reang, said that many of the surrendered cadres remain homeless and are facing serious hardship due to the non-availability of livelihood opportunities that were assured by the state government. He said the government had assured economic rehabilitation for all surrendered NLFT and ATTF members, but alleged that little had been done so far to fulfil those commitments.

Reang said the cadres had responded to the government’s appeal, surrendered their arms and joined the mainstream, but the government had yet to fulfil its assurances and implement the provisions of the tripartite agreement. “We are ready to withdraw our blockade if we get a written assurance from the state government. If the state government remains silent on our genuine demands, we will launch an indefinite agitation across the state in support of our demands and the economic rehabilitation of the surrendered NLFT and ATTF cadres,” Reang told the media.

The NLFT and ATTF cadres surrendered to the Tripura government and subsequently laid down their arms and ammunition before Chief Minister Manik Saha on September 24, 2024, after signing a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the state government the same day. The tripartite agreement was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha.

Former NLFT leader Prasanjit Debbarma said that the Central government had announced a rehabilitation package worth Rs 250 crore, which included provisions for economic assistance, livelihood generation, welfare measures and other initiatives aimed at ensuring a secure and sustainable future for those who had abandoned insurgency and joined the democratic mainstream.

The agitating groups, however, claimed that their demands, including economic rehabilitation and withdrawal of cases against the surrendered cadres, had not yet been fulfilled.

The issues concerning the surrendered militants were also discussed during the recently concluded monsoon session of the Tripura Assembly.

The Chief Minister told the House that economic and other benefits have to be provided to the surrendered militants as per the stipulated rules.

Opposition parties, including the CPI (M) and the Congress, have criticised the state government for allegedly failing to take appropriate steps to resolve the problems and address the demands of the surrendered NLFT and ATTF militants.

–IANS

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Chennai, Feb 11 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu Agriculture Department is actively working to raise awareness among farmers about enrolling in the ‘Agristack’ portal.

Awareness campaigns will be conducted across districts with significant agricultural activity, including the Delta region, which is considered the rice bowl of the state.

The Agristack portal, developed by the Union Ministry of Agriculture, is a digital platform designed to provide farmers with centralised, data-driven services.

It aims to streamline access to various government schemes, ensuring that benefits reach farmers efficiently.

Under this initiative, farmers are required to upload their details into the Farmer’s Registry, which will store comprehensive information about their agricultural land and crop survey data.

Once registered, farmers will no longer need to apply separately for different schemes. Instead, they will receive a unique ID that grants direct access to multiple government benefits.

The portal will maintain essential details such as KYC, PAN, Aadhaar, bank account information, and other relevant data.

Various schemes, including Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, crop insurance, and other agricultural benefits, will be accessible based on the information stored in the database.

Beyond financial assistance, Agristack supports sustainable farming by offering insights into soil health, water usage, and climate conditions, enabling farmers to improve productivity.

Additionally, real-time weather updates will help them plan better and reduce crop losses.

The platform will also facilitate improved access to credit. To encourage widespread participation, the Tamil Nadu Agriculture Department, in collaboration with other government agencies, will conduct awareness camps across rural areas.

Officials have outlined a one-month intensive awareness campaign, after which feedback will be collected to assess enrolment levels.

Based on this analysis, a second phase of awareness initiatives will be launched to ensure maximum farmer participation.

A senior agriculture department official emphasised that the goal is to achieve 100 per cent enrollment so that no farmer misses out on the benefits of government schemes in the future.

—IANS

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