UK-India research partnership set to grow
GUWAHATI: Investments under United Kingdom-India Research and Innovation partnerships in eastern and Northeastern states was expected to cross over four hundred million pounds by 2021, a release issued by the British Deputy High Commission said. The investments in 2008 were almost one million but it was expected to cross 400 million pound by 2021 with tech-focused investments on issues of global importance including agriculture, clean energy, global health and the environment, it said. A number of research partnerships have been forged between the UK and Indian research institutions from the eastern states – Assam, West Bengal and Odisha – at the forefront, the release said. In Assam, academic research collaborations are on between IIT Guwahati, Dibrugarh University and Tezpur University and their UK counterparts. IIT Guwahati and University of Cambridge are collaborating on material science research (Peptide Based Semiconducting Materials for Organic-electronic devices). Tezpur University is collaborating with University of Essex on health research, with Nottingham University on chemical sciences, and with University of Southampton on Advanced material. (PTI)
Arunachal guv plea for music centres in state
ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brig (Retd) B D Mishra on Tuesday urged the Centre to expedite the process for setting up of song, dance and music centres in every district of the state. The governor met Union Minister for Culture, Mahesh Sharma in New Delhi and told him that song, dance and music centres would provide the youth, the elders and future generation a platform to interact, teach and learn the age-old cultural heritage, a Raj Bhavan release said. “It will also promote the talented and god gifted artists, performers and hobby seekers towards the creative arts and will also provide a means of sustenance and livelihood,” he said. The governor further emphasised that such multi-purpose centres would also facilitate in bringing back from unlawful activities and drug abuse, the weaned away youth, men and women to the mainstream of the society. The Union minister assured the governor that he would direct his team of officers to do the best for the state in this regard, the release added. (PTI)
Three women drug traffickers arrested in Guwahati
GUWAHATI: Government Railway Police (GRP) on Tuesday arrested three women drug traffickers and recovered 24 grams of heroin from their possession. According to the Superintendent of Railway Police Hemanta Kumar Das, a joint team of GRP and Crime Branch of Guwahati Police apprehended the three women at Guwahati railway station on Tuesday morning. “The team recovered 12 plastic containers, containing suspected heroin, each weighing around two grams. The materials were seized from their possession as per the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act,” he added. The three women were identified as Marjina Begum (30), Mamiram Begum (30) and Bhanu Begum (40). Das said. (PTI)
Rajya Rani Express first NFR train to get upgraded
GUWAHATI: The Rajya Rani Express, which runs in the Alipurduar Junction-Dhubri-Silghat Town route has emerged as the first Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) train, that has been upgraded under “Project Utkrisht”.Informing this on its official Twitter handle, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) stated on Tuesday: “15417 / 15418 Rajya Rani Express which runs in Alipurduar Jn – Dhubri – Silghat Town route became the first train of NFR to upgraded under “Project Utkrisht”.”It may be mentioned that the Railway authority has planned to develop 640 Utkrisht rakes as part of its upgradation of its mail/express trains in two years at a cost of Rs 400 crore.The rakes of the trains have also been given a new colour scheme on the exterior – beige and maroon.The rakes will provide better facilities to the passengers, including LED lightings, odourless toilets. (Agencies)