Rural secondary school students in the Northeast have better reading and arithmetic skills than the rest of the nation, an education survey has revealed, though the numerical knowledge in some states of the region is below the national average. The survey was conducted by volunteers of the Annual Status of Education Report under a Delhi-based NGO, Pratham, for the Union human resource development ministry. Among the Northeast states, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland,...

-The Hindu The Bachelor of Rural Health Care course seeks to create a separate cadre of public health professionals to serve in rural areas   Any doctor travelling to the United States for higher medical studies from this year onwards will have to sign a bond with the government, promising to return to India after completing his/her studies. This has been done to prevent doctors from leaving the country on the pretext of higher...

-The Telegraph The All Assam Students’ Union today said it possessed a letter written by the Arunachal Pradesh government to the NHPC in 2005 asking the power company to suspend work at Lower Subansiri hydel project in the greater interest of that state. The Planning Commission has blamed a “communication gap” between state governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, NHPC and the protesters over the ongoing stand-off and said that it could...

-The Telegraph The stage is set for tomorrow’s talks between Dispur and the anti-big dam brigade. The lead players are, however, keeping their cards close to their chests. Sources in the chief minister’s office said the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP), Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK) and the Mising Mimag Kebang (MMK) had welcomed the group of ministers’ offer for talks...

Northern Assam's Lakhimpur district administration on Thursday halted the movement of an Over Dimensional Consignment (ODC) trailer carrying equipment for the 2000 mega watt lower Subonsiri hydro-electric power project under construction at Gerukamukh in Arunachal Pradesh after 4000 anti-big dam protesters blocked National Highway 52 to prevent the trailer from proceeding to the site. The protesters under the banner of the All-Assam Students Union (AASU), the All Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra...