
Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi takes charge as new Assam Congress president
Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday assumed charge as the Assam Congress president and he is all set to lead the party in next year's assembly polls.
He was handed over the reins by outgoing president Bhupen Kumar Borah, who had helmed the state's main opposition party for over three years, at the state Congress headquarters here.
Speaking to reporters after assuming charge, Gogoi said the party will continue to be inspired by its ideology of equality and inclusiveness.
"Inspired by the ideology of leaders from Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru to Hitestwar Saikia and Tarun Gogoi, we will together take the party forward," he said.
Gogoi was named the new state unit chief by the party's central leadership last week at a time when Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had been attacking him over his British wife's alleged connection with Pakistan's spy agency ISI.

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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Don't label persons with criminal background as Hindu activist: Bhandary
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Govt finally announces long- postponed census
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The official headcount, and the houselisting process that precedes it, are expected to be completed by March 1, 2027 but it might take up to another three years for the numbers to be finalised and released, said an official aware of the matter. 'The process of census begins with the issuance of this notification,' said the official quoted above. In 2011, the last time the census was conducted, the entire process of houselisting and enumeration was completed before the reference date of March 1, 2011. The Census 2011 was conducted in two phases — Houselisting and Housing Census between 1st April 2010 to 30th September 2010 and Population Enumeration from 9th February to 28th February 2011. But this time, the census is expected to be conducted digitally and data collected through handheld devices, potentially trimming the time required for collating and sanitising data. 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The census might also be the basis for conducting the delimitation exercise for Lok Sabha seats, another controversial process that threatens to drive a wedge between northern and southern India, as well as potentially usher in the reservation of a third of all seats in national and state legislatures for women. After the notification for the census is issued on June 16, a key precondition will have to be first fulfilled – freezing of administrative boundaries, which is expected starting January 1, 2026. According to the officer cited above, once the notification is issued and the final date is decided, the first phase of the exercise is expected to begin as early as March or April 2026. The first phase involves house listing – wherein details of all buildings, permanent or temporary, are noted with their type, amenities, and assets. The National Population Register (NPR), a biometric database of all 'usual residents' in India, which is updated every five years, will be updated along with the census. This process is likely to be completed in six to eight months. The second phase - called population enumeration (PE), in which more detailed information on each individual residing in the country, Indian national or otherwise is to be noted along with their caste – is likely to be conducted around February 2027 and conclude before March 1, 2027. The home ministry statement said in 2011, the house listing process was done between April 1 and September 30, 2010, and the population enumeration was done between February 9 and 28, with the reference date of March 1, 2011. For the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the population enumeration was conducted during September 11 to 30, 2010 with the reference date as October 1, 2010. Census 2021 was also proposed to be conducted in two phases in a similar manner with phase I during April-September 2020 and second phase in February 2021. 'All the preparations for the first phase of the Census to be conducted in 2021 were completed and field work was scheduled to begin in some states/UTs from April 1, 2020. However, due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic across the country, the census work was postponed,' the ministry statement added. A second officer aware of the exercise said, 'This is an exercise to count the numbers and put it out. The data that will come up is unlikely to lead to any policy shifts…or for inclusion or exclusion of any castes in any category'. 'The entire process will be completed in three years. There will be no blocs of castes to choose from. People will have to spell out their castes to the enumerators. The census form will not identify any caste as OBCs,' he added. 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In March this year, the Union home ministry had informed a parliamentary standing committee that the preparatory activities for the decadal exercise have been completed. The first synchronous census in India was held in 1881. Since then, censuses have been undertaken uninterruptedly once every 10 years. It is the biggest source of information on demographic, socioeconomic and other parameters of the entire population of India. According to officials, a mobile app for collection of data and a census portal for management and monitoring of various census-related activities has already been developed. The office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner had prepared around three dozen questions to be asked to the citizens. The questions include whether a family has a telephone, internet connection, mobile or smartphone, bicycle, scooter or motorcycle or moped and whether they own a car, jeep or a van. 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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
India ‘shared deep concerns' on ADB's $800-mn loan to Pakistan
India had raised 'deep concerns' about the possibility of misuse of funds by Pakistan to Asian Development Bank (ADB) as it extended a $800 million tranche to the neighbouring country. Government sources said India had 'vehemently opposed' the ADB extending 'any form of financing support' to Pakistan, particularly in light of Pakistan's increasing defence expenditure, its declining tax-to-GDP ratio, and the lack of demonstrable progress on key macroeconomic reforms. 'India cautioned the ADB regarding the possibility of misuse of its resources. The linkage between Pakistan's increase in expenditure on its military, as opposed to on development, cannot be fully explained solely in terms of its domestic resource mobilisation. India highlighted that Pakistan's tax collection as a share of GDP declined from 13.0% in FY18 to 9.2% in FY23 and continues to remain way lower than the Asia and Pacific average of about 19.0%. However, there has been a significant increase in defence spending in the same period,' a source said. ADB on Tuesday approved a $800 million programme to strengthen fiscal sustainability and improve public financial management in Pakistan. Earlier in the day, the Congress in a post on X stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi met ADB President Masato Kanda on June 1 and three days later ADB cleared the $800-million loan to Pakistan. 'Asian Development Bank (ADB) has given Rs 6,861 crore to Pakistan. Just 3 days ago, Narendra Modi met Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda and just 3 days later, a huge amount was given to Pakistan. Earlier, the Modi government's influence did not work on the IMF and Pakistan got the loan. That too when the conflict between India and Pakistan was going on,' the pose by Congress said. Government sources said India expects the ADB management to adequately ring-fence the ADB financing, to prevent any such misuse. 'Pakistan's poor track record of implementation stems from the military's deeply entrenched interference in economic affairs, posing risks of policy slippages and reversal of reforms as has been witnessed in the past,' the source said. Even when a civilian government is in power, the army continues to play an outsized role in domestic politics and extends its tentacles deep into the economy, sources said. 'Pakistan's policy of cross-border terrorism has led to a worsening of the security situation in the region and has significantly escalated macroeconomic risks for the country, which also heightens the enterprise risks for the ADB,' the source said. Aanchal Magazine is Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and reports on the macro economy and fiscal policy, with a special focus on economic science, labour trends, taxation and revenue metrics. With over 13 years of newsroom experience, she has also reported in detail on macroeconomic data such as trends and policy actions related to inflation, GDP growth and fiscal arithmetic. Interested in the history of her homeland, Kashmir, she likes to read about its culture and tradition in her spare time, along with trying to map the journeys of displacement from there. ... Read More