The world’s tallest grass may help some of Assam’s 803 major tea estates and 1.22 lakh registered small tea growers overcome a tough phase.

In August 2022, the government tweaked the Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holding Act of 1956 to allow tea gardens to use up to 5% of their land for non-tea purposes. A few tea gardens within a 300-km radius of the world’s first commercial-scale 2G bioethanol plant using bamboo as feedstock, are using the permitted portion of their area for bamboo cultivation.

This ₹4,930-crore plant spread across 43 acres at Numaligarh, about 260 km east of Guwahati, has been established by Assam Bio Ethanol Private Limited (ABEPL), a joint venture of Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), which is a Navaratna public sector undertaking, with the Finland-based Chempolis Oy and Fortum.

ABEPL experts said ethanol production is costlier in a 2G or second-generation plant than a first-generation plant, but ensures food security, is more sustainable, and leaves a lower carbon footprint. While 1G ethanol is produced from food crops using simple fermentation, 2G ethanol is derived from non-food farm waste or residue.

“We pursued the bioethanol project after research in Finland showed that freshly harvested bamboo, chipped to a specific size, can be a sustainable substitute for food crops. And we are located at the centre of a region that is the largest producer of several bamboo species,” an NRL spokesperson said.

The ABEPL streamlined the bamboo supply chain much before Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the bioethanol plant to the nation in September 2025.

“We need five lakh metric tonnes of green bamboo to produce 49,000 metric tonnes of ethanol annually, apart from furfural, acetic acid, liquid CO₂, and bio-coal for our 25MW captive power plant,” a specialist said.

The ABEPL has registered some 4,200 of a targeted 30,000 bamboo farmers across 26 districts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland. They are, however, not enough to meet the plant’s annual intake.

This is where the tea gardens, especially those with land to spare for non-tea activities such as tourism and horticulture, have come in. “Some tea gardens have started planting bamboo. Our members are also thinking of doing it,” Bidyananda Barkakoty, the adviser of the North Eastern Tea Association, told The Hindu.

Some planters believe fuelling the bioethanol plant could help the industry get over a near-slump due to multiple factors, including climate change impacting production, ageing tea bushes, high production costs, poor infrastructure, and labour shortage.

Long-term plan

The ABEPL has put in place a structured tie-up model, ensuring sustainable bamboo supply and transparent sourcing. The model requires farmers to offload their product at a decentralised chipping unit within 30-40 km of their farms. The chipped bamboo is then transported to the plant for instant payment to everyone down the line.

A major part of the plan is the long-term goal of distributing 60 lakh saplings free of cost to the farmers. Although six species of bamboo have been found suitable for the biorefinery, the saplings are of the Bambusa tulda variety, locally called Jatibanh.

“The saplings, grown at State government nurseries, are vital for sustainable operations, as bamboo takes about four years to be harvest-ready. We plan to bring 12,500 hectares under bamboo cultivation,” an ABEPL official said.

The tea gardens within a 300-km radius of the ABEPL cover about 250,000 hectares of land. The land these gardens can offer is 12,500 hectares.

Published – February 14, 2026 10:26 pm IST

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma interacts with press on first day of the year 2026, at Koinadhara Guest House, in Guwahati
| Photo Credit: ANI

Guwahati:

Australia has lifted travel restrictions for Assam, while Germany is in the process of revising its advisory. However, restrictions will remain in place for four districts – Tinsukia, Charaideo, Sivasagar, and Dibrugarh – where the Disturbed Areas Act is still enforced due to the presence of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA.

“I told you earlier that Australia and Germany had begun reviewing their travel advisories for Assam. Now, Australia has officially updated its guidelines, allowing travel across the state except for the four districts where AFSPA remains in effect. Previously, the advisory covered all of Assam, but now it is limited to these specific districts,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in Guwahati on Thursday.

Mr Sarma said the Australian High Commissioner assured that once AFSPA is lifted from these four districts, Australia will fully remove its travel advisory. Germany is expected to announce a modification soon.

Global Delegation To Visit Assam

The announcement comes ahead of a major diplomatic event in Assam. A delegation of 35 heads of missions will visit the state, led by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The number is expected to increase to 50.

The Prime Minister’s Office arranged a special aircraft for their travel, with expenses covered by the Ministry of External Affairs.

The delegation will arrive in Kaziranga on February 23, attend the Jhumur performance on February 24, and participate in the inaugural session of Advantage Assam 2.0 in Khanapara on February 25. They will return to New Delhi on the same night.

The delegation includes representatives from Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Rwanda, Sweden, Syria, Sudan, Thailand, and Singapore. Some additional countries are also expected to participate.

PM Modi To Inaugurate Advantage Assam 2.0

Following the Jhumur event at Sarusajai on February 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the exhibition grounds. He is expected to explore two exhibition halls – Pride of Assam, and Future of Assam – before inaugurating Advantage Assam 2.0 on February 25.

Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita, and prominent industrialists will be part of the audience.

Two entrepreneurs from Assam – Abhijit Baruah (Oxygen producer) and Anupam Deka (founder of Repose) will speak in the inaugural function. Other prominent personalities who will be the key speakers of the function are – Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty (CEO, Greenko Group); Prashant Ruia (CEO, Essar Group); Sajjan Jindal (MD, JSW Group); Anil Agarwal (Chairman, Vedanta Group); Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani, and Natarajan Chandrasekaran.

The inaugural function will conclude with the Prime Minister’s address.

Massive Business Interest In Assam’s Growth

Over 18,505 people have registered for Advantage Assam 2.0, with 15,000 approvals. Additionally, 394 participants expressed interest in business-to-government (B2G) sessions, while 452 were keen on business-to-business (B2B) meetings – figures comparable to Gujarat’s investment summits.

On February 23, the Assam Cabinet will review MoU requests to ensure only credible agreements are signed. Along with investment deals, proposals have been received to establish hospitals and universities in Assam. Singapore has already begun investing in Assam’s logistics sector.

A total of 1,512 MoU requests have been received, along with 11,900 expressions of interest from Assam’s MSMEs. The central government is expected to announce new infrastructure projects during the event.

Key Sessions At Advantage Assam 2.0

The event will feature several high-profile sessions, including “i-way to Developed Assam” to be addressed by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, featuring telecom and foreign industry leaders; “Act East, Act First, Act Fast” – with participation from ambassadors and high commissioners, keynote by S Jaishankar; “semiconductor Industry” to be led by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and hydrocarbon sector to be addressed by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

There will be sessions on transport, railways, and shipping which will be virtually attended by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and export promotion to be led by Union Minister Piyush Goyal.

There will be a session on Bhutan-India Cooperation featuring Bhutan’s Agriculture Minister and a 12-member Bhutanese delegation.

The valedictory session will be presided over by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, highlighting the proposed semiconductor industry in Jagiroad and the Numaligarh Bamboo Refinery.

Senior officials from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, New Development Bank, and International Finance Corporation are expected to attend. Discussions will also focus on land and financial assistance for investors, with 2,200 attendees, including MSME entrepreneurs and beneficiaries of state and central government schemes.

Showcasing Assam’s Strengths

The summit will feature thematic sessions on aero-defence, aerospace, the aroma industry, and Assam’s economic future. A special session will commemorate 200 years of Assam tea, focusing on strategies to restore its global dominance amid declining quality.

Additional sessions will discuss global platforms for MSMEs and One District, One Product (ODOP), Ayush, fragrance, and flavours industry growth and medical tourism and Assam as a global healthcare destination.

The public exhibition opens on February 27.

Imphal:

A commission looking into alleged scams in the Assam Public Service Commission’s (APSC) Combined Competitive Examination has submitted reports, which were discussed in the state assembly.

The Justice (retired) BK Sharma Commission while probing into the alleged irregularities in the APSC Combined Competitive Examination said former chairman Rakesh Paul was associated in 200 selections and the kind of conduct on his part in holding the exam leaves no manner of doubt that Mr Paul was associated with illegalities not only in respect of the two examinations, but also in other examinations.

Two reports of the commission into alleged irregularities in the APSC Combined Competitive Examinations (CCE) for 2013 and 2014 were tabled in the assembly by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during the first day of the budget session in Kokrajhar on Monday.

The report said marks were enhanced, and fake answer scripts were made. Some 70 people, including Mr Paul, and over 50 civil and police officials have been arrested in the cash-for-job scam, which was uncovered in 2016.

“With that kind of situation, what was in store both for APSC selection and deserving candidates could well be imagined. The all-round illegality perpetuated in conducting CCE 2013 and 2014 with wholesome compromise of the basic tenets of selection on merit reducing the APSC to a private guild and an entity of job for extraneous consideration, be it monetary or others,” the commission said.

The commission said Mr Paul could not have made the illegal selections possible unless there were extending and supporting hands for him. Call details of Mr Paul and the other accused showed that “high dignitaries” including police personnel were in touch with them.

“While it is true that merely on the basis of such calls nothing can be attributed negatively and that by itself may not establish any link with the illegal selections, but the timing of such calls including the fact that in the normal circumstances, such calls are not expected of to and from the key personnel of APSC, gives rise to suspicion making it a matter to ponder about,” the report said.

It said while the services of some illegal appointees have been dispensed with, many more are still in the administration occupying high and key positions.

“As to what could be the state of affairs with such illegal appointees can well be imagined. With their illegal presence in service, not only the administration and for that matter, the public will suffer, but it will carry a very wrong message towards compromising the merit and performance of deserving candidates,” the report said.

Last year, the court of special judge at Guwahati pronounced the verdict for convicts in the APSC cash-for-job scam. Mr Paul was jailed for 14 years and was fined Rs 2 lakh.

Former APSC members Basanta Kumar Doley and Samedur Rahman were sentenced to 10-year jail terms.

At least 29 candidates who paid for Agricultural Development Officer (ADO) jobs in 2014 were jailed for four years and fined Rs 10,000 each.

Mr Paul was arrested by Dibrugarh police in November 2016 and released on bail in March 2023.

“The report submitted by the commission on corruption in the Assam Public Service Commission has thoroughly exposed the neck-deep corruption and misdeeds committed by the Congress regime headed by former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi,” Assam BJP chief Dilip Saikia said.

“The act of pushing a generation to the abyss of darkness and meting out grave injustice to meritorious and deserving candidates by opening a market for jobs by the then government has been brought to the fore by the report,” Mr Saikia said.

He said the report brought out startling disclosures on the former chief minister and his son Gaurav Gogoi, and proved that corruption and Congress are two sides of the same coin.

The BJP demanded that the Congress must bring out a white paper on the mega scam during its rule and clarify its position to the people of Assam.

Guwahati:

A man from Assam’s Dhekiajuli faces a police case for a ‘laughing emoji’ response to another man’s Facebook comment – about Kokrajhar district Deputy Commissioner Varnali Deka not wearing makeup.

The man – Amit Chakraborty – was summoned before the court in Kokrajhar, which is 273 km from his hometown – after a case was filed by Ms Deka. She accused him, and two other men, including the man who made the “no makeup” quip, of cyber-stalking and making sexually derogatory comments.   

Mr Chakraborty had responded to one Naresh Barua’s comment about a photograph of Ms Deka with a ‘haha’, or a laughing emoji. Mr Barua had written, “No makeup today, ma’am?” to Ms Deka’s post.

Ms Deka had responded sharply to Naresh Barua’s post, saying, “Why is that your problem?”

The post led to a complaint, after which the case was registered at a Kokrajhar police station by Ms Deka. She accused Mr Chakraborty, Mr Barua, and a third man – Abdul Subur Choudhary.

Among the papers submitted to the court were screenshots of the exchange of posts between Ms Deka and the three accused. In one posts, she warned Mr Choudhary, “Please go through cyber stalking under Section 354D (of the Indian Penal Code). You are guilty under that and I’m lodging a complaint with the cyber cell. You should have focused on your work rather than stalking me.”

In another post (in which Mr Chakraborty was tagged), Ms Deka wrote, “It is a derogatory and sexually coloured remark. Refer Sec 354A. I’m lodging a complaint against you. You are guilty of aiding and…”

Speaking to reporters, Mr Chakraborty said, “I just reacted to a Facebook post… and for laughing, today I have to take bail. I don’t know that Varnali Deka is an IAS officer or a Deputy Commissioner.”

He said on January 23 the officer-in-charge of the Kokrajhar police station called him on the phone. “When I asked, ‘why will I come without any reason?’, he told me, ‘a case has been filed against you…'”

“When I asked for details, he didn’t tell me anything. After that, my friend, who is a lawyer, helped me to know more about the case. I can’t understand how an IAS officer found the time to take such extreme action over something so trivial,” he said.

“Just for my reaction, for a laughing emoji on Facebook, I have been harassed. I only reacted to a post by some Naresh Baruah… I don’t remember anything else about the case,” he added.

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Guwahati:

The BJP has claimed that the wife of Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has links with Pakistan and its intelligence agency ISI, drawing a sharp retort from the leader. 

BJP Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia alleged on Wednesday that Elizabeth Colebourn, the wife of Mr Gogoi, had ties with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) while she worked with the Climate and Knowledge Development Network (CDKN) in Islamabad under Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, a former advisor to the Planning Commission of Pakistan. Ms Colebourn allegedly continues to hold British citizenship.

After similar allegations were also made by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, without naming Mr Gogoi, the Congress’ deputy leader in the Lok Sabha hit back with a movie reference and said sarcastically that he must then be a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent. The Congress MP also said that the Assam chief minister was making the claims because of cases of alleged land grabbing against his family. 

Claiming that it was a matter of national security, BJP Spokesperson Bhatia posted on X, “Very disturbing and serious facts have come to light that the Deputy Leader of Opposition, Gaurav Gogoi and his wife have links with Pakistan and the ISI. I am saying this with some responsibility that Gaurav Gogoi’s wife Elizabeth Colburn (sic), has links with Tauqir Sheikh (sic), who happens to be the advisor in the Pakistan Planning Commission.”

“This is a serious issue which poses a threat to the national security of the country therefore we wish to ask Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge that Gaurav Gogoi needs to come out and give clear details of Elizabeth’s association with ISI and Pakistan…Why is Elizabeth Colburn working with Pakistani ISI agents,” he asked.

Referring to Mr Gandhi’s remarks on “fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself”, Mr Bhatia continued, “Are they working in furtherance of the statement made by Mr Rahul Gandhi that the fight of Rahul Gandhi and Congress is with the Indian state? Will the Congress start supporting ISI and Pakistan to make their political ends meet… Why is it that the Congress party always turns out to be the best friend of Pakistan and ISI when it comes to conspiring against India?”

‘Ecosystem Involved’

Without giving details or naming Mr Gogoi, Assam Chief Minister Sarma questioned if foreign powers – linked to US billionaire George Soros’ “ecosystem” – had influenced a major decision of Assam Congress in 2014. 

In a series of posts on X, Mr Sarma wrote, “Serious questions need to be answered regarding allegations of ISI links, leading young individuals to the Pakistan Embassy for brainwashing and radicalisation, and the refusal to take Indian citizenship for the past 12 years. Additionally, participation in a conversion cartel and receiving funds from external sources, including George Soros, to destabilise national security are grave concerns that cannot be ignored. At some point, accountability will be necessary. Simply deflecting responsibility or attempting to shift the focus onto others will not serve as an easy escape route. The nation deserves transparency and truth”.

The chief minister added, “During my interactions with an IFS (Indian Foreign Service) officer in Singapore, I learned that officers in the Indian Foreign Service cannot marry a foreign national without prior permission from the Government of India. Moreover, even when permission is granted, it comes with the condition that the spouse must acquire Indian citizenship within six months. Interestingly, this rule does not apply to our lawmakers. However, allowing a foreign spouse of a lawmaker to retain foreign citizenship for 12 years is far too long. Loyalty to the nation must always take precedence over all other considerations,” he added. 

‘Ploy To Save Himself’

Gaurav Gogoi counterattacked with a movie reference. 

“If Salman Khan’s wife can be an ISI agent like in ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’, then I must be a RAW agent too,” Mr Gogoi said. 

“It is something laughable, the BJP has nothing to do. Someone’s land-grabbing cases are unearthed one after another, defamation cases are being filed one after another. These are baseless allegations without any substance. This shows their weakness and the fact that they are fast losing ground,” he said. 

“Those who make such allegations must see their family is facing cases of land grabbing and engaged in the debate of setting up a resort. The Assam chief minister is tense that the new BJP president Dilip Saikia will become chief minister in another two or three months. The BJP leadership in New Delhi knows about the land cases of the Sarma family and he is worried about getting replaced. This is a ploy to save himself,” the Congress MP alleged.

Himanta Biswa Sarma uploaded a video of destroying the poppy cultivation.

Assam:

A 30-year-old woman was allegedly raped and poured acid on in front of her two children in Assam’s Cachar district, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place on January 22 when the 28-year-old accused – the victim’s neighbour – barged into her house.

According to the police, the two had engaged in a verbal spat during which the victim had snubbed her neighbour. Hours later, the accused forced his way into the woman’s home when her husband was away.

When the victim’s husband returned home, he found his wife on the floor with her mouth, hands, and feet tied. An acid-like substance was also poured on her body, officials said.

The woman was rushed to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital and is in a critical condition, officials said.

The accused is currently on the run.

The victim’s husband has filed a case of sexual assault and the police are on the lookout for the accused.

Officials are also awaiting the medical report to ascertain whether the woman was raped.

Guwahati:

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that Dibrugarh will be developed as the second capital of Assam. On the occasion of Republic Day, Mr Sarma said the district headquarters of Dibrugarh will be developed as the second capital of the state within the next three years.

This was the first tie the Chief Minister unfurled the national flag in Dibrugarh.

Mr Sarma said the government will construct a permanent assembly building in the city, located on the southern bank of Brahmaputra in Upper Assam.

“Today is an important day in Dibrugarh’s journey to become the second capital of Assam. For the first time, state celebrations are taking place in this historical city. From 2027, one session of Assam assembly will take place in Dibrugarh every year,” Mr Sarma said.

“Dibrugarh will be the second capital of Assam in the next three years. We will construct a Raj Bhavan in Tezpur and develop it as the cultural capital of Assam. Silchar will have a secretariat and chief secretary’s office, thereby bridging the gap between Barak Valley and Guwahati,” he added.

We are developing infra to turn three towns into cities – Dibrugarh, Tezpur & Silchar.

Dibrugarh will have an Assembly Complex by 2027 and will be Assam’s 2nd Capital
Tezpur will emerge as the Cultural capital and will house a Raj Bhawan
Silchar will house a Mini… pic.twitter.com/e3rqvf3OFN

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 26, 2025

“From January 25 next year, the construction work for a permanent building of the Assam assembly will begin. In the next three years, Dibrugarh will become an important city in India,” the Chief Minister said.

Mr Sarma had last year opened the first Chief Minister’s secretariat outside the state capital in Dibrugarh town.