A tripartite Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) was inked for providing autonomy for the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council in Assam and a special package for faster socio-economic development of the area. The pact was signed b/w Centre, Assam government and both factions of Dima Halam Daogah (DHD).

Who is DHD?

• Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) used to be a group with violent activities in the state but renounced violence and resorted to peace for merging into the mainstream of development.

What will the MoS do?

• Under the MoS, a committee will be set up to look into the matters relating to the 6^th schedule councils. Under the pact, the DHD will dissolve as an organization within a reasonable timeframe as a harbinger to the government initiating further process to implement the agreed decisions.

A 300 crore compensation package for the violence hit people of Assam has been announced by the Prime Minister. The package includes Rs 100 crore for relief and rehabilitation in the worst affected districts.

What happened in Kokrajhar?

• There occurred clash b/w the local Bodo community and the Muslims. The violence erupted when two Muslims leaders were shot dead. After their death Muslims retaliated in rage which led to attacks and counter-attacks making it a large scale riot kind of situation.

What is the cause?

• Though the exact cause is still unknown, it is known that there has been tension b/w the ethnic Bodo tribe and the Muslims.
• The Bodo consider the Bengali speaking Muslims as immigrants and therefore oppose their settlement in the region.
• Illegal' migration has been a critical problem in North East as it has instilled fear among tribals that they will become a minority in their own state.

Assam has a history of some worst Hindu-Muslims riots and ethnic clashes. In 1983 riots in Neilly, thousands of Muslims were butchered in 1983.

Assam government is planning to bring around 5 lakh hectares under double cropping pattern. In 2011, the Agriculture Department had launched double cropping in about 2, 90,000 hectares of mono-cropping land to enhance production and reach self-sufficiency in agriculture.

Objective: To boost agriculture production and attain self-sufficiency in agriculture.

It is for the first time that Assam has awarded three of its “best performing” state level public sector undertakings (PSUs)

The initiative is aimed at boosting performances of its companies.

The three state PSUs that have been awarded are:

· Assam Gas Company Ltd. (AGCL)

· Assam Petrochemicals Ltd. (APL)

· Assam Co-operative Jute Mills Ltd (ACJML)

The most celebrated Assamese Poet Hiren Bhattacharyya, who was famous as Hiru-da, passed away. 

Hiren Bhattacharya was also called as Prem aru Rodalir Kobi (Poet of Love and Sunshine) in the Assamese literature.
He was born in Jorhat district in Assam in 1932

He wrote poems on various shades of emotions such as love, patriotism, rebellion, loneliness and humanity

He also wrote several poems for the children. Lora Dhemali (1991) and Akon Dhemali (1991) were two of his most famous collections of children writing.

Some of his renowned poetry works:

· Xugondhi Pokhilaa

· Roudro Kamona

· Bibhinno Dinor Kobita

· Kobitar Rod

· Mor Desh aru Mor

· Premor Kobita

Awards Received:

· Bishnu Rava Bota

· Rajaji Puroskar awarded by Bharatiya Bidya Bhawan,

· Soviet Desh Neheru Bota

· Sahitya Akademi Award

· Asom Upotyoka Sahitya Bota (Assam Valley Literary Award)