About the Book

The book is a collection of forty one essays written by eminent writers, literateurs, journalists, professors, educationists, intellectuals and members of the All India Services Pensioners\' Forum. It traverses a wide range of subjects which reflect both the core problems and the rich natural beauty and resources of Assam and the North East India. The mystique turbulence of the mighty Brahmaputra, the magical charms of the blue hills and the red rivers with their maddening charms, the lure of the world famous onehorned rhino hideously showing up in and around its mystic abode of Kaziranga National Park, the extensive lush green tea gardens whispering the touching tales of sweat and sorrow, the sprawling fields of the liquid gold and Asia\'s first refinery at the picturesque town of Digboi, Majuli, the greatest river island of the world and the unique seat of the Vaisnavite culture with very many monasteries founded by Guru Sankar Mahapurusha, the incredible story of Assam being reduced to a dumping ground of millions of illegal Bangladeshi, the hub of terrorism-in short, the hidden tale of riches and poverty making strange bedmates - all take the reader to an exotic sojourn never before experienced.

About the Author

Rohini Kumar Baruah Most of the authors represent a select class of luminaries reposed in the prodigious store house of intellectuals, writers, litterateurs, journalists, educationist\'s economists and renowned administrators. While the former members of the All India Services have inked their treasured experiences accumulated in addressing the issues they were faced with in their active service tenure, the others represent a highly scholastic and intellectual class, who has made their name and fame in the fields of literature, journalism, teaching, authoring books and writing newspaper columns. Many of them have been honoured with top national awards in their respective fields including literature, journalism, science and technology and police and general administration. The facts culled and enumerated in the book qualify to be researched materials retrieved from the work fields as they were and, therefore, can be used with advantage by the researchers, the teaching and the learning community, writers and journalists alike. The book is a collection of forty one essays written by eminent writers, literateurs, journalists, professors, educationists, intellectuals and members of the All India Services Pensioners\' Forum. It traverses a wide range of subjects which reflect both the core problems and the rich natural beauty and resources of Assam and the North East India. The mystique turbulence of the mighty Brahmaputra, the magical charms of the blue hills and the red rivers with their maddening charms, the lure of the world famous onehorned rhino hideously showing up in and around its mystic abode of Kaziranga National Park, the extensive lush green tea gardens whispering the touching tales of sweat and sorrow, the sprawling fields of the liquid gold and Asia\'s first refinery at the picturesque town of Digboi, Majuli, the greatest river island of the world and the unique seat of the Vaisnavite culture with very many monasteries founded by Guru Sankar Mahapurusha, the incredible story of Assam being reduced to a dumping ground of millions of illegal Bangladeshi, the hub of terrorism-in short, the hidden tale of riches and poverty making strange bedmates - all take the reader to an exotic sojourn never before experienced

Table of Contents:
Foreword 9 Preface 13 List of Contributors 15 1. Introduction 19 2. Eradication of Corruption: A Challenge to the Society 31 M.K. Barua, IAS (Retd.) 3. Assam-Nagaland Boundary Disputes: An Achilles Heel of Assam 36 Rohini Kumar Baruah, IAS (Retd.) 4. Devolution of Power to the Panchayats and its Progress and Problems in Assam 59 P.K. Bora IAS (Retd.) 5. Updating of Land Records and Post Resettlement Scenario in Guwahati 67 D. Burman, ACS (Retd) 6. People’s Police or Policing the People? 72 Harekrishna Deka, IPS (Retd.) 7. Need for Uniform Civil Code: An Analysis 81 N.C. Dutta, IAS (Retd.) 8. Land and Ethnic Rivalry in Assam 86 D.K. Gangopadhyay, IAS (Retd.) 9. Ethics and Values in Governance 93 Jatin Hazarika, IAS (Retd.) 10. Indices of Police Performance and Assam 102 S.P. Kar, IPS (Retd.) 11. Good Governance: Crisis and Challenges 114 S.B. Medhi, IAS (Retd.) 12. Yes Minister 120 Hilary Pais, IAS (Retd.) 13. What Ails Delivery System in India 126 Barada Charan Sarma, IAS (Retd.) 14. The Menace of Corruption in Democratic India: Cause, Effect and Solution 133 V. Ramakrishna, IAS (Retd.) 15. Role of Agriculture in Development of Assam 139 Bhaskar Barua, IAS (Retd) 16. Agriculture in Assam Perpetually Waitlisted 154 Mayur Bora 17. Sankaradeva Saint Extraordinary 159 L.N. Bora 18. A Paradise on Earth–Majuli 163 Justice (Retd.) M. K. Sarma 19. A Sojourn in Sylhet, Bangladesh 168 Jishnu Barua, IAS 20. Two Highly Educative Experiences in the Early Part of My Career 179 N. Changkakoti, IPS (Retd.) 21. Assam, in Memory’s Path: An Adorable Experience 187 M. Gopalakrishna, IAS (Retd.) 22. Centre-State Financial Relations in India 199 H.N. Das IAS (Retd.) 23. Role of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Retail Sector: A New Opportunity 206 A.K. Neog 24. Handicraft and Rural Economy of Assam 212 Paramesh Dutta, IAS (Retd.) 25. Sir Edward Gait’s—A History of Assam: A Critical Review 217 L.K. Barua, IAS (Retd.) 26. Rise and Decline of Insurgencies in Assam 221 R.N. Ravi, IPS (Retd.) 27. India’s North East Experience 227 Udayan Misra 28. Demographic Changes in Assam with Reference to Land Laws: An Overview 234 N.N. Barua, IAS (Retd.) 29. Demographic Threats to Assam 249 D.N. Bezbaruah 30. Unabated Foreigner’s Influx: A Real Threat to Internal Security in Assam 256 R.C. Borp 16-5- 31. Managing Assam’s Tourism Development 272 M.P. Bezbaruah, IAS (Retd) 32. Economic Development of Assam by Proper Utilisation of Oil and Gas Resources, Related Infrastructure, and Trained Manpower 284 J.M. Bujor Baruah 33. Reflections on Planning and Development 300 Hiren Gohain 34. North by North-East: Is Assam Back in the Game? 305 A. Didar Singh, IAS (Retd.) 35. Understanding North-East: A Prelude to Development 311 K.K. Sinha, IAS (Retd.) 36. Infrastructure and Public Capital: An Analysis 316 Amal Kr. Borpujari 37. Wetlands: Dying Eco-systems in a Shrinking World: The Case of Assam 321 AK Bhagabati 38. The Potential Impacts of Climate Change in Greater Himalayas 328 K.C. Deka IPS (Retd.) 39. Safeguarding the Rhinoceros Unicornis 333 Arup Kumar Dutta 40. Whither Forest Eco-systems 341 K.N. Dev Goswami IFS (Retd.) 41. The Brahmaputra River, North East India: Its Problems and Prospects 347 Dulal C. Goswami 42. A Kaleidoscopic View of Assam in the Perspective of Threat and Quandary 355 Col. Manoranjan Goswami Index 359.