New Delhi: A small village in Assam’s Darrang district has not only formed a ministry of its own but the hamlet also has 26 ministers, 16 departments and a chief minister to carry out development initiatives.
Called Halda, the village is situated about 45 km from Guwahati. A ministry was formed by the villagers on 2 October 2017, the same day when the district administration acknowledged Halda as the cleanest village in Darrang, reported EastMojo.
Apart from its cleanliness drives, the village is also known for its agricultural reforms that have helped farmers reap huge benefits. Many in the village have been practicing multi-cropping that have resulted in more output and greater returns.
“For the past three years, we have been cultivating potatoes without ploughing our fields, which has become quite popular. We have been able to cultivate up to 35 quintal of potatoes per bigha of land. We are also cultivating mustard alongside in a similar manner. Our focus has been on development through livelihood and technological reforms,” Bhaskar Jyoti Das, ‘chief minister’ of Halda, has been quoted as saying.
Residents of remote Naga village pull truck out of gorge
Residents of Kutsapo village under Phek district of Nagaland performed a unique rescue mission last week, a video of which has since gone viral. Over a 100 men in the village got together and pulled a truck out of a gorge using ropes, iron chains, bamboo tracks and prayers.
The truck, carrying ginger that belonged to farmers of the village, had fallen into a gorge on 26 December. Without any machinery to pull the vehicle, the village council made a call to all “fit and healthy” men for help in pulling the truck out. The rescue operation took place on 8 January.
Zashevezo Rhakho, the Kutsapo village council chairman, has been quoted as saying, “The first attempt (earlier) failed, as the ropes we used were not strong enough. That was when we decided to go for an iron rope and other tools to pull the truck out.”
Man in Sikkim stranded on cliff for over 6 hours
A man in North Sikkim’s Lachung area was left stranded on a cliff for over six hours recently after he fell nearly 100 feet.
Ujjwal Rai from West Bengal’s Jai Gaon had climbed up the cliff to repair a water pipeline when he accidentally fell and landed on a flat surface of the cliff.
The incident took place Saturday and Rai was finally rescued by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) after a long and arduous operation.
“A rescue team from the 48th Battalion of ITBP mountaineers rescued a person identified as Ujwal Rai with the help of locals after hours of hardship. The person was nervous, scared and shivering. He had sustained minor injuries and first aid was provided to him,” the ITBP said.
Residents of a remote Assam village have not celebrated Bihu for 23 years
Residents of Kekerikuchi, a remote village in Assam, have not celebrated Bhogali Bihu or Magh Bihu for the past 23 years. Makar Sankranti is observed as Magh Bihu in Assam and it marks the end of the harvest cycle.
While the rest of the state would indulge in feasting during this time, locals of this village observe a fast and light a thousand diyas to mark the ‘martyrs’ of 13 January 1998.
As many as 17 villagers were gunned down by unidentified men on the fateful day while the village was busy making preparations for Bihu. The locals have since refrained from celebrating Bihu.
Also read: From earning Rs 150 a day to owning 3 businesses — 29-yr-old Naga man scripts success story