In Assam, the second Jeypore Rainforest Festival got underway on the bank of the Burhi-Dehing River in Dibrugarh district today. The festival has been organized jointly by the Dibrugarh district administration and the Assam Tourism Development Corporation. Union Minister for Development of North-East Region (DoNER) Paban Singh Ghatowar declared the festival open by inaugurating an exhibition put up to mark the occasion at Jeypore this morning.?The main purpose of the festival is to highlight and create awareness on preservation of rich biodiversity of the Jeypore rainforest among the ethnic tribes and communities living in the area. Traditional sports and adventure events, including- elephant rides, boating, trekking, marathon race, beach volleyball, cultural procession, ethnic dress show, exhibition, quiz and painting competitions besides seminars on eco-tourism-are some of the highlights of the three-day festival.?Jeypore tropical rainforest is considered to be a hotbed of bio-diversity in South-East Asia with the Buri-Dihing River meandering through it in the sprawling forest landscape in Upper Assam.