August 27th, 2016

C M Y K

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SaturDaY • auGuSt 27 • 2016

DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 235 • 12 PAGes • 5

T H e

ESTD. 2005

Faith is love taking the form of aspiration Indonesia’s mostwanted awakens new generation of jihadis

By Sandemo Ngullie

Kohima | August 26

Shot fired at hair salon

DIMAPUR, AUGUST 26 (MExN): Unidentified gunmen on August 26 fired at a hair salon in Dimapur.

Suspected to be related to unsolicited monetary demand, the police said that the assailants reportedly came in an autorickshaw and fired, the bullet hitting the door of the salon located at Marwari Patti. As per the police, the salon received a ‘demand note’ the day before. The people who came with the demand were reported to have told the attendants they will return to collect the money on August 26. It remained to be ascertained whether the demand was met.

Normal power in Mkg by Aug 27: Power Dept MOKOKCHUNG, AUGUST 26 (DIPR): The officers and staffs of Power Department under EE Power, Mokokchung Division are reported to be working round the clock to ensure that normal supply of power is restored by August 27. According to Executive Engineer, Mokokchung Division, Nribemo Mozhui, the 5 MVA Transformer which was damaged on July 15 resulting in unprecedented heavy load shedding in Mokokchung town, was brought from Dimapur on August 25. The damaged Transformer was sent to Dimapur for repairing. He said associated works on the transformer are being carried out smoothly. He expressed hope that normal electricity supply would be possible by tomorrow.

Following the damage of 5 MVA Transformer on July 15, it was sent to Dimapur for repairing, which took more than one month.

Naga apex bodies urge NSCN (K) to reconsider ceasefire with GoI

C M Y K

DIMAPUR, AUGUST 26 (MExN): The Naga Hoho, Naga Mothers Association (NMA), Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) and Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) have urged upon the leaders in the NSCN (K) to “reconsider for ceasefire with the Government of India in the larger interest of the Naga’s aspiration for political settlement to the long protracted Naga struggle.” While appealing for peace and harmony, the apex Naga organisations in a joint statement, also condemned the “recent act of war by the Indian Army and Para Commandos upon the NSCN (K) in the Naga inhabited areas across the Myanmar border.” They appealed for peace and stated that “such hostilities by the Indian Armed Forces are detrimental to the peace initiatives which are being undertaken by the Naga Public Organisations.”

T R u T H

Ronaldo crowned UEFA Best Player in Europe PAGE 02

PAGE 12

NLA Special Session ratifies GST Bill Our Correspondent

I see no shovels only cells phones. Tsk, tsk.. Instead of technology taking the Nagas forward, Nagas are taking technology backwards.

o F

— William Ellery Channing

Japan students meet Governor

PAGE 09

reflections

P o W e R

The 13th (special) session of the 12th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) today unanimously ratified the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill 2014.

In the absence of Nagaland State Chief Minister TR Zeliang (who was to move a resolution for ratification of this amendment bill), Minister for Social Welfare & Parliamentary Affairs, Kiyanilie Peseyie moved for introduction, consideration and adoption of the resolution to ratify the 112 Amendment Bill, 2014 (GST Bill), as passed by both the Houses of Parliament.

Minister for School Education & SCERT, Yitachu; Parliamentary Secretaries Khekaho Assumi, Er Levi Rengma, S Hukavi Zhimomi and MLA Imkong L Imchen participated in the deliberations and voiced their concerns regarding whether it would benefit a consumer state like Nagaland and whether the taxes department is equipped to handle the matter.

Peseyie told the floor of the House that GST sys-

tem will bring transparency since taxation system will be online and revenue should go up due to check on tax evasion and also industries may prefer to set up units because of the uniform tax policy.

He said the Bill passed by the Parliament contains provision for consideration of special status states like Nagaland.

He also assured the House that at the time the state GST Act and Rules are being framed, “we shall be having opportunity to extensively examine and discuss the entire act and rules in its entirety, and ensure that our concerns are adequately addressed.”

On queried as to how far the taxes department is prepared to carry out online transaction of taxes, Peseyie replied that almost all activities of the department are already online even under the current VAT regime. There is a substantial percentage of payment of taxes online already. He said the centre will provide all necessary support for infrastructure and software systems before GST is put in place.

Also replying to another

WHAt is Gst ?

G

STS means Goods and Service Tax. It is an intra-state tax which will be administered and levied by the states on the supply of goods and service within the state. It will subsume various other state taxes such as VAT, CST, Entry Tax, Entertainment Tax, Purchase tax etc.

Members of NLA during the special session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly held in Kohima on August 26. (DIPR Photo)

query, Peseyie said GST is an Indirect Tax regime, meaning, it does not include Income Tax which is a direct tax. However, all Indirect Taxes will get unified under the GST regime.

“This ratification is only for enabling the Parliament to amend the Constitution of India. The specific laws applicable to the Center and the states will be framed separately at a later date in consultation with all stakeholders,” he replied.

NLA Speaker Chotisuh Sazo said the current session is for ratifying the Con-

stitutional Amendment Bill which seeks to amend taxation powers of the centre and the states. Subsequently, the GST Act and Rules will be framed and will have to be passed by the Parliament as well as the state legislatures before GST is put into effect.

“Therefore, the GST Council will first have to finalize the draft laws before it is placed in the respective Houses. The document which is now available in the public domain is just the model GST laws seeking comments from all stakeholders. Hence, it was

felt not necessary to place the draft laws before this august House during the current session. It will be circulated prior to the session when the SGST Act is taken up for passage in this House,” Sazo said.

Later, the NLA Speaker adjourned the house sinedie after obituary reference was made to the passing away of former MLA Y. Shangyu, report to the assent of Governor on two bills and laying of the service rules of the Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Department.

HOW WILL GST BENEFIT THE STATE GOVERNMENT? *Revenue will go up due to check on tax evasion due to transparency and broadening of tax base. A purely consuming state like Nagaland will benefit even more since GST is based on the destination principle. *Tax administration will improve since most of the activity will be online. Cost of revenue collection may come down consequently. *Industries may prefer to set up units here since there will be a uniform tax policy across the country. The advantage enjoyed by some states due to their policies will go away.

HOW WILL GST BENEFIT THE COMMON MAN? *Prices of goods in general will fall since cost of production will go down and tax on tax will be done away with. *Estimated that GDP growth is likely to be boosted by as much as 2% which will have a positive impact on the economy as a whole. *Goods will arrive much faster since transit time will be drastically cut due to removal of check post barriers. Conversely time taken for our goods to reach other markets will reduce considerably. *It will make our products more competitive both in the domestic and international market.

Juvenile care home case: PSU dismayed by poor workmanship NPSC aspirants CWC defers hearing to Sept 1 & non-completion of road construction express grievances Morung Express News Dimapur | August 26

The case of the juvenile home in Dimapur, which was accused of negligence and under-feeding children under its care, has been deferred to September 1. The privately-run care home came under scrutiny after 6 children of the home were apprehended for shoplifting on August 21.

Inquiry was subsequently launched by the Child Welfare Committee, Dimapur with the CWC further directing the Childline and the District Child Protection Unit to rescue other children remaining at the home. In addition to the 6 earlier apprehended, 7 more were removed from the home while 4 remained.

The CWC had further scheduled a hearing on

August 25 during which the proprietor alongwith the 4 remaining children was asked to depose. The District Child Protection Officer informing of the August 25 hearing said that the proprietor produced the children to the CWC. As per the DCPO, the children told the committee that they wished to stay at the home. While in such cases, the word of the children are regarded as binding, the DCPO said that the CWC still viewed that it requires the consent of the parents as well. As such, the CWC called for another hearing on September 1 to which the parent has been asked to attend, the DCPO said.

With regard to the inquiry, the DCPO said that if it is proven that the home had been negligent, it will result in shutting down of the home.

DIMAPUR, AUGUST 26 (MExN): The Puilwa Students Union (PSU) today expressed dismay at the “poor workmanship, negligence and non-completion of road construction of the Kohima-Leikie road junction to Tepuiki-Barak via old and New Puilwa, in Peren District.

The PSU in a press note informed that M/s Jordan Construction Company was allotted work on this road phase wise from 20092016 by Chief Engineer PWD (R&B).

It said that phase 1 of the work was allotted “with terms and condition that the works should be completed within 18 months.”

“Yet, the said work is still incomplete, inefficient and still found wanting, despite having withdrawn the total amount sanctioned for it,” the PSU said.

Phase-II of the road, the

PSU further informed was allotted “with terms and condition for completion within 24 months, but in the said road, only 60% of the works have been completed till date, though the total amount due for the work has already been withdrawn without complete execution of work.”

The phase-III work was also allotted to the same company, with the term and conditions that it should be completed within 24 months, i.e. January 2013. “Here, even the formality ground works is yet to be completed, not to talk about the blacktopping, which is yet to begin,” the PSU said. It meanwhile alleged that “when it comes to financial transaction it was found that they have already withdrawn about 75% of the sanctioned amount.”

The PSU asked the PWD (R&B) to look into the

complaints already made by the New Puilwa Village Council on this issue and appealed that “all financial transactions against Ms/ Jordan construction company Ltd. against this particular road construction so mentioned above, to be withheld/ kept in abeyance till all works are completed and verified.”

It further asked the department to conduct physical verification of the said road and institute appropriate necessary actions.

The PSU cautioned that “failure to complete the above work shall in no way be accepted, and any issues or consequences arising out the failure/non-completion of this NLCPR road project, the concerned Department/ Officer issuing the completion certificate and M/S Jordan Construction Company ltd. shall be held wholly responsible for it.”

NPGs accuse CM of ‘playing diabolical politics’

DIMAPUR, AUGUST 26 (MExN): The GPRN/NSCN, NNC (Non Accordist), NNC/GDRN and the NNC/NPGN today accused Nagaland State Chief Minister, TR Zeliang of “playing haphazard diabolical politics that is heading towards crippling political, social and economic status of the people of Nagaland.”

A joint statement from the four groups, issued through the MIP of the GPRN/NSCN, said that on the Indo-Naga issue, the CM “has clearly admitted that he does not know the contents of the August 3, 2015 accord between GoI and a single faction, yet he continues to appeal for support to a document which even Indian National Congress President, Sonia Gandhi is in the dark and would not comment.”

“It is very dangerous for a state Chief Minister to take the stand he is taking,” the statement said, and advised that the CM should, “like the people of Nagaland, leave GoI and NSCN (IM) alone as the accord primarily focuses on political arrangement for Nagas in neighbouring states.” The statement added that it “does not include Nagaland in the real sense which

is why it is unwise to seek support in a non inclusive talk.”

It further reminded that on March 9, 2016, at Police Guest House in Chumukedima, the Naga political groups “categorically expressed themselves to the state Chief Minister and NLA members and later through the media of their status and position on the August 3, 2015 accord.”

“Considering the reality that the GoI has ruled out sovereignty and integration of Naga areas,” the statement noted that “it is the Chief Minister’s constitutional and moral duty to brief the people with facts” and to “inform the GoI of the reality on the ground.”

The statement accused the CM of “selling hope to the people of Nagaland.” It further stated that the CM’s “obsession” with the Framework Agreement “clearly suggests that he is conniving to destroy Nagaland altogether.” “If TR Zeliang truly believes GoI and NSCN (IM) are on a verge of a solution, he should lead the way by dissolving the assembly as per NLA resolution,” it added.

The Naga political groups, it asserted, have taken “serious note” of

the CM’s “unprecedented action” while inaugurating a veterinary college in Peren, wherein it was alleged that the CM “performed Hindu/Heraka ritual, which greatly hurt the sentiments of Christian Nagas.” “His dismissive attitude towards Naga social, religious and cultural values is unforgivable,” the statement said.

It further questioned whether Zeliang is “the Chief Minister for Nagaland or for neighbours.” “Can the future of Nagaland be allowed to evaporate to facilitate a person’s or faction’s ambition? It posed.

It asserted that a political solution cannot be “marketed because Nagas do not believe in political illusions.” “Nagaland and its people are renowned for their hospitality; at the same time the land, history and political right have been fiercely protected. Those who dream of harnessing people’s support to finally seal a deal behind people’s back will face the people.

We place on record that the consequences for betraying the people and land, in the event of a political fallout, would be very costly,” it cautioned.

The joint statement made clear

to the Government of India that the people of Nagaland “have tasted bitterness and ramifications of exclusive accords signed in the past.” It stated that should the GoI and the NSCN (IM) agree to remove sovereignty from the table, “let there be clear understanding and distinction between the administrative or economic settlement which is on the anvil with a single Naga group mostly of neighbouring states, and a political solution for the people of Nagaland.”

It urged that the former should not be imposed in Nagaland.

“We are not against our Naga brothers and sisters living in different administrative areas in India and Myanmar. We are simply pointing out the pattern of human progress in today’s context,” it added, while affirming that “wherever we may be, we Nagas will pursue emotional, social, cultural and economic co-operation and excellence. Our customs and traditions practiced over a thousand years shall remain and be maintained.”

The joint statement meanwhile asserted that the people of Nagaland are “prepared and shall decide what is best for ourselves.”

DIMAPUR, AUGUST 26 (MExN): Several NPSC aspirants called on the Chief Secretary on August 23 and had a discussion on the grievances faced by the aspirants and put forth their demand in a representation.

In the representation, it demanded that all posts which fall within the purview of NPSC which were appointed on contract/Adhoc basis be immediately terminated and requisitioned to NPSC for open recruitment.

It further urged the Chief Secretary to take special action on those defaulting departments which never requisition posts to NPSC. The Chief Secretary reportedly assured that he would direct all departments to send vacant posts to NPSC. The group also met the Finance Commissioner and demanded that all vacant posts in the Finance Department be immediately requisitioned to NPSC. He reportedly assured that 20 posts will soon be requisitioned to NPSC. The NPSC aspirants

also called on the Secretary NPSC and requested him to hold the NCS prelims exam at least up to the first week of November 2016 till some more posts were added.

Meanwhile, it was informed that the group had filed RTIs in all the departments, and appealed to all Public Information Officers to provide accurate data. “If accurate information is not provided or there is any concealment of information being found, the Aspirants will take stringent intensified action’,” it cautioned.

It further expressed concern at the state government’s latest move to regularize all contract appointments who have completed three years of continuous service. This order is in contradiction of the earlier P&AR Office Memorandum to recruit all posts through NPSC,” it stated.

The NPSC aspirants demanded that the cabinet immediately scrap the order and asked that all high posts be filled through the NPSC.

2

SaturDaY 27•08•2016

NAGALAND

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

DMC to iMMunize all DoGs Japan students Un-registered dogs or dogs without identification and found roaming freely will be treated as street/stray dogs meet Governor

DMC Administrator, H. Atokhe Aye and other members of Animal Birth Control (dogs) Committee during the programme on Friday at DMC office premises. (Morung Photo) Morung Express News Dimapur | August 26

Following directive from the Supreme Court and Department of Veterinary & Animal Husbandry, the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) has decided to immunize all dogs against rabies in two phases divided into colony wise and at DMC Office Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Cell.

For this, registration number and vaccination card would be issued by the Cell by realizing nominal fees.

In this connection, an awareness programme was

conducted with the Colony Council Chairmen and GBs of 23 wards of Dimapur on August 26 at the premises of Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) office.

A 7-member team of Animal Birth Control Committee (ABC), which held its meeting on August 9 at DMC office and deliberated on the subject for creation of infrastructure for implementation of ABC programme, highlighted its decision during the awareness programme.

The Committee resolved to classify all dogs into two categories: Pet dogs and

Street dogs as per the directive of the Supreme Court vide sub-section (1) (2) of section 38 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (59 of 1960) rule no 3.

The Committee also resolved that pet dog owners shall be responsible for the controlled breeding, immunization, sterilization and licensing in accordance with these rules and the law for the time being in force within a specified local area. It was also decided that all the pet dogs shall be registered under Veterinary & PH Cell of DMC with proper identification and

registration number using collar belt.

The collar belt with registration numbers shall be issued by the DMC by realizing nominal fees. However, the owners may procure the same from the market as per DMC guidelines.

Further, the Committee decided that all un-registered dogs or dogs without identification and found roaming freely shall be treated as street/stray dogs and shall be caught by the ABC Committee and brought to animal detention centre, SMC for necessary action.

In case of healthy dogs, the

Science seminar: Pulses for sustainable food security

Kohima, august 26 (mExN): 11 schools participated in the Kohima District Science Seminar held on the topic ‘Pulses for Sustainable Food Security- Prospects and Challenges’ at T.M Government Hr Sec School, Kohima on August 24.

Neitseingu-ü Solo (Class 10) of Mezhür Hr Sec School , Kohima bagged the first position, while Philomena Rutsa (Class 10) of Don Bosco Hr Sec School, Kohima secured the second position.

Dr. Watijungshi Jamir, Principal, Kohima College, Kohima was the chief guest of the seminar, which was judged by Dr Menuosietuo Tseikha, District Project Office, Land Resource Department, Kohima and K. Micheal Pienyü, Scientist (Plant Protection), KVK Ko-

owner may claim back by paying necessary expenditure incurred, while diseased untreatable dogs shall be euthanized humanely as per the Act. The Committee also informed that the Chief Veterinary Officer Dimapur has assured to provide instruments and appliances and manpower for implementation of the programme when required.

The Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules state that street dogs are to be sterilised, vaccinated and, subsequently, released in the same area from where they were captured.

The seven ABC Committee members are: H. Atokhe Aye, Administrator, DMC (Ex-Officio Chairman), Dr. Temsu, Chief Veterinary Officer (Member), Dr. Khashepu, Retired Joint Director, Veterinary and AH (Member), Joseph Lemtur, Vice President, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Member), Dr. H. Inato Jimomi, Deputy Director, Veterinary PH Cell DMC (Member), Dr. Sentimoa Longkumer, V.A.S DMC (Member), and Toshirenla, Social Worker (Member).

The team from Waseda University, Tokyo with Governor PB Acharya and his wife.

Kohima, august 26 (mExN): A 7-member team from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, who are on a cross-cultural study tour to Nagaland, visited Raj Bhavan on the invitation of Governor PB Acharya on August 26. The six students were led by Dr. Takano Takako, Professor at the Department of Centre for International Studies, Waseda University.

A press release from PRO, Raj Bhavan informed that the Governor apprised the team and Amba Jamir,

founder and Executive Secretary, Sustainable Development Forum Nagaland (SDFN) of the need to tie up not only with NGOs but also with the universities in Nagaland.

“Individual organisation might have wonderful interest and motive but might not reach to the ordinary man, but if our activities are tied up with the universities or with good colleges it will have a much bigger impact with our youths and on the system of education,” he stated.

Acharya further pointed out that the present system in the universities is not job oriented. The students after their studies do not connect either with society nor industry, he stated, adding there is a need to interact with the students and universities to share views. He maintained that there should be a dialogue between trade, commerce, industry and education along with the resources available in the state to make the universities employable university.

MBC office-cum-conference inaugurated Morung Express News Dimapur | August 26

Winners of the Kohima District Science Seminar with the chief guest and officials from District Education Office, Kohima.

hima and Ponchulo Wanth, senior Science teacher, RGHSS , Kohima.

A press release from Deputy District Education Officer, Kohima informed that the chief guest emphasized on management. He said management is nothing, but all about mindset.

He lamented that Nagaland is rich in mineral and

natural resources and is supposed to have self sufficiency in production, but all industries and factories in Nagaland have failed because of mismanagement.

He challenged the young students and the young upcoming scientists to change their mindset and bring a change to cope with the changing world.

He pointed out that 20 years back in Korea, people were worse than the people of Nagaland in all aspects but now they have become well advanced than many other countries in their political, social and economic life. Their life standard and behavior have changed tremendously because of the change of their mindset, he stated.

Mind Blowers Club (MBC), Dimapur on Friday inaugurated its club office-cum-conference hall located at Khensa Church Centenary Memorial Building, near Ao Church (DABA) at Duncan Bosti.

The inaugural programme was graced by president, Dimapur Naga Students’ Union, Sungkum Aier, along with his colleagues as special invitees.

The MBC conference will be used as a venue to host various cultural and ethnic programmes and events with the objective to promote local talents, impart knowledge on the rich cultural heritage of diverse

DNSU office bearers along with members of Mind Blowers Club (MBC) at the inauguration of the MBC office-cum-conference hall at Duncan Bosti, Friday.

ethnic communities and munities. rent for hosting seminars, instill sense of unity and The conference hall meetings, dance classes connection among com- will also be available on and other social events.

No entry to IG Stadium without authorization Kohima, august 26 (mExN): Deputy Director of Youth Resources & Sports, Nizheto Awomi has reiterated that henceforth no unauthorized person/vehicle will be allowed to enter into the premises of IG (Indira Gandhi) Stadium without prior permission of IG Administrator stationed in the complex.

“Necessary action as deem fit will be taken against the defaulters,” the official stated.

In a press release, Nizheto pointed out that despite restrictions public are entering into premises of IG Stadium in Kohima for driving practice, parking vehicles, and loitering around “causing disturbance to the effective func-

No Parking Area in Kohima

After completing a 6-month training course in Machinist, Fitter, Computer Numeric Control (CNC) sponsored by the Ministry of DoNER, 60 students of the Nagaland Tool Room & Training Centre (NTTC), Dimapur received job placements in various companies like Tata Motors, Vishal Engg.

Pvt. Ltd, RichCAM Auto Engineering (I) Pvt. Ltd. etc. in Pune, Mumbai and Bangalore. The students along with faculty members left Dimapur on Thursday night, August 25.

6th Death Anniversary of

Lt. R. P. Ashiho

“For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong.

And this also we pray that you may be made complete.”

II Corinthians 13:9

Beloved children, grandson and wife

Kohima, august 26 (DiPR): Deputy Commissioner and Chairman of Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Kohima, Rovilatuo Mor has declared the area between Assam Rifles MT Garage and UNI office under Midland Colony as “No Parking Area” on both sides of the road. This notification was issued in pursuance of the provisions under Sec.117 and Sec. 127 of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 and Sec.34 of the Indian Police Act 1881. The notification also

stated that the rules have been brought into force with immediate effect and any vehicle found violating these rules shall be towed away by the Traffic Police and the cost for which, including penalties. will be borne by the owner of the vehicle concerned. The DC further informed all concerned that as and when checking is carried out, defaulters will be penalized as per law and ignorance or non pre-information of the same will not be taken as an excuse.

tioning of the IG Stadium.”

The restrictions, it stated, have been imposed for safety, security and congenial environment required for the children and staff residing in the Sports Hostel.

Moreover, the main stadium is under construction and technically not advisable to use until its completion, the release added.

Jesus Films in Chakhesang released

PhEK, august 26 (mExN): The Jesus Films in both Chokri and Khezha Chakhesang languages were formally released on August 21 by Rev. Dr. Vezopa Tetseo, Executive Secretary, CBCC. The Jesus Films project was jointly undertaken by the Operation Snap Dragon India and Campus Crusade for Christ in collaboration with the Chakhesang Baptist Church Council (CBCC).

iYF Mind education leaders Forum

Kohima, august 26 (mExN): International Youth Fellowship (IYF), South Korea in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education, Nagaland conducted a one day programme on ‘Mind Education Leaders Forum’ at the De Oriental Grand Hotel, Kohima on August 23. About 150 invitees attended the programme led by DGP of Nagaland, Commissioner & Secretary School & Higher Education, Chairman NBSE, Director of Higher Education, representatives from Doctors Association, YouthNet, college principals and others.

The resource person, Prof.

Jaehong Kim, General Secretary of IYF citing the examples of the founder of Hyundai and Samsung emphasized on the importance of mind edu-

Meetings & appointments TGSU consultative meeting

The first consultative and coordination meeting of Tesophenyu Group Students' Union (TGSU) for RSU conference 2017 is slated to be held on September 10, 10:00 am at Ziphenyu Community Hall. Therefore, all the stakeholders concerned have been requested to participate actively.

DWO Phek informs

District Welfare Officer, Phek, Atula Kikon has informed all the beneficiaries for disabled blind scheme under Phek district to collect their payment on or before September 20 during office working days from the DWO office, Phek.

Meeting for JNV, Chukidong Silver Jubilee

General meeting for the upcoming JNV, Chukidong Silver Jubilee will be held on September 24 at Kisama Heritage Village, Kohima from 10:00 am onwards to finalize all related works and reports. All committee members, sub-committee, batch in-charge and alumni have been requested to attend the meeting without fail. For further details/information contact: Planning Convenor, Avi Ezung at 96129567134 and Secretary, Konthungo Lotha at 9612994389.

Naga Hoho Federal Assembly

International Youth Fellowship leaders with the Chief Minister of Nagaland, TR Zeliang on August 23.

cation to inculcate the right and positive mindset to bring about an inner change which in turn would bring about a change in the society.

Rev. Hyeonyong Choi, Director of IYF Nagaland unit in his introduction on IYF said that

the mind education programme is being implemented in more than 80 countries worldwide.

Recently in India, IYF had an MoU with Mumbai University for implementing its curriculum. Other Universities have also expressed their eagerness

to implement the same, stated a press release from IYF. The programme was followed by an enlightening Q&A session.

Earlier in the afternoon, the IYF team had a meeting with the Chief Minister TR Zeliang at his residence.

The 3rd Federal Assembly of the Naga Hoho (2013-2018) will be held on September 28 at Hotel Japfü conference hall, Kohima from 11:00 am onwards to discuss some of the urgent issues, including recognition of Rongmei Tribe, Nagaland Municipal Act 2001, and commemoration of 100 years of Naga struggle. Hence, all the federating units, sub-ordinate bodies and committees of Naga Hoho have been requested to attend the Assembly without fail. Further, the Federating units have been directed to represent in the Assembly as per the provision of the Yehzabo (Constitution) of Naga Hoho vide Article-6 clause (2). Any important agenda from the tribe Hohos may be submitted in written to the Speaker F/A on or before September 25, 2016. For further information, contact the Assembly Secretary @ +919856979856.

SaturDaY 27•08•2016

NORTH-EAST

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

3

LNC (M) appeals Sharmila to leave JNIMS security ward World Bank sanctions rs 980 to respect its stand on representing cr for Brahmaputra dredging Liangmai community Newmai News Network Imphal | August 26

Guwahati, auGust 26 (Pti): The World Bank has sanctioned Rs 980 crore to dredge the Brahmaputra as an initiative to develop waterways to Bangladesh and to other South East Asian countries in a bid to boost trade and industry in the Northeast.

“Opening up of the Brahmaputra waterways for trade will lead to a reduction in the cost of transportation of goods and will ultimately result in Assam becoming an export hub for the South East Asian countries,” Assam Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on Friday said during his address at the day-long North East Tea Conclave.

The World Bank has sanctioned Rs 980 crore for

dredging the Brahmaputra which is an onerous task no doubt, but “the river will become navigable for trade purpose in the near future,” he said. The Centre’s Act East Policy has focused aggressively on trade with South East Asian countries and “opening up the waterways will be the first step in this direction,” the minister said.

“With the opening up of the waterways, Assam gets a readymade market of Bangladesh and West Bengal with 25 crore consumers and if one is ambitious enough, trade can be extended to Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and other South East Asian countries,” he asserted.

Patowary said the Cen-

North east Briefs

Government office set on fire

iMPhal, auGust 26 (NNN): Miscreants reportedly torched the Thoubal District Transport office around 7 am on Friday. All the infrastructure of the office building and important documents kept inside different rooms were reduced to ashes in the fire. Personnel of Thoubal Fire Service rushed to the site and doused the blaze stopping it from further spreading to adjacent buildings. Sources suspected some five youths were behind the arson attack. The police, who are yet to ascertain the exact cause of the fire, have started investigation into the incident, official sources said.

ZB AMN appeals Jalukie, auGust 26 (MexN): The Zeliangrong Baudi (Assam, Manipur & Nagaland) has appealed to all the frontal organizations, students’ unions, village authorities, women societies, and youth clubs of Zeliangrong people living in three states of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and elsewhere to observe the 85th Martyr’s Day of Haipou Jadonang on Monday, August 29. In this regard, the Baudi has also appealed to civil societies, organizations, associations etc. not to call strikes on the said day.

Girl trafficked from Assam 2 months ago rescued in Haryana GurGaoN, auGust 26 (the hiNdu): A 14-yearold girl trafficked from Assam over two months ago and sold to a 50-year-old man at a village in Hisar in Haryana as a sex slave for around Rs.1 lakh has been rescued in a joint operation by the local police and non-government organisation Shakti Vahini. The trafficker has been arrested. The girl was not just sexually exploited, but also tortured by having hot water poured on her and her hands scratched with blade. She was rescued on Tuesday and is now at a Children’s Home. The girl was kidnapped from her native place two months back by one Safiqul and sold off to Dharmender in Hisar. All though she was told by her perpetrators that the man would marry her but she was kept confined in the house where Dharmender used to exploit her sexually and physically. She was kept like a sex slave and was forced to do all the household chores from mending buffaloes to cleaning and cooking during the day time and sexual exploitation at night. The NGO members’ conversation with the child revealed that she was brought to Delhi by Safiqul and his acquaintances and initially they kept her at a hotel near Jama Masjid in Delhi for a week, when Safiqul too exploited her sexually.

After a week Dharmender approached Safiqul who then sent her along with him to Hisar. She told the NGO team that Dharmender used to beat her up, scratch her hands with blade and pour hot water on her to torture her. When the team first met the child during the raid, she hugged the woman counsellor when she found the counsellor speaking Assamese and mumbled, “Moi eyat nathaku.

(I won’t stay here),” with tears rolling down her eyes. The raid was conducted following a tip-off by the Assam Police. Assistant Commissioner of Police of Jalukbari, Madhurima, told The Hindu over phone that the girl managed to call her family from a landline number and the matter was reported to them. “We then traced the call to Hisar in Haryana and alerted the local police and Shakti Vahini. Safiqul has been arrested, but three of his accomplices are on the run,” said Madhurima.

“Minor girls, mostly Muslim, from West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand and Orissa are trafficked to states like Haryana where there is skewed sex ratio and are sold off to middle-aged men as slaved brides. In most of the cases the identity of these girls, from their names to cultural traits, is changed,” said Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini.

tre has also agreed to link up Assam and South East Asia with air connectivity.

“The Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here is an international airport just in name with no flights to any country. During last month’s meeting on Regional Connectivity Policy in Delhi, I urged the Centre to add two more runways to the airport and start international flights to South East Asian countries and it was agreed upon,” he said.

The minister said the Centre has also agreed to strengthen aerial connectivity within Assam by setting up more helipads so that tea growers, buyers, packagers and other manufacturers can interact without wasting much time.

Anti-AFSPA campaigner Irom Chanu Sharmila will leave the security ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) tomorrow, August 27, where she had been force-fed through nasal tubes until she ended her 16-year-old long fast on August 9.

Since she had ended her hunger strike, rights activist Sharmila will be leaving JNIMS tomorrow, as per a DDK Imphal report which added that she is likely to stay at Langol on the outskirts of Imphal for five-six days and then travel to Ukhrul district where she is likely to stay for some days.

“I wanted to step out of the JNIMS security ward

Irom Sharmila (File Photo)

where I have spent a long time like a hopeless statue which ultimately prompted me to enter electoral politics and continue struggle to get my objective,” the report quoted Sharmila as saying.

The marathon hunger

striker who is also known as ‘Iron Lady, told DDK Imphal she will stay at Langol for five-six days before leaving for Ukhrul where she has decided to stay for some days after coming out of the hospital on Saturday.

“In Ukhrul I will appeal

to the people and try to make them grasp all problems besieging the state.

Let’s chingmee-tammee (people of hills and valley) tie together and secure the land,” the iconic anti-AFSPA crusader Sharmila said.

The renowned activist began her fast on November 2, 2000 demanding withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from the state following ‘Malom Massacre’ in which security forces gunned down 10 civilians.

She is currently facing charges under IPC section 309 (attempt to commit suicide) and the hearing in the case is on in a local court here. Sharmila had appealed to the court during her recent appearance that the charges against her be dropped since she had ended her hunger strike.

Assam conservationist nominated for Heritage Heroes Award Guwahati, auGust 26 (iaNs): Assam's ecologist and conservation activist Bibhuti Lahkar has become the only Asian and the first individual from Assam to be nominated for the prestigious 'Heritage Heroes Award' to be given by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Besides Lahkar, four others to be nominated for the award this year are Bantu Lukambo and Josu Kambasu Mukura, (jointly nominated from Demo-

cratic Republic of the Congo), and Yulia Naberezhnaya and Andrey Rudomahka (jointly nominated from Western Caucasus, Russian Federation).

Lahkar has been working to save the grasslands, flora and fauna of Manas National Park for the past two decades. His contribution to the revival of the once endangered Manas landscape has finally received global acknowledgement through this nomination.

Lahkar is currently en-

gaged as Manas Landscape Administrator for Aaranyak, an NGO working for biodiversity conservation in northeast India.

"The Manas National Park suffered a lot during the early 1990s when the Bodo insurgency movement was at its peak. During this volatile situation, people occupied land within the park and started rampant timber collection and poaching within the protected area.

As a consequence, Manas was listed as a World

Heritage Site in danger (1992-2011)," Lahkar said, adding that he first started training young people as tourist guides and for wildlife monitoring.

Lahkar also started educating surrendered poachers and hunters on biodiversity, protection and monitoring of wildlife.

"These poachers later became conservationists and they are now helping the forest department in patrolling and protecting Manas," he said, adding that the park subsequent-

ly became a conservation success story and earned back its 'World Heritage Site' status in 2011.

The IUCN's 'Heritage Heroes Award' is aimed at recognizing the 'outstanding efforts' in making a difference in the conservation of World Heritage sites in challenging situations.

The recipient for the award will be selected through online voting on the website www.iucn.org, which began on August 25 and will continue till August 31, 2016.

iMPhal, auGust 26 (MexN): The Liangmai Naga Council, Manipur (LNC (M)) in its executive meeting held on July 22 at Namdilong had reaffirmed its participation or support to every civil organization that shares its ideologies and objectives for peoples' welfare.

Withstanding the resolution, the Liangmai body has appealed to every Liangmai citizen to acknowledge and respect the stand of LNC (M), the apex social body of the Liangmai community.

"If any Liangmai seeks to represent Liangmai community in any civil/social organization he or she may do so only with the prior approval of the Liangmai Naga Council otherwise he or she will be in no way recognized as a representative of the Liangmai community,” the LNC (M) has stated. “At the same time, every responsible organization must also take an informed consent of LNC (M) to organize any activities in Liangmai jurisdiction. Failing to adhere to this appeal, one would be doing so at its own risk without people's mandate."

According to the Liangmai apex body, this measure was necessitated for better networking and coordination between the Liangmai society and various other civil organizations.

Arunachal Pradesh eyes 20% M'laya CM inducts two in cabinet to calm rebellion growth in tourist arrivals in FY17 MuMbai, auGust 26 (Pti): Arunachal Pradesh, which is hosting the second edition of the 'Songs and Dances of the North East' festival in the city, is eyeing 20 per cent rise in tourist arrival in the state in the current financial year.

"Despite physical, social as well as psychological distance, there has been a steady growth of tourists in the state.

In 2015-16, we received 3.45 lakh tourists, including domestic as well as foreign. Of this, 3.4 lakh were from the country itself," Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Secretary Joram Bedaa told PTI here.

"Looking at the trend and our current marketing efforts we are expecting a 20 per cent rise in numbers in the state in this financial year," he added.

The first edition of the annual 'Songs and Dances of the North East' festival was held in Delhi, organised by Meghalaya.

Bedda said Arunachal Pradesh is targeting premium audience so that the ecology and the natural beauty of the state is not disturbed.

Known as the 'Land of the Rising Sun', the state is located in the northeast and borders Assam and Nagaland in the south, and shares international borders with Bhutan in the west, Myanmar in the east and China in the north.

Covered by the Himala-

yas, the state is being promoted as an 'adventure destination' as it has rivers, mountains and forests and will soon get its own airport in Tezu, he said.

"We are well connected through road and air to Assam. We also have regular helicopter services connecting us to our neighbouring state. Besides, we are also connected with Delhi with a superfast train," Bedda said, adding that there are plans of introducing a Rajdhani train connecting Itanagar and the national capital.

The state is also bullish on Bollywood projects to promote tourism and has regular meetings with the industry to shoot projects in the state.

On 2nd 'Songs and Dances of the North East' festival, he said, it is conceptualised and designed to bind together the diverse culture and heritage of the North East on a common platform and connect it with rest of India.

The festival's theme this year is 'Come, Experience the North East' and is sponsored by North Eastern Council (NEC).

He said the festival will showcase ethnic delicacies, music and dance, from all eight North Eastern states - Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland and Manipur.

shilloNG, auGust 26 (iaNs): After months of internal bickering in the Congress in Meghalaya, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Friday inducted two senior party legislators in his cabinet after sacking two ministers.

The cabinet reshuffle comes ahead of the assembly session, which is to begin on September 9.

Governor V. Shanmuganathan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Martin M. Danggo and Ronnie V. Lyngdoh at a simple function organised in the Raj Bhavan here.

Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Law Rowell Lyngdoh and Health and Family Welfare Minister Alexander Hek resigned on Thursday from the cabinet following directives from Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Earlier, Sonia Gandhi had deputed Congress leader Mukul Wasnik and Congress General Secretary in-charge C.P. Joshi to firefight and prevent a possible split in the state Congress before the 2018 assembly polls.

The central leadership's worries have clearly heightened after losing Assam to a BJP-led alliance in assembly elections.

Congress sources said Sonia Gandhi approved the removal of Hek for his "political hobnobbing" with the Bharatiya Janata Party and that of Lyngdoh mainly

on account of his old age.

Hek had twice won elections on BJP ticket before joining the Congress.

Meghalaya has a 12-member ministry, including the chief minister.

It is for the first time since the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA)II coalition government assumed power in March 2013 that the cabinet will see new faces. Mukul Sangma said the purpose of the cabinet reshuffle was to allow more people to get the leadership experience "so that the state can have more leaders".

He denied that the reshuffle was aimed at putting down the rebellion within the Congress Legislature Party with some legislators demanding his removal. "There is no dissidence in the party, only grievances expressed by the colleagues," he stated.

Martin M. Danggo, a senior politician from South West Khasi Hills district, had earlier served as a cabinet minister and assembly Speaker. Ronnie V. Lyngdoh hails from East Khasi Hills district. It is his first appointment as a minister.

The new ministers said they will help the Chief Minister ensure all-round development in the interest of the people.

"My priority is to ensure speedy implementation of all the development programmes that would be entrusted to me," Ronnie said.

In the 60-member legislature, the Congress has 30 members and has the support of the Nationalist Congress Party that has two members, one member of the Northeast Democratic Socialist Party and 11 independents.

The opposition Meghalaya People's Front is made up of eight MLAs of United Democratic Party and two of the National People's Party.

The Hill State People's Democratic Party and two independent legislators are not part of the Meghalaya People's Front.

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Rice being transported to Tripura from Kolkata via B'desh aGartala, auGust 26 (iaNs): The government-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) has started ferrying a fresh consignment of 2,350 tonnes of rice from Kolkata to Tripura via Bangladesh to avoid transportation hitches through the traditional route of Assam and Meghalaya, an official said here on Friday.

"Transportation of rice from Bangladesh's Ashuganj river port to Tripura on trucks has begun from Thursday afternoon. It will require two weeks time to carry the 2,350 tonnes of rice in trucks to godowns in Agartala," FCI area manager Indranil Mandal told IANS. He said: "The rice meant for Tripura was brought from Punjab by train to Kolkata, and from Kolkata port, the rice is being carried to Ashuganj river port (in east-

ern Bangladesh) by a ship."

The official said that since Thursday 15 Bangladeshi trucks are carrying the rice every day for the next two weeks, except on holidays in India and Bangladesh.

The FCI official said that earlier, in two phases in 2014 and 2015, 20,000 tonnes of rice was transported to landlocked Tripura through the same route.

Ashuganj port on the Meghna river in Bangladesh is 57 km from Tripura capital Agartala.

Following the Indian government's request, the Bangladesh government had allowed the FCI to ferry 30,000 tonnes of rice from various parts of India to Tripura via Bangladesh.

"Following diplomatic parleys, the Bangladesh government agreed to allow

transportation of food grains for Tripura without charging any duty under a special transit facility," a top Tripura government official said on condition of anonymity.

The eight northeastern states, including Sikkim, are largely dependent on Punjab, Haryana and other larger states in India for food grains and essential commodities.

Tripura Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhanulal Saha told IANS: "The state government had requested the union government and FCI to carry rice and fuel through Bangladesh as transporting it through Assam and Meghalaya became uncertain due to gauge conversion work of railways and poor road conditions."

"We want to create a buffer stock of food grain and fuel in Tripura in view

of the transportation hindrance. Moreover during the monsoon road transportation becomes a major problem in most of the mountainous northeastern states," he said.

The monsoon starts in June and continues up to September creating a problem in ferrying food grains, essentials and other goods from other parts of India to northeast India via the hilly roads as the areas are highly prone to landslides.

In 2015 the central government had floated bids to import rice from Myanmar for Manipur and Mizoram, but the matter is yet to fructify.

The Indian government had spent several million rupees to develop Ashuganj port and related infrastructure.

Transportation via Bangladesh is much easier as road connectivity is a

major issue for the northeastern states which share boundaries with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan and China.

There is only a narrow land corridor to the northeastern region through Assam and West Bengal, but this route passes through hilly terrain with steep gradients and multiple hairpin bends, making plying of vehicles, especially loaded trucks, very difficult.

Agartala via Guwahati is 1,650 km from Kolkata by road, and 2,637 km from New Delhi. But the distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh is just 620 km.

The state-owned Indian Oil Corporation Limited and the Bangladesh government owned Roads and Highways Department signed a MoU on August 18 in Dhaka on the route per-

mit for carrying petroleum products (motor spirit, high speed diesel, superior kerosene oil and Liquefied Petroleum Gas from Assam to Tripura through Bangladesh territory.

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SaturdaY 27•08•2016

business

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Dirty laundry: Welspun tangle highlights India’s quality challenge MUMBAI, AUgUst 26 (REUtERs): Questions over the exact provenance of bedsheets sold by Welspun India to America’s middle classes have not only wiped $740 million off the firm’s market value, but also revived one of Indian manufacturing’s enduring headaches: quality.

India’s government, desperate to accelerate growth and create more jobs, has backed a “Make in India” manufacturing push. India already makes everything from car parts to t-shirts, but is trying to move up the chain to make higher-end products, like Apple’s iPhone.

One major hurdle, however, has been product quality, often blighted by low salaries, poor training and sketchy suppliers.

As India manufactures more, cheap is not always cheerful.

So far, in Welspun’s case, U.S. retailer Target Corp has severed ties, accusing it of passing off cheaper sheets as premium Egyptian cotton for two years.

Other Welspun clients are probing the company’s products.

It’s not clear what led to the problem. Welspun, whose share price nearly halved this week, has said it would do an external audit of its supply chain. Other Indian manufacturers distanced themselves from Welspun, but many fretted over the broader impact as the country tries to bet on quality, not just cheap workers, where it faces constant competition from regional rivals.

“It’s high time exporters improve the quality of their products,” said S.C. Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, set up by the government and industry to promote exports. He said the group would take up the issue of quality with its members.

Arvind Sinha, national president of the Textile Association of India, said India’s image as a manufacturing destination for textiles could be tarnished.

“This is another blot on the Indian exports resume,” said an analyst at a local brokerage, who asked not to be named as it would violate his firm’s policies. “The Welspun fi-

asco could have ripple effects and force companies to scout for options in other regions in Asia that have unscathed records.”

Government officials say the Welspun case is an exception, and don’t expect much damage to India’s reputation as a manufacturing hub. “We hope it will be one of the stray incidents that will not have much impact on our near $42 billion textile exports,” said a senior textile ministry official, who declined to be named.

A senior official at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said more such incidents could dent efforts to promote India as a manufacturing export hub.

“If Indian industry is to survive and thrive, it has to adopt global standards,” he said, adding the ministry has raised the issue of standards with exporters through export promotion councils, and has stressed third-party auditing and self-regulation.

cal industry, a global supplier of cheaper generic medicines, has been dogged by quality concerns, with health regulators in the United States, Britain and Europe barring some plants from producing drugs for their markets because of inadequate standards.

Highlighting weak official checks and under-resourced testing facilities, Nestle India had to pull its popular Maggi instant noodles off the shelves last year after local regulators found some samples contained unsafe levels of lead. Subsequent tests at government-accredited laboratories showed the noodles were safe for consumption.

Quality assurance experts in India and beyond, however, said damage from the Welspun case could be contained - if the authorities and businesses move quickly to put in place stringent quality assurance standards.

“The government and the companies should themselves DRUGS AND NOODLES put in place better quality control India has been here before. standards to ensure India’s image Its $15 billion pharmaceuti- is protected,” said a certifier at the

Indian arm of a Europe-based textile certification company.

The $108 billion textile industry accounts for a tenth of India’s manufacturing production, 5 percent of GDP and 13 percent of export earnings, according to government data. It is the country’s second-largest employer after agriculture.

The government has announced several schemes in the past two years to encourage better use of technology and infrastructure in the textiles sector, and to foster innovation.

But the Welspun case suggests more needs to be done.

“Sourcing strategy is really driven by who can deliver the lowest cost at an acceptable quality, and India is still a place that delivers on that promise,” said Neil Stern, senior partner at retail consultancy McMillan Doolittle in Chicago.

“This certainly brings negative publicity, but companies will stack it up as one bad apple and not view it as a systemic problem.”

Tata Motors conducts Blow to Kashmir’s eco, Rs 6400 cr loss in 49 days The separatists have an- hit,” an official in the Finance deAUgUst 26 raids on 19 counterfeiters sRInAgAR, (PtI): The ongoing unrest in nounced periods of relaxation, partment said.

MUMBAI, AUgUst 26 (PtI): Tata Motors has carried out raids in 19 locations across the country in recent months to help curb counterfeit products, as part of its campaign against spurious spare parts that started in 2012-13.

The raids were conducted on 19 spurious Tata parts manufacturers and duplicate packaging suppliers across the country, the company said on Friday. The raids have identified five manufacturers of Tata Motors counterfeit parts, packaging materials and stickers and first information reports have been filed against all of them.

These raids were also carried out in major cities like, New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Vijayawada.

The spurious parts dealers who were raided are — Patwa Motors of Ajmer, Spring House at Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh (UP), Shiva Spares of Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, Lakhotia Auto Spares of Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, Bindya Auto Stores and Balaji Spares & Lubricants in Lucknow.

Counterfeit manufactures who were raided include Mozi Auto in Delhi’s Kashmiri Gate, Shriji Motors Spare Parts & Repairing Centre at Bulandshahr in UP, Murli Motors and Grover Sons in UP’s Gorakhpur, Nanaji Motors in East Godavari in Andhra, Shiv Car Spare Parts at Bulandshahr in UP, Rupa Auto at Kawardha in Chhattisgarh, VB Chopda at Dhamtari in Chhattisgarh, Dhawan Motors in Delhi, Sunny Motors and Laxmi Auto Clutch in Navi Mumbai.

According to Sanjeev Garg of Tata Motors, easily available spurious parts like clutch parts, filters, gear box parts not only affect the aggregate life of the vehicle but are also a major threat to everyone around and one of the biggest reasons for road accidents.

Tata Motors regularly conduct awareness programnes for mechanics, retailers and consumers to identify genuine parts and so far over 300 programmes and 7,000 individuals have been covered so far, he said.

Kashmir has led to a whopping Rs 6,400-crore loss to the economy of the Valley, with businesses being badly hit due to curfew and separatist sponsored strikes.

Tourist and other business activities in Kashmir have come to a halt for the past 49 days after protests erupted in Kashmir following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on July 8.

Clashes between protesters and security forces have claimed the lives of 66 people and left thousands of others injured.

Shops, business establishments, private offices and petrol pumps have been shut as the separatists groups have called for a complete strike to protest the civilian deaths in the violence after Wani’s killing.

Sahara chief offers to pay l e i s u r e CROSSWORD # 3695 Rs 300 cr as bank guarantee nEw DElhI, AUgUst 26 (PtI): Sahara chief Subrata Roy today offered in Supreme Court to pay an additional Rs 300 crore to Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) but said the amount should be adjusted as bank guarantee.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur directed that the matter be listed next week after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Roy, mentioned the matter before it.

“I am ready to pay additional Rs 300 crore but this amount should be adjusted as a bank guarantee,” Sibal told the bench that also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud.

On August 3, the Supreme Court had extended the parole of Roy till September 16 with a condition that he has to deposit Rs 300 crore with SEBI. Roy’s parole, granted on humanitarian grounds following the death of his mother, was extended after he had deposited Rs 300.68 crores, giving him the opportunity to raise the remaining amount to secure bail in the case.

The apex court had allowed the Sahara group to go ahead with sale and alienation of their properties to raise an amount of Rs 5,000 crore as a bank guarantee which they have to deposit in addition to Rs 5,000 crore to get bail for Roy. For Roy’s interim bail, the court had put conditions like depositing Rs 5,000 crore in cash and a bank guarantee of equal amount and tough terms, including payment of the entire Rs 36,000 crore, which includes interest, to be paid back to the investors.

The Sahara chief had earlier told the court that by December, the group would be in a position to fulfill all the conditions and talks were going on with Canara Bank for Rs 1,500 crore bank gaurantee.

The apex court had passed an order on March 29 stating that SEBI would also not sell any property owned by the beleaguered group for a price less than 90 per cent of the circle rates for the area in question without the permission of the court.

While granting parole to Roy, the apex court had said they were free to meet prospective buyers of properties and move within the country under police escort.

The apex court had earlier asked SEBI to initiate the process of selling “unencumbered” properties of Sahara group, whose title deeds are with the market regulator, to generate the bail money for release of the group chief.

SUDOKU

but they are usually in the night which does not help the traders who allege that there have been instances of masked youths or even security forces forcing the shopkeepers to down the shutters.

“Kashmir is suffering losses of about Rs 135 crore daily. This estimates to over Rs 6,400 crore so far,” Mohammad Yaseen Khan, president Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF), said here.

Khan, however, said these figures were based on the daily business six months ago.

He said the trader community wants the Kashmir issue to be resolved permanently The state government has suffered revenue losses close to Rs 300 crore in the past one-anda-a-half months.

“The collection of levies and taxes has come down drastically since the unrest began. The sales tax collection has been the worst

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Similarly, tourism, considered to be the mainstay of Kashmir’s economy, has also come to a stand still.

“People are turning away from Kashmir due to the unrest,” a tourism player said here.

He said that hotels and houseboats were empty and famous tourist spots were looking desolated.

An official of the Tourism Department, who did not wish to be named, admitted that tourism in the Valley was on decline but said they were “helpless”.

“What can we do? The department is helpless. We cannot go outside the state and ask people to visit the Valley.

“How can we even expect people to visit the Valley when the situation is such,” the official said.

Till this situation is addressed and the issue resolved, the tourism would continue to be affected, he said.

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Commerce min sets up grievance redressal panel nEw DElhI, AUgUst 26 (PtI): The Commerce Ministry has set up two committees for speedy redressal of grievances of trade and industry pertaining to the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP 2015-20).

The committees are set up at the levels of headquarter and zonal regional authority (RA).

Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a trade notice said the committee’s terms of references include reviewing grievance cases pending beyond reasonable time for speedy disposal; reviewing resolution of sector specific grievances brought forth by members or obtained from other sources and also to suggest reform in policy and procedure.

The committee at headquarter level shall endeavour to meet once in every quarter and once in every month at the zonal RAs, it said.

At the headquarters, the seven member committee will be chaired by DGFT. At the zonal RA level, the five member committee will be chaired by the zonal additional DGFT. After rising for the first time in 18 months in June, exports shrank again in July, contracting 6.84 per cent due to decline in shipments of engineering goods and petroleum products.

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 NPSC/UPSC(Perlims-2016-2017)  Repeaters : Class X (All Subject) Class XII (Arts, Sci., Comm.)  Crash Course: NEET/AIPMT(Medical Entrance)  SSC,Banking,Railway etc  Computer Courses : CCA, DCA, DTP, PGDCA, Tally  Spoken English & Hindi, Soft Skill  Coaching for CBSE/NBSE Course (Phy, Chem, Math, Bio)  Stenography & Typewriting

hostel available for both Boys and girls

dImAPUR Civil Hospital:

STd COdE: 03862 232224; Emergency229529, 229474

MH Hospital: Faith Hospital:

227930, 231081 228846

Shamrock Hospital

228254

Zion Hospital:

231864, 224117, 227337

Police Control Room

228400

Police Traffic Control

232106

East Police Station West Police Station

227607 232181

CIHSR (Referral Hospital)

242555/ 242533

Dimapur hospital

224041, 248011

Apollo Hospital Info Centre:

230695/ 9402435652

Railway:

131/228404

Indian Airlines

229366

Chumukedima Fire Brigade Nikos Hospital and Research Centre

282777 232032, 231031

MoKoKCHUNG: 0369-2226225/ 101 (o) 8415830232 (oC)

Nagaland Multispecialty Health & Research Centre

248302, 09856006026

PHEK: 8414853765 (o) 8413822476(oC)

kOhImA

Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home: Northeast Shuttles

R

C

H

zUNHEBoTo: 03867-280304/ 101 (o) 9436422730 (oC)

MoN: 03869-251222/ 101 (o) 9862130954 (oC) kIPhIRE: 8414853767 (o) 9436261577 (oC) PEREN: 7085189932 (o) 9856311205 (oC) LONgLENg: 7085924113 (o) 9862414264 (oC)

Toll free No. 1098 childline

wE4wOmEN hELPLINE 08822911011

A

CHUMUKEDIMA: 7085982102 (o) 8732810051 (oC)

TUENSANG: 8414853766 (o) 9856163601 (oC)

ChILd wELFARE COmmITTEE

Police Station 2 :

KoHIMA NoRTH: 7085924114 (o)

wOkhA: 03860242215/101 (o) 8974322879 (oC)

100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202 08974997923

Police Station 1:

KoHIMA SoUTH: 0370-2222952/ 101 (o) 9402003086 (oC)

DIMAPUR: 03862-232201/ 101 (o) 9856156876 (oC)

STd COdE: 0370

mOkOkChUNg:

FIRE STATIONS

STd COdE: 0369

9485232688 9485232689

Police Station Kobulong :

9485232690

Police Station Tuli :

9485232693

Police Station Changtongya :

9485232694

Police Station Mangkolemba :

9485232695

Civil Hospital: Woodland Nursing Home:

2226216 2226263

Hotel Metsüpen (Tourist Lodge):

2226373/2229343

TAHAMzAM (formerly Senapati) STD CoDE: 03871 Police Station: Fire Brigade

CURRENCY NOTES

222246 222491

BUY(Rs)

SELL(Rs)

US Dollars Sterling Pound Hong Kong Dollar Australian Dollar Singapore Dollar Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen

65.49 86.33 8.17 49.91 48.33 50.68 64.87

68.61 90.74 9.12 52.50 50.84 53.30 68.69

Euro

73.85

77.61

1.83

2.05

0.0568

0.0635

17.25

19.26

9.48

10.59

Thai Baht Korean Won UAE Dirham (AED) Chinese Yuan

SaturdaY 27•08•2016

NAGALAND

Suggestions and criticisms are welcome: Kiyanilie Peseyie KOHIMA, AUGUST 26 (MExN): Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Kiyanilie Peseyie today responded to reports quoting an unnamed NPF legislator as stating that legislators are not allowed to ask questions in the Assembly.

The Minister stated that this statement is “highly reprehensible since it is devoid of any truth or basis, and appears to be a mischievous statement with the intention of tarnishing the image, reputation and integrity of the present Government.”

Peseyie stated that it is a democratic tradition followed by heads of all Governments to call for a coordination meeting of the Parliamentarians/ Legislators prior to the Parliament/ Legislative sessions.

“And in the case of Nagaland, I, as the Minister in Charge of Parliamentary Affairs, convene a coordination meeting of all the NPF Legislators before the Assembly session, or the Chief Minister convenes a coordination meeting of the DAN legislators just like the one convened yesterday at 4 pm at Kohima,” he said.

The Minister informed that in these meetings, far from restricting legislators to ask questions, the Chief Minister and senior Ministers “encourage the members to ask questions and give constructive criticisms on the functioning of the various departments so that they can acquaint themselves with the activities of the Government departments, check ir-

MEx FILE NLA to go paperless KOHIMA, AUGUST 26 (MExN): The Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) has set its sights on becoming an e-assembly. A source informed that the proposal to go paperless has already been sent to the Government of India.

NSCN (IM) informs lounges, discos DIMApUr, AUGUST 26 (MExN): The UT-1 of the NSCN/GPRN (IM) has notified owners of lounges and discos to remain closed on Sundays in an around the UT-1 region with immediate effect. However, for the convenience of travelers, food and lodging hotels, bakeries and salons are exempted from this order, a press release the CAO, UT-1 informed.

Student drowns in Dikhu River Morung Express News Dimapur | August 26

In a tragic incident, a Class 9 student was swept away in Dikhu River on Thursday evening and her body was retrieved this morning about three km away from the location. The victim was identified as one Lanubenla, from Akhoya Village, and studying in Green River Valley High School, Changtongya Town. Sources informed that the victim along with her classmates and a teacher had gone for a picnic and was returning back when they stopped to take a picture. The victim slipped from a slippery rock and was swept away by the flooding river.

Power Dept informs WOKHA, AUGUST 26 (MExN): The Wokha Electrical Division of the Power Department has informed that due to technical fault of the 500 KVA, 33/11 KV Englan Power transformer on August 24, power supply to Englan range has been disturbed. In a press release, EE (E) Wokha Division, Er Orenvungo S Ovung requested the consumers to bear with the inconvenience as the department is trying its best to restore the power at the earliest.

regularities if any, and also keep the Government officials on their toes to deliver goods to the people.”

The Ministers themselves, he added, “urge the legislators to ask questions in their respective departments since the goal is to provide good governance to the people as enshrined in the Party Constitution and election Manifesto.”

Peseyie added that in the absence of an opposition in the 12th Legislative Assembly, “it is unimaginable that good governance can be provided if ruling Legislators themselves do not give constructive suggestions, opinions and even criticisms as and when required.”

Therefore, rather than muffling the voices of dissent and criticism from the

ruling Legislators themselves, it is left to the wisdom of the Legislators to raise any issue or question pertaining to their Constituencies or elsewhere, he said.

Regarding the quoted legislator’s reported comments on the Cabinet decision on the 33% reservation for women in the Urban Local Bodies, and also the ratification of the GST Bill, Peseyie stated: “I can only say that the legislator has a poor and limited knowledge about the legal realities as well as the positive implications of the Goods & Services Tax Bill, 2016.”

On the issuance of Whips to all party Legislators, he said that the legislator who had gone to the media “would do well to familiarise himself with democratic practices and

norms.” “Whip, he should know, is an official appointed by the party to maintain discipline among, secure attendance of, and give necessary information to, members of his party. It is a practice as old as Democracy and there is nothing extraordinary to ensure members abide by the party rules, Principles and stand on various issues,” he stated.

The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs further appealed to all legislators to “feel free and ask whatever questions they want to ask whether in the Assembly or outside the Assembly.

After all, as elected representatives of the people, we are here to ensure that the people are not deprived in any manner, nor should we let irregularities go unchecked.”

Take up extra initiatives to curb TB: NUN urges state government DIMApUr, AUGUST 26 (MExN): The Nagaland Users’ Network (NUN) has urged the State Government to take up extra initiatives in curbing the menace of Tuberculosis (TB) in Mon and Tuensang districts since both are high TB prevalent districts.

NUN in partnership with Mon Users’ Network, Integrated Development Society and CHAI Axshyaa program, Mon and Tuensang, conducted treatment literacy programs on Tuberculosis in Mon on August 20 and in Tuensang on August 24.

Government staff working with tuberculosis program in the state, NGOs, and the community participated in the workshops, a press release from the NUN informed.

Resource person Renbonthung, Advocacy Officer for NUN, oriented the participants on the basics of tuberculosis and also discussed IPT, MDRTB and XDRTB. Session on TB/HIV and related complications were also discussed during the workshop. Basic testing and diagnostics like sputum microscopy, CBNAAT, x-ray and other test required for TB were part of the topics discussed.

NUN made a stopover at Tobu sub divisional headquarters and convened a meeting with the stakeholders there. Representatives from the Konyak Union, KNSK, school authorities, DBs and political groups attended the meeting where they shared

Release salaries of Hindi teachers: AHAHTA Citizens repair road DIMApUr, AUGUST 26 (MExN): The All Nagaland Aggrieved Hindi Teachers Association (ANAHTA) today highlighted the “untold hardships” being faced by the ANAHTA members due to non-payment of salaries for the past seven months.

In this regard, a state level meeting of the ANAHTA was held at APO Conference Hall, Kohima on August 11, where the grievances and hardships of the Association were thoroughly discussed. After the meeting, the association petitioned the Directorate of School Education to look into the issue on August, 24.

During the meeting, the association unanimously resolved to demand the School Education Department to pursue the release of pending salary

with immediate effect. The members also resolved to pursue the Department to submit the audit report on time to the Central Government, “so long as we are paid under CSS.” The meeting asserted that “as per our appointment order, we are state employees regularly appointed and not appointed under any scheme; hence we should be accommodated under the State Plan henceforth.”

It was also resolved to ask the School Education Department to afford opportunity to teachers to pursue training through correspondence course. It maybe noted that the Department has already made the teachers to sign an undertaking on July 26, where the teachers on training would not be substituted at

the expense of department/authority during the training period, instead the teacher on training would have to pay his/her substitute/proxy from his/ her own salary to the tune of Rs 6700/per month. “It may also be noted that the state has only one Hindi teachers training institute that cannot accommodate all the teachers within limited time,” the ANAHTA said.

The ANAHTA also decided to pursue as to why the New Pension Scheme (NPS) deducted/contributed amount is not properly accredited to the accounts of members.

It further resolved that the association would “stand together, in case any member(s) is/are individually targeted by any authority while working for the cause of ANATHA.”

‘We are educated and skilled but lack professionalism’ KOHIMA, AUGUST 26 (MExN): A two day National Seminar on “Human Resource and Economic Development in India: Prospects, Challenges and Strategies” is being held at St. Joseph’s College’s Auditorium in Jakhama on August 26 and 27.

Organised by the Dept. of Economics of the college, the seminar is being sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Sciences and Research (ICSSR), Shillong. State Additional Director of Higher Education, Kuholi Chishi was the Chief Guest at the inaugural.

Nagaland University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. B. K. Konwar, delivering the

keynote address dwelt on the nature of seminar and termed it an exchange of ideas. Pointing out the problems of the NE states in Human Resource and Economic development, he called upon the youth in the NE region to be educated in socio-economic development.

Speaking as chief guest, Chishi emphasized on “Professionalism” observing that we are learned, educated and skilled but lack professionalism. This has led to huge unemployment in the state, she viewed.

She exhorted the gathering to be creative and innovative and called on the young people to be the solution

of the prevalent problems, besides being professionals with skills.

A special lecture was delivered by Prof. Mithilesh Kumar Sinha, Dept. of Economics, NU, on “Education, Employment and Development” based on his expansive experience and knowledge. “Employability leads to innovation, innovation to productivity and productivity to economic growth,” Prof Sinha posited.

The seminar is being attended

by Professors, Asst. Profs., research scholars from different universities of different states, and students of the organizing dept.

DIMApUr, AUGUST 26 (MExN): The half yearly sitting of the Tangkhul Hoho Nagaland (THN) will be held on August 27 at Tangkhul Baptist Church Dimapur (TBCD), Kuda at 10:30 am. A press release from the Hoho has requested all members to attend the said meeting.

RTI training at Mangkolemba

Vety &AH Service Rules laid in assembly KOHIMA, AUGUST 26 (MExN): Parliamentary Secretary for Veterinary & Animal Husbandry, S. Chuba Longkumer, laid a copy of the Nagaland Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Department Service Rules, 2016 here today on the floor of the House. Earlier, NLA speaker Chotisuh Sazo made an obituary reference to the passing away of Y. Shangyu, former MLA from Wakching Assembly Constituency. The House observed two minute silence as a mark of respect to the departed soul.

NLA Commissioner & Secretary N. Benjamin Newmai reported the assent of the Governor of Nagaland on two bills viz., The Nagaland Salaries, Allowances and other Facilities of the Chief Minister, other Ministers, Speaker, Leader of Opposition, Deputy Speaker, other Members of the NLA/ Parliamentary Secretaries and Pension for Ex-Members Act, 2005 (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2016 and the Nagaland Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2016.

Citizens repair the road in Mangkolemba Town.

MANGKOlEMbA, AUGUST 26 (MExN): Members of the Mangkolemba Adhoc Town Committee (MATC), all ward chairmen and executive committee, Gaonburas and well wishers of the town in coordination with the PWD (R&B) Mangkolemba repaired the road leading to Entsüngkong Ward, BSNL station and the Amenity Centre of Tourism Department in Mangkolemba Town. Altogether, 91 volunteers filled the countless potholes with stones, pebbles and soil, stated a press release received here. The clogged side drain was cleared, trees and bushes were trimmed, and the road sides were cleared. The repairing was done from Nokyu-Hokiyong ward junction to Tsüpaksa-Nisameyong area, a stretch of 3 kilometers.

KAOT 7th general session held

Tangkhul Hoho Nagaland

MOKOKcHUNG, AUGUST 26 (MExN): Training on RTI Act 2005 for PIOs and APIOs was conducted together with prominent NGOs and academic institutions of Mokokchung district in collaboration with Administrative Training Institute, Kohima and Customary Law Court on August 24 at Mangkolemba. SDO (Civil), Renbemo Ezung in his keynote address said that the RTI Act is for transparency and accountability in the working system of public authorities. “We should use the RTI for the all-round development of the people,” he said.

Resource persons were EAC Mokokchung, R. Daniel Angami and EAC Chuchu, Neyazungba. R. Daniel Angami, EAC gave an explanation on the know-how of the RTI Act. He also stressed on the role of the PIO. Vikhoto Richo, EAC, Tuli was also present in the training.

the seriousness of TB in Tobu area and further informed of the non-functioning DMC in Tobu, the release stated.

Citing reliable sources as mentioning that the DTO, Mon is taking extra initiative and has started the process of reviving the centre, NUN acknowledged the DTO, Mon, but further requested the authorities to accelerate the process as majority of cases referred to Aboi centre or Mon DTC are from Tobu area.

During its visit to the RNTCP program in Tuensang, NUN expressed disappointment to find that the supervisor, DOTs plus supervisor and the nurse were not around except for the statistical assistant who was there at the dispensing room. NUN further informed that following the departure of the previous District Tuberculosis officer, the district has been left without a DTO for some time.

Earlier the district had an additional MO to assist the district RNTCP considering the number of TB cases in the district, but due to some unknown reason, that provision also has been removed, the NUN lamented.

In this regard, NUN has called upon the government to “seriously consider” the matter as urgent. It also requested the concern authorities to intervene as both Mon and Tuensang districts are high prevalent TB areas.

The Mokokchung Town Baptist Church Youth Department celebrated the Silver Jubilee of Music Fest, an annual musical event of the youth department. What started as a fund raising project in 1992, Music Fest has nurtured many talented individuals and groups and provided a platform for many local talents. With artist from the first Music Fest event to young budding talents, the jubilee was celebrated at MTBA church on August 25. Seen in the picture is Wabang Kichu, who was the first performer of the first ever Music Fest back in 1992, performing the same song "The Messiah" 25 years later. (Photo Courtesy: Moa Metsubo)

KOHIMA, AUGUST 26 (DIpr): The 7th General Session of the Kohima Ao Officertem Telongjem (KAOT) was held on August 25 at Molu Ki, Paramedical, Kohima where P. TalitemjenAo IAS Retd exhorted the officers.

Speaking on the occasion, Talitemjen said that we must come together and work hard to set a good example for the coming generations. He said that the KAOT is one of the highest intellectual forums where many good things can be done by taking challenging initiatives. He said that the forum should be a “spring board” for youngsters to achieve greater heights and urged the officers to abolish the inferiority complex which is a stumbling block for advancement of the present society.

The meeting decided to set up Ao Officers forum in other district headquarters and also discussed on the

grade-wise contribution for the construction of Ao Senden Building and requested the members to give their contributions at the earliest. The Union further decided to initiate career guidance centers in Mokokchung and Kohima.

During the meeting, the General Secretary presented audit and nominating reports for the tenure of 2013-15 while new office bearers for the tenure 2016-18 were also elected.

The new office bearers are: President - Toshitsüngba Aier IPS; Vice President - L. Youdang Jamir; General Secretary - R. Asenla Keitzar IAS; Assistant General Secretary - Pangjung Jamir; Information Secretary – Asangla Imti; Finance Secretary - R. Atsung Tzudir; and Treasurer - Bendangkokba IAS; Advisors - Temjen Toy IAS, Sentiyanger Imchen IAS and Imkonglemba IAS.

SAMETI organises training on Pochury Literature Board installed ‘Agri marketing & micro finance’ MEDzIpHEMA, AUGUST 26 (MExN): State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI) organised a three-day training on “Agricultural marketing and micro finance” from August 23 to 25.

The program focussed on equipping functionaries of Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) in all districts with sound knowledge about agricultural marketing and micro finance, which in turn, could be implemented at the grassroots level, informed a press release from S. Bendangtemsu, Director, SAMETI. The resource persons for the training were Dr. Amod Sharma, Associate Professor & Head, Department of Agricultural Economics, N.U., SASRD; Sanjoy Das, Assistant Professor, Department of

Agricultural Economics, N.U., SASRD; and Evan T. Munsong, Manager, NABARD Dimapur.

The valedictory function was chaired by Tiajungla Longchar, DPD SAMETI, while feedback on the training was given by Akam Zeliang, DPD Peren and Visizolie Virie, DPD Kohima.

S. Bendangtemsu, the outgoing Director SAMETI, in his valedictory speech acknowledged that it has been a very pleasant and indelible experience working with ATMA functionaries and encouraged them to continue working with the same spirit of sincerity, dedication and uprightness in all future endeavours.

The training saw a good turnout of participants from all districts of the state and concluded with distribution of certificates to the participants by the Director.

Rev. Chithosie, Pastor Meluri Village Baptist Church, performs the blessing prayer for the new members of the Pochury Literature Board during the installation programme.

MElUrI, AUGUST 26 (MExN): The installation programme for the new team of Pochury Literature Board cum the launching of Bible and hymnal apps for mobiles in Pochury dialect was held on August 26 at the Pochury Hoho Office.

All the Pochury Hoho office bearers, executive members,

frontal organisations, former office bearers and the newly elected office bearers of Pochury Literature Board attended the programme, a press release from the Hoho informed.

The blessing prayer for the new members was pronounced

by Rev. Chithosie, Pastor Meluri Village Baptist Church while the

launch of the Bible and Hymnal mobile apps was done by Penthü Pochury, President of Pochury Hoho.

Sponsored by the Pochury Hoho, the innovative idea was initiated by Akho Leyri, the President elect, while the programming for the app was done

by Richard.

6

saturDaY 27•08•2016

PeoPle, life, etc...

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

The Virtual Surgeons of Syria

E

arlier this year, a Syrian American orthopedic surgeon was shopping with his two toddlers at a Walmart in Grand Rapids, Michigan, when he heard the familiar ping of a notification from WhatsApp, the encrypted messaging service: A teenager had been shot in the leg and the bullet had passed straight through his tibia.

The fractured bone punctured his skin like a spear. Although it was the surgeon’s day off, he took the call—as an expert in complex bone operations, this was his specialty.

But this was no ordinary case. His patient was over 6,000 miles away, awaiting care in a makeshift medical clinic in Madaya, a town in Syria some 28 miles from Damascus. The clinic is only a 45-minute drive from Damascus Hospital, but it might as well be on the other side of the world. Madaya, a rebelheld town controlled by the Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham, has been held under siege

by Hezbollah, which is fighting on behalf of the Syrian government, since last July. Hezbollah won’t let anything in or out of the town; it was a Hezbollah fighter, locals say, who shot the teenager in the leg.

At the Madaya clinic that day, two men were on duty: a 25-year-old who had been a first-year dental student when the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, and a veterinarian in his mid-40s. Gangrene had begun to spread down the patient’s leg, and the dental student, in a series of frantic texts, was asking the surgeon in Michigan what to do.

As he walked through the parking lot of the Walmart, the surgeon picked up the phone and called the dental student, guiding him through the steps: Immediately load the patient up with antibiotics. Scrub the wound.

Clear away as much dead tissues as possible without agitating the patient. Splint the leg.

“Any other call I would have ignored,” the surgeon admitted to me when we spoke in early August. But he knew that the dental student had nowhere else to turn. He is the only orthopedic surgeon in the “Madaya Medical Consultants,” a group composed of over two dozen, mostly Syrian American doctors, whose specialties include pediatrics, obstetrics, and pulmonology. They meet, digitally, in a WhatsApp chat room that supports the Madaya clinic around the clock. Most of the doctors in the group quoted in this story asked not to be identified, for fear of endangering their families in Syria. Rajaai Bourhan, a resident of Madaya, introduced me to the Madaya clinicians, whose identities I’ve also left anonymous for similar reasons.

Throughout Syria, more than 500,000 people are now under siege. The vast majority are penned in by pro-government fighters, their survival hinging on the medical know-how of the doctors, nurses, or medical students who happen to be trapped with them. In clinics like the one in Madaya, medical expertise is increasingly hard to come by, and remote medicine is often the only way patients with complex ailments can receive a semblance of care.

In Madaya, a year-long blockade enforced by a series of Hezbollah checkpoints, backed up by deadly minefields, has separated its 40,000 civilians from the rest of the country. The town hasn’t received a humanitarian-aid convoy since May, and only the most gravely injured or sick are allowed safe passage out. These evacuations require complex negotiations with rebels in other parts of Syria, in a high-stakes human trade.

This places a tremendous burden on the Madaya clinicians, the town’s two remaining full-time medical workers. Neither man has ever set foot in a medical school. The town’s most-skilled medical practitioner, a nurse with a background in anesthesiology,

“I

don’t want to talk of caste, I want to break it,” declares Ginni Mahi, the 17-year-old Punjabi folk-cum-pop singer from Jalandhar who has been making waves. Her latest track ‘Fan Baba Sahib Di’ (‘Ambedkar’s Fan’) proclaims her admiration for the architect of the Constitution and his emancipatory thoughts and writings. “I sing of Guru Ravidas, Guru Nanak, Kabir and Ambedkar. Their message was of equality and they called for an end to caste discrimination.”

Mahi is just one of a new generation of performers who are reinventing the music of the Dalit movement by mixing existing folk traditions with Western genres and attracting newer and younger crowds of listeners.

The Dalit movement has, down the years, given birth to many shairs (poets), folk musicians and balladeers, who sing paeans to Babasaheb, spreading his message across the country, speaking of breaking the shackles of inequality and exploitative Brahminical structures. Much of this revolutionary music, for example, the vast repertoire of ‘Bhim Geet’ (Ambedkar songs) in Maharashtra, has been the lifeblood of rights agitations from the start. Today, the singers have bigger dreams.

Mahi, for instance, dreams of becoming a playback singer in Bollywood. They see themselves as having a far more universal appeal than their older counterparts did. Not so long ago, playback singers and musicians were known to hide their caste identity. The new lot flaunts it. Their lyrics are from their history, their videos replete with Ambedkar photos and Buddhist iconography.

“Folk songs and poetry were the old methods of spreading the mes-

A team of doctors across the world is helping the only two medical professionals left in one besieged town in Syria—via cell phone.

Avi Asher Schapiro

Doctors treat an injured civilian in a field hospital after what activists said was shelling by forces of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the Douma neighbourhood of Damascus, Eastern Ghouta, Syria November 19, 2015. (Reuters Photo)

managed to escape last spring after receiving death threats.

But even the stifling siege can’t keep out wifi, which permeates the town thanks to a cluster of nearby cell-phone towers operated by Syriatel, the Syrian cellphone giant owned by Rami Makhlouf, President Bashar al-Assad’s cousin.

In February 2016, a pulmonologist in Indiana who grew up outside Madaya realized he could use that wi-fi to smuggle medical advice past the blockade. During the winter of 2016, Madaya’s food stores emptied out. Dozens starved to death, and the health clinic swelled with malnourished patients. As the body count rose, the pulmonologist—a board member of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMs), a humanitarian organization staffed by Syrian American doctors—grew increasingly desperate to boost the capacity of the town’s small clinic.

“It was the only way I could think of to help,” the pulmonologist told me recently.

SAMs runs similar telemedicine programs in other parts of Syria, but Madaya is one of the only besieged areas without any trained doctors. After the anesthesiologist nurse fled, he knew the clinic would need more help than he alone could provide.

In February, the pulmonologist wrote an SOS on his Facebook page (he’s shared the posting, but asked me not to make it public since it includes names of doctors who want to remain anonymous) asking Arabic-speaking doctors to join a WhatsApp chat room that would become Madaya Medical Consultants. Within 24 hours of posting the message, over two dozen doctors joined, he recalled. Not wanting to overcrowd the group, he eventually started turning people down.

The dental student remembered the first

time the doctors in the WhatsApp group helped him make a diagnosis. The day after the pulmonologist introduced him to the group, a child, whose body was body swollen and misshapen, was brought into the clinic.

One of the group’s pediatricians helped identify the patient’s ailment as kwashiorkor, a disease brought on by extreme protein deficiency. First identified during a famine in West Africa in 1935, its name comes from a Ghanaian term for a child whose mother does not have enough breast milk to feed it. To treat the condition, a pediatrician in Chicago helped devise a formula using vegetable proteins that accustoms children to a high-protein diet.

“We were so thankful that these doctors from so far away would volunteer their time to help us,” the dental student said.

The five-year civil war has plunged the Madaya clinicians into the deep end, forcing them to perform medical procedures that push them far beyond their training.

They have treated countless gunshot victims, performed seven amputations, over a dozen C-sections, and diagnosed everything from meningitis to cancer, they told me during multiple conversations over WhatsApp and Facebook. “I’ve learned as I go,” the dental student said when we chatted over Facebook in August. “God willing, I am able to help as many people as possible.”

But there are limits to what they can do. Every day, one member of the group, a Virginia-based internist, obsessively checks the WhatsApp group for new messages: at 4 a.m. when she wakes up to breastfeed her newborn daughter, or on her lunch break at her clinic. In recent weeks, she has been trying to help the Madaya clinicians diagnose a

woman who suddenly lost her vision, without warning, and is experiencing hallucinations. If a patient walked into her clinic with those symptoms, the internist said, she would immediately order an MRI. But since there’s no MRI machine in Madaya, she and three other doctors have been working to diagnose the woman “empirically,” trying out different medications the clinic happens to have and seeing if they work.

In July, as the internist recovered from the birth of her second child, she helped the Madaya clinicians perform a C-section on a woman pregnant with twins. The veterinarian, fortunately, was comfortable making the incision. But he was unprepared for all the blood the mother would lose after giving birth to two babies. So the internist explained that the woman needed a transfusion. She advised the dental student to transfer two units of blood every 30 minutes—the gap between transfusions was critical, she explained, to allow time to observe whether the mother was having an allergic reaction to the blood.

The whole exchange took place in a series of rapid-fire text messages. Though the Madaya clinicians sometimes send photos or videos of their procedures, the town’s patchy cell-phone-enabled internet service can’t reliably stream videos, and only sometimes supports phone calls. In the end, the C-section was a success; the newborns and mother are healthy and back at home. Still, no amount of hands on experience—even crash courses in surgery and complex diagnostics—can substitute for formal training. “Sometimes, talking to those two is like speaking with a first-year medical student,”

the internist said. “You never know what they will know or what will be new to them.”

Doctor Silvia Dallatomasina, the medical-operations manager for Doctors Without Borders’s Syria office, explained that almost everywhere across the country “the medical staff is young or inexperienced, out of their comfort zone.” That dynamic is supercharged in Madaya. “There’s no second clinic to fall back on. You can't bring in a doctor from a neighboring community,” explained Valerie Szybala, the executive director of the Syrian Institute, a nonprofit that helps run Siege Watch, a project monitoring Syria’s besieged communities. “For patients, there is nowhere to go. It’s that clinic, or nothing.”

At times, the group does indeed resemble a classroom. For hours every day in the chat group, doctors and the Madaya clinicians discuss the merits of different antibiotics, or analyze the urine of a patient, or try to devise a workaround for a surgery. The orthopedic surgeon in Michigan recently taught the dental student how to perform minor hand surgery without general anesthetic by suppressing a nerve in the hand to temporarily numb a wounded finger. “We became more professional, more precise,” the dental student said. “In some ways, its been an academic experience, learning things I had no way of knowing before.”

“We thank God for the group,” the veterinarian told me at the end of a full-day shift at the clinic, via a WhatsApp audio message.

“Without them, we would have more questions than answers.”

For many of the doctors in the WhatsApp group, the digital thread tethering them to Madaya has become an obsession. The pulmonologist described constantly looking at his phone, even while driving in traffic, to make sure the group is answering all the questions that come up. “I can’t let it go,” he said. “My soul is attached there.” The orthopedic surgeon said he checks the chat room “multiple times every day.” Before the WhatsApp group, he had to switch off the television whenever it showed images of the Syrian civil war, overwhelmed by a feeling of helplessness. “I just shut my brain up. I didn't want people even talking to me about it,” he said.

For the past five years, he has been in touch with his family in Aleppo, the northern province that’s become the center of the Syrian conflict in recent months. When his cousins talk about the horrors of life in a war zone, all he can say is “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” leaving him feeling “like a jackass,” he said. Though he has no personal connection to Madaya, the WhatsApp group has given him a feeling of concrete solidarity with those suffering in Syria.

Born and raised in Damascus, the internist hasn’t been able to return to her native Syria or see her parents in five years. The WhatsApp group, she said, offers her a “portal” back into her homeland, a rare opportunity to alleviate suffering. She still has fond childhood memories of Madaya: She and her sister used to drive there from Damascus to buy rare fruits smuggled into Syria from across the Lebanese border.

Remote medicine, of course, is not enough to keep Madaya healthy. Many of the conversations in the WhatsApp group fizzle out as the doctors realize the clinic doesn’t have the right medicine or equipment—or that the Madaya clinicians can’t perform the needed procedures, like brain surgery or a lumpectomy. At that point, the doctors will promise to pray for the patient, and the chat room goes silent. When asked if these dead ends discourage him, the pulmonologist paraphrased a verse from the Koran: “If we save one life, it is as if we are saving the whole of humanity.”

An equal music: Putting Dalit pop right on top sage of equality. Ambedkar praised poets for putting ideas across so easily,” says singer-musician Kabeer Shakya from Navi Mumbai, who, in 2011, founded Dhamma Wings, which he calls an Ambedkarite Buddhist gospel band. “Today, you have to convey the same thing in a modern way. The Buddhist community is well-educated. That’s why we have started composing music in English.

We perform in colleges; rock and pop work. Even non-Buddhists like my music.”

But caste is never far away from Dalit pop. As Shakya says, “Our whole identity is because of Ambedkar.” Pointing to his single ‘Deewana Buddha Bhim ji ka’, he says, “I am from a backward community.

Someone injected a sickness [of caste] in our community. A doctor [Ambedkar] came and cured it. I represent the cured generation. Naturally, I will be his fan, his deewana.

You will find the same sentiment everywhere. Ambedkar is a symbol of struggle.”

The political character of the music resonates distinctly with the Black protest music of the American Civil Rights Movement. “All my art is political,” says Thenmozhi Soundararajan, a U.S.-based Ambedkarite singer. “I am a socially engaged artist. So, in all my mediums, whether film, song or photography, I am inspired by and rooted in struggle. As a singer, I chose rock and blues to express myself because it is an amalgam like me. They are traditions of resistance and when I sing, I sing from that place of grace, rage and wonder.”

Rahi Gaikwad

As this feisty singer says, art has always been the bedrock of social change. And these singers know that. They know that art can move hearts.

When Mahi was studying in Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya in Jalandhar, a classmate came up at lunchtime and asked her caste. “When I told her I was from the Scheduled Caste community, she asked ‘which sub-caste?’ I replied I was a Chamar, and she said Chamars are dangerous.” And thus was born ‘Danger Chamar’, the 2015 hit that catapulted Mahi to fame and marked her out as one of the most assertive voices in Dalit pop.

The video has a tough-looking Mahi dressed in a black jacket singing in a run-down scrap yard with a bunch

of men flexing their tattooed muscles. The song speaks of respect for all religions and is an assertion of the Dalit Chamar community that worships Ravidas. “We don’t need any weapons, we don’t fear any struggle, we are always ready for sacrifice.”

Mahi explains the song’s lyrics and does a flawless impromptu rendition of it over the phone.

The strength of her contralto tones and the confidence with which Mahi sings is infectious. With six albums under her belt, Mahi talks of growing up in an Ambedkarite family that followed Ravidas, a Dalit saint from the 15th and 16th centuries. Mahi’s songs are powerful invocations of her icons. “As a singer, I thank Ambedkarji who gave us our rights. We owe it to him.”

In faraway California, Soundararajan is equally vocal. One of the curators of Dalit History Month, a radical history project, she recently campaigned successfully against erasing the mention of the caste system from textbooks in California. “My first song was a blues song about intergenerational struggle and the power of Dalit women. We should have all kinds of music in the Dalit repertoire. Traditional folk, rock, ‘filmi’ songs, reggae. Being Dalit is a unique and powerful window into the human experience that makes for great art.”

Back home, Shakya’s musical influences include the protest songs of Michael Jackson and Bob Marley.

In college, he would play the guitar at cultural events and was in culture committees. After graduation, he met some Thai monks studying at the University of Mumbai and life suddenly took a brief turn into spirituality. “I became a monk for three blissful months at Bodh Gaya in Bihar. There, I saw a statue of Ambedkar and it made me contemplate my upbringing. I believed his thoughts were useful and they should be propagated.”

Using song as his medium, Shakya pieced together the fivemember Dhamma Wings with pals.

The guiding thought behind the band is to educate people about history and give them a positive mindset. “I read Ambedkar for two years.

Reading Indian history was shocking for me; I realised the extent to which the history of Dalits has been suppressed. We have to reclaim our history. Till we do that, our progress

Readers may please note that the contents of the articles, letters and opinions published do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

will be hampered,” he says.

The band released its first commercial album ‘The Legend Of Bodhisattva’ in 2011, followed by singles like ‘Jai Bhim Se’ and a modern rendition of the late Wamandada Kardak’s famous ‘Chandanyachi Chayya’. They are now working on a rock album in Kannada and Gujarati. They have forged ties with musicians in various States and have done gigs in Hindi, Marathi and even Pali. Up north, singers Hemant Kumar Bauddh and Tarannum Bodh, both currently working on masters’ degrees in music at Delhi University, see themselves as part of the Dalit pop movement. Their latest album ‘Jai Bhim Lage Jab Nara’ is set to be released in DVD format under the T-series label. As Bauddh quips, “Hum hai naye, andaaz kyun ho purana? [We are young, why should our style be old?]” .

Bodh is more militant. “Bollywood has many Dalit singers but how many sing about caste?

We did not even have the right to speak, but today I am singing.

My music is futile if I cannot complete Ambedkar’s mission. All of us want to give a new music to the country. As our community gets more vocal, new compositions are being written.”

Rohith Vemula’s suicide has lit a fierce new light in many of these performers, and the promise of a new chapter in Bhim Geet shines bright. Bauddh’s lyrics say it well: Ab tak jo hamare saath hua uska gum nahi/ Lekin ab jamane ko dikhana hai, hum kisi se kam nahi [We are not sad about what happened to us so far/ But now we want to show the world, we are no less than anybody].

Mumbai-based Rahi Gaikwad is an independent journalist. She writes on caste, human rights and general interest topics.

SaturDaY 27•08•2016

Morung Youth Express

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

7

The war against Negativity

I

n small pockets of the planet, enlightened individuals are warring against the forces of negativity. Those forces are not extra terrestrials, not figments of Science Fiction’s imagination, but they are real, and present in the everyday world, pervading every area of our lives with negative speech, back talk, bitching, and pessimistic predictions. Those fighting them are not using high-tech weapons. They use carefully executed words to overturn the power of the negative. Because the greatest sources of negativity are sadly, in the human mind and the human mouth.

Many conversations with fellow Nagas end up in negativity. Bad roads, bad leaders, corruption and bribery in public offices, exhausted government resources – the list of negative themes seems endless. While these are facts, we never seem to be aware that our tirades against them do nothing to solve the problem. We need to stop speaking words of failure over our situation. All those words of criticism and negation do nothing to improve or solve things. Their contribution is perpetuating the things that we are frustrated with.

Negative speaking has become a way of speaking for us. And it hasn’t done us any good at all.

It has taught us to look at the bad side of things so that when something genuinely good happens, our reaction is: Yes, but. Can we be so foolish? “Yes, but” is a response that is waiting for something bad to happen so that the good thing is leveled down. Can we work on deleting the ‘But’ tag and simply celebrate and rejoice if things are good? For example, when Kohima roads are being repaired and are such a joy to walk on, can we simply say, Hurrah for good roads! Can we resist the temptation to add, ‘But the rains will soon wash them away.’ It is like pronouncing a deathwish, like we want the good roads washed away, for heaven’s sake! When too many of us speak like this, the effect is toxic. The negativity we release from our mouths comes back to bite us in the rear.

I know a woman who is a cancer survivor who has always maintained that God is her healer. She has survived several attacks of the big C. Yes, yes, there is another school of thought that maintains that it is not scientifi-

cally proven that a positive attitude contributes to curing cancer. But cancer survivors are walking around us proclaiming that their positive attitudes helped them toward the road to healing. Who should we choose to believe?

I know some parents who think aloud and say their offspring won’t amount to much. And their words are coming true. How sad that they don’t know how powerful their attitude and their words are. At the same time there are children of encouraging parents who have been so positive about the career choices of their children that they have excelled in those choices. Which parent would you rather be?

I have acquaintances that I studiously avoid because they use such negative words and responses that spending some minutes in their presence robs you of joy in life. You know the sort – they are either back talking about a neighbour or a mutual friend, or whining about their woeful life. Not much hope that things are going to improve for them in the near future, and certainly not if they keep talking that way.

Negative speaking has been a community problem for a long time. We have all indulged in it from time to time. It probably began as a perversion of cultural teaching that says one should not be too happy in one’s happiness for we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. The perversion was to take this teaching to the extreme and speak only pessimistically about anything or anyone. However, and there is a however, if we want to things to change, we have to take charge over releasing more negativity into the environment. Shut up when we have nothing good to say. It will become a habit and we will see things turn around in our lifetime. Anyone can exercise this power to beat negativity.

Childhood misbehavior finally understood, but too late for me Nury Vittachi | IANS

S

omeone showed me a somewhat random video in which people put cucumbers near cats and the horrified cats leapt away in sheer terror, sometimes leaping out of windows.

Watching it, I re-lived my teenage attempts at dating. Cucumbers: I feel your pain.

Your columnist was further thrown back to childhood days by an Indian newspaper report that police officers are using catapults to fire balls of chili powder as a crowd control technique. Well I did the exact same thing as a kid and my teacher denounced me as a troublesome brat who would achieve nothing in life. Okay, so her prediction was accurate, but I should still get royalties, right?

I was feeling stung about that

when a reader sent in a news item about a guy in France who is suing his boss for boring him. He claims that the four years he spent at one company were so stupefyingly dull that they caused him physical harm, damaging his joints and brain. My high school history teacher, Mr. Mohan, was so boring that you could actually feel your brain fossilising during the class.

Once he scheduled a history double-period and not even the brainy kids turned up, knowing he would induce comas and then braindeath.

Yet it is only now, finally, that society is seeing childhood episodes as things to take seriously. Following the success of The Anger Room in Texas, several countries offer "tantrum spaces" where adults can scream and shout and smash up stuff. They quote psychologists as

proach the kid with a bomb disposal robot fitted with a speaker.

"Put down the axe and we will send an adult in a hazmat suit to read a Winnie-the-Pooh book to you."

I reckon Asian boys grow up with the trickiest challenges these days. In China, the folk tradition called Fu-Ji requires children to use a Chinese ouija-board to summon a female evil spirit. But Chinese law says males have to wait until they are at least 22 to get married. So it's fine for a boy to call up a demonic she-devil, but marrying an actual physical woman -- whoah, guys, this might be dangerous, let's wait at least 10 more years. (Not sure if that is bizarre or actually very smart.)

Whatever. Now excuse me while I go dig up my catapult. My kids are running amok and I need to do some crowd control.

A tryst with diplomacy

Vaibhavi very delegate will remember his or her first speech delivered at NEIMUN, the frightening sensation in the pit of their stomach, the sweaty palms, butterflies in my stomach, and a racing pulse. It is insanely nerve-wrecking to stand in front of thirty critical, intelligent fellow delegates, brainstorming on ideas to do what grey-haired leaders at the official UN HQs often leave undone. Getting up to speak is like getting hit in a game of paintball, with every hit-or, in this case, with every speech you give-it hurts less and you become less afraid, and before you know it, you’re no longer nervous at all.

Even though NEIMUN has its MUN committee witnessing highs and lows, forging of alliances, breaking of blocs, thought provoking as well as MUNdane discussions, Model United Nations (Model UN or MUN) is more than just a mocksimulation of the structures and functions of the United Nations. It is an opportunity to mould the youth of today to generate a pool of world leaders tomorrow.

From the likes of UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon to the famous TV personality Ryan Seacrest, many Model UN participants have become leaders in diplomacy, politics, law and media. So it would be no surprise if your high school’s most active MUN’er turns out to be the next Supreme Court Judge or the next Indian Idol.

Even though the initial encounter with the MUN culture might lead you to question the frequently used terms like ‘GSL’ and ‘lobbying’, it is actually rather simple. In Model UN, young people role-play high-level diplomats, representing the United Nations’ 193 member states. While negotiating economic crises in Zimbabwe, ensuring food security in Africa, protecting human rights in North Korea, or addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict, MUN participants acquire skills like conflict resolution, public speaking and writing, but most importantly, it brings people together.

Every delegate has their Model UN milestones that they cherish for years to come. In NEIMUN, there were many trainers, one of them was Laurabeth Goldsmith. Meeting her through this First and Premier Model UN organisation of this regionNorth East India International Model United Nations (NEIMUN), was that milestone for me. An enthusiastic Model UN trainer with an indomitable spirit for women empowerment, Laurabeth taught me that to be a leader means to bring out the best in others- a core principle that NEIMUN stands for.

With NEIMUN’s northeast-oriented goals, this model UN organisation seeks to create training grounds for our people, bringing us the best trainers from across the world, while emanating the belief that northeasterners today can indeed make progress by leaps and bounds to become the leaders of tomorrow.

This non-profit educational foundation, reg-

E

saying that destroying property is "a vital outlet for emotional release blah blah blah".

Well thank you very much, world, for realising this decades after I spent my childhood being punished. At last, modern kids have the terminology to argue their case.

Teacher: You just burned down the school. Kid: Destruction is a vital outlet for emotional release blah blah blah. Teacher: Good point -here, take this gold merit star.

Readers may have seen the US news item about an incident in Colorado when police used pepper-spray to subdue an out-of-control kid aged eight. Some people said they should have just reasoned with him, but that only makes sense to people who've never had to deal with eight-year-olds. Pepper-spray is the minimum force necessary. A preferable option would be to ap-

istered under the Indian Societies Registration Act of 1860, and run by enthusiastic young people from all over the Northeast, has held annual conferences in Kohima, Shillong and Guwahati.

Three years on, NEIMUN has now established MUN clubs and associations across colleges and schools in Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Assam, and has also ventured beyond the Northeast, in its recent endeavor to launch the Kerala International MUN 2015, under its aegis.

In the last three years, the evolution of NEIMUN has gone from training young leaders from different cultures, religions, nationalities and backgrounds to implementing their ideas of making a positive contribution to society, thus empowering them to present solutions to global challenges.

From the know-it-all pros who jump at every opportunity to raise their placards to the witty delegate who would have his say, even if only to fight the removal of a comma in a draft resolution, a part of what makes model UN so interesting is that it is rapidly re-inventing itself. Today, many Model UN conferences hold simulations that are not UN committees. For instance, a recent MUN had an unconventional committee of the Game of Thrones- a fictional simulation where delegates represented Daenerys and Hodor amongst others.

On one hand, you might witness the delegate of USA frantically exchanging notes chits with his Russian counterpart, and on the other, you might

find the Indian delegate making a secret deal with Pakistan. Besides the abundance of possibilities that Model UN acknowledges, it also teaches you how to negotiate on issues regarding your own region. NEIMUN’s principle of promoting North East India as a strategic location for cultural exchange and multilateral democracy connecting South Asian Nations, along with its core objective of binding the diverse peoples of the northeast in a single thread of togetherness and unity, adds significance to this.

In this era of globalization, being globally aware is more important than ever. We find evidence of this in the enormity of the change MUN’ing makes in the lives of students. The main reason students keep coming back to Model UN year after year is ... it’s fun! You know what they say, “Having fun in NEIMUN is MUNdatory!” See for yourself what the excitement is all about. This October, join NEIMUN 2016 in its tryst with diplomacy- ‘Bringing the world closer to the North East.’

Since one of the major goals of NEIMUN is to coordinate annual MUN conferences in different states across North East India, their annual conference for this year is scheduled to take place from the 22th to 24th of October 2016 in Dimapur, Nagaland.

To register this year, contact: L. Limaienla Aier, Secretary General, NEIMUN www.secgen.neimun@gmail.com / www.neimun.org Vaibhavi, a student of 12th grade in Army Public School Guwahati, is the Deputy for Media and Communications Department, NEIMUN 2016.

The Naga Blog is a forum on facebook where Nagas from Nagaland and around the world network, share ideas and discuss a wide range of topics from politics and philosophy to music and current events in Nagaland and beyond. The blog is not owned by any individual, nor is it affiliated to or associated with any political party or religion. The only movement it hopes to stir is the one raised by the voices of the Nagas every step of the way, amassing perhaps to mass consciousness one day. www.facebook.com/groups/thenagablog

Mission Flyover

Nokho Nyekha Naga: As you all know, many of our members have been walking the talk and leading us on how to live as a responsible citizen. One such is the Mission Flyover, the brainchild of it being Sangti Konyak. Some of our members have been cleaning the flyover bridges in the State Capital, the project of which was ignited by the Ao Baptist Church. Mission Flyover was last participated by 7 members and today, the number rose to 56.

Led by our Administrative Team members, Sangti Konyak , Thejakhrietuo Kire , KDzakie Naga, the three flyover bridges in the main town has been washed, cleaned, even though the day greeted us with a scorching heat, followed by a fierce storm. Without an inch of complaint, our brave member volunteers toiled for 4 long hours in cleaning our mess.

With due respect to the other volunteers, I find the need to make a special mention to G. Rio Higher Secondary School authorities for providing bus in bringing its hostellers to help us. Led by the hostel warden, John Thakuri, 30 students (including the warden and driver) of the school sacrificed their one day holiday, to join our other members in dirtying their hands.

Here's a bitter truth from our armies today, the level of challenges they had to go through. Striking features from the flyovers, besides the usual: 1. Above Mezhur Higher Secondary School: Beetel Nut and Gutkha Stains.

2. Old MLA junction Flyover Bridge: Lots of Cough syrup bottles and even faeces wrapped in plastic bags.

3. Razhü Point: Rusty Bridge filled with holes, which needs immediate repair.

Post hard labour: Refreshment at Ozone Cafe.

The day wouldn't have been a success without our donors who provided refreshment for our volunteers: Kohima Village Youth Organization: Rs. 5000/Hopong Chang: Rs. 500/What an incredible encouragement from those who came forward and contributed. On behalf of the citizens of Kohima, a massive Thank You. May such steps open our eyes to live as more conscious citizens.

An initiative of a day like today shows that all is not lost after all, and that our future is in good hands.

However, kindly note that such need for frequent cleaning of the bridges are wiping away the beautiful wall art. We all admire the amazing work of the artists, which came from hard work and sacrifices. The only way we could keep the art alive and show our appreciation is to change our behaviour. Use dustbins to spit and throw wastes. Public places are ours after all, and it is our responsibility to care for them.

May such initiatives do not go wasted.

Added Good News: * Our very own, Peter Rutsa has volunteered to sponsor our next project. Details shall be announced soon. * Two members of our Administrative Team, Atsung Imchen and Nk Krocha have also volunteered to sponsor T-Shirts or Caps for our member volunteers.

What is employment?

Khrolo Lasushe: Putting some more thoughts into the matter of unemployment, I do am largely convinced that unemployment is a myth.

In Nagaland, employment means 'government job'. Government job means "Wow! Do I get paid this much just for this? Hallelujah". So, who are the unemployed? First disgracing discouraging thing that’s gonna come out of the mouth of our older folks "UPSC aro NPSC te try kurisele, ula nai koi ase, Ho! Opai nai, moi khan ke loi na kheti te jabo lage". Secondly unemployment means "Oh tai itya bi service pa nai? tsk tsk" (Even if the person may be earning as much as some Govt. employees by other means). And if the person's earning is known "Oh, business kuri ase?" And what is business? In Naga context it means running a shop. It also means bargaining a product cheaply and then retailing it double the bought price. Also if you may ask some village folks, business means black business which involves ganja, alcohol... etc. The last time I said to my folks, I would really love to be an entrepreneur someday, it wasn't really well received but I understand their rebellious attitude considering the socio-economic status of my folks.

But I can become really intolerant towards people's mindset. The simplest understandable way I can make them know what entrepreneurship was 'business'. From a typical point of view, it really is. Yet, it really isn't about buying and retailing stuff you know. To me it really is something about being a creator of something. Someone who creates and is above business. (example Bill gates didn't create the Microsoft to make money but his creation landed him where he is today because of the utility and value of his creation) I am not anti-government job in fact I would love to work in any sector where I can get a job that pays. But I do am bit bothered with how the government system is and how the society advantages the setbacks of imperfections through unhealthy means. Coming across my own peers who are really intelligent, yet set backed by their own folks and families because to them a government service is everything, where a better potentiality to some other field which could have being better is taken away by so called near ones. Strangers on our path? Who gives a damn but people we consider our love ones block our path because they know not enough and they thought they are doing the right thing because that’s what the society thought so, what’s more hurting than that? That stress along is enough to end one's dream. Unemployment is a myth, it is created by the corrupted society that refuse to grow up with changing times and situations, that doesn't adapt to changing time. Created by misconceived perception of the present. Where a job tag becomes too prestigious than the actual job in it. A corrupted system where funds are too less for development because it has to be salaried to the more than needed excessive employees. I think what the younger generations like us can really do is broaden the mindset of the people by not seeking a prestigious status considered by the society but strive toward becoming a creator. Yes, some people are blessed with skills to best serve in the administration field but everyone is not, which means one doesn't have to sit wait try again and repeat the cycle over and over again. You see, while one keeps waiting, there are thousands of job vacant outside the Government sector that await you where may be it isn't going to pay you as much as the government sector pays but pays enough that is gonna meet your needs. Since we Nagas are also very choosy, we be again like, "well, am I gonna be rich?" Well, what is your definition of richness? Having more moneys than needed when someone out there gets poorer because they don't have enough to meet their needs because it’s with you? Have many cars so as to contribute to the traffic jams, air pollution, consume more non-renewable energy fuels to fast paced to meet its end? Unhealthy competition for the other rich guy to own more cars? (LOL) Build more big fancy houses with lots of empty rooms at the top floors when students rent tina houses by some isolated places? The type of trends the society is fed to admire today, or seems prestigious, aren't we building a dangerous place to live in for our younger generations to come? All I said here isn't going to be agreed by all of you but if at any point of time, if even a single word here I wrote makes you ponder to generate thoughts that can change the mindset of the set backs present today and progress towards a better place to live in, I'll be more motivated.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Naga Blog.

Readers may please note that, the contents of the articles published on this page do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

8

SaturDaY 27•08•2016

INDIA

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Modi goaded Pakistan in deliberate move New Delhi, August 26 (ReuteRs): When Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top aides to prepare last week's annual Independence Day address, some senior bureaucrats warned him against mentioning Baluchistan, arch-rival Pakistan's restive southwestern province.

Referring to Baluchistan in such a prominent speech would be a highly unusual move bound to ratchet up tensions between the nucleararmed neighbours more used to trading barbs over Kashmir, the cause of two of their three wars.

According to a senior official at the meeting in early August, the more hawkish politicians in the room, angered by what they saw as Pakistan's recent trouble-making in Kashmir, thought differently, and so did Modi.

By siding with the hawks, and including Baluchistan in his address, Modi signalled a more muscular approach towards Pakistan.

That dims prospects of bringing the bitter rivals closer together to reduce economic pain and the risk of more violence, an issue that will be high on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's agenda when he lands

Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves after addressing the nation from the historic Red Fort during Independence Day celebrations in Delhi on August 15, 2016. (REUTERS Photo)

in New Delhi on Monday for a three-day visit.

"The bureaucrats suggested that talking about Baluchistan is a good idea but may be the Independence Day speech was not a good platform for it," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the meeting's sensitivity.

Defence Minister Manohar

Parrikar "rejected these ideas", while Home Minister Rajnath Singh "supported him (Parrikar) by saying we should do everything to silence Pakistan", this official said.

India's Ministry for External Affairs declined to comment on the debate about Modi's speech. His office, and the defence and home ministries,

did not respond to requests for comment.

Speaking from the ramparts of the 17th-century Red Fort in Old Delhi on Aug. 15, Modi thanked the Baluch people for their support after a number of separatist leaders published videos praising him for acknowledging their cause previously.

He also lashed out at sup- kins University in Washington, porters of "terrorism", in a more referring to Modi's mention of familiar broadside against In- Baluchistan. dia's old foe.

But he added: "There is a strategic utility in looking a little CROSSING THE RED LINE unhinged, in sending that mesPakistan has seized on Mo- sage." di's speech as evidence that A New Delhi-based diploIndia has a hand in a decades- mat from a major power with long Baluch separatist cam- traditionally close ties to India paign, in which insurgents in said it will only escalate tension. the resource-rich yet impoverished region have launched DETERIORATING sporadic attacks and demand- RELATIONS ed independence. India denies Relations between India the charge. and Pakistan have deteriorated A senior foreign ministry since the killing of a separatist official in Islamabad said Modi leader in Indian-ruled Kashmir had "crossed the red line". on July 8 sparked the worst vioIndian officials said Modi's lence in the disputed territory speech was designed to remind in six years. the world about alleged human At least 66 protesters and rights abuses by Pakistani forc- two security personnel have es in Baluchistan, just as Paki- been killed and thousands stan accuses India of abusing wounded on both sides, accivilians in the disputed region cording to official state figures. of Kashmir during recent unIndia blames Pakistan for rest. failing to stop militants crossing But outside Modi's entou- the heavily militarised de facto rage, questions are being asked border between them and atabout what strategic reward, if tacking Indian security forces. any, India can hope to gain by Pakistan denies this. raising the geopolitical stakes.

Two senior Indian officials "Politically, it's much less said Modi had become frususeful in terms of Pakistan us- trated with Pakistan's latest ing this as evidence of Indian attempt to draw wide internameddling. It gives them ammu- tional attention to the Kashnition," said Daniel Markey, a mir question and the current South Asia expert at Johns Hop- clampdown, and to take the

matter to the United Nations.

"Dealing with militancy is our internal issue and we will not tolerate any other country's interference," said one of the officials, from Modi's nationalist ruling party, who is closely involved in regional policy.

At the August meeting, Parrikar, the defence minister, also said that by raising Baluchistan, Modi would be highlighting China's role in unrest in the region, said the official present.

The reference to China reflects Indian unease at Beijing's backing of a $46 billion trade corridor running through land in northeast Pakistan that New Delhi claims, onward through Baluchistan to the port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea coast.

Some of the Baluch separatist leaders who praised Modi before his address worry that their battle for a homeland will become a political football between the South Asian neighbours.

"If India's support is just a reaction to the politics and to Kashmir, then it could damage the political struggle," said Geneva-based Baloch Republican Party leader Brahamdagh Bugti.

He said New Delhi had rejected his application for Indian asylum in 2007.

Kashmir unrest: Curfew, shutdown continue to cripple life Don't penalise for mistakes during the deadliest the valley has GST changeover: Assocham says sRiNAgAR, August 26 (iANs): There was no Chilli pepper balls may replace pellets in Kashmir suffered in six years.

let up in the governmentimposed curfew and separatist-called shutdown on Friday, the 49th day of Kashmir unrest that has brought life to a standstill in the troubled valley.

Police said the strict curfew will continue without any relaxation in Anantnag, Pulwama, Badgam, Shopian and Srinagar city while restrictions on the assembly of four or more persons will remain in force elsewhere in the valley.

The security restrictions were tightened amid apprehensions that separatist leaders may stoke further trouble as they have asked people to gather in Eidgah prayer grounds for a pro-freedom protest rally in the heart of the volatile old Srinagar city.

The separatist leaders, who have been detained in their houses since the unrest began on July 9, had planned midday congregational prayers at the Eidgah, which also houses a graveyard for those killed in militancy-related violence

New Delhi, August 26 (iANs): A government-appointed experts panel has recommended chilli pepper-filled balls to replace the dangerous pellets as less lethal ammunition to control protesting crowds in Jammu and Kashmir.

Government sources told IANS on Friday that the seven-member committee has submitted its report that recommends PAVA, containing an irritant chemical found in natural chilli, to be used against protesters in Kashmir.

The recommendation comes after global criticism over the use of pellet guns against Kashmiri protesters that have killed at least three and maimed or blinded thousands of civilians. Hundreds of the injured have either partially or fully lost their eyesight. The payload of these guns is filled with the Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide, or PAVA -- a synthetic compound found in chillies but stronger in intensity in the last 28 years.

But the government thwarted the protest march to the sprawling prayer ground.

Police deployment outside the upscale Hyderpora residence of hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani was beefed up to prevent the

than the pepper. Also called pepper shots, the ammunition is used in many countries across the world as an effective tool for riot control. The projectile, after being shot, breaks upon impact and releases an almost barely visible irritant powder. As the chilli-filled balls burst after hitting the target, the ammunition need not be shot directly at the rioters. It can be shot effectively up to a range of 150 feet.

It can even be shot at a hard surface in the rioter's vicinity to overwhelm him or her with the cloud of the powder it releases. The powder causes severe irritation and paralyses any person in the vicinity temporarily. Unlike pellets, chilli pepper balls do not penetrate skin or pose ricochet hazards, making it a less dangerous weapon for defence even at short range.

Human rights groups have criticised the use of pellets because they can leave a victim maimed or blinded for life.

octogenarian separatist from moving out and leading the rally.

Chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was held from his house and lodged at the nearby Nigeen police station on Thursday evening. The top cleric had planned to address his sup-

porters over the phone to mark the August 25, 1989 police raid on Srinagar's Jamia Masjid.

The Mirwaiz's detention continued a day later.

Kashmir has been on the boil since the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani that triggered the unrest -

Bombay HC permits women inside Haji Ali Dargah MuMbAi, August 26 (iANs): In a historic verdict demolishing another bastion of gender discrimination in the country, the Bombay High Court on Friday permitted the entry of women right up to the restricted grave area of the famous Haji Ali Dargah here.

The 56-page ruling by a division bench comprising Justice V.M. Kanade and Mohite Revati-Dere came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) and its office-bearer activists Noorjehan Niaz and Zakia Soman in November 2014.

The PIL challenged a 2012 decision by the Haji Ali Dargah Trust (HADT), prohibiting women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, built in 1431, on grounds that "women wearing blouses with wide necks bend on the 'mazaar', thus showing their breasts", which was against Islam.

The trust contended that the ban was "for the safety and security of women". It also said that earlier, it was "not aware of the provisions of Shariat and therefore had taken steps to rectify the same".

The shrine, located on the rocks off the Worli seashore, comprises the grave of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, a Muslim saint revered by all communities.

NGO BMMA's lawyer Raju Z. Moray argued that there is nothing in the Holy Quran which prohibits the entry of women into mosques/ dargahs and Islam believes in gender equality.

The HADT's lawyer, Shoaib Memon, contended that Islam discourages free mixing between men and women and the intention of the restriction was to keep

interaction between men-women at a modest level, besides preventing sexual harassment of women and their belongings getting stolen.

While permitting women to enter the restricted areas along with men, the court asked the Maharashtra government to ensure their safety and security.

Terming the ban a violation of the fundamental rights of a person enshrined in the Constitution, the judges stayed their verdict for six weeks to allow an appeal in the Supreme Court.

"We hold that the ban of the Trust prohibiting women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah contravenes Articles 14, 15 and 25 of the Constitution...women be permitted to enter the sanctum sanctorum at par with men," the judges said.

They directed the state government and the trust to take effective steps to ensure the safety and security of the women at the Dargah.

HADT Chairman Abdul Sattar Merchant said they will appeal against the ruling in the Supreme Court and that the AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen) will also oppose the verdict.

The trust, in June 2012, had barred the entry of women on the ground that Islam did not allow women to touch the tombs of male saints and it was a "sin" for them to enter the area where the grave is located.

An umbrella outfit, 'Haji Ali For All' comprising several social and women's groups, including NGO Bhumata Brigade, had attempted to storm the shrine on April 28, but were stopped by the police on grounds of security.

Later, on May 12, Bhumata Bri-

gade President Trupti Desai, accompanied by her supporters and a posse of police, walked through the one-km narrow causeway on the Arabian Sea -- accessible only during low tide -- to reach the Dargah with scores of other devotees.

She followed the prevalent customs and prayed from outside the restricted area -- barely four feet away from the grave -- and departed a few minutes later.

At that time, the shrine trustees reiterated that permitting women upto the tomb of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari would be "anti-Islam" and claimed immunity as it was a "minority trust". Desai is credited with successful agitations culminating in women's entry to the Shani Shingnapur Temple in Ahmednagar and later the Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nashik, both in April this year, besides a partially successful agitation at Mahalaxmi Temple in Kolhapur.

"I welcome the historic verdict of the court today. Our agitation has been successful and the courts have recognized the equality and rights of women. We shall soon go to pray at Haji Ali Dargah," Desai said while reacting to the high court ruling.

Several prominent men and women Muslim intellectuals and activists lauded the High Court ruling. The Dargah was constructed in 1431 in memory of a wealthy Muslim merchant, Sayyed Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari of Bukhara in modern Uzbekistan.

At one time, he renounced all his worldly possessions, travelled all around the world, made a pilgrimage to Mecca and finally settled in the then Bombay in the 15th century.

Sixty-nine people, including two policemen, have been killed and over 11,000 injured in the unending cycle of violence.

A spokesperson for Doctors Association of Kashmir said various health facilities in the valley had received over 7,000 civilian injured in the last seven weeks. Most have been wounded by dangerous pellet guns.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, here for two days for talks on seeking ways to break the logjam, said on Thursday that more than 4,000 security personnel have been injured by stones thrown by Kashmiri protesters.

The Home Minister made a passionate appeal for peace in Kashmir but cut no ice with separatist leaders.

He said the government was ready to hold peace talks with anyone who believes in democracy, humanity and Kashmiriyat - a Kashmiri spirit of living in harmony.

New Delhi, August 26 (iANs): Seeking adequate time for the required compliance of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, an industry organisation said that penal provisions should not be applied for unintended mistake during the transition phase, as was done in the case of service tax for a few years.

"In such a mega tax reform, there will be requirement to issue clarification on various GST provisions and hence the governments at the Centre and states should gear up for such facility," Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) President Sunil

Kanoria said.

"Moreover, the penal provisions for unintended mistake during the transition phase should not be applied as was done in the case of service tax for few years," he said in a statement here on Friday.

Assocham will bring to the notice of Empowered Committee (EC) of State Finance Ministers, the concerns in this regard while pleading for waiver of any penalties on unintentional compliance errors during the transition period, the statement said. The meeting of Empowered Committee (EC) of State Finance Ministers will be held on August 30.

India ranked 77 in disaster risk index beRliN, August 26 (iANs): While Bangladesh is among the top five countries at risk of disaster, India ranks 77th on the World Risk Index -- marginally better positioned than Pakistan which is placed 72.

The index is part of the World Risk Report 2016 released on Thursday by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security and Bundnis Entwicklung Hilft in cooperation with the University of Stuttgart in Germany.

The index assessed the risk of disaster in 171 countries through the combined analysis of natural hazards and societal vulnerabilities.

Ranking No.1, the island state of Vanuatu displayed the greatest risk in 2016. The researchers concluded in the report that lack of critical infrastructure and weak logistic chains substantially increase the risk that an extreme natural event will become a disaster.

"When it comes to aid measures following extreme natural events, the challenges mostly lie in the 'last mile' of the logistics chain: organising transportation despite destroyed streets or bridges and ensuring fair distribution when there is a shortage of (for example) water, food, and shelter," explained Peter Mucke,

Lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes can also cut cancer risk, says experts New Delhi, August 26 (iANs): It may sound exaggerated but the unprecedented growth in Type-2 diabetes over the past 15 years and the deadly rise of cancer have a few common -- some even modifiable -- risk factors linked to how we lead our daily lives, health experts say. These include age, sex, obesity, physical activity, diet, alcohol and smoking.

"In 80-90 per cent cases of cancer occurrence, environmental factors, particularly lifestyle disorders, are responsible, which also account for higher number of diabetes cases," Anil Kumar Dhar, oncologist at Gurgaon's Columbia Asia Hospital, told IANS. "Appropriate changes in lifestyle have shown reduction in mortality and morbidity of both the diseases," Dhar added.

According to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in India doubled to 63 million in 2013 from 32 million in 2000 -- nearly 100 per cent in 13 years. The number is expected to rise to 101 million by 2030.

"As reported by WHO, more than one million new cases are reported in India while about 680,000 people die due to cancer in India," Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha last month.

According to endocrinologist Purnima Agarwal of Jaypee Hospital, Noida, diabetes and cancer are common diseases with tremendous impact on health worldwide and epidemiologic studies demonstrated that the people with diabetes are more likely to develop cancer.

"However, the exact biological link between cancer and diabetes is still incompletely understood," she said.

There are two possible links between

the two diseases -- general mechanism and tissue-specific mechanism.

The general mechanism is linked to insulin resistance which is a hallmark of Type-2 diabetes. "Insulin is a growth factor with predominantly metabolic action but it can have mitogenic effects that can lead to cancer," Agarwal explained.

"Hyperglycemia or excess of glucose in the bloodstream, chronic inflammation and obesity can also lead to oxidative stress which can increase the risk of cancer," Agarwal told IANS. Among the tissue-specific mechanisms linking diabetes with cancer, she mentioned that liver and pancreatic cells exposed to higher insulin concentrations could be the cause of higher incidence of these cancers in diabetic patients.

Various changes secondary to diabetes like fatty liver, increased chances of Hepatitis B and C infections can also contribute to the increased risk.

"Type-2 diabetes is associated with liver, pancreas, kidney, breast and endometrium cancers," noted Siddharth Kumar Sahai, an oncologist at Gurgaon's Paras Hospitals.

The common lifestyle factors that can contribute to both diabetes and cancer were recently discussed in a major symposium at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting where University of Colorado Cancer Center investigator Tim Byers described research showing the link between cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

"Obesity leads to a chronic inflammatory state and circulating growth factors that have adverse effects on the heart and can also contribute to the development of cancer. But we tend to

study these things in isolation, by disease and not by risk factor," Byers told the gathering.

Overweight/obesity is a well-known risk factor for diabetes mellitus. "There is growing evidence that weight gain is associated with increased risk of some cancer like breast cancer, colon cancer and endometrial cancer," Agarwal noted.

Similarly, lack of physical activity increases the risk for both Type-2 diabetes and cancer.

"Epidemiological observational studies consistently indicated that higher level of physical activity is associated with lower risk of colon, breast and endometrial cancer," Agarwal said.

Reducing the risk of diabetes and cancer has to do a lot with what we eat.

"Diet rich in red and processed meat, less of fibre is associated with high risk of both Type-2 diabetes and cancer," she noted.

Another risk factor that diabetes shares with cancer is smoking. It is estimated that worldwide tobacco smoking accounts for 71 per cent of lung cancer death and studies suggested that smoking is also independent risk factor for development of diabetes mellitus.

In addition, it increases the risk of complications of diabetes mellitus like cardiovascular disease and retinopathy, the experts said.

Alcohol consumption in moderate amounts increases the risk of cancers in oral cavity, oesophagus, liver and colon.

Excess consumption of alcohol is also a risk factor for Type-2 diabetes.

Understanding the similarities and differences in how these risk factors create cancer and diabetes could aid the ways we prevent these deadly diseases, the experts suggested.

SaturDaY 27•08•2016

WORLD

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

9

Indonesia’s most-wanted awakens new generation of jihadis SOLO, AuguSt 26 (ReuteRS): During a May 2011 shootout, Indonesia’s counter-terrorism forces killed the leader of a militant group thought to be behind a series of failed bomb attempts around the city of Solo in Central Java.

The death of “Team Hisbah” founder Sigit Qurdowi caused the group to splinter. Some formed an antivice squad in the city; many others became associated with a former Solo resident called Bahrun Naim, who authorities believe is a leading Indonesian coordinator for Islamic State (IS).

Now, five years later, Naim, based in IS’s stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, is building an ever-more sophisticated network of militants from his former hometown, according to police, self-proclaimed radicals and people who work with the militants in Solo.

Solo, which has a long history of schools and mosques associated with radical Islamists, is a breeding ground for Naim’s recruits, counter-terrorism officials say, and many of his lieutenants in Indonesia have come from Team Hisbah. As a result, authorities fear the risk of a major attack in Indonesia is growing.

Islamist militancy in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation has been contained since a crackdown on Jemaah Islamiyah - al Qaeda’s franchise in the region - put hundreds of its leaders and followers behind bars in

Anti-terrorism policemen carry an envelope after a raid at the house of suspect Nur Rohman at Sukoharjo district near Solo, Indonesia, July 19, 2016. (REUTERS File Photo)

the mid-2000s.

But like al Qaeda before it, IS is reviving a fragmented radical Islamist movement in Indonesia that has endured in various incarnations for the past century, authorities say.

Nearly $800,000 has been transferred from foreign countries to fund radical Islamist groups in Indonesia since 2014, officials from Indonesia’s financial transactions watchdog said at an international counterterrorism conference in Bali in mid-August. It wasn’t clear how much money has come from Naim, who police say is now Indonesia’s most-wanted militant.

Reuters contacted a man identified as Naim last

November on the Telegram app, using details provided by one of his acquaintances.

In that exchange, Naim said IS had “enough men in Indonesia to carry out an action, more than enough support.

Just waiting for the right trigger.” Reuters could not independently verify the man’s identity or his assertions.

“BOOMING MOVEMENT” Amir Mahmud, a former Afghan-trained mujahideen, started the Islamic State Supporters Forum in Solo (also known as Surakarta) in July 2014 to “accommodate the development” of a jihadist movement in Indonesia. Around 2,000 people showed up to one of its first

How malaria supports spread of infectious cancer in Africa NeW YORk, AuguSt 26 (IANS): Infectious agents can cause a lot of cancer in Africa and researchers believe they now have a clue to how malaria during pregnancy creates the right conditions for a virus to cause cancer in children. The researchers wanted to explore why the Epstein-Barr virus causes a type of cancer called Burkitt’s lymphoma only in some people and not in all infected by the virus.

Rosemary Rochford from the University of Colorado Cancer Center in the US and her colleagues centered their research in Kisumu, Kenya, a port city of just over 400,000. In addition to a near universal rate of infection with the Epstein-Barr virus, Kisumu has an unusually high rate of Burkitt’s lymphoma and malaria.

“Because Burkitt’s lymphoma is prevalent in areas with a lot of malaria, we thought maybe it could be associated with malaria infection,” Rochford said. Children born to women who have malaria during pregnancy are more predisposed to develop Burkitt’s lymphoma, the researchers noted.

“What we think happens is that the risk for these children begins during pregnancy. Usually for most people, the virus is quiet.

You never even know you have it. But when you get malaria, the virus reactivates and infects more cells,” Rochford said. “When mothers get malaria during pregnancy, these malaria-infected cells shed more virus and infants get infected earlier in life. Because they’re infected so early, their immune systems don’t manage the virus the way they should,” Rochford explained.

“It’s not just the fact of exposure to Epstein-Barr virus, but the timing of it that matters. These kids with prenatal exposure due to the secondary pressure of malaria are the ones with increased risk,” Rochford said. One answer to the challenge of virus-associated cancers in Africa would be better and more prevalent use of vaccines. Rochford pointed out that the story of Burkitt’s lymphoma is similar to the story of other virus-associated cancers, including cervical cancer caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and Kaposi’s sarcoma caused by the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8).

Stuck in traffic jams?

It may up risk of cancer LONdON, AuguSt 26 (IANS): Apart from wasting your time, long traffic jams may cause exposure to toxic fumes, and potentially increase various health risks, including cancer, say researchers, one of them of Indian origin. Exposure to outdoor air pollution is among the top ten health risks faced by humans and is especially pronounced in urban concentrations, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In October 2013, WHO classified outdoor air pollution as being carcinogenic to humans.

The findings showed that when vehicles stop at red lights, they go through different driving cycles such as idling, acceleration and deceleration and emission of toxic fumes. These emissions take more time to disperse, especially in built-up areas and end up accumulating in the air at traffic signals.

Thus, the people sitting inside cars, with closed windows but with fans switched on, can be at an increased risk of exposure to the outdoor pollutants, the researchers said. Switching on the fan sucks the dirty air from outside to inside the vehicle, resulting in an accumulation of pollutants in the car.

However, it may be relatively safe to put fans onto the setting where they re-circulate air within the car without drawing polluted air in from outside, the study stated. “Where possible and with weather conditions allowing, it is one of the best ways to limit your exposure by keeping windows shut, fans turned off and to try and increase the distance between you and the car in front while in traffic jams or stationary at traffic lights,” said Prashant Kumar from the University of Surrey. “If the fan or heater needs to be on, the best setting would be to have the air re-circulating within the car without drawing in air from outdoors,” Kumar added.

Previous studies have shown that drivers stuck at traffic lights were exposed up to 29 times more harmful pollution particles than those driving in free flowing traffic.

The new research, published in the journal Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts, has found that pedestrians are also exposed to increased air pollution around traffic signals.

gatherings at the Baitul Makmur Mosque, where many backed an Islamist caliphate in the Middle East, he said.

“This is a spontaneous spiritual calling,” said Mahmud, who is also an Islamic university lecturer.

“Islamic State,” he added, “is a booming movement.”

Mahmud said two of his sons left Indonesia to fight for IS in the Middle East, and one has since been killed. Indonesia does not prohibit citizens from supporting groups such as IS or fighting for them abroad.

Police say they can arrest terrorism suspects only once they have committed a crime on Indonesian soil.

“If there is a person who declares support for ISIS,

that becomes preliminary evidence for police to investigate whether they are involved in terrorist groups or activities,” Freddy Haris, the justice ministry’s director-general for laws told Reuters. “If there is proof they are involved, then we proceed with (legal) action.”

Mahmud, who has not been charged in any militant plot, noted that contacting Naim online was not difficult. “Bahrun Naim created a website on detonation, and people can access that,” he said, speaking in a small restaurant near the palace of the Solo sultan.

That has been difficult, however, since the government has blocked blogs and websites linked to Naim.

Security officials acknowledged that Naim continues to communicate with his recruits through social media and messaging apps.

Edi Lukito, leader of an Islamic anti-vice squad called Laskar Umat Islam Surakarta (Surakarta Muslim Battalion) said he knew of regular bank payments Naim made to at least one young recruit in the city. “This young generation has an extraordinary passion for jihad and they want to carry guns quickly,” said Lukito, who said he does not support IS. JAKARTA ATTACKS Although not a member of Team Hisbah himself, Naim was the liaison between IS and Hisbah members when he was running an Internet cafe in Solo, the Jakarta-based Institute for

Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) said.

He disappeared in January 2015 after serving time in prison on a 2011 conviction for possession of ammunition and police believed he moved to Syria.

Naim emerged from obscurity a year later, when police identified him as the mastermind of gun and bomb attacks in central Jakarta that killed eight people, including the four attackers.

Since then, he’s been linked to other thwarted attacks, including a foiled plot, led by Solo native Gigih Rahmat Dewa, to launch a rocket into Singapore’s Marina Bay casino resort area, using a boat from the neighbouring Indonesian island of Batam..

Another member of Team Hisbah, counterterrorism police told Reuters, was 31-year-old Nur Rohman. He blew himself up outside a police station in Solo in July, one of a series of attacks claimed

by Islamic State across the world during the Ramadan fasting month, including the killings of foreigners at an upscale cafe in Dhaka just days earlier.

JAVANESE CULTURE Nestled in the lush volcanic hills running down the spine of Java, the archipelago’s most populous island, Solo is a hub of traditional Javanese culture, blending elements of Hinduism, Buddhism and animism. The city of 800,000 is

the hometown of Indonesian President Joko Widodo and of the Solo royal family.

Solo also has long been host to radical Islamist movements that take their inspiration from the Middle East. It is the hometown of Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), who is serving a 15-year sentence for helping to fund a militant training camp in Indonesia’s staunchly Islamic province of Aceh. The city features dozens of Islamic boarding schools, including Bashir’s al-Mukmin Ngruki.

“The population of radical groups in Solo is already very high, so they are like raw material ready to be radicalised,” said Solahudin, a leading authority on Islamic extremism in Indonesia. “It’s easier to recruit people in Solo than in other places,” said Solahudin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

A dozen or so radical youth groups operate in the city, including bands of vigilantes, modelled after Saudi Arabia’s religious police like Team Hisbah and the Surakarta Muslim Battalion, who raid the city’s gambling dens, cafes, and brothels, security officials said.

They became especially prominent after the fall of Indonesia’s late strongman President Suharto in 1998, who had ruthlessly suppressed any sign of opposition from hardline Islamist groups.

Agus Junaedi, who took

over the vigilante wing of Team Hisbah after the death of its founder Sigit in 2011, insists the group only conducts anti-vice raids: “Nothing more than that.”

“Every time there is an arrest that involves terrorists, it is always linked to Hisbah in Solo,” Junaedi, who runs a small store selling herbal medicines and Korans, complained.

LACKING EXPERTISE Naim uses his contacts in Solo to look for people he believes can be easily radicalised, said a senior counter-terrorism official.

“After online contact is established, he will teach them how to make bombs and give them tactical instructions on how to plan attacks,” the official said.

Naim’s followers are not capable of mounting a major attack, said Mahmud of the Islamic State Supporters Forum. “They cannot get materials like in the Bali bomb,” he said, referring to the 2002 bombings of night clubs in Kuta Beach, Bali that killed 202 people, most of them foreigners.

“It was easy to access in the past, but it has been tightened.” That could be changing. Last week, Indonesia’s counter-terrorism force arrested a suspected militant with alleged ties to Naim. Authorities say he was planning an attack in Bali with the same kind of explosive material used in IS attacks in Paris last November and in Brussels in March.

Top French court suspends burkini ban Turkey vows ‘total war’ PARIS, AuguSt 26 (ReuteRS): A top French court on Friday suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits that has angered Muslims, feminists and civil liberties campaigners. The ruling by the Council of State relates to the Mediterranean resort of Villeneuve-Loubet, one of more than a dozen French towns that have imposed such bans.

The burkini ban has shone a light on secular France’s long-standing difficulties integrating its Muslim population and dealing with the aftermath of a series of Islamist attacks. The court said in a statement the decree to ban burkinis in Villeneuve-Loubet “seriously, and clearly illegally, breached the fundamental freedoms to come and go, the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom.”

The lawyer representing the League of Human Rights campaign group which had challenged the ban in Villeneuve-Loubet told reporters the ruling meant all town halls would need to reverse their bans. The group argued the bans contravened civil liberties. But one mayor in Corsica said he would not suspend his own ban, showing that the ruling will not put a quick end to the heated controversy that has already filtered into early campaigning for the 2017 presidential election.

against terrorism amid repeated attacks

Protesters demonstrate against France’s ban of the burkini, outside the French Embassy in London, Britain August 25, 2016. REUTERS

“There’s a lot of tension here and I won’t withdraw my decree,” Sisco mayor Ange-Pierre Vivoni told BFM TV. The issue has also made French cultural identity a hot-button issue along with security in political debates ahead of next April’s presidential election.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls robustly defended the burkini ban on Thursday while some ministers criticised it, exposing divisions within the government as

campaigning begins. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday he would impose a nationwide ban on burkinis if elected as he seeks to position himself as a strong defender of French values and tough on immigration. “This is a slap for the prime minister and a kick up the backside for Sarkozy,” Abdallah Zekri, secretary general of the French Muslim Council (CFCM) said of the ruling. “We’re satisfied with this.”

ANkARA, AuguSt 26 (IANS): With Turkey coming under repeated terror attacks in recent days, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Friday declared “total war” against terrorism.

“Let our nation know that we have opened a total war against these terrorist groups,” Xinhua news agency quoted Yildirim as saying at a joint press conference in Istanbul with his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov.

“We will give all kinds of necessary response to these villains who targeted the fellowship and unity of 79 million people,” Yildirim said.

Eleven police officers were killed and 75 persons injured earlier in the day when a police checkpoint in the city of Cizre was hit by a bombladen truck, the latest in a series of bombing attacks in Turkey.

The Islamic State (IS) militant group and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, whose militants are fighting the government forces in Turkey, are blamed for the attacks.

Referring to the Turkish army’s cross-border operation in northern Syria on Wednesday, in which IS militants were driven out of the Syrian border town of Jarablus, Yildirim said the operation will continue until Turkey’s security is achieved completely and all the IS elements are removed from the area.

US aid to Pak shrinks amid mounting frustration over militants WASHINgtON, AuguSt 26 (ReuteRS): Pakistan’s continued support for resurgent militant groups hostile to the United States, coupled with warming U.S. military and business relations with India, is sharply diminishing Islamabad’s strategic importance as an ally to Washington, U.S. military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials and outside experts said.

The United States has cut both military and economic aid to Pakistan sharply in recent years, reflecting mounting frustration among a growing number of officials with the nuclear-armed country’s support for the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.

That frustration has dogged U.S.-Pakistan ties for more than a decade, but has spiked anew as the militant Islamic group has advanced in parts of Afghanistan that U.S. and allied forces once helped to secure, U.S. officials and analysts say.

“We’re seeing a very definitive and very sharp reorienting of U.S. policy in South Asia away from Afghanistan-Pakistan and more towards India,” said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert with the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think-tank.

The long-standing U.S. frustration with Pakistan’s refusal to stop supporting the Taliban, especially within the U.S. military and intelligence communi-

ty, is now overriding President Barack Obama’s administration’s desire to avoid renewed military involvement in Afghanistan, as well as concerns that China could capitalize on fraying ties between Washington and Islamabad, the U.S. officials said.

Obama announced last month he would keep U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan at 8,400 through the end of his administration, shelving plans to cut the force in half by year end.

American civilian and military aid to Pakistan, once the third-largest recipient of U.S. foreign assistance, is expected to total less than $1 billion in 2016, down from a recent peak of more than $3.5 billion in 2011, according to U.S. government data. The United States has not appropriated less than $1 billion to Pakistan since at least 2007.

The decrease also comes amid budget constraints and shifting global priorities for the United States, including fighting Islamic State militants, a resurgent Russia and an increasingly assertive China.

In March, Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he would seek to bar $430 million in U.S. funding for Islamabad’s purchase of $700 million of Lockheed Martin Corp. F-16 fighter jets.

Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter refused to authorize $300 million in military reimbursements to Pakistan, citing the limited gains the country has made fighting the militant Haqqani network, which is based in the country’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The approval of such funding has been mostly routine in the past.

LIMITS OF COOPERATION The U.S. Congress has yet to authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan for the next fiscal year. The Pentagon is due to authorize $350 million in military aid for the next fiscal year, and is unlikely to approve it under the Obama administration, a U.S. defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Congress is no longer willing to fund a state that supports the Afghan Taliban, which is killing American soldiers,” said Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution expert and former CIA officer who headed Obama’s first Afghanistan policy review. In a stark illustration of the limits of U.S.–Pakistan cooperation, the United States killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistan’s remote Baluchistan region in May, without informing Pakistan.

Some U.S. officials still warn of the dangers of allowing relations with Pakistan to deterio-

A U.S soldier observes the area from a hill top near the town of Walli Was in Paktika province, near the border with Pakistan on November 4, 2012. (REUTERS File Photo)

rate. In a July 26 opinion piece in the Financial Times, Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that “the strategic imperative for improved relations between the U.S. and Pakistan is clear - for the safety of American troops and the success of their mission in Afghanistan, for the stability of the region and for the national security of both Pakistan and the U.S.” A senior Pakistani defense

official said the United States will continue to need Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.

Authorities in Islamabad have long rejected accusations that Pakistan has provided support and sanctuary to militants operating in Afghanistan.

“We have lost over a hundred billion dollars in fighting terrorism, which is more than anything they have given us,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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SaturDaY 27•08•2016

public discourse

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

TOWARDS A COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY (PART III)

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he author had assured to deal with the unholy matrimony between the State Political Parties and the NPGs during the elections...as Part III continuation of the headlined subject. However, having been a sportsman in the distant past, the Summer Olympics 2016 at Rio was a serious distraction to schedules that could not be met...but now we are relieved to proceed as planned.

This author is painfully aware that the issues being focused upon in public domain is not a popular subject because it certainly is not a pleasant sight to look into the mirror and recognise the deformed reflection we see therein. Nevertheless, the deplorable reflection that we do see of ourselves in the mirror has to be dealt with as best we can with utmost Christian fortitude. It is imperative for all eligible voters in Nagaland, prone to selling their votes and political candidates who are either compelled or tempted to buy votes, to clearly understand the devastating consequences of 'buying', 'selling' of our votes. This is a 'killer' transaction that is taking us down to a bottomless pit of self-destruction. As long as we fail to recognize this deadly cancer with Christian dignity, honesty, integrity and honour in our action, we will be hastening its terminal progression.

Now, let's consider the unholy matrimony between the State's Political Parties and the high flying Naga National Political Leaders of the Factions. The two dominant political parties in Nagaland...NPCC and NPF...have adopted "Equi-Distance" and "Equi-Closeness" policy in their interaction with the NPGs respectively. Each of these stated policies is

aimed at maintaining "fair deal" with all the Factions. However, in practice NPCC maintained closer 'distance' with NSCN (K) as compared to the other factions, resulting in NSCN (IM) taking several life-threatening pot-shots at the NPCC Chief Minister who fortunately survived through Divine intervention. By practical definition therefore, "Equi-Distance" policy harvested bullets. In contrast, the Chief Minister from NPF craftily harvested financial conveniences from the party's "Equi-Closeness" policy especially with the most dominant Faction. With the opportunistic merger of the two opposing political entities the present Government has reconciled on "Equicloseness" policy which obviously opens up more lucrative doors for all concerned. The State Government has effectively become a eunuch in the harem of NPGs because the Factions are getting away with daylight robbery in the name of sovereignty, mercilessly taxing the desperate common man to the bones. Instead of checking the excesses being committed by the NPGs the GoN is not only involved in illegal taxation of their own but has in fact become the main revenue collector for the NPG Factions by deducting 5-6% of the State's development fund and 24% of State government servant's monthly salary. We normally say Nagaland is devoid of any recognizable industry but we do have a thriving invisible industry spawned by the NPGs' imposition of 5-6% deduction from all development funds and 24% government servants' salary deduction at source by the DDOs. Yes, every legitimate Government have a clear legally defined tax regime which is not negotiable and mandatory for the citizens to pay...but Nagaland is

the only territory on earth where unregulated 'negotiated tax' exists that fluctuates like hell.

We often hear stories of Mr. A having received tax demand note for (let's say Rs.1,00,000/-) which get negotiated with the Faction concerned and finally settle payment at let's say Rs.5000/-. In practice, this power of demand and negotiation is vested in a simple sepoy of the cadre to the highest ranks of the Factions.

The DDOs of the Government of Nagaland belong to the same club. While the deduction at source is exacting, no one asks questions of the Controlling Officer or the DDO how much was actually paid to the NPGs. The salvaged 'savings' between the 'source deduction' and the actual 'negotiated payment' made has become de industry in most departments of the Government to the extent that there are some DDOs who threaten their staffs on behalf of the NPGs, if they refuse to have their salary deducted. This is a factual scenario that had been brought to light from the sworn deposition rendered to the High Power Committee (HPC) set up by the Government in 2015. The HPC has recommended suitable disciplinary action against such identified overzealous DDOs. The HPC has also seriously indicted State Finance Department as the main source of deliberate financial information leakage to the NPGs. All Controlling Officers in the Directorate, summoned by the HPC, had confirmed on oath that the NPGs get precise information about the LoC and in fact bring the copy of the Drawl Authority even before the official copy of LoC from Finance Department is received by the Directorates. Notwithstanding the lack of political will, there seems to be a serious problem of brain drain in bureaucracy

North East States will continue to suffer even after recommendation of 14th Finance Commission (FFC) Oken Jeet Sandham

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e are happy that as per the recommendation of the 14th Finance Commission (FFC), the States’ share in the net proceeds of the Union tax revenues will now be 42% than the 32% recommended by the 13th Finance Commission (TFC). Although the transfers to the States will be seen as a quantum jump, the States which were earlier treated as Special Category States will still continue to suffer. Because as per the decision taken in the Union Budget of 2015-16, no any other provision under Normal Central Assistance (NCA) and Special Central Assistance (SCA) would be given to the Special Category States and this decision would drastically affect the position of finance in the Northeastern States.

The concept of a Special Category State was first introduced in 1969 when the 5th Finance Commission sought to provide certain disadvantaged states with preferential treatment in the form of Central assistance and tax breaks.

Though initially only three states were grouped as special category states, now there are 11 States enjoying Special Category status. They are: 1. Assam 2. Nagaland 3. Jammu & Kashmir

4. Arunachal Pradesh 5. Himachal Pradesh 6. Manipur 7. Meghalaya 8. Mizoram 9. Sikkim 10. Tripura 11. Uttarakhand The rationale for special status is that certain states, because of inherent features, have a low resource base and cannot mobilize resources for development. Some of the features required for special status are: (i) hilly and difficult terrain; (ii) low population density or sizable share of the tribal population; (iii) strategic location along borders with neighboring countries; (iv) economic and infrastructural backwardness; (v) non-viable nature of state finances.

Special Category States also received specific assistance addressing features like hill areas, tribal sub-plans, and border areas. Beyond additional plan resources, Special Category States can enjoy concessions in excise and customs duties, income tax rates and corporate tax rates as determined by the government.

Special Central Assistance (SCA) were provided for special projects/programs e.g., Western Ghats Development Program (WGDP), Border Areas Devel-

opment Program etc. Special Plan Assistance (SPA) were given only to Special Category States to bridge the gap between their Planning needs and resources.

In other words, SPAs are Additional Central Assistance (ACA) to Special Category States. SPA were provided to the Special Category States for funding of projects identified by the States that are not covered by any Central scheme and for non-recurrent expenditure of a developmental nature, based on the recommendation of the Planning Commission. So now, there will be no allocation under SPA and SCA as per the decision taken in the Union Budget of 2015-16.

Among the States in the country, the Northeastern States bordering Myanmar, Bangladesh, China will continue to suffer maximum as the FFC recommendation will not make them better position in the years to come. The Northeastern States should fight back to get their Special Category Status because it not only helps them to grow developmentally but also protects them to some extent. Weakening the Border States particularly Northeastern ones by removing the Special Category Status given to them will not only make the people in the region insecure but also the country vulnerable, because they are surrounded by three major countries.

as well because the Government is still studying the recommendation of the HPC for the past one year plus and will continue to study it till kingdom come. The question is: Why is such extreme indifference happening in the governing system?

The reality starts with our Political Parties selling their soul to one Faction of the NPG or the other during the election. Astronomical sum exchange hands to obtain their support. Purely for public consumption, the NPGs officially disclaim any involvement in the Indian Election. What they do in the field during the election however, is an entirely different picture. The people have consistently witnessed the style of NPGs campaign in support for one Indian Political Party or the other with their omnipresent threats of dire consequences. Necessarily the Political Party that pays the most gains advantage in most circumstances because of the fear factor. Most NPGs are active participants in the State elections one way or another without doubt. No amount of denial cuts ice. This is hypocrisy at its flagrant best. So, when Government is formed after such collaboration with the Factions, the State Government can only function as a shadow government at best with the main strings being pulled by the dominant Faction lodged somewhere in Biblical fortress. The functioning of the present Government is amply manifested in soft paddling and humouring the factions under the "Equi-closeness" policy. The people are exposed to damning NPG taxation, being threatened and manhandled but the government conveniently looks the other way for obvious stated reason. This is a Government

that is more prone to responding only to extreme public ultimatum or on indictment by the courts and goes back to money hunting leisure under normal times.

What salvation do you see in such a scenario? Kaput! Courage is what our voters must collectively master in every village.

The primary task at hand is to teach our rural populace the finer details of the ripple effect of vote selling and the permanent cycle of destabilization that it causes to the society.

Each village needs to be encouraged to adopt a collective resolve to vote for their village development rather than sell votes and counter the threat of any NPG Faction by forewarning the political party candidates that the village would vote against such candidates who dare to threaten the village through extraneous forces like the NPGs. If this can become a standard collective resolve and response the political party would have to think twice before seeking help from the NPGs. Eliminating the involvement of NPGs in the election would free the voters to exercise their democratic franchise as fairly as they understand it and without selling votes. When candidates win without buying votes they will be duty bound to focus on development and serve the people in real terms. Then perhaps change for the better will become eminent. It is a long shot but against a non-existent alternative it is worth a try. This is a challenging task not only for the NBCC but for all other NGOs and Tribal Hohos and conscientious citizens to join hands towards a collective responsibility and cleanse the system for all our sakes.

Khekiye K. Sema IAS (Rtd), Kohima E-mail: kksema@gmail.com

Vision 2030: Retrospective and Prospective Perceptions on Nagaland’s Health Care Delivery

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ealth per se, with its entire gamut of the delivery system has evolved into highly technical and skilled processes, ensuring the two prongs of preventive and curative aspects, function in tandem and harmony.

Multiple factors that influences decision making and planning involves technical/ descriptive inputs from health professionals, care providers, retrospective results/ data, disease trends, beneficiaries, and a host of regulatory indicators. Thus a robust system- whereby qualitative, quantitative and achievable parameters for implementation, become benchmarks for result oriented performance and future strategies.

The Vision 2030 hopefully incorporates all these areas of concern with an inclusive/ comprehensive participation of all stakeholders that should definitely include technical experts specifically from the fields of Medicine and Public Health.

Often, key areas of decision making pertaining to program implementation, finances, skill development/capacity building and HR management – where shared responsibility and transparency reflects the capability and expertise available in the Health Department is totally underutilised and disregarded.

It is also pertinent to point out that, in order to avoid repetition of past errors, previous vision documents and departmental annual report card/data for last decade be scrutinised to realistically asses achievements, errors and plan better for the future.

In order to do justice to the populace for whom the vision documents are formulated 15 years hence-whether health or any other sector, proposals that are documented should have relevance for the future.

Few suggestions for the Health sector,

are put forward prior to finalization of the vision documents:a}. State Health Policy –mandatory and should have been in place soon after statehood.

-Implementation of the Nagaland Health Establishment Act 1997 should be made effective at the earliest as it addresses issues relating to both qualitative and quantitative yardsticks for the health care delivery system in major aspects. b). Delay in establishing a Medical College till date. This has inadvertently affected the subsequent additions of a Dental College, Nursing College and other Paramedical Colleges/institutes. Nagaland has adequate qualified professionals to kick start such mega projects in comparison to our neighbouring states including Mizoram.

However there is acute shortage of political will and failure to acknowledge locally available wealth of Human Resources. Outsourcing Governmental enterprises to private agencies does not speak much on the capacity/confidence building measures and are seen as mere rhetoric.

-Optimal and judicious utilization of qualified HR in any category is grossly under utilized –whether from the private sector/ reutilization of retired professionals on short term basis –based on needs assessment. Very rarely Technical professionals of most departments including Health are gainfully utilized, for their expertise and experience post retirement, in advisory roles and benefit the state as a whole. Today’s world places great emphasis on the concept of ‘Think Tanks’ for strategic planning and Policy formulation as economics and financial inputs for the health sector ultimately will determine the quality of service

delivery . c). Incomplete mega structures and infra structures with poor quality workmanship . Majority of the health facilities are planned without proper hospital oriented architects, not easily accessible (far away from the community with no approach roads etc.) without power/water/proper sanitation –in short- not client friendly!

Facilities for the care givers- in terms of accommodation and other basic amenities, have never been upgraded as per norms and in proportion to increase in service delivery over the years. d). Health Insurance –under the Universal Health Coverage that has been rolled in majority of the states including Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Assam, the need of cutting the burdens of’ out of pocket’ (OOP) for the citizens requires urgent implementation by the departments concerned and political will of the government. Public awareness to the immense benefits of the insurance policy should be debated at all levels of the society. e). Major concerns in the Vision 2030 documents should have comprehensive strategies to focus on the rising trends of communicable, non-communicable , lifestyle diseases(-diabetes, hypertension ,cancer, etc), aging population (Grey tide), Mental health issues, impact of water/sanitation/climate changes , diseases due to addictive behaviours etc. , with planned measures to address them.

The aim of this article is to invite a healthy public discourse and debate on how the systems in the state are developed –including health-for the generations to come and the generation growing with the tide.

Dr. Nandira L. Changkija

No Power on Earth can stop Sovereignty of Naga Nationhood Ready or not...here we come

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Rev. Dr. V.K. Nuh

ehold, I have set the land before you go in and posses the land which the Lord swore unto your father, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob to give into them and to their seed after them.

Deuteronomy 1:8 “Go and take, it is yours” what a marvelous promise. God could have allowed them to enter the promise land with shorter way only 7 days journey from Egypt to Canaan. But he knows that such a young nation will not be able to stand their own feet. Therefore He took them around 40 years in the desert, they disobeyed God and thereby they suffered and were often defeated. And yet they adopted new ways of life to march forward to the promise land. At last they reached the border in the bank of Jordan a few miles from the promise land. Now they united and surrender the whole thing to the mighty hand of God. They conquered all strong hold kingdoms and destroyed them and posses the promise land.

For centuries no foreigner ruler subjected Naga people except British conquered some part of Naga Hills and rules for 70 years. When time come British decided to give up her Empire. Thus Simon Commission comes to Kohima to know the opinion of Naga. A few Naga \educated people come together under Naga Club, and gave representation to Simon Commission by saying, “Leave us alone as before to determined as ancient time.”

Thereby, British Parliament declared 1935 “Excluded Area” Then right after II World War NNC (Naga National Council) was formed at Wokha 1945: then NNC Leader led by A.Z. Phizo, met Mahatma Gandhi Father of Nation at Bhangi saying Naga will not join

India union, Gandhi said, I do not believe force union. If you do want to join India union, you are free to decide. Therefore NNC hosted Naga National Flag on 14th August 1947 one day ahead of India and send cable to U.N.O. office: Naga became Independent.

As history repeat, the Naga independent on 14/8/2016 all Naga political groups celebrated 70 years of their sovereignty. Identify themselves as National workers with one accord. Naga general p8blic rejoice with them, I believe no Naga oppose this celebration. Because it is historical fact about political aspiration.

The Israelite believed that God had bound to them with the tie that can never be broken they always think that the covenant had obligated God to protect them and they believe that they were fully discharge by covenant obligation by outward performance of religion. They believe the day of the Lord was now signaling the beginning of the golden age. No matter how difficult the situation would become, they believe God would never forsake them, when Israelite put their trust in God they became powerful, when they trusted themselves they becomes any other human being. This is how God revealed His way through the Israelite, We have learn enough lesson from Israelite, how slow they were to learn despite many unusual miracle have taken place. They often disobey and against the will of God. The result was follow by punishment.

In the same way how often Naga people rebel the covenant of God We have made political covenant on 16th May 1951 to be sovereign nation with 99.99 % but forsaken the covenant and brought 16 point agreement of Nagaland State, we have adopted safe guard security of the Nation on 28th May 1959. But Revolutionary government

of Council Republic of people was formed on 1/8/1965. Again on 11 November 1975 Shillong accord was signed by in the name of underground when Federal Government was ruling.

Again National Socialist Council of Nagalim was formed on 31/1/1980; and divided again. Today we have 8 factions taxing from people to run their government.

12 time General Election Nagaland Assembly and successive governments spent Billion of Rupees to purchase vote by hook and crooked, there corruption all level rooted.

And yet we are not consumed by the anger of God. His marvelous love still endure and helping our journey towards to progress.

As look back 70 years political journey of the Nagas, it is difficult to imaging, how the great Lord preserved His people till up today. Now we realized that time have come to unite as a nations we have seen many unprecedented historical developing. When A.Z . Phizo died in London his dead body was brought to Kohima, ancient Naga people throng to his funeral service gave honour as father of the national leader, when Isak Chishi Swu died, from Delhi his dead body was brought his dead body to Dimapur we all united and honour him as national leader. They were many top leader were buried with great honour as National Leaders.

Those who were born after 1970, the new generation will not believe how their father and mother were suffered, the whole Nagaland situation turned into night mare most of the Villages were burned to ashes; thousand people torture to death; people who were in the village were sent to consecration camp the most uncivilized war against Naga who were happened, ten and

thousand people were dead for the cause Naga freedom. The prices were paid from the blood and tears and sweat for the cost of freedom. Those who were send to Allee Cammand forces were sent foreign land, to get training from East Pakistan, Burma, China, they walked thousand kilometers and come home with full equip of their defense many were died in foreign land and they proclaim their messages to the people.

The Naga people love peace, but they cannot afford to let their land be occupied by sheer military force of the aggression, as long the invading forces are would be there that long the Naga are bound to fight.

The cost of freedom is costly affairs no Naga should take it easy. Now time have that Naga should unite as a nation and enter the Promise land. It is not our choice but this is the purpose of God and the Promise of God. Let us be thankful to the leaders who are still fighting for the future of Naga people. At the same let us not forget people who stood and fell in the battle for the cause Naga Sovereignty. No one has right to claim lion share because even smallest village and weakest section of people sacrifice their own share 70 years span of time. Therefore Naga political final political settlement must be honorable and acceptable to all political groups and all section of the people.

David Ben Curion then the Prime Minister of Israel remark 50th Israel Independent message said “A homeland is not given or gotten as a gift it is not aquired by privilege or political contract; it is not brought gold or held by force. No it is made with sweat of brow it is the historic creation and collective enterprises of a people, the fruit of its labour bodily, spiritual, and moral over span of generation”.

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agas, we like to boast that we are one of the most forward thinking people when it comes to gender equality. Problems like dowry, sati, female infanticide, rape and abuse of women is not as prevalent in Nagaland as in the rest of the country. There was once a study published in the local dailies that Nagaland is the safest state in India for women and we were delighted.

However around 2008 when our Naga menfolk first objected (very vocally, I might add) to the woman reservation to the Municipal elections, I had the first inkling that all was not 'peachy'.

Now 8 years later, according to the Naga Hoho, apparently we are still "not ready".

May I ask why???

Nagaland is home to so many exceptional women who are excelling in every field and making us proud.

We have had Banou Z Jamir leading the entire state as Chief Secretary, Mona Lisa Changkija who pioneered the fourth estate in Nagaland as publisher and editor of Nagaland Page, Easterine Kire, a renowned poet and writer who put Nagaland in the literary map, Chekrovolu Swuro who made us all proud by representing India in the 2012 Olympics in Archery and the list goes on.

Come academic result season and the newspapers in Nagaland will be flashing headlines like, "Girls excel over boys in HSLC". Now there are just as many female government officers, entrepreneurs, doctors, artists, scholars etc as there are men in Nagaland. Whether as a farmer or as an IAS officer, women have always had to try twice as hard to prove ourselves, and today I would like to think that Naga women have proved that.

And yet you say that we are not ready? I may be over simplifying the issue here but isn't the reservation put in place BECAUSE we are not ready? Because despite the fact that women make up 50% of your vote bank, we are notwilling still to vote for our sisters?

So then may I ask when will we be ready? Next election? 10 years? 15? And to clarify is it us women who are not ready or you, the menfolk? And if it is the men then why are you not ready when we are? And more importantly, what do we, Naga women, who have persistently and consistently proved our worth to you and stood beside our men year after year after year....; what must we do before you finally admit that yes, Nagas are ready?

Bonnie Konyak

Readers may please note that the contents of the articles, letters and opinions published do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

Saturday 27•08•2016

EntErtainmEnt

LFW W/F’ 2016

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Sanjay Garg ends Textile day in style

eautiful, dazzling textiles presented by Monaco Tourism from ace designer Sanjay Garg’s label “Raw Mango” was the perfect end to the Sustainable Fashion and Indian Textiles Day at Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2016. Known for his woven Varanasi silks and Chanderis, Garg showcased his latest look in textiles for the festive season. A riot of colours appeared on the ramp for the saris and ensembles, which glittered with motifs and weaves that thrilled fashion lovers in the audience. The collection called “Monkey Business” was an array of garments and saris with motifs woven into the fabrics.

To keep the theme intact, the show started with the “madari” rattling his “dumroo” as the all-drums percussion band struck a wild rhythm for the models as they sashayed through the high profile audience witnessed a the audience in quick succession. In glamorous haute Indian textile expo. the show at the unique circular P6 The textiles designed in Vara(parking area) of High Street Phoenix, nasi and varieties of Chanderi were

balanced perfectly with Gajji Silk, Mashru, Kadhwa, different tissues and engineered layout panels. Sanjay also added metallic touches along with quilting, wool, silk and digital prints. But the highlight of the collection was the monkey motif that literally stole the show as the images appeared on the saris and garments.

Also, silver/gold brocades with regal silks were turned into loose kurtas, trousers with inverted pleats, tulip tunics, smocks, cropped tops, will-power pleated dresses, striped jumpsuits seductive high slit gowns, layered off-shoulder maxis, pleated skirts and wrap tops that created the perfect haute couture western wear line. The line of grey wool coats, jackets and kurtas with beautiful silk lining were stylishly cut to cater to the western dresser’s needs. The saris were displayed in all their traditional glory or appeared as draped gowns, sari-cumjacket or sari-cum-blouse combos.

Source: IANS

‘Weaves of Arunachal Pradesh’ by Yana Ngoba showcased at Lakmé Fashion Week 2016

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eaves of Arunachal P ra d e s h’ by ace designer Yana Ngoba took the center-stage at the Lakmé Fashion Week on August 25. The installation by Nazia Hafeez in association with Lakmé Fashion Week was showcased at 9th floor of St. Regis, Mumbai. Celebrating rich textiles from Northeast India and the art of locally spun thread and natural colouring, the collection exudes the very concept of from-farm-to-fashion with impeccable flair.

Former Miss India 2007, Sarah Jane Dias admired and congratulated Yana for the showcased collection.

The North East is famous for textile making, and it forms an integral part of the tradition—it has been rooted deeply into their society and culture from time immemorial. What’s special is that the texture of the textile made in states like Arunachal in the North East is different from fabrics that are woven in other states of India. Also, weaving, spinning and dying have always been three very important C M Y K

S

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ctress Sonam Kapoor has been roped in to be the Goodwill Ambassador for Fight Hunger Foundation, a NGO dedicated to the fight against malnutrition. The organisation is active in three states -- Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, where its expert teams diagnose and treat malnourished children, and work with mothers on prevention techniques, which include the promotion of breastfeeding, good hygiene and care practices and providing a nutritious diet. “Each year, over one million children die from malnutritionrelated causes in India. It is inconceivable to me that there are children who do not have access to proper nutrition and clean water. We cannot build a productive and peaceful world on empty stomachs,” Sonam said in a statement. The actress visited one of Fight Hunger Foundation’s project sites -- the Medical Nutrition Therapy production unit at Chota Sion Hospital here recently.

During her visit, she met many mothers and malnourished children, and took the time to speak to the dedicated hospital staff to learn more. One of the children she met -- 10-month-old Silvan -- was on the road to recovery after being diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. After one week at Sion Hospital, where he was cared for and provided with medicine and therapeutic food to get better, his condition was stable.

“Seeing these children suffer from malnutrition first-hand has been devastating, but it has also made me realise that we can all be doing more to end child deaths from malnutrition, an easily preventable disease.

That’s why I have decided to pledge to support Fight Hunger Foundation, to help raise awareness,” added the 31-year-old actress. The “Neerja” actress hopes India becomes hunger-free. “I urge people to come forward and support them in their fight against malnutrition,” she said.

Source: IANS

Bombay High Court quashes FIR against Sussanne Khan

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Former Miss India 2007, Sarah Jane Dias with model Opang Jamir in front of the ‘Weaves of Arunachal Pradesh’ installation.

industries in this part of the country.

What began as an art form focused on how clothes are a means of protecting oneself against the

rigours of climate, today has transformed into an arena of fashion, with some of the best artisans in the world. And everything is very symbolic – like the co-

Ariana sued for copyright infringement

inger Ariana Grande has been slapped with a lawsuit over her 2015 song “One last time”. Grande is being sued by Alex Greggs -- who claims that Grande copied a 2012 single he wrote for Skye Stevens titled “Takes all night”, reports variety. com. David Guetta, who wrote “One last time”, music producer Rami Yacoub, songwriter Carl Falk, Universal Music Group and Republic Records are also listed as defendants in the lawsuit. Greggs is claiming that “the similarity between ‘Takes all night’ and ‘One last time’ is so strik-

Sonam to campaign against malnutrition

ing that it is highly likely the works were not created independently of one another” with the chorus or hook being the main reason for his lawsuit as the “harmonic background remains the same in both songs for the entire sixteen measures of the chorus”.

Greggs is seeking $150,000 as settlement per each infringement. Grande is no stranger to legal troubles over her music. In 2013,, she was sued for “The way”, in which Minder Music claimed that a phrase of her song was a copy of the 1972 track “Troglodyte”.

Source:IANS

lours which are associated with tribes from the North East or the use of certain ornaments which are often associated with a family’s social position.

he Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday quashed the FIR filed against Sussanne Khan, estranged wife of Bollywood superstar Hritik Roshan, in a cheating case, citing lack of evidence. The order was passed by Justice F.M. Reis and Justice Nutan Sardesai. A First Information Report was lodged against Sussanne -- who runs an interior decoration and design firm Charcoal Project -- accusing her of cheating and misrepresentation in a case involving Rs 1.87 crore at the Panaji police station in June. Real estate firm Emgee Properties filed the complaint that she had misrepresented herself as an architect to win a contract in 2013. Sussanne took to Twitter on Thursday to share the news with her fans.

In a series of tweets, she wrote: “My petition allowed by Goa bench of the Bombay High Court.

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Organised by the Archdiocese of Kolkata, Missionaries of Charity and SIGNIS India (Indian chapter of World Catholic Association for Communication), the fourth edition of Mother Teresa International Film Festival (MTIFF) is having three world premieres.

The festival opened with the screening of the 82-minute-long documentary ‘Mother Teresa’ by Petrie Productions (1986).

NOW SHOWING FLYING JATT

11:00 am | 0200 PM 08:00 PM Criminal complaint filed

by Emgee Enterprises has been quashed by the High Court.” “No misrepresentation. FIR registered been quashed. The order quashing FIR vindicated my position. Thankful to the judiciary. Justice prevails.” “I have never made any misrepresentations and have always maintained the highest standards of ethics while discharging my work.

Truth be told.” In September 2013, Emgee Enterprises executed a written contract with Sussanne “for architectural and designing services” for its Naira Complex being constructed at Siridao in Tiswadi, North Goa. The complainant alleged that Sussanne failed to deliver the project within the period stipulated in the contract.

Source: IANS

Mother Teresa film festival begins, 3 world premiers scheduled

oinciding with Mother Teresa’s 106th birthday and in the runup to her canonisation as saint, a film festival focusing on her life and teachings was inaugurated here today.

The four-day-long movie carnival at the staterun Nandan multiplex is screening a selection of 23 best foreign and Indian films ever made on or inspired by Teresa.

Hillstar

One of the biggest highlights of MTIFF is the world premiere of ‘Mother Teresa: An unexpected encounter’ by Leigh Wharton, who was one of the six people Teresa had allowed to film her.

The film had its beginnings 22 years ago in Kolkata when the renowned documentary filmmaker started shooting, but the footage later on got lost for 27 years before being found at a lab in New York.

Another big highlight will be ‘Mother Teresa & Me’, which is personal documentary narrating the journey of Goutam Lewis, a polio-afflicted man abandoned by his parents in Kolkata but rescued by Teresa who went on to become a successful entrepreneur in London.

‘Love till it hurts’ made

by Pauline Sisters will be the third film to have a world premiere here. .

Source: PTI

MECHANIC 2

05:00 pm

Now ShowiNg

Victoria is supportive of Spice Want no cookie cutter Girls reunion: Emma Bunton beauty queen: Lara Dutta

F

ormer Miss Universe Lara Dutta, who is going to mentor finalists who will compete with one another to represent the country at the prestigious Miss Universe pageant, says she’s on the lookout for a candidate with not just a personal style statement, but also someone who is distinct from “cookie cutter beauty queens”.

“I am looking for someone with a very personal style statement and who is totally different from your cookie cutter beauty queen. I don’t want someone giving me same answers the same way. I am happy with the bunch we have got (this year),” Lara said to a question by IANS here.

Lara, who had won the prestigious Miss Universe title in 2000 -- the last time when India brought the crown home -- is mentoring 16 girls this time. Their journey is being chronicled on “Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva - Miss Universe India 2016”, a six-part series to be aired on Colors Infinity starting Saturday. The actress was here at the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) WinterFestive 2016 to walk as the showstopper for designer Esha Amin. Lara said she en-

joys working with the designer.

“Both of us have a synergy, we work well together. A lot of times I am stuck in my head about something that I want to do and she will bring a special sort of an outlook to that. I think we find that middle path to work on and she allows me to wear the silhouettes that I think I look best in. And she also keeps bringing in newer things to try,” added the mother of one.

Being a celebrity is also about being constantly under scrutiny, but Lara is unfazed about being criticised for her fashion choices. “(We are) Not scared of the fashion police... We don’t really have the time,” she said, and added: “If you are happy with the way you are looking, you go (out). People will write (about it), people will build it up or tear it apart but tomorrow is another day and you are not the only one they are writing about.

“But if you are going to lose sleep over the fact that you got a bad review over the outfit... For me, at the end of the day, if I am comfortable and I am feeling and looking great, that is all that I need.”

Source: IANS

S

pice Girl Emma Bunton says designer Victoria Beckham is in favour of a reunion of the pop group. Formed in 1994, the group originally consisted of Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Beckham. Bunton, 40, has revealed that she recently spoke to the fashion designer at her husband, David’s 40th birthday party where she showed interest for the reunion, reported Contactmusic.

“Victoria is prone to changing her mind and may even decide to come on board after all.

“For a long time she has wished us the best. I was talking to her at David’s birthday party and he said ‘you’ve got to do something’. Maybe she will change her mind, she does that, who knows,” Bunton said. It has been previously rumoured on the 20th anniversary of the Spice Girls’ debut single “Wannabe” that the girls group might reunite this year but nothing seems to have been confirmed yet.

Source: PTI

03862-237226 Ticket Counter (09:00 AM - 09:00 PM) www.BookMyShow.com Ward 5 (6), Burma Camp, Dimapur.

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THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Guardiola returning to Barca in Champions League

C M Y K

MONACO, August 26 (ReuteRs): Pep Guardiola will return to the Nou Camp in the Champions League group stage after his new club Manchester City were drawn against his former Barcelona team on Thursday in one of the toughest of the eight groups.

Bayern Munich were given a quick chance to avenge last season's semifinal defeat by Atletico Madrid after they were drawn together while English Premier League winners Leicester City will face Porto, Club Bruges and Copenhagen on their debut.

Elsewhere, holders and 11-times champions Real Madrid renew their recent rivalry with Borussia Dortmund.

Barca and City were drawn in Group C alongside Borussia Moenchengladbach and former European champions Celtic, with recent history clearly favouring the Catalans.

Spanish coach Guardiola, who won the Champions League twice with Barca, suffered a 5-3 aggregate defeat when he faced his old team with Bayern in the semi-finals two seasons ago.

City, who visit the Nou Camp on Oct. 19, met Barca in the round of 16 in 2013-

UEFA announce changes to Champions League

MONACO, August 26 (AFP): The top four leagues in Europe will be guaranteed four places in the group stage of the Champions League from the 2018/19 season, UEFA confirmed on Friday.

The changes affect the top four domestic leagues in UEFA's ranking, which are currently Spain's Primera Liga, Germany's Bundesliga, England's Premier League and Italy's Serie A, and will initially run until 2021.

At the moment, only the three leading leagues -- Spain, Germany and England -- are guaranteed three places in the group phase, with a 14 and 2014-15 and lost both legs on each occasion.

Bayern, now under triple Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti, and Atletico are clear favourites to progress from Group D which also features PSV Eindhoven and Russian league runners-up Rostov who are also groupstage debutants.

Ancelotti was cautious, however, pointing out that Atletico needed a penalty shootout to beat PSV last season and that Rostov eliminated Ajax Amsterdam in the playoffs this week.

"It's a difficult draw and we have to be careful," he said. Real and Dortmund should go through from

fourth team entering in the playoff round. Italy has two guaranteed berths while a third team enters the play-offs.

The move will be seen as a manner of appeasing the continent's biggest clubs, especially as UEFA have also revealed that financial distribution to clubs will be "increased significantly" for the Champions League and Europa League and that "historical success in the competition will also be acknowledged in coefficient calculation."

Regarding the latter, UEFA say points will be awarded for previ-

Group F at the expense of Sporting and Legia Warsaw, who are back in the group stage after a 20-year absence.

CLASSIC MATCHES Dortmund knocked out Real in the semi-finals in 2013 but the Spanish giants came out on top the following season in the last eight.

"It's difficult but attractive. Matches against Real are becoming classics for Dortmund. We are looking forward to meeting the holders," said Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel.

Apart from the odd heavyweight clash, many of the groups look predictable, a criticism that has increasingly been levelled at

ous European titles and weighted towards more recent success in the Champions League and Europa League.

UEFA have called the changes "an evolution not a revolution", and the Champions League group stage will continue to feature 32 clubs, but the changes mean there will be fewer opportunities for sides from lesser leagues around the continent.

Nevertheless, UEFA confirmed that the current qualifying format, separating domestic champions and teams who qualify via a lower league placing, will be retained.

the competition in recent years.

Leicester, the other newcomers among the 32 teams, and Porto will start as favourites in Group G even though the English side are taking part for the first time.

Porto are in the group stage for the 21st time, a record they share with Real and Barca, but the double champions from Portugal have won only three of their last 16 ties against English teams in the competition.

Paris St Germain and Arsenal, who are attempting to reach the round of 16 for the 17th time in a row, are the favourites in Group A against Basel and rank

Bulgarian outsiders Ludogorets although the Swiss have caused upsets in the past.

Juventus, Serie A winners for the last five seasons, face Sevilla, Olympique Lyonnais and Dinamo Zagreb in Group H with the first three likely to battle for the top two places.

For the third season running Serie A has only two teams in the group stage. The other side, Napoli, will meet Benfica, Besiktas and Dynamo Kiev in Group B. Group E is arguably the most evenly-balanced with CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham Hotspur and Monaco.

Ronaldo crowned UEFA Best Player in Europe Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo poses with his trophy of Best Men's Player in Europe on August 25, 2016 in Monaco. (AFP Photo)

MONACO, August 26 (AFP): Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo won the UEFA Best Men's Player in Europe Award on Thursday after winning both last season's Champions League and Euro 2016 with Portugal.

Ronaldo, 31, received the accolade for the second time in his career after finishing ahead of Real team-mate Gareth Bale and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.

"I'm obviously delighted to receive this award, it's been an incredible season. But these two other players deserve it as well," said Ronaldo, who also won the prize in 2013-14. Ronaldo struck the winning spotkick as Real claimed a record 11th Europe-

an Cup title, beating city rivals Atletico on penalties in May, before leading his country to Euro 2016 glory.

Ronaldo scored three goals en route to the final of the tournament to equal France's Michel Platini's record of nine goals in the European Championship finals. The award was voted for by journalists from each of UEFA's 55 member associations.

Norway striker Ada Hegerberg won the women's award, ahead of France's Amandine Henry and Dzsenifer Marozsan of Germany, after helping Lyon lift the Women's Champions League trophy in addition to the French league and cup double.

Jaisha's illness delays Ministry probe into official apathy

Muzzle loading shooting competition held at Viswema

KOhIMA, August 26 (DIPR): The Viswema Youth Organization held its annual shooting competition on Muzzle loading gun on August 26 at Viswema John Govt.

Higher Secondary School Ground with Vimezhol Theyo, former president V.Y.O and Ex. Pastor, as the special guest declaring the tournament open. President VYSO, Visakho Kiso, informed that shooting competition is held every year on the third day of traditional BINYI festival. Kevithushi Kikhi won the championship while Kelongoto Naleo and Kezho Mekro came second and third respectively. Altogether, 123 persons took part in the competition.

Ashwin to launch fantasy league

BANgAlORe, August 26 (PtI): Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has joined hands with Wisden India to bring Cric-Trade, the world's first auction fantasy league, which he co-created, to cricket fans worldwide ahead of the India-West Indies Twenty20 series in USA. "It has got a feature which none of the other games (Fantasy) have," said Ashwin. "This has got the first ever auction way of picking your team. In other games, everybody can pick Virat Kohli and R Ashwin but in this game, the user needs to sample size his own team. If one user picks R Ashwin (in auction), the other can't pick me." Each auction will run for an hour and a half and begin two hours before the scheduled start of the match. The game is designed on a match-day basis, so there are fresh auctions everyday before play begins.

Users need to register their teams at www.cric-trade.com to join the game and be eligible for the bidding process.

Henry becomes Belgium assistant coach

BRussels, August 26 (AFP): Former France star Thierry Henry has been named as the new assistant coach of Belgium, the national coach announced Roberto Martinez announced on Friday. "Thierry is an important figure.

He will bring something different. He agreed right away to join us," said Martinez, who was appointed at the start of the month to succeed the sacked Marc Wilmots. Henry, 39, finished his glittering playing career in 2014 with New York Red Bulls after previously starring for Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal and Barcelona. Since hanging up his boots, he has been working as a pundit for British television station Sky and as an under-18 coach at Arsenal. He left the latter role in July because Gunners boss Arsene Wenger did not want Henry juggling his coaching with his punditry. "He is someone who knows how to develop a collective mentality, how to work together to win," said Martinez. "He won the World Cup in 1998 and has the experience to achieve great things." Henry was not present at the press conference as Martinez announced his first squad since becoming coach. Belgium face Spain in a friendly next Thursday and then take on Cyprus away in their opening qualifier for the 2018 World Cup on September 6.

SAfrican judge denies appeal for harsher Pistorius sentence

JOhANNesBuRg, August 26 (AP): A South African judge on Friday dismissed an appeal by prosecutors for a harsher against Oscar Pistorius who was found guilty of murder for killing his girlfriend in 2013. Judge Thokozile Masipa said the state's appeal to extend the six-year sentence against the 29-year-old double amputee Olympic sprinter had a limited prospect of success. ''I am not persuaded that there are reasonable prospects of success for an appeal,'' she said in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in the early hours of February 14. He claimed he thought she was an intruder. The state charged that he shot her in anger after an argument. Pistorius was found guilty of murder and sentenced by Masipa to six years in prison.

The sentence was ''shockingly light'' and that the judge should have used 15-year minimum as starting point as Steenkamp had suffered a ''horrendous death,'' said prosecutor Gerrie Nel. Pistorius never offered an acceptable explanation for having fired four shots through the toilet door, he said. The fact that Pistorius fired four shots using hollow point bullets that are designed to inflict maximum damage meant the possibility of death was more likely and should have been an aggravating factor, said Nel. The state may appeal Masipa's decision at the Supreme Court of Appeals in the city of Bloemfontein, but is yet to indicate whether it will do so.

BeNgAluRu, August 26 (PtI): The probe into allegations of official apathy levelled by Olympian marathon runner O P Jaisha has been delayed as the athlete is recovering from Swine Flu and will need at least a week's rest.

Jaisha, who returned from Rio with fever and body ache last week, was hospitalised yesterday after she tested positive for H1N1,

two days after another athlete Sudha Singh was found to be suffering from the same disease.

"Jaisha has been hospitalised for H1N1 and at this point in time, the athlete will not be allowed to travel. She needs rest for at least six to seven days," Sports Authority of India's Dr Sarla told PTI here.

Since Jaisha is not permitted to travel, the probe into the alle-

gations of official apathy levelled by her will be delayed.

The committee, which was formed a Tuesday, was supposed to submit its report in seven days from the date of its formation.

Sports Minister Vijay Goel had constituted a two-member committee consisting of Onkar Kedia, Joint Secretary (Sports) and Vivek Narayan, Director

Schweinsteiger unlikely to play for Man United: Mourinho

MANChesteR, August 26 (ReuteRs): German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is unlikely to play for Manchester United this season, manager Jose Mourinho said on Friday.

Mourinho has used Belgium midfielder Marouane Fellaini and Spaniard Ander Herrera this season and the signings of Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have pushed Schweinsteiger further down the pecking order.

The 32-year-old Schweinsteiger, who announced his retirement from international football last month, is yet to make a first team appearance this season and has been training with the club's reserves.

"It is very difficult to happen. I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying that it's very difficult. We have five players for two positions. It's very difficult that an opportunity will arrive

(for him)," Mourinho told reporters.

Mourinho is surprised Bayern Munich have not attempted to bring Schweinsteiger back to the club where he played for 13 seasons before joining United last year.

Bayer n cha i r ma n Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said players were going to think long and hard before joining United following Mourinho's treatment of Schweinsteiger.

"I thought, when I read some quotes from people at Bayern Munich, they would run to Manchester to bring him back, but no, that didn't happen. I'm quite surprised Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is not here to take him back," Mourinho added.

The 53-year-old Portuguese does not expect the top teams to falter like they did last season and believes clubs vying for the title would need more than

the 81 points Leicester City collected to win the Premier League this year.

"I think that more points will be needed to win the competition because many of the top teams under-performed last year, which was amazing for the beauty of the competition," Mourinho added.

The former Chelsea boss also confirmed that United were not planning on bringing in more players in the current transfer window.

"So I think we're going to have a very quiet week, not surrounded by helicopters, waiting for somebody to leave or to arrive, so I am more than happy with the squad I have," he said.

Three-times European champions United, who have been drawn in a tough Europa League group alongside Fenerbahce, Feyenoord and Zorya Luhansk, travel to Hull City on Saturday.

(Sports) to enquire into the allegations.

Jaisha, who had finished 89th in the marathon event, had alleged that no water or energy drinks were made available by the Indian officials during her event, leaving her completely exhausted at the end of the race. She had fainted after crossing the finishing line.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI), however, has asserted that the athlete herself refused any such arrangement when approached a day before the event.

Jaisha, after returning from Brazil, claimed that officials from all other countries provided refreshments to their runners at designated points set up every 2.5 km.

Man Utd set for Van Persie reunion in Europa

MONACO, August 26 (AFP): Manchester United will come up against their former striker Robin van Persie after being placed in the same group as the Dutchman's current club Fenerbahce in Friday's draw for the group stage of the Europa League.

Jose Mourinho's side will also come up against Dutch giants Feyenoord and Zorya Luhansk of Ukraine in Group A. "It is a good draw for us. We think we are in the Champions League. There are very similar groups in the Champions League," said Mourinho.

"It is a difficult group but it is good. If you have teams without expression, even fans wouldn't enjoy Thursdays.

"We all know the competition is not the same as the Champions League but to have Manchester United playing against clubs with tradition like Fenerbahce and Feyenoord is good for us. I don't have more vision

about Ukraine."

Second in the Turkish league last season to Istanbul rivals Besiktas, Fenerbahce were eliminated from the Champions League by Monaco in the third qualifying round.

They have since sacked coach Vitor Pereira and replaced him with veteran Dutchman Dick Advocaat, whose squad includes Van Persie and ex-Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel.

Van Persie, 33, spent three seasons at Old Trafford before moving to Turkey last year.

United can also look forward to coming up against Van Persie's hometown team and first club Feyenoord.

The 1970 European Cup winners and twice winners of the UEFA Cup finished third in the Dutch top flight last season and also won the Dutch Cup. Now coached by former Arsenal and Barcelona leftback Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the Rotterdam side

are captained by Dirk Kuyt, formerly of Liverpool and Fenerbahce.

United have faced both of these sides in the Champions League in the past, but the Ukrainians are a new proposition as they feature at this stage of European competition for the first time.

The other English Premier League representative, Southampton, were given a tough draw in Group K along with Italian giants Inter Milan, Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic and Hapoel BeerSheva.

The Israeli champions were eliminated from the Champions League playoffs by Celtic.

Me a n w h i l e, I r i s h champions Dundalk, knocked out of the Champions League play-offs by Legia Warsaw, will face former UEFA Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg, AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands and Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel in Group D.

Verstappen on top in Red Bull one-two

sPA-FRANCORChAMPs, August 26 (AFP): Dutch teenager Max Verstappen delighted his army of fans in the forests of the Ardennes on Friday afternoon when he topped the times in second free practice for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

The 18-year-old Red Bull driver, who was born 50 kilometres away from the sprawling and majestic Spa-Francorchamps circuit at Hasselt in Belgium, clocked a best lap of one minute and 48.085 seconds.

That allowed him to outpace Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo by two-tenths as the Renaultpowered outfit delivered a strong one-two showing.

It was the third time in Verstappen's brief Formula One career that he had topped the session times

and did so in front of thousands of supporters camping under the trees in the unexpected heat-wave conditions.

German Nico Huelkenberg was third-fastest for Force India ahead of his compatriot Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, Mexican Sergio Perez in the second Force India and championship contender Nico Rosberg of Mercedes.

Rosberg had been fastest in a Mercedes onetwo ahead of championship leader and defending champion Lewis Hamilton in the morning session, but both men concentrated on preparation for the race with long runs on medium tyres.

Hamilton, as he had in the morning, had a new power unit installed and will face a massive grid penalty for the race along

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands waits outside his garage during the first practice session at the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix circuit in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Friday, August 26. (AP Photo)

with several other penal- Alonso of McLaren Honda. ised drivers including twoFinn Kimi Raikkonen, time champion Fernando newly married during the

month-long European summer break, was seventh in the second Ferrari ahead of Frenchman Romain Grosjean of Haas, Briton Jenson Button of McLaren and Mexican Esteban Gutierrez in the second Haas.

Hamilton, clearly focused on his race rather than qualifying, was 13th, one place behind Alonso, who was 12th for McLaren having missed out on the morning session due to a water leak.

The team was forced to change his power unit and install a new one, which led to him taking a grid penalty.

Both Rosberg, who trails Hamilton by 19 points in the title race with nine races remaining, and Hamilton were given new Mercedes power-units for the opening free session, a move that the team con-

firmed will bring Hamilton at least a 15-place penalty on the grid.

After taking a second power unit for the second session, Hamilton is expected to have another installed for third practice on Saturday morning, actions that may lead to him taking an overall record grid penalty of 75 places.

A series of engine failures early in the year meant Hamilton quickly reached the limit of new parts he is allowed for the season while Rosberg, who won the opening four races without problems, is within the limits.

Mercedes policy is aimed to be as fair as possible to both drivers and to give Hamilton sufficient new parts to last for the rest of the season with all of his penalties served at one race.

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