Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com
MPL, the fOOtball league with a difference ( Sunday Post Supplement )
DIMAPUR sunday, june 12, 2016
Vol XXVI No. 184
Hopeful of solution by this year: Gov
Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, JUN 11 (NPN): Nagaland Governor P.B.Acharya, dwelling on the much-hyped about solution to the Naga political issue, expressed the hope that it would be achieved within this year but admitted however, that its contents were unknown to him. Interacting with journalists of the local newspapers at the Circuit House here Saturday evening, the Governor expressed full faith in the August 3 Peace Accord/Framework and appealed for unity among the Nagas. Acharya touched on various issues that were matters of concern in the state such as corruption, backdoor appointments, poor performance of government schools, implementation of central schemes, and expectation of solution of the Naga political issue lamented on the poor performance of government schools at the recently declared results of HSLC and HSSLC examinations. Acharya said there was need for a serious review of the education department over the poor performance of government schools, despite expenditure of a huge amount of money. He also came down hard against the issue of proxy teachers and strongly wanted that stringent actions be taken against those involved. Having lauded the performance of private schools in the HSLC and HSSLC ex-
Will win at least 20 LS seats from NE in 2019: NEDA
New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI): Himanta Biswa Sarma, who defected from Congress to BJP and played a key role in its big Assam win, and former Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, a new entrant to the saffron party, were on Saturday inducted into its National Executive, a day before it meets for a two-day session in Allahabad. Meanwhile, BJP has set sight on at least 20 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the North Eastern region, including Sikkim, through its North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), which was formed immediately after BJP’s chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal was sworn in on May 24 in Assam. NEDA convenor and BJP’s master strategist, former Congressman, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “BJP president Amit Shah is confident of winning at least 20 seats and we have started working towards this goal.” BJP’s national council meeting on Sunday at Lucknow is expected to focus on Northeast for 2019 election. BJP also brought several new faces to its key body, the highlight being some former Congress leaders, including former Odisha chief minister and tribal leader Giridhar Gamang and former union minister K P Singh Deo, also from that state. Party sources said these leaders were inducted keeping in mind their “stature”, the need to the strengthen party in states like Odisha and the to make the body more representative.
This is it!
“It’s time for you to retire from watching football midni ght t o m o rn i n g daily. You have other responsibilities too.” K Y M C
P.B. Acharya interacting with mediapersons on Saturday.
aminations, the Governor was also critical of commercialisation of private institutions. He mentioned exorbitant fees and opined that they should be not more than Rs.200 or Rs.300 monthly per head. On recent widely publicised rampant corruption and backdoor appointments, irregularities in implementation of schemes, Acharya suggested there was need to “suitably” strengthen the Vigilance Commission and urged the State government to immediately enact and appoint Lokayukta. He also disclosed that a State Level function would be conducted for the upcoming International Yoga Day on June 21 at IG Stadium, Kohima from 7 a.m to 8 a.m. He also informed said there would also be simultaneous district level functions. In this regard, the Governor appealed to all , especially children to participate in the programme.
On another level, the Governor spoke of the abundant “ human resource with hidden energy” among women highly placed people, bureaucrats, defense officials, senior citizens groups/forums, ex-servicemen, NSS, ESM, NGOs etc, which could be gainfully channelized for positive endeavours. Meanwhile, the Governor also informed he has initiated a six-month Certificate Course on learning dialects of states of north east India, under the acronym –‘NAMASTE’ States (N-Nagaland, A-Arunachal, M-Manipur, AAssam, M-Mizoram and Meghalaya, S-Sikkim, T-Tripura and East) eight states with various reputed Universities from across the country. Governor, P.B. Acharya, who is also the chairman of NEZCC, held a departmental meeting with NEZCC officials and staffs on at NEZCC conference hall Dimapur. During the meeting,
Pak Army Chief Asks US To Bomb Taliban Hideouts In Afghanistan
Acharya highlighted on the importance of the department and how it would be able to bring change not only within the state but also at the national level. It would also create friendship and unity among the other states, he added. Acharya also discussed about providing appropriate facilities to the staffs and encouraged them to work hard and let the world know about their work and existence. Acharya also visited Gamadi Vidya Bharati Residential School at Dhansiripar, Dimapur. He interacted with the principal, teachers and staffs and discussed about various issues and problems faced by the school. Highlighting about Jan Dhan Yojana, Acharya asked the headmaster and the board members of the school to submit the list of parents of the students, before July 15, to open their accounts under the scheme. He also emphasized on the importance of girl education and opined that “if girls are educated, the whole family is educated”. He encouraged the teachers to enroll more girl child in the school and also expressed his willingness to bear the expenses of any girl child who could not afford to pay for their education. Later, Acharya accompanied by his wife, planted two trees in the school campus to mark the World Environment Day.
Modi, Shah offer UP CM’s post to Rajnath ALLAHABAD, JUN 11 (AGENCIES): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah had offered to make Home Minister Rajnath Singh the chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh, informed sources said on Saturday. Modi and Shah made the formal offer during the last budget session of Parliament, the sources said. Sources also said that BJP was desperate to win the UP polls, and that there was no other face with the stature like Rajnath. Rajnath Singh, who does not seem to be very attracted by the offer, has not officially communicated his response to the party leadership. “The reports about Rajnath Singh being projected as chief ministerial candidate are not true. In fact, no decision in this regard has been taken yet,” a BJP leader close to RSS told IANS on the conditions of anonymity. The BJP leader, who is also an office bearer in the Uttar Pradesh unit, however, added: “But it is true that Rajnath Singh was offered the party’s chief ministerial candidature a month ago.” The BJP leadership feels that Rajnath, who was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh between 2000 and 2002, is still the only reliable face of the party in the state and can give a contest to both BSP chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
(9)
Pages 12 ` 4.00
Protect rights of domestic workers: Peseyie
Peseyie along with the participants of the ‘North East Domestic Workers’ Week’ . (NP) Correspondent
KOHIMA, JUN 11 (NPN): Nagaland minister of social welfare and parliamentary affairs, Kiyanilie Peseyie, on Saturday asserted that the basic rights of domestic workers should be upheld and protected. Addressing the North East Domestic Workers’ Week (June 10-16, 2016) Regional Conference as chief guest at St. Joseph’s college Bishop Abraham memorial Indoor stadium, Jakhama, the minister called for creating a just society for all domestic workers, where they were treated with dignity and justice, their rights upheld, contributions recognized and their voices heard. He also stressed the need to abolish child domestic work and allow children to enjoy mainstream education and fuller childhood. Kiyanilie further appealed to all responsible to
commit themselves to promoting and ensuring participation of domestic workers in struggle of injustice and discrimination. Stating that most domestic workers were from the marginalized sections of society and most of them were migrants, part time to full time, skilled and unskilled workers, the minister said they were however not protected under the scope of labour laws in India. The minister disclosed that social and welfare department under the Ministry of Women and Child Development and Social Justice and Empowerment provided many schemes such as life and disability cover, child welfare schemes, health and maternity benefits, old age protection, old age homes etc as a social security under welfare boards. In her speech, the director social science department, ADBU Guwahati, Dr. Riju Sharma, said that hosting such
event provided a platform to generate critical thinking on strategies and methodologies to improve the conditions of domestic workers. She said it also help extend networks and communication between all key stakeholders for upholding the rights and dignity of this huge workforce, which was highly invisible, unnoticed, unrecognized and uncared for. Dr. Sharma said there was serious need to deliberate on the link between domestic workers and the deficiency of quality, accessible and affordable care services, which, she said, was also linked to the context of ageing societies and changing family structure necessitating more care services. She said various challenges needed to turn into opportunities and not just to express the pain, but to empower the workers and provide them their entitlements and respect which they deserved. (Cont’d on p-7)
ACAUT Wokha unit reaffirms BJP, Cong fight for RS seats marred by cross voting ‘one govt one taxation’ resolution DIMAPUR, JUN 11 (NPN): ACAUT Nagaland, Wokha Unit, which held a coordination meeting with all the GBs, VDB members and frontal organizations of Wokha district at Lotha Tribal Council Hall, Wokha town on Saturday, has adopted a seven-point resolution, in which the house reaffirmed the October 31, 2013 “Naga public rally resolution” of “one government one taxation”. In a press release, ACAUT Wokha unit, media cell, stated that the resolutions were adopted after discussing several issues including “various demands & summons made by Naga underground factions, dedication, truth and honesty of every leader irrespective of village/jobs while in the service of the people etc”. After thorough deliberation, the house resolved that no public/ village leader would be allowed to be summoned anywhere anytime by any NPG/individual without the knowledge of the ACAUT. It was resolved that if any problem/hassle was created by any person/underground the matter would be dealt seriously with the
person concerned at the personal/ individual level. The house also resolved that if any HoD or any VDB secretary was found to be paying money to any NPG, the individual concerned would be held fully responsible and an FIR would be immediately filed etc. They further resolved that if any village/leader/ACAUT leader was summoned or arrested, the whole Lotha community would “move in solidarity to be with the village or person.” The house noted that some VDB secretaries were paying taxes to the NPGs “against the wishes of the Naga people.” In this regard, ACAUT Wokha unit endorsed the matter to the Wokha district VDB Association to verify and submit the result to the ACAUT Wokha unit within seven days from the date of this publication. “If we are to live we shall live together and if we die we shall die together,” the house resolved. Meanwhile, ACAUT Wokha unit has expressed appreciation to the district administration and the SP Wokha for providing security during the meeting.
New Delhi, Jun 11 (AGENCIES): The BJP made significant gains in the Rajya Sabha by winning 12 seats on Saturday, thus marginally narrowing the gap with the opposition Congress in the upper house where the ruling party is in a minority. At the end of the voting for 27 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka, the Congress won six, the Samajwadi Party seven and the Bahujan Samaj Party two. A total of 58 Rajya Sabha seats from 16 states were vacant for the last two months. Thirty candidates were elected unopposed last month. The BJP made a clean sweep in Rajasthan where all its four candidates, including Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and senior leader Om Prakash Mathur, were elected. Harshvardhan Singh and Ramkumar Verma were the other two BJP winners. The BJP clinched both seats - union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Mahesh Podaar - in Jharkhand amid allegations of crossvoting that helped it to defeat a supposedly united opposition in the
state. “The BJP is murdering democracy. Money power played a key role in the Rajya Sabha poll,” JVM-P President Babulal Marandi said, after the polls triggered controvery. In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP won two seats and the Congress one. The BJP winners were former journalist M.J. Akbar and Anil Madhav Dave. The Congress candidate was Vivek Tankha. Union minister Birender Singh won comfortably in Haryana. But the surprise victory in the state was BJP-backed media baron Subhash Chandra. Thirteen votes of Congress legislators were rejected, handing over the victory to Chandra. He defeated Delhi-based lawyer and Congress and INLD-supported candidate R.K. Anand. In Karnataka, Union Minister for Industries and Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman won for the BJP while the ruling Congress got three seats. The Congress winners were its stalwarts Oscar Fernandes, Jairam Ramesh and K.C. Ramamurthy. In Uttar Pradesh, all seven candidates of the ruling Samajwadi Party won easily. The winners included two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidates while one seat each went to the BJP and the Congress.
In Uttarakhand, Congress candidate Pradeep Tamta was declared elected for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in the hill state despite strong differences of opinion within the party over his candidature.
Cross voting
Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh Saturday saw cross-voting by a BJP MLA while another party legislator claimed that she was prevented from voting. BJP MLA Vijay Bahadur Yadav cross voted in favor of a Samajwadi Party candidate. “I voted on the basis of development done by the Chief Minister and I am ready to make any sacrifice,” he said. BJP MLA from Khaga Fatehpur constituency, Krishna Paswan alleged she was prevented from voting while MLA Sangeet Som alleged that there was misbehavior with his party legislators. BJP-backed Independent candidate for Rajya Sabha seat in Uttarakhand, Geeta Thakur, who retired from the contest on eve of the polls has resigned from the party accusing it of suffering from an “anti-Dalit mindset”. The BJP got another setback with its Bhimtal MLA Dan Singh Bhandari tendering his resignation
from the membership of the state Assembly to Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal last night. In Bengaluru, eight ‘rebel’ lawmakers of the JD-S face suspension from the regional party for ‘crossvoting’ in the biennial election to the four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka on Saturday, a party spokesman said. “Eight of our MLAs (lawmakers) face suspension for defying the party’s whip and cross voting in favour of Congress candidate (K.C. Ramamurthy) instead of voting for our official nominee B.M. Farook, who lost the contest,” JD-S spokesman Ramesh Babu said. As the Rajya Sabha polls are held with an open ballot system, every voter has to show the ballot paper to the respective party’s official agent before casting the vote. The major jolt for Congress came in Haryana where the party suffered through heavy cross-voting by its 14 MLAs that led to the defeat of the party-backed Independent candidate R K Anand who was mainly fielded by its arch rival INLD. Subhash Chandra, a media baron, defeated Anand, a senior lawyer and a former MP, after 14 votes of Congress were rejected.
India begins work on bridge linking NE to Chittagong Cap on ticket cancellation NEW DELHI, JUN 11 (AGNCIES): India started work on building a bridge over the Feni river in Tripura to ferry heavy machines and goods to and from the Northeastern states and the rest of India via Bangladesh through the Chittagong international port, top official said here on Saturday. The Bangladesh government has earlier agreed to allow India to use the Chittagong port, about 72 km from Tripura’s southern border town of Sabroom. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina jointly laid the foundation stone of the bridge during the former’s two-day visit to Dhaka on June 6—7, 2015. “India has completed preliminary work including making detailed project report to build the bridge in Tripura to access Chittagong port to carry goods and heavy machineries for the northeast region,” Tripura’s Public Works Department (PWD) National Highway wing Chief Engineer Dipak Ranjan Das told reporters. “The DPR after
some modification would be resubmitted to the Road Transport and Highways Ministry (MoRTH) next week for release of funds,” Das said. The official said New Delhi would build the double-lane bridge and approach roads both in Bangladesh and India at its own cost and gave responsibility to Tripura PWD to construct the bridge and related approach roads. Das said that after the finalisation of the tender, two and a half years time would be required to build the 150metre-long bridge and other necessary facilities. “A joint team of senior officials of India and Bangladesh recently visited Sabroom [in India] and Ramgarh [in Bangladesh] to initiate construction work and finalise other ground works,” Tripura PWD Minister Badal Choudhury told IANS. “The proposed bridge, to be built at a cost of Rs 94 crore, would be the trading lifeline not only for northeast India but also neighbouring South Asian countries,” Choudhury said.
Referring Bangladesh Industry Minister Alhaz Amir Hossain Amu’s declaration last week here, Tripura Minister said: “Both Bangladesh and India are very keen to intensify trade and business with the northeast region and also set up joint venture projects for the benefit of the two neighbours.” During Mr. Modi’s visit last year, both the countries had signed an agreement promising that Bangladesh would allow use of Chittagong sea port and Mongla river port for the movement of goods to and from India. A Tripura Industry and Commerce Department official said various other tourism-related amenities and infrastructure would also be constructed in and around the bridge area, 135 km south of Tripura capital Agartala. The Northeast Frontier Railway has started laying broad gauge tracks to extend its network up to border town Sabroom and extension of railway line linking Bangladesh’s Akhaurah railway station, just
five kilometres from Agartala railway station. The National Highway—8, which connects Tripura with rest of India, has been extended up to Sabroom border town. The northeastern states are surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan as well as China and the only land route access to these states from within India is through Assam. But this route passes through hilly terrain with steep roads and multiple hairpin bends. Chaudhur y said: “If Dhaka provides transit facilities to India and if we can use the Chittagong international port and other ports in Bangladesh, commodities and machinery can be transported to the northeast from various parts of India and abroad, saving huge time and money.” “The transit between northeast India and rest of the country and abroad via Bangladesh is likely to become a reality in near future,” he said. On an average, the distance between important cities of Bangladesh and northeast India is 30 km to 100 km. Agartala via
Guwahati is 1,650 km from Kolkata by road and 2,637 km from New Delhi, while the distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh is just about 500 to 600 km, depending upon the mode of transportation. The Food Corporation of India had last year ferried 35,000 tonnes of rice in different phases to Tripura from Visakhapatnam port in Andhra Pradesh and Kolkata port via Bangladesh using the Ashuganj river ports and Bangladesh highways. Ashuganj river port is just 40 km from Agartala. In 2012, Bangladesh had allowed the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to ferry heavy machinery, turbines and over—dimensional cargoes through Ashuganj port for the 726—MW Palatana mega power project in southern Tripura. Sceptics were apprehensive about the development, saying when the government was talking about completely sealing the border to check influx of illegal immigrants, on the other hand they were building bridges.
charge, less baggage fee
N EW D EL H I , J U N 11(AGENCIES): Fliers will soon have a reason to smile as the government on Saturday proposed a cap on ticket cancellation charges, increased compensation for being denied boarding and introduced a steep cut in excess baggage fees levied by airlines. “The measures are being proposed as there have been complaints from passengers that issues are not getting resolved within a reasonable time,” said civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, at a press conference here. Suggesting a slew of passenger-centric measures, the civil aviation ministry said airlines will have to refund all statutory taxes in case of flight cancellations. In case of flight cancellations announced within 24 hours of departure, the compensation amount has been enhanced to up to Rs 10,000. In addition, refunds will also be applicable on all fares, including promotional and spe-
cial rates. “It shall also be the prerogative of the passenger to decide whether to get a cash refund or hold the amount in credit.” Minister Raju also said airlines must ensure that refunds on cancelled tickets were made within 15 days, even if the bookings were made through agents or online portals. Av i a t i o n r e g u l a t o r DGCA has proposed that “under no circumstances the cancellation charges be more than the basic fare” and carriers cannot levy additional charge to process the refund. In case of checked-in baggage, the airlines will charge Rs 100 per kilogram for baggage weight in excess of 15 kg, and up to 20 kg. Currently, Rs 300 is levied on every kilogram of baggage beyond the 15-kg limit. With regard to denied boarding, mainly due to overbooking, the government has proposed compensation of up to Rs 20,000 subject to certain conditions. K Y M C