April 17, 2021

Page 1

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXXI No. 130

DIMAPUR, SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 2021 Pages 12 ` 5.00

Chahar guides CSK to 6-wkt win over Punjab

Follow us on

nagalandpostofficial

Watch us on YouTube

@Nagaland_Post

sports, Page 12

India records over 2L new cases for 2nd day Centre to ramp up vaccine production NEW DELHI, APR 16 (PTI): As India recorded over two lakh new COVID19 cases for the second straight day, the Centre on Friday unveiled plans to ramp up output of indigenous vaccine Covaxin ten times to reach 10 crore doses by September and accelerate the manufacture of antiviral drug remdesivir, and also called for increasing the production of medical oxygen. In the wake of reports of shortage of the medical grade oxygen for COVID-19 patients in different parts of the country in the last few days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a comprehensive review to ensure its adequate supply, and said steps should be taken to augment the production. He also asked officials to ensure

ACAUT welcomes resolution of Konyaks on taxation DIMAPUR, APR 16 (NPN): Welcoming the resolution of the Konyak community to temporarily refrain from paying any tax to any Naga political groups (NPGs) until they stand united for a unified Naga solution, the ACAUT Nagaland Friday said that all Naga tribes needed to publicly issue similar declaration in all the other districts. ACAUT through its media cell stated that “this path breaking decision” at this point of Naga history was “as revolutionary as the plebiscite of 1951”. ACAUT stated that the strongest assertion in memorandum to Simon Commission in 1929 was that “we are afraid that new and heavy taxes will be imposed on us” because of which “our land will be sold and will have no share in the land of our birth.” Today, that political consciousness has become “an antithesis to our own people by our so called leaders,” ACAUT said. It asserted that the biggest fear and dread of the Naga public was the “unabated taxes by the various splinter groups that profess the same objective without any vision.” Further, ACAUT also drew attention to the recent declaration of Naga Tribal Union, Chumoukedima Town (NTUCT) reaffirming “One Government, One Tax” as the rampant taxations by various Naga political groups was “killing (Cont’d on p-8)

This is it!

“Obeying SOP by wearing mask has discoloured half my face. No more mask for me.” K Y M C

Four hurt in clash in Ukhrul northeast, Page 4

Another committee for RIIN formed at consultative meeting

infections in a day taking the total tally to 1,42,91,917, while active cases surpassed the 15-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. On Thursday, the ministry said 2,00,739 new cases were reported in a span of 24 hours. The death toll increased to 1,74,308 with 1,185 new fatalities, the highest since September 19 last, the data updated at 8 am showed. Registering a steady rise for the 37th day in a row, the active cases rose to 15,69,743, comprising 10.98 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID recovery rate dropped to 87.80 per cent, the ministry said. The Department of Biotechnology(DBT) said Covaxin’s production will be doubled by May-June and that it has roped in three seamless and free movement country. public sector companies to of tankers carrying this India added a record increase the capacity. commodity throughout the 2,17,353 new coronavirus As part of the aug-

mentation plan, capacities of Bharat Biotech Limited as well as other public sector manufactures are being upgraded with required infrastructure and technology, it added. Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) have developed Covaxin, one of the two vaccines being used in the ongoing nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive. Financial support of around Rs 65 crore is being provided as grant by the Centre to Bharat Biotech’s new Bangalore facility which is being repurposed to increase the capacity of vaccine production, the DBT said. The Centre will also provide financial assistance of Rs 65 crore to Haffkine Biopharmaceutical Corporation Ltd, Mumbai – a public sector undertaking (PSU) under the Maharashtra government, the DBT said.

State records 22 new Covid cases; 1 more dead

CISCE defers class Rio bats for law to protect citizens of other States chief minister Neiphiu Rio of Nagaland in other states. In this, he cited 10 and 12 exams in hisNagaland keynote address at the Consultative the cases in Sikkim, Tripura and Assam

DIMAPUR, APR 16 (NPN): Nagaland’s Covid19 caseload rose to 12504 after 22 new cases were recorded on Friday while the death toll rose to 94 after one more person succumbed to the disease. According to health department data 15 positive cases were reported in Dimapur, 4 in Kohima, 2 in Mokokchung and 1 in Longleng, taking the active cases to 139. Meanwhile, out of 282 passengers that arrived by flight on April 14, the samples of two persons tested positive for Coivd out of 46 samples that were tested, while four persons have so far tested positive for Covid out of 80 samples that were taken on April 15 after arrival of 361 passengers. More reports are awaited, officials sources said.

Schools suspended in parts of Mkg

In view of the detection of COVID-19 positive cases in some schools in Mokokchung, the district administration has ordered suspension of offline classes for all the schools from April 17 to May 2, 2021 under Mokokchung municipal area and in Ungma, Chuchuyimpang, Khensa and Mokokchung and continue with online classes. I n a n o r d e r, D C Mokokchung advised all the parents of school students to take utmost precautionary measures and discourage their children from unnecessary loitering outside their homes. However, DC stated that ongoing HSLC/HSSLC examination would continue by strictly observing

all the laid down SOPs. The order cautioned that failure to comply with all the guidelines would attract penalization. In another order, DC has authorized All Ward Union to enforce compulsory wearing of masks in public places with effect from April 17. DC also asked the MMC and MCCI to ensure hand washing/ hand sanitizing facilities in all business establishments and compulsory wearing of masks by customers/ traders. Police and magistrates have been authorized to carry out random checking of COVID-19 regulation violators in the district. Citizens have been urged to follow Covid-19 protocols.

NEW DELHI, APR 16 (PTI): Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) on Friday deferred the board exams for classes 10 and 12 in view of a rise in COVID19 cases across the country. In light of the nationwide surge in coronavirus cases, the class 10 and 12 exams which were to be held from May 4 have been deferred, CISCE’s chief executive and secretary Gerry Arathoon said. “We will closely monitor the situation and review it in the first week of June to take a final decision on conduct of examination,” he said. “While class 12 exams will be conducted at a later stage, class 10 students will get an option to either appear in offline exams later or get evaluated...” he added.

COVID predominantly transmitted through air: Lancet study NEW DELHI, APR 16 (PTI): There is consistent, strong evidence to prove that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, behind the COVID-19 pandemic, is predominantly transmitted through the air, according to a new assessment published on Friday in The Lancet journal. The analysis by six experts from the UK, the US and Canada says public health measures that fail to treat the virus as predomi-

nantly airborne leave people unprotected and allow the virus to spread. “The evidence supporting airborne transmission is overwhelming, and evidence supporting large droplet transmission is almost nonexistent,” said Jose-Luis Jimenez, from the University of Colorado Boulder in the US. “It is urgent that the World Health Organization and other public health

agencies adapt their description of transmission to the scientific evidence so that the focus of mitigation is put on reducing airborne transmission,” Jimenez said. The team, led by researchers at the University of Oxford in the UK, reviewed published research and identified 10 lines of evidence to support the predominance of the airborne route. Studies have confirmed

these events cannot be adequately explained by close contact or touching shared surfaces or objects, the researchers said in their assessment. They noted that transmission rates of SARSCoV-2 are much higher indoors than outdoors, and transmission is greatly reduced by indoor ventilation. (Read more on www. nagalandpost.com)

Correspondent

KOHIMA, APR 16 (NPN): After the day-long consultative meeting convened by the state government on implementation of the government’s Register of Indigenous Inhabitant of Nagaland (RIIN) with all tribal hohos of the state at the Chief Minister’s Residential Office here Saturday, it was decided to constitute the Joint Consultative Committee JCC) at the state level and a Subcommittee at the district level. Briefing media persons at the New Secretariat here, Adviser IT&C, Science & Technology, NER, Mmhonlumo Kikon disclosed that the JCC will be headed by the Home Commissioner and Commissioner Nagaland as member-secretary and representatives from Eastern Nagaland People’s

KOHIMA, APR 16 (NPN): After a revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for social gatherings was issued Friday (See graphic), the State government will take a call on SOPs for schools and public transport in a few days’ time. Mentioning this at a press briefing at civil secretariat here on Friday, adviser and High Powered Committee (HPC) spokesperson Mmhonumo Kikon said a full report for schools and public transport was awaited from the Health (H&FW) department. On whether educational institutions would be closed, Home commissioner Abhijit Sinha, who too was present, said this would be known only after the H&FW department submitted its report, adding that a decision would be taken as early as Monday or Tuesday.

COVID-19: REVISED SOP

Organisation, Central Nagaland Tribes Council and Tenyimi People’s Organisation. At the district level, the sub-committee will be headed by respective deputy commissioners as convenors and representatives of tribal hohos of the respective districts. The meeting also decided to leave open opportunities for Nagaland Garo Tribal Council, Kuki Inpi, etc, as co-opted members. Kikon said the government will be shortly issuing a notification after which

meeting pointed out that the state has the legitimate rights to formulate its own laws and regulations in the interests of its people in pursuance of the 16 Point Agreement which formed the basis for creation of Nagaland as a state. He said such councils were therefore legal and mandated by the Act under the constitution of India, DIPR report said. While emphasising that ILP should be introduced in Dimapur district, he however said there were inherent problems since Dimapur was a metropolitan City. Therefore, there was a need to formulate a law to protect not only Nagas but also people of other states. He said people of other states cannot be harassed while “working on the system of RIN or implementing the Act’. Rio took the stand that while identification of indigenous people of Nagas of Nagaland was not a problem as much as it was with regard to identification of Nagas

Monsoon to be normal this year NEW DELHI, APR 16 (PTI): T he Southwest monsoon, which brings nearly 75 per cent of rainfall to the country, is expected to be normal this year, the IMD said on Friday. Rainfall in Odisha, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya is likely to be below normal, but normal or above normal in the rest of the country, said M Rajeevan, secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences. He said IMD will also issue month-wise forecasts during the next four months and also for the homogenous regions.

Govt issues revised SOP; to decide on school, public transport soon Correspondent

Participants at the consultative meeting on RIIN, Friday. (DIPR)

Referring to some States that had closed all educational institutions, he said the State government was monitoring the situation and would take a decision accordingly. To a query on reports of some students appearing for their of classes 10 and 12 board exams showing COVID symptoms, especially in Dimapur, Kikon replied that he was not sure about these students. However, he said clear instructions had been given to all schools that COVID positive students or those showing symptoms should be tested and they would be exempted from giving the exams. He explained that such students would be isolated and provisions would be made to allow them to give exams later even after the scheduled examinations once they (Cont’d on p-8) test negative.

JCC would operate at the state and district levels for all purposes pertaining to RIIN and any matter relating to it. He said JCC would cease to exist once the RIIN issue was resolved and policy put in place and tabled in the Assembly for adoption. DIPR in its report informed that all tribal hohos at the meeting insisted that the report of Banuo Z Jamir commission’s report should be made known to the public before implementation. (Cont’d on p-8)

where indigenous people have become minorities in their own states. Rio also suggested forming a groups at the state and district levels. At state level it would comprise of apex tribal hohos and at district level it could comprise of respective tribal hohos and MLAs. Dy CM: Deputy CM, Y. Patton reiterated that RIIN was to strengthen the entire process of identifying indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland. On the issue of ULBs he said the state government was obligated under constitution to adopt the new system which is reflected in the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001. He said ULBs were created with aims and objectives to facilitate sustainable growth and to establish conducive urban governance as administrative headquarters like Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung have experienced rapid urbanization.

‘Geo Park’ inaugurated at G&M directorate Dimapur

Geo Park at geology and mining directorate, Dimapur. (NP)

Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, APR 16 (NPN): “Geo Park” studded with different rocks found in Nagaland was inaugurated at the directorate of geology and mining here on Friday. Speaking at inaugural function, director DGM, S Manen, stated that the park was a combination and assimilation of different rocks found in Nagaland such as grey/black limestones, black marble, sandstone, conglomerate, silicate rock, basaltpillow lava, spilite, gabbro, serpentinite, chert etc. He said that the concept of the park besides beautification of the office was to help academicians familiarise with different rocks. Manen said the rocks were initially planned to be erected previous year, but owing to the pandemic, the work could start only at the beginning of this year. G&M director expressed hope that the park

would be an eye opener and benefit the public. Delivering keynote address, geologist David Lhoupenyi, stated that a seven-member committee was set up for the park. He said rocks were brought from Waziho, Moke, Ziphu, Sutuza, etc., of Phek and some parts of Kiphire. Stating that the park was an example of work of sacrifice, Lhoupenyi also expressed hope that the park would motivate to achieve greater things in the future. Delivering shor t speech, SDO (C) Hotolu Sema appreciated the department for taking initiative to construct the park. He hoped that it would serve its purpose of providing knowledge to academicians. SDO (C) also maintained that geology and mining department has set an example for other governmental departments and hoped that they would follow suit. K Y M C


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.