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Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXXI No. 143

DIMAPUR, FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021 Pages 12 ` 5.00

Shaw’s six 4s set up DC’s 7-wkt win over KKR

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sports, Page 12

Myanmar junta says rockets fired at 2 air bases international, Page 9

India Covid-19 tally crosses 1.83 cr Exit polls: Tight race in Bengal, BJP ahead in Assam MHA issues fresh guidelines to States

Family members carry out the last rites during a funeral procession in Kanpur, Thursday. (PTI)

Records over 3.79 lakh cases, 3645 deaths in one day NEW DELHI, APRIL 29 (PTI): India saw a record single day rise of 3,79,257 new coronavirus infections pushing the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,83,76,524, while active cases crossed the 30-lakh mark, the Health Minis-

State records 181 fresh Covid cases

DIMAPUR, APR 29 (NPN): Nagaland on Thursday reported 181 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the total caseload to 13750. Of the fresh cases, 132 were reported from Dimapur, 42 from Kohima, three from Mokokchung and one each from Kiphire, Mon, Phek and Zunheboto. With this the active cases in the State rose to 1072. Meanwhile, after 29 more persons recovered from the infection on Thursday, the tally of those who have recuperated stood at 12212. Further, a total of 202957 beneficiaries have received the Covid vaccine till April 29-- 161367 first dose and 41590 second dose.

Revised:Closure of NH-29 stretch

DIMAPUR, APR 29 (NPN): In partial modification of the April 28 order and in pursuance of the Gauhati High Court, Kohima bench directive, regarding blockage of traffic movement in order to facilitate the progress of the four-lane construction works, DC Dimapur has ordered total restriction of all movement from Chathe River Bridge (Patkai Jn.) to Medziphema town junction from 7a.m. May 1 till 5 a.m. May 3 and from 7 a.m. May 8 till 5 a.m. May 10. Public have been advised to take the alternative route from Dimapur Kohima/KohimaDimapur for light vehicles only via 7th Mile-New DC office- Shokhuvi-RazapheMhaikam-Pimla- Mhainamtsi-Maova-New Socunoma-Sirhi Angami-SirhimaSFS School-Medziphema town and vice versa.

This is it!

“How I long for the good old days when kids cried for toys and not for mobile phones” K Y M C

try stated on Thursday. The death toll increased to 2,04,832 with a record 3,645 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. Registering a steady increase, the active cases have increased to 30,84,814 comprising 16.79% of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further dropped to 82.10%. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,50, 86,878.

The Centre directed the states and Union territories on Thursday to go for intensive and local containment measures in districts with a high number of COVID-19 cases to check the spread of the viral disease. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), however, did not mention anything about the imposition of a lockdown anywhere in the country in the fresh guidelines issued in view of the pandemic for May. It told the states to take necessary action to ensure sufficient oxygen-supported beds, ICU beds, ventilators, ambulances, including creation of makeshift hospitals. MHA asked the states to identify the districts where either the COVID positivity rate was more than 10 per cent or the bed occupancy

was over 60 per cent in the last one week. The districts fulfilling any of the above two criteria should be considered for intensive and local containment measures, the MHA said in a statement. The implementation framework for community containment and large containment areas, as advised by the health ministry, has also been enclosed with MHA order. MHA also asked the states to consider the containment measures, as conveyed in an advisory issued by the health ministry on April 25 for immediate implementation based on an assessment of the situation. The national directives for COVID-19 management shall continue to be strictly followed throughout the country, it said. MHA order shall be effective till May 31.

Fresh consolidated guidelines for State Govt declares summer break for schools, colleges DIMAPUR, APR 29 (NPN): Nagaland government on Thursday issued fresh consolidated guidelines for implementation throughout the State with effect from April 30 till May 13, 2021. The state government has declared summer break for all schools and colleges with effect from the date of issue of this order until fur-

ther notice. It further stated that all coaching/vocational institutions/student hostels etc. shall remain closed. However, online/ distance learning shall continue to be permitted and encouraged. It has also imposed restrictions on social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious functions and other large congregations, which will be permitted outside the containment zones with not more than 30% of the capacity of the hall, venue, ground or 100 persons, whichever is lower, subject to COVID-19 appropriate behaviors.

Religious places, place of worship will be permitted to open outside the containment zones subject to a maximum of 30% of the capacity of the hall/building at any point of time or 100 persons, whichever is lower, and with strict adherence to all the provisions of the SOP. It has asked the respective District Task Force to take suitable decisions as per the local situations to further reduce the maximum allowable capacities that has been mentioned.

NEW DELHI, APR 29 (PTI): Exit polls on Thursday forecast a tight contest between the incumbent Trinamool Congress and the BJP in the high-profile West Bengal assembly polls and put the saffron combine ahead in Assam, while projecting a win for the ruling Left alliance in Kerala, DMK-led opposition in Tamil Nadu and in the union territory of Puducherry to the opposition alliance of AINRC-BJP-AIADMK. West Bengal: Exit polls were, however, divided in their forecast for West Bengal polls, where BJP ran a high-octane campaign in its bid to capture power for the first time by ending Mamata Banerjee’s 10-year old reign. Republic-CNX polls gave the BJP a slight edge by protecting 138-148 seats for the party in the 294-seat assembly and 128-138 to the TMC. However, Times Now-C Voter predicted a clear majority for TMC by projecting 158 seats and 115 for BJP. Jan Ki Baat exit polls, however, predicted a strong majority for BJP, giving it 162-185 seats, against 104-121 to the ruling TMC. Assam: In Assam, India Today-Axis My India

W.Bengal (294 Seats) India Today-Axis My India BJP 134-160 TMC 130-156 Republic-CNX polls BJP 138-148 TMC 128-138 Times Now-C Voter BJP 115 TMC 158 Jan Ki Baat BJP 162-185 TMC 104-121

Kerala (140 Seats) India Today-Axis My India LDF 104 UDF 20-36 Today’s Chanakya LDF 93-111 UDF 26-44 Republic-CNX polls LDF 72-80 UDF 54-64 Jan Ki Baat LDF 72-80 UDF 58-64

predicted 75-85 seats for the BJP-led combine in the 126member assembly and 40-50 to the Congress-led opposition. Today’s Chanakya predicted 61-79 seats for BJP alliance and 47-65 for Congress-led opposition in Assam. Republic-CNX gave the ruling saffron alliance 74-84 and the opposition 40-50, while Times Now-C Voter gave them 65 and 59 seats respectively. Kerala: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan may defy the norm in his state of the two main alliances alternating in power by leading the CPI(M)-led alliance to another spell in power, going by various exit polls. Axis My India predicted a big win for LDF

Tamil Nadu (234 Seats) Assam (126 Seats) Republic-CNX polls Republic-CNX polls DMK 160-170 BJP 74-84 AIADMK 58-68 Cong+ 40-50

India Today-Axis My India DMK 175-195 AIADMK 38-54 Today’s Chanakya DMK 164-186 AIADMK 46-68 Times Now-C Voter DMK 160-172 AIADMK 58-70

by projecting 104 seats for it in the 140-member assembly and predicting only 20-36 seats to Congress-led UDF. Today’s Chanakya forecast 93-111 seats for the LDF and 26-44 for the UDF in 140-member strong Kerala assembly. CNX predicted a closer fight but still projected a majority of 72-80 seats for the ruling alliance against 54-64 for the opposition. Tamil Nadu: In another key southern state, Tamil Nadu, Axis My India and CNX forecast a big win for the DMK-led alliance that also includes the Congress. They gave 175-195 and 160-170 respectively for the DMK-Congress-led alliance in the 234-member assembly. The AIADMK-led

Times Now-C Voter BJP 65 Cong+ 59 India Today-Axis My India BJP 75-85 Cong+ 40-50 Today’s Chanakya BJP 61-79 Cong+ 47-65

alliance, which includes the BJP, was projected to get 3854 and 58-68 respectively. Today’s Chanakya predicted 164-186 seats for the DMK combine and 46-68 for the incumbent AIADMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu. Puducherry: Opinion polls have given a significant boost to the NDA camp in Puducherry. While the BJP has contested the polls in alliance with the AIADMK and AINRC, the Congress has allied with DMK. Exit polls prediction of 30 seats: BJP+– 19, Congress+– 10, Others – 1; Republic-CNX: BJP+ – 16-20, Congress+ – 11-13; ABPNews - C Voter: BJP+: 19-23, Congress+ 6-10, Others: 1-2.

CM seeks support from CII for Covid vaccination

DIMAPUR, APR 29 (NPN): Na- ing member companies to contribute of which flexibility had been given to galand chief minister Neiphiu Rio has to Nagaland’s endeavour to procure the State governments for reducing cut-off age to cover the age group 18-44 reached out to the corporate to fund #COVIDVaccines.” the State’s Covid vaccination drive. As the State did not have any large years. The vaccine for covering the said In a letter to Confederation of company registered within its jurisdic- age group would have to be procured Indian Industries (CII) president Uday tion, Rio wrote to Kotak that he was ap- directly by the government from the Kotak, Rio mentioned that the State proaching him to request CII-member manufacturer, he added. would be requiring 16 lakh doses of companies to “contribute generously in vaccine to cover an estimated eight lakh Nagaland’s endeavour to procure vaccines, provide these free to residents of Nagaland Pradesh Congress Com(For full details log on to people in the age-group of 18-44. He pointed out that the total cost the State and therefore stand together mittee was quick to slam Rio over his www.nagalandpost.com) of vaccine at the announced price in this fight against COVID with the tweet. Replying to his tweet NPCC for Covishield alone would be Rs 64 people of Nagaland.” said: “After proudly announcing free crore, which would be a burden on He said the companies could con- vaccination to all 18 years & above citithe “already-stretched finances of our tribute directly to CM’s Relief Fund zens two days ago, HCM now openly small State”. or in any other manner convenient to begging for contributions. Spending DIMAPUR, APR 29 (NPN): One person died Rio took to Twitter to announce them. The letter mentioned that the Rs.119.87 cr for his official residence and at least 123 katcha houses were destroyed this. He tweeted, “I have written to @ Centre had announced the Liberalised but can’t spend Rs.64 cr to provide free in a massive fire that broke out at Burma Camp, udaykotak President, Confederation of Pricing and Accelerated National vaccination to the people of Nagaland. Dimapur in the wee hours of April 29. Indian Industry @FollowCII request- Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy, as part Very unfortunate.” In a statement, RO(E), FHQ, Kenny Khing said after receiving call at around 12.10 a.m., the fire personnel from fire station Dimapur (Central) and fire station Dimapur (West) proceeded to control the fire. Four fire engines LU C K N OW, A P R 2 9 mitras. The unions have now elections on April 29,” said a there was a surge in cases along with sufficient equipment and fire person- (IANS): The various teach- asked teachers to stay away teacher leader. Special work on April 12, to postpone the nel were pressed into action. ers’ unions in Uttar Pradesh on counting day, May 2. officer, SEC, S.K. Singh had polls but our request was Khing said one male (25) was burnt to have claimed that 577 teach- On Tuesday, the Allahabad issued a letter to all the dis- ignored. We may be forced death and a total of 123 katcha houses along ers and support staff died High Court had sent a notice trict magistrates and district to boycott counting duty,” with household property worth about Rs.50 while on Panchayat poll to the SEC seeking explana- police chiefs, asking them added Sharma. Senior vicelakh was destroyed. duty in the state. tion on Covid preparedness to check the veracity of the president of UP Primary However, he said that due to intervention The unions have given and the alleged deaths. reported deaths. Teacher association, Rajenof firefighters, fire was controlled and pre- a list of the 577 deceased “The court’s issuance Sharma said they are dra Singh said, “Polls have vented from spreading further. RO(E) claimed persons to the Uttar Pradesh of the notice has not ben- yet to receive information already done the damage. that property worth about Rs.80 lakh and sur- State Election Commission efited teachers because the on the health of teachers Now counting may wreak rounding houses could be salvaged. (UPSEC). The list sent by next date of hearing in this on election duties from sev- more havoc. We are living It took fire team three hours to combat Dinesh Chandra Sharma, case is May 3, which is a day eral districts like Fatehpur, in fear.” the fire. Cause of fire could not be ascertained, president of UP Shikshak after counting day. What Balrampur, Shamli, Aligarh Officials have gone the official stated. Fire response team was led Mahasangh (UPSM), has was needed was postpone- and Hamirpur. ahead and organized a trainHe further said, “We ing session for staff on countFire personnel dousing the fire that broke by duty commander SI Bonom Konyak and names and addresses of the ment of counting at least, out at Burma Camp, Dimapur. (F&ES) 577 teachers and shiksha if not the fourth phase of had requested SEC, after ing duty on Wednesday. SI Thungathung T. Shitiri.

NPCC slams Rio

1 dead, 123 houses gutted in Dimapur fire

577 teachers on Panchayat poll duty in UP died: Unions

Tuensang: Court sentences 8 women to 1-year jail term Clueless about military ops, DIMAPUR, APR 29 (NPN): In connection with outraging the modesty of a woman by a group of women in Tuensang in 2018, the Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class Tuensang has convicted eight women for one year simple imprisonment and fine of Rs 3000 for commission of an offence under various sections of IPC. The eight convicted accused have been identified as Thritingla, Tsarila, Pongchingsonla, Tsiyupila, Livila, Chemtila, Yangtsalila and Chonglitsala. Pronouncing sentence, the court observed that the victim had an extra marital affair, but the village folks took matters into their own hands and meted out inhumane justice in their

kangaroo court. “This is a case where the village folk asserting the so called rights given unto them by the customary law, outraged the modesty of the victim in the most barbaric fashion,” the court noted. The court also noted that the village folk chose to punish the victim through their kangaroo Court. “It is such an inconceivable fact to even think that the women folk would go to the extent of chopping off a lady’s hair, stripping her and parade her naked on the roadside,” the court further noted. The accused persons in their guilty statements stated that in 2018, the women folk of the village passed a resolution wherein they decided to punish

adulterous women as per customary practices. However, the court remarked that the misconceived notion of empowering oneself with the so called “village resolutions” to do barbaric acts should be avoided at all cost. Admitting that Article 371A recognised the customary practices of the Nagas, the court, however, said that under the guise of Article 371A, if all the village folks invoked laws that uncultured civilisations practised, there would be total breakdown of law and order situation in the society. Further, the court agreed to some extent that the villagers were naive and ignorant of the codified Indian Criminal Laws.

However, the court said that criminal jurisprudence makes ignorance of law no excuse since an accused may always take the plea that he was unaware of the law in question to avoid criminal liability. Therefore, the court noted that distressing acts committed by the accused persons cannot be said to be practices, which were socially acceptable, and the accused persons cannot take refuge under the protection given in Art 371A. Considering the societal interests, the court deemed it necessary to impose sentences upon the convicts so it could act as a deterrence to the convicts as well as the society at large in taking law into their own hands.

firing on April 24, says TCVC

DIMAPUR, APR 29 (NPN): Totok Chingnyu Village Council (TCVC) has clarified that it was totally clueless of the military operation and firing incident on April 24 during which two of the three ONGC employees abducted by ULFA (I) were said to have been rescued. Reacting to reports in this regard, the council also refuted the claim of some militant organisations that the abducted three employees of ONGC Ltd were handed over to the villagers. TCVC termed it as baseless, adding that even the place of firing April 24 night seemed to have occurred not within the Totok Chingnyu jurisdiction. Stating that people of Totok strongly condemned any act dis-

turbing the peaceful atmosphere under its jurisdiction by any organisation or group, the council pointed out to the district administration that the public was living under fear psychosis for days now at this hour of weeding their field on which depended their livelihood. TCVC urged the administration to maintain law and order around its jurisdiction so as to enable the public to live in peace. This was stated in a joint statement by chief angh of Totok Tongam Angh, Totok Chingnyu head GB Langnyei Konyak, Totok Chingnyu VG post commander Wankem Konyak and Totok Chingnyu Students’ Union president Phongnyei Konyak on behalf of Totok people. K Y M C

state

Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021

Joggers’ Park, multi-purpose hall inaugurated Fire guts house at Duncan Basti government. He informed that the department had undertaken five major infrastructure projects in the state under Khelo India and which were expected to be completed by next year. Further, with the huge success of synthetic turf at IG stadium, he said the department initiated installation of synthetic turfs at Dimapur, Tuensang, Mon and Mokokchung from various schemes of the state and centre. He said that the department was keen on making the multi-disciplinary sports centre functional for which necessary preparation of DPR was at final stages of submission by the consultant. With selection of IG stadium to be established as Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) to strengthen India’s pursuit of excellence in Olympics, the talented sportspersons of the state can now have a great opportunity for competition at the regional, national international level, he added. Minister PWD (housing) Tongpang Ozukum

Correspondent KO H I M A , A P R 2 9 (NPN): NLA speaker Sharingain Longkumer and minister PW (housing and mechanical) advisor youth resource and sports Er. Zale Neikha inaugurated Joggers’ Park and multipurpose hall NLA complex on Thursday respectively. The joggers’ park having an area of 1018 meters was sanctioned under state plan during 2019-20 at the total cost of 70 lakh and was implemented by PWD (housing). The contract was allotted to M/s Orion enterprise class-I contractor under the architect Richard Belho on March 19. The multipurpose hall project was conceptualised during 2015 to cater to indoor sports and hosting cultural, tribal, and youth related activities. The project proposal was approved by NEC and received the sanction during 2015-2016 with the project cost of Rs. 647.54 lakh with sharing ratio of 90:10 between NEC and state government. The facility at multi-

Sharingain Longkumer and others at the inauguration of joggers’ park, Thursday. (NP)

purpose hall has three badminton courts, multi utility hall, international standard gym with provision for the change room, green room and toilet blocks storage room and gallery. Speaking at the inaugural function, NLA speaker Sharingain Longkumer said that maintaining health and building the immune system during the pandemic had become paramount and was confident that people who were not conscious of their health would also be encouraged. He credited MLA Khriehu Liezietsu for ini-

news in Brief Free basic computer course at GPK:

Government polytechnic Kohima (GPK) would be conducting free three-month basic computer course under Gandhi institute of computer education & information technology at GPK. In this regard, GPK principal Er. Keyiekhru Rhutso has informed that seats would be allotted on first come first basis and admission forms could be collected from the office during office hours from April 29 to May 8. Required documents include admit card and mark sheet of Class X if available; two recent passport; birth certificate and scheduled tribe certificate (not mandatory).

Cleanliness drive at local ground Wka:

Mass cleanliness drive has been organised by Tsumang ‘B’ and Eco Club Wokha in collaboration with Lolo Ezung supported by Lotha Students’ Union on April 30, 8 p.m. at local ground Wokha. Organisers have asked likeminded citizens to participate in the drive. However, any person having a travel history after April 15 has been asked not to participate for safety of the community.

tiating the project, department of youth resource and sports for bringing up the international standard gymnasium along with the hall, Richard Belho for conceptualising the park and PWD (housing) for bringing up quality making the best joggers’ park. He said that antiquary development would be visible in a few months’ time. Er. Zale Neikha asserted that the PDA government was committed for promotion of sports and games in Nagaland and remained one of the main thrust areas of PDA

said that even as Kohima had become a space crunch city to undertake any development, NLA had preserved the area and said more parks and recreational halls were necessary in the state capital. Minister planning and coordination, land revenue and parliamentary affairs, Neiba Kronu said the proposal for construction of the speaker’s quarter would be taken up next year. He informed that the government intends to open more parks in the districts for which, DCs were informed to identify government sites. Kronu fur ther informed that MLA hostel up-gradation was under process. Earlier, commissioner and secretary NLA Dr. Antony delivered a welcome address while a technical report was presented by the department of PWD (housing and mechanical) and YR&S. Meanwhile, commissioner and secretary YR&S, Alun Hansing handed over the MOU between the department of YR&S and NLA.

Catholics to RSETI Jalukie holds valedictory prog Rural Self Em- ing rural unemployed youths hold special DIMAPUR: ployment Training Institute to avail free residential trainJalukie conducted ing facilities provided by prayer on May 7 (RSETI) a valedictory programme for RSETI. He spoke about its 131st batch (mushroom cultivation) at its premises on April 28. A press release by RSETI Jalukie, stated that the programme was graced by commandant, Jalukie battalion, AR as chief guest and certificates of participation were distributed by the commandant. While interacting with the trainees, the commandant mentioned that sensitisation camps were being planned with RSETI at far flung villages of Peren to bring awareness about training opportunities provided by RSETI. In his welcome address, director, Novin Basumatary acknowledged AR Jalukie battalion for mobilis-

DIMAPUR: Bishop’s House, Kohima has informed that Catholics of Nagaland will observe May 7 as “a day of prayer and fasting” for relief from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a press release, Kohima diocese secretary has requested every community and parish to spend an hour before the blessed sacrament, praying various prayers and rosary, praying for an end to the pandemic, healing for those infected, comfort for those in mourning, courage and consolation for frontline workers and success to the efforts of those involved in research and production of medicine and vaccines.

KCCI informs on registration DIMAPUR: Kohima Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has informed all the trading communities and members of KCCI that the yearly registration/ membership drive for fiscal year 2021 would commence and continue for a month i.e. May, from the date of issue in the local dailies. In a press release, KCCI president Medozhatuo Rutsa and info & publicity secretary Kaihrii Henry Chisiite stated that following 2020 pandemic situation and economic downturn, it was absolved and exempted, however KCCI has requested its members to register for the current year, failing which one would be subjected to a penalty. Meanwhile, KCCI requested trading communities to strictly implement and practice the consolidated guidelines disseminated by the government. It also requested citizens of Kohima to refrain from overcrowding and to maintain social distance while marketing and comply with directives of the government.

BJYM launches Covid helpline

Fire personnel dousing the fire that broke out in Duncan Basti.

DIMAPUR: One katcha house along with household property and one gypsy were gutted in the fire that broke out at Duncan Basti Dimapur on April 28. In a

press release, RO (E), FHQ Kenny Khing stated that after receiving fire call at 12:53 p.m, fire and emergency services team from fire station Dimapur (west) proceeded

to control the fire. Fire engines along with sufficient equipment and fire personnel were pressed into action. Property worth about Rs.4 lakh was destroyed, but due to intervention of fire fighters, fire was controlled and prevented from spreading further. Property worth about Rs.70 lakh and surrounding houses could be salvaged. Cause of fire was due to kitchen fire from drying of meat. Fire response team was led by duty commander SI Thungathung T. Shitiri.

SF apprehend drug peddlers DIMAPUR: Security Forces in joint operation with the state police apprehended two drug peddlers from general area Mhainamitsi, Peren on April 21. According to PRO IGAR (N), based on specific input, security forces in the joint operation apprehended two drug peddlers and recovered 740 Spasmo Proxyvon tablets, 100 bottles of cough syrup, one motor cycle and one mobile phone. Apprehended persons along with police personnel and The apprehended indi- recovered items. viduals along with recovered items were handed over to Jalukie police station, Peren for further investigation.

how the institute had been providing free skill-based training to rural youths of the state since 2011, in order to improve their livelihood through self-employment or wage employment. It may be mentioned that RSETI is an initiative of GOI funded by MoRD and banks. The 10-day programme started on April 19, providing step by step training on cultivation of oyster mushroom Yimkümmer Senior Citizens Day Care Centre conducted a spiritual programme and in sawdust, participated by get together on the theme “renewed life” at Yimkümmer House, Tuli with Pastor, Wameken Baptist Church, Sentichuba as resource speaker. 13 youths.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

1st Death Anniversary of Late Shri. Imsüwaden (Died: 30th April 2020)

It has already been a year since you left us for heavenly abode, but you are well alive in our memories. You are deeply missed each and every days. May you Rest Peacefully. “I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death”. K-862

– John 8:51 Loving wife, son & relative

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Henito Ayemi

27/11/1962 – 23/04/2021 We, the bereaved family members of Lt. Viekhrolhou Koza (Vekhoi Koza) S/o Lt. Dilhou Koza of Khezhakeno Village, would like to convey our deepest and heartfelt gratitude to our friends, well-wishers, neighbours, churches, organizations, medical fraternity, near and dear ones and all those who stood by us and shared our grief with physical presence, prayers, love, comfort, materials and ﬁnancial support at his sudden demise. We may not be able to repay you and words are inadequate to express how grateful and indebted we are to each and every one. It is our sincere prayer that the Almighty God bless you all abundantly. Loving wife, children, brothers & relatives DP-2199

1st DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF

1953 – 25th April 2021

With immense gratitude we the bereaved family and relatives would like to convey our heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation to all individuals, friends, organizations, unions, churches and well wishers who stood by us morally, physically, ﬁnancially, and in prayers in our time of mourning. Though we are unable to repay your good deeds done to us, yet it is our sincere prayer that God's abundant blessings will be upon you always. We gratefully acknowledge the generosity of the following : 1. A.K Industrial Baptist Akukuhou General/Women/Youth A.K Prayer Group 2. Atomi K. Zhimomi H.GB A.K Industrial Village 3. Husheto GB A.K 4. Lokobomi Union Dimapur 5. Thilixu Welfare Committee Block (4) 6. GPRN/NSCN 7. Union Territory Loving Wife, Sons & Family Members DP-2203

LATE LHOTOVI TSÜQÜ

State BJYM office bearers, BJYM Dimapur district officials at the launching programme.

DIMAPUR: BJYM Nagaland launched the state helpline 9863061767 for COVID relief and assistance at its Dimapur office on April 28. In a press release, state BJYM president Benjamin Yepthomi and general secretary Hosheto Awomi stated that the state helpline was launched by national BJYM co-in-charge for North East, Arvind Damani. The release informed that BJYM doctors’ teleconsultation service would be freely accessible across K Y M C

the country from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Citizens from across the country can call the BJYM helpline to seek medical advice from doctors for their symptoms. Through tele-consultation, patients would receive an SMS containing detailed information about their respective state BJYM helplines for further assistance. The launching programme was attended by state BJYM office bearers and BJYM Dimapur district officials.

Born on 01/07/1933 – Died on 27/04/2021 We the Family Members of Lt. Tsenponthung Yanthan Lotha profoundly thank to those who stood by us materially, physically and through prayers at the sudden demise of our Late beloved Father. Though we are unable to repay your priceless help we pray to our Almighty God to bless you abundantly. We humbly convey our special thanks to the following individuals/ organisation. 1. The Lotha Baptist Church Dimapur Led by Pastor and his staff. 2. Apostolic Church (NCRC) Led by Pastor. 3. Mrs & Mr. Stephen Yanthan, Mr- Limhathung Odyuo, Mr. Thungdemo Yanthan, Mr. Chhabi Sethi (Amar Mill). 4. Mr. Chumpenthung-o-Ezung CI-1 Contractor. 5. Zakiesato Colony Youth (Ward-II) Led by Joseph & Dipen. 6. The Lotha Youths of Dudu Colony, Lahorijan Karbi Anglong. 7. Ladies of our Immediate neighbours. Lastly but not the least we tender our apology for not mentioning all the names of those who have stood by us. May God bless you and keep you. Loving children, grand children, great grand children and relatives. DP-2211

DIED ON: 30/04/2020 ALTHOUGH A YEAR HAS GONE BY WITHOUT YOU, YOUR MEMORIES ARE STILL FRESH IN OUR HEARTS. “NONO AKUXUPU LAGHI IPIYE; OGHOLO AYE ALOKIVINO CHHITOIKE, ENO O-U AJEU KUDAUYE ALHOKUPUJULO ALOKIVIPU ACHENI.’’ LESHELE:16-11. LOVING WIFE & CHILDREN K-861

DP-2202

K Y M C

nagalandpost.com Poll Q.: Has the conduct of the recent state elections by the ECI been fair? 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

A B C

CM inaugurates 11th NAP (IR) bn hq Kma DTF conducts COVID-19 random testing

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Yes. No. Can’t Say.

50% 25% 25%

Next poll

Q: Are people in general

ready for another form of lockdown to contain coronavirus?  Yes.  No.  Can’t Say.

WEATHER FORECAST April 30

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala Hot; a strong p.m t-storm

39 24

A strong afternoon t-storm

32 18

Guwahati Sun, some clouds; very hot

38 21

An afternoon thunderstorm

34 16

Aizawl Imphal

Itanagar A strong t-storm; very hot

36 20

Shillong

A t-storm around in the p.m

26 14

Kohima

A stray afternoon t-storm

27 15

Dimapur A strong afternoon t-storm

38 20

An afternoon thunderstorm

29 16

Mkg

Tuensang A stray afternoon t-storm Wokha

Partial sunshine

Zunheboto A stray afternoon t-storm

21 12 30 20 27 14

Unveiling of 11th NAP (IR) Bn. Hq. Aboi plaque by chief minister Neiphiu Rio on April 29 at Aboi Town. DIMAPUR: State chief minister Neiphiu Rio inaugurated the 11th NAP (IR) battalion headquarters at Aboi on Thursday in the presence of deputy chief minister (in-charge of home) Y Patton and legislators Eshak Konyak, CL John, EE Pangteang and N Thongwang Konyak, a DIPR report stated. Addressing the gathering, Rio observed that the complex was ready despite all the hardships since laying of the foundation in 2005 and thanked technicians, neighbouring villages and police personnel for their efforts in turning this dream into reality.

He said 11th NAP (IR) battalion had good name and fame not only within the state but also in other states. He said its personnel had sacrificed so much that people had much respect for them, adding they were well trained. He encouraged them to take more responsibility and continue to be sincere in their duty and protect the public, wherever they might be posted. The chief minister urged director general of police (DGP) T John Longkumer and unit commandant of 11th NAP (IR) to plant varieties of trees in and around their camp,

Workshop on Measles Rubella in Longleng

WHO consultant, Dr. Mero delivering a presentation at the workshop DIMAPUR: District workshop on “transitioning to fever-rash MR (Measles Rubella) surveillance” was conducted at CMO conference hall, Longleng on April 29. A press release through CMO’s office Longleng stated that WHO consultant, Dr. Mero while delivering a PowerPoint presentation stated that as part of measles and rubella elimination strategy, the country switched to modified case based surveillance from outbreak mode of MR surveillance. He added that as measles surveillance needed to

State

Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021

evolve with each phase of measles elimination, case definition was being revised accordingly. He delivered a brief introduction on measles disease, classic manifestations and transmission, clinical course of measles, incubation period, rash duration and complications. He also spoke on clinical features, measles and differential diagnosis, measles complications and incidence, basic principles of management, measles and vitamin A, herd immunity for measles, and rubella complications. Short speeches were

also delivered by DPO (RCH/UIP), Dr. Imnameren Phom and DSO, Dr. Marina Yaden. CMO Dr. Obangjungla, while delivering welcome address welcomed encouraged the participants to carry out activities properly, and appealed all blocks to send reports in time, stating that performance of district depended upon reports from health units. The workshop was attended by MOs from three PHCs, paediatrician from district hospital, DPM, C H O s, B P M s, D E O s, DCM, BACs, and district media officer.

pointing out that the area was warm and the land fertile where one could sow and cultivate anything. Encouraging the police personnel to remain busy in activities to remain healthy, he urged all individuals to set a good example and leave behind their footprint and legacy whenever they get an opportunity in any field – as an officer, politician, policeman, public leaders, etc. Rio called upon the public and neighbouring villages to cooperate with the jawans of 11th NAP (IR), stating that understanding and adjustments

would bring peace and unity in the society. He also urged the public to be careful with COVID-19 as the second wave was more dangerous. Highlighting the medical facilities of the state, he requested everyone to take care, besides taking vaccine. Earlier, the chief minister also unveiled a plaque on the occasion. Admitting that it took 16 years to build the complex, Patton, in his speech, attributed the delay to various reasons, including the pandemic. He also thanked the landowner for donating 326 hectares of land for the complex. In his short speech, the DGP requested the neighbouring villages and public to be supportive and cooperate with the police personnel. He said as this was a secured zone, public cooperation was required. Short speeches were also delivered by Howing, Konyak Union president, Langmeing Angh and Maopong on behalf of Aboi District Demand Committee. Welcome address was delivered by DIG (IR) South, Chumdamo Jamio, while the dedicatory prayer for the plaque was given by Rendamo, PBC pastor, 11th NAP (IR) battalion.

PDVCO warns traders on illegal price hikes DIMAPUR: In the light of complaints from consumers on sudden rise of prices of essential commodities, Peren District Voluntary Consumers Organisation (PDVCO) has warned traders of Peren district especially Peren town and Jalukie town to refrain from such practices. In a press release, PDVCO president Josiah Zeliang stated that some unscrupulous traders were taking undue advantage of the proposed 15-day restriction imposed by the state government. In this regard, PDVCO stated that central government in its official gazette clearly notified that there would be no hike in prices of essential commodities. While urging the consumers to be vigilant, PDVCO urged the administration of Peren town and Jalukie town to check such tactics of the traders and book those responsible traders involved in such illegal activities. Further, PDVCO has informed aggrieved consumers to contact 9863366001/9402809422. It warned that any traders found guilty of such offence would be penalised as per the existing law.

DIMAPUR: As per covid guidelines issued by the state government, Kohima District Task Force (DTF) on COVID-19 conducted random sampling and testing on Thursday at Para Medical and Minister’s Hill, Kohima where 37 random samples were collected for testing from among the public. According to DIPR report, the random exercise began on April 28 at AG colony with 20 samples collected. Altogether, 57 Kohima DTF conducting the random testing. (DIPR) samples were collected for The activity was con- of the virus among the pubtesting. ducted to test the prevalence lic in Kohima district.

COVID-19 advisories and directives DIMAPUR: ADC Jalukie and RTO Kohima have issued COVID-19 directives in order to contain the spread of the virus. ADC Jalukie: In view of the detection of COVID-19 positive persons, ADC Jalukie, Dr. Tinojongshi Chang has ordered the sealing of buildings from 28th April till further order: According to DIPR report, ADC Jalukie has ordered the sealing of house no. Nil, behind Rangkau Petrol Pump, ward 6 (Keleilwa Colony), Jalukie town; house no. 31, near Baptist High School, Samzuiram village and house no. Nil, Jalukie-B village. Further, the ADC has advised public to follow all safety precautions within the proximity of the sealed area. Any person violating the order will be liable to be prosecuted as per the provisions of Section-51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 besides legal ac-

tion under Section-188 of IPC. RTO Kohima: To ensure the safety of all and to check the spread of the contagion, Regional transport officer (RTO) has enforced strict SOPs within the office premises. RTO Kohima, S. Yaongsanglee Chang has directed that: no person will be allowed to enter the office premises without wearing a face mask and a distance of two meters should be maintained in queue; to avoid overcrowding call customer service/helpline at 9863028315 to make appointment before visiting RTO office. No transaction/application will be entertained in the office premises without prior appointment and not to make an appointment if one is unwell. Further, RTO has appealed to all to bear with the inconveniences till such time that the virus is contained.

Chakhesang Scholars’ Forum launched

Newly inducted office bearers and executive members of the forum. DIMAPUR: Chakhesang Scholars’ Forum (CSF) was launched and its first office bearers were inducted at a programme on April 29 at Pfütsero Government College (PGC), Pfütsero. CSF was formed under the convenorship of Dr. Zavise Rume, professor state council of education and research training (SCERT) Nagaland. Dr. Rume informed that the for um was launched with the objective to provide promote healthy interactions on

academic issues and academic excellence. It envisages on sharing intellectual resources, creating a resourceful academic body, providing authentic information and acting as a think-tank of the society, he added. PGC for mer vice principal and advisor of CSF, Medozü Mero said the forum was required as it could secure many good things for the community. The office bearers of CSF will be headed

by Dr. Zavise Rume as chairman; department of Tenyidie, Nagaland University, assistant professor Dr. Khrüvolü Keyho as vice chairman; Pfütsero College assistant professor Tavezo as general secretary along with six members and 18 other executive members. In the second session, a panel discussion on relevance of academic subjects was organised. Dr. Khrüvolü Keyho spoke on the relevance of Tenyidie as academic subject of

study while Baptist Theological College Pfütsero, associate professor Dr. Khrolsoloü Teno spoke on Theology and its relevance to the society. E a r l i e r, p a s t o r at Chakhesang Baptist Church Council Mission Church Pfütsero, Rev. Dr. Kuzhopoyo Tunyi prayed for the inducted office bearers. Pfütsero College assistant professor Tavezo welcomed the participants and Pfütsero College assistant professor Zünyiteü delivered a vote of thanks.

Farmers-scientist interaction held in Kohima, Peren NPYF lauds initiative by centre, state govt

Kohima DIMAPUR: Agricultural Technology Management Agencies (ATMAs) across the state have been conducting “farmers-scientist interaction” to impart various farming techniques and to introduce new methods to the farmers. Kohima: ATMA Kohima conducted “farmers-scientist interaction” at conference hall, DAO, Kohima on April 27. A press release by ATMA Kohima stated that in the keynote address, DAO & PD (ATMA), Kohima, B. Imti Tzudir appreciated how 50% of the participants were women. He also encouraged the farmers to learn and interact with the resource persons. The first technical session on K Y M C

Peren the topic, “management practices on piggery and poultry” was held with BTM Tseminyu Block, Dr. Vibeilie Keretsu as the resource person. The second session was held on the topic, “pest and disease management on summer crops” with ACTO plant protection, Michael Kerukuolie as resource person. Peren: ATMA Peren conducted farmers-scientists interaction programme at women welfare hall, Jalukie town on April 28. A press release by ATMA Peren stated that resource person, assistant professor, L PM COVS & AH, Dr. Imtiwati Pongener spoke on the topic “livestock management”, in the technical session. Farmers were enlightened on

basic principles of animal welfare and fundamentals of livestock management. He also emphasised on managing farm animals, supervising farm workers, knowledge of good animal breeds, feeds that were nutritious and improves overall ingestion and stressed on importance of proper diet and supplements for farm animals. Associate professor & head veterinary medicine COVS & AH, Dr. Gunjan Das emphasised on clinical aspect of livestock management. He explained how farm animals were highly susceptible to diseases and spoke on importance of livestock health and hygiene, identifying the infectious and noninfectious diseases and necessary control measures to be taken. He also deliberated that it was

DIMAPUR: Nagaland any emergencies. It hoped be unfair to deprive the unit of national people’s that the government would districts which would be youth front (NPYF), a allot the ambulance to each left out”. youth front of the national district responsively. The office hoped that people’s party (NPP), has Stating that the good- the state government would lauded the state govern- will gesture made through take up the matter with the ment for the proposed free corporate social responsi- central government in all vaccination for citizens bility (CSR) was just the seriousness. above 18 years. start, the front said more Further, NPYF state In a press release, CSR programmes towards unit thanked the frontNPYF state unit Secretary Nagaland was hoped to be line workers from different (IPR) Apong Longchar witnessed in the future. agencies and offices, who urged the public and the Meanwhile, NPYF have been tirelessly going youth to shun rumour and state unit appreciated the about their duties despite make the best use of the decision of the central the dangers. opportunity and get vac- government to setup three I t p r aye d f o r t h e cinated. oxygen plants in Nagaland. speedy recovery for those NPYF also appreci- However, it stated that affected by the virus and important to ensure timely vac- ated NHIDCL for donating the state had a total of urged upon the citizens to cination of animals as it helped in 24 ambulances to tackle 12 districts and “would strictly follow the SOPs. reducing morbidity and mortality in farms and contribute to improving animal welfare. The programme was chaired by DPD, ATMA, Kumiu Nring, while DAO & PD ATMA, Sanuzo Nienu, delivered welcome address and encouraged farmers to take opportunities in such programmes to get more information on livestock development and how to improve livestock farming. Interaction sessions were also conducted after each technical sessions where farmers and resource persons discussed on livestock management, diseases, nutrition, etc. Nagaland Bible College (NBC) held its 39th & 40th graduation service at Altogether 30 farmers and of- Discovery hall on Thursday, with missionary at large, Dr. Imcha Jamir as ficials attended the programme. convocation speaker. (Correspondent) K Y M C

northeast

Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021

21 aftershocks follow quake of 6.4 magnitude in Assam

Guwahati, Apr 29 (PTI): People spent a sleepless night as a series of aftershocks shook Assam after a strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake caused extensive damage to buildings. Sonitpur, whose headquarters Tezpur was rocked first by the strong temblor at 7.51 am on Wednesday, and its nearby areas on both sides of Brahmaputra river in central Assam have experienced 21 aftershocks, an official said. A total of 11 quakes jolted the state since Wednesday night and all of them originated in and around Tezpur, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said in its earthquake bulletin. The strongest one was of 4.6 magnitude that hit at 1.20 am forcing the people to run out of their homes in panic. The other tremors were 2.8, 2.6, 2.9, 2.3, 2.7, 2.7, 2.8, 3.6, 3.3 and 2.8 magnitudes and shook the state at 9.38 pm, 0:24 am, 1:10 am, 1:41 am, 1:52 am, 2:38 am,

An earthquake of 6.4 magnitude hit Assam on Wednesday morning, causing widespread damage. 7:13 am, 1:04 pm, 4:17 pm and 7:14 pm respectively, NCS said. There was no immediate report of any affect to any structure or injury to people due to these aftershocks. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority said in a statement that as per the updated reports received from the districts, the number of persons injured has increased to 12 from the earlier 10 reported

since the first quake. However, no casualties have been reported in last 24 hours, it added. There were no reports of deaths directly due to the tremors, but two persons -- one each in Kamrup Metropolitan and Nagaon districts -- died due to shock and heart attack around the time of the earthquake, ASDMA said. Damage assessment has been completed in 18 districts so far and 428 resi-

Medical team recommends extension of lockdown like restrictions in Mizoram

AIZAWL, APR 29 (PTI): A medical team dealing with COVID-19 in Mizoram has recommended the extension of “lockdown-like restrictions” currently imposed in all the 11 district headquarters, including state capital Aizawl for another seven days, an official said on Thursday. The team chairman and ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) legislator Dr ZR Thiamsanga told PTI that the meeting of the medical operation team on Thursday recommended the extension of the existing restrictions in a more stringent manner for another seven days after May 3 as the rising local transmission has not been curtailed. The matter will be discussed at a high-level meeting to be chaired by Health minister Dr R Lalthangliana on Friday, he said. The medical team

COVID patient dies after waiting for treatment in M’laya

BSF jawan tests +ve after 2 vaccine shots

Shillong April 29: Contrary to Meghalaya government’s claim of being prepared for all eventualities, a 52- year-old woman lost her life after waiting for hours to get treatment for COVID-19 at Shillong, Civil Hospital in Meghalaya. Uginia Rymbai was rushed to the State Capital on April 27 from Ri-Bhoi district after her children and relatives were informed

pital staff to cater to my ailing aunty and later the security guard opened the gate with great difficulty,” John Franky Rymbai, the nephew of the victim, said on Thursday. “It did not end there, we waited there for several hours for the nurses to get themselves ready in PPE kits and it was only at about 5 am the victim was admitted in the hospital,” he said.” However, the patient passed away at about 10 a.m.

Metbah Lyngdoh

that corrective measures can be put in place to restore and bring about an effective functioning of this very important power sector”. Dwelling on the Saubhagya Scheme, Lyngdoh said, “It is learnt that there are flaws right from the beginning of the tendering process till the implementation stage which has resulted in huge losses of more than Rs 100 crores”. “In the recent concluded Assembly Session, it was informed on the floor of the house that the cost of each Smart meter is Rs. 3400.

However, it is learnt that the derived costing per meter is Rs. 9444.44 which is contradictory. It is also learnt that the sitting of the Boards of Directors, MeECL to decide matters worth hundreds of crores in just 15 minutes is also questionable,” the Speaker noted in his letter. On Enter prise Resource Planning, he said “this scheme has several items at exorbitant rates, like the rate of a normal PC (which is outdated) with chair, table, UPS at more than Rs 3 lakh each and the supply of 100 such PCs has resulted in losses of crores of rupees”. “The appointment of Manish Gupta as an advisor to the CMD, MeECL on Pro Bono basis who is currently working as Assistant Manager at Arunachal Pradesh Power Corporation Private Ltd. (a trading firm from where MeECL purchases power) is a total conflict of interests.

150 150 AgVa ICU ventilators

Correspondent IMPHAL, Apr 29: Manipur’s COVID-19 infection continued to be a matter of worry with the daily infection toll on Thursday crossing 300-mark, the highest single-day rise since the second wave hit the state. Five deaths in a span of 24 hours also took the cumulative COVID-19 death toll in the state to 400, the latest official data with the state health department showed. The health department said, 314 new infections, including 18 Central security force personnel reported in the state in the last 24 hours (till 5pm of April 29), took the overall infection tally of the state to 31,315. Even as the recovery

Manipur CM receiving 150 ventilators. (NP) toll rose to 29,690 with 58 more patients discharged on Thursday, the cumulative number of active cases in the state also surged to 1225, further bringing down the recovery rate to 94.81%. The twin capital districts alone, with 128 in Imphal West and 77 in Imphal East, continued to share the maximum number of new infections. Five persons including two women succumbed to the viral infection during

counter, the DGP stated. He further said that the self-styled ULFA (I) commander’s gun man, identified as Padum Rai, has been arrested and weapons seized from his possession. According to the DGP, “high quality” police intelligence inputs led to the successful operation. “We had intel that Ulfa Western Command was planning some high profile kidnapping in collaboration with other anti- India forces which now appears to be foiled,” he wrote on the microblogging site. The development comes eight days after some militants of the outlawed outfit kidnapped three employees of ONGC from its Lakwa oil rig in Sivasagar district along the AssamNagaland border. Two of them were rescued on April 24 after an exchange of fire near the India-Myanmar border in Mon district of Nagaland, while a search was underway for the third employee.

the period under report, the health department said. On the other hand, observing a grim situation of COVID-19 pandemic in the state, chief minister N Biren Singh has sought expert opinion from medical experts, bureaucrats and police to effectively tackle the second wave of COVID-19, in a meeting held at Chief Minister’s Secretariat today. During the meeting with stakeholders including representatives of private

healthcare centres, Singh sought technical opinion on key points like manpower and material management, vaccination, nature of lockdown and containment zones, effective enforcement of SOPs, etc. The chief minister convinced the officials that there would be no dearth of funds and further instructed them to acquire required equipment and engage manpower at the earliest, a release of the CMO said. The chief minister asked all concerned to increase COVID beds in hospitals and re-activate COVID Care Centres as soon as possible. Singh stressed the need to utilise the manpower of the education department (teaching and non-teaching staff) in assisting the officials of health department in suitable tasks like making enquiry of home isolation patients, it added.

187 new COVID-19 cases; Sikkim reports highest spike of 170 cases, three fatalities two deaths in Meghalaya G aCOVID-19 n gto k , A pr 2 9 trict, it said. Sikkim now

AIZAWL, APR 29 (PTI): A 40-year-old BSF jawan, who has received both the doses of COVID-19 vaccine, was among the 139 new cases that were recorded in Mizoram, pushing the state’s tally to 5,880, an official said on Thursday. The toll remained unchanged at 13, he said. Of the 139 fresh cases, Dr. Aman War 86 were diagnosed via Rapid Antigen Test, 52 through Correspondent active cases and West Jaintia RT-PCR, and one with the Hills district with 82 , West help of TrueNat, the official Shillong, April 29: Garo Hills district with 67 said. Meghalaya on Thursday active cases as on date. recorded 187 new COVIDSo far, Meghalaya has 19 cases, taking the active registered 16, 617 confirmed cases up to 1,531, while the COVID-19 cases, including death toll rose to 169, with 169 deaths with 1.02 per The appointment of two more succumbing to the cent case fatality rate and Arkajyoti Bhattacharjee viral infection. 14, 917 recoveries with the as Assistant (Techno-comDirector Health Ser- recovery rate at 90.01 permercial) and Sunny Kumar vices (MI), Dr. Aman War cent. The senior medical Singh as Assistant (Finance- said that the two deaths official also informed that Commercial) without fol- were reported from the East 1,183 COVID-19 patients lowing due procedures is in Khasi Hills district which are in home quarantine/ violation of the State’s inter- remains the worst affected isolation, while 348 are in est,” the speaker informed COVID-19 district in the institutional quarantine. the Chief Minister. State. Of the total new cases, Meanwhile, 1, 13, 185 “The proposed out- Dr. War said 141 cases were people entered Meghalaya sourcing of the 33/11KV reported from East Khasi state from outside since substation to outsiders will Hills district, 18 in Ri-Bhoi the onset of the pandemic, surely attract stiff opposition district, 10 in West Garo even as there were 27 micro from different angles. Hills district, six in East containment zones, where This has to be properly Jaintia Hills district, two in active COVID-19 cases were examined before implemenSouth Garo Hills district, detected. On the other tation. The special tariff to the Byrnihat Industries four each in West Jain- hand, as on Thursday eveAssociation @ Rs. 4.90 tia Hills district and West ning, 24, 645 health care per unit, which is lower Khasi Hills district, one workers across the State than the public tariff is each in South West Garo received the first dose of not healthy and resulted in Hills district and East Garo the Covishield vaccine, 18, huge financial losses to the Hills district. The State also 218 received the second reported 129 recoveries and dose, 41,730 frontline workCorporation. It is also learnt that 106 of these were from East ers got the first shot and 25,764 got the second jab, the One Time Settlement Khasi Hills district. Wi t h 1 0 9 4 a c t i ve while1,44,948 persons from Scheme was also extended to the live industrial con- COVID-19 cases, East Khasi among the general public sumer which again resulted Hills, that includes State were inoculated with the in losses to MeECL of about capital Shillong is the most first dose and 16, 249 were Rs. 17 Crore,” Lyngdoh affected district, followed fully vaccinated with the secsaid. by Ri-Bhoi district with 155 ond dose of the vaccine.

M’laya Speaker apprise CM on irregularities in power sector Shillong, April 29: With Meghalaya reeling under rampant power cuts, Assembly Speaker, Metbah Lyngdoh, who is also president of the United Democratic Party (UDP), the second biggest constituent of the National People’s Party (NPP)-led ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), has sought Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s intervention to settle irregularities in the power sector besides an independent inquiry to unearth the truth about all the allegations regarding the functioning of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL). Drawing the attention of the Chief Minister on matters emanating from various allegations relating to the functioning of MeECL, Lyngdoh in a letter to the Chief Minister highlighted several allegations, which, he said, “appear to be of serious nature and warrant immediate intervention so

GUWAHATI, APR 29 (PTI) : A top ULFA (I) militant was killed during an encounter with security forces in Bongaigaon district of Assam on Thursday and one of his aides arrested, state DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said. In a series of tweets, Mahanty also said that the banned outfit was planning to carry out “some high profile” kidnapping, but the plan has now been foiled. Dwipen Saud, the newly appointed leader of ULFA (I) western command, was shot dead during an exchange of fire with security forces in Mankipur police station area. “Police-Ulfa encounter at Besimari (Manikpur PS) in Bongaigaon District took place just some time back. ULFA (I) Commander Western Command, recently appointed to replace Drishti Rajkhowa, SS Col Dwipen Saud appears dead with bullet injury,” Mahanta tweeted. Saud was taken to a hospital following the en-

Manipur registers 314 COVID cases in a day

AIZAWL, APR 29 (PTI): Two medical students drowned in a river in Mizoram, police said on Thursday.The incident happened when C Lalbiaknunga (21) and PC Lalremliana (21) along with their friends went to Tuirivang river in Kulikawn to escape the heat, DIG of Police Lalbiakthanga Khiangte said. Their bodies were recovered in the evening and brought to the nearby Phulpui village, he said. On being informed, police personnel from Kulikawn police station rushed to the village and conducted the inquest there, he added. Lalbiaknunga was a resident of Champhai Vengthlang and Lalremliana was a native of Dinthar locality in Aizawl. Both were pursuing MBBS at Zoram Medical College (ZMC), the state’s lone medical college in Falkawn near Aizawl.

that the Nongpoh Civil hospital “didn’t have an ICU bed with oxygen” and advised them to take the patient to the Shillong Civil Hospital. The victim’s family, after great difficulty, managed to summon an ambulance from Ri-Bhoi district and reached the Shillong Civil hospital at about 2.00 am only to find the front gates locked. “The main entrance of the hospital was locked. We were looking for hos-

falls. “On being informed about Japan’s success in developing an early warning system for earthquakes, Sonowal directed for exploring opportunities to tie-up with Japan in bringing such technologies to the state,” an official release said. The first quake of 6.4 magnitude on Wednesday was followed in quick succession by lesser intensity tremors of 4.7, 4, and two 3.6 magnitudes at 8.03 am, 8.13 am, 8.25 am and 8.44 am, Regional Meteorological Centre deputy director Sanjay O’neil Shaw said. Another quake of 3.2 magnitude hit Assam’s Nagaon district at 10.05 am. A while later, another jolt of 3.4 magnitude hit Tezpur at 10.39 am, he added. At 12.32 pm, the eighth quake of 2.9 magnitude hit Morigaon. It was followed by two more earthquakes of 3.4 and 2.9 magnitudes at 2.34 pm and 3.55 pm respectively, hitting Sonitpur district again, Shaw said.

2 medical students drown in river in Mizoram Manipur receives

ing almost every day. “If this trend continues, it can be hazardous for Mizoram which is equipped with less sophisticated medical infrastructure as compare to other states,” he said, adding that appropriate measure is required to break the present chain. He said that the efficacy or results of the present lockdown-like restrictions will be seen by next week. “For a state like us, we should focus on the maxim prevention is better than cure,” he added. The state government imposed lockdown-like stringent restrictions from April 20 in Aizawl and other district headquarters town to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission in the state. The restrictions have been already extended one time and it is scheduled to be lifted on May 3 at 4 am.

Correspondent

meeting observed that the existing guidelines are grossly flouted by people as large crowd were seen every day causing traffic snarl in the state capital and other district headquarters, he said. “Though the existing guidelines easing certain activities especially economic is quite good to break the transmission chain, they have been violated in many ways. Focus is to be made on strict enforcement of the guidelines,” said Thiamsanga, who is also the state health and family welfare board vice-chairman. He said that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for weddings, funerals and the guideline restricting stepping out of home were grossly violated. According to Thiamsanga, the number of locally infected patients is now higher than those having travel history and is increas-

dential houses and apartments, 148 private and public institutions like schools, anganwadi centres, health centres and government buildings were reported to have been affected. Damages to infrastructure include one embankment in Baska district, two bridges in Nagaon, Assam Power Distribution Company Limited infrastructure in Sonitpur, Udalguri and Hojai districts, ASDMA

said. The earthquake had jolted Assam and most of Northeast on Wednesday and was followed by a series of aftershocks causing huge amount of damages to private, government and commercial structures and forced people to rush out of their homes in fear. Chief Minister Sarb a n a n d a S o n owa l o n Thursday held a meeting with officials concerned to assess the situation and directed them to collect data of tremors of different magnitudes since 1896 for examining the nature of their impact to prepare an effective mitigation roadmap for the future. He also stressed on the importance of ensuring strict adherence to building by-laws and National Building Code and ordered for setting up an expert committee for maintaining earthquake resistant design in the construction of buildings appropriate for seismic zone-v in which Assam

Top ULFA(I) militant shot dead in Assam

(PTI): Sikkim reported its highest single-day spike of 170 COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 7,747, a health department bulletin said on Thursday. The Himalayan state also reported three new fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll 146, it said. The new COVID-19 cases were reported from East Sikkim district (124), followed by South Sikkim (34), West Sikkim (9) and three in North Sikkim disRegd. No. 236

has 1,247 active cases, while 6,176 patients have recovered from the disease and 178 patients have migrated to other states, the bulletin said. Sikkim has so far tested 92,840 samples for COVID19, including 734 samples in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, the Sikkim government has extended the closure of all government offices including public sector undertakings till May 7, except for essential services like health, police, fire services.

AFFIDAVIT (Declaration)

Date : 22-04-21

I, Shri. Temsu Ao, S/o Temjenliba Ao a resident of Jalukie Town Village/ Town do hereby solemnly declare as follows :1. That my name Shri. Temsu is entered in my service book. 2. That my name Shri. Temsu Ao is entered in my appointment order. 3. That my Father name Shri. Temjen Ao is entered in my service book. 4. That my Father name Shri. Temjenliba Ao is entered in my appointment order. I therefore, declare before the 1st Class Magistrate that the above para 1, 2 & 3, 4 are same and one person. That, the statements made above are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and nothing has been concealed therein. And I signed this affidavit on this day of ____ month ____ year ____ DEPONENT Solemnly affirmed and declare before me on this day 22 month April year 2021. 1st Class Magistrate DP-2207 IN THE COURT OF PRINCIPAL DISTRICT & SESSIONS JUDGE LONGLENG : NAGALAND S/C NO. 6/2021

NOTICE

NOTICE INVITING CLAIMS/OBJECTIONS OF OTHER CLAIMANT(S) FOR ISSUE OF SUCCESSION CERTIFICATE UNDER PART-1 OF INDIAN SUCCESSION ACT 1925. Whereas application under Succession Act 1925 for grant of Succession Certificate for the estate/pension benefits of Late N. Longtok Phom has been applied by Smti M. Bunglong Phom W/o Lt. N. Longtok Phom R/o H.No. 92 Tangha Village, Longleng, Nagaland for possession of: 1. Family Pension PPO. No. 11811 2. Closing of A/C Notice is hereby given that any person having interest in the administration of the estate/pension benefits of the said deceased may if she/he so desire appear in this court on or before the said day of 20.05.2021. Given under the hand and seal of the court on this the 20.04.2021. DP-2201

Principal District & Sessions Judge Longleng : Nagaland

India will need 5 lakh ICU beds: Dr. Shetty

Dr Devi Prasad Shetty He pointed out that for every patient who is tested positive, there are 5 to 10 people who are positive but not tested. That means more than 15 to 20 lakh people are getting infected every day in India even now. Statistically, five per cent of the positive patients need an ICU bed, irrespective of their age. On an average, a patient in ICU spends at least 10 days there. “So you can just imagine what the scenario is. Know what we need to do? We need to create at least five lakh additional ICU beds in the next few weeks,” he said. “Unfortunately, beds do not treat patients. We need nurses, doctors and paramedics in that order, he said, pointing out that managing COVID patients successfully in ICUs depends mostly on nurses, not doctors.

Even before the start of the pandemic, government hospitals across the country had a shortage of 78 per cent of medical specialists. “Now, we need to produce at least two lakh nurses and at least one and a half lakh doctors in the next few weeks who are dedicated to managing COVID for the next one year. Because the current pandemic is likely to last for about 4 to 5 months. And then we should be prepared for the third wave,” he said. Dr Shetty then proceeded to provide out-of-thebox solutions for meeting that need. He said India has about 2.20 lakh nursing students who have finished their three-year GNM (General Nursing and Midwifery) or four-year B Sc courses in various nursing schools and colleges across the country who are preparing for their exam scheduled to take

vaccine is being rolled out to younger age-groups, the researchers said. Previous studies have reported that obesity is associated with more severe outcomes after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but this is the first to examine the consequences of excess weight on COVID-19 outcomes across the full range of BMI. It is based on anonymised health records from 6,910,685 community-based patients in the QResearch database of routinely collected electronic patient health records in England. All of the participants included in the study were 20 years or older and had at least one BMI measurement on their record. The average BMI across the whole study group was 26.8 kg/m2. The researchers analysed records between 24 January and 30 April, 2020 for outcomes linked to severe COVID-19 disease. “We don’t yet know that weight loss specifically reduces the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, but it is highly plausible, and will certainly bring other health benefits,” said Professor Paul Aveyard, who co-led the study, from University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.

New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI): The Delhi government on Thursday said the Centre should raise the city’s daily quota of medical oxygen from 490 MT to 976 MT as thousands of beds for COVID-19 patients will be ready in 10 days. In a letter to Union minister Piyush Goyal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also urged the Centre for providing transportation facilities for bringing oxygen from the manufacturing units in other states to the national capital. With the additional beds coming into operation, the estimated requirement of medical oxygen per day will be 976 MT in Delhi, he said. “The people and the Government of NCT of Delhi will be extremely grateful to the Government of India if it can kindly increase the allocation from the present 490 MT per day to 976 MT per day, preferably from nearby oxygen

plants, reducing the turnaround time,” Sisodia wrote to Goyal. Delhi has been witnessing around 25,000 fresh COVID cases on a daily basis of late and about 10 per cent of the patients require some form of hospitalisation, including oxygen support, the deputy chief minister said. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the national capital is working on setting up an additional 15,000 non-ICU beds and 1,200 ICU beds within a week to 10 days, he said. Besides, 5,000 beds are ready at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas complex in Chhatarpur, but only 300 are functional, while 1,000 beds at Sant Nirankari Mission and 1,500 at Sawan Kripal Ruhani Mission are ready but not functional due to an oxygen shortage, Sisodia said. The additional oxygen allocation is urgently required to prevent the im-

pending medical crisis in the wake of an unprecedented surge in COVID cases in Delhi, he added. “It is also our humble request to provide transport infrastructure, including railways and tankers, for the additional allocation since Delhi is a non-industrial state and accordingly, does not have its own infrastructure,” the AAP leader said. In his letter to Goyal, Sisodia stated that although Delhi’s daily quota has recently been raised from 378 MT to 490 MT, yet it has not received the allocated quantity for even a single day, forcing rationing of oxygen to city hospitals. “The additional allocation to Delhi has been made from the plants which are located more than 1,500 km from Delhi such as Durgapur, Rourkela and Kalinga Nagar,” he pointed out while saying that the additional quota should be supplied from nearby places.

Jaipur, Apr 29 (PTI): Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said he has tested positive for COVID-19. The 69-year-old Congress leader had isolated himself on Wednesday after his wife Sunita had tested positive. “My COVID-19 test report too came positive today. I have no symptoms, and I am feeling fine. I will continue working while in isolation, following COVID19 protocols,” the chief minister said in a tweet in Hindi. Governor Kalraj Mishra, AICC general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan Ajay Maken, PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra, state Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Rajasthan BJP president Satish

Ashok Gehlot Poonia, Leader of Opposition Gulabchand Kataria and others wished for Gehlot’s speedy recovery. Meanwhile, former Barmer MP Manvendra Singh, his wife and daughter also tested positive for coronavirus. Manvendra Singh is the son of former Union minister Jaswant Singh, who passed away last year.

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MUMBAI, APR 29 (PTI): The Maharashtra government on Thursday extended till May 15 the existing lockdown-like restrictions enforced to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the state. An order issued by chief secretary Sitaram Kunte said the decision to extend the restrictions has been taken as the state continued to be threatened with the spread of COVID-19. It was imperative to continue the emergency measures to prevent and contain the spread of the virus, he said. The sweeping curbs on movement of people and a host of other activities, imposed early this month, were to continue till 7 am on May 1. The restrictions were further tightened on April 14 and then last week, brining more activities under their ambit. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC, banning assembly of five or more people at one spot, are in force. Local train services in Mumbai and public transport are open only for essential services staff of the government.

for each unit increase, they said. People who were underweight (BMI less than 18.5) also experienced worse outcomes from COVID-19, they said. The effect of excess weight on the risk of severe COVID-19 was greatest in young people aged 20 to 39 years of age and decreased after age 60, according to the study. Increasing BMI had very little impact on the risk of severe COVID-19 in people aged over 80 years, the researchers said. However, the overall incidence of severe COVID-19 among people aged 20 to 39 years of age was lower than all other age groups, they said. “Our study shows that even very modest excess weight is associated with greater risks of severe COVID-19 complications and the risks rise sharply as BMI increases,” said Carmen Piernas, lead author of the study, from the University of Oxford. “We also show that the risks associated with excess weight are greatest in people aged under 40 years, while weight has little to no effect on your chances of developing severe COVID-19 after age 80,” Piernas said. These findings suggest that vaccination policies should prioritise people with obesity, especially now the

New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI): Amid the COVID19 crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers on Friday to discuss the prevailing situation in the country, sources said. The meeting, to be held virtually on Friday morning, could also be attended by some top government officials besides Union ministers, they said. This will be the first meeting of the council of ministers in the aftermath of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sources said. They said during the meeting the ongoing vaccination drive, which has now been opened for those in the 18-45 age group, could be discussed along with a presentation. In the meeting, ministers could be asked reach out to people to look into their issues, the sources said.

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Maha govt extends lockdown-like curbs till May 15

Since Friday, the IAF has been airlifting empty oxygen tankers and containers to various filling stations across the country to speed up the distribution of the much-needed medical oxygen in treating COVID-19 patients. India saw a record single day rise of 3,79,257 new coronavirus infections pushing the total tally of COVID19 cases to 1,83,76,524, while active cases crossed the 30-lakh mark. The death toll increased to 2,04,832 with a record 3,645 daily new fatalities, according to data updated at 8 am.

NEW DELHI, APR 29 (PTI): Being overweight is associated with an increased risk of worse outcomes from COVID-19, including higher ICU admissions, according to a study published on Thursday in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal. The researchers from the University of Oxford in the UK noted that this is the first large study to report the effect of bodyweight on risk of worse outcomes from COVID-19 across the full range of body-mass index (BMI). BMI is a measure of body fat calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilogrammes by the square of height in metres. The study is based on more than 6.9 million people living in England and included data from over 20,000 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalised or died during the first wave of the pandemic in the country. The researchers found that the risk of worse outcomes from COVID-19 start rising in people with a BMI above 23 kilogrammes per square metre (kg/m2), which is considered to be in the healthy range. The risks of hospitalisation were 5 per cent higher for each one unit increase in BMI and the risk of ICU admission was 10 per cent higher

situation on Friday

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New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI): The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday airlifted 12 empty cryogenic oxygen containers from Bangkok, Singapore and Dubai to India. India is struggling with the second wave of the coronavirus infection as hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds. “The IAF is currently transporting empty cryogenic oxygen containers from three destinations outside India. 3 containers from Bangkok, 3 from Singapore and 6 from Dubai,” said an official statement.

tors who are left out, who didn’t get the PG seats. They should be offered a chance during the next year’s PG selection if they work in the COVID ICU for one year, he said. Additionally, there are about 25,000 doctors who have finished their postgraduate training and haven’t yet appeared for the exam. This batch of medical specialists should be told that they can skip the exam and get the degree provided they work in the COVID ICUs for one year, he suggested. Also, there are between 90,000 to one lakh doctors who graduated from overseas universities who haven’t been able to pass a national entrance exam. “Identify 20,000 brightest of these kids and ask them to work in COVID ICU for one year for getting a permanent registration,” he said. “If we can do this successfully in the next few weeks, believe me, we would have conquered the COVID battle. Otherwise, the consequences can be very very very serious, mainly because just admitting a patient in a COVID ICU and giving him some oxygen is not going to save their life,” he concluded. “When the oxygen drops, they need proning. And somebody has to monitor their blood gases. All this is done by nurses and junior doctors.

Higher body weight linked with severe Covid risk: Lancet study

Delhi govt urges Centre to raise Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot city’s daily quota of medical oxygen tests positive for coronavirus

PM to chair IAF airlifts cryogenic tankers from Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai meeting on COVID

IAF transporting cryogenic oxygen containers

place in the next few weeks. He suggested that the Ministry of Health, along with the Indian Nursing Council, should consider these students as graduates and deploy them to work in COVID ICU wards for one year, after which they will be given graduation certificates. They could also be given preference over others in government jobs, he said. “Take the approach of drafting for the armed forces when there is an impending war with the enemy country ... This is not peacetime. It is wartime. “If that is done, I am convinced most of these girls and boys will join the fight against COVID. The battle cannot be won by doctors of my age. No war can be bought by fought by people of my age. You need young people. Most of them are vaccinated and they are naturally in a better position to fight COVID in case they get it. He said there are also 1.30 lakh young doctors today, working not in COVID ICUs but preparing for NEET exams to get into post-graduate courses where only 35,000 positions are available. An online test for NEET should be conducted immediately and results declared in a few days. After allowing the 35,000 seats, there will be still one lakh young doc-

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PUNE, APR 29 (PTI): Forecasting that the COVID19 pandemic is only going to get worse, noted surgeon Dr Devi Prasad Shetty has said India will need an extra 5 lakh ICU beds, 2 lakh nurses and 1.5 lakh doctors in the next few weeks, and also suggested radical solutions to meet the mountainous challenge. At present, India has only 75,000 to 90,000 ICU beds and almost all are already occupied - when the second wave of the pandemic hasn’t even reached its peak yet, he said. India is reporting about 3.5 lakh cases a day, and some experts say the number could go up to 5 lakh cases daily at its peak. While most of the newspaper headlines and prime time television coverage have been over the lack of oxygen for the patients in ICUs, “I am having sleepless nights for the next headline, which is going to be that patients are dying in ICUs because there are no nurses and doctors to take care of the patients,” he said. “And this is going to happen. I do not doubt it now,” said Dr Shetty, the chairman and founder of Narayana Health, a chain of 21 medical centres in India, in his online address at the Symbiosis Golden Jubilee Lecture Series in Pune recently.

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Post-mortem

Vol. XXxI NO. 143 Dimapur, FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021

Lives do matter

ever in its history has the Election Commission of India (ECI) come under such intense criticisms over its blatantly biased decisions which are not normal allegations made by political parties that the poll body is favouring the ruling dispensation at the Centre. Leaving aside the expected complaints and criticisms from political parties and their leaders, the ECI headed by Sunil Arora as chief election commissioner (from December 2,2018 to April 12, 2021) had made decisions that raised serious controversies over its fairness and independence. In 2019, the ECI conducted multi-phased polling in states like West Bengal and Odisha, where the BJP was hoping to make gains; whereas in states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana polling took place in a single day. In UP where the BJP was facing a tough challenge, elections were held in all seven phases to help the Prime Minister and other top BJP leaders to campaign throughout the entire electoral process. When serious charges of violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) were levelled against prime minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah during the 2019 lok Sabha elections, the poll body gave them a clean chit after bypassing the dissent note issue by one of the members- Ashok Lavasa. Normally decisions of the ECI are supposed to be unanimous but Arora chose to describe Lava’s dissent as ‘avoidable’. Lavasa would have taken over as CEC after Arora but he was literally hounded out and compelled to take the offer of post of vice president of the ADB at Manila. Despite huge uproar from across political spectrum even including 64 renowned personalities that included civil servants, former top cops and retired senior army officers against the ECI during 2019, the poll body seem unfazed. While announcing poll schedules (2021) to five states , the ECI made it very obvious whose voice it was listening to when West Bengal was made to suffer 8-phased polls for 294 seats despite rising COVID cases. On the other hand, Tamil Nadu with 234 seats had only a single-phase poll. Perhaps the lowest ebb that the ECI had reached was after the recent strictures passed against it by two high courts –Calcutta and Madras. Both courts slammed the ECI for ignoring the imminent threat on human lives posed by the second COVID-19 since mid-February, 2021 and not banning election rallies and enforcing strict covid protocols. The ECI cannot take the defence that it announced elections to the five states in pursuance of its constitutional obligations. The ECI was never ignorant about the deadly second COVID wave. The elections have been identified as the main cause for spike of fresh COVID -19 cases in the five states. For West Bengal, the ECI did not apply its mind when it ordered 8-phased polls and as a consequence, fresh covid cases have jumped over the roof. In West Bengal, a candidate died of covid and his wife has filed an FIR against ECI officials holding them responsible. In this regard the ECI appeared to have placed elections more important then lives and will have to one day be made to explain. If people’s faith in electoral process is shaken or eroded then it will have dangerous consequences for the democratic system and polity. It is the fundamental responsibility of the ECI to ensure that the popular faith in institutions drawing their mandate from the Constitution is maintained.

DailyDevotion Gracious Uncertainty

…it has not yet been revealed what we shall be… —1 John 3:2 Our natural inclination is to be so precise– trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next– that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Consequently, we do not put down roots. Our common sense says, “Well, what if I were in that circumstance?” We cannot presume to see ourselves in any circumstance in which we have never been. Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life– gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises. When we become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within us dies. That is not believing God– it is only believing our belief about Him. Jesus said, “… unless you…become as little children…” (Matthew 18:3). The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next. If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled. But when we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy. Jesus said, “…believe also in Me” (John 14:1), not, “Believe certain things about Me”. Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in– but you can be certain that He will come. Remain faithful to Him.

Quotes

“The Only Limit To Our Realization Of Tomorrow Will Be Our Doubts Of Today.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021

India under travel by several nations

ore than a year into the COVID19 pandemic, India is in the throes of a public health catastrophe. A second wave of infections has blindsided the country that until March seemed to have the coronavirus under control. Hospital beds are full, and medical supplies— most crucially, oxygen— are in short supply. India on Wednesday recorded 360,000 new COVID cases and 3,000 deaths in a 24hour span. All the while, scientists are concerned that a new variant—an ominously titled “double mutant strain”—is behind the skyrocketing case count. No matter how quickly India’s crisis eases, the recent spike in infections and flight restrictions have slammed a travel industry that was already on the brink. Tourism contributes about 10% of India’s GDP and employs around 50

million people directly and indirectly. Subhash Goyal, chairman of STIC Travel Group and a veteran travel and tourism industry official, estimates that 10 million people have already lost jobs since the pandemic began, and about 40% of tour operators have shut down. As India grapples with its crisis, other countries have locked their borders to any visitors from the country, whose diaspora is the largest in the world. As of Wednesday, at least 10 countries including Italy, Germany, and Singapore have instituted new bans on flights to and from India. Other countries, including Australia, France, and the United Kingdom, have reduced flights or extended mandatory quarantines for travelers arriving from India. In Hong Kong, authorities implemented a two-week ban on all flights from India on April 18

after authorities detected that over one-third, or 52, of all passengers on an April 3 flight from New Delhi tested positive for COVID-19. All of the travelers submitted negative tests within 72 hours of boarding the plane, meaning that Hong Kong only detected the cases after the passengers arrived in the city. Nicholas Thomas, a professor of global health governance at the City University of Hong Kong, says the flight ban “was not just about the India mutation.” The ban was also “about the fact that the virus is now truly endemic throughout India” and the “high chance” that any passengers arriving could be carrying it. India is now recording nearly half of the world’s new confirmed COVID-19 cases each day, and case counts appear to be leveling off or falling in countries like Brazil and the U.S., which are

recording the second- and third-most new infections per day, respectively. People were so exhausted from following a strict regime for a whole year that they relaxed and became casual about preventive measures like wearing a mask, says Sudhir Kalhan, chairman at the Institute of Minimal Access, Metabolic, and Bariatric Surgery. Now, people are panicking, which is creating a different kind of problem. “People are hoarding antibiotics, antiviral drugs, and even things like oxygen concentrators are not available at three or four times the normal market rates,” he notes. “Medicines like Tamiflu, remdesivir, and even steroids, which were plenty, are in short supply.” Tens of thousands of appeals for help getting medical supplies such as oxygen and admission to hospitals have streamed across Facebook and

WhatsApp in recent days. Scenes of people lugging oxygen tanks on their motorcycles and cars are now common in New Delhi. Bharat Gopal, senior consultant in pulmonology at New Delhi’s Fortis Hospital, says that rather than finding fault with other countries for imposing a travel ban, India should have been extra cautious. In fact, India and over 40 countries and territories including Germany, France, and Hong Kong imposed at least temporary flight bans in December 2020 after the U.K. reported that a new COVID-19 variant was rapidly spreading across the country. Most of the countries resumed flights to and from the U.K. in the days and weeks following their initial bans, but at least one location, Hong Kong, has continued to ban flights from the U.K. Public health experts stress that locked borders

may help limit the spread of the Indian variant— already, the coronavirus strain first spotted in India has been detected in the U.S. and 18 other countries and territories—but they won’t ease the devastation currently gripping the subcontinent. “The position is indeed very grim in this country at the moment. If India can put a travel ban on England in January when the country was experiencing its second wave, I feel this ban is justified,” Rajiv Mehra, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators tells Fortune. He notes that the current restrictions arrived just as outbound travel firms had reopened bookings, starting with destinations like Dubai and Maldives. “As soon as things improve,” he says, “these bans should be lifted.” Biman Mukherji and Grady Mcgregor

Only a proper data system can help India tackle Covid-19 better

ndia is witnessing a second wave of Covid-19 that neither the country nor the government was prepared for. There are reports of under-reporting the number of Covid-19 cases and resulting mortality by state governments, hospitals running out of beds and oxygen and RT-PCR testing being put on hold in several private and government facilities as they have huge backlogs and not enough staff or material to carry these out. One of the many reasons and certainly one of the most important ones behind this chaos and crisis is the failure to build an adequate data system that is transparent, evolves as per developments and is flexible enough to be moulded according to varying requirements across different states. This pandemic has proved to be most unpredictable. Research and understanding of the

“W

infection and its trajectory is still evolving across the globe. With the spread of variants, there have been and continue to be cases that come up negative in the RT-PCR test only to be clinically diagnosed as positive after a CT scan or chest X-ray. But since a clinical diagnosis of this infection has not been defined yet, these cases are not recorded in government data or official bulletins. These cases occupy Covid beds in hospitals though, resulting in an obvious mismatch between the data published by the government and the actual numbers in the hospitals. Deaths in many states are still counted on the basis of reporting from hospitals. This suggests that the deaths of patients while under home quarantine or while waiting outside a hospital for a bed, with or without a Covid-19 test report, are never included in official statistics. So

while these bodies are cremated or buried following Covid-19 protocol, their exclusion from the official released numbers has made headlines in the media. An approach to take by every state government is to track a patient from testing positive, both in the laboratory and clinically, till the outcome of the infection. If the status of the patient is recorded on each day from diagnosis (11-17 days), the official statistics would be closer to being accurate and the system transparent. This is also the only way for the government to assess and understand the gravity of the situation and use this data to make realistic projections of cases. This analysis can then be used for planning and preparations for the required infrastructure, equipment and manpower in the following weeks. Unless a data system is designed, built and maintained to

capture the reality and make realistic projections for the coming weeks and months, preparations in terms of infrastructure, provisions, equipment, drugs manpower and capacity will always be reactionary and, therefore, fall short of the requirements for the current situation. Neither the patter n of spread nor the behaviour of the virus has remained the same as last year when the pandemic started. The system designed to capture this evolution objectively needs to adapt to these changes. Different states are witnessing different patterns of this spread. Consequently, the strategies and protocols for containment will also vary. The data system needs to be sufficiently flexible for the states to add details, introduce checks and create modules. This same system should be able to capture and monitor the implementation of vaccination

efforts. It is only through a comprehensive and evolving data system design, that accurate numbers can be shared with the people and the media, for internal calculations and for all preparatory purposes. Data entry, process, system and capabilities can no longer come second in the list of priorities. The governments and the people need to realise that it is only through transparent, open, accessible and accurate data systems that accountability and responsibility can be established for pre-emptive and timely action. It is also the only means that remains to rebuild trust and hope in the government, going forward. Tulika Avni Sinha is a development professional working in Covid management with the government of Punjab (The views expressed are personal)

Decentralise and empower states and civil society

a i t f o r wave. Citizens too seemed experiences. stakeholders is imperative ciety which had provided humility wins the race. It Godot or to be taking things lightly One big lesson that for the country to tide succour to the suffering can be called the Socratic w a i t f o r by not following pandemic the Covid-19 pandemic over this emergency. The millions. “Never before, way. When unreasonably God?” — is a philosophi- protocols. has taught is that a coun- differential and higher pric- perhaps, in the history cal question that seekSocial media is full of try of India’s size and ing of vaccines for states of India, have the edu- condemned by the Atheers direct at the masters. criticism these days. The diversity needed greater is unconvincing. Health cated and more fortunately nian court for treason, Godot was an enigmatic larger share of the blame decentralisation. Decen- being a state subject, the placed members of the Socrates, referring to an character created by the is laid at the doorstep of tralisation does not simply states are responsible for community, come forward oracle’s statement that Irish playwright Samuel the government. It may mean the Centre forward- health care and need a in large numbers to help he was the wisest among Beckett in his popular play, partly be because people ing vaccines, medicines greater independent role. their poorer brethren in all citizens, humbly says: Waiting for Godot. In had high expectations from and oxygen supplies to Prime Minister Narendra time of distress,” a British “What’s likely, gentlemen, is that in reality it’s the god Beckett’s play, two char- this government. They the states for free distribu- Modi’s principle of coop- government report said. acters, Vladimir and Es- were convinced from last tion. It is about sufficiently erative federalism should Lastly, when a crisis who is wise, and the oracle tragon, engage in animated year’s experience that the empowering various stake- be at work. befalls a nation, intellec- is saying, ‘he among you discussions about various government knew how to holders, including state C iv i l s o c i e t y a n d tual humility needs to be humans is wisest who, like issues while waiting for handle the pandemic and governments, district and NGOs, which have been the way for all who matter. Socrates, knows that he’s the arrival of Godot, who would act swiftly. When village administrations and facing some difficulties in Just as success brings plau- really worth nothing when never turns up. Waiting for things seem otherwise, non-governmental organi- the recent past, need to be dits, crisis brings panning. it comes to wisdom’.” Godot eventually became they naturally blame the sations (NGOs). encouraged to supplement There will be advice, both Ram Madhav an allegory in the Christian government. Right from the time of the government’s efforts. solicited and unsolicited Member of national executradition for man’s urge Criticism is easy. But the making of the Indian In 1918, when British ad- and criticism, both war- tive of Rashtriya Swayamfor salvation which would it must also be remem- Constitution, there was ministrators had run away ranted and unwarranted. sevak Sangh and member never come. bered that the challenge a tendency for building from the crisis and hidden But in such a situation, of the board of governors, Allegorically speak- before the government is a strong Centre. Many in palatial rest-houses in the wise betray humility, India Foundation ing, that appears to be the unprecedented. Nobody in members of the Constitu- forests and remote areas, it not haughtiness. Haughti(The views expressed are situation the second wave the country has witnessed ent Assembly had argued was the media and civil so- ness may win the day, but personal) of the Covid-19 pandemic such a massive health care that we should make, not a has pushed many in India crisis in their lifetime. The federal, but a unitary contowards. The health care last time that humanity stitution. Many expressed establishment has been so experienced such a crisis fears about Indian provincoverwhelmed that many was during the Spanish es developing secessionist patients find it difficult to flu in 1918-19. An esti- tendencies if a federal sysaccess. Although called a mated 20 million Indians tem was put in place. The wave, the second outburst had perished during that provincial representatives, of the pandemic turned out pandemic. Globally, over on the other hand, were to be a tsunami. 100 million were said to against centralisation. BR We we r e a b l e t o have died of that virus. Ambedkar, in his own Sir, handle the first wave effi- The severity of the Span- wisdom, rightly impressed With announcement of NPSC results 2019, let us give ourselves this moment ciently. It was possible due ish flu virus was such that upon the members the restraining each self from spreading unrequisite but malicious dislike and division to the timely steps taken Mahatma Gandhi, himself need for having balanced based on Tribes achievements, Charter of demands, reservations, agitation, obstrucby the government on one afflicted, had confided in a decentralisation of pow- tion. Let’s rather ease while appreciate the successful candidates who’s hundred/ hand, and the disciplined confidante that “all interest ers. He insisted that the thousand(s) of invested hours has brought the steadfast candidates thus far in response of the people on in living has ceased”. dominance of the Centre clearing the State finest examination. These are the real winners of the society who the other. But, over the last Covid is not too dis- will be “expressly confined overlooked fantasy and shunned away all their fun-filled enjoyments- Persevered just to assure themselves this moment and they deserved this commendation at few months, complacency similar to the Spanish flu. to emergencies only”. seems to have crept in. Go- Both spread through huThere is a health care height. Through this achievement let us also remind ourselves and the upcoming ing by the statements of the man contact, and nose and emergency today, no doubt. minds that “Dream is not achieved through magic; but it takes commitment, hard leaders in the government, mouth were the infecting But it must be appreciated work, patience and perseverance” Congratulations to all the Successful candidates. they did not anticipate the organs. There are lessons that greater empowered virulence of the second to be learnt from both the involvement of different H. Kaboto Kibami, Notun Basti Reader’s note: Articles or letters published in any of the columns do not reflect the view of this newspaper nor that of the Editor in any manner.

Reader’s Post They deserved it!

Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021

Clashes erupt in WB polls BJP candidate comes under attack

Several locals in Illambazar were also seen shouting ‘go back’ slogans as the BJP nominee visited the area.

Bolpur (WB), Apr 29 (PTI): Clashes broke out on Thursday between members of two political parties in Birbhum district’s Ilambazar area amid the voting exercise for the last phase of Bengal elections, with BJP’s Bolpur candidate Anirban Ganguly having come under attack during the melee, an official said. Activists of the rival political outfits hit each other with brickbats and

Urban Indians endorse ‘vaccine passports’ New Delhi, April 29 (IANS): Most urban Indians and global citizens endorse the introduction of Covid19 vaccine passports for citizens for travel and other purposes, including visiting events and commercial places, showed a WEF-Ipsos survey. A ‘Vaccine Passport’ is a record or health data certificate that would carry information about whether a person has been inoculated or has tested negative for Covid-19. The information would be accessible electromagnetically, on mobile apps, or as printed documents or cards. An Ipsos statement said that an overwhelming majority of urban Indians and global citizens favour Covid-19 Vaccine Passports for citizens to aid in different ways. Around 78 per cent global citizens and 84 per cent Indians supported vaccine passports for entering any country.

bamboo sticks around 2.30 pm, the election official said, adding that at least two persons were injured in the clash. Ganguly claimed that “TMC-backed goons” attacked him as he was touring the polling booths in Bolpur, and his vehicle suffered damage. “There was no problem anywhere... Polling process was peaceful, until the TMC goons arrived and threatened people.

They attacked and damaged the rear windshield of my vehicle. The TMC is resorting to such attacks as the party is scared of losing the elections,” Ganguly said. TMC candidate for the constituency and state minister Chandranath Sinha rubbished Ganguly’s allegations and said villagers drove him away as the BJP candidate was trying to influence the voters. “Wherever he (Ganguly) went, people came out in protest as he tried influencing them. He is the one who actually attempted to disrupt peace. Polling, otherwise, has been very peaceful in Bolpur,” he said. Several locals in Illambazar were also seen shouting ‘go back’ slogans as the BJP nominee along with his supporters visited the area. The poll panel, following the attack, has increased police protection for Ganguly and sought a report in the matter from district authorities in Bolpur.

UP panchayat polls: 8 injured in clash at Mathura

Voters stand in a queue to cast their votes in Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Election, in Mathura, Thursday. (PTI)

Mathura (UP), Apr 29 (PTI): Eight people were injured on Thursday after a clash broke out between two groups at a polling centre here during the final phase of the Uttar Pradesh panchayat polls. Six people have been arrested in this connection, police said. According to police, the clash broke out between the supporters of two rival candidates at Barsana area and both the groups opened fire. Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Shrish Chandra said the incident was reported from Nehra

FIR registered against Param Bir Singh on cop’s complaint Mumbai, Apr 29 (PTI): Maharashtra police have filed an FIR against former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh after a police inspector levelled corruption charges against him, a senior official said on Thursday. The FIR was registered at Akola in Vidarbha region against 33 persons, including 28 policemen, an official said. The city Kotwali police in Akola registered the FIR under various sections ranging from criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence and sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989. Those named in the FIR include DCPs Parag Manere, Sanjay Shinde and Sunil Bharadwaj, ACPs Vijay Pulkar and D B Kamble and senior PI Dilip Surya-

Param Bir Singh

vanshi. A former law officer and assistant chemical analyser of Forensic Science Lab have also been named, the official said. Akola police filed a Zero FIR (mode of lodging FIR in any police station irrespective of the offence committed in that area or any other area) at the Kotwali police station and it has been transferred to the Thane city police, the official told PTI.

national

Police inspector Bhimrao Ghadge in his complaint had made a series of allegations of corruption against Singh and other officers, in the period when the former Mumbai CP was posted with the Thane police. G h a d ge w h o wa s posted in Thane police commissionerate during 2015-2018 has alleged that during his tenure, several officers there under Singh had indulged in various acts of corruption. He also claimed that Singh had asked him to not chargesheet certain individuals against whom FIRs had been registered. Ghadge, who is now posted in the Akola police control room, had also alleged that after he refused to obey Singh’s instructions, five FIRs were registered against him and he was suspended.

village of Rakoli village panchayat where supporters of Siyaram and Malkhan opened fire. The polling was affected for some time, but the police controlled the situation. Chandra denied that the police also opened fire and added that the guilty will be booked under the National Security Act and the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. T h e i n j u r e d we r e rushed to the hospital where their condition was stated to be stable, police added.

Ex-PM Manmohan Singh discharged from AIIMS New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI): Former prime minister Manmohan Singh was on Thursday discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here, where he was admitted after testing positive for COVID19. Sources close to the Congress leader said he was doing fine and returned home Thursday afternoon. Singh, 88, was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) trauma centre, a dedicated COVID facility, on April 19 after he had mild fever and tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection. He received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on March 4 and the second dose on April 3. None of the other members of Singh’s family have tested positive for the infection, the sources added.

Lalu set free after completion of bail formalities; will stay in AIIMS Delhi Ranchi, Apr 29 (PTI): RJD president Lalu Prasad was released from jail Thursday evening after completion of bail formalities in the special CBI court in Ranchi. After the Bar Council of India allowed lawyers to attend necessary court works, Prasad’s lawyers submitted bail bond and two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each in the Ranchi CBI court during the day. Accordingly, judge M K Mishra issued release order of the RJD supremo. Inspector General of Prison department Virendra Bhusan told PTI that after fulfilment of the bail conditions in the Ranchi CBI court the order reached Birsa Munda jail which sent a mail to the competent authorities in AIIMS New Delhi, where the RJD boss is undergoing treatment in judicial custody, and he was set free this evening. Prasad will,however, stay in AIIMS for some more time for treatrment of his ailments as desired by his family. The Jharkhand High

Lalu Prasad Yadav

Court had granted bail to Prasad in the last pending case related to Dumka treasury on April 17. Initially, Prasad’s lawyers had planned to move the Special CBI court in Ranchi for fulfiling the bail conditions at the earliest on April 19, but they could not do so as lawyers had stopped attending courts following Jharkhand bar council’s directives in the wake of surging coronavirus cases which had infected many judicial staff too. The restrictions were meant for one week but subsequently it was extended by another week till May 2 on the same ground. But, the Bar Council of India’s permission came as a

relief to Prasad whose lawyers completed the process in the Ranchi court. If things would have materialised on time, Prasad could have been freed after 39 months and 25 days of incarceration. But, the matter got delayed for some more time. While allowing bail prayer of Prasad, Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh had directed him to submit his passport and not leave the country without permission. The court had also instructed him not to change his address and mobile number during the bail period. The single bench had further directed him to deposit Rs 5 lakh penalty amount each in two casesone under IPC sections and another Corruption Actand two sureties of Rs one lakh each. While sentencing Prasad in the Dumka case on March 24, 2018 to 14 years in jail, a special CBI court of Ranchi had also imposed a fine of Rs 60 lakh, Rs 30 lakh each under IPC sections and corruption Act.

Remdesivir black market busted in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Apr 29 (PTI): In two separate incidents, the Ahmedabad police on Thursday nabbed 10 persons, one of them working with a pharma firm, with genuine as well as fake Remdesivir vials which they were planning to sell in the black market at very high rates, officials said. Besides seizing genuine and counterfeit vials of Remdesivir, the police recovered Rs 21 lakh in cash from the hotel room of one of the accused, they said. In a shocking revelation, the city crime branch has learnt that seven of them have already sold around 5,000 fake Remdesivir injections, at a rate of up to Rs 29,000 per vial, to the relatives of coronavirus patients, they said. The anti-viral drug, widely used to

treat critical coronavirus patients, is in high demand nationwide after the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Among the three accused held by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the crime branch in another operation, one works as a “plant operator” at Zydus Biotech Park on the outskirts of the city where the pharma firm manufactures Remdesivir, said the officials. Based on a tip-off, a team of the SOG raided a shop in the Bapunagar area and nabbed three men with 24 vials of Remdesivir worth Rs 21,576, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 6) A M Muniya. The arrested persons were identified by the police as Milan Savsaviya (21), Deval Kaswala (23) and Hardik Vasani (26), all residents of Ahmedabad.

School closures leads to rise in child marriages

ticularly in Gudalur and Pandalur areas, she said on the sidelines of a programme. Acting on a tipoff, the district authorities last week stopped five such marriages, Innocent Divya said and warned of stringent legal action against those involved in the offence. Revenue and police departments have been asked to carry out a survey to find out the reasons for such child marriages, with the help of NGOs, she said.

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Udhagamandalam (TN), Apr 29 (PTI): Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu is witnessing an increasing trend of child marriage because of closure of schools triggered by COVID-19 and the administration has so far prevented five such marriages, Collector Innocent Divya said on Thursday. As schools were shut in view of the pandemic, parents were marrying off their girl children, without considering their age, par-

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business

Spike in digital fraud attempts from India

NEW DELHI, APRIL 29 (IANS): TransUnion’s latest quarterly analysis of global online fraud trends has found that since the COVID-19 pandemic began, fraudsters are increasing their digital schemes against businesses. The agency came to its conclusions about fraud against businesses based on intelligence from billions of transactions and more than 40,000 global websites and apps contained in its flagship identity proofing, riskbased authentication and fraud analytics solution suite - TransUnion TruValidate¿. These websites and apps have traffic coming from all the countries across the globe including India. It found the percent of suspected fraudulent digital transaction attempts against businesses originating from India increased 28.32% when comparing the following two periods: (March 11, 2019 and March 10, 2020) and (March 11, 2020 - when the World Health Organiza-

them coming from across the globe, comparing the periods of March 11, 2019March 10, 2020 and March 11, 2020-March 10, 2021. Results showed a significant increase in attempted digital fraud originating from India against logistics companies. The level more than trebled (up 224%) and has been a significant development during COVID-19 times. With more people shopping online during the pandemic, goods are having to be shipped. Fraudsters know this and are targeting either redirecting genuine orders or alternatively placing fraudulent orders with compromised consumer accounts to genuine customer addresses, and then redirecting them once shipped. Separately at a global level, through the TruValidate solution, TransUnion documented a 19% growth in transactions among its global iGaming customers from 2019 to 2020, and recently researched its fraud impact in a special report. It

determined that its online gambling customers experienced a 9% increase in the rate of suspected fraud when comparing 2019 to 2020 among the hundreds of millions of iGaming transactions TransUnion analyzed for risk indicators last year. Despite it being one of the hottest-growing industries, TransUnion observed a decrease in the iGaming mobile transaction rate across the globe for the first time since at least 2016. However, iGaming on mobile devices is still much higher than desktops with the percent of online gambling transactions coming from mobile devices at 69%. “Despite the rising level of attempted fraud globally, consumers demand businesses both protect their transactions and still maintain convenient digital experiences. The businesses that come out on top will be those that successfully balance both,” concluded Srivastava.

Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021

Goldman Sachs commits $10mn to support India’s fight against Covid M U M BAI, AP R IL 29 (IANS): The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. on Thursday announced an additional $10 million (Rs 74 crore) commitment to support relief and recovery efforts in India, as the country experiences a surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths. “Since the onset of the pandemic, our firm has been focused on how we can help communities around the world, including those where we live and work,” said David M. Solomon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “India is home to three Goldman Sachs offices and we have a responsibility to respond and provide our firm’s support and assistance.” The additional funding for India will focus on support for frontline health facilities that are leading the fight against Covid-19 in cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and

New Delhi, including ongoing vaccination efforts. The funds will also be deployed to support initiatives promoting mental health in communities across India and will help economic recovery within those communities. Frontline health facilities include portable Covid-19 care centres, oxygen concentrators and generators, and isolation care units at homes for noncritical patients from low income communities. Sonjoy Chatter jee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs in India, said, “We are proud to support India

in combating this crisis, helping to augment its medical infrastructure and drive vaccination efforts.” The latest commitment builds on the $ 42 million Goldman Sachs has already deployed to more than 300 non-profits across 31 countries through the Covid-19 Relief Fund, and the firm’s $ 525 million commitment to small businesses. This included a $1 million commitment to India in 2020 which was fully allocated to the distribution of food and essential supplies to help displaced segments of the population due to the pandemic.

SBI biz activity index hits new low in April Udaan announces Rs 175 cr-ESOP plan

Rupee extends gains for 4th day

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of China was the same as that of India. “Now, China’s per capita income is five times more than that of India,” he said. To register higher growth rates, investments have to be increased as a percentage of GDP and India needs to gain a higher share in the global exports, Kumar said. And to increase share in global exports, exchange rate policies should be changed if needed, the Niti Aayog vice- chairman said.

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key driver of growth. Earlier, the public sector used to drive the growth engine, but not now,” Kumar said. The Niti Aayog official said that India needs to speed up growth rates to at least eight per cent to address the issues of reduction of poverty, improving the healthcare system and increasing the reach of education. According to him, the growth process has to be equitable and sustainable. Kumar said that in 1990, the per capita income

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Ko lkata , A pr 2 9 (PTI): Vice-chairman of Niti Aayog Rajiv Kumar on Thursday said that the private sector of the country will have to drive growth and not the public enterprises as they used to be. Speaking at a webinar organised by Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kumar said that the private sector also needs to create trust with the government, which is the need of the hour. “The private sector of the country has to be the

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No. 3548 Yesterday’s solution No. 3547

Mumbai, Apr 29 (PTI): The rupee rose by 29 paise to close at 74.07 against the US dollar on Thursday, extending gains for the fourth straight session amid a positive trend in domestic equities. At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened at 74.20 against the greenback and witnessed an intra-day high of 73.94 and a low of 74.23. It finally ended at 74.07 against the American currency, registering a rise of 29 paise over its previous closing. On Wednesday, the rupee had settled at 74.36. This is the fourth straight session of gain for the rupee, during which it has appreciated by 94 paise. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.09 per cent to 90.69.

Pvt sector has to drive growth: Niti

DP-2196

No. 4524 Yesterday’s solution No. 4523

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KAKURO

No. 9905 Yesterday’s solution No. 9904

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it translates into around 20 days from now,” it said. It further said that every 1 per cent reduction in recovery rate increases active cases by 1.85 lakh. “Thus we believe peak of second wave would come around mid-May with active cases reaching around 36 lakh at that point of time,” said the report.

They added that the size of the ESOP programme was about Rs 175 crore. “Over the years, our employees have worked relentlessly to transform the way trade is done in the country and empowering businesses of Bharat. We want to take this opportunity to reward our employees for their continuous effort and significant contribution with a meaningful wealth creation opportunity through an ESOP liquidity programme,” an Udaan spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Comments from Catamaran could not be immediately ascertained. In Januar y, Udaan raised USD 280 million (about Rs 2,048 crore) in funding from investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Tencent, DST Global, GGV Capital, Altimeter Capital, Octahedron Capital and Moonstone

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Crossword

second wave, is now at 82.5 per cent. This 14.5 per cent reduction in recovery rate has happened over a period of 69 days. “Based on other countries’ experience we believe India might reach its second peak when the recovery rate will be at 77.8 per cent. Given that every 1 per cent reduction in recovery rate takes around 4.5 days,

New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI): B2B e-commerce firm Udaan has announced an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) liquidity programme worth about Rs 175 crore. In an email to employees, Udaan cofounders Amod Malviya, Sujeet Kumar and Vaibhav Gupta said leading investors have shown interest in taking part in Udaan’s organisational journey ahead, through a secondary stock buyout programme. “All active employees who are not serving notice period and who have vested stocks as of March 31, 2021, will be eligible to participate in this programme,” the email said. While details of the investors and the size of the ESOP plan were not disclosed, sources said Catamaran Ventures has invested in Udaan through the secondary route by purchasing employees’ stocks.

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sumption have declined significantly during April, indicating that labour market disruptions are still manageable unlike the first wave, it said. Noting that India managed the first wave of pandemic well and the country is now facing an unprecedented second wave, it said: “There is no doubt that India could have done better. However, it must be emphasised that the ferocity of the second wave had even exposed the developed countries’ health infrastructure.” In order to fight with second wave of Covid19, most of the European and other nations imposed nation-wide lockdown in the range of one week to six months, it said. The report, however, noted that India’s recovery rate, that was at 97 per cent at the beginning of the

of transactions globally we screened for fraud indicators over the past year, it has become clear that the war against the virus has also brought about a war against digital fraud.” In India across industries, TransUnion found that highest percent of suspected digital fraudulent transactions originated from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. TransUnion analyzed industries for a change in the percent of suspected digital fraud attempts against

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NEW DELHI, APRIL 29 (IANS): The SBI business activity index has declined to hit a new low in April amid the second wave of Covid-19 and the fresh lockdown measures. An SBI Ecowrap report said that the index is 24.3 per cent down from the pre-pandemic level. “SBI business activity Index which has been declining in April’21 has now dipped to a new low of 75.7, the level it had attained in August 2020 and now a clear 24.3 per cent down from-pre pandemic level,” it said. This indicates the disruption caused by increased lockdowns and restrictions imposed in various states, is now having a meaningful impact on economic activity. All the indicators, except for labour participation and electricity con-

tion declared COVID-19 a global pandemic - and March 10, 2021). “Fraudsters are always looking to take advantage of significant world events. The COVID-19 pandemic and its corresponding rapid digital acceleration brought about by stay at home orders is a global event unrivaled in the online age,” said Shaleen Srivastava, executive vice president and head of Fraud Solutions at TransUnion in India. “By analyzing billions

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Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021

Myanmar junta says rockets fired at 2 air bases US to maintain strong military presence

BANGKOK, APR 29 (AP): Rockets were fired at two Myanmar government air bases on Thursday, causing minor damage but no injuries, the military junta said. The attacks are the latest sign that as the junta attempts to control widespread protests in cities against its February seizure of power, it is facing new military challenges in other areas. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks on the bases in Magway and Meiktila in central Myanmar, and the government said it is seeking those responsible. Capt. Aye Thazin Myint, a junta spokeswoman, said at a news conference in the capital, Naypyitaw, that four 107mm rockets were fired at the air force base in Magway at 3 a.m. Thursday, with three landing in a field and one on a road. She said one building was slightly damaged in the attack, which the military determined originated from two nearby villages.

A riverside Myanmar Army base, top left, seized by Karen guerrillas is seen from Mae Sam Laep, Thailand. (AP)

She said five rockets were fired between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. at the air base in Meiktila, where gunfire was also heard from nearby villages. The rockets are commonly used by insurgent groups because they are are cheap and easily deployed, although they are not particularly accurate. The junta, which ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in its Feb. 1 coup, is engaged in

open warfare with guerrillas from the Kachin and Karen minorities which have allied themselves with the protest movement against military rule. The Kachin, in northern Myanmar, and the Karen in the east have battled the central government for decades for greater autonomy, through periods of armed conflict and unsteady cease-fires. Both areas have experienced increased fighting in recent months and

have been targeted by air strikes and ground attacks by government forces. The Karen on Tuesday captured a government base on the border with Thailand. The military government has also stepped up its campaign against its opponents in cities, issuing arrest warrants for hundreds of activists including actors, internet influencers and doctors. Journalists have also been targeted. Street protests are continuing but on a much smaller scale since the security forces stepped up their use of lethal force. More than 700 protesters and bystanders have been killed, according to several detailed tallies. The junta puts the figure at roughly one-third of that and says it used force appropriately to curb rioting. The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported Thursday that an accused protest leader, Wai Moe Naing, was formally charged with

offenses including murder and treason for allegedly heading a well-organized local network of resisters to military rule. The detailed report, which could not be corroborated, suggests that even in a remote city, the movement against the junta was able to set up a sophisticated operation from scratch in just a few months with the ability to raise funds and link with allies. The report named dozens of alleged conspirators and displayed a chart illustrating their supposed connections. Wai Moe Naing was arrested in the central city of Monywa on April 15 as he was taking part in a vehicle protest against the military’s takeover. He was captured when a car knocked down the motorbike on which he was riding. He has not been seen publicly since his arrest, though the government released what it said was a photo of him, appearing bruised.

Nepal Army to invite Chief of Defence Staff Gen Rawat on official visit

in Indo-Pacific to prevent conflict: Biden

NEW YORK, APR 29 (IANS): US President Joe Biden has said that as a deterrence to conflicts he would maintain a strong presence in the Indo-Pacific, an area where China is asserting itself aggressively. China loomed large in Biden’s address to the joint session of Congress on Wednesday as he made the fast-developing nation the economic and strategic threat to the US. “We’re in a competition with China and other countries to win the 21stCentury. We have to do more than just build back. We have to build back better,” he said. Biden said that he has told “President Xi (Jinping) that we will maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific just as we do with NATO in Europe -- not to start conflict, but to prevent conflict.” He added, “In my discussion with President Xi, I told him that we welcome the competition -- and that we are not looking for conflict. But I made absolutely clear that I will defend American interests across the board.” In his speech on his 99th day in office, Biden presented his report card on progress in achieving the targets he had set for the first 100 days and his multitrillion-dollar plans for infrastructure, jobs, education, economy and families. He said, “America is on the move again” after the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and the worst attack on

Joe Biden

democracy -- a reference to the attack on Congress by supporters of former President Donald Trump on January 6. The hour-long speech was crafted by his Indian American speechwriter Vinay Reddy, who holds the title of director of speechwriting. Since he has not been in office for a year, the speech took the place of the traditional State of the Union address. As he began his speech with Vice President Kamala Harris and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi behind him on the podium, he noted that he was the first president to have to address the holders of both offices as “Madame”. For the first time the speaker and the Senate president -- vice President Harris -- are both women. The COVID-19 epidemic hollowed out the House chamber where Biden delivered the annual address. Only about 200 people -- including the spouses of the president and vice president a” were there socially distanced and masked. Absent were the guests who add colour to the speech and get called upon during

the speech by presidents. Missing was also drama like that of Pelosi angrily ripping up a copy of former President Donald Trump’s speech at the podium. Biden brought up the spectre of China several times to spur his agenda. “China and other countries are closing in fast” in technology and “we’re falling behind in that competition”, he warned as he called for increasing allocations for research and development. He said that the investments he proposed across a range of fields “also advance a foreign policy that benefits the middle class”. “That means making sure every nation plays by the same rules in the global economy, including China,” he explained. “America will stand up to unfair trade practices that undercut American workers and industries, like subsidies for state-owned enterprises and the theft of American technologies and intellectual property,” he added. Biden emphasised his vision of the US being the leader of the world. “We have to show not just that we are back, but that we are here to stay” as the world’s leading nation, he said. But he added, “And that we aren’t going it alone -- we’re going to be leading with our allies” because “no one nation can deal with all the crises of our time alone”. Biden also recycled Trump’s America First policy under the slogan of “Buy American.”

The invitation will be dispatched to him through the diplomatic and military channels. This will be part of a regular visit of high-level officers of the two armies to each other’s country, he added. Rawat had visited Nepal twice when he was the chief of the Indian Army. Indian Army chief General M M Naravane had visited Nepal in November last year. India-Nepal ties came

under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8 last year. Nepal protested the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through its territory. Days later, Nepal released a new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories. India too had pub-

lished a new political map in November 2019 showing the three areas as its territories. After Nepal released the map, India reacted sharply, calling it a “unilateral act” and cautioned Kathmandu that such “artificial enlargement” of territorial claims will not be acceptable to it. In June, Nepal’s parliament approved the new political map of the country featuring areas that India maintains belong to it.

Rawat’s assertion of China tried to change status quo in LAC ‘inconsistent’, says Chinese military

WHO chief says poor nations gave 0.3% of shots

China launches core module of its space station

LAHORE, APR 29 (PTI): In a rare rebuke of Pakistan’s powerful Army, the Lahore High Court has called it the country’s “biggest land grabber” and said its uniform is for the service to the nation and “not to rule as a king”. Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Mohammad Qasim Khan, during the hearing of a land grabbing case on Wednesday, said that he does not want to say anything wrong about the Army, but the way it occupies the properties of people is nothing but land grabbing. “The Army seems to have become the biggest land grabber in the country,” he said. “The uniform of the Army is for service and not to rule as a king,” he said while hearing petitions of three citizens seeking an order against the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), which is under the Army, to not disturb their lawful possession of the land they had obtained on lease from the Evacuee Trust Property

Board. Regretting that the Army had also grabbed a piece of land owned by the High Court, Justice Khan said that he would instruct the LHC registrar to write a letter to the Chief of the Army Staff (Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa) on the issue. The bar also remained indifferent to the issue, he lamented. The chief justice said the Corps Commander of Lahore could be summoned to verify the land grabbing facts. The Army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 70 plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the several matters of security and foreign policy. He observed that the Army had an attractive postretirement welfare plan for its officers, which other institutions like police and judiciary lacked. “Is it only the Army that makes sacrifices? Do other institutions like the police, lawyers and judges not make sacrifices?” the chief justice asked.

OFFICE OF THE

TIKHIR GAZETTED OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION Nagaland

FELICITATION We the Tikhir Gazetted Officers' Association (TGOA) is greatly honoured and pleased to express our sincere appreciation to Mr. Joshua N. Tikhir, S/o Nokshu of Sangkhimti Village, Kiphire District for securing the post of Extra Assistant Commissioner (Class-I Gazetted) in the recently declared results of NCS, NPS & Allied Services Examination, 2019. Bring elated by his resounding achievement, we the TGOA prays to the Almighty God to grant him robust health and further wishes him more success and illustrious career ahead. (Er. S.I. ASANGBA TIKHIR) President, TGOA

(T.ASUTHONG) NSS Finance Secretary, TGOA

DIMAPUR NKONJAN EZONMONTSÜ RÜI EKHÜNG H.Q. DIMAPUR TOWN, PIN - 797112 DIMAPUR, NAGALAND

FELICITATION The Dimapur Nkonjan Ezonmontsü Rüi Ekhung would like to extend heartiest congratulations to Shri. Oponthung Shitiri, S/o Lt. Shri. Ntsemo Shitiri of Okotso Village Wokha Dist. on being promoted to the post of Brigadier GPRN NSCN. DNEE wishes him a good health and wisdom while discharging his duties to serve Naga Nation for the interest and cause of the Naga public in the years ahead to come. Mhademo Kithan General Secretary DNEE

The Lephori Students’ Union with immense pride and honor would like to covey our heartiest congratulations to Mr. Nilo Katiry, S/o of Mr.Raso Katiry and Ms. Pfepila Katiry D/o of Mr. Lusie Katiry for clearing the NPSC examination in the Post of Assistant Election Officer and Secretariat Assistant. The Union takes pride in your achievement and wishes them the very best in their future endeavour. Ngurho Katiry Pizusie Katiry Secretary, LSU President, LSU OFFICE OF THE

HUMTSO STUDENTS’ UNION WOKHA – 797111, NAGALAND

FELICITATION

OFFICE OF THE

P. Pius Lotha Chairman DNEE

FELICITATION

The Humtso Students’ Union with immense pride and honour would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to : 1. Dr. L. Nongothung Yanthan, S/o. Lt. Lidemo Yanthan and Mrs. Lochumlo Yanthan for clearing the recently declared NPSC Examination as Deputy Superintendent of Police (Cl-1 Gazetted), under Home Department, Police Establishment Branch in Top Position. 2. Mr. Nzanthung Yanthan, S/o. Lt. Bichamo Yanthan and Mrs. Yibono Yanthan for clearing the SSC-CPO 2018 Examination for the Post of Sub-Inspector (SI) in CRPF. The Union further wishes them success in their future endeavour. Peter R. Humtsoe President Humtso Students’ Union

Chumthungo J Shitiri General Secy. Humtso Students’ Union

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Lahore HC says Pakistan Army ‘biggest land grabber’

Mrs Lhovili Futhena for successfully clearing NPSC 2019 under Personal & Administrative Reforms Department as Secretariat Assistant. We a r e s o p r o u d t h a t y o u r dedication has enabled you to accomplished great things and also for bringing laurels to our Village. The LLYO further wishes him good health and greater success in his future endeavors. Nihuto Tenna Lavito Kappo General Secretary, LLYO President, LLYO

FELICITATION We, the Family members would like to heartily Congratulate Mr. Limatemjen, S/o Lt. M Lepzuk and Mrs. R Amenla (Anaki Village) for bringing laurel to our Family by securing the Post of Secretariat Assistant in the recently declared NPSC examination. The Family members further wishes him successful Career in his future endeavours. K-870

OFFICE OF THE

ZELIANGRONG MIPUI ORGANISATION

PEREN DISTRICT, NAGALAND Regd. No. ED/GSS/RS/9/87-88 Dt. Kohima 8th Sept. ´87 Ref. No.... Date 29th April 2021

FELICITATION

The Zeliangrong Mipui Organization, Nagaland (ZMO-N) with immense pride and honour extend our heartiest congratulations to the following individuals on their achievements in the recently declared NPSC results and for bringing laurels to the community. 1. Shri. Pauding : Extra Assistant Commissioner (EAC) 2. Shri. Lungkube : Secretariat Assistant (SA) The Organization (ZMO-N) further wishes them greater success even in their future Endeavors. Sd/Sd/(ALUILE HEGUI) (APEUNA IHEILUNG) Gen. Secretary, ZMO (N) President, ZMO (N)

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succumb to the pressures that they have been putting on us because of the technological advantage that they have,” Gen Rawat said in his address at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi on April 15, referring to the border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh. “But, I think India stood firm on the northern borders and we have proven

LISBON, APR 29 (AP): The head of the World Health Organization says more than 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered globally but 82 per cent of them were given in high- and uppermiddle-income countries. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says just 0.3 per cent of all vaccines administered so far were given to people in low-income countries. “That’s the reality,” Tedros told an online health conference hosted by Portugal on Thursday. He said access to vaccines “is one of the defining challenges of the pandemic” and that public health is “the foundation of social, economic and political stability.”

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Colonel Wu Qian

that we will not get pushed,” he said at the virtual conference. When sought China’s response to Gen Rawat’s remarks, China’s defence ministry spokesperson Senior Colonel Wu Qian “rebutted” it during the monthly virtual press conference, the Chinese military’s official website reported. “Snr. Col. Wu responded at a regular press conference of the Ministry of National Defence on April 29 that the relevant remarks by the Indian side are completely inconsistent with the facts,” the report said. “Regarding the situations in the western section of the China-India boundary, China has explained the ins and outs in detail, and the responsibility does not lie with China,” he said.

with up to three spacecraft with the core module at at a time for short stays, or the centre and a lab capsule two for long, Bai Linhou, on each side. Each module deputy chief designer of will be over 20 tonnes. the space station at the When the station docks China Academy of Space with both manned and Technology (CAST) said cargo spacecraft, its weight as reported by China’s state could reach nearly 100 news agency. tonnes. The station will opTianhe has a total erate in the low-Earth orbit length of 16.6 meters, a at an altitude from 340 km maximum diameter of 4.2 to 450 km. It has a designed meters and a take-off mass lifespan of 10 years, but of 22.5 tonnes, and is the experts believe it could last A Long March 5B rocket carrying a module for a Chinese space station lifts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft largest spacecraft devel- more than 15 years with oped by China. The space appropriate maintenance Launch Site on April 29. (AP/PTI) station will be a T shape and repairs. B E I J I N G , A P R 2 9 Tianhe module, blasted (AGENCIES): China on off from the Wenchang OFFICE OF THE Thursday launched the Spacecraft Launch Site on LAZAMI LAZAKITO YOUTH ORGANISATION core module of its space the coast of the southern P.O Pughoboto -797109 Dist. Zunheboto, Nagaland station, kicking off a series island province of Hainan. of key launch missions The Tianhe module will FELICITATION that aim to complete the act as the management and With immense pride and honour the construction of the sta- control hub of the space Lazami Lazakito Youth Organization tion by the end of next station Tiangong, mean- convey our heartiest congratulations year. The Long March-5B ing Heavenly Palace, with to Mr. Viqheshe S Futhena (Advisor Y2 rocket, carrying the a node that could dock LLYO) son of Mr Shikhu Futhena and

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Brig Gen Santosh Ballav Poudyal, the spokesperson of the Nepal Army, told PTI the two countries would work out a mutually agreed date for the visit.

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BEIJING, APR 29 (PTI): China’s military on Thursday described as “completely inconsistent with the facts” the assertion of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) tried to change the status quo in eastern Ladakh. The remarks by the spokesperson of China’s Ministry of National Defence came days after Gen Rawat said that India stood firm in preventing a change of status quo on the northern borders and the country proved it will not get pushed under any pressure. “They tried to ensure that they can change the status quo by the use of disruptive technologies without using force...They thought that India, as a nation, will

General Bipin Rawat

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KATHMANDU, APR 29 (PTI): The Nepal Army will soon invite India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on an official visit to the country, according to sources here. The Nepal government has approved the visit, Nepal Army headquarters sources said. Nepal’s Cabinet has given a nod to Nepal Army’s proposal to invite Rawat for an official visit, said Nepal Army’s head of public relations department.

Infotainment

Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021

Google, Amazon join Global race to fight India Covid Crisis A Health workers assist patients outside a quarantine People at an oxygen refilling station that has run center in Mumbai, on April 27 out of cylinders in Kolkata, on April 28. sector to help narrow the vast chasm of shortages. Most critical has been the unavailability of medical oxygen, and a bulk of the efforts have been directed at boosting supplies. Ambani’s Reliance, Tata Steel Ltd., ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India and JSW Steel Ltd. are among manufacturers that have diverted thousands of metric tons of liquid medical oxygen from their plants. Others such as consumer giant ITC Ltd. and the Adani Group controlled by India’s second-richest man Gautam Adani are shipping in cryogenic tanks, and offering portable concentrators and generators. ‘More Important’ “Saving lives is more important than producing steel,” said Sajjan Jindal, chairman of JSW Steel, the largest producer of the gas among the country’s non-

state companies in India. State-owned refiners Indian Oil Corp. and Bharat Petroleum Corp. chipped in with oxygen production as well. Underscoring the severity of the latest wave, official data on Wednesday showed new infections rose by 360,960 in the prior 24 hours, while 3,293 additional lives were lost - both a record for the country. India has the world’s fastest growing caseload. Total confirmed virus cases reached 18 million while deaths topped 200,000, and reports indicated both the numbers may be under counted. As the enormity of India’s challenges shook the world, Indian-origin technology industry czars have extended help. Earlier this week, Silicon Valley investor Vinod Khosla tweeted an offer to fund public hospitals

and import planeloads of bulk oxygen or supplies to India to improve stocks. A day later Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said he was “heartbroken” by the situation in India and Microsoft is using its voice, resources and technology to aid relief efforts and help purchase oxygen concentrators. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in a tweet that Google and its employees would rush medical supplies and support non-profits in a country that’s a sizable market for its products. His company has proffered some $18 million in funding. Amazon is harnessing its global logistics supply chain to airlift 100 ICU ventilator units from the U.S., and the equipment will reach India in the next two weeks, the company’s local chief Amit Agar-

Brazilian Covid variant more transmissible, can evade immunity

DIMAPUR: NAGALAND

We, the Pessao Union Dimapur conveys our heartiest congratulations to Mr. Shamba John, son of Shri. Thongo & Mrs. Shepeh for clearing the NPSC Examination in the post of Secretariat Assistant (SA). We pray that Almighty God continues to bless you and wishes you all the success in your future endeavors. NS Longba Konyak Gen. Secy., PUD Wanmai Konyak President, PUD

1926), who becomes a demon hunter after his family is killed by the creatures thirsty for human blood. The manga, or graphic novel series, was already adapted into a television show, the first episodes of which came out in 2019. Although it’s a cartoon, the movie is rated “R,” meaning that children under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult to see the film. Despite the historic debut, Demon Slayer was beaten over the weekend by another release: Mortal Kombat, based on the video game of the same name, which raked in $22.5 million at the North American box office. The simultaneous release of Mortal Kombat on the online video platform HBO Max did not prevent it from reaching the second-best launch since the start of the pandemic, behind Godzilla vs. Kong, which earned $31 million in its first weekend in theatres, in April.( Firstpost)

OFFICE OF THE VISWEMA STUDENTS’ UNION H.P.O. Kohima, P.O. Viswema-797127, Nagaland:Kohima

FELICITATION

With immense pride and honour, the Viswema Students’ Union convey our heartiest congratulations to Mr. Asal Sothu, S/o Mr. Khrϋpi Sothu for successfully securing the post of Secretariat Assistant under Personal and Administrative Reforms Department, in the recently declared NCS,NPS,NSS and allied services examination 2019 conducted by Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) The V.S.U further wishes him the very best and success in all his future endeavour. Metol Neikha Kelevol Kin President, VSU Information & Publicity Secy, VSU

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METHA THINUO KROTHO CHIECHAMA FELICITATION

The Metha Thinuo Krotho, Chiechama would like to congratulate Mr. VIKETOULIE METHA, S/o Mr. Pekrulhoubei Metha on securing the 1st position in the Nagaland Public Service Commission-Civil Services Examination 2019 and placed as Extra Assistant Commissioner (EAC) Classs-1 Gazetted under P & AR Department. We give all glory to our Almighty God for the success upon Mr. Viketoulie Metha and wish him the best in his career. Vikeduo Metha Vibeilie Metha Information & Publicity Secy. President DP-2212

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erties including 184 samples of genetic sequencing data. They found that genetically speaking P1 is different from the previous strains of coronavirus. It has acquired 17 mutations including an important trio of mutations in the spike protein (K417T, E484K and N501Y). The researchers also used an epidemiological model to estimate how

so hard by the first wave in 2020 that it was actually thought to be one of the few places in the world to have reached herd immunity. An estimated 75 per cent of the population in the city had been infected. But then the second wave hit in November and December. The massive second wave outbreak has led to many daily deaths and instances transmissible P1 seemed of the health care systems (IANS) to be. As well as estimating collapsing. signs of P evading immunity gained from previous infection. The model compared two different virus strains -- one was the ‘normal coronavirus’ and the other was dynamically adjusted using machine learning to best fit the actual events in Brazil, Bhatt said. Manaus city was hit

OFFICE OF THE PESSAO UNION

he Japanese animated film Demon Slayer this weekend had the best opening ever recorded in North America for a foreign language film, a new milestone after already setting a box office record in Japan. Produced by Aniplex, a subsidiary of Japanese giant Sony, Demon Slayer took in $19.5 million in the United States and Canada, according to Exhibitor Relations. The anime unseated Hero, a Chinese film by Zhang Yimou that earned $17.8 million during its first weekend in American theatres, in August 2004. Demon Slayer broke the box office record in Japan at the end of December. The tally on industry website Box Office Mojo currently shows $365 million in tickets sold in the Japanese market alone. The film follows Tanjiro, a teenager living in Japan during the Taisho era (1912-

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he Brazil variant (also known as P1) is likely to be more transmissible than previous strains of Coronavirus and able to evade immunity gained from infection with other strains, according to researchers. The team from Brazil, the UK and University of Copenhagen estimated that “there is an aggressive variant of the coronavirus called P1 which seems to be the cause of problems” in Manaus city, Brazil. “Our analysis shows that P1 emerged in Manaus around November 2020. It went from not being detectable in our genetic samples to accounting for 87 per cent of the positive samples in just seven weeks. It has since spread to several other states in Brazil as well as many other countries around the world,” said Samir Bhatt, a researcher at Copenhagen University’s Department of Public Health. The findings, published in the jour nal Science, showed that P1 is likely to be between 1.7 and 2.4 times more transmissible than non-P1-lineages of the coronavirus. P1 was also likely to be able to evade between 10 and 46 per cent of the immunity gained from infection with non-P1 coronavirus. For the study, the team used many forms of data from Manaus to characterise P1 and its prop-

wal said in a blog post. The e-commerce giant will help install, maintain and train personnel to use the machines, he said. Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said the iPhone maker would donate relief but didn’t provide details. Remdesivir Availability Global drugmakers including Merck & Co. are licensing critical drugs to Indian generics manufacturers. Eli Lilly & Co. offered to donate Covid antibody drugs, while Gilead this week said it would expand the availability of Remdesivir, a drug used to treat symptoms of Covid-19. Several industry lobby groups are also jumping in. A collective of members of the prominent U.S. India Business Council plans to supply 20,000 oxygen concentrators in the coming weeks. The Confederation

of Indian Industry, which counts the biggest Indian companies as members, is setting up a task force to augment supplies of oxygen. Digital payments startup Paytm said it will airlift 21,000 Oxygen concentrators by early May, and send it to government and private hospitals, and Covid care facilities. Ambani Philanthropy The Ambani family’s Reliance Foundation has set up Covid care facilities with 875-bed capacity in Mumbai. The philanthropic arm of India’s most valuable company will newly create, commission and manage 100 ICU beds that will become operational in mid-May. A team of over 500 staffers - doctors, nurses and nonmedical professionals will be deployed round-the-clock to tend to patients. In a phone interview from New York, Blackstone’s Schwarzman said this is an “exceptionally difficult situation” for India, where the firm has a “large important business.” “Each country, both in the developed and developing world, had great troubles with Covid,” he said. “All countries have learned lessons during Covid and I am sure India will adopt as many of these lessons as they can.” (Bloomberquint)

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s Indian authorities and hospitals struggle to cope with record Covid-19 infections and deaths, companies ranging from the nation’s biggest conglomerate to global giants like Amazon.com Inc. are stepping in to help ease the crisis. Reliance Industries Ltd., controlled by Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, the Tata group, global drug giants like Gilead Sciences Inc., technology titans such as Alphabet Inc. are all rushing in supplies and funds. Blackstone Group Inc.’s Chairman Stephen Schwarzman said his private equity firm is committing $5 million to support India’s Covid relief and vaccination services to “marginalized communities.” With haunting visuals of mass funeral pyres, long lines of ambulances outside overcrowded hospitals, and desperate pleas on social media for oxygen canisters, the unfolding tragedy is prompting some of the biggest corporations to organize aid for a country they view as a crucial market with 1.3 billion consumers. India’s federal and state governments, grossly unprepared to tackle the latest coronavirus wave, have also encouraged the non-state

‘Demon Slayer’ sets U.S. record for best foreign language film

OFFICE OF THE

JAPUKONG YOUTH ORGANISATION DP-2206

HQ. LONGCHEM, DIST. MOKOKCHUNG : NAGALAND Regd. No. Home - SRC/7936/2019

OFFICE OF THE

TIKHIR STUDENTS’ UNION Hq. Anatongre, Dist: Kiphire-798611, Nagaland Motto: “Rise and Shine” Email: tsuhqana@gmail.com

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The Tikhir Students Union with immense joy and pleasure extends our heartiest congratulations to Mr. N Joshua Tikhir, S/o Shri. Nokshu of Sangkhumti Village for securing the prestigious post, EAC in the recently declared NPSC results. The union expresses gratitude for bringing laurels to our Tikhir Community. The union further wishes him great success in the future endeavor. (TIMONG Y TIKHIR) (Y. KIUSUTHONG) President Vice President

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In pursuance of self reliance through organic farming, the Japukong Youth Organization (JYO) through the magnanimous gesture of the Department of Horticulture, Government of Nagaland acquired Zaid crops seedlings to be distributed to the villages of Japukong Range under EAC Longchem. The JYO hopes that this initiative during this tough times will usher a new Zeal among the public to be self reliant and sustainable in the future. The JYO will dispatch the seedlings to the concern Village Councils who have been requested to distributed among the villages. A short dedicatory service, before the materials were dispatched, was held at the residence of the Organisation's advisor Er. J. Lanu Longchar on 28-04-2021 in the presence of Advisors and ofﬁce bearers. Rev. Imly Jamir conducted the service while Limayanger Imchen, President JYO acknowledged the Department of Horticulture, Government of Nagaland and all the well wishers who have contributed for the success of the Endeavour. DP-2210

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Man City lead PSG in Champions League semis

PARIS, APR 29 (IANS): Manchester City came from behind to win 2-1 against 10-man Paris SaintGermain and take a big step towards a first-ever place in the Champions League final. Captain Kevin de Bruyne scored in the 64th and Riyah Mahrez’s freekick seven minutes later cancelled out an early lead for last season’s finalists PSG from their skipper Marquinhos, DPA reported. PSG’s miser y was complete when Idrissa Gueye was sent off in the 77th for a tackle from behind on Ilkay Gundogan. N e y m a r, K y l i a n Mbappe and company looked more dangerous for long parts of the game before the Premier League leaders hit back somewhat out of the blue and with some luck -- with De Bruyne’s ball seemingly an intended cross and Mahrez’s free-kick going through the PSG wall. The return leg is on Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium where City manager Pep Guardiola hopes to make the final set for May

Players of Manchester city celebrate their goal against PSG during the UCL match.

29 in Istanbul for the first time in a decade since his Barcelona days. “It was a game of two halves,” Man of the Match De Bruyne told BT Sport. “It was a shame we conceded. After 25 minutes we changed the way we pressed them and it became better. “The second half was much, much better. The first goal was a little bit lucky with the way it went in, but we played great football and we did well.” Marquinhos told

sports

Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021

RMC Sport that PSG “let in stupid goals” and that they “have to be more regular in both halves” next week. Record winners Real Madrid and Chelsea drew 1-1 in the other tie on Tuesday, with their return leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. PSG and City are the both big clubs under Middle East ownership who have never won the Champions League. PSG lost last year’s final to Bayern Munich who they ousted in

the quarter-finals this time around. City have never reached the final, going out in the 2016 semis. Marquinhos was fit to play again and Neymar forced Ederson to a big early save after City failed to clear a corner kick decisively. The hosts went 1-0 up on the next set piece in the 15th, with Marquinhos running unmarked towards the near right post to head Angel di Maria’s corner into the far corner. The goal gave PSG

confidence, but City got a big chance to level shortly before intermission, with Phil Foden aiming right at Navas from a promising position. PSG became too passive after the break and at all unraveled for them within 13 minutes with the two goals and red card. City were level when De Bruyne’s curling ball into the area from the left went past friend and foe into the bottom right corner, with Navas frozen on the goal-line. The goal rattled PSG and it got worse for them when Mahrez fired the 71stminute free-kick through a poorly set up wall and into the bottom left corner. A frustrated Neymar was booked and PSG’s fate sealed when Gueye got his marching orders from German referee Felix Brych in the 77th. Tempers continued to flare in some hectic final minutes in which PSG tried in vain to get an equalizer. “A good result but anything can happen. The goals were the consequence of us playing better,” Guardiola said.

T20 World Cup could be moved to United Arab Emirates, says BCCI

MUMBAI, APR 28 (AGENCIES): This year’s Twenty20 World Cup could be moved to the United Arab Emirates if India continues to suffer with a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament is due to begin in October, but the Covid death toll in India has passed 200,000, with at least 300,000 new infections every day in the past week. L a s t we e k , I n d i a joined the UK’s travel red list - effectively banning travel to and from the country. Other countries - including Australia - have also closed their borders to India. Speaking to the BBC’s Stumped podcast, Dhiraj Malhotra, from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said he is hopeful India could still host the T20 World Cup. “I’ve just been named one of the tournament directors, so I’m doing everything we can to make sure it happens,” said Malhotra, who is general manager for game development with the BCCI.

“We will be doing normal scenario, and worst case scenario, so with all that we’re talking to the ICC at the moment.” Australia will host a T20 World Cup in 2022, postponed from last year due to the pandemic. When asked whether there is a country earmarked as the contingency, Malhotra said: “It would be the UAE. We’re hoping again that it would be done by the BCCI. So, we’ll take the tournament there, but it’ll still be done by the BCCI.” Meanwhile, Malhotra says India’s cricket gov-

erning body will go with “common sentiment” on whether the Indian Premier League continues. The IPL - the world’s richest Twenty20 league - is currently taking place in India with the final set for 30 May. Austra l i a c r i c ke t ers Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson have withdrawn from the IPL and the tournament has faced calls for a suspension.“There’s not been any clear implication of any clear directive that it is bad to host the IPL, or good to host the IPL,” Malhotra added.

Saina, Srikanth likely to travel Weightlifter Mirabai targets podium finish at Olympics to Olympic qualifiers via Doha

Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth

India. The tournament is scheduled to be held from May 25 to 30 while the Singapore Open is slated to be held from June 1 to 6. “With the current travel restrictions, Indian players will not be able to take direct flights. We have checked for via routes and the alternatives are either from Sri Lanka or from Doha and Indian Shuttlers are most likely to travel via Qatar,” said the BAI. “Considering the current travel restrictions, Badminton Association of India (BAI) has written to the respective Associations of Malaysia and Singapore for clarity on what will be the exact regulations that will be applied to Indian shuttlers while they arrive in these respective coun-

medal in Tokyo. “My training volume has gone up. I’ve improved my technique. All those things give me confidence to be a successful lifter when I step on to the bigger stage in July,” she added. Mirabai believes she must train in the USA to achieve her goals. “I don’t know if that plan would materialise as fresh travel restrictions are Mirabai Chanu in place for Indians due to a surge in Covid-19 cases. pics,” said the Rajiv Gan- out of the 2018 Jakarta But it would be good if we dhi Khel Ratna Awardee. Asian Games. Mirabai said that a “The back injury is are able to train in USA ahead of the Tokyo Olym- lower back injury kept her a thing of past. I don’t

Didn’t mean to say virus would enter IPL bio-bubble: Zampa

MELBOURNE, APR 29 (IANS): Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who returned home from the Indian Premier League (IPL), and had termed the IPL bio-bubble ‘the most vulnerable’ clarified on Thursday that he didn’t mean the Covid19 virus would enter the bubble. In a statement issued through his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Zampa said, “My comments about the vulnerability of the IPL bubble had nothing to do with feeling like the virus would enter the bubble at any stage. “The BCCI and RCB had many precautions to make us feel

safe. I believe the tournament is in great hands and will definitely see the finish line,” he added in the statement. Zampa had earlier told the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) that the IPL bio-bubble was probably the most vulnerable among the bubbles he had seen. “We’ve been in a few (bubbles) now, and I feel like this is probably the most vulnerable,” he had told SMH. Zampa, who confirmed that he had reached Melbourne safely thanked the RCB management for arranging for their departure quickly. “Thanks to RCB management

Anderson Suns reach play-offs for first time in 11 yrs Kevin reaches Estoril

PHOENIX (ARIZONA), APR 29 (AGENCIES): The Phoenix Suns reached the NBA play-offs for the first time in 11 years with a 109-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Chris Paul scored 28 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter, to lead the Suns to their first win over the Clippers this season. The Suns are second in the Western Conference, with the Clippers third. Having last reached the play-offs in 2009-10, the Suns end the NBA’s second-longest active playoff drought. The Sacramento Kings - currently 12th in the Western Conference - have the longest drought, last reaching the play-offs in 2005-06. “Where we were just last year, a couple years ago, to get to this point now, it shows all the work we’ve put in over that course of time, and how important everybody in the organisation, from top to bottom, has been. It’s honestly a really big lesson to be a part of it,” said Suns forward Cameron Johnson. “When I first got here, everybody was like, ‘Oh, the Suns are down. They haven’t made K Y M C

have any major issues right now. I’ve a good support staff including a sports psychologist. I see my own videos to keep the motivation level high,” she said of staying focused in times of pandemic. Mirabai said that the Chinese lifters will be the main rivals for her in Tokyo. But she is ready to battle with lifters from the Asian powerhouse. “If those girls from China can lift heavy barbells, why can’t I? With that aim in mind I am moving towards my goal,” she added.

Adam Zampa

for the way they dealt with the situation. As soon as we made the choice that we felt the right thing to do was to come home, they were fully supportive and did everything they could to help. Their understanding of the situation made the process a lot easier,” he said. “I am understanding the velocity of the situation in India and my thoughts go out to the whole country. It was a personal choice to leave for several reasons.”

SOULFUL TRIBUTE

quarterfinals

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (3) passes the ball by LA Clippers guard Reggie Jackson (1) to Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges (25) during the second half.

the play-offs in ‘X’ amount of years.’ To be so close last year and to be in a position to clinch a spot now, it’s a blessing and I don’t take it for granted at all.” Elsewhere, Western Conference leaders the Utah Jazz set a franchise record for most points in a game in their 154-105 win over the Sacramento Kings. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 24 points while Jordan Clarkson added 23 as

the Jazz ended a two-game losing streak. The Philadelphia 76ers also clinched a play-off spot with a 127-83 thrashing of the Atlanta Hawks. The struggling Los Angeles Lakers were beaten 116-107 by the Washington Wizards, who had Bradley Beal score a team-high 27 points and Russell Westbrook record a triple-double of 18 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists.

The New York Knicks dominated the fourth quarter to pull away to a 113-94 win over the Chicago Bulls, while the Boston Celtics beat the Charlotte Hornets 120-111. The Orlando Magic won for just the second time in 14 games as they held off a rally by the Cleveland Cavaliers to win 109-104, and the Denver Nuggets edged a 114-112 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

C A S C A I S ( P O RT U GAL), APR 29 (AGENCIES): South Africa’s Kevin Anderson recorded 12 aces and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Millennium Estoril Open with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win against Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena on Wednesday in Portugal. Anderson trailed 2-4 in the tiebreak before winning five straight points to finish in one hour and 49 minutes. He’ll face No. 6 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia, who endured two rain delays and rallied to beat Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4. No. 3 seed Ugo Humbert of France outlasted Italy’s Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, and No. 8 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 win over France’s Jeremy Chardy. Top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany began his quest for a third Munich title with a 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania in 87 minutes.

Born: 08-07-1938 Tinsukia

Died: 27-04-2021 Delhi

Late Shri Nirmal Kumar Jain Sethi

Digamber Jain Samaj of Dimapur is shocked to hear the news of demise of Shri Nirmal Kumar Jain Sethi, National President of Shri Bharatvarshiya Digamber Jain Mahasabha. Shri Sethi was completely devoted to Deva, Shastra and Guru, the ideal of the whole of Digamber Jain Society nationally. He has done unprecedented work in every field of religion and society. He had a pure heart, enchanting smile, delightful image, indomitable enthusiasm, progressive ideology, patience and tolerance etc. He was embellished with the best of the human qualities, who gave his wholehearted support and wealth in every religious work. He was supreme devotee & was not only the national president of Shree Bharatvarshiya Digambar Jain Mahasabha for 40 years, but also the soul of the Digambar Jain followers. Your contribution towards Jain society will be remembered for time immemorial. We are speechless and mourn your demise. We pray to the Almighty Lord to grant salvation to the departed soul and the strength to the grieving family members to bear this immense loss. Deeply mourned by Shri Bharatvarshiya Digamber Jain Tirth Sanrakshini Mahasabha, Nagaland Prant Bhagchand Sethi Mahavir Chhabra Suresh Chhabra Shital Sethi President Working President General Secretary Secretary Rajkumar Jain Sethi Kamal Kumar Jain Rawka Anil Kumar Tongya National Secretary Sr. Joint General Secretary Central Convenor Shri Om Prakash Sethi, Shri Prakash Chand Ajmera, President of S.D. Jain Samaj, Dimapur & General Secretary of S.D. Jain Samaj, Dimapur & Shri Bharatvarshiya Digamber VP, Shri Bharatvarshiya Digamber Jain Mahasabha, Nagaland Jain Mahasabha

DP-2197

NEW DELHI, APR 29 (IANS): Indian badminton players are likely to travel to Malaysia next month via Doha, Qatar, for the Malaysia Open and subsequently travel to Singapore for the Singapore Open in June, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) said on Thursday. The two tournaments are the last events that are included in the Olympic qualification calendar after the postponement of the Indian Open this month due to the worsening Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country. Doubts arose over whether Indians would be able to participate in the Malaysian Open due to the country imposing a temporary ban on flights from

tries,” it further said. Players will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine period in Malaysia while for entering Singapore, they only need to have gone through a 14-day quarantine period in a country apart from India. It means that Indian players can go to Singapore directly from Malaysia and take part in the tournament without having to spend a separate 14-day quarantine. It also means that the Indians will have to arrive in Malaysia at least on May 10. While PV Sindhu, B Sai Praneeth and men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have virtually ensured qualification due to their ranking in the Race to Tokyo rankings, the Malaysia and Singapore events will be the last chance for Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth to secure qualification. Saina, who won India’s first Olympic medal in the sport in 2012, is ranked 22nd while former world No.1 Srikanth is 20th. Both players need to be within the top 16 to secure qualification.

NEW DELHI, APR 29 (IANS): Mirabai Chanu, India’s top woman weightlifter, is eyeing a podium finish at the Tokyo Olympics. “ W h a t I c o u l d n’t achieve four years ago during 2016 Rio Olympics, I would like to complete that unfinished task this time in Japan,” said the 26-yearold weightlifter in a media interaction. With 85 days to go for the Olympic Games, the lifter from Manipur said she has trained harder than before to stay on track for a

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sports

Shaw’s six 4s set up DC’s 7-wkt win over KKR

AHMEDABAD, APR 29 (PTI): Opener Prithvi Shaw smashed six fours in the first over in a stunning batting display on his way to a blistering 82 as Delhi Capitals crushed Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets in the IPL here on Thursday. Chasing 155 for a win, Shaw sent all the six legal deliveries from opening bowler Shivam Mavi to the boundary, driving, punching and sweeping at will. Mavi’s first delivery saw Dinesh Karthik diving full-length to his left to take a fine catch only to find later that it was a wide ball. Shaw then sent all the next six balls to the fence one after the other. Shaw shared a 132-run stand for the first wicket with senior partner Shikhar Dhawan (46 off 47 balls), who played second fiddle throughout, as the duo annihilated the KKR bowlers. Shaw was out in the 16th over after facing 41 balls, hitting 11 fours and three sixes but, by then, the

Prithvi Shaw of Delhi Capitals bats during the IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad. (PTI)

match was as good. DC chased down the target with 3.3 overs to spare, reaching 156 for 3 in 16.3 overs. The 21-year-old Shaw reached to his fifty off 18 balls in the eighth over, his third half century of the season in his seven matches.

He was dropped by Shubman Gill when on 55 off the bowling of Varun Chakravarthy as DC reached the 100-run mark in 10.2 overs without losing a wicket. For KKR, lead pacer Pat Cummins finished with

excellent figures of 3/24. This was DC’s fifth win in seven outings while KKR suffered their fifth loss in as seven games. Earlier, KKR suffered another familiar batting collapse before late fireworks from Andre Russell lifted them to 154 for six after being put in to bat. KKR were at a decent position at 69 for one in the 10th over but slumped to 82 for five in the 13th before Russell saved them with a 27-ball 45 not out. Russell’s blistering innings had two boundaries and four sixes. Struggling opener Shubman Gill top-scored with a 38-ball 43, and his knock was studded with three boundaries and one six, but he failed to convert his solid start into a big score. For DC, Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav were impressive with two wickets. KKR were 45 for one at the end of powerplay overs after Nitish Rana

was stumped out for 15 in the fourth over bowled by Axar. Gill was going strong as he took on Ishant Sharma and Axar by hitting a few boundaries but lost Rahul Tripathi to Marcus Stoinis

Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021

Executives at failed ESL clubs forced to quit Premier League roles

in the 10th over. KKR’s familiar batting slump came to the fore as captain Eoin Morgan and Sunil Narine both got out in the space of three balls without opening their accounts.

De Kock’s unbeaten 70 takes MI to 7-wicket win over RR Quinton de Kock remained unbeaten on 70 as Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets in the Indian Premier League at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday. de Kock’s 63-run stand with Krunal Pandya (39) for the third wicket helped MI chase down a target of 172 with nine balls to spare. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah led the way as the five-time champions put the breaks on RR’s innings to restrict them to 171/4. Chris Morris dismissed MI captain Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav in the first 10 overs but de Kock, alongwith Pandya and later Kieron Pollard, took MI over the line. Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 171/4 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 42, Jos Buttler 41; Rahul Chahar 2/33, Jasprit Bumrah 1/15) lost to Mumbai Indians 172/3 in 18.3 overs (Quinton de Kock 70 not out, Krunal Pandya 39; Chris Morris 2/33) by seven wickets with nine balls to spare Friday’s Match Punjab Kings Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Time: 7:30 pm

L O N D O N, A P R 2 9 (AGENCIES): Executives at clubs involved in the failed European Super League have been forced to resign from advisory roles at the Premier League. The move is a consequence of the so-called ‘Big Six’ teams attempting to set up a league which drew widespread criticism before it fell apart. The 14 other Premier League clubs felt betrayed by the move and demanded that executives involved, including Manchester United’s Ed Woodward, Liverpool’s Tom Werner and Manchester City’s Ferran Soriano, step down.

Woodward and Werner will no longer sit on the Premier League’s Club Broadcast Advisory Group. Soriano and Arsenal’s chief executive Vinai Venkatesham will be removed from the Club Strategic Advisory Group, while Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck will no longer be on the Audit and Remuneration Committee. Tottenham, who were also part of the short-lived European Super League breakaway, were not represented in the three groups, which were introduced 18 months ago and discuss ideas before they are presented to clubs to vote on.

Andy Ruiz Jr set for slimmed down Hamilton chases 100th pole in Portuguese GP qualifying ring return against Chris Arreola

Andy Ruiz Jr and Chris Arreola.

Mexico City, APR 29 (AGENCIES): Andy Ruiz Jr says tears, a new regime and a hunger to recapture the world heavyweight title have fuelled a 55lb weight loss as he prepares to return to the ring for the first time in 17 months. The Mexican has not fought since losing a rematch to Anthony Joshua in December of 2019, when moments after defeat he admitted “partying” had led to substantial weight gain and a belowpar performance. “I have a lot to prove,” he said as he prepares to fight American Chris Arreola in California on Saturday. “I let a lot of people down, and that’s why I had to make big changes to myself.” Ruiz, 31, became Mexico’s first world heavyweight champion when he stunned Joshua in their initial contest in June of 2019 but he later said the

pressures and distractions that came with the titles proved problematic. He has opened up about breaking into tears following his rematch with Joshua and some in the sport labelled him “a disgrace” for entering the ring out of shape. His frustration moved him to join forces with trainer Eddy Reynoso - the man who guides the career of pound-for-pound king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez - and his social media pages are now filled with footage of workouts in the ring, gym and swimming pool. “I was at 310 pounds when I started this camp,” added Ruiz, who weighed 283lb for his rematch with Joshua and now says he is at 255lb. “We started losing weight slowly but surely. People are wondering if I’m still going to have the same power after losing weight, but I’ve been working hard for this moment

and the power is definitely staying with me. “I believe I have the fastest hands at heavyweight. I’m not where I want to be at right now, but I’m a lot better than where I was. “The lack of discipline that I had before training with Eddy Reynoso has been the biggest difference heading into this fight. You can’t play boxing. You have to stay ready always. “Right now I’m motivated. I killed the old Andy and a new Andy was born. I want the heavyweight title even more now. It’s because of the way I lost. I Imagine that if I had been in this shape, I would have won the rematch with Joshua. Things happen for a reason and I’m just happy that I have the mindset that I have now.” Ruiz holds a record of 33 wins from 35 fights, while 40-year-old Arreola has lost six times in 47 outings.

PORTIMAO, APR 29 (IANS): World champion Lewis Hamilton eyes the Formula One milestone of 100 pole positions on the weekend at the Portuguese Grand Prix when he renews his duel with Max Verstappen. But the Mercedes star cannot afford another mistake as two weeks ago in Imola if he wants to keep his fast Red Bull rival at bay, DPA reported. Hamilton won the season-opener in Bahrain ahead of Verstappen before the Dutchman turned the tide in Italy, with pole-sitter Hamilton riding out in a rare mistake after which he still managed to rebound from ninth to second at the chequered flag. Red Bull r uled F1 with four straight drivers’ and constructors’ titles 2010-2013 before Mercedes

became unrivalled in the following years by sweeping all trophies on offer including six of the drivers’ titles for Hamilton. Mercedes’s total dominance has helped Hamilton to his extraordinary record of pole positions and race wins which stand at 99 and 96 respectively heading to Portimao where he won from first on the grid last season. But Red Bull are reemerging as a major threat and according to their advisor Helmut Marko this also contributed to Hamilton’s mishap in Imola. “They didn’t have continuous opposition, but that’s now the case with Red Bull and Max Verstappen,” Marko told broadcasters RTL. “And apparently - humanly understandable that leads to reactions. That means we have to keep up

Lewis Hamilton

the pressure constantly, if not increase it.” Long-time Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also hopes that the great start will boost them for the season with a record 23 races. “It’s by far the best start we’ve had for quite a few years,” Horner said. “We just want to build that momentum and keep that all the way through the

year.” Verstappen and Hamilton have both said they welcome the fight for supremacy, with Hamilton naming his mistake in Italy “a lesson” for the future as he seeks a record eighth title. “It’s great to be fighting against Lewis, Mercedes who have been so dominant and they’re very difficult to beat,” Vestap-

pen said, adding that being “very, very competitive” in both races was “very promising but no guarantee.” Hamilton said: “I think this is really the first time in a long time that Red Bull have had a championship-winning car, so I think it’s going to be close all the way through the year - and it’s just going to be, hopefully, more and more of these battles.” Looking at Portimao (and beyond) Mercedes motor sport chief Toto Wolff said: “We’re expecting another close fight with Red Bull, and both McLaren and Ferrari could also be in the mix too.” Lando Norris was an impressive third for McLaren in Imola and Charles Leclerc followed in fourth for Ferrari, with both teams keen to follow up on that in Portimao.

Model claims Rs.579cr in Bajrang Punia takes a break due to elbow niggle damages from Cristiano Ronaldo NEW DELHI, APR 29 (IANS): Indias ed his preliminary and semi-final

LO N D O N, A P R 2 9 (IANS): Former model Kathryn Mayorga, who had accused footballer Cristiano Ronaldo of rape in 2009, is claiming £56 million (Rs 579 crore) in damages. “She wants £18m for ‘past pain and suffering’, £18m for ‘future pain and suffering’ and £18m in punitive damages. The 37year-old’s expenses rack up to £1.4m with legal fees of £1.1m giving a total of £56.5m - equal to two years of the Juventus star’s salary,” said a report in mirror. co.uk. The former model had accused the Portuguese football star of raping her.

The alleged rape was said to have happened in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009 after their meeting in a nightclub. Ronaldo had strongly denied the allegations back then saying, “I firmly deny the accusation being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything I am and believe in.” Mayorga had accepted £270,000 as part of an out-of-court settlement in 2010. However, she revived the case three years ago saying she had been “mentally incapacitated” when she agreed to sign the settlement under duress.

star wrestler Bajrang Punia will miss a bouts of the men’s 65 kg freestyle short training stint in Bulgaria due to a event during the Asian Wrestling niggle in elbow that cropped up during Championships. However, he the recently concluded Asian Wrestling pulled out of the final against Championships in Almaty. Japanese Takuto Otoguro and “I am feeling better. It is good to returned with a silver. take a break and prepare for the Sonam Malik, who main tournament in July,” Punia has qualified for Olymtold IANS. pics in the women’s 62 The Wrestling Federation kg, is also nursing a of India (WFI) had organised knee injury and is out a short camp in Sofia which is of training for the next also the venue for the World three weeks. Olympic qualifiers schedShe had injured uled to be held from May her knee during the 6 to 9. But Punia expressed h i s semi-finals of the Asian inability to train in Bulgaria as he is Olympic qualification tourrecovering from the minor injury nament held in Almaty from sustained in Almaty, said a funcApril 9 to 11. She also withtionary of the WFI. drew from the gold medal match and had The Indian wrestler had dominat- to settle for silver.

Federer to auction off Grand Slam memorabilia FC Goa coach, other foreign staff ZURICH, APR 29 (AGENCIES): Millions of Roger Federer fans around the world might be salivating at the prospect of owning some mementos of the Swiss great’s incredible career after he announced he is auctioning off a collection of personal items this summer. The 20-times Grand Slam champion, regarded by many as the greatest player ever to wield a tennis racket, is putting various items under the hammer in two sales in June and July at Christie’s to raise money for his foundation. A live auction taking place on June 23 will feature 20 lots, with each one reflecting one of Federer’s Grand Slam titles. Prices will range from 3,000 pounds to 70,000 pounds ($97,146.00). Lots include the outfit and

racket from Federer’s 2009 French Open final victory over Robin Soderling which completed his career Grand Slam, including the shoes still coated in red Roland Garros clay dust. Fans and collectors will also be able to bid for the 2007 kit and racket he used during the second of his three Wimbledon finals against career-long rival

Rafa Nadal, including shoes decorated with Swiss flags denoting his Wimbledon titles. Federer’s elegant white RF-emblazoned cardigan, worn before facing Britain’s Andy Murray in the 2012 Wimbledon final, is also up for grabs, as are the shoes he wore when winning his third successive Wimbledon in 2005 against Andy Roddick.

Christie’s gallery assistants pose with rackets and sneakers from ‘The Championships, Wimbledon, 2007’ and ‘French Open, 2009’ lots included in ‘The Roger Federer Collection’, due to be sold at auction, at Christie’s auction house in London, Britain, April 27, 2021. Picture taken April 27, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls “Every piece in these auctions represents a moment in my tennis career and enables me to share a part of my personal archive with my fans around the world,” Federer said. “More importantly, the proceeds will support The Roger Federer Foundation to help us continue to deliver educational resources to children in Africa and Switzerland.” A second online auction takes place in July

featuring 300 lower-priced items such as the wristbands Federer wore during his 1,500th professional match at a tournament in Basel. Christie’s low estimate values the entire collection at one million pounds, but hopes to reach 1.5 million pounds ($2.08 million). Bertold Mueller, Managing Director, Christie’s Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa said: “It is a great privilege for Christie’s to offer this magnificent memorabilia of historic importance on behalf of Roger Federer, an active sporting legend. “The sports memorabilia market has been booming for years, in particular for match-worn and signed pieces. The auctions will no doubt be a milestone in this ever-growing, worldwide phenomenon.”

leave India before final ACL match

PANAJI, APR 29 (IANS): Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Goa said on Thursday that they have allowed their foreign staffers, including head coach Juan Ferrando, to leave India ahead of their last AFC Champions League (ACL) match against Abu Dhabibased club Al Wahda, to be played in Margao on Thursday night. The club termed the move as a preemptive measure in view of the restrictions that many countries are imposing on travel from India due to the raging Covid-19 pandemic in the country. “FC Goa would like to inform that the club’s foreign contingent, including the head coach and foreign staff, has been advised to travel back home immedi-

Juan Ferrando

ately. This comes as a preemptive measure in view of the recent policies being taken by European and other countries with regard to travellers from India as the nation battles the second wave of Covid-19 which has engulfed the country,” the club said in a statement. FC Goa are scheduled to face Al Wahda on Thurs-

day. They have so far drawn three games and lost one, which means they are out of contention to make it to the playoffs in what is their first appearance in the AFC Champions League. Goa also became the first Indian club to play in the group stage of Asia’s premier club football competition.

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