Issuu

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXX No. 239

DIMAPUR, TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2020 Pages 8 ` 4.00

US prez election on Nov 3 as planned

international, Page 7

nagalandpostofficial nagalandpostofficial

Serie A: Genoa survive; Lecce relegated sports, Page 8

Dimapur leads COVID spike with 136 out of 194

Staff Reporter

COVID-19 STATUS AS ON august 3, 2020

D I M A P U R , AU G 3 (NPN): Despite continuing lockdowns both partial and total, especially in Dimapur and Kohima, COVID-19 cases in Nagaland continue to rise with 194 cases on August 3 recording the highest ever spike till date, surpassing the earlier record of 130 cases on August 1, 2020. On Monday, the highest single-day spike of 194 COVID-19 positive cases was recorded which also breached the 2000-mark, taking the tally to 2129 cases-- 1464 active, 657 recovered, 6 deaths and 2 migrated. Nagaland Health minister, S. Pangnyu Phom, informed that 194 fresh cases on Monday were detected from out of 845 samples that were tested. Of these, 136 cases were detected from Dimapur, 36 from Zunheboto and 22 from Kohima. As per the severity of symptoms, 1,462 active cases were asymptomatic, 1 mild, 1 admitted to ICU on oxygen. Out of 6 deaths-- 4 died due to COVID, 1 death (positive) but not due to COVID and 1 death under investigation (co-morbidities

ACTIVE CASES Symptomatic AsympRecovMiTotal District Death tomatic grated Cases Critical ICU ered Mild With Oxygen Dimapur 0 0 167 1019 845 6* 1 Kiphire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kohima 1 1 147 534 384 0 1 Longleng 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 Mokokchung 0 0 7 18 11 0 0 Mon 0 0 39 149 110 0 0 Peren 0 0 231 252 21 0 0 Phek 0 0 15 29 14 0 0 Tuensang 0 0 42 46 4 0 0 Wokha 0 0 1 13 12 0 0 Zunheboto 0 0 5 66 61 0 0 Total 1 1 657 2129 1462 6 2

DC warns obstruction to health care workers

D I M A P U R , AU G 3 (NPN): Taking serious note of “unwarranted directives/ statements” being issued by certain individuals/organizations obstructing entry of healthcare workers into their colonies, after duties, deputy commissioner (DC) Dimapur Anoop Khinchi has warned of action against such diktat. DC said that issuing such directives, which infringes on an individual rights and in violation of the government orders will be liable to be punished under Sec. 3 of the Epidemic Act and Sec. 188 of the IPC.

CMO office, PWD colony sealed in Wka

*4 deaths reported as due to Covid-19, 1 death is Covid-19 positive but not due to Covid-19 (paid quarantine center) and 1 Covid-19 positive death (with co-morbidities) under investigation.

details of COVID-19 cases detected on Aug 3, 2020 District

Armed Returnee Force

Dimapur Kohima Zunheboto

71 6 36

27 6 0

Total

113

and positive case). According to Health department data (positive cases by domicile district), Dimapur recorded the highest number of cases at 917, followed by Kohima462, Peren- 331, Mon- 174, Zunheboto- 68, Tuensang51, Phek- 30, Wokha- 23, Mokokchung- 18, Long-

Frontline worker

Traced contact

23 0 0

Others*

Total

15 9 0

136 22 36

194

leng- 5, Kiphire- 4 and others- 46. As per Health department’s status update as on August 3, the highest COVID positive cases were reported from among armed forces personnel- 113 cases (Dimapur-71, Kohima-6. Zunheboto- 36). The cases included returnees- 33,

frontline workers-23, traced contacts- 24 and others-1 (related to Nagaland Legislative Assembly session, Raj Bhavan and patients excluding returnees). Health officials had earlier told media that spurt in cases began in July, after a large number of personnel whose leave were extended in light of the Covid-19 lockdown, were called back to Nagaland. Talking to The Print, principal director Health & Family Welfare Dr. Vizolie Z. Suokhrie said: “We need to contain this problem. The flow of military and paramilitary forces doesn’t stop because the orders come

from the ministry (at the Centre) and we also know the constraints they have.” With the COVID-19 cases continuing to surpass earlier spikes, a considerable alarm among public that the government’s insistence of these being due to local transmission and not localised community transmission failed to cut much ice. According to information from various sources, some of those infected with COVID-19 in Dimapur, had no travel history. A medical specialist had told Nagaland Post that the definition of ‘community transmission’ defies the magnitude of the crisis but

he could only confidently say ‘the Wuhan virus’ is going around infecting people indiscriminately. Some leading experts like AIIMS former director Dr. M.C. Mishra, virologist Shahid Jameel, lung surgeon Dr. Arvind Kumar and eminent epidemiologist Dr. Jayaprakash Muliyil on June13, had come out to urge the government to accept that the pandemic reached the community transmission stage “a long time ago”. They made their appeal soon after the ICMR’s claim, India has still not reached community transmission (Stage-3).

COVID +ve mother delivers; baby is tested negative A baby delivered by a COVID-positive mother at Eden Medical Centre (EMC) here Sunday through caesarean section, thankfully, tested negative for COVID-19 through TrueNat. According to EMC director Dr. Lima Imchen, the new born baby would be retested as per the guidelines issued by Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) and Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI). The result of the mother’s sample for confirmatory RT-PCR was awaited. Imchen informed that delivery was through caesarean section

due to obstetric indications at a makeshift operation theatre at the labour room. While being admitted, the expectant mother had shown no symptoms of COVID-19 but as per hospital protocol for all incoming patients, her swab sample was tested through TrueNat and later confirmed positive for COVID-19. The new-born baby was being kept separately from the mother and looked after by medical team of the hospital. Imchen said adequate precautions were taken by the hospital team while tending to the mother before and after delivery.

Oxford COVID vaccine trials to begin in India NEW DELHI, AUG 3 (PTI): Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given nod to the Serum Institute of India (SII) for conducting phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the country, according to the Health Ministry. Government officials told PTI that DCGI Dr. VG Somani granted the approval late Sunday night after a thorough evaluation based on the recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19. “The firm has to submit safety data, evaluated by the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), to the CDSCO before proceeding to phase 3 clinical trials,” a senior official said, referring to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. “As per the study design, each subject will be administered two doses four weeks apart (first dose on day one and second dose on day 29) following which the safety and immunogenicity will be assessed at predefined intervals,” the official said.

As a rapid regulatory response, the expert panel at the CDSCO on Friday, after a detailed deliberation and considering the data generated on the vaccine candidate in phase 1 and 2 of the Oxford University trial, had recommended granting permission for phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the potential vaccine, ‘Covishield’, on healthy adults in India, the officials also said. Currently, phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate is going on in UK, phase 3 clinical trial in Brazil and phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in South Africa. Officials also said the SII had submitted a revised proposal on Wednesday after SEC on July 28 asked it to revise its protocol for phase 2 and 3 clinical trials besides seeking some additional information. The panel had also recommended that clinical trial sites which have been proposed for the study be distributed across India. According to the revised proposal by SII, 1,600 people aged above 18 years will participate in the trials across 17 selected sites.

NPF reiterates demand NMDA flays use of for PDA to step down fake medical IDs D I M A P U R , AU G 3 (NPN): Accusing the PDA government of being in a confused state of mind and not working for welfare of the people, NPF reiterated its demand for the ruling coalition to step down on moral ground. Reacting to an NDPP rejoinder, the opposition party in a communiqué reminded the ruling coalition that being at the helm of affairs, it was their bounden duty to address public issues as Naga people were no more fools to succumb to their “cheap politicking”. Welcoming setting up of Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB), NPF asked NDPP not to go overboard to score political brownie points as the process in this regard was started by DAN-III government under the leadership of then chief minister TR Zeliang in the later part of 2017. While clarifying that it was grateful to the PDA government for taking up what was started then, the opposition party said it did not behove the ruling party to claim beyond what was not its due.

DIMAPUR, AUG 3 (NPN): After an employee at chief medical officer (CMO) office Wokha, who is also a resident of PWD Colony, Wokha, was tested positive for COVID-19, the deputy commissioner (DC) and chairman district task force for COVID-19, Orenthung Lotha, has ordered temporary sealing of CMO office and PWD colony for 72 hours. According to a DIPR report, the decision was taken during emergency meeting held on August 3, 2020 in order to take effective measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the district. D I M A P U R , AU G 3 (NPN): State Health & Family Welfare has constituted a ‘COVID-19 Death Review Committee’ to review and ascertain the causes and circumstances leading to the death, amid confusion over its classification, a UNI report stated. According to official sources, the committee, constituted on July 28, comprises of a 9-member team of doctors with subject experts including forensics, pathologist, physician, microbiologist and others. “This virus has made us The committee has dry and soon we’ll be been set up to review and compelled to sell dry fish ascertain the causes and only.” circumstances leading to

D I M A P U R , AU G 3 (NPN): Nagaland Medical Dealers Association (NMDA) Monday said it has taken note of some people moving around with restricted medicine having fake medical IDs pasted on their vehicles that were not issued by its office. In a press release, NMDA joint secretary Arijit Sharma said the association was against such type of mischievous and fraudulent activity carried out by certain individuals. NMDA has, therefore, informed its members to immediately renew their IDs by August 7. It said that old ID cards issued by NMDA office would be cancelled. Further, NDMA has urged the police department and the administration to bring to book anyone found involved in fraudulent activity relating to supply of restricted medicines without having proper documents and ID issued by NMDA and punish as per law. Asserting that it has always tried to serve people to the best of its ability, the NMDA has assured to perform the same in the interest of the public (Cont’d on p-5) health.

Further, reacting to NDPP’s reference to chaos and instability during the previous regime, NPF asked the former to do self-introspection and tell the truth as to who engineered all the chaos that took place. According to the opposition party, it was an open secret as to who started the tussle and brought about constant disturbances in the State for personal gain and safety. “Unless you are suffering from selective amnesia, it should be fresh in the hearts and minds of all NPF workers who have now joined NDPP about the misadventures of their leader in Delhi and his subsequent desperate attempts to get involved in State politics,” the communiqué added. Alleging that constant attempts were made to bring about discord and disunity and tear down the democratically-elected NPF-led DAN-III, the communiqué recalled how he tried to sneak back into the party fold after having failed to win over the elected members despite indulging in resort politics.

Panel formed to review COVID death

This is it!

K Y M C

the death, and ensure appropriate reporting of such deaths as per ICMR and ICD-10 protocols, Medical Superintendent of all districts were also directed to constitute District COVID-19 Death Review Committee comprising of officers from district health authority and subject experts from district hospital or health centre. The district committee would review all COVID19 positive deaths and submit the report, it said. Meanwhile, the Health department issued a statement with regard to dead body management. It said that there was no

increased risk of COVID19 infection from a dead body to frontline workers or family members. After placing the body inside leak-proof body bag and coffin, frontline workers will hand over the coffin to family members who can accept the coffin for normal burial or cremation. It however, advised to not reopen the coffin. Routine safety precautions like wearing mask, maintaining social distancing, and washing hands need to be followed, the department stated. H&FW department said that once a body is buried or cremated, it does not have any health or environmental hazard. K Y M C

state

Community social work in Tuensang

Community members at the social work organised by YUTT at Tuensang town on August 1. DIMAPUR: To mark the occasion of Medumnio festival of Yimchungrü tribe, the Yimchungrü Union Tuensang Town (YUTT) organized a community mass social work at Tuensang town from Town Hall to Old Medical “B” ward

via Kuthur road highway on August 1. A press release by YUTT secretary information & media cell, M.L. Justin Yimchungrü stated that, drainages and landslides were cleared, footsteps and road site bushes

were also cleaned. More than 500 volunteers took part at the social work exercise which lasted till evening. Medumnio feast food packages were distributed to all the volunteers who had participated in

this social work. YUTT also thanked all those involved in providing logistic support during the social work. While greeting on Medumnio festival, the YUTT also congratulated the new YAA team.

ESSU joint meet adopts four-point resolution

DIMAPUR: Village Councils, Village Education Committees (VECs)/ School Management Committees, GBs, students’ union of Kelto, Shevishe, Viyilho and Ngozubo villages and Eastern Sumi

nagalandpost.com Poll Q . : W i l l Un i o n f i n a n c e minister Sitharaman be able to avert a serious fiscal deficit for 2020-21? 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

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Students’ Union (ESSU) held a joint consultative meeting on August 1 at Aghunato with regards to the issue of incomplete school buildings construction in the above villages. A press release by ESSU president, Hokato V Yepthomi stated that after a threadbare discussion, a four-point resolution was passed by the members. In its first resolution, the meeting condemned and nullified all resolutions adopted at the July 1 meeting by “the questionable authority” held without the knowledge of the competent authority, deputy commissioner/ district education commit-

tee chairman and district education officer/district project coordinator. It stated that the Village Education Committee members, GBs and head teacher were ignorant of the meeting called without proper authority. It also resolved that VECs/School Management Committees of the four villages does not have any role in the construction of the school buildings as it was solely constructed by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), District Management Authority Zunheboto (DMAZ). Therefore the release stated that, VECs/SMCs cannot be held responsible

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A Yes. B No. C Can’t Say.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

67% 33% 0%

Next poll

Q: Is the govt. afraid to

admit local community transmission of COVID has taken place?

 Yes.  No.  Can’t Say.

WEATHER FORECAST august 4

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala A morning thunderstorm

34 26

Aizawl

A couple of afternoon showers 30 22

Guwahati Mostly cloudy and very warm 35 26 Imphal

A stray afternoon t-storm

28 22

Itanagar Variably cloudy and very warm 33 25 Shillong

A morning shower or t-storm

Kohima

A morning t-storm in the spots 28 19

Dimapur A morning t-storm in the area Mkg

Variably cloudy, a t-storm

Tuensang A thunderstorm in spots Wokha

Variable cloudiness

Zunheboto A morning shower or t-storm

26 19 32 24 30 20 23 16 29 23 27 18

We, the bereaved family of Late Benjonkokba (Nokpu) would like to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude to all those who stood by us physically, materially, financially and spiritually at the sad demise of our beloved father on 1st August 2020. Words are inadequate to express our appreciation towards your sympathy and gesture of kindness shown to us. As it is not possible to thank everyone individually, it is our hope that you would accept this acknowledgement as an expression of our gratitude. May the Almighty God bless each one of you abundantly.

for the incompletion and abandonment of the GMS buildings. The meeting resolved to demand that the abandoned school buildings in the four villages should be completed at the earliest and the culprits be punished as per the provision of the law. Meeting also resolved to extend unflinching support to ESSU in its pursuit of resolving the issue.

DBCD advisory for shopkeepers DIMAPUR: Duncan Basti Council Dimapur (DBCD) has issued advisory for shopkeepers in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. A press release by DBCD chairman Yangertoshi and general secretary Rocky Ngullie stated that, wearing of face mask and glove was mandatory for all the shopkeepers and fines would be imposed on those failing to do so. DBCD also advised public to wear mask and maintain social distancing while availing essential commodities. Spitting in public places is strictly prohibited and shopkeepers are advised to keep their surrounding clean as instructed by the council earlier. Failure will invite fine. As per the notice issued earlier to the vegetable vendors by the council, selling of vegetables on the footpath and open spaces is strictly prohibited. Shopkeepers have been advised to open their shops as per the government order from 9 a.m to 2 p.m.

Nagaland Post, Dimapur TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2020

ZSUN holds coordination meet in Peren

Members from the various organisations with MS Peren during the meeting held on August 3. DIMAPUR: Zeliangrong Students’ Union Nagaland (ZSUN), Zeme Youth Organization, Nagaland ( Z YO P ) , Pe r e n Tow n Chairman Union (PTCU) and Peren Town Youth Organization (PTYO) held a coordination meeting with on August 3 with medical superintendent Peren,

news in Brief

department Peren to initiate and amplify the health facilities in the hospital at the earliest. The organisations also affirmed its commitment to extend full cooperation to the Medical department towards elevating the health care infrastructure development in the district.

IN REMEMBRANCE FOREVER

DC Mon informs on truck movement: Deputy commissioner Mon, Thavaseelan K has informed that all trucks coming from Assam carrying essential commodities will be permitted to enter Mon district only on Wednesday and Friday i.e August 5 and 7. The samples of the drivers and handymen will be collected for RT-PCR Testing at Tizit before proceeding to Mon. Any persons found violating this order will be penalised under provisions of the law. LCD friendship day: Leo Club of Dimapur (LCD) along with Leo Club of Guwahati Girls (LCGG) hosted a virtual event on the eve of friendship day. Five artistes’ comprising of violinist, flutist, two singers and a rapper performed at the event. The event was headed by Abhishek Atal, LCD and Megha Kundalia, LCGG under the leadership of Vishal Patni, LCD and Nehal Jain, LCGG.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

"Life's Short Heaven's Forever " 1 John 2:16-17 We the bereaved family members of Lt. Küthonülü Ringa would like to convey our heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation to every individual, organizations, churches, hospitals, relatives, friends and wellwishers near and far, all who stood by us physically ﬁnancially, spiritually, materially and morally throughout her prolonged illness following the tragic and sudden demise of our beloved on 12 July 2020. We regret our inability to extend our sincere acknowledgement and incompetency to express our deepest gratitude to everyone personally but we humbly pray that our Almighty God bless you all abundantly for your deeds and kindness shown to us. DP-3353

Hoito Sema. A press release by ZSUN president Dithuibo Newmai and general secretary, Adona Herie stated that, the meeting highlighted about the assurance of June 9 given by state government. The various bodies also appealed the Medical

Loving Parents and Siblings.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. - Psalm 46: 1

LATE T. VUNGATHUNG KIKON (12/10/1936 – 04/08/2013) Seven years have gone by… But Always remembered, missed and cherished by your near and dear ones. WC-188

1st DEATH ANNIVERSARY Those we love don't go away. They walk beside us every day. Unseen, Unheard...... but always near. Still loved, Still missed and Very Dear.

TEMSUSOLA ANI

Celebrating your love and memories on your 1st Death Anniversary. Until we meet again. MKC-177

Loving Husband, Sons, Daughters, Grandchildren and In-laws.

3rd DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF

LT. HOKIVI CHISHI

Loving wife, children, grandchildren, relatives and in-laws

DP-3347

Late T. Nungsang Longchar 30th July 2020 We, the family of Lt. T. Nungsang Longchar (Sungratsü) sincerely express our heartfelt gratitude to all who stood by us physically, morally, ﬁnancially and with prayers throughout his prolonged illness till his eternal rest. We are truly touched and humbled by your kind act of love, sympathy and prayers. We regret our inability to thank and mention each one of you individually, but it is our humble prayer that our Almighty God blesses you all abundantly in return. DP-3352

K Y M C

DP-3350

- With prayers, wife, daughters, son, sons-in-law and grandsons.

“UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN” WE THINK ABOUT YOU ALWAYS WE TALK ABOUT YOU STILL YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN FORGOTTEN AND YOU NEVER WILL WE HOLD YOU CLOSE WITHIN OUR HEARTS AND THERE YOU WILL REMAIN TO WALK AND GUIDE US THROUGH OUR LIVES UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN Forever in our hearts WIFE & CHILDREN DP-3354 K Y M C

northeast

Nagaland Post, Dimapur TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2020

No community transmission in Manipur: Biren 300-bed Covid Care Centre opens in Imphal West district

The CCC opened on Monday is 14th such facility opened in the state since the outbreak of the pandemic. The inauguration programme was also attended by state deputy chief minister Y Joykumar, health minister L Jayantakumar, chief secretary (in-charge) Dr Rajesh Kumar and state health director Dr K Rajo among other officials.

Correspondent IMPHAL, Aug 3: Despite high number of cases, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Monday said there was no community transmission of Covid-19 in the state. In Manipur, the number of positive cases among people with no travel history has been surging rapidly in the last few weeks and the situation is quite akin to community transmission. Even though there was fear of community transmission already taking place in the state, the chief minister said that there was evidence of local transmission but no community transmission of the pandemic in the state. “As of now, we cannot say that there is community transmission of the disease,” Singh told reporters after he opened a 300bed temporary Covid Care Centre (CCC) at Manipur Trade and Expo Centre, Lamboikhongnangkhong in Imphal West district. “At this stage, people need to understand and abide by the COVID-19 SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) strictly. Otherwise, it will be hard to contain the spread of the

89 new COVID cases in Manipur

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh inspecting the 300-bed Covid Care Centre in Imphal West on Monday. the new CCC, the problems faced by the government in admitting positive patients will be reduced to certain extent, he said. The chief minister also lauded the officials of state health department and other officials for setting up the CCC so that infected people can get timely treatment. He maintained that his government was making all effort with all its resources to contain further spread of the pandemic. Responding to a query regarding allegations of

government hospitals refusing to admit non-COVID19 patients for treatment, the chief minister said that there was no question of neglecting non-COVID-19 patients by the doctors. There was no case of hospital authorities refusing to admit them but there were instances of delay in treating the patients while waiting test results, said Singh. He further added that the “government will produce a detailed report to clarify the allegations.”

NEIGRIHMS to install Apheresis machine

Covid case rises to 5,392 in Tripura

Correspondent Shillong, Aug 3: The super-specialty North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) hospital in Shillong is all set to install an apheresis machine to help COVID-19 patients with moderate symptoms. “We have already procured the high-end apheresis machine. It was supposed to be installed last week but the engineer had to return back from the border due to the strict lockdown despite having his travel permit,” the NEIGRIHMS Director, Dr. Prithwis Bhattacharya said on Monday. “We have informed the State government and they have agreed to allow the engineer to travel. Once the installation process is completed, another laboratory expert will come from Kolkata or Delhi to provide training for our staff and then apply for license

disease,” he said. He maintained that awareness among the people was needed to contain further spread of the disease and appealed to the people to come out openly for early treatment instead of concealing their COVID-19 status if tested positive. The chief minister said that the 300-bed CCC opened on Monday will be upgraded to a 1000-bed centre as it has enough space for extension. With the opening of

through the drug controller because plasma is a drug. We are expecting that we will be getting it from Guwahati for the license,” Bhattacharya said. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the government was considering setting up a plasma bank for treatment of COVID-19 patients. “We are actively examining this, and close consultation is being held with the authority of NEIGRIHMS. Once the process is completed, we will take a call for information to citizens of the state,” he said. Tynsong said that people who have recovered from COVID-19 can voluntarily donate blood to the plasma bank. In plasma therapy, blood is taken from a donor, who is a COVID-19 recovered person, who has developed antibodies against the “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).” An apheresis machine is used to separate the

blood components. After the plasma is extracted, the blood containing red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets is transfused back to the donor’s body. Meanwhile, Meghalaya registered 28 more COVID 19 cases on Monday, taking the total active cases to 633. Of the fresh cases, 21 (6 others, 2 armed forces, 13 BSF) were detected in East Khasi Hills, five (armed forces) in Ri-Bhoi and two in West Jaintia Hills. With 518 active cases (226 BSF, 59 armed forces personnel and 233 others), East Khasi Hills is the most affected district in Meghalaya. As on date, West Khasi Hills has five active cases, Ri-Bhoi - 55, West Jaintia Hills - 16, East Jaintia Hills - 17, West Garo Hills - 16, South West Garo Hills – four and South Garo Hills - two. Health Minister A. L. Hek informed that of the 38,596 swab samples sent for testing, 37,004 came out negative, while the results of 690 were awaited.

Agartala, aug 3 (PTI):Tripura’s COVID-19 caseload shot up to 5,392 on Monday with the detection of 141 fresh infections, while four more fatalities pushed its coronavirus death toll to 27, officials said. The four patients, who hailed from different parts of the state, died at the Agartala Government Medical College here on Sunday, they said. The COVID-19 patients were aged 82, 73, 61 and 31 and were suffering from various ailments, an official said. The fresh infections have taken the number of active cases in the state to 1,742, he said. A total of 142 people were cured of the disease and were discharged from hospitals on Sunday, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 3,605, the official said, adding 18 patients have migrated to other states. Tripura has so far tested 1,80,687 samples.

Five personnel of CISF who have been deputed as security escorts of Manipur chief minister were found positive for COVID-19. Including the five Central security personnel, 89 new cases of COVID-19 was detected in Manipur in the past 24 hours, an official report from the state health department said. Of the 84 new cases among the general population of the state, 80 of them were locals having no significant travel history and the remaining four were returnees from other states, the report said. Among the locally contacted cases, 51 were from Imphal West district, 28 from Thoubal district and one from Bishnupur district.

Guwahati, Aug 3 (PTI): The flood situation in Assam improved considerably on Monday as the water receded from vast areas of the state, though one more person lost his life in the deluge and around 3.89 lakh people in 17 districts are still affected, an official bulletin said. The number of floodhit people decreased by 4.65 lakh since Sunday while that of the district was down by two. According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one person drowned at Manikpur area of Bongaigaon district. T h i s ye a r ’s f l o o d and landslides have thus claimed 136 lives across the state so far. While 110 people died in flood-related incidents, 26 were killed in landslides. At present, 494 villages and 32,028.83 hectare

The authorities fanned out security personnel across localities to thwart any untoward incident. Superintendent of Police BL Meena said the situation was under control. “It was a fight between two boys that snowballed into a group clash. Nobody was injured. An ambulance and two shops were attacked. The situation is under control,” Meena told The New Indian Express. The SP said he had reached the spot within five minutes of being informed of the incident. “We are investigating the incident. No arrest has been made so far. We want that nobody gives it a communal colour. We have asked all our police stations to be on alert. The two neighbouring districts of Hailakandi and Karimganj are also maintaining an alert,” the SP said. He said the troops had been deployed as a confidence-building measure and to keep the criminal elements at bay. The district administration has convened a peace meeting with leaders from both communities.

Guwahati, AUG 3 (PTI): Four more positive patients have succumbed to COVID19 infections in Assam on Monday, taking the state’s death toll to 109. Sharing the news on his Twitter handle on Monday, Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Always painful to lose your own.” The victims are from Kamrup Metro, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts, the health minister said. Health minister Sarma said the COVID19 victims are 45-year-old Subrata Patra from Kamrup Metro district, 65year-old Haren Mahanta from Sivasagar district, 53year-old Sukendra Kumar Tanti from Tinsukia and 80-year-old Madan Dutta from Dibrugarh district.

GUWAHATI, Aug 3 (Agencies): Curfew has been clamped in the Malugram area of Silchar town in Assam’s Cachar district following a clash between people from two communities. District Magistrate Keerthi Jalli said the curfew was clamped in areas under Malugram police outpost of the town as sim-

mering tension prevailed and there was a likelihood of breach of public peace and tranquillity. “Two g roups indulged in pelting stones at each other at Ghoniwala area of Silchar town on Sunday evening. Assam Police, CRPF and other security personnel rushed to the area of the incident and brought the situation

under control,” the DM said. The police are investigating the cause of the incident during which shops of both communities were also vandalised. Reports suggest the trouble broke out when some people were putting up posters of the foundation stone-laying ceremony of Ram temple in Ayod-

Sudip Roy Barman said the DM’s order to the MLA. Refusing to go into any kind of quarantine, Barman in a strongly worded letter to the District Magistrate said, “I have not been tested or having any symptoms and not being advised by medical officer. I went to the CCC wearing the Personal Protective Equipment and other kits. Could you please enlighten me as to how SP, DM, Zilla Sabhadipati of Sepahijala District (another district of Tripura) being tested positive for Covid could remain in home isolation.” The former Minister said that on July 22, four doctors operated upon a corona positive pregnant woman (at a hospital here) and were allowed to resume their duties the next day while a journalist of a local television channel and a senior retired police officer both tested positive but were allowed to be in home quarantine.

3.89 lakh people in 17 districts still affected

Covid death toll in Assam rises to 109

Police personnel patrol the street during the curfew.

Nagaon, Aug 3 (PTI): Congress MLA Rakibul Hussain on Sunday became the seventh legislator in Assam to contract coronavirus infection. Hussain, the MLA from Samaguri in Central Assam and a former state minister, said in a Facebook post that he tested positive for the virus along with his wife Nazreen Hussain. His son, however, tested negative. “I have tested COVID19 positive.... Request everyone who came in contact with me in the last four days to get themselves tested,” he said in the post. The former minister is the first Congress legislator to have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Another prominent politician of the party, All India Mahila Congress president and former Silchar MP Sushmita Dev, had earlier tested positive for the virus. All the other MLAs of the state, who had tested positive for COVID-19, were from the BJP. They are Assembly Deputy Speaker Aminul Haque Laskar, Atul Bora, Krishnendu Paul, Naryan Deka, Bolin Chetia and Nabanita Handique.

Ag a rtala , Au g 3 (IANS): Ruling BJP MLA in Tripura and former State Health Minister Sudip Roy Barman on Monday defied orders to go into quarantine after visiting a Covid Care Centre (CCC) and distributing fruits among the Covid patients here on Sunday. Barman in reply to the West Tripura District Magistrate (DM) Sandeep Mahatme’s letter, said, “Some vested interested persons are trying to put me intentionally in the quarantine centre so that I can easily come in contact with others who have tested positive for the coronavirus, which could be hazardous to my health.” He also wrote that he had neither clinically or otherwise tested positive for COVID-19, nor was he a symptomatic or asymptomatic patient. The BJP MLA told the media that an FIR was registered against him. Soon after, the West Tripura District Magistrate in an order asked Barman to remain in institutional quarantine for seven days followed by a seven day home quarantine. “Under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, subsequent ordinance, and the Disaster Management Act, 2005, for the safety of yours and the community at large you are hereby directed to remain in quarantine,”

Flood situation improves considerably in Assam

Curfew clamped in Silchar after group clash hya.

Assam Cong MLA tests COVID positive

3 Tripura BJP MLA defies quarantine orders

An elderly woman rows a makeshift raft to cross a floodaffected area of Mayong village in Morigaon district, Assam. (PTI) of crop areas have been under water in the state, ASDMA said. Goalpara continues to be the worst-hit district with around 1.73 lakh people affected, followed by Bongaigaon with more than 49,800 people and Morigaon with over 48,100

affected people. ASDMA said that the authorities are running 39 relief camps and distribution centres across nine districts, where 7,181 people have taken shelter. The Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark at Dhubri

town, Nimatighat in Jorhat and Tezpur in Sonitpur districts. Its tributaries Dhansiri, Jia Bharali and Kopili are also flowing above the danger levels. The flood has affected 3,84,298 domestic animals and poultry across the state during the last 24 hours, ASDMA added. Roads and many other infrastructure have been damaged at various places in Chirang, Barpeta and Kokrajhar districts. Massive erosions have been witnessed at different places of Chirang and Kokrajhar districts, ASDMA said. The 17 flood-hit districts are Dhemaji, Biswanath, Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat and Sivasagar districts.

FA anniversary observed in Tamenglong Correspondent IMPHAL, Aug 3: The 5th anniversar y of the Framework Agreement (FA) signed between the government of India and National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) was observed at the conference hall of Zeme Naga Council in Manipur’s Tamenglong district on Monday. The observation was jointly organised by Zeme, Liangmai, Rongmei and Inpui council. A two-minute silent prayer was also observed as a mark of respect and honour, and remembrance of all those who had sacrificed their lives for the cause of Naga nation. Speaking on the occasion, president of Zeme Naga Council Manipur, Dr Aku Newmei pointed out

the need to show respect and honour the nation workers who have given up their precious life for the cause of Naga nation. “Now is the time for all the Naga people to forgive and forget each other’s mistakes and should keep aside all our political differences, religious, tribalism, factionalism, etc and embrace one another as one family member in Naga nation,” said Dr Aku. On the occasion, he also informed that joint tribe’s councils including Inpui, Liangmai, Rongmei and Zeme peoples have reaffirmed the decision to support the framework agreement signed by chief negotiator Th Muiva for Naga nation. Zeilad Region Central Administrative Officer (CAO), George Golmei

reminded that the IndoNaga ceasefire was signed between the GoI and NSCN after the GoI acknowledged that the conflict which is about six decades old was a political in nature. He further stated that after years of tumultuous political dialogue, a Framework Agreement between the GoI and NSCN was signed on the 3rd August 2015. According to the CAO Zeilad Region, the FA talks about respecting the respective positions and cognizant to the universal principle of democracy, whereby sovereignty lies with the peoples. “Therefore the government of India and NSCN in respecting people’s wishes, desire to share the sovereign power as laid out in the competencies,” he stated in the message.

ONGC pipeline explodes in Sivasagar district Guwahati, Aug 3 (Agencies): An explosion reportedly occurred in a gas pipeline of ONGC at Nazira in upper Assam’s Sivasagar district on Monday. ONGC sources said

that the explosion occurred on the company’s pipeline at Rig No 2 at Seuj Chapori in Geleki. As per reports, a massive fire broke out at the site following the explosion. The cause of the ex-

plosion is presently not known. Sources said the residents of the nearby areas have been evacuated. The incident took place one month after the blowout at OIL’s gas well at

Baghjan in upper Assam’s Tinsukia district. The well at Baghjan has been spewing gas uncontrollably following the blowout on May 27 and it caught fire on June 9, which is yet to be doused.

OPINiON/EDITORIAL

Nagaland Post Vol. XXx NO. 239 Dimapur, TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2020

Ideas and ideas

roadly, two areas where the Modi government in its second-consecutive innings, does not lack is on the plethora of ideas and rhetoric. Sometimes rhetoric also come with catchy acronyms- INCH Towards MILES (India-China towards a Millenium of Exceptional Synergy); ROAD (Responsibility, Ownership, Accountability and Discipline); AK-49: (Arvind Kejriwal-49 days in power); SMART: (Strict and Sensitive, Modern and Mobile, Alert and Accountable, Reliable and Responsive, Techno savvy and Trained” police force); NITI:(National Institution for Transforming India); FDI: (First Develop India) or AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) etc. Modi has many other ideas through which the country is sought to be transformed bereft of liberalism and Nehruvianism. After efforts that began sometime in 2015, the Modi government has unveiled its plan on TNTE or ( transform the nation through education) to coin a new abbreviation. The Modi government’s New Education Policy(NEP) has been announced a few days back. It is yet to be finalised from its draft form but nevertheless it has received both bouquets and brickbats. The Modi government’s NEP is divided into four parts: School education, higher education, other key focus areas such as professional education, technology, digital education, etc and finally how to implement the recommendations. There are many new ideas incorporated in the NEP which seek to make the country’s education system more holistic and flexible. To quote the popular cliché, the Modi government’s prescription for the NEP concept is to make youth “job creators” instead of “job seekers” and is an attempt to transform the intent and the content of the country’s education system. Most importantly, the NEP also suggests linking teacher salary increases and promotions to merit and performance which will be determined by a combination of factors such as reviews by students, peers, attendance, et cetera. Additionally, their promotions and salary increases will be done only after endorsement of school management committee (which will have parents of students in majority. One of the most important recommendations made in the new policy is that teaching up to at least grade five is to be in the mother tongue/regional language. There are several arguments being advanced against this recommendation by experts. Some argue that the NEP should have also included English medium education from primary school onwards. Others argue that this recommendation goes against the apex court’s verdict of 2014, stating that the imposition of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction in primary classes is unconstitutional. If it is about ideas , clichés, abbreviations or acronyms, the Modi government has outdone any other government but unfortunately, these have yet to yield the desired results. Education especially cannot transform even with the best of ideas or intentions. To begin with, the government is certainly not the right institution to sow and nurture a transformative education. The strength of education Lies in the wealth of awareness and knowledge of the students and their merit not being judged on their memory but their ability- to analyse, reason out and rationalise. Authorities sitting over government and private institutions have to also equip themselves to bring about transformation of their systems. Government alone cannot bring the drastic changes in the educational system. And the less the government bureaucracy tinkers with curriculum, the better since these have become inadequate and irrelevant. However, the biggest irony of it all is that, we find it popular to talk of change when we don’t really mean it.

DailyDevotion The Compelling Purpose of God He…said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem…” —Luke 18:31 Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. “… He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem…” (Luke 9:51). The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…” (John 15:16). We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming. At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside…” (Luke 18:31). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.

Quotes

If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future. ~ Winston Churchill

Nagaland Post, Dimapur TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2020

Post-mortem

Appeal to all Nagas and NSCN/GPRN response to Yung Aung various organisations I My dear fellow Nagas, Firstly, in the name of our lord almighty, I wish to extend my warm greetings and revolutionary respect to all of you. With that I want to clarify and lay few thoughts regarding the current political condition within NSCN/ GPRN. On 29/07/2020, the NSCN/ GPRN expelled three senior Party members viz, Mr. Starson, Kilonser, Lt. Gen. Niki Sumi, Dy. C-in-C and Lt. Gen. Nyemlang, GSO-I, for violation of Party discipline. The NSCN/GPRN emphatically wishes to clear that these expelled leaders, since the passing of our late Chairman Baba Khaplang, has isolated themselves from all Party activities while still continuing to collect tax in terms of crores of rupees for themselves. They have become rich through this corruption while they failed miserably in their national duties. For decades our Party could not progress due to the existence of such corrupt individualists. Our late Baba Khaplang, having a deep political wisdom, often overlooked their mistakes and self-style attitudes hoping to change their arrogant natures. Sadly, they failed to lived up to his expectation. Their ways of thinking and carefree lifestyles totally contradicts the Party’s new transformation policy. They repeatedly refuse to heed warnings and continued with their anti-party activities and behaviors. Hence today their expulsion is much necessary to prevent the party from further destruction. Today these expelled leaders have brought shame and disgrace upon themselves and no one else. Their false statements and allegations against NSCN/GPRN are self-explanatory in nature and it only expose their true mentality towards their fellow Nagas and the Naga issue.

Hence they had no political vision whatsoever rather than joined the Indian-dictated peace process which is a huge success for the Indian RAW who are working day and night to infiltrate into our network to confuse and destroy our unity. Today it is high time for all Nagas and revolutionaries alike to introspect deeply and be vigilant of anti national elements. In coming days, I am confident that Naga people will be able to distinguish what is truth and false. We, Nagas have wasted precious time in party politics and rivalries which keep us apart from our national objective. Today NSCN/GPRN reiterates our stand once again that we are willing to resolved our past differences and reconcile under his holy banner “Nagaland for Christ” and based upon the Naga sovereignty. We recommit to uphold the spirit of oneness and brotherhood among Nagas. To this initiative we humble ourselves and confess our sins to God and seek his wisdom and strength to guide and lead us towards our goal. The NSCN/ GPRN will not rest nor give up our sovereign right. Thousands of Nagas has undergone dangerous missions, endure physical hardships and has died fighting for our freedom cause. These past ordeal has strengthened our faith and our determination, and we will continue to stand our ground to the last. I thank every Naga Tribal Councils, Apex bodies, Churches, Students, Civil Societies and every Nagas for your constant moral, physical and spiritual support. They are the source of our strength and inspiration. May God grant us the courage and wisdom and watch over us in our endeavors. May God bless you all. Kuknalim. Yung Aung, President GPRN

Are Lockdowns really necessary?

t’s an open secret known to almost every Naga in eastern part of Nagaland about the criminal antecedents of Mr. Yung Aung. The very utterance of Mr. Yung Aung’s name is synonymous and conjures the abhorrent picture of a drug addict and a wannabe drug lord in almost all minds in the Eastern parts of Nagaland. He harbored a mad fantasy of trying to become a drug lord of an illicit drug empire. Therefore, in the year 2010, he along with 1 Naga and 3 outsiders came up with the proposal and plan to bring in machinery for manufacturing bullets and Mr. Yung Aung presented the idea to our leader SS Khaplang who welcomed the idea and was excited at the prospects of manufacturing our own bullets for the Naga army. The proposal presented was in fact a sinister cover and a ploy for bringing in distillers and equipments needed for cooking illicit drugs. From the onset, he never had any real intention of manufacturing bullets but masked it as cover for setting up an illicit drug manufacturing facility to fulfil his devious desire of becoming a drug lord. With his partners in crime, the facility was set operational and began producing illegal drugs but by divine intervention, his nefarious plans came crushing down and shattered, when the profit sharing deal among his partners in crime went astray, resulting in the murder of one of his partners in Delhi. He desperately tried in vain, to cover his crimes, by destroying the illegal drug facility. But his nefarious designs and crimes were discovered and our leader late SS Khaplang took immediate action against him by forcefully discharging him from National service, in order to save the Naga movement from being nearly tainted by his illicit drug based business. Being caught red handed, he pleaded guilty and sought

forgiveness and constantly appealed to our leader late SS Khaplang to forgive him, as he was willing to mend his criminal ways and promised never to return back to his wayward ways. After an observational period, he was accepted into the NSCN/GPRN fold on the explicit condition that he desist completely from his criminal ways. Our leader late SS khaplang who had a compassionate heart, always felt the need to forgive which sadly was his undoing, in due course of time spelling disastrous consequences as a result of his trust on Mr. Yung Aung; Analogous to the cautionary tale of the man who took care of an inquired snake. Mr. Yung Aung took wanton undue advantage of our leader late SS Khaplang and in numerous instances beguiled and instigated our leader late SS khaplang into taking decisions which he would otherwise not have taken. Mr. Yung Aung paid back in Treachery for the compassion showered on him by our leader late SS Khaplang. With the failure in the first attempt to build an illicit drug empire, he thought that he could still achieve his dreams of being the boss of a illicit drug empire by heading the Naga revolutionary movement as President, to wilfully misuse the presidential office for the realisation of his criminal enterprise and to rise above all opposition to his devious plans. Our leader late SS Khaplang became an obstacle and a hindrance to his dreams, so he suck up to our leader late SS Khaplang and gained favour in his sights and gradually rose up in the hierarchy of the government but felt his ascension too slow, therefore he devised an outrageously insidious plan and decided to murder our leader late SS Khaplang. As he was a close aide of our leader SS Khaplang, this devious plan was hatched and carried out by poisoning our leader late

SS Khaplang who unwittingly and with a trusting heart took the poison as medicine which ultimately resulted in his sudden death at a time when his health was robust for his age. The secret of the murder was brought to light by his close associates. After becoming the President, he reconnected with his remaining partners in crime and as of today has managed to procure all equipments for once again manufacturing illicit drugs and the facility is located in the forested area along the Forcefully drawn boundary line in the vicinity of Hashik and Chopkolangoi on the east and the Warap area to the west. Anyone is welcomed to independently verify from the villagers of the above mentioned areas about the drug facility in nearby forested area by inquiring whether any equipments such as distillers were brought into the above mentioned area from the Indian occupied areas and also whether generators were brought into the area from Burmese side. It’s no wonder, it was done with the tacit approval of Indian occupiers who would stoop to any level to malign our Sovereign Political Rights. If there’s even the slightest bit of self remorse or probity left in Mr. Yung Aung then he would gracefully desist from trying to further malign the Nagas and NSCN I-M would fare well to distance themselves as far as possible from him, least they too be dragged down into the abyss of criminality. The damage and blot on Naga movement caused by Mr. Yung Aung has been mercifully salvaged only through the grace of our lord and Savior Jesus Christ. NSCN/GPRN along with all Nagas dedicates this triumph over evil and all other victories of our revolutionary movement to Jesus Christ alone. Kuknalim. Nikato Pilot Sumi, MIP (incharge) NSCN/GPRN

The hopelessness on our end

(From previous issue...) jail terms, etc. depending on the ho would’ve thought because during trying times, life, we all have to take chances, Well, the bad news is that enormity of an offence, will defithat, that which we our left hand must ameliorate and today seems like the perfect even some public institutions do nitely do wonders; even tigers will cannot see would so that the right hand may day for tomorrow to exist with not provide the same. Government become tame kittens. torment and wipe us all out reciprocate. precautionary measures. For this to happen, we also from the very grounds we once authorities willing to confirm the Many of us may have lost The hopelessness on our same may make surprise visits; have to know where and how the considered invincible? The loss our jobs, but that doesn’t mean end may seem lucid, but we some wily ones, those of good virus spreads. The frontline workers of millions of life, the despair, we term ourselves as redundant. must learn to work distantly in fortune having read this damag- have their work badly stretched out fear and grief beats in our hearts I know it is hard to even envi- solidarity to live among the ining article may immediately take for them. Besides the new-routine and minds and it is here for an sion it, but maybe you are alive fected, to live with the virus, yet up damage-control measures, not work, some of them are also in- extended stay. A virus, whose and well because it happened. be immaculate from the threats volved in contact-tracing, which acts some consider as euthaniz- Do not be indignant because and dangers it poses. It indeed without curses. Certain troubling questions is also a very time-consuming ing because of the overpopu- you have become impecunious, is silliness to tell us the “how related to this pandemic occasion- and painful process (why this ad- lation, while some term it as and may this embolden you, to” when we have survived ally crop up. Experts say that liv- ditional work for the negligence, horrendous and evil. The sweat for most of us are, in the same five months of its pillage, but ing with the virus will be the new stupidity and/or arrogance of a and tears of every hard working battle. It doesn’t take a clair- we must not take this silliness normal. Then, is the lockdown few). As they are very careful, man and woman is now but, voyant to know that we will as meekness. And it is with a a part of the new normal, or at chances of them getting infected is anxious and depressed. This all suffocate if the lockdown stern prayer and belief that we least, till a vaccine is in place? If extremely low (except for the early year of ours (2020), suits like continues at a stringent rate. will survive this pandemic if we so, with a vaccine not visible in the days when someone in authority a nightmare for we achieved And the worst case scenario is do not take advantage of the horizon, at least this year, will this decided to earn a quick buck by the highest number of deaths that, no auto drivers are willing situation. May the leaders be not change our already miserable getting useless PPE’s for highly and infected rate. As per the to ply if not for, “a matter of life bloated prices. Luckily Nagaland reports, the cure for 2020’s and death situation” and most reminded that the commoners lives, for the worse? With all the misery around, was virus-free those days; but the tragedy might be 2021 or sooner essential commodities shops are vigilant and that the comand seeing that lockdowns have culprits should not go unpunished). than we might know; none can won’t lift their shutters. Their moners be reminded that even not brought the desired results, is it As mentioned above, there are some be precise. fears may be entrenched in the the blind observes. And above really necessary to continue totally, people around who care for none, If we may, let us focus repercussions of “COVID-19” all, God sees us all. not even their families. They must Thotchanmung Jamang, if not partially? The struggling comon our state, not the country, or the people in uniform, or Wungram Colony mon man desperately needs work. get their quota from their favourite nor the world because that it may be both. Sometimes in Those in their ivory towers will booze joint where the concept of which we see and hear is only never know the hell he goes through social-distancing is non-existent. hopelessness lurking all around Clarification from NSCN (I-M): Apropos the article published every day. So, the million dollar Some are deep into substance abuse us. We prayed hard, fasted like on August 3 issue under the headline, “Travails of Framework question is, is there an alternative and supply, so travel the length and dying swans, yet our plains and Agreement: Five long years of waiting”, the NSCN (I-M) through to lockdowns? Perhaps yes, if we, breadth of town, and beyond into hills were conquered. Why? We its MIP has clarified that the sentence should be read as “It is a the public, adopt the new social the neighbouring villages, to get asked, are we not for Him? We matter of great satisfaction that dialogue between the Governnorms of using masks, keeping safe and sell the illicit stuff and share wondered. Well, how about, ment of India and the NSCN has successfully concluded and distance and being hygienic. Those the virus, if infected. Then we have “Why not?” because harshly, we are confident it will provide for an enduring inclusive new who find it difficult to breathe with people bulldozing their way through we took its arrival as a complete relationship of peaceful co-existence of the two entities.” NSCN the masks should be forced to stay the crowded streets, for whatever negation rather than being pre- (I-M) has regretted the error. at home. But again, can we? Of reason. They have no concern at pared for it. Does it not ring a course we can; with fresh orders all. They may be spreaders or they bell about “Judgment Day” from the administration and backed may get infected, but who cares! We because each of us knows, but by a whole lot of police personnel are scared of the virus only within we will elude its Revelations in town to ensure that the orders the confines of our homes. and many of us will be judged Nothing is impossible if we only to be doomed in the abyss are followed in letter and spirit. Of course, it will be a daunting task put our minds to it, and with the for eternity. However, I would for the police alone, but Nagaland, spine to back it. Singapore is the be a Pariah if I were to judge unlike other places, has a lot of perfect example - one good leader each one of you based on your Sir, As we are in the midst of Covid 19 in our state today, we well-meaning civil societies. These, with a single agenda changed the faith and belief and I am not. in the form of youth organizations, beggar state into a super economic Now is not the time to not cannot guarantee the safety of our dear ones and also of ourself. tribal and student bodies, village power. There are a few countries be altruistic for when the dust We also cannot assure the disappearance of this pandemic as of and colony/ward councils, etc. today where lockdowns rules have settles, it may be too late to now. However, I would like to earnestly appeal to our people, my have always come to the aid of the been relaxed to a great extent or be regretful or remorseful; as people that a proper mindset should be carried out in treating lifted, and where life has come back for which our leaders are an the Covid patients or their families. I have come across certain Government in the past. An earnest appeal will defi- to normal. Their well-meaning epitome and we must be too, sections of our people during this crisis where there are people nitely not fall on deaf ears. Once governments and cooperative citi- instead of always being grate- being directly or indirectly discriminated at this untimely hour we, the wayward public are dis- zens have together brought about ful. For once, let us put aside instead of lending a helping hand or pouring out love being a ciplined, their presence will not these changes. So, why can’t we? our “appreciative capabilities” Naga at heart and Christian in spirit. Who knows tomorrow me be required. The police task force If harsh measures are required, so and let those in dire need play or you might also be affected by it as we see today community too can then be reduced to a be it. But, change is a must for the our role. I am sure, our “amour transmission have already started. As I say again my precious large extent. Video cameras at overall good. propre” will not whisk away people, let love guide us, mould us and also enrich our underLord, grant us Civic Sense! because gratitude and altruism standing in sincerely caring for the people that are going through strategic locations can also help identify wrong doers. Punishment Prof. G.T. Thong, Lower Agri are two different things. We this pain. Let our mindself be clear and positive. in the form of fines on the spot, Colony, Kohima are all in need of something Hito Aye, Noton Bosti Dimapur 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 A proper mindset

national/state

Nagaland Post, Dimapur TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2020

Religious rituals begin in Ayodhya Stage set for Ram temple groundbreaking ceremony

AYODHYA/NEW DELHI, AUG 3 (PTI): Religious rituals got under way in Ayodhya on Monday, two days ahead of the ‘bhoomi pujan’ or groundbreaking ceremony for a temple at a spot where devotees believe Lord Ram was born. Barricades are already in place in the temple town and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued an appeal, asking only those invited for Wednesday’s “bhoomi pujan” ceremony to come to Ayodhya. Adityanath spent hours reviewing the arrangements for the ceremony at the Ram Janmabhoomi, where the temple will be constructed following the go-ahead last year by the Supreme Court. Twe l ve p r i e s t s o n Monday conducted prayers dedicated to Lord Ganesh. This was to be followed by prayers to the deities of the dynasties of Lord Ram and goddess Sita. On Tuesday, prayers will be offered at Ayodhya’s Hanumangarhi temple. Among the 175 people invited for the main ceremony are 135 `sants’ belonging to that many spiritual traditions, the Shri Ram Janmab-

People move past Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas workshop in Ayodhya, Monday. (PTI)

hoomi Teerth Kshetra said in a series of tweets and a press conference. The trust also noted “certain practical difficulties” faced by some guests – including religious figures – in participating in the ceremony because of the coronavirus pandemic. BJP veteran Uma Bharti, a key figure in the Ram temple movement and an accused in the Babri mosque demolition case, said she will not attend because of concerns over catching the infection. The trust

asked devotees to organise “bhajans” and “kirtans” in places outside Ayodhya as well, while keeping restrictions related to COVID-19 in mind. Among the people invited to the event is Iqbal Ansari, a litigant in the temple-mosque land dispute case. “I will certainly attend it. The dispute is over now after the court’s verdict,” Ansari, 69, told PTI. His father Hashim Ansari, the oldest litigant in the case, died n 2016. After that the son pursued the case in court. Mohammad Sharif,

an Ayodhya-based social activist who also got the invitation, will not be able to attend as he is too old and ill, his family said. On the dais, there will be just five people – Narendra Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, trust chief Nritya Gopaldas Maharaj, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and CM Yogi Adityanath. Left parties opposed the event, saying holding the ceremony with the “involvement” of the Centre and the state government went against the Supreme Court verdict which directed the formation of a trust. In separate statements, both the CPI and CPM also said the Supreme Court, while delivering the verdict, had condemned the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh too sounded a discordant note, asking Modi to defer the event as this was an “inauspicious” period. The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister cited a list of politicians who have been infected by coronavirus and said a Hindu seer he has spoken to also agreed about the time being “inauspicious” for beginning any good work.

820 villages in 15 UP NAYO concerned over districts hit by floods extension of total lockdown

LUCKNOW, AUG 3 (PTI): As many as 820 villages in 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh have been hit by floods and the district administrations have started all-out relief operations, a minister said on Monday. Of these 820 villages, 173 have lost road connectivity and the district administrations have deployed boats, according to Backward Class Welfare Minister Anil Rajbhar. He said it was due to the swelling waters in the Sarayu and Rapti rivers that led to the situation, adding that the problem had been aggravated with Nepal releasing over four lakh cusecs of water. Rajbhar said embankments had been hit at Tarabganj area of Gonda and in Sagri division of Azamgarh, and efforts were on to mend them. Two villages have been severely hit in Azamgarh and there are also reports of crop damage in 12 villages, according to the minister. He said 110 shelter homes had been set up, and foodgrain kits and food packets were being distributed. As many as 1,129 boats have been pressed into service and 92 animal sheds have also been set up. Rajbhar said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had warned that there should not be any laxity in relief and rescue operations.

KOHIMA, AUG 3 (NPN): Northern Angami Youth Organisation (NAYO) has expressed concern over the extension of total lockdown in the State Capital. In a press release, organisation’s president Roko Angami and NAYO general secretary Ruokuoneitso Kire said the total lockdown has left many citizens jobless, even as many businessmen are taking advantage of the situation by jacking up prices of essential commodities. They said NAYO, which is mostly a village-based organisation and comprises 32 villages and a “good portion” of the urban areas in Kohima, was extremely concerned over the well-being of fellow citizens as total lockdown had rendered many people jobless. They also said the common people were at the receiving end due to rise in prices of essential commodities effected by some traders.

Condemning such traders and cautioning them, NAYO directed its volunteers to strictly monitor the prices determined by Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) in their respective colonies so that the citizens were not victimised. NAYO also urged Kohima District Task Force (DTF) on COVID-19 to review the present system of permitting only a few grocery shops in certain pockets of colonies to open as this was “not only biased but also led to monopoly”. While reiterating to continue extending support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and expressing solidarity with frontline workers, police and the administration, NAYO appealed to the State government and DTF look into the matter and find an alternative to total lockdown as lockdown was detrimental to the interests of society.

Rahul takes dig at PM over surge in COVID-19 cases

NEW DELHI, AUG 3 (PTI): With the country reporting over 50,000 COVID19 cases for the fifth day in a row, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe on Monday at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had said “the right decisions at the right time means India is better off ”. Gandhi put up a graph on his Twitter account showing India at the top of the chart of 10 countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. “The right decisions at the right time means India is better off than other countries. PM,” Gandhi wrote on Twitter. Gandhi has been attacking the prime minister and the government over the manner in which the pandemic has been handled. He has also said the nationwide lockdown has “failed” to give the desired results. Congress said the government should take stock of the situation and not be in denial. “The Government really needs to take stock of the situation rather than repeatedly saying we’re doing better than other countries. Government’s denial is constantly putting millions of lives in danger,” the opposition party said on its Twitter handle.

Says expression of opinion cannot constitute contempt of court New Delhi, Aug 3 (PTI): The expression of opinion, “however outspoken, disagreeable or unpalatable to some”, cannot constitute contempt of court, activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan said on Monday in his reply to a show cause notice issued by the Supreme Court. The top court on July 22 issued notice to Bhushan for hearing on August 5 the criminal contempt proceedings initiated against him for his two alleged derogatory tweets against the judiciary, observing his statements prima facie “brought the administration of justice in disrepute”.

Parambir Singh for it. What circumstances led to his death is the subject of our investigation,” Mumbai police commissioner Singh told a press conference. Singh also said no politician’s name has come up

NPF reiterates demand for PDA to step down

(From p-1) However, as the party president saw the trickery and refused to assure him a ticket, it hit him like a thunderbolt and made him jump across to NDPP where he always had one foot. Hence, NPF emphasised that the incumbent chief minister and NDPP had no moral right to accuse others of what had happened which was his own doing. Further, the opposition party stated that the previous regime under the leadership of Zeliang did not have an opposition and thus less time was taken in Nagaland Legislative Assembly, add-

ing there was consensus and unity among the legislators both within and outside the floor of the House. Claiming that this unity and leadership helped in bringing mega road projects to the State, NPF asserted that even on the Indo-Naga political Issue, the DAN-III was able to bring about the historic Framework Agreement and continued to make huge strides by bringing all groups to the negotiating table. But the party observed that the current dispensation could not be expected to bring about any new development as there it lacked in sincerity. The communiqué stat-

ed that the contradictions within NDPP was evident when it says that NPF president should not stoop so low as to attack the ruling party’s media team and yet claims on the other hand that its statements were not the views of just a few individuals but that of its entire rank and file. NPF clarified that as a responsible political party it completely believed in the ethos of democracy and would continue to play a constructive role as opposition, unlike some in the NDPP “who believe in mobocracy and runs after chaos and havoc to attain personal success and gains”.

during the investigation by Mumbai police. There is no question of non-cooperation with the Bihar police team which is in the city in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, Singh said, adding Mumbai police are seeking legal opinion on the matter. Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey had claimed that Vinay Tiwari, the IPS officer from Patna, who is in Mumbai to probe the case after Rajput’s father lodged an FIR, has been “forcibly quarantined” by civic authorities in the metropolis. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday voiced

strong disapproval of the “forcible” quarantine of the officer. “Whatever has been done to him is inappropriate,” Kumar told journalists in Patna. Patna police has registered a case of abetment to suicide against actor Rhea Chakraborty, who was in a relationship with Rajput, on the basis of a complaint lodged by his father K K Singh. Kumar also said the matter has been taken up with the authorities in Maharashtra by DGP Gupteshwar Pandey. “He (Pandey) will himself speak to the authorities concerned,” Kumar said.

A medic arranges samples for COVID-19 in Kolkata, Monday (PTI)

samples so far. This is pursuant to the key strategy followed by State/UT governments under the guidance of Centre for management of COVID-19 to ‘test aggressively, track efficiently and isolate and treat promptly’,” the ministry said. The testing lab network in the country is continuously strengthened with 1,348 labs in the country -914 labs in the government sector and 434 private labs. Having started with one single laboratory at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune and then expanding to 100 laboratories around the beginning of the lockdown, the ICMR on June 23 validated the 1000th testing lab. The total number of tests for detection of COVID-19 had crossed the

one-crore mark in India on July 6. India’s COVID-19 tally crossed the 18-lakh mark on Monday, just a day after it went past 17 lakh, with 52,972 cases reported in a day while the number of recoveries surged to over 11.86 lakh, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The total coronavirus cases surged to 18,03,695, while the death toll due to COVID-19 climbed to 38,135 with 771 people succumbing to the disease in a day, the data updated at 8 am on Monday showed. Various steps taken by the central government have paved the way for enhanced testing for COVID-19, the health ministry had said earlier.

Prashant Bhushan (File) In a 142-page reply affidavit filed through lawyer Kamini Jaiswal, the activist lawyer has referred to several apex court judgements, speeches of former and serving judges on contempt of court and the “stifling of dissent” in a democracy and his views on judicial actions in some cases. Bhushan also stood by his two tweets. “The respondent (Bhushan) states that expression of his opinion however outspoken, disagreeable or however

unpalatable to some, cannot constitute contempt of court. This proposition has been laid down by several judgments of the Supreme Court and in foreign jurisdictions such as Britain, USA and Canada,” he submitted. He also referred to the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 (1)(a) of the Constitution, and said this right was the ultimate guardian of all the values that the Constitution holds sacred. “The relationship between Article l9 (1A) and Article 129 (this gives power of contempt to SC) is governed by Article 19(2). Article l9 (2) (reasonable restrictions) recognizes the fetters that can be placed on freedom of speech & expression under the court’s power to punish for contempt under Article 129. “‘Reasonable restric-

tion’ being the operative word under Article l9(2), any exercise of contempt powers by the Supreme Court must necessarily not be of a nature that goes beyond ‘reasonable restrictions’,” Bhushan said in the affidavit. To prevent a citizen from forming, holding, and expressing a ‘bonafide opinion’ in public interest on any institution that is a creature of the Constitution is not a reasonable restriction and violates the basic principles on which our democracy is founded, he said. The affidavit said the power of contempt under Article 129 of the Constitution should be “utilized to aid in administration of justice and not to shut out voices that seek accountability from the court for the errors of omissions and commissions”.

ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES ANSARI NAGAR, NEW DELHI 110608

No.F.AIIMS/EXAM.SEC./4-5(PG-July-2020/2020)

Dated: 04.08.2020

ADMISSION NOTICE NO.98/2020 ONLINE OPEN ROUND OF SEAT ALLOCATION FOR AIIMS PG-JULY 2020 SESSION

The online Open Round of Seat Allocation for filling up vacant Postgraduate subject/speciality for July, 2020 session (after 3rd Round of Online Seat Allocation) will be held on 19.08.2020 (Wednesday). The details of tentative vacancy in different subject/speciality after allotment in 1st/2nd/3rd round of online seat Allocation for July 2020 session and Information Brochure regarding procedure for online Open Round of Seat allocation will be available on website i.e. www.aiimsexam.org. on 5th Aug, 2020. Further tentative vacancy after closing date of 3rd Round of online seat allocation will also be published on 10.08.2020. All allocation in 1st/2nd/3rd round of Allocation / Counseling for July 2020 session falling vacant by way of surrender/resignation henceforth till 1:00 P.M. on 14.08.2020 will be added to these and will be available for Open Counseling. The final vacant seat position in all subject/speciality will be displayed on our website www.aiimsexams.org by 5:00 PM on 14.08.2020. Candidates who are interested to participate in online Open Round Seat Allocation on the scheduled date will be required to register themselves online for online Open Round of Seat Allocation on the AIIMS website i.e. www.aiimsexam.org. The Online Registration will open on 05.08.2020 (Wednesday) at 11:00 AM & close on 10.08.2020 (Monday) at 5:00 PM. All candidate who have registered for online Open Round of Seat Allocation are required to complete other formalities as published and filling choice thereafter till 17.08.2020 by 05:00 PM. After final submission/ closing date and time, no changes in choice of order of preference will be allowed. All OBC/EWS candidate participating in online Open Round of Seat Allocation are required to upload valid cast certificate as per Important Notice No. 75/2020 dates 14.06.2020during online registration. Note: Candidates will not be able to join the course without the production of printout of Registration Slip issued at the time of Online Registration and other documents. For essential eligibility conditions, other details and terms and conditions for online seat allocation, please read information brochure carefully and visit the AIIMS, New Delhi website www.aiimsexams.org. davp 17112/11/0008/2021 REGISTRAR

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

NIOS ADMISSION OPEN SECONDARY (CLASS-10) AND SENIOR SECONDARY (CLASS 12) ONLINE COURSES FOR 2020 EXAMINATION

DIRECTORATE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION NAGALAND : KOHIMA - 797004

NO. DTE/SCTE/6/2018-19/2060

Dated, Kohima, the 3rd August, 2020

LAST DATE : 31 AUGUST 2020

NOTIFICATION

An opportunity for the Dropout/Failed Students of class 10 and 12 seeking informal education to complete secondary and senior secondary to Pursue for further studies/trainings GHS. Diphupar ‘B 5th Mile, Dimapur

It is hereby informed that the declaration of provisionally selected candidates for undergoing 3 years Diploma Courses in the state run Polytechnics has been declared. The selected candidates are hereby informed to submit their acceptance/ refusal letter to the office on or before 14th August, 2020 (http://www. tenagaland@gmail.com). In the event of any candidate fails to submit his/her acceptance letter, their selection shall stand cancelled. Candidates who did not make into the selection list may re-apply for Diploma seats in prescribe application forms. Such applications shall be considered in the event of any vacancy arises as per their Merit. Nomination letter shall be issued w.e.f 24th August, 2020. Sd/(ER. ARJUN SINGH) Director Issued by DIPR DC-474

Attached NIOS STUDY CENTRE (AI-140031) Secondary and Senior Secondary (An autonomous Institute under Deptt. of School Education and Literacy, MHRD, Govt. of India)

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propriate and forcible”. The issue resonated in the two Houses of Bihar legislature, with lawmakers across the political divide demanding a CBI investigation into the death of the 34year-old Patna-born actor. Both Mumbai and Patna police are probing the case. Rajput, who impressed his audience with his performances during his short but promising career, was found hanging in his rented apartment in Mumbai’s Bandra on June 14. “It was found that the actor had bipolar disorder, and was undergoing treatment and taking medicines

COVID-19 tests in India cross 2 crore

NEW DELHI, AUG 3 (PTI): India has carried out over two crore tests for detection of COVID-19 pursuant to the key strategy of “test aggressively, track efficiently and isolate and treat promptly”, the government said on Monday, hailing the milestone as a “landmark achievement”. A cumulative total of 2,02,02,858 samples have been tested up to August 2 with 3,81,027 samples being tested on Sunday, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data. With 3,81,027 samples tested in the last 24 hours, the number of Test Per Million (TPM) has increased to 14,640, the health ministry said in a statement. While the country’s TPM has demonstrated a steady upward trend indicating the growing testing network, 24 states and Union Territories have reported higher testing per million than the national average. The 24 states and UTs having a TPM higher than the national average includes Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka and Punjab. “In a landmark achievement, India has tested 2,02,02,858 COVID-19

Prashant Bhushan replies to SC show cause

Sushant had bipolar disorder: Mumbai police chief MUMBAI/PATNA, AUG 3 (PTI): Actor Sushant Singh Rajput was suffering from bipolar disorder, a mental condition characterised by extreme mood swings, at the time of his death, Mumbai police chief Parambir Singh said on Monday amid clamour by Bihar politicians for a CBI probe. An IPS officer from Bihar, who had landed in Mumbai on Sunday for leading the SIT investigating in the case, was, meanwhile, quarantined under the COVID-19 regulations in force in the city, a development Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called “inap-

For Details contact : 9436007144/ 7005630239

national/state WB govt forms panel to study NEP 2020 No compromise on territorial integrity, India tells China

India, China military talks continue

NEW DELHI, AUG 3 (PTI): The Indian army has categorically conveyed to China’s PLA at the fifth round of military talks it will not compromise on India’s territorial integrity, and clearly said disengagement of troops from Pangong Tso and a few other friction points in eastern Ladakh should be completed at the earliest, people familiar with the developments said on Monday. Senior commanders of the two armies held intense negotiations for nearly 11 hours on Sunday at a designated meeting point in Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Indian delegation very clearly and firmly communicated to the Chinese side that restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh was key for overall ties between the two countries, and that Beijing must ensure complete disengagement of its troops from the remaining friction points, according to the people familiar with the developments. It was also categorically conveyed that the Indian army will not compromise on the country’s territorial integrity, they said. The Chinese army has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other areas but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward from the Finger Four and Eight areas in Pangong Tso as demanded by India.

Army trucks move towards Ladakh on Aug 1, 2020. (PTI)

The mountain spurs in the area are referred to as Fingers. China also has not completed withdrawal of troops from Gogra areas. The focus of the Sunday talks was on finalising the modalities for further deescalation, and disengagement of troops from various friction points, sources said, adding both sides were to discuss details of the negotiations with their respective military and political leadership. The sources said Army Chief Gen MM Naravane was given a detailed briefing about the talks on Monday morning which was subsequently followed by a discussion he held with senior military officials on the overall situation in eastern Ladakh. It is learnt that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were also apprised about the talks, and the entire military and strategic brass tasked to deal

with the border row is deliberating on various aspects of the overall situation. The Indian delegation was led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, while the Chinese side was headed by Major General Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang military region. The previous round of the Corps Commanderlevel talks took place on the Indian side of the LAC on July 14 and it lasted for nearly 15 hours. There was no official word on details of the meeting. The military talks took place 10 days after both sides held another round of diplomatic parleys on the border issue. After the diplomatic talks, the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) said both sides agreed that an early and complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols was essential for

the overall development of bilateral relations. Last week, India rebutted China’s claim that the disengagement process was completed at most locations. “There has been some progress made towards this objective but the disengagement process has as yet not been completed,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said when asked about China’s claim. In the last three weeks, India has significantly ramped up troops and weaponry in the areas around Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) and Depsang Valley in commensurate with deployment of troops by China’s People’s Liberation Army(PLA). During the military and diplomatic talks, India has also been demanding withdrawal of Chinese troops from Depsang, the area where they had intruded in 2013. The transgressions had created military and diplomatic tensions but was resolved after hectic rounds of negotiations following which the Chinese troops withdrew. India began sending reinforcements to Depsang and the areas around DBO in mid-May when tension between the two sides gradually escalated, and the deployment has been significantly ramped up with several thousand troops, tanks and artillery guns in the last two months, sources said.

KOLKATA, AUG 3 (PTI): The Bengal government on Monday formed a sixmember committee to study and share observations on the new education policy approved by the Union Cabinet, two days after Education Minister Partha Chatterjee slammed it as a “copy of the system prevalent in western countries”. Vice Chancellor of Jadavpur University Suranjan Das, retired professor and TMC MP Sougata Roy and educationist Pabitra Sarkar are among those who form a part of the panel. Talking to reporters, Chatterjee said the new committee will scrutinise the points mentioned in the new policy, and submit its report to the state by August 15. We will also seek views of school teachers and varsity professors on the matter. Once the committee submits its report, following careful observations, we will convey our opinion on the new policy to the Centre,” he said. The Union Cabinet had on July 29 approved the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, replacing the 34-year old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986. According to the draft policy, students will have to take school examinations in grades 3, 5 and 8, which will be conducted by the appropriate authority. Board exams for Grades 10 and 12 will be redesigned.

Nagaland Post, Dimapur TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2020

Muted Raksha Bandhan celebrations amid raging coronavirus pandemic

NEW DELHI, AUG 3 (PTI): Raksha Bandhan celebrations remained subdued this year as the rampaging coronavirus pandemic cast a shadow over the festivities, that celebrate the brothersister bond, with people mostly preferring to stay at home. People relied on homemade sweets and some rituals moved online, with siblings ordering rakhis and e-gifts for each other and meeting through video calls. “This is the first time that it has happened, but this is the need of the hour,” said Rahul Bhardwaj, a resident of the national capital, who could not meet his sister who lives in a different city. “We need to keep ourselves safe and our loved ones safe too.” “The festival was a bit different this year. I got homemade barfi for my brothers and did not buy anything from outside. We are also not going anywhere and just spending time with our family,” said Shivani Rawat of Delhi. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders greeted the people on the occasion. The President celebrated the festival with members of the nursing community at Rashtrapati Bhavan, describing them as saviours who are risking their own lives in the line of duty to save others. Naidu said he missed his “dear sister” Sushma Swaraj a lot on this Raksha Bandhan. Former External Affairs Minister Swaraj died on August 6

Women tie ‘rakhis’ on the wrists of visually impaired children in Amritsar, Monday (PTI)

last year. Legendry singer Lata Mangeshkar shared a special audio message with the PM on the occasion, wishing him well. In his response, the PM said her message “filled me with immense inspiration and energy”. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is in a hospital after testing positive for the coronavirus, tweeted, “Heartfelt greetings to the people of the country on the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan.” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also wished everyone. His sister and the party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she is proud to have a brother like Rahul Gandhi. “My best wishes to all the countrymen on Raksha Bandhan,” she tweeted. But as people remained at home, with the fears of contracting the virus running deeper than ever, industry sources estimated severe losses to shopkeepers. “Sweets worth around Rs 10,000 crore were sold

across the country on Raksha Bandhan last year. This figure is expected to come down to around Rs 5,000 crore this time,” the director of the Federation of Sweets and Namkeen Manufacturers, Feroz H. Naqvi, had told PTI on Snnday. Samir Saha, a roadside vendor in In West Bengal’s Shyambazar, said, “Last year, I had earned Rs 5,000 selling rakhis. This time, I managed to earn just Rs 1,000. The pandemic has hit us hard.” Some people, however, celebrated the festival in symbolically unique ways. Animal lovers tied ‘rakhis’ to two elephants in Jalpaiguri district and vowed to protect them “as many of them are dying in mananimal conflict”. In Odisha, acclaimed sand artiste Sudarsan Pattnaik created a mural on Puri beach as a tribute to COVID19 warriors. “Let’s celebrate this #RakshaBandhan with #CovidWarriors, those are working tirelessly day and night for us,” he said in a Twitter post.

eVIN reaches 32 states & UTs: Health ministry China’s posturing in Indian Ocean To be rolled-out soon to disturb stability: Defence experts in remaining areas

KAKURO

chain handlers have been introduced to digital recordkeeping by training them on eVIN,” the statement said. M o r e o ve r, n e a r l y 23,900 electronic temperature loggers have been installed on vaccine cold chain equipment for accurate temperature review of vaccines in storage, it added.

No. 9644 Yesterday’s solution No. 9643

No. 4263 Yesterday’s solution No. 4262

No. 3287 Yesterday’s solution No. 3286

Across 1. Underground room (6) 7. Assess (8) 8. Cereal plant (4) 10. Sounded a horn (6) 11. Love apple (6) 14. Marry (3) 16. Adam’s ale (5) 17. Temperate (4) 19. Postpone (5) 21. Two-footed animal (5) 22. Filleted (5) 23. Set of actors (4) 26. Wallow (5) 28. Male swan (3) 29. Handsome youth (6) 30. Military greeting (6) 31. Horse’s gait (4) 32. Not fit to be eaten (8) 33. Human mind or soul (6) Down 1. Business patronage (6) 2. Plundered (6) 3. Rip (4) 4. Permitted (7) 5. Unit of purity of gold (5) 6. Spanish man (5) 8. Hood (4) 9. Colour (3) 12. Spoil (3) 13. Informs (5) 15. Ward off (5) 18. Irritated (5) 19. Racket (3) 20. G ave food to (3) 21. Country (7) 22. Boy’s name (3) 23. Settlement (6) 24. Adjoin (4) 25. Threefold (6) 26. Quick (5) 27. Ballots (5) 28. Vehicle (3) 30. Pace (4)

KOLKATA, AUG 3 (PTI): Defence and strategic experts on Monday said that China’s posturing in the Indian Ocean will disturb stability and peace in the region. Commandant of National Defence College, Vice-Admiral Pradeep Kaushiva, said that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China has been establishing naval bases in the Indian Ocean for a long time. The PLA Navy may need such bases in large numbers to minimise the geographical distance from China, he said while speaking at a webinar organised by Tillotama Foundation. “In such a scenario, the Indian Ocean is poised for turbulence and I believe it is in the offing,” Vice-Admiral Kaushiva said. He said, “It is time to forge ahead with the Quad security dialogue - comprising the US, Japan, Australia and India - to check the rise of expansionist China and protect the security of the region”. In November 2017, the four countries gave shape to the “Quad” or Quadrilateral coalition to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence. David Brewster of

Australian National University (ANU) said that China’s approach to the Indian Ocean is political and strategic. Brewster is a Senior Research Fellow with the National Security College at the ANU, where he specialises in South Asian and Indian Ocean strategic affairs. He said, “There has been a significant deterioration in the relationship between Australia and China in the last six months as our country hailed the need for an independent inquiry into the COVID crisis”. Subsequently, Beijing had imposed sanctions against Australia, he said. However, China needs Australian resources like iron ore for which the balance of trade was not in China’s favour, Brewster said. He said that there are growing concerns about China’s influence in the Indian Ocean and it is time to make Quad a credible grouping. According to him, the COVID crisis will substantially change the economics of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI is a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013.

DC Tuensang order on inter-district movement

DIMAPUR: Deputy commissioner (DC) Tuensang, Kumar Ramnikant has issued orders as decided in the Tuensang District Task Force (DTF) meeting on COVID-19 held on July 28 to monitor inter district movement of vehicles/people into Tuensang district in view of potential local/ community transmission of COVID-19. According to DIPR report, the following Standard Operating procedures (SOP) for inter-district travel will come into effect: All travels from/to Tuensang district which are not of urgent nature are hereby restricted until further notice; Any unavoidable travels which are of urgent nature such a medical emergencies, funerals etc shall be under-

WANTED

taken only with the prior approval of the Tuensang DTF on COVID-19; For government officials travelling to Tuensang district on duty, the Hods concerned are to inform the DTF 24 hours prior to undertaking any such travels; All travels (apart from government servants on duty) to tuensang district shall be allowed to enter the district only the production of valid travel permit issued by competent authority of the origin district; All details of the travelers are to be enter at the Inter district check gate before entering the district;

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All government servants/ agencies from outside the state entering the district on duty shall be allowed to proceed on duty only after mandatory COVID19 testing and on negative result for COVID-19; All travelers to the district (apart from government servant on duty) shall be under mandatory home quarantine for 14 days. To facilitate movement as mentioned, the Tuensang COVID-19 war room may be conducted at 038612201 71/6009964361/813192661 2/8132039124/6033862540 between 10 a.m to 4 p.m.

LAND FOR SALE IN DIMAPUR

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Su doku

32 states and Union territories (UTs) and will soon be introduced in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Ladakh and Sikkim. “At present, 23,507 cold chain points across 585 districts of 22 states and two UTs routinely use the eVIN technology for efficient vaccine logistics management. Over 41,420 vaccine cold

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Crossword

in the country. “This robust system has been used with the requisite customisation during the COVID-19 pandemic for ensuring continuation of the essential immunisation services and protecting our children and pregnant mothers against vaccine preventable diseases,” it said. The eVIN has reached

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NEW DELHI, AUG 3 (PTI): The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network, which provides technological solutions for strengthening immunisation supply chain systems, has reached 32 states and Union territo-

ries, and will be rolled-out in the remaining areas soon, the health ministry said on Monday. In a statement, the ministry said the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) aims to provide real-time information on vaccine stocks and flows, and storage temperatures across all cold chain points

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

OFFICE OF THE ADDITIONAL DEPUTY COMMISSIONER TSEMINYU : NAGALAND.

NO.ADCT/JUD/SC-1/2009/PT-IV/509

Tseminyu, Dated the 15th July 2020

OBJECTION NOTICE Whereas Smti. Yakhile Rengma, W/o Late Kesemo Rengma of Sishunu Village who expired on 23/02/2020 has applied for issuance of Succession Certificate to Draw/ Operate / Transfer her late husband SBI Account No. 20198197137 (Tseminyu Branch) amd P.P.O NO. NL/5003 under Section 375 of the Indian Succession Act 1925. Public are hereby asked to file any claims/objection within 30 (thirty) days from the date of issue of the notice, failing which no claims/objection will be entertained after the stipulated time. K-1279

(NOKCHASASHI) Additional Deputy Commissioner

US prez election on Nov 3 as planned

US President Donald Trump during an election campaign in Michigan.

Washington, Aug 3 IANS): White House officials have confirmed that the upcoming US presidential election will be held as planned on November 3 after President Donald Trump raised the possibility of delaying it. Speaking to CBS News, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said the President was only raising concerns about mail-in ballots when he floated the idea of delaying election in

a tweet last week. “We’re going to hold an election on November 3 and the President is going to win,” Xinhua news agency quoted Meadows as saying to CBS News. The Chief of Staff added that Trump “has not looked at delaying any election”. Meadows’s remarks were echoed by presidential campaign adviser Jason Miller, who told Fox News on Sunday that “the election is going to be on Novem-

ber 3 and President Trump wants the election to be on November 3”. In his tweet on July 29, Trump claimed -- without providing any proof or evidence -- that “universal mail-in voting” would make November’s vote “the most inaccurate & fraudulent election in history”. “It will be a great embarrassment to the USA,” he said. “Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”

Gandhi to become first nonwhite person on British currency LONDON , AUG 3 (AGENCIES): Amid the rising interest in recognizing the contributions of the people from the Black, Asian and other minority ethnic communities, UK is considering minting a coin to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi. In a letter to the Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC), British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak asked the Committee to pursue recognition of individuals from those

communities. “RMAC is currently considering a coin to commemorate Gandhi”, the Treasury said. However, Rishi Sunak’s office on Sunday confirmed that Mahatma Gandhi’s image on the coins is being considered to celebrate the efforts of non-white individuals like Indian-origin British spy Noor Inayat Khan and Jamaican British nurse Mary Seacole.

Sunak has written to the Royal Mint Advisory Committee that recommends themes and designs of coins, supporting a campaign called ‘We Too Built Britain’, which seeks representation of non-white icons on British currency. The idea of having Gandhi in UK currency was also previously announced in October in 2019 by former chancellor Sajid Javid.

UK to launch 2 new 90 min COVID-19 tests

London, Aug 3 (IANS): UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that the country will launch two new tests which can detect the novel coronavirus in 90 minutes in hospitals, care homes and laboratories, it was reported on Monday. The Department of Health said that the swab and DNA tests will help deal with the virus in winter, enabling clinicians and NHS Test and Trace to differentiate between COVID-19, which requires sufferers to undergo specific self-isolation, and other seasonal illnesses, reports the Metro newspaper. Almost half a million new LamPORE swab tests will be available from next week across adult care settings and laboratories. Millions more of the tests, supplied by Oxford Nanopore, are set to be rolled

out later in the year. Meanwhile, thousands of DNA test machines, which have already been used in eight London hospitals and can analyse nose swabs, will be rolled out across NHS hospitals from September. Some 5,000 machines, supplied by DnaNudge, will provide 5.8 million tests in the coming months, the Department said. “Millions of new rapid coronavirus tests will provide on-the-spot results in under 90 minutes, helping us to break chains of transmission quickly,” the Metro newspaper quoted Hancock as saying. “The fact these tests can detect flu as well as COVID-19 will be hugely beneficial as we head into winter, so patients can follow the right advice to protect themselves and others.”

But later in the day, Trump said that he did not want to delay the election, saying, “I don’t want a delay. I want to have the election... But I don’t want to see a crooked election.” “But I also don’t want to have to wait for three months and then find out that the ballots are all missing and the election doesn’t mean anything. That’s what’s going to happen... that’s common sense. Mailin ballots will lead to the greatest fraud.” Trump’s delay tweet immediately ignited a political firestorm and drew bipartisan pushback from Capitol Hill, as legal analysts agreed that Trump has no authority to delay the election as the US Constitution gives Congress the power to set the date. Election Day takes place on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, as determined by federal law. Moving the date would require an act of Congress. Top Republicans - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy - both dismissed the idea. Trump ally Senator Lindsay Graham meanwhile said a delay was “not a good idea”.

Ten killed in Nepal landslides Kathamandu, Aug 3 (Agencies): Heavy rain in Nepal triggered landslides on Monday that killed eight labourers at a construction site and two members of a family, taking the toll in floods and landslides to 177 since late May. Elsewhere in South Asia, the annual rainy season brought more misery with at least 135 people killed in Bangladesh since late June in the longestrunning floods there in more than two decades. Nepali government official Murari Wasti told Reuters that the labourers were sleeping in a tin-roofed shelter near the capital, Kathmandu, when the landslide hit. “Rescuers dug through the mud and took out all eight bodies,” Wasti said. One injured labourer had been taken to hospital. A second landslide nearby killed a woman and her husband. Wasti said 57 people were missing and 111 injured in floods or landslides caused by the monsoon rains. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has also been hit with four soldiers killed there last month while rescuing villagers trapped in floods, officials said.

Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner Hume dies Dublin, Aug 3 (IANS): Former Irish politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume died on Monday at the age of 83, his family said in a statement. He passed away in the early hours of Monday at the Owen Mor nursing home in Londonderry, reports the BBC. The former teacher and of the highest-profile politicians in Northern Ireland for more than 30 years, came to prominence during the Civil Rights Movement in 1968. He was one of the founding members of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) in 1970. He became leader of the party in 1979, a post which he relinquished in November 2001. Hume, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998, had been suffering from dementia for many years. In a statement, his family said: “John was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a great grandfather and a brother. “He was very much loved, and his loss will be deeply felt by all his extended family.”

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SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday with two NASA astronauts on-board.

do something once thought impossible. Partners are key to how we go farther than ever before and take the next steps on daring missions to the Moon and Mars.” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk appeared super excited at the completion of the

test flight as he congratulated both NASA and SpaceX on the accomplishment that marked the beginning of a new era in human spaceflight. “When space travel becomes as common as air travel, the future of civilization will be assured,” Musk said in a tweet soon after the

splashdown. Behnken and Hurley’s return was the first splashdown for American astronauts since Thomas Stafford, Vance Brand, and Donald “Dekea Slayton landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii on July 24, 1975, at the end

Pak foreign, defence ministers visit LoC

A senior army officer briefs to Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Moeed Yusuf during their visit to forward area post in Chiri Kot sector, Pakistan on Monday. (AP/PTI)

Islamabad, Aug 3 (PTI): Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Defence Minister Pervez Khattak on Monday visited the Line of Control (LoC) where they were briefed by the Army about the latest situation, according to officials. The two ministers, accompanied by the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on National Security Moeed Yusuf, visited the Chiri Kot Sector. In a video message released before his LoC visit,

Qureshi said he was visiting the LoC along with the Defence Minister to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people. The two ministers visited the Chiri Kot Sector where they were briefed by the Army about the latest situation of the LoC, officials said. India has firmly told Pakistan that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and shall continue to be an integral part of India. Issues related to Jammu and Kashmir are an internal matter of India,

the Ministry of External Affairs has reiterated. Pakistan has been unsuccessfully trying to drum up international support against India for withdrawing Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5 last year and bifurcating it into two union territories. India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution was its internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.

29 killed in prison attack in Afghanistan Jalalabad, Aug 3 (AP): The Islamic State group attacked a prison in eastern Afghanistan holding hundreds of its members, leading to a long battle Monday that saw the military retake control of the facility even as militants continued to fire on them from a nearby neighbourhood. The fighting killed at least 29 people and wounded 50, authorities said. Security forces seized the prison Monday afternoon in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, some 115 kilometers (70 miles) east of Kabul, Defense Ministry spokesman Fawad Aman said. Sporadic gunfire rang out from nearby residential buildings in central Jalalabad, an area of high security near the provincial governor’s office. The attack highlighted the challenges ahead for Afghanistan, even as U.S. and NATO forces begin to withdraw following America striking a peace deal with the Taliban. As security forces swept through the prison, they found the bodies of two Taliban prisoners apparently killed by the Islamic State group, showing the tensions between the two militant factions battling each other

SpaceX Crew Dragon returns with 2 NASA astronauts Washington, Aug 3 (IANS): Two NASA astronauts have safely returned to Earth from the International Space Station onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, marking the completion of a historic flight called demonstration (Demo-2) mission. The Demo-2 test flight for NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme has become the first to deliver astronauts to the space station and return them safely to Earth onboard a commercially built and operated spacecraft. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, carrying Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, splashed down under parachutes in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida at 2.48 pm EDT on Sunday and was successfully recovered by SpaceX. “Welcome home, Bob and Doug! Congratulations to the NASA and SpaceX teams for the incredible work to make this test flight possible,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “It’s a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together to

international

Nagaland Post, Dimapur TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2020

of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. N A S A’ s S p a c e X Demo-2 test flight launched May 30 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was the first time that astronauts were sent into space from the US soil since 2011. After reaching orbit, Behnken and Hurley named their Crew Dragon spacecraft “Endeavour” as a tribute to the first space shuttle each astronaut had flown aboard. Nearly 19 hours later, Crew Dragon docked to the forward port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module on May 31. Behnken and Hurley participated in a number of scientific experiments, spacewalks and public engagement events during their 62 days aboard the station. Overall, the astronaut duo spent 64 days in orbit, completed 1,024 orbits around Earth and travelled 27,147,284 statute miles. The astronauts contributed more than 100 hours of time to supporting the orbiting laboratory’s investigations.

Afghan security personnel gather in front of a prison after an attack in the city of Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday.

in eastern Afghanistan. The 29 dead included civilians, prisoners, guards and Afghan security forces, said Attaullah Khogyani, the provincial governor’s spokesman. The attack began Sunday, when an Islamic State suicide bomber drove a car laden with explosives up to the prison’s main gate, detonating the bomb. Islamic State militants opened fire on the prison’s guards and poured through the breach. The Islamic State

group’s affiliate in Afghanistan, known as IS in Khorasan province, later claimed responsibility for the attack. The affiliate is headquartered in Nangarhar province. The motive of the attack wasn’t immediately clear. However, some of the 1,500 prisoners there escaped during the fighting. Khyogyani said about 1,000 prisoners who earlier escaped had been found by security forces across the city.

The attack came a day after authorities said Afghan special forces killed a senior Islamic State commander near Jalalabad. While the Islamic State group has seen its so-called caliphate stretching across Iraq and Syria eliminated after a year-long campaign, the group has continued fighting in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has seen a recent spike in violence, with most attacks claimed by the local Islamic State group affiliate.

Action against Chinese apps ‘in coming days’: Mike Pompeo Washington, Aug 3 (Agencies): President Donald Trump is days away from announcing strong action against the popular Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok to protect US national security, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday. He said TikTok and other Chinese software companies operating in the US, such as WeChat, feed personal data on American citizens directly to the Chinese Communist Party. For years the US has put up with this because Americans felt “we’re having fun with it,” Pompeo said. “President Trump has said, ‘Enough,’ and we’re going to fix it,” Pompeo told Fox News. “And so he will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party,” he added. Pompeo said the data

Mike Pompeo

that companies like TikTok are gleaning about Americans “could be their facial recognition pattern; it could be information about their residence, their phone numbers, their friends, who they’re connected to.” Earlier, in another ominous US warning to the Chinese-owned app, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said TikTok should be sold or blocked in the US. TikTok, Mnuchin said, simply “cannot exist as it does.” Mnuchin did not comment directly on Trump’s threat Friday to bar the wildly popular video-shar-

ing app. The secretary recalled that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States - which he chairs - is reviewing TikTok, which is especially popular with young audiences who create and watch its shortform videos and has an estimated one billion users worldwide. But in one of many fronts in the increasingly poisonous US-Chinese relationship, US officials have said it could be a tool for Chinese intelligence. TikTok denies any such suggestion. “I will say publicly that the entire committee agrees that TikTok cannot stay in the current format because it risks sending back information on 100 million Americans,” Mnuchin said Sunday on ABC. Mnuchin said he has spoken to leaders of Congress including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, about what to do with TikTok’s operations in the US. K Y M C

sports

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Serie A: Genoa survive; Lecce relegated Ministry to form talent hunt Milan, Aug 3 (Agencies): Three players were sent off as Genoa, Italy’s oldest professional club, beat Hellas Verona 3-0 to guarantee their Serie A survival on Sunday while Lecce became the final team to be relegated after losing 4-3 at home to Parma. Genoa, whose coach Davide Nicola pulled off one of Serie A’s great escapes with Crotone three years ago, finished 17th in the 20-team table with 39 points after ensuring their survival on the last day of the season for the second year running. Lecce, who had the worst defence in the league with 85 goals conceded in 38 matches, were relegated for the ninth time since their Serie A debut in 1985-86. They will join Brescia, who like Lecce were promoted last season, and SPAL in Serie B. Lecce needed to win and hope that Verona could take at least a point at Genoa but their hopes were effectively over after half an hour. Antonio Sanabria put

Genoa players celebrate with coach Davide Nicola after their Serie A match against Parma at the Via Del Mare stadium in Lecce, Italy. (AP/PTI)

Genoa in front with a diving header in the 13th minute and the Paraguayan struck again 12 minutes later after being sent clear by Goran Pandev’s pass.

Cristian Romero headed the third one minute before the break. Although the game was effectively settled, tempers flared in the second

PL start date too early: Lampard

Frank Lampard

Lo n d o n, Au g 3 (Agencies): Chelsea manager Frank Lampard says starting the new Premier League season on Sept. 12 is too early and his players run the risk of sustaining injuries given the short turnaround between

campaigns. Chelsea trail Bayern Munich 3-0 heading into the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Saturday and even if they fail to overcome the deficit Lampard’s side will have little over a month

to recover before the new season begins. “I am guessing we will be told when we start and that will be dependent on how we go against Bayern,” Lampard told British media on Sunday. “It is not ideal if we carry on against Bayern the players need to be given a break to play at the level and the quality product that the Premier League is. Even in a worst-case scenario, we don’t go through against Bayern, the 12th feels too early for me for the players to start playing again.” Cesar Azpilicueta, Christian Pulisic and Pedro picked up injuries during Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat by Arsenal in the FA Cup final and Lampard fears other players could meet a similar fate. “The players need a break. That is why we have pulled two hamstrings and had players pull out of the game before this. I would like to think the Premier League would look seriously at that,” he said.

half. Romero was sent off for a second bookable offence just after the hour while Genoa’s Francesco Cassata and Verona’s Sofyan Amrabat followed

Willian

from an MLS club, and two other offers from Europe. He is going to make his decision after the last game of the season.” The MLS club is un-

derstood to be Inter Miami, but Arsenal are thought to be the front runners due to Willian’s desire to remain in London and play at the highest possible level.

committees for football: Rijiju

New Delhi, Aug 3 (PTI): Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the government is riding on “mainstay” football to make India a sporting powerhouse and announced the formation of five zonal committees to hunt talent across the country. Rijiju said the talent hunt initiative, to be funded by the Sports Authority of India under the Khelo India Programme in partnership with the All India Football Federation, will be the “most aggressive exercise” ever done. The committees will be formed in the next few months. “We will form five talent scouting committees in the next few months, one for each zone — north, south, east, west and northeast — under Khelo India Programme of SAI in partnership with AIFF,” Rijiju said during a virtual programme organised by Football Delhi to mark the 36th birthday of India captain Sunil Chhetri. “We cannot go with the usual approach, we have

Kiren Rijiju

to go deeper in a professional way. We have to find out talented children below 12 years from every nook and corner of the country whether it is northeast, the tribal areas of central India, coastal areas, south or north,” he added. He said the talent hunt exercise was conceptualised with an aim for India to be able to qualify for the World Cup and the Olympics in the next 10-15 years. “We have to start now with children below 12 if we want to qualify for Olympics and World Cup in 10-15 years. I am confident that we can do this.” “We will pick people who know football like the

former players. Of course, the AIFF will guide us,” said the minister. Rijiju said the ministry was also thinking about giving financial assistance to state governments and the federation to organise local leagues to give the platform for talent scouting at the grassroot — panchayat and municipality — level. AIFF president Praful Patel, who also took part in the virtual programme, said a talent scouting programme which began before India hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017, is still continuing but welcomed the minister’s plan for a “comprehensive” scheme. “A more aggressive and comprehensive programme right to the last village of the country with SAI’s financial support is welcome. I am very happy to hear this from the minister,” he said. Patel also made a suggestion to Rijiju to make at least one SAI Centre in each zone a dominant football facility.

New York Empire clinch World Team Tennis title Charleston, Aug 3 (Agencies): Coco Vandeweghe hammered a go-for-broke return that caught the back line to earn the New York Empire victory over the Chicago Smash on Sunday in the World Team Tennis (WTT) final that came down to a winner-takes-all last point. The nine team, threeweek WTT event at West Virginia’s Greenbrier Resort went as long as it could and a bit more. With five sets unable to decide a champion, the contest continued into Extended Play and then a first-to-seven super tiebreak that ultimately came down to the very last point. Tied 6-6 with Chicago’s Sloane Stevens serving for the title, Vandeweghe blasted a forehand return that was challenged but to no avail as the shot narrowly clipped the back of the baseline to give the Empire a 21-20 win. Social distancing and other COVID-19 safety protocols were forgotten as Vandeweghe and doubles

Willian snubs latest Chelsea contract offer Lo n d o n, Au g 3 (Agencies): Willian has again turned down an offer of a two-year contract from Chelsea, but the winger has delayed making a final decision on his future. The 31-year-old still wants to play in the Blues’ probable final game of the season as they aim to overcome a 3-0 first leg home defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Saturday. Frank Lampard is facing a selection crisis for the match with Christian Pulisic, Cesar Azpilicueta, Pedro and Billy Gilmour all out injured, while Jorginho and Marcos Alonso are suspended. Willian is aiming to recover from his Achilles problem which caused him to miss the FA Cup final against Arsenal, amid offers from five clubs. His agent told talkSPORT, “I don’t think he’s done a U-turn or any kind of turn. He’s always been very much in the same mode. We had big offers – one from MLS which required him to move on July 1 – but he’s always wanted to finish the season at Chelsea and the day after the season has finished he would decide.” “He has two concrete offers from Premier League clubs on the table, an offer

for scuffling by the corner flag in the last minute. Meanwhile, Lecce’s defensive failings were again evident as they fell 2-0 behind against Parma. They had a terrible start when Fabio Lucioni put through his own goal after eleven minutes, the ball rebounding off him and into the net after Hernani’s shot hit the post. Gianluca Caprari then doubled Parma’s lead in the 24th minute from a breakaway which began with a Lecce corner. Lecce gallantly fought back and levelled with headed goals by Antonin Barak and Biagio Meccariello in five minutes before halftime. However, second-half goals from Andreas Cornelius and Roberto Inglese restored Parma’s two-goal lead before Gianluca Lapadula pulled another back for Lecce. In other matches, Fiorentina completed their campaign with a 3-1 win at SPAL while Udinese won 1-0 at Sassuolo and Torino held Bologna 1-1.

The other offers are rumoured to be from Barcelona and Inter. However, it is understood that the Catalan giants are no longer moving for the winger. The Blues’ chances of keeping their January 2013 signing from Anzhi Makhachkala appear to be slim as they are immovable on the length of contract that they are willing to offer. Chelsea have recently upped their one-year contract policy for players over 30 to two years, but are unwilling to push that again to three for the Brazil international. “It is his decision, I haven’t got that answer,” Lampard said of the situation to reporters on Saturday. “I know the situation at the club’s end. I have a great relationship with Willian, but I don’t actually know what the decision is...” The Blues have already moved forward having signed two competitors for Willian’s place in both RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner and Ajax playmaker Hakim Ziyech at a combined cost of £84 million ($105m). Chelsea have now turned their focus to signing Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz, but the Bundesliga club have yet to open talks over a fee.

New York Empire players with the trophy after defeating Chicago Smash in the World Team Tennis (WTT) final.

But that four point advantage was quickly erased with 18-year-old American Brandon Nakashima bageling Sock 5-0 and Stevens, wearing a Black Lives Matter singlet, stopping Vandeweghe 5-3 to push Chicago in front 16-13 going into the women’s doubles. Needing only to hold serve to secure the

title, Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard and Bethanie Mattek-Sands were unable to shut the door on Vandeweghe and Melichar who won in a tiebreak to send the final to Extended Play. The Empire held serve and broke the Smash to leave the score level at 2020, sending it to a 13-point super tiebreak. With the title slipping away the Smash went to their bench bringing in Stevens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, in place of Bouchard to partner with Mattek-Sands. S t eve n s p r o d u c e d some big points including an ace to level at 6-6 but could only watch as Vandeweghe’s winning shot hit the line. “The second (Vandeweghe) hit it and I didn’t hear an ‘out’ call, I was thrilled,” Melichar said. “But then the fact (the Smash) were challenging it, all of a sudden, we were like, ‘Oh no, oh no, oh no.’ It was just pure joy after that. It was incredible.”

partner Nicole Melichar were mobbed by Empire team mates including Jack Sock and Belgium’s fourtime Grand Slam winner Kim Clijsters, who was sidelined by an abdominal injury and did not play in the final. “To see the best players going after it, toe-to-toe, it’s wonderful,” said Empire coach Luke Jensen.

“Last year, we were one swing away, and this time the swing went in. We’re very fortunate to be in this position.” The Empire, who lost last season’s final against the Springfield Lasers, looked motivated early on winning both the men’s and mixed doubles to take a 10-6 lead going into the singles.

Centre issues guidelines for reopening of gyms

Criminal proceedings against Infantino grotesque and absurd: FIFA

New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS): From maintaining a distance of six feet, using visor rather than mask, following respiratory etiquette, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday issued guidelines for reopening of gyms and yoga centres. Yoga institutes and gymnasiums are slated to open from August 5. The guidelines aim to minimize possible physical contacts between staff, members and visitors and maintain social distancing, other preventive measures. According to the guidelines, those above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of ten years are advised not to use gyms in closed spaces. “Spas, Sauna, Steam Bath and Swimming Pool shall remain closed,” the guidelines stated. Those visiting Yoga institutes and gymnasiums are advised to use face covers or masks at all times within the premises. People have also been asked to maintain a minimum distance of six feet, practice hand washing with soap, use hand sanitizers, follow respiratory etiquettes, avoid spitting and use Aarogya Setu application.

The AB-BA watchdog, which oversees the Attorney General’s office (OAG), said Thursday that special prosecutor Stefan Keller had found indications of criminal conduct related to their meetings. Keller was appointed in June to review complaints against the two men and others. The proceedings concerned abuse of public office, breach of official secrecy, assisting offenders and “incitement to these acts,” it said. “If someone opens a criminal investigation there needs to be a good reason and we don’t have any reasons,” said Bell. “We have some anonymous complaints but we don’t know who made them.” FIFA said that, at the time of the meetings held in 2016 and 2017, the OAG was conducting investigations in more than 20 cases related to a scandal in which FIFA became embroiled before Infantino was elected president in 2016. “You go to the most senior law officer in the country to offer information for a criminal investigation and then you end up being a subject of a criminal investigation yourself,” said Bell. “This is why we are saying there is something kind of absurd about this.”

Gianni Infantino

BERN, Aug 3 (Agencies): Global soccer body FIFA has described the decision by Swiss authorities to open criminal proceedings against its president Gianni Infantino last week as grotesque and absurd. Swiss authorities said on Thursday that proceedings had been launched against the current FIFA boss by a special prosecutor looking into meetings he had with Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber. Lauber and Infantino have already denied wrongdoing. “There is no factual basis whatsoever for this criminal investigation,”

FIFA deputy general secretary Alasdair Bell told a news conference held by video on Monday. “There is no description of criminal conduct of any kind that has been communicated to FIFA. There is something a little grotesque and unfair in all this because we are 100% confident there will never be a criminal charge against the FIFA president,” he added. “But we have a situation where, objectively, there is damage to both FIFA and the FIFA president simply because of the existence of this criminal investigation.”

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