March 27, 2021

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXXI No. 110

DIMAPUR, SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021 Pages 12 ` 5.00

Went to jail protesting for B’desh’s freedom: Modi

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international, Page 9

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2nd wave of COVID peak likely in Apr: Report Wave II rising dangerously fast

In the 2nd wave, India’s case rate is growing much faster than what was seen even during the worst of the 1st. Last time the rate of increase was this high was on May 10, 2020, when the base was much smaller.

80

WEEK-ON-WEEK CHANGE IN RATE OF NEW CASES

62%

68%

60

May 10, 2020

PEAK OF WAVE I

40

27% 20

As the first wave come under control, the change in case rate shifts below 0

START OF WAVE II

As the start of Feb, the week-on-week change in daily cases again shifts up

0

-20 May 1, 2020

Sep 20, 2020

is a more effective way than lockdown to beat the pandemic.

The daily spike in coronavirus cases during the peak in the second wave could be much higher than last year, the report warns.

The only silver lining this time, according to the report, is the availability of vaccines.

The report argued that if one considers the num-

-21%

Dec 16, 2020

Feb 8, 2021 2020

(Source: Hindustan Times)

NEW DELHI, MAR 26 (AGENCIES): India is in the midst of a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Considering the duration from the present level of daily new cases to the peak India saw last year, the country is expected to reach the high in the second half of April.

The second wave, which could last until the end of May, could see an addition of 25 lakh cases if trends till March 23 are taken into consideration.

These projections are part of findings of a State Bank of India (SBI) research report titled ‘The second wave of infections: The beginning of the end’

by Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh.

In the report, Ghosh assessed that the duration of the second Covi-19 wave might last up to 100 days starting from Feb 15, while he added that vaccination

Mar 25, 2021 2020

ber of days taken to reach the current level from the lowest level of daily new cases witnessed on February 21, the time it took for second wave to hit India is similar to what happened in the first wave.

District-wise analysis: A district-wise analysis in the report revealed that cases have again started rising in the top 15 districts of India, mostly urban, while

the spread in rural districts is almost stable.

The report points out that Kerala had the maximum number of worstaffected districts in January 2021. However, all districts in this top-10 list are now rural districts of Maharashtra.

Re c o m m e n d i n g a strong push to the vaccination programme, the report says, “If the daily vaccine inoculation increases to 40-45 lakh from the current maximum level of 34 lakh, then we can vaccinate our population above 45 years in four months from now.”

SBI report also proposes restrictions to prevent spread of Covid-19. “Air travel has slowly inched towards the level it was at...However, a plethora of new variants emerging still make a case for being wary about the overall recovery in air travel,” it noted.

Govt mulls privatising water supply in State CM commissions water supply plant for Kma

Rio with his colleagues and others after inaugurating the plant. (NP)

Correspondent

KOHIMA, MAR 26 (NPN): State chief minister Neiphiu Rio has asked the PHE department (PHED) to work on privatising and outsourc-

India records over 59k new Covid cases DIMAPUR, MAR 26 (NPN): India saw a huge spike of 59,118 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the government data showed on Friday, taking the country’s tally to 1,18,46,652 total infections. The active caseload breached the 4 lakh-mark again after around three-and-half months while the death toll increased to 1,60,949 with 257 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

1 new case in Dmu

Nagaland on Friday recorded one new COVID-19 case from Dimapur, taking the total caseload to 12229.

With this the active cases also rose to 5 while a total of 11979 patients have recovered from the infection so far.

This is it!

“No matter what the outcome will be. That’s why I promised them the moon.”

K Y M C

ing water supply in the State so that all sectors – government, land/water source owner, private companies and department – could contribute in ensuring adequate water supply to citizens.

Speaking at the commissioning of water supply project for Kohima town by pumping from Zarü river on Friday, Rio cited the example of power department, which was suffering huge losses and adding to the State’s overall deficit due to non-payment of bills and power theft, etc.

He stressed, “We have to privatise power and water supply with a proper metering system so that no party loses and the overall supply improves.”

Acknowledging Mima and Kezoma villagers for giving water to Kohima town, Rio also lauded Southern Angamis since the catch-

ment area is under them.

Mentioning that the project was conceived in 2004 to source water from Dzukou, he said the project however could not be implemented since the source owners and PHED could not come to an agreement, and the project was then shifted to Zarü river.

He admitted that the project took nine years to complete due to certain technicalities. But with the project now having been completed, he called for its maintenance and appealed to the villagers, power department, PHED, PWD and the consumers to cooperate to sustain it.

State govts asked to regulate crowd during upcoming festivals Centre on Friday asked states to regulate crowd during upcoming festivals like Holi, Easter and Eid in view of rising cases of COVID19. In a communication to chief secretaries of all states and union territories, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said the country is passing through a critical juncture as COVID-19 cases and deaths have been on the rise.

Bhalla said after assessing the situation, guidelines for effective control of COVID-19 were issued by the Ministry on March 23 and it has been emphasised that states should strictly enforce the ‘test-track-treat’ protocol. It has also been told that COVID-19 appropriate behaviour should be observed and prescribed SOPs to be followed.

Mild tremor jolts NE states

DIMAPUR, MAR 26 (NPN): A mild earthquake, measuring 5.1-magnitude on the Richter scale, jolted parts of North East region at around 12:32 am March 27, 2021.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the epicenter of the earthquake was 41 km NNE of Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh at a depth of 26.6km. However, there was no immediate report of loss of life or damage to property.

Seismologists consider Northeast region as the sixth major earthquake-prone belt (Cont’d on p-8) in the world.

NEP will provide definitive answers to needs of Nagas: Along Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, MAR 26 (NPN): Minister for higher education and tribal affairs, Temjen Imna Along, maintained that implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 would provide definitive and facilitative answers to the needs of Nagas.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the twoday national seminar on “National Education Policy, Challenges for the North East”, held at St. Joseph University, here on Friday, the minister said that there was a crisis in the state concerning Naga identity, culture and tradition and maintained that NEP when implemented would be able to solve the crisis in a greater

Temjen Imna Along (NP)

manner and provide definitive and facilitative answers to the needs of Nagas.

Asserting that there was no subject matter in the present education system in Nagaland to preserve Naga tradition, Along said that National Education Policy had the potential to build robust environment and policy to “preserve our traditional heritage and culture

to be the backbone of our understanding.”

F u r t h e r, h e m a i n tained that Nagaland with a population of around 20 lakh people was one of the most educated states in the country having the most employed population in the government sector, but was considered as the most unemployed people in the country according to statistics.

Along said that NEP would provide the chance and the privilege to be knowledgeable, and not certificate granted education.

He also claimed that NEP would bring sea change to the thought processes of looking at education realistically, reiterating it to be holistic. The minister maintained that at every level

Eng thrash India by 6 wkts; level series1-1

nagalandpostofficial

of education, one would receive its credit, and that one would have the ability to be multi-talented, possessing knowledge as one’s base of education and not certificate as a base of qualification.

Once implementation of NEP starts, he said the policy would water the roots to new way of educating the nations human resource, which would ultimately culminate in holistic empowerment of educated people.

He acknowledged the initiative of the ministry of education, and the vision of prime minister, Narendra Modi, for such inclusive and assimilating NEP. Along further claimed that the police once implemented would transform the very outlook of human resource of the country. (Cont’d on p-8)

sports, Page 12

Govt has taken serious note of March 22 incident: CM

Correspondent

KOHIMA, MAR 26 (NPN): Terming the March 22 killings as a criminal and highly condemnable act, chief minister Neiphiu Rio asserted that the State government was taking a very serious view of the situation.

Speaking to media persons on the sideline of an event here on Friday, Rio claimed that the government was doing its best to contain the situation by deploying adequate security forces in the area and stressed that all disputes should be settled amicably.

Lauding Dr. Kakheto Zhimomi, who resigned from the post of president Western Sumi Hoho to own moral responsibility for violation of the WSH’s resolution of 2019-2022, Rio said he welcomed Dr. Zhimomi’s

decision and urged leaders to be firm with this particular issue, as there should be no room for compromise.

To queries on violation of government’s order on maintaining status quo by both parties, he said Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the matter.

Though precious lives were lost, Rio expressed the hope that good sense would prevail and that law would take its own course.

Asked about the inaction of IRB personnel stationed around the vicinity at the time of the incident, Rio said that as SIT was conducting the probe, he would not like to comment on it.

On whether the incident would hamper the peace process due to alleged involvement of UGs , Rio

said he hoped that it will not be case as those involved may have done so due to their personal interest and not as per any collective decision.

Naga issue: On whether the Centre had given any assurance on Naga solution during his recent visit to Delhi, Rio said that there had been some displeasure expressed among the negotiating parties.

He however was optimistic that solution was achievable if issues were discussed carefully between the negotiating parties.

Rio said that he along with leader of opposition TR Zeliang had recently met Union Home minister Amit Shah, Intelligence Bureau negotiators and NSCN (I-M) leaderships and shared public concern and thoughts to them.

Mar 22 incident ‘total failure of govt: NPCC

DIMAPUR, MAR 26 (NPN): Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has said the March 22 incident was due to “total failure of the state government” which led to the killing of three innocent, unarmed and peaceful citizens.

NPCC president K Therie said Congress has been observing the “inefficiency” of the PDA government since four days after the incident occurred when no arrest has yet been made. He said this “goes to explain the government’s intention.”

He demanded that justice be delivered without fear and prejudice. Therie also said that the state government was fully aware of

the sensitivity since long and did nothing because of “negligence and inability to make decisions.” He claimed that people of the state no longer respect the state government for which the subject of public order fell.

Further, Therie said that the March 22 action, has shamed Christian society.

“The assailants if Christian, should repent before God and be made known to Christian Society by surrendering to the law of the land.” He also said that the incident was not an accident but rather, an afterthought.

Therie conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for rest to the departed souls.

State govt is vigilant, says State BJP unit

Against the backdrop of March 22 killings, the BJP Nagaland state unit asserted that the state government was vigilant and taking all possible measures to maintain law and order in the conflict areas.

BJP unit through its media cell urged the citizens of the state to maintain spirit of peaceful co-existence and

restrain from flaring up the issue.

Expressing shock over the killing, the party said that killing of the three innocent lives was “very unfortunate and a disgrace to our Christian ethics.”

Stating that violence was an act of cowardice, BJP said causing destruction and devastation was

an indication of human psychological disorder.

While conflicts and disputes were prevalent in every society, BJP said the matter could be resolved through other peaceful means instead of resorting to violence and used of gun culture. Meanwhile, the party conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

Candlelight vigil held for March 22 victims Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, MAR 26 (NPN): In a massive show of solidarity in memory of the three victims killed by armed assailants on March 22, several hundred people gathered at Super Market here Friday evening at the candlelight vigil organised by the Zeliang Students Union Dimapur (ZSUD).

The crowd joined in singing ‘We Shall Overcome’ (a favourite during the Civil Rights Movement), while Kathuang Pamei rendered the song “One day” after the candlelight vigil.

Earlier, addressing the crowd, Zeliang People’s

Participants sing during the candlelight vigil on Friday. (NP)

Organisation Dimapur (ZPOD) president Hekim Meru said the spontaneous congregation of people from all walks of life, was to share grief and sorrow at the killing of the three martyrs and also to convey condolences to the bereaved families.

He lamented that at a time when people of Nagaland were pursuing peace and the government of India trying to secure peaceful solution, Nagas on the other hand, were warring among themselves and resulting in the killing of three Zeliang (Cont’d on p-8) people.

Organisations condemn alleged rape of minor girl in Dimapur LH dismayed at work quality DIMAPUR, MAR 26 (NPN): Various organisations including Dimapur Eastern Nagaland Students’ Union, Sangtam Students’ Union Dimapur, Chang Students’ Union Dimapur, Yimchungrii Students’ Union Dimapur and Dimapur Phom Students’ Union, Konyak Students’ Union Dimapur, Khiamniungan Students’ Union Dimapur have strongly condemned the alleged rape of a fiveyear-old girl by a 55 year-old man, permanent resident of Tening under Peren district

and presently residing at Half Nagarjan, Dimapur on March 19 evening.

DENSU: In a press release, DENSU president Bendangnuken stated that the accused person did not deserve to be in a society and demanded that deterrent punishment be awarded to the accused.

Asserting that such inhumane act must be rejected by all right-thinking individuals, the union urged the law enforcing agency to probe into the matter. It also appealed to court not to

grant bail to the accused, but to expedite the proceedings so justice was not delayed.

DENSU warned that if the accused is released on bail before or at the time of trial, then the State shall be held solely responsible if any untoward incident happened to the accused or the victim and family.

SSUD: Condemning the “ghastly act”, the Sangtam Students’ Union Dimapur (SSUD) called upon the law enforcing agencies to provide swift trial and justice to the minor and her family

at the earliest.

SSUD through its media cell expressed concern over the rise of criminal sexual offences against minor in the state, which it claimed “frequently get resolved even without reaching the police through compromise.” The union has urged those victims and their families to have “faith in the law and with courage give an opportunity for the ‘rule of law’ to occur in our land.” It said that the minor was denied justice when she or he was withheld of legal justice by her or his

own families through “compromise”. “This will later mentally affect her or him leading to an unstable future for the minor,” SSUD said and called for standing for the right and not be carried away by compromise “when it is a matter such as this.”

CSUD: Expressing shock over the alleged rape of a minor girl, the Chang Students’ Union Dimapur (CSUD) affirmed that it would no longer condone “such heinous crime committed upon our fellow sis(Cont’d on p-5) ter”.

on Wokha-Merapani road

DIMAPUR, MAR 26 (NPN): Lotha Hoho (LH) expressed dismay at the quality of work on WokhaMerapani road after finding that work in most stretches was unsatisfactory as the construction was not carried out as per the detailed project report (DPR) and the agreement signed.

Stating this, LH said it had carried out a joint inspection of the ongoing work on the WokhaMerapani road along with

officials from Wokha district administration and NHIDCL, representatives from ITJ, Lotha Students’ Union, Lotha Youth Hoho, Village authorities concerned, etc, on March 24 as per the directive of Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench.

The verification was carried out to ascertain whether the works were carried out as per the specifications and the team inspected the stretches of package-I and packageIII. (Cont’d on p-5) K Y M C

State chief secretary, J Alam with officials at DC’s residence. (DIPR)

DIMAPUR: State chief secretary, J Alam paid his visit to Zunheboto district accompanied by commissioner & secretary, Nagaland, Rovilatuo Mor and interaction with administrative officers, president Sumi hoho and colleagues at deputy commissioner’s residence on March 26.

According to DIPR report, J Alam said that his visit was a “familiarisation tour” with tribes of the state and the district.

He was keen on connecting with all tribal hohos of Nagaland as there were many issues which could be curbed with the

support of tribal apex organisations.

He further elaborated his present tour plan of heading to Mokokchung district via Lumami University, Wokha district and later to other districts of Nagaland.

He shared that the government and tribal hohos should have an understanding with each other and work accordingly as crucial times would come which would require the support of civil society organisations (CSOs).

He stated that they may not be able to completely eradicate all the

problems at a go but with their support of CSOs, some crucial problems could be resolved.

Speaking on behalf of Sumis, Sumi Hoho president, Hekhushe Sikhu assured its full support stating that their main objective was to coordinate with the government for the welfare of people.

He also shared some of the problems that were happening and requested the government to sort it out in good terms.

T h e m e e t i n g wa s chaired by deputy commissioner (DC) Zunheboto Peter Lichamo.

news in Brief DSSU general meeting: Dimapur Sümi Students’ Union (DSSU) has convened a general meeting with stakeholders, former leaders, units and sub-units on March 27, 10 a.m. at DSSU Office (opp. VJ’s coaching centre) to deliberate, discuss and resolve amicably, the pertaining issues of DSSU. All concerned former leaders, stakeholders, units and sub-units have been requested to attend the meeting.

C&S informs: Commissioner & secretary, Dr. PJ Antony has informed that chairman committee on government assurances, Y Vikheho Swu has convened an introductorycum-evidence meeting of the committee for the year 2021-2022 on April 9, 11 a.m. in the assembly committee room. All members of the committee on government assurances have been requested to attend the meeting.

NPSC results declared: Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) secretary, John Tsulise Sangtam has informed that the written results of the NCS, NPS NSS and allied services (main) examination 2019 have been declared. Candidates may access the results from the commission’s website www.npsc.co.in.

ANCSU ‘seniors’ conclave” on March 29: All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) has informed that it’s “seniors’ conclave” would be held on March 29 at the conference hall of tourist lodge, Dimapur from 2 p.m. All ANCSU seniors have been invited to attend the conclave.

SW informs: Directorate of social welfare has informed that ministry of social justice and empowerment, government of India has launched national portal for transgender persons on November 25, 2020. It informed that the portal provides online submission of application seeking certificate of identity as well as identity card (one application would suffice for both) by a transgender person from anywhere in the country along with provision to upload prescribed documents at transgender.dosje.gov.in/Admin

KDLSA organises seminar on rights

DIMAPUR: One day seminar on the topic, “violation of human rights” was organised by Kiphire District Legal Services Authority (KDLSA) on March 24 at conference hall, Superintendent of Police (SP) Kiphire.

A press release by KDLSA stated that speaking on the topic, officiating principal of Zisaji Presidency College Kiphire, Dr. Purna Chandra Mishra pointed out that sometimes mental and physical torture while in police custody goes “beyond the limit” which leads to serious unwanted consequences.

Stating that deaths under police custody are increasing ever year, Dr. Mishra said this highlights the violation of human rights. He suggested police department to take all precautions while dealing with the accused person under their custody.

Dr, Mishra also deliberated on issues such as violation of right to education and gender discrimination; violation of right to property, right to equal opportunity for employment and right to get wage for equal work. KDLSA P/Lawyer, Kunyangli Sangtam while speaking on the “rights of arrested person” highlighted the Section 50 (2) of CrPC. Altogether 65 participants including the police officers attended the seminar.

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

Kohima forest division launches ‘Green Box’

Dharmendra Prakash along with other officials and beneficiaries at Kohima. (NP)

Correspondent Ko h ima , M A R 2 6 (NPN): Kohima Forest Division launched an initiative called “Green Box” at principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) & head of forest force (HoFF) office complex, here on Friday.

A t th e l a un c h i ng event, PCCF & HoFF, environment, forests and climate change, Nagaland, Dhar mendra Prakash hoped that the initiative would help people in the rural areas learn and be inspired to write down their activities.

He said that people who documented what they had learned were able to pass on that knowl-

edge to their children and added that the pursuit of knowledge should not end in people acquiring certain positions or jobs.

While highlighting the importance of reading, Prakash also pointed out that books alone were insufficient and that there were numerous conservation techniques which could be learned from farmers as well.

Prakash cited examples of how jhum cultivation turned out to beneficial for the environment when for a long time it was thought to be otherwise.

He said that although forest lands in Nagaland were owned by individuals, the forest cover never dropped below the na-

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised.”

– Job 1:21

We the family members convey our heartfelt gratitude to all who gave us comfort and solace on the demise of our beloved Late P. Temsumenla Aier Prasad (Bhonti), daughter of Late I. Pangjung Aier of Longpa village.

May the Good Lord bless you all for your prayers, physical and financial support, and your precious presence during the rituals to bid farewell and pray for the departed soul to REST IN PEACE. (10 May 1961 – 27 Feb 2021)

Loving family members

tional average.

All these, he said proved that the knowledge of “our” forefathers were priceless and something which could be learned even by government officials.

District forest officer, Rajkumar M highlighted the project and how it started. He said that after observing feedbacks from the villages acquired in

the first phase, the project would be extended to other villages across the state.

Rajkumar also disclosed that interested individuals could donate both used and new books for the project either though courier or by personally handing it over to DFO’s office, Kohima.

It may be mentioned that Green Box is a collection of more than 50 assorted books on nature and wildlife written by various renowned writers from around the world. During the phase one of the initiative, these boxes were handed over to three villages including Sendenyu, Zhadima and Jakhama which were collected by village representatives.

Earlier, the launching programme was chaired

by Kohima Range, ranger Pezaneinuo Chielie while Kohima forest division, ACF Dr. Devono Seletsu proposed vote of thanks.

(Born on- 5th April 2005. Died on 21st March 2021) “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him” - Psalm 62:5 As we grieve the sad demise of our loving Son Late Eren Y Murry on 21st March 2021. Words are inadequate to express our deepest heartfelt gratitude and appreciation and our indebtedness to all individuals, relatives, friends and well wisher for your unreserved contribution physically, spiritually, financially and unconditional moral support through prayers and words of comfort & encouragement. We also express our special thanks to:1. Kohima Lotha Baptist Church (Lt. Eren Y Murry) 2. Sunday School Dept. KLBC 11. Charity School, Kohima 3. Women Dept. KLBC 12. Kohima Wokhae Khumshum.

DP-1642

CS in Zunheboto on ‘familiarisation tour’

state

4. Wokha Village Baptist Church 5. Youth Department, WVBC, Wokha 6. Ekhumkho Choir, WVBC, Wokha 7. Midland Youth Organization, Kohima 8. Midland Panchayat, Kohima 9. Midland Lotha Ekhung, Kohima 10. Midland Yakho Ekhum, Kohima

13. Immanuel Prayer Fellowship, Midland, Kohima.

14. Freedom Zone (KLBC).

15. PWD R & B Cheif Engineer, Kohima.

16. Wokha Kyong Nzontsu.

Loving, Granny, Parents, Brothers & Family Members.

2nd Death Anniversary of our beloved

LT. RUOKUOKHOLIE METSIE-O 27-03-2019

K-642 DC-1656

2

Today it’s the anniversary of the day That you left us for your heavenly abode And today we mark it as your Birthday, So wishing you Happy Birthday up in Heaven From your family here below We miss you, always in our mind Forever in our hearts.

Loving wife, children and family members

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We the family members of Lt. DIERHEVIÜ KHEZHIE would like to thank most sincerely to all the neighbors and well wishers who attended and traveled long distances to the removal, funeral mass and burial.

Special thanks to : 1. Khedi Baptist Church 2. D z ü z i e z o u K h r i e s a r ü ü Krotho D. Khel 3. Dr. Atseio Whuorie 4. Methaho Kennao And to all those who stood by us in prayers and supported us emotionally, physically, mentally and financially at the sudden demise of our beloved mother on 23.03.2021.

We deeply regret our inability to thank each and everyone individually but it is our humble prayer that our Heavenly Father bless each one of you abundantly.

Loving Children, Grandchildren and in-laws K-654

KGOF CONVEYS GRIEF

K Y M C

K Y M C

DP-1650 DP-1631/1648

01-03-1944 to 02-03-2021 Kidima Gazetted Officers Forum (KGOF) expresses grief at the demise of Late Visütha Angami (Retired) Commissioner & Secretary (Cooperation) on 2nd March 2021 at Kohima. The forum stated that Lt. Visütha Angami was a humble, dedicated and efficient officer who was one of the first NCS officers amongst the Kidima villagers. He started his service career as a Circle Officer in 1978 and served in various capacities and retired as Commissioner & Secretary (Co-operation) in 2011. He was one of the pioneers and founding members of Kidima Gazetted Officers Forum (KGOF) in 2006. He was an honest, upright and an ardent Christian follower who always believe in the power of prayers. After his retirement he had served in various organizations and church activities with his best wisdom. He was a mentor, motivator and an active member of KGOF till his death. The forum and the villagers felt his demise as untimely and a great lost when an elderly figure like him was much needed he left for his heavenly abode. Late Visutha Angami’s humble nature and contribution towards progress of the KGOF will always be remembered.

(Suvil Ltu) President, KGOF, Kohima K-660

State

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

nagalandpost.com Poll Q.: Should police, SF be permanently deployed to maintain peace in disputed areas ?

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

A B C

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

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

A

B

Yes. No. Can’t Say.

C

72% 26% 2%

Q: Do recent clashes reveal

govt’s failure to prevent them?  Yes.  No.  Can’t Say.

WEATHER FORECAST March 27

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala Hazy sunshine and very hot

40 20

Very warm and hazy sun

33 14

Guwahati Very hot and hazy sunshine

37 15

Hazy sunshine and warmer

33 11

Imphal

Itanagar Hot with hazy sun

33 17

Shillong

Hazy sunshine and very warm 27 12

Kohima

Hazy sunshine

Dimapur Hot with hazy sun Mkg

Hazy sunshine

27 13 36 18 30 13

Tuensang Hazy sunshine and not as warm 21 8 Wokha

Churches most effective platform in creating awareness says DIO, Dr. Rebecca Staff Reporter

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Next poll

Aizawl

LBC awareness seminar on Covid vaccine

Hazy sunshine

Zunheboto Hazy sun

29 18 26 11

DIMAPUR, MAR 26 (NPN): Creating awareness on COVID vaccine, district immunisation officer Dimapur, Dr. Rebecca said that with Nagaland being a Christian state, churches happened to be the most effective platform in creating awareness as they not only delivered spiritual food but could also be used to disseminate the right information regarding various activities in the state.

She was speaking as the resource person at an awareness seminar on COVID vaccine organised at Lotha Baptist Church (LBC), Dimapur here on Thursday at the conference hall.

She said that with platforms where wrong i n f o r m a t i o n , r u m o r s, messages were circulated, “we should counteract by equipping ourselves with the right messages and spreading the right information through right platforms”.

Rebecca appealed all

Resource persons along with the participants Friday, at the COVID- 19 vaccine awareness seminar. (NP)

to deliver the right information so that they could successfully implement the vaccination drive in order overcome the pandemic and get back to the normal life.

Highlighting the achievements so far as on March 25, 2021, India has vaccinated 4, 72, 07.134 doses, in Nagaland the number of first dose administered 56, 717, second dose numbers to 19,943 while in Dimapur district first dose administered to health care workers comprised of 2831, second dose numbers to 1907, frontline workers first dose numbered to 12, 381 and second dose to 4534.

The general popula-

tion vaccination which started on March 1, 2021 administered a total of 23849 doses.

Rebecca asserted that none of the beneficiaries have suffered from any severe adverse effects. In this regard, she called upon community participation and to do away with any misconception.

She also highlighted on various frequently asked questions and information related to the vaccine.

She informed that that herd immunity would be achieved when a significant number of people (at least 60%) in the community produce immunity or antibodies, which would also help by breaking the chain

of transmission of virus.

She also informed that to register for the vaccine one can visit www.covid. gov.In or can go to any COVID-19 vaccination centres (CVC) by providing required document such as Aadhar card, electoral photo ID, PAN card and official work ID. At Dimapur, the vaccination centres for public facilities are located at District Hospital Dimapur, UPHC, Duncan, UPHC Burma camp, PHC Chümoukedima and all PHCs/ CHCs from Monday to Thursday, free of cost.

For private hospitals, it will be available at Nikos on Wednesday, Eden on Thursday, CIHSR on Fri-

Namri Nchang visits Lamhainamdi village NFMP annual review meeting

Namri Nchang along with NZPO president, police and district administration. (DIPR)

DIMAPUR: Advisor water resources, Namri Nchang along with officers from Peren district visited Lamhainamdi village where three people were killed by some unknown miscreants on March 22.

According to DIPR report, the advisor lamented on the inhuman act and stated that there was no

room for such disharmony within one’s own Naga family.

He strongly called against “gun culture” which had to be stopped and called upon every person to raise voices for common goodness and condemned such act within the society.

Namri Nchang also

thanked the district administration headed by deputy commissioner, police forces, public leaders from various organisations and the people from the district who stood by to do all necessities at the most needed moment. He also expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family members.

DIMAPUR: Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP) Kohima, divisional management unit held its annual review meeting on March 25 at the Conference Hall of Forest Office Complex, Kohima.

A press release by the department stated that addressing the gathering, divisional forest officer cum divisional management unit head, Rajkumar M congratulated the Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) for achieving the target despite the lockdown. He appreciated the efforts of FMU and DMU support staff for their sincere hard work.

ACF cum assistant divisional management unit head, Dr.SevonoSeletsu gave a presentation on the activities in the past one year.

Field management unit

heads of Tseminyu Range, Tsingthrise Sangtam and Chiephobozou Range, V. Mato Koso shared their experiences of implementing the project during COVID19 pandemic.

Representative from the administration, EAC, Kezocha, Kelengunuo Solo expressed happiness to see the progress of the project.

Representatives from both Batch-I and Batch-II villages shared their experiences and progress that is going on in their respective villages.

The programme was chaired by documentation expert, DMU Kohima, Shekali Holo, invocation was said by LDA, Kohima forest division, GhokutoKinimi and vote of thanks by planning & livelihood expert, DMU Kohima, Neiwhenu Kenna-o.

day, Zion on Tuesday, Faith hospital on Wednesday with Rs. 250, per dose.

Further, she also informed that vaccine for citizens above 45 years of age would begin from April 1, 2021.

Meanwhile, resource person district tuberculosis (TB) officer, Dimapur, Dr. Benchilo Ngullie briefed about “TB Haregadesh Jeetga campaign” where the government of India has committed to end TB by 2025, five years ahead from the global target.

She mentioned that TB JAN andolan was one of the largest public health movements in the country that call for participation of all stakeholders.

She also mentioned about Nikshayposhan yojana and its benefits which provide nutritional support to TB patients.

Earlier, the programme was chaired by Lotha Baptist Church senior associate pastor Yanbemo Lotha and was followed by an interaction session.

Various church leaders of Dimapur, colleges, NGOs, CMO staffs attended the programme.

Handbooks on TB, leaflets on TB and NTEP and COVID-19 vaccinations instructions were also distributed.

3 Along calls upon the church to reach out to downtrodden

Temjen Imna Along speaking at the 40th freshers’ day at DBC. (NP)

Staff Reporter

The minister also called upon the freshers to seek the Lord and to live by grace for they had one life to live, work hard and aspire to inspire.

Addressing the gather, Along said that people were surrounded by social evils, hypocrisy and surrounded with the matter of the state where governance was minimal and government was maximum.

Pointing out that the state was at “sorry state of affairs,” the minister expounded that it had more NGOs and unions than government departments and the policy of the government was described and inspired not by the need of the people but by recession of demands that made by the union and NGOs. Meanwhile, he encouraged the gathering to work hard, focus, dedicated and determine to be the service of faith.

At the programme, invocation was proposed by associate professor, Dr. Teka, welcome address by chairman board of governors, Dr. T Lima Jamir, cultural presentation by Ao friends, speech by past student, Yashika Sangtam and special prayer for freshers by principal, Rev. S Wati.

Later, down to lane of DBC was delivered by academic dean, associate professor Narola Walling while benediction was proposed by associate professor, Dr. Asane. Altogether, 82 freshers joined the college.

DIMAPUR, MAR 26 (NPN): Discipleship Bible College (DBC) observed its 40th freshers with minister for higher and technical education and tribal affairs, Temjen Imna Along as guest of honour, here on Friday, at its college premises.

Minister Along in his speech urged the church to be builders and not to institutionalise it.

He lamented that the church had been so institutionalised that it was “no more a giver of enlightenment to the hopeless.”

In this regard, he called upon the church to introspect and to reach out to the downtrodden.

Along stated that although church buildings have become larger, the life of people in Nagaland had become worst and all were to be blamed including Correspondent politicians who were not WOKHA, MAR 26 (NPN): interested in making poliOne lady, aged around 36 cies to uplift the people. years, died in a truck accident that occurred at Wokha-Merapani road on Friday at around 7:30 a.m.

According to Wokha police, three occupants were DIMAPUR: A seminar on biodiversity and conservation reportedly travelling in the was organised by Nagaland State Biodiversity Board truck carrying ginger from (NSSB) on the topic, “developing IT infrastructure in Phek district to Assam. The schools for promoting biodiversity conservation” on lady died on the spot while March 25 at Azedon School Kohima. the driver and the handyman In the keynote address, assistant conservator of forwere reportedly admitted to est, Kohima Elithung Odyuo spoke on the importance civil hospital Wokha. of biodiversity and advised the teachers and students to In a separate incident, work together as one in conserving the biodiversity. a mini truck reportedly Delivering vote of thanks, headmistress of the speeding in the serpentine school, Sentinaro lauded the department for selecting Wokha-Merapani road met the school in the implementation of developing IT with an accident at a blind infrastructure in schools for promoting biodiversity turning between Yikhum conservation. and Doyang at around 11:20 Earlier, technical staff of the NSSB along with a.m. The truck overturned in eco-club members of the school led the plantation the accident, but no casualty drive in the campus. The department also presented IT was reported. equipment to the school.

1 dies in Wokha road mishap

Seminar on biodiversity and conservation in Kma

Organisations express condemnation over March 22 killings D I M A P U R : Va r i o u s organisations have condemned the murder of three persons on March 22 along Dimapur-Peren border area by some assailants.

NWHD: Naga Women Hoho Dimapur (NWHD) has strongly condemned the killing of three innocent lives and added that being a Christian state, such uncivilised act was tarnishing the image of the state.

A condemnation note

by NWHD through its information and publicity secretary stated that such acts did not bring solution to any cause.

“As a women body, we appeal the citizens to maintain peace and harmony,” it stated.

F u r t h e r, N W H D called for justice and appealed to the concerned authority for timely intervention and immediate action as per the law to avoid further chaos.

AZSU: All Zeliangrong Students’ Union (AZSU) Assam, Manipur and Nagaland vehemently condemned the killing of three innocent lives stating that it was saddened to see “such despicable act of killing among fellow Nagas”.

In a condemnation note, its president Henry Chawang appealed to the investigative agency and state government for speedy investigation and to K Y M C

book the culprit and award befitting punishment at the earliest.

RH: Rengma Hoho (RH) has strongly condemned the killing of three innocent persons adding that the killing violated human rights.

In a condemnation note, RH president, Pollem Tep and general secretary, Sinhilo Thongseb appealed right thinking citizens not to shelter these criminals but let the law enforcing authorities to award appropriate punishment to the perpetrators.

Further, the Hoho conveyed its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and prayed that God g rant peace and comfort in this period of mourning.

RPOD: Rengma Public Organisation Dimapur (RPOD) has strongly condemned the inhuman killing of three Zeliang brothers and has asked all right-thinking citizens to condemn such heinous crime.

Condemning the murder, RPOD president, Wanthang Rengma has appealed the state government to expedite the arrest of the culprits and award them befitting punishment.

Further, RPOD has conveyed condolences to the bereaved families.

PSUD: Poilwa Students’ Union Dimapur (PSUD) said it was aghast and greatly disturbed by

the brutal murder of three innocent lives by miscreants.

Condemning the barbaric act, PSUD president, Asap Zeliang has urged the law enforcing agency and government of Nagaland to leave no stone unturned in arresting the perpetrators and award befitting punishment as per the law of the land.

Further, PSUD conveyed deepest condolences to the victims’ family members and prayed that God heal their suffering and pain.

T YO D : Te n y i m i Youth Organisation Dimapur (TYOD) while condemning the inhuman, barbaric murder of three Tenyimi people has asked for early arrest of the perpetrators.

TYOD has appealed the law enforcement agency and state government to swiftly initiate appropriate action and leave no stone unturned to identify the criminals. It said stringent punishment should be imposed as per the law of the land.

TYOD also cautioned that it would go to any extend to defend the rights of its people in case any loophole was detected while delivering justice.

Further, TYOD conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and prayed that the Almighty grant them comfort, strength and wisdom in

these hard times.

TSU: Tening Students’ Union (TSU) has strongly condemned the gor y murder of three innocent persons. Condemning the incident, TSU president, Ngauphutlakbo Nrak and general secretary, Kewiphibangbo Kambutta have appealed the government to leave no stone unturned and award befitting punishment to the perpetrators.

Further, Tening Students’ Union has conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls to find peace.

LCN: Liangmai community under the aegis of Liangmai Council Nagaland (LCN) has expressed deep sadness and anguish over the barbaric massacre of three Zeliangrong brothers by armed miscreants.

In a condemnation note, LCN president, Khenglu said such inhumane and despicable act of brutality on innocent lives at this age was intolerable and that it should be condemned by one and all.

LCN has also appealed the law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in investigating the matter and punish the culprits. It has further conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls to rest in peace.

NPU: Nallonglun Progressive Union (NPU) has condemned the killing of three innocent persons urged the government to bring about justice to the victims and penalise the culprits according to the crime.

A condemnation note by NPU through its president NK Tangambou demanded that the state government pay appropriate ex-gratia and compensation to the victims’ families.

Besides, it demanded immediate suspension of IRB personnel deployed at Lamhainamdi, superintendent of police and district administrator (DC) and other responsible people.

Failure to fulfil its demands, it warned that the state government would be held responsible for any untoward incident.

Further, the union prayed that the victims’ families find strength from the Almighty.

SH: Expressing distraught over the incident where three persons were killed, Sümi Hoho (SH) condemned the killing of its Zeliang brothers by unknown assailants.

A condemnation note through its media cell called upon the government to re-intensify the restrictive measures placed around the disputed areas so as to not further encourage incidents like this.

Appreciating the state

government for setting up a special investigation team (SIT) on the incident Sümi Hoho affirmed that it always strived on maintaining communal harmony and therefore it dissuades members from stoking the fire of tribalism on any social media platform.

It advocated for peace, cooperation and better understanding amongst Nagas and extended its sympathies to the bereaved families.

PUUPDN: Pick-Up Union Peren District Nagaland (PUUPDN) has condemned the murder of the three innocent persons.

A condemnation note

by PUUPDN through its president, Samlambe stated urged the law enforcing agencies and the state government to leave no stone unturned in arresting the perpetrators and give befitting punishment as per the law of the land.

Further, PUUPDN extended its condolences to the family member and prayed that God heal the ineffable pain and suffering of the beloved family members.

NGBF: Nagaland GB Federation (NGBF) expressed sorrow over the killing of it three Zeliang brothers.

A condemnation note through its media cell has appealed to the government to set up a commission to investigate the

unfortunate incident and book the perpetrators as soon as possible to prevent further outrage.

It also requested its Naga brothers “not to divert the incident into tribalism” and to let the law take its own course of actions.

Further, it conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for departed souls to rest in peace.

NCP: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Nagaland unit has condemned the killing of three innocent persons

stating that the incident had “poorly ref lected the Nagas to the outside world”.

In a condemnation note, its general secretarycum-media Joseph Kikon urged the state government and the law enforcing agency to take prompt initiatives and bring those guilty to justice as per law.

Further, Nationalist Congress Party conveyed its condolence to the bereaved family members and prayed for the departed souls to rest in eternal peace.

K Y M C

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northeast

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

wounded Myanmar nationals Crucial first phase polling in Assam today Three rehabilitate at Imphal hospital

March 27 poll to decide fate of Assam CM, Speaker, top ministers

GUWAHATI, MAR 26 (PTI): The fate of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Speaker Hitendranath Goswami, state Congress chief Ripun Borah and a host of ministers will be decided on Saturday when polling is held in 47 of the state’s 126 assembly seats. Most of these seats will likely witness triangular contest between the ruling BJP-AGP alliance, the Congress-led opposition grand alliance and the newly formed Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP. The state will have three-phase assembly elections on March 27, April 1 and 6. Altogether 264 candidates, including 23 women, are in the fray. Polling will begin at 7 a.m and conclude at 6 p.m, with the timing extended by an hour to ensure COVID protocols are followed, officials said.

Central forces will assist the state police in maintaining law and order during the polling, a senior police of-

Polling official board a boat as they travel to their respective centres, ahead of the first phase of Assam assembly polls, in Dibrugarh district, Friday, March 26, 2021. (PTI) ficer said without divulging their numbers. The official said there will be enough security personnel to cover all polling stations.

Patrolling has been intensified and strict vigil is being kept in all vulnerable areas.

Polling and security personnel have started arriving at their places of deployment in constituencies spread over 12 districts

of Upper Assam and the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, officials said.

A little over 81.09 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise at 11,537 polling booths, including 1,917 auxiliary polling stations, which have been created to ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

Women officials will exclusively conduct the exercise in 479 polling stations. Special

BJP will enact laws to check ‘love and land jihad’: Amit Shah Jagiroad / K ama lpur (Assam), Mar 26 (PTI): The next BJP government will enact laws to tackle the “menace of love and land jihad” in Assam, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday, as he accused the Congress-AIUDF alliance of encouraging infiltration that threatened to change the state’s demography.

Addressing election rallies, Shah said appropriate laws and policies will be put in place to strengthen Assamese culture and civilisation.

The BJP manifesto, which was released a few days ago, apart from promising laws against love and land jihad, said its government will enforce a deradicalisation policy to identify and quash organisations and individuals fanning communal exclusion and separatism.

Shah alleged that it was the under the Congress government’s patronage that infiltrators brought in with AIUDF chief and MP Badruddin Ajmal’s support encroached land of ‘sattras’ (Vaishnavite monasteries) and other places of worship, besides that of the Kaziranga National Park. “This land jihad must

Amit Shah

stop,” he asserted.

“Badr uddin Ajmal indulged these infiltrators in order to change Assam’s identity and civilisation.

He may be the Congress’s identity but not that of Assam. Give BJP the mandate for another five years and we will ensure that this land jihad ends,” he added.

While the concept of “love jihad” is well known and BJP governments in some states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have enacted laws to prevent forced religious conversion for marriage, little is known about “land jihad” beyond Assam.

Many state BJP leaders have alleged that Hindus were being forced to sell off their land in Muslim majority areas because of harassment which they

call “land jihad”.

Shah accused the Congress and AIUDF of encouraging inflitration for their vested interest.

“If they come to power, infiltration will increase and change the demographic identity of the state,” he alleged.

“The Congress manifesto is merely a tool for election campaign but the BJP manifesto is meant for implementation,” he asserted.

The home minister also accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of saying Ajmal represented Assam’s identity. “He (Gandhi) does not understand Assam and its identity,” Shah said.

Assam’s identity is linked to Vaishnav saints Srimanta Sankardeva and Madhavdeva, brave Ahom general Lachit Barphukan who saved the state from Mughal invasion and Bharat Ratnas Bhupen Hazarika and Gopinath Bordoloi, he said.

“We will not allow Ajmal to become a symbol of Assam’s identity notwithstanding Congress’s efforts to do so. Can the Congress and AIUDF save the state from illegal infiltration?” he said.

Himanta Sarma campaign in KA Announces University, airport, micro finance loan waiver among other projects in Karbi Anglong.

Himanta Biswa Sarma during an election campaign rally, at Baithalangso in West KA district. (PTI) Bokajan, March 26: Assam Minister and NEDA convenor Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma arrived in Karbi Anglong and took part in two election campaign ralliesone in Baithalangso and other in Bokajan constituency on Friday.

Minister Sarma was accompanied by KAAC CEM Tuliram Ronghang, MP Horensing Bey and a host of prominent leaders including several EMs and K Y M C

MACs of KAAC. Addressing the gathering at Koilamati under Bokajan LA constituency, Dr Sarma vowed to set up a State University and an Airport in the hill district of Karbi Anglong after BJP forms government in Dispur.

“In the past five years, the BJP government have addressed a host of developmental issues in the hill district starting from roads

to bridges, medical college to cancer hospital and others. Now, a state University and a Airport in the district is need of the hour and I promise to the people that in the next five years, if our party is voted to power, we are committed to set up a University and an Airport in the district.” Dr Sarma said.

Dr Sarma also promised waiver of loans taken from Micro Finance Institutions if BJP is voted to power in Dispur. At present, repayment crisis leading to loan defaults among rural households have remained a major issue in Assam.

Minister Sarma also announced to provide free scooty to girl student who secure second division in the hill district of Karbi Anglong. “In the Karbi Anglong district, students’ access to education is scarce due to scanty institutions and hence to encourage girl students, we are planning to provide scooty to girls who secure atleast second division in class 12.” Minister Sarma added.

measures have been taken for People with Disabilities (PwD) including provision of wheel chairs at every polling station and E-rickshaws for their commute.

The ruling BJP is contesting 39 seats and its partner AGP 10. The two allies are engaged in friendly contest in Lakhimpur and Naharkatiya constituencies. The opposition grand alliance is contesting all the

seats, with the Congress putting up candidates in 43, and the AIUDF, CPI(ML-L), RJD and Anchalik Gana Morcha (contesting as Independent) in one each.

The newly formed AJP is in the fray in 41 seats, while there are 78 Independents, including 19 candidates of the newly formed Raijor Dal who are also contesting as Independents. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is trying his luck from Majuli (ST) seat where he is locked in a direct contest with threetime former Congress MLA and former minister Rajib Lochan Pegu. Speaker of the outgoing assembly Hitendranath Goswami is also locked in a direct contest with former Congress MLA Rana Goswami in Jorhat.

Titabor, another highprofile seat that was held by former chief minister Tarun Gogoi of the Congress for four successive terms will likely see a direct contest between Bhaskar Jyoti Barua of the Congress and former MLA Hemanta Kalita. Gogoi, the tallest Congress leader in the state, died last year.

BJP’s hate politics to be rejected

by Assam people in polls: Kamal

Kamal Nath

Guwahati, Mar 26 (PTI): Accusing the BJP of hurting Assamese sentiments, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Friday said politics of hate and dividing the society in Assam will be rejected by the people of the northeastern state in the upcoming assembly elections.

Without taking the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister alleged that decisions for Assam are taken by two persons sitting in Delhi. “Decisions for Assam or anywhere else are taken by two persons sitting in Delhi. Posts of party president or state leaders don’t hold any value for them.

Gujarati bosses have decided who the chief minister will be and how Assam needs to be governed,” Nath said.

He alleged that the BJPled government in Assam did not fulfil its poll promises and failed to present a “per-

formance scorecard for the last five years”. “The BJP’s campaign for the first phase of polls has been negative and it offered politics of hate. The Congress believes that we should work to fulfil our dreams for Assam and turn our vision into reality,” he said. Claiming that his party will work for the development of the state, Nath said, “The choice is clear. The Congress will be your partner in the development journey of Assam for the next five years and beyond.”

Addressing a press conference here, Nath also accused the prime minister of “not having time to speak to the farmers protesting against the farm laws at Delhi borders for more than 120 days”. “The first phase of the assembly elections will be held tomorrow. Our visions are centred around the people of Assam and how to take the state forward,” he said.

The Congress has made “five guarantees” that included Rs 2,000 per month for every housewife and law to nullify the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

It also promised five lakh government jobs, 200 units of free electricity per month for all and an increase of the minimum wage of tea garden workers to Rs 365.

Manipur tightens security measures along Indo-Myanmar border

Correspondent

IMPHAL, MAR 26: Three of the seven Myanmar nationals wounded in military crackdown against anti-junta in the neighbouring country’s Tamu town on Thursday night were admitted in hospitals in Imphal.

Reports said that one person was killed and seven were injured after the military opened fire with rubber bullets and real bullets towards a group of people who came out of the streets at Tamu town of Myanmar to protest against a crackdown against anti-junta last night, around 11 pm.

The reports added that the people protested against raids conducted by the militaries in the border town against anti-junta protesters taking shelter in the area.

Tamu town is about 10 km from Moreh, the border town of Manipur and residents of Moreh heard sounds of heavy

Gadkari assures road projects if BJP voted in Assam

Manmohan Singh

New Delhi/Guwahati, Mar 26 (PTI): Ahead of the Assam assembly polls, former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Friday alleged that the society is being divided on the basis of religion, culture and language, and asked people to elect a government that upholds the constitution and the principles of democracy.

He assured the people that if the Congress is voted to power, the Citizenship Amendment Act will not be implemented.

In a video message, a day before the first phase of polling on March 27, Singh urged the people of Assam to vote for the Congress.

“Today, I am speaking

nipur sector of the IndoMyanmar border beefed up security measures at the borderline to check the influx of foreign nationals.

During the beefedup security, eight Myanmar nationals including women and children allegedly sneaked into Indian Territory following the crackdown were intercepted at Gopijang village of Moreh.

The police sent them back to their country after proper verification, the reports said.

The sneaking of foreign nationals including the wounded ones was even as the Indo-Myanmar border remained sealed in the wake of outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic last year.

The 365- km long border remained sealed since March last year and it was intensified recently in the backdrop of declaration of emergency following the military coup in that country.

Dear Lili, In this hard time of pandemic you gave many a reason to smile.. hope to live..prayer to heal. May your existence makes many to choose love over hatred...”Happy Birthday Queen Lisa” Always a Blink, Travis Ovung _____________________________ Dear Meve Soho!!!

Nitin Gadkari

Dharmapur (Assam), Mar 26 (PTI): Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said road projects worth Rs 2 lakh crore will be completed in Assam if the BJP is voted to power for the second time in the northeastern state.

Addressing an election rally here, the senior BJP leader exuded confidence that Assam will be one of the top states of the country, if the saffron party is re-elected for the second term.

“During our tenure, roads worth Rs 30,000 crore have been completed in Assam. Sanctions for roads worth another 50,000 crore have been given. At present, work is on for road projects worth Rs 35,000 crore.

“Assam will have road projects worth Rs 2 lakh crore if BJP is voted to power,” Gadkari, who handles the road transport and highways portfolio, said.

CADCC chairman Society being divided on religious, removed via nocultural lines : Manmohan confidence motion as one of you. Once again,

Aizawl, Mar 26 (PTI): Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADCC) chairman H Amaresh Chakma was removed through a no-confidence motion on Friday, officials said.

The motion was moved by executive member Mohan Chakma of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF).

Fifteen members - eight from the MNF and seven from opposition BJP voted in favour of the removal, in the first sitting of the council’s budget session, an official release said.

Four MNF members, including chairman Amaresh Chakma, were absent during the voting.

Deputy Chairman Mohesh Boran Chakma, who conducted the proceeding of the sitting, announced that the CADC chairman has been removed by majority vote, it said.

Amaresh Chakma had successfully contested the council polls in April 2018 on an MNF ticket from Kamalanagar south constituency.

firing last night.

Soon after the firing ceased, some Myanmar nationals rushed three severely wounded persons towards the international border. Leaders of civil society organisations based in the border town helped them to evacuate the wounded foreign nationals to Moreh hospital.

After administering first aid, the three wounded foreign nationals were shifted to hospitals in Imphal with the help of police and security personnel in the town.

The wounded trio were admitted to JNIMS hospital. Later, one of the critically wounded persons was shifted to RIMS hospital, Imphal.

Hospital sources said that all of them received bullet injuries and their conditions were stabled and they are out of danger.

Following the crackdown, police and Assam Rifles guarding the Ma-

the time has come to cast your ballot in the Vidhan Sabha election. You must vote wisely. Your future and the future of your children is in your hands.

I urge you to vote for the Congress Party and the Mahajot,” he said.

There is an atmosphere of tension and fear in the state, he claimed.

The for mer prime minister urged the people to elect a government that upholds the Constitution of India and the principles of democracy and brings about inclusive growth for all.

Singh is a star campaigner for Assam polls but has not been able to go there physically due to health reasons and COVID restrictions. The Congress is seeking to wrest power in the state back from the BJP. Assam goes to polls in three phases -- on March 27, April 1 and April 6 -- to elect the 126-member state Assembly. The results will be declared on May 2.

On this Day the 27th March 2020, you have entered to this beautiful World and successfully travelled 365 days against all odds and obstacles and still immensely healthy to this day. We really felt glad and proud of you for being our Son and enlighten us with all your awesome humility that we are longing for.

We all are happy that you have been keeping yourself like a blooming Rose even in the midst of the thorns and walked forward with big dreams and visions and has brought Love, Peace, Oneness, Trustworthy etc into our family that we deserve for a long time.

May you continue to live like a blooming flower that generously feeds an insect with its enlightened fragrance at all free.

“A very Happy Birth Day Meve”.

-Lots of Love from Dad, Mom, Bros & Sis. _____________________________ Happy birthday to the little boy who stole my heart.

I can’t imagine how time is flying so fast. Happy 1st birthday, my dear Molungchir! One year has passed but it seems that you were born a week ago.

Your entrance in our lives have always been the happiest moment for all of us.

May you have much wisdom, health and happiness throughout your life! many Happy returns of the day! I love you so much. love and prayers, Ati Senti IN THE COURT OF THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER

DIMAPUR, NAGALAND

NOTICE

No.M-167/21/13422-23 Dated Dimapur, the 23/03/2021 Notice is hereby given that Shri/Smti KHETOLI SWU Vrs- LILY SWU & 5 others R/o NUTON BOSTI Town/Village in the District of Dimapur, Nagaland under Rule 50 & 51 of the Assam Land Revenue Regulation Act 1886 have applied for Mutation of Land Described in the schedule below:The undersigned under Rule 52 of the said Rules do hereby invite Claim/ objection concerning to the said land if any & should there be any, should submit to this court on or before 1(one) month from the date of publication in local newspaper.

SCHEDULE OF LAND AND BOUNDARY Name of Patta Holder : KHETOLI SWU Village/Block No. : 4 Plot No. : Patta No. : 1658 Dag No. : 53/1922 Area : 00B-02K-00Ls North : TIA AO East : NZANBEMO MURRY South : APPROACH ROAD West : MEHOZHU ANGAMI Sd/- RAJESH SOUNDARARAJAN, IAS Deputy Commissioner Dimapur: Nagaland DP-1641

To Shri. Nand Kishor Mahto S/o Vishwainath Mahto Ward No. 18; Laxmipur, Rosera Samastipur, Bihar- 848210 NOTICE You are hereby notified that your rent for the period from January/2021 to March/2021 is pending. You are hereby asked to pay the total rent due amount in full within 15 days from the date of publication of this Notice. Unless payment is made within the stipulated time, the lease shall be terminated and you must vacate the premises.

You are further notified that unless the outstanding dues are cleared within the stipulated time or vacate the premises by such date, legal action may be initiated against you.

Date : 28/03/2021 DP-1639

(IMLISANEN LONGCHAR) Landlord House No. 327 GB(C), Fellowship Colony Tajen Ao Road, Dimapur K Y M C

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national/state

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

a ‘challenging neighbour’: EAM Bharat Bandh: Good response in Punjab, Haryana China says he has always seen lessons from its growth

Chandigarh, Mar 26 (AGENCIES/PTI): Road and rail traffic was disrupted in several parts of Punjab and Haryana during the Bharat Bandh called by farmers on Friday as part of their nationwide protest against the three agriculture laws, though there was partial response to it in other parts of the country.

Farmers blocked national highways and other key roads at many places in Punjab and Haryana, and squatted on railway tracks at several locations.

The Samkyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the farmers’ stir, called for the bandh from 6 am to 6 pm to mark four months of the agitation at Delhi’s three borders— Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri.

A railway spokesperson said four Shatabdi trains were cancelled, 35 other passenger trains were detained and the movement of 40 goods trains was affected by the protests. Train movement was disrupted at 44 locations that fall under the Delhi, Ambala and Ferozepur divisions of the railways.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia, as many as 20 activists of CPI (M-L), protesting in

Farmers shout slogans as they block a road during a nationwide strike against the new farm laws, in Amritsar. (PTI)

Sikandarpur township of the district, were taken into custody. The bandh had a minimal impact in Delhi.

Markets at Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, Kashmiri Gate, Chandni Chowk and Sadar remained open.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had to briefly close the entry and exit gates of the Tikri Border, Bahadurgarh City and Brigadier Hoshiar Singh stations, but after a few minutes, the stations were opened for passengers.

A farmer leader claimed that there were protests in Mayapuri and some other areas where people peacefully staged demonstrations.

The SKM claimed that vari-

ous farmer organisations, trade unions, student bodies, bar associations, political parties and representatives of state governments have supported the bandh call.

In other parts of the country, there was partial response to the bandh.

In Punjab, shops remained closed at several places. Shops were shut at a few places in Haryana, too, in support of the Bharat Bandh. Public and private transport remained off the roads in Punjab.

Since morning, farmers in the two states gathered at several highways and roads, including in Bathinda, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Mohali, Rohtak,

Feroze pur, Pathankot, Jhajjar, Jind, Panchkula, Kaithal, Yamunanagar and Bhiwani districts. Farmers allowed ambulances and other emergency vehicles as well as marriage processions to pass. In view of the ‘Holla Mohalla’ festival at Sri Anandpur Sahib, vehicles carrying devotees were allowed to commute.

The protesters had even arranged ‘langar’ for devotees at protest sites.

Haryana BKU leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni, in a video message on Friday, appealed to the protesting farmers to ensure the smooth passage of essential supplies or even sick persons travelling in private vehicles or those travelling in neighbouring areas.

The Bharat Bandh hit rail services in Punjab and Haryana. Protesters squatted on railway tracks at several locations, including in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Ambala, Jind, Jhajjar, Panchkula and some other districts in the two states, leading to the disruption of rail traffic.

Some of the protesters blocked the Ambala-Delhi highway near Ambala Cantonment badly affecting the

service on the route.

In Amritsar, farmers protest bare-chested; roads, railways blocked around 165 places in Punjab. The agitating farmers blocked several key roads, including the Chandigarh-Delhi, Amritsar-Delhi, HisarDelhi and Bhiwani-Delhi national highways. They parked their tractors and other vehicles in the middle of the carriageways. They also blocked the AmbalaRajpura Highway on the Haryana-Punjab border near Shambhu barrier, and the Ambala-Hisar Highway near Ambala City.

The protesters, many of them carrying placards, squatted on key roads and raised slogans against the BJP-led government at the Centre. There were sit-ins at toll plazas in several places.

In Amritsar district, a group of farmers held a shirtless protest and raised slogans demanding the repeal of the farm laws. In Ludhiana, Punjab’s industrial hub, some markets, including on Gill Road, Ghumar Mandi, Clock Tower, cloth market and Akal Market remained shut while in Mohali too most markets were closed.

NEW DELHI, MAR 26 (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that in many ways China is a “challenging neighbour” for India and that he has always seen lessons from that country’s growth.

Speaking at the India Economic Conclave, he also described as “sensible” the recent agreement between the director-generals of military operations(DGMO) of India and Pakistan to adhere to the 2003 ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

“We always wanted normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan. Everybody knows what that means. If there are trends in that direction, of course, I would welcome it,” he said.

Asked during the interaction on whether India will engage with the Taliban, Jaishankar noted that it would like to clearly see a sovereign democratic and inclusive Afghanistan that takes into account the interests of its minorities.

“There is something called the peace and reconciliation process and everybody else is saying that the Taliban is reaching out and

Organisations condemn alleged rape of minor girl in Dimapur In a press release, YSUD president Mukamchem T Yimchunger and general secretary Sorito K Yimchunger said it was because of “criminals” like the accused why women in society live in “trepidation and apprehension.” “Such criminals should be punished as per law so that it act as a deterrent to others would-be offenders,” YSUD stated.

The union has expressed firm belief that the law enforcing agencies would deliver quick justice to the innocent victim and her family.

DPSU: Strongly condemning the “inhuman and heinous act” of rape, the Dimapur Phom Students’ Union (DPSU) has appealed to the law enforcing agency to award the severest pun-

(From p-1) Describing the act as “barbaric and inhumane”, the union demanded the higher authority to leave no stone unturned in delivering justice to the victim.

Further, CSUD strongly appealed to the law enforcing agencies to investigate the matter and ensure that the accused was brought to book under the rule of the law. It also expressed solidarity and extended sympathy to the victim and her family.

YSUD: Yimchungrü Students’ Union Dimapur (YSUD) expressed deep shock over the alleged rape incident and said that it strongly “condemns this evil and inhuman act committed against a minor and innocent girl.”

ishment to the accused as per the law and demanded that justice be provided to the victim.

In a press release, DPSU president Y. Enyuh Phom and secretary Bauom Phom said it was a matter of concern that such crimes have been increasing day by day, adding that the criminals seemed to have no fear of the law. “Such criminals should be dealt with the law which doesn’t happen usually due to noncooperation of the victims party which often result in a rise in such crimes,” DPSU stated.

KSUD: Expressing pain and concern over the alleged rape incident, the Konyak Students’ Union Dimapur (KSUD) said that it was “disturbed and disheartened that such kind of

criminal minded people still exists in our land.”

In a press release, KSUD president Wangwan Konyak said “this inhuman activity” had no place in a civilized society, adding that such act should be condemned by every rightful citizen.

The union has urged the competent authority to investigate the case and award befitting punishment to the accused under relevant laws and serve justice.

KSUD also expressed solidarity and extended sympathy to victim and her family.

KSUD: Strongly condemning alleged rape of minor girl, the Khiamniungan Students’ Union Dimapur (KSUD) Khiamniungan Students’ Union Dimapur

said that the incident occurred at a time when people were longing for peace and harmony.

In a press release, KSUD president K Buche Khiamniungan and secretary PL Chongsop said that “such act of barbarism destroys the social fabric of peace in our society”, adding that such acts cannot be tolerated in a modem civilized society. It has urged all the right-thinking citizens to condemn such heinous deeds and crime.

Further, the union also urged the law enforcing authority to initiate thorough investigation and award befitting punishment to the accused as per the provision of the law. It also extended sincere sympathy to the victim and her family.

S Jaishankar

changing etc. Let us wait and watch.”

To a question whether China has become indispensable to economic calculations, Jaishankar said the Chinese have a salience in the global economy.

“I do not think anybody can deny it. I think one needs to appreciate what they have done to their national capabilities in the last 40-odd years,” he said.

He said the Chinese in many ways, starting with then US President Richard Nixon and former US Secretary of State Henry A Kissinger, had “outthought” the West, adding “not just them but their successive generations.”

“And not just America, the West as a whole which

explains why they are where they are today,” he added.

At the same time, Jaishankar noted that it would be difficult to say what will happen in the future as there are a lot of “contradictions and frictions” out there today.

“But when it comes to us, we need to ask ourselves: so we have this neighbour who has done spectacularly well. So do we just stand there with our hands in our pocket and marvel at what they have done or do we say this is an inspiration, I need to also strengthen my competitiveness and my capabilities and so on,” he said.

Jaishankar clarified that his comments are not a political statement and that it is an international relations or even a domestic governance observation.

“We were about the same size of economy when Rajiv Gandhi went to China in 1988 and look at the difference today. So for me I have always seen lessons in China’s growth,” he said.

“To me, in many ways, yes China is a neighbour and it is in many ways a challenging neighbour,” he added.

Rahul attacks Centre, LDF govt PA L A K K AD ( K E R ) , MAR 26 (PTI): Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who began his second leg of campaign for the April 6 assembly polls, on Friday attacked the Central and the LDF governments over the “weak” economic condition. “The economic condition of the country and the state are weak and have become worse due to demonetisation and flawed GST. Both the governments have failed to revive the economy,”Gandhi said at an election meeting here in sweltering heat. The Congress leader arrived by helicopter from Coimbatore on a two-day visit and will

be addressing meetings in Palakkad and Malappuram districts. Taking a swipe at the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, he said its attempt to revive the economy was like trying to start a car without filling petrol. “We need to inject money into the economy.

When we tried to introduce a job guarantee scheme, many said it was a waste of money.But later they had to accept that it boosted the economy,” he said.

He claimed the NYAY scheme will inject money into the economy, enhancing the purchasing power of the common people, thus boosting the production sector.

LH dismayed at work quality on Wokha... SC orders transfer of gangster from Punjab to UP

(From p-1) The hoho said when the “One Man Inquiry Member” inspected the works in March 2020, works within Package II were just starting and hence the report submitted on March 16, 2020 had only stated “the works are in progress for Package II”.

Hence, it added that the inquiry report did not specify any particular comment and the court needed to be apprised of the pathetic work quality within package II. LH mentioned that work on the road from NST Colony, Merapani Foothill to Merapani-Uriamghat junction was not implemented due to hindrance from Assam side.

As the road project was funded by North Eastern Council (NEC), whose jurisdiction covers all the North-eastern States, the hoho stressed that this should not be taken as a border issue and urged the State government to immediately settle and execute the work as per the DPR without any restriction.

The apex Lotha body warned that if the issue was not settled at the earliest, it would take its own course of action.

LH had filed a PIL in the high court in 2019 against the construction company for non-satisfactory work. And following a court order on January 29 this year that called for verifying the works, NHIDCL raised the issue with Wokha district administration, to direct the landowners to provide land for widening the road as mentioned in the contract agreement and directive of Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench to maintain the width of road as mentioned in the schedule ‘B’ of contract agreement, within a period of seven days.

As it had obtained no objection certificates (NOC) from various village councils concerned in 2016 and accordingly the project was sanctioned, the hoho asserted that the question of availability of land did not arise.

Mentioning that it had assured along with civil society organisations to extend full cooperation to the agency and contractor for quality work, the hoho said work of road widening should not be an issue. This was stated in a press release issued by LH joint secretary Amos Odyuo.

NEW DELHI, MAR 26 (IANS) In a big victory for the Uttar Pradesh government, the Supreme Court on Friday allowed transfer of gangster-turned-MLA Mukhtar Ansari from a Punjab jail to Banda jail in UP. A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan directed that Ansari be handed over to UP within two weeks, and then lodged in Banda jail. The top court allowed the UP government Article 32 petition seeking transfer of Ansari to a UP jail from Punjab. Article 32 deals with the ‘’Right to Constitutional Remedies’’, and gives the right to move the apex court for enforcement of the rights conferred in the Constitution. The Uttar Pradesh government and the Punjab government had

Dated Kohima, the 26thMarch, 2021

NOTIFICATION With reference to the Nagaland Public Service Commission's Advertisement No.NPSC-3/2019. dated 13.11.2019, and Addendum/Corrigendum dt. 27.01.2021, and with the correspondence from Higher Education Department vide letter NO.HTE/7-1/2003 (Pt-I) dt. 11.03.2021, this is to notify all the candidates that: 1. M.Ed (Education) Degree is added as eligible qualification for the post of Assistant Professor (Education) (Item No. 2) under Higher Education Department.

2. Eligible candidates may apply for the same from https:// edistrict.nagaland.gov.in starting from 30.03.2021 noon to 01.04.2021 noon.

NOTIFICATION

Mukhtar Ansari

locked horns over whether a state government can file a petition under Article 32 to claim fundamental rights.

The UP government, under Article 32, had moved the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Punjab government and Rupnagar jail authority to immediately hand over gangster-turnedpolitician Ansari’s custody to district jail Banda. Ansari is lodged in district jail Rup-

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test (JNVST)-2021 for admission of students to Class-VI for the session 2021-22, which is scheduled on 10th April 2021, is rescheduled to 16th May 2021 (Sunday) for all States & UTs other than Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland, selection test will be conducted on 19th June 2021 (Saturday).

DC-299

Deputy Commissioner (Exam)

THE GAUHATI HIGH COURT

(The High Court of Assam : Nagaland : Mizoram & Arunachal Pradesh) KOHIMA BENCH

NOTICE

DC-300

Sd/(Neiko Akami), NJS Registrar Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

DIRECTORATE OF AGRICULTURE NAGALAND : KOHIMA

Dated Kohima the 26th March 2021

NOTIFICATION

DC-298

DC-301

An Autonomous Organization under Ministry of Education, B-15, Sector-62 Noida.

District G.B.Nagar. UP PIN-201309

NO.HC(K)19/2016/Estt/826/ ::: The Stenography Skill Test for direct recruitment to 2 (two) posts of Senior Personal Assistant will be held on 24.04.2021 at 11:00 A.M at the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NEILIT), Kohima.

KOHIMA

Sd/- (JOHN TSULISE SANGTAM), NCS. Secretary, Nagaland Public Service Commission, Kohima

NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA SAMITI

Dated Kohima, the 26th March, 2021

NAGALAND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION NO.NPSC/ADVT/EDS-2012

nagar since January 2019.

The Punjab government had contested these claims of the UP government saying that only a citizen can move the top court under Article 32 to claim fundamental rights and a state cannot invoke this provision.

NO.AGR/INPUT/DC/2020/5908: This is to inform all concerned aspirant firms for empanelment in the Department of Agriculture and also who have already during 2020-21, that the following documents are to be submitted mandatorily1. Application 2. Latest Dealership Certificate with validity.

3. GST Registration Certificate.

4. Trade License.

5. Pan Card.

The above documents should be submitted to this Directorate of Agriculture on or before 13th April 2021.

Applications received after the last date will not be entertained (M. BEN YANTHAN) DC-302

6

OPINiON/EDITORIAL

Nagaland Post Vol. XXxI NO. 110 Dimapur, SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

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Sparing the rod

ccording to statistics given by Shanavas C, Principal Director Department of School Education(DoSE), there are over 2000 government schools of which 1100 are primary, 600 middle and 293 high and higher secondary schools comprising a total of around 20,000 teachers and 1,40,000 students. The teacher to student ratio works out to 1:7 perhaps among the lowest in the country.

Besides the huge amount being spent for the approximately 20,000 government teachers, the return has been poor. If the HSLC results from 2010 to 2020 are considered, it shows an abysmally performance by government high schools.In 2010, the number of government schools recording ‘Nil’ result was 11 and in 2011 it rose to 15. In 2012 a total of 17 government schools recorded ‘Nil’ result while in 2013 it rose to 26 and in 2014 it dipped slightly to 24. Again, in 2015 the number of government schools recording ‘Nil’ result was 37. And in 2016 it was 30. In 2017 the figure rose to 30 and dipped to 27 in 2018. The performance improved slightly in 2019 when 15 high schools recorded ‘Nil’ result but in 2020 it rose again to 30. These figures suggest a law of diminishing returns as a key factor. Data also indicated that from 2013–2020, the contribution of government schools towards the total number of qualifying students in the HSLC exams have been marginal – a mere 12.5%. Again, if the data of 2015 is taken, it shows that on average of about 29 schools recording 0 pass percentage every year. This means that students spend year after year in these government schools learning next to nothing.

A history of exhibiting persistently low pass percentages over the years have subsequently diminished the appeal of government school, pushing parents to private schools. Not surprisingly, enrolment in private schools is about three times that of government schools as per the 2020 HSLC results. To put things in perspective, the Government deputes about one official for every seven students and yet, not a single student from government schools has made it to the top- 20 HSLC achievers. More often than not, teachers in government schools have been blamed for the abysmally poor performances. It may also be pointed out that government teachers earn almost triple the salary of private teachers besides enjoying perks and facilities that private teachers can only dream about.

In 2018, the Adviser School Education had stated that the government has 2700 teachers under SSA scheme meant to complement quality education but instead of improving it was just the opposite. Even enrolment in government schools is witnessing a reverse flow. Private schools on the other hand, have been excelling in all HSLC and HSSLC examinations and leaving government schools way behind. Government teachers are more academically qualified than private teachers and so this has to reflect in the performances of the schools. However, comparisons between performances of government and private institutions will only lead to the conclusion that all that investment have not paid dividends. Creating a culture of monitoring and accountability at various levels of teachers so as to build a motivated and committed cadre by incentivising sincere effort are worth considering. However, in the end, all that is needed is a political will to crack the whip and straighten things out.

DailyDevotion Spiritual Vision Through Personal Purity

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. —Matthew 5:8 Purity is not innocence— it is much more than that. Purity is the result of continued spiritual harmony with God. We have to grow in purity. Our life with God may be right and our inner purity unblemished, yet occasionally our outer life may become spotted and stained. God intentionally does not protect us from this possibility, because this is the way we recognize the necessity of maintaining our spiritual vision through personal purity. If the outer level of our spiritual life with God is impaired to the slightest degree, we must put everything else aside until we make it right. Remember that spiritual vision depends on our character— it is “the pure in heart” who “see God.” God makes us pure by an act of His sovereign grace, but we still have something that we must carefully watch. It is through our bodily life coming in contact with other people and other points of view that we tend to become tarnished. Not only must our “inner sanctuary” be kept right with God, but also the “outer courts” must be brought into perfect harmony with the purity God gives us through His grace. Our spiritual vision and understanding is immediately blurred when our “outer court” is stained. If we want to maintain personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will mean refusing to do or even think certain things. And some things that are acceptable for others will become unacceptable for us.

A practical help in keeping your personal purity unblemished in your relations with other people is to begin to see them as God does. Say to yourself, “That man or that woman is perfect in Christ Jesus! That friend or that relative is perfect in Christ Jesus!”

Quotes

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. ~ Albert Einstein

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

Post-mortem

Mental health stigma: A global scourge

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he Covid-19 pandemic and the unmatched mental health challenges it has brought about have made it more crucial than ever that we continue to make strides towards understanding the concept of mental health stigma and how we might tackle it around the world. It is no surprise now that one in seven people living in low resource countries do not receive treatment for depression. Mental health stigma is one of the key barriers when it comes to seeking care. One can argue that despite its devastating effects, COVID-19 could dramatically reduce stigma, especially when it comes to seeking care for mental health problems.

But let us first understand what mental health stigma is. The term “mental” or “mad” is used in a derogative manner to refer to individuals with mental health issues. In 2019, a Hindi film titled Mental Hai Kya?, which translates to “Are You Mad?”, triggered outrage amongst health professionals, with calls to change the title.

Our team recently interviewed Graham Thornicroft, a practising psychiatrist, who is extensively and deeply involved in mental health stigma research at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences at King’s College London. He divided stigma into three components – knowledge, attitude and behaviour. The last – behaviour – emerges from social isolation, such as what we are experiencing during the pandemic, as well as exclusion from mainstream activities and citizenship.

Debarring people with mental illness from these basic human rights, he believed, is fundamentally wrong. This led him to consider, first and foremost, how to reduce and

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eventually eradicate stigma.

Subsequent exploration led him to perform much work in low- and middle-income countries, including India, while also attempting to discern whether stigma is static or variable and evolving, in advanced and developing countries. He noted that it is certainly manageable in broader sections of communities.

Studies across 30 to 40 countries have concluded that stigma is “universal” – for example, being reported by about 90 per cent of people with schizophrenia across the world. It may appear in the form of variable social exclusion – for example, adversely affecting marriage prospects in India, while, in China, it may be a source of “embarrassment”. Stigma rates in higher-income countries may be greater than those in other countries, perhaps because of the pressure to excel.

In low-income countries, one can be unwell and still play an active social and productive role somewhere as there are many such roles to play within the family and in society. Fear of failure plagues some people with mental illness, which can become a reason to not even apply for jobs. Moreover, fear of failure in intimate relationships may also stall people with mental illness from attempting or initiating such an arrangement.

How do we then address this microaggression towards people living with mental health problems?

We know that enhancing contact with people who have experienced mental health problems is the best way to reduce stigma. To date, most people with mental illness remain silent about their condition, avoiding discussing their problems for fear of losing face, damaging their

and stigma, propped up by false mythical beliefs spread around the illness, yet offering only some contemporary examples and instances of violent crimes committed under the duress of illness.

As such, it becomes common to generalise despite the inaccuracy that comes with doing so.

Meanwhile, one recent development is that of celebrities disclosing and revealing their struggles with mental illness. The anti-stigma movement is, thus, effectively becoming endorsed by famous and influential figures.

Ten to 15 years ago, the stigma was even more stifling, with biased stories being titled and reported sensationally, with words like ‘schizophrenic killer’, ‘mad killer’, ‘mad maniac’ and ‘psychotic’ being used freely. In some ways, during the pandemic we have seen this negativity being replaced with more responsible, sensitive and honest coverage of related stories by both print and electronic media. Indeed, there seems to be a concerted effort to bring about a shift in public and personal sensibilities in relation to mental illness. Family members and friends of people living with mental health problems often face a lot of challenges while caring and also earning their living. These combined responsibilities are very real and can be very daunting. Another interesting perspective is that people with schizophrenia often blame family members as being the biggest source of stigma. On the other hand, those recovering claim the obligation and support of their families helped them to escape from their illness. The person with the illness, even if more or less cured, feels the need for freedom from their families – who are often over-

protective. Meanwhile, the caretakers’ excuse to retain a leash on their recovering family members is grounded by the possibility of a relapse and overall fear. This concept, known as ‘mollycoddling’, which keeps people from being able to live normal and fulfilling lives, is disabling, according to Thornicroft.

Mental health professionals have worried that this conundrum exacerbated during the pandemic which was apparent by the sheer number of families who have reached out for online support.

In light of this conflict, families should be encouraged to be attached without being over-involved, giving the family member with mental illness space of their own to continue their improvement efforts and pursue their interests. Families should remain close enough to ward off their difficulties, but also let them learn from their errors and stand up on their own again. Moreover, they must support them always and protect them. Love, empathy, compassion and companionship are humanitarian methods that go a long way in the healing process.

Similarly, families should not shy away from seeking the support of psychiatrists, psychologists, physiotherapists, nutritionists, etc, COVID-19 is likely to affect our psychological health and wellbeing for various reasons, including enforced social distancing, long term side effects of COVID-19, and inability to access care for other health conditions.

Concerns over social isolation have already contributed to increased feelings of distress in the general population.

The long term economic effects of the pandemic however are more frightening. In order to keep people out of

poverty, particularly those who are the most vulnerable due to serious mental illness, extensive mitigation strategies should be planned. Working through the COVID-19 pandemic has led mental health professionals to understand the need to connect with people and provide assessment and treatment support via technology. We have already encountered a paradigm shift to our treatment delivery methods, which means that technology will play a larger role in clinical service provision in the future. But not everyone, especially older family members, has access to this technology, and neither do all healthcare professionals feel confident to use it with their service users. All of this will need to be considered for wider upscaling of technology-driven solutions for treating mental health problems.

However, as previously mentioned, a collateral advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic could be a sense of a new normality, which can help people to feel less stigmatised whilst seeking help. This evidence may take some time to grow, but we can start by developing new ways to enhance social interaction with people who have mental health issues. This can be achieved by offering them a secure, even if virtual, space for self-expression. COVID19 has surfaced the much neglected mental health issues in our societies, as well as the stigma associated with them, while also allowing us to focus on and make sense of the lives we care about.

Shalini Ahuja (The writer is a carer and mental health researcher at King’s College, London).

Acknowledgements: Professor Graham Thornicroft, Alka Singh, and Anil Vartak

India’s Covid-19 fatality rates high among migrants

hen the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) arrived in India, many feared that the health indicators of the population and under-resourced health care facilities would lead to high Covid19 mortality. More than a year later, India is among the countries with lower than expected mortality rates from Covid-19, despite infection rates of over 50% in many parts of the country.

In a new study, we set out to use the best available data to measure the infection fatality rate from Covid-19 and how it varied across the country. Notably, most popular claims about India’s mortality rate have relied on an imperfect statistic called the case fatality rate (CFR).

The CFR divides the number of positive Covid-19 tests by the number of Covid-19 deaths — but this measure almost always overstates the actual infection fatality rate, because so many people with mild symptoms are never even tested.

Instead, we set out to measure the Infection Fatality Rate (IFR) — the probability that an individual who

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reputation or jeopardising their family status. Having a space where they may be welcomed and listened to, rather than judged, will go a long way towards enabling them to share their experiences. In a small part of rural Andhra Pradesh, researchers used posters, pictures, drums, and a short street play, as an intervention technique to reduce mental health stigma.

An actor portrayed a person’s journey through mental health crises and setbacks before receiving support and showing hope, improvement and recovery. People assembled around the stage, willing to talk about and discuss what they saw, even two to three years after the event. The main aim of the play was to manifest, deliver and culturally adapt and train society for the benefit of those fenced on its fringes.

We often get asked if rural and urban areas differ in responding to interventions for social contact between people with mental health problems and society at large, to curtail stigma for people with schizophrenia and other mental disorders? We do not know these answers yet.

The entertainment industry is flush with poor portrayals and interpretations of mental health, contributing to mental health stigma. The media exploits mental illness in order to create sensationalised headlines and easily captivate readers’ attention.

The lack of genuine sympathy or concern with the problem prevents the subject of mental health from being explored or saved from neglect. Mentally ill people are often criminalised and covered as murderers and killers in the media as the result of some isolated incidents.

Print media content is but a reflection of this fascination

gets the coronavirus at a given age will die — which is a key input in thinking about vaccine planning and activity But even such a basic statistic is not easily measured. Measuring IFR requires carefully designed studies that test for Covid-19 antibodies in random samples of thousands of people. Such seroprevalence studies have primarily been run in richer countries, but India has run a number of its own since the pandemic began. We combined data from major serostudies in Mumbai, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, and matched these to administrative reports of Covid-19 deaths in each location. We also used records from random samples of migrants returning to Bihar on special trains in response to the national lockdown; positively tested individuals were tracked, and we know how many of them died.

We focused in particular on age-specific fatality. It is widely known that Covid-19 is more severe for the elderly. We wanted to know how fatality in India compares with

fatality in other countries, at the same age. This isolates anything special about the susceptibility of Indians to severe infection or access to healthcare.

Our calculations suggested that infection fatality rates were lower in many parts of India than in richer countries. Middle-aged men infected with Covid-19 were half as likely to die in Mumbai than in a sample of high-income countries, 88% less likely in Karnataka, and 96% less likely in Tamil Nadu.

It must be noted that under-reporting of Covid-19 deaths in India can explain some of this gap, but is very unlikely to explain all of it. Excess mortality in Mumbai was twice as high as the number of reported Covid-19 deaths — enough to close the IFR gap with richer countries.

But in Tamil Nadu, Covid-19 deaths would have to be undercounted by a factor of 30 to explain the gap, suggesting that undercounting cannot be the whole story. When we looked at migrants returning to Bihar, we found a starkly different story. The fatality rates among older positive-

testing migrants was twice as high as in richer countries. Among younger migrants, it was even worse: over 1% of Covid-19-positive migrant men under the age of 49 died in the followup period, an age group with negligible mortality in other countries. The severe economic and physical distress during the arduous return journey, piled on top of their poorer baseline health may have made migrants highly vulnerable to death after infection.

The same phenomenon could explain why mortality was higher in Mumbai than in the southern states — because Mumbai’s outbreak was concentrated among a poor slum population with poor health and worse access to care.

A final striking finding that emerged from our study was that the elderly in India faced a smaller relative mortality disadvantage than in other countries. Most of India’s mortality advantage occurred among those over the age of 60. Our study cannot explain why this was the case, but one explanation likely has to do with the types of people who

make it to old age in India relative to in other countries. Many of the most vulnerable may already have died, leaving a relatively robust group of elderly survivors, who further may have immune systems strengthened by a lifetime of viral exposure.

We also do not know the exact reasons for the terrible mortality rates among returning migrants.

After a year of economic crisis, it is crucial to identify patterns of economic distress that could raise vulnerability to severe infection.

Another key puzzle is why infection fatality rates were so different in Mumbai, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

As vaccines are disseminated, the end of this pandemic is hopefully in sight. Research on patterns of infection and mortality will be essential not only for current vaccination planning, but also to understand and prepare for the future pandemics that will surely emerge.

Paul Novosad, Rebecca Cai, Anup Malani, Vaidehi Tandel and Sam Asher (The views expressed are personal.)

Sewer workers need safety, dignity and justice

ome of the saddest news in India which appears with tragic regularity relates to the deaths of sewer workers caused by occupational hazards. The demand for fixing responsibility and taking strong action against those guilty of negligence has been gaining ground, as also the demand for the prompt compensatory payment as fixed by the Supreme Court.

This is of course important. Isn’t it very sad that the compensation ordered to be paid promptly by the Supreme Court in the case of a sewer worker death related to occupational accident still hasn’t reach many affected households? A prompt payment would have helped so many people facing severe difficulties and distress. After all this is the easier part of what needs to be done.

However to place matters in perspective, while the issue of accidents is certainly the most important one, this is by no means

the only serious issue. In terms of exposure to health hazards in the course of routine daily work also there are very serious problems . If all the health costs of all the hazards faced by sewage workers in routine daily work are considered, then these also have a very important adverse impact on the life of sewer workers and their family members.

Hence the wider urgent task is that of initiating more systemic efforts which can minimize all serious safety and health hazards. This demands substantial investment in appropriate technology and equipment, as well as in training based on this. When safety issues are highlighted, one response is to hastily purchase whatever equipment happens to be available , even though this may not prove very useful. This way we will not advance much even after spending more. We need to give adequate attention to evolving technology and

equipments which are suitable in working conditions that prevail in India.

Who can advice best on this than the workers, including more senior workers and supervisors who have so much close and day-to-day experience of the kind of problems that exist. The most expensive and the biggest machines available in the market are not necessarily the most effective. What works best in western countries is not necessarily the best solution in India. Let us be clear regarding our needs. Our need is to ensure safety. Our need is to minimize health hazards.

Our need is go for lower costs without sacrificing effectiveness so that safety and health protection can spread all over the country in affordable practical ways. If the equipment can be fabricated locally in smaller scale units all the better in terms of generating local jobs .

Sometimes to improve safety and reduce risks we also need adequate number

of workers to follow the proper safety procedures. We should not sacrifice jobs unnecessarily and there should be an effort to avoid any retrenchments in the course of introducing new technology. So we should involve workers including senior and retired ones and supervisors to work more broadly on technology, design, innovation, manufacture, training , while making available adequate funds.

Budget should not be a constraint, but the practical aspects of technology which can spread more easily to a wider area should be kept in mind. There are other aspects of sanitation and sewage which badly need improvement , and ultimately over-centralized expensive models must yield place to local decentralized models. This is needed for successful low-cost sanitation solutions as well as for the wider objectives of checking pollution of rivers and streams. Various sani-

tation and water solutions should not be considered in isolation but instead these should be integrated as these solutions at various levels are inter-related to each other.

Is the safety of worker issue so separated from the issue of more decentralized sanitation models. It is not , but different people and projects work on different kinds of solutions and these are not integrated, at least to the extent needed. In

addition the technical issues need integration with social issues as well. Yes, the bigger priority is that we need to minimize safety and health hazards, but the issue of social dignity of sewage works is also so important and needs a lot of attention and effort.

Bharat Dogra is a journalist and author who has been writing on public interest issues for over four decades.

Reader’s Post

Posting controversial issues online

Sir,

A lot of issues pertaining to the Naga society has been creating a lot of turmoil in the state lately and the youths of today not comprehending the subject well have taken it to social medias to express their anguish and pain.

Every one of us is affected by the recent happenings and I agree with the saying that each of us has an opinion of our own. However, I would like to suggest our Naga people to refrain from posting sensitive issues online as this would not only hinder the growth of our people but also spread more hatred and negativity.

Senti Ao, 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.

11 dead in Mumbai Covid centre fire

Central teams rushed to Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh amid rise in Covid cases

‘NEP will ensure equality, quality in education sector’

NEW DELHI, MAR 26 (PTI): The Union Health Ministry has rushed two high-level multidisciplinary teams to Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh in view of a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases there.

The ministry on Friday said these teams will work with the respective governments of the state and the Union Territory to ascertain the reasons behind the surge, assist in undertaking gap analysis and recommend requisite COVID-19 control and containment measures.

The team to Chhattisgarh is headed by Dr S K Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and also has experts from the AIIMS, Raipur and All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health.

The team to Chandigarh is led by Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Textiles Ministry Vijoy Kumar Singh and also has experts drawn from the RML Hospital and the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, it said.

“Chhattisgarh has recently witnessed a significant spurt in fresh COVID19 cases as well as new

deaths every day. Chandigarh has also seen a significant surge in new cases.

“The deployed teams shall visit the most affected districts/hotspots in the state and UT to take stock of onground implementation of public health interventions.

They will share the key findings, recommendations and remedial measures to be taken up with the chief secretary/chief administrator,” the ministry said in the statement.

The Union government has been leading the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic with a ‘Whole of Government’ approach, it said.

As an ongoing effort to strengthen efforts of various governments for COVID management, the central government has been deputing teams from time to time to visit various states and Union Territories.

These teams interact with the state and UT authorities and get a first hand understanding of the challenges and issues being faced by them so as to strengthen their ongoing activities and remove bottlenecks, the statement stated.

NEW DELHI, MAR 26 (PTI): Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on Friday said the new National Education Policy will form the basis of ensuring equality and quality in the sector and rubbished allegations of “saffronisation” of education.

The new policy, which was approved by the Union Cabinet last year, replaced the 34-year-old National Policy on Education framed in 1986.

“There is no such thing as saffronisation of education. Those who are alleging this, do not have a correct definition of saffronisation.

Yes, we are respecting our mother tongue but are countries like Israel and Japan which offer education in their language, behind others?” Education Minister Pokhriyal said in response to a question at the India Economic Conclave.

Teaching up to class 5 in mother tongue or regional language, lowering the stakes of board exams, a single regulator for higher education institutions except for law and medical colleges, and common entrance tests for universities are part of the new National Education Policy (NEP).

“English is not knowledge, it is just a language.

Today when Germany has over 14 universities teaching Sanskrit, no one asks them anything, when we do the same, there are allegations of saffronisation,” the minister said.

“No language is being imposed on anyone. We have brought an excellent new education policy which will ensure equality, quality and access in the education sector,” Pokhriyal said.

New Delhi, Mar 26 (IANS): President Ram Nath Kovind was admitted to the Army’s Research and Referral (R&R) Hospital in New Delhi on Friday morning owing to chest discomfort.

The President, 75, complained of chest discomfort in the morning and thereafter he was rushed to the military hospital.

The President, who underwent routine tests and was put under observation, is now in a stable condition, the hospital said.

In a statement, the hospital authorities said: “He is undergoing routine check-ups and is under observation. His condition is stable.”

Sources said the President will stay in the hospital till the time the entire medical diagnosis is complete. The doctors are taking care of things, said the hospital authority.

Noted journo, author Anil Dharker dead

MUMBAI, MAR 26 (PTI): Noted journalist and author Anil Dharker died here on Friday, a former colleague said.

Dharker (74) was the founder and director of the Mumbai International Literary Festival, held in November every year and was also the founder and director of Literature Live! which holds literary evenings throughout the year in the city. He underwent a bypass procedure at a Mumbai hospital on Thursday and died there Friday morning, the colleague said. Over a five-decade-long illustrious career, Dharker had been a columnist and writer, an architect, a member of the advisory committee of the film censor board and more.

Dharker had been

Anil Dharker

the editor of a variety of publications, starting with Debonair (a monthly), MidDay and Sunday Mid-Day (evening papers); The Independent, a morning broadsheet from the Times of India group and The Illustrated Weekly of India.

Dharker is survived by his companion of many years Amy Fernandes and his daughter Ayesha, a London based film actor.

He was a columnist for The Indian Express newspaper and author The Romance Of Salt, a book on Mahatma Gandhis Dandi March.

Dharker had also worked as a TV show producer and anchor, and head of a news television channel.

He was a member of the Advisory Boards of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Doordarshan, the Children`s Film Society of India and several film funds for the production of films in India. He was also a recipient of several journalism awards.

A Tata Literature Live! release said Dharker was the Founder-Director of Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest which acquired international acclaim under his visionary leadership.

Convicts Tausif and Rehan held by police.

CHANDIGARH, MAR 26 (PTI): A fast-track court in Haryana’s Faridabad on Friday sentenced two men to life imprisonment in connection with the murder of Nikita Tomar, five months after she was shot outside her college in a crime caught on camera.

The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 each on convicts Tausif and Rehan, defence counsel Adal Singh Rawat told reporters outside the court.

On Wednesday, the court had convicted the two men in the case. Prime accused Tausif and another

down,” the force had stated.

The Indian Army had stated that DGMO of India and Pakistan Army interact regularly over the established mechanism of hotline.

The purpose of the mechanism is to review the situation along the Line of Control, International Boundary and endeavour to achieve observance of all understandings and agreements reached between the two militaries. The force had stated that Indian Army remains committed to fight the scourge of terrorism.

“Acts of terror will not be tolerated and befitting response would await any misadventure,” the force said.

“Over the last few years our counter infiltration posture along the LoC has further strengthened and terrorists have found infiltration across the LoC increasingly difficult.”

The force said that infiltration of terrorist remains a primary concern. “The ceasefire violence primarily due to the activities of terrorism along and across LoC.” There is trust deficit with Pakistan, Indian Army had stated. The force had pointed : “We have a history of bitter experiences with Pakistan. The peace processes in the past have been derailed either because of acts of terror or Pakistan Army’s belligerence. We are live to this reality and We all remain prepared to meet any eventuality. However we remain cautiously optimistic. Peace along LoC is mutually beneficial.”

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Nikita Tomar murder case: Haryana court sentenced 2 convicts to life imprisonment accused Rehan were held guilty and third accused Azharuddin was acquitted in the case.

Nikita Tomar was killed in Ballabhgarh in Faridabad district on October 26 by Tausif, who had been pressuring her to marry him, police had then said.

The final-year B.Com student had stepped out of her college after an exam when Tausif confronted her, trying to force her into a car, police had said.

The two accused were later arrested on the basis of CCTV footage of the crime.

The Faridabad Police had filed a 700-page charge sheet before the court on November 6, less than two weeks after the murder.

NEW DELHI, MAR 26 (IANS): India and Pakistan brigade commanders met on Friday and discussed peace along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The brigade commander-level meeting took place to take forward the understanding to implement ceasefire decided last month.

In February, both the countries decided to re-implement the ceasefire agreement of 2003 to maintain peace at the borders. “Post the DGsMO Understanding 2021, a Brigade Commander Level Flag Meeting was held between Indian and Pakistan Army at Poonch Rawalkot Crossing Point on 26 March, 2021 to discuss implementation mechanism as per the understanding,” the Indian Army said.

However, there has been no commitment from Islamabad to stop sponsoring terror and launchpads continue to exist, government sources said. Indian Army Chief General M.M. Naravane said not a single bullet has been fired at the LoC in the month of March.

India and Pakistan have reached understanding to implement ceasefire agreement reached during the talks between Director-General of Military Operations of both the countries over hotline on February 22.

“Our endeavour is to achieve peace and stability which is beneficial for the region and specially for the population residing along the LoC, this is an attempt to bring the violence levels

K-859

it quicky spread to the two upper floors of the threestoried mall, which houses the Covid-19 hospital on the top floor.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade with 10 fire tenders and disaster management teams rushed to combat the blaze and to rescue and

tragic incident.

Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya alleged that the Sunrise Hospital and Dreams Mall were constructed by scam-hit HDIL from the PMC Bank’s monies and were allegedly given a conditional occupation certificate by the BMC. Refuting the charges, the operations head of Sunrise Hospital, Satyendra Tiwari, said that the recently-started hospital had all the licences/permissions in place and the fire broke out in the mall below and not in the third floor of the hospital premises.

While the BMC has ordered a probe into the incident, CoP Nagrale warned that anybody found guilty would face stringent action.

Meanwhile, all the rescued patients were shifted to the Covid field hospital in Mulund, Fortis Hospital and other hospitals in the vicinity, as the flames were finally brought under control after over 20 hours on Friday night.

India and Pakistan discuss peace along LoC

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The training will be sponsored by SIDBI, a Govt. of India Undertaking, Dimapur Branch Office. Selection will be on first come first basis. The Training will commence from April 2021.

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Sd/Managing Director Nagaland Women Vocational Training Institute

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DP-1654(A)

The 11 deceased were all senior citizens undergoing Covid-19 treatment at the hospital, and efforts are onto trace some others feared missing.

According to the BMC Disaster Control, the fire was noticed around midnight on the first floor and

transfer the Covid patients to other hospitals in the vicinity.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Mumbai Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh, Mayor Kishori Pednekar, Municipal Commissioner I.S. Chahal, Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale, Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani, and other top officials from fire brigade, police and civic bodies rushed to spot after the tragic news broke out. The victims have been identified as Nisar Javedchand, 74, Govind Das, 80, Manjula Batharia, 65, Ambaji Patil 65 and his wife Sunanda Patil 58, Sudhir Lad, 66, Harish Sachdev, 68, Shyam Bhaktilal, 77, Mahadeo Ayyar, 79, and Ashok Waghmare, 68, said a BMC official.

Thackeray has announced a compensation of Rs 500,000 to the kin of each of the deceased patient while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also expressed grief over the

President Kovind in hospital after chest discomfort

DP-1647

Fire fighters dousing the fire at Mumbai mall that houses a hospital inside. (PTI)

MUMBAI, MAR 26 (IANS): The death toll in the massive blaze which ravaged the Dreams Mall in Bhandup that houses a Covid centre -- Sunrise Hospital -- touched 11 while 60 patients have been rescued, officials said on Friday.

7

national

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

Sd/Managing Director Nagaland Women Vocational Training Institute

8

business/state

Nagaland Post, Dimapur saturDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

NEP will provide Candlelight vigil held for March 22 victims Autocomp sector set for rebound definitive

No. 4492 Yesterday’s solution No. 4491

No. 3516 Yesterday’s solution No. 3515

firm till the case was “given its due share of credibility by virtue of its magnanimity.”

It may be mentioned that Manka Konyank, PA to NSCN (R) president, had stated that Khekato Kinimi was reinstated after the accused, who were now behind bars, revealed through a confessional statement that Khekato was “nowhere involved in the killing of Late Maj. Toishe Yeptho.”

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DP-1610(B)

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DP-1588(C)

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DP-1614

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Price : 20 Lakhs (Negotiable) No Broker Contact : 9383205875

DP-1588(B)

KYGK has, therefore, asserted that going to CHQ to collect “any unofficial confessional documents is not our job but rather we are only asking the concerned law enforcing agency/s to delve deep into the case and conclude the case without any delay or hindrances.”

Appealing to the responsible authority to deliver justice, KYGK said it would continue to stand

DP-1640

DIMAPUR: Responding to March 19 statement of the NSCN (Reformation) president’s office asking Kulolau Yemishe Ghami Kuqhakulu (KYGK) officials to collect the “confessional statements” from the CHQ within 10 days, the KYGK through its president Vihoshe Sema and general secretary Ayeho Z Ayemi informed NSCN (R) president’s office that KYGK was not “an investigative nor a trial agency”, but a union seeking justice from the law enforcing agencies that were competent and well-equipped to handle such cases.

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No. 9873 Yesterday’s solution No. 9872

Across 3. Perspiration (5) 8. Girl’s name (5) 10. Pigmeat (5) 11. Raised edge (3) 12. Watch band (5) 13. Share expenses (2,5) 15. Slight colouring (5) 18. Teacher’s title (3) 19. Antenna (6) 21. Insignificant, flimsy (7) 22. Excludes (4) 23. Curved (4) 24. Splash (7) 26. Limited (6) 29. Boy’s name (3) 31. Of the sun (5) 32. Optimistic (7) 34. Very strong person (5) 35. Gaiety, merriment (3) 36. Staff of life (5) 37. Warning device (5) 38. Dog lead (5) Down 1. Wading bird (5) 2. Confuses (7) 4. Accompanying (4) 5. Subsides (6) 6. Long-snouted mammal (5) 7. Latin American dance (5) 9. Cover (3) 12. Cider type (7) 14. Metallic element (3) 16. African river (5) 17. Exclusive (5) 19. Public sale (7) 20. Chasm (5) 21. Court case (5) 23. Advantage (7) 24. Long step or pace (6) 25. Faucet (3) 27. Hooded snake (5) 28. Of birth (5) 30. Melodies (5) 32. Trilbies, say (4) 33. Animal’s coat (3)

(From p-1) The minister informed that the government was not asking to implement NEP immediately, but gradually.

Earlier, the programme was chaired by assistant professor, department of education, Livi Keturah Yeptho and invocation was offered by deputy registrar, Sr. M Thianes.

We l c o m e a d dress was delivered by HoD, dept. of Education, Dr. Imkongsenla Longchar, while director, ICSSR, Shillong, prof. B Panda, gave keynote address.

The seminar was organised by St. Joseph University, Department of Education and sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).

DP-1649

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DP-1636

KAKURO

holds, he added.

He also narrated the challenges encountered while implementing the project like the monsoon season, damage of main pipe due to road construction, power transformer and starter problems, difficulty in laying distribution pipes due to lack of right of way, etc. The chief engineer remarked that the success of the project depended on power supply, pointing out that maintenance cost too was needed.

He said source of funds should be explored for the new project to draw water from Dzukhu/Teupuiki river while also calling for complete overhaul of the existing water supply distribution system as the existing one was outdated.

Mima Village Council chairman Neichüzo Keyie and Kezoma Village Council chairman Puhovi Tase also delivered brief speeches on the occasion.

K-658

Su doku

project was first conceived in 2004 to argument from Dzukhu river, he explained that owing to technical problem, this could not be implemented and later Zarü was identified for which a revised detailed project report was prepared and this was later approved by the Union ministry of urban development. Longkumer claimed that the project had the capacity to pump 38 lakh litre of water in 18 hours if there was no fluctuation in power supply, adding that the project also had the highest pumping head in the State and Northeast.

He said water would be pumped to pressure break tank above Kigwema village to a reservoir at police headquarters in Kohima, about 32 km from Zarü river.

The water supply would be connected to the existing distribution system covering PR Hill, Chandmari, PWD and part of the main town serving about 3,000 house-

DP-1588(A)

Crossword

was very difficult to implement any project in the State and stressed that Nagas must give land for development and called for cooperation. In his brief address, PHED minister Jacob Zhimomi expressed joy on completion of the project despite various odds and lauded the villagers of Kezoma and Mima for their support and cooperation to the government.

He assured that the department would extend all possible assistance for proper supply of water in Kohima town.

PHED chief engineer Repangyangba Longkumer said the project was initiated in 2012 and completed in 2021, adding that augmentation of water supply at Zarü was constructed at a cost of Rs 43.73 crore under the funding patter of 90:10 – 90% being Central government’s support and remaining 10% the State’s.

Mentioning that the

DP-1646

to start the project else, he warned that as the public demand for water was so high, the current project would not be sufficient to fulfil it.

He said as per 2011 census, Kohima town had a population of over one lakh.

As water had become a precious commodity and was costly, he called for behavioural change while using water to ensure its adequate supply by learning to pay for it. Mentioning that Nagas were exempted from paying many taxes, he however said they should learn to pay for what they use.

The chief minister said during his recent meeting with union minister for Roads, Transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, the latter had expressed his dismay over the projects being delayed because of landownership issues and cautioned that new projects would be given only if the existing ones were completed.

Citing this, he said it

answers to...

KYGK responds to NSCN (R) statement

DP-1611

(From p-1) With the increase in population, the chief minister observed that town dwellers would eventually migrate to other places if there was no proper or enough water supply and Kohima would not be able to remain the State Capital.

As the town’s residents were struggling for water, he said they were carrying water from every possible source, which was often not pure and because of which they were exposed to various diseases. Rio also cautioned that since construction of the two-lane road from Kohima to Mao was under progress, there was every possibility of the pipelines getting damaged. He therefore urged the departments concerned and the villagers to ensure that the pipelines were not damaged.

As the Dzukhu issue was settled and its water was the best source, he said loan should now be sought

any individual or community, but against humanity. She added that the incident had adversely affected peace in the Naga society.

She appealed to the Central and State government to uphold and protect the rights of people and deliver justice in this case.

Presidents of Zeliang Students’ Union Dimapur(ZSUD), Dimapur Eastern Naga Students’ Union (DENSU), Tenyimi Students’ Union Dimapur(TSUD) and former president of Western Chakesang Hoho delivered short speeches and urged the State government to expedite the ongoing probe and arrest the culprits at the earliest.

Isamteing Haining also spoke on behalf of the bereaved families and thanked all for their supported and extending solidarity with the family.

Earlier, the programme was chaired by ZSUD general secretary Idizeung Reunim and invocation by Town Baptist Church Dimapur pastor Rev Vilodi Sakhrie.

DP-1546

Govt mulls privatising water supply in State

the perpetrators could commit such a heinous crime in broad daylight. He said it was a crime not only against the victims’ families and the Zeliang community but also against the Nagas, the entire human race and against God Himself.

Sedevilie also expressed concern against provocative social media posts after the incident. He expressed grief and conveyed condolence to the bereaved family members and the Zeliang community.

Zeliang Women’s Organisation Dimapur president Zaisi Ramlia said the three Zeliang brothers, who had gone to construct a house in their own land, were mercilessly killed.

She said no mother would want to give birth to a son only to be murdered in this manner. She said as a mother, it was difficult on her part to remain silent over the incident.

Ramlia said the incident was a clear case of targeted killing of innocent people and termed it as a crime not on

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demand will rub off on the automotive components sector, which could see a revenue growth of 21-23 per cent next fiscal, compared with de-growth of 13 per cent and 8 per cent in fiscals 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Replacement demand, which was impacted due to lockdowns and restricted movement of people and freight, will recover gradually. Besides, exports (20 per cent of revenue) will be aided by steady demand from the US and staggered

(From p-1) While condemning the inhuman act, he also urged upon all right-thinking citizens to also condemn the act.

Meru reiterated Zeliangs were against tribalism as all human beings were equal in the eyes of God. While appealing to people to shun violence and bloodshed, Meru also demanded that the law enforcement agencies and the State government probe the March 22 incident thoroughly and award stringent punishment to the perpetrators.

Dimapur Naga Students Union (DNSU) president Sedevillie Angami said there were only two things that Nagas could do regarding the incident– 1. condemn it and appeal to authorities to unmask the perpetrators and punish them as per the law to ensure justice or, 2. talk about forgiveness, forbearance and mercy without digging into further details.

Sedevillie expressed shock at the manner in which

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“The ongoing rebound in economic activity will drive a strong recovery for OEMs next fiscal. Improving fleet utilisation and better availability of finance will also improve demand for commercial vehicles, while demand for personal vehicles (passenger cars and twowheelers) will be driven by improving urban consumer sentiment, resilient rural incomes, modest vehicle price increases and attractive financing options.”

The uptick in OEM

recovery in the European Union - two geographies that account for 55 per cent of India’s automotive component exports. Signs of the recovery have been visible here since the third quarter of this fiscal.

However, Crisil said that despite higher demand, capacity utilisation of component suppliers will remain below 2019 levels. As a result, operating margin will increase only 100-150 basis points (bps) to 10 per cent next fiscal, after falling 150 bps in fiscal 2020 and 200-250 bps in fiscal 2021.

Consequently, operating profit will be lower than in fiscal 2019.

The credit ratio (ratio of upgrades to downgrades) for the CRISIL Ratings portfolio, which touched an eight-year low of 0.1 (AprilDecember 2020) thus far this fiscal, is likely to witness steady improvement next fiscal, in line with better performance of the sector’s players.

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Mumbai, Mar 26 (IANS): The automotive components sector will see revenue rebound 21-23 per cent next fiscal as domestic and export demand revives after two straight contractions and higher margins lift its operating profits, ratings agency Crisil said on Friday.

Also, demand revival along with prudent capital spending and working capital management, will lead to an improvement in the credit profiles of automotive component makers next fiscal, an analysis of 230 of them rated by CRISIL, which account for 40 per cent of sector revenue, showed.

The Rs 3.2 lakh crore sector derives 60 per cent of its revenue from automobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), with the balance split equally between replacement demand and exports.

Hetal Gandhi, Director, CRISIL Research, said:

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international

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

Went to jail protesting for Protests against Modi visit in B’desh: 4 killed B’desh’s freedom: Modi DHAKA, MAR 26 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s leadership and contribution of the Indian army in Bangladesh’s 1971 freedom war as he joined President Abdul Hamid and his counterpart Sheikh Hasina in celebrating the country’s 50 years of independence here.

Addressing Bangladesh’s 50th Independence anniversary at the National Parade Square, Modi recalled the role played by Indian Army in the freedom war and said the blood of those who fought for their liberation and the blood of Indian soldiers are flowing together and this blood will form such a relationship that will not break down under any type of pressure.

“I salute the brave soldiers of the Indian Army who stood with the brothers and sisters of Bangladesh in Muktijuddo. Those who gave their blood in Muktijuddo, sacrificed themselves, and played a very big role

Narendra Modi

in realising the dream of independent Bangladesh,” said Modi. Modi, who was wearing a ‘Mujib Jacket’ as tribute to Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation, said that Bangabandhu’s leadership and bravery had ensured that no power could enslave Bangladesh.

“This is one of the most memorable days of my life.

I am grateful that Bangladesh has included me in this event. I am grateful that Bangladesh has invited India to take part in this function.

It is a matter of our pride that we got the opportunity to honour Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with Gandhi Peace Prize,” said Modi.

The Gandhi Peace Prize 2020 was conferred on Bangabandhu early this week. It was for the first time that the award was given away posthumously.

At the beginning of the programme, Modi handed over the Gandhi Peace Prize to Bangabandhu’s daughters – Prime Minister Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana.

Recalling the 1971 war of independence, Modi said the pictures of atrocities that the Pakistan Army inflicted on the people in then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) used to distract people in India. “I must have been 2022 years old when I and my colleagues did Satyagraha for Bangladesh’s freedom,” he told the gathering.

“The freedom struggle of Bangladesh was a significant moment in my journey too... My colleagues and I had done a satyagraha in India... I was in my early twenties. I even had the opportunity to go to jail during this satyagraha for Bangladesh’s struggle for freedom,” he said.

Houthis mount attacks against Saudi Arabia

Houthi rebel fighters ride on trucks mounted with weapons in Sana’a, Yemen. (AP)

Sanaa, Mar 26 (IANS): Yemen’s Houthi militia announced on Friday that it has unleashed a series of attacks against Saudi Arabia.

In recent weeks, the oil-rich Kingdom has been the target of increasing drone and missile attacks by the Houthis, reports dpa news agency.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Serae said on Friday the group launched 12 offensive drones and eight ballistic missiles targeting facilities belonging to Saudi Aramco.

Six other drones were launched as part of a major operation against military sites in the Saudi border

Final results of Israel polls reveal deadlock

Workers count votes in national election at Knesset in Jerusalem.

T E L AV I V, M A R 2 6 (IANS): The final results of Israel’s parliamentary elections held earlier this week revealed another stalemate, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponents both fell short of a majority to form a government.

The Central Elections Committee, which oversees the elections, said in a statement that Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and its allies won 52 seats in the 120-seat parliament, while opponents of the country’s longest serving Prime Minister garnered 57, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Likud won 30 seats, down from 36 in the previous elections.

The centrist party of Yesh Atid, led by former Finance Minister Yair Lapid, won 17 seats, becoming the second-largest party.

On Thursday, Lapid held series of meetings in a bid to form a coalition government. But in the Israeli system, the government is formed by the candidate who manages to put together a majority coalition

of at least 61 seats.

Netanyahu has secured three supporter parties, which won six, seven and nine seats, respectively.

He also hopes to win the support of his former ally, Naftali Bennett, leader of Yamina, a pro-settler party that won seven seats.

Ra’am, an Islamist party, won four seats, becoming the balance of power between a Netanyahu-led coalition or a government led by his opponents.

Ra’am party leader Mansur Abbas said on Wednesday that he doesn’t rule out sitting in any coalition. Before Tuesday’s elections, which were the fourth in two years, Netanyahu said he will not rule out a coalition with Ra’am.

Blue and White, a centrist party and Netanyahu’s partner in his current powersharing government, won eight seats. New Hope, a right-wing party formed recently by former allies of Netanyahu, won six seats.

Next week, President Reuven Rivlin is expected to officially receive the election results.

regions of Najran and Asir, Serae added.

“This operation has successfully fulfilled its goals,” he said, without giving details.

Serae said the attacks marked the start of the seventh year of the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen.

A Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said late Thursday that it had intercepted eight explosive drones launched by the rebels towards targets in the Kingdom.

Two universities were among the targets.

Saudi Arabia said a projectile attack on Thursday on an oil distribution station in the border region of Jazan had sparked a fire without causing casualties or damage.

DHAKA, MAR 26 (AGENCIES): At least four people were killed in the Bangladeshi city of Chittagong after police fired at protesters during a demonstration against a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, police officials said.

“We had to fire teargas and rubber bullets to disperse them as they entered a police station and carried out extensive vandalism,” Rafiqul Islam, a police official, told Reuters news agency, referring to protesters.

Modi is in Bangladesh to attend its Golden Jubilee celebrations of independence and the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founder and father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The protesters in Chittagong were from the Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, an Islamist group opposed to the visit of Modi, who critics say has been pushing a Hindu-first agenda in India.

Mohammad Alauddin, another police official in Chittagong, said that eight people were brought to a hospital in the city with gun-

Demonstrators raised their shoes in their hands to register their anger. (Al Jazeera).

shot wounds, of which four succumbed to their injuries Protests at the main mosque in the city of Dhaka were dispersed by police using tear gas and rubber bullets – injuring scores of people – after clashes broke out between groups of demonstrators, officials and witnesses said on Friday.

Hundreds of protesters had gathered outside Dhaka’s Baitul Mokarram mosque after the Friday prayers. Witnesses said violent clashes broke out after one faction of protesters began waving their shoes as a sign of disrespect to Modi, and another group tried to stop them.

Local media said the

North Korea confirms launching ballistic missiles Seoul, Mar 26 (IANS): North Korea on Friday confirmed the launch of ballistic missiles a day earlier for the first time in about a year.

In a report, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said: “The newly developed new-type tactical guided projectile is a weapon system whose warhead weight has been improved to be 2.5 tonnes with the use of the core technology of tactical guided projectile that was already developed.”

According to the KCNA, the launch was conducted by the Academy of Defence Science and it was “very successful just as it had been confidently predicted”, Yonhap News

protesters who tried to stop the shoe-waving are aligned with the governing Awami League party, which criticised the other protest faction for attempting to create chaos during Modi’s visit.

Local TV showed protesters throwing stones at the police, who were heavily present on the streets near the mosque. Somoy TV reported that at least 40 people were injured, including journalists, and were taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Modi’s two-day tour – his first abroad since the coronavirus pandemic began last year – will cap Dhaka’s 10-day celebrations already attended by leaders from Sri

Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives.

Prime Minister Hasina, a key partner for India in maintaining regional stability, welcomed Modi at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Friday morning. ‘We don’t want him’ Friday’s was the latest in a series of protests held across Bangladesh to oppose the visit by Modi, who many Bangladeshis accuse of stoking religious tensions and persecuting Muslims in India.

On Thursday, police in Dhaka fired rubber bullets and tear gas at hundreds of mainly student demonstrators protesting against the Hindu nationalist leader’s visit and criticising the government for inviting him.

Police said the protest got out of hand as nearly 2,000 demonstrators marched in Dhaka, with many throwing rocks and stones at officers. Dozens were wounded, with at least 18 sent to hospitals in the city.

“We fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them… We have also arrested 33 people for violence,”

police official Syed Nurul Islam told AFP news agency on Thursday.

At another protest outside Baitul Mokarram mosque last Friday, protesters said more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002, when Modi was the chief minister.

“His government has passed several laws which make Muslims a secondclass citizen in India. We don’t want him here in Bangladesh,” Maulana Mamunul Haque, secretary-general of Hefazat-e-Islam, an Islamist political organisation, told Al Jazeera.

“A leader like him should not be allowed to attend the 50th Independence Day event.”

Even though Hefazate-Islam calls itself “non-political”, the Islamist organisation has gained eminence after the fall of Jamaat-eIslami, Bangladesh’s largest Islamist political party.

At the protest outside Baitul Mukarram mosque, Hefazat supporters slammed Modi for “killing Muslims in Gujarat, Kashmir, Delhi and other parts of India”.

Pak PM wishes Hasina on 50th anniversary of B’desh’s I-Day

Dhaka, Mar 26 (IANS): Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has written to his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, congratulating her on the 50th anniversary of the country’s Independence and Mujib Borsho, celebrating the centenary year of Bangabandhu. However, Khan did not mention anything regarding the genocide, Agency reported.

The two missiles “ac- rape, atrocities and all the crimes against humanity by the auxiliary forces of Pakistan curately hit the target” set Army, Jamayat-e-Islam in 1971. in the water 600 km off the East Coast, it added.

On Thursday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from the North’s Hamju town in South Hamgyong Province, at 7.06 a.m and 7.25 a.m. and flew around 450 km with an altitude of 60 km.

The last time North Korea fired a ballistic missile was in March 2020.

The KCNA report said the launch was guided by Ri Pyong-chol, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party, but leader Kim Jong-un did not oversee the missile testing.

CONGRATULATIONS

Facebook CEO blames Trump, rioters for Capitol attack San Francisco, Mar 26 (IANS): Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg refused to own up any responsibility for the January 6 attack on the US Capitol as he put the blame on former US President Donald Trump for his “words” and the people involved in the assault for “their actions”.

In his first appearance before the US Congress since the January 6 attack, Zuckerberg on Thursday also blamed the people for spreading misleading content. At the hearing with the House Energy and Commerce committee, lawmakers pressed the Facebook CEO to own up some responsibility for the attack for

Mark Zuckerberg

facilitating the organisation of the attack.

“How is it possible for you not to at least admit that Facebook played a leading role in the recruitment, planning and execution of the attack on the capitol?” asked Democratic Representative Mike Doyle. Zuckerberg said that “the responsibil-

ity lies with the people who took the actions to break the law and do the insurrection”.

“Secondarily, also with the people who spread that content, including the president but others as well, with repeated rhetoric over time, saying that the election was rigged and encouraging people to organizel.” In his opening remarks Zuckerberg said that the company believes “Congress should consider making platforms’ intermediary liability protection for certain types of unlawful content conditional on companies’ ability. to meet best practices to combat the spread of this content”.

Italian, French, German FMs visit Libya

The delegation conveyed to the PM the keenness to consolidate stability in Libya.

Tripoli, Mar 26 (IANS): The Foreign Ministers of Italy, France and Germany visited Libya’s capital Tripoli and met with the war-torn country’s newly-appointed Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.

The meeting on Thursday discussed the return of European countries and flights to Libya, strengthening European diplomatic presence in Tripoli, and addressing illegal immigration, according to a statement issued by the Government of National Unity (GNA). The statement also said the officials exchanged views on various issues of common interest and preparation for the

upcoming Libyan elections later this year, reports Xinhua news agency.

“The delegation conveyed to the Prime Minister the keenness of their countries to consolidate stability in Libya, due to its great importance in the stability of the neighbouring countries and the Mediterranean basin, and that this visit is a unified European message to support the efforts of the Government of National Unity,” the statement said. The Foreign Ministers, comprising Luigi di Maio (Italy), Jean-Yves Le Drian (France) and Heiko Maas (Germany), highlighted readiness of their countries to provide support and assistance to the Libyan Government of National Unity to fulfil all its obligations regarding many issues of priority, the statement added.

The Libyan Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the position of Germany, France, Italy and all European partners for their support to Libya, expressing willingness of his government to strengthen cooperation and friendship with all countries in order to enhance Libya’s role in achieving security and stability in the region and the world.

The Kuhuboto Ghakhu Sports Association (KGSA) is enthralled with the achievements of it’s contingent in the Sumi Hoho Gold Cup 2021 organised by Sumi Games & Sports Association.

The Association would like to congratulate the KGSA football team on winning the Sumi Hoho Gold Cup football trophy for the third consecutive year - 2019, 2020, 2021. Heartiest congratulations also to the Men’s Volleyball team for emerging champion in the Sumi Hoho Gold Cup 2021 Volleyball Championship. The KGSA also would like to congratulate Mr. Himato and Asuka for emerging champions in the Badminton Men’s Doubles.

Four members of the KGSA contingent also brought home individual prizes.

The individual winners include : 1. Ato Awomi as Best Goal Keeper 2. Aben Swu as Highest Goal Scorer 3. Best Setter (Volley) Jesse Yepthomi 4. Best Spiker (Volley) Ahika Yeptho The KGSA would like to put on record it’s appreciation and acknowledge for the immense support towards KGSA: 1. Q. Tuccu, Chairman NSCN (IM) - Rs. 1,00,000/2. Akato Chophi VP, NSCN-R - Rs. 1,00,000/3. Kuhuto Yeptho, GB Luzheto - Rs. 20,000/4. Tokuho Suhoi Neho, AtoKukau - Rs. 8,000/5. Viheto Swu Ato Kukau Khughovi - Rs. 10,000/6. Mughato Aye, Football Coach - Rs. 11,000/7. Phoishe Zhimo, BDO Kuhuboto - Rs. 10,000/8. Khehovi Chophi, AtoKukau - Rs. 13,000/9. Kawoto Aye, AtoKukau Xekiye - Rs. 5,000/10. DDFA - Rs. 5,000/11. WSSA - Rs. 5,000/12. Akihito Zhimo, President SGSA - Rs. 5,000/13. Adhoc Town Committee Kuhuboto - Rs. 5,000/14. Khehovi, Forest Ranger Kuhuboto - Rs. 5,000/15. Ghukato Achumi, Hoito - Rs. 10,000/16. SDO Civil Kuhuboto - Rs. 5,000/17. Bovito Aye, PA to Advisor Power 32 Nos Track Suits 18. Alex Yeptho, Luzheto - Rs. 3,000/19. Bovito Swu, Khughovi - Rs. 5,000/20. PHE Deptt. Kuhuboto - Rs. 5,000/21. Kikato Achumi, Aghunato Town - Rs. 15,000/22. Nikheyi Assumi, Suhoi, Dinners 2 (two) times 23. Sports Station, Khermahal Dimapur 3 Sets Jersy 24. Viniho Achumi - Rs. 1000/25. Kihika, Kuhuboto 3 sets Egg 26. Tohuvi Yeptho Viyilho - Rs. 1,500/27. Ahokhe Chishi, Lutovi - Rs. 6,000/28. I Kito Zhimo, Guest of Honour - Rs. 15,000/29. 24 villages of Kuhuboto area - Contributed The KGSA also thank Mr. Kheshito Yeptho Vihokhu Football Coach and Mr. Kikato Achumi Aghunato Town for their immense support and help towards KGSA. Kakheto K. Assumi President, KGSA

XushetoZhimomi General Secretary, KGSA

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Infotainment/state

10

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

Beyonce wins big at NAACP Image Awards Dua Lipa releases ‘Indian’ version of ‘Levitating’ remixed by Amaal Mallik B B

Indie single ‘Jab the world’ in ToP 50 rock radio charts

I

ndian musician Vineet Singh Hukmani’s recently-released single “Jab the world” has burst into the DRT (Digital Radio Tracker) ToP 50 rock radio charts, which measures a song’s play time on radio stations across the US. The fun song, about the world getting vaccinated for Covid among

other things, is now the 12th most played rock song in the US, and it features in a list dominated by bands including AC/DC, Green Day, Foo Fighters, The Offspring and Papa Roach among others.

“It’s a mixture of disbelief and immense gratitude to be alongside the legendary bands I have idolised. more than that it

has given me hope, demonstrated that the path I have been placed on is really going somewhere,” Vineet tells us.

“Harnessing the power of global radio that allows nine billion people to discover new music is critical to have your music heard and for it to climb the radio charts. This starts the cycle of discovery leading to Youtube and digital streaming momentum,” he adds.

His earlier release this year, “Dreamin out loud”, was also at number one on the World Radio Independent Top 20, and number one on the European Radio Top 100.

(IANS)

won the pair Outstanding Soul/R&B Song, the latter of which Beyonce’s ‘Black Parade’ was nominated for.

Other winners included Doja Cat, who was named Outstanding New Artist, Drake took home Outstanding Male Artist and Jhene Aiko’s ‘Chilombo’ was honoured with the Outstanding Album accolade.

Meanwhile, Beyonce’s NAACP success comes after she made history with the most Grammy Award wins by a female artist earlier this month.

The 39-year-old star received four honours Best R&B Performance for ‘Black Parade’, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for ‘Savage’ with Megan Thee Stallion, and Best Music Video for ‘Brown Skin Girl’ - during the main event and the pre-

DIMAPUR: Kayaykalp award felicitation program for awardee health facilities for the year 2019-2020 was held at directorate of health & family welfare, Kohima on March 26 with minister, health & family welfare department, S. Pangnyu Phom as special guest.

According to DIPR

report, principal secretary, health & family welfare department, Amardeep S. Bhatia said that Kayakalp which means rejuvenation, was an initiative which was launched to promote cleanliness, hygiene and infection control practices in public health facilities.

He added that the

goal of Kayakalp was to incentivise and recognise public healthcare facilities that show exemplary performance in adhering to standard protocols of cleanliness and infection control.

NHM, deputy director Dr. Manyau Phom said that based on norms and

ritish singer-songwriter Dua Lipa has released a remix of her hit single “Levitating”.

The remix has been done

by Indian composer-singer Amaal Mallik.

“I am so thrilled with the response from my Indian fans to ‘Future Nostalgia’ (the album that features ‘Levitating’). I had an amazing time in India in 2019, and so I always wanted to do something special for them. Indian music icon Amaal Mallik has remixed the track, adding his touch with beautiful Indian instruments. This is my gift to my Indian fans, and I hope you all will love the remix as much as I do,” she says.

Amaal adds: “It is a tremendous feeling to be collaborating with such a talented pop star and global icon! Dua Lipa’s music is something we all love, hence it’s quite an honour for me to be doing the official India remix, giving an Indian touch to one of her biggest tracks.”

The 30-year-old composer roped in twin sisters Prakriti and Sukriti Kakar

sing the funk-driven number and has used traditional Indian elements such as the ‘tumbi’ to give it a ‘desi’ twist.

“Dua Lipa was the reason I wrote my first single in 2019. I’ve been following her work so closely since the very beginning. We’ve been so inspired by her work for as long as I can remember.

‘Levitating’ has been literally everywhere, and everyone knows it word for word.

We’ve made an Indian version of the song, and I can’t wait to share it with the world!” says Sukriti Kakar.

This comes just a week after Dua Lipa stunned global audiences with her

performance of “Levitating” at the 2021 Grammy Awards, where she won the Best Pop Vocal Album award for her 2020 album ‘Future Nostalgia’.

“We feel elated to be coming together to remix ‘Levitating’, one of the standout songs on the ‘Future Nostalgia’ album! Congratulations are in order for Dua on her Grammy win, and I think it’s the best time to be dropping this track of ours. I look forward to the reception,” adds Amaal who in the past had also collaborated with the Irish rock band U2 for a reprise version of their track “Beautiful day”.

(IANS)

PUBG Mobile completes 1 billion downloads worldwide

P

“PUBG Mobile, one of the most popular battle royale games in the world has achieved a new milestone. The game, according to Tencent, has managed to cross 1 billion accumulated downloads outside China,” the company said in a tweet.

According to data by an analytics firm Sensor Tower, PUBG Mobile is only behind two other games in terms of downloads. The top two ranks belong to Kiloo Games’ Subway Surfers and King Digital Entertainment’s Candy Crush Saga.

The company made this announcement while releasing a report on its onUBG Mobile, one in the world has managed China, making it one of line games. It claimed that of the most popular to cross one billion accu- the most successful games its revenue rose 29 per cent in the fourth quarter, driven battle royale games mulated downloads outside worldwide.

by a surge in paying users for video games in China and international markets.

In addition, the firm mentioned that its two-hit games, Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile, continued to top the rankings in China and internationally, respectively, in the same quarter.

Meanwhile, PUBG Mobile developer Krafton has invested $22.4 million in the homegrown exports company Nodwin Gaming, the media reported on Tuesday.

The aim is to “maintain some presence in what was once its key overseas market” after the ban on PUBG along with several other Chinese apps last year (although Krafton is a South Korea-based firm).

(IANS)

STATE

Kayakalp award felicitation prog held in Kohima

Minister for health and family welfare, S. Pangnyu Phom presenting the award to the winner of the best CHC, Changtongya. (DIPR)

telecast ceremony, which took her total to 28 over the years, surpassing the record previously held by Alison Krauss, with 27 wins.

Accepting Best R&B Performance and breaking the record, she said: “I’m so honoured. I’m so excited.”As an artist, I believe it’s my job and all of our jobs to reflect the times, and it’s been such a difficult time. So I wanted to uplift and encourage all of the Black queens and kings.””I can’t believe this happened, it’s such a magical night.”

(Contactmusic)

guidelines as provided by ministry of health and family welfare, Nagaland had undertaken the processes and protocols followed by assessment of health facilities for the Kayakalp award.

In his short speech, minister S. Pangnyu Phom said these awards were meant for hospitals with the highest standards of sanitation, hygiene and quality of health care services. Pangnyu also said that there had been a phenomenal transformation in many hospitals particularly those hospitals which bagged the Kayakalp award in the last few years.

He also said that he would continue to provide support to build stronger, skilled and equipped health care workers to provide quality and accessible healthcare services and to build a resilient health system in the state.

YBC Tuensang town celebrates 50 years

DIMAPUR: Yimchunger Baptist Church (YBC) Tuensang Town Boru celebrated its golden jubilee from March 20-21 under the theme, “proclaim the year of the Lord”.

A press release by YBC jubilee team informed that speakers of the jubilee were Yimchunger Baptist Boru Amukhungdo (YBBA), executive secretary, Dr. S J Akhum, YBBA youth secretary, Lakiumong and YBBA, women secretary, Dr Toshila.

The jubilee celebration commenced with dedicatory and unveiling of jubilee monolith by Dr SJ Akhum followed by blowing of “obituar y tr umpet” by 3rdNAP Jawans, “honour prayer” by YBC Tuensang Pastor, Rev P Akhum and unveiling of jubilee souvenir by jubilee history convenor, Y K Yimchunger.

In his message, Dr SJ Akhum deliberated on the jubilee theme taking references from the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible. He stressed on the importance of forgiveness, to break barriers of all social evil and on transformation with better perspectives.

Speaker Lakiumong spoke on the topic, “remember His wonderful deeds” while valedictory session speaker, Dr. Toshila spoke on the topic, “matured in Christ”.

Guest speaker, Toyang Changkong Chang, MLA and chairman Tuensang DPDB congratulated the church on completion of 50 years. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Tuensang, Kumar Ramnikant also thanked the church for being the “torchbearers” of the society.

K-657

eyonce was the big music winner at the 2021 NAACP Image Awards.

The ‘Crazy in Love’ hitmaker scooped four top prizes at the awards ceremony on Thursday night (25.03.21), which is held over several days and concludes tonight.

Beyonce’s ‘Brown Skin Girl’ landed her the Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Music Video gongs.

The R&B megastar competed against H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, Ledisi and Alicia Keys for the former prize, while in the music video category she beat her own promo for ‘Black is King’.

Beyonce also took home Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Contemporary) and Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song with Megan Thee Stallion for their remix of the rapper’s mega-hit ‘Savage’.

Elsewhere, Chloe X Halle landed two awards for Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional) and ‘Do It’

Fires contained in several places across the state

DIMAPUR: Fire & Emergency Services mobilised quick response teams to control fires that broke out in Dimapur, Chümoukedima, Kohima, Peren and Jalukie on March 25. Due to timely response, the fires were prevented from spreading to surrounding areas.

Vehicle fire at Dimapur: Fire & Emergency Services team from fire station Dimapur (West) along with fire trucks and equipments proceeded to control the fire at state stadium, Dimapur.

A c c o r d i n g t o RO ( E ) (F&ES), Kenny Khing, one vehicle was burnt in the inferno and property worth Rs. 6 lakhs K Y M C

(approx) was lost.

It was informed that property worth Rs.1 Lakh (approx) was salvaged. Cause of fire was suspected to be from vehicle wire short circuit.

The fire response team was led by duty commander SI, M. Martin Miasalhou.

Jungle fire at Chümoukedima: Fire & emergency services team from fire station Chümoukedima proceeded to control the fire at National Institute of Technology, Near Fire Station Chümoukedima, Dimapur.

It took fire team an hour to combat the fire.

Cause of fire could not be

ascertained.

The response team was led by duty commander SI, Meyiehusul Neikha.

Jungle fire at Kohima: On receiving jungle fire call at 4:4 p.m., at Thizama Road, Near Assembly Secretariat Main Gate, fire & emergency services team from fire station Kohima (North) proceeded to control the fire.

Property worth Rs.10 Lakhs (approx) was salvaged.

It took the fire team 20 minutes to combat the fire. However, cause of fire could not be ascertained.

The response team was led by duty commander, SI Inaka.

Four jungle fires at Peren: Four jungle fire calls were received at separate times in Peren A c c o r d i n g t o RO ( E ) (F&ES), Kenny Khing, the first fire call was received at 1:30 p.m., surrounding district court, New Peren.

Three more jungle fires were attended in the same evening with one near DC’s residence at around 4:50 p.m, another near SP’s residence at 6 p.m. and the other fire near New Peren village council hall at 7 p.m.

Fire & emergency services team from fire station Peren proceeded to control the fires.

Cause of fire could not be ascertained.

Jungle fire at Jalukie: Fire & emergency services team from fire station Jalukie proceeded to control the fire at Pellhang, Peren.

Plantations crops were destroyed in the inferno and property worth Rs. 4.5 lakhs (approx) was lost.

Property worth Rs.7 Lakhs (approx) was salvaged.

It took the fire team 43 minutes to combat the fire. Cause of fire could not be ascertained.

The response team was led by duty commander, ASI Neikielie Keyienchu.

DP-1651

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Nagaland Post, Dimapur SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

WC Qualifiers: Germany, Eng win; Spain held Ashleigh Barty, Sabalenka Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice and Ollie Watkins marked his debut with a goal as England crushed San Marino 5-0 at Wembley. San Marino, which has never won a competitive game, held out for 13 minutes before James Ward-Prowse opened his England account with a smart finish and Calvert-Lewin made it 2-0 with a header.

Raheem Sterling made it 3-0 just after the half-hour mark at which point it seemed England might run riot.

But San Marino’s mostly part-time

players dug deep with Calvert-Lewin’s second goal the only addition to the score until substitute Watkins slotted in late on as England moved top of Group I. In Parma, Roberto Mancini’s Italy had a tougher task but also made a positive start with a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland in Group C. Two goals inside the first 39 minutes from Domenico Berardi and Ciro Immobile settled Italy’s nerves as it looks to banish the disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

FRUSTRATING NIGHT

England's Ben Chilwell (L) and San Marino's Alessandro D'Addario battle for the ball at Wembley stadium in London, Thursday. (AP/PTI)

London, Mar 26 (Reuters): Former champions Germany, England and Italy got off to winning starts in their World Cup qualifying campaigns on Thursday but Spain was held to a 1-1 home draw by Greece.

Four-times winner Germany enjoyed a 3-0 win over Group J rival Iceland in Duisburg thanks to goals from Leon Goretzka, Kai Havertz and Ilkay Gundogan. The German team followed the example of Norway on Wednesday in making a protest before the start of the game, lining up in Tee-shirts spelling out “Human Rights.” The 2022 World Cup

finals will be held in Qatar, which has been criticised by human rights groups.

After the Norway protest, FIFA said it would not be sanctioning the team, saying it supported free speech.

The Germans took the lead after a delightful move as Joshua Kimmich found Serge Gnabry with a perfectly weighted pass and he touched it back for Goretzka to volley home in the third minute. Havertz made it 2-0 after another defence-splitting pass from Kimmich released Leroy Sane who squared it back for the Chelsea forward to curl in a low shot.

A frustrating night for Spain in Granada began promisingly when Alvaro Morata opened the scoring for the hosts after 32 minutes, moments after Dani Olmo had rattled the crossbar. However, shortly before the hour mark, substitute Inigo Martinez - on for captain Sergio Ramos - was penalised for a rash tackle on Greek midfielder Giorgos Masouras.

Anastasios Bakasetas smashed the ball in from the spot to stun Luis Enrique’s side. Robert Lewandowski struck a thunderous 83rd-minute equaliser as Poland fought back to earn a 3-3 draw with Hungary in a pulsating Group I game in Budapest. Hungary led 2-0 thanks to goals from Roland Sallai and Adam Szalai before a triple substitute inspired a rapid revival from Paulo Sousa’s side with Krzysztof Piatek and Kamil Jozwiak making an instant impact.

Piatek connected with a low cross from Gregorz Krychowiak to beat Peter Gulacsi and moments later Hungary’s defence crumbled, allowing Jozwiak to slot the ball into the net.

Hungary regained the lead through Willi Orban only for Bayern Munich forward Lewandowski to earn his side a point with a rasping drive.

Jonas Wind inspired Denmark to a 2-0 win over Israel in Tel Aviv, with his flick setting up Martin Braithwaite for a clever chip for the opener. Wind volleyed the second after the break, his third goal for his country in his fifth appearance.

Scotland twice came from behind to snatch a 2-2 draw with Austria in Group F. A spectacular overhead kick from John McGinn five minutes from time salvaged a potentially vital point for the Scots, who like Austria last qualified for the World Cup in 1998.

India share honours with Oman in first friendly after lockdown

Manvir Singh celebrates his goal with Suresh Wangjam in India’s friendly against Oman. (AIFF)

Dubai, Mar 26 (PTI): The Indian football team made a fine comeback in the second half to hold fancied Oman 1-1 in its first international match in more than a year though the Gulf side dominated the friendly here on Thursday.

India conceded a goal in the 42nd minute with Chinglensana Singh’s clearance crossing the goal-line after hitting goalkeeper Amrinder Singh who started the match instead of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Manvir Singh scored the equaliser in the 55th minute to help India pull off a rare draw against Oman in the first international outing after the COVID-19 lockdown.

India head coach Igor Stimac gave debuts to as many 10 players. He had said before the match that he would give chances to maxi-

mum number of players for them to gain the experience of playing in big matches.

The first half was all about Oman attacking in waves with India not getting a single shot on target.

Oman, who have won both the two-legged matches of the 2022 World Cup qualifying against India, played a high defensive line with more men on attack.

India were content defending their citadel with more players in their own half and just one man upfront most of the time.

The Indians lost possession too easily on most occasions as Oman did not let them hold on to the ball for long. Oman squandered a penalty in the 27th minute after Rowlin Borges committed a foul on Abdul Aziz Al Gheilani inside the box.

Aziz himself took the spot kick but shot straight to

Amarinder Singh.

But Oman were not to be denied a goal in the first half. Al Aghbari got the ball on the left wing and sent a low cross on the face of the goal. Amrinder could not collect the ball cleanly and it hit Chinglensana Singh and went past the goal line.

Stimac made two changes at the start of second session with Lalengmawia and Raynier Fernandes replacing Jeakson Singh and Rowllin Borges.

The Indians dished out a much improved show in the second half, holding the ball a lot more than the first 45 minutes and playing a more attacking game.

India equalised five minutes before the hour mark. Bipin Singh sent in a delicious cross from the right flank which was headed home by Manvir.

Oman, ranked 81st as compared to India’s 104th in the FIFA charts, then pressed hard for the winning goal but Amrinder was impressive behind the bar as he made two fine saves in the 63rd and 65th minutes.

India play their second international friendly against the UAE here on Monday. The friendlies are a part of preparations for the joint qualifying round matches of the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup to be played in June.

N’tl shooting meet postponed due to rising Corona cases New Delhi, Mar 26 (IANS): The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on Friday announced that it has postponed next month’s National Championships.

This is a result of a sudden spike in coronavirus cases that has disrupted sporting activities that had resumed in January in a phased manner across the country.

According to an NRAI statement, the 64th National Shooting Championship Competitions in rifle, pistol and shotgun events to be held next month have been postponed. “In view of the rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 positive cases all over India, the NRAI president has decided that the nationals be postponed,” said the statement.

The venue for the rifle competition was Bhopal while the pistol and shotgun competition were to be held at New Delhi’s Dr Karni Singh Shooting Ranges. The national competition will now be held after the Tokyo Olympics, to be held from July 23 to August 8. “A considered decision will be taken after the Tokyo Olympics, depending on the prevailing Covid-19 conditions at that point of time,” the NRAI said.

progress at Miami Open

Miami, Mar 26 (IANS): World number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia and seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus each fended off match points before outlasting their tough opponents in secondround epics at the Miami Open.

Barty overcame qualifier Kristina Kucova of Slovakia 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in two-and-ahalf hours, while Bar ty was f o r c e d t o save one match point while down 3-5 in the third set, in the midst of reeling off the final five games of the clash on Thursday, Xinhua news reports.

“Never give up, never ever give up. You’re always in there with a chance,” said Barty.

“Today was really hard work, and I enjoyed every single minute of it. There’s nothing like coming through a test like that, and now I get another opportunity in a couple days time to play another tough match, and test myself again.”

Sabalenka, meanwhile, staved off two match points in the decisive final-set tiebreak before quashing the challenge by qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova of

Bulgaria 0-6, 3-6, 7-6 (9).

“Since a young age, my parents keep telling me, ‘It doesn’t matter what goes on in the court, you just have to fight, and if you will fight, you will get the wins’.

That’s what I did today,” Sabalenka said.

E l s e -

where, third seed Simona Halep from Romania and fifth seed Elina Svitolina from Ashleigh Barty U k r a i n e b o t h reached t h e n ex t round after threeset battles.

Chinese number one Wang Qiang lost to Mark e t a Vo n drousova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4.

UFC champion Adesanya apologises for ‘rape’ remark Adesanya has apologised after he said on social media he would “rape” fellow fighter Kevin Holland.

Nigerian-born Adesanya posted an expletive-laden video on Instagram earlier this week directed at Holland, who had targeted him in a series of remarks. The 31-year-old, who currently resides in New Zealand, later deleted the video and said he had “crossed the line”.

“I understand the gravity of this word and how it can affect and hurt Israel Adesanya other people apart from my opponent, London, Mar 26 (Reuters): although that was never my intention,” UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya tweeted. “I am still growing

under the spotlight, and I take this as a lesson to be more selective with words under pressure.”

Adesanya’s apology came after Grant Robertson, New Zealand’s deputy prime minister and minister of sport and recreation, condemned his comment. “We have to take rape seriously. It’s not an issue that anyone should be making jokes or flippant comments about at all,” Robertson said. Adesanya was undefeated in MMA with a 20-0 record until he was beaten by Jan Blachowicz in a light heavyweight title match at UFC 259 on March 6.

Boner ton helps WI play out draw against SL Antigua, Mar 26 (IANS): Nkr umah Bonner scored a maiden Test century and batted throughout the fifth day of the first Test to guide West Indies to a draw against Sri Lanka at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Chasing 375 for victory, West Indies started the last day on at 34/1, and Bonner batted all day to make 113 not out.

He provided a solid anchor, first putting on 66 with his captain Kraigg Brathwaite (23) for the second wicket, then finding 105 for the fourth wicket with Kyle Mayers. Near the close he added 32 with Jason Holder (13 not out) to ensure the draw.

Left-hander Mayers scored 52 with five boundaries of 113 balls - which followed up his first innings 45 - but was out in the first over after tea. Jermaine Blackwood followed soon after for just four West Indies slipped to 204/4.

However, there was no alarm as Bonner remained kept calm and carried on until the close of play.

He spent eight balls on 99 before going to his maiden century with a cover-driven four off Vishwa Fernando. At that point 32-yearK Y M C

old Bonner, playing only his sixth Test innings, had faced 243 balls and hit 11 fours and a six.

Bonner has been very consistent wince his Test debut in the historic series win in Bangladesh last month. On debut in Chattogram he made 17 and 86 and followed up with 90 and 38 in the second match in Dhaka.

During the first Test against Sri Lanka, he made 31 in the first and added today’s century.

Overall, he has now made 375 runs at an impressive average of 75 per innings.

“It’s truly special for me. This was my childhood dream and I’m really happy to get this monkey off my back. Personally, in the first innings my feet weren’t moving as much as I wanted them to,” said Bonner after receiving the Player-of-the-Match award.

“I did some work in the nets with the batting coach.

The Sri Lankan bowlers are very disciplined so it was important for me to construct my innings with discipline,” he said.

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Eng thrash India by 6 wkts; level series1-1 Pune, Mar 26 (PTI): England played like World Champions and made a mockery of a 337-run target, courtesy a six-hitting spree from Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes, to level the three-match ODI series against a stunned India here on Friday.

England did not throw it away like the opening game and capitalised on a flying start provided

by Bairstow (124 off 112) and Jason Roy (55 off 52) to gun down the target in just 43.3 overs with six wickets in hand. Stokes (99 off 62) played a breathtaking knock and missed out on a deserving hundred after a blazing 165-run stand with Bairstow.

India amassed 336 for six courtesy KL Rahul (108 off 114) and Rishabh Pant (77 off just 40) after England won the toss and opted to field again.

After Roy's dismissal, Stokes hit sixes for fun, 10 in total, to make the seemingly daunting task rather comfortable for the visitors.

Bairstow, who struck his 11th ODI hundred, too was not far behind with seven sixes and 11 fours.

Barring pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Prasidh Krishna, the Indian bowlers had no answer to the onslaught of Stokes and Bairstow, who produced a display of sensational hitting. The duo was brutal against the Indian spin duo

India win 2 more gold in shooting WC

BRIEF SCORES: India: 336/6 wkts in 50 overs (KL Rahul 108, R Pant 77, R Topley 2/50), lost to England: 337/4 wkts in 43.3 overs (J. Bairstow 124, Ben Stokes 99, P. Krishna 2/58) by 6 wickets of Kuldeep Yadav (0/84 in 10 overs) and Krunal Pandya (0/72 in 6), who conceded as many as 14 sixes.

Like the previous game, England self-destructed by losing three quick wickets in the middle overs, including the set Stokes and Bairstow, but debutant Liam Livingstone (27 not out off 21) and Dawid Malan (16 not out off 23)held their nerve to get their home safely. It was England's fifth highest chase in ODI cricket. Earlier, Rahul, who anchored the innings, hit seven fours and two sixes in his 114-ball knock while Pant plundered seven sixes and three boundaries to helpthe hosts go well past the 300-run mark.

Skipper Virat Kohli (66 off 79) and Rahul laid the foundation for the big total with their 121-run third wicket stand after being put into bat at the MCA stadium.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan (4) fell cheaply after he nicked a Reece Topley delivery to Ben Stokes in the slips. Kohli joined Rohit Sharma (25), who looked in his element, as he hit three boundaries off Topley (2/50). But in the next over, Curran (1/47) cut-short his stay at the crease. Rohit flicked a full pitched

delivery straight to Adil Rashid at short fine leg, as India slipped to 37/2. Kohli and Rahul kept the scoreboard ticking, with the India captain being the bit more aggressive one, while Rahul initially played second fiddle.

Kohli, who got a 'life' on 35 when Buttler dropped a regulation chance off Adil Rashid, notched up his 62nd fifty with a single.

The duo then completed their 100-run stand off 119 balls, without any fuss. However, Rashid (1/65) removed Kohli, whose thick outside edge was caught by Buttler, with India at 158/3. Rahul then put his foot on the accelerator, while mostly relying on pulls and drives. Rahul, who hit his fifth ODI century and Pant then launched himself into England attack. Pant pulled Rashid for his first six, his trademark pullshot and did not look back. Lefthanded Pant smacked successive sixes off Stokes in the 41st over, completing his second ODI fifty, in 28 balls. After Rahul fell, Pant continued his six-hitting show with Hardik Pandya (35 off 16) joining the fun activity as India amassed 126 runs in the final 10 overs.

Orleans Masters: Ashwini-Sikki enter semifinals Iyer ruled out of IPL 2021

Orleans (France), Mar 26 (IANS): India’s Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy on Friday reached the semi-finals of the Orleans Masters Super 100 badminton tournament. The eighth seeded pair beat England’s third seeds Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith 21-14, 21-18 in 42 minutes.

They will now face Thai top seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Ashwini and Sikki raced to a 4-0 lead in the first game before their opponents scored four consecutive points to level the scores. The two teams then went toe-to-toe until the score was eighth-all, after which Ashwini and Sikki won four consecutive points to lead 12-8. There was no turning back for the Indians after that as they maintained their dominance and took the game 21-14.

The second game was a far closer affair with the score at the interval reading 11-9 in the Indians’

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021

Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy (PTI)

favour. Ashwini and Sikki won another point after the restart after which Birch and Smith won three consecutive points to make it 12-12. The two teams exchanged points after that until Ashwini and Sikki managed to take a two-point lead at 17-15. They maintained that position, and eventually took the second game 21-18.

New Delhi, Mar 26 (Agencies): After being ruled of the ongoing ODI series against England, Shreyas Iyer was on Thursday ruled out of IPL 2021 starting next month. Iyer dislocated his left shoulder in the opening ODI on Tuesday.

The incident happened in the eighth over of the England innings when Iyer dived on a drive hit by Jonny Bairstow off pacer Shardul Thakur. The 26-year-old looked in tremendous pain as he left the field clutching his shoulder, The Indian Express reported.

On Tuesday, the BCCI had stated, “Shreyas Iyer subluxated (partially dislocated) his left shoulder in the 8th over while fielding. He has been taken for further scans.”

L-R)- Oleg Mikhailov, National Rifle Head Coach, shooters Niraj Kumar, Chain Singh, Swapnil Kusale and Suma Shirur, High Performance Specialist Coach, Junior India Rifle Team. (PTI)

New Delhi, Mar 26 (IANS): Host India continued dominance of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup, winning two more gold medals on Friday to take their tally to 12 gold, seven silver and six bronze medals for a total of 25 medals won so far.

Seasoned rifle shooters and Tokyo Olympic Games quota holders Tejaswini Sawant and Sanjeev Rajput paired up to win the day's first gold in the 50m rifle 3-position mixed team event. They beat the Ukranian team of Sehriy Kulish and Anna Ilina 31-29 in a closely contested final at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting ranges.

Thereafter, the men's 3-position team comprising Chain Singh, Swapnil Kusale and Niraj Kumar bagged gold beating team the USA 47-25 in the final.

India also won a silver and bronze medal.

Vijayveer Sidhu went down 1-4 in a shoot-off to

decide the gold medal, to Estonia's Peeter Olesk in the men's rapid fire pistol event.

Peeter, by virtue of this performance, incidentally, got assured of a quota place for the Olympics. Both Peeter and Vijayveer were tied at 26 hits a piece after the eight allotted series of five shots each.

India's bronze medal came via their second mixed 3-P team of Sunidhi Chauhan and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar. They got the better of the American pair comprising women's air rifle Olympic champion Virginia Thrasher and Timothy Sherry, 31-15 in the bronze medal match.

India on Friday missed out on two outside chances to get two additional quotas above the 15 they have already won for the Olympics.

First, in the men's rapid fire pistol, Anish Bhanwala, by virtue of his world ranking needed to finish among the medals and also hope that Estonian Peeter and

Poland's Oscar Miliwek, finished outside it. An outright gold would have been even easier for him, but even though all three Indians qualified for the final, only Vijayveer won a medal while Anish and Gurpreet Singh finished fifth and sixth respectively.

Then, in men's trap, Kynan Chenai needed an outright gold to have a chance but finished fourth in a strong field. Former shotgun world champion, Daniele Resca of Italy, won gold in the event while reigning world champion Alberto Fernandez won silver. Valerio Grazini of Italy was third. In the women's trap, the gold went to Slovakia's Rehak Stefecekova, while Poland's Sandra Bernal won silver and Italy's Fiammate Rossi won bronze.

On Day Nine on Saturday, the penultimate day of this World Cup rifle/pistol/ shotgun stage has two finals lined up -- rapid fire pistol mixed team and the trap mixed team events.

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