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Vol XXX No. 158
DIMAPUR, FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020 Pages 8 ` 4.00
Personnel Ministry issue draft guidelines national, Page 5
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2nd dose of COVID package unveiled
NEW DELHI, MAY 14 (PTI): The government on Thursday unveiled special measures amounting to over Rs 3 lakh crore for migrant workers, farmers and other segments of the economy to help them tide over the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of Rs 20 lakh crore economic package to help India become self-reliant in the wake of the pandemic, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the second round of these special measures, totalling about Rs 3.16 lakh crore in terms of concessional credit for farmers, free foodgrains for migrant workers and working capital loan for street vendors, among other incentives. Sitharaman said each of the eight crore migrant workers, who had to leave their workplaces after imposition of the lockdown, will get 5 kg grains and 1 kg pulses free for two months. Also, 50 lakh street vendors would be given a working capital loan of Rs 10,000 each to restart businesses.
Need to evacuate stranded Nagas soon, says WSH D I M A P U R , M AY 1 4 (NPN): Wester n Sumi Hoho (WSH) has asserted that Naga people stranded in areas marked as Red and Orange zones needed to be evacuated as soon as possible as the COVID-19 positive cases were surging beyond limit, saying the longer they stay in the mainland the greater was the risk. WSH has appealed to all responsible not to stigmatize “our people” stranded outside and planning to return back from others parts of the country. The hoho stated that Nagas stranded outside were severely distressed and were facing immense difficulties since the lockdown was enforced. “These stranded people are our own children, brothers and sisters. How can we abandon them is times like this?” said the hoho, adding that the state cannot disown them when they were “crying desperately to return home.” WSH said there were several instances in the recent past when Naga youth died outside the state and their mortal remains could not be bought back and were buried without any of their families present to bid them farewell. “How many such more of these happenings would we like to see again?” WSH queried. (Cont’d on p-5)
This is it!
“I think the kids love the online courses. Hope education will adopt it.” K Y M C
For farmers, she announced a Rs 2 lakh crore concessional credit through Kisan Credits Cards, benefiting as many as 2.5 crore farmers. Besides, to meet post-Rabi crop and current Kharif crop requirement of farmers in May and June, the National Bank
for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) will provide Rs 30,000 crore additional emergency working capital funding to rural cooperative banks and regional rural banks. Further announcements are expected in coming days to provide a
stimulus to the economy hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. However, the main opposition party, Congress, said these measures only amounted to a ‘jumla package’ and the announcements made so far were deeply disappointing.
Trump rips into China over coronavirus
nagalandpostofficial nagalandpostofficial
DDVCCA urges govt to identify porous borders D I M A P U R , M AY 1 4 (NPN): Pointing out that Nagaland shares a porous border with Assam and the state government may not be able to man all those borders, the Dimapur District Village Council Chairman’s Association (DDVCCA) has urged the district administration and state government to identify such border villages and extend all support to the village councils. In a press release, DDVCCA president I Khekuto Wilson and secretary Vitho Zao also appealed to all villages bordering Assam not to be complacent in sealing the borders because only a sincere and vigilant approach would make it successful. DDVCCA also acknowledged the effort of the state government and district administration in manning the official borders besides round the clock duty of border villages Stating that Nagaland can be safer only if Dimapur was safe, the association appealed to the villagers of border villages to extend cooperation to their respective village councils. (Cont’d on p-5)
international, Page 6
ICMR okays BSL-3; state awaits reagents to start functioning Biosafety Cabinet Personal Protection Equipment Biohazard Waste Container
Biohazard Warning Sings Access control BSL-3
Representational Image
Correspondent
KOHIMA, MAY 14 (NPN): Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved the much-awaited and needed Bio Safety Level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima on Thursday evening. This was confirmed by Health & Family Welfare secretary Kesonyu Yhome, who heads the committee to fast-track completion of BSL-3 lab at Kohima and BSL-2 lab at Dimapur. On the basis of validation of documentation and quality control test run done by the lab team, he said
Spl train with 26 stranded persons arrive Dmu Over 1400 stranded citizens from state opt to stay back Correspondent
Directed Air Flow
ing on COVID-19 here on Thursday. CMOs authorized to issues movement pass: Further, as per the power conferred by the Nagaland Epidemic Disease (COVID-19) Regulations, 2020 regulation no. 6, chief medical officers (CMOs) of the districts have been designated as “authorised persons” to issue movement orders/permits for patients for inter-State and intra-State referrals. For more details in this regard, Sinha said the CMOs could be contacted. He said 16,527 people had so far been transported to their native districts during the inter-district movement of stranded persons. Regarding arrival of stranded Nagaland citizens from other North Eastern States, Sinha said 409 persons had already arrived and 484 persons were expected to arrive.
ICMR had approved BSL-3 lab at Kohima. Speaking to Nagaland Post, Yhome said the lab was approved based on the pyramid presentation – documentation substantiated by video presentation of all rooms in the lab and result of the quality check test run which was sent to ICMR. To queries as to when the lab would start functioning, Yhome said it depended on ICMR as the reagents would be supplied by the council, adding once the reagents reached the State, the lab would start taking samples to test. He exuded confidence to receive the
reagents soon. On BSL-2 lab at Dimapur, the secretary said preliminary works had begun and technicians from Kohima would join the team there to execute the work. He said the timeline for completion of BLS-2 lab at Dimapur could not be revealed at the moment even as he expressed apprehension that the weather conditions at the State Capital could delay completion of BSL-3 lab by three days. “If things move as per plan, then the lab should be completed as per the original schedule or perhaps a few days later,” he added.
Over 700 stranded NPF accuses PDA people leave for of mishandling home districts COVID situation
D I M A P U R , M AY 1 4 (NPN): In the final phase of inter-district movement, at least 717 people stranded in Dimapur left for their respective home districts on Thursday in 24 buses provided by the state government. The state government Thursday allowed transporting stranded citizens who could not return to their home districts in earlier phases. As per the list provided by the police, four buses carrying 116 passengers left for Mon, two buses with 31 passengers left for Longleng, seven buses carrying 242 passengers left for Tuensang, four buses carrying 115 passengers left for Kiphire, one bus (28 passengers) left for Pungro, four buses (108 passengers) left for Noklak, one bus (30 passengers) left for Shamator and one bus (47 passengers) left for Pughoboto.
D I M A P U R , M AY 1 4 (NPN): State’s principal opposition party NPF has accused the NDPP-led PDA government of being unable to come up with a concrete roadmap in managing COVID-19 pandemic even after the lapse of 50 days of the nationwide lockdown and mishandling the situation. Instead, the opposition party alleged that the ruling coalition was indulging in mischief and cited imposition of COVID-19 cess on petroleum products as a prime example, which it termed as a daylight robbery because major chunk of the burden would be borne by the have-nots, not those well off. In a press communiqué, NPF further accused chief minister Neiphiu Rio of taking Naga people for a ride.
Stranded Nagas across India plea to chief minister NTC concerned over return of
D I M A P U R , M AY 1 4 (NPN): Dimapur traffic police Thursday informed that the entry of heavy vehicles into Dimapur from Chumoukedima would be restricted from 9am till 3pm. According to Dimapur police PRO, the vehicles would be allowed to park beyond Jaranapani till such time and not near the Chumoukedima Police Check Post. Further, PRO informed that heavy vehicles entering Dimapur from Dellai and New Field Check Post would be restricted from 9am till 5pm.
Stranded passengers arrive from Delhi at Dimapur railway station, Thursday. (DIPR video grab)
Staff Reporter/PTI D I M A P U R , M AY 1 4 (NPN): The first special train (Rajdhani Express) from New Delhi carrying 26 stranded persons arrived Dimapur railway station Thursday at around 4 a.m. According to officials, 21 passengers were from Nagaland and the rest from Manipur. This was the first batch of stranded persons to return to Nagaland by train. All the passengers were screened at the station
D I M A P U R , M AY 1 4 (NPN): A group of Nagas stranded at various cities outside Nagaland, have formed a group styled as “All Cities COVID-19 Task Force for Nagaland”(ACC19TFN) on the evening of May 12 after a video conference . The ACC19TFN, has written to state chief minister Neiphiu Rio seeking his attention to some of the issues raised. While thanking the chief minister for the help given to stranded people, the signatories said they are at the forefront in the ‘Red Zones” and which needed urgent attention from the government of Nagaland. They have demanded transparency with regard to “special train arrangement” since there was lack of coordination and communication between the government appointed Point of Contact and student and church leaders working as
while those from Nagaland were taken to the quarantine centre at Agri Expo site, 4th Mile and the five passengers from Manipur left for their home state in a private vehicle from the station. Meanwhile, a total of 221 Nagaland residents stranded in other parts of the Northeast returned to the state on Tuesday and Wednesday and have been placed under institutional quarantine in Dimapur, Agriculture Production Commissioner and Dima-
frontline for the stranded Nagas. They demanded a special train arranged As Soon As Possible with confirmation of date of boarding, place and necessary formalities for the special train. ACC19TFN has also urged the state to consult with Naga students union in different states over policy on stranded Nagas. Further they have also urged the state to review COVID-19 Helpline which they said did not work 24x7 as mentioned. They have also urged the state government to update them on quarantine preparation such as- facilities provided, how many days of quarantine and whether quarantine would be district wise or whether all of them would be quarantined in Dimapur on arrival? They have also urged upon the chief minister to
pur district in-charge for COVID-19, Kikheto Sema said. Of the 221 returnees, 31 reached the state on Tuesday and 190 arrived late on Wednesday night, he said. “The 221 returnees will be screened and if found asymptomatic, will be placed under three days institutional quarantine and then 14 days home isolation. “However, those returning in trains from any state will mandatorily be kept in quarantine centres for 14 days,” Kikheto told PTI.
provide special financial packages since many of the stranded Nagas have not received the amount provided and that ACC19TFN members were being bombarded with queries about the financial help. ACC19TFN has said that the sum of Rs.10,000 announced for stranded Nagas willing to remain in different states was “discriminatory against many like-minded stranded Nagas.” They demanded that help should also be extended to all Nagas outside Nagaland including stranded Nagas within North East as “one-time benefit”. ACC19TFN also informed that they were trying their best to educate stranded Nagas to remain where they are, as many had not planned on returning. However, due to circumstances many who come from poor background and
KOHIMA, MAY 14 (NPN): Out of the 18,255 citizens of Nagaland stranded in different parts of the country who had filled up the returnees’ declaration form till 4:30 p.m. Thursday, 1,471 have voluntarily opted to stay back and filled up the required form on the portal iamstranded.nagaland.gov. in for availing the one-time assistance for Rs 10,000. On the other hand, the number of people from Nagaland stranded or in distress outside the State due to the nationwide lockdown who have received financial assistance has now risen to 24,261, comprising 18,829 working people, 5,214 students and 218 patients. Till date, Rs 9.53 crore had been disbursed for this purpose. This was stated by principal secretary (home) Abhijit Sinha during his daily brief-
working in mall, salons, restaurants, hotels, security agency, hospitality sectors have lost their jobs and have not received salaries since lockdown. ACC19TFN said all these were a vulnerable group whose conditions were worsening because their employers were not likely to restart business very soon. In addition, the stranded also included students in hostels, PGs which have been closed and were forced to stay with friends in rented rooms. There are also many stranded patients and those who need immediate evacuation to Nagaland, they said. ACC19TFN also said the longer the evacuation was delayed the worst will be the situation for the stranded Nagas as they are exposed to “racial discrimination” like other north easterners.
thousands after losing jobs
D I M A P U R , M AY 1 4 (NPN): Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has exp r e s s e d c o n c e r n ove r thousands of citizens of Nagaland stranded in different parts of India and now returning after losing their jobs. It feared that this would add to the unemployment problem. Mentioning that the State had no capacity to absorb all of them as there was no private company that could offer jobs, the council pointed out that there were already so many educated unemployed youth in Nagaland. There was no capital to run even a petty business while most educated youth waited for one or two advertisements for State government jobs in a year, it added. Regretting that the State (Cont’d on p-5) government had failed to
encourage establishment of major industries in Nagaland that could have provided employment to a large number of educated youth, NTC urged the government to immediately come up with an entrepreneurship development programme to address the issue of unemployment. The council welcomed the Naga people returning to the State, but appealed to all of them to be patient and to cooperate with lockdown rules and advisories and arrangements of the State government. It also urged them to remain in places where they were and stay safe till the coronavirus pandemic subsided. Expressing concern that the stranded people included patients who had gone out of the State for medical treatment, students
(Cont’d on p-5)
Dimapur traffic rule
IAF aircraft flies in medical equipment
DIMAPUR, MAY 14 (NPN): Indian Air Force CJ-130 aircraft Thursday arrived Dimapur with medical equipment for the state Health department and also books for the Nagaland Board of Secondary Education, officials informed. The aircraft arrived Dimapur from Bagdogra airport (Cont’d on p-5) at around 6.50 p.m. K Y M C
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NKVIS donates 500 masks to Dmu district administration
DC Dimapur Anoop Khinchi and Lolano DPRO along with Rebecca (2nd from right) and Dinesh. (DIPR)
DIMAPUR: Secretar y Nagaland Khadi and Village Industries Sangh (NKVIS) government of India, Dinesh donated 500 hand stitched cotton masks to deputy commissioner Dimapur, Anoop Khinchi on May 14. According to DIPR report, the cotton masks were hand stitched by Rebecca Sumi who underwent 3 months training under Prime Minister's
Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) in the year 2010. DC Dimapur, thanked NKVIS for their gesture and lauded Rebecca for practically using her skills gained through PMEGP. Dinesh informed that NKVIS paid minimal stitching charge to Rebecaa. She said that she could manage to stitch around 50 masks in a day and further said that the washable masks can last
news in Brief DC Tuensang relaxes shop timings: Deputy commissioner (DC) Tuensang Kumar Ramnikant has notified to all concerned that in the interest of public safety and health, and as decided in the meeting of the District Task Force on COVID-19 the following shop timing relaxations are notified: All shops and business establishments within the jurisdiction of Tuensang Town Council which fall under the exempted category will remain open for public from 7 a.m to 2 p.m only; Pharmacies and petrol pump may follow the regular timings. This order comes into force with immediate effect and shall remain enforced till further order. DC Mon informs stranded persons: Deputy commissioner, Mon Thavaseelan K has informed to all returning stranded persons of Mon district that the designated point of entry into the district either by rail, air or road shall be through Dimapur only. F&CS Dimapur informs fair price shops: Assistant director of Food and Civil Supplies, Dimapur, S. Kavito Aomi has notified all the fair price shops (FPS), both urban and rural that beneficiaries whose card are not yet printed are to avail the essential commodities through acknowledgement slip “Know Your Ration Entitlement”, issued by the concerned authority. No beneficiaries should be denied by any FPS dealers during this crisis and any FPS failing to comply shall be dealt sternly.
Ellide Dimapur to conduct online course
DIMAPUR: Ellide Dimapur will resume its courses from May 18, but students need not come to the institute but continue the course online from their respective homes. A press release from Ellide Dimapur centre head Swapan Kumar Dass informed that students will be provided laptops and net connectivity to complete their courses. Course process will include webinars, online interaction, online
assessment etc.To make up the lockdown and delay in the course completion, Ellide will provide a free course on cyber security and website hosting to all the current registered students. Ellide staff and faculty will be online to assist all the students. A similar step will be taken in other centres at Tizie, Pfutsero and Bhandari. For any queries, one may contact the helpline number 9774069075 or Whatsapp.
DDADU asks drivers to follow rules
DIMAPUR: Dimapur District Auto-Rickshaw Drivers Union (DDADU) has directed all auto-rickshaw drivers to adhere to the government order and not ply on road unless allowed by the concerned authority. In a press release, DDADU president, Tito Yeptho and general secretary, Temjen Lkr asked the drivers not to ply unless in a “genuine case or utmost emergency”. DDADU warned that the union would not take any responsibility of those auto-rickshaw drivers who defy its order.
upto one year. With the present situation where wearing masks has become mandatory, cotton masks can be a better option from the economic point of view, she added. Presently Rebecca trains around 8 unemployed people by charging minimal maintenance fees, while she also takes contract work from churches for stitching choir uniforms.
JDU Nagaland on judicious aid to stranded Nagas DIMAPUR: Janata Dal (United) Nagaland has urged upon the government that aids given to stranded Nagas outside the state should be done judiciously and that no genuine people were left out. A press release from Janata Dal (United) Nagaland publicity wing stated that, while empathizing with the hardship that the Nagas stranded outside were undergoing due to the nationwide lockdown, “the safety of the citizens of Nagaland is also of paramount importance.” JDU Nagaland is of the view that “if stranded Nagas can tolerate the hardship for some time, it is much way beneficial for Nagaland Government to shell out few crores of rupees on the few thousands stranded Nagas than to risk the lives of the lacs of Nagas within Nagaland”. While pointing out that “there are genuine Nagas who have not received the amount of Rs. 3000 & Rs. 4000 that was distributed last time and this issue must be immediately redressed,” the JDU Nagaland also stressed that Nagas working in hospitality sectors and in other fourth grade private sectors should be given more preference. JDU also appreciated the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (I) for their generosity to pay for the incoming fare of the stranded Nagas which was the first of its kind in such a situation and “history should be a witness to this kind gesture.” JDU also expressed that state executive machineries must be allowed to function more independently “from the frequent hassles and interference of political authorities so that life saving decisions are taken and executed without any procrastination.”
Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020
Fire contained at Circuit Colony Dimapur
Fire personnel dousing fire at Circuit Colony, Dimapur on May 13.
DIMAPUR: Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) Dimapur mobilized a quick response team from Fire Station Dimapur (Central) to control the fire which broke out at Circuit Colony Dimapur on May 13. A press release from F&ES Kohima
DoSE Nagaland online/tele education DIMAPUR: Principal director, directorate of School Education, Shanavas C has released the details of DoSE Nagaland online/tele education success story. According to DIPR report the principal director in his release stated that, when the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken many developed countries and our country is vigorously fighting to contain the spread of the deadly virus, the Education departments of states have been exploring ways and means to ensure keeping the young students in the right track during the lockdown. The only option parents have is to keep the energetic children occupied with TV and mobiles for the whole day and this may eventually leads to psychological depressions in children. Therefore, it is very much essential that children needs to be kept engaged in the continuous process of education, even during the lockdown period. Department of School Education, Nagaland commenced its milestone tele/ online education programme of broadcasting video and radio lessons through Doordarshan and All India Radio, Kohima from May 1. The department has invited applications from serving government and private school teachers residing in and around Kohima for delivering lessons through the digital media. Nearly 50 teachers have volunteered for rendering their services and a total of 23 teachers (11 from government schools and 12 from private schools) were selected through a screening process for executing the project. Presently, the telecast of lessons is being done for students of classes 8 to 10 and 12 and it was proposed to extend the same for students of classes 5 to 7 in the near future. Recording of the video
2nd DEATH ANNIVERSARY
lessons is done at the newly setup temporary studio at the directorate of School Education under the supervision of DoSE officers and the team “TakeOne Nagaland” has been wholeheartedly carrying out the task of the production of the video and audio recordings. Officials of Doordarshan Kendra, and All India Radio, Kohima have been extending cooperation and support beyond their call of duty for the successful execution of the programme. As ensuring maximum coverage for the DD and AIR broadcast across the State including the remote areas is very much essential for achieving the objectives of the programme, all the DEOs/Sr. SDEOs/SDEOs and school heads were requested to work in association with district administration in each district and made necessary arrangements for students who do not have the facilities to access the DD satellite telecast at home to view/listen the broadcast at a common place like village hall, school auditorium etc. The broadcast schedule is made in such a way that only two classes will be having the lessons on a particular day, so that children will not group up in large numbers in schools/village council halls where the telecasting is viewed. As people viewing TV telecast using private DTH service providers are unable to view the telecast as the service providers have not included the DD Kohima satellite transmission in their telecast list, the matter has been taken up with the ministry of Information and Broadcasting. All the videos telecasted through Doordarshan are also shared with public through the Youtube channel of the department, “DoSE Nagaland” and also
through the Facebook page “School Education, Nagaland” so that students, parents and teachers could download/access the videos during their leisure time and make best use of the telecast. The department also directed schools to device mechanism for preparation and circulation of notes for the lessons being broadcasted. The department proposes to make class wise DVDs of the entire telecast and distribute to interested persons at a nominal charge. The tele/online education programme of DoSE Nagaland has made a sensational hit in the social media with its Youtube registering 14,200+ subscribers within a short span of time of its launch. The tele/online education programme has earned the appreciations of people from different walks of life and thousands of students from other states have also subscribed to the Nagaland’s Youtube channel. It is worth mentioning here that as on May 12, Nagaland is the 14th state in India to launch the tele/online education programme during the COVID-19 lockdown. The department proposes to carry forward this initiative even after the lifting of lockdown so that the students’ community could make use of the expertise and experiences of the best teachers serving in the State Capital.
deputy SP T. Shilu Jamir informed that two kutcha houses used by tenant and as a garage were completely razed in the inferno, along with four vehicles and other household property. Two families were affected by the incident but
there was no casualty reported. Due to timely response from fire team, the fire was contained from further spreading to the surrounding houses. The cause of the fire is unknown. Response team was led by duty commander SI Bonom Konyak.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT “Naked I came from my Mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; May the name of the Lord be praised;” Job 1:21 We, the family and relatives of Lt. S. Yimtichongba offer our heartfelt gratitude to all the friends, neighbors, churches and well wishers who stood by us, comforted us and helped us bear the bitter up. We convey our heartfelt special thanks to:
April 18th 1996 – May 11th 2020 1. Bethesda Hospital Kohima 2. Phom Baptist Church Kohima 3. Shri. S. Pangnyu Phom & Family 17. Model Christian College, B.Sc 6th (Minister Health & Family Welfare) Semester 4. Yaongyimchen Staff Union Kohima 18. Kohima Intercollegiate 5. Yaongyimchen Students’ Unit 19. UESI (Kohima) Staff Kohima 20. Evangelical Graduate Fellowship 6. Yaongyimchen Fellowship Kohima Kohima 7. Yaongyimchen Senso Longleng 21. Evangelical Union Kohima 8. Phom Union Kohima 22. Phomla Hoichem Longleng 9. Phom Students’ Union Kohima 23. High School Ward Nyiha thü 10. Yachem Bühü Pangthei Kohima 24. High School Ward Longleng 11. Bhumnyu Union Kohima 25. High School Mates 12. Hukphang Union Kohima 26. Longleng Town Baptist Church 13. Mongtikang Union Kohima 27. Yaongyimchen Baptist Church 14. Pongching Union Kohima 28. Mongnyei Longkhum Longleng 15. Model Christian College 29. Lethi Chenchet Telok (Managing Director & Staff) 30. Hollyhock Boys 16. Model Christian College Kohima 31. Yimyachi Clan (2019 Batch) With immense gratitude to all well wishers, we deeply regret our ineptitude to thank each and every individual personally but it is our sincere Prayer that the Almighty God Bless you all abundantly. K-900
Loving Family Members & Relatives
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Late N. Toniho Chishi 15th May 2018
In life, we loved you dearly. In death we love you still. In our hearts you hold a place no one else will ever fill. DP-2335
K Y M C
Loving Wife and Children
Born on: 13/04/1933 – Died on: 10/05/2020 We the Bereaved family of Lt. Mhonrao Paulus Moran (C, Khel, Longsa Village, Wokha) would like to thank each and every individual who supported us spiritually and in various capacities especially to the Parish Priest of St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Longsa, during his prolonged illness and demise on 10/05/2020. We regret our inability to thank each and every individual but it’s our humble prayer that may our Almighty God bless you all abundantly. DP-2338
Loving Wife, Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren. K Y M C
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State
Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020
Lockdown: Government agencies continue to monitor preventive activities
DIMAPUR: Government has been continuing its efforts at combating the possible outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that preventive measures are followed accordingly. With the ongoing period of lockdown, many stranded persons have been relocated to their respective home districts and even outside the state. Many are also returning back home to Nagaland from other parts of India, where they have been quarantined at Dimapur for a time period. Meanwhile, legislators have been keeping track of the preparedness level in various districts by visiting the hospitals and health care centres prepared for COVID-19. Many civil organisations are also helping with voluntary service towards making the quarantine centres comfortable and hygienic.
Kohima DISTRICT
Kiphire DISTRICT
Tuensang DISTRICT
Members of Labourers’ Union Shamator giving final touch up to the Shamator College quarantine centre.
Organisations prepare quarantine centres
Quarantine centres in Shamator were given proper fixtures and cleaning by members of Labourers’ Union under its advisor Tsürido and Yimchungrü Berü Arihako Shamator Area (YBASA) led by Easter Kiumukam president and Tsürila cultural secretary as part of voluntarily service towards combating COVID-19. A press release from TFfC-10 media cell stated that Labourers Union fitted all broken glasses in Tongpang Ozukum interacting with Medical officers of Tseminyu CHC on May S. Pangnyu Phom, Kashiho Sangtam and Toshi Wungtung along with principal Shamator College campus, designated as quarantine centre for men and YBASA thoroughly cleaned the cultural hall at PWD 13. (DIPR) director F&FW at Pungro sub-division on May 14. (DIPR) Colony for women.
Tongpang and team visit Tseminyu
Minister of Housing and Mechanical and in-charge of Kohima District COVID-19, Tongpang Ozukum and advisors Dr. Nicky Kire, R. Khing visited Tseminyu on May 13, and held a meeting at ADC conference hall with all concerned department officers and all responsible stakeholders/NGOs on CONVID-19 problems including Rengma Hoho, RSU, Rengma Women Association, Rengma Selo-zi, and Village Chairmen Forum Tseminyu sub-div. According to DIPR report, Tongpang stressed on preventive and protective measures that were being undertaken by the government and appealed to all stakeholders and citizens in the sub-division to be more active in fighting against the deadly virus.
Legislators visit Pungro sub-division
He also gave assurance that sufficient PPEs would be issued immediately to Tseminyu in addition to three already available at CHC Tseminyu. ADC expressed gratitude towards district in-charge on COVID-19 and all concerned legislators for having deep concern for Tseminyu. He also apprised on problems of limited resources in the sub-division at this juncture in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. The team of legislators led by Tongpang also inspected CHC hospital and quarantine buildings/centres at Tseminyu. Others who accompanied the legislators included Kohima District Task Force (DTF) for COVID-19 led by Sr SP Kohima, K. Sophie Angami, DTO Dr. Asunu Thong.
Zunheboto DISTRICT
Minister of Health & Family pandemic as unity and cooperation Welfare S. Pangnyu Phom, minister of was the only way to resist this unseen Soil & Water Conservation, Geology & enemy. He also assured to extend full Mining, Kashiho Sangtam, advisor to cooperation and support during this IPR, SCERT & VG, Toshi Wungtung virulent fight. Advisor of IPR, SCERT along with the principal director, Health & VG Toshi Wungtung appreciated & Family Welfare visited Pungro sub- the village guards for their immense division on May 14 to take stock of pre- effort in taking charge of duty during paredness for COVID-19 pandemic. this crisis. According to DIPR report, Phom He also assured to supply high interacted with the Medical department transmission frequency walkie talkies to and conveyed satisfaction at prepared- the village guard for emergency use. ness with available equipments. He also He further encouraged the farmers appealed to the gathering to extend full to uphold traditional means of farming Kaito along with Khehovi and others during visit to District Hospital on May 14. (DIPR) cooperation to the administration and and storing grains for readiness. Medical department. ADC Pungro, Abinav Shivam Later, the team headed to GA Rest briefed about the mechanism of lockHouse for short interaction with civil down in Pungro block and extended Minister of Agriculture, G Kaito Aye and advisor, Toursocieties where the meeting was chaired gratitude to visiting team for the ism, Art & Culture, Khehovi Yeptho visited the District Hospital by deputy commissioner Kiphire, Sarita visit. Zunheboto (DHZ) and held a meeting with concerned officials. Yadav. Speaking to the NGOs Kashiho He also thanked Pungro based According to DIPR report, the meeting was to review the updates Sangtam, asked all to unite and stand NGOs and TFP for their relentless ef- on various measures undertaken and assess the preparedness for grains, groceries, milk, and medicine firm together in the fight against the fort during this period. COVID-19 at the DC’s residence, Zunheboto town. in the state. Further, the report stated that, there was no restriction on movement of essential service providers like electricity, telecom facilities, medical facilities etc and personnel/workers in DIMAPUR: On May 14, the final 4444 stranded people from Kohima 394 passengers to Phek, 25 buses district assisted and provided admanufacturing units and commercial day of the transportation exercise, to all districts of the state and has carrying 337 passengers to Dimapur, ditional private buses numbering to vehicles for distribution of essential the Kohima district administration dispatched a total of 166 buses in 6 buses carrying 191 passengers to 20. He said altogether 59 buses was dispatched 12 buses to Mon car- total. Out of the 166 buses 6 buses Zunheboto and 5 buses carrying 130 pressed into service and under the commodities and e-commerce. strict supervision and assistance of Suitable arrangements have been rying 279 passengers and 9 empty carrying 176 passengers were dis- passengers to Wokha. Meanwhile, more than 2000 KUK the stranded Konyak people in made for providing food & shelter buses to Dimapur as requested by patched to Mokokchung, 42 buses to migrant workers affected by the the Dimapur district administration. carrying 1212 passengers to Mon, people from Mon district stranded Kohima could be deported successCOVID-19 restrictions. 4 (four) active According to DIPR report, the relo- 33 buses carrying 893 passengers in Kohima was deported Thursday. fully on Thursday. KUK thanked relief camps where 61 (sixty one) la- cation exercise of stranded people to Tuensang, 18 buses carrying 566 KUK president Dr.W. Phola Konyak the district administration Kohima, bourers were housed and from 4 (four) in Kohima which started on May 7 passengers to Kipheri, 12 buses car- in a release stated that considering Mon district legislators, ENLU and active food camps more than 1370 (one came to an end on May 14. Kohima rying 340 passengers to Longleng, the limited period of the inter-dis- all the concerned organizations and thousand three hundred seventeen) district administration has worked 3 buses carrying 76 passengers to trict movement and the large number different wards in Kohima town daily wagers/needy people were pro- tirelessly throughout the eight days Peren, 4 buses carrying 129 pas- of people stranded in Kohima, he for extending help to the stranded and has facilitated the relocation of sengers to Noklak, 12 buses carrying said the elected members from Mon people of Mon district. vided with food and dry rations.
Kaito and Khehovi visit DHZ
Report on COVID-19 law & order across the state State Emergency Operation Centre Control room COVID-19, Home department has issued the report on law & order across the state as on May 14. According to DIPR report, joint secretary Hiazu Meru stated that 3 (three) persons violated the lockdown process and 5 (five) persons were bound down and from various sections fine imposed under MV Act - Rs, 54.550. Further the report stated that vehicles challaned were 324. Shops for food grains and groceries medicine were opened in all districts except Longleng and Wokha. Shops for milk were also opened in all the districts except Mokokchung, Longleng and Wokha and there was no report of any shortage of food
nagalandpost.com Poll Q.: Even after lifting of lockdown, should there be some restrictions? 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
A B C
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A
B
Yes. No. Can’t Say.
C
83% 0% 17%
Next poll
Q: Has the Centre failed
to care for the migrant labourers? Yes. No. Can’t Say.
WEATHER FORECAST May 15
(Temperature in ºC)
Max Min
Agartala Clouds giving way to some sun 34 25
A t-storm around in the p.m.
29 18
Guwahati A t-storm around in the a.m.
32 22
Aizawl Imphal
A thunderstorm in spots
29 17
Itanagar Partly sunny, a stray t-storm 30 19 Shillong A shower and t-storm around 22 15 Kohima
A morning thunderstorm or two 23 15
Dimapur A morning t-storm in the area Mkg
Tuensang A morning t-storm in spots Wokha
31 20
Partly sunny, a stray t-storm 25 15 18 12
Partly sunny, a stray t-storm 25 18
Zunheboto Partly sunny, a stray t-storm 21 13
K Y M C
Relocation exercise of stranded people concludes in Kohima
State govt issues standard operating procedure for people entering Nagaland DIMAPUR: The state government, in a notification by the ACS & finance commissioner and convenor, Empowered Group, Sentiyanger Imchen, has informed on the standard operating procedure (SOP) for people entering Nagaland. According to DIPR report, the procedures are: 1. The deputy commissioners of the districts of Nagaland have been designated nodal authority for receiving stranded persons to the State. 2. Persons returning from green and orange zones will be screened upon arrival and if found to be asymptomatic, shall undergo institutional quarantine for 3 (three) days and thereafter be placed under mandated home quarantine for 14 (fourteen) days. Necessary documentation and mandatory download of mobile app for monitoring shall be completed at the institutional quarantine facility. 3. Persons returning from red zones or crossing red zone areas enroute to Nagaland, shall be screened at designated screening facilities and will undergo 14 (fourteen) days of institutional quarantine and thereafter undergo 14 (fourteen) days home quarantine. 4. The stranded returnees inbound for Dimapur, Mon and Peren shall
be initially quarantined at Dimapur and sent to their districts to complete their mandated quarantine period in the designated district quarantine centres or home quarantine as the case may be. 5. The returnees inbound to the rest of the districts shall be quarantined at Kohima initially and thereafter be sent to respective districts to complete the remaining quarantine period in the designated district quarantine centres or home quarantine as the case may be. By road on arrival by state/self-arranged vehicles at designated Dimapur Check Gate (2 PM -4 PM): 1. To avoid overcrowding at the Dimapur Check Gate, all returnees shall be escorted first to Agri Expo Dimapur. 2 . A t A g r i E x p o, screening and segregation will be done. Those found asymptomatic shall be allowed to proceed to the quarantine center. 3. The Medical depar tment will identify those returnees showing symptoms and forward them to the designated medical facility for further treatment. 4. On arrival at the respective quarantine centres, the Medical department will take over start-
ing with registration and documentation. On arrival at Dimapur Railway Station: 1. Transport department/committee will arrange sufficient fleet of buses to ferry the returnees from the railway station to Agri Expo and thereafter to quarantine centre. 2. The Medical department will install sufficient numbers of camera thermal scanners to screen multiple passengers at a time. 3. Those found asymptomatic shall be allowed to proceed to the Agri Expo site under police escort, for registration and segregation and thereafter will be placed in various predesignated quarantine centres. 4. The Medical depar tment will identify those returnees showing symptoms and forward them to the designated medical facility for further treatment. 5. Upon arrival at the Agri Expo site, the returnees will be screened, segregated and despatched to various quarantine centres at Dimapur/Kohima. On arrival at Dimapur Airport: 1. Medical department shall thermal screen every passenger. Asymptomatic passengers shall be ferried to the Agri Expo site in designated buses
arranged by the Transport department, with Police escort. Symptomatic passengers shall be taken to the designated medical facility for further line of treatment. 2. On arrival at the Agri Expo site, returnees shall be screened, segregated and shall be placed in the various predesignated quarantine centres either in Dimapur or Kohima. 3. Vehicles will not be allowed into the airport area. By road on arrival by state/self arranged vehicles at designated Kohima Check Gate (2-4 PM): 1. The Medical department will screen the returnees and those with symptoms will be forwarded to the designated medical facility for further treatment. 2. Those asymptomatic retur nees shall be allowed to proceed to quarantine centres under police escort. 3. On arrival at the respective quarantine centres, the Medical department will take over starting with registration and documentation. Entry by personal vehicles at Dimapur Check Gates/Kohima Check Gates (2-4 PM): 1. Those returnees entering through Dimapur Check Gates (Dillai Check
Gate/New Field Check Gate) will undergo the institutional quarantining at Dimapur quarantine centres irrespective of the district to which they are finally bound for. 2. Similarly, those returnees entering through Kohima Check Gate (Khuzama Check Gate) will undergo the institutional quarantining at Kohima quarantine centres irrespective of the district to which they are finally bound for. Quarantine Centres
Home Quarantine 1. Protocol for home quarantine will be as per the provisions notified by the Medical department. 2. All persons before proceeding for home quarantine shall be stamped with quarantine stamp on the back of the palm of the left hand at the quarantine centers. The stamp will mention the date upto which the person is required to be under home quarantine. In addition, the indelible ink will also be applied on the right-hand thumb
from the top of the nail to the bottom of the joint. Institutional Quarantine 1. Protocol for institutional quarantine will be as per the provisions notified by the Medical department. Quarantine of Medical Patients returning to Nagaland 1. Protocol for quarantining of medical patients and their attendants will be as per the SOP made by the Medical department in this regard.
K Y M C
4
OPINiON/EDITORIAL
Nagaland Post
Post-mortem
Vol. XXx NO. 158 Dimapur, FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020
The Chinese connection
W
hile the Wuhan virus continues to spread across the world infecting 44,67,752 people and causing 2,99,553 deaths as on May 14,2020 the world is desperately looking for the vaccine but by which time, perhaps after a year or so, the infections and deaths could see a geometric rise. The foremost question in the minds of people across the world is who is responsible for such a terrible catastrophe? Could the spread of the virus have been better tackled so that it did not take the form of a pandemic? Various media reports including statements from health and other government officials, especially the US pin the blame squarely on the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) for not being forthcoming with details of the virus which was reported to have first occurred at Wuhan. Interestingly, the Wuhan Institute of Virology(WIV) laboratory had been doing research on the virus since 2018. The WIV had carried out research on bat coronaviruses is a matter of public record. China has repeatedly been accused of lacking transparency in the early stages of the outbreak, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Beijing “needs to come clean” on what they know. In December 2019,cases of pneumonia associated with an unknown coronavirus were reported to health authorities in Wuhan. The Institute checked and found the new virus was 96 percent identical to a sample its researchers had taken from horseshoe bats in southwest China. A respected author and China expert Professor Clive Hamilton said the earliest cases of COVID-19 were in people who had no contact with the Wuhan wet market. This would suggest that the virus may have escaped or was leaked through a laboratory assistant at WIV. China lied about the human-to-human transmission of coronavirus and made whistleblowers disappear and refused to help nations develop a vaccine, a leaked intelligence dossier reveals. Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang who posted online reports about the virus, later contracted it after being silenced by local police. He died on February 7. China has been accused of covering up the severity of the pandemic after it started, costing the world vital weeks of preparation time. The World Health Organisation(WHO) the apex body dealing with worldwide epidemics and pandemics has also been found to be complicit in parroting Chinese propaganda.WHO director general Dr.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in particular suppressed facts about the outbreak according to a German Intelligence Agency(BND). According to BND, president Xi reportedly asked Tedros not to announce that the virus could be transmitted between humans and to delay any declaration of a coronavirus pandemic during a meeting on January 21,2020. That was why WHO refused to declare a “public health emergency of international concern.”However, after mounting evidence of widespread outbreak, WHO finally on January 30 declared the outbreak as a “public health emergency of international concern.” By then the virus had spread worldwide and only on March 11, did Dr.Tedros finally declare a pandemic. By then it was nine weeks lost to contain the massive invasion. The US has stopped funding to the tune of over $500 and demanded that Dr.Tedros step down. Even if steps down, WHO will continue to remain a nest of vested interests. The statements of other WHO officials in high positions reveal they belong to the same camp as Tedros. Unless the truth comes out the world will never be safe.
DailyDevotion The Habit of Enjoying Adversity
…that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. —2 Corinthians 4:10 We have to develop godly habits to express what God’s grace has done in us. It is not just a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that “the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” And it is adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh. Is my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the basic irritation of “myself” that I would have apart from Him? The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me. No matter how difficult something may be, I must say, “Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this.” Instantly, the Son of God will move to the forefront of my life, and will manifest in my body that which glorifies Him. You must not debate. The moment you obey the light of God, His Son shines through you in that very adversity; but if you debate with God, you grieve His Spirit (see Ephesians 4:30). You must keep yourself in the proper condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is. Discovering a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God’s sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to “supply all your need” (Philippians 4:19). Keep your soul properly conditioned to manifest the life of the Son of God. Never live on your memories of past experiences, but let the Word of God always be living and active in you.
Quotes
If you do not think about your future, you cannot have one. ~ John Galsworthy
Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020
T
Purging of the Naga mind-set
he COVID-19 pandemic from just out of nowhere has swooped over entire mankind leaving us Clueless, defenseless and panicstricken as we silently hope against all odds that it will suddenly vanish; Our only Weapon at hand, as on date, ‘TO BREAK THE CHAIN’. We have persevered for some 50 odd days … since the clarion call of the Honorable Prime Minister of India for a National Lock down. The collateral damage caused by the silent bomb is massive and pervasive. It is time we regroup the scattered forces and chalk out a strategy of defense against the mighty second wave of this onslaught. Back in our home state, we too have our own share of introspections to do and concrete steps to be under taken. First thing first, the immediate step required is to ensure the safety and security of our brothers and sisters stranded outside the state. The State Government should take an urgent call on whether to bring them back and risk the possible spread of the pandemic or to make them stay wherever they are, while ensuring full logistic/ monetary support thereby ‘breaking the Chain’. O B V IOU S C O N CLUSIONS: Oblivious as we are to reality, we can perhaps, at the risk of repetition, draw some obvious conclusions from this ordeal of Covid-19
pandemic. Hospitals & Health Care system: Thank God, Nagaland has or had nil cases of Covid-19 positive till date. It is really un-imaginable, had the situation been otherwise. Are we as a state so pathetic that we cannot even afford to detect the disease, let alone treat them? Is it not time, that as a 56 year old seasoned state, we can boast about at least a few state of the art Hospitals backed up by some well equipped Research centers. Technical & Higher Education: The scene remains the same for other technical and higher education centers like Engineering colleges, IT institutes. Is it not time that we boast of at least a few indigenously designed and developed infrastructures of public utility at least starting with paved roads with proper drainage systems. Tourism & Sports: With due apologies to the think tank that conceptualized the Festival of Festivals-‘The Hornbill festival’,- the major tourist attraction event, it is indeed sad that we have not progressed too far ahead. Hornbill festival has become nothing but an empty shell making loud noises. After all these years we have failed to capitalize on the economic potential of building on to the platform. The world is still interested in getting a glimpse of our culture, but do we have the infrastructure to host them. Are we ensuring that our
guests receive value for money spent? Sports as an industry needs no mention in Nagaland because the contribution it has made, and the infrastructure and potential avenues it offers is, sadly, nil. Universal Basic Education: Perhaps, the Universal basic Education is one area where we can feel and see a semblance of Governance in our state. Nagaland today can boast of being one of the most Literate states in India. The euphoria, however, is short lived, when we come to think on the quality of education imparted; Mugging up a few lines can in no way match up to the ingrained moral and ethical values applied in real life, the absence of which is very visible. The idea of On-line classes as a stopgap arrangement is indeed praise worthy, though the ground reality only reflects the decades of apathetic attitude of successive government in term of all round development. The online availability of a live streaming class in the all corners of Nagaland is perhaps too ambitious a project as on date, which may possibly, rather than serving the purpose of educating all, act as a catalyst of increasing the socio-economic disparity between the miniscule well connected (to the capital City with infrastructural proximity) and the major chunk of not so well connected (read as students studying in Nagaland other
May God revive the wisdom in you
A
fter so much of drama of preparation for quarantine centres and travel arrangement for stranded Nagas, now there seems to be a U-turn to go back to square one. Civil societies were scantily seen when Nagas outside were dying, being humiliated, chased out from their rent house, and were sleeping hungry. But now many have come up with sophisticated writings with bombastic vocabularies. Govt. seems to be convinced to be under the dictate of civil societies as always, brushing aside numerous memoranda and frantic SoS appeals from stranded Nagas. Now is the best time to bring back our people back home. Why? Because all are still locked inside their own homes till this point of time which means there is very less chance of being infected. Keep on extending/stopping them and when lockdown is relaxed/lifted all will start coming home on their own. By then they will be compelled to be exposed which means higher chances of getting infected. So by stopping/delaying evacuation of stranded people we are inviting more danger into our State. Not all Nagas outside are trying to come back to Nagaland, only those who have no other option but to go back home are. Majority are from poor background who went out to earn something for their poor parents at home. Many Nagas have been buried, some even cremated, outside during this lockdown. The cause of their deaths may not be starvation but am sure it will be nothing less than starvation. I am still waiting for the announcement from the govt. of ex-gratia to the next of kin. If stranded Nagas are not evacuated then many more deaths might follow (God forbid I pray). In case of any eventuality will those civil societies and govt take full responsibility? Majority of stranded Nagas are in acute shortage of everything, not just money alone. I have seen 18 Nagas accommodated in one room. I came across a boy who was having just one meal a
than Kohima&Dimapur) students. The Economy: Basic Economics teaches us that for every credit there has to be a corresponding debit and vice versa, which is why any economic statement is called a ‘Balanced sheet’. Our Balance sheet is however totally unbalanced – be it the Government or the public. While our Government has to literally beg from the central Government to run the Government in terms of payment of salaries, development of infrastructure or any other policies with negligible income source, the same is true of the public balance sheet- whatever salaries/income we receive is directly and immediately remitted to outside Nagaland in the form of purchases. Where then is the reserve. As long as we are complacent with the present situation, we can never expect to save and develop as a state/ group. Despite the existence of the state for more than half a century, we are economically where we were just as our ancestors; we still have to depend on the products from outside the state: nay our forefathers were more or less self reliant atleast when it came to the staple food like rice and vegetables. Fifty Six years thence nothing has changed except for the erection of tall structures for private use. Meaningful economic activity remains nil, avenues for economic growth non-existant. The vicious cycle will continue
unless we do something to ‘break the chain’. Socio-Political: From an avowed man and woman of INTEGRITY, we have strayed way too far from where our proud ancestors once stood to the exact opposite of being spineless& cheap hypocrites. We have morally regressed so far that the great oral tradition passed on to us by our fore-fathers, when relayed through our generation will no longer carry the same weight of sanctity. This is evident in the way we conduct our every day affairs of social relations or political affairs. A Vicious cycle of ‘selling of votes– irresponsible behavior of elected representatives-individual aggrandizement – nil social development’ has a cascading effect on our social lives as well. The flow of easy money that oils the cog in the vicious cycle has eroded our morality so low that we have produced so many lazy, pamperedand spoiled Princes and Princesses from a state that survives on begging from the centre. How then do we ‘break the chain’? Perhaps, it is time we introduce Income & Wealth Tax in Nagaland and if only possible a ‘Time Tax’ to drive in the true meaning of value and Value systems: a turn around to hold dear the intrinsic value of Time, money and thereby efficiency in all spheres. Just as the Lock down has and is playing a very crucial role in ‘breaking the chain’of the spread of
the Covid-19 pandemic, we need a lock down on the way we think, act and live. Our Naga mind set needs a total overhaul from the two opposing but equally dangerous attitudes of easy going ‘hoi-jabo’ and ‘moilagamati, moilagahawa, moilagapani’ syndrome. It is time we embrace and practice Work ethics while ensuring equality in terms of opportunities (without isms). The state can and ought to think in terms of creating opportunities for all, to depart from the archaic thinking of the government spoon feeding the masses to a government facilitating and ensuring equal earning opportunities for all. Perhaps the silver lining of the recent pandemic is the development of a negative vibe against China that has become the manufacturing capital of the world. If only we can capitalize on this opportunity and attract even a miniscule percentage of those Multi-national companies moving out of China with the state Government designing an attractive package to woo investment in our state and ensuring logistic support while we public shed the ‘land owner’ mentality and grant uninterrupted access through long term lease agreements; that would perhaps be the first chink in the chain… our past misdeeds would then be purged:we would then have begun to ‘break the chain’. Dr. Sunepsungla, Dimapur
Desert Locust- A Harbinger of Plague
I
am sure that each of us has daily insights about the pandemic which has dulled our world with countless lives that we have lost and unequivocally countless lives that are at stake. We are glued to our gadgets and big screens with updates on the meteoric spike of COVID-19 cases in India, thereby, ingesting news of only the pandemic. Therefore, to keep apace to other happenings around the globe, I cogitated that I would draw your attention to another catastrophe that has engulfed few parts of our globe apart from this current pandemic. With attention almost totally consumed by the pandemic, the locusts plague in East Africa has tumbled down the priority list. Several countries across multiple agro-climatic zones ranging from Africa, Middle East to Asia are reeling under unprecedented locusts attack. East Africa is in the midst of a crisis that sounds like something out of the Book of Exodus: a plague of locusts spread across the region threatening the food supply of tens of millions. City-sized swarms of the dreaded pests are wreaking havoc as they descend on crops and pasturelands, devouring everything in a matter of hours. The scale of the locust outbreak, which now affects eight East African countries, is like nothing in recent memory. The insects behind the
mayhem are desert locusts, which despite their name, thrive following periods of heavy rainfall that triggers blooms of vegetation across their normally arid habitats in Africa and the Middle East. Experts say a prolonged bout of exceptionally wet weather, including several rare cyclones that struck Eastern African and the Arabian Peninsula over the last 18 months, is the primary culprit. Unfortunately, several experts opined that it may be a harbinger of things to come as rising sea surface temperatures supercharge storms and climate change tips the scales in favour for the year’s trans-oceanic disasters. The situation in East Africa is an additional blow to food security which is also facing economic disruption from the pandemic response. It is predicted that more than 25 million people in East Africa will experience food insecurity in 2020 with the locusts’ infestations compounding the situation. In addition, India has also suffered from the locust attacks. Crops like oilseeds, cumin and wheat across 1.7 lakh hectares of farmlands have been affected by locust swarms. Farmers in Rajasthan and Gujarat have been facing attacks from locust swarms since December 2019 after the swarm entered from Pakistan through Jalore and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan and then
spread across Banaskantha, Patan and Mehsana districts of Gujarat. Rajasthan bore the brunt of the locust attack with 1, 49,821 hectares of farmlands damaged and 18,727 hectares in Gujarat was affected. However the country has for now brought the situation under control after substantial damage to crops in Rajasthan and Gujarat. There are fears, albeit, that the situation may aggravate with the onset of monsoon in June. Amid the pandemic, India’s response to natural disasters is expected to be tested again this summer when a giant locust swarm from the Horn of Africa is expected to attack farmlands in South Asia. If this unforeseen event turns to reality, India would have to prepare for a “two front war”- one, which is the ongoing current pandemic and another to ensure food security- in anticipation of the locust attacks on farms. Nevertheless, in retrospection of my article “Every cloud has a silver lining’; it is evident that nature is reclaiming its spaces as a result of closure and lockdowns of several countries amidst the pandemic. This gives us hope that the quick recuperation of our environment may withheld the changes in climate, thereby, aiding to keep the plague in India at bay. Alino Sumi
day to save money. I have come across some who had to wait hungry for relief team to cook their meal. I have seen some who had to manage just with some biscuits and corporation water because they did not have rice and dal to cook. Many of our girls have been pulled out from their flats. Calling them coronavirus and spreading the rumour that they are corona patients are rampant. They are denied from buying ration and grocery. Flat owners have been asking some of our Naga friends to vacate the flat with the excuse of flat renovation or repair works. Some colleges are closing down hostels and PGs and advising their students to go home with the help of state govt. I have also come across some Nagas being sheltered in shelter homes. In most of the cases police choose not to take action until top officials start involving. All resources have been dried up now, including emotional and psychological back-up. At such a juncture when everyone was anxiously and frantically waiting for evacuation as promised, govt. of Nagaland had taken a sudden U-turn and is offering an appeasing Rs. 10,000. Will this money keep them alive till the pandemic pass? Will this money assure them safety? Will this money boost them emotionally? Can they buy favour of those stupid Indians who purposely act to let them suffer? It’s time to do away with selfish mentality of “until we are safe your suffering and pain doesn’t matter us. Stay where you are because we don’t want to stay home.” It’s our own sons and daughters, our own brothers and sisters, and not corona that want to come home. My dear Nagas at home, civil societies and govt kindly think of Sir, all the above mentioned hardships One cannot imagine the stress that those working hard to bring back thousands of stranded (many more have not been cited) Nagas go through. I appreciate the government and those serving the state for what they’re doing of your own people outside before as it is not an easy task. you say, write or decide. May God None of us, not even the first world countries were ready for a pandemic. In fact I believe speak to you and help you revive the government has been doing it’s very best with Nagaland still being a developing state. We are in the comfort of our own homes, grumbling about what could have been done, but we don’t the wisdom in you. realise there are many who work tirelessly and don’t even get to sleep. We as humans must apHetovi Ayemi, Pastor NCF Kolkata hetoviayemi@yahoo. preciate them. Lanula Ao, Dimapur com Reader’s note: Articles or letters published in any of the columns do not reflect the view of this newspaper nor that of the Editor in any manner.
Reader’s Post Let us not be too critical
national/state
5
‘Work from home’ to be new normal for government offices post lockdown
Govt announces free 5 kg grain, 1 kg pulses to 8 crore migrants for 2 months
Personnel Ministry issue draft guidelines
NEW DELHI, MAY 14 (PTI): ‘Work from home’ may become a new normal post-lockdown for government employees to ensure social distancing norms till the coronavirus pandemic is checked. Draft guidelines in this regard have been circulated by the Personnel Ministry to all central government departments asking them to send their comments on it by May 21, failing which, it would be presumed that they are in agreement with the proposed draft. Preparing for life amid COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry said that the steps were being initiated because the virus necessitated many ministries to operate from home to maintain social distancing. According to the draft, the government may provide option for work from home to the eligible officers and staff for 15 days in a year as a matter of policy. There are 48.34 lakh central government employees. “Many of the ministries and departments in government have successfully managed and rendered exemplary results in combat against the ongoing pan-
demic outbreak during the lockdown period by leveraging e-office and video conferencing facilities of National Informatics Centre (NIC). This was the first of its kind of experience in Government of India,” it said. It is quite likely that for the near future, the central secretariat will continue to go for staggered attendance and variable working hours to maintain social distancing at workplace, the ministry said. “Therefore, a broad framework for work from home is important to standardize the operating procedure even post-lockdown situation and to ensure safety and security of information, while access-
Nationwide COVID-19 confirmed cases cross 80k NEW DELHI, MAY 14 (PTI): Nationwide tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases crossed 80,000 on Thursday with many more getting detected for the deadly virus infection across states. The death toll crossed 2,500, while more than 27,500 have recovered so far. In its daily morning update, the Union Health Ministry said the death toll due to COVID-19 has risen 2,549 and the number of cases has climbed to 78,003, registering an increase of 134 deaths and 3,722 cases in the last 24 hours since Wednesday 8 AM. It put the number of active COVID-19 cases at 49,219 and said 26,234 people have recovered, giving a recovery rate of 33.63 %. However, a PTI tally of figures announced by different states and union territo-
ries, as of 9.10 p.m., put the total number of confirmed cases much higher at 81,634. It also showed at least 2,572 deaths and 27,537 recoveries so far.
Nagaland COVID-19: Results of 18 awaited
DIMAPUR, MAY 14 (NPN): Out of 891 COVID19 suspected samples sent for testing from the State till date, 873 samples have tested negative, while results of the remaining 18 samples are awaited, principal secretary home, Abhijit Sinha said on Thursday. Further, 20 samples tested by TrueNat machine have were negative, he said. Altogether 7,228 persons were screened on Thursday and 348 persons are under facility quarantine, he added.
ing government files and information remotely from home,” it said. The draft has given broad Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that will ensure smooth and seamless functioning of the government for continuity of the office works besides imparting resilience in the ecosystem even in postlockdown situation. Employees will be provided with logistic support in the form of laptops or desktops by the respective ministries or departments and employees will be reimbursed for Internet services that they would use while working from home. “Department of Expenditure may consider reimbursement for data uses
to the officers working from home and if required may issue separate guidelines in this regard,” the draft guidelines said. However, the draft makes it clear that papers marked “classified or secret” will not be processed while working from home for the time being till the NIC evaluates existing security protocol for remote access of classified files and information in consultation with Home Ministry and propose suitable guidelines and SOP for handling such material on e-office. “Till the time classified files shall be processed on standalone computers only as specified in the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure (CSMOP),” it said. The personnel ministry said the officers to whom official laptops are provided shall ensure that they do the official work on the official device only. “The NIC shall ensure that their devices are well protected against malware and malicious websites. The officers who are working on their personal computers or laptops shall ensure installing regular updates,
running antivirus scans, blocking malicious sites, etc with the help of NIC to ensure safety of their device against information theft,” the proposed guidelines said. It is also proposed to have an extra protocol for all VIP and Parliament matters that require utmost attention. “Therefore, SMS alerts be sent for all such receipts and files to the next officer in the channel,” it said. The draft guidelines said ministries and departments concerned, who are not yet using the e-office module, would make endeavour for its expeditious implementation in their secretariat, attached and subordinate offices in a “time-bound manner”. Presently about 75 ministries and departments are actively using e-office platform of which 57 have achieved more than 80 per cent of their work using this platform which includes digitisation and computerisation of office work. Officers who are working from home shall be available on phone as per requirements and directions of their officers, it said.
Nagaland: Indian troops maintaining ‘posture’ Foreigners’ visa along border with China: Army Chief extended further NEW DELHI, MAY 14 with other global or local D I M A P U R , M AY 1 4 (NPN): Commissioner of police (CP) and foreigners registration officer (FRO) Dimapur has informed that regular visa, e-visa or stay stipulation for foreign nationals, who were stranded in Dimapur due to COVID19 pandemic, would be extended on “gratis” basis. In a circular, CP and FRO Dimapur informed that for extension of visa the foreigners should submit online application at https://indianfrro.gov.in/ frro (Dimapur FRO helpline no 7085065056/e-mail fro-nadpr@nic.in). It stated that such extensions would be granted for a period up to 30 days from the date of lifting of prohibition on international air travel of passengers from India without levy of overstay penalty.
(PTI): Indian troops were maintaining their “posture” along the border with China while infrastructure development in the frontier areas was on track, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane said on Thursday, days after personnel of the two countries were locked in two separate incidents of violent face-offs. Gen Naravane said the incidents in Eastern Ladakh and North Sikkim involved aggressive behaviour by Chinese and Indian troops resulting in minor injuries to personnel from both the sides. The Army Chief said both sides “disengaged” after dialogue and interaction at the local level. “It is reiterated that both these incidents are neither co-related nor do they have any connection
activities,” he told journalists when asked about the face-offs. “All such incidents are managed by established mechanisms where-in local formations from both sides resolve issues mutually as per established protocols and strategic guidelines given by the prime minister after the Wuhan and Mamallapuram summits,” Gen Naravane said. He said Indian Border troops have always been upholding peace and tranquillity along the border areas. “I can say with confidence that development of infrastructure capabilities along our northern borders is on track. Our force posture will not suffer due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
NPF accuses PDA of mishandling COVID situation NTC concerned over return of (From p-1) during his 11 years tenure the advice of the finance thousands after losing jobs Referring to the meet- at the helm made for a good department and go through ing with civil society organisations (CSOs) here on Wednesday, the party regretted that instead of delving into issues pertaining to the pandemic, Rio focused on matters that had no relevance to the current situation like the State’s budgetary deficit. He perhaps confused the meeting with CSOs with budget session of Nagaland Legislative Assembly, the party added. T h e c o m mu n i q u é stated that he must have brought the deficit issue at the meeting also due to his guilty conscience as he had started his tenure as chief minister in 2003 with zero deficit after the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government magnanimously gave a one-time grant to wipe out the State’s deficit. Now for him to blame the DAN-III government for the huge deficit that he had incurred
comedy show, it added wryly. NPF asked Rio why he did not made a factual statement based on finance department records, if he really wanted the people to know the budgetary figures and made comparisons. Instead of making false and unverified claims just to portray his good image, the party dared him to be bold enough to present factual information to the people. The opposition party further questioned Rio why he did not share the 20192020 closing deficit figure of Rs 2,234.85 crore, in which Rs 500-plus crore was added during his twoyear tenure as chief minister since March 2018. And if he was still in a state of denial due to his limited knowledge on how the State’s deficit continued to soar during his reign, the party asked him to take
records, rather than coming up with false statements time and again. NPF also wondered why the chief minister had to rake up the issues of delimitation and Naga political issue at the meeting with the CSOs. Observing that there had been no significant breakthrough in the Naga peace process in the past two years, the opposition party alleged that at a time when Government of India and Naga groups were hoping to seal a final deal, the only thing he had being doing was rushing to meet Central government leaders to cement his position post a final agreement. According to the opposition party, from issues of bringing back stranded Nagas to setting up proper quarantine centres, Rio had terribly failed in every aspect, which reflected his poor leadership.
Need to evacuate stranded Nagas soon, says WSH (From p-1) It admitted that bringing back the stranded people was a matter of grave concern and posed a very high risk. WSH, however, said that “we cannot shy away from this challenge and keep them outside indefinitely”. It stated that one can tell when this COVID-19 pandemic could be contained. WSH also said that one cannot expect the government to keep on providing all the basic needs to thousands stranded outside. “Many of them have been rendered jobless without any resources and have to
return back by any means,” WSH stated. According to WSH, the stranded people included those who had gone for medical treatment, senior citizens, students and those working outside. WSH has, however, expressed belief that the government would take all necessary steps and work out a meticulous plan in a phased manner to bring back the stranded citizens. WSH has also appealed to those returnees to strictly follow all the guidelines and procedures laid down by the authorities.
(From p-1) and people who were engaged in various private companies but were without jobs now, the council lamented over the manner many lost their jobs, forced to vacate their rented houses and were without any means to live and hence were coming back home now. M e a n w h i l e, N T C stressed that safety and security of frontline health workers and security personnel were also important and demanded that they be provided with World Health Organisation-approved personal protective equipments
(PPEs). Also thanking the State government for making elaborate arrangements to bring back over 18,000 of “our own” suffering stranded people from various parts of the country, the council noted that the first batch of stranded people had arrived from neighbouring Assam on May 13, while another batch from Delhi had arrived the following day. And very soon the people would enter the State on a daily basis. This was stated in a press release by NTC president Toniho Yepthomi and general secretary Nribemo Ngullie.
DDVCCA urges govt to identify porous borders
(From p-1) It asserted that Dimapur, the gateway of Nagaland, plays a very important role in many spheres especially during these pandemic crises, adding that role of village councils in the fight against Covid-19 was paramount. Meanwhile, welcoming the return of stranded Nagas from outside the state, the association has appealed to returnees to complete mandatory quarantine as directed by government. Further, DDVCCA appealed to the “rich and affluent people with connections” not to bypass the rules of quarantine period for their sons, daughters, relatives as coronavirus does not differentiate the rich and poor, strong and weak. As regards, DDVCCA has also informed all village councils not entertain entry into village jurisdiction without completing specified quarantine days and without proper medical certificate by concerned authorities. Affirming that it would insist on SOP and COVID-19 guidelines while accepting returnees, DDVCCA said its action should not be construed or misunderstood as discrimination.
NEW DELHI, MAY 14 (PTI): Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced free distribution of 5 kg foodgrains and 1 kg ‘chana’ for next two months to approximately 8 crore migrants who do not have either central or state ration cards. Announcing the second tranche of the economic package, she said about Rs 3,500 crore will be spent towards this initiative. The central government will fully bear the cost, while state governments will be responsible for implementation and identification of migrants for distribution of dry ration, she told the media. “This government is concerned about migrants. Even today, we see migrants walking with their children, and carrying bags...,” Sitharaman said. Migrants who are neither covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) nor are state ration card beneficiaries will be provided 5 kg of grains per person and one kg of chana (gram) per family for two months, she said. Currently, free 5 kg foodgrains per person and one kg pulses per household is being given for three months till June to
Nirmala Sitharaman PDS (ration )card holders under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Anna Yojana (PMGAY), benefitting over 80 crore poor. This is over and above the 5 kg grains given at a subsidised rate to per beneficiary under NFSA. For those migrants walking on foot, the minister said that cooked meals
are being provided by state governments. They are allowed to buy foodgrains on credit from the central pool at a subsidised rate for this purpose, she said. Even NGOs and charitable bodies engaged in serving cooked meals to migrants are allowed to buy at a reduced rate of Rs 24 per kg for wheat and Rs 22 per kg for rice from the central government, she added. Sitharaman also noted that giving dry ration to those walking on roads will serve no purpose. The Finance Minister also clarified that the total number of migrants at 8 crore has been arrived at by counting those living in shelter camps by state governments.
‘One nation, one ration card’ for migrants: FM
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday unveiled the second tranche of fiscal stimulus, emphasizing ‘one nation, one ration card’. During the press brief, the Finance Minister said, “Technology systems will be used to enable migrants to access Public Distribution System (ration) from any fair price shop in India by March 2021 -- one nation, one ration card.” She said this scheme will enable a migrant beneficiary to access the PDS from any fair price shop in the country. “As many as 67 crore beneficiaries in 23 states covering 83 per cent of the PDS population will be covered by national portability by August 2020. Onehundred per cent national portability will be achieved by March 2021. All states and UTs will complete full FPS automation by March 2021,” she added.
Stranded Nagas across India plea to chief minister
(From p-1) They have also demanded strict action against persons involved in posting rumours and fake news in social media which has stigmatised the stranded Nagas and also created fear psychosis. The ACC19TFN also said as students union, the members take care of student activities and curriculum. However, ACC19TFN said members have also been compelled to carry dead bodies and look after the sick and needy, which was a responsibility of the government and its agencies. It cautioned that failure to acknowledge their yeoman services would lead to bigger problems among people for which the government would be held accountable.
Uddhav Thackeray, 8 others elected unopposed to Council
ACC19TFN said it is a student body and a non-political organisation and would welcome any constructive measures and assistance in the form of finance or material from any other organisation(s)etc. ACC19TFN expressed the hope that the state government would respond to their queries failing which, they would have no option but to stop assisting the government . They said this would result in the state having to depute its nodal officers and staff to all cities to shoulder the responsibilities of caring for the stranded people, face racial discrimination, take charge of deaths, hospital cases, rental issues etc. The ACC19TN representation was issued by its convenors- Mughato
Kiba,NSU Bangalore; Lulu N. Lohe, NSU Pune and N. Chibenthung, NSU Chennai and secretariesJubika A.Yepthomi,NSU Dehradun and T.P. Sining, NSU Shillong. The other members included: Hinoto P Aomi, NSU Delhi; Putu N Imsong, NSU Gujarat; L Yantsothung Lotha, NSU Salem; Arenlong, Naga Union Coimbatore; Sulanthung, Naga Union Goa; Ajat Konyak, NSU Aizawl; Dinenli Kath, NSU Kolkata; Sitenlo Tep, NSU Allahabad; Hokikhe Zhimo, NSU Guwahati, Chumroba J Sangtam, NSU Chandigarh, Wungramthing Huileng, NSU Mumbai; Imsanger Jamir, NSU Pagwara, Punjab; Asimbe, NSU Rajasthan and Inaka Khuju, Society for Naga Students’ Welfare, Kerala.
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Uddhav Thackeray MUMBAI, MAY 14 (PTI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and eight others were declared elected unopposed to the state Legislative Council on Thursday. Apart from Thackeray, Council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe (Shiv Sena), four candidates of BJP – Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil, Gopichand Padalkar, Praveen Datke and Ramesh Karad; NCP’s Shashikant Shinde and Amol Mitkari and Congress’s Rajesh Rathod were in the fray for the nine seats, which fell vacant on April 24.“All of them were elected unopposed,” an official said. “The result was officially announced on Thursday after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended at 3 pm,” the official said. The 288-member legislative assembly was the electoral college for the biennial elections to the nine seats. With this election, 59-year-old Thackeray, who is also the president of Shiv Sena, makes his debut as a legislator.
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Trump rips into China over coronavirus Covid-19 may never go away: WHO
Washington, May 14 (Agencies): US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was very disappointed in China over its failure to contain the novel coronavirus, saying the worldwide pandemic cast a pall over his U.S.China trade deal. The coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan, China, in December and was spreading silently as Washington and Beijing signed a Phase 1 trade deal hailed by the Republican president as a major achievement. “I’m very disappointed in China,” the Republican president said in an interview broadcast Thursday on Fox Business Network. “They should have never let this happen. So I make a great trade deal and now I say this doesn’t feel the same to me. The ink was barely dry and the plague came over. And it doesn’t feel the same to me,” Trump said. Under the Phase 1 deal signed in January, Beijing pledged to buy at least $200
to the outbreak than on its origin. “We have a lot of information, and it’s not good. Whether it came from the lab or came from the bats, it all came from China, and they should have stopped it. They could have stopped it, at the source,” he said. “It got out of control.”
Court rejects Trump bid to escape ‘emoluments’ lawsuit
Donald Trump speaks during a meeting on coronavirus outbreak response in the Cabinet Room A U.S. appeals court on at the White House in Washington on May 13. Thursday rejected President billion in additional U.S. or genetically modified, Donald Trump’s effort to goods and services over two Secretary of State Mike end a lawsuit alleging his years while Washington Pompeo said early in May ownership of a hotel in agreed to roll back tariffs in there is “a significant Washington violates antistages on Chinese goods. amount of evidence” the corruption provisions of A Chinese state-run virus came from a labora- the U.S. Constitution known as the “Emoluments Clausnewspaper has reported that tory in Wuhan. some government advisers His comments fol- es.” The decision by the in Beijing were urging fresh lowed Trump’s assertion talks and possibly invalidat- on April 30 that he was Richmond, Virginia-based ing the agreement. confident the coronavirus 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Trump said again he may have originated in a Appeals was a victory for the Democratic attorneys was not interested in rene- Chinese virology lab. gotiating. In the Fox Business in- general in Maryland and the While US intelligence terview, which was taped on District of Columbia, who agencies said the virus did Wednesday, Trump focused alleged Trump’s financial innot appear to be manmade more on China’s response terest in the hotel violated a
prohibition on the president accepting payments from foreign governments without congressional consent. The case will now return to a judge in Maryland, who has consistently ruled against Trump on preliminary legal questions, for further proceedings. Tr ump opened the Trump International Hotel, on Pennsylvania Avenue just blocks from the White House, shortly before he was elected in November 2016. Unlike past presidents, he has retained ownership of numerous business interests, including the hotel, while serving as president. Since his election, the hotel has become a favored lodging and event space for some foreign and state officials visiting the U.S. capital. Trump faces two other pending lawsuits making similar claims about the hotel. One case was brought by a group of more than 200 Democratic Party lawmakers, while the other was brought by a Washingtonbased advocacy group.
G e n e va , M ay 1 4 (Agencies): The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 could become endemic like HIV, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, warning against any attempt to predict how long it would keep circulating and calling for a “massive effort” to counter it. “It is important to put this on the table: this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never go away,” WHO emergencies expert Mike Ryan told an online briefing. “I think it is important we are realistic and I don’t think anyone can predict when this disease will disappear,” he added. “I think there are no promises in this and there are no dates. This disease may settle into a long problem, or it may not be.” However, he said the world had some control over how it coped with the disease, although this would take a “massive effort” even if a vaccine was found -- a prospect he described as a “massive moonshot”.
Mike Ryan More than 100 potential vaccines are being developed, including several in clinical trials, but experts have underscored the difficulties of finding vaccines that are effective against coronaviruses. Ryan noted that vaccines exist for other illnesses, such as measles, that have not been eliminated. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added, “The trajectory is in our hands, and it’s everybody’s business, and we should all contribute to stop this pandemic.” Ryan said “very significant control” of the virus was required in order to
lower the assessment of risk, which he said remained high at the “national, regional and global levels”. Governments around the world are struggling with the question of how to reopen their economies while still containing the virus, which has infected almost 4.3 million people, according to a Reuters tally, and led to over 291,000 deaths. The European Union pushed on Wednesday for a gradual reopening of borders within the bloc that have been shut by the pandemic, saying it was not too late to salvage some of the summer tourist season while still keeping people safe. But public health experts say extreme caution is needed to avoid new outbreaks. Ryan said opening land borders was less risky than easing air travel, which was a “different challenge”. “We need to get into the mindset that it is going to take some time to come out of this pandemic,” said WHO epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove.
Season’s 1st typhoon makes landfall in Philippines; 400,000 evacuated China rejects US claim of M a n il a , M ay 1 4 (IANS): The first typhoon of the season made landfall on Thursday on Philippines’ Samar island, as the country prepares for the start of the relaxation of COVID-19 confinement measures. Typhoon Vongfong, locally named Ambo, intensified a few hours before making landfall in the town of San Policarpio, Eastern Samar province, Efe news quoted the national meteorology agency Pagasa as saying. Around 400,000 people have been evacuated from their houses in low-lying and coastal areas in the provinces of Eastern Samar and Northern Samar, as the storm carries winds of 150 kph, with gusts of up to 185
kph, and heavy rains. “ We h ave s eve r a l facilities enabled for the isolation of COVID-19 patients, but fortunately we do not have cases here, so we will use them to shelter the evacuees due to the typhoon,” said Northern Samar’s chief disaster officer Josh Echano. Local and provincial authorities in the area have warned of the need for aid and food supplies as closures since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic have caused a shortage of resources to feed the evacuees. The typhoon was moving at a speed of about 15 kph in a northwesterly direction towards Manila where heavy rains occurred shortly after the typhoon ar-
Crossword
Two men walk near uprooted trees in Eastern Samar Province in the central Philippines on Thursday, as Typhoon Vongfong battered the country. rived in the country, despite having made landfall about 800 km from the capital. The typhoon is ex-
pected to flood the entire island of Samar – the third largest in the country after Luzon and Mindanao –
where Pagasa has already raised the alert level to 3 in almost all of its territory, out of a total of 4.
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In Manila and provinces in central and southern Luzon – those most affected by the coronavirus pandemic – alert level 1 has been activated ahead of the expected arrival of the typhoon on Friday. According to Pagasa’s forecasts, from Manila Vongfong will head north and leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility on May 18, heading towards Japan. An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines each year. The most destructive and deadly was in November 2013 when the super typhoon Haiyan hit the islands of Samar and Leyte, killing some 7,000 people and leaving 200,000 families homeless.
attempted vaccine theft
Beijing, May 14 (PTI): China on Thursday termed as “slanderous” the US accusation that hackers backed by Beijing may be attempting to steal COVID-19 related research and vaccine materials and said that “smearing and scapegoating” others will not make the deadly virus go away. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also rebutted US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien’s charge that five plagues came out China in the last 20 years, saying US officials are shifting the blame on Beijing as they struggled to handle the pandemic. “China deplores and firmly opposes such slanderous actions,” Zhao said.
UK facing ‘significant recession’, says Sunak
London, May 14 (PTI): The UK faces a “significant recession”, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has warned after figures showed the country’s economy shrank by 2 per cent in the first three months of the year due to the impact of the coronavirus-induced economic lockdown. The UK’s finance minister, who is at the forefront of the economic response to the coronavirus pandemic and has spearheaded as wide range of measures to protect jobs, said that while the country was yet to fulfil the technical definition of a recession - two successive quarters of falling activity - it was only a matter of time. “The first quarter was that bad based on just a few days of the impact of coronavirus in March. It is very likely that the UK is facing a significant recession at the moment and this year,” said Rishi Sunak. “It’s premature to speculate about that far in the future. We are living in a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty. What we are thinking about foremost at the moment is protecting people’s health,” he said. His warning came as the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) released data on Wednesday to show that the hit to the economy in late March had affected
He was referring to reports by the FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security’s cyber division that warned hackers backed by the Chinese government may be attempting to steal the work of researchers dealing with the response to the coronavirus outbreak as well vaccines. “Judging from the past records, it was the US which launched such largescale espionage activities,” Zhao said. He said China has more reasons to worry about cyber-attacks as the country has made significant strategic achievements in the fight against the coronavirus and is at the forefront in COVID19 treatment and vaccine research.
Japan lifts emergency for 39 prefectures
almost every sector of the economy. This meant that output had dropped by almost as much in a single month as in the 18-month decline during and after the financial crisis of 2008-09. With people ordered to stay at home, all three main components of growth - services, production and construction - were affected. “The impacts of the coronavirus were seen right across the economy, with nearly all sub-sectors falling in the three months to March,” the ONS said. The figures were the first official look at the lockdown’s financial effects and show a contraction of 5.8 per cent in March GDP alone - the biggest monthly fall on record.
Tokyo, May 14 (IANS): The Japanese government on Thursday decided to lift a nationwide state of emergency for 39 of the country’s 47 prefectures where the COVID-19 has been less prevalent, with the move coming ahead of the planned deadline of May 31. “Japan will lift a state of emergency for 39 of the country’s 47 prefectures ahead of its planned expiration at the end of the month, as the spread of the novel coronavirus in these areas has been kept in check,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced. The areas remaining under the state of emergency comprise urban areas such as Tokyo and the wider metropolitan area and Osaka prefecture, among others, that have been harder-hit by the virus. Abe first declared a month-long state of emergency for Tokyo and six other prefectures on April 7, but this was expanded to cover the entire nation on April 16. The state of emergency was originally scheduled to end on May 6.
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Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020
Sikkim’s foresight made it COVID-19 free
Gangtok, May 14 (PTI): The ubiquitous coronavirus that has wreaked havoc across the world and India, taking lives at will and locking up millions within the confines of the four walls, is yet to breach the fortress of the tiny border state of Sikkim, which does not have a single COVID-19 case. Officials attribute this remarkable achievement to a slew of proactive measures since March 5, including banning entry of tourists and suspending issuance of permits for the popular Nathula visit, as well as the Inner-line Permit (ILP) for foreign travellers. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) government headed by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang also temporarily barred SinoIndia trade near the Nathula International Border. “The state government had to initiate stern and timely measures to contain the outbreak of COVID-19 and the results are in front of everyone,” a senior official told PTI. Going forward in a “methodical manner”, the Sikkim government was quick to set up a task force
Vocational courses in Tripura schools Agartala, May 14 (PTI): The Tripura government has decided to introduce vocational courses on Information Technology (IT), retail management, electronics and agriculture in 55 more schools from the next academic year, a senior minister said on Thursday. State Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has given approval in this regard. The courses are already being taught in 80 schools form the last two academic years, he said. “We want to introduce vocational courses in the school-level to impart skills to our students so that they don’t sit jobless after completing their studies,” Nath said. He said vocational training providers (VTP) with post-graduation or higher qualifications will be engaged by the administration. The VTPs will train students for professions like domestic data entry operator, computer hardware specialist for IT programme, field technicians for electronics and hardware programme, animal health workers etc, he said.
Officials attribute this remarkable achievement to proactive measures since March 5, including banning entry of tourists and suspending permits for Nathula visit.
headed by the chief secretary, comprising senior officials of health, tourism and some other key departments, besides all the district collectors to monitor the measures to contain the spread of the virus, he said. A similar task force was set up at the grassroot level, too, to deal with the COVID-19 situation, he said. “It is due to collective efforts of all stakeholders
of the society that Sikkim is still free from the dreaded coronavirus, with all its four districts remaining in the green zone,” the official said. The COVID-19 death toll in India rose to 2,549 and the number of cases crossed the 78,000-mark on Thursday, according to government data. The Sikkim government has also initiated evacuation of thousands belong-
IMPHAL, May 14: The High Court of Manipur on Thursday began hearing of petitions filed for the disqualification of seven Congress MLAs who had defected to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Seven fresh disqualification petitions were filed against the seven MLAs who had won election on Congress tickets but supported Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government and whose disqualification cases were pending with the tribunal of Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly. The MLAs who defected and are facing the disqualification are; Oinam Lukhoi, Ksh Biren, Paonam Brojen, Sanasam Biramani, Ngamthang Haokip, Ginsuanhau and Y Surchandra. A single bench of the high court conducted the hearing by clubbing toK Y M C
Imphal, May 14 (PTI): A fresh COVID-19 case was detected in Manipur on Thursday, three weeks after the state was declared COVID-19 free. The Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) here said the person who tested positive for the disease had recently returned from Mumbai by road in a hired vehicle along with five others. The 33-year-old man, from Imphal East district, was kept in a quarantine centre here after reaching Manipur on Wednesday. He tested positive and the reports of his sample tests came in Thursday evening, the hospital authority said. The man has been kept in the isolation ward of the JNIMS. He had gone to Mumbai for the treatment of his father who is suffering from cancer. His mother, who too had accompanied them, had succumbed to coronavirus there, the man’s family members said. Manipur was declared COVID-19 free by CM N Biren Singh on April 19 after 2 persons in the state recovered.
Political parties, NGOs pitch for lockdown extension in Mizoram
AIZAWL, MAY 14 (PTI): Political parties, NGOs and various groups in Mizoram pitched at a meeting with Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Thursday that the lockdown be extended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, an official said. Mizoram at present has no COVID-19 case as the state’s lone patient tested negative and was discharged from Zoram Medical College (ZMC) on May 9. The meeting unanimously agreed that the lockdown must be extended, the official of the Chief Minister’s Office said. However, the matter was referred to the statelevel task force for the final decision, she said. The statelevel task force has also been
tasked to prepare new guidelines in consultation with other task groups if the lockdown period is extended. The meeting was attended by political parties, Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC), NGO Coordination Committee, Mizoram branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Mizoram Government Doctors’ Association (MGDA), Mizoram Local Councils Association, All Mizoram Village Councils Association and Mizoram Journalists Association (MJA). Zoramthanga told the meeting that the extension of the lockdown was crucial to ensure public safety although Mizoram has been declared as a green zone. Those present in the
meeting were also informed that 10,496 people from the state, currently stranded in different parts of the country, have registered so far, wanting to return. The government has set up quarantine facilities in various parts of the state and the total capacity is 4,172. Altogether, 1,518 people are currently in isolation at various quarantine centres across the state. About 547 outsiders are currently stranded in Mizoram, according to officials of the home department. About 1,000 people from Tamil Nadu are likely to arrive in the state on Friday. The government is planning to facilitate the return of the stranded people in a staggered manner, officials said.
Snow slide traps a soldier in Sikkim, search operation in progress
New Delhi, May 14 (IANS): A soldier has gone missing after a team of 17-18 army personnel was hit by snow slide in the Lugnak La area of Sikkim on Thursday. Except one soldier, all trapped personnel had been rescued, said the army. “A patrolling-cum-snow clearance
party, comprising 17-18 soldiers, came under snow slide. All recovered except one soldier. Intense search is in progress,” the army said. Earlier, Lance Naik Sanjeeva Reddy, who was operating a dozer in the snowbound high-altitude areas of Sikkim, was hit by an avalanche on April 11.
3227 beds available for treatment of Central team in Tripura to study Covid-19 cases COVID-19 patients in Meghalaya: C.S
Correspondent
Shillong, May 14: Meghalaya Chief Secretary M.S.Rao on Thursday said that the State has 3227 beds available for treatment of COVID-19 patients. Presenting an updated status of health infrastructure at a high-level review meeting between the State government and Opposition leaders, Rao said the largest Corona Care Centre and quarantine facility in the North East was recently inaugurated at IIM-Shillong in Umsawli with a total capacity of 258 for accommodation of asymptomatic individuals and those with mild symptoms. “Adequate stock of health equipment is now available across the State – PPEs (1,53,213), 3 ply masks (6,30,300), N95 masks (1,48,678), ventilators (20),” the Chief Secretary informed. The presentation highlighted the summary of stranded citizens, detailed the entry protocol and gave an insight on the evacuation model being followed to bring back stranded Meghalayans from various parts of the country. The high-level review
meeting chaired by Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh was attended by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, Health Minister A L Hek, Home Minister L. Rymbui, Leader of Opposition, Dr Mukul Sangma and other legislators, besides senior officials of various departments. Rao also updated the status of health infrastructure as well as the testing capacity in the State. “As of May 13, a total of 2537 tests were conducted wherein 2526 tests were declared negative. The total positive cases were 13 and the number of active cases stands at 1 as per 13th May, 2020. Within the next two weeks, the capacity is expected to increase to 600 tests per day,” he informed. A total of 3978 stranded individuals were brought back into the state via five entry points at Bajengdoba, North Garo Hills, Byrnihat, Ri Bhoi, Ratacherra, East Jaintia Hills, Tikrikilla, West Garo Hills and Mir Jhumla, South West Garo Hills, Rao said, adding that separate protocols for entry for individuals coming from North East States and those from other states have been put
Manipur HC begins fresh hearing of petitions against seven MLAs Correspondent
ing to the state stranded in other parts of the country due the lockdown, he said, adding, a total of 1,122 people have returned out of 6,922 who had registered themselves on the official portal. Likewise, 686 people from other states who were stuck in east Sikkim have been transported to the New Jalpaiguri Station by buses for their onward journey, the official said.
COVID-19 free Manipur reports fresh case
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gether the seven separate petitions. The hearing was conducted in the court of Justice Kh Nobin through video conferencing, observing preventive measures to check spread of COVID-19. All seven petitions for disqualification were filed by senior advocate and former advocate general N Ibotombi as the counsel for the petitioners. The Congress MLAs filed the disqualification cases under 10th Schedule of Indian Constitution, popularly known as Anti-defection Law against seven of their former colleagues who are currently supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government. They knocked on the door of the high court even as tribunal of the Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly reserved the judgment of the cases seeking disqualification of the seven MLAs after hearing to preliminary objections
on May 8. The disqualifications cases against the seven MLAs were pending in the tribunal of the Speaker since the early part of 2018. The Congress has been accusing the Speaker of delaying his decision despite a Supreme Court order to decide all cases related with the 10th Schedule of Indian Constitution within three months . The apex court had in a judgement on January 21 asked the Speaker to take necessary action within the stipulated time while delivering judgment to a case related to the disqualification of the then forest and environment minister Th Shyamkumar. It was following the apex court’s intervention that the Speaker had disqualified Shyamkumar who had defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party after the general election to the state Assembly held in early part of 2017.
in place. “All incoming individuals will have to be under home quarantine, along with families, for a period of 14 days. The Government has made arrangements for support and follow-up for individuals and families under quarantine,” Rao said. He further stated that a total of 1861 free provision kits were distributed till May 13 for all individuals under mandatory home quarantine. “Besides this, 2653 home visits were made for enforcing quarantine and a separate web link in the Meghalaya Government portal was created to register stranded citizens outside North East. So far, over 9400 individuals have registered and 7100 are expected to return,” he said, adding that elaborate transportation arrangements have been made to bring back Meghalayans stranded in various parts of the country. The government and the opposition jointly urged the citizens to “accept the returning individuals and not stigmatize against them or their families”, adding that over the course of the coming days, many more individuals would return.
Agartala, May 14 (IANS): A three-member central team arrived here on Thursday to study the coronavirus infection among the Border Security Force (BSF) troopers and their kin, as the positive cases in Tripura climbed to 152. The central team, led by G.K. Medhi, Professor and Head of the Department of Community Medicine of the Shillongbased North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), will study the source and other aspects of the coronavirus infection among troopers, officials and their family members. “Soon after arrival, the team held discussions with officials of the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) through video link,” a senior Tripura Health Department official told IANS. On Friday, the central team would visit two BSF battalions headquarters in Ambassa, the district town of Dhalai, 82 km north of Agartala. The NCDC and the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) officials would help the team,
Assam’s COVID-19 cases rise to 86 GUWAHATI, MAY 14 (PTI): Seven persons who recently retur ned from Mumbai tested positive for COVID-19 in Assam, taking the total number of cases to 86 in Assam, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday. Among those who tested positive are three cancer patients, and a 13-year-old girl who recently underwent heart surgery in Mumbai. The other three are their attendants. “Seven patients and attendants who came from Mumbai and now in quarantine tested positive,” the minister tweeted. Six buses carrying 137 passengers, mostly cancer patients and their attendants, arrived here from Mumbai late on Tuesday and they were quarantined at a hotel. At present, there are 44 active cases in the state, one migrated to Bihar and two died. Total 39 people have recovered so far and discharged from the hospital. Assam has reported 24 cases so far this week with 15 on Wednesday itself. The Kamrup (Metro) district administration has added several areas in the
city to the list of containment zones. This includes parts of the commercial hub of Fancy Bazaar, the area around the Panbazaar Higher Secondary School, Kumarapara, Santipur and Fatashil Ambari areas. Earlier some areas around Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, Regional Dental College, Employees Colony of B Barooah Cancer Hospital and Amiyonagar in Chandmari were declared containment after five cases were reported last week. Assam has so far tested 23,455 samples in seven laboratories of the state. Meanwhile, a train from Delhi arrived at Dibrugarh on Thursday morning and 400 passengers deboarded, including those from Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts and Arunachal Pradesh, officials said. Four members of a family, including two children, were found to be having high fever. They were isolated at the Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh and their samples were collected for testing.
On Friday, the central team would visit two BSF battalions headquarters in Ambassa, the district town of Dhalai, 82 km north of Agartala.
he said. The other two members of the central team are Bhupen Barman, Associate Professor of the Department of Medicine at NEIGRIHMS and S.D. Majumder, Regional Director of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry. Since May 2, 152 people -- 126 BSF troopers, including officers in two battalions (86th and 138th), and 25 of their family members (14 children and 11 women) as well as a civilian mess worker -- were found Covid-19 positive. According to health officials, 14 BSF jawans
were cured and discharged on Wednesday from the state-run Govind Ballabh Pant Medical College and Hospital, a dedicated Covid-19 hospital. The health officials have tested 2,172 samples, comprising BSF personnel, their family members and civilians residing near two BSF battalion headquarters. Additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Sanjay Kumar Rakesh said the state government had requested for experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to study the
Covid-19 infection among the BSF jawans and their family members. The NCDC is an expert body under the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry. The health officials said Ambassa, the headquarters of 86th and 138th Battalions, was earlier declared a red zone by the Union Health Ministry after reporting of large number of Covid-19 cases. Two persons, a woman and a Tripura State Rifles jawan, had been cured of the infection and discharged from the hospital before April 25.
NEHUTA slams VC for not contributing to PM Cares Correspondent
Shillong, May 14: The North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) on Thursday slammed Vice Chancellor Prof. S.K. Srivastava for not contributing the pending annual grant of NEHUTA amounting to Rs. 3 lakh and in addition to one-day salary of teachers of the University from the month of April deposited to PM CARES fund. “It is regrettable that the vice-chancellor, despite our repeated writings, to stand by NEHUTA and the nation by at least depositing available grant money, has not yet informed us of any positive action from his side towards the humanitarian cause of COVID-19,” North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association president Prof. Xavier P. Mao and General Secretary Dr. Marbhador M. Khymdeit said. Demanding a full enquiry into all the unstatutory
administrative, financial and academic acts that damaged the university beyond repair, the Association said, “His (Srivastava) arrogance mixed with ignorance of norms and rules have created major subversions in the normal functioning of the university over last four and half years that needs to be looked into by authorities in the interest of saving higher education in Meghalaya and Northeast India.” Describing the Vice Chancellor act as “arbitrary behaviour establishes malafide and illegal act of the Vice-Chancellor to gag the watchdog teachers’ association”, the North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association said “the vicechancellor took umbrage at expiry of the terms of office of the elected teachers’ body to arbitrarily rescind NEHUTA’s statutory right to communicate with him on behalf of teachers.” “Such an arbitrar y behavior establishes mala fide and illegal act of the
vice-chancellor to gag the watchdog teachers’ association formed under act of parliament so that teachers cannot raise voice against his whimsical, arbitrary and anti-academic activities carried out with impunity, almost on a daily basis,” they stated. Accusing the Vice Chancellor of stating that the present elected body of NEHUTA crossed its term, the Association said, “By crossing limits drawn by democratic and legal procedures, the vice-chancellor in the most blatant display of non-statutory abusive power intended to interfere in the functioning of the teachers’ association and brazenly attempted to prevent it from discharging its constitutional duty.” “In the same breath, he had illegally attempted to remove NEHUTA from its ways of functioning and denied funds to national PM CARES, despite several requests,” the Association stated. K Y M C
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sports
NRAI nominates Anjum for Khel Ratna
Anjum Moudgil
New Delhi, May 14 (PTI): The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has nominated rifle ace Anjum Moudgil for the Khel Ratna and recommended Jaspal Rana for the Dronacharya Award for the second year in a row. The NRAI has sent the names of champion pistol shooters Saurabh Chaudhary and Abhishek Verma for the prestigious Arjuna Award, according to federation sources. “Anjum Moudgil has been nominated for Khel Ratna while the NRAI has again send Jaspal’s name for Dronacharya.
They have always believed that he deserves it and are hoping he gets it this time,” a federation source told PTI. “Saurabh Chaudhary and Abhishek Verma have been recommended for Arjuna,” he added. When contacted, a top NRAI official though was not for thcoming, only saying they are in the process of finalising the names. The 26-year-old Moudgil, who star ted shooting in 2008, is among the first two Indians to have secured quota places in the sport for the Tokyo Olympics.
The shooter from Chandigarh earned the quota in the 10m Air Rifle event when she won the silver medal in the ISSF World Cup in Korea in 2008. Last year, Moudgil paired up with Divyansh Singh Panwar to claim the 10m Air Rifle mixed team gold medal in the ISSF World Cup in Munich and Beijing. She also reached the final in the 10m Air Rifle event in the ISSF World Cup in Munich and Rio de Janeiro. L a s t D e c e m b e r, Moudgil won the title in the women’s 50m 3P
Sachin settles lawsuit against Spartan New Delhi, May 14 (PTI): Sachin Tendulkar has decided to settle his lawsuit against bat-maker Spartan in the Federal Court of Australia after the company apologised for “breach of contract”. In 2016, Tendulkar entered into a worldwide exclusive sponsorship agreement with Spartan to promote its sporting goods and sportswear. Tendulkar alleged that Spartan failed to comply with its obligations under the agreement by failing to pay him royalties and endorsement fees as per the agreement signed by both parties. “Spartan sincerely apologises to Tendulkar for its failure to honour his sponsorship agreement and is grateful for Tendulkar’s patience in resolving this dispute,” Les Galbraith, the COO of Spartan, stated in a joint press release. Spartan had continued to use Tendulkar’s name and image even after the termination of the agreement. “Tendulkar provided his promotional services at various Spartan events in both Mumbai and Lon-
Sachin Tendulkar
don...he was unable to pursue other sponsorship opportunities for sporting goods and sportswear while the Spartan agreement was in place,” the release stated. Tendulkar, in the law suit against a number of Spartan companies and their directors, Kunal Sharma and Galbraith, alleged “breach of contract, misleading and deceptive conduct” and sought injunctions, damages as well as cancellation of trade marks...” The joint statement also mentions that, “as part
of the settlement, a number of the Spartan companies have submitted to judgment against them and the Spartan group is permanently restrained by court orders from using Tendulkar’s name, image and likeness including to falsely suggest any endorsement by Sachin Tendulkar.” “The Spartan companies also publicly acknowledged that Tendulkar has had no association with Spartan since September 17, 2018, when Mr Tendulkar terminated their sponsorship agreement,” the statement read.
Nagaland online chess tournament
Nagaland Post, Dimapur FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020
Juventus target Jorginho, Pjanic swap deal with Chelsea
event at the 63rd National Shooting Championship in Bhopal. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award carries a medallion, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh. Rana’s exclusion last year snowballed into a big controversy after India’s only individual Olympic gold-medallist Abhinav Bindra criticised the selection panel for not finalising the seasoned coach for the Dronacharya Award. Dronacharya awards are given to honour eminent coaches who have successfully trained sportspersons or teams and enabled them to achieve outstanding results in international competitions. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. The 30-year-old Verma secured India’s fifth Olympic quota place in the sport, winning the 10m air pistol gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Beijing last April. Two months before that, unfazed by a field comprising some seasoned campaigners, teenager Chaudhary smashed the world record to win gold in the season’s first World Cup and the country’s third quota.
D i m a p u r , M ay 1 4 (NPN): Nagaland Online Chess Tournament, organised and sponsored Toikhu Awomi, former vice president, Nagaland Chess Association and Khoveto Vero, will be held on May 17. The tournament is being organised to give platform to the talented chess players of the state. Therefore, interested players can contact 7005483247 or 7005023757 for registration.
BFI to pay part of dues by May 20
‘Hope Ronaldinho will be allowed to go home’
N e w D e l h i , M ay 14 (PTI): Faced with the wrath of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) for non-payment of dues, India’s national federation will be shelling out USD 120,000 by May 20 after being threatened with suspension by the world body. India lost the hosting rights of the 2021 men’s world championship for non-payment of host fee (USD 400,000), which prompted AIBA to impose a penalty of USD 500,000 on the national federation. The AIBA also accused the Boxing Federation of India for not paying the full host fee for the 2018 women’s world championship in Delhi, putting the amount at USD 360,000. “We will be paying installments for three months -- March, April and May --, which amount to USD 120,000. This will be done by May 20,” a BFI source told PTI. “We are hopeful of an amicable solution to the entire issue,” he added, hoping that the penalty would be waived off after negotiations.
Serie A clubs vote to restart play Rome, May 14 (IANS): The teams in Italy’s top football league, Serie A, have voted to restart the season on June 13, pending government approvals. Serie A announced that all 20 teams voted in favour of restarting in June - despite the handful of teams from the northern part of the country hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak had expressed doubts about restarting the season. Four teams voted in favour of restarting June 20, but as the other 16 voted in favour of restarting for June 13. The vote is the biggest step yet toward reopening the Serie A season suspended under the terms of Italy’s ten-week-old national coronavirus lockdown.
Asuncion, May 14 (Agencies): Brazilian great Ronaldinho’s lawyers are hoping the former world player of the year will be allowed to go home after more than two months of detention in Paraguay over a forged passport. “We’re hoping to convince the prosecution to allow Ronaldinho and his brother to return to their country. We can do nothing but wait for the investigation to end,” a defense source told AFP. Former Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris SaintGermain star Ronaldinho and his brother, Robert de Assis Moreira, are facing up to five years in jail if convicted. The brothers spent more than a month behind bars after they were accused of entering Paraguay in possession of false passports. The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner and his brother posted bail of $1.6 million and have been under house arrest at the plush Palmaroga Hotel in the historic centre of the Paraguayan capital Asuncion since April 7. The public prosecutor has six months to inves-
Jorginho
Turin, May 14 (Agencies): Juventus want to sign Chelsea midfielder Jorginho in a swap deal for Miralem Pjanic. Ju ve n t u s m a n a ge r Maurizio Sarri is keen to work with Jorginho again having moved with the Italy midfielder to Chelsea from Napoli in the summer of 2018. Sarri was sacked by Chelsea after only one season in charge at Stamford Bridge despite securing Champions League qualification via a third-place
Chelsea and Manchester United manager has hit back at the reports and insists he is “desperate” for football to return. “I don’t think my position in the meeting has been reflected fairly at all today in media reports. I have not asked for any delay,” Mourinho said, in a statement released by Tottenham. “I want to train, and I am desperate for the Premier League to return as soon as
Jose Mourinho
it is safe to do so, particularly now we are seeing other leagues preparing to return to action. I am extremely
proud of the way my players have maintained their fitness - they have shown great professionalism, passion and dedication.” “We have all been working extremely hard through remote squad training sessions and isolated running now the pitches are available to use again at the training centre. Every player has been extremely committed in terms of their individual work and now we wait for clearance to commence
working in small groups again, which I will fully support,” said Mourinho. The Premier League met with players, the PFA and government experts on Wednesday to discuss a potential return to training next week. All players have been given a 40-page document on training protocols and each club was represented on the videoconference meeting by their captain. The aim is to make
finish in the Premier League and winning the Europa League. Jorginho endured a difficult first campaign in England, but has since flourished under the management of Frank Lampard, contributing seven goals from a deep-lying midfield role. The 28-year-old, who cost Chelsea an initial £50m, has three years remaining on his current contract. Juventus are exploring their options ahead of the next transfer window and
are aware that the current coronavirus pandemic will have an effect on what they can spend. They are willing to include Pjanic in a deal that would see Jorginho arrive in Turin. Juventus signed Pjanic from Roma for £25m in June 2016 and he currently has only one year left on his contract. Paris Saint-Germain also want to sign Pjanic, in a swap deal with Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes.
Ronaldinho being escorted to the Hotel Palmaroga in Asuncion, Paraguay where he is staying under house arrest.
tigate the case, and has ordered the arrest of 18 in connection with it. “There is not one single serious proof that incriminates him,” Rogelio Delgado, president of Paraguay’s footballers union told AFP. “Although he has a luxury prison, it’s very unfair that he’s still being detained,” added Delgado, a former Paraguay international. The 40-year-old Ronaldinho has been keeping a low profile since being released from behind bars, not least because of corona-
Mourinho denies he wants to delay Premier League restart
L o nd o n, M ay 1 4 (Agencies): Jose Mourinho has denied reports he has attempted to delay the Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ over concerns for players’ fitness. It was claimed Tottenham head coach Mourinho called for players to have at least one month of training before football could resume, during a meeting with other Premier League managers on Wednesday. However, the former
Miralem Pjanic
Premier League training grounds among the safest places in England, with players tested at least twice a week, given a mini medical to check for underlying respiratory or cardiac issues and foreign players returning from abroad not allowed into the training ground for 14 days. The Premier League, FA and EFL will meet with culture secretary Oliver Dowden to discuss the plans.
virus lockdown measures. “I was completely caught off guard when I found out that these passports were not valid,” Ronaldinho told Paraguayan newspaper ABC last month in his only public statement since his release. Ronaldinho, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, was crucial in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win. He and sibling Robert - who is also his business manager - initially encountered no problems after arriving in Asuncion from neighbouring Brazil on
March 4. However, shortly after their arrival, the pair were taken into police custody when investigators raided their hotel following discovery that their passports were fake. Ronaldinho, given a rock star’s welcome to Asuncion by around 2,000 children and teenagers, said the documents had been given to him by sponsors of a charity working with disadvantaged children. The investigation has since expanded into a case of possible money laundering.
No coercing of player on England tour, says CWI L o nd o n , M ay 1 4 (IANS): Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave believes that the tour to England, where the two teams are currently scheduled to play three-match Test series, will go ahead. He, however, admits that some of the players will be “very nervous” about the prospect of travelling to the UK amid the coronavirus outbreak. The tour, which was
due to start on June 4, stands postponed until at least July because. “There will be no coercing players into this tour,” Grave told BBC Sport. “If you grow up in a country where the population might only be 60,000 or 70,000 people, to be thinking the UK has had over 30,000 deaths is a massive figure. We have to be absolutely clear that it’s safe first and foremost,” Graves added.
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