Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com
Vol XXVII No. 302
NMA review committee meeting on October 11
DIMAPUR, OCT 6 (NPN): The Nagaland Municipal Act (NMA), 2001 review committee has called for a meeting on October 11, at 11 a.m. to be held at the secretariat conference hall to discuss matters pertaining to review of the NMA, 2001. In a circular, the Municipal Affairs department has asked all members of the committee, chairman/ president of tribal hohos and other stakeholders to attend the meeting positively.
VVPAT to be used for all future polls: CEO
DIMAPUR, OCT 6 (NPN): Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nagaland, Abhijit Sinha has said that the Election Commission of India has directed all states to use Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) or paper trail machines in all future elections. In this regard, Sinha has informed that the CEO’s office has made a short video for educating the mass on the use of VVPAT, which could be viewed on youtube, www. ceonagaland.nic.in, twitter. com/ceonagaland, www. facebook.com/ele.nagaland and www.instagram.com/ ceonagaland.itcell
‘Colloquium on Road Connectivity’ on Oct 10
DIMAPUR, OCT 6 (NPN): Chief Minister’s Office has informed all that a ‘Colloquium on Road Connectivity’ under the theme ‘Together We Build’ is being organized on October 10, 10 a.m. at the State Banquet Hall. In this regard, all MLAs, exparliamentarians, AHoDs/ HoDs of RD, DUDA, Planning, Finance and Police department (DGP), establishments of APC, DCs of 11 districts, Naga Hoho, ENPO, NSF, ENSF, NMA, ENWO, CNTC, ACAUT, NGBF, all tribal hohos, NGRC-1CU, CO (BRTF), GM NHIDCL, ECI and Gayatri Pvt Ltd, NC&SU, Entrepreneurs Associates, BAN, Editors, YouthNet, Zynorique, Naga Blog, Naga Spears, NBCC, Catholic Association Nagaland and NCRCC have been invited to attend workshop.
NSCM (I-M) UT-I warns
DIMAPUR, OCT 6 (NPN): NSCN (I-M) UT-I has warned business establishments, shops, vendors, hotels/restaurants to stop serving unhygienic food stuff, daylight robbery of changing tags (MRP) and immoral activities in hotels/restaurants. In a joint statement, CAO Caretaker UT-I, Rangkhamung Anar, dy. kilonser and UT-I secretary, Ghokuto Chishi stated that despite several warnings such activities have become a daily rou(Cont’d on p-8) tine.
This is it!
“Drawal Authority were issued twice since there were two changes of government.” K Y M C
DIMAPUR, saturday, october 7, 2017 Pages 12 ` 4.00
The Queen’s favourite song is a Beach Boys classic
Germany, Eng clinch 2018 WC berths
May under fresh pressure to step down as British PM
Infotainment, Page 10
sports, Page 11
international, Page 9
Govt slashes GST rates on 27 items
NEW DELHI, OCT 6 (AGENCIES): The GST council on Friday announced major cuts in taxes of various items and announced various measures to support exporters and small businesses, three months after the new taxation system was launched. “It’s almost three months since GST roll out..returns have been filed for first two months as well. So it was a time to deliberate on its effect on various trades and the transition,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in a press briefing after the meeting of GST Council. Sops for exporters: Keeping in view of the liquidity problem being faced by the exporters, the Council has decided to immediately start refund process for the month of July by 10th October while exporters can get refund of August by 18th October. For the remainder of the fiscal, they will operate under an exempted category paying a nominal 0.1 per cent GST. “As a long term solution, an e-wallet will be created for every exporter
Arun Jaitley chairing the 22nd GST council meeting, in New Delhi on Friday.
where a notional amount will be given in advance... the refund will be offset later against that amount,” Jaitley said. The e-wallet option will be launched by 1st April, Jaitley added. For Small Businesses : Jaitley also revealed that about 72 lakh taxpayers have been migrated to the GST system while 25-26 lakh are new taxpayers under the new taxation system. He said that a majority of them have less than Rs 1 crore of turnover and though their tax input is low, the burden of compliance is too high on them. Hence the GST Council has decided to increase the limit of composition scheme to Rs 1 crore from current Rs 75 lakh for small
businesses. So the small businesses can now file returns on a quarterly basis. This, Jaitley said, has been done to increase compliance. So far, over 15 lakh out of the 90 lakh registered businesses have opted for the composition scheme. The tax rate for traders of goods in the composition scheme is 1 per cent, while it is 2 per cent for manufacturers and 5 per cent for suppliers of food or drinks for human consumption (without alcohol). Service providers cannot opt for the composition scheme. The scheme allows small businesses, including eateries, to pay 1-5 percent tax without having to deal with the three- stage filing process. The scheme
cannot be opted by supplier of services other than restaurant related services; manufacturer of ice cream, pan masala, or tobacco; casual taxable person or a non- resident taxable person; and businesses which supply goods through an e-commerce operator. No input tax credit can be claimed by those opting for composition scheme. Also, the taxpayer can only make intra-state supply (sell in the same state) and cannot undertake inter-state supply of goods. Businesses with annual turnover of up to Rs 1.5 crore, which constitute 90 per cent of the taxpayer base but pay only 5-6 per cent of total tax, have been allowed to file quarterly
KVC objects govt’s move to TAPWO lauds GoI OCT 6 (NPN): take up MCK on PPP mode DIMAPUR, Tizu Area Public Welfare DIMAPUR, OCT 6 (NPN): Kohima Village Council (KVC) has expressed dismay and objection to the state government’s purported move to take up the Medical College Kohima (MCK) on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, saying it never agreed to give away their prime lands to the state government to set up medical college on PPP mode. In a representation to the commissioner secretary, health and family welfare (H&FW), the KVC chairman, Dr. Neiphi Kire, and secretary, Zeneizo Rutsa, expressed surprise how the state government could change its mind to go on PPP mode after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of India (GoI) to upgrade the Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) as the Government District Hospital to a Government Medical College. KVC has insisted that
Organisation (TAPWO) has welcomed the bold decision of the Government of India (GoI) for initiating political talks with the Working Committee of six Naga National Political Groups (NNPG’s). In a press note, TAPWO President Vechineyi Khesoh and general secretary Shekhohu Chizo expressed appreciation to GoI under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Interlocutor for Naga talks, R.N. Ravi, with an intention of solve the Naga political problem through peaceful dialogue. Meanwhile, TAPWO also appealed to all the remaining NPGs to come and participate in the political talk, so as to solve the long pending Indo-Naga Political problem in an amicable manner. TAPWO further prayed to Almighty to protect, guide and provide wisdom to the GoI and to all NNPGs in the (Cont’d on p-8) process of talks.
the state government must implement the agreement with government of India in letter and spirit. As per the agreement, KVC said that the Centre has already released some of the funds for establishment of the college, adding that even the first visit of Medical Council of India (MCI) has already taken place. The council maintained that the state government would totally lose the trust of the public and the central government if it kept on “arbitrarily changing” its decision and failed to adhere to the agreement reached. Pointing out that a government medical college with modern amenities was the need for the hour for poor patients and villagers who cannot afford the services of private hospitals, the KVC said in PPP mode, the cost of capital investments spent
income returns and pay tax instead of the current provision of monthly filings. Jaitley said big taxpayers, who contribute 94-95 per cent of the total taxes, will continue to file monthly returns and pay taxes on a monthly basis. Also, a group of ministers has been asked to go into the issue of extending the composition scheme on inter-state sales as well as rationalising taxes on restaurants. The switchover to quarterly tax filing for small and medium businesses would happen from October 1 and they will have to file monthly returns for the first three months of GST, which was implemented from July 1, he said. Revised Rates: Meanwhile, Jaitley said the Council also decided to cut GST rate on 27 common use items. GST on unbranded namkeen, unbranded ayurvedic medicine, sliced dried mango and khakra has been cut to 5 per cent from 12 per cent, while the same on man-made yarn used in textile sector has been reduced to 12 per cent from 18 per cent. (Cont’d on p-8)
IAF chopper crashes near Tawang, 7 dead Correspondent
Tawang, Oct 6: An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter Mi-17 V5 crashed on Friday morning Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang district on the India- China border, killing all seven people on board, an official said. The Russian manufactured Mi-17 V5 chopper with five IAF and two Army personnel took off from Khirmu base and was on its way to Yangtse to drop off kerosene jerry cans at an Army camp of the 10 Madras regiment. The wreckage was located Tapugar area, about 130 Km away from Tawang. A team of IAF officials from New Delhi rushed to crash-site to investigate into the cause of the mid-air chopper crash. A Defence Ministry official who wished not to be named said that all the seven personnel were charred to death. “The helicopter crashed at Tawang (500 metres of Yangtse post). They were supposed to drop kerosene jerry cans. One of the jerry cans opened and
Anti-nuclear campaign wins Nobel Peace Prize
OSLO, OCT 6 (AGENCIES): The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, as the Norwegian Nobel Committee warned that the risk of a nuclear conflict is greater than for a long time. The Nobel Peace Prize, worth nine million Swedish crowns ($1.10 million), will be presented in Oslo on December 10. ICAN describes itself as a coalition of grassroots nongovernment groups in more than 100 nations. It began in Australia and was officially launched in Vienna in 2007. “We live in a world where the risk of nuclear weapons being used is greater than it has been for a long time,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. In July, 122 nations adopted a UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, but nucleararmed states including the United States, Russia, China, Britain and
ICAN members celebrate after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in Geneva.
France stayed out of the talks. The Nobel prize seeks to bolster the case of disarmament amid nuclear tensions between the United States and North Korea and uncertainty over the fate of a 2015 deal between Iran and major powers to limit Tehran’s nuclear programme. US President Donald Trump has called the Iran agreement the “worst deal ever negotiated” and a senior administration official said on Thursday that Trump is expected to announce soon that he will decertify the landmark pact.
entangled in tail rotor,” the official said. However, a IAF official based at the Eastern Air Command in Shillong said that no one knows what was the exact cause of the chopper crash. Meanwhile, all the bodies were recovered by a team of the IAF and the Army. The dead have been identified as Wing Commander B Upadhyay, Squadron Leader S Tiwari, Master Warrant Officer A K Singh, Sergeant Gautam and Sergeant Satish Kumar of the Air Force and Sepoys H N Deka and E Balaji from the Army Service Corps. The defence official said Sepoy Deka jumped from the helicopter in his attempt to save his life, but died. All the dead bodies have been flown to Tezpur airbase. In a tweet, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu said that he was shocked to hear the news of the chopper crash. “My deep condolence to bereaved family for their loss. May the departed rest in peace,” Khandu tweeted.
Silent procession in Wka on Oct 9
DIMAPUR, OCT 6 (NPN): Lotha Students Union (LSU), Lotha Eloe Hoho (LEH) and All Nagaland Private School Association (ANPSA) Wokha unit on Friday informed that a silent procession would be taken out at Wokha town on October 9, 2017 in protest against the assault on a student at Wokha on Wednesday. In a joint press statement, LSU president, Lipemo M Tsopoe, LEH president, Mhonchumi Humtsoe, and ANPSA Wokha unit president, Mhonyamo Ngullie, condemned the October 4, 2017 incident where one T. Rendemo Ngullie, a class IX student of Brighter High School Wokha, who was arrested by police and later released, was allegedly assaulted by a group of people. The three organisations have requested class V students and above from all schools and colleges around Wokha town to gather at Police Point before 10am. Five women representatives from all colonies of Wokha town have been requested to participate in the silent procession. They have also sought cooperation from all shops and business establishments.
Governor stresses need for skills-based education NSCN (K) clarifies on Sep 18 incident
Correspondent
KO H I M A , O C T 6 (NPN): Nagaland governor, PB Acharya, who is also the chief rector Nagaland University, Friday laid stress on the need to impart skills-based education to the university students, saying the goal of education was not just about getting a degree. Acharya was speaking as chief guest at the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Training programme organized by Career and Placement Cell and Department of English, Nagaland University at NIELIT hall, Meriema here on Friday. Reiterating the need for imparting knowledge and skills based on trade, industries, IT, entrepreneur and others, Acharya said the university should use the resources efficiently and provide education based on the need of the
Achraya addressing the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship training programme. (NP)
local people. He said sixth semester should be skill semester instead of the old system that was designed for clerical and administrative jobs. Acharya also advocated the need to provide training on skill development to university students for at least six months. Pointing out that the state required skilful persons in various fields, the governor, however, expressed regret that in most of the cases such works were done by outsiders. Governor said the
youths of the state were second to none, adding that their potential should be used to its fullest. He also expressed concern over the students going outside the state for education due to lack of facilities and avenues in the state. On the present scenario in the state, the governor lamented that political parties have failed miserably and also many NGOs have failed in their part and called upon the student community to wake up and realize what
has gone wrong. Governor urged upon the young people and citizens of the nation to make India a strong, prosperous and peaceful nation. NU pro vice chancellor, Prof. RC Gupta, in his address as guest of honour, said every child was born with talents and the teaching community had to refine them. Encouraging the entrepreneurs, he said the present government was giving more importance to entrepreneurship, adding that the young people
should grasp the opportunity. He also emphasised the need to provide skills based on area, gender, demand and supply. HoD English Department, Dr. Rosemary Dzüvichü, who led the inaugural programme and delivered welcome address, said that the programme was organized to train students to get employment. She said such programme was first of its kind and it would encourage the students for sustainable employment. The resource persons of the programme included land resources district project officer (DPO), Dr. M Tseikha, and HoD Department of Animal Production Management SASRD, NU, Dr. Catherine Rutsa. English Department associate professor, Dr. Jano Sekhose, proposed the vote of thanks.
DIMAPUR, OCT 6 (NPN): NSCN (K) has issued a clarification with regard to the September 18 firing incident at Kuda cold storage, “as demanded by the public, to avoid further misunderstanding and to maintain cordial relationship” A press note issued by NSCN(K) finance secretary, Khumutsa Naga stated that it was compelled to “deliver authentic ground realities on the incident after thorough investigation” that led to the “extent of blank firing for necessary safety measures.” NSCN (K) said that it had “served an information slip of the yearly commercial tax to the proprietor of M/s Kuda cold storage on June 1, 2017.” As directed by the higher authority, NSCN (K) said the assigned official had approached the office to get the contact number of the proprietor of the firm. However, it said that the staff refused and “did not bother to disclose the number”. NSCN (K) alleged that de-
spite the expiry of the stipulated time, L. Duolo failed to contact them. Therefore, the assignees were sent to the office for three consecutive times, but there was no positive response, it said. After a gap of almost 3-4 months, NSCN (K) said that on September 18 “the assigned official sent two cadres, in good faith, to his office seeking his final consent and response since the audit from the headquarter was drawing near.” After reaching the office, NSCN (K) claimed that the cadres were not allowed to cross the main gate, even after informing that “the government had sent them to meet the proprietor for urgent official matter.” It said that proprietor later turned up and “in the presence of daily customers, queried the cadres to state the reason for their visit.” NSCN (K) said that the cadres “affirmed about the info slip served earlier, regarding pending issue of yearly taxation 2017-18.” (Cont’d on p-8) K Y M C