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Volume 06 | Issue 44 Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019 Price `10
INSIDE
Beating the heat: Pools, water showers, fans installed for animals at Assam State Zoo
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NRC countdown begins; 3.29 crore fates to be decided G Plus News @guwahatiplus
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he final consolidated list of the names excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be made public on 31st August 2019. The Supreme Court of India recently ordered that the list of those excluded from the final Assam NRC be published online only on August 31. The bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice RF Nariman said that like Aadhaar data, an appropriate regime be
enacted for securing the Assam NRC data. The apex court also said that the ongoing NRC exercise cannot be ordered to be reopened on the basis of certain legal challenges raised before it. The apex court had earlier said that the final Assam NRC would be published on or by August 31. As the final NRC is set to be published, the citizenship status of 3.29 crore people will be decided. An additional exclusion list comprising the names of 1,02,462 persons to the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published in Assam in July. With the release of the additional exclusion list, the NRC has so far excluded over 41 lakh people as around 40 lakh people
were left out in the final draft NRC published in July last year. It is not that only these 41 lakh people are under verification process, the others among the 3.29 crore applicants will also know their final status on 31st August. A highly placed source working closely with the NRC secretariat, talking to G Plus said, “Names included in the final draft NRC list and not in the additional exclusion list may also get excluded if the verification process finds the person doubtful,� explaining that only after 31st August it will be clear who all will be excluded and included in the final draft NRC list. Meanwhile chief minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, indicated recently that any decision to challenge the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) through the legislative route could be discussed in future. In a democracy, everyone has the right to ask questions. After the publication of the NRC on August 31, if necessary in future, whatever steps will be required the state government will take, expressed Sonowal when asked whether the government was exploring any legislative options to delay the publication. The Centre and the state had both moved the Supreme Court in the past seeking re-verification of the documents of 20% of the 3.29 crore applicants in areas bordering Bangladesh as they fear wrongful inclusion and exclusion. These moves are indirectly questioning the accuracy of the NRC updation process.
Accessibility still a major challenge for differently-abled in Guwahati
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Guwahatians feel harassed by banks while enrolling for Aadhar
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Lead Story Snippets
5.80 lakh abortions conducted in Assam every year: Study
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
Uncertainty looms large over GMC ward elections Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03
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lose to 5,80,100 abortions are performed every year in Assam, as per a study conducted by Indian Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, Population Council, New Delhi, and the New Yorkbased Guttmacher Institute on unintended pregnancy, abortion and post-abortion care in Assam. These include abortions taking place in public as well as private health facilities and other settings, according to the 2015 report. The study highlights the importance of access to and quality of safe abortion services in the state. The study mentioned that an estimated 90% of the abortions occurring in health facilities in Assam are surgical, while around 10% are done using Medical Methods of Abortion. The state’s abortion rate was found to be 66 terminations per 1,000 women in the reproductive age group. The study further stated that among the six states in which the study was conducted, Assam is the only state which had better access to safe abortions in public facilities than private facilities. Apart from this, some of the hurdles which were found in accessing facility-based abortions included lack of trained staff, social or religious concerns, paucity of equipment and supplies and lack of registration/authorisation to provide abortion.
Rs 2 lakhs looted in broad daylight from car in Guwahati
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nidentified miscreants looted Rs 2 lakhs from a car parked near Maligaon area in Guwahati on August 22. As per reports, the owner of the car had kept the cash in the vehicle. The miscreants broke the glass window of the car and looted the amount. The owner of the vehicle, Deepak Das, was not present in the car at the time of the incident. Das had earlier withdrawn the money from the State Bank of India, Gorchuk branch. Jalukbari police reached the spot and investigation is underway.
ven after the term of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) council ended more than a year ago, there still seems to be a lot of uncertainty about the next date of elections. The five-year tenure of the GMC council came to an end on 31st July
I am certain that there is no chance of the elections taking place in August or even September. But after September, I am not certain of when it will be conducted,” GMC Commissioner, Debeswar Malakar. 2018 and the government is yet to conduct the council elections among the city’s wards. For the overall development of the city, the urban local body requires to be guided by representatives of the citizens. However, the authorities have said that it is highly unlikely that the elections will take place even in the next few months for a number of different reasons. As per officials, one of the primary causes for this is that close to 90 per cent officials of GMC are involved in National Register of Citizens (NRC) updation related work. Even as the Guwahati residents want the elections to take place at the earliest, chances of election
File photo of the last GMC counsillors’ body at the end of their tenure taking place this year is very less, informed sources. State Election Commissioner, Harendra Nath Bora, recently said that it is impossible for the ward council elections to take place before December this year. “The elections are getting delayed since most of the GMC officials have been given some or the other work related to the NRC process in the state,” mentioned Bora. As the NRC deadline draws closer, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently said that “non-inclusion of a person’s name in the NRC does not by itself amount to him/her being declared as a foreigner” and that they would be given adequate opportunity to present their case before the Foreigners Tribunals (FTs). For this, the time limit to appeal in front of the FTs has also been increased from the earlier 60 to 120 days now. This will only make matters worse for conducting the elections
as the officers will have to be engaged in the NRC for another longer period. Recently, the Assam State Election Commission issued a notice for publication of wardwise electoral rolls for the elections but the dates are yet to be announced. As per the notification, the electoral rolls will be published on August 2. On the other hand, the last date for receiving claims and objections is August 13 and that for disposal of claims and objections is September 3. Further, the final publication of electoral rolls will take place on September 13. Further, commissioner of GMC, Debeswar Malakar was also unsure of the probable date of elections. He informed G Plus that the elections do not look likely to take place within the next two months. “I am certain that there is no chance of the elections
taking place in August or even September. But after September, I am not certain of when it will be conducted,” said Malakar. Additionally, the State Election Commissioner, Harendra Nath Bora said that the state election commission had requested the district administration Kamrup (Metro) to undertake the process of conducting the elections but Bora alleged that the district administration was not willing to take the responsibility. As per reports, the state election commission had also given the order to begin the work of correction of voter list for Kamrup (Metro) district. Further, a few important decisions were also taken in the cabinet meeting. One of the important decisions taken in the cabinet meeting included increasing the number of wards from the present 31 to 60. However, officials also worry about the lack of manpower for implementation of the decision.
Several areas reeling, problems galore in absence of ward councillors
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n such a scenario when the tenure of the previous council ended more than a year ago, and the position of councillors remaining vacant, several places in the city are suffering from garbage and sanitation issues. Some of these areas include Ulubari Volvo point which is consistently littered and a pungent smell emanates from
the area which is home to a number of restaurants, hotels and guest houses which are mostly occupied by national and international tourists. Residents claim that the area has acquired a permanent stink because of the dustbins which are always full of garbage. A local resident told G Plus, “This area has consistently remained littered for the past several
years even after the GMC pickup truck collects garbage from the area.” KC Patowary Lane of Manipuri Rajbari is another locality which lies in a poor state. Residents complain that nearly two years ago, the entire area of KC Patowary Lane was broken down in order to replace the pipes for supply water passage. Since then, there hasn’t
been any initiative regarding the reconstruction of the roads. The roads are filled with large potholes which add to the woes. During a rainy day, the situation becomes worse as these potholes are filled with mud and the entire area gets waterlogged, increasing the water level which then seeps into the houses of the residents nearby. n
Governance
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
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Error-free final NRC remains in doubt, concern in all quarters G Plus News @guwahatiplus
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y name is not there in the NRC final draft list but names of my family members are there. I was born in Assam before 1971 but still I am scared about the process,” said Kedar Nath of Jyotikuchi. Similarly, many people are still apprehensive of whether the NRC final list will be error-free and accurate for various reasons. No doubt that the Supreme Court of India is monitoring the entire process and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) secretariat officials are working overtime but the accuracy of the entire process remains questionable. State leader of opposition, Debabrata Saikia, talking to G Plus said, “I can’t say it would be an error-free NRC or not but it should be a foreigner-free NRC.” He added that there are attempts made by many to exclude many names on the pretext of silly mistakes like spelling mistake of names and other similar minor mistakes. He just hopes that people are not deliberately excluded. He also said that other political parties keep saying that there are 40 lakh foreigners in Assam which is not correct and such statements also should not be made as previously only draft lists were published. Any statement can be made only after the final list is published. According to media reports, the chief minister was claiming
that everyone has the right to question. Therefore, after the publication of NRC, if required, the government will take whatever step is necessary. This by itself is making the citizens of Assam wonder whether an errorfree NRC is possible in Assam. The Centre and the Assam government sought permission for sample re-verification to find out wrongful inclusions and exclusions of persons in the NRC. An additional exclusion list comprising the names of 1,02,462 persons to the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published in Assam in July. With the release of the additional exclusion list, the NRC has so far excluded over 41 lakh people as around 40 lakh people were left out in the final draft NRC published in July last year. The persons whose names appear in the additional exclusion list are the ones who were included in the draft NRC published on July 30 last year, but subsequently found to be ineligible. This again raises questions on the accuracy of entire NRC updation process. Meanwhile, the NRC authority is considering recommending strong action against a senior Assam government official for alleged irregularities in checking documents of people from Chamaria and some nearby areas in Kamrup district after which re-verification had to be done. According to media reports, Kamrup (Rural) Deputy Commissioner, Kamal Kumar Baishya, had sent a report to the NRC State Coordinator Prateek Hajela about two months ago on
People satnding in queue at an NRC seva kendra in Guwahati | File photo the alleged irregularities by a former Circle Officer of Chamaria under his district which came to light in 2018. He had allegedly ticked the original inhabitant (OI) column for all the people, including Hindus and Muslims, in the verification list, which lessened his burden for cross-checking the documents as well as the tedious process of finding out the family tree of the applicants. This is only one case which came to light because the deputy commissioner of the district reported it. What is the guarantee that such incidents have not happened in the entire
state? The NRC authorities might be doing their jobs utmost sincerely but they are human beings prone to error. In September last, the ruling BJP in Assam on Monday reacted sharply to NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela’s suggestion to the Supreme Court to strike out five of the listed 15 documents for the claims and objections process of the NRC exercise. The Assam unit of the BJP had criticized NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela for telling the Supreme Court that so far, 27% of the names included in the draft had been verified again, even as the apex court dismissed appeals
by both the state and the Centre demanding 10-20% sample reverification a few days back. BJP state president Ranjit Das had questioned Hajela’s intent the basis of the 27% re-verification. Das suspected mala fide intent. He had demanded up to 20% reverification to ensure a correct NRC without wrongful exclusion and inclusion. Das claimed that he stood by his demand because even if some more time is taken the saffron party would want a correct NRC. So if the president of the ruling party is worried about the accuracy of the entire NRC process, what stops the citizens from doing so?
Administration, police on its toes ahead of NRC publication deadline: 31st August
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s the publication date of the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) is nearing, the city police have tightened security across the city and especially at the NRC headquarters located at Bhangagarh. Police sources revealed that the NRC headquarters is under strict security vigil 24/7 adding that 6 companies of CRPF personnel have been deployed in
the city along with the existing forces. Kamrup (Metro) Deputy Commissioner, Biswajit Pegu, talking to G Plus said, “We are geared up for the occasion and we do not foresee any law and order issue but we are prepared for any kind of situation post the publication of the NRC final list.” Police sources said that even the city is under security cover with frequent checking and frisking everywhere.
There are some identified sensitive zones and the local police are accordingly covering the areas. Hatigaon and its adjacent areas are sensitive zones in the East Police District. Azara, Kahikuchi, Maligaon, Fatasil, Kotabari and Dhirepara are sensitive zones in the West Police District and Panjabari, Satgaon, Baghorbari, Nijarapara at Noonmati, Bonda and Panikheti are considered as sensitive zones in the Central
Police District of the Guwahati police commissionerate. A senior police official said, “Even though the sensitive zones have been identified, law and order incidents might occur at a place which is not considered a sensitive zone. So the police are prepared for any kind of exigency anywhere in the city.” Guwahati is the capital; after the NRC is published there might be agitations which might take place in the city. So the police
are also prepared for the law and order situation to handle the protestors. All the police station officers have been instructed to keep a sharp watch for probable trouble makers. Police have also involved nagorik committees and village defence groups for conducting night rounds with the respective police stations’ night duty patrolling parties during late night and early morning hours.
4 City
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
Beating the heat: Pools, water showers, fans installed for animals at Assam State Zoo Nehal Jain @NehalJain96
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ith the mercury level on the rise, the authorities at the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden have taken a slew of measures to enable the animals to cope with the heat and remain safe in the zoo. The temperature in Guwahati recently increased up to as high as 38 degree Celsius. Informing about the precautions being taken in the zoo, Tejas Mariswamy, the zoo’s Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) informed G Plus, “The summer heat seems to have taken a tragic turn this year. In such hot weather, keeping the animals hydrated becomes necessary. Hence, precautions have been taken. Water showers, bamboo sheds, pools, fans inside the shelter house have been provided for the zoo animals.” Some animal species are more sensitive to heat than others. Bears, tigers and other cat species have thick fur and thus, are most
Hippos cooling off at their water body in the Assam State Zoo | G Plus photo affected by the heat. Authorities of the zoo have identified these species and then planned the measures to be taken. For tigers, shade platforms made of bamboo sheets have been created so that the temperature of the shelter houses is reduced. Two bath pools have also been
built and pedestal fans have been installed in the shelters for all tigers and lions. For thick fur species like bears, special water showers have been installed so that the animals can drench themselves whenever they feel the heat. Besides this, for all other
species, structures to provide shade have been built and for small birds, wooden boxes have been set up where they can rest in shade. The fencing of water loving animals such as crocodiles and hippos is filled up with water regularly so that they can get into the water during
hot weather. Further, birds are showered frequently so that they stay hydrated and there is no change in their behaviour. Aparajita Borbora, Public Relations Officer at the Assam State Zoo, told G Plus that the zoo authorities are taking adequate
measures to ensure that animals remain comfortable in spite of the rising heat. “Our veterinarians have been taking care of the animals round the clock. Sufficient water mixed with ORS is being given to the animals to keep them hydrated and save them from heat-stroke. We also monitor for any animal falling sick due to the hot weather,” informed Borbora. Located in the Hengrabari Reserve Forest area in Guwahati, the Assam State Zoo is home to over 1,000 birds and animals belonging to 107 different species. Apart from tigers, lions, bears, monkeys and deer, the zoo houses, within its confines, some exotic species like hippopotamus, macaw and gaboon viper (one of the most poisonous snakes in the world) too. Doctors at the veterinary hospital informed G Plus that there has been no case of animal death due to heat this year. In the previous years, however, there have been cases of animals falling sick during summers, and as a result, developing severe health issues and sometimes, even dying.
Assam State Zoo entry tickets available online The Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden launched a portal on August 20 to allow visitors to purchase entry tickets for the zoo online. The tickets can be purchased at https://zoo.forestassam. net using any form of online payment methods. It is to be mentioned that there is no change in the price of tickets. According to zoo authorities, increase in footfall of visitors cropped up the need to introduce the web portal. With everything going digital, this initiative was undertaken keeping the same in mind. A zoo official informed G Plus
that the Assam State Zoo-cumBotanical Garden receives an average footfall of 15,000-20,000 visitors a month and the online portal has been launched for the convenience of visitors. It should be noted that if visitors purchase the e-ticket, they will have to bring a soft copy or printout of their ticket to the zoo for entry. They can download their ticket from the portal and it will also be emailed to them. Other new initiatives are also being taken up by the zoo authorities to make the zoo lively. The zoo has acquired tall trees from nearby nurseries to
keep the atmosphere inside cool. Two bio-toilets and a water ATM are being erected by Guwahati Smart City Limited to serve tourists. Additionally, works on underground electricity as well as road constructions are currently underway. Infrastructural developments are also being looked into. The zoo is coming up with a new walk-through aviary and animal enclosures. The zoo is looking to acquire more charismatic mammals like giraffe and zebra by the end of the year and aims to catch up to the standards of the Mysore Zoo by the end of 2020.
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yy 6 decade old Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden is spread across 432 acres (175 hectares). yy The zoo is home to over 1,000 birds and animals belonging to 107 different species. yy Zoo authorities have taken multiple steps to help animals beat the heat this summer. yy Water showers, bamboo sheds, pools and fans have been provided to the zoo animals. yy The zoo is coming up with a new walk-through aviary and animal enclosures. yy Plans to acquire more charismatic species are in talks. yy szCatching up with the Mysore Zoo by the end of 2020 is the aim of the Assam State Zoo.
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In The News
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
Top cop Surendra Kumar bags special award for Assam Police cknowledging the momentous work done by Assam Police for its initiative in curbing and raising awareness on ‘Human Trafficking’, the department was awarded a special award in the FICCI Smart Policing Awards 2019, held on 23rd August in New Delhi. The event was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The award was given for good work and best practices in this field and was received by Surendra Kumar, IPS, Inspector General of Police, CID,
Trafficking. Assam and the North East as a whole have always been vulnerable to human trafficking and this can be corroborated by the fact that Assam reported the maximum no of cases in 2015 among all states. This number has come down significantly since then and the award is a testimonial to this achievement. Surendra Kumar, IPS has been actively working towards this cause and has been at the fore front in combating this menace by sensitising the field level officers and by raising the awareness about the nature, magnitude and devastating consequence of the crime including the traumatizing effect it has on the survivors and their families. He has also authored a book titled Role of Duty Bearers in Child Protection published by the National Law University and Judicial Academy with support
Assam who is also the Nodal Officer of Anti-Human Trafficking Units of the state. Kumar has also received a certificate from FICCI as the ‘Concerned Officer’ of this award and he expressed his delight at the recognition received for the significant work done in the area of Anti-Human
from UNICEF. The book which was formally launched recently by Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, prominently covers various aspects of child trafficking. The book has been empowering police officers and functionaries of other departments with knowledge for effectively responding to
G Plus News @guwahatiplus
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Surendra Kumar (in shirt and tie, centre) posing with the trophy bagged by Assam Police
the menace of human trafficking which constitutes violation of human rights in worst ways.
South Central Railway announces 20 special trains to Guwahati
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he South Central Railway announced that it would run 20 special trains between Secunderabad and Guwahati. According to a report, Train No. 02513 Secunderabad-Guwahati special would depart Secunderabad at 5:40 AM on August 29, September 5, 12, 19 and 26 and on October 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 (Thursdays) and arrive at
Guwahati at 8:45 AM on Saturdays. In the return direction, Train No. 02514 GuwahatiSecunderabad special would depart Guwahati at 11:55 PM on August 31, September 7, 14, 21, 28,
October 5, 12, 19 and 26 and on November 2 (Saturdays) and arrive at Secunderabad at 4 AM on Tuesdays.
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6 Concern
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
Accessibility still a major challenge for differently-abled in Guwahati Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03
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ven as the central government had set the timeline for implementing the Accessible India Campaign or Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan by 2016, Guwahati is still lagging behind in implementing the scheme. Differently-abled persons residing in Guwahati feel that the city has a long way to go in terms of infrastructure before it becomes friendly for them. They say that lack of accessibility is a huge challenge due to which they are unable to navigate public spaces with ease. A lot of public institutions and important government offices lack the required infrastructure to support persons with disabilities. The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, provides for statutory requirements to provide barrier-free environment to persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others. However, many government buildings and public places continue to violate the provisions of the Act. Nripen Malakar, secretary of Pratibandi Suraksha Sangstha,
Differently abled persons during a protest in Guwahati | G plus Photo Assam (PSSA), an NGO which works for the rights of differently-abled persons, told G Plus, “We have requested the commissioner for persons with disabilities in Assam to ensure that the Accessible India campaign is properly implemented in Assam at the earliest so as to provide some
relief to us.” He added, “If a person is unable to even enter a majority of government offices since they don’t have ramps or railings, then what is the use?” Another member of PSSA mentioned that ironically even the office of directorate of social welfare in Guwahati, which is
responsible for implementation of the campaign in the state, is not sufficiently equipped with facilities for differently-abled. Speaking about footpaths being another major cause for concern for visually impaired pedestrians, Malakar said that tactile paving or textured tiles are needed on footpaths to guide
Accessibility work is yet to begin in important government buildings like Assam Secretariat, office of the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup Metro; Assam Public Service Commission, Aaykar Bhawan, Administrative Staff College, Gauhati High Court and Gauhati University. visually impaired persons but some of the footpaths which have been recently constructed in Guwahati do not have them. He added that the commissioner for persons with disabilities had also recently written to the PWD department to ensure that the footpaths have the required tactile paving.
Audit undertaken, infrastructure work pending
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he Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) had launched the nation-wide Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) for achieving universal accessibility for persons with disabilities. It aims to provide accessible physical environment benefits not just for persons with disabilities but for everyone.
It provides for undertaking measures to eliminate obstacles and barriers to indoor and outdoor facilities including schools, medical facilities and workplaces. These would include buildings, footpaths, curb cuts, and obstacles that block the flow of pedestrian traffic. An accessible government building is defined as one where persons with disabilities have no barrier in entering it and using all
the facilities therein. This covers the built environment – services, steps and ramps, corridors, entry gates, emergency exits, parking – as well as indoor and outdoor facilities that include lighting, signages, alarm systems and toilets. The central government had set the target to implement the campaign in Guwahati and several other cities across India by July 2016. It mentioned that
an accessibility audit would be conducted of at least 50 most important government buildings which would be converted into fully accessible buildings by July 2016. For this Shishu Sarothi, a Guwahati-based NGO, had conducted an audit of several government buildings in the city and had submitted their report to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Some of
the audited buildings include Assam Secretariat, office of the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup Metro; Assam Public Service Commission, Aaykar Bhawan, Administrative Staff College, Gauhati High Court and Gauhati University among others. However, the deputy director of the social welfare department, Satyendra Deori, told G Plus that the accessibility work is yet to begin for the same.
4% reservation for differently-abled in higher education
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ne of the long pending demands of the differently-abled persons in the state was that regarding their jobs, they should be given 4% reservation in the 4,419 posts meant for persons with disabilities that are lying vacant. They informed that as per the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities Act 2016, 4% reservation for persons with disabilities should be provided for by the government. In this regard following several complaints from persons with disabilities, the commissioner of persons with disabilities had written to the directorate of higher education, to provide reservation for jobs for them.
Differently-abled at work | Internet photo
Following this, the directorate of higher education has now asked all the colleges to implement the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Differently-abled persons have carried out several protests in the past for their long-pending demands. Some of these included Rs
1,000 as monthly allowance, which was announced by the state government last year. The officials had informed last year that registration for the beneficiaries had already begun. This apart, they have also been demanding for pension benefits and free housing facilities to be given to differently-abled people of the state.
Governance
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
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Assam Police launches ‘Sishu Mitra Programme’ in Guwahati Nehal Jain @NehalJain96
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ith the aim to promote childfriendly policing in the state, Assam Police launched Sishu Mitra (child-friendly) Programme in collaboration with UNICEF India and nongovernmental organization, UTSAH. The first-of-its-kind program focussing on bridging the gap between police and children was launched by chief minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal. The first part of the program comprising the Child Friendly Police Jacket initiative (for police officers dealing with
children) was also launched. The first jacket was ceremonially presented to Deepak Kumar, Commissioner of Police, Guwahati. This was followed by the introductory remarks by Harmeet Singh, Additional DGP of Assam, and the main man behind the initiative. “Sishu Mitra is another step in our endeavour to serve society, specifically children,” said ADGP Singh. Present during the occasion were minister of social welfare Pramila Rani Brahma, Tingkhong MLA Bimal Bora, additional chief secretary to the government of Assam, (Home), Kumar Sanjay Krishna, director general of police, Assam, Kuladhar Saikia, representative of UNICEF India office Dr Yasmin
Vivanta by Taj to host special brunches featuring cuisine from 12 countries
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ivanta by Taj Guwahati is dedicating the next 12 Sundays through the months of August, September and October and its special brunch afternoons to 12 different countries spread across the continents, whereby a smorgasbord tour awaits visitors with ingredients and a special section showcasing the dishes unique to a country. Each brunch, dedicated to the country will offer food, drinks and décor – a mini preview of the country’s local cuisine and culture. The countries to be covered in their food tour include Italy, France, Mexico, Japan, Greece, Thailand, Syria, Lebanon, Mexico, China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the American continent. Patrons will also be able to collect exciting offers from the very first brunch of the series by collecting their brunch passports from the restaurant to avail exiting offers for each successive meal to unveil exciting delights.
Ali Haque, and chairperson of the Assam State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights Dr Sunita Changkakoti, among other distinguished guests. “Protecting children is our responsibility. Be it home, schools or public places, we the parents, teachers, elders and senior citizens must work together to create a child-friendly atmosphere for children to grow,” CM Sonowal said speaking on the occasion. “I applaud Assam Police for their dedicated service for the cause of people and ensuring security of the society. The programme will further increase its citizen-oriented approach and help children in need of assistance,” he further added.
Besides announcing a series of initiatives to make the police sensitive towards children, a Child-Friendly Police Kit was also launched as a part of the Sishu Mitra Programme. The kit contains a child-friendly jacket and a Dos and Don’ts Manual in Assamese. These jackets have a childfriendly colour that would help in altering the mood and behaviour of children when they meet the police. The Child Welfare Police Officer or any other police personnel going to meet a child will have to wear this jacket and use the kit. Globally, this year is the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and 100 years of Child Rights
Movement. In Assam, the government and development partners are working to enable a secure, safe, happy and healthy childhood for all children, in support of the sustainable development goals. “In this regard, a series of trainings have been planned that would include the creation of child-friendly police corners in every police station, and raising awareness on ending violence against children in Assam,” informed ADGP Harmeet Singh. He also urged the Assam Police personnel who will be dealing with children to be very humane and use their child-friendly police kit to bring about positive changes in their approach towards children.
8 G Plus Poll
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
Guwahatians feel harassed by banks while enrolling for Aadhar Harshita Himatsingka @HHimatsingka
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hile it is not mandatory for citizens to enroll to get an Aadhar, it has, in this chaotic time in Assam, become a necessity. The Aadhar card is viewed as a pivotal document to prove one’s identity and ensure that they are indeed citizens of India. The Aadhar is a 12-digit random number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to eliminate and duplicate fake identities. Given the importance of this document, one might imagine that obtaining it is a simple and sorted process. However, this is not the case. To enroll for an
part in the poll. Out of this, 55 percent said that they had been harassed by banks, while the remaining 45 percent noted that they did not face such troubles while enrolling for Aadhar in banks. The problems faced by the enrollees consist of the banks not being properly functional, asking for additional charges or to open a bank account besides rude behaviour by the bank’s staff. “I went to the SBI Beltola branch so many times and every time, either they were updating their machine or it was broken. What a joke!” said Mousumi Das, a resident of Guwahati. To enroll for the Aadhar, one has to submit demographic information such as their date of birth, name (verified), gender, mobile number, email id etc.
bank. However, there is no such rule mentioned by UIDAI that states that individuals or families need to first create a bank account to be eligible for Aadhar enrollment at a particular bank’s branch. “Almost all banks such as Allahabad Bank near ABC GS Road, ICICI Bank near Bhangagarh, Kotak Bank near ABC, HDFC Bank Zoo road etc are all full of excuses and deny updating your Aadhar card if a bank account is not maintained in their respective banks,” said Ajay Shaw, another concerned citizen. In an identical incident, another individual, Partha Pratim Das who was trying to enroll for Aadhar said, “Private banks are using Aadhar to increase their business. They
Have you been harassed by banks while getting Aadhar made?
No
45 %
Representative image of iris scan being done at Aadhar enrollment centre | HT image Aadhar card, one has to visit an enrollment centre accredited by UIDAI. A common enrollment centre that most people frequent to get the Aadhar is their local bank. However, it has come to notice that various banks in the city are creating a hassle for the public and not allowing them to complete the procedure for enrollment in a professional manner. G Plus recently conducted a poll asking readers if they had been victims of harassment by banks during enrollment for Aadhar. A total of 1,600 participants took
One also has to submit biometric data such as ten fingerprints, two iris scans and a facial photograph, according to UIDAI’s website. Thus, to obtain all these documents, the banks have to be adept at processing these data and ensure that the tools required are available and in working condition. Similarly, a number of people also complained that several banks have voluntarily refused to enroll people for Aadhar if they do not have a bank account in that particular enrollment centre which is basically a branch of the
are asking to open accounts and only then would they conduct the Aadhar formalities.” In the poll conducted, a number of respondents also mentioned that the staff at these banks was unprofessional. “There was one lady at an SBI branch in Guwahati who yelled at my mother and me. I am not an uneducated person and that lady is working in a nationalized bank. So she should know how to behave. There is no need to shout and yell to put her point across,” said Angel, another victim who was
Votes
1,600
harassed by bank officials when she went to enroll for Aadhar. Looking at the flip side, there were also a number of people who were able to enroll for their Aadhar successfully without much hassle. “My enrollment process went swiftly at the private bank I went to in Hatigaon. It hardly took 20 to 30 minutes. No charges, as it’s clearly mentioned that enrollment is free. I haven’t been to the public banks, but am well aware of the troubles and hassles,” added Satya Kamal Gogoi, a resident of the city. However, the bankers who have
yes
55 %
been working tirelessly at these banks have stated that it is not an easy task to conduct Aadhar enrollment procedures given their already burdensome workload and that the government should implement better resources so that both the enroller and the enrollee can come out happy in the end. “Do you have any idea how much pressure we bankers have? Aadhar enrollment is done by third party members, not by banks or UIDAI. Banks have just given a roof for enrollment of Aadhar and nothing else. It’s just because the government itself does not have enough trust in its own offices that they are diverting all the non-profit related work to the banks,” said Dipankar Borah, a banker currently based in Tezpur, Assam. n
City
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
‘Study abroad’ students felicitated in the city G Plus News @guwahatiplus
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n event was hosted by ‘Admissify,’ an onlinebased education services and immigration assistance platform, on Wednesday, August 21 at Hotel Palacio, Guwahati to introduce and felicitate the new batch of students who have been selected for study abroad in the coming months. Among the students who have been selected in 2019 are: Dhritica Borah (University College, Dublin, Ireland), Leema Kalita (University of Glasgow, UK), Dhrubananda Pathak (University of Liverpool, UK), Jesmine Sultana (Coventry University, UK), Aminul Haque (Jacob’s University, Germany), Hrishikesh Pathak (Westminster International College, Malaysia), Priyanuj Bhuyan (Recording Arts College, Canada), & Arinav Nanda Choudhury (Westminster International College, Malaysia).
“Admissify is a first of its kind organisation that is set to change the conventional method of counselling and admissions experience that an aspirant undergoes. In this age of information, prospective students can find varied information from multiple sources in a very fragmented marketplace,” said Ishant Agarwal, co-founder
Admissify cum vice president of CJ DARCL Group. He added that what is really required is a holistic source of unbiased and transparent information which can provide clients with in-depth information about prospects in a foreign country with the associated assistance. Professor SU Chouhury, former
Snippets Union Bank of India announces rejuvenation plan for NE
HoD Chemistry, Cotton University, who also addressed the audience on the occasion said, “In my long experience of being in selection bodies for different organisations, I have observed that a student with a stint of study abroad gets preference over those who have studied all through in one country only.” A panel discussion on “Study Abroad: Cultural Challenges in Global Learning & Work Opportunities” was also organised for students at the event. The participants at the discussion were Aminul Haque (Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany), Sayeed Alam Choudhury (Senior Analyst, Trip Adviser, Southampton UK) and Saikh Md Sabah Al Ahmed (Cotton University, Guwahati). The discussion was moderated by Nurul Islam Laskar, PR Consultant & Motivational Speaker.
Girls jump out of moving Tempo in Guwahati as man tries to inject ‘drugs’ after jumping out from the auto and were admitted to Sanjeevani Hospital. According to reports, the accused man was sitting between the two girls and tried to inject them with alleged drugs when one of the girls felt a pricking feeling following which they both jumped from the auto. An FIR was lodged at the Jalukbari police station following the incident and the police are conducting an investigation into the matter.
G Plus News @guwahatiplus
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n a recent incident, two girls who were travelling by Tempo in the city’s Pandu area jumped off from the moving vehicle after a fellow passenger allegedly tried to inject them with an unidentified substance using a syringe. The girls, who are students of Pandu College, sustained injuries
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press meet of the branch heads of Union Bank of India was held in Guwahati on August 17 and August 18
last. “Normally ideas and plans come from the top and implemented by officials down the line. This is the first time that we have invited all our branch managers serving in the seven northeastern states to come together and give their ideas for the bank’s role in the development of the region,” said Kalyan Kumar, General Manager, Union Bank of India, Central Office, Mumbai. As branches are the first point of contact with the customers, this consultative process is aimed at understanding performance of branches vis-a-vis opportunities available in the respective command areas, added Barun Kumar, DGM, Regional Office, Union Bank of India, Guwahati. Several ideas have emerged to align the activities of Union Bank of India with area-specific issues and enhance ease of living by making banks more responsive to customers and upgrade digital access. The specific areas of discussion during the meeting included initiatives required for doubling farmer’s income, enhancing credit to small businesses &empowering Women & SC/ST Entrepreneurs, Jal Shakti and support for Green & Blue Economy and Credit to Swachhtarelated activities. Union Bank of India has 84 branches in the northeastern states of India comprising 68 in Assam, 7 in Tripura, 5 in Meghalaya and one each in Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. All these 84 branches are under Guwahati region of the bank. Branches of Guwahati region have extended credit aggregating to Rs 139.39 crores under Mudra Yojana and Rs 238.20 crores under agriculture and allied activities.
Weather report for the week Guwahati
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10 Guest Column Snippets First ever “BizLab” of NE region inaugurated at Assam down town University
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ll India Management association (AIMA) inaugurated its first and exclusive “BizLab” for northeast region at Assam down town University on 22 August, 2019. The first-of-itskind virtual lab for management studies with 120 licenses of AIMA, BizLab software was inaugurated ceremoniously by Neeral Kapoor, Director, Centre of Management Development (CMD), All India Management Association (AIMA), New Delhi, in presence of Dr NN Dutta, Chancellor, Assam down town University; Dr Amarjyoti Choudhury, Vice Chancellor Assam down town University, chief guest Rupam Goswami, State Chairman Assam Chamber of Commerce and Joutishman Dutta, Managing Trustee of down town charity trust and many other esteemed guests from leading organizations like Assam Chambers of Commerce, FICCI, CII, FINER etc. Director, AIMA, Neeral Kapoor, in his speech congratulated Assam down town University for being the first University in the eastern region of the country to have the BizLab in place. He shared his learnings about how it is an effective tool for experiential learning and evaluation purpose. Other dignitaries present also gave light about BizLab, a digital tool which will serve as a motivating factor for the students of the university by enriching their academic inputs and ideas, have access to hands on case studies and give a boost for building entrepreneurship as a core career idea within them. AIMA BizLab Portal: AIMA BizLab is a first-of-its-kind virtual lab for management students. Just like the laboratories for other education fields, using the AIMA BizLab software, students may “experience” various management strategies and tactics on the given scenario. Specifically designed keeping in mind the learning habits of new generation of students, AIMA BizLab provides an unparalleled learning experience. Experimental learning is the future of education.
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
Carbon trading and GHG emissions L ooking for a sign of optimism in this era of climate change where global warming is taking a toll on all ecosystems, I stumbled upon the thought of whether or not the concept of carbon trading is really going to help us reduce our carbon footprint. The entire purpose of carbon trading was introduced to curb the release of Green House gases omitted by developed nations
nations formed rules and regulations regarding carbon emissions in Japan’s Kyoto to decide on legally binding targets to reduce carbon emissions, as per which, each country was to follow a rule wherein, one carbon credit would let a nation emit an equivalent of one tonne of Green house gases. If any country exceeded the limit than the allowance given to them, they would have to buy carbon credits from the country with
The Indian constitution states that the country shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment. The big question here is, are we taking the right step in this direction by selling our carbon credits and licensing industries and foreign nations to continue polluting all that which belongs to us global citizens? into the atmosphere. What was meant to be a solution, might actually be leading us to some serious trouble in the near future. We, in India, treat carbon credit as a commodity and trade it on our Multi Commodity Exchange! Although developing nations are earning revenue by selling carbon credits to countries which have high fossil fuel demands, industries in ratified countries are literally “purchasing” the right to pollute our atmosphere, and that too legally! To resolve the major issue at hand, UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), an international environmental treaty was signed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, commonly referred to as the “Earth Summit,” held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Its aim was to prevent dangerous interference with the climate system around the globe. Then, in the year 1997, representatives of over 160
stood at almost 3 tonnes in the year 2015, which was less than half the world average. As per a research study conducted in 2015 and 2017, a survey revealed that 75% of the Indian population was concerned about the issue of global warming and 47% of Indians consider climate change to be a “major threat” to India. India submitted a Climate Pledge for the Paris Climate talks to reduce green house
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Rifa Deka country. No matter how many times we redefine the term ‘carbon credit’ and dress it in fancy economic terms, no matter how many pros the government propagandizes into telling us that this has, and no matter how much the bureaucrats
Representative image of factory emissions lesser emissions. Carbon trading has encouraged industries to harness energy using alternative methods to an extent, but at the same time, this is also encouraging carbon emissions at one place by reducing it somewhere else, totally nullifying the effect, or in some cases, only multiplying it many folds. Our emissions continue to rise steeply and although our per-capita emissions remain well below the global average, the situation remains to be grim for us. Our country too is very vulnerable to climate change today which can be noted by the melting of our Himalayan glaciers and changes in the monsoon cycles. The Modi government has so far been portraying India’s image as a responsible participant in International Climate Politics and in 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred to climate change as “the greatest threat to survival and human civilization.” India’s per capita emissions
emissions by 33 to 35 % by 2030, as compared to earlier rise in levels of emissions. Sadly, even if the pledge is met, our emissions will only increase by 90% by 2030. The Indian constitution states that the country shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment. The big question here is, are we taking the right step in this direction by selling our carbon credits and licensing industries and foreign nations to continue polluting all that which belongs to us global citizens? As far as the northeast is concerned, Assam ranks first in CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions among all 8 states of the region. Studies show a positive correlation between the increase of population and a rise in emission of green house gases from the state, due to which we can see how deforestation and accelerated erosion have severely depleted the soil and ecosystem in the region, not taking into account the floods and other problems plaguing this part of the
indoctrinate us into believing that this will help the economy of a developing country grow, letting one emit more green house gases into the atmosphere at the cost of the destruction of eco systems is malicious. Carbon trading is being used by first world nations as a means of bypassing the need to cut down on their emissions by simply buying carbon credits from countries who are actually making an effort to go green. If we do not take the issue of climate change seriously and keep turning a deaf ear towards such issues that threaten the very survival of our race, we will only make this planet hostile for our own survival. If we do not address the ‘elephant in the room’ now, we will soon bid farewell to environmental conditions that have been conducive to support life since time immemorial on planet Earth, our only home. (The author is a student of Mass Communication at Royal Global University, Guwahati. The views expressed are her own.)
News This Week
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
A quick round up of the news that mattered during the past week
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Consensual sex is “Not Rape” even if marriage unsure: SC
The Supreme Court of India has ruled in its new verdict that if a woman maintains a physical relationship with a man for a long time, knowing that it might not result in marriage, the woman cannot accuse the man of rape on grounds of making a false promise of marriage. The court has mentioned in its verdict that any false promise of marriage must be of immediate relevance or bear a direct nexus to the woman’s decision to engage in the sexual act. The bench also stated that there is a difference between a false promise given on the understanding by the maker that it will be broken and the breach of a promise which is made in good faith but not fulfilled later on.
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BJP spokesperson files case against Anurag Kahshyap for hurting Sikh sentiments
Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Bagga has filed a police complaint against the director of Netflix Series Sacred Games 2, Anurag Kashyap for “intentionally hurting Sikh sentiments by adding a scene that disrespects Sikh religious symbol, Kada.” The series shows a scene wherein actor Saif Ali Khan, who plays the role of a Sikh cop in the series, takes off his Kada and throws it into the sea. In his written police statement, Bagga mentioned that the “Kada is considered as a revered and integral part of Sikh religion and it is treated with utmost respect and faith.”
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SBI hopes to discontinue use of Debit Cards
State Bank of India (SBI), which services a fifth of the population of the country, is aiming to eliminate the use of debit cards from the banking system. Rajnish Kumar, chairman SBI stated at the annual Fibac meeting on August 19 that the company wishes to eliminate debit cards to promote digital payment solutions. He informed that there are around 90 crore debit cards in India, compared to three crore credit cards. Kumar further stated that in the next five years, there will be virtually no need to carry around a plastic card as virtual coupons and online payments will take over the current methods of payment used for day-to-day transactions.
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Hima Das claims her 6th gold medal in Czech Republic
Dhing Express Hima Das has won her sixth gold at the 300 m in the Athleticky Mitink Reiter 2019 in Czech Republic on August 18. This is Das’s sixth gold medal since July 2, when she ran her first competitive race in Europe. Earlier she won gold at the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland on July 2, the Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland on July 7, the Kladno Athletics Meet in Czech Republic on July 13, the Tabor Athletics Meet in Czech Republic for the 200 m competitive race on July 17 to mention a few.
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SC to review Triple Talaq Validity
The Supreme Court, on 23rd August 2019, agreed to review the appeal challenging the validity of Triple Talaq law which makes it a punishable offence among Muslims. Justice NV Ramana and Ajay Rastogi issued a notice to the central government after hearing petitions of three cases which had challenged the constitutional validity of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 (Triple Talaq law). Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on July 30 2019. The bill criminalises instant triple talaq and offenders will be given a jail term of three years.
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Uttarakhand govt names trekking route taken by PM in ‘Man Vs Wild’ as ‘Modi Trail’
The Uttarakhand government’s tourism department has decided to develop the trekking route taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the television show Man Vs Wild, as “Modi trail.” Speaking to media persons Satpal Maharaj, minister of tourism, Uttarakhand said, “The trek where PM Modi and Grylls visited during the episode inside Jim Corbett National Park would be developed as Modi Trail. The trekking route will be publicised as a separate identity in the famous national park. The trekking route would help in attracting more tourists and wildlife enthusiasts towards it.”
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Hrithik beats Chris Evans, Robert Pattinson as the handsomest man in the world
Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan has been named the “Most Handsome Man in the World” by a US-based agency. The list included names such as Chris Evans, David Beckham, Robert Pattinson and Omar Borkan Al Gala. A source said that the actor recently topped the “Top 5 Most Handsome Men in the World” list in August 2019. Roshan will be seen in his next, an action-thriller alongside Tiger Shroff where Hrithik will again flaunt his chiselled body.
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#BoycottMcDonalds trends on Twitter
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Team India players sport numbered test jerseys for the first time
A Twitter user, @hibailyas89 recently asked McDonald’s India whether their restaurants in India have a halal certificate to which they replied, “Thank you for taking the time to contact McDonald’s India. We truly appreciate this opportunity to respond to your comments. The meat that we use, across our restaurants, is of the highest quality and is sourced from governmentapproved suppliers who are HACCP certified. All our restaurants have HALAL certificates. You can ask the respective restaurant managers to show you the certificate for your satisfaction and confirmation.” This tweet by McDonald’s India’s received major criticism from Twitterati after which #BoycottMcDonalds started trending on twitter.
The official Instagram handle of the Indian cricket team revealed the jersey numbers of Indian cricketers who started playing a two-match Test series against West Indies in the World Test Championships starting from August 22 in Antigua. The move to have numbered jerseys was introduced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to engage more youth in the sport. It should be noted that the use of numbered jerseys will continue throughout the World Test Championship. This is the first time in the history of test cricket that Team India players will be wearing jerseys with both their names and numbers.
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Home and car loans to become cheaper: FM Sitaraman
In a press meet to revive the economy, FM Nirmala Sitaraman announced that all home and car loans will become cheaper. Explaining she said repo rate will be directly linked to interest rates which will result in reduced EMIs for housing loans, vehicle and other retail loans. CSR violation will not be treated as criminal offence but a civil one. Further she said that to mitigate genuine difficulties of start-ups and their investors, it has been decided to withdraw angel tax provisions for them. A dedicated cell under a member of CBDT too will be set up for addressing the problems of start-ups.
12 In Conversation
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
In conversation with MMA champion Bhabajit Choudhury G Plus caught up with one of the tallest achievers among sportsperson from Assam, Bhabajit Choudhury. Here are the excerpts from the interview. Can we have a brief background about yourself?
Well, I am Bhabajit Choudhury, I belong to Assam. I am the captain of the Gujarat team in the Super Fight League (SFL). Since my young days, I had a lot of interest in martial arts. When I had started off, there was no concept of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in India. I practiced different forms of martial arts like Kung Fu, Kick Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Boxing etc and finally I landed up in the MMA arena where I am trying to make my career.
What have been your achievements in your chosen career?
There is a sporting league called Super Fight League or SFL which came to India. And I joined this SFL. But prior to SFL I had participated in a number of national and international tournaments where I had won a lot of medals. Only thereafter, I joined the MMA. Before the SFL, I was in the Indian team representing the country. In 2012, I won the bronze medal in Vietnam in an Asian Championship. In the same year in the SFL, I got the Best Knockout Award in the SFL representing India. These two awards I consider my favourites among the large number of awards and medals that I have won.
You put a lot of stress on fitness.
I consider fitness as a lifetime journey for me. I have taken martial arts for a career and I tell everyone that fitness is something very important. We should not think that we need to put on 10 kgs or weight or lose 5 kilos. We should just practice to keep fit everyday and be dedicated towards it.
Can you elaborate on MMA?
There is a lot of wrong perception towards MMA with many thinking that it is nothing but a brawl. But for fitness, MMA is the best way forward. The fitness that you can achieve with MMA cannot be achieved with any other discipline. That is something I can guarantee. MMA offers three options for you. You can take it as a career, you can practice it for fitness or you can use it for selfdefence.
You are the captain of the Gujarat team… Currently, in the SFL, I am a senior member of my team being the captain of the Gujarat team. I have been the captain from 2017. I feel it’s a fairly good achievement for me that the owner of the Gujarat team has sought me to be the captain. The captaincy comes from both seniority and performance basically. Perhaps they have selected me keeping both criteria in mind.
Do you have a role model?
I am my own role model. I just want to iron out whatever deficiencies I have in the sport and become a more perfect sportsman in my chosen discipline.
You have opened a few training centres in Guwahati. Please tell us more about them.
In Guwahati, I have three fitness gyms cum MMA training centres
by the name of …….. We focus on fitness, training for MMA and also on self defence. So we have a lot of clients and students… Guwahati is rampant today in consumption of alcohol and drugs. My concern and work is towards weaning young people away from these destructive elements and take to fitness through MMA. This can be a life changing factor for them. You see, I am not advocating only for MMA. Any sport can be taken up and I am telling that anyone who has taken to sports will try and play it forever. That will keep them away from alcohol and drugs. My three gyms located at Bharalumukh, Zoo Road and Sarabbhatti work towards teaching
that training and fitness are far better than these bad addictions. We offer hardcore training such that the students do not even get to think about these addictive stuffs and continue to dedicatedly stick to their line of fitness and thereafter career. This is our biggest target.
How does a normal day look like for you?
My day starts at 4.30 am and I finish up by 10-11 pm. I have three training schedules being morning, afternoon and evening. I do my skill training in
the morning. In the afternoon, it is strength training followed by skill training in the evening. Further, I vary my training patterns depending on when I have my fights scheduled. If a fight is around the corner, the intensity of my training increases. Otherwise, I focus on my training differently. MMA training includes strength, endurance, speed and agility and we can’t miss training in any of these.
Can you say something about sporting talents in Assam?
I don’t see a dearth of talent in Assam. It has a lot of talented sportsmen and fighters. Just that we don’t get the chances to prove ourselves. This is because there are very people to give them proper advice and direction and show them the way. This is why I have given up my central government job in New Delhi to open my fitness centres. My main motive is to take these latent talents of Assam on to the international platforms.
Guest Column
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
Reinvigorating Employment: Pathways to augment employment opportunities
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ecently, the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) released the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), to be specific it is the first time the NSSO conducted the PLFS which is an annual survey mapping unemployment to provide a closer trace to unemployment. The much talked about report from PLFS has revealed that India is at the midst of massive job crisis hitting 45 year high unemployment rate of 6.1% in 2017-18. The unemployment rate (UR) is at its highest in both rural and urban areas. The UR in urban areas is 7.8% and in rural areas it is 5.3% in 2017-18 as compared to 3.0% and 1.7% respectively in urban and rural areas in 2011-12. The joblessness rate among male and female is 6.2% and 5.7% respectively. The staggering increase has painted a gloomy picture of employment opportunities in the country. The rate of female participation is further higher than those of male in urban areas. Aside from unemployment low wages and precocity continue to be widespread.
annually to absorb the additional workforce moving out from rural areas currently employed in agriculture. It is not shocking that of India’s total workforce, agriculture holds 49% while it contributes hardly around 15% of gross value added. The female labour force participation rate is also pathetic i.e 23.7% compared to 61% of China and 56% of the
Revival of the situation: Firstly it is very important to identify the skill shortages, developmental needs. It can be done with the help of The Labour Market Information System shortly LMIS. Additionally to mitigate this issue Government has undertaken a multiprolonged approach through launching of ‘Start Up India’ for
Women at Work Place (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act and Equal Remuneration Act, 1973 which provides for payment of equal remuneration without any discrimination. Fifth, to reduce the confusion about the employment data collection, a task force under the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog was formed in 2017. It recommended yearly survey
Present scenario:
According to reports conducted by NSSO, about 83% of the total employed persons were employed in unorganized sector. This means the majority of Indian workers are without social security provisions such as pensions, insurance so on and so forth. The increasing rate of unemployment can also be associated with the plethora of labour laws that prohibits the firms to recruit and retrench employees as per requirements. In a survey carried out by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy it has come to the light that 1.1 crore jobs were lost in 2018 of which majority belonged to the unorganised sector. The manufacturing sector is probably the largest job creator in the country, however due to slump experienced by this sector job additions have been adversely impacted. As per the Labour Bureau Report less than 5% of Indian Workers are skilled. Poor skill development, corruption have remained the bone of contention for the last few years. The reported rate of unemployment is dominated by people with higher education. Hence to capitalise on its demographic dividend, India must create viable and high productivity jobs. It is estimated that Indian economy will need to generate 70 lakh jobs
Representative Image of job seekers in India | Internet photo US, the International Labour Organisation ranks India’s Female Labour Force Participation rate at 121 out of 131 countries in 2013. Given the complexity of various labour laws the union cabinet approved the bill that will codify 38 central labour laws into 4 codes and intends to increase the legislative protection of minimum wage to the entire workforce. Another important aspect of this reality is that educational expansion has affected the unemployment debate by creating greater competition for well paid jobs among a rising population of educated youth. It allows young graduates to wait for well paying jobs thereby creating an army of educated unemployed. Hence the recognition of rising unemployment as a function of expanding education will force the government to grapple with different issues than simply focusing on unemployment statistics. According to the India Skill Report, only 47% of higher education youths are employable.
creating an environment for entrepreneurship and innovation. Other schemes such as MUDRA, Pradhan Mantri-Rojgar Protsahan Yojana, Shram Subidha Portal should be emphasised equally. Secondly to impart the proper and future ready skills government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikash Yojana (PMKVY) and National Skill Development Mission which in turn will create better trained and well paid workforce. Thirdly simplified and modified labour laws applicable to the workforce will ensure an optimum combination of flexibility and security. Further to ensure better working conditions for domestic workers, The National Policy on Domestic Workers needs to be implemented at the earliest. Fourthly, to enhance female labour participation rate the government has brought about important legislation like Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 which increases the maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks, the Sexual Harassment of
on employment data based on household survey method. To formalise the workforce there is a need to emphasis on the exhaustive use of administrative data of EPFO, ESIC and so on. Sixth, cluster development to support job creation in MSME sector is of great importance. To encourage this sector government launched the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana for refinancing activities relating to the micro industrial unit. To ensure better working condition for all the workers state needs to strengthen the labour dispute redressal system and occupational safety and health in the unorganised sector. It is also a matter of concern that the present Minimum Wages Act do not cover all the sectors so government needs to look after this matter also. Apart from this major initiative; planned focus on rural job creation is also very crucial. Rural agri-based economy must move to other allied activities. Solar energy project in rural areas can be a very major catalyst for creating jobs to create solar
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Dhritiman Deka clusters since it will provide more electricity. It can be certainly said that once the power becomes abundantly available a whole lot of rural activities can be created such as livestock, livestock feed manufacturing, fisheries based on scientific and commercial lines, milk production (Anand milk production model is a great example in this regard), tourism (in this case somebody needs to recognise the potential in that particular area). There are more than 6 lakh villages in our country, of them many villages can become a good tourist hub. These kinds of activities will surely augment the income generation and employment opportunities in rural areas, apart from providing impetus to only agriculture it should be given to other activities in rural areas also. Private players also here get a good role to play; they can build capacity among unskilled workers to ensure sustainability of renewable energy projects in remote areas. These kinds of initiatives will promote youth employment in rural areas and eventually they will stop migrating. The problem we are facing in urban areas is that there is so much migration that it puts heavy strain on urban infrastructure. Rural areas in India can be a catalyst in solving the problem provided they are facilitated with proper incentives.
Conclusion:
As India develops the nature of jobs is also changing, looking at the changing nature India requires an all encompassing environment so as to ensure that more jobs are created. The new data on unemployment undoubtedly presents a grim reality, use of new methodology, technology and quarterly surveys are helping to acquire more precise data which are the right kind of input to the policy makers. Further it needs to be independent with legal backing. India has one of the youngest population in an aging world. Demographics can change the pace and pattern of the growth. While China is benefiting from the demographic dividend, India is yet waiting to embark on this journey. Avenues are open we just need to deliberate and execute. (The author recently graduated from Cotton University in Economics. He is currently preparing for International Relations and various other entrance examinations)
14 G Talk E
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Right to dignity
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eedless drama. Precisely what the whole Chidambaram arrest was all about. The news and the “sensationalism” surrounding it however, gripped the country like nothing else this week. It was media hype at its best with words like “on the run” and “evading arrest” being thrown around liberally by the newly liberated television media. Whether the former union finance and home minister and one of Congress Party’s tallest leaders is truly guilty of all that he has been charged with will be judged by the honourable Supreme Court of India. But the media trial that preceded it with all the TV channels going live to show the dramatic late night arrest with the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate displaying undue haste calls for some deep introspection; one of the more famous TV anchors was virtually hollering to his cameraman to get the best possible shot of the arrest so much so that viewers were left wondering if Chidambaram would be brought out of his home in handcuffs! The aspect called dignity was lost to the country that day. Closer home through the same week was another
drama where a TV media giant couldn’t care less for the massive defamation suits filed against him only for his channel to continue its relentless tirade against a senior police officer of Assam. It is obvious that a clearly personal issue between the two sides is now in public domain and their linen looks really dirty. Be that as it may, these types of situations where basic human dignity is thrown to the winds triggers a form of hate-mongering that is no less than its other forms and which can always be avoided. Spewing venom at a person in public to the point of stripping him or her off the basic right to dignity by the powerful media might surely help the TRPs momentarily but leaves scars and wounds that do not heal over a lifetime. It is absolutely imperative that given the matured democracy that we are now, our media must refrain from these kinds of proxy trials that only leave a sour taste in the mouths of the huge number of rightthinking Indians who clearly understand the wrong intent with which such news are brewed and fed to them. Human dignity must be given due respect at all times. Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali
Whiter the Assam flood funds?
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he Assam floods, this time around, received a lot of attention. From media and corporate houses to several other individuals, everyone contributed to the cause. This excluding the several thousand celebrities and public figures that circulated the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund’s donation link around, made it seem like the awareness about Assam floods was pretty substantial. At one point the news spread like wildfire (not remark about the Amazon forest fire). As a few colleagues and I were discussing about the Assam floods, an important question that needs an answer is how have the funds been disbursed for the rehabilitation of those affected by floods. Will there be financial support or is the government going to build houses or if this will be limited to distribution of food grains? It is also important to note that it is not just about rehabilitation of human lives but also of the flora and fauna affected across national parks in the state. Second, the Assam government must give due credit to every individual and corporate who supported the drive and should have released a statement about what they have raised as compared to what they intended to. It should not be limited to tweets and PR coverage only. This helps establish if there are gaps that need filling. But of course this is difficult if everyone is too busy filling their pockets. The point is that it is the right time that the government must release a document clarifying to the public about the amount raised and their action plan which includes the source of the funds, lest they want an RTI being filed. Also, this is not the only year that the CM Relief Fund has seen donations. Year after year the Assam floods receive massive donations and each year the government has remained aloof to talking about how they have spent it. This question needs a more concrete answer and the government must not shy away from it.
Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv
NE’s international borders:
Focus town - Dalu
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he border town of Dalu in Garo hills can be the first preferred nearest international border to the business hub of the northeast - Guwahati. One can travel by road from Guwahati to Tura in four hours
The author writes about the possibility of exploring the international border towns like Dalu in the Garo Hills to boost trade and commerce with neighbouring Bangladesh which, at the same time, will bring about development and prosperity to these places. and then, from Tura to Dalu in another around two hours. From the border in Bangladesh’s Naltabari in Nakugaon, it is three hours by road to the capital city, Dhaka. So, one can travel from Guwahati to Dhaka in approximately 10 hours. This is possible and very much doable. I was recently invited by the Dalu Exporters’ Association and the Tribal Exporters’ Association to do a ground assessment on the possibilities of actively promoting international trade from the border. I was accompanied by Mr Aki Sangma, an upcoming entrepreneur and an active member of the Exporters’ Association. I spent the entire day at the border and also met the customs and BSF officials who were cordial in replying to all my borderrelated queries. Dalu has been a quiet border town ever since coal exports stopped and today, a very small volume of bolder exports takes place. Coal and boulder are the two main and only products
that are exported not only from Dalu but also through the other three international borders of Ghachupara, Bagmara and Mahindraganj. For the region to the avail the benefit of border trade a few issues need to be addressed.
Club all existing associations and establish a chamber of commerce which will give national and international recognition. Look beyond the usual coal and boulder exports. The exports of ginger, oranges etc can also be encouraged from Dalu. Imports of plastic products, cement, refined oil, mosquito nets etc take place from this border town.
We can also encourage fish imports on the lines of the Tripura border. Upgrading and modernisation of the existing warehouse facilities in Khilapara will surely boost storage system in the border area. Setting up of border haats in Dalu will help on the lines of the Moreh haats in Manipur and it will boost people’s interaction and trade & commerce.
r Holiday declaration by govt of Assam
O pinion SM Farid
The Meghalaya government should step in to revive the abandoned Baljeik airport in consultation with the ministry of civil aviation. A few private companies can also be consulted in this regard. Dalu in particular has the potential to be a big business hub followed by Ghachupara (having two entry and exit points), Bagmara and Mahindraganj all having international
borders with Bangladesh keeping in mind the steady rise of the GDP of Bangladesh. Last, but not the least, the infrastructure needs to be developed more with basic facilities in place to encourage investments both from Indian and international companies/ institutions in this region. (The writer is a trade and investment consultant - ASEAN region. He can be reached at shahfarid90@gmail.com)
Letter to the Editor
The government of Assam, as per its notification (No. GAG(A).139/2015/199) of 22nd August, 2019, declared 23rd August, 2019 as a holiday (instead of the earlier date of 24th August, 2019). However, we found that a few schools, primarily CBSE schools, remained open, even after this notification. We seek clarification from the government of Assam as to whether such notifications are applicable only to schools under government of Assam, or all schools. The school authorities should notify the students and guardians as whether such notifications by the State government are to be ignored or followed. D Bhutia Zoo Road, Guwahati - 24
In Focus
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
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Guwahatians risk lives to cross GS Road after construction of concrete dividers Harshita Himatsingka @HHimatsingka
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he construction of concrete dividers along the stretch of GS Road (now Srimanta Sankardev Path) is proving to be a major inconvenience for pedestrians in Guwahati. With jaywalking being a real concern, many people have been spotted endangering their own lives trying to cross the road in busy areas, especially during rush hour traffic. It should be mentioned that the dividers have been constructed on the full stretch of the road that covers prime areas such as Ulubari, Lachit Nagar, Christian Basti and Ganeshguri with very few openings for pedestrian crossing which again are located huge distances apart. “Obviously it is stupidly made without a thought for pedestrians. In all cities there are gaps every 70 to 100 meters with double iron bars followed by zebra crossing signs so that people too can’t rush out and the cars slow down. You cannot expect us to walk four or five kms up and down to cross a
street between Ganeshguri and Ulubari points. It’s ridiculous,” said Aroop Amit Bhattacharjee, a concerned citizen. As of yet, there have been no provisions made for the
in Ulubari near the Hanuman Mandir and then none until the Dispur Secretariat. “The concrete dividers were created to avoid pedestrians from randomly crossing the
construction of foot overbridges, and if a citizen has to cross the road, they have to walk for several hundred metres to find an opening that will allow them to cross the road safely. There is one foot over-bridge
road but I assume the authorities should create numerous footbridges for the convenience of both the pedestrians and motorists,” said Shivshankar Das, a resident of Guwahati. Another Guwahatian added
that solutions also have to be designed keeping in mind the dangers for women, children, older citizens and pregnant women. The foot over-bridge at Hanuman Mandir is a two storey climb and is not very accessible for pregnant women and older people. The failure of the administration to plan these amenities appropriately is also another concern. Several of the zebra crossings remain unmarked which makes it difficult for drivers/riders to commute. “They should have made more zebra crossings and specifically have signage on light pole about the next zebra crossing which is visible from a distance. This will help pedestrians avoid taking undue risk,” stated Praveen
Maheshwari, noting that the amenities provided have to be matched with the current situation. However, while the authorities are to be blamed, citizens also took responsibility for their own actions and noted that they have to be vigilant and held accountable for discerning the safety of their lives and of others as well. “The problem with citizens is that they can’t walk a little distance or use the footbridges. Yes, usage of the existing footbridges is a bit unhygienic due to lack of maintenance by the government. Also the number of footbridges is negligible from Christian Basti to Ulubari. But the question is how to meet the demands of every citizen who wants to cross the roads at their own feasible place? One example, people don’t walk to bus stop; they rather wait at the end of Ganeshguri flyover to catch the bus even when it’s just a minute’s walk. So before always blaming the administration citizens need to question themselves. The city can’t be smart if its people are not smart,” added Manas Protim, another resident of Guwahati.
The construction of concrete dividers along the stretch of GS Road - now Srimanta Sankardev Path - is proving to be a major inconvenience for pedestrians of Guwahati. Several followers have commented on the digital channels of G Plus. Partha Pratim Hazowary
I give my 100% support to the construction of dividers. It’s time to learn traffic rules, road security. The road is not our verandah where we can just walk. But we do need foot bridges and also we need to maintain those bridges. No one should try to damage the public property. This should also be kept in mind.
Sujit Chaudhuri
Please create zebra crossings across the city if you intend to make Guwahati a really smart city. People are facing utmost difficulties when crossing the roads. Auto rickshaws are demanding high fare as they have to run more distance to go to the other side of the road. Elders and children are the worst sufferers. The authority should put more effort to make the situation pedestrian-friendly.
Manas Protim
The problem with citizens is that they can’t walk a little distance or use the footbridges. Yes, usage of the existing footbridges is a bit unhygienic due to lack of maintenance by the government. Also the number of footbridges is negligible from Christian Basti to Ulubari. But the question is how to meet the demands of every citizen who wants to cross the roads at their own feasible place? One example, people don’t walk to bus stop; they rather wait at the end of Ganeshguri flyover to catch the bus even when it’s just a minute’s walk. So before always blaming the administration citizens need to question themselves. The city can’t be smart if its people are not smart.
Pranab Deb
Guwahati has the worst traffic planning in the entire country. Traffic lights are not used on most roads of the city. Even traffic police also are not trained properly; sometimes they create the chaos themselves. We people are responsible for traffic jams because most of the times we don’t follow traffic rules and signals. Strict and immediate action is to be taken everywhere in Guwahati as Guwahati traffic has expanded a lot over the years. Zebra crossings also need to be more frequent in distance.
Manga Ngamlai Biate
The distance between openings of the GS Road divider is too far. We have to walk nearly half a kilometre or 1 km just to reach the opposite side of the place where we stand. So it is impossible in this summer heat and people are taking the shorter way by climbing over. I think the authority should increase the number of openings to avoid this type of difficulty.
Aroop Amit Bhattacharjee
Obviously it is stupidly made without a thought for the pedestrians. In all cities there are gaps every 70 to 100 meters with double iron bars followed by zebra crossing signs so that people too can’t rush out and the cars slow down. You cannot expect us to walk four or five kms up and down to cross a road. It’s ridiculous.
16 Buzz
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
3rd Unified Karate League to be held on August 25
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he 3 rd Unified Karate League 2019 will be held on August 25 at the Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium, Khanapara. The league, which has been organised by UNICEF Karate Guild for the past two years, serves as a platform for karate players to perform to the best
of their abilities. It will feature five clubs, namely Kaziranga KC, BhupenHazarika KC, Majuli KC, Rhino KC and Brahmaputra KC, the owners of which will buy players who will be auctioned for the event. Following the competition, the winning team will be
awarded with a cash prize. It should be noted that in 2018, the league was attended by ex state Cultural minister Pranati Phukan; Pnrd, State Cultural Affairs, Social Welfare Naba Kumar Doley and regional director of Sports Authority of India Subhash Basumatary. n
Students’ union installs sanitary napkin vending machine at B Borooah College
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sanitary napkin vending machine has been installed in the girls’ common room at B. Borooah College in the city. The machine is a manually operating vending machine where the napkins will be available after inserting a coin of Rs. 5 per napkin. It should be noted that the napkins are ‘Negative ION’ sanitary napkins, keeping in mind the health of the women students. “We intend to cater to entire college for women menstruation
Youth from Assam shine at Students Olympic National Games
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even students from Assam bagged a total of six gold medals and one silver medal at the recently concluded 6th edition of Students Olympic National Games 2019-20. The students participated in the Wushu tournament, a kind of full-contact martial arts. The gold medal winners at
Inter-School Chess Championship 2019 concludes
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ssam Chess Club in association with Late Kailash Nath Sarma Trust organised the Late Kailash Nath Memorial Invitational Inter School Children Chess Championship 2019 from August 16 to August 18 at Snehabandhan in the city. A total of 121 players from 33 schools participated in the championship the 3-day swiss league chess tournament played under classical time control. The tournament was conducted by Swaraj Buragohain as the Chief Arbiter and he was assisted by Lakhya Jyoti Saikia and Majit Bhatta as Deputy Arbiter.
hygiene and sanitation. We want to promote health and safety measures and also increase awareness to review the current menstrual hygiene management in every educational institute,” said the General Secretary, Jyotishman Deka and Assistant General Secretary, Arman Tapadar of the B. Barooah College Student Union, 2018-19.
the tournament include Lina Kalita, Franchish Boro, Rahul Boro, Chayanika Mandal, Junmun Boro and Jugyoti Rabha while Diptimoni Boro won the silver medal. The Students Olympic National Games 201920 was held in Haridwar, Uttarakhand by the Student Olympic Association of India from August 17 to August 19.
International Chess Master Atanu Lahiri, International Arbiter Biswajit Bharadwaj and Secretary of Assam Chess Club Nandan Buragohain were also present at the event. The final round of the championship and prize distribution ceremony was held on Sunday, August 18. The top five boys and girls in each category from class 4 to Class 12 will be awarded a trophy and certificate. Aslesha Talukdar from Shrimanta Sankar Academy won the ‘best player of the tournament’ award and Maria’s Public school won the ‘Best School’ award at the championship.
Feature
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
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Nostalgic cricket memories of Guwahati’s Nehru Stadium The author reminisces about the glory days of the iconic Nehru Stadium in Guwahati which played host to a number of international cricket matches. For paucity of space, the author restricts the article to cricket even though the multi-purpose stadium has hosted other disciplines including football.
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he euphoria, heightened passion and long queues to watch the first Cricket One Day International (ODI) between India and lowly placed West Indies team in the newly constructed, picturesque, sprawling Barsapara Stadium on October 21, 2018 highlights the genuine sportsloving nature of the residents of Guwahati and the northeast. In fact, huge congregations of connoisseurs of sport have been invariably witnessed since time immemorial whenever quality sporting events have been hosted in Guwahati. Recognizing its superb infrastructure, Sarusajai Stadium was selected as one of
at Barsapara was a runaway success, let us look back at a few memorable ODIs played at Nehru stadium, Guwahati before this historic ground gets buried in the pages of cricketing history. An interesting piece of information is that Lance Klusener, the great South African allrounder now retired, had shot into prominence on the international arena on the strength of his swashbuckling knock in a one day international encounter against Australia played at Nehru Stadium, Guwahati on 1st November, 1996 as part of the Titan Cup - a three nation ODI tournament. The gruelling encounter between two foreign teams was enjoyed
Local match at Nehru Stadium the six venues by FIFA (Football’s world governing body) to host the prestigious Under-17 World Cup Soccer 2017. Javier Ceppi, tournament director, FIFA Under-17 World Cup, had reiterated that “Kolkata and Guwahati have seen the biggest spike in ticket sales.” A couple of years ago, the 12th South Asian Games (SAF Games) was held here successfully. No wonder that in recent times efforts are on to make Guwahati the “sporting capital” of India. On 21st October last, the cricket lovers of Guwahati had their money’s worth having witnessed scintillating batting performances by both India and West Indies. More than six hundred runs were scored in the day-night encounter at Barsapara that included a hurricane century by Shimron Hetmyer followed by Indian captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma making mincemeat of the massive target of 323. While the first day-night ODI encounter
in Nehru Stadium, Guwahati on 17th December 1983 between India and West Indies in which India (having been crowned world champions just six months back) suffered a humiliating defeat, the next ODI between India and Sri Lanka is still fresh in the memories of genuine cricket lovers who had watched that game for the superlative batting performance of the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. On a typically cold January morning in the year 1987, India took on a strong Sri Lankan team that had players of the calibre of Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda D’Silva and others. Capitalising on the turning track, Indian spinners, especially Maninder Singh and
brilliant technique to combat the vicious spin bowling on a turning track. Gavaskar’s unbeaten 70 runs helped India win the keenly contested match. His innings was a feast for the eyes of the capacity crowd. Among other memorable matches played at Guwahati, the ODI played on 5th November 2007 is worth recalling. This was an encounter between India and its arch-rival Pakistan. The entire city, nay the state, was surcharged with excitement long before the match actually commenced. The Pakistan team with stalwarts like Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan etc made for a formidable opposition. Batting
Ind vs Pak ODI at Nehru Stadium
A panoramic view of the iconic Nehru Stadium by a capacity crowd and their love for the game was adequately rewarded. Lance Klusener’s magnificent 88 runs helped South Africa get past the Australian score of 239 runs heralding the birth of a very successful all-rounder in the international scene. While the first ODI was played
Ravi Shastri had bundled the Sri Lankan batsmen out for a paltry 145 runs. Aravinda D’Silva was the lone batsman who had put up a semblance of a fight. Chasing the small target, India had lost two early wickets and the game was thrown wide open. But the batting maestro Gavaskar had displayed
first, the Pakistan team had put up a challenging score of 239. The beginning of the run chase by the Indians had been disappointing. Losing the valuable wicket of Tendulkar early had been a big blow. However, Saurav Ganguly’s brilliant batting followed by MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh’s electrifying onslaught had steered India to a memorable victory. Nehru Stadium, Guwahati has hosted 14 ODIs out of which two matches were abandoned due to extraneous factors. It has been a lucky ground for Team India which has won six matches here comprehensively. A look at the history of building high end sports infrastructure in independent India reveals an interesting fact. The famous Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata were built in 1974 and 1984 respectively. Earlier, these two cities were thriving on the
GAUTAM GANGULY
Lance Klusener, the great South African all-rounder now retired, had shot into prominence on the international arena with his swashbuckling knock in a one day international encounter against Australia played at Nehru Stadium, Guwahati. stadiums built by the British. In contrast, the multipurpose Nehru Stadium, built under the direct leadership and supervision of Late RG Baruah, “the architect of modern Assam” in 1962, magnifies the vision of the legend. For over five decades, Nehru Stadium remained the lone venue quenching the thirst for quality sports of the connoisseurs of Assam and the northeast. With the establishment of Barsapara Stadium for cricket, equipped as it is with modern and world class amenities, coupled with the decline in popularity of the Bordoloi Trophy Football tournament which was a regular annual feature of the city in the summer months, the sight of the congregation of sports lovers outside the entry gates of the historic Nehru Stadium that is studded with pristine glory, to watch exciting matches is very remote and has receded to the background. However, Nehru Stadium will continue to provide spontaneous joy to veteran sports lovers whenever they recollect in tranquillity moments of some magnificent sporting events they had witnessed here. (The author is a retired Deputy Commissioner and Joint Secretary, Govt of Assam. He is a die-hard sports addict and a connoisseur of art and music)
18 Review
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
Starring: Peter Dinklage, Dove Cameron, Sterling K. Brown, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, Rachel Bloom, Danny McBride Director: Thurop Van Orman
The Angry Birds Movie 2
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n this sequel, the flightless angry birds and the green piggies must put their rivalry on hold and come together to save their islands from a rogue eagle named Zeta (Leslie Jones). Three islands, lives at stake and a battle for survival - sounds like a pretty serious plot for an animated film, but this one’s far from it. Right from the first scene, it’s established that this sequel of ‘The Angry Birds’ is strictly a kiddie flick and thankfully, it never tries to be anything other than that. The makers throw in
a lot of slapstick comedy by a battery of old and new characters of all shapes, sizes and colours. Leading the pack is the hotheaded Red (Jason Sudeikis), who has pretty much become symbolic of the franchise. To save the Bird Island, Red along with his winged buddies Chuck (Josh Gad) and Bomb (Danny McBride) must work with their ace nemesis, the king pig Leonard Mudbeard (Bill Hader). Together the trio are in a good form, bringing in a bulk of the laughs with their goofy acts. While Red’s character gets a definite arc, Chuck, Bomb and
Leonard have to play on their special powers and unbridled cuteness, to impress the audience. Chuck’s a speed demon and Bomb can literally explode at a minute’s notice. Together, they are a force to reckon with, and the makers ensure that their special powers are exploited quite well without going overboard. Among the newbies, Chuck’s sister Silver (Rachel Bloom) – a tech-savvy Brainiac and the film’s main villain Zeta (Leslie Jones), a purple eagle are quite impressive. Zeta’s villainy is more entertaining than threatening, but that doesn’t blunt the terror she wields. The film hits the ground running with the faceoff between the characters right from the beginning, but it’s tonality remains silly throughout. There are references from the real world like a film poster called ‘Crazy Rich Avians’, and ‘Piggific’ ocean. Jokes and punches of varying degrees come in consistently and abundantly. Many of them land successfully. Along with a lot of goofing around, there are also some unwanted detours like a parallel track of the hatchlings that never really matures into anything meaningful. Compared to many successful franchises from Hollywood’s animation hall of fame, ‘The Angry Birds’ sequel comes off as way too fluffy and juvenile. While it doesn’t soar to greater cinematic heights, it surely improves on the original. The film’s feather-light approach will leave you with quite a few chuckles without trying to be preachy or tug at your heartstrings. (Review from Times of India)
Xiaomi Mi A3 The Xiaomi Mi A3 has a glass sandwich design. There is Corning Gorilla Glass 5 at the front and back, as well as on the camera module. The screen has a dewdrop notch at the top which houses the selfie camera. The Mi A3 has thin bezels on the sides, but the ones at the top and the bottom are relatively thicker. Xiaomi has opted for a plastic frame on the Mi A3 which was finished in chrome on our More Than White unit. The Mi A3 is also available in Kind Of
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Xiaomi offers a triple camera setup at the back, along with a single-
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Specifications and Software:
Grey and Not Just Blue, and the colour names do seem inspired from Google’s choices for its Pixel phone lineup. At the top, it has a 3.5mm headphone jack, secondary microphone, and an IR emitter which can be used to control IR-based appliances. The Mi A3 has a USB Type-C port at the bottom with two grilles, though only the one on the right is a loudspeaker. Xiaomi has positioned the power and volume buttons on the right side, and these are easy to reach. The hybrid dual-SIM tray is on the left side of the device.
The Angry Birds
09:20 AM, 12:15 PM, 01:55 PM,
LED flash. The Mi A3 does not have a Mi A2-like rear-mounted fingerprint scanner since it sports an indisplay one instead.
Xiaomi has now launched a successor to the Mi A2, aptly called the Mi A3 for Rs. 12,999. Design:
Cinepolis, Christian Basti
The Xiaomi Mi A3 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665. This processor is the successor to the Snapdragon 660, which was powering the Mi A2. It is based on an 11nm fabrication process and has four Kryo 260 cores clocked at 2GHz with another four Kryo 260 cores clocked at 1.8GHz. There are two variants of the Mi A3, one with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and the other with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Xiaomi touts UFS 2.1
storage for the Mi A3. This phone’s predecessors, the Mi A1, and Mi A2, both sported full HD+ panels, it has a 4,030mAh battery. This phone supports 18W fast charging, but Xiaomi only ships a 10W charger in the box. The Mi A3 also supports Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi, dual 4G VoLTE and four satellite navigation systems.
Verdict:
Two steps forward, one step back, is the best way to describe Xiaomi’s strategy with the Mi A3. The company did bring back the 3.5mm headphone jack and expandable storage, but dropped the screen resolution down to HD+. The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 is a capable processor and delivers good performance for the price. The Mi A3 also benefits from a bigger battery, and is capable of lasting on longer than its predecessor on a single charge. Camera performance is quite strong for a phone at this price level, helping it stand out. (Review from NDTV Gadget)
Trotter
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
19
Boss stuns woman by asking her to shave legs on grounds of hygiene
Service dogs attend live musical as part of training
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pack of service dogs in training were treated to a performance of a Canadian theatre’s live musical as part of their preparation for service. A photo of the dozen eager canines sitting in the theater seats went viral when Ontario’s Stratford Festival
Laura MacKenzie said the theater outing was part of the twoyear training program designed to help the canines keep their calm amid crowds, unusual lights and loud noises. Ann Swerdfager of the Stratford Festival said another group of about nine service dogs in training is expected to attend
shared it on Twitter, and the head trainer for K-9 Country Inn Working Service Dogs said the performance of “Billy Elliot: The Musical” was part of the dogs’ training.
another show in October. “The dogs were extremely well behaved,” said Swerdfager adding, “We hope they will join us for years to come.” (Source: upi)
young woman has claimed that she had an incredibly uncomfortable chat with her boss after a couple of her colleagues complained that she had hair on her legs. The unnamed woman, 21, explained the whole thing in a post on Reddit. She revealed that she doesn’t like to waste “time or money” shaving her legs as she isn’t a very hairy person. “The only time I shave is when I’m dating a new guy in my life and I’ve been with my current boyfriend for three years now. He doesn’t give a rats a** if I shave my legs,” she wrote. She continued to say that normally she travels and works at events and festivals, but recently had to pop into the office to pick up a few things. While she was there her boss called her into his office to speak to her. “He was so red and stuttering but finally he told me we needed
to speak about hygiene,” she said. “I was in literal shock. I was so embarrassed and asked him what he meant. “My boss then proceeded to tell me that a few people complained I didn’t shave my legs and they said it went against company policy that I wasn’t being hygienic. I was even more shocked. I told him I didn’t understand what that had to do with me shaving my legs and he was just absolutely quiet. I asked him if he shaved his legs and he still said nothing. I then stood up and said if we were going to keep talking about this I’d prefer HR to
be there and he just told me that we didn’t need to discuss it any further.” She later updated the post to say she’d been sent an email from HR about the conversation and was wondering whether she was in the wrong. People were quick to share their support and tell her she wasn’t. One person commented: “This is some sexist bulls***. Wow. Absolutely incredibly ridiculous. Would they ask a male employee to shave his legs? How is it unhygienic for you but not for any man who has leg hair? I’m honestly aghast.” However not everyone agreed. Some pointed out that men often aren’t allowed to wear shorts to work that show off their leg hair. “One thing I do want to raise is that corporate office workplaces often have a dress code that stipulates men cover their whole legs. This means, according to the dress code, male leg hair is never shown,” said someone else. (Source: mirror.co.uk)
Massive Amazon rainforest fire plunges Sao Paulo into darkness
W
ildfires raging in the Amazon jungle have plunged Brazil’s largest city into total darkness in the middle of the day. Eerie pictures show Sao Paulo shrouded in a thick cloud of smoke as drivers attempt to make their way around the city on 19th August afternoon. Officials with
havoc on the environment. More than 70,000 fires have been detected in Brazil this year so far, marking an 83% increase over the same period last year according to the country’s INPE research centre. Despite the unprecedented increase, climate concerns have been dismissed by far-right President, Jair Bolsonaro. The climate
Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet) said the darkness was the result of humid air and smoke from unprecedented fires burning in the Amazon rainforest thousands of miles away. There have been 9,507 new forest fires across Brazil in the past four days alone, leading to concerns that a surge in deforestation is wreaking
change sceptic brushed of criticism by saying it was the time of the year when farmers use fire to clear land. He has vowed to develop the protected Amazon region for farming and mining, ignoring international concern over the impact of cutting down trees. The Amazon is home to the world’s largest tropical forest and is seen as vital to
tackling global warming. Although wildfires are common in the dry season, the INPE said there was nothing abnormal about the climate or the rainfall in the Amazon this year, meaning deforestation is likely to be behind the surge in fires. They said deforestation in the rainforest surged 67% in the first seven months of the year. However, the figures have been dismissed by Bolsonaro, who vowed to develop the Amazon region when he took office in January. He has criticized the government agency’s data and recently fired its head over what he called “lies” that damaged Brazil’s reputation. Referring to the deforestation numbers he said in a press conference: “News like this that does not match the truth causes great damage to the image of Brazil.” Earlier this month, Germany and Norway announced the suspension of environmental funding for sustainability projects in Brazil’s forests, both saying his far-right administration isn’t committed to fighting deforestation. (Source: metro.co.uk)
A
20 Fun Jayashree Bose These predictions are based on the month of birth, and are about an individual’s work environment, parents and extended family.
It will be a great week for you. August 26th, 27th, 29th & 30th will be great days to connect with seniors & share ideas with them, you could host important meetings on these dates. Avoid hosting any important meetings on 28th August as you are bound to have disagreements. You will have a fall out with your extended family or your workmates on 25th August.
28th & 30th August will be great days to build a rapport with seniors & people at work, host your important meetings on these days. On 25th August, avoid any get together with your workmates and/or extended family. Lay low on 26th August as you are bound to have disagreements with people at work or there could be changes in your workplace.
It will be a good week for you. Host a Sunday brunch or get together either with extended family or your workmates. Use August 29th & 30th to host meetings, share ideas with superiors & network with business associates. Avoid hosting any meetings on 27th August, as you are bound to have disagreements. On 24th August you will feel others are ungrateful.
This will be an average week for you. 27th & 28th August will be great days to share ideas with seniors & build a relationship with them. Host your important meetings on these dates. On 29th August, be careful of your words & actions, as you could have issues at your work place with seniors or clients.
This week will be good for you. 26th, 27th, 28th August will be excellent days to schedule important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas, you could promote yourself on social media, reach out to others & grow your network. On 24th August, try to keep a low profile, it will be a slow day. Avoid hosting any meetings on 30th August as you are bound to have disagreements.
You have a good week ahead of you. 26th, 29th & 30th August will be great days to share ideas with seniors or simply connect with them. You could schedule important meetings on these dates. Be careful of your words & actions on 25th August, as you could create your own problems. 24th & 25th August will be slow days.
An average week ahead. 25th & 30th August will be great days to build a rapport with seniors & people at work. Host your important meetings on 30th August. Go out for a Sunday brunch or coffee on 25th August, just connect with your parents or superiors. 26th August will be a slow day for you. Avoid promising anything on 29th August, as you will have problems.
If you have wanted to go for a short holiday, then this is the perfect week to do so. It will be an uneventful week. If you are unable to take off for the week, then avoid doing anything important that might affect your career growth. 27th August will be a slow day for you. On 30th August, you will have issues with people at work.
On 29th August, be careful while dealing with your parents or superiors, they might hurt you emotionally. On 28th August, watch your words & actions as you could create problems for yourself. 28th August will be a slow day for you. This is just not your week but don’t worry next week will be better.
Host a Sunday get together for your workmates or extended family. Be careful of what you promise on 26th August, as you will have to uphold it. On 28th August, you could be emotionally hurt by someone at work or your extended family, avoid trusting others with your secrets. 29th August will be a slow day for you.
You are going to have a good week ahead. 25th & 26th August are ideal days to mingle with seniors, people at work & build your work network. Host a brunch/evening coffee, invite your seniors or just catch up with your parents on 25th August. Avoid hosting any meetings on 24th August as things will not go according to plan. 27th August you could feel hurt by words & actions of someone at work or extended family.
Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications
Dilbert By Scott Adams
New York Times
Identify this dessert, named after a famous singer from Australia.
curio-city
6.
1.
Geographically the largest of the seven sisters of the Northeast, which state is called the ‘Orchid state’ or ‘Paradise of the Botanists’?
It was the first fully automatic fire arm
5.
2.
What originates on the Angsi Glacier located on the northern side of the Himalayas in Burang County of Tibet?
Jair Bolsanaro
4.
3.
Known for his trademark “finger-gun” gesture, who is the incumbent Brazilian President who is selling off the Amazon rain-forest to corporate, leading the world on the brink of disaster?
Brahmaputra River
3.
4.
What unique first was achieved by the Maxim Gun invented in 1883?
Arunachal Pradesh
2.
5.
Known as the ‘Gray Lady,’ which US newspaper called the “National Newspaper of Records” has the motto “All the news that’s fit to print”?
Peach Melba, after Nellie Melba
1.
6.
curio-city
Sudoku 6 8
9 7 21 5 1 5 2 9 3 9 6 3 25 6 53 7 7 5 2 7 1 2 5 88 7 9 4 1 5 1 7 4 8 22 7 1 8 9 3 3 21 26 8 4 13 Daily Sudoku: Thu 22-Aug-2019 hard 1 3 6
(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2019. All rights reserved. (c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2019. All rights reserved.
27th August will be a great day to schedule important meetings & share your ideas with seniors. On 26th August, you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues or superiors. On 28th August, you could have a fall out with a superior or client or extended family. Avoid a get together, drinking with your workmates, seniors or extended family on 25th & 28th August.
Certified Feng Shui, Chinese astrology, date selection consultant & author, www.facebook.com/geoprinciples
Daily Sudoku: Fri 16-Aug-2019
hard
last week solution
6 5 1 8 9 87 73 21 45 19 49 98 34 72 67 12 25 96 68 53 54 69 77 11 32 31 42 88 23 76 93 36 65 57 44 75 84 53 36 21 26 17 49 94 88 Daily Sudoku: Thu 22-Aug-2019 8 1 2 9 5
3 4 2 5 83 29 4 2 18 55 6 8 77 93 1 4 39 68 5 9 9 1 8 6 7
46 22 91
7 66 31 44
82 71 55 17 98 84 29
7 55 36 13 2 hard 3 6 4 7
Daily Sudoku: Fri 16-Aug-2019
hard
http://www.dailysudoku.com/ http://www.dailysudoku.com/
Word of the week snoot knackered
verb (used with[nak-erd] object) [snoot] adjective to behave disdainfully toward; condescend to: New arrivals in British the townSlang. were snooted by older exhausted; very tired residents.
Crossword Across
Down
1 Loosely woven cloth from Scotland (6,5) 9 Impromptu (9) 10 Animal (with nine nine tails?) (3) 11 Himalayan country (5) 13 Excellent — shining bright? (7) 14 On ship (6) 15 Purist (6) 18 Arctic deer — a Rio cub (anag) (7) 20 Best possible (5) 21 See 23 22 Fling (9) 24 Fifth book of the Bible
(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2019. All rights reserved. (c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2019. All rights reserved.
Horoscope of the week
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
2 Fit (3) 3 Person whose speech is not well organised (7) 4 Married partner (6) 5 In which position? (5) 6 Acquit — clear (9) 7 Entertainment area with coin- operated machines (5,6) 8 Narrator (11) 12 TV show (9) 16 Issue (7) 17 Male domestic servant (6) 19 Bathroom basin (5) 23, 21 UK resident who the tax man accepts as having their "true" home elsewhere (abbr) (3-3)
Last week’s solution
Fiction
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
21
The novelty called telephone: Anecdotes from the tea gardens
G
etting a telephone connection in a tea garden way back in the late 70’s was indeed a novelty and, one by one, all the gardens in our vicinity got the land lines drawn through the villages and internal
While talking that day to our banker, a lightning storm struck and I heard a sharp clap with an electric shock which shook me causing me to drop the receiver. I never realised that the telephone lines relayed the lightening charges in a storm… roads. Initially the high cost of maintenance in keeping the lines in order probably was worth much more than the benefits we got from it. But it was a welcome change to be able to talk with our friends and relatives whenever the system worked besides of course on the many work related issues. Prior to the arrival of the telephone at the garden we had to go to the nearby town of Bishwanath Charali and if it was very urgent we had to drive almost 110 km to Tezpur to get the calls made from the post office. In those days we had to book a trunk call to call someone outside the local network and if it was a matter of utmost urgency one had to book a lightening call. As with any new improvements, it took a couple of years before the phones became useful and they got more reliable over time. The biggest problem in the early days was in keeping the posts erect and the lines not broken by many factors like storms, animals and thefts. In the early months, I remember there used to be a portion where the line was drawn next to a forest area and a number of times elephants broke the posts and destroyed the lines. Our neighbouring gardens all belonged to bigger tea companies which proved to be a boon for us as they would treat any breakdown of the telephone lines as a priority and would send their jeep with a staff to lodge the
complaint at the telephone office at Halem. Our job was confined to ensure that our internal connection from the main PWD road which was about one and a half kilometres remained intact. We had one phone in the main garden office and another one in my bungalow. Now this tea industry had to keep pace with the telephone, so most gardens gave the additional charge of maintaining and liasioning with the telephone department to a junior factory staff and in our case, I asked Paul babu to do this work. Every morning he had to check whether the garden office phone was working by making a call to the office at Halem and if there was no ring tone he had to cycle along the phone line to see if there was any fault in our feeder line. Many times it may have been working then but a squally wind would hit us in the daytime when he had to do his inspection again. Generally the position with storm damage would have also affected the other gardens on the main line so the repairs would be done for all the gardens by the team from Halem, though at times, it took up to three or four days for the line to ring again. At once I would be sent a note from the Head Clerk “Sir, phone ringing” and then I used to come to make all the pending calls to suppliers, government offices, other garden managers, friends and my brothers at
Guwahati. I used to keep a slip ready with the numbers to be called and it was a big relief to get all the news in this manner and avoid the tension of going over to call from elsewhere. The telephone also became a liability as in the case of conveying bad news. Once I had to receive a phone call at around 8.30 pm from a person in Dibrugarh who had rung my bungalow number to request me to contact the then Acting Manager at Dufflaghur tea estate and inform him that his father had passed away and he was to come home immediately. His telephone was not working
and so the person had found out the neighbouring garden’s number to relay the message. As I knew Ronju Baruah well, I steeled myself to rush over to his place in order to inform him though I told him that his father was very serious and he was to move at once. His car’s spare wheel was not in good shape, so I gave him my stepney and it was lucky as then most of us used Ambassador cars only. I waited for him to arrange for his driver to come and I left after wishing him luck and to keep firm; he was able to attend and do the last rites for his father and that is also because this news could be sent over the phone. On his return he thanked me for the help but to help one another in distress was quite common. Another time, I got the shock of my life, literally, while using the new telephone in the garden. I was making a call to our “banker” - a Marwari shop at Halem who used to carry our money for all the garden’s requirements. In those days there were no banks in the rural areas and even if there was, they could not handle all the cash requirements of the gardens in the district. But this problem was solved by the Marwari shops which offered the service of carrying the cash from Tezpur every week and also they
used to keep cash in their safes in the shop for which they had to keep guards who were licensed to use shotguns. We had to put in our money in his account in advance, which in our case was from Guwahati; if it was not for the services of such “bankers” the tea industry would not have survived. These Marwaris were very enterprising and also offered services like tea transport, supplies of rations and miscellaneous garden supplies for building materials like bricks, sand, chips and boulders. While
talking that day to our banker, a lightning storm struck and I heard a sharp clap with an electric shock which shook me causing me to drop the receiver. I never realised that the telephone lines relayed the lightening charges in a storm and henceforth on rainy days I developed a habit to speak on a phone keeping it at a distance from my ears and at times during a full blown storm I refused to use the phone at all! In fact till this time also I am very careful using a mobile in a storm. On another day a couple of us friends were waiting at our common friend’s place in the garden where he was posted waiting quite anxiously for the telephone to ring with the news of his wife who had gone for her confinement to Kolkata for the birth of their first child. He was informed earlier in the day that the baby was expected any time and he had requested us to come over to be with him for moral support. So in the afternoon, after the garden office closed, three of us were having tea in his drawing room when the phone rang. Shantanu jumped up and picked up the receiver and we heard him speak with a muted breath. Just then the line stopped. At that crucial moment his phone went dead and he just could not control himself as he kept on trying the phone again and again. This went on for a few hours till it became dark and all he had heard was it was over and had gone well. He was, however, not sure and became nervous. I decided that we should try the phone in my bungalow and taking the Kolkata number from him went off to try from my place as he would not leave the side of the phone expecting a call back. So Rajiv and I left them and we drove off to my bungalow which was about a few kilometres away. The line was fine and I got through at once and we explained the position to his father-inlaw who told us that they were
Ranjan Kumar Choudhury ranjanchou@hotmail.com
blessed with a baby boy and all was well. Back again at his house Shantanu was still not being able to get through and we relayed him the good news. He whooped in joy and embraced us all in turn. He insisted that we all stay for pot luck dinner and he took out a whisky bottle to celebrate. But the best incident with the new telephone which I remember quite vividly involved an old villager who used to visit me every Sunday from his village nearby bringing me gifts of herbs, fruits and delicacies like ‘Owtenga’ and young jackfruit. He had first visited me a few years after Neil Armstrong - the first man who had walked on the moon in 1969. When I told him this story he laughed and laughed till he almost fell off his chair. He just did not believe me that it was possible for anyone to do this and when I told him that it was true and man was conducting trials to find alternative planets to stay in the future, he dismissed me as being mad and simply accepted me as a bit of a lunatic. Later, when the railway line was opened to North Lakhimpur passing by his village, he vehemently opposed this new invention which would only bring in troublesome outsiders and cause us unnecessary problems. Anyway our relationship continued and by that time I was also regularly giving him gifts like clothes and household items like buckets, mugs and cooking dishes. I also found out a lot of things of local interest from him. Then one day he saw or rather heard me talking on the phone for the first time. When I came out to the verandah he asked me about my guest inside. I told him that I was only talking to a friend on the phone. He did not comprehend and asked me to explain. So I took him inside and showed him the phone instrument and made a call to our local banker’s shop and made him listen. He was frightened and thought that it was some sort of a magic! I had to explain how it worked, like a sort of a two way transistor radio, and he simply replied that it was impossible to understand these things and that I should be careful of any dangers and my health. Now when I remember how the telephone intruded into our lives and the great changes that it brought about, for the good mainly, it was indeed marvellous to witness from close quarters. As newer and more sophisticated gadgets are entering our lives faster then we can comprehend, I remember my old friend and wonder what he would have had to say about them. n
22 Lifestyle
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
Vaastu and the colours of the rainbow Hemanta Kumar Sarmah Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist.
I
n the morning as the sun rises, the earth is so calm and peaceful. Soon, the seven colours constituting the sun rays start exerting their influences. The seven rainbow colours are ‘VIBGYOR’ i.e. Vviolet, I- indigo, B- blue, G-green,
Y- yellow, O-orange and R- red. While selecting colours, this should be kept in the mind. The violet colour is dominant in the northeast of the earth whereas in the southeast, the colour is red. When we construct a four-
side boundary wall on any piece of land, it acts like an earth organism. On such a plot, due to VIBGYOR, the influence of violet rays is maximum in the northeast, while in the southeast, the red rays are dominant. The violet colour being cool and moist, the same and water are congenial. So water tanks, wells, swimming pools, underground water tanks, fountains etc which are situated in the northeast enhance the effect of ultra violet rays, which are mostly positive. Similarly, maximum influence of red colour is confined to the southeast portion of the plot. Hence, if firerelated activities like boiler and electrical items are built in the southeast, positive results are obtained. The early morning sunlight is soft and soothing. As the effects of the sun rays on the earth’s atmosphere increase, its heat and moisture content go up leading to humidity on earth. The humid air causes blackness in the sun rays as they filter through
it. This blackness in air increases tremendously in the west during sunset, producing ill-effects.
Effects of months and directions
Some Vaastu effects are more prominent in certain months in context to their directions if the construction is done properly or badly for that matter. The northeast direction is more influenced during the months of May and June. So if the well, underground tank or the main gate is constructed during these months in the northeast, the owner will get maximum benefits. But, if construction is started in the months of Bhadroh or Aswin (August/September), then the expenditure will increase unnecessarily. There will be delay in construction if it is started on the months of Kartik and Paush (October-November or December-January). The Southwest corner is
greatly influenced in the months of November and December. If there is a negative factor like the presence of a well or underground tank in this direction, then the family members are likely to suffer more financially or fall sick during these two months. Similarly if the gate, underground water tank or well is in the northeast, then it will bear maximum benefits for the
Meditation for clarity of mind of doubts in your mind and gives clarity in what you shri shri ravi shankar Founder- Art of Living Foundation. think and how you act. How can meditation transform the quality of our thoughts? What’s the science behind it? ave you ever felt that Let’s discover in the following you’ve almost made sections. up our mind, but then, from nowhere, a black 1. Induces a sense of cloud of doubt appears that doesn’t seem to clear? Such calm doubts are like ripples in the water that give us a distorted You might have come across reflection of ourselves and all this Chinese proverb: “When that are around us. But once the you feel confused, take a ripples settle down, everything pillow and go to bed.” They becomes crystal clear. probably knew that sleep can Now, what will you get by calm down your confused improving mental clarity? You mind. But, do you know that will be able to perform well meditation can replicate this in your job, learn and retain calming effect? Did you know information much longer and that when in meditation, our work on any sort of complex body’s oxygen requirement problem. Meditation will also goes down by 10 to 20 percent, help you if you’re unsure of which otherwise goes down by your purpose or direction only 8 percent during sleeping? in life, if you’re stressed and A lower oxygen requirement is struggling to relax and think an indication of a heightened clearly and if you are seeking sense of calm, which gives our clarity in uncertain times. body its much-needed rest. Is it possible to achieve that A calm mind can think more crystal-clear state of mind clearly than a restless mind or is it just a fool’s paradise? because it is not scattered all Fortunately, it is very much over the place. possible with regular practice 2. Increases your of meditation. Meditation, a time-tested technique, is like system’s energy that signboard that shows you the way out of your jungle The mechanics of meditation of thoughts. It is the unseen we discussed in the previous force that settles the ripples point shows that meditation
H
increases our energy levels. When this happens, all doubts and confusion give way to clarity of mind. Have you noticed that when you were sad or feeling low, you were not clear in your mind? And do you also remember being happy when you knew just what needed to be done? Clearing
at the times you felt you were very focused on your work or whatever you were doing? At all such times, you were probably also high on energy. That is because your energy is not diverted to other wasteful thoughts. Our mind is like a computer’s RAM (the part of a computer that does
industry in the months of May and June. Vedic pundits have forbidden bhumi puja after 7 months of pregnancy of the landlady. They are also advised not to shift to a new house during this trimester. It is also forbidden to start construction during period of menstruation and Ambubachi, during which the mother earth is supposed to undergo menstruation. n
The Fire That Went Out People, places, come easily to mind Restless, a search for a better tomorrow Meets a willingness to ensure joy Which is a random arrangement That listens to the fire raging in the heart... People are an arrangement of convenience, Places are seldom the magic they promise to be Unless stones sing melodies not heard before Stones are lifeless until that moment when You touch them and they spring to
your mind of confusion is like clearing the dust from the window. You can see and sense better when you are happy. It can happen when our energy levels are high. This way, meditation can be your energy booster. Dust is like doubt and a clean window is like clarity of mind, which will inevitably also reflect in our actions. It will all come with a few minutes in meditation.
3. Makes you focused
Have you observed yourself
all the thinking, analyzing, and interpreting). So, when there are too many programs (thoughts) running in the background on a computer, the more important programs slow down. This is a near-perfect analogy for our scattered mind, and meditation helps you shut down these unwanted programs. Meditation can clear your mind of wasteful, noisy thoughts. That undoubtedly makes us clear in the mind, and we are able to work and take decisions with clarity. n
life... Then again, there is that fire that burns The very hands that nurture it into life, The cold will be here soon, it’s on its way, Not a wonder that that raging fire Is no longer alive, it went out last summer...
Arunav Barua
Entertainment
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
Assamese film ‘Midnight Song’ selected for screening at film festival in Boston
A
ssamese film, ‘Midnight Song’ (Cheers, The Sprint & Disguise) has been selected to be screened at the India International Film Festival Of
Boston (IIFFB) on September 14, 2019. The film has been directed by Arunjit Borah and stars Rupam Chetia, Kalpana Kalita and Monuj Borkotoky. The India International
Film Festival Of Boston will host its second edition this year from September 13 to September 15. It will feature 12 short films, 8 feature films, 2 documentar y films and 3 student-made films.
23
Assam designer’s collection featured at Lakme Fashion Week 2019
D
esigner from Assam, Manjushree Saikia’s collection under the label ‘Ura Maku’ was featured on the first day of Lakme Fashion Week 2019 on August 21 in Mumbai.
Saikia showcased her collection, ‘Dawn to Reality’
which featured handwoven eri, mulberry silk and chanderi tissue combination of tailored silhouettes. It should be noted that the designer from Assam is one of the six who were selected to present their creations at the fashion event this year as part of the ‘Gen Next Designer’ program. Saikia is a textile design graduate from NIFT Mumbai and is originally from Lakhimpur district in Assam.
A tour de force: Ji Golpor Ses Nai S Viswanath
E
clectic, experimental and enterprising, Ji Golpor Ses Nai (Never Ending Stories) is an engaging and ensemble triptych of tantalising tales told with a deft touch of cinematic acumen. Inspired by three different short stories, each of the strands, which runs into half hour plus narration, is knit by the common denominator of death and a rumination on life and living by the three men that figure in them. If in The Half Truth, adapted from Guy de Maupassant’s short story, it is the death of a lover of an insurgent, in Epitaph, based on a short story by Homen Borohain, it is the death (suicide) of an author, to who, fame eludes, while in The Question Mark adapted from Honore de Balzac’s short tale, it is the disappearance (death) of an actor. Moody, meditative, sombre and soulful, the narratives, which kick off when a woman visitor at an art gallery starts to admire a landscape painting, seems to suggest as if the painting has triggered off the ensuing sagas, while the woman admirer goes into a stream of consciousness
mode a la James Joyce’s Leopold Bloom in his monumental epic Ulysses. Slow, seductive and languidly paced, each of the tales, bespeak of the respective man’s angst and anxiety to come to terms
with the life situation they find themselves in. If the first takes on a more mystical and surrealistic mode in that the woman Dipak encounters is nowhere to be found therein, in the second, you have the author Gautam Barua
filming his own death, desolate and despair fame has not found him, while taking along his pet dog as well to its doom. The third though is metaphorically told with the architectbuilder husband asking Khan, his contractor to construct a soundproof room, while he himself finds the actor Manoranjan’s mobile phone on his wife Maya’s bed. Needless to say the hubby suspects his wife’s fidelity and the tension in the marital discord between the estranged couple as a result. Minimalist in their detailing – akin to an object of art – each of the stories are quite poignant and powerful in their own ways, holding a stark and searing mirror to the foibles and fault lines of its three different persona protagonists. What further makes Ji Golpor Ses Nai an interesting and intriguing watch is that each of the directors, with their distinct individual stamp, have dealt
with the respective short story in a very understated and nuanced manner succinctly capturing the inner demons and dilemmas of their men in question. Fluid camerawork, unobtrusive background score and sensitively enacted, the movie turns out to be an engaging and ensemble experience. The directors’ efforts are laudable and throw a new perspective on Assamese cinema and its new breed of GenX filmmakers. The everyday social situations are given a new turn through their perspective interpretation of the short stories and this is what makes Assamese cinema an exciting genre to watch and appreciate lately. Kudos!
24 Catching Up
G PLUS | Aug 24 - Aug 30, 2019
PIC OF THE
Most shared story of the week
WEEK
#NEWS | A sanitary napkin vending machine has been installed in the girls common room at B. Borooah College in the city.
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Deodhani festival at Kamakhya Temple | Photo: Surajit Sharma
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