G Plus Vol 7 Issue 11 by G Plus

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Volume 07 | Issue 11 Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020 Price `10

INSIDE

Assam to have 650-strong contingent, 6,500 athletes, 3,500 officials expected to visit city

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Meghalaya pips Assam to 40 EV charging stations against Assam’s mere 20

Guwahati gears up to host Ind VS SL T20 match, Kohli to lead India, Rohit rested

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Improved Bangladeshi economy, probable NRC clean up

compel migrants to return home G Plus News @guwahatiplus

BJP tries to make up for hurting Assamese sentiments; announces pacifying sops Swapnil Bharali @guwahatiplus

s the Assam assembly elections are slated for 2021, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politicians have already started worrying about their respective vote banks especially after the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) was passed recently consequent to which the entire state witnessed protests. The BJP government in Dispur is strategising various formulas; announcing sops to the cultural fraternity and indigenous people of Assam is one of their main strategies. The chief minister of the state, Sarbananda Sonowal, is seen playing the emotional card to woo the original denizens of the state,

but various sections are terming the attempt as a “bribe” to woo the people. Senior journalist and a prominent cultural activist of Assam, Manjit Mahanta, talking to G Plus said, “The BJP government is trying to bribe the people after hurting the Assamese sentiments and very soon they will learn a lesson.” He expressed that when the Assam government decided to provide one-time financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to 2,000 artists and technicians of Assam, Mahanta said, “Famous Assamese singer Bipin Chaudang said that he will not take Rs 50,000 from the government but rather give Rs 1 lakh to the BJP for withdrawing CAA.” Mahanta said that similarly many other cultural sections of Assam are upset with the BJP government, and

all these sops or “bribes” will not help the government in anyway. While the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) led the anti-CAA protest on Tuesday, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal held a meeting with the representatives of 22 indigenous Sahitya Sabhas (literary bodies). The Assam government has called for a one day special session of the state assembly on January 13. Although the official notification did not mention the reason for the session, it is expected that the government will announce various schemes for the SC and ST regarding the extension of their reservations in the Assembly and the Parliament.

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he Border Security Force (BSF), on Friday, said that Bangladeshi nationals have started returning to their own country following the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam and an improving Bangladeshi economy. “The input that we are getting is the other way round. People from Bangladesh, who had illegally crossed over to India, are going back to Bangladesh and some of them have been apprehended there,” Inspector General of BSF in-charge Meghalaya frontier, Kuldeep Saini, said when reporters asked about fears that Bangladeshis may enter India following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). “We have seen Bangladeshi media reports quoting the Director General of Border Guards, Bangladesh of these movements. However, we did not receive any official report from our Bangladeshi counterpart on this issue,” the BSF official asserted. However, Saini said that no such cross over movement was noticed at the Meghalaya frontier. When asked to elaborate further on the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants returning to Bangladesh following the NRC exercise in Assam, the BSF official said that he doesn’t believe in these reports to be “100 per cent true, but to some extent it may be true.” Asked to comment on former Bangladesh envoy to India, Syed Muazzem Ali’s statement that Bangladeshis would rather swim in the ocean and reach Italy than come to India, Saini said, “Certainly people will resist and will not agree that people from Bangladesh crossing over to India for greener pastures. Even if we are in their place, we will not accept that our citizens are going to the other side.” “But it is a fact also that the economy of Bangladesh is now improving at a good pace compared to earlier years. So the crossing over of people from Bangladesh has drastically come down from that angle also,” he stated. Saini said it has also asked the local population to be vigilant to assist the BSF and periodic meetings with local headmen in the border areas are held to build confidence and coordination between the border population and the BSF. Further, the BSF official informed that no instructions have come from the union home ministry or the external affairs ministry in view of the CAA. “No, we have not received any instruction. Moreover, there has also been no change in the general rule of guarding the border following the CAA,” Saini said.

Lead Story

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Guwahati set to host Khelo India Youth Games 2020

Assam to have 650-strong contingent, 6,500 athletes, 3,500 officials expected to visit city Barasha Das @guwahatiplus

he Assam government, in partnership with Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and School Games Federation of India (SGFI), will be hosting the third edition of the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG).

Around 170 hotels have been booked across the city. Five of the top hotels of Guwahati including Radisson Blu and the Vivanta by Taj have been booked for guests and high level representatives. The event featuring 20 national level multidisciplinary grass root games will be held from 10th January to 22nd January, 2020. Guwahati, at the moment, is all geared up to host and witness this mega event. A total of 6,456 students from 37 teams will compete in 451 medal events and the coveted prizes under two categories, namely under-17 school students and under-21 college students. The various competitions will be held at 11 different venues across the city. It is to be mentioned that this year two new disciplines - cycling and lawn ball - have been added to the list of events that will be competed in. A complete schedule of the various competitions is given below: Chart presentation. Around 10,000 people are

expected from across the country that would include the 6,456 athletes, around 3,500 technical officials. The rest are support staff. More than 400 sports volunteers and 1,000 general volunteers have been appointed to ensure smooth running of the event. G Plus caught up with Avinash Joshi, Principal Secretary to the Government of Assam, Sports & Youth Welfare Department, who has been appointed as the CEO of the 3rd KIYG 2020, for supervision of all matters related to the same. He said that the 11 venues have been refurbished, renovated and repaired and have been handed over to the sports department by the PWD. Equipments have already been procured for the various games and have been installed.

The opening and the closing ceremonies will be held at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Sarusajai. The opening ceremony will be held on 10th January at 6 pm and a crowd of around 20,000 is expected. The closing ceremony will be held on the 22nd January which would conclude the Games. Joshi further said, “We have extended our invitation to PM Narendra Modi but are yet to get a confirmation. In all likelihood

he would grace the opening ceremony.” High level dignitaries are to be present for the closing ceremony. A very eventful and colourful opening ceremony is expected and Joshi has also hinted at performances by Bollywood celebrities and internationally renowned artists. He however preferred to keep it as a surprise for the people when he was asked for the names of such celebrities. The Youth Games, meanwhile, is utilizing a budget of Rs 138 crores, including a support of Rs 34 crores from the central government, as per a report in Sportstar. A majority of the budget is being used to provide the sports players with quality accommodation. Around 170 hotels have been booked across the city. Five of the top hotels of Guwahati including

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Radisson Blu and the Vivanta by Taj have been booked as “single category” for guests and high level representatives. Apart from these there are double occupancy hotels for the officials and triple occupancy hotels that will be accommodating the athletes. 10% of the athletes are to be from Assam, around 650 of the total number. The best efforts are being put in by the players and vigorous coaching programs are going on for the last few weeks. The CM has expressed hopes for better results for Assam compared to the previous years and the sports authorities are confident in winning various medals. The CM has earlier announced a reward of Rs 1,00,000 for the gold medal winners from Assam in the Khelo India Youth Games as an incentive. The silver and bronze medallists will be paid Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively.

Lead Story

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Quality transportation facilities, help desks, reception areas at every venue and functional area

he state transportation department is on its heels to provide complete support for the smooth running of Khelo India Youth Games 2020. The transportation responsibilities have been accorded to the Bharat Vikas Group India Limited on behalf of the Government of Assam. Talking to G Plus, Shri Adil Khan, Commissioner of Transport and Head of Transportation Functional Area for KIYG 2020 said, “Our job is to provide smooth and comfortable transportation facility to all the participants of the Games which include athletes, their coaches, team managers, the games related officials and different representatives from different states of the country.” He said that vehicles to be used are being regularly checked for

Only AC vehicles under fit condition and not older than three years are to be used. their fitness by motor vehicle experts and technical officers in the premises of Sarusajai Sports Complex. Only AC vehicles under fit condition and not older than three years are to be used. These vehicles are also being branded with Khelo India stickers for promotional purpose. Help desks and reception centres consisting of officials transportation department, BVG and volunteers are being set up at the transportation functional areas – LGBI Airport, Guwahati Railway Station,

Mascot Vijay meeting enthusiastic sports fans in Guwahati | G Plus photo Kamakhya Railway Station and the ISBT and also at every accommodation facilities and Games venues. Special parking

City Police geared up to tackle crowd, ensures security to all Tight security measures and traffic arrangements are being taken by the city police to ensure safety and security to all athletes, dignitaries and representatives of states. Newly appointed Commisssioner of Police, MP Gupta said, “We will do everything to ensure that the games are conducted smoothly and to make it successful because it is a very prestigious event for Assam. We also appeal to all sections of the society to make it a very grand and successful event.” Complete presence of police and other security personnel will be ensured at every venue, accommodation and transport facility. Separate parking areas will be allotted for spectators for smooth traffic movement. Avinash Joshi, CEO of the 3rd KIYG, 2020, who has also played a major part in conducting the National Games, 2007 as the then Deputy Commissioner and the South Asian Games, 2016 said that people of Guwahati are highly enthusiastic and cooperative. “We are also keeping close eye on security,” he said. Praising the people of Guwahati he said, “We have seen multidisciplinary games and people in Guwahati come out in big numbers. There were huge crowds in the National Games, 2007 in spite of ULFA boycott calls. We are hopeful

CEO of KIYG 2020, Avinash Joshi that although the democratic and nonviolent protests will go on, people of the city would cooperate and turn up in huge numbers.” The Khelo India programme has been introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in the country and establish India as a great sporting nation. Given the large scale preparation of this event and the large athlete contingent from Assam, the state is on the path to live up to the dream of truly making Guwahati the ‘Sports Capital of India.”

slots are being earmarked for the vehicles of athletes and dignitaries. Peak demand of around

600 vehicles ranging from big buses, mini buses, SUVs, LMVs, sedans and hatchbacks are expected.

4 In The News Snippets Assam Tableau participating departments shortlisted for Republic Day parade

midst the ongoing Citizenship Amendment Act protests, the Assam Tableau has been finalised to be showcased at the 71st Republic Day Parade to be held in New Delhi on January 26. In a press release, the Defence Ministry has issued a list of shortlisted participants (tableau) for Republic Day Parade 2020 in which 16 states will showcase their culture and heritage. According to reports, the Assam tableau will present the hard work and dedication of the local bamboo craftsman, tribal weavers, the “Bhoor- Taal” dance form (a cultural dance form of Assam) and the “Kaah- Pitol” industry of the state. The shortlisted departments are Dept for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade, Dept of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Dept of Financial Services, NDRF Ministry of Home Affairs, CPWD, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and Ministry of Shipping. The shortlisted states/union territories are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, the West Bengal government’s proposal was rejected after an Expert Committee examined it in two rounds of meetings. “The tableau proposal of the West Bengal government was not taken forward for further consideration by the Expert Committee after deliberations in the second meeting,” a statement by the ministry said.

40,000 indigenous people to get land patta on Jan 28

he Assam State government will provide land patta to over 40,000 landless indigenous people on January 28. In a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, he directed the re ve nue and disaste r management department to take steps to distribute land pattas to more beneficiaries in subsequent phases. It was also decided that 160 sattras and devalayas of the State would receive Rs 2 lakh annually in addition to the regular annuity provided by the state government.

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Meghalaya pips Assam to 40 EV charging stations against Assam’s mere 20 G Plus News @guwahatiplus

ssam government’s slogan of “pollutionfree Assam” looks like a hollow dream as the state gets only 20 charging stations under the FAME India scheme. In the latest round of reports, Union Minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, said that the centre has given sanction for setting up 2,636 charging stations in 62 cities across 24 states and union territories under the FAME India scheme which will encourage original equipment manufacturers to launch new electric vehicle (EV) models. Apart from rest of the states in India, under the second phase of the FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India) scheme, in the northeast India, Meghalaya is to get 40 charging stations, Sikkim will get 29 and only 20 stations would be set up in Assam. “By installing all these charging stations, it is expected that at least one charging station will be available in most of the selected cities in a grid of 4 km x 4 km, which will boost the confidence of users of electric vehicles in terms of range anxiety and also this will encourage the OEMs to launch the new electric vehicle models which they were hesitant because of lack of charging infrastructure,” Prakash Javadekar said. It is to be mentioned that with only 20 charging stations in Assam it will be difficult to maintain a grid of 4 km x 4 km. Hence, the state government will fail to encourage the OEMs to launch the new electric vehicle models in the near future. Managing Director of Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC), Anand Prakash Tiwari, in the conclave had said, “With CM Sonowal’s vision of a pollutionfree Assam, we are committed to provide emission-free public transport.” The allocation of only 20 charging stations will be a distant dream for BJP-led Assam government to live up to being an emission-free state. Meanwhile Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura did not get

File photo of an electric city bus currently under operation of the ASTC any charging stations under the Fame India Scheme. The Centre received around 106 proposals from public/ private entities for the deployment of about 7,000 EV charging stations. After evaluation of these proposals as per Expression of Interest (EoI), on the advice of Project Implementation and Sanctioning Committee (PISC), the government sanctioned 2,636 charging stations to 62 cities submitted by 19 public entities for 24 states. Out of these 2,636 charging stations, 1,633 will be fast charging stations whereas the remaining 1,003 will be slow charging stations. About 14,000 chargers will be installed across the selected cities. The limitation of the allotment may also be a reason as when various state governments are backing the development of electric vehicle (EV) industry to enjoy extensive fiscal benefits offered by the centre, Assam seems to be moving at a snail’s pace on the EV sector. Sanction letters to the selected entities will be issued in phases after ensuring availability of land for charging stations, signing of necessary agreements/MoUs with concerned partner organisations like city municipal corporation/ discoms/oil companies etc. “We are in the formulation

Electric vehicles also adhere to the government’s slogan of pollution-free Assam,” Industries & Commerce Minister, Govt of Assam, Chandra Mohan Patowary

process, various stakeholders are being discussed with and they will send the policy to the cabinet for approval…. no timeline for this has been fixed now,” Biswaranjan Samal, Principal Secretary, Transport Department had earlier told G Plus. Notably, Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC), under the Centre’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME-1) scheme, procured 15 electric-run buses which were introduced as part of a pilot project and which are plying routes including from Panbazar to Kamakhya Temple. Although the state government has mentioned earlier that dedicated charging stations will be installed with regard to the e-buses launched by the Assam

government, the addition of 20 odd stations across Assam will dilute the opacity of the vision of Pollution-Free Assam. It may be mentioned here that Assam Industries and Commerce Minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary, had said electric vehicles should be adopted for the betterment of our future generation and to maintain the ecological balance. Addressing the Assam Electric Mobility Conclave in 2018, Patowary had said, “Additionally, this will also help improve India’s energy security by reducing the import dependency for energy.” “Electric vehicles also adhere to the government’s slogan of pollution-free Assam,” he had said. On the other hand, experts in the recently held Northeast Electric Mobility Conclave in Guwahati revealed that Guwahati, with its increasing pollution levels escalated by vehicular emissions and with the setting up of new industries, will soon emulate New Delhi if some concrete steps are not taken to curb pollution levels. Guwahati’s pollution scenario, escalated by the increasing numbers of vehicles and with the setting up of new industries, can soon compete with the Delhi’s air quality, said an environmental expert. n

Politicking

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Major govt schemes of 2019 subject to scrutiny Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

hile presenting the budget for the year 2019-20, state finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced a slew of schemes for the welfare of the residents of Assam. As the year 2019 has now ended, G Plus recalls the same and will seek to do a check on the extent of implementation of these schemes in the subsequent weeks. The government had announced these schemes for different sections of society. Here’s a look at the major sops and their status of implementation which were promised by the government for this year: A university for the

divyangjans (persons with disabilities) was to be set up under the Deen Dayal Divyang Sahayjya Asoni scheme in Boko of Kamrup district.

A budget of Rs 200 crores

was earmarked for the “Minority Girls Scholarship Scheme.” The scheme aims to strengthen education of girls belonging to the minority communities to encourage and incentivise them to continue their higher education and stay on in the formal

education system. The

government had planned to launch a new scheme called Immediate Family Assistance wherein widows will receive Rs 25,000 under Indira Miri Universal pension Scheme. The widow will also be eligible for a monthly pension of Rs 250 until she attains the age of 60 years, post which, she will be moved to the old age pension scheme.

For

the welfare of tea tribes, the government had decided to provide rice, which was being provided at the rate of Rs 3 per kg under NFSA, free of cost to 4 lakh families in the tea garden areas covering a total of 20 lakh beneficiaries during the financial year.

Cashless Health Assurance scheme, “Atal Amrit Abhiyaan,” was to be rolled out from this year which would enable treatment for citizens for six critical diseases across leading hospitals in India.

The finance minister had

allocated Rs. 250 crores for old age pension scheme

The

government would provide free textbooks to

students up to graduation level, from the present level of class XII and free uniforms to government school students up to Class VIII. Battery operated ‘e-bikes’

was to be provided to all girl students who secured first division or above in higher secondary examinations for commuting to their schools and colleges. Rs 25 crores was earmarked for the same.

The

government had announced to provide one tola gold, valued at around Rs 38,000 to brides belonging to various communities of Assam where it is customary to provide gold at the time of the wedding. The minister had said that benefit under this scheme can be availed upon formal registration of the marriages under the Special Marriage (Assam) Rules, 1954 and will reach the beneficiaries right on time for the social marriage. Rs 300 crores was earmarked for this scheme.

Financial assistance of Rs

50,000 each to be provided to people and students who had taken education loans previously and or would

CM Sonowal and Finance Minister HB Sarma with the Budget 2019 | File photo choose to take it in the years to come. A development corporation

for the indigenous Muslims was to be established by the government. It would take up various programmes aimed at the holistic development of this section of society.

The

government had announced to provide rice at a further subsidized rate of 1 rupee per kg, under ANNA - Affordable Nutrition & Nourishment Assistance. “In order to further strengthen food security for our people, we will provide rice at a further subsidized rate of 1 rupee per kg instead of the present rate

of 3 rupees per kg and this move will benefit 53 lakh households,” Sarma had announced. Sarma had announced that

a separate new district from the existing Dima Hasao district would be created for better accessibility of government schemes for the people.

Asom

Darshan Scheme was announced to develop various places of tourist interest, including those blessed with natural beauty as well as those of religious/ historical importance.

Rs 27 crore special package

was announced for Dima Hasao.

BJP tries to make up for hurting Assamese sentiments; announces pacifying sops From Page 01

The Sops The chief minister announced that the state government would provide Rs 10 crores to the corpus fund of Asom Sahitya Sabha, Rs 5 crores to Bodo Sahitya Sabha and Rs 3 crores each to the other indigenous Sahitya Sabhas as one-time grants. Accordingly, Asom Sahitya Sabha can derive an amount of Rs 80 lakhs annually as interest from the corpus fund, while the Bodo Sahitya Sabha would receive Rs 40 lakhs and other indigenous Sahitya Sabhas would get Rs 24 lakhs annually. With a view to assuage the sentiments of those protesting against the Citizenship

Amendment Act, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, on Wednesday, said that he is the son of the soil and has never done anything to let Assamese people down. “Being a son of the soil, I will never allow any foreign immigrant to settle in my land,” said the chief minister. Playing the cultural card, the chief minister announced that the state government would provide one-time financial grant of Rs 50,000 to one thousand new writers belonging to various communities of the state under “Bhasha Gaurav” scheme. The chief minister hopes that this scheme will inspire young writers to engage in literary works in different indigenous languages of the state.

Claiming that he is not the Jatiya Nayak, the title which was given to him by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), the chief minister said that the real Jatiya Nayaks were the Assam Agitation martyrs and he announced that a Swahid Bhawan will be built in memory of the martyrs. But will all these sops help BJP in wooing the voters? A source in the BJP, talking to G Plus under condition of anonymity said, “When landless people will get land, there will certainly be some love and respect for the government.” The Assam government, on Thursday, decided to provide land pattas (deeds) to more than 40,000 landless indigenous people of the state on January 28. This was decided at a review

meeting of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department chaired by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The chief minister directed the department to take steps to distribute land pattas to other beneficiaries in later phases so that the state government’s commitment to provide land pattas to 1 lakh landless indigenous people could be achieved, the official said. It was also decided at the meeting that 160 temples, devalayas and sattras of the state would receive Rs 2 lakhs annually in addition to the regular annuity that they are provided with by the state government. The meeting also decided that the Arundhati Gold Scheme would be ceremonially launched in the

first week of March, in which beneficiaries of economically weaker sections would be given money for purchasing 10 grams of gold ornaments for registering marriages. The BJP is organising a huge meeting at Khanapara on Saturday next where around 40,000 BJP workers will participate. BJP sources revealed that booth level members will participate in the meeting and the BJP leadership will try and motivate the members to be with the BJP and work for the 2021 assembly elections. The BJP leadership has been seen taking out rallies in different parts of the state in support of CAA and the politicians sitting in Dispur are announcing sops after sops to appease the hurt Assamese people.

6 City

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

More rains, thunderstorm over Assam on the anvil over next 5 days Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

Assam to receive moderate to heavy rainfall over next 5 days

uwahati and its adjoining areas are likely to receive moderate to heavy rainfall in the days to come, Regional Meteorological Department predicted. Sources at the meteorology department also said that over the next five days, the weather will remain cloudy with chances of moderate rainfall and thunderstorms in isolated places in Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura while heavy rainfall is likely to occur at many places in Arunachal Pradesh. “Due to western disturbance, a cold wave condition is prevailing in the country and causing rainfall during winters. As the wave travels from west to east, it has already resulted in heavy rainfall in Delhi NCR and other parts of north India. Now, the disturbance has travelled towards the northeast where Arunachal Pradesh is the most affected,” informed Dr Sanjay O’Neill Shaw, Director, Regional Meteorology Centre, Guwahati. He further stated that

Western disturbances causing cold wave in northeast India Thunderstorm with lightning likely to occur in the state on Sunday Rainfall predicted on India VS Sri Lanka match day Cricket fans enthusiastic in spite of rain threats Over 27000 tickets sold for the T20I match Protective covers at the Barsapara Stadium during the Friday morning rains in Guwahati | G Plus photo owing to the cloud cover, the temperature during morning hours dips as the moisture turns into tiny droplets. These droplets start to evaporate as soon as the sun comes out and it feels like fog. “In Guwahati, fog doesn’t sustain for long hours owing

to less pollution; the fog doesn’t get very thick and disappears soon,” he said. January is the month for picnics but this year, rainfall is likely to play spoilsport and dampen the picnic spirit of Guwahatians. Heavy rains have already played spoilsport

to the New Year’s Day celebrations in many parts of the country including Ranchi, Hyderabad, Chennai and New Delhi. In the last 24 hours, light to moderate rainfall occurred at isolated places over Assam. But in the next 24 hours, there

Rainfall likely to play spoilsport and dampen the picnic spirits of Guwahatians

are warnings of hailstorm at isolated places over Assam. Further, thunderstorm with lightning is likely to occur in the state on Sunday.

Rains likely to play spoilsport during Ind-SL T20I in Guwahati

ith unseasonal rains predicted for Guwahati and the regions around it, the India vs Sri Lanka T20I match faces the very real possibility of being rained out. The humidity will be as high as 84%. However, the good thing is that it is expected to be windy and the wind might blow the rain away. “While the city of Guwahati will witness some isolated showers during the afternoon hours, the night time will remain pleasant and rain-free. Spectators should be able to enjoy the show without weather gods

providing any hindrance,” a source told G Plus . The afternoon rains, however, may do enough damage to render the playing areas unusable. “Barsapara stadium is equipped with water protection covers and drainage facilities which proved adequate during the India-Australia match that was held in Guwahati in 2017. We are confident that the facilities will prove

themselves to be adequate in case of rain during the India VS Sri Lanka match as well. Barsapara stadium has high sand content in the soil which means that the drainage would be faster and more effective,” the source added. The main field of Barsapara stadium is the first of its kind in the entire country, as it

is 100% sand based with a detailed subsoil drainage network on grid pattern. The region is subject to very heavy precipitation, so the subsoil drainage system is designed to withstand cloudburst, such that play can start within minutes of a rain stoppage. As Guwahati is set to witness a men’s international cricket match after over two years, cricket fans don’t seem to be too bothered about the rain threats. Rains over the last couple of days haven’t dampened their enthusiasm with over 27,000 match tickets having been sold out already.

Concern

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

New Year starts on an expensive note, LPG, train ticket, fuel prices increase G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he New Year 2020 has kicked off on an expensive note for the common man as the prices of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) cylinders, train tickets, as well as fuel increased. In the month of December, the cost of diesel went up by Rs 2.18 per litre, while that of petrol was hiked by 28 paise a litre. In the same vein, the price of non-subsidized LPG cylinder was hiked with effect from January 1, 2020. In Kolkata, the cooking gas became costlier by Rs 21.5 and now the consumers would have to shell out Rs 747 per cylinder as opposed to the previous Rs 725.5. Similarly in Delhi, the price of non-subsidized LPG cylinder was hiked by Rs 19 per cylinder as the cost rose to Rs 714 a cylinder. In Mumbai the price per gas cylinder was Rs 665 in December while it increased to Rs 684.50 in January 2020. Additionally, in Chennai the cost of LPG cylinder

Representative Image went up from Rs 717 to Rs 734 per cylinder now. Further, putting an additional pressure on the citizens, the Indian Railways had on Tuesday announced a hike in the ticket prices. The railways announced that the price of mail and express non-AC trains will be increased by two paise per kilometre while the fares of AC coaches

will be hiked by four paise per kilometre. However, the fare hikes will not be applicable to the tickets which have already been booked. The Ministry of Railways had tweeted from its official handle: “In order to expand passenger amenities and facilities at Railway stations and in trains, it has become imperative to

increase the train fare marginally without over burdening any class of passengers. Fast modernization of Indian Railway will be achieved through this fare revision.” Further, keeping in mind the affordability concerns of daily commuters, the railways has not hiked its fare for suburban sections and season ticket holders. “This year was anyway not going well for us till now in terms of business and now to top it all, the prices of commodities such as fuel and train tickets have also been increased. This is a direct hit to the common man,” a Guwahati-based businessman told G Plus. Another Guwahatian opined, “I really hope that the economic situation improves soon and that there is no inflation in essential goods as this would become a burden for the consumers.”

Prices of LPG cylinders, train tickets and fuel increased for consumers in 2020 Cost of non-subsidized LPG cylinder was hiked from Jan 1 Railways also recently announced a hike in the ticket prices Prices of mail and express non-AC train tickets will be increased by 2 paise/km, AC by 4 paise/km In December, the cost of diesel rose by Rs 2.18 per litre The cost of petrol was hiked by 28 paise per litre in December

8 Environment

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Assam’s open forest cover rises, hilly areas decline drastically Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

Assam’s forest cover increases by 221.51 square kilometres in last two years But forest cover in 3 hill districts has declined drastically by 96 % In northeast, except for Assam and Tripura, all other states showed a decline in forest cover Karbi Anglong recorded the deepest plunge with 93.82% decline in forest cover Officials say aforestation and free distribution of seedlings to the public are on priority Forest department’s cadre structure has been streamlined for the first time in several years Due promotions were given on January 1 which were pending for officials

ssam’s total forest cover has seen an increase of 221.51 square kilometres in the past two years as per a recent report released by Union Minister of Environment,

Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar. As per the recently-released report prepared by Forest Survey of India titled ‘India State of Forest Report 2019’, the state has witnessed an increase in its forest cover by 0.76 per cent. However, the forest cover in three hill districts in Assam has declined drastically by 96 per cent. Officials have blamed rampant encroachment, jhum cultivation and deforestation for the same. Interestingly, among the northeastern states, apart from Assam and Tripura, all other states showed a decline in forest cover. “Total forest cover in the North Eastern region is 1,70,541 sq km, which is 65.05% of its geographical area. The current assessment shows a decrease of forest cover to the extent of 765 sq km (0.45%) in the region. Except Assam and Tripura, all the States in the region show decrease in forest cover,” states the report. AM Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, told G Plus that the maximum increase in the forest cover has been seen in the open forest area. Forests are classified into very dense forest where the canopy density is more than 70 per cent. The second classification is medium-dense forest with canopy density between 40 and 70 per cent and finally the open forest where canopy density is 10-40 percent which is also called degraded forest. As per the report, in Assam, very dense forest has declined by 2 square kilometres while the medium dense forest category saw a rise of 87 square kilometres. However, the maximum increase was witnessed in the open forest

File photo of an open forest area of Assam: The wilderness and the tamed elephant category with 137 square kilometres rise in forest cover. “We are undertaking all the aforestation efforts in the open forests. The advantage of this is that whatever destruction is being done in the nonforest area is about 178 square kilometres, but our open forest has been increased by 137 square kilometres and the increase in medium dense forest is around 87 square kilometres,” informed Singh. He further termed the development as “positive” for the scenario of forest cover in Assam. The officials said that the measures adopted by them in 2016-17 to improve the state of forests have shown results now. Authorities said that the major reason behind this development has been the aforestation efforts and free distribution of the seedling to the public over

the past few years. Additionally, as per the district-wise data for Assam, Karbi Anglong recorded the deepest plunge in terms of forest cover with a whopping 93.82 percent decline in its forest cover. Apart from Karbi Anglong, the districts which recorded a decrease in forest cover area include Cachar (0.66%), Dibrugarh (1.77%) and Dima Hasao (3.07%). On the other hand, Goalpara district led the places which recorded the maximum increase in forest cover since 2017 with a quantum rise of 97.74 per cent. This was followed by 44.47 per cent in Kamrup district and Karimganj where the forest cover rose by 35.43 per cent. “We will also write a letter to the government regarding the extreme decline in Karbi Anglong’s forest cover which is

a point of worry for us,” said Singh. Further, on the national level, the assessment revealed an increase of 3,976 sq km (0.56%) of forest cover, 1,212 sq km (1.29%) of tree cover and 5,188 sq km (0.65%) of forest and tree cover put together, as compared to the previous assessment in 2017. This apart, the officials further mentioned that the forest department’s cadre structure has also been streamlined for the first time in several years. “In the history of the forest department of Assam in the last 70 years, no due promotion was given on January 1 which was the due date for the officials. But this year, the promotions were given in time in the department,” Singh told G Plus.

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Partly Cloudy

Mostly Sunny

Partly Cloudy

Mostly Sunny

Partly Cloudy

Sunny

21°12° C

20°10° C

21°10° C

22°13° C

20°11° C

22°11° C

SATURDAY Mostly Sunny

21°13° C

In The News

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Guwahati gears up to host Ind-SL T20 match, Kohli to lead India, Rohit rested Atiqul Habib @guwahatiplus

ith the recent turmoil in the state of Assam over the ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the staging of the international T-20 match between India and Sri Lanka had come under a cloud. However, Virat Kohli’s men are set to play in Guwahati when they take on Sri Lanka at the Baraspara Stadium in Guwahati on January 5 in the first of three T20Is. With the passage of time and the city getting back to its usual business, Guwahatians are eagerly anticipating the match to be power packed with action. The match will start at 7:00 PM and the first session will be up to 8:45 PM. The match will get over by 10:10 PM. Shuttle buses will be provided for the spectators from the place of origin (where parking is allotted) to the designated stadium gate. It is to be mentioned that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has strictly instructed the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) that apart from mobile phones and wallets nothing else will be allowed inside the stadium. The maximum capacity of the stadium is 39,400 and the ACA said that around 27,000 tickets have already been sold out. “This will be the biggest event post Christmas and New Year and we believe it will be a house full match,” said per ACA General Secretary, Devajit Lon Saikia. Earlier on January 2, the Sri Lankan team arrived in Guwahati and had their first practice session on January 3 while on January 4 they will have their net session. Sri Lanka, led by veteran speedster Lasith Malinga, will start their short three-match tour of India with the first match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium at Guwahati on January 5. The second T20I will be played at Indore on January 7 and the last game is scheduled for Friday, January 10, at Pune.

The teams Malinga will lead the 16-member squad that also features Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal

Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Kusal Mendis, Lakshan Sandakan, Kasun Rajitha. Veteran Anglo Matthews returns to the Sri Lanka T20I squads after almost 16 months, while Nuwan Pradeep is out with injury. Virat Kohli will be leading the home team while his deputy Rohit Sharma has been rested for the series. Jaspreet Bumrah returns to the national team after recovering from injury. However, an unfit Bhubaneswar Kumar is ruled out. The Indian squad also includes Shikhar Dhawam, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Shamson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Navedeep Saini and Washington Sundar. Before this, skipper Virat Kohli was given a break during the T20I series against Bangladesh and Rohit Sharma had led the team.

From the Pitch:

Security issues

Ticket Bookings Online:

Meanwhile, considering the security issues that are there in the wake of protests against the CAA, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as well as the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) are keeping a close eye on the present situation in Assam. But all is under control now as per ACA General Secretary Devajit Lon Saikia. Speaking to the media, Devajit Lon Saikia said that the police has been handed the responsibility of managing the security and everything is under control. On January 3, a joint press conference of Assam Cricket Association (ACA) and Assam Police regarding preparation and security measures ahead of India Sri Lanka match in Guwahati was held.

Weather forecast There are chances of scattered rains in Guwahati on 5th January. The humidity will be as high as 84%. However, the good thing is that it is expected to be windy and the wind might blow the rain away. The spectators will want to see a full game as the northeastern part of India doesn’t get to host international matches on a regular basis.

The Barsapara Cricket Stadium is known for witnessing highscoring games as the pitch is flat and the boundaries are not the biggest in the world. Batting second is always an advantage in T20I cricket especially when you are playing on flat pitches and you don’t have a clear idea what the par score is, batting Indian cricketers going through the motions at the Barsapara Stadium | G Plus photo first. With the rain forecast as well, batting second Cricket Stadium, Barsapara Pandukan field becomes an obvious choice as the through the following routes: Parallel parking from Duckworth-Lewis rule also makes via AK Azad Road from Lalganesh point to Saukuchi it slightly easier for the chasing Paltanbazar, Ulubari teams, in terms of how they need (One side parking) towards Cricket Stadium. to go about their innings.

India Vs Sri Lanka 1st International match tickets be bought at the venue as as online through Paytm Bookmyshow.

T20 can well and

Live Streaming: Live streaming of the India Vs Sri Lanka T20I series will be available online on the Hotstar app. The match will also be streamed live on the Jio TV app.

TV Telecast:

via AK Deb Road from Gorchuk Chariali on National Highway 37 towards Cricket Stadium

Parallel parking between Cycle Factory to Barsapara point (One side parking)

via AK Deb Road from Bharalumukh towards Cricket Stadium.

No Entry Restrictions

via AK Azad road from Lokhra

Parking Arrangements Vehicles coming via AK Deb Road

Datalpara field

Apart from live streaming, the match can also be watched LIVE on the following channels: Star Sports 1/HD, Star Sports 2/ HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi/HD, Star Sports Select 1/HD.

Champawati field

Traffic Restrictions

One side Parallel parking on AK Dev Road from Dhirenpara Tiniali to Ganeshpara Field.

In view of the T-20 International Cricket match between India and Sri Lanka on 5th January, 2020, the following are the arrangements made for the smooth traffic operation in the city. The city traffic police have made arrangements for parking of four-wheelers and twowheelers of the spectators. Public Entry Points: The spectators and general public can reach the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika

Ganeshpara field Rangpathar field GMC field

Vehicles coming via AK Azad Road

Arya College field Birubari ITI field Lutuma Field

Saukuchi Budhboria Bazar area

Restrictions/Diversions

Barsapara Road from Barsapara Tiniali (AK Azad Road) to Dhirenpara Tiniali (AK Deb Road) will be one way for vehicles having car passes. Vehicles will not be allowed entry from AK Deb Road. All types of commercial vehicles will be restricted both on the AK Deb Road and AK Azad Road from 8.00 am till the match is over. No entry from Lalaganesh to Barsapara. Only vehicles having passes will be allowed entry.

No Parking: The following roads are declared as ‘No Parking Zones’.

Barsapara Road from Barsapara Tiniali to Dhirenpara Tiniali AK Azad Road from Lalganesh point up to Barsapara Tiniali

10 New Year Special

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Resolutions Prominent Guwahatians express their desire for change, do better and make life more meaningful

Ashutosh Agnihotri, Commissioner and Secretary, Govt of Assam

Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, Director General of Police, Assam

To keep growing in peace, patience and wisdom is my resolution for 2020. May we keep fighting the forces of destruction. May we keep creating a better tomorrow. Happy New Year!

In the year 2020, my resolution is to bring about a certain amount of substance in policing in the state. I wish to get familiar with the problems of the people and ensure justice in the entire criminal justice system.

Munna Prasad Gupta, Commissioner of Police, Guwahati My resolution for 2020 is to control crime and maintain peace in the city with active cooperation of the people of Guwahati. My best wishes for the New Year to all the readers of G Plus.

Bhaskar Hazarika, Movie Director I wish to work towards spreading the message of peace and love in the world. In 2020, I wish to make more films that touch the hearts of the audience.

Kopil Bora, Actor I will strive to work every day to the fullest and will not let laziness overcome me. I have promised this to myself. Also, I will make every effort to learn newer things so that my craft gets better and I can hopefully deliver better work to my audiences. I wish the readers of G Plus a Happy New Year!

Rima Das, National Award winning film director This year, I’m working on two scripts and will hopefully start productions in February. My mind is mostly occupied with the situations prevailing in Assam so in 2020, I am hoping that we will see light at the end of the tunnel. I am hopeful for better situations to prevail in the state.

Biswajit Pegu, Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup (M) I believe that one needs to be positive in life and take whatever comes their way in a positive stride. With that thought, my resolution for this year would be to remain positive and work hard for the development of the district.

Jatin Bora, Actor & Movie Director My new year’s resolution is to produce the second film under the banner of JB Production and continue to do good work through the medium of films. I wish to also indulge in social work for the upliftment of Assam and its people.

Barsha Rani Bishaya, Actress A new year has set in but all that’s going through the back of my mind is CAA. I have not been able to revel in the celebrations due to the on-going protests and I will resolve to keep protesting to safeguard the ethnic community of Assam. I want to take this platform to tell everyone that these protests are not communal, they are aimed at safeguarding our own indigenous identity. I will continue to raise my voice against the CAA which violates every cause of the Assam Accord so that Assam doesn’t have to bear the brunt of more migrants. But all of this is not going to affect my professional career. There are a lot of projects in the pipeline for 2020 and I hope to deliver heart-touching performances this year.

News This Week

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

A quick round up of the news that mattered during the past week

CBSE Board Exam 2020: 75% attendance compulsory to appear for board exams

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has directed all of its affiliated schools to calculate attendance of students going to appear for class 10 and class 12 board exams this year as on January 1, 2020. CBSE in its latest notice said, “Students whose attendance will be calculated less than 75 per cent will not be allowed to appear for the exams. If a candidate has a genuine reason behind the shortage of attendance, students will have to submit the supporting documents, such as, medical reports etc, with the authorities by January 7.”

PAN-Aadhaar linking deadline extended till March 2020

The last date for the mandatory linking of the Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar has been extended till March 2020. The earlier deadline was December 31. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on its twitter handle stated that, “The due date for linking of PAN with Aadhaar as specified under sub-section 2 of section 139AA of the Income-tax Act, 1961 has been extended from December 31, 2019 to March 31, 2020.” It is to be mentioned that, this is the eighth time CBDT has extended the date.

100 organisations unite under one banner “We the People of India” against CAA

Around 100 organisations from across the country have decided to fight the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) under one banner – “We the People of India” (Hum Bharat ke log hain). “We are appealing to all the people protesting against the CAA, NPR and nationwide NRC to come under a single banner - We The People of India. This is the first phrase of our Constitution and there can’t be anything bigger than that,” said Yogendra Yadav, a member. The group has decided to launch a series of nationwide protests and demonstrations starting from January 3, the birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule.

AFSPA in Nagaland extended for another six months

The central government has declared the whole state of Nagaland as a “disturbed area” under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958, for a period of another six months. In a notification, the Ministry of Home Affairs stated, “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 the central government hereby declares that whole of the aid State to be a ‘disturbed area’ for a period of six months with effect from December 30, 2019 for the purpose of that Act.”

General Bipin Rawat named as India’s First Chief of Defence Staff

General Bipin Rawat has been named the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The Chief of Defence Staff will be a four-star General, the principal military advisor to the defence minister, and head the new Department of Military Affairs which will ensure jointness in training, logistics and procurement of the three services. The notification came in the backdrop of Gen Rawat retiring on December 31. Earlier, the defence ministry had amended the army, air force and navy rules by bringing in a new clause that allows the Chief of Defence Staff to serve upto a maximum age of 65 years.

ILP comes into effect in Manipur from January 1

Indian Railway announces new integrated helpline number 139

SBI announces OTP system for ATM transactions

Businesses to pay Rs 5000 fine per day for not offering digital payment facilities

According to a gazette notification dated December 31, 2019 Manipur became the fourth north eastern state after Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh to come under the Inner Line Permit (ILP) rule. The ILP came into effect in Manipur from January 1, 2020. “The ILP counters shall now be opened at every police station along the border. We had a meeting of SPs, DCs, SDOs and police personnel who will be at these offices to personally handle the issue. We should not harass anybody or create a panic situation because it is a normal Act within the Constitution. For the time being, it will be issued as per the ILP rules present orally,” said CM Biren Singh,

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Railways on December 2, it was announced that the ministry has decided to integrate its helpline numbers into a single number —139 for quick grievance redressal and enquiries by passengers. The statement said, “To overcome the inconvenience over multiple helpline numbers for grievances and enquiry during railway travel, Indian Railway has integrated railway helplines into single number 139 for the passengers for quick grievance redressal and enquiry during their journey. As the new helpline number 139 will take over all the existing helpline numbers (except 182), it will be easy for the passengers to remember this number and connect with Railways for all their needs during the travel.”

State Bank of India has announced a one-time password system to withdraw cash from its ATMs in an effort to protect its customers from unauthorised transactions. Taking to twitter SBI said,” Introducing the OTP-based cash withdrawal system to help protect you from unauthorized transactions at ATMs. This new safeguard system will be applicable from 1st Jan, 2020 across all SBI ATMs.” According to a press release by the bank, the OTP will be received by the SBI cardholder on their registered mobile number at the time of initiating the transaction. This facility will be available for transactions above Rs 10,000 between 8 pm and 8 am only.

With effect from February 1, businesses will have to pay stringent fines for not accepting digital payment facilities for consumers. The fine will amount to Rs 5000 per day for businesses with an annual turnover with more than Rs 50 crores. This was stated recently by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in a circular which said that these businesses must offer digital modes of payments like BHIM UPI, UPI QR code, Debit cards, Aadhar Pay, NEFT, RTGS among others. The move has been taken with a view to encourage digital payments.

Chandrayaan-3 on; India’s first human space flight mission in progress

At a press meet held at ISRO Headquarters on January 1, Dr K Sivan, ISRO Chairman, outlined ISRO’s achievements during the last one year and also the plans to be accomplished during the current year. He stated, Chandrayaan-3 mission to the moon, comprising a lander and a rover is approved by the Government and activities for its realisation are in progress. Talking about India’s first human space flight mission Gaganyaan, Dr. Sivan said, “We’ve made good progress in the mission. The process of Astronaut selection for the mission is completed”. He further added that four astronauts have been selected, who will undergo extensive training.

12 Calendar 2020

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

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G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Calendar 2020

14 G Talk E

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020 T

Between the Devil and the Deep Sea

t has been interesting to observe the comments and feedback to the news of Rahul Gandhi’s placating visit to Guwahati on our digital channels. The Congress leader came to pacify the restive Assamese society smarting from what they want to term as “betrayal of their expectations” by the government that they had elected. That the Congress leader’s speech was hardly inspiring is besides the point here and so was the modest crowd (mostly from one certain community) that turned up to listen to … well, “Mahatma Gandhi” as per a video that got circulated over WhatsApp. Most of the comments from the huge following that G Plus has today on digital media sought to berate Rahul Gandhi holding his Congress Party squarely responsible for the demographic mess that Assam finds itself in today. And this is not without some very pertinent reasons. Now, at this juncture of having voted the BJP to power at the expense of rejecting the Congress during the last elections both at the state and the national levels, does the indigenous Assamese society find itself caught between the proverbial Devil and the Deep Blue Sea?

If BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma’s rallies with the multitude participating in Nalbari and him expressing sheer confidence of winning 100 seats at the next state elections are anything to go by, the Assamese society seems to be in conformity with BJP being the best bet to govern the state. At least that is the way things look like currently. But clearly, Assamese society as represented by its students and their apex organisation – the AASU – is in no mood to accept the Citizenship Amendment Bill in its current form. This is further fuelled by the local or even the national Congress Party failing to seize the opportunity to score some brownie points with the voting public of Assam. Clearly, there doesn’t seem to be any alternative to the BJP when it comes to ruling the state. But the CAA is a sentimental issue that is not going to go away soon however much the BJP leadership tries to wax eloquent (which it is clearly groping at) about it and offers the huge plethora of sops that it is starting to offer left, right and centre. This is truly a cloudy situation with no clear skies in sight. Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

New Year 2020 An expensive affair

ith the onset of new decade, the year 2020 honestly is not off to a good start. The headlines to start the year off have been ominous. Rape in police custody, divisive politics and laws, slow economy and poor market sentiments tell us that while the world is a dark place, India seems to be farther away from the light. The month known for aggressive market spends and high spirits has seen an all new low point, and all this marks the end the end of the decade. Assam still seems not ready to recover from the month-long slump of December. National brands failed to rake in revenue owing to business establishments being shut. Local brands were hit by market sentiments hard and kept a low profile. Interestingly, F&B segment in the city too failed to get much reaction from the residents and couldn’t make up for the losses. Of course, this is an industry that almost triples its revenue and public engagement in this season. It is uncertain how long this sentiment would last, but it is safe to say that neither the public, nor the businesses are enjoying this slump. With LPG, train travel, fuel prices all on the rise, people are at a loss of words. The most you’ll hear anyone say is, “Pata nahi kya hoga. Let’s wait and watch.” This is not just for the lack of optimism, but also the fear of what could be termed ‘provocative,’ anti-government and ipso facto, anti-national. Should this sentiment continue for too long, we fear, the state of Assam would remain politically relevant only with zero contribution to the economy. And we fear that this political relevance does not make too much sense except for being unnecessarily newsy!

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

The golden chance

ssam is boiling against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as protests can be seen from Dhubri to Sadiya. Like the six year long Assam Agitation of 1979 to 1985, this anti-CAB now or anti-CAA protest is again spearheaded by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU). Samujjal Bhattacharya and Lurin Jyoti Gogoi, leading the AASU, are trying hard to scrap the CAA as they believe Assam cannot bear any further Bangladeshis (irrespective of any religion) as Assam had already taken the burden by signing the historic Assam Accord in 1985. Now the question is, if a six year long struggle had resulted

O pinion Gaurrav Chowdhury

Those illegal Muslim Bangladeshis multiplied numerous times to capture a total of 14 districts (according to 2011 census) of Assam. Now when the protests against CAA are going on in full throttle, can’t we pressurize the central government to have another NRC with 1951 as the cut-off date? No accord, agreement is important and holds value until and unless it serves the motherland and the original inhabitants. As our veteran leaders of AASU have already admitted that our motherland Assam has taken the burden of lakhs and lakhs of Bangladeshis after signing the Assam Accord, isn’t this right moment to settle the issue of

of those Bangladeshi Muslims and at the same time clean up the illegally occupied vast lands of Satras and Kaziranga. The current agitation will get more power/fuel as those who are in a 50/50 mindset regarding the CAA would have a clearer picture before them. The central government is already mulling

Bangladeshi infiltration problem (irrespective of any religion) once and for all by setting 1951 as the cut-off date? If the Constitution can be amended according to the situation why can we not be a little flexible with the cut-off year? It must be the wish of every khilonjia (indigenous) sons/ daughters of Assam to reclaim districts like Barpeta, Dhubri, Goalpara etc from the clutches

the idea of NRC with 1951 cut-off year. So, just an affirmative ‘OK’ from AASU (the flag bearer of the current agitation) would be sufficient. It’s a dream to see the whole of Assam starting from Sadiya to Dhubri free of any Bangladeshi. Perhaps this is our golden and last chance. Joi Aai Asom! (The author is a resident of GNB Road, Guwahati. The views expressed are his own)

If a six year long struggle had resulted in accepting nearly 50 lakh Muslim Bangladeshis, then can we say with clarity that Assam has benefitted from the Assam Agitation? in accepting nearly 50 lakh Muslim Bangladeshis, then can we say with clarity that Assam has benefitted from the Assam Agitation? Innocent lives of 855 people were lost and thousands became impaired during the agitation. What did we gain? In the last 35 years, how many Bangladeshis were deported back to their homeland? Was agreeing to 24th March, 1971 as cut-off date for identification and deportation of foreigners the right choice? When the cut-off year for the rest of the country is 1951, why it is 1971 in Assam?

rSpare the Army General

Letter to the Editor

he Indian Army chief Bipin Rawat who retired on 31st December 2019 was under the attack from two veteran parliamentarians namely Digvijay Singh of Congress and Asaduddin Owasisi for his criticism of the people who were involved with the violent protest over the new citizenship law. His statement which was targeted against those leaders who guide the students to carry out arson and violence drew sharp reactions from the opposition leaders. The leaders like Digvijay Singh and Owasisi attacked the former Army chief for making remarks on political issues. General Rawat who became India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, on earlier occasions too, was never spared by the opposition leaders who always questioned his patriotic fervour and political neutrality. The new ally of Congress, Asaduddin Owasisi and the same breed from Congress Digvijay Singh, are always in fault-finding mode with the present government. Be it the surgical strikes in the terror camps in PoK or scrapping of the Article 370 in Kashmir, such breed of politicians create issues to oppose. Even the Election Commission, Judiciary, Army, Police have failed to instill faith in their minds. They have only one agendum: they don’t believe in the above mentioned institutions due to reasons best known to them. Can anyone enlighten us whom this bunch is scrap politicians believe? Such people see negative all around and that’s why they fail to notice any good thing happening around them. Dr. Ashim Chowdhury, Ambari, Guwahati

In Focus

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

We won’t allow RSS and BJP to destroy culture of Assam:

Rahul Gandhi during his rally in Guwahati

to power in the state violence is returning to Assam. “I told you earlier that if BJP forms the government in Assam, peace, brotherhood among different communities and religion will be finished. Today I am feeling sad to repeat that because my prediction has come true,” Gandhi said explaining that the lesson he learned from Assam on brotherhood and peace is unique and he gave the example of that in other states of the country. Delving on the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Gandhi said Congress will always stand against the act and will always stand in solidarity with the anti-CAA protestors. “In order to distract people’s attention from the

enior Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, on December 28, said that wherever BJP goes, it spreads hatred and it doesn’t want to listen to the voice of the common people and Congress won’t allow BJP and RSS to destroy the culture of Assam. “Wherever the BJP goes, it spreads hate. In Assam, youth is protesting, in other states protests happening as well. Why do you have to shoot and kill them? BJP doesn’t want to listen to voice of people,” Gandhi said while speaking at a rally in Guwahati. The Congress MP was on a day-long visit on the party’s 135th foundation day and also to express the party’s solidarity with the people protesting against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Assam. “Assam will be run by the people from Assam,” Gandhi said adding that after BJP came

economy, BJP is spreading hate so that you don’t ask any question to them on economy which has gone down from 9 percent to 2

percent,” Gandhi said adding that he will always stand by people of Assam in happiness and sadness. Stating that the spirit of the historic Assam Accord should be preserved at any cost, Gandhi said that Assam Accord was the basis of peace in the state and the accord should not be broken anytime. During his daylong visit, Gandhi also met the family members of the students who died in police firing during the anti-CAA protest in Guwahati. Reacting to Gandhi’s speech, Guwahatians showed their displeasure and expressed their views on the social media channels of G Plus. A Guwahatian Abhijit Kalita said, “Politicians don’t give a damn about the common people.

They just use us to gain power.” Another Samir Bhattacharjee said, “Basically, the current situation is created by the then congress that got enough time to do something for the people of Assam. But nothing was done. It is easy to blame others.” “He is a joker. Neither the Congress nor the BJP have interests of Assam at their hearts. Congress wouldn’t have failed to implement the Assam accord if they had such good intentions. The politics of this country is dead, we don’t have any good national alternative,” said Pranay Nama. Another resident Sanket Surana added, “Congress did everything to divide our society, our religion and our nation. The problem of infiltration in Assam or the entire country is gifted by Congress for its communal vote bank. The real face of Congress is now exposed to all and it has no place to hide.”

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, during his visit to Guwahati, said that wherever BJP goes, it spreads hatred and it doesn’t want to listen to the voice of the common people; Congress won’t allow BJP and RSS destroy culture of Assam. Guwahatians react: Sanjay Singha

Rahul Gandhi’s visit will prove to be the final nail in the coffin of Congress. The cancer they gave us in 1947-62 (they abandoned us) repeated in 1971 and now trying again in 2020. Seems hell bent to destroy NER and especially Assam. We don’t want to hear you, we know what you want. Don’t play your politics here just for votes.

Lagjaraj Langthasa

Did any BJP minister till date come in support of the people of Assam? Did they show sympathy towards the victims’ families? Of course not! So at least he is doing but your own are killing them. Whatever he said in rally was right. This current ruling party will destroy everything. And people say Congress brought Bangladeshsis to Assam but what is BJP doing now? They are also going to do the same thing. You can’t deny this fact.

Rimi Phukan

We the indigenous people of Assam don’t give a damn to either BJP or Congress. But that doesn’t mean the bhakts start advocating their blind support for baniyagiri here and talk in favour of CAA. We don’t want CAA in Assam. Period.

Chan Aanch Deka

This might be a move to get political mileage but still he reached out to the people of Assam unlike the BJP workers who didn’t even care showing dictatorship in their own state. I will never in my wildest dreams ever support Congress after what they have done to my state. They are the ones responsible for the current demography and turmoil of the state. Yet don’t you think laughing is an insult to the martyred ones and their family and to the people who are fighting against CAA? Ask this question to yourself? They belong to a community who put themselves on a higher moral ground and believe the rest of the country and especially Assam owe something to them.

Kamal Sharma

We don’t want the Gandhis too running us. Just because the CAA issue came up doesn’t mean that we want Congress to speak on our behalf. I believe we Assamese are well within our capacity to raise our voices and take it to the Centre. We don’t want sympathy politics.

16 Buzz

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Assam wins 14 medals Ghy youths organise at ITF Taekwondo second season of weekly Championship cleanup drive in Uzanbazar

he Midway Journey inaugurated the second season of its weekly cleanup drive at the Uzanbazar riverbank on 1st January 2020. It is a citizens’ initiative led by the youth from various educational institutes and other working professionals. The main aim of the drive is to spread awareness and take grass root action in the field

of plastic pollution and waste management. The initiative began on 1st January 2019 and the team worked consistently every Sunday till the last week of April to clean the banks of the Brahmaputra in the Uzanbazar area. This year more than 40 citizens cleaned a part of the riverbank and then segregated the collected

waste into various categories. GMC commissioner Debeswar Malakar also attended the program and encouraged the youth with his support and valuable suggestions. This year the aim of the imitative is to educate the entire community to reduce and recycle household waste and also set up drop off centres for dry waste at different locations of Uzanbazar.

ssam has won 14 medals, including five gold in the 16th National ITF Taekwondo Championship. The championship was held at Zonal Sports Complex, CTAE College Ground, University Campus, Udaipur,

Akhter, Hrishita Das, Manash Pratim Bora (all silver), Krrish Kashyap Medhi, Deeptangshu Jyoti Dutta, Sibanga Dutta, Pranay Gogoi, Krrish Kashyap Medhi (all bronze).

Rajasthan from December 29 to 31. The team from Assam consisted of 17 members who were led by Dr Hirak Das, coached by Binod Baishya and managed by Rabijit Rajkumar. Medal winners: Akankhya Bharadwaj, O Pritamjit Singha, L Gaurav Singha, Mamta Sonowal, Tanishka Dutta (all gold), Monigriv Gogoi, Mehnaz

Guwahati girl comes first at 27th foundation day of Assam Cultural Olympiad of Performing Arts in Jatiya Bidyalay celebrated Singapore

n January 1, Assam Jatiya Bidyalay celebrated its 27 th foundation day in its school campus. Everyone present offered their sincere condolences to noted theatre personality Ratna Ojha, who died on December 31. A

group of teachers from the school also performed ‘Bidyalay Sangeet’. Later, a chorus was presented by some students of the school. Tapan Das, prominent Assamese actor, director and

story writer was present as the chief guest of the event. He urged the Jatiya Bidyalays all over Assam to take the responsibility to uplift the Assamese culture and language.

aushiki Chakraborty, a student of Sanskriti the Gurukul won the first prize under Strings Category at the 9th Cultural Olympiad of Performing Arts. This Olympiad is an international event by Global Council of Art & Culture (official partner of UNESCO) which is organised by Akhil Bharatiya Sanskrutik Sangh (ABSS). The event was held in Singapore Repertory

Theatre (SRT), Singapore on 27th December 2019. Chakraborty played the Raga Jog of the Hindustani classical music on violin.

Trotter

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Husband pranks wife by 49-year-old quits job after boss disapproves getting picture of her snoring tattooed on thigh of his relationship with 17-year-old J

hen actor and model Michael Hoch from Duisburg, Germany, first met volunteer student, Sarah Schopp at a theatre in 2016, she was just 17 years old – 29 years younger than him. The youngster from Wuppertal, now 20, was serving drinks at the theatre where Michael, now 49, was preparing for a play. Throughout the day they kept bumping into each other and when she was serving drinks at the counter, he was drawn to her shy personality and smile. Michael decided to track her down on Facebook and sent her a message but despite being attracted to him, Sarah was reluctant to date him due to their age gap and just wanted to stay friends. However, after a month of chatting, they decided to enter into a relationship while working in the same building. But not many people approved of their age gap and Michael says he was even attacked in the street for holding her hand. While Sarah’s family was shocked at first about their relationship, they soon warmed up to Michael and now her father and he are good friends as both are of the same age. “She was only 17 when we got together,”

explained Michael. “But we couldn’t deny our love for each other at some point and I finally convinced her. The most difficult thing, in the beginning, was that Sarah looks much younger than she is and was also very reserved,” he added. Sarah still works at the theatre where they met but for Michael, the employment ended quickly after he quit his job because his boss did not approve of their relationship. Michael explained, “I was in the middle of final rehearsals for a new play. Two weeks before the premiere, the director called me into the office, interrupting rehearsals and confronted me. He and his friend had still had a very good relationship with Sarah, and they feared that I wouldn’t be good for her and only wanted a short affair.” (Source: metro.co.uk)

Rickshawala wraps dog in a blanket and gives it a ride

inters are that time of the year when we all want to roll ourselves up in a warm blanket and just cuddle up inside our beds. Though we have the privilege of staying in, a lot of animals, especially street dogs, have to brave the winter without any help. A viral tweet on a dog wrapped up in a blanket is giving our hearts a lot of warmth in the chilling winter. An image shared by a Twitter user @sevdazola is going viral for the most heart warming reasons. The picture shows a rickshawala riding his vehicle on the streets, but when one looks closer at the picture it shows a dog cosily sitting on it with a blanket wrapped around its body. The pictures were shared on Twitter with the caption, “Zoom in on the rickshaw

and thank the heavens later.” And we surely are thanking the heavens. The selfless act of the rickshawala has left the internet speechless and is melting hearts of netizens. People thanked the Twitter user for sharing the beautiful pictures with them and making their day. (Source: indiatoday)

ames McGraw and wife Kelly have been playing practical jokes on each other for more than 24 years. However, mortified Kelly claims he has now “crossed the line” with his latest inking. The latest round of titfor-tat began when Kelly left James with a “questionable haircut” just before he set off on a boys’ holiday. He then spoke to his tattoo artist friend Gary Stevens who spent eight hours branding him with his wife’s face. James even claimed to have left his wallet at home and made his poor wife head over to the studio with £300 to pay for the artwork. He said he was particularly proud of his latest stunt adding, “Every time I look at my wife now I just laugh. We’ve been playing pranks on each other for 24 years. This time, I pulled out all the stops – there’s no beating this. I was in her bad books for a little bit but she knows it was a joke. The fact I can’t stop laughing whenever I see her is making it worse. She still can’t believe I had it done. I’m one-upping at the moment. I’m winning, but I’m quite scared to be fair. I don’t know what she’s planning next.” James took the picture of the tattoo to exact his revenge after he was mocked for his hairdo on a charity trip. He said, “When I came back from this trip, I was

getting a tattoo done and I knew I had to get that picture of her to pay her back. I called her and said, ‘Kel, I’ve left my bankcard at home. Can you bring it to the tattoo shop?’ As she walked in with the kids she was gobsmacked. She didn’t know what to do with her face.” It seems James’ latest jape has gone down in family history. He revealed, “We have five kids and we’re joking with them all the time too. When my little boy saw the tattoo he high-fived me. We’re all jokers in the house. The kids were just laughing.” Kelly admitted she is used to James’s practical jokes, but stressed he had crossed the line. She commented, “I was horrified. I couldn’t believe it. I hated the photo so much. I’ll think of something to get him back, but it’s going to have to be really, really bad to top that.” (Source: metro.co.uk)

Utah couple buys Subway shop where they met decades ago as employees

n 1997, Jordan Olsen, then 17, showed up for his shift as a sandwich maker at Subway in Kaysville, Utah, and was immediately smitten with a new co-worker. “This sounds cheesy, but I peeked my head around the corner, saw the new girl making somebody a sandwich and I was done for,” he said. “She was drop-dead gorgeous.” After months of flashing Jennifer moon eyes as they sliced foot-longs and layered cold cuts, he finally persuaded the petite “sandwich maker extraordinaire” to go out with him, and four years later, they were married. Now in honour of that union almost 18 years ago, Jordan and Jennifer Olsen came up with a plan last summer to forever commemorate the place where they met: They decided to buy the restaurant. “It sounds crazy, but to us, it made perfect sense,” said Jordan, now 39. “We’ve always been really fond of that Subway where we met. And the sandwiches aren’t bad, either.” When he and Jennifer learned that the owners had decided to retire and sell their franchise on Kaysville’s Main Street

after more than 30 years in business, they didn’t think twice about taking out a small business loan and returning to the sandwich line where they’d first flirted as teenagers. “I told Jennifer, ‘You can be the manager and I’ll show up to help whenever you need me,’ ” said Jordan, who runs a music school in nearby Layton called On Chord Academy. Although the Olsens officially took over running the restaurant in August, they’re hosting a grand reopening from December 30 to January 4 to celebrate their new chapter as business partners. (Source: thewashingtonpost)

18 Review

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Starring: Akshaye Khanna, Priyank Sharma, Riva Kishan, Satish Kaushik, Supriya Pathak , Rakesh Bedi, Shriya Saran Director: Karan Kashyap

Sab Kushal Mangal

elcome to Karnalganj – a town where a small-time politician rules big and makes a living out of fixing marriages forcefully. ‘Sab Kushal Mangal’ tries to serve up comedy in this problematic plot, but it isn’t funny. The film opens with

Akshaye Khanna’s dramatic entry sporting a handle-bar moustache and long locks, looking anything but intimidating. The actor who is otherwise impressive with his acting chops tries hard to make his character work in this humdrum script. He fails to impress here.

Newcomers Priyaank Sharma and Riva Kishan are confident but there is barely any chemistry between the two. Priyaank shows some promise with his brooding looks but lacks the gusto required for the role of the firebrand journalist Pappu Mishra, who exposes wrongdoings on his show Musibat Odh Li Maine. Riva Kishan fares much better as Mandira, who speaks her mind, but sadly, her character has no agency when it comes to making important life decisions like marriage. Talented actors such as Satish Kaushik, Supriya Pathak Kapur and Rakesh Bedi could have been utilised to their full potential. While the first half is erratic, the second half has some conflict, albeit predictable. Some of the scenes involving Akshaye Khanna and his cronies evoke laughter and the overall tone of the film remains light. The music is average and the songs are well shot, but most of them are untimely placed. This further makes the already long runtime of the film seem like a drag. The background score is too loud and jarring. The film’s narrative makes half-hearted attempts at underlining social ills like forced marriages and dowry, but never really takes a solid stand. What works against the film is not its story but the execution that suffers from weak writing and missed opportunities for an impactful social satire. (Review by timesofindia))

Cinepolis, Christian Basti 09435025808

The Grudge

Good Newwz 12:05 PM, 1:25 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:20 PM, 5:55 PM, 7:15 PM, 8:50 PM Dabangg 3 12: 30 PM The Grudge 6: 15 PM, 8:25 PM Jumanji: The Next Level (English) 3:35 PM Sab Kushal Mangal 3:25 PM, 9:00 PM

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Bhangra Paa Le 12:40 PM, 6:15 PM

Anuradha Cineplex, Noonmati 0361 2656968 Good Newwz 5:00 PM, 8:00 PM The Grudge 2:00 PM

Design: The most distinct design feature is the headband, which attaches to the ear cups in a unique way that lets them slide and move around almost independently of the headband itself. This helped us get a secure and comfortable fit, which was particularly important given that active noise cancellation depends on it. However, the size of the headset meant that we usually

had to adjust our eyeglasses to ensure the seal was maintained. There is plush padding around the ear cups as well as on the underside of the headband, for comfort as well as passive noise isolation, and the overall aesthetic is an interesting combination of retro and modern. However the headphones looked too big on the head, and they definitely invited a lot of attention. This pair of headphones is significantly

less discreet than the Sony WH-1000XM3 and Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. The interplay between the left and right channels was impressive though, and the headphones were also very detailed and revealing. The hinges are metal while the ear cups are plastic, but despite that, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless definitely looks and feels like a premium and classy

Good Newwz 3:05 PM, 9:20 PM CATS 3:45 PM Dabangg 3 6:05 PM The Grudge 1:30 PM, 6:15 PM, 8:30 PM Sab Kushal Mangal 12:15 PM

PVR Cinemas, CITY CENTRE 0124 470 8100 Mardaani 2 12:35 PM Good Newwz 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM, 5:00 PM, 6:30 PM, 8:00 PM, 9:30 PM Dabangg 3 3:00 PM, 8:30 PM Jumanji: The Next Level

Grande Cines, Paltan Bazar 09854017771 Good Newwz 12:30 PM, 3:10 PM, 5:45 PM, 7:30 PM, 8:30 PM Mardani 5: 30 PM

4: 45 PM The Grudge 2:30 PM, 6:15 PM, 10:00 PM CATS 12:00 PM, 7:30 PM Sab Kushal Mangal 12:50 PM, 6:30 PM Bhangra Paa Le 3:40 PM, 9:20 PM

Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless Although Sony and Bose are currently ahead of the competition when it comes to premium wireless headphones, now German audio specialist Sennheiser has gotten into the game, with its latest pair of headphones, the Momentum 3 Wireless. This pair of headphones is the price tag. At Rs. 34,990, the Momentum 3 Wireless is the same price as the Bose option, and much more expensive than the Sony WH-1000XM3.

1:15 PM

In all other respects, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless matches up to the competition, particularly when it comes to the punchy, detailed, and engaging sound.

Verdict: pair of headphones.

Specifications and Software: The ear cups are connected to each other by a cable that runs through the headband, with small parts of it exposed near the ends. There are physical buttons on the right ear cup to adjust the volume, control playback, and trigger the voice assistant on your smartphone or tablet Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri all worked for us. The USB Type-C port and a slider switch are also on the right; the latter is used to control the noise cancellation and transparent modes.

Bose and Sony’s dominance over the high-end wireless noise cancelling headphones segment is something to be taken for granted, but it’s good to see other headphone makers offering a challenge. The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless headphones are the closest competitor we’ve seen this year, and we feel that this pair of headphones needs to be considered alongside the two current champions of the space. We quite liked the Momentum 3 Wireless, largely for its design, comfort, and sound quality. The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless is definitely worth an audition, and absolutely worth considering alongside the current leaders in the segment. Review from NDTV Gadget.

Feature

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Notable personalities from Assam who bid goodbye to the world in 2019 2019 was an emotional year of saying goodbye as it marked the loss of several inspiring and hardworking individuals from Assam belonging to the worlds of entertainment, literature, journalism and politics. As the year comes to an end, G Plus remembers these towering personalities of Guwahati who passed away this year and looks back at their lives, careers and the lasting memories they left behind. Khagen Sarma Former Director General of Police Khagen Sarma passed away on October 25, 2019. Sarma was a 1982-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre who took charge as the DGP in 2014. He was suffering from prolong illness before passing away. He is survived by wife and two children. Credited for dealing firmly with militant outfits and bringing them to the negotiating table, Sarma had served the state police with dedication and commitment. He had served in Assam Police’s Special Branch (SB) as the IGP and ADGP, when he successfully brought the ULFA and both factions of the NDFB to the negotiating table. On January 24, 2012, during his tenure as the ADGP (SB), 668 militants belonging to nine terror outfits of the state surrendered before the then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram. In 2015, he retired as DGP of the state.

Dilip Dutta Dr. Dilip Dutta (80 years), former Professor of Mathematics, University of Rhode Island passed away on 26 September at his Rhode Island residence in the United States of America. Dutta has written more than 15 Assamese books including Dr. Bhupen Hazarikar Geet aru Jibon Rath, Phali Lua Biranji, Mur Sikkha aru Mur Sikhhak, Miss Gauhati (Novel), Mone Mur Koina Bisare, which was converted into a movie, and many books on

Ratna Ojha Veteran theatre personality Ratna Ojha passed away in Guwahati on December 31, following a brief illness. He was 88 years old. Ojha was a pioneer in the Assamese theatre industry and he started the street theatre movement in 1971. He started street plays in Assam with a skit called ‘Kokaideo’. Some of Ojha’s notable works include, Gohbor, Urbor and Kobor which was produced by his theatre troupe Gohbor Natyagosthi. Ojha also introduced cartoon theatre to the region.

Alpana Khound Phukan Alpana Khound Phukan, Principal of Maria’s Public School, Guwahati, passed away on June 19 at her residence in Guwahati. She was battling against cancer and died at the age of 58. Her last rites were performed at Navagraha crematorium here in Guwahati. She is survived by her husband, son and daughter. Khound had served the school for 28 years in the Department of English. She was the head of the department for about two decades and worked as the school Principal for four and a half years. She was appointed as a subject expert in English by the CBSE for AISSE (Class 10). She was also appointed Chief Nodal Officer by CBSE for evaluation for two consecutive years.

Jai Kumar Kala

Mathematics. He was also the ex-President of Asomiya Sahitya Sabha and was running a school at his birthplace in Jorhat.

Jai Kumar Kala, a veteran Congress leader passed away on the morning of March 16. Born on 11 April, 1937 in Palashbari, he was one of the most prominent leaders in Congress from the Jain community. He had served for 35 years under the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC). In 2018 he was appointed as Vice President of APCC. Then in 2001, he was appointed as Chairman of Khadi Board Assam.

Umesh Chandra Sarma Former principal of Gauhati Commerce College (GCC), Umesh Chandra Sarma, passed away at his Uzaan Bazar residence on June 25. Sarma is survived by his wife and daughter. Sarma was instrumental in the overall development of the college which had seen the highest growth in his tenure. The playground of GCC is named after Umesh Chandra Sarma who was one who took the onus in changing the barren land to a play ground for the students of the college. Umesh Sarma was also ex-Ranji player and former captain of Gauhati University cricket team and was a sports pension holder. He was also the president of Assam Veteran Cricket Association. Sarma represented Assam State Cricket Team in the Ranji Trophy in the year 1967-68.

GL Agarwalla GL Agarwalla was the Chief Managing Director of GL Publications Ltd and an eminent social worker, philanthropist. After fighting a prolonged illness, Agarwalla passed away at the age of 79 at his Lachit Nagar residence. It was in 1989 that Agarwalla started GL Publications Ltd with the sole intention to publish a daily newspaper. He was a prolific writer and has been part of many path-breaking publications such as the Barpeta Zillarthaan Satra Aru Math-Mandir, Desh-Bedekhar Rong Butoli, Jugadrista Jyotiprasad. He was also associated with the publication of the first Assamese encyclopedia, Asomiya Vishwakosh which was made in collaboration with the Asam Sahitya Sabha and he was also the general secretary of the North East Newspapers’ Society. In addition to being a flamboyant yet modest newspaperman, Agarwalla was also a pioneer of social work in Assam. His GL Social Circle is considered one of the best practices in the country and his ambulance service, which also includes a hearse service, was a firstof-its-kind in the region.

Assam marginally improves rank in UN mandated Sustainable Development Goals

ssam has marginally improved its performance in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index, according to a report released by Niti Aayog. SDG is a performance based index which comprehensively documents the progress made by India’s states and union territories keeping in line with the United Nations Mandate of sustainable development. India’s composite score has improved from 57 in 2018 to 60 in 2019, thereby showing noticeable progress. The maximum gains been made in Goals 6 (clean water and sanitation), 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure) and 7 (affordable and clean energy). All three states that were in the ‘Aspirant’ category (with score/s in the range of 0–49)—Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam—have graduated to the ‘Performer’ category (50–64), the report said. The SDG India Index—has been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), United Nations in India, and Global Green Growth Institute. “In 2020, the world enters the final decade for achieving the SDGs—the ‘Decade for Action’. And the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells us that we have 12 years left to save the planet from the worst effects of climate change. So, the time to act is now. The SDG India Index 2.0 and the dashboard enables India to both track and encourage accelerated progress to meet the SDGs across all its States and Union Territories,” said UN Resident Coordinator, Renata Dessallien. The biggest improvers since 2018 are UP (which has moved from the 29th position to the 23rd), Orissa (23rd to 15th), and Sikkim (15th to 7th). While Bihar improved its score from 48 in 2018 to 50 in 2019. A composite score was computed in the range of 0–100 for each State/UT based on its aggregate performance across 16 SDGs, indicating the average performance of every State/ UT towards achieving 16 SDGs and their respective targets. If a State/UT achieves a score of 100, it signifies it has achieved the 2030 national targets. The higher the score of a State/UT, the closer it is towards achieving the targets.

20 Fun Jayashree Bose

A slow week ahead. 6th January will be a great day for you to schedule your important meetings and share your ideas with your seniors. Avoid any confrontations on 4th January. 5th January you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues, superiors or extended family. 7th January you could have a fall out with a superior or someone at work.

7th and 10th January are ideal days for you to mingle with your seniors and people at work and build your work network. 4th January you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues or superiors or extended family. Lay low on 5th January; you are bound to have disagreements with others. Avoid making any promises on 5th and 8th January, you will have to live up to them.

It will be a great week for you. 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th January will be great days for you to connect with your senior and share your ideas with him/her; you could host your important meetings on these dates. You could have issues with your seniors or your extended family on 4th, 7th and 10th January, don’t get into a confrontation.

You have a good week ahead. 6th, 7th and 10th January will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors and build a relationship with them. Host your important meetings on these dates. 10th January you could have issues at your work place with your seniors or clients, avoid hosting any meetings.

Certified Feng Shui, Chinese astrology, date selection consultant & author, www.facebook.com/geoprinciples

Sudoku

It will be a good week for you especially 4th, 8th and 9th January, for good results host your meetings on these dates, share your ideas with your superiors, network with your business associates. Avoid hosting any meetings on 6th January; you are bound to have disagreements. This week will be better than average for you. 6th and 7th January will be excellent days for you to schedule your important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. Avoid hosting any meetings especially with your seniors on 9th January. You are bound to have disagreements.

You have a great week ahead of you. 5th, 8th and 9th January will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. Watch your words and actions on 4th January; you could create your own problems. 10th January avoid hosting any meetings.

You will have a good week. 4th and 9th January will be great days for you to build a rapport with your seniors and people at work, host your important meetings on these dates. 8th January avoid making any promises, you will have to live up to them. 5th January will be a slow day for you. 10th January you will be emotionally hurt by your seniors or your extended family.

A slow week for you with not many achievements. 6th January will be a slow day for you. You will have issues at work or with your superiors or clients on 9th January, try not to get into a confrontation. Share your ideas with your seniors or host your important meetings on 10th January.

Watch your words and actions on 7th January; you could create your own problems. 8th January you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or your seniors. Not a day to schedule important meetings. Avoid drinking with your work mates or your extended family on 10th January.

Share your ideas with your seniors or build your business network or host your important meetings on 4th January. Watch yourself on 5th January, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. 7th January you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or your seniors.

A great week ahead. 4th and 5th January are ideal days for you to mingle with your seniors and people at work and build your work network. 6th January you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues or superiors. Be careful with your words and actions on 9th January you will create your own problems.

7 94 27 6 9 5 1

2 5 23

7 1 7 17 8 9 8 54 4 6 3 6 2 5 2 3 1 7 3 5 5 2 4 87 1 6 3 9 3 2 8 Daily Sudoku: Sat 4-Jan-2020 medium 5 1 3

These predictions are based on the month of birth, and are about an individual’s work environment, parents and extended family.

Daily Sudoku: Sat 28-Dec-2019

very hard

last week solution

7 4 1 3 6 94 27 61 45 59 58 36 85 22 74 69 73 42 17 38 22 95 54 61 87 81 18 37 96 43 43 59 76 88 22 37 81 99 53 15 16 64 23 79 91 Daily Sudoku: Sat 4-Jan-2020 5 2 8 4 6

9 8 2 8 87 61 3 1 76 39 1 5 49 58 6 7 34 83 9 2 5 3 4 6 2

25 11 62

5 23 94 12

61 97 46 76 59 44 87

Horoscope of the week

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

4 53 25 78 8 medium 7 9 1 3

Daily Sudoku: Sat 28-Dec-2019

very hard

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Why was 26th January 1950 chosen as the day when our Constitution would be promulgated?

What was discovered for the first time in India by WL Lake in 1867?

Leo Varadkar, a second generation inhabitant of his country with roots in Maharashtra, is the Prime Minister of which European country?

Which country besides using the Gregorian calendar also uses the Juche calendar which started on 15th April, 1912 the date of birth of its Eternal President?

Identify this cricketer who recently came back in the news for all the wrong reasons. Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Dilbert By Scott Adams

Across

Word of the week knackered hibernaculum adjective [nak-erd] ] [ hahy-ber-nak-yuh-luhm

curio-city

1. 2.

1st January is celebrated as Topi (cap) day in which neighbouring country of ours?

Nepal It was the day in 1930 when the Indian National Congress had demanded Purna Swaraj as opposed to the Dominion Status offered by the British. Oil at Digboi. Ireland North Korea Danish Kaneria

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

3. 4. 5. 6.

curio-city

British Slang.

exhausted; tired animal. winter quarters, as of avery hibernating

Crossword 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

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 | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Stalking with a Leopard I Ranjan Kumar Choudhury ranjanchou@hotmail.com

Fiction It was the unmistakable sound of a leopard which must have followed the deer to the pool. It might have sensed our presence and though we were about fourteen feet above it could have easily climbed up to attack us if it wanted.

t was in the winter of 1976 somewhere in the forests near Baghmara up in the Garo hills in late January. I have always found this time of the year to be quite perfect for hunting deer and wild boar for a numerous reasons. At this time the undergrowth is probably at its lowest as the impact of the dry season shrinks all the shrubs and trees and sightings are easier. The drinking waterholes dry up and only the deeper pools have enough water for the wild animals. So if one has patience all he has to do is wait near water bodies on machans up on the trees. I usually tried out this method towards the end of the four or five days we spent camping in these jungles before the final night on the machan. On that particular trip we had already bagged a sambar and one barking deer besides a number of wild fowls. But what I wanted was to get a wild boar and we had heard that a few of them had been coming to this water hole to wallow in the mud for their regular mud baths. It cleanses their skin of the insects and bugs that irritated them to no end. Hunting the wild boar on foot was not the safest way to get them as they could run very fast through the thickets squealing and an angry boar with full grown tusks is a dangerous adversary. I have met and seen many hunters in the villages all over with deep scars on their legs, thighs and even on their backs as they were gored when they fell down after being chased by these angry beasts. Their wounds would impair them while walking or running in future so generally wild boar hunting was preferably from elevated machans on trees or on bamboo stilts over the paddy fields where they came to dig up the ground for the soft roots and tubers. Once or twice I also sat up at nights inside the farmer’s huts looking out through a hole in the wall and relying on my ears to find out their digging noises. These sounds were quite audible in the pumpkin or

tapioca patches they grew in their land holdings on the hill slopes they cultivated, practicing the age old custom of jhum cultivation. The difficulty in this way of hunting was that the hole had a restricted vision and I could only shoot if I could sight the boar within this circle. So I had to be sure of the correct time to switch on the torch light as to capture the animal in the eyes to stop him for awhile when I aimed and fired …I did get my prey about three times out of ten by this method while in the machans the success rate was much higher. I had read many hunting books by Jim Corbett, Kenneth

Most of these farmers were also hunters using old customs of trapping and killing small game and the odd barking deer with their bows and arrows. In fact I often saw them having a hearty meal of rice and rabbit meat which they caught easily in their fields using the noose traps…. though I never liked the rabbit meat after I first tried it in the garden once. Anyway we had finished our hunting on the jeep at night and I decided to sit up the last evening on the nearby water hole which had a lot of animals visiting the place to drink. We built

and the ankles where the insects generally attacked. Night fell fast and soon the sounds of the jungle changed with the nocturnal denizens taking over. I heard an alarm call of a sambar in the distance and the distinct bark of the muntjac deer. There was a pale moon and some stars above while below over the water the fireflies put up their beautiful display no choreographer could emulate. Soon the silence of the night took over and we had to concentrate on the sounds that were coming from below of a fox running around, some monkeys jumping on trees in the forest behind us and also the soft tread of a barking deer coming to the pool for a drink. Baruah touched my hand and indicated the deer which I could see below us poised gracefully and sensing the air for any

danger before drinking.

Anderson and many other authors who were hunters and conservationists and knew about the advantages of a machan. Firstly it was safer being about fourteen to twenty feet high, your smell could not be made out by the animals below and if one practised full silence your presence would be unknown. However all objects like rings, buttons, watches had to be avoided so as not to make any metallic sound which would be a giveaway to any animal in the vicinity. But spending the night with a hardy farmer was also worth the experience to talk and hear his stories about running from elephants, hiding up on trees when he heard the close roar of a tiger and also jumping into the water when he was attacked by giant bees.

the machan using the charpoy which I used to carry along for this purpose as it was quite easy to erect up on a tree between two branches and two or three persons could sit on the same fairly comfortably. I had my trusted light man Baruah with the five battery torch and a local garo guide for company and we climbed up around four thirty before dusk; I sat in the middle holding my shotgun and the guide was on my left with my rifle and Baruah on the right with the best clear vision. We had pulled some small branches and leaves to cover the front and back of the charpoy to camouflage our presence and with our legs dangling down we sat after applying some anti mosquito cream on our exposed hands, faces

Then we heard the sawing sound immediately below our tree …. It was the unmistakable sound of a leopard which must have followed the deer to the pool and it was lying down on the ground slightly to our left. The sound stopped and I feared that it might have sensed our presence and though we were about fourteen feet above it could have easily climbed up to attack us if it wanted. In the pin drop silence I could hear my heart beat and the three of us remained frozen while the deer after finishing its drink, turned around, and stepped gingerly along the path leading to our tree. The leopard made its move and with a cough sprang towards the deer which startled out of its wits leapt up and wanted to flee from the clutches of the cat but the impact threw it down and at that instant Baruah put on the torch. The bright

light from above must have scared the leopard from catching the deer for the final kill and it looked up at us with a grimace I will never forget. That half chance was more than enough for the deer to flee to safety barking madly to inform about the danger and the leopard sat on its haunches not knowing what to make out about the light above him. It turned to look up again with a disdainful look and I clutched my gun tightly in case it charged at us but the animal must have realised that we were many of us and it slinked off quietly into the sparse undergrowth. Baruah kept the light on its body and it was a beautiful sight seeing this deadly predator walk off till we lost sight of it in the adjoining forest. We sat still for some time and then only I felt the sweat run down my head completely stunned by the spectacle that we were so lucky to witness. The commotion and barking of the deer must have alerted the entire jungle in the vicinity and we were sure that there would be no more animals coming to this water hole that night. The camp site was not very far but it would not be safe to get down by the ladder and move around. However, as the moon light had improved by then I asked Baruah to shine the torch in the air to indicate to the camp that we wanted the jeep to come to the roadside next to the water hole. These instructions had been given earlier and we waited for the jeep to arrive only after which we got down carefully. We moved single file with the guide in front with a small torch, I was in the middle with the gun ready and Baruah behind me bringing up the rear with the rifle. We covered the distance of around four hundred meters to the road and I had no hesitation for admitting I heaved a great sigh of relief on getting up in the jeep. Upsetting a hungry leopard in his hunting would not have made us the best of friends but it was indeed a remarkable experience I can add to my stories.

22 Lifestyle

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Vaastu for the New Year Hemanta Kumar Sarmah Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist.

ots of people visit temples and other religious institutions on the new year with the hope that the ensuing year will bring peace and prosperity. Along with this certain measures should be taken at home to usher positive energy. It is extremely important to have the sacred symbol of Swastika and Ganesha on main door. The swastika should be drawn on both sides of the main door outside. The sacred symbol AUM can be drawn with Chadan (sandalwood paste). Bring the Laughing Buddha and place it at Northeast. It can also be kept at south according to your Feng Shui luck. It should be kept at a height of 2.5 feet and nothing else should be kept along with it. Get some new plants into the house, balcony and drawing/ living room. Keep a Tulsi or money plant at north to lease the goddess Lakshmi and Lord Kubera. It is very important to keep the house clean as it is said that Goddess Lakshmi likes to visit clean places only. Throw unused

and old stuff. Old items and clutter are breeding grounds of negative energy. Everyone wishes the first day to pass off on a happy note and in peace. If the first day of the year starts off on the wrong foot, the entire year may turn out to be inauspicious. Here are some ways to maintain peace and prosperity. 1. Keep the photo of Goddess Lakshmi in your purse. You may also keep silver coin or Yantra of Mahalaxmi in the sitting pose. This will ensure that

there is no of cash in 2. The leaf (Sacred Fig) auspicious. It cleansed and with mantras and

shortage your purse. of Peepal is very should be purified kept in

the purse. You will never face poverty. 3. For those in business blue, white and yellow are lucky colours for this year. You can apply these colours at your shop or business establishments in 2020. 4. The red is a very potent colour and it can materialize wishes. Write your wish on a red paper and tie the folded paper with red thread and keep it in your purse. Your wishes will come true faster! 5. Rice plays a very important role in the Hindu culture as it is the staple food of most people. If you keep 21 grains of rice in your purse, your unnecessary

Chicken Gondal: A one-pot melange Coriander leaves : 5 bunch finely chopped Cumin seed : 1tsp Whole red chilli : 5 Bay leaves : 5 Oil : 3tbsp Turmeric powder : 1tsp Red chilli powder : 1tsp Salt as per taste

Sandeep Das

Method:

Ingredients:

Wash and clean the chicken and keep it aside

Chicken : 500gm

Pierce the tomatoes with fork

Tomato : 400gm

Add oil, cumin seed, whole red chilli and bay leaves in

a cooker Mix it well until flavour is released Add the whole pierced tomatoes Add chopped coriander leaves Then add chicken and mix it well Lastly, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt Mix everything well Cover it with a lid and wait for 3 vessel Serve with hot steamed rice

expenses will be curbed and you will save more money. 6. If your parents or elderly people bless you with money, that note should be kept in the purse by applying Tilak with Haldi (turmeric) or Kesar (Saffron). This will increase your wealth. 7. A small knife in the purse is recommended by experts as metals can ward off lot of negative forces. 8. Almost all religions advocate tithing or donation. It is said that the more you donate for the cause of charity, more you will receive. This is the law of the Karma. If you read about famous persons like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, Azim Premji, Tatas etc, you will find that all of them are major philanthropists and they have donated the major share of their earnings for charity but that had not made them any poorer. The recommended amount is 10% of your earnings.

This new year, donate as per your capability to charitable purposes and see the outcome yourself. 9. The sweet sound of wind chimes can bring positive energy and luck. Hang a wind chime having 6/7 metallic rods at northeast of your house. 10. Feng Shui believes that the metallic (bronze) Tortoise, Dragon, Horse and the Phoenix are very lucky for the year 2020. Keep them in your house in a clean place for good luck.

Entertainment

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

Kaya: First web series from Assam to stream in July 2020

ssamese web series ‘Kaya’ is all set to hit the web from the last week of July 2020. Kaya is directed by Surajit Hatimuria, a resident of

Nazira, Sivasagar. According to reports, the series will consist of 100 episodes. Currently, the production for the comicthriller series is ongoing. The series will feature the

story of three friends who stay at a rented house. The owner of the house stays with her daughter and son. Further, the house is located at a deserted location. The story revolves around the three boys who begin investing about the land lady based on her suspicious behaviour. The title song of the series is sung by Bhrigu Kashyap. The cast of Kaya includes Momi Changmai, Surajit Hatimuria, Putul Neog, Emon Neog and Deepika Boruah, to name a few. Diganta Handique is the cinematographer while editing is handled by Biman Baruah. The music of the series is given by Dipanjol Mech.

Kangan Baruah Nangia from Assam features in popular show Beyhadh 2

angan Baruah Nangia from Assam is playing the parallel lead in Beyhadh 2. Nangia hails from Margherita in Tinsukia district. Beyhadh 2 is a popular Indian romanticthriller-drama television series which

premiered on 2nd December 2019 on Sony TV. The show stars Jennifer Winget, Ashish Chaudhary and Shivin Narang. According to reports, Nangia has already done the shooting of 27 episodes of Beyhadh 2, out of which 23 episodes have been aired. Nangia is playing the role of Ananya, a friend of Rudra, one of the leads. She has also undertaken acting classes from veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher. Her first advertisement was directed by Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari and Shahrukh Khan was also a part of it.

Bobby Sarma Baruah’s ‘Mishing’ wins Rajat Village Rockstars to stream on Netflix Kamal at National from Jan 15 Film Awards

ssamese filmmaker Bobby Sarma Baruah’s Mishing won Rajat Kamal at the 66th National Film Award 2019. Mishing won in the category of Best Feature Film in Sherdukpen. The film is set in the 1990s of a Sherdukpen village in Arunachal Pradesh. The film has two narratives in two different time frames which makes the story extremely intricate. The award was presented to Baruah by the Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu. Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar was also present on the occasion. Addressing the people, Naidu stated that the world can be connected to India along with tourism through films. It is to be noted Sherdukpen dialect is spoken by around 4,200 people in Arunachal Pradesh.

ima Das’s widely acclaimed and awarded film Village Rockstars which released in 2018 is all set to stream on Netflix India from 15 January. The film features Bhanita Das, Manabendra Das and Basanti Das. Village Rockstars is a movie which showcases the raw and untouched beauty of the village life of Assam. Set in Chhaygaon in Assam, Village Rockstars is the story of “poor but amazing children” who live a fun-filled life. It revolves around the lives of a little village girl Dhunu who dreams to have a real guitar and forms a music band with her friends in the village. The film narrates the

day to day struggles of common villagers and the way they deal with poverty and natural disasters.

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | Jan 04 - Jan 10, 2020

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