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The Morung Express
Dimapur VOL. VIII ISSUE 192
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‘Food Security Bill will not help put food on people’s plates’ [ PAGE 08]
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Change is the end result of all true learning Watson amid reports she’s ready to marry boyfriend Will Adamowicz [ PAGE 11]
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Monday, July 15, 2013 12 pages Rs. 4 –Leo Buscaglia
13.20% govt school teachers under qualified [ PAGE 02]
George Zimmerman not guilty of Trayvon Martin murder [ PAGE 09]
England beats Australia by 14 runs in 1st test [ PAGE 12]
How deep has the RSBY penetrated Nagaland Lack of medical infrastructure ultimately dilutes scheme Imkong Walling Dimapur | July 14
DIGNITY OF LABOR: A High School student contributes to the well-being of his family by working on his parents’ paddy field on Saturday. While he levels the field, his mother and sister are seen in the background cleaning the paddy nursery bed before transplanting on the terrace paddy field in Tuensang. (Photo Imojen I Jamir)
ACAUT rebuffs request for evidence
Dimapur, July 14 (mExN): The Action Committee against Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) has termed the request made by various departments for evidence against personnel collecting illegal tax as “ridiculous.” A press note appended by ACAUT’s Solomon L Awomi and L Supong Ao said, “It is ridiculous to hint that unless photo-
The Morung Express POLL QUESTIOn
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Details on page 7
graphic or videographic evidence is evident, the integrity of personnel/staff manning the check gates should not be questioned.” It stated that an “excise constable is not so foolish as to issue challans on soft drinks or fruit laden trucks.” Secondly it added that the “mad scramble for lucrative check gate postings is an industry by it-
informed that in the course of its investigations, it came across incidences where government agencies were collecting illegal taxes “beyond the call of duty.” Adding that “oral evidence is admissible in a court of law,” it also said that the Committee interviewed a large cross section of truck drivers as well as traders to arrive at its verdict.
State govt unable to decide on superannuation
Dimapur, July 14 (mExN): The Nagaland State government “appears to be dithering on the issue of superannuation with regards to state government employees” in spite of several notifications on the subject ‘Counting of Contract/Ad hoc Period for Retirement’. This was alleged by citizens of Dimapur, Temsumeren Pongener and Inoto Sumi. “It is most surprising that the government has failed to issue ‘Release Order’ to the Head of Agriculture and Irrigation Departments, who are due to retire on 31st July 2013, simply because the officers have claimed break in their adhoc period of service, whereas the same officers have enjoyed continuous and regular pay which can be verified from Accountant General’s office record,” the citizens stated. As opposed to this, “officers other than the Head of Departments” have
LANDSLIDE AFTERMATH Kisama exit road open for light vehicles and public carriers Our Correspondent Kohima | July 14
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self,” as “almost all government departments have their personnel posted at the gates.” Therefore it called for the government departments concerned to undertake their own internal investigation, if they are “really concerned about corruption under its nose.” The Fact Finding Committee under the ACAUT
As an alternative arrangement for commuters in the wake of the landslide on National Highway 29 along Phesama village, the Kisama exit road will henceforth be used for light vehicles and public carriers up to 8000 tons, till the disrupted highway has been restored. The Phesama Village Council Chairman and youth along with executives of Southern Angami Youth Organization (SAYO) today met Brigadier Arun Joshi, Chief Engineer (Nagaland &Manipur in-charge); Col Tejpal Singh, Commander 15th BRTF; Prabhat Kumar, O/C 89 RCC GREF and Pramod Kumar Singh, 2nd in Command. In the meeting Joshi assured the gathering to execute work at the earliest. Sources informed that construction of a new road would be started in the latter part of September. SAYO general secretary Neiba Bio told The Morung Express that land owners have generously given their land for construction of the said road and also requested for compensation. In this respect, the Chief Engineer assured to discuss the matter with the Minister and Deputy Commissioner. Meanwhile, SAYO expressed gratitude to Joshi for his immediate intervention and also for initiating the necessary survey. On July 13, a heavy landslide snapped the National Highway-29 along Phesama village, near the venue of the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland -The Naga Heritage Village Kisama, about 12 kilometers away from Kohima. National Highway 29 is the lifeline for Manipur and Nagaland. The disruption of this highway resulted in hundreds of trucks and buses being stranded on the highway.
The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) or National Health Insurance Scheme has, according to statistics, penetrated almost all parts of Nagaland, its tentacles touching all families registered Below Poverty Line (BPL). A noble and ambitious venture of the Union Ministry of Labour & Employment seeking to facilitate affordable hospital treatment for the poor, the RSBY was nationally rolled out in April 2008. It was launched in Nagaland the subsequent year with the state Labour Department as the nodal implementing agency. In Nagaland, the department to date, has covered all the 11 districts while enrolling a total of 1, 40, 802 beneficiaries or families state-wide.
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How the Scheme works
he nodal agency identifies and registers the people (BPL families holding Ration cards) who are eligible. A biometric-enabled Smart Card, containing their photographs and fingerprints is then issued to the beneficiary. With this card, inpatient medical care costing upto Rs. 30, 000 per family per year can be availed in any hospital empanelled under the scheme. In theory, the patient need not spend money for any hospital stay costing upto Rs. 30, 000. Five persons in a family can use the card, whose personal details are encrypted therein. There is a catch however. If one member uses the entire amount, no other registered member in the family can avail the benefit for the rest of the year. The Card is valid for one year and is renewed annually.
The total target enrolment is 3, 48, 895 families as on June 2013, according to the RSBY website. So far, 12 hospitals (11 private and 1 government) have been empanelled (enlisted) under the scheme. Any registered beneficiary with an RSBY smart card can avail the services of any of the twelve empanelled hospitals. Now, a statistical tally
A beneficiary can avail service only if he or she is admitted in an empanelled hospital. The hospital treats the patient on credit and claims the sum spent from the insurance company. It does not cover outpatient care. In brief, insurance companies provide the risk coverage, while third party administrators empanel hospitals and manage claims. Apollo Munich is the insurance company in Nagaland presently entrusted with the responsibility of reimbursing the money to the hospital. Medsave is the third party administrator responsible for operating the software involved and also for validating patient information. All three parties – the nodal agency, the insurance company and the third party administrator - work in tandem for smooth realisation of the scheme.
of the above figures suggests that there is one empanelled hospital in each of the 11 districts of the state. However, the real picture is far from satisfactory. Five districts – Kiphire, Longleng, Phek, Mon and Peren—have no hospital worthy of being empanelled under the scheme. These five districts have a
targeted enrolment base of 1, 18, 303 beneficiaries, while 55, 589 beneficiaries have been enrolled thus far. RSBY is a cashless, ITbased undertaking, which demands that any hospital empanelled under the scheme must be a one-stop facility complete with inhouse medicine outlet. Continued on page 5
been given “marching orders” well in advance of the date of retirement. According to judgments, it has been ruled that the period of service rendered on Ad Hoc/Contract/Work Charged has to be counted for computation of public employment under the Nagaland Retirement from Public Employment (2nd Amendment) Act 2009. Lack of decision and commitment to uphold laid down rules has caused undue embarrassment to senior and respectable officers in the past, who had to take the issue to the court of law, informed Pongener and Sumi. While requesting the government to “honour and conduct uniform application of its statute to all its employees without favour or prejudice,” they reminded government servants, especially those retiring from “top jobs”, to “honourably leave office with dignity instead of confounding the situation.”
Petrol price hiked by Rs 1.55 per litre
NEw DElhi, July 14 (aGENCiES): Petrol price will go up by Rs.1.55 per litre, excluding state taxes, from Sunday midnight, largely due to depreciation in the value of the rupee and rise in crude oil prices in international markets, Indian Oil Corporation said. This is the second sharp hike in petrol prices in the past two weeks and fourth increase in less than two months. The previous increase was June 29, when the oil marketing firms had hiked the price by Rs.1.82 per litre, excluding taxes. However, the price of diesel will remain unchanged. “The combined impact of deteriorating exchange rate and increasing international oil prices has resulted in the need to increase petrol prices by Rs.1.55 per litre (excluding VAT),” the country’s largest oil retailer said in a statement. Actual increase in prices will be higher and differ from state to state depending on the local tax rates. In the national capital Delhi, one litre petrol will cost Rs.70.44 from Sunday midnight, as against the existing price of Rs.68.58. The current
prices of petrol in other major cities are: Mumbai Rs.75.79 per litre; Kolkata Rs.75.84 per litre and Chennai Rs.71.65 a litre. Justifying the hike in prices, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) said: “Since last price change, the downward spiral of rupee against the US dollar has continued to reach a low of Rs.60.03/ USD as against Rs.58.94/USD during the previous fortnight. Further, international MS (motor spirit) prices have also shown an uptrend and increased from $115.29 a barrel to $117.19 a barrel.” Oil marketing companies review petrol and diesel prices once every two weeks. A sharp depreciation in the value of the rupee has made oil imports costlier and put pressure on the marketing firms as they supply diesel at subsidised rates. On the future price move, IOC said: “The movement of prices in international oil markets and INR-USD (Indian rupee and US dollar) exchange rate is being closely monitored and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes.”
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