19th August 2013

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www.morungexpress.com

Dimapur VOL. VIII ISSUE 226

The Morung Express “

www.morungexpress.com

Monday, August 19, 2013 12 pages Rs. 4

Some people strengthen the society just by being the kind of people they are

Abdul Karim Tunda’s family relieved at his arrest, demands stringent punishment [ PAGE 08]

By Sandemo Ngullie

–John W. Gardner

“Vision 2013: 100 Days of Isner SRK’s ‘Chennai Revival” extended till Aug 20 rallies for Express’ Cincinnati [ PAGE 02] breaks records upset of del in Pakistan Disgraced Chinese politician Bo [ PAGE 11] Potro Xilai to stand trial next week [ PAGE 09]

reflections

[ PAGE 10]

nagaland healthcare: Better salary or better facilities? Morung Express news

should be made on whether the health units and the medical staff are performing or not. Moreover, they also feel that enhancing pay according to the place of posting will hardly make any impact on the healthcare delivery system because in all categories, there will be “sincere” doctors and “insincere” doctors. One doctor from Zunheboto stated that cate-

gorisation should be based on the need of the particular health unit. “There are some health units that are almost non-functioning due to lack of facility. So to provide incentives where there is no work does not make any sense. The answer lies not in increasing salary but providing better facilities to all health units based on requirements and availability of manpower

and see to it that it is being used judicially for the benefit of the people.” Similarly, a nurse in Tuensangcommented:“Noklak has been categorised under C given the remoteness of the area. However, with not even a functioning X-ray machine in place, what is a specialist doctor going to be doing there?” Despite the rosy picture of the success of NRHM in Nagaland, the mission has not completely benefitted the people in rural areas. In remote areas, people are still devoid of basic healthcare facilities and most of them seek medical help from either private clinics or district hospitals. The absence of doctors in most PHCs also makes it difficult for patients to depend on them. With over 70% of the state’s population dependent on the public healthcare system, the government should ensure better facilities for patients and better working condition for doctors rather than creating policies that are redundant to the context.

DARjEELING, AUGUST 18 (IANS): In a change of strategy, the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee (GJAC) Sunday urged people in Darjeeling hills to hit the streets for four days beginning Tuesday, threatened an economic blockade and said it would petition Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders to realise its demand. Two days after the newly-formed GJAC announced a five-day ‘Ghar Bhitra Janta (people inside homes)’ agitation from August 19 in the three hill sub-divisions -Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong -- of Darjeeling district in northern West Bengal, it limited the programme to a single day, Monday. Instead, the GJAC drew up a fresh programme, calling upon the people to pour out on the streets August 20-23 in support of a Gorkhaland state to be created out of Darjeeling district and parts of Jalpaiguri district. “We have noted that the people in the hills want to come out on the streets in large numbers and demand Gorkhaland as they want the authori-

ties to hear their voices. So we are giving a call for ‘Janta Sadak Ma (people in the streets)’ programme August 20 to 23,” said GJAC convernor Raju Pradhan. GJAC spearhead, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung said the decision was taken as the government was “suppressing our voices”. “The ‘Janta Sadak Ma’ programme has been organized to voice our demand for Gorkhaland,” Gurung said in a Facebook post. Protest rallies will be held August 24 and 25. On August 26, a human chain will be formed. Pradhan said that on August 27 and 28, the people of Darjeeling Hills would petition central political leaders including the prime minister and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi for creation of Gorkahland. The GJAC also announced it planned to launch an economic blockade of tea and timber - two mainstays of the hill economy besides tourism. Dates for the movement are yet to be finalised. Meanwhile, the GJM and the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League fought a

verbal duel, a day after the ABGL announced it would keep away from the GJAC unless the GJM members resigned from the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) - the autonomous hill development council. The GJM hinted at the involvement of “some external force” behind the ABGL’s decision. Reacting to Gurung’s comments, ABGL general secretary Pratap Khati accused the GJM of “double standards” and being “not serious” about the Gorkhaland movement. Several pro-Gorkhaland parties Friday came together to form the (GJAC) and “unanimously” decided to repeal the GTA “but at an appropriate time”. Despite repeatedly dubbing the GTA a “failure and would be repealed soon”, only Gurung has so far resigned as its chief executive while the other elected members are still continuing. Armed with more powers than its predecessor the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council formed in the late 1980s, the GTA was created July 18, 2011 via a tripartite between the GJM and the central and state governments.

Dimapur | August 18

Good job. now warn the puplic to be aware of some unauthorized elements collecting money in our name 11

The Morung Express POLL QUESTIOn

Vote on www.morungexpress.com SMS your answer to 9862574165 Do you support the Nagaland government’s decision to extend the Hornbill Festival to ten days? Yes

no

Others

Is nagaland government taking the free, informed and prior consent of people for development activities? Yes no

10% 69%

Others

21%

Details on page 7

6 Nagas clear CAPF Asst Commandant Exams DIMAPUR, AUGUST 18 (MExN): Six Naga boys have cleared the Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandant) 2012 Exam. Unito Sumi, Khrieko Sato, Moalong Pongener, P Athung Odyuo, Inoka K Jimomi and Mangronger Jamir are among the 345 candidates who have been recommended for appointments in the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal and Central Industrial Security Force. The exams for the CAPF (Assistant Commandants) written examinations were held by the Union Public Service Commission on November 11, 2012, which was followed by personality tests on July, 2013. Of the recommended candidates, 160 belong to the general category, 101 to OBC category, 56 to SC category and 28 to ST category. It was informed that appointments to the various services shall be made by the Government in accordance to number of vacancies available and with due consideration to the provisions contained in the Rules for the Examination.

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The healthcare scenario in Nagaland is dismal. Poor infrastructure, pathetic working conditions, shortage of medicines and absenteeism of health workers are all part of the State’s failing healthcare system. The problem is compounded by shortage of doctors, nurses and technicians. This has crippled the healthcare delivery system of the Nagaland State, particularly in the remote areas. Amidst these shortcomings, the recent notification by the State government to revise the salaries of healthcare workers under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) based on the “inaccessibility” and “remoteness” of the place where healthcare units are located has not gone down well with NRHM workers. According to a notification from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the government has categorised various healthcare units under category

The condition of government heathcare centres in the interiors of Tuensang district in nagaland remains unspeakable, inconveniencing the patients as well as doctors. In these parts, the effect of the NRHM is felt only on paper-- better efforts are required to improve this first. (Morung File Photos)

A, B, C and D (the most inaccessible/remoteness being category D). With this, it has also reduced the salary of those healthcare workers under category A and B by over 20%, and enhanced those under category C (in some cases reduced) and D. This is being viewed as a biased and irrational move by the government, without proper thought or consultation with stake-

holders. “There is no rationale behind this categorisation,” an NRHM worker in Mon commented. “Our hospital is flooded with patients throughout the year and there is so much workload compared to the smaller health units in neighbouring areas. Yet, the government has reduced our salary and categorised us under B,” the worker said. The

worker also questioned the government’s definition of “remote.” To categorise Mon and Mokochung or Peren and Tuensang under the same category is absurd if not biased, it is felt. The argument being made by the doctors is why the government has made this distinction when all of them are doing the same job, if not more. The doctors feel that the categorisation

KOHIMA, AUGUST 18 (MExN): Parliamentary Secretary for Urban Development Zhaleo Rio has stated that the department is working to alleviate developmental concerns in Kohima and Dimapur. Zhaleo emphasized on the urgency to push for a major overhaul of Dimapur in a bid to ease the traffic problems. He revealed that construction of a few flyovers, additional roads and widening of existing roads are in the pipeline. According to NEPS, Zhaleo stated that “Once these ambitious projects are completed, there will be tremendous ease of traffic problems in

Dimapur.” The Parliamentary Secretary further described Dimapur as a “mini India,” as it is inhabited by Nagas as well as mainland Indians. Zhaleo also expressed hope for construction of ring roads in Kohima in order to tackle the traffic congestion. These ring roads once completed, 50% of the vehicular movements in the main Kohima town would be diverted to these ring roads, he added. On development strategies for the state capital, the Parliamentary Secretary made it clear that his approach would consider the “common benefit” of

all wards and colonies. “I have been telling every individual coming to me that any work they apply should reach to the common men and not individually,” he asserted. “I want to take up common benefits which will protect the welfare of citizens of each and every colony,” he added. Rio also pointed out that due to non-maintenance or absence of drainage in many places, roads have been damaged and garbage is being carried onto the streets by rain water. “This garbage flown with the rain waters has caused serious health hazards, besides damaging soils and

roads,” he said. In order to tackle this problem, Zhaleo disclosed his department’s initiative to take up “storm water schemes” which will help dispose of garbage as well as provide irrigation facilities. Zhaleo further informed that Nagaland has recorded the highest rate of urbanization in the country. He said that the national level of average urbanization was about 21%, whereas Nagaland’s was 69%. He further said that there are various schemes to develop and create more satellite townships in the state, so as to discourage migration to urban areas.

LONDON, AUGUST 18 (IANS): If smartphones have made our lives easier, there is a flip side too -- they cause vision impairment, says a leading laser eye surgeon. Femalefirst.co.uk reports that Surgeon David Allambym has revealed that smartphones have caused cases of myopia (shortsightedness) among young Britons to surge. Allamby, founder of Focus Clinics, has reported a 35 percent increase of patients with advancing myopia, since the launch of smartphones in 1997, and warns that worsening Myopia in young adults could

increase by 50 percent within 10 years. New research found that the average smartphone user holds the handset 30 cm from their face, with some people holding it just 18 cm away, compared to newspapers and books, which are held 40cm away from the eyes. According to Allamby, excessive screen watching at a close proximity keeps the genes that control myopia activated well beyond the age that short-sightedness would historically have stabilized, around the age of 21. This is known as ‘epigenetics’. “If things continue as

they are, I predict that 4050 percent of 30-year-olds could have myopia by 2033 as a result of smartphones and lifestyles in front of screens, an epidemic we call Screen-Sightedness. People need to ensure they limit screen time wherever possible even by going outside without their phone for a period of time each day, and also seriously consider the age at which they give their children a smartphone,” Allamby said. Allamby says today’s generation of children are most at risk of myopia, with children as young as seven being given their first smartphone.

DIMAPUR, AUGUST 18 (MExN): In another killing, suspected to be fallout of factional rivalry, one man was found shot dead at Boro-Lengri, Karbi-Anglong on Sunday, August 18. Sources stated that the deceased was a cadre of the GPRN/NSCN, identified as one ‘captain’ Tokikhe. He was reportedly abducted by unknown assailants from Settsu Basti earlier during the day on Sunday. His dead body was later recovered at Boro-Lengri at around 6:00 pm.

Zhaleo reveals ambitious projects for Kohima & Dimapur

‘Smartphones cause rise in myopia’

One shot dead

People asked to hit the streets for Gorkhaland

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19th August 2013 by The Morung Express - Issuu