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The Morung Express
Dimapur VOL. VIII ISSUE 272
Uruguay’s first lady like no other [ PAGE 09]
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www.morungexpress.com
Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live
Angelina and breast cancer copycat surge
By Sandemo Ngullie
India woos foreign colleges as population clock ticks [ PAGE 08]
Fire breaks out in Dimapur
Fourteen killed as plane nosedives
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LaGOS, OctObeR 3 (aP): A chartered airplane nosedived into the ground and burst into flames meters (yards) from tanks of aviation fuel Thursday, killing 14 people, Nigerian officials said. Six survivors have been rushed to the hospital, two in critical condition, Joe Obi, spokesman for Nigeria’s Aviation Ministry, told The Associated Press. He said the aircraft was carrying 20 people — 13 passengers and seven crew members. Federal Aviation Agency spokesman Yakubu Dati said the Brazilian-made turboprop Embraer-120 crashed at 9:20 a.m. (0820 GMT) shortly after taking off from Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Dominant Ronaldo scores in Real victory [ PAGE 12 ]
Lalu jailed for five years AcAUt questions ‘anti-
Ranchi, OctObeR 3 (ianS): Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad was Thursday jailed for five years for his role in the Rs.950 crore fodder scam that surfaced 17 years ago, effectively ending the electoral career of one of India’s best known politicians. These mysterious signs The sentencing -- the and symbols appeared the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) moment the govt junked the founder was also fined ordinance! Rs.25 lakh -- takes away Lalu Prasad’s membership of the Lok Sabha, where he was a familiar face, occupying one of the front benches. Lalu Prasad’s lawyers vowed to Morung Express appeal in a higher court. News “When I have not done Dimapur | October 3 any crime, how have I been A suspected electric punished?” a dazed Lalu spark led to a fire break- Prasad, 67, asked at the ing out at Circular Road Birsa Munda Central Jail here on Thursday eve- here when the special CBI ning at 6:10 pm. The fire court announced the senthat started in a garage tence. Judge Pravas Kumar and adjoining hotel also Singh retorted: “You can led to a gas cylinder burst appeal in the higher court.” Lalu Prasad’s lawyer that fuelled the fire. It earlier pleaded for a lenient threatened to engulf a nearby godown be- sentence, citing his age and fore the fire department health issues. The judge reached the spot and was also told how the Indimanaged to douse the an Railways had performed fire within an hour. The profitably when he headed godown faced minimal the ministry. CBI lawyer B.M.P. Singh demanded loss as a result. The fire deterrent punishment. department informed Among a total of 37 conthat a vehicle’s paint was victs who were sentenced partially burnt but no inThursday, former chief juries were reported. Fur- minister Jagannath Mishra ther investigations will be and Janata Dal-United leadcarried out tomorrow to er Jagdish Sharma were reveal the extent of dam- jailed for four years each. age and exact cause of fire. While Mishra, who was admitted to a hospital Wednesday after injuring himself in the bathroom, MUMbai, OctObeR 3 (tnn): The Bombay high court has directed a Juhu tenant, the lone occupant of a dilapidated building, to vacate her flat within one month. The tenant, Esther Manickam, who has been paying a monthly rent of Rs 50 for decades, was offered Rs 1 crore by the owner to move out of old building but she had refused. Justice Anoop Mohta refused to grant the tenant any relief against the demolition notice served by the BMC for the old building which has been declared dangerous. “The structure if it is required to be demolished and as except Esther all have already vacated, there is no reason that the building in question (should) be repaired by the owner only to permit her to occupy one flat in question,” said Justice Mohta.
–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
[ PAGE 02]
stAnds disqUAlified; ceAses to be MP
HC evicts Rs 50 per month tenant who refused Rs 1 crore
Friday, October 4, 2013 12 pages Rs. 4
Kesonyu Yhome: People’s Deputy Commissioner
[ PAGE 11]
reflections
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FILE- In this Dec. 18, 2006 file photo, Indian politician Lalu Prasad Yadav gestures as he greets his supporters in Patna, India. Former chief minister Prasad, a current member of India’s Parliament, was sentenced Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013, to five years in jail and ordered to pay a $40,000 fine after he was convicted earlier this week of embezzling funds intended to buy food for cattle during his tenure as Bihar’s top elected official in the mid-1990s. (AP Photo)
was fined Rs.2 lakh, Sharma was fined Rs.5 lakh. There was a hushed silence as the judge sentenced Lalu Prasad for conspiracy. With only lawyers allowed in the court, an army of journalists and some Lalu Prasad supporters were massed outside. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which for years was a favourite target of Lalu Prasad, was elated. BJP’s M. Venkaiah Naidu
remarked: “Though justice has been delayed, it has not been denied.” In Patna, Lalu Prasad’s wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi alleged “a conspiracy” against her husband for which she blamed both the BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Although RJD leaders claimed that Lalu Prasad would continue to guide them even from prison, he would not be able to con-
DiMaPUR, OctObeR 3 (Mexn): An elderly person was assaulted and robbed in the Dimapur Super Market area at around 4:30 am on October 3, Thursday. This incident comes only two days after Nagaland along with the rest of the world observed a day to promote honour, respect and care towards the elderly. Sixty five years old Lolao Ezung was on his way
to the State Bank of India for withdrawal of his monthly pension, when three unidentified miscreants robbed the pensioner of various documents. The miscreants even robbed him of his shoes, informed separate press notes by the Dimapur Longsa Ekhung and Dimapur Longsa Youth Forum. Lolao Ezung, a former ABSI of Longsa Village and presently residing at
Seithekidema (C ) Lotha Colony was robbed of his Pension Payment Book No 2974, Treasury token No 0842, Pension ID Card and a pair of shoes. The Dimapur Longsai Ekhung informed that the victim lodged an FIR at the East Police Station, Dimapur on the same day. The DLE while condemning the incident has urged upon the investigating agency to trace and book the culprits
DiMaPUR, OctObeR 3 (Mexn): The Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC) of India will be visiting Nagaland from 4th-6th October 2013. The visit assumes significance as the Commission will be making recommendations regarding fund requirements of the State of Nagaland for the period 2015- 2020 which will be effective from 1st April 2015. According to a press note issued by Y. Kikheto Sema, Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, the members of the FFC will review the state of finances, deficit and debt levels of the State keeping in view, in particular, the fiscal consolidation road map recommended by the Thirteenth Finance Commission. The Commission will have an official meeting with the Chief Minister and officials of the State on 5th October 2013 and discus-
Tribal Hohos, Visit of Fourteenth Bodies, Trade Industries & the FFC will FC to Nagaland Commerce, also meet Representatives from Oct 4-6 of Political Parties.
test elections for six years from the date of his release. Lalu Prasad was the Bihar chief minister when the CBI filed a charge sheet June 23, 1997 accusing 56 people of fraudulently withdrawing Rs.37.70 crore from the Chaibasa treasury in 1994-95 on the strength of forged and fabricated documents. Oftheaccused,sevendied and two were pardoned after they turned approvers. Another man confessed while the then deputy commissioner of West Singhbhum district was discharged for his role in another case. A former RJD legislator, R.K. Rana, got five years’ jail and was fined Rs.30 lakh. B.N. Sharma, who supplied fodder to the Bihar government’s animal husbandry department, was asked to cough up Rs.1.5 crore -- the maximum fine imposed on anyone in the case. On Sep 30, the CBI court held all 45 accused guilty. It sentenced eight of them to three years in prison and slapped them with fines up to Rs.50 lakh. Lalu Prasad became the second politician this week to lose membership of parliament in line with a Supreme Court ruling. On Tuesday, Congress MP Rasheed Masood was jailed for four years for his role in illegally giving MBBS seats to undeserving medical students. Lalu Prasad stepped down as chief minister in 1997 when his name figured in the CBI investigation in the fodder scam.
naga economic policy’
DiMaPUR, OctObeR 3 (Mexn): The ban on the sale of so-called “inorganic, non-branded and loose unsealed mushrooms” in Dimapur and other parts of Nagalim by the NSCN (IM) “is in all sense of the term an anti-Naga economic policy,” stated a press note issued by the Media Cell of Action Committee against Unabated Taxation (ACAUT). According to the ACAUT, in the first place, the NSCN (IM) is not the competent authority to decide which product is hygienic and which is not. The ACAUT stated that only trained professionals of Directorate of Health & Family Welfare Department are responsible for all food safety matters and that Food Safety Officers (FSO) under the CMOs of all the districts are the implementing authorities. Secondly, ACAUT said that the NSCN (IM) order is “an admission of the syndicate system patronized by the organisation” and that the latest order vindicates the stand of the ACAUT. Also that a product should be banned because it is inorganic is ridiculous, according to the ACAUT. “If we take this criterion to its logical conclusion, even tea and coffee should be banned in Nagalim including tomatoes, potatoes, vegetables and fruits and everyone would starve. Shouldn’t the slaughter and sale of meat be banned too since their feeds are inorganic?” questioned the ACAUT in its press note.
The ACAUT has also pointed to the unorganized sector where agri and allied products including local mushrooms can be marketed “non-branded, loosely and unsealed”. The ACAUT reminded that the vast unorganized sector of the Indian economy is still the “engine of the country’s growth”. As such, the ACAUT has described as “unjustified”, the demand of the NSCN (IM) asking farmers “to meet the standards of industrialized organised sectors requiring lots of capital investments and technical knowhow.” This according to the ACAUT is not only “naïve and unjust but economy-killing”. Further the ACAUT claimed that the NSCN (IM) is not equipped with labs or trained food safety inspectors to gauge the toxicity of the mushrooms. It stated that any infringement of Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines “shall be gauged under standard conditions by FSOs under the CMOs of the districts”. The ACAUT has questioned as to whether the packaged and sealed “Hygienic Mushroom” of Bokajan have the license and registration of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). “And what sort of scientific rigor and test was done by NSCN (IM) to determine that the locally produced mushrooms are unhygienic and that mushrooms from ‘Hygienic Mushrooms’ (Bokajan) are hygienic and safe
for consumption?” The ACAUT has also questioned whether the “Hygienic Mushrooms” of Bokajan have the mandatory license from district Food Safety Office (FSO) under CMO, Medical department to sell its product in Nagaland. “Under what expert authority is the NSCN (IM) claiming that loose mushrooms sold in open markets contain high level of ‘fungicides’ when a mushroom itself is a fungus?” The ACAUT goes on to question as to how the NSCN (IM) can “hijack the economic interests of thousands of Naga farmers all over Nagalim for the interests of a handful of unscrupulous people in neighbouring Bokajan, Assam”. “The NSCN (IM) instead of helping the growth of Naga economy is directly destroying the livelihoods of Naga farmers and women vendors”, stated the press note. “At its core, the Naga issue is also about self-reliance on the economic aspect too. Therefore, any deviance from this core tenet qualifies as anti-Naga and the order of the NSCN (IM) is nothing but an anti-Naga economic policy. As a body representing Naga aspirations of international repute, the NSCN (IM) would do well not to belittle itself handling petty things for petty gains,” the note added. In light of the above, ACAUT felt that this was nothing but promotion of the syndicate system and market monopoly and nothing to do with concern for public health.
Pensioner assaulted and robbed Education as a positive enabler
and award them befitting punishment as per relevant sections of the law. In a separate press release, the Dimapur Longsa Youth Forum condemned what it termed as the “senseless inhumane and cruel act of the miscreants.” The forum called upon the law-enforcing agency to Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio releasing a souvenir of the ANCSU during 16th biennial genbook the culprits under rel- eral conference at Phek on October 3. (Morung Photo) evant sections and award He further stated that a cus beyond white collar jobs. befitting punishment at the Rio advocates use of civilized society needs se- He emphasized on the need earliest. education as a means curity, justice and harmony. to adopt modern agriculture Referring to Nagaland systems and enhance manuto bring positive state government’s move to facturing activities. Rio said impact in society brand Phek district as ‘The there is no dearth of job if land of tradition,’ Rio said one is willing to work. Chizokho Vero that people in Phek district Rio affirmed that the Phek | October 3 possess traditional facets of government would do its neW DeLhi, OctO- Nagaland Chief Minister, hard work, sincerity, integ- best to give opportunities beR 3 (Pti): Congress Neiphiu Rio on Thursday rity and focus. He expressed and assured to attend to vice president Rahul Gan- advocated the use of educa- hope for these ideals to exist the grievances of the studhi on Thursday spoke tion to bring about positive in all Naga inhabited areas. dents and teachers. “We about his sensational out- impact in society. He said He further urged the youth want to bring change to burst against the govern- this while addressing the to display sincerity and in- our state,” he stated. Minment’s questionable bid to 16th biennial General Con- tegrity while working for ister for Roads & Bridges and Parliamentary Affairs shield convicted lawmak- ference of the All Nagaland the future. ers. “My mother (Sonia College Students’ Union at Referring to the confer- Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu in Gandhi) told me words I Phek Town Hall. ence theme; ‘Synthesizing his speech called upon the used were wrong, but my Stating that education is education and culture,’ Rio student community to be sentiment was not,” Rahul the most important element called for modern education an agent of change in soGandhi said about trashing in human society, he urged and Naga culture to be syn- ciety. He asserted that the the ordinance as nonsense. both young and old to con- chronized, “so as to preserve government and students “I have the right to voice tinue with a zeal for learning. our culture and tradition.” need to work together. my opinion; a large part of Rio asserted that education Also speaking on the He also expounded on Congress party wanted it,” is a priority for the govern- the importance of develop- occasion, Naga Students’ Rahul Gandhi said on the ing a work culture and an Federation President, withdrawal of the ordinance ment and informed that the industrial culture. Tongpang Ozukum said the government has taken up onconvictedlawmakers.FacReferring to the service Federation had shared the colleges in all districts and ing rising public anger and bowing to Congress leader sub divisions in the state, as sector, Rio said that job ave- problem of illegal immigraRahul Gandhi’s wishes, the per demand and require- nues in the government sec- tion in the entire north east tor have reached saturation at the recent NESO meeting Union Cabinet on Wednes- ment of the people. point. He added that there held at Guwahati. He said Rio lamented that techday took barely 20 minutes to junk the contentious ordi- nical and quality education are excess government em- the NSF was proposing the nance protecting convicted is still lacking in Nagaland. ployees. Informing that initiation of appropriate lawmakers from immediate He regretted that the state there are around 60,000 ed- measures to check the indisqualification. The Cabi- is yet to have medical, en- ucated unemployed youth in flux of illegal immigrants. net not just scrapped the or- gineering and technical in- the live register of employ- “We cannot afford to sacridinance but also decided to stitutions worth the name ment exchange in Nagaland, fice our future for any cost,” Rio called for the youth to fo- he added. withdraw the bill. till now.
mother told finance commission to My me words I used review state of finances were wrong: Rahul
sion with representatives of rural and urban local bodies, trade, industry and commerce, Tribal Hohos and political parties of the State on 6th October 2013. As per the scheduled programme made available to the local media, the highlight of the visit will be the meeting on October 5 wherein the FFC will meet with the Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues and State government officials at the Chief Secretary’s Conference Hall. The State government will be making a power point presentation. Both the Chief Minister and the Chairman of the FFC will also address the meeting. On October 6, besides meeting with representatives of Local Urban, Rural
The members of the Fourteenth Finance Commission include Dr Yaga Venugopal Reddy, former RBI Governor as Chairman. The others are Prof. Abhijit Sen, currently Member of the Planning Commission; Sushama Nath, former Finance & Expenditure Secretary; Dr. M. Govinda Rao, Director, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy; Dr. Sudipto Mundle, Honourary Emeritus Professor& Member of the Board of Governors of National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi and Ajay Narayan Jha, a senior serving Bureaucrat who is the Secretary of the 14th Finance Commission. The FFC members will also be accompanied by top ranking officials from the Centre.
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