April 14th, 2017

C M Y K

www.morungexpress.com

FrisDAY • April 14 • 2017

DIMAPUR • Vol. XII • Issue 101 • 12 PAGes • 5

T H e

ESTD. 2005

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son Assembly by-polls: 3 seats to Congress, 5 to BJP pAGE 08

reflections

By Sandemo Ngullie

P o W e R

Digital India Day exempted in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram

Centurion Ronaldo secures Real comeback over Bayern

pAGE 03

Dimapur | April 13

Kohima | April 13

The Morung Express will be closed on Friday, April 14, 2017 and will re-open on Saturday, April 15, 2017. We thank you for your support and understanding.

The Morung Express

INTCWS undertakes inspection of universities and colleges in Punjab Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The India Northeast Tribal Community Welfare Society (INTCWS), Notun Basti, Dimapur under the aegis of Libra Consultancy, its education wing, undertook its 9th yearly inspection of nine universities and colleges in Punjab, for the benefit of tribal students.

INTCWS Chairman, Atsei Sekhose, in a press release stated that Vice Chancellor of CT University, Ludhiana has earmarked special provisions in different courses for the welfare of tribal students. This annual visit is done to find out recognised and reputed universities/ colleges offering different professional courses in the country in order to facilitate tribal students and parents to choose from the best institutes available. The society has informed the students and public that it has opened its permanent branch office at Kohima from this year, located near Mount Hermon School, Kenuozou for the convenience of tribal students from Kohima and nearby districts, by well experienced professional lecturers and team to assist students to avail free counseling and guidance for professional courses.

PAGE 12

monitor lax staff attendance GHS food resource a major ToDiphupar employs biometric system challenge for nagaland Our Correspondent

Public Notice

With the increase in population, Nagaland State faces a major challenge to make adequate food resources available to meet the growing demand of its people.

The Nagaland Economic Survey 2016-17, which was tabled in the recently concluded Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) session stated that the scope to increase production through coverage expansion of cultivable land is limited.

In 2016-17, the survey predicted that total foodgrain production is anticipated to reach 7, 11, 430 MT, which is an increase of 34, 530 MT from 2015-16.

Agriculture and its allied sector is one of the major contributors to the Gross State Domestic Product and is the largest employer of the workforce in Nagaland state. 45.47 % of the working population engaged in agricultural activities (Census 2011).

The types of farming system practiced in Nagaland are the traditional jhum, terrace rice cultivation and wet rice cultivation. Rice is the staple food which is cultivated in about 52.34 % of the net area sown with rice production of 478210 MT during 2015-16.

The survey further noted that although there has been an increase in food grain production over the years, with the increase in population, per capital food grain availability has been declining.

Therefore, emphasis of the state has to be on increasing production and productivity through suitable technolo-

A Naga woman is seen returning from field after harvesting rice recently at Khonoma village under Kohima district. According to the Nagaland Economic Survey 2016-17, Nagaland State faces a major challenge to make adequate food resources available to meet the growing demand of its people. (Morung Photo)

gies in all the existing farming systems. This, the survey pointed out, will enable the state to achieve a sustainable agricultural development.

In addition, it stated that research and development, crop protection measures, soil mapping and crop zonation, diversification, rural non-farm activities, reduced dependence on monsoon and crop insurance are some of the issues that need to be focused on for achieving self-sufficient and sustainability in agriculture and allied sectors.

Performance of agriculture sector

Although the agriculture sector still remains as one of the largest contributors to economy of the state, the share of agriculture and allied sector in the Gross State Value Added (GSVA), which was 30.94 % in 2011-12, has declined to 29.44 % as per Quick

Estimate of 2015-16.

The survey predicted that this is likely to decline further to 28.07 % in 2016-17 (A.E).

“This represents the shifting of the state from agriculture towards other sectors of the economy. Simultaneously, agriculture and allied sector registered a growth of only 1.75% during the corresponding period.”

The production of total oilseedsandcommercialcropsare estimated at 70,550 MT and 4, 73, 760 MT during 2016-17 from 70, 020 MT and 4, 62, 350 MT respectively in 2015-16. The production of rice increased from 2, 36, 350 MT in 2001-02 to 4, 78, 210 MT in 2015-16, showing an increase of 102.33 %.

Cropping intensity, which refers to raising the number of crops for the same field during one agricultural year, was 134.94 % in 2016-17, registering an increase of 9.72% since 2005-06.

Besides, increasing cropping intensity, farm water management is another important criterion for enhancing production. Only 23.67 % of the gross cropped area and 29.11 % of the net sown area were irrigated in 2016-17.

The survey informed that the area under major agricultural crops increased by 28, 280 during 2011-12 to 2014-15 showing an increase of 7.04%.

Further it is estimated to increase by 11, 200 hectares to 4, 40, 990 in 2016-17.

While the area under food grains increased from 2, 99, 690 hectares in 2011-12 to 3, 22, 830 hectares in 2015-16, it is anticipated to increase to 3, 32, 640 hectares in 2016-17.

During the present year, oilseeds and commercial crops are also anticipated to increase to 68, 300 hectare and 40.050 hectares respectively from 67, 870 hectares and 39,090 hectares in 2015-16.

In apparently a first, Government High School (GHS), Diphupar under Dimapur district now stands ahead from other government educational institutions by enabling Aadhaar enabled biometric system to monitor attendance of its employees.

According to a press statement issued by R Nymshio Lotha, Headmaster GHS, Diphupar, the biometric attendance was made mandatory for all the staff in the school with the objective of eliminating lapses in the attendance system and to ensure proper transparency and accountability among the teaching and nonteaching staffs.

Headmaster Lotha said this new system will ensure employees punctuality, reduce time theft, eliminate proxy attendance, track employees work hour and enhance record efficiency.

Since the introduction of this technology, the 63 employees, which include teaching and non teaching staffs, now register their attendance through biometric system twice in a day, Lotha informed while talking to The Morung Express.

In Nagaland, the biometric attendance system was formally launched at the Nagaland Secretariat by Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar in the month of February 2016 during a meeting of Administrative Heads of Departments (AHoDs) and Heads of Departments (HoDs) at the Secretariat conference hall, Kohima.

However, the introduction of the biometric system in other Nagaland Government departments, if there is any, has been unheard until now.

“The introduction of this biometric system has been very effective. We are witnessing more attendance from our staff,” Diphupar GHS Headmaster testified of the success of this new system.

Buoyed by the positive response, the Headmaster espoused confidence that this system of recording

attendance will definitively improve the work culture among the government employees in the length and breadth of Nagaland- “particularly in the government educational institutions in the villages and rural areas.”

Lotha also opined that the biometric system of attendance ought to be introduced in the medical department, keeping in mind the laxity of staff in the health centres in the farflung areas.

“I sincerely hope that this system will improve the productivity and enhance the accountability towards our responsibilities. We are also contributing towards digital India and e-governance in our capacity,” the Headmaster said.

Biometric attendance system is considered as a foolproof technology to ensure the accuracy of attendance and is useful to the ones who deal with large number of employees.

It uses automated methods of recognizing a person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic.

Among the features measured are face, fingerprints, hand geometry, handwriting, iris, retinal, vein, and voice.

The Economic Survey 2016-17 identified biometric attendance system as a reliable option to address teacher absenteeism. According to the UNESCO- EFA (Education for All) Monitoring Report for 2014, teacher absenteeism in India varies between 15 per cent and 42 per cent.

On the need for introducing the biometric system in Nagaland, a Weekly Poll conducted by The Morung Express, published on February 8, 2016 saw an overwhelming numbers of respondents (82%) calling for introducing the system citing among other things, to check absenteeism, proxy appointment, to respond positively to the need of the common people.

Many respondents also expressed skepticism that it will be a waste of resources as the system can be manipulated if the government is not resolute and firm in its implementation.

WNSU dismayed by road connectivity to ITC Dan Police cautions against misuse of bank accounts

Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The Wolam Nyuking (Pangsha Old) Students’ Union (WNSU) today expressed concern at the pitiable road connectivity from Noklak via Pangsha to the International Trade Centre (ITC) Dan. A press note from the WNSU lamented that despite the ITC being established since 1996, the condition of the road to the International Trade Centre via Pangsha is very disheartening. It pointed out that the stretch between Hit-Tho and Longshing mong, which covers the distance from km 23 to 26, has been totally blocked off by landslides since the middle of last year.

The WNSU also informed that during the rainy season, villagers of the area are cut off due to the lack of a bridge at Shio-mong (tributaries of Zungki River).

Considering the needs of proper road infrastructure from Noklak to ITC Dan, the WNSU asked the concerned department to discharge their service as the fund has been allocated for the benefit of the people. It further reminded that the government had implanted various schemes and projects but the road conditions remain the same. “If the funds have been misused, then the office will consider it as an economic murder without bloodshed,” the union said.

Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): Nagaland Police today issued a caution against the misuse of bank accounts in the state.

A press note from the Superintendent of Police (Crime) informed that many bank accounts in Nagaland belonging to Naga people, especially students, are increasingly being used by criminals for their fraudulent activities.

It revealed that illegal transactions using these accounts are being done from other states especially in big cities. In many instances it is being alleged that the bank accounts

are being sold by students/youngsters to unscrupulous elements and big criminals for easy money without knowing that such accounts can be used to commit crimes.

Nagaland Police said that when a crime is committed by some persons using such bank accounts, the original holders of the bank accounts can also be implicated. In this regard, the state police had had issued advisory in all the local dailies earlier too, but lamented that “criminal activities using these accounts are increasing manifold.”

Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The Central Executive Council (CEC) of the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) conducted a consultation meeting with the Eastern Naga National Workers from different Naga political groups at Tsithrongse village on April 11 and at Hotel Acacia, Dimapur on April 12 respectively.

A press note from the ENPO informed that besides CEC members, advisors, senior citizens, 6 federating tribal units and frontal organisations, the two day meeting witnessed a large number of the public showing their soli-

Governor, CM extend Easter greetings

KoHima, april 13 (mExN): The Governor of Nagaland has declared April 15 as a general holiday for all government offices in Nagaland State, on account of the day being Easter Saturday.

Further, in pursuance of the explanation to section-3 of the Negotiable Instrument Act, l881 (Act XXVI), the Governor has also declared April

Therefore, the police cautioned people not to involve in such activities. “Students leaving their place of studies after completion are also advised to close down their accounts unless they intend to continue using them,” the press note added.

It further advised the public not to share their Bank Account details such as Account Number, ATM Card Number, Secret Pin Number etc and other personal details with anyone, as all phone calls, SMS or emails, asking for bank details are being done by criminals and not by the banks.

ENPO holds consultation with Eastern Naga national workers on peace and unity four potential inland water darity towards ENPO peace and unity.

Besides other resolutions, the ENPO resolved to celebrate ‘the ENPO Peace’ tentatively in the last part of October this year coinciding with the ENPO General Session.

During the meeting with the Eastern Naga National Workers from different Naga Political groups, the house unanimously resolved to reaffirm and uphold the December 18, 2007 Tuensang summit resolution and continue to remain loyal to the affirmation in the interest of peace and unity of the people of Eastern Nagaland in particular and the Nagas in general.

transport routes in nagaland

Govt declares April 15 as general holiday

C M Y K

T R u T H

— John 3:16

Morung Express News

“No we will not observe Digital India day on good Friday.pass this messg to all your contacts and friends on Fb, Twitter, Hike, Instagram, Snapchat, Skype, google+,Chat hut....etc etc!”

o F

15 as Public Holiday in Nagaland on account of the day being Easter Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Governor extended warm greetings to the people of the State on the occasion of Easter.

Stating that Christ’s resurrection signifies triumph of truth over evil and that love is always stronger than hatred, the Governor called on the people to let the day of resurrection make all work for peace, harmony and brotherhood. He also appealed the people to pray for peace in the State. “May the celebration of

Easter foster the spirit of love and forgiveness in all of us,” he added.

Nagaland State Chief Minister, Dr Shürhozelie Liezietsu also wished all a very blessed Good Friday and a happy Easter. In his message, issued through the CMO, the Nagaland CM stated Good Friday is the most important day for Christians, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His death at Calvary. It is centered towards feeling of sorrow, at the pain and humiliation that Jesus underwent for the

cause of goodness and to save our souls.

On this holy occasion, he said, “it is better to allow our lives to speak for us than just our words and on Good Friday we get to take stock of whether we are achieving this.” He also wished that everyone be blessed with the goodness of Good Friday and that all may give thanks to God through their living.

“For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son to die on the Cross to take away the sins of humankind,” he quoted.

Doyang River under Wokha district is one among four rivers in Nagaland having potential for inland transport in Nagaland, according to the Ministry of Road Transport, Highways & Shipping, GoI and IWAI. (Morung Photo)

Our Correspondent Kohima | April 13

The Nagaland State Government has set up an Inland Water Transport wing in the Transport Department to liaise and coordinate with the Inland Waterways of In-

dia (IWAI) under the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India.

Under this, the Nagaland State Transport is to act as a nodal department for identification of potential inland waterways and to undertake feasibility studies, prepare Detailed Project Reports

(DPR) and monitor project implementation of water transport in the state.

This was stated in the annual administrative report 2016-17 of the Transport Department tabled in the just concluded state assembly session by Minister of Transport, IT&C and Border Affairs, P Paiwang Konyak.

The report stated that the Ministry of Road Transport, Highways & Shipping, GoI and IWAI through M/S. Rites Ltd has identified four rivers as having potential for inland water transport in the state.

They are: Tizu river from triconfluence near Longmatra to Avangkhu of 42 km (approx) for Indo-Myanmar; Dhansiri river from Samjuran to Numaligarh of approximately 110 km for inter-state waterways of Nagaland-Assam; Dikhu river from Yangnyu to Naginimora, Nagaland of about 52 km for connection to Brahmaputra river in Assam via Sibsagar for inter-state waterways of NagalandAssam; and Doyang river, 61 km length of the river from bridge near Sialmari, Assam for inter-state waterways of Nagaland-Assam.

2

FriDAY 14•04•2017

NAGALAND

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

First All Nagaland Meet of District Legal Services Authorities Our Correspondent Kohima | April 13

Gauhati High Court judge Justice LS Jamir today said that right to ‘access to justice’ has been recognized as one of the fundamental rights. “To bring justice closer to the underprivileged segments of the society, a number of innovative measures including providing legal aid to poor have evolved with time,” said Justice Jamir at the first all Nagaland meet of district legal services authorities here at organized by Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA).

Justice Jamir, who is also executive chairman NSLSA said that Article 39A of our Constitutions provides that the state shall secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice, on a basis of equal oppor-

tunity, and shall, in particular, provide free legal aid, by sustainable legislation or schemes or in any other way, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities.

“Article 14 and 22 (I) of the Constitution also make it obligatory for the state to ensure equality before law,” he said adding that in 1987, the Legal Services Authorities Act was enacted by the Parliament, which came into force on 9th November 1995 to establish a nationwide uniform network for providing free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society.

“The principal objective of the legal services authorities is to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker

Gauhati High Court judge Justice L.S. Jamir addressing first All Nagaland meet of district legal services authorities in Kohima on April 13. (Morung Photo)

sections of the society and to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of dis-

putes,” said Justice Jamir adding that apart from that the functions of legal services authorities include spreading legal literacy and awareness, undertaking social justice litigations etc.

“High cost of litigation,

the difference in capacity of the individual litigant to extract from the legal system, lack of adequate legal awareness, cumbersome procedures of litigation and quality of legal aid services available to poor and mar-

ginalized are some issues bothering all of us,” Justice Jamir said.

He said concerns have also been raised on quality of legal services available to the poor and marginalized largely due to

the reluctance on the part of experienced and senior advocates to volunteer for the legal aid services.

Stating that the effective implementation of the ten schemes formulated

by National Legal Services Authority is also a matter of concern in the state of Nagaland, he said “Victim compensation scheme under section 357A of the criminal procedure code, the performance of the legal services clinics, the under trial review committee etc are some areas where we have to put head together and evolve certain ways and means for having effective results.”

“We are dealing with the weakest section of the society who are not only economically poor but also ignorant of their legal rights due to lack of education,” said Khanrinla T. Koza,

secretary, department of justice & law in her address.

She urged the NSLSA to walk extra mile and extend competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society.

The working session discussed various agendas including victim compensation scheme, legal services clinics, ten schemes of NALSA-2015 & 2016, under-Trial Review Committee/Legal Service to UTPs, Lok Adalat, Legal Awareness through Print/Electronic media and other means, utilization of Grant-in-Aid & activity wise expenditure, Good practice sharing &suggestion session.

The inaugural function was chaired by Joshua Sheqi, Legal Aid Counsel & Trainer NSLSA while vote of thanks was proposed by NSLSA member secretary Nino Iralu.

Work like one man army to make ‘WE CARE FOR YOU’ Nagaland green: Imkong L Imchen Good Friday and Easter Our Correspondent

Sunday observed at Ebenezer Home

Kohima | April 13

Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change Imkong L. Imchen today challenged the staff of the department to work like one man army to make Nagaland green.

“You should work like one man army. Instead of depending others, please think that if I don’t work who will work,” he said this during the executive staff meeting of the environment, forests & climate change department here.

Imchen maintained that with such ambiance put into place, the performance of the staff will be automatic and their efficiency will be automatic.

He added that if they decided to work like one man army then turning Nagaland into exemplary green field will be the easiest task and the offshoot of their hard labour will be good for biological system, good for posterity, climatic condition and eco system.

Imchen said efforts of the staff would definitely make Nagaland difference and derive maximum ben-

Morung Express News

Imchen addressing the executive staff meeting of the environment, forests & climate change department in Kohima on April 13. (Morung Photo)

efit to the populace.

He said the department is going to issue notification on “Do” and “Don’t” almost every week.

“Let us deliver good service to our people” he told the staff and further urged upon them to extend their efficiency, complete loyalty and allegiance in the service delivery system.

Also touching on the policy and programme of the department, he stressed on the need to set the target to deliver goods to the people.

He regarded the department as one family looking at the same objective and the same target, for which all staff starting from PCCF down to the Grade IV should

work together as a team.

Imchen also wanted to see successful and hindrance free atmosphere towards the implementation of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) project for Nagaland forest management.

The JICA-assisted Project aims to improve forest ecosystem and support income generation by rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivation (traditional slash and burn practice) area and provision of livelihood support, thereby contributing to sustainable forest and environmental conservation and livelihood improvement in the target villages in the state of Nagaland.

I

Dimapur | April 13

n a wonderful gesture, the officials and team of Child Help Foundation, Dimapur Branch in partnership with NCHDIT visited Ebenezer Home, an orphanage for less privileged children located at Indisen Colony, Dimapur.

To mark the occasion and observance of “Good Friday and Easter Sunday”, the visit was held under the theme “We Care For You”.

During the interactive session, Yashimela Lemtor, Executive Director of NCHD-IT described how the Child Help Foundation, Dimapur Branch had previously visited Ebenezer Home with the purpose of letting the team experience firsthand the reality of how the less privileged children are facing in their day-today lives. This was an eyeopener for many of our team members and it left a

big impact and the feeling of wanting to be of some help to these children, she said.

“We discussed and agreed that we would visit the children of Ebenezer Home once again on the occasion of Good Friday and Easter Sunday and also mainly to show them that we care and love them,” she stated.

She further highlighted that the NGO has organized Child Support Programs and Youth Empowerment Programs across India and the Northeast. Child Health Foundation has previously assisted in raising health care funds for 15 children from India and one from the Northeast. Presently, the NGO has been approached for health care and treatment of an underprivileged child from Nagaland and is in the process of raising funds for this purpose.

Kesonyu Yhome, Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur who was the chief guest also extended his thankful-

Children of Ebenezer Home with Kesonyu Yhome, Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur and others from NCHD-IT and Child Help Foundation on April 13. (Morung Photo)

ness to NCHD-IT and Child Help Foundation for reaching out to less privileged children in the society.

Addressing the children of Ebenezer Home, he began by asking, “Will you dream big for me?” In an inspiring message, he told the children that the big personalities and leaders in the world all came up from nothing. “Hence, low socio-economic circumstances should never be a hindrance and that there is always a future and purpose for all of us- and that future only ‘You’ can control,” he added.

“Today you have mentors and caretakers in your lives, but there will be a time and moment in your life when you alone will have to decide the fate in your lives, so I urge all of you be strong and determined. Think about a big dream, but also remember to be a good human being. Because in today’s world there are so many problems and there are barely any good human beings. So, I urge all of you to grow up to be righteous, respectful, and upright human beings. People should be blessed because of your lives,” he stated.

“And don’t think I’m speaking ambitious things for you all – I’m speaking from my own experience and things I’ve seen around me. I hope this memory lasts with you for your lifetime, he concluded.

The program was chaired by S.Lithungo Lotha, Executive Team Leader, Child Help Foundation.

Prayer Song was led by the children of Ebenezer Home with vote of thanks presented by Akum, Director of Ebenezer Home. Gift were also distributed courtesy of the Child Help Foundation, Dimapur Branch.

Sumi Hoho General Session held at Zbto DPS Dimapur students qualifies for

ZuNhEboto, april 13 (mExN): The Sumi Hoho General Session (Baghi Hoho) was held on April 11 at Zunheboto. Sumis from every nook and corner participated in session. Session began with Dr. Daniel Chishi, Senior Pastor, Zunheboto Town Sumi Baptist Church reading the Bible and invoking God’s blessings. Toniho Yepthomi, President gave the Presidential Address followed by greetings from Zheshito Swu, President, Western Sumi Hoho. K.L. Chishi, former Chief Minister, Nagaland, who was one of the brains behind the formation of the Sumi Hoho way back in 1979 exhorted the public.

Kaito Aye, Minister,

Section of gathering attending the Sumi Hoho General Session (Baghi Hoho) was held on April 11 at Zunheboto.

Nagaland, Vikheho Swu, Minister, Nagaland and Mr. Pukhayi Asumi, Parliamentary Secretary, Nagaland also gave short

speeches. Special Number was presented by Aron Asumi and friends. Vihuto Asumi, General Secretary gave the Sumi Hoho 2014 –

2017 Report and also read out the Sumi Hoho Resolutions followed by Finance Report by Ghokhevi Chophi, Finance Secretary.

Vote of thanks was delivered by Hekhushe Shikhu, Secretary.

The Search Committee declared the officials for the tenure 2017 – 2020.

The new team will be lead

by Hekhushe Shikhu as the President where handing and taking over program will be done within the month of April. Prayer of blessing and benediction was conducted by Rev. Yevito Sumi, Senior Pastor, Sumi Baptist Church, Zunheboto. The session was chaired by Khehoshe Yepthomi, Vice President and recorded by Vihoto Shohe and Kakuto Chishi, Secretaries.

This was stated by Vihuto Asumi, General Secretary, Sumi Hoho.

Withee Bible College 13th graduation held

The graduating students of Withee Bible College, Darogajan, Dimapur with others during the Graduation ceremony held on April 12.

Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): Withee Bible College, Darogajan, Dimapur held 13th Graduation on April 12 with Rev. Rumatho Nyusou, Executive Secretary, Pochury Baptist Church Coun-

cil. Akaholi Lecturer, conducted the Graduation Service whereas Onen Jamir Lecturer gave the invocation prayer.

Rev. Dr. Vikheshe Chishi, founder and principal gave the

Welcome Address and the Scripture was read both from the Old Testament and New Testament

by Temjen Longkumar Lecturer and Ramaiphou Klerkson Lecturer respectively. Valedictory

speech was given by Kheholi Chishi, M.Div. Special song thrilled by the College choir.

The Degrees and Awards administered by Principal and Academic Dean followed by Commissioned prayer by the Principal.

Felicitation delivered by Joikap Phom, Lecturer. Benediction pronounced by Rev. Dr. Jayakumar, Founder and President BBCM & ACPL Bangalore.

A press release stated that altogether 31 students graduated for the academic year 2016-17.

The college gave away the following awards: Academic Excellence award was given to S.S Simon, B.Th; and Kheholi, M.Div. The chapel and devotion attendance awards was given to Jemi Sumi B.Th, Y. Nokshen Konyak B.Th, and Tonoli M.Div. Best preaching award was given to S.S Simon B.Th and L. Mosa Konyak M.Div. Best Discipline award received by Nima Lamu Sharmu B.Th.

final ASSET Talent Search Exams

Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): ASSET Talent Search is a talent identification programme created with the objective of recognizing and acknowledging academically talented students. It is a programme that focuses on providing such students a platform where they can showcase their natural abilities and helps them to further hone their true potential.

Three students from DPS Dimapur qualified for the final ASSET Talent Search Exams – Viboli Chishi of Std. VII won a medal and certificate of Merit, thereby, joining the esteemed “League of ASSET Talent Scholars”. Kavieo Sono and Elena Kamei also from Std. VII received a commendation certificate of participation. It may

The three students from DPS Dimapur qualified for the final ASSET Talent Search Exams.

be highlighted that in the recently concluded series of ASSET Talent Search 2016-17, more than 10,000 students from across India and UAE participated.

A press note stated that understanding the importance of nurturing gifted

students, DPS Dimapur committed in acting out its role as a facilitator to help students attain academic excellence and to nurture and provide opportunities to pursue their passion, not just within the state but at the national levels as well.

Dimapur Municipal Council workers clearing drain at Kalibari Road Dimapur on April 13. Dimapur Municipal Council cleared drainage along Kalibari Road, Dimapur. During the exercise, DMC encountered problems in effective clearing owing to various cables and pipes underneath the drain. In this regard, the DMC has appealed the concerned departments to look into the matter within one week. Meanwhile, DMC Administrator, H Atokhe Aye has appealed the public not to throw solid wastes into the drain as it obstructs smooth flow of sewage. With the onset of monsoon, he said more instances of clogged drains could take place if such wastes are senselessly dumped into drains and appealed for public cooperation. (Morung Photo)

Friday 14•04•2017

NORTH-EAST 3

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Tripura government to protest Digital India Day exempted in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram Centre stopping sugar subsidy

AgArtAlA, April 13 (iANS): The ruling Left Front in Tripura has attacked the central government over the discontinuation of subsidy on sugar through the PDS scheme and threatened to launch an agitation.

"The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-led central government from this month (April) stopped giving subsidy on sugar being supplied through the PDS. BJP promised 'acche din' (good times) before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but is not delivering on that promise," Tripura Left Front convener Kha-

gen Das said.

"The BJP government at the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is cheating the people. After kerosene oil, the BJP-led Centre is now withdrawing subsidy on sugar, putting a huge burden on the 'aam admi' (common man)."

The Bharatiya Janata Party's Tripura unit vicepresident Subal Bhowmik said his party would also launch an agitation if the Tripura government stops supplying sugar through the Public Distribution System.

"The Left government in Tripura is misleading the people about the central

government's sugar subsidy," Bhowmik said.

The opposition Trinamool Congress and Congress have also threatened to launch stirs to protest the Tripura government's decision to stop supply of sugar through PDS from May. Tripura's Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department Minister Bhanulal Saha said: "We have written many letters to the central government to continue the subsidy on sugar. If the central government stops giving subsidy on sugar, we will have to discontinue supply sugar through PDS from next month."

With the central and state government's subsidy, sugar given to consumers through PDS is at the rate of Rs 26 per kg against the market price of Rs 50 per kg.

An official of Tripura's Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department said the central government in its current year (2017-18) budget has not made any allocation for the sugar subsidy.

The official said the union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ministry's Department of Food and Public Distribution's Chief Direc-

RPF ‘Martyrs’ remembered Newmai News Network Imphal | April 13

Nine cadres of the banned Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) , who were killed in an encounter with security forces 35 years ago, were remembered on the occasion of 'Martyrs' Day' 2017 by the people.

The event was observed at Chingmeirong hillock organised by the Family Committee of the Observation of '13th April.'

People coming from various

parts of the state, family members, relatives, friends and dear ones of the late RPF cadres paid floral tributes to the tombs located at the 'martyrs' complex'.

The RPF cadres were killed in a major gunbattle with security forces at Kodompokpi in Imphal West in 1982. Since then, the outfit has been marking the day, April 13, as Martyrs' Day every year.

Strick security measures were taken in and around the complex by deploying a large

number of Manipur police and CRPF personnel to thwart any untoward incident.

The observation committee set up by the families of the killed RPF cadres is required to seek due permission from the Manipur High Court every year to observe the event.

A free medical camp was held at the community hall of Thangmeiband Sinam Leikai near Chingmeirong hillock to mark the occasion.

BJP's Pegu wins Dhemaji by-poll guwAhAti, April 13 (iANS): The BJP retained the Dhemaji assembly seat on Thursday when its candidate Ranoj Pegu won the by-election to the assembly, defeating Babul Sonowal of the Congress by a margin of over 9,000 votes.

While Pegu polled 75,217 votes, Sonowal garnered 65,932 votes, the Election Commission website showed. Jadu Hazarika of the CPI-M received 4,944 votes, among others.

By-poll to the assembly from the Dhemaji constituency held

on Sunday recorded close to 68.23 per cent voter turnout.

Of the 219,751 registered voters in the constituency, 148,658 votes were valid.

"I accept my victory and express my gratitude to the people... Our BJP government is completing one year in Assam and my victory indicates that people have accepted the party's government," said Ranoj Pegu after the results.

Dhemaji is Scheduled Tribes (ST) constituency and the by-poll was necessitated af-

ter the BJP's legislator Pradan Baruah vacated the seat upon winning the poll for the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat.

A senior tribal politician, Ranoj Pegu headed the regional political party, Gana Shakti.

He resigned from Gana Shakti in March and joined the BJP to contest the by-poll.

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which is in alliance with the BJP along with Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF), did not field any candidate in the Dhemaji by-poll.

tor G.S. Sahu in a circular to all states and union territories informed that reimbursing sugar subsidy scheme for the financial year 2017-18 onwards is under examination.

The Tripura government has been providing rice, wheat, sooji (semolina), sugar, kerosene and iodised salt to 925,694 families under the PDS. "If the central government discontinues the subsidy on sugar, the state government will have to bear Rs 65.05 crore per year, and that is unbearable for the Tripura government," the official added.

BJP announces 'Mission 40' in Meghalaya ShilloNg, April 13 (iANS): Buoyed by the party's success in Manipur and Assam, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced its ambitious "Mission 40" for the elections to the Meghalaya Assembly.

Under "Mission 40", the BJP is targeting to win 40 seats in the 60-member Meghalaya assembly in the 2018 elections scheduled to be held in February-March next year.

However, the BJP ruled out the possibility of projecting any state leader as the party's chief ministerial candidate.

"We want to win in at least 40 constituencies in Meghalaya. This is our mission," BJP Lok Sabha member Laxman Giluwa told journalists.

He said that the party workers are working hard to accomplish its "Mission 40".

Giluwa, who is also the Jharkhand BJP president, said that the party would make all efforts to dislodge the ruling Congress government as part of its larger design of a "Congress-Free India".

"Our mission is to make India a Congress-free country, and we are moving forward with it, and in the future, this dream will become a reality," he said.

Neither ruling out the possibility of stitching a pre-poll or post-poll alliance with the regional parties, Giluwa was confident that the BJP along with regional parties would form the new government in Meghalaya.

After 16 years, Meghalaya to build assembly building ShilloNg, April 13 (iANS): Meghalaya will start constructing the assembly building to replace a 125-year-old Burmese teak building reduced to ashes 16 years ago, officials said on Thursday.

From March 2001, assembly sessions have been held at the state's central library auditorium and later shifted to arts and culture auditorium within the premises of Brookside, the house where Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore began writing his "Shesher Kobita" in 1919.

On Thursday, a highpowered committee of

Meghalaya assembly, headed by Speaker Abu Taher Mondal, met to decide on a company to construct the building.

Mondal said nine firms had presented their architectural designs before the assembly's high-powered committee in the presence of technical staff.

"The committee will select the best among the nine designs and the chosen firm will be asked to prepare the structural design as well as a detailed project report for constructing the new building," he said.

However, the Speak-

KOHiMA eAster sunrise serViCe Date: 16-04-2017 Venue: Kohima War Cemetery Time: 05:00 a.m.

“He is risen” Luke 24:1-7 Leader: Pastor Nitoshe Zhimomi, Asst.

Secretary, KBPF Speaker: Rev. Zhabu Terhuja

Call to service Hymn: Christ Arose

Scripture reading : Mr. Mosa Tsang & prayer Associate Pastor, Pochury Baptist Church Solo

: Miss Lalrinpuii Salvation Army Church Kohima

Greeting

: Rev. Asangba Longkumer Advisor, KBPF

Special song

: 1. AG Church, Officer’s Hill 2. NCRC, Kohima Village

Message

: Speaker

Closing hymn

: He Lives

Mass prayer & benediction

: Rev. A.S. Vaoshok, Pastor, Tankhul Baptist Church

Musicians

: Miss Zareni Yanthan & Mr. Ethungbemo Ezung (Kohima Lotha Baptist Church)

Stewards

: 1. Midland Baptist Church 2. Nepali Baptist Church

Sound : Best Devices All are invited to attend the service

er said the new building would not be a replica of the heritage assembly building in Gothic style built by the British in pre-independent India. "We (government) targeted to start the construction of the new assembly chamber and the assembly secretariat within this year and complete it by 2019," Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said.

"We need to have an assembly building befitting the aspiration of the people and legacy of the state, keeping in mind that Shillong was the seat of power for a long time both pre and post independence."

Sangma said the proposed new assembly building would be built at the New Shillong Township in Mawdiangdiang, 12 km from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya.

He said the central gov-

SUCCESSION NOTICE Whereas application under Succession Act 1925 for grant of Succession Certificate for the estate/pension benefits of Late Sanat Kumar Aley has been filed

by Smti. Narola, (wife) R/o, Chumukedima, Dimapur Nagaland to draw his: Monthly Family Pension benefits, Leave Encashment, GPF and SBI (Chumukedima) A/C No: 20024428702 who expired on 10-12-16.

Notice is hereby given that any person having interest in the administration of the estate of the said deceased may if she/he so desire appear in this court on or before the said day of 15th May’ 2017.

Given under the hand and seal of the court on this 12.04.17.

Principal District & Sessions Judge, Dimapur: Nagaland

ernment had declined to allocate any funds to the State. "The state government will earmark funds from its own resources for the building, which initial cost will be Rs 70-75 crore," Sangma said.

ShilloNg, April 13 (iANS): The Modi government on Thursday exempted the Digital India Day to be held on Friday in the Christian-majority states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram on account of Good Friday, an official said.

In a letter to the Chief Secretary of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram, Niti Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant said on account of Good Friday the state governments were facing an issue about organising Digi Dhan Mela.

"It has been decided that the Digi Dhan Mela may be held on any other date convenient to the governments of Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland," Kant stated in his letter.

The decision came after the Meghalaya and Nagaland governments decided not to observe the Digital India Day in view of Good Friday.

On Wednesday, Lok

Sabha member Conrad K. Sangma of the National People's Party wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to defer the Digital India Day so that the secular fabric of India remains honoured both in writing and spirit.

Good Friday is one of the most important days in the Christian calendar.

It is observed as a day of prayers, penance and fasting to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago.

On Tuesday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had also raised objections against the BJPled NDA government for its decision to observe Digital India day on Good Friday "Is it that they selectively identifying these dates to marginalise the minorities with a complete disregard to the constitutional obligation of ensuring personal liberty?" the Congress leader asked.

Meghalaya's opposition parties -- United Dem-

ocratic Party and Hill State People's Democratic Party -- too have opposed the NDA government's programme.

Nagaland Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar said the state government will not join any activity relating to promotion of digital payment on Good Friday.

It is a part of a mega draw and 'Digi Dhan' planned for April 14 for the promotion of digital payments in 100 cities across India. The list does not include Nagaland, Kumar said.

Objecting the NDA's government to hold the programme on Good Friday, the powerful Young Mizo Association in Mizoram termed BJP government's decision as a show of disregard to one's religion.

It also appealed the Lal Thanhawla-led Congress government not to organise Digital India Day or any other official function on Good Friday.

Two PREPAK militants surrender Newmai News Network Imphal | April 13

Two militants belonging to banned People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak-Progressive (PREPAKPro) surrendered to the Manipur government here on Thursday.

They gave themselves up before Chief Minister N Biren Singh without arms

in a rousing “Home Coming Ceremony” at the CM’s Bungalow.

Self-styled Sergeant Major Salam Sitoljit, 28, a resident of Uripok Khumanthem Leikai, and self-styled Corporal Pebam Bishorjit, 24, a resident of Kiyamgei Awang Leikai, received a rousing welcome during the event.

They surrendered to

the government after escaping from their Myanmar camp, officials said. A number of camps and bases belonging to different Manipuri militant groups are believed to have been set up near the IndoMyanmar border. Moreh town of Tengnoupal district in Manipur is located on the Indo-Myanmar border.

GOVernMent OF nAGALAnD

DireCtOrAte OF WOMen resOurCe DeVeLOpMent NO.DWRD/WW/IDRC-1/2009

Dated Kohima, the 13th April, 2017

ADVERTISEMENT FOR FREE TRAINING

Applications are invited from female candidates in and around Dimapur area who wish to avail a 45-day free training programme in the trade of Soft Doll Making at the Integrated Development-cum-Resource Centre (IDRC), Purana Bazaar, Dimapur, near Treasuries & Accounts Training Institute, Dimapur. Seat Capacity: 5 Eligibility: * 18 to 40 years of age (Original birth certificate should be produced at the time of Interview) Job Opportunity: Candidates who successfully complete the training programme with 90% aggregate marks shall be inducted as apprentice under PreciousMeLove.

The following shall NOT be provided for the programme: * TA/DA * Stipend * Hostel Facility Applications should be addressed to the Director, Women Resource Development Department and should be submitted, along with 2 recent passport photographs and self attested photocopyof the Birth Certificate to Smt. Zuboni Humtsoe, Training i/c at the IDRC latest by 21st April, 2017. Interview will be held on 24th April, 2017 at 11:00 am at the IDRC premises.

Sd/- Director

Issued by: DIPR

OFFiCe OF tHe AnGAMi GAZetteD OFFiCers KrOtHO ApO BuiLDinG, KOHiMA, nAGALAnD Dated Kohima, the 11th April 2017

Business OppOrtunity Looking for Business enthusiast, part time/ full time for Business expansion.

Earn: 20k-150k monthly.

Age limit: 25+ Call: 7308911695/ 8974680186

The Angami Gazetted Officers Krotho (AGOK) congratulates Mr. Atu Zumvu, SDPO Kohima for being conferred the prestigious Shaurya Chakra by the President of India. The Krotho congratulates Atu Zumvu, NPS, who is currently serving as the SDPO Kohima for receiving the coveted gallantry award Shaurya Chakra from the First Citizen of the country, the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee on 6th April, 2017 in New Delhi.

The AGOK lauds him for being an Officer who has been responsive towards the call of duties in good and bad times, thereby earning the reputation as a ‘performer’ or ‘deliverer’ wherever he is posted.The Krotho also lauds him for his exemplary courage and committed services rendered towards his profession.

The Krotho conveys its congratulations over his earlier awards such as US special agent medal (2013), India Cyber Cop Award (2011), Governor’s Gold Medal (2009) and Governor’s Commendation Certificate (2005) for discharging his duties proactively and vigilantly.

While the Krotho is happy on his achievements till date, it is also hoped that he will continue to maintain the same spirit of commitment to duty and work with renewed vigour so as to bring more laurels to the Krotho in particular and the state in general.

The AGOK also extends its gratitude to all the officers and dignitaries at the state and national level for recognizing his immense contributions and recommending his name for the honour.

Dr. Kedozeto Punyü President, AGOK

Megolhu Dolie General Secretary

GOVernMent OF nAGALAnD

nAGALAnD stAte rurAL LiVeLiHOODs MissiOn nAGALAnD: KOHiMA

NSRLM/SMMU/ADVT/2012-13

ADVERTISEMENT

Dated Kohima, the 13thApril 2017

Sl. Position No. Of Post Eligibility Mode of Remuneration No Recruitment 1 Assistant 8 Posts PG in Social Work/Rural Development Resume Rs. 35,000/District - Kiphire, Kohima, Longleng, with 5 years experience in the field of screening and Month Program Mokokchung, Mon, Phek, Wokha and development, with atleast 3 years in a personal interview Manager Zunheboto Districts Managerial positionQualified internal (ADPM) candidates may also apply.

MSW/BSW Resume Rs. 20,000/2 Area 33 Posts screening and Month Coordi- - 2 each for Dimapur and Kohima Districts OR - 3 each for Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, MA/BA Preferably with 1 year personal interview nators Phek, and Zunheboto Districts experience in the field of social work (AC) - 7 each for Mokokchung and Wokha Districts 3 Data 9 Posts BCA /B. Com Resume Rs. 18,000/Entry - Niuland, Sitimi, Chiephobozou, Sakshi, OR screening, Month Operator Chuchuyimlang, Kubolong, Tobu, Phek, B.Sc/BA with Diploma in Computer Practical and (DEO) Sanis, Champang and Tokiye Blocks Application personal interview The contract will be initially for 2 years and may be extended based on performance. Preference will be given to those indigenous inhabitants/permanent residents of the Districts/Blocks.

Note: Candidates fulfilling the criteria may email their CV to hrnsrlm@gmail.com latest by 25th April 2017. Resume will be accepted only through email and only shortlisted candidates will be intimated via email for personal interview.

Sd/- ATHEL O. LOTHA Addl. Secretary, RD & Mission Director, NSRLM, Nagaland: Kohima Issued by: DIPR

4

FridAY 14•04•2017

NagalaNd

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

NStCB Ltd upgrades Financial Literacy Prog at Dihoma & Jotsoma Rangiya Div of NFR makes commendable performance service at Kiphire Kohima, april 13 (mExN): Financial Literacy Programme was held for women at Dihoma and Jotsoma villages on March 30. It was organized by the Nagaland State Social Welfare Board SCA of NMDFC, SRCW under Financial Literacy Camp Programme supported under FIF NABARD. Resource person from UCO bank, S.K. Chettri shared the benefits and the reasons why everyone should have a personal bank account. He said that establishing a good reputation with your bank is very important because when you borrow money from the bank it shows that you can pay the money on time.

Chettri also shared some of the benefits of holding an ATM card. “In an event when your bank suffers a disaster

dC Kiphire sedevekho Khro inaugurates the nagaland state Co-operative Bank Ltd AtM booth at its office premises at Kiphire on April 13. (Morung Photo) Morung express news Kiphire | April 13

The Nagaland State CoOperative Bank (NStCB) Ltd today inaugurated an ATM booth at its office premises at Kiphire with DC Kiphire Sedevekho Khro as chief guest who inaugurated the new booth.

Speaking at the inaugural programme, the DC said the inauguration of ATM is an incentive for the people of Kiphire and asked the people to do banking with the NStCB, as the main focus of the bank is for the rural people and agricultural related activities.

He also asked the gathering to avail loan but also to repay on time so that the institution gives best service to the people and for the growth of the economy. Sharing his observation, the DC lauded the NStCB staff of Kiphire for being the “best bank” in the welfare of the rural people and acknowledged the staffs of the Kiphire branch.

He suggested the bank officials to make, loan or any facility available in the institution to be more people friendly for rural people to find it easy to do banking with it. Citing

NStCB as “our own bank,” the DC also said, since the people serving in the NStCB are mostly local they know the local problem better which also makes the work easier.

Bendangnungsang, General Manager, NStCB HQ Dimapur while welcoming the gathering disclosed that there are 21 NStCB bank operating in the state and added with the achievement of core banking (CBS) in the year 2015 the transaction is very easy and there is 101% error free and also can transfer to any metropolitan cities in the country.

He also assured that the NStCB has also bought a slot at Noida where in case of disaster in system it can be recovered and asked the gathering not to have any doubt with the institution. He also said, in the years ahead micro ATM service will also be provided to the rural people which is in the pipeline for better service. He called upon the gathering to take care of the ATM as it is dedicated to the people of the district.

Thsapongkyu, DOB, NStCB also spoke on the occasion. Vizol Kera Branch Manager, proposed vote of thanks.

moN, april 13 (Dipr): Workshop on Digital/Cashless Payment Awareness was held at Deputy Commissioner Conference Hall on April 13 which was organised by the District Administration in collaboration with National Informatics Centre, Mon. Ravi Ranjan Kumar, District Informatics Officer, Mon said that digital economy for all is our opportunity to bring social change. In his power point presentation he mentioned about the important of Digital Payment Modes like Prepaid Cards, Debit/RuPay cards, *99# service, Mobile wallets, BHIM App and UPI App.He

maligaoN, april 13 (mExN): During the last financial year which ended on March 31, the overall performance of the Rangiya Division of Northeast Frontier Railway has been very commendable. Five pairs of new passenger trains were introduced during this period.

A press release issued by Pranav Jyoti Sharma, CPRO/NF Railway stated that the numbers of passenger originating from Rangiya Division has also increased by 5.66% to 157.06 lakhs. Passenger earnings have also shown an increase of 11.86% in comparison to last year.

The earnings from Goods section has increased by 8.50%. Other coaching earnings have also increased by 56.90%. Earnings from ticket checking have also increased by 28.05%.

To provide better amenities to passenger four PRS cum UTS centres were commissioned at Tatibahar, Changsari, Azara and Dudhnoi

station. 04 Nos. of Foot over Bridge were also commissioned at Khandikar, Goreswar, Khoirabari and Sripani stations in Rangiya - Rangapara North - Murkongselek section.

To supply clean drinking water to passenger, iron removal plant was provided at 04 nos. stations namely Lilabari, Archipathar, Simen Chapari and Telam stations in Rangiya Rangapara North -Murkongselek section. Mechanized cleaning of station is being done at Rangiya, Barpeta Road, Bongaigaon (‘A’ category stations) and New Bongaigaon (‘B’ category station) and Naharlagun (‘E’ category station).

To ensure safe running of trains, 14 level crossing gates (05 manned and 09 unmanned) were closed in New Bongaigaon-Goalpara Town - Kamakhya section of Rangiya division.

33 nos unmanned level crossing gates were also manned during this period in the division.

also said that everyone should start practicingregistration of mobile number at banks for regular information by SMS for every transaction, to never share our PIN to anyone, to always log out our Payment App after use and at ATM and to ensure no one is looking over our shoulders during transactions.

Short quiz session on Digital Payment was also held for all the participants of the programme where prize were also given to the winners.

Kumar Raminikant, SDO (C) Mon Sadar, IlikaZhimomi, SDO (C) Hq, officials and staff of DC office and SBI Mon attended the function.

tion of Indira Gandhi National Open University Regional Centre Kohima was held on April 13 at Modern College, Kohima with Commissioner Secretary, IT and Communication, K.D Vizo as the guest of honour.

Speaking on the occasion, Vizo congratulated all the suc-

diplomas in IGNOU. It is not only the responsibility of the teachers to keep inspiring on the students but it is a combination of teachers, students and parents to work hand in hand in order to become successful, he said. He further said that dedication of parents or institution is of no use unless

Regional Director, IGNOU, Dr. T. Iralu presented a report while the vote of thanks was proposed by Section Officer, IGNOU Kohima, R.V. Tetso.

Asst. Professor, Department of Education, Modern College, Deepali Thapa delivered the welcome address. Arenchenla presented a special number.

NStCB opens ATM at Pfutsero and Phek

Positive aspects of scientific beekeeping highlighted Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The All India Coordinated Research Project on Honey Bees and Pollinators (AICRP), SASRD, Nagaland University conducted a programme in the month of March in five target villages, namely Medziphema, Rüzaphema, Socünoma, Tsiepama and Piphema, under the theme ‘Start-up of Scientific Beekeeping in Nagaland under Tribal Sub Plan’. Dr. RC Gupta, Dean, NU: SASRD was the chief guest.

Gupta in his inaugural speech motivated the villagers citing the positive aspects of scientific beekeeping which not only includes higher hon-

CROSSWORD # 3915

Answer Number # 3911

ey productivity but also the benefits of pollination. He also encouraged harnessing its valued by-products.

The programme was chaired by Prof. M Aleminla Ao, NU: SASRD and welcome address was delivered by Dr. HK Singh, Scientist In-charge, AICRP (HB&P), NU: SASRD. Dr. AK Singh, Asst. Scientist, AICRP (HB&P) delivered the vote of thanks.

Scientific bee boxes and other bee rearing equipments were distributed to the beekeepers in the aforementioned villages. The programme was followed by ScientistFarmer interaction.

Guest and others during the nagaland state Cooperative Bank inaugural of its 9th AtM at Pfutsero and 10th AtM at Phek on April 12.

phEK, april 13 (mExN): The Nagaland State Cooperative Bank (NStCB) has opened it 9th ATM at Pfutsero and 10th ATM at Phek on April 12 with a view of placing the updated banking technological reach to all the districts of Nagaland.

The ATM at Pfutsero was inaugurated by Kekhwengulo Lea, Vice Chairman of the Bank as Chief Guest. Bendangnungsang, General Manager (Cr& Rvy) delivered the

ACROSS 1. List of options 5. Information 9. Brother of Jacob 13. Baking appliance 14. Borders on 16. Flows 17. Bobbin 18. Under 19. Liturgy 20. Provide with a permanent fund 22. An antacid 24. Rich soil 26. He flies a plane 27. Day after Monday 30. Cumulus and cirrus 33. Completely preoccupied 35. Aroma 37. Mayday 38. Mops 41. 52 in Roman numerals 42. Periods of discounted prices 45. Study of movement 48. Rickettsial disease 51. Rifle knife 52. Scintillas 54. Rate 55. Egotistical 59. Anagram of “Space” 62. Curved molding 63. Queues 65. At the peak of 66. Scheme 67. Anagram of “Sneer” 68. Carry 69. Arid 70. Leisure 71. Backside DOWN 1. Not less 2. Not odd 3. Unnecessarily 4. Release 5. Apply gently 6. Cain’s brother 7. Garden bulb

8. Nuclear 9. Typographical error 10. A set of garments 11. Stake 12. End ___ 15. Increase in size 21. Bankrolls 23. Romances 25. Catholic church service 27. Throw 28. Submarine 29. A type of evergreen tree 31. Sketcher 32. Slash 34. East Indian tree 36. Enumerate 39. Top part of an apron 40. Break 43. Effeminate 44. Sneaker or pump 46. Nestling hawk 47. A baroque musical composition 49. Practical 50. Lampoon 53. Ringworm cassia 55. Policemen 56. Leer at 57. Close 58. D D D D 60. Kettles 61. Type of sword 64. South southeast

Answer to Crossword 3914

W AIrPLAne AssIst AVoId BAse BLown deAtH doUBLe dreAM eMBAssY FAntAsY FerrY FoCUs FUtILe GAMBLe GIAnt GrAnd LeArn MesA MIre

R

needY nIGHtMAre PeGs PenALtY PennY rAre reGIon roYAL stAtes steAM storM stronG teMPer terM trAIn trIPLets wAGer wAnder

D

TaHaMZaM

chuyi Khesoh, Pastor, Phek Town Baptist Church, where welcome address was delivered by Bendangnungsang, General Manager(Cr& Rvy) and short speech given by Kekhwengulo Lea, Vice Chairman of the bank respectively.

Thepfulezo Sale Branch Manager expressed vote of thanks.

This was stated in a press release issued by Lipoktoba Aier, General Manager (Admn & Vigilance).

std code: 03871

(formerly senapati)

Police station Fire Brigade

222246 222491

Civil Hospital

232224

emergency

229529 229474

MH Hospital

227930 231081

Fire Brigade

2222952

Faith Hospital

228846

naga Hospital

2222916

shamrock Hospital

228254

oking Hospital

2243339

Zion Hospital

231864 224117 227337

Bethel nursing Home

2224202

northeast shuttles

08974997923

Police Control room

228400

Police Traffic Control

232106

east Police station

227607

west Police station

232181

CIHsr (referral Hospital)

242555 242533

dimapur Hospital

224041 248011

KOHiMa

south Ps

8575045502

Officer-in-Charge 8575045520 Zubza Ps

8575045508

Officer-in-Charge 8575045518

131/228404

Airport Indian Airlines

8575045501

Officer-in-Charge 8575045510

Apollo Hospital Info Centre 230695/ 9402435652 railway

std code: 0370

KoHIMA Ps/oCs Contact numbers north Ps

Chiephobozou Ps 8575045506 Officer-in-Charge 8575045516 tseminyu Ps

8575045507

Officer-in-Charge 8575045517

229366 242441 225212

Khuzama Ps

8575045505

Officer-in-Charge 8575045515

Chumukedima Fire Brigade 282777

O

welcome address and vote of thanks was given by Mathung Khuvung Branch .Manager, Pfutsero Branch.

Dr. Kuzhopoyo Tunyi, Pastor, Chakhesang Mission Centre Church blessed the function through his invocation prayer.

The 10th ATM at Phek was inaugurated by Murohu Chotso, Deputy Commissioner Phek as Chief Guest with an Invocation prayer by Thepu-

std code: 03862

DiMaPUR

Simple Rules - Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Game Number # 3912

cashless economy like it will becomes easier to determine how much we have spent and accordingly able to manage the budget and also instead of carrying a bulky notes, carrying the required cards will suffice.

Asalie also introduced the Joint Liability Group (JLG) which is a concept under National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to provide institutional credit to small farmers.

Later in the programme Keduokhonuo Belho of 181 shared on the Awareness of Women Hepline 181, One stop Center and Childine-1098.

She shared on how the Women Helpline181 came into being and why the present society needs to be aware of this helpline. She also highlighted that this help lines are toll free, which is a 24/7 service.

‘Digital economy is opportunity IGNOU 30th convocation at Kohima Kohima, april 13 cessful candidates for clearing the students themselves fulfil to bring social change’ (Dipr): The 30th convoca- their respective degrees and their responsibility.

leisure

SUDOKU

like robbery, fire, or bankruptcy your money deposited in the bank is protected and safe unlike money save and kept at home,” he stated.

Asalie A. Kruse, Project Manager, NSSWB spoke on the Digital payment programme which is a flagship programme of the Government of India with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. He explained in brief what digital payment is all about and the process where all the transaction will be done using cards or digital means from paying the bills, buying grocery and vegetables from the street vendors which ultimately will result in managing all the finances from home, office or wherever you are with your smart phone. He also shared some of the benefits of

Kezocha Ps

8575045549

nikos Hospital and research Centre

232032, 231031

nagaland Multispecialty Health & research Centre

women Cell 8575045509 248302, 09856006026 Officer-in-Charge 8575045519

eden Medical Centre

248722 /248288

S

E

A

R

C

Officer-in-Charge 8575045538

Control room

H

8575045500 (Emergency No. – 100)

FiRE STaTiONS

KoHIMA soUtH: 0370-2222952/ 101 (O) 9402003086 (OC) KoHIMA nortH: 7085924114 (O) dIMAPUr: 03862-232201/ 101 (O) 9856156876 (OC) CHUMUKedIMA: 7085982102 (O) 8732810051 (OC) woKHA: 03860-242215/101 (O) 8974322879 (OC) MoKoKCHUnG: 0369-2226225/ 101 (O) 8415830232 (OC) PHeK: 8414853765 (O) 8413822476(OC) ZUnHeBoto: 03867-280304/ 101 (O) 9436422730 (OC) tUensAnG: 8414853766 (O) 9856163601 (OC) Mon: 03869-251222/ 101 (O) 9862130954 (OC) Kiphire: 8414853767 (O) 9436261577 (OC) Peren: 7085189932 (O) 9856311205 (OC) LonGLenG: 7085924113 (O) 9862414264 (OC) we4 woMen HeLPLIne 08822911011 WOMEN HeLPLIne 181 CHiLD weLFAre CoMMIttee Toll free No. 1098 childline

MOKOKCHUNG

std code: 0369

Police station 1 Police station 2 Police station Kobulong Police station tuli Police station Changtongya Police station Mangkolemba Civil Hospital

9485232688 9485232689 9485232690 9485232693 9485232694 9485232695 2226216

woodland nursing Home

2226263

Hotel Metsüpen (tourist Lodge) 2226373/ 2229343

CURRENCY NOTES BUY (rs) seLL (rs)

Us dollars sterling Pound Hong Kong dollar Australian dollar singapore dollar Canadian dollar Japanese Yen euro thai Baht Korean won UAe dirham (Aed) Chinese Yuan

63.18 78.61 7.87 47.66 45.01 46.96 56.66 67.3 1.77 0.054 16.64 8.87

66.05 82.42 8.77 50.00 47.23 49.28 59.88 70.56 1.97 0.0601 18.55 9.87

Friday 14•04•2017

NAGALAND

BJP govt brazen disregard for religious Kohima Diocese flays sentiments a routine affair, says NPCC ‘callous’ infringment Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee today accused the BJP led Government at the centre for brazenly disregarding the sentiments of religious minorities.

The brazen disregard for the sentiments of other religious minorities, particularly Christians, has become “a routine affair,” NPCC alleged in a press statement issued by its Media Cell.

“In the midst of all these sacrilege” the Naga People’s Front led government in the state and BJP-RSS “continues to be inseparable partners,” it said.

When the Centre an-

nounced the observance of December 25 as Good Governance Day in 2014, the NPF took two good years to wake up from “self induced slumber and put

claimed that only after Meghalaya took the lead in protesting against observance of Digital India Day on April 14, which is the Good Friday, Nagaland

Digital India Day up a semblance of their existence only in 2016 against making Christmas day irrelevant,” NPCC further maintained.

Further accusing the NPF of inaction, the NPCC

joined.

“Only after, the NPF government has also belatedly come up with their feeble statement,” it said.

The NPCC further reiterated it allegation that the

only “notable achievement of the NPF has been to facilitate the presence of BJP in Nagaland” beside 14 years of “misgovernance.”

“Supporting NPF is supporting BJP-RSS since they are two sides of the same coin,” it said adding that NPF should stop attempting to “fool the people by sailing in two boats.”

Further asserting that the BJP’s rhetoric’s about development agenda has been unmasked repeatedly, the NPCC said that time is ripe for the people of Nagaland to “rise up to the occasion" and to reject any “communal forces and their agents.”

Nagaland BJP to refrain from observing Digital Day Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The Bharatiya Janata Party Nagaland today said that it will not be observing the ‘Digital India Day’ on April 14, because it falls on Good Friday, “an important sacred day of Christians.”

“The BJP Nagaland believe that it is also very important that the sanctity of

religious days are also observed and maintained in the true secular character and traditions of the constitution,” the Party said in a statement issued through its General Secretary (Media) & Spokesperson, Jaangsillung Gonmei.

Concurrently, the BJP Nagaland said it has also requested the Centre to

“avoid important Christian days or any other religion’s important holidays which are normally national holidays from being declared as commemorative official days.”

It further acknowledged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative for ‘Digital India Day,’ marking the Digital

India campaign launched in July 2015 to ensure improved online infrastructure and increased connectivity for availing Government services electronically by the citizen even in rural areas.

BJP Nagaland also extended a blessed Good Friday and a Happy Easter to everyone.

Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The Bishop’s House Kohima today extended its endorsement to the Government of Nagaland and NBCC’s “NO” to Digital India Day on Good Friday.

While appreciating the effort of the Central Government to spread digital education, such laudable effort should not be at the cost of the secular and inclusive fabric of the nation, the Secretary to Bishop, Kohima Thomas Toretki said in a statement received here.

“Unity in diversity” has been the greatest strength and asset of the Indian ethos and any effort to dilute it by infringing upon the religious sentiments of any group of people will only bring division and disintegration of national unity and cohesiveness, it said.

The seemingly systematic and planned effort of some group to undermine and destroy the unity and integrity of India by sowing seeds of division and imposing uniformity and the cost of unity is detrimental to the progressive and visionary efforts of well intended leaders and they must guard and vigilantly disown and disassociate themselves from such forc-

es, it added.

The statement further lamented the “callous attitude” of some leaders to infringe upon the religious sentiments of the Christian community by declaring “Good Governance Day” on Christmas day and now “Digital India Day” on Good Friday.

“It is hoped that our leaders while planning policies for the progressive development of the nation will strive to carry all the citizens along its stride,” it said.

Stating that the progress and development must not limited only to a mono-culture and mono-system and only to material and economic aspects, it said that the human being must also grow alongside.

“Human being must also grow and develop in their attitudes and actions; broaden their outlook and perspectives to accept and accommodate differences,” it added.

Noting that the development should not be at the cost of unity and integration, the statement instead called for letting “unity and integration, multi-culture and diversity be the cornerstone of India’s growth and progress.”

Village in Wokha bans hunting, absenteeism Mungya Village passes various other resolutions Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The Mungya Village Council (MVC), under Wokha District has decided to bar all hunting and fishing activities within its jurisdiction.

The Council also stated that all Government employees posted in its area “should be present at all time” and daily attendance will be recorded through the Board Chairman.

No proxy teachers will also be allowed and all the teachers are asked to be present all the time at their respective posting.

There resolutions, among many others, were

passed during the 1st General meeting of the Mungya Village Council held on April 7, MVC Chairman M Eyilo Kikon informed in a press note received here.

The Council, VDB’s along with its members also discussed various developmental agendas which were presented by its units and resolutions were adopted for the betterment of the village, it said.

A resolution was also passed for the removal of all house’s fences within the village at the earliest, it added.

No cremation of the dead will be allowed in

Meetings & AppointMents DMC meeting with GBs The officials of Dimapur Municipal Council will be holding a meeting with all Council GBs/Chairman of concerned colony under its jurisdiction on April 17, 12:00 noon at the DMC Office. DMC Administrator informed in a press note that the meeting will discuss issue related to “Housing for All” scheme and the officials of the Municipal Affairs Department, Kohima Nagaland will conduct the meeting. All the concerned Council GBs/Chairman of each colony are requested to attend the meeting without fail.

MARCOFED BoD meeting The 99th meeting of Board of Directors of MARCOFED Ltd will be held on April 24, 10:00 am onwards in the office chamber of its Chairman in Dimapur. All concerned members are requested to attend the meeting positively.

Hovukhu village emergency meeting All the Hovukhu villagers residing in Dimapur, including those who own a land at Hovukhu village, are informed that there will be an emergency meeting on April 17, 8:00 am onwards at the residence of Tovishe Achumi, Purana Bazar, Dimapur. The Hd. GB of the village has requested all the concerned to attend the meeting without fail.

Tribal Farmer Association, Peren meeting All the members of Tribal Farmer Association, Peren have been informed that there will be a general meeting on April 25, 11:00 am at Administrative Rest House, Jalukie Town to discuss matter relating to loan which was waived by the government according to the latest RTI reply from Central Information Commission, New Delhi and SBI Peren, stated a press release from the Association. Therefore, all the persons concerned have been requested to attend the meeting.

FTC 8th Graduation ceremony The Faith Theological College (FTC), Ura Villa Colony Dimapur will be conducting its 8th Graduation Ceremony on April 18, 11:30 onwards at Town Hall, Dimapur with Minister of School Education & SCERT as the Chief Guest. Rev. ZK Rochill, Senior Auxiliary Secretary, Bible Society of India will be the guest speaker. All board members, parents and well wishers are requested to pray and be part of the programme. For details, one can contact 9436425173/9856319201/9774870677.

the residential area except in the community graveyard, it said adding that the council also discussed on the extension of the community grave yard.

The meeting was presided over by the Chairman followed by exhortations and blessing of the new office bearer, it said.

The Council Chairman while acknowledging the contribution made by each member, also prayed for future support for the welfare of the village, it added.

The meeting was also attended by units from Wokha, Kohima, Dimapur and Chukitong.

MEx FILE Enrol for Aadhaar in Mkg from April 17 Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Mokokchung has informed that Aadhaar enrollment for indigenous inhabitants of Mokokchung district will commence from April 17. The Sub Divisional Officer (C), Mokokchung, T Lemlila Sangtam in a press release said that the enrollment for all the indigenous inhabitants will be held during office hour at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office.

DoSE informs In-service trainees Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The Directorate of School Education has informed all concerned In-service teachers’ trainees undergoing the 2 year D.EL.ED that their date of verification has been deferred due to the upcoming 1st Year Examination scheduled to be from April 18-24. The new date of verification will be notified at the earliest, Addl. Director (HOD) Wonthungo Tsopoe said in a press note.

NSCN (R) informs printing presses Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The NSCN/GPRN (Reformation) has directed and instructed to all the printing presses/press owners of Nagaland state, not to entertain the printing of its Government Pad, Challan and Stamp or any other instruments related with the government, without proper verification or rightful authorization by the central government of NSCN(R). In a press note from MIP NSCN (R), Chaplee Kilonser NSCN (R) “informed and requested to all the printing presses of Nagaland state to abide by its directive with immediate effect to ensure smooth and effective functioning of the government.” Stern action will be taken against against defaulters, it added.

Young Associates turn 25 Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The Young Associates will be celebrating its Silver Jubilee at Jakhama Village on April 16. The ‘Young Associates’ is a light minded young fathers constituted of businessman, government employees, lawyers, politician, engineers, bureaucrat and police officer with its main object to promote unity within its community and help their people in times of need, a press note informed. The main feast of the Jubilee will be held at 1.00 pm and its Secretary Kezhokhoto Savi have requested all its members to compulsorily bring their families and a special game would be arranged for the children. The members also requested to join for a final preparation of the programme at the residence of Er. Toba Chophizou, Jakhama village on April 15. It further conveyed a Happy Easter to all citizen and its members, in particular.

Sumi Hoho thanksgiving program

The Sikh Community in Dimapur celebrated 319th years of Sikhism at Dimapur Gurudwara Sahib on April 13. The day is also observed as Baisakhi, a major festival of Sikhs and celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and gaiety in the state of Punjab and all throughout the world where there is a significant Sikh population. Nagaland DGP LL Doungel, who was the chief guest was accompanied by Dimapur Commissioner of Police, Limasunep IPS and IGP (NAP) Bendang Lemtur during the celebration in Dimapur.

AR nabs 2 NSCN (K) cadres Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): Two NSCN (K) cadres were arrested from Tizit area under Mon District by troops of 35 Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ IGAR (North), an AR press note informed. The AR identified the cadres as Nyanei Konyak (44 yrs) and Lemnyei Konyak (43 yrs), both residents of Oting village in Mon district. A sum of Rs. 1,98,000/- were also recovered from them, it said. The apprehended cadres along with the cash were handed over to Tizit Police Station on 10 April 17, it added.

9 'home comers' join NSCN (R) Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): The NSCN / GPRN (Reformation) claimed 9 cadres of GDRN/ NNC (NA) who have recently joined into its fold reposing “their faith and confidence under the visionary, dynamic and collective leadership” of President Y Wangtin Naga and Ato Kilonser P. Tikhak. The “home comers,” according to a MIP NSCN (R) press release, were Lt. Col. Kehuto; Lt. Col. Toshika; Lt. Col. Huvito; Maj Samuel; Maj. Ato; Maj. Shikato; Capt.

Inito; Sgt Maj. Jakeho; and Sgt. Maj. Zakato. The NSCN (R) further acknowledged the home comers for their bold and wise decision in the right time in order to determine the future of the Naga peoples and Nation as well, it added.

Dimapur, april 13 (mExN): A thanksgiving program of the eleventh tenure (2014 – 2017) of the Sumi Hoho was observed in at Aghunato Town Baptist Church, the native place and church of the outgoing President Toniho Yepthomi on April 9. A press note from its General Secretary, Vihuto Asumi informed that the Office Bearers gathered with the congregation of the church in giving thanks to the almighty God for the successful completion of the term and for His faithfulness throughout. The President Toniho Yepthomi, Vice President Khehoshe Yepthomi, General Secretary Vihuto Asumi and Hekhushe Shikhu gave brief speeches during the programme, it said. A Prayer of thanksgiving was conducted by Vihoto Awomi, Pastor of the church during the same.

Catholics observe ‘Maundy Thursday’ Kohima, april 13 (mExN): The Catholics of Nagaland, along with the rest of the World, today observed the “Maundy Thursday” or Holy Thursday with the washing of the feet and adoration of the Holy Eucharist.

During the observance, Pope Francis in Rome and bishops in their own Cathedrals and priests in their own churches carry out the washing of the feet in memory of what the Lord Jesus did during the last supper, informed a press note from Bishop’s Secretary Fr. Thomas Toretkiu.

In Nagaland, Rev. Dr. James Thoppil, Bishop of Kohima, was the main celebrant at the Mary Help

of Christian, Cathedral, on April 13 and Rev. Fr. Carolus Neisalhou, Vicar General Diocese of Kohima, Fr. Sojan Puthankudy, Chancellor of Diocese, Fr. George Punnolil, Administrator of the Diocese of Kohima with other fathers concelebrated with the Bishop, it said.

It is to be noted that the rite is often referred to as the Mandatum, from Jesus' words at the Last Supper (John 13:14), it added.

In his homily, the Bishop invited the community to take to heart the two spiritual messages from the celebration –the Feast of Holy Thursday in remembrance of the institution of the Sacrament of the Holy

Eucharist; and secondly to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in a worthy manner.

In our living faith in Christ, we must be prepared to love and serve others. Those who receive Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist cannot but serve in humility their brothers and sisters as Jesus did, he added.

Rev. Dr Thoppil further said that the feet washing are a “symbol of Jesus readiness to serve, serve as a servant” and the service is “not out of compulsion but out of love.”

After the homily, Bishop wrapped a towel around the waist, poured water and washed the feet of 12 people (six men and six

women) in commemoration of what Jesus did.

It is for the first time that the Cathedral parish has the women for the washing of the feet in accordance with the change of rite suggested from Rome and practiced

by Pope Francis, the press note further informed.

After the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed at the altar for the adoration, symbolically keeping watch with the Lord, it said.

Various petitions of prayers were said for the people, state and country and Children, youth and parents will participate in the spirit filled adoration in groups up to 11:30 pm, it added.

Concerted effort needed for clean and green environment: Niketu Kohima, april 13 (mExN): Noted Social activist Niketu Iralu, on Thursday, called for a concerted effort from every citizen to make our environment clean and green.

He said this while formally launching the Sechü Zubza Youth Organisation’s “Year of Sanitation & Plantation” programme where he made an ardent call to make a “serious effort to protect our degrading environment and in preserving our ecosystem.”

“No social, political and economic problem is greater than the effort to heal and beautify our mother earth. Therefore, environmental issues should be our top most concern and priority instead of the existing social, political and economic problems,” said Iralu, who is also a trustee at Centre for North East

Social activist Niketu Iralu planting a tree in Sechü Zubza on April 13.

Studies & Policy Research, Guwahati & New Delhi.

“Environmental issues have become a global concern. It will be foolish on the part of humans to destroy and damage the creation of God,” he said, urging upon every single individual to contribute on their part in taking good

care of Mother Earth.

Iralu further lauded the village youth for providing leadership in the effort to make the village clean and green.

“Going by its location, Sechü Zubza has so much advantage, and we should make the best use of the opportunities given to us.

Sometimes, we tend to live in our own comfort and forget the challenges that lie ahead of us. Let us learn to be responsible citizens and progress as a people,” he urged.

The SZYO’s initiative will send a strong message for others to follow suit, Iralu further maintained

Delivering the keynote address, SZYO president Viketouzo Meyase stated that the sanitation and plantation drive is organised with the aim to make Sechü Zubza a clean and green village.

“Under this banner, our effort is to clean up all the mess in and around the village jurisdiction, including the rivers, streams, institutions, etc,” he said.

All the villagers and people who pass through should refrain from littering the village anymore beginning from this day,” he said maintaining that the effort to clean Sechü Zubza will remain a big task as the village is located along the stretch of National Highway 29.

Stating that there have been cases in the past where people from outside have dumped truck loads

of waste within the village jurisdiction, the SZYO president cautioned that the defaulters would be strictly penalised if caught.

He added that the youth organisation will make a constant effort to fulfill their objective of making Sechü Zubza clean, while urging everyone concerned to join hands in this venture.

Following the launching programme, a mass social work was carried out, wherein the villagers from all the five colonies of the village, including the schools and government institutions, participated.

Niketu Iralu also installed a dustbin and planted a tree sapling, while the SDO Civil, medical officer of PHC and OC Sechü Zubza police station installed a waste bin and planted a tree sapling each.

6

friday 14•04•2017

IN FOCUS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express

C O M M E N T A R Y

Katharine Houreld Reuters

Hungry Somalis weigh a daughter's Change for the better freedom against her siblings' lives volume XII Issue 101

By Witoubou Newmai

A

t least for now the gesture of N Biren Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur State, has brought the Nagas and the Manipur Government to a meeting point, a huge advancement in an effort towards a ‘way forward’. Exchange of sweetness, in the warmth of willingness to carry forward this atmosphere of ‘talking terms,’ persists for the time being. However, all concerns are now on finding ways and means to take this bonhomie to the next level.

Amid these celebrations, Naga organizations have already come down to business by placing issues they stand for before the Chief Minister.

The All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) and Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) have already shown to the Biren Singh Government that when it comes to what they stand for, they would not hesitate to tell things to the face.

On April 11, at Ukhrul town, the all-grinning Chief Minister N Biren Singh might have realized what discomfort feels like in a public space when the apex Tangkhul body told him what the Naga people want.

The TNL urged the visiting Chief Minister to “recognise and honour the legitimate rights of the Nagas to integrate all contiguous Naga areas and to extend all possible support towards expediting the ongoing peace process and solution of the long-drawn Indo-Naga political imbroglio in the interest of all concerned."

Few days before the Ukhrul event, the ANSAM had voiced strongly against the Biren Singh Government’s decision to raise Highway Protection Force on national highways. The Naga students’ body accused the Biren Singh Government of trying to "militarize the Naga and tribal areas and to create avenues for state terrorism."

In the next few days’ time the United Naga Council (UNC) and the Manipur Government are likely to resume their talks on the contentious district creation issue.

The UNC lifted the four and a half months’ economic blockade on the national highways linking Manipur on March 19 this year following a "fruitful" tripartite talk involving the Centre, Manipur government and the Naga body with the announcement that the “next tripartite talks will be held within a month’s time at political level.”

When these issues are actually discussed, amidst the ongoing bonhomie between the Nagas and the Biren Singh Government, the authenticity of the latter’s gesture will be exposed whether they are the same old rhetoric, the standard smokescreen of successive governments’ policy in a different avatar, or there is genuine willingness and ability to resolve issues.

It is every sane person’s prayer that wisdom and maturity intervene when the Nagas and the Biren Singh Government engage on issues.

The Manipur Government must realize that the survival of any conversation is at risk if dissenting voices are not recognized—this is what has led the situation thus far in Manipur.

Having seen the marred atmosphere left behind by the previous government, it is everyone’s hope that the Biren Singh Government can hold strong to the compelling virtue to change course for the better.

lEfT wiNg |

Mike McHargue Sojourners

Building Empathy and Solidarity through Story

T

here's this film called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty about a guy who daydreams all the time. His vivid, out of control imagination keeps him from fully engaging his life and relationships. It's a great film, but I really love it for the irony.

A theater full of people watching a film about a guy who daydreams too much do something rare: They stop daydreaming themselves.

Humans spend about a third of their waking hours daydreaming. It's a survival feature. Our constant imagining of a possible future helps prepare us for the future that actually comes. We've already practiced giving that speech at the office, or what we'll do if when a beloved one grows distant. The only cost is our ability to be fully present in a moment.

Here is the power of story: to make people pay attention and be fully present. The only irony is they are fully present in a story that is not their own. We weep for a Dumbledore who never lived, thrill at a first kiss that wasn't ours, and experience the terror of being chased by a psychotic killer while safely resting a theater seat.

The effect is just as powerful when we curl up with a book.

It's the story that captivates us, not the sound and pictures.

One way cognitive scientists describe human consciousness is a story the brain tells itself. We become the hero of our story, and our friends and family the supporting cast. Anyone who opposes us becomes the villain, of course. Viewing consciousness this way explains why story captivates us: The very structure of a story emulates how we understand the world.

This gives story some incredible power — and I don't just mean the experience. I'm talking about the way that story changes us. Stories can place you in the shoes of someone else — not just wizards or starship commanders, but people with different life experiences in this world.

When I, a man, read the memoir of a woman, my brain begins to live her story and understand it in a way I can't reach any other way. When I, a white person, read a story with a protagonist of color, my consciousness expands to understand marginalized perspectives in a manner unavailable to my rational mind.

Story is the ultimate conveyor of empathy and solidarity.

We also learn from story. When a protagonist encounters new information, our brains treat it like something we've learned ourselves, but without our usual cognitive defense toward new information. Story bypasses our defenses and speaks directly into our minds.

We even emulate the behaviors we see in beloved protagonists. If you read about a protagonist who votes, you are more likely to vote yourself. The emotional engagement we have with a story predicts our behavioral change.

One study showed the shift in oxytocin levels in our blood were a consistent predictor for how much money someone would give to a charity after hearing a story about who the charity serves.

Story is one of our oldest and most powerful technologies.

For those who want to drive change in our world, learn to tell stories well. Foster a relentless focus on captivating an audience with drama, triumph, sorrow, and joy.

But be careful. You are wielding a powerful tool that can shape how people see the world. Be a good steward of this gift.

A

s the village wells dried up and her livestock died in the scorched scrubland of southern Somalia, Abdir Hussein had one last chance to save her family from starvation: the beauty of her 14-year-old daughter, Zeinab.

Last year, an older man offered $1,000 for her dowry, enough to take her extended family to Dollow, a Somali town on the Ethiopian border where international aid agencies are handing out food and water to families fleeing a devastating drought.

Zeinab refused.

"I would rather die. It is better that I run into the bush and be eaten by lions," said the slender dark-eyed girl in a high, soft voice.

"Then we will stay and starve to death and the animals will eat all of our bones," her mother shot back.

The exchange, related to Reuters by the teenager and her mother, is typical of the choices facing Somali families after two years of poor rains. Crops withered and the white bones of livestock are scattered across the Horn of Africa nation.

The disaster is part of an arc of hunger and violence threatening 20 million people as it stretches across Africa into the Middle East.

It extends from the red soil of Nigeria in the west, where Boko Haram's six-year jihadist insurgency has forced 2 million people to flee their homes, to Yemen's white deserts in the east, where warring factions block aid while children starve.

Between them lie Somalia's parched sands and the swamps of oilrich South Sudan, where starving families fleeing three years of civil war survive on water-lily roots.

Parts of South Sudan are already suffering famine, the first in six years.

In Somalia, the United Nations says more than half the 12 million population need aid. A similar drought in 2011, exacerbated by years of civil war, sparked the world's last famine, which killed 260,000 people. Now the country teeters on the brink again.

At the moment, the death toll is still in the hundreds but the numbers will spike if the March-May rains fail. The forecast is not good.

As U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to slash aid budgets, the United Nations says the drought and conflicts in the four countries are fuelling humanity's greatest collective disaster since World War Two. "We stand at a critical point in history," Undersecretary-General for humanitarian affairs Stephen O'Brien told the Security Council in March. "We are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations."

The United Nations needs $4.4 billion by July, he said. So far it has received $590 million.

THE CHOICE Missing from the statistics are the heart-wrenching choices families make every day to survive.

Sheltering under the bare branches of a thorn tree as she waited for a

Zeinab, 14, looks in a small mirror as she brushes her teeth using a chewing stick inside her shelter at a camp for internally displaced people from drought hit areas in Dollow, Somalia April 3, 2017. REUTERS

cup of flour, one mother who just arrived in Dollow said she had been feeding her younger children while the older ones went hungry.

Another had left her sick 5-year-old son by the side of the road with distant kinsmen as she led children that could still walk towards help. A third woman bid goodbye to her crippled husband and walked through the desert for a week, carrying their toddler, to the place where there was food.

Hussein traded Zeinab's freedom for the lives of her sisters.

"I felt so bad," she told Reuters in the ragged dome of sticks, rags and plastic that shelters her and 14 other relatives. "I ended the dreams of my baby. But without the money from the dowry, we would all have died."

Zeinab, whose henna'd hands are also covered with her own inky teenage doodles, wears a tight-fitting headscarf and a long, drab skirt. Underneath are a pair of trousers with a spray of coloured rhinestones at the bottom, and an iron will. She wants to be an English teacher. She wants to finish school. She does not want to be married.

"I want something different to this," she said, as her 2-year-old nephew rolled naked in the sand and his baby brother cried weakly.

Weighed against Zeinab's dreams were the lives of 20 nieces and nephews, the sons and daughters of her three elder sisters, all married young and all widowed or divorced. There was also her careworn older brother, her gap-toothed younger sister and her middle-aged parents.

Once the family had cows and goats and three donkeys that they hired out with carts for transport. But the animals died around them and Zeinab became their only hope of escape.

For a month, she refused, withdrawing into herself and running away when they forgot to lock her in her room. Finally, faced with her family's overwhelming need, Zeinab relented.

"We didn't want to force her," her mother said wearily, worry lines etched into her forehead as her daughter sat stony-faced beside her. "I could not sleep for stress. My eyes were so tired I could not thread a needle."

THE MARRIAGE The dowry was received, the marriage celebrated, and union consummated. Zeinab stayed three days and ran away.

When her family hired cars to drive them the 40 kilometers to Dollow, Zeinab went with them. She enrolled in the local school, where stick walls topped by corrugated iron sheets serve as classrooms for 10 teachers and around 500 students.

Her husband followed.

"He says, if the girl refuses me I must get my money back. Or I will take her by force," Zeinab said quietly. "He sends me messages saying give me the money or I will be with you as your husband."

Her family cannot repay even a fraction of the dowry. Their only assets are their two stained foam mattresses, three cooking pots and the orange tarpaulin that covers their makeshift dome. There is nothing else to sell.

Then Zeinab's English teacher Abdiweli Mohammed Hersi decided to step in. Hersi has seen hundreds of students drop out due to the drought.

One girl left to work as a maid to help feed her family. Her generation was the first where the daughters were sent to school. A boy sickened and died; cholera has exploded throughout Somalia as the bacteria infects dwindling water supplies.

Five girls this year also left for forced or early marriages, Hersi said. Young, reluctant brides are not unheard of in Somalia, but they are less common in good times, he said, at least in Dollow.

"Before the drought, the cases were less," he said, an inflatable globe hanging from the ceiling of his classroom.

"Some parents do give their children to other men to get that money."

THE END No one knows how many families are making choices like Zeinab's.

"While we don’t yet have firm data, we understand from some reports that the numbers are small but increasing, particularly in the south and central regions," said Jean Lokenga, chief of Child Protection for the United Nations Children's Fund in Somalia.

Other aid groups said most droughtstricken families are too poor to pay dowries after their animals died. None knew of a program to help girls like Zeinab.

Hersi took Zeinab to a local aid group, who took her to Italian aid group Cooperazione Internazionale. The regional coordinator, visiting on a trip with EU donors, decided to intervene.

"We must do something for this girl," said Deka Warsame, pouring tea for colleagues gathered to hear the story as the call to prayer sounded through the rooftops. "Otherwise it will be a rape every night."

Her staff held a collection and came up with enough cash to repay the dowry. Warsame told Zeinab the group would mediate a meeting between the men of the two families. Her husband would get back his money if he divorced her in front of witnesses.

Zeinab's dark eyes flicked up from the floor.

"Will I be free?" she asked.

What the Dalai Lama’s visit to Tawang could mean? sunaina Kumar

T

News Laundry

here is an old Chinese saying attributed to Lao-Tze that goes, “Those who know, do not say; those who say, do not know”. The Dalai Lama, in all likelihood knows, but won’t say. In his usual way, he has given no definite answer to one of the most abiding questions surrounding him-that of his reincarnation. In a recent interview to talk show host John Oliver, he said he very possibly may be the last Dalai Lama, and at the same time he said, the next one will not be from communist China, even though China is resolute on anointing his successor.

Could the Dalai Lama be searching for his successor in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh? And, is that why the Chinese government is so het up about his visit there? In November 2009, the Dalai Lama visited Tawang for four days, but the protest by the Chinese government was a lot more muted then than it is now. So, what has changed in the eight years since? Is it because his age has made the search for his successor more critical?

If the Dalai Lama were to reincarnate, there are only a few places to choose from, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia and India among them, Jayadeva Ranade, president of the Centre for China Analysis and Studies in Delhi, told Newslaundry. “Of these, China can easily strongarm the smaller countries, which leaves India as the only free and democratic country to choose his successor from,” he said.

This is just one among the many questions that have surfaced in the wake of his 12-day visit to the Northeast this month, which according to China has “severely damaged” its relations with India. His itinerary is full of activities befitting his stature as a religious leader — taking part in religious discourses, consecrating temples and giving talks.

The official statement circulated by the Ministry of External Affairs emphasised the visit as religious and an internal matter of India, describing him as a “revered religious leader, who is deeply respected as such by the Indian people.” To keep a lid on speculation, the statement said, “No additional colour should be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and visits to various states of India.” And, “no artificial controversy should be created around his present visit to Arunachal Pradesh.”

Yet, controversy has been inexorable. It is not possible to separate the Dalai Lama’s religious identity from his political identity. No wonder, the Chinese keep a close scrutiny on his travels. When he visited Mongolia (where a large majority of the population follows Tibetan Buddhism) in November last year, China imposed retaliatory economic sanctions on it. A country that had apparently took to drinking less alcohol on the Dalai Lama’s bidding kowtowed to China’s coercion and announced that the Dalai Lama will not be welcomed again.

China has become increasingly hectoring on its claims on Arunachal

Pradesh, asserting Tawang’s links to Tibet, and thus to China, particularly after the Dalai Lama declared that Tawang was part of India in 2008, giving up his earlier position that Tawang was historically Tibetan. Tawang, which has a sizeable Tibetan Buddhist population, is the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, and the Tawang Monastery, which was founded in the 17th century, holds special significance, as the second largest Buddhist monastery, after the one in Lhasa, Tibet. Tawang is also the place where the Dalai Lama first entered India when he fled Tibet in 1959. He recently said, “When I revisit the Tawang area, I am reminded of the freedom that I had experienced for the first time (in 1959). That was the beginning of a new chapter in my life.”

India, meanwhile, is mulling a rail link that will connect Tawang, a flashpoint in India-China ties, with Bhalukpung, a city in Aruncahal Pradesh, as part of a broader strategic plan to protect its borders, and develop infrastructure to integrate Tawang with other cities in the northeast. China is none too pleased and has asked India to exercise “restraint” on the plan.

Add to all this, the Dalai Lama’s recent public outings in India and interactions with political leaders and state representatives, something that irks China to no end. In Arunachal Pradesh, he was welcomed by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju. In December 2016, he was invited to a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he met

wRiTE-wiNg

with President Pranab Mukherjee, the first meeting between the Dalai Lama and a serving Indian president, much to China’s chagrin. Last month, he attended an international conference on Buddhism in Nalanda, where Union Minister Mahesh Sharma was present, and not surprisingly, China stridently objected to it.

When the Tibetan PM-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay was invited to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in, many read the heralding of a new Tibet policy in the invitation. But there was very little to back the theory until recently. Writing on India’s Tibet policy earlier this year, Brahma Chellaney, professor at Centre for Policy Research, said, India, “must also reclaim its leverage on the Tibet issue — a leverage it remains very reluctant to exercise. Had China been in India’s place, it is unthinkable that it would have shied away from employing the Tibet card….” He further wrote, “Tibet is to India against China what Pakistan is to China against India. But China has had no hesitation in playing the Pakistan card against India….”

In the wake of recent irritants in the ties between China and India — China blocking India’s entry into NSG and the ban on Masood Azhar, its growing territorial claims and increasing cosiness with Pakistan — it seems India is not shying away anymore from reopening the Tibet issue. Ranade agrees that India’s message is clear. “We have our sensitivities, just like you have yours, and two can play this game.”

It is a good reminder in these times.

Letters to the Editor should be sent to: The morung express, House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur - 797112, Or –email: morung@gmail.com All letters (including those via email) should have the full name and Postal address of the sender.

Readers may please note that the contents of the articles, letters and opinions published do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

Friday 14•04•2017

PERSPECTIVE

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Can Delhi outdo Beijing in wooing Dhaka?

O

Garga Chatterjee

n April 7, 2017, Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, arrived on a state visit to New Delhi, the capital of the Indian Union.

All state visits are about give and take.

Given the distinct lack of enthusiasm in Dhaka about Bangladesh’s interest in such a visit and the corresponding super enthusiasm in New Delhi about this visit, it is not hard for any unbiased onlooker to assess who is expecting to give less and take more from this visit. Whether the expectant one will actually get to give less and take more is another matter. There are many deals, investments, MOUs, understandings and joint statements on the plate. One thing is certain.

The prime thing that Dhaka wants to take from Delhi is not on the plate. There will be no comprehensive Teesta water sharing agreement signing during this visit.

Before Sheikh Hasina arrived from Dhaka, Delhi put up what can only be called a high-octane courtship. It sent its Speaker of the Lok Sabha and its Chief of Army to Dhaka in the last one month – quite an unprecedented frequency for such things to happen. This courtship has a context. Any bilateral relationship between two sovereign entities is based purely on respective self-interest. Delhi might want to package the relationship in other terms for PR purposes. Whatever illusions that Delhi might harbor or promote for public consumption about its role in 1971, the contemporary relevant truth remains that Bangladesh citizens are being gunned down by Indian Border Security Forces at a rate that is unheard at most borders of the world, including the Indo-Pakistan border. BJP politicians, including Indian Union’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, regularly use the specter of swarms of “illegal Bangladeshis” infiltrating Indian Union’s territory as a thinly veiled code word for the growing percentage of Muslims in its eastern border states as a tool for consolidating Hindu votes. An “illegal Bangladeshi” in its idea is a cattle smuggling, fast breeding, potential Islamic terrorist (or terrorism confederate) with an aim to create a Muslim majority zone spanning from West Bengal to Assam.

Dhaka takes all this with little murmur because of its geo-political and economic limitations, though opposition forces in Dhaka would want to attribute it to the ‘special relationship’ that the ruling Awami League shares with Delhi. It is true that Awami League is non-hostile to Delhi. It operates under the practical limitations of running the government of a country that is land-locked and now

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

literally barb-wired off from most sides by the Indian Union and also has a huge negative balance of trade with the Indian Union, which includes many essential goods. This is not an ideal situation for any sovereign entity and thus it is in the interest of that entity to diversify its relations vis-à-vis other sovereign entities.

This becomes all the more imperative especially when a regional big power unofficially considers Bangladesh within its geo-strategic backyard. Thus Dhaka has stepped up its relation with Beijing with the latter offering volumes of monetary investment in infrastructure and other aspects of mutual interest that Delhi simply does not have the economic power to match even remotely. The so-called Sino-Indian rivalry is a competition only from a Delhi viewpoint. The Beijing view of this so-called rivalry echoes a favourite line of mine by Coco Chanel – “I don’t care what you think of me. I don’t think of you at all.”

The inability of Delhi in matching China is stark in Bengal. In Bangladesh, China has lined up huge investments around the Chittagong port. In West Bengal, Delhi has been plotting to scuttle the Tajpur port initiative of the West Bengal government by threatening to pull out from Delhi’s already promised Sagar port. While Delhi continues to give a cold shoulder to Beijing’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative that could immensely benefit West Bengal, Delhi has not offered any kind of a tangible alternative to Kolkata for this denial of opportunity. Thus, Bangladesh will benefit from the OBOR, thus intertwining its economy closely with that of China and gain from the consequent

benefits of such cooperation with the biggest goods manufacturing factory of the world. The early signs of this have alarmed Delhi. Recently, Bangladesh Navy procured its first two submarines from China. This is especially interesting since Bangladesh has no naval border dispute with either Indian Union or Myanmar. Thus Delhi’s defence analysis circles have been watching this development with concern given that they consider the whole of the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal its unofficial fief.

With the submarine move, Bangladesh, the sovereign bigger half of Bengal, has rightfully staked claim to its due in the Bay of Bengal theatre as a sovereign nation state. This irks Delhi. The China connection in the submarine procurement makes Delhi even uneasier.

As a response to these developments, we see Delhi’s insistence on a defence pact of sorts with Dhaka, something that has been wildly unpopular in Bangladesh ever since the idea was floated in the context of this visit. It is unlikely that Delhi will get from Dhaka exactly what it wants. It will have to be happy with a face-saver. Dhaka is slowly learning to play to its advantage of Delhi’s insecurity vis-à-vis Beijing’s presence in South Asia.

Dhaka here is driven by self-interest.

That’s what governments of sovereign nations ought to do.

The People’s Republic of Bangladesh, written off as a ‘basket case’ around its moment of birth has one of the fastest growing economies of the world and outstrips the Indian Union in quite a few major social indicators in spite of having a lower per capita income. In the South Asian arena, it shows

how the cohesion and confidence of a sovereign state built around linguistic nationalism can be a game changer.

Nothing brings that out more starkly than the divergent post 1971 fortunes of the two Bengals. Both India and Bangladesh have religious majoritarian forces on the prowl. The government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has been fighting such forces with varied effectiveness, ranging from hanging major war criminals of 1971, eliminating Islamic terrorist cells that now seem to appear everywhere from nowhere to the reprehensible false encounter killings of individuals with the convenient post-facto tag of “terrorist”. In the Indian Union, such forces have captured power in the Union government and more recently, captured the Uttar Pradesh government. The differences could not have been starker. In such a scenario, when Indian government PR talks about cooperation with Bangladesh government to combat forces of extremism, one is legitimately left wondering what that sentence might mean.

For the last few years, Dhaka has delivered much of what Delhi has wanted.

It has handed over top ULFA leaders, made Bangladesh’s soil inhospitable for pro-independence armed groups, especially those of Assam, has provided transit for Indian goods through its territory and so on. Bangladesh’s gripe is that Delhi has not delivered on the number one item on the Dhaka wishlist. That is the Teesta river water sharing deal. This international river flows from West Bengal to Bangladesh.

While Delhi gains in terms of interests related to its Union list subjects, there is nothing but loss for West Bengal in such a deal. If Delhi was genuinely interested in this deal, it would have by now worked out a compensation package for West Bengal. It hasn’t. Instead, it has willy nilly tried to paint Mamata Banerjee as the spoiler. As far as Dhaka is concerned, the reasons, internal to the Indian Union, are not its concern.

The deliverables are and they have not arrived. Beijing cannot offer a Teesta deal to Dhaka. Delhi can. The present government party in Dhaka can then sell the deal as a success to the people of Bangladesh ahead of the 2018 election there. Thus if Delhi wants to match or even outdo Beijing in the game of wooing Dhaka, it must offer Teesta to Dhaka. To offer Teesta to Dhaka, Delhi has to take Teesta from Kolkata. Kolkata naturally will not agree unless it is duely compensated. That is only fair.

Thus, what Delhi can offer Dhaka that Beijing cannot match depends on what Delhi can offer Kolkata. The ball really is in Delhi’s court.

The learning conundrum: How to measure and reform children's education in India?

T

Vyjayanthi Sankar

he world we inhabit today is rapidly changing in different ways, and shedding old ways of doing things. It has become necessary to equip our future generation with learning and skills that will not just help them survive but also face the challenges of the knowledge century with rigour.

Often pegged as the next superpower, India will have to be ready with a workforce that is able to think outside of the box. It will not be enough that individuals are good at their chosen vocation, but they have to be able to think, reason, and innovate.

But is our education system equipped to groom such individuals?

Probably not.

The World Bank reports that since 2001, India's Education for All Programme - Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) - has brought nearly 20 million children into primary school. India's performance in the international student assessment PISA in 2012 showed that while we may have succeeded in bringing millions of children to school, their learning levels remain abysmal.

As a country that has pledged to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we are obliged to improve the quality of learning. Like many other countries, India also has embarked on the journey to ensure that all its children acquire quality education.

While achieving quality learning appears daunting if one considers the sheer volume of 200 million students in our system, it is not impossible if a planned approach is taken.

India seems aware that tracking student learning is important. In the annual budget speech this year, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed to introduce a system of measuring annual learning outcomes in schools.

But does all measurement of student learning result in improving learning outcomes? The models of assessment used so far do not seem to have brought any discernible shift towards improving learning quality. Further, they seem to be focussed

the students have learnt.

We have to bear in mind that the point of an assessment exercise is not just to rank students or slot them into different grades but to enhance the quality of learning outcomes.

Using large-scale assessments of student learning can be effective in improving learning quality if certain practices are taken care of: 1. Pay attention to the quality of questions used in assessments Most questions in large-scale assessments - be it the board exams or otherwise - promote rote learning, which only requires students to reproduce what teachers have taught them, without questioning, thinking or reasoning.

For example, a question "Which part of a carrot plant is eaten?" made 81 percent of class 5 students in a national survey choose the answer "root" from among the answer choices of "leaves, root and stem". It is appalling that no one seemed to question the validity of the question in the first place, the students did not seem to think or question back "eaten by whom - man or animal", with 81 percent blindly giving the expected answer. Further, no one taking the national survey and using the results seemed to notice that the question is technically incorrect, as all parts of a carrot plant are eaten including the leaves, a delicacy in many cuisines across the world. These are typical examples of how rote questions promote rote learning in a system.

To understand the quality of student learning, questions need to go beyond the rote to check whether students have understood the concepts and can apply them and be creative.

Further, the focus in such questions should not only be to check if students can give the right answers but in identifying the types of wrong answers to extract the misconceptions students have and identify the common errors they make.

1974, American social scientist Donald T. Campbell published a paper - "Assessing the impact of planned social change" - in which he described the effect of quantitative measurements on decision-making processes. It came to be known as Campbell's law and it suggests, "the more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decisionmaking, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor."

In other words, the authenticity and credibility of data is often influenced by the stakes attached to the use of findings from such data. In a country where some teachers are known to dictate answers during board examinations in schools, the risk of data corruption in any large-scale assessment which gathers information for higherups (read policymakers) is real.

It is important to differentiate the protocols that will be used for collection of learning outcomes data that will be aggregated for higher policy and data that is collected by the teacher for their own understanding of learning level of students in their classroom.

Trained external evaluators, who can administer tests and collect credible data are critical to use for such data for policy decisions.

3. Ensure that the analysis goes beyond ranks and averages to provide information meaningful for change and dialogue The data from diagnostic assessments are mines of information on what children think, learn and assume. Most often no meaningful analysis is done on such data beyond calculating student marks, aggregating and ranking them at school, district, state or national level.

Even in a few rare cases when advanced techniques are used, the purpose seems to be only to put the marks of different tests on a common scale for comparison, rather than to extract information regarding the learning gaps at different 2. Use credible test administration ability levels of students. protocols to collect reliable learning Analysis of data has to show the way outcomes data for a policy on where resources need to Whenever large-scale data are col- be spent and on what skills and con-

errors, and students should get clarity on the strength and weaknesses of their performance. If such actionable insights are brought out through diagnostic assessments, such a feedback loop will pave the way for each stakeholder segment to address it.

4. Disseminate widely and encourage use of findings in all stages from policy to classroom We have to ask ourselves if the information is actually reaching the various stakeholders and how we are disseminating it. The findings from a largescale assessment exercise shouldn't be allowed to languish in a report that a select few have access to. Technology should be leveraged to ensure that this information reaches every classroom, every teacher, and every stakeholder in the system in a manner that is most useful for them. Smart portals can be used to present data in a user-friendly manner while keeping the privacy of the data intact. Policy makers, education administrators, researchers, teachers and students should be given access to whatever kind of data they need.

For the government, the intent to better understand student outcomes is commendable, but unless care is taken to introduce the most appropriate assessment that diagnose learning issues and provide insights which can be acted upon, measuring learning outcomes will remain limited in its scope to improve learning quality.

As a society, all of us also need to shift the focus from marks to actual learning. We have to understand that an integral part of learning is the ability to not just recall a concept but also understand and apply it in our day-today lives. Unless we do this, we cannot say that our children are getting quality education.

Vyjayanthi Sankar is a leading education, assessment and management expert. A Fulbright Humphrey fellow and an Ashoka fellow, Vyjayanthi regularly consults for the Brookings Institution, The World Bank, UNICEF and the Learning Metrics Task Force. She

7

If Humble People Make the Best Leaders, Why Do We Fall for Charismatic Narcissists?

Margarita Mayo

T

Harvard Business Review

he research is clear: when we choose humble, unassuming people as our leaders, the world around us becomes a better place.

Humble leaders improve the performance of a company in the long run because they create more collaborative environments. They have a balanced view of themselves – both their virtues and shortcomings – and a strong appreciation of others’ strengths and contributions, while being open to new ideas and feedback. These “unsung heroes” help their believers to build their self-esteem, go beyond their expectations, and create a community that channels individual efforts into an organized group that works for the good of the collective.

For example, one study examined 105 small-to-mediumsized companies in the computer software and hardware industry in the United Studies. The findings revealed that when a humble CEO is at the helm of a firm, its top management team is more likely to collaborate and share information, making the most of the firm’s talent.

Another study showed that a leader’s humility can be contagious: when leaders behave humbly, followers emulate their modest attitude and behavior. A study of 161 teams found that employees following humble leaders were themselves more likely to admit their mistakes and limitations, share the spotlight by deflecting praise to others, and be open to new ideas, advice, and feedback.

Yet instead of following the lead of these unsung heroes, we appear hardwired to search for superheroes: over-glorifying leaders who exude charisma.

The Greek word Kharisma means “divine gift,” and charisma is the quality of extraordinary charm, magnetism, and presence that makes a person capable of inspiring others with enthusiasm and devotion. German sociologist Max Weber defined charisma as “of divine origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of it, the individual concerned is treated as a leader.” Research evidence on charismatic leadership reveals that charismatic people are more likely to become endorsed as leaders because of their high energy, unconventional behavior, and heroic deeds.

While charisma is conductive to orchestrating positive large-scale transformations, there can be a “dark side” to charismatic leadership. Jay Conger and Rabindra Kanungo describe it this way in their seminal book: “Charismatic leaders can be prone to extreme narcissism that leads them to promote highly self-serving and grandiose aims.”

A clinical study illustrates that when charisma overlaps with narcissism, leaders tend to abuse their power and take advantage of their followers. Another study indicates that narcissistic leaders tend to present a bold vision of the future, and this makes them more charismatic in the eyes of others.

Why are such leaders more likely to rise to the top? One study suggests that despite being perceived as arrogant, narcissistic individuals radiate “an image of a prototypically effective leader.” Narcissistic leaders know how to draw attention toward themselves. They enjoy the visibility. It takes time for people to see that these early signals of competence are not later realized, and that a leader’s narcissism reduces the exchange of information among team members and often negatively affects group performance.

It’s not that charismatic and narcissistic people can’t ever make good leaders. In some circumstances, they can. For example, one study found that narcissistic CEOs “favor bold actions that attract attention, resulting in big wins or big losses.”

A narcissistic leader thus can represent a high-risk, high-reward proposition.

And it’s not that humble leaders can’t ever be charismatic. Researchers agree that we could classify charismatic leaders as “negative” or “positive” by their orientation toward pursuing their self-interested goals versus those of their groups. These two sides of charismatic leadership have also been called personalized and socialized charisma. Although the socialized charismatic leader has the aura of a hero, it is counteracted with low authoritarianism and a genuine interest in the collective welfare. In contrast, the personalized charismatic leader’s perceived heroism is coupled with high authoritarianism and high narcissism.

It is when followers are confused and disoriented that they are more likely to form personalized relationships with a charismatic leader. Socialized relationships, on the other hand, are established by followers with a clear set of values who view the charismatic leader as a means to achieve collective action.

The problem is that we select negative charismatic leaders much more frequently than in the limited situations where the risk they represent might pay off. Despite their grandiose view of themselves, low empathy, dominant orientation toward others, and strong sense of entitlement, their charisma proves irresistible. Followers of superheroes are enthralled by their showmanship: through their sheer magnetism, narcissistic leaders transform their environments into a competitive game in which their followers also become more self-centered, giving rise to organizational narcissism, as one study shows.

If humble leaders are more effective than narcissistic leaders, why do we so often choose narcissistic individuals to lead us?

The “romance of leadership” hypothesis suggests that we generally have a biased tendency to understand social events in terms of leadership and people tend to romanticize the figure of the leader.

My own research shows that our psychological states can also bias our perceptions of charismatic leaders. High levels of anxiety make us hungry for charisma. As a result, crises increase not only the search for charismatic leaders, but also our tendency to perceive charisma in the leaders we already follow.

Economic and social crises thus become a unique testing ground for charismatic leaders. They create conditions of distress and uncertainty that appear to be ideal for the ascent of charismatic figures. Yet at the same time, they also make us more vulnerable to choosing the wrong leader. Crises and other emotionally laden events increase our propensity to romanticize the grandiose view of narcissistic leaders. The paradox is that we may then choose to support the very leaders who are less likely to bring us success. In a time of crisis, it’s easy to be seduced by superheroes who could come and “rescue” us, but who possibly then plunge us into greater peril.

While this may sound hopeless, there is another way of looking at it. Essentially, we have the leaders we deserve. As we collectively select and construct our leaders to satisfy our own needs and desires, we can choose humility or socialized charisma over narcissism.

Margarita Mayo is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at IE Business School in Madrid. She was recently featured on the Thinkers50 Radar as one of 30 thought leaders to watch in 2017.

8

FriDAY 14•04•2017

INDIA

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Assembly by-polls

3 seats to Congress, 5 to bJp Only 2% turnout during repoll in Srinagar

BJP’s winning candidate Majinder Singh Sirsa celebrates his victory with supporters in Rajouri Garden in New Delhi on Thursday. (HT Photo)

SriNAGAr, April 13 (pTi): Only two per cent turnout was witnessed in repolling in 38 polling stations in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, officials said.

Repolling had been ordered at these polling stations by the EC following large scale violence during Sunday's polls for the prestigious seat. The bypoll result will be declared on April 15. Barring a stone pelting incident at Soibagh area in Budgam district, the situation was peaceful in the areas where the polling was held, the officials said.

Miscreants pelted stones at polling station at Soibagh but they were chased away by the security forces, they said. There was an altercation between opposition National Conference and ruling PDP workers at Badran in Beerwah area over allegations of bogus voting, the officials said. The issue was later resolved with the intervention of the polling staff and security personnel posted on duty there.

Eight people were killed in firing by security forces as unprecedented election-day violence marred the bypoll for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat which saw the voter turnout plunge to an all-time low of 7.14 per cent. Rampaging mobs took to streets in scores of places across the Lok Sabha constituency straddling Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts, perpetrating wanton violence and arson, even setting ablaze a polling station and attempting to set on fire two others, amid a boycott called by the separatists.

New Delhi, April 13 (iANS): The BJP, continuing with its victory streak, on Thursday won five out of 10 assembly by-elections across eight states, including Delhi, with the Congress getting solace from Karnataka where it retained two seats and held on to another in Madhya Pradesh.

The Trinamool Congress won in West Bengal and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) emerged victorious in Jharkhand.

As the results for the Sunday assembly by-polls, held also in Himachal, Assam and Rajasthan, were announced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a victory tweet, said: "I thank the people for the constant support, blessings and unwavering faith in politics of development and good governance" agenda of the BJP. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi -where it won 67 out of 70 assembly seats in the 2015 elections -- suffered a humiliating defeat in Rajouri Garden assembly constituency and figured at a distant third after the BJP and

the Congress.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa (BJP) defeated Meenakshi Chandela of the Congress by a margin of nearly 14,000 votes, according to the Election Commission.

Sirsa garnered 40,602 votes, Chandela 25,950 and the AAP's Harjeet Singh 10,243 out of a total 78,091 votes polled. The seat fell vacant after AAP's Jarnail Singh quit to contest in the Punjab assembly polls in February earlier this year.

AAP leader and Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the voters were angry over Jarnail Singh's Punjab switchover, which led to the party's poor show. "We tried to make them understand, but it seems they are still angry with the AAP." The BJP, which had so far only three members in the House, said the AAP's loss had put it "on the verge of extinction".

In Himachal Pradesh, the opposition BJP retained its stronghold Bhoranj assembly seat for the seventh consecutive term. Anil Dhiman defeated Promila Devi

Availability of cash in ATMs worsens in few cities: Survey

EPFO members to get loyalty-cum-life benefit up to Rs 50,000 during retirement

New Delhi, April 13 (iANS): It has been five months since demonetisation, and citizens by now had surely expected cash crunch and the situation of dry ATM machines to end.

Unfortunately, it is not the case in some parts of the country, a survey shows.

"The availability of cash at ATMs has worsened in the last two months or so in many parts of the country.

Eighty-three per cent citizens who visited ATMs last week in Hyderabad, could not find the cash. It was 69 per cent in Pune," according to a survey conducted by the LocalCircles citizen engagement platform.

In the survey, 36 per cent of the respondents said that they could not find cash in ATMs between April 5 and April 8.

This number is a sharp increase from the 22 per cent who had faced problems in finding a cash dispensing ATM a month back, between February 14 and February 16. Over 10,000 citizens from across India participated in the survey.

People said that they have been withdrawing large amounts from the ATMs as some banks are levying a transaction fee after every four withdrawals.

This is perhaps leading to the ATMs quickly running out of cash. LocalCircles conducted a citizen pulse check in 11 cities across India and found that Hyderabad was worst hit by ATM outages followed

by Pune. Eighty-three per cent citizens in Hyderabad and 69 per cent in Pune said that they were unable to get cash from ATMs between April 5 and April 8. Delhi recorded the highest amount of ATMs dispensing cash, with only 11 per cent citizens unable to find money in the ATMs during the period.

New Delhi, April 13 (pTi): Retirement fund body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation’s (EPFO) subscribers will get loyalty-cum-life benefit of up to Rs 50,000 at the time of retirement for contributing to the scheme for 20 years or more.

The benefit will also be provided in case of permanent disability even if the members have contributed for less than 20 years, the EPFO board has decided.

The EPFO’s apex decision making body, the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), has recommended a minimum sum assured of Rs 2.5 lakh in the event of death of a subscriber.

“The CBT has recommended amending the Employees’ Deposit

of the Congress by a margin of 8,290 votes. The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh won from Bandhavgarh and the Congress in Ater.

The poll panel said BJP's Shivnarayan Singh defeated Savitri Singh of the Congress by 25,476 votes in Bandhavgarh.

In Ater, the Congress' Hemant Katare defeated BJP's Arvind Singh Bhadoria by a little over 800 votes to retain the seat.

In Assam, the BJP retained the Dhemaji assembly seat with Ranoj Pegu defeating Babul Sonowal of the Congress by a margin of over 9,000 votes.

Pegu polled 75,217 votes, Sonowal 65,932 votes and Jadu Hazarika of the CPI-M 4,944 votes out of the total 148,658 polled.

In West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress triumphed in the Kanthi Dakshin assembly constituency, saying it was a reaffirmation of the people's faith in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's developmental agenda. Chandrima Bhattacharya defeated Sourindra Mohan Jana

Linked Insurance Scheme (EDLI) to provide for minimum benefit of Rs 2.5 lakh and loyalty-cum-life benefit of up to Rs 50,000 at a meeting held on Wednesday,” a senior official said.

“The suggested benefits will be available to members after government approval. Initially, these will be provided for two years on a pilot basis and will be reviewed thereafter.”

According to the proposal, loyalty-cum-life benefit will be provided to all those members on retirement at 58 or 60 years who have contributed to the scheme for 20 years or more.

Those members whose average basic wages are up to Rs 5,000 will get loyalty-cum-life benefit of

of the BJP by a margin of 42,526 votes.

The BJP, however, said it was "happy" with the outcome reflecting it was growing in popularity in the state.

"We expected the result to be a bit better. People came out to vote for us amid the atmosphere of terror created by the ruling party," Jana said. The results showed the BJP's vote share has gone up by around 22 per cent compared to the assembly polls last year.

Communist Party of India candidate Uttam Pradhan, who had finished second in 2016, lost his security deposit this time.

The Congress also put up a poor show, with its nominee Nabakumar Chanda getting only around 1.3 per cent of the votes.

The Congress, however, got consolation in Karnataka where it won Nanjangud and Gundlupet assembly constituencies defeating BJP candidates at both places. In Jharkhand's Littipara, Simon Marandi of the JMM defeated Hemlal Murmu of the BJP by 12,900 votes.

Rs 30,000. Similarly, the members with wages of Rs 5,001-10,000 Will be eligible for Rs 40,000 benefit.

All those members getting more than Rs 10,000 monthly wage will be eligible for Rs 50,000 loyaltycum-life benefit under the proposed scheme.

The board has recommended such benefits in view of a huge EDLI corpus of Rs 18,119 crore following addition of interest that accrued on investment of this fund. At present, the dependants of the deceased get a sum assured of up to Rs 6 lakh.

There is no provision of minimum insurance and any benefit for surviving members or in cases of permanent disability under the scheme.

Labour minister Ban-

daru Dattatreya launched Aadhaar Seeding Application after the meeting. The EPFO has developed this application with support of Common Service Centres (CSCs) and C-DAC. The CSCs are ICT-enabled front-end service delivery points at the village level for delivery of government and private services.

With implementation of the seeding application, a PF member or pensioner can now walk into any of the field offices of EPFO or CSC outlets with UAN and Aadhaar and seed them.

The EPFO enrolled 49,39,929 workers during January-March 2017. It had launched a special enrolment scheme to cover leftout formal sector workers from January 2017.

No idea of Jadhav's whereabouts: India

New Delhi, April 13 (iANS): India said on Thursday that it is engaged in efforts to bring back an alleged Indian spy sentenced to death in Pakistan, who it reiterated is innocent of the charges hurled at him.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay, fielding a slew of questions, also said India has no knowledge of where Kulbhudhan Jadhav has been kept in Pakistan or his condition due to Islamabad's refusal to provide consular access to him.

"We are engaged in the efforts (for his release)... I won't like to speculate on the steps about the future at this stage, or who we will talk to and who will not talk to," he said.

Jadhav, a former Indian naval officer, has been

sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for espionage and waging war against Pakistan. India has warned that if Pakistan executes Jadhav, who was arrested in March 2016, it would amount to "premeditated murder".

Asked if the government had any information about Jadhav, the official said New Delhi was not aware.

"We have no information and the Pakistan government has also not shared with us his location and how and where he is held and what his condition is," Baglay told the media.

He reiterated that there was no credibility to Jadhav's secret military trial and described as "baseless" the charges of espionage and waging war against Islamabad levelled

against him.

He said India had made 13 requests to Pakistan till April 10 for consular access to Jadhav, but Islamabad denied each of them.

Baglay reiterated that it would be considered "premeditated murder if the indefensible sentence is carried out".

He trashed the secret trial by the Pakistani military court as "completely opaque". "There is no credibility in the trial."

Baglay said that not giving consular access to Jadhav "itself exposes the hollowness of the charges".

"In the light of all this, we have said clearly that the proceedings against Jadhav are farcical. The verdict is indefensible. No due process has been followed. It is a violation of the basic normal of inter-

national relations and justice," he added.

Asked whether the sentence could be linked to the disappearance of a retired Pakistani military officer - Lt Col Habib Zahir -- in Lumbini, Nepal, Baglay said he had "no information" about the case.

Baglay also said that Jadhav was "legally doing business" in Iran's Chabahar port and the issue has been discussed with Teheran.

"We have discussed the issue with Iran. He was legally doing business there," he said, adding that he had no information about the progress of investigations.

Asked about Jadhav possessing a fake passport under an assumed name, of Hussein Mubarak Patel, Baglay said that they had not seen the passport.

Women don’t need to change name in passport after marriage: modi New Delhi, April 13 (MexN): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that women are free to retain their maiden names in their passports now after the marriage.

Stating that he wanted women to be at the centre of the developmental schemes, Modi said his government is working in different ways to empower them through various schemes like Mudra and Ujjwala, among others.

“From now onwards, women will not have to change their names in the passport after their marriage,” Modi told a gathering of the Indian Merchants Chambers’ ladies wing over a video conferencing.

The government wants the woman of the house to be the priority in all of its development schemes, he added.

Citing various women-oriented schemes launched by his government, the Prime Minister said the maternity

leave for the women has been extended now to 26 weeks from the present 12 weeks while another scheme provides for transfer of Rs 6,000 to women, who chose to deliver in hospitals.

On the free cooking gas distribution project launched last year under the Ujjwala scheme, Modi said, “The government has set a target of covering as many as 5 crore people from BPL families over the next two years.

Within a year of its launch, the scheme has already benefited 2 crore women.”

Under the LPG subsidy surrender campaign, already 1.2 crore people have voluntarily given up their benefits, he added. Praising women for their entrepreneurial spirit, Modi said wherever women are given an opportunity, they have proved that they are two steps ahead of the men. The biggest contributors to the dairy and livestock sectors are women, he said. Lijjat Papad and Amul

are the shining examples of what our women can do if empowered, the prime minister pointed out. Modi also said 70% of the Mudra loans (aimed at small borrowers for productive purposes) borrowers are women now, which indicate the rising entrepreneurial spirit of the women.

E-TENDER NOTICE NO.: N-2017-18-TSK-NIT-01 DATED : 07-04-2017

Work tenders through E-Tendering System are invited for the following works : Sl No. 01. Tender No. N/201718-TSK-T-01; Brief Description of Item :Hiring of one Pick up Van(2 Ton capacity, Tata Mobile/Mahindra Bolero or similar) for the use of SSE (SIG)/SLGR for a period of 3 (Three) years.Tender Value : ` 11,81,250/-; Earnest Money: ` 23,630/-; Cost of tender : ` 2,000/-.

Sl No. 02. Tender No. N-201718-TSK-T-02; Brief Description of Item : Hiring of one Pick up Van (2 Ton capacity, Tata Mobile/Mahindra Bolero or similar) for the use of SSE (SIG)/TSK for a period of 3 (Three) years. Tender Value : ` 11,81,250/-; Earnest Money: ` 23,630/-; Cost of tender : ` 2,000/-.

Date & time of closing of above tenders : 12.00 hrs. of 19-05-2017.

Date & time of opening of above tenders :15.30 hrs. of 19-05-2017.

Note: The complete information with the tender document of above e-tender will be available upto 15.00 hrs. of 18-05-2017 in website http:// www.ireps.gov.in. The tenderer requires to submit their e-tender on this website only.

In case of any difficulty, help desk available on the website of IREPS may be approached.

Divl. Signal & Telecom Enginer Tinsukia

NORTHEAST FRONTIER RAILWAY Serving Customers With A Smile

FridAY 14•04•2017

WORLD

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

9

In abrupt shift, Trump warms to China and NATO, sours on Russia

WASHINGTON, AprIl 13 (reuTerS): After less than three months in office, President Donald Trump has abruptly shifted his stance on an array of foreign policy issues from the U.S. relationship with Russia and China to the value of the NATO alliance.

Trump, who ran for the White House on a pledge to shake up the status quo in Washington, repeatedly lashed out at China during the campaign, accusing Beijing of being a “grand champion” of currency manipulation. Candidate Trump also dismissed the NATO military alliance as obsolete and said he hoped to build warmer ties with Russia.

But at a White House news conference and in a newspaper interview on

Wednesday, he offered starkly different views on those issues, saying his relationship with Moscow was souring while ties with Beijing were improving. He also lavished praise on NATO, saying it was adapting to changing global threats. “I said it was obsolete. It’s no longer obsolete,” Trump said as he stood at a news conference alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the White House East Room on Wednesday.

The reversals on Russia and NATO could reassure U.S. allies in Europe who were rattled by Trump’s overtures toward Moscow during the campaign.

But the president’s talk of “bonding” with Chinese President Xi Jinping could sow confusion in Asia,

where U.S. allies are fearful of a rising China.

Trump’s apparent shifts toward a more conventional foreign policy came amid infighting within his administration that has lately seen a decline in the influence of political operatives, mainly his chief strategist, Steve Bannon. Six months ago, candidate Trump suggested he was eager for an alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“If he says great things about me, I’m going to say President Donald Trump (R) and NATO Secretary great things about him,” U.S. General Jens Stoltenberg arrive for a joint news conferTrump said last September. ence in the East Room at the White House in Washing“ALL-TIME LOW” On Wednesday, however, Trump said he had growing concerns about Russia’s support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

ton, U.S., April 12. (REUTERS)

“We may be at an alltime low in terms of a relationship with Russia,” said Trump, who ordered the firing of U.S. cruise mis-

siles at a Syrian airfield last week to punish Assad for suspected use of poison gas in Syria’s civil war.

While criticizing Russia on

China warns against force as North Korea prepares celebration BeIJING/pYONGYANG, AprIl 13 (reuTerS): Military force cannot resolve tension over North Korea, China said on Thursday, while an influential Chinese newspaper urged the North to halt its nuclear programme in exchange for Chinese protection.

With a U.S. aircraft carrier group steaming to the area and tension rising, South Korea said it believed the United States would consult it before any pre-emptive strike against the North. Fears have been growing that the reclusive North could soon conduct its sixth nuclear test or more missile launches in defiance of U.N. sanctions and stark warnings from the United States that a policy of patience was over.

China, North Korea’s sole major ally and benefactor, which nevertheless opposes its weapons programme, has called for talks leading to a peaceful resolution and the denuclearistaion of the peninsula.

“Military force cannot resolve the issue,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in Beijing.

“Amid challenge there is opportunity. Amid tensions we will also find a kind of opportunity to return to talks.” While U.S. President Donald Trump has put North Korea on notice that he would not tolerate any provocation, U.S. officials have said his administration was focusing its strategy on tougher economic sanctions.

Trump has diverted the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group towards the Korean peninsula, which could take more than a week to arrive, in a show of force aimed at deterring North Korea from conducting another nuclear test or launching more missiles to coincide with important events and anniversaries.

The possibility of U.S. military action gained traction after the U.S. Navy fired

Women wear traditional clothes as North Korea prepares to mark Saturday’s 105th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, North Korea’s founding father and grandfather of the current ruler, in central Pyongyang, North Korea April 12. (REUTERS)

59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airfield last week in response to a deadly gas attack.

Wang warned that history would hold any instigator to account. “Whoever provokes the situation, whoever continues to make trouble in this place, they will have to assume historical responsibility,” Wang said. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se told parliament in Seoul he believed Washington would consult Seoul if it was considering a pre-emptive strike. The United States has about 28,500 troops in South Korea.

A Washington-based think-tank that monitors North Korea, 38 North, said satellite images on Wednesday showed activity around the North’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site on the east coast that indicated it was ready for a new test. South Korean officials said there were no new signs to indicate a test was more likely, although they also said the North appeared ready to conduct a test at any time.

An influential statebacked Chinese newspaper said the best option for North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un, was to give up its nuclear programme, and China would protect it if it did.

“As soon as North Korea complies with China’s declared advice and sus-

pends nuclear activities ...

China will actively work to protect the security of a denuclearised North Korean nation and regime,” said an editorial in the Global Times, which is published by the Communist party’s People’s Daily.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe underscored fears about threats from North Korea, telling parliament in Tokyo that Pyongyang could have the capacity to deliver missiles equipped with sarin nerve gas.

A senior Japanese diplomat said the United States was putting “maximum pressure” on North Korea to resolve issues peacefully while putting responsibility on China to sway its old ally.

“We will watch what action China takes,” the diplomat said. While Japan did not see a high risk of military action, it expected to be consulted by the United States if it decided to attack.

North Korea has about 350 missiles that can hit Japan.

“DAY OF THE SUN” About 200 foreign journalists gathered in Pyongyang for North Korea’s biggest national day, the “Day of the Sun”, were taken to what officials billed as a “big and important event” early on Thursday.

It turned out to be the opening of a new street in the centre of the capital, attended by leader Kim. North Korea marks the 105th anniversary of the birth of state founder Kim Il Sung on Saturday. In 2012, it tried but failed to launch a long-range rocket carrying a satellite to mark the date and tested a newly developed intermediate-range missile last year.

North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said early on Thursday that Kim Jong Un had guided training of the army’s special operation forces jumping from aircraft.

On Tuesday, North Korea warned of a nuclear attack on the United States at any sign of American aggression. The North is technically at war with the United States and South Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce and not a peace treaty.

The North regularly threatens to destroy both countries. U.S. officials said Trump was considering sanctions that could include an oil embargo, banning North Korea’s airline, intercepting cargo ships, and punishing Chinese banks doing business with it. “There’s a whole host of things that are possible, all the way up to what’s essen-

UK says killings in South Sudan conflict amount to genocide eNTeBBe, AprIl 13 (reuTerS): The killings and other atrocities going on South Sudan amount to a genocide and African leaders need to “step up” and not just rely on others for a response, Britain’s secretary for international development, Priti Patel, said late on Wednesday.

After a visit to Africa’s youngest nation, Patel also told journalists in neighbouring Uganda that President Salva Kiir’s government was blocking access to aid. “There are massacres taking place, people’s throats are being slit ... villages are being burnt out, there’s a scorched-earth policy,” she said.

“It is tribal, it is absolutely tribal, so on that basis it is genocide.”

South Sudan has been convulsed by mass violence since July when fighting broke out in the capital Juba, and then spread to several other areas.

The fighting erupted between forces loyal to Kiir and his former vice president, Riek Machar, who come from rival ethnic groups.

Civilians who have fled the violence to neighbour-

A woman holds a relative who has fallen sick as they wait for treatment at a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) support clinic in Thaker, Southern Unity, South Sudan March 18, 2017. (REUTERS)

ing countries say government troops, mostly drown from Kiir’s Dinka tribe, carry out killings and other crimes against Machar’s Nuer and other smaller tribes suspected of supporting rebels.

The United Nations estimates about 3 million South Sudanese have been uprooted by the violence, the biggest cross-border exodus in Africa since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

More than half of those have fled to neighbouring countries, mostly to Uganda. The mass exodus and widespread insecurity

across South Sudan have left farm fields deserted which has led to severe food shortages.

In February, the United Nations declared famine in some parts of the country.

Patel, who also visited refugee camps in northwestern Uganda hosting South Sudan refugees, said Kiir’s government had “actively blocked and prevented aid access” and that it was using food as a weapon of war.

She said she had told Kiir in a meeting with him on Tuesday that she expected him to act to stop

blocking aid and also end the conflict.

In case Kiir refused, she said: “The international community will undertake consequences.”

Patel also criticised African leaders for not putting pressure on the South Sudanese government to end the atrocities and conflict and accused them of looking to others to solve a conflict in their backyard.

“Why are they not standing up for the people that are being massacred ... who are their fellow African brothers and sisters,” she said. “African heads of state ... they need to do a lot more and they should not just rely on others in the international community.”

The July 2016 fighting exploded just as the oilproducing country was still reeling from its first civil war which broke out in 2013 after Kiir sacked Machar from his vice presidency position.

That conflict ended in a peace pact in 2015 and Machar was returned to his vice presidency position early last year. But tensions between the two men lingered and finally led to the latest violence.

tially a trade quarantine on North Korea,” one official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters in Washington.

Customs data in Beijing on Thursday showed that China’s coal imports from North Korea had plunged 51.6 percent in the first three months in 2017 from a year ago. China suspended issue of permits for coal imports from North Korea on Feb. 18 as part of its effort to implement U.N. sanctions.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by telephone on Wednesday, just days after they met in the United States for the first time, underscoring the sense of urgency about North Korea.

Trump said on Twitter his call with Xi was a “very good” discussion of the “menace of North Korea”. He said later on Wednesday the United States was prepared to tackle the crisis without China, if necessary.

Wednesday, Trump said he and Xi had bonded during the Chinese president’s visit to the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where they dined together with their wives and held talks.

Ahead of that visit, Trump had predicted “difficult” discussions on trade.

The improving ties with Beijing were underscored when Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an interview on Wednesday that he would not declare China a currency manipulator as he had pledged to do on his first day in office.

Trump, a former real estate developer, took office in January as a government novice whose foreign policy mantra was a vow to keep America safe and build up the U.S. military.

Christine Wormuth, former undersecretary of defense in the Obama administration, said Trump had a “steep learning curve” on foreign policy when he came into office but that it was beginning to even out. “He’s starting to have a more nuanced and deeper understanding of a lot of issues,” said Wormuth, now a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The evolving Trump foreign policy appears to reflect less of the influence of his campaign team and more the views of Defense Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, all of whom are deeply skeptical of Russia.

Trump’ former nation-

al security adviser, retired General Michael Flynn, was forced to resign on Feb. 13 for contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the United States before Trump took office. The new tone on foreign policy comes as Trump has been trying to settle the palace intrigue inside the White House, where Bannon, former chief of the conservative Breitbart News organization, has been at odds with the more mainstream Jared Kushner, the senior White House adviser who is Trump’s son-inlaw. In an interview with the New York Post on Tuesday, Trump offered only lukewarm support for Bannon.

“I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late,” Trump said.

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER NAGALAND STATE TRANSPORT DRIVERS' TRAINING INSTITUTE VIRAZOUMA (7TH MILE) DIMAPUR: NAGALAND

NO.NST/DTI/TRG-5/2017-18/06-08

Dated:13/04/17

FIRST OF ITS KIND" DRIVERS' TRAINING INSTITUTE" IN NORTH-EAST INDIA A JOINT VENTURE OF NAGALAND STATE TRANSPORT AND TATA MOTORS Special features:- 1. Trainees are first made to proceed on Electronic Simulator.

2. Separate Driving Track provided for Male and Female trainees.

3. Driving track length — 2.3 km 4. Dual steering system for trainees.

5. Faculty: - Driver Supervisors, Automobile Engineers.

ADVERTISEMENT

Applications are invited from interested Male and Female candidate for undergoing Motor Vehicle Driving Training in the NST Drivers' Training Institute, Virazouma (7th Miles) Dimapur.

Courses offered: 1. Light Motor Vehicle Duration: 1 (one) month.

Conditions and eligibility criteria: 1. The minimum age limit of the candidate must be 18 (eighteen) years and above on the date of admission.

2. Seats are limited and admission will be on 'First come First Basis'.

3. Hostel facility is available for male trainees.

4. Application form will be available at Drivers' Training Institute, Virazouma (7th Mile), Dimapur from the date of publication of this advertisement.

5. Last date for receipt of duly filled application forms 28/04/17 6. Training Classes will commence w.e.f 1/05/17 7. For queries and application forms contact the Institute Office on all working days or call: +919436417130 Sd/- (Z. VIKHETO ACHUMI), Dy. General Manager NST Drivers' Training Institute, Virazouma (7th Mile) Dimapur, Nagaland

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

DIRECTORATE OF FIRE & EMERGENCY SERVICES NAGALAND : : KOHIMA

NO.FHQ/RO-EQ/OFSD-5/2017-18/10

Dated Kohima, the 10th April 2017

Fire Service Week from 14 to 20 April 2017 th

th

Nagaland Fire & Emergency Services will be commemorating Fire Service week commencing from 14th to 20th April 2017. Thus, in this regard awareness on fire prevention and safety campaign will be held at following places: DISTRICT Kohima

STOPPAGE POINTS T.C.P Gate New Kezekie Tinpati Jn. High Jn. N.S.T Jn Market School Jn Dimapur D.C office Jn. P.W.D Jn. M.P Super Market Road Jn Chumukedima Sieurhuza 2nd gate Chumu Bazaar Sovima Jn. Mon New Site Jn. Night Station Bazaar line Phek Police Point Bethany Hospital Jn. D.C Office High Police check Gate (Bible Hill) colony Jn. School Jn. Tuensang Tower Clock High School Jn. Zunheboto Police Point D.C Office Jn. B.O.C Mokokchung Sungkom Police Point Sewak gate Wokha Police point Zero Point Longsa gate Kiphire D.C Office Bazaar Jn. Police point Jn. Peren Police Point New Jalukie Bazaar line Longleng Adjoining Leinak & ShamN.S.T Jn Shayung Main Zero Point (Longleng town) kang Ward- Police Point ward Tuli Tuli Bazaar City Gaon Valley CRPF camp Mohankhola Jn. (Lerie) Jn. City Tower Notun Bosti

P.H.Q Jn.

The programme will begin at 08:00 Hr on 14/04/2017. Hence, to ensure public awareness and safety the programme may be highlighted.

• FIRE SERVICE WEEK - 14TH to 20TH April • Nagaland Fire & Emergency Services along with other Fire Services across the country is pleased to announce the observation of “Fire Service Week "commencing from 14th to 20th April 2017. Every year, on the 14th of April is observed as" Martyrs Day" to pay homage to those brave Fire Personnel who lost their precious live while performing their duty. This day is set aside for mass awareness campaign on Fire Hazards & Safety measures.

• Fire is a good servant, but a bad master. Fire when gets out of control can cause great damage to both life and property when it acts as our master, we should not let it become our master. However, so long as you have control over it, it serves you well.

• Fire always starts at incipient stage. Therefore, safety should be always given serious consideration it deserves otherwise a catastrophic fire breaks out and takes its toll; it is then too late. One should take precautionary measures and see that it does not become a catastrophe. The negligence of one often leads to sufferings of several.

• As the old saying goes "Prevention is better than cure"; fire prevention is better than fire fighting let us consider the usual causes of fire on how to eliminate or to minimize the risk involved.

• It is thus, for the interest of the general public, the following Fire Exigencies are highlighted for information, safety & compliance – 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Call & Inform Fire Brigade immediately as and when fire breaks out. Do not panic Do not misuse Fire Service Telephone numbers. It is a punishable offence Give right & precise information.

Use appropriate Fire Extinguishers at initial stage to contain fire.

Do not pour water on Oil & Electric fire. Use appropriate Extinguishers Inform Power Department to cut-off power line in locality to avoid further catastrophes.

Give way to fire tenders to pass unobstructed for timely execution.

Locate the fire Incident site- Show & Guide Fire Personnel the shortest possible route.

Locate sources & supply water at the vicinity of the fire incident.

Do not disturb/ drag Fire Delivery Hose while Fire Personnel are combating fire Install proper Fire Extinguishers/fire Alarms/Smoke Detectors/Fire Hydrants/Sprinkler system Maintain small water reserve tank-so to tackle fire before Fire Brigade arrive Kitchen fire, LPGs, candles, Lamps etc..should be properly extinguished when not in use Use certified & standard electrical appliances viz wires, plugs, fuse, switches, sockets etc.

Practice family evacuation drill/plans Store water at home to meet fire emergencies (for fire of woods, paper, textiles etc..)

Do not burn rubbish when strong wind is blowing (Also, always take it out to some distance from the dwellings (NEILASA SOPFII) DIG (F&ES) Nagaland, Kohima

10

FriDAY 14•04•2017

sports

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Pacers, Bulls grab playoff spots, Heat come up short State Veteran Champs accorded warm reception

Paul George of the Indiana Pacers goes for a shot during their NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 12, 2017 (AFP Photo)

los AngElEs, April 13 (AFp): Paul George delivered 32 points and 11 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers punched their ticket to the NBA postseason on Wednesday with a 104-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Jeff Teague added 19 points and seven assists before twisting his left ankle and leaving the game in the fourth quarter as the Pacers grabbed the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference on the final day of the 2016-17 regular season.

Indiana will open the postseason against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference to the Boston Celtics after the Cavs' defeat by the Toronto Raptors 98-83.

"I'm excited about the opportunity," said George, who made 12 of 21 field goal attempts against the Hawks. "I guess that's because we're doing everything right.

"When our back is against the wall, we figure things out," he add-

ed. "It just showed the character of this team, that we knew all along that we should have been a playoff team. We just had to figure out how to play the right way."

Boston beat the Milwaukee Bucks 112-94 to help relegate Cleveland to the second seed and solidify home court advantage through the first three rounds of the playoffs.

The Golden State Warriors are the top seed in the Western Conference and will host game one of a best-of-seven series Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Having clinched the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a Tuesday night victory against Charlotte, Atlanta sat guard Kent Bazemore, guard Tim Hardaway, forward Paul Millsap and guard Dennis Schroder against Indiana.

Atlanta will begin the playoffs against the fourth-seeded Washington Wizards.

The other missing playoff component heading into Wednesday's

final games was who would get the fourth seed in the West.

Both the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers won on Wednesday, but the Clippers claimed home court advantage in their first round series based on their headto-head tiebreaker over the Jazz.

Indiana steadily pulled away Wednesday to qualify for the playoffs for a second consecutive season and the 22nd time in the past 28 seasons. Myles Turner added 18 points and eight rebounds for Indiana, which finished the regular season with five consecutive wins.

The Hawks were led by Ersan Ilyasova's 15 points. Jose Calderon added 12 and Taurean Prince scored 11.

The Pacers got a 14-point third quarter from Teague and made 11 of 17 field goal attempts during a crucial scoring run as they stretched a seven-point halftime lead to an 84-68 lead at the end of the third quarter.

- Bulls clinch Elsewhere, Jimmy Butler scored a team-high 25 points and the Chicago Bulls clinched a playoff berth with a 112-73 victory over the hapless Brooklyn Nets.

"We all did our job to get us into the playoffs," Butler said. "Now it's about winning some games. We've just got to stick together and focus on ourselves."

Rookie forward Paul Zipser added a career-high 21 points off the bench. Chicago claimed the eighth and final seed in the East and will meet the mighty Celtics in the first round.

Guard Archie Goodwin scored 20 points to lead the Nets. Brooklyn dropped to 20-62 on the season and finished with the worst record in the NBA and the fourth-most losses in franchise history.

Chicago shot 43 percent from the field and 47 percent from beyond the arc.

The Bulls finished the regular season with an impressive 25-16 record at home. But it's a different picture when they go on the road, where they have just 16 wins and 25 losses.

However, that doesn't worry veteran Dwyane Wade, who is just happy to be in another playoff.

"As a player, 14 years, I think I've been in 12 playoffs," Wade said.

"This is what I play for. This is what I enjoy. You always want to play your best when the lights are the brightest."

Meanwhile in Miami, Goran Dragic scored 28 points and the Miami Heat fell short of reaching the playoffs despite a 110-102 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Miami (41-41) became the first team in league history to finish .500 or above after being at least 12 games below .500. Miami reversed an 11-30 record the first half of the season with a 30-11 finish.

Champions Mokokchung District Veteran Football Association (MDVFA) during a civic reception programme at the residence of Sr SP Mokokchung after their arrival from Phek town on Wednesday. (Morung Photo)

Mokokchung, April 13 (MExn): Champions of the 8th Nagaland Veteran Football Tournament 2017, the Mokokchung District Veteran Football Association (MDVFA) were accorded a warm reception as they arrived home on Wednesday, April 12 evening.

Apart from members of the MDVFA, officials from the Mokokchung District Football Association (MDFA) and Mokokchung Town Lanur Telong (MTLT) and others were also present at the civic reception held at the official residence of Senior Superintendent of Police (Sr. SP) Aotemsu, who is also the president of the MDVFA. The MDVFA president while congratulating the winning team expressed

deep appreciation to the MDVFA officials and players for their discipline and dedication through which they could win the coveted tournament.

He also extended appreciation to the MDFA and the MTLT for their moral support to the veteran football association and solicited their continued support for the promotion of football in the district.

While urging the veteran footballers to keep up their discipline and team spirit, the Sr SP expressed thanks to the MDVFA for making the people proud through their win at the recently concluded tournament.

Others who spoke at the programme were officials from the MDFA, Ex MLA Imtiyanger and MTLT president, Imkummeren Jamir.

It may be noted that this is the third time that the MDVFA has excelled at the Nagaland Veteran Football Tournaments during the tenure of the Sr SP Aotemsu’s tenure as the president.

In 2015, the MDVFA emerged champions of the tournament held at Mokokchung while in 2016 at Wokha, the association was the runner-up.

In the 2017 Nagaland Veteran Football Tournament held at Phek, Mokokchung team once again emerged as winners beating Wokha in the final.

This year, the MDVFA, besides winning the trophy also bagged two individual prizes with Akangmeren and Repamayang winning the Best midfielder and Highest goal scorer awards respectively.

public discourse

Why did Jesus have to die?

HE DIED! Rev. Fr. C. Joseph

“C

Counsellor, St. Joseph’s College, Jakhama

hrist became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.” (phil 2:8-9) Death is not always physical or final. You die many times while you are alive. Your childhood, for example, dies as you become an adult. Your single life dies when you join another in marriage. And your career, the role you play in life, dies when you retire. Each benchmark of maturation requires a death of your former self.

Many, however, resist “dying.” A young person who won’t leave home after graduating from school, a laid off employee who avoids training for a different career, or an insolvent businessman who stubbornly refuses to file for bankruptcy are all indicators of a fear to let go of a phase of life that has ended. Because their identity is tied to a role, these individuals literally feel that surrendering this role is the same as dying. They don’t know who they are without it. Yet hanging on to a stage of life that has run its course, in addition to being futile, prevents the next stage from beginning.

Many of the most successful people in the world, including Moses, Kind David and of course Jesus, did not achieve success until their second or even third careers. These individuals had to endure a death of the life they had been living in order to live the life they were destined to live.

Moses, for example was a prince of Egypt and then a Bedouin shepherd before becoming a leader of the Israelites. Before he became royalty, David was a simple shepherd, the smallest of his brothers, and then a warrior. And Jesus, because he did not start his mission until around the age of thirty, surely had some prior vocation. As a seed must die to become to a flower, you too must be willing, as Jesus said in Mathew 16:25, to lose your life in order to find it.

Death is a success secret because endings give way to new beginnings. Sometimes you have to let your hopes and dreams, your accomplishments and possessions, and even your role or persona, die before your true mission and purpose can be revealed to you. If you have taken the wrong path, assumed a mistaken identity, or pursued a meaningless goal, to achieve your higher purpose, that part of your life has to come to an end. It must die. Your experience suffering, like when Jesus sweat blood in the garden of Gethsemane, when you resist the inevitable. Jesus had to die on the cross so he could fulfil his mission and rise on the third day.

Death is the ultimate mystery. While most dread this event, it is after all a transition, a step toward a new life. While everyone will experience death eventually, not everyone will, as William Wallace said in the film Braveheart, really live. As a caterpillar must die to become a butterfly, you too must die to be born again into something more beautiful, radiant and magnificent. Jesus said, “He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.” (Jn 11:25) Death is the secret to rising again.

GOOD FRIDAY REFLECTION

T

Wati Aier

wo pieces of heavy wood was the cross where a guiltlessman hung.

The man’s face was violently disfigured and his head crowned with a wreath of wild thorns, while his clothes were blood-soaked and tattered. He uttered no words of ill will towards his tormentors but instead, as decreed, placed the cross upon his shoulder and trudged towards Golgotha, the mount of skulls. There, on the carried cross, he was nailed a felon, a rebel, a blasphemer of Rome, a zealot.

Our recollection of Golgotha during this bleakest moment of suffering does not offer us any pleasure, and does not give us any rational sense of hope or salvation. Instead, impulses push us to remember bleak moments atop our own distant hills, evoking memories of Matikhru, Oinam, and Yankeli. What sense lies in accepting the reconciliation offered by a man bloodied and nailed to a splintered, uneven cross? The reality is simply unimaginable and so it is not surprising that peoples and tribes should find it as a scandal and a folly to reconciliation offered by the cross.

We have seen nations build armies and these armies demolish other nations, and many a kedahges and countless kilonsers have come and gone. Yet, even the juggernaut of civilization cannot silence our Christ on the cross. The foolishness of the cross is mightier than the powerlessness of our little kingdoms. Will the seeming fragility and precariousness of the Crucified Jesus be way for the Nagas?

Fr. Sojan Xavier Chancellor and Youth Director, Diocese of Kohima

Y

esterday, the Christians all over the world observed Maundy Thursday, the first of three Holy Week observances relating to the events surrounding Christ’s passion.

Maundy Thursday marks the occasion of the last Passover Christ observed with his disciples, as well as the first Eucharist.

Today the Christians across the land observe the Good Friday. Two important practices are witnessed today, namely, ancient Christian devotion known as the Stations of the Cross and the recounting of the passion of the Our lord Jesus Christ. Participating in the way of the Cross and recounting of the passion of our Lord which takes place in the churches allow God’s people to unite with one another in an extended act of remembering the cost of their salvation. The passion of our lord recorded in the Gospel of St. John is a moving testimony to the final hours of Jesus before His crucifixion. Christians relive the event of the moments of Jesus; his prayer in the Garden of Olives, His walks through the street of Jerusalem, His appearance before Pilate, His scourge at the pillar, his carrying of heavy cross to mount Calvary and finally his utterance of the momentous words, “It is finished’. This is what we recall on Good Friday.

A question that is perennially asked by one and all is, “Why Did Jesus Have to Die? For a non-Christian or for an unbeliever the death of Jesus is absurd, unreasonable and unnecessary. However, for a Christian, the death of Jesus is redemptive. In the book of prophet Isaiah we read, “He was wounded for our transgressions ... by his stripes we are healed.” (Is 53:5) These verse from prophet Isaiah summarize the event of Good Friday and the message of it.

The suffering and death of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday is an unbelievable demonstration of God’s sacrificial love for human beings. The cross truly does demonstrate and reveal the love of God the Father who sacrificed His only Son for us. God showed us what real love is by giving his Son to save us and making it possible for us to share and experience that love.

1 John 4: 9-10 reminds us, “God sent His only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins.” Jesus in his own words expresses"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to

save the world through him.” (Jn 3:16).

This day is called ‘Good Friday’ not because they day was good for Jesus.

It wasn’t a good day for Jesus rather it was a day of soul-wrenching agony, a day when Jesus hung for hours on a wooden cross by the nails on his hands for our sake. We call today, “Good Friday’ because his death bridged the deep gulf between God and each one of us. John wrote his Gospel in Greek, and those last words of Jesus are just one word in Greek – ‘tetelestai’ which means, ‘It is finished’. Jesus is saying that his job of saving the world has been completed. He has won forgiveness for all people. Nothing else needs to be done. Salvation is complete. "It is finished". Therefore, in the cross God expressed his love in action.

The Christians are called to assess on Good Friday how well we return that love by loving God living in our fellow human beings. We are living in a world which is increasingly experiencing hatred, violence, persecution, fanaticism, division, lack of trust, prejudice, selfishness, marginalization, family breakdown, blatant denial of justice, marital tension, poverty, drug or alcohol abuse, polarization on the basis of creed and colour etc. We are presented with a society where crime against sacredness and human dignity of life is rampant. Therefore, it is the day to remember the new commandment of love Jesus gave us in Gospel of John 13: 34-35 “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another". It is a call to to love everyone with no distinction and condition and see everyone as image of God and see the face of God in the marginalize and the suffering.

On Good Friday, Christians remember the Ransom Jesus paid for our sins. Sin is infinite offense and disobedience committed against, the Infinite Holiness of God. It demands infinite punishment. Among all the explanation given for the death of Jesus one that is truly credible is based on the central fact that human being cannot atone for his sin against the infinite justice of God. On the other hand, since God is just, he cannot merely sweep our sins "under the rug." God's justice demands that our sins be punished. Not to punish sin would be unjust. God is both just and loving. Therefore, God's love is willing to meet the demands of His justice. But only a God–man could do that, and Jesus made that atonement by his suffering and death. Out of perfect love for us, Jesus took upon himself the punishment we deserve. His willingness to suffer in our place balanced the divine "scales of justice." The debt was

now paid. His love paid the price. His passion and death atoned for our sins and redeemed us. St. Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians, "For our sake He made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." (Cor 5: 21). Jesus brought us back to the state of God’s children from our slavery to sin by paying his life as ransom for our sins. That is why Jesus said, "For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk. 10:45).

Our freedom was obtained by the price that Jesus paid for us in dying on the cross. Hence, Good Friday is a day to show gratitude to Jesus our Savior by avoiding sins and making reparation or atonement for our sins by acts of mercy, kindness and love. Although it is not pleasant to have our sins and faults pointed out to us, the cross does this. When Peter preached his great sermon on the first day of Pentecost, he laid responsibility for the death of Jesus at the feet of his listeners and the Bible says, they were "pricked in their hearts" or "cut to the heart" (Acts 2:37).

But we are living in a world which has lost the sense of sin and which ignores the price Jesus paid for it. Carelessness is slowly creeping into the lives of his followers. Godly values are being replaced by worldly values. Everything is directed by the desire to grab for one’s own gratification and glory. The aspect of sins is slowly waning from the life of people. The prophecy of Jeremiah lamented this sad situation centuries ago, “No one repents of his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done!’”

On this Good Friday, we are exhorted to show the good will and generosity to ask God’s forgiveness for our sins along with the Psalmist, “Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense. Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me. For I know my offense; my sin is always before me. Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight.” (Ps 51: 3-6) The Good Friday recalls the Heroic and courageous Suffering of Jesus.

Crucifixion was used early in history by the Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Romans as a feared way of subduing conquered territories. The cross was the crudest instrument of torture used by the Romans to punish rebels and criminals, and the slow death by hanging on the cross was the most excruciating experience of pain in the world.

Jesus knew beforehand every detail of his coming cruel suffering, humiliation, rejection and death, but he welcomed it all wholeheartedly according to the eternal plan of God his Father.

Today, the challenge from the cross

for us is to accept our unavoidable share of pain and suffering in this life, deriving strength and inspiration from the suffering of Christ. By willingly accepting the most terrible sufferings of torture and the excruciating suffering and humiliation of crucifixion, Jesus teaches us that our pain and suffering have a redemptive value as his suffering and death redeemed mankind from the bondage of sin. It was in fact a condition for his disciples. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mt 16: 24). Therefore, let us learn to welcome in the same way the pain involved in controlling our evil tendencies and practicing more self-control. Let welcome the pain involved in sharing our blessings sacrificially with others. Let also welcome the pain and humiliation involved in standing for Christ and his teachings and principles.

Today Christians are reminded that Good Friday is the road to Easter Sunday. While Good Friday is the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus, there’s more to it than remembering. It is the road of Easter Sunday.

There is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. Many a times, people want to skip Good Friday because it brings sadness and gloom and want to go straight to Ester Sunday. However as Jesus says, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone, but if it dies, it produces many” (John 12:24) To sum up, Jesus' message surrounding the event on Good Friday was revolutionary in his day, and is still life-changing today. It was against all conventional wisdom that Jesus’ death took place. There is no justification for all what Jesus underwent, except His love for humanity. Through this event, Jesus taught peace in an age of violence. He taught forgiveness in an age of victimization. He taught humility in an age of spiritual arrogance and self-righteousness. He taught equality in an age of division and subjugation.

He taught love in a world of hatred and violence. He taught truth in a world of lies and hypocrisy. He taught dignity of life in a world of lack of respect for helpless and marginalized. Today as we commemorate the passion and death of Jesus, we are called become of peace not only in words but in action in an age of violence. We are invited to become champions of unconditional forgiveness in an age of victimization and revenge. We are called to become humble in an age of spiritual arrogance and imposition. We are called to become agents of unconditional love in an age of hatred. We are called to become promoters of life and dignity in an age that lacks respect of life and dignity. Have a grace-filled Good Friday.

Readers may please note that the contents of the articles, letters and opinions published do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

Friday 14•04•2017

EntErtainmEnt

Alicia Keys honored for human rights activism Saturday art school to be launched

A

merican singersongwriter Alicia Keys and Canada's indigenous rights movement have been selected to receive top accolades for their human rights activism by Amnesty International, the human rights group announced on Thursday.

Keys has mixed activism with art, advocating for social justice issues, and the Canadian movement fights for indigenous legal and land rights, Amnesty said. "They remind us never to underestimate how far passion and creativity can take us in fighting injustice," it said in a statement.

The Ambassador of Conscience Awards go to people and groups that show courage and inspiration, and previous winners include South African President Nelson Mandela, Nobel laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai and folksinger Joan Baez.

Keys, 36, a 15-time Grammy winner, cofounded Keep a Child Alive for families affected by HIV in Africa and India and the We Are Here Movement to encourage young people to act on issues of criminal justice reform and gun violence.

She also is active in women's rights, was a speaker at January's Women's March on Washington and started a campaign by not wearing make up to a top awards ceremony last year.

"Our conscience is something we are all gifted with at birth, no matter who

U

we are," Keys said in a statement issued by Amnesty.

"That little voice that speaks to you and tells you when something is not right, I always use as my guide. Now I just say, 'Okay, what can I do?' That is a question we can ask ourselves and then act upon."

The Canadian activists

have drawn attention to indigenous people who have been marginalized after decades of public silence and apathy, Amnesty said.

The grassroots Idle No More movement has helped mobilize indigenous people to take control of their lands, resources and environment, and

thority has expressed gratitude for their constant support and cooperation. Blossoms Preschool in Mokokchung town Source: Reuters started in 2015 with 20 students and at present it has grown to 71 students. (Photo by Waps Aier)

C M Y K

A

ctor Josh Brolin has been roped in to play the role of Cable opposite actor Ryan Reynolds in upcoming superhero film "Deadpool 2". Brolin is already seen as supervillain Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), reports variety.com. The film will be helmed by "John Wick" codirector David Leitch. He joined the project last year after Tim Miller dropped

out due to creative differences with Reynolds. Released in 2016, "Deadpool" minted $782.6 million at the box office worldwide, replacing "The Matrix Reloaded" to become the highest-grossing R-rated film in history. Cable aka Nathan Summers has often been paired with Deadpool in the Marvel comics. A release date for the film is yet to be announced.

Source: IANS

Neeta Agarwal from Nagaland wins Mrs. India Incredible 2017 title

N

I

series "Quantico", will look after the 2017 Documentary and Student Visionary Competitions alongside Olivia Thirlby, Ryan Eggold, Brendan Fraser and Ileen Gallagher. The winners of each category will be announced at the Tribeca Film Festival Awards ceremony on April 27 at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center. The festival, from April 19-30, will be hosted

by Michael Rapaport.

Source: IANS

Mhao Odyuo and others briefing media persons in Kohima on April 13

the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society has waged a legal battle against underfunding of social services for indigenous children, Amnesty said.

The awards will be presented in Montreal, Cana- Students along with the teachers of Blossoms Preschool conducted two days of annual preschool spring sports on April 12 and 13. The parents participated in the games and other activities on the second day for which the school auda, on May 27.

Priyanka Chopra to be on Josh Brolin joins Tribeca Film Festival jury 'Deadpool 2' as Cable

ndian actress Priyanka Chopra has been appointed jury member of the upcoming 16th edition of Tribeca Film Festival. Filmmaker Amy Berg, actors Zachary Quinto and Willem Dafoe, and TV producer Sheila Nevins among others will also be on the jury, it was announced on Wednesday, reports hollywoodreporter.com. Priyanka, who became a popular name in Hollywood through her lead role in TV

Morung Express News

nder the initiative and support of department of art & culture, an event management group “Thousand Art Project” in collaboration with Nagaland Art society, Nagaland Street Art and Music Planet will be launching Saturday Art School on April 18 at conference hall department of Art & Culture, Kohima.

It will be launched formally by Vilalhou Noudi, Senior Art executive Art & culture department.

Briefing media persons here at Fifa Cafe, Mhao Odyuo said Saturday Art School will be an avenue for the art enthusiast youth in the state.

Classes will be held on every Saturday at Art and culture department which basic and advance course of Art will be provided to students by professional artists in the state.

Meanwhile, “Pro-Shot”, photography workshop will take place on April 18 and 19 at conference hall department of Art and culture with Ranna MV national Awardees photographer from Bangalore as resource person.

Interested persons have been invited to the event.

eeta Agarwal from Dimapur made her place among top 16 in Mrs. India 2017 contest, North Edition in Delhi Radisson Blu and won the subtitle of Mrs. India Incredible 2017.

She is the daughter-in-law of Dimapur based Shanti Pd. Agarwal and Noja Devi Agarwal and wife of Ashok Agarwal.

Neeta is Gold medalist in B.Sc. Zoology and engaged in modeling and fashion since 2012. She won timeless beauty award in Jaipur Fashion Show in 2016. She worked in a Hindi Movie RUN of Maruti Films.

12

Friday 14•04•2017

SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Mbappe helps Monaco edge Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund players react after their loss to AS Monaco. (AP Photo)

Y K

third goal for the Ligue 1 side. Shinji Kagawa gave the German side hope with a neat finish six minutes from time.

- 'Completely ignored' Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel said his team felt ignored by UEFA after being made to play Monaco in the Champions League, less than 24 hours after an attack on their bus.

The match was immediately rescheduled for Wednesday with UEFA, European soccer's governing body, saying it had made the decision after consulting both teams.

"We weren't asked at any point. We were told by text message that the decision had been made in

Switzerland (where UEFA are based)," Tuchel told reporters. "When they told us 'you're up tomorrow', we felt completely ignored.

"They treated it as if a beer can had been thrown at the bus.

Tuchel said each player had been affected differently. "It was a bad experience," he said.

Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin, who came on as a second-half substitute, said the incident had put football into perspective.

"We love football, we suffer with football and I know we earn a lot of money, and we have a privileged life, but we are human beings and there is so much more than football in this world...and last night we felt it," he said.

MUNICH, AprIl 13 (reUters): Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score 100 goals in UEFA competitions when he struck twice as holders Real Madrid came from behind to win 2-1 at Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.

Bayern's Arturo Vidal opened the scoring and missed a penalty before Ronaldo volleyed the equaliser in the 47th minute and scored the winner 13 minutes from time when he was picked out by Marco Asenio and finished calmly.

Bayern, who had won their last 16 home games in the competition since losing to Real in April 2014, started strongly and took the lead when Vidal met Thiago Alcantara's corner with a thumping header in the 25th minute.

"We would have preferred to have scored another goal," Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane told French TV. "We're content with the result,

but we'd have liked to have scored more."

Vidal could have given the hosts a two-goal cushion from the spot in firsthalf stoppage time following Dani Carvajal's handball, but stepping up in place of injured striker Robert Lewandowski he blazed the penalty over the bar.

Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer denied Ronaldo and Gareth Bale with fine stops and the tie firmly swung in Real's favour in the 61st minute when Javi Martinez was sent off following two quick-fire yellow cards.

"We were in total control during the first half but we weren't subsequently able to exploit the spaces," Bayern's Philipp Lahm told German TV. "The red card was the neckbreaker."

"We're still alive, we're not dead," added Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti. "Real have the better chance now but we still have a chance too, and we'll play with everything we've got."

nal first leg but were only able to leave with Antoine Griezmann’s pen-

– Atletico edge Leicester – Leicester left the Vicente Calderon stadium with a 1-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid but their chances of reaching the Champions League semi-finals were still intact on Wednesday.

The Spanish side outplayed the English champions in their quarter-fi-

alty to their credit.

Leicester failed to register a single shot on Jan Oblak’s goal in the entire game and only had 36 percent possession but manager Craig Shakespeare was content with his team’s performance.

“We know it will be a

very difficult return leg,” he told a news conference.

“We need to create more chances. We need to attack more than we did tonight, but we are aware of what we have to do in the second leg.” Leicester were beaten 2-1 away at Sevilla in the first leg of their last-16 tie but earned a 2-0 victory in the second leg to progress 3-2 on aggregate.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone recognised the difficulties of playing at the King Power and said he expects a raucous atmosphere in Leicester. “In England we expect a fantastic football night," he said.

(We’re ready for) a great atmosphere and a stadium with the fans on top of you. We expect a pure football night.

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy completed just one pass during the game as the visitors focussed on keeping Atletico at bay rather than trying to create any opportunities themselves.

MPL: All Blacks, Sangto Christian School Sports Week underway AC Milan sold to Chinese consortium MIlAN, AprIl 13 (re- merce Group's purchase of Morning FC goal Uters): Italian former Milan rival Internazionale prime minister Silvio Ber- FC last year. fest end in draw A Chinese firm also unlusconi finalised his trouOur Correspondent

bled sale of soccer club AC Milan to a Chinese-led consortium on Thursday, a 740-million-euro ($788 million) deal that tightens China's grip on the game in Italy.

The deal, the biggest Chinese investment in a European club, follows retail giant Suning Com-

Kohima | April 13

The ongoing Morning Premier League saw a thrilling goal fest on Thursday with 14 goals being scored in the 90 minutes of play. The match between All Blacks and Morning Football Club ended in a draw with both teams locked at 7-7.

The nail-biting encounter saw Morning FC leading 4-0 at one stage but the determined All Blacks came back strongly to take the lead just before half time.

Dikwa opened the account for Morning FC in just the second minute of the play before Akhavi made it 2-0 in the 10th minute. Bokato and Tseibu then scored in the in the 23rd and 29th minute respectively to make it 4-0.

However, five goals in a span of 10 minutes saw All Blacks back in contention for the game. Vashupra scored two quick goals in as many minutes finding the net in the 32' and 33' to cut the deficit in half. Renbemo then scored in the 38th minute to make it 4-3 before Azo netted in the equalizer two minutes later.

Vashupra then went on to complete his hat-trick scoring in the 42nd minute as the half ended 5-4 in favour of All Blacks.

Following the restart, Dikwa scored his second in the 51st minute to equalize for Morning FC. Akhavi then restored the lead for Morning FC netting home his second in the 69th minute.

The final 10 minutes of play saw three goals as both teams pushed for the win. Renbemo scored for the All Blacks in the 81st minute to make it 6-6.

But when Tseibu scored his second for Morning FC in the 89th minute, it looked all but over.

However, Renbemo was not done. He scored in added time to complete his hat-trick and help All Blacks secure a last gasp equalizer.

CHessOre, AprIl 13 (MexN): The 13th Annual Games and Sports 2017 of Sangto Christian School Chessore commenced under the theme "Excellence through sports" at Chessore Town Public Ground.

Chief guest on the oc-

casion, Throngso, LDA CVO Tuensang cum Cultural and Statistical Secretary YUTT, stressed on allround education insisting that bookish knowledge itself is not education. He called on parents to provide proper attention to-

derwrites the media rights to the top league, Serie A. In a statement, Berlusconi's family holding Fininvest said it had sold its entire 99.93 percent stake in the club to Luxembourg-based Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux, the company that replaced the original Chinese bid vehicle.

wards children and further encouraged the students to take active participation in extracurricular activities.

Students presented a special number and a drill display following which the chief guest declared the games open.

davp 06331/13/0002/1718

C M

DOrtMUND, AprIl 13 (reUters): Teenager Kylian Mbappe scored twice to give AS Monaco a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday in a Champions League quarter-final first-leg match that was postponed following an attack on the home team's bus.

Mbappe gave Monaco a 19th-minute lead shortly after Fabinho had missed a penalty for the visitors, and they went further ahead when Dortmund defender Sven Bender headed into his own net.

Ousmane Dembele pulled one back for Dortmund in the 57th minute but another defensive mistake allowed Mbappe to break away and grab a

Centurion Ronaldo secures Real comeback over Bayern

Saturday's match Kohima Local Ground @ 6:00 am Silver White vs Power Comm Published, Printed and Edited by Dr. Aküm Longchari from House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur at Themba Printers and Morung Publications , Padum Pukhuri Village, Dimapur, Nagaland.

RNI No : NAGENG /2005/15430. House No.4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur 797112, Nagaland. Phone: Dimapur -(03862) 248854, Fax: (03862) 235194, Kohima - (0370) 2291952

For news email: morung@gmail.com and for advertisements and circulation contact: (03862) 248854, Fax-235194 or email : morungad@yahoo.com

PO Reg No. NE/RN-722