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saturDaY • aPrIL 09 • 2016
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 96 • 12 PAGes • 5
T H e
ESTD. 2005
Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live India in talks to buy U.S. Predator drones, has eye on China, Pakistan
By Sandemo Ngullie
INFORMATION
T R u T H
Europa: Liverpool hold Dortmund on Klopp’s return, Sevilla win
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so near Yet so far
DIMAPUR, APRIL 8 (MExN): The joy of the people living in the 15 colonies of Dhobinala- SignalThahekhu area has been cut short with the government yet to finish works on the Dhobinala- SignalThahekhu road. Work on the road was started by the government on October 20, 2015 after a relentless 15 day media campaign by ‘Fingerprint,’ a design and events group. The group collaborated with Nagaland based media houses, to highlight the plight of this particular road. A letter, signed by Yo hon. yea, I’ll be home 10,000 citizens asking that soon as I find a coolie to carry my bag of vegetables. the road be repaired by also delivered to the Nagaland State Chief Minister. The Public Works Department had initially taken note of the campaign and started work. It was promised that the road would be completed within a span of 2 months. However, six months CITIZEN UMBRELLA since the launch, the resiWholesalers may contact CITIZEN UMBRELLA MANUFACTURER LTD. dents have only inhaled H.O.: 147, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kolkata-7 more dust and experiPh. No. 033-2268-1396, 2271-2152 Fax : (033) 2271-2151 enced bumpier ride, laE-mail : citizenkolkata@gmail.com mented a press note from Fingerprint. “We plead and seek from the concerned authority to provide a The Morung Express time frame within which now has an outlet at the construction would Nagarjan Junction be completed so that the Police Point, Devel- public can at least suffer in opment Authority of silence in that particular Nagaland (DAN) build- time frame.” It stated that “some ofing, adjacent to the Dificial involved in the conmapur Town Hall. It struction mentioned that will make the newspaper more accessible to people living beyond the Railway flyover— press releases, advertisements, letters to the editor, articles and bill payments can also be submitted directly to the outlet from now on.
o F
— Henry Van Dyke
Central team inspects sericulture plantation
PaGE 08
reflections
P o W e R
‘no hung assembly please,’ narendra Modi tells assam RANgIA, APRIL 8 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged the people of Assam to vote decisively for the BJP, warning that a hung assembly will hurt the state. Addressing an election rally here in Kamrup district, the prime minister said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies wanted to form “a majority government” in the state. “Some people are waiting to see a hung assembly in Assam. They want to remote control Assam from Delhi,” he said, in an obvious reference to the state’s ruling Congress party. “So make sure that the BJP alliance gets an absolute majority.” Modi also accused the Congress of exploiting what he called was the Bangladeshi vote bank to stick to power. “The people of Assam have supported the Congress wholeheartedly for 15 years. But the party has failed to reach beyond its Bangladeshi vote bank and dynastic politics, ruining the state,” he thundered. The prime minister said that fencing the winding India-Bangladesh border was his priority. He said his government would take such steps that would not only stop infiltration from Bangladesh but ensure
that all the illegal infiltrators living in Assam were sent back. And in an obvious dig at the Congress, Modi wondered why Saudi Arabia’s decision to confer the highest civilian award on him had upset some people in the state. “I understand a certain country won’t like India’s relationship with some foreign country improving. But why a section of people here are having stomach
minister first visited the Kamakhya temple in Assam’s main city Guwahati. “I thank the people of Assam for the unprecedented high percentage of voting in the first phase,” Modi said, addressing the crowd at Raha in Hindi. “You must have noticed that the Assam chief minister has stopped smiling after the first phase. He is now inviting Congress leaders from Delhi to save him. “But how can they (Congress leaders) save Gogoiji when they could not even save Delhi?” he asked, referring to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He said he had come to Assam to seek the people’s support to bring about a change of government in the state. Modi said he had not seen another state in India apart from Assam where he claimed the entire population lived below poverty line (BPL). “There are states in India where there are 20 or 30 percent BPL population. But the Congress in Assam has turned the entire population of the state poor as BPL.” He said there should be a new government in the state. A total of 65 constituencies in Assam saw a record 82.20 percent polling in the first phase on April 4.
Says Assam chief minister has stopped smiling after the first phase
The Dhobinala- Signal- Thahekhu road remains in a pathetic condition, after work on the road which started six months ago stopped abruptly. Photos by Mongsen Phom
there was inadequate flow of funds but isn’t the Government supposed to plan and execute rather than execute and plan.” This road, it said was supposed to be an example of government’s commitment to peaceful appeal and an example of perfect public spending. “Now, the
monsoon season is slowly tickling down but there is no hope of the road being completed, which means the public will be subjected to more untold suffering.” Terming the situation as “totally unfair,” Fingerprint reminded that the concerned authority has a responsibility towards the
public and is liable to fulfill its commitment. At this moment the concerned authority seems to be negligent and unaccountable to the public, it lamented. The group appealed to the competent authority to immediately execute and speed up the works before the monsoon season begins.
ache? What kind of patriotism is this?” Earlier, at another rally at Raha in Nagaon district, Modi said Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had stopped smiling after the heavy polling in the first phase of assembly elections on April 4. And the Congress leadership cannot save the party from defeat in the polls, the second and final phase of which will be conducted on Monday, he said. Modi arrived in Assam on Friday to campaign for the BJP. Polling for 61 constituencies will take place on Monday. The prime
Who smiles the Most? New Myanmar govt frees scores of jailed activists
India goes one spot down to 118 in World Happiness Airtel to buy Aircel’s Report 2016 airwaves in NE and 7 other circles for Rs.3,500 crore
C M Y K
NEw DELhI, APRIL 8 (IANS): Bharti Airtel announced on Friday it has entered into a definitive agreement with Aircel to acquire its 4G airwaves in eight circles for Rs.3,500 crore through a spectrum trading deal. “Bharti Airtel and its subsidiary, Bharti Hexacom have entered into a definitive agreements with Aircel and its subsidiaries Dishnet Wireless and Aircel Cellular to acquire rights to use 20 MHz of 2300 band 4G spectrum for eight circles for an aggregate consideration of Rs.3,500 crore,” the company said in a statement. The eight circles are Tamil Nadu (including Chennai), Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Assam, North East, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. The spectrum is valid till September 20, 2030. With this acquisition, the company will become pan India 4G operator, the statement said. “The transfer of the right to use for the circles of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa is subject to the revision of spectrum caps with the upcoming auction to be conducted by the telecom department,” it said. “The closing of the transaction is subject to satisfaction of the standard conditions (including conditions stated in the spectrum trading guidelines), as are normal to such transactions,” the company said.
Imlisanen Jamir Dimapur | April 8
The World Happiness Report 2016, an unusual annual ranker of the world’s happiest countries was published last month by the ‘Sustainable Development Solutions Network,’ a global initiative of the United Nations. While the report takes into account the GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support and freedom to make life choices as indicators of how big the smiles are, this year’s report added a new dimension to its analysis: Inequality. Inequality as a measure of the distribution of people’s answers to this particular question: “Imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?” Each country’s ranking is based on their average answer to that question. This year the top country was Denmark, followed by Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Finland. No surprises here, as previous editions of this report have always suggested that Scandinavia is the happiest place to be. Meanwhile, the bottom five included Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria, and Burundi in last place with an average answer of 2.905. India came 118th, which was a slot down from last year, below Somalia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Palestinian Territories and Bangladesh. Researchers who worked on the report found that most countries are getting more unequal. Comparing the period between 2005-2011 and 2012-2015, they discovered that “about a tenth of countries had significant reductions in happiness inequality, while more than half had significant increases.” This year’s report was a rare attempt to measure happiness inequality or well-being inequality. The report gives
rise to pertinent questions like how closely does happiness inequality correlate with income inequality? What does it mean for a country to be unequal when it comes to happiness? What does that kind of society look like? John Helliwell, a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia and one of the editors of the World Happiness Report, observed that there are different kinds of inequalities which go into determining happiness inequality. “A high inequality society is one in which there are many people who achieve a life they rate very highly, and many others who are stuck in a life they are very much dissatisfied with. This could be because the former are rich, and the latter poor, but it could also be for any number of other reasons.” A wider perspective beyond income and wealth inequality would include aspects like community, kindness, the capacity to experience positive emotions and recover from negative emotions. This coupled with the ability to exist in collectives without harming one another, without having extreme differences in opportunity and access to resources. Shigehiro Oishi, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, expressing his views on the report in The Atlantic says that a society where some are really happy and others are really unhappy would look like the winner-takeall society (high-income inequality). This society, he postulates would also be highly corrupted and unfair. Unfair not just economically but politically as well; where the elites are protected, others are not; a “fundamentally nonmeritocratic, unfair society.” The World Happiness Report found that generally, lower happiness inequality correlated with higher average happiness score, suggesting that more equal societies are happier, on the whole. What can be inferred from the report’s findings is that fairness and equality, not just economically but in terms of rights and basic dignity are essential to improve well being and happiness. In the Naga context, those responsible for policy formulation or involved in the function of governance, and those who influence public discourse, would do well to imbibe the report’s findings and relook at the ideas of fairness, equality, progress and well being.
YANgON, APRIL 8 (REUtERS): The new government of Myanmar democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi released scores of jailed activists on Friday, just over a week after assuming power, and the new president is preparing to pardon 100 more people serving sentences for political offences. Many of Suu Kyi’s supporters and members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party were political prisoners under the junta that ceded power in 2011 after nearly 50 years of military rule. Suu Kyi herself spent years under house arrest and said on Thursday releasing remaining political prison-
ers was a top priority. A total of 69 student activists and supporters had charges against them dismissed and were released from jail in the town of Tharrawaddy, north of Yangon, said Zaw Htay, a spokesman for Suu Kyi’s office. Students and relatives hugged and some waved NLD flags after their release. Many of them were detained during a violent police dispersal of student protests in March 2015. President Htin Kyaw was putting together another pardon for more than 100 people serving sentences for political crimes, Zaw Htay said.
It was unclear if the military supported the moves. The armed forces still control key cabinet posts overseeing local government, law and order and security. Amnesty International applauded the release on Friday and called on the government to free remaining prisoners of conscience and repeal laws that it said fuelled arbitrary arrests. Amnesty said at least five student leaders facing charges remained in detention. The released activists were among 414 people facing political charges in Myanmar, said Bo Kyi, the head of rights monitor the
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma). The release still leaves 47 on remand in jail and another 298 on bail while facing charges. The new government was sworn in on March 30 after the NLD swept a general election in November. Suu Kyi has said she wants a reconciliation government and to avoid recriminations over the military’s brutal rule of the country. But tensions have simmered between the NLD and the military over the role of the enormously popular Suu Kyi in the government and the continued power of the military.
RMSA qualified candidates demand appointment letters
RMSA written exam 2014 qualified candidates protesting in Kohima on April 8.
Our Correspondent Kohima | April 8
More than a hundred Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) Written Exam 2014 Qualified Candidates phases 2 & 3 today gathered outside the office of RMSA Nagaland at Old Secretariat, Kohima demanding for immediate issues of appointment orders. More than 110 candi-
dates who have been selected through written exam and viva voce for recruitment to the posts of secondary teacher under RMSA have voiced out their discontentment over failure of the department to absorb them into the service even after being selected by the department for appointment. Interacting with some media persons, RMSA selected candidates said they
have decided to go on an indefinite agitation starting today till their pending appointment orders are issued. Selected candidates who are awaiting their appointment pointed out that first phase of appointment has been completed, whereas 111 candidates to be appointed in the second and third phase are still awaiting their appointment. While waiting for the ap-
pointment some of the candidate’s age limit has already expired. Irked by the silence of the concerned department, one of the candidates Ihoilung Chuilo said the candidates have no option but to resort to agitation indefinitely until their appointment orders are issued. He also said that they met the Director, RMSA on April 7 but no assurance was given to the candidates. Expressing concern over their livelihood, they said that most of the candidates working earlier in other schools and colleges have quit their jobs thinking that they would get appointment. The selected candidates pointed out that they had sat for examination against the advertisement for recruitment of secondary teachers under RMSA published on December 14, 2013. Written exam was held on May 24, 2014 and results declared on June 27, 2014. Viva Voce for the same was held on July 2015 and declared on November 30, 2015.