August 10th, 2015

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www.morungexpress.com

The Morung Express

Dimapur Vol. X issuE 217

www.morungexpress.com

Monday, August 10, 2015 12 Pages Rs. 4

One of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician’s objective. Election and power are

Attacks on army, police and US special forces kill 50 in Kabul [ PAGE 9]

reflections

By Sandemo Ngullie

Dimapur comes 13th in Swachh Bharat ranking [ PAGE 2]

[ PAGE 12]

celebrating & rebuilding age old relationships Intensify defense of our rights: AIPP

Morung Express news Wokha (Yanpha) | August 9

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Ayah, naga manu khan bi na. Even if we get sovereignty, there will be opposition.

The Morung Express Poll QuEsTion

Vote on www.morungexpress.com sMs your answer to 9862574165 Do you agree with NBCC’s opinion that online gaming is a threat to society? Yes

no

others

Is reconciliation and unity among the Nagas a primary requirement in resolving the IndoNaga political issue? Yes

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no

71% 08%

others

21%

Details on page 7

Two Naga IR jawans drown in West Bengal DiMaPuR, august 9 (MExn): Two Naga IR jawans drowned at a fishery pond in West Bengal’s Purulia area today. A press note from the Nagaland state Home Minister identified the two jawans as L Chenithung Mozhui, a Steno and Havaldar Yanpothung Kikon who were posted at the IR Bn HQs at Purulia, West Bengal. The incident took place when they went to a fishery pond called MIRMI, some 1.5 km away from their BN HQs. Post mortem of the two deceased jawans is scheduled to be conducted on Monday. After the post mortem, the bodies will be taken to Kolkata on Tuesday to be flown to Dimapur. On reaching Dimapur, the mortal remains will be taken to Wokha for their last rites, it was informed. The Home Minister has expressed condolences to the bereaved families.

— Cal Thomas

Arsenal stunned by 2-0 loss to West Ham

NPMHR brings International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples to Yanpha

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Indigenous Peoples (IPs) form about 5% of the total world population, are custodians of 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity, yet are among the 15% of the world’s poorest. These simple statistics show the extent of marginalisation of the IPs. In the North East of the Indian sub-continent, IPs inhabit a major chunk of the land but have been the subject of serious conflict for ownership of land, a “colonial legacy” that continues to date. In order to rise above these legacies, the Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) took the celebration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on August 9 to Yanpha village on the Assam-Nagaland border. With the UN theme ‘Indigenous Peoples as Custodians of the Land and its Ecosystems,’ the NPMHR sought to strengthen ties between indigenous communities, celebrating cultural exchange between the Nagas, Tai Ahom and Karbis. Explaining how the

(lEFT) An old man from Workhu village in the Ralan area of Wokha district takes part in the cultural exchange program facilitated by nPMHR at Yanpha village on August 9. (RiGHT)seed exchange between naga and Tai-Ahom people marked the ‘rebuilding of age old relationships’ at the international Day of the World’s indigenous Peoples at Yanpha village. Photos by Betoka Swu

United Nations articulated the right of the IPs, Secretary General of NPMHR, Neingulo Krome, informed how IPs were marginalised to the extent that “even the humanity” of the IPs was not recognised. From the 1970s, the IPs went from being recognised as “populations” to an “issue” to a “peoples” for the international community. The discourse shifted only after much lobbying by indigenous communities. “IPs have suffered discrimination and pressure to be assimilated into surrounding societies that are not indigenous,” said Krome, speaking on the occasion at Yanpha village in Wokha district of Nagaland. “It has led to conflict even between IPs of the

region. If not for these invading cultures, IPs would have continued to live in harmony,” he maintained. Conflict over land has emerged not directly between the indigenous neighbours but because of immigrants backed by state governments and their policies over the past decades, stated NPMHR. Yanpha village itself has been a zone of conflict with the Ralan area of Wokha district facing extreme situations of conflict. “The more interior you go (into Ralan area), the more you know of the life of IPs in a disputed area belt—with extreme security presence, it looks like an international border,” said Hyathung Kikon, chairman of the Ralan area Lotha Hoho, in his

welcome address. Artificial boundaries and imposed political frameworks have raised havoc in the life of IPs in the region, breaking age old bonds between communities. Today, the UN has “entrusted us to be custodians of our land and ecosystem,” noted Krome. For this, “partnership and mutual respect” become tenets to lead a life of harmony with the ecosystem as well as neighbouring communities such that land and culture may be meaningfully passed on to future generations. Furthermore, it was resolved that the “non-indigenous immigrant peoples residing in our lands owe respect and co-operation to us in managing our

land and ecosystem.” In “rebuilding age old relationships” that have defined the IPs of the North East, a seed exchange between participating communities was facilitated. “The way out of the present tensions is to re-live the experience of our ancestors,” said Krome while exchanging seeds with the TaiAhom people, “repaying” them for the “kindness” shown by their ancestors through “mutual trust.” “Our past defines our present and our present will make our future. Let us act accordingly,” said Dr. Dayananda Borgohain, member, Tai Ahom Development Council, in his solidarity message. While reminiscing the close ties between the

Naga and Tai-Ahom people, he also brought greetings to the Naga people of the area from ULFA leader Arabinda Rajkhowa. A cultural exchange marked the festivities, with performances by a Tai Ahom cultural troupe, the Western Rengma Nagas and Workhu village. Solidarity messages were also extended by Western Rengmas elders, the Naga Students’ Federation and Indigenous Women’s Forum of North East India (IWFNEI), which also extended solidarity from the Karbi people. An Indigenous Feast marked the conclusion of the celebrations on a hot day at Yanpha, whose heat the communities danced away cheerfully.

Chiang Mai, august 9 (MExn): The Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) has called upon Indigenous Peoples (IPs) to intensify the defense of “our rights to land, territories and resources against land grabbing.” The AIPP declared this in a statement made on the occasion of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. It also called upon states to take “concrete actions to respect, recognize and protect our collective rights as affirmed by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples.” The AIPP also reiterated that the post 2015 Development Agenda as well as climate change solutions and actions shall “fully respect and protect our rights especially to our lands, territories and resources.” Millions of indigenous peoples remain subjected to exploitation, systematic discrimination, militarization, conflicts and untold suffering from the widespread violation of rights. “Asia has 2/3 of the world’s indigenous peoples whose land rights are increasingly being violated even in countries where our land rights are recognized,” stated the AIPP. Full statement on page 5

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GoI should show signs of good faith: NISC framework Agreement is DiMaPuR, august 9 (MExn): The Naga International Support Center (NISC), while acknowledging the signing of the Framework Agreement between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) today stated that Government of India should show signs of “good faith.” A press note from the NISC called for the release all Naga political prisoners, including Ningkan Shimray who was arrested and convicted for waging war against the state of India and procuring arms for the purpose. “He was under the command of the NSCN leadership, hence if taken seriously; the leader-

ship who signed the Peace Accord is as accountable,” it said. The NISC also stated that the Framework Agreement should result in all troops being withdrawn and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act abolished. To “genuinely take care” of the well being of the Naga Peoples, the NISC suggested that the Pan Naga Council be given the power which now rests with the states in which Naga Peoples live. Otherwise this accord is nothing more than a variation of the Shillong accord, it cautioned. It added that the Pan Naga Council has to be duly elected by the Naga people.

The NISC further urged that the ban against Nagas entering their homeland should be lifted, citing the cases of activists Luingam and PeingamLuithui whose Indian passports were impounded making them stateless. Luithui is the co-founder of the Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights. It also called for the removal of restrictions for foreigners to visit Nagaland, stating that “with peace in the land there is nothing to hide.” The NISC hoped that serious talks towards a permanent settlement of the conflict would be held acknowledging the unique situation of

the Nagas and recognising Nagaland, “not just the present Nagaland State,” but “as a nation and negotiate accordingly about the relationship between Nagaland and India when considering overlapping constitutions.” The NISC said that it does not celebrate at the signing of the Framework Agreement yet as the details are yet to be revealed, but will do so “if the right to self determination of the Nagas is not only recognized by India, but also put in practice.” It furthercautionedthatanymore delay in making the contents of the Agreement public could result in “losing the good will and support for the Accord.”

cMo and nlA speaker Nagaland secretariat road cut off clarify on media reports

KOhiMa, august 9 (MExn): The Nagaland Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has refuted Union Minister, Nirmala Seetharaman’s statement, in which she reportedly said that the Nagaland CM had met the Prime Minister two days before the Framework Agreement between the centre and the NSCN (IM)was signed. A press note from the CMO clarified that the Parliamentary Working Committee of the NLA had met the Prime Minister on July 17, of which the Chief Minister was also a member. Thereafter, the Chief Minister, along with the State Home Minister met the Prime Minister only on August 8, five days after the Accord was signed, it said. The CMO further informed that consultations have been going on for the last two months on resolving the Naga issue through meetings with the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and the Interlocutor. Further, it said that RN Ravi, the Interlocutor to the peace talks, had also visited Nagaland and held a

series of consultations with mass based organizations and civil societies on resolving the Naga issue, but not on signing of the Accord. It said that the state government has not been kept in the loop regarding signing of the accord or framework agreement. The government, it affirmed, is “confident that both the negotiating parties will work out the terms of the Accord in the best interest of the Nagas.” NLA Speaker, Chotisuh Sazo also refuted reports that the NLF had met the Prime Minister two days before the accord was signed and termed the report as “misplaced and liable for correction.” A press note from the NLA Speaker said that the Parliamentary Working Committee of the NLF on the Naga political issue had met submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister and among other things impressed upon him to expedite the peace process and to bring out a formula for an honourable solution.

An excavator being used to cut off the main road leading to the nagaland Civil secretariat in Kohima.

our Correspondent Kohima | August 9

The main road leading to the Nagaland Secretariat area in Kohima has been cut off. The road was cut down Saturday to free the accumulated water in Sanuorii stream. Kohima Deputy Commissioner Rolavituo Mor said that after applying several measures, the only option left was to cut down the road. He said that a permanent structure bridge will constructed, adding that the construction will take several months. This road serves as the main link to the state secretariat, the assembly secretariat, different departmental directorates, 4th NAP Thizama. In the meantime, following the closure of Secretariat road with immediate effect, Mor informed the commuters to use alter-

native roads. Meanwhile Kohima traffic police issued an advisory informing all heavy vehicles, including staff bus plying to and from New Secretariat to use the High School junctionMeriema-New Secretariat road. All light vehicles can ply through Tinpatti-DBS-Billy Graham road-Secretariat. The arrangement has been necessitated as the Billy Graham road is small and if all the vehicles ply from the route there are possibilities of massive traffic jam. This traffic regulation will remain in force till further notice. Meanwhile, the main water supply to Nagaland state secretariat is reportedly cut off. Sources informed that the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) is working to resume the water supply at the earliest. It was reported that emergency water reserves are in place at the Secretariat.

only the beginning: Zeliang

• Nagaland CM ready to

step down if acceptable & honourable solution is found • Says Naga customary & land holding system will be respected by Centre • Naga issue to be resolved by sharing of power between GoI and Naga people

nEw DElhi, august 9 (ians/ Pti): Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang on Sunday said the Naga peace pact signed between the government and the NSCN (IM) was just the formula to end decades of conflict in the state. “After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I have come to know that the Naga accord is just the formula to settle the Naga conflict. It is just the beginning of the solution,” Zeliang told reporters Sunday in New Delhi. The CM stressed on the need to solve the issue permanently, which would be possible only if there was no “political influence”. “It is important that the settlement made is keeping in mind the Naga cultural system and based on their unique history. It is important that there is no political influence in the entire issue.” Zeliang further informed: “A delegation of 16 members from the civil society will meet NSCN (K) and, if required, the other factions too and try to persuade them to join the peace talks. The delegation consists of Naga Hoho, the apex body of all the Naga community, and one more group. They have been given the security clearance by the home ministry to travel to Myanmar and hold talks with the NSCN (K), which has significant presence in Nagaland.” “I along with all members of the Nagaland Assembly are ready to step down, if an acceptable and honour-

able solution is found to the Naga people, in order to make a new beginning,” the CM further said. He stated that the final result of the Naga Accord was expected by the end of this year. He also said that allegations by Nagaland’s neighbouring states that they were not consulted over the Naga accord were false and they were all aware of it. “There is a difference between active participation and consultation. Consultation with the Northeastern states was very much there before signing the Naga accord,” he said. Asserting that the agreement will not affect non-Nagas and will resolve the problems of the North East, Zeliang said that he will speak to other chief ministers of the region. “The pact signed by Centre and NSCN (IM) will help bring peace to the North-East. I will speak personally to my counterparts of neighbouring states to allay their apprehensions over the agreement,” Zeliang said. “Solving the Naga problem is solving the problems of the NorthEast. Non-Nagas of the North-East should not have any negative thinking about the pact,” he added. Zeliang said what he understood after meeting Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh was that the Naga political problem will be resolved through sharing of power between the government of India and the Naga people. Highlighting aspects of the formula, he said Naga customary system and land holding system will be respected by the Centre based on the “unique history of Nagas” and will be applied across the Naga inhabited areas of the North East, including Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. “This Naga issue does not pertain to only Nagaland. Naga problem is covering the entire Naga contiguous region. So, respecting the traditional land holding system, customary system, it covers the entire Naga (community) wherever they are...,” he said. Zeliang will meet the Naga peace talks interlocutor RN Ravi on August 16.

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Dimapur comes 13th in Swachh Bharat ranking Morung Express News Dimapur | August 9

The commercial capital of Nagaland, Dimapur, at score of 76, was in 13th position in the “Swachh Bharat rankings of capital cities” (sic) in India. The survey conducted during 2014-15 was commissioned by the union urban development ministry as required under the National Sanitation Policy of 2008 and was announced on Saturday through a PIB press release. Incidentally, Dimapur was denoted as the capital city of Nagaland by the ministry release. Among the capital cities, Bengaluru at 7 points was declared the cleanliest state capital followed by Thiruvananthapuram at 8 points. Patna came at the bottom at 429. 15 of the 27 capital cities surveyed figured among the top 100 performers while five were ranked beyond 300. Among the cities in North East, Gangtok scored the best at 3rd rank among the state capitals, and overall 10th in the ranking of 476 cities in India. Agartala was ranked at 6th, Aizawl 9th, Guwahati 10th and Imphal at 14th. Contrary to popular perception, the capital of Meghalaya, Shillong, at 17th position, was ranked lowest among the cities in North East. 7 cities from North East featured in the top 100, the ministry said. Overall, Mysuru (Mysore) and Thiruchirapalli got first and second position in the ranking. Other cit-

ies in the top 10 were Navi Mumbai, Kochi, Hassan, Mandya, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Halisahar, and Gangtok, the ministry statement informed. All together 39 cities from the southern states of India were declared among the top 100 followed by 27 from the eastern states in the Swachh Bharat Rankings. Damoh (Madhya Pradesh) came at the bottom of 476, preceded by Bhind (MP), Palwal and Bhiwani, both in Haryana, Chittaurgarh (Rajasthan), Bulandshahar (UP), Neemuch (MP), Rewari (Haryana), Hindaun (Rajasthan) and Sambalpur in Odisha at 467th rank. All the 476 Class-1 cities in 31 states and union territories, each with a population of above one lakh, were surveyed for assessing total sanitation practices covering a set of parameters. “The parameters included extent of open defecation, solid waste management, septage management, waste water treatment, drinking water quality, surface water quality of water bodies and mortality due to water-borne diseases,” the release informed. Overall sanitation rankings of these cities based on a total of 100 marks assigned to different parameters covering all aspects would be announced later, the release informed, adding the present Swachh Bharat rankings was based on a total of 42 marks, including 20 for open defecation indicators and 22 for solid waste management indicators.

The Morung Express C

Kids For Fame quarter final

A gaggle of Geese cool themselves in a puddle that had formed on a road in Dimapur on August 8. Photo by Caisii Mao

Dimapur, august 9 (mExN): The second elimination round of Kids For Fame - 5, which will be the quarter final round, will be held on August 22, 5:00 pm at Town Hall here. The Top 13 contestants will be showcasing their talents live on stage, according to a press release. Based on their performance and outcome of public vote, 10 contestants out of 13 will be selected to go through to the semi final round scheduled for September 19 at Town Hall. The release said that during the show, the contestant with highest public votes and judges points will be declared. Before the show, the organisers are planning to have a grooming session for the contestants by the mentor and panel of Judges on singing technique, vocalising, skill and stage appearance so as to help them grow as an artist and educate them to widen their horizon in singing field. The grooming session will be held on August 15, 4:00 pm at Pheto Music Association (PMA) office at Padumpukhuri, Dimapur. Contestants have been informed to reach the venue on time without fail. Meanwhile, all the Top 13 contestants have been informed to prepare two to three "studio quality sound track" of their best choice in Wave Format on Pen Drive for grooming class for final selection of the song for performance. The first public voting will be open till August 20.

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SBI-TCCS Dimapur holds 25th annual general meet Morung Express News Dimapur | August 9

State Bank of India Employees’ Thrift & Credit Co-operative Society (SBI-TCCS) Ltd., Dimapur held its 25th Annual General Meeting on August 9. Welfare-oriented in nature, the society was formed in 1988 and has at present 1028 SBI employees as members. Its main objectives are to encourage thrift among mem-

bers, to issue loans to its members at reasonable rate of interest, to borrow funds from the members and to utilize it as loans to other members and to act as agents for purchase of domestic and other requirements. It further seeks to develop cooperation amongst the staff members, while helping to grow savings and aiding members in times of need. The meeting was attended by Rajat Kumar Das, secretary

general of the National Federation, SBI SC/ST Employees as the chief guest. Das is also the general secretary of the SBI SC/ST Employees Welfare Association, NE Circle and the deputy general secretary of the SBI Officers’ Association NE Circle Guwahati. President of the SBI SC/ ST Employees’ Welfare Association, NE Circle and vice president of the National Federation, Manuram Tu-

mung and vice president of the SBI Officers Association, NE Circle, David Kire were guests of honour. Das, in his address highlighted the importance of employees keeping up-to-date with matters relating to policy and law. Awareness about banking norms, he said, will not only help serve customers better but also prevent employees from making errors. He also highlighted the work

of the National Federation, SBI SC/ST Employees and how it is striving to protect and uphold the privileges of SC and ST employees irrespective of rank. Chairman of the SBITCCS, R. Hasnu stated that any employee of the SBI can be a member of the society and avail its facilities. Stating that it is for their own benefit, he requested new employees who are yet to obtain membership to join.

Vineyard School Kohima organises workshop Nagaland PCCF chosen for biodiversity conservation award

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Kohima, august 9 (mExN): Vineyard School Kohima conducted a ‘DoIt-Yourself’ workshop for students of class 7 to 10 at the school campus in Lerie here from July 27-31. The workshop focussed on five skills – creative writing, painting, art and craft, cooking and baking, and carpentry. The students were also taught the basics of Disaster Management and First Aid during the programme, a press release informed. The workshop was put together to provide a platform to mould budding talents and provide the students a stepping stone to begin with. The workshop had resource persons from different backgrounds, including renowned Naga author and poet Easterine Kire (creative writing), State Coordinator for Disaster Management Cell ATI Dr. Hovithal Sothu (disaster management), Vikhor Tepa (painting), Jenny Thong (cooking & baking), Alno Kennao (art & craft), Visato Yhoshü (carpentry), Dr. Aseno Rhetso, Dr. Asano John, Dr. Azibo Peseyie, Dr. Elivil Pusa and Dr. Ayu Pusa (first aid). After the workshop, the students were given one week to create what they had learnt and their products were put up for an exhibition-cum-sale on August 8 in the school premises. Besides different items, the team of creative writing students produced the school’s first newspa(Top) Students of Vineyard School Kohima paint during the per ‘The Grapevine’ under workshop. (Bottom two)The creations of the students which the initiation of Easterine Kire, it was informed. were put for exhibition-cum-sale on August 8.

Dimapur, august 9 (mExN): The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force, Nagaland M. Lokeswara Rao (IFS) has been chosen for the first Tigerland India Biodiversity Conservation Award, 2015. Bestowed by the Tigerland India Film Festival (TIFF), the award will be given at a function in Bhopal on August 26. A press release from Temjenyabang Jamir (IFS), Conservator of Forests, informed that in a communication Abhinandan Shukla, the director of TIFF informed that the work of Nagaland Forest Department under the dynamic leadership of M. Lokeswara Rao, PCCF & HoFF, for conservation of Amur Falcon has been acknowledged and appreciated by national and

international media. Shukla further stated that conservation of Amur Falcon by the Department of Forests, Government of Nagaland in co-ordination with the authorities of Pangti village has been a great success-story in the field of wildlife conservation and thus has earned the title “Falcon Capital of the World” for the state of Nagaland. TIFF regarded the Amur Falcon conservation initiative of the Department of Forests, Government of Nagaland as a wonderful example of how effective conservation can help the local community by contributing to their economy by attracting tourists from all over world, the release said. It also acknowledged that the satellite tagging of Amur Falcon, an inter-

vention that earned laurels by the state department from scientific community both nationally and internationally, has enabled the world to plot the migration route of falcons. TIFF is an initiative to promote wildlife conservation and awareness through visual media. It aims to promote and dissipate awareness towards wildlife conservation through films, documentaries, short films, photographs, paintings and books on environmental themes. The festival lays special emphasis on involving youth in safeguarding the nature and wildlife heritage. The festival is an annual event and is being organized by the Society for Tigerland Conservation, registered under Madhya Pradesh Society

Registration Act, 1973. Young people, students, and amateur wildlife lovers and enthusiasts from all over the country participate in the festival. The festival will not just spread the message of conservation far and wide, but also carry forward the special place and role of India as the prime tourist destination for wildlife lovers and enthusiasts in the entire world, according to the release. The Tigerland India Biodiversity Conservation Award, 2015 will be given in the presence of legendary Bollywood actress Waheeda Rehman. This is the latest of a series of award/recognition that the State Government is being bestowed with for their unprecedented conservation efforts during the past two years, the release added.

Naga Council emergency meeting today

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Dimapur, august 9 (mExN): All the Naga Council office bearers, councilors, and tribal presidents have been informed that there will be an emergency meeting on August 10, 12:00 noon at Naga Council Unity Hall. General Secretary of Naga Council Dimapur has requested all to attend the meeting without fail.

Pedestrians walk past a vegetable vendor on the main road of Kohima. Morung Photo/Chizokho Vero

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A new dental clinic called Shamakok Dental Clinic has opened at Nagarjan traffic point, K.E. Complex, below Crown Hotel. Seen in the picture is the proprietor Dr. Meyisen Angh.

Yimchungrü community celebrates Metümneo in Kohima Our Correspondent Kohima | August 9

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The Yimchungrü community of Kohima on Saturday celebrated Metiimneo festival with much pomp and traditional gaiety here in the official residence of parliamentary secretary for economics & statistics and municipal affairs R. Tohanba. Metümneo is the premier festival of Yimchungrü tribe. Gracing the occasion as special guest, Yimchunger Gazetted Officers Association general secretary Showuba said that Metümneo is a time to respect our soul, pray for departed soul, time for reconciliation of wrong acts in the past. Individual sacrifices is the first stage of progressing one’s own generation, he said. ENPO vice president Kekongchim said that every festival has got its own

(LEFT) YGOA general secretary Showuba receives gift during Metümneo festival in Kohima on August 8. (RIGHT) Yimchungberü Cultural Club Kohima presents folk song during Metümneo festival in Kohima on August 8. (Morung Photos)

significance, yet unity is the common one. In this, he called upon the community to maintain unity and create a congenial atmosphere to live in. He also encouraged the community to wear the traditional attire which is hardly visible now except during festivals. He also stressed on

the need to do away with clanism in the society and at the same time called upon the gathering to use time properly to bring changes in the community. Meanwhile, SDO (C) of Jakhama Athsangla stressed on the need to preserve and promote the rich culture and traditions of the Nagas.

Metümneo is one of the important festivals of the Yimchungrü . It is celebrated from August 4 to 8 every year, said YUK treasurer A. Akum. The festival marks the beginning of the new harvest crops of the year. On the first day, the village is cleaned by the community effort and also

the damaged roads and homes by heavy rains are repaired. On second day, the community construct the way connecting the village with neighboring village, and the roads leading to the fields are also put in right shape and cleaned. Third day, water points and springs are cleaned

giving a new look to the village and its surrounding. On day four, pigs and cows are killed for meat and distributed to the relatives and friends. On fifth day, the village enjoys their millet with local brew and pork. Friends are invited and they dance in their finest and go round the village to charm young

and old. On that day, when evening comes huge bonfire is lighted throughout the night and the men folks used to make merry with songs, dances and exchange of greetings and gifts. During Metümneo, the new born babies’ parents used to offer special prayer in order to respect soul for

long life. During the celebration, people pray addressing the “Arimpuh” saying let men and women of their community multiply in great numbers and let they grow to be real men and women and also let the crops be fruitful in their field. Earlier, Yimchungberü Cultural Club Kohima presented folk song while Shophu Nungrii, Akhum & Kumri also presented special numbers. The programme was chaired by YUK executive chairman John Tochimong. Pastor YBBC Lungri Nungti invoked the blessing in the programme, while welcome address was delivered by YUK president Kejingkhum. Vote of thanks was proposed by YUK general secretary Kiutsuthong, while benediction was pronounced by YBBK women pastor Yinsola. Over 600 Yimchungrüs joined the celebration.

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REgional

The Morung Express

10 August 2015

Cost for bridge over Bhramaputra may escalate by Rs 300 crore: HCC DIBRUGARH, AUGUST 9 (PTI): The cost for constructing girders of India's longest rail-cumroad bridge at Bogibeel over Brahmaputra in Assam, by a HCC-led consortium, is likely to escalate by over Rs 300 crore, mainly due to expansion and delay of the project. "The joint venture received the contract for Rs 987 crore in November 2011 to construct 36 spans or girders. Now the design has been modified with requirement of 41 spans... The total cost to construct the entire superstructure will now be around Rs 1,300 crore," HCC Project InCharge ( Bogibeel Bridge) Santosh Kumar Misra said. Hindustan Construction Company owns 51 per cent stake in the JV, where Germany-based DSD Brouckenbau has 20 per cent and VNR Infrastructure has 29 per cent holdings, building the girders or superstructure. The 42 sub-structures

The construction work of the Bogibeel Bridge which is coming up over the Brahmaputra River in Dibrugarh district of Upper Assam. (File photo: Ritu Raj Konwar)

or the piers of the massive bridge are being constructed by Gammon India, which is also alleged to be carrying out the work at a slow pace. "The earlier timeline given to us for opening the entire project to public was November 2015, but it has been delayed due to various factors. Now we will

Northeast Briefs

Search for missing chopper futile on sixth day

ITANAGAR, AUGUST 9 (PTI): The massive search operation to locate the Pawan Hans helicopter, which went missing after taking off from Khonsa in Arunachal Pradesh's Tirap district on August 4, yielded no result on the sixth day today, officials said. Arunachal Pradesh Civil Aviation secretary B M Mishra said that Shillong-based Eastern Air Command AOC-in-Chief Air Marshall S P Deb today flew over Tirap in a Mi17 V5 aircraft trying to locate the missing helicopter. The search operation is being conducted jointly by the Army, Assam Rifles and police and the Tirap and Changlang district administration.

Three hacked to death over land dispute in Assam JORHAT, AUGUST 9 (PTI): Three persons, including two brothers, were killed and as many others of the same family seriously injured following a land dispute in Jorhat district. The brothers - Monaswar Hazarika and Hemkanta Hazarika - were locked in a land dispute with the latter grabbing a piece of land belonging to the former. The district Court had recently ordered Hemkanta to return the land to Monaswar, Jorhat Superintendent of Police Amanjeet Kaur said. Hemkanta attacked Monaswar with a spear while he was sitting outside his house in Yelengmora Khutiaphutia village under Pulibor police station last evening and hacked him to death following which Monaswar's two sons, Ananta and Ajay, retaliated by hacking their uncle to death. Hemkanta's two sons, Bolin and Dondeswar, also reached the spot and a fight ensued among the four nephews and all were seriously injured. The injured were taken to Jorhat Medical College Hospital where Dondeswar was referred to Assam Medical College Hospital and he died on his way to Dibrugarh. The condition of the three others injured was also stated to be critical. Tension prevailed in the area and a high alert has been sounded with additional security personnel deployed to prevent further clashes between the two groups of the family, Kaur added.

Myanmarese held in Mizoram with arms AIzAwL, AUGUST 9 (IANS): Security forces have arrested a Myanmarese man in Mizoram along the international border and seized arms and ammunition from his possession, police said here on Sunday. Chingsianpianga, 36, was arrested during a joint operation by Mizoram Police and Assam Rifles troopers at Hnahlan village in Champhai district on Friday night when he was smuggling the arms into India from Myanmar across the IB. Two M-3 rifles, three loaded magazines and a huge cache of bullets have been seized from him, a police officer said. The officer said Chingsianpianga was a resident of Darkhai village in Myanmar. The arrested man told police that the arms were smuggled from Myanmar. "The seized arms and ammunition were suspected to have been meant for Chakma rebels operating in Bangladesh," the officer said. The Chakma rebels have been demanding sovereign status in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts. Mizoram shares a 510-km mountainous border with Myanmar. Assam Rifles troopers were posted along the 1,643-km IndiaMyanmar border along Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km) and Mizoram (510 km). Mizoram also shares an unfenced 318-km international border with Bangladesh.

KPLT cadre nabbed GUwHATI, AUGUST 9 (PTI): A hardcore Karbi Peoples' Liberation Tigers (KPLT) cadre was nabbed from Karbi Anglong district by a joint team of the Indian Army and Assam Police. "Mohen Teron alias Bhim Teron, a resident of Khorsing village and a cadre of KPLT terrorist group, was apprehended from Rongpi Gaon by a joint team of the Indian Army and the Assam Police on August 8, 2015," a Defence spokesperson said in a statement. The joint team had launched a special operation yesterday afternoon following specific inputs regarding presence of some KPLT militants in Rongpi Gaon, he said. The cadre was a self-styled area commander of Jaipong, the spokesperson added.

complete our work by December 2016 and the bridge will be opened for public by June 2017," Misra said. The Northeast Frontier Railway project, which was first initiated during the tenure of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in 1997, has missed several deadlines of completion since then.

Misra said the starting of construction work got delayed by almost a year after receiving the contract as heavy rains affected setting up of the basic infrastructure to build the bridge at the site. "The first span was launched in April 2014 and so far we have rolled out 10 units on the river. An-

other 10 spans are being prepared to launch by this month. We are now planning to deliver two spans every month," he added. To expedite the work further, HCC is planning to add 150-200 more workers to its current strength of around 2,500 people at the southern bank of Brahmaputra, which has rication, assembly and launching facilities, Misra said. The 4.94 km Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge will be the longest one in the country having the twin mode of transportation. Currently, the 5.6 km long Bandra-Worli sea link, also constructed by HCC, is the longest bridge but offering only road network in Mumbai. The total cost of Bogibeel project has escalated drastically over the years and is now likely to touch Rs 5,000 crore, which will take into account the main bridge, dykes on north and south banks, road network of 30 km, rail track of 74 km

3 ULFA-I planning attacks in Assam, says report Monday

and six new railway stations among others. HCC claimed that a total of 70,000 MT of steel will be used for completing the superstructure, which will be equivalent to 10 Eiffel Towers. Being a fully-welded bridge, the total length of welding to be carried out is about 12,800 km, which is equivalent to circling around the moon 1.5 times. The Bogibeel rail-cumroad bridge will be doubledecked having two railway tracks on lower level and a three-lane road on the upper deck flanked by footpaths on each side. It is located around 17 km downstream of Dibrugarh town and will connect the NH-37 on south bank with NH-52 on north side. Due to its location, the bridge will be of strategic importance to India as it will significantly enhance the ability to transport troops and supplies to the international border with China in Arunachal Pradesh.

GUwAHATI, AUGUST 9 (IBT): The Paresh Baruah-led United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) has smuggled in RDX-5 explosives into Assam to unleash violence in Guwahati and other districts of the state and also target oil refinery and railway assets on the eve of Independence Day, warn intelligence agencies. "To implement the plan they have already managed to smuggle in RDX-5 category explosives inside the state. Guwahati is the key target along with districts of Goalpara, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh. Also, oil refineries and installations along with railways are under threat," Eastern Chronicle quoted an intelligence official as saying. RDX 5 is supposed to the most lethal grade explosive in the RDX range, Eastern Chronicle added. The official further said the ULFA-I has teamed up with two other militant outfits, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland

Dimapur

(Songbijit) and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, to carry out the attacks. A paradigm shift in their modus operandi is to exploit the complacency that follows heightened security during and till the Independence Day. "While, normally the rebel groups are seen to target the period before or on Independence Day, this time they reportedly plan to strike even between 18 August and 25 August, if they fail on the eve of 15 August. The militants will try to take advantage of the relaxation of the security after Independence Day," the official said. The security forces are on alert in Guwahati, according to the police. "We are beefing up security in the city. We are alert and security is being continuously reviewed," said a senior police official. He added that the security arrangements were discussed with public sector companies in the refinery complex.

Manipur Deputy CM says NE states were not consulted Key link to Indo-China pangolin Our Correspondent Imphal | August 9

Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam today criticized Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang over his claim that the Chief Ministers of North East states were consulted by the Centre while formulating the recent framework agreement signed between the Government of India and NSCN (IM). Gaikhangam, who also holds Home portfolio, rebutted the statement by TR Zeliang while speaking to pressmen here on the sidelines of a function. “TR Zeliang’s remarks that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi consulted the

concerned states of the North East while devising the peace accord were showing excessive allegiance to Narendra Modi,” Gaikhangam alleged. “As per the Prime Minister’s statement, the peace accord was just the framework and the neighbouring states of Nagaland would be taken into confidence before the final settlement,” Gaikhangam said. He tried to allay apprehension of the people over the agreement saying the Prime Minister’s statement should be respected. Gaikhangam also hoped the pact would not impinge upon the territorial boundary of Manipur. But the Deputy Chief Min-

ister called on the people to remain watchful until the details of the text of the agreement come out. Meanwhile, senior leader of Manipur unit of BJP, Prof Tiken today said the Central Government had assured a party delegation led by its president Th Chaoba that the Naga peace accord would not impinge upon the territorial integrity of Manipur. At a press meet at party office, Prof Tiken said that a team of the state BJP led by Th Chaoba was still camping in New Delhi and that the Central leaders had assured the team that Manipur’s territorial boundary would not be affected by the Naga Peace accord.

Central body nod to link Gomati with Meghna AGARTALA, AUGUST 9 (TNN): The Inland Water Authority of India (IWAI) has agreed to connect the largest river of Tripura, Gomati, with Meghna river of Bangladesh, as part of the efforts to restore pre-independence connectivity between the two neighbouring countries. Officials on Saturday said work would be carried out on the Gomati river bed to make the water level of the Gomati and the Meghna same. The Meghna river flows 30km from western border of Tripura. "We have plans to start ferry services between India and Bangladesh by connecting the Gomati and Meghna," officials said, adding that the Union ministry of shipping had given emphasis on development of inland water

transport in the northeast. The Tripura government had submitted a detailed project proposal for the development of navigable waterways on the Gomati and Howrah. The project costs were fixed at Rs 12.59 crore for the Gomati and Rs 11.19 crore for the Howrah. The Howrah is the main source of potable water of Agartala. After a long persuasion, IWAI had agreed to sanction funds for the Gomati, but had not mentioned any step for improvement of water flow and navigation in the Howrah, said state drinking water and sanitation minister Ratan Bhowmik. Bhowmik said catchment area development and de-siltation of the Howrah river had become in-

evitable to feed 5 lakh population of Agartala and another 2 lakh people living along the river. "The matter has been taken up with the Centre several times before, but no concrete step has been taken yet," Bhowmik said. He added that as many as three of the five pending inland water transport projects of the northeast, one each in Assam, Manipur and Mizoram, have been completed with 100% subsidy from the Centre. A few such projects have been initiated in Assam — including construction of a highlevel jetty at Pandu port, construction of a terminal at Dhubri and initiation of bank protection measures for the IWAI terminal area at Jogighopa.

smuggling nabbed from Mizoram

BHOPAL, AUGUST 9 (TNN): Madhya Pradesh forest department arrested another key link in the Indo-China international pangolin smuggling racket from Mizoram. The accused, Laltlan Kunga, a resident of Kolasib district in Mizoram, was brought on transit remand to Madhya Pradesh and produced in Chhindwara court on Saturday. One kg of pangolin scales were confiscated from his house. Blood, meat and scales of pangolins are sold to traditional medical practitioners at a premium in south-eastern countries. Ritesh Sirotia, in-charge of state forest's special task force (STF) wildlife crime, told TOI that Kunga is a mediator between pangolin traders in India and China. "We have identified two Myanmar nationals, who are part of the poaching syndicate. Efforts are on to arrest them through Interpol," he said. He was into this trade for last five years. "Kunga was getting commission from poachers in India and Myanmar. He was assigned with task of smuggling pangolins and its scales to China," said the officer. As many as 38 people from seven states have been arrested, including 23 from Madhya Pradesh, seven from Maharashtra, two from Odisha, two from Andhra Pradesh, one from Chhattisgarh, two from West Bengal and one from Mizoram. Another key player of the gang has been identified as Amir Hussain Laskhar of Assam. He is absconding. Laskhar moved an application for anticipatory bail in the court. STF is also trying to arrest his female associate, Zobi Hmar, who is a tribal and part of the global smuggling ring. Last month, STF arrested Ash-

‘NE region must be involved to achieve Look East policy goals' NEw DELHI, AUGUST 9 (PTI): Involvement of the people of the northeastern region and a strong political will in the form of a robust policy are some of the approaches necessary to achieve the goals of the country's 'Look East' policy, says a new book. Although there is no easy approach to achieve such goals which need time and efforts, more than a decade has lapsed since the northeast was given a special place in the 'Look East' policy, but there seems to be lack of political will to implement the same, says the book "India's Look East Policy And The Northeast". Published by Sage, the book is written by Thongkholal Haokip, Assistant Professor of political science at Presidency University, Kolkata. The northeastern states had been exposed to international trade during the pre-colonial and colonial period. It had negligible impact on the local economy as tea plantation was developed into enclave production without having any linkage with the hinterland. In the post-indepen-

dence period, the exploitative nature of the British colonial rule continued in the region with just a change in the stakeholders from British to Indian capitalists, the book says. The main component of the 'Look East' policy is to bring development in the northeastern region through the expansion of regional trade linkage with the economies of its eastern neighbours. India's northeast has more geographical proximity and contact with other countries than the Indian mainland. It is connected to mainland by a mere 21-km-long landmass called 'Siliguri corridor' which is less than two per cent of the 5000 km combined perimeter formed by the seven northeastern states, while the remaining borders China, Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The Partition of India in 1947 caused this extreme geo-political isolation of the northeast, making it the most regulated, a sensitive border region and the most exposed territory. Partition also caused severance of the inland water, road and

railway communication through the erstwhile East Pakistan and access to the Chittagong port was lost. The Chinese takeover of Tibet and the virtual closure of border with Myanmar added to the isolation of the region, the author says. The 'Look East' policy rightly aims at the creation of an enabling environment so as to end the landlocked situation and isolation of the northeastern region by opening up the borders and reintegrating the region's economy through improved trade and connectivity between northeast India and Southeast Asian countries. However, when we consider the existing ground realities, the growth of border trade between the northeastern region and neighbouring countries is slow. Except the opening of border trade between India and Myanmar at Moreh and Champhai, and between India and China at Nathula, and the much hyped 165-km-long IndoMyanmar friendship Road connecting Tamu and Kalaymyo Kalewa in 2001, nothing significant has happened on ground.

The 'Look East' policy, therefore needs a reorientation to suit the development interests of the northeastern region, the book says. Despite the enormous potential of the 'Look East' policy, India's border trade with the countries neighbouring the northeastern region is declining. This may insulate the age-old ties existing between ethnic kin living in the border despite the separation between two different nations and further alienate them, it says.

faq Hussain, 63, a leather businessman from Odisha's Berhampur area. A Kolkata-based marine engineer and a corporator involved in smuggling Indian pangolins to China and Vietnam were arrested during previous operations. Accused allegedly confessed to poaching and trafficking 100 pangolins from Madhya Pradesh to China in the last 12 months. Those arrested from Kolkata have been identified as Jamal Iqbal, 59, and his son Danish, 24, a marine engineer. Eleven others, including an independent corporator were arrested from Chhindwara district. "Tribals were used to pick up pangolins from forests and paid Rs 400-500 per kg for scales. It was then forwarded to Jamal between Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000 and then shipped to China where it's sold for around Rs 1 lakh and more. The operation to bust the pangolin racket was carried out by special task force (STF) of state forest department led by Chhindwara chief conservator of forests, Ritesh Sirothia, range officer Nitin Nigam and forest guard Chandra Sekhar Sharma. This ant-eating mammal with armour of keratin scales has been listed under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an endangered species. Experts said, "If poaching continues, pangolin could go extinct." In traditional Chinese medicine, roasted pangolin scales are used for detoxification of blood, draining pus, curing palsy and stimulating lactation while its blood is used to treat asthma, cancer and reproductive problems.

COWS FOR SALE (High breed Jersey cows)

High milk yielding Jersey cows at throw-away price due to transfer posting to other place. Contact no:- 7085170472

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NAGALAND CHUMUKEDIMA, DIMAPUR–797103 INFORMATION TO JEE (Main) QUALIFIED CANDIDATES Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB-2015) is organizing a Special Round against vacant seats at National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs) for the academic year 2015-16. Registration and choice filling is between 9th August to 12th August 2015. For details please visit CSAB-2015 website: csab.nic.in Director


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businEss

Monday

10 August 2015

The Morung Express

Indian newspapers buck global trend, grow

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 9 (PTI): Bucking the global trend, both English and regional language newspapers in India are witnessing growth, with the number of registered publications climbing up from 94,067 in March, 2013 to 1,05,443 by March this year. According to data available with the Registrar of Newspapers in India (RNI), almost every state across the country is a part of this trend. Uttar Pradesh leads the country with 14,336 registered publications as on March 31, 2013, and their number went up to 15,209 in a year. Continuing on the growth trajectory, the state had 16,130 publications registered with RNI by March 2015. Maharashtra, followed UP with 12,466 registered publications in March 2013. The figure went up National capital Delhi cations registered in 2013. 12,177 by March 2015.. to 13,375 in one year and Several other states touched 14,394 by March followed these two large The number of registered states with 11,410 publi- publications shot up to like Andhra Pradesh have 2015.

also seen a rise in number of publications. The state, which had 5575 publications in 2013, had 6215 by March 31 this year. Recently formed Telangana has 203 registered publications. While an overwhelming majority of states have seen an increase in number of publications, there are some like Lakshadweep or Nagaland, which witnessed no change. In Lakshadweep and Nagaland, the number of publications remained static at 7 and 22 during this period. Vernacular newspapers also grew during the period. There were 13,138 registered publications in English in March 2014 and the number grew to 13,661 in one year. During the same period the number of Hindi publications also increased to 42,493 from 40,159. There were 80 registered publications in San-

skrit in March 2014, and number grew up to 95 by March this year. The number of publications has been rising consistently and so also their circulation. As per the details of claimed circulation in statements filed with RNI, newspapers in languages excluding Hindi, English and Urdu were publishing 10,86,03,811 copies daily in 2011-12 and the number went up to 12,51,19,648 in 2013-14. Circulation of English newspapers, however, showed a fluctuating trend. In 2011-12 English newspapers were publishing 6,80,772,280 copies per day but this number dropped to 5,63,85,998 in 2012-13. In 2013-14 this number grew to 6,44,05,643 copies per day. Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley shared this RNI data earlier this week in the in Lok Sabha in written reply to a member’s question.

Coal auctions: Round 3 set to begin on Tuesday NEW DELHI, AUGUST 9 (IANS): The government this week released the list of technical bidders for the first five coal mines up for bidding in the third phase of coal block auctions beginning on Tuesday. “The e-auction of these mines is proposed to be held from August 11-17, 2015 and the process of allocation is scheduled to be completed by September 2015,” Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal told the Lok Sabha recently in a written reply. Companies like Hindalco, Jindal Steel and Power and Vedanta Ltd. will take part in the auction of 10 mines in this round, including six offered earlier but which failed to find takers. The coal mines up for auction are all “captive” category, for use by the unregulated sector to manufacture products like cement, aluminium, steel and iron. The government informed parliament last month of the auction of these 10 coal mines holding 858.19 million tonnes of geological reserves and 356.26 million tonnes of extractable reserves. Two of the 10 coal blocks belong to schedule II (mines that were operational when the allocations were cancelled last year) while the remaining are schedule III mines (those that were nearly operational when the allocations were cancelled). Making one change to the auction rules in this round, the government will treat multiple bids from one company as a single bid. Earlier, two or more bids from an entity were treated as separate bids. The auctions so far, following the cancellation of 204 blocks by the Supreme Court in September last, have garnered around Rs.200,000 crore revenue for the states, Goyal said.

Activate or HP Stream 11: Productivity on-the-go E-filing of ITR: Over 7.5 lakh returns verified DELHI, AUGUST 9 (PTI): The a month after the facility was launched on deactivate mobile The laptop SIM-card slot the left and two USB ports and a ry a dongle or connect the phone for NEW Income Tax department’s ambitious the official portal of the department, it has HDMI port on the right. surfing the net. supports wireless wide OTP-based ITR filing system for tax- electronically verified 7,53,677 ITRs while internet via toll area network (WWAN) Hardware and performance: Due Display, sound and storage: The payers has started on a high note with Aadhaar linkages with the Permanent Acits portal electronically verifying over count Number (PAN) has been achieved to its compact size and also the fo- device comes with a 11.6” (29.46cm) cellular services. free ‘1925’ cus on increasing battery life, HP widescreen anti-glare LED display 7.5 lakh returns and linking over 11 in 11,46,581 cases. NEW DELHI, AUGUST 9 (PTI): Mobile subscribers will be able to activate or deactivate Internet services on their mobile phone by calling or sending an SMS to a new toll free number 1925 from next month onwards. The new directive from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) follows a large number of complaints from customers that mobile operators were keeping the process of deactivation very complex to earn extra revenue. The directive issued on Friday mandates telecom operators to provide toll free number ‘1925’ from September 1 to activate or deactivate mobile Internet service either by making a call on the number and following instruction or by sending a SMS. Customers can send SMS to 1925 by writing ‘START’ to activate and ‘STOP’ to deactivate the service. Telecom operators will have to immediately reply to customer about status of activation and deactivation of their service.

Anirban Ghoshal IANS

Hewlett-Packard or HP has launched the Stream series for those who like to do things on-the-go with affordable devices. The main focus of the company was to include mobile broadband on the system to increase productivity. Here is an analysis of the Stream 11 notebook which is priced at Rs.20,490: Design: The Stream 11 has a very colourful look to it and is thin as well compared to other laptops. With dimensions of 0.78 x 11.81 x 8.10 inches, the Stream 11 weighs around 1.27 kg. The laptop comes with a smooth matte finish with the HP logo on top of the lid and ‘Hewlett-Packard’ on the hinge edge of the notebook. The other half, housing the keyboard and trackpad, has a dotted design that is visually appealing. The keys are big and well-spaced. Also, typing on the keyboard is comfortable. A webcam is also available for video calls and works perfectly. It also has a card reader and SIM-slot on

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LEISURE

Simple Rules - There is just one simple rule: “Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.”

SUDOKU game Number # 3311

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which supports 200 nits of brightness, 1,366 x 768 HD (720p) resolution and a 16:9 true wide aspect ratio, which means images are sharper, closer to HD and wider. As it comes with an Intel chip, Intel HD graphics drivers are pre-installed. The device also comes with DTS Studio sound, 32 GB eMMC storage and the user can expand to 128 GB with the card slot. HP is also giving out 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage free for a year.

Operating system, battery and connectivity: The HP Stream 11 comes with Windows 8.1 upgradeable to Windows 10, MS Office 365 Personal for a year. In terms of connectivity, the device has WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 support. The battery is a 3-cell lithium ion pack which doles out at least eight hours of work time after a single charge. Verdict: If you want hassle-free productivity on-the-go, the laptop is a must buy as it has a solid performing battery, a mobile broadband modem in the form of the WWAN SIM-card slot and a great display with a spaced out keyboard.

lakh Aadhaar numbers with the PAN database. The new e-filing system, enabled last month, allows online verification of a person’s Income Tax Returns (ITR) by using either Aadhaar number, internet banking, ATM or email, thereby ending the practice of sending paper acknowledgement to its office in Bengaluru. An official data shows that in less than

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HAPPY BIRTH DAY KUNUTSHU (ATSHU) SOHO Dear Atshu Soho!!! On this Day the 10th August 2015 (6th Birth Anniversary) you have successfully travelled 2190 days against all odds and obstacles. We really felt glad and proud while watching you in your 6 years journey that you have been keeping yourself like a blooming Rose even in the midst of the thorns. Your entry in to our family has brought Love, Peace, Oneness, Trustworthy etc that we deserve for a long time. May you continue to live like a blooming flower that generously feeds insects with its enlightened fragrance at all free. “A very Happy Birth Day Atshu Soho”. -Lots of Love from loving Parents, Bros & Sis

DAILY CROSS WORD

CROSSWORD # 3324

P S C P P L A C S B Y I O B O G P I U P

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DIMAPUR Civil Hospital:

R L O G H B E S S U O M I G N B A X X O

STD CODE: 03862 232224; Emergency229529, 229474

Metro Hospital: Faith Hospital:

227930, 231081 228846

Shamrock Hospital

228254

Zion Hospital:

231864, 224117, 227337

Police Control Room

228400

Police Traffic Control

232106

East Police Station West Police Station

227607 232181

CIHSR (Referral Hospital)

242555/ 242533

Dimapur hospital

224041, 248011

Apollo Hospital Info Centre:

230695/ 9402435652

Railway:

131/228404

Indian Airlines

229366

KOHIMA: 0370 2222952/ 101 (O) 9402003086 (OC) DIMAPUR: 03862 232201/ 101 (O) 9436017479 (OC)

CHUMUKEDIMA: 03862 282777/101 (O) 9856158740 (OC) WOKHA: 03860 242215/101 (O) 9862039399 (OC)

MOKOKCHUNG: 0369 2226225/ 101 (O) 9436012949 (OC)

Nagaland Multispe- 248302, cialty Health & 09856006026 Research Centre

PHEK: 8414853765 (O) 9862130954(OC)

KOHIMA

ZUNHEBOTO: 03867 280304/ 101 (O) 9856156876 (OC)

STD CODE: 0370 100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202 08974997923

TUENSANG: 8414853766 (O) 8414853519 MON: 03869 251222/ 101 (O) 9436208480 (OC)

CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE

ACROSS

1.East Indian tree 5. At one time (archaic) 9. F F F F 13. Gown 14. Carries 16. Letters, etc. 17. Not difficult 18. Heart artery 19. A coniferous tree 20. Not right 22. Fostered 24. Weight to be borne 26. Head of a city 27. Clatter 30. Sags 33. Prized 35. Snares 37. Type of whiskey 38. Hard wood 41. 3 in Roman numerals 42. Panache 45. Tidied 48. Composite 51. Dribble 52. Cut 54. Sandwich shop 55. Egotistical 59. Jockey’s wear 62. Chills and fever

63. Consumed 65. Urgent request 66. Permits 67. A sloping mass of loose rocks 68. Search 69. Not more 70. Hoopla 71. Sea eagle

DOWN

1. Sketched 2. Rime 3. Utterly 4. Fundamental or central idea 5. Estimated time of arrival 6. Top of a house 7. Play a guitar 8. Foursome 9. Male ruler of an empire 10. Reasonable 11. Satisfactory 12. Toboggan 15. Nymph chaser 21. Way in 23. Owl sound 25. A Greek territorial unit 27. Arid 28. Mentally prepare 29. Confederate soldier

31. Analgesic 32. Patter 34. Put clothing on 36. On the left or right 39. Mesh 40. 36 inches 43. Localized collection of pus 44. Tall woody plant 46. Fastens 47. Overshadow 49. Wall climbers 50. Separate 53. Attempt again 55. Phone 56. Curved molding 57. Cashews and almonds 58. Bottomless 60. Avid 61. Rice beer 64. Born as Ans to CrossWord 3323

FIRE STATIONS

Chumukedima Fire 282777 Brigade Nikos Hospital and 232032, 231031 Research Centre

Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: Oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home: Northeast Shuttles

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“With the e-filing of ITRs to go on till August 31, it is expected more numbers would be added and the e-verified returns could easily go beyond 15 lakh. These are just estimated figures being predicted and only sky is the limit in this domain,” a senior IT officer said. The online ITR filing portal of the department is available at https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in.

Greeting

Answer Number # 3310

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C K A M O O P M A H S D P J J R H O C F

has used the Intel Celeron N2840 2.16 GHz processor with a burst frequency up to 2.58 GHz with 1 MB of L2 cache memory. The N2840 is a low category but budget priced processor which is widely adopted among affordable devices. It comes with enhanced SpeedStep Technology, an advanced method of enabling very high performance while also meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. By stepping voltage up and down in small increments, the processor is able to reduce periods of downtime that could occur frequently. The notebook comes with an on-board 2 GB DDR3 RAM unit that allows casual and mid-heavy games and software applications on-the-go. The most interesting part of the laptop is the SIM-card slot which supports wireless wide area network (WWAN) cellular services. WWAN connectivity allows a user with a laptop and a WWAN card to surf the web, check email, or connect to a virtual private network (VPN) from anywhere within the boundaries of cellular service. Hence, the user doesn’t need to car-

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LOCAL

The Morung Express

Re-build bridges: PaPO appeals Meluri, August 8 (Mexn): The recent monsoon flood has swept away 5 (five) bridges and destroyed several cultivable lands between Washelo to Phokhungri covering and affecting 7 (seven) villages in Phokhungri area of Meluri Sub-Division under Phek district. In this connection, under the supervision of the Phokhungri Area Public Organisation (PAPO), villagers from Phokhungri, Lestam, New Thewati, Old Thewati, Washelo and Zhipucame worked selflessly contributing in material and manpower for 2 whole days on August 3 and 4 to repair the damaged pedestrian bridges for travellers to pass through. During the two days work, a wooden bridge over Yowthriti was constructed by

Phokhungri villagers where light vehicles can easily pass through. However, no ordinary bridges can be made by villagers over two big river Lüyakti and Khayowti Rivers. No vehicle can pass through from either side unless a bridge, at least wooden bridge, are constructed over the rivers. Villagers who toiled selflessly during the two days are still to make people pass through to the other sides of the rivers, it was informed. Even the Phokhungri EAC, Renbi James Kikon has been stuck at Phokhungri till now and he will be there till a proper bridge is constructed. The EAC has been the driving force in mobilising the work force to construct these bridges and the clearance of road. A team comprising of MurohoChotso, Depuy Commis-

sioner, Phek; Additional SP Phek, Engineer; NSDMA, District Project Officer NSDMA; Phek, District Commandant; HG & CD, Phek; SDO PWD (Road &Bridges), Phek; and SDO(Civil), Meluri has also visited the spot and shared their concern. A financial aid to the tune of Rs. 40,000 (forty thousand) through EAC Phokhungri and Rs. 80,000 (eighty thousand) through the President, PAPO from NSDMA & DDMA were also extended during the visit. Meanwhile, while extending gratitude to the team, PAPO through a press note used by its president Krutu Thurr, at the same time has appealed the concerned department/authority to construct the bridges to enable the people travel once again without any further delay.

Monday 10 August 2015

CNSA calls for more security in border areas DiMAPur, August 9 (Mexn): The Central Nagaland Students’ Association (CNSA) has expressed shock at the Nagaland state government’s decision to withdraw armed Police from the affected border areas. A press note from the CNSA said that while taking into consideration the immense hardship and security threat faced by the border area villagers, the government should take positive necessary measures for their well-being. However, the CNSA lamented that the government has shown “step-motherly treatment towards the border people.” Therefore, the CNSA with the endorsement of the three frontal students’

organizations from the Ao, Lotha and Sumi communities have demanded that the Nagaland state government immediately reinstate Nagaland Armed Police “permanently,” with sufficient armed personnel with all necessary facilities. It also appealed for the setting up of a separate Border Directorate to manage border issues efficiently at the earliest. The CNSA also asked the withdrawal of armed Nagaland police personnel outside the state in order to fill the shortage for duty within the state. It cautioned that the association would take the issue into “serious account,” if the government fails to comply with its demands.

Dimapur

5

NPF Dimapur - I emergency meet DiMAPur, August 9 (Mexn): President of NPF DimapurI Assembly Constituency, Joseph Sumi has convened an emergency meeting of all the office bearers parent body, youth wing and women wing on Monday, August 10 at 3 pm at NPF Division office. All concerned members have been informed to attend the meeting without fail.

Ganja worth Rs 22 lakh seized, three arrested by Kohima police KohiMA, August 9 (Pti): n In a major haul of contraband substances, the Kohima police today seized huge quantity of ganja worth Rs 22 lakh and arrested three persons. Police officers said personnel of the Kohima police manning Peducha check gate on National Highway-29, while conducting regular checking and frisking, intercepted a truck and recovered 450 kg of banned contraband ganja concealed in 30 packets.

The contraband was worth Rs 22.50 lakh in the open market, the officers said.Three persons including a woman, identified as Mora Pochury, Yerothe Pery and Apele Lohe were arrested smuggling the contraband. A case has been registered in this connection at Sechu (Zubza) Police Station under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act for conducting further investigation, they added.

Public SPace

intensify the Defense of Our Rights to land, Territories & Resources against land Grabbing

U

N Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has stated, "The interests of the indigenous peoples must be part of the new development agenda in order for it to succeed. […] Together, let us recognize and celebrate the valuable and distinctive identities of indigenous peoples around the world. Let us work even harder to empower them and support their aspirations." In 1994, the UN General Assembly first marked 9 August as the International Day for the Indigenous Peoples, as part of the first year celebration of the first UN Decade for Indigenous Peoples. For 21 years, we, indigenous peoples have been gaining landmark achievements at the global level with the establishment of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in 2000, the appointment of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in September 2007, the establishment of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) in 2007 and the adoption of the Outcome Document of the World Conference of Indig-

AIPP Statement on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples enous Peoples in September 2014. All these gains have facilitated increased attention of the UN agencies, funds and programs and other public and private institutions to indigenous peoples who are 5% of the world population but 15% of the poorest. Millions of indigenous peoples remain subjected to exploitation, systematic discrimination, militarization, conflicts and untold suffering from the widespread violation of our rights. Asia has 2/3 of the world’s indigenous peoples whose land rights are increasingly being violated even in countries where our land rights are recognized. Corporations and states in the name of “development and economic growth” are grabbing our lands. Looking at the situation of indigenous peoples in the face of the renewed commitments of Asian States to the achievement of the ends of the UNDRIP, we see the governments’ failure in their obligations to respect, protect and fulfill the rights of indigenous peoples. In Cambodia, at least 45 indigenous communities have to defend their lands

and resources from encroachment by economic land concessions (ELCs) and development projects. In Thailand, the increasing demarcation of land for national parks is resulting to the displacement of hill tribe communities regarded as “illegal settlements” although they had been living there for decades. In Malaysia, as the Orang Asal fight to retain their native customary rights (NCR) to their lands being grabbed for dams, plantations and parks, 300 land titles with NCR were found to have been issued to non-Orang Asal. In indigenous territories in North East India, Nepal, Malaysia and the Philippines, mega-dams are being constructed without the consent of affected indigenous communities. Large-scale corporate mining remains to be the main issue of indigenous peoples in the Philippines along with the militarization of their territories. In India, adivasi villages and their forests are taken over by coal and bauxite mining in violation of the Forest Rights Act. Further, the bilateral agreement between India and Bangladesh over

the exchange of territories at the border areas in North East India did not account for the land rights of indigenous peoples and their right to self-determination. In Nepal, despite the strong demand, land rights of the indigenous peoples and their right to self-determination are not guaranteed in the new draft Constitution. Furthermore, many of the indigenous communities hard hit by the earthquake in April 2015, experience discrimination in the relief and rehabilitation effort of the government and have not had substantive inputs to any rehabilitation plans of the government. In several countries, land grabbing has resulted to escalated intercommunity conflicts and access to justice remains a huge problem. The violations of our rights to lands, territories and resources also disempower our indigenous women to assume their vital role and contribution to sustainable resource management, food security, protection of cultural heritage, and social cohesion, among others. The indigenous women’s vulnerability to violence is borne

out of deprivation of land rights, lack of access to sustainable livelihoods and decent work, inadequate social services such as healthcare and education, violation of their rights as women, as well as out of various forms of conflict. Land grabbing and dispossession continue to push many women further into the informal economy, or migration for work and livelihoods, where they are open targets of exploitation and violence. As legitimate actions to protect land and resources are pursued, indigenous peoples’ human rights defenders (IPHRDs) are criminalized resulting to arrests, detention, enforced disappearances and political killings. In Indonesia in May 2015, a list of 166 names of imprisoned indigenous human rights defenders charged with criminal offense by the Indonesian Government for defending their lands was submitted by AMAN, the national alliance of indigenous peoples of the archipelago, to President Joko Widodo DK for review. In the Philippines, between October 2014 to June 2015,

Retrospection on Rani Ma’s lifework A view on current Socio-political perspective

2

015 is marked as the year of 100th birth centenary of Rani Ma Gaidinliu commemorated by the Government of India. India with her sense of noble pride and Royal honor pay homage to the departed brave soul of the Naga lady. India has displayed a great sense of humanity by act of recognizing and respecting freedom fighters thereby gained her status and added value as the world class civilized nation. Little act of recognition and respect of human person can ignite the world to shine brighter each time such human dignity and respect is practiced and promoted. Marking the year 2015 by inscribing the image of Ranima in Indian coin as token of Indian pride and honour is indeed an act of recognition at the same time revealing the true heart of the nation. India recognized Gaidinliu as a fearless Indian freedom fighter who in her early age of 13 joined the rebel movement against the British in part of the North east region. She had eye witnessed a gruesome assassination, the hanging of the rebel leader Jadonang when she was 16 years of age. She too was implicated of the charge with Jadonang but somehow or by fortune escaped the execution but sentenced for life imprisonment and so wanted and hunted. The incidence must have enraged her with stronger determination and aspiration to fight the foe of the alien forces. She soon underwent a disappearance exile to jungle hideout for a deep meditational strategy for mass rebellion movement. Later she organized her people militia near and around Hangrum Village now in NC Hills and attacked the British Assam riffles outpost on 16th March 1932. She was hunted with a price tag of Rs.500/- for any who could fine her whereabouts. After intense search she was arrested on 19th October 1932 at poilwa village. She was jailed for 15 years and release after India Independent in 1947. A call to reason and respect Every great leader of the past and present suffers criticism, contempt and con-

demnation of the common people in their time. Rumours against and about them spread wide to far extend. This is the cruelty mindset of mankind. Jadonang and Gaidinliu too suffered such criticism in their time even rejection to this day. A.Z. Phizo too suffered much opposition yet he stood his stand firm unto his end. It is humane to honour and pay high homage to our past heroes and heroins for their patriotic deeds that rewards us today in the form of freedom we enjoy. Had there been no such fighters and defender of our land, will other nation regard us? It is not wise and right to reject or criticize our leaders pointing out only their failing and limitations. Every great leader will be opposed. Jesus the Messiah in his time was rejected, condemned and crucified. Gautama Budha and his professed religion was rejected and was exiled. Joan of Arc (1412-31) a peasant girl of Domrem france claimed to have heard the voice of God urging her to help the Dauphin Charles VII to regain the throne from the English. She was accused as a sorcerer and heretic by the clergical and was at last burnt to death. Girolamo Savonarola (1452-98) an Italian religious reformer, thought himself to be inspired by God who attacked against the corruption and vices of the church and state of Florence. He prophesied that God’s punishment would fall upon Italian. He was excommunicated by Alexander VI and hanged in the market place and was burnt to death as a heretic. John Wycliffe of England a keen detector of error and a religious reformer of his time was considered heretic and executed. Many to name in thousand who tried to reform and change the world to be a better place to live in were rejected and terminated them by the people of the time. Mahatma Gandhi was hated and his life attempted by his own countrymen and succumbed in the hand to the rejecters. Great leaders are always endangered by their own people. Rani Gaidinliu was rejected, accused and denied by her own people and the general Nagas in her time because she was doing something extraordinary or uncommon to the society. Therefore she struggled hard to save her own life from her own people at

the same time struggling to free and save her people who hated and hunted her life, from the bondage of foreign forces. Many undue allegations and accusations were meted against her as if they could do better than her. This is indeed cruelty against humanity. Disrespectful, spiteful and disdainful languages and attempts were and are still being projecting against her; discrediting her good works and visionary path trodden for freedom of humanity. Nevertheless, nature would still work its own course to accomplish what must be done to the present and future humanity. It is also unjust on the part of some who are only trying to take advantage of Ranima by projecting schemes and privileges in her name for selfish gain. Some even have attempted and claimed possession of her by suffixing Zeliang against her name as Gaidinliu Zeliang. It is a theft of identity and a crime. It must be avoided, withdrawn and corrected so as her name stands unquestionable. She is recognized as a Naga lady freedom fighter. She herself did not claim or assert her tribal identity to be recognized. She possessed a pure form of character as national leader like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, or any national or world leaders who never suffix their name with their local tribal identity. I am aware that, some few readers of this article may criticize or dislike me for writing positive points about Ranima Gaidinliu or any other leaders. I do it with a conviction and intention that; humanity must practice and promote, justice, peace, appreciation, gratefulness and recognition of each others’ presence, work and interest as equal and common citizens of this world. Every individual is responsible to promote and protect the welfare of one and the whole of the society. Let us consider what Albert Einstein said, "If we want to improve the world we cannot do it with scientific knowledge but with ideals. Confucius, Buddha, Jesus and Gandhi have done more for humanity than science has done. We must begin with the heart of man—with his conscience—and the values of conscience can only be manifested by selfless service to mankind." G. Gwangphun

23 indigenous leaders were extrajudicially killed in Northern Mindanao Region in the Philippines alone, all working in defense of their lands and territories. That is almost three lives mercilessly killed every month. In Thailand, Pholachi Rakchongcharoen or Billy, a Karen activist remains missing since April 2014 after he was arrested by forest guards for illegal possession of honey from the forest. Despite this worsening scenario, we, indigenous peoples are taking action and are gaining victories in defense of our lands, territories and resources. The demarcation of indigenous peoples’ land through community mapping has been a powerful tool to claim our land rights. In Indonesia, seven million hectares of ancestral territories have been mapped and AMAN has used their community maps in their legal claim to their customary forests resulting to a positive ruling of the Constitutional Court that customary forests are NOT state forests. In Malaysia and India, community maps were granted legal recognition through land titles.

Likewise, the ongoing blockade by Penan indigenous peoples in Sarawak since September 2014 temporarily halted the construction of the Baram Dam, which will displace 20,000 indigenous villagers. Sustained community actions with the active participation of indigenous women also prevented the opening of another bauxite mining in the tribal belt of India. We have documented our good practices in climate change mitigation and adaptation and have been actively engaged with REDD+ bodies among others at the national level. We are engaging with governments for policy reforms for the protection of our collective rights. Likewise, Indigenous peoples are now making use of international accountability mechanisms such as the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) and Inspection panel of the World Bank (Cambodia and Nepal) and OECD country focal points (Malaysia) against corporations violating indigenous peoples’ rights. We continue to call upon states to take concrete actions to respect, recognize and protect our collective rights as affirmed

by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples. The post 2015 Development Agenda as well as climate change solutions and actions shall fully respect and protect our rights especially to our lands, territories and resources. As we celebrate the International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples, let us be inspired by our achievements in defense of our rights and dignity. Let us celebrate our diverse cultures and be proud of who we are. Let us also remember and commemorate the indigenous men and women-- our heroes and martyrs who have sacrificed their lives in defense of our rights. They have enriched our land with their sweat and blood and we shall remain steadfast in defending our lands and cultural heritage for the present and future generations. Let us strengthen our unity and solidarity as we broaden our linkages and collaboration with other sectors and advocates in advancing our common vision for peace, justice and prosperity for all. Our lands are not for sale, Our lands are not for profit. LAND RIGHTS NOW! Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact Foundation Chiang Mai, Thailand

Train up children in the way they should go

O

n Sunday, 26th July, 2015, I had the opportunity to worship at Pfutsero Town Baptist Church. It happened to be ‘Baptist School Day’ – a special Sunday set aside for the church sponsored school. On this day special prayers of thanksgiving and supplication are offered to the Lord on behalf of the school and students are also given an opportunity to praise the Lord in different forms and also exhibit their God given talents to the congregation. The impeccable performances put up by the students (from tiny – tots to class ten) were very impressive to say the least. I sound like a snob, but I did not expect a small town school to put up such a fine performance. I could not help but admire the dedication and passion of the teachers and students. As a mother of five children ranging from 3 months to 9 years, I know how challenging it is to teach small kids. I am sure everyone thoroughly enjoyed the presentations just as I did. But more importantly I think everyone of us who attended the service took away a small, if not a big, lesson that morning. The tiny tots singing so innocently, ‘I am an apple; you are an apple; we are the apple of His eyes’ reminded me that I am the apple of my Father’s eyes even though it may not always feel like that. The enactment of Mother’s Tears, a poem by Dr. Sedengulie Nagi was another reminder to me as a mother, and I guess, to a lot of mothers that no matter how much it breaks our hearts sometimes, we need to show ‘tough love’ to our children if we truly love them. The sermon was delivered by Rev. Dr. N. Chiero, an intellectual and also one of the wisest and humblest persons I have come across. In his classic simple and understated style, he spoke on the popular bible verse Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”. The following is an excerpt of his sermon. ‘Train up children how to pray, and when they grow up, they will learn to pray to God in any situation. They will not be ashamed to pray in front of others and for others’. ‘Train up children how to sing; how to sing praises to God; how to sing lullabies about God to their little ones when they have children of their own’. ‘Train up children to value time. Train children to get up early in the morning, so that as they grow up, they will learn to wake up ‘earlier and earlier’ and not ‘later and later’, which is a common trend in our society today. Teach them that time is money and much is wasted by sleeping away many precious hours’. ‘Train up children not to be rich but to be happy and when they are old they will know the value of things, not the price (of things)’.

‘Train up children to be healthy so that they may live a long life. Teach them to eat healthy food and lead a healthy lifestyle when they are young so that it will become a habit. Teach them to stay away from foods and drinks which are harmful for our body. Teach them that health is wealth’. He quoted, ‘Eat your food as your medicines. Otherwise you have to eat medicines as your food’ from the best awarded words in London. ‘Train up children to take responsibility over their actions. Parents’ biggest mistake is in wrongly defending their children’. ‘Train up children to choose the right profession/ career. The best career advice is found in Proverbs 22:6 wherein it says that parents should train up their children in the way they should go, and not in any way they want to go. In other words, parents should identify their children’s interests and aptitude and guide them accordingly so that they choose the right profession/career. Many have regretted their career choice which they are not suited for the job after wasting a lot of time and energy pursuing it’. ‘Train up children that 1st class behavior and performance in school/work is as important, if not more important, than 1st class results in studies or distinction marks in exams. Teach children that the amount of work one does should tally with the amount of salary one is receiving. Most of the workers in our State are doing much lesser than what they are actually earning. It is no wonder that our State is facing a budget deficit every financial year’. I am very, very glad that I attended the Sunday service. (I almost didn’t as I was travelling back to Kohima the same day). Like every parent, I want my children to grow up to be God-loving, successful and responsible citizens, and I am grateful to be reminded of my duties and responsibilities. And yes, on a personal note, I was reminded that I must be firmer in getting my children to go to bed on time and wake up early. Some may view this piece as trivial and insignificant at a time when we have so much going on in our State: the alarming increase in violence; the age old political problem; unemployment; deficit budget; etc. In order to ensure that our children do not have to undergo the same problems that we are facing today, the only way is to guide our children well and teach them to choose good over bad. It requires the concerted effort of the church, parents and school to work in partnership to train up our children to become responsible, honest and upright leaders and followers. Wecheteu Khape, (wife and mother)

The Morung Express states that the opinions expressed in the contents published in the “Public Space” do not reflect the views and position of the newspaper or the editor.


6

IN-FOCUS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express monDAy 10 AuGusT 2015volumE volumEXXIssuE IssuE185 217 THursDAy 9 July 2015 By Along longkumer

Reaching Out

After Aug 3 ‘Framework Agreement’, NSCN must take initiative

T

he signing of the Framework Agreement on August 3, 2015 has paved the way for a final peace accord between India and the Naga people. But we know that this is just the beginning and much work lies ahead. In the speech delivered on that occasion, Th. Muivah, General Secretary of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim referred to the greater ‘challenges’ and ‘responsibilities’ that awaited now that a peace deal has been signed.Just as the Government of India (GoI) will have to bring on board all major political parties and get Parliament to endorse the accord, the NSCN will likewise have to do something similar on the home front. Both parties should be up to the task to deliver on these challenges if the Naga peace accord is to hold. As MrMuivah told the audience, which included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India and the Nagas have “come close to understand each other and have worked out a new relationship”. Hopefully Mr Muivah and the leaders representing other Naga Political Groups (NPGs) will realise thatit is now left to them and theNagas to also come to understand each other and work out a new relationship based on reconciliation and a shared future. In a recent editorial ‘Synergy for Solution’ published before the signing of the August 3 ‘Framework Agreement’, this writer,in the light of the growing demand to make the contents of the peace talks transparent, had commented that the NSCN should not be averse to making public its proposal put forward to the Government of India. Also aware of the intricacies involved in peace negotiations where there is the argument that such talks ought to be done quietly, away from the glare of the public or media, the earlier editorial had therefore proposed that the peace process having reached its end stage, the NSCN leadership should now reveal the contents of their negotiations. Also given that support of all section of people is crucial to a peaceful negotiated settlement, the NSCN having signed the Framework Agreement should now take the initiative on this front as well. While it is not at all easy to doconjectureon what someone else is thinking, yet there is every reason to believe that the NSCN led by its Chief Negotiator ThMuivahwanted to keep the negotiations under wraps for the obvious reasons cited above and besides, it considered thepeace talks ‘sacrosanct’and something that could not be infringed upon by others, at least not till now. MrMuivah and company were therefore never open to the idea and suggestion put forward from time to time that the other Naga Political Groups or factions should be included in the peace talks with Delhi. Even the failure of the much talked-about ‘Naga National Government’ to take-off, under the aegis of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), could perhaps be attributed tothe differences (among other causes) on how to approach the peace talks with Delhi. The Isak-Muivah led NSCN perhaps considered themselves to have the inviolable rights to negotiate or talk on behalf of the Naga political movement and didn’t want the position that they had earned for themselves to come under challenge from the other factions. For good reason though, the NSCN always considered itself as ‘primus inter-pares’ or ‘first among equals’.Post the Shillong Accord, it was the first to come under a ceasefire agreement in 1997. The understanding reached with Delhito hold ‘talks without any pre-condition, at the Prime Minister’s level between two entities and in a third country’were seen as their achievements on the Naga political issue. The recognition of “the unique history and situation of the Nagas” under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee became one of the high points of the negotiations. Having therefore come this far, Muivah was always reluctant to share the high table with leaders from the other NPGs, particularly when it came to the ongoing peace talks with the GoI.At least during reconciliation meetings under the FNR’s initiative, both Isak and Muivah had no problem sitting alongside the top leadership of the other NPGs. Through the signing of the August 3 Framework Agreement, MrMuivah has made his point and proved what he had to.Along with IsakChishiSwu by his side, MrMuivahhas led the long-drawn-out negotiations with the GoI. For more than fifteen years, people have supported and waited for the peace process to deliver. With the Framework Agreement signed, the NSCN (IM) must now have the courtesy and humility to reach out to all section of the Naga people, including the other NPGs. There is a huge trust deficit that has to be bridged. If ever there was a time to understand and reason with each other, that time is now. (The writer is a former Editor of the Morung Express and presently serving as a board member. Feedback may be sent to alongnews@yahoo.com)

lEfT WING |

Nury Vittachi IANS

For amnesia sufferers, every day is dentist's day

J

ust did some calculations on my savings. If all goes well, I will be able to retire by my 212th birthday. Ageing is tough. For example, there's a Briton with amnesia who wakes up every morning believing he is repeating one particular day, a medical journal called Neurocase reported last week. It's the day he was scheduled to go to the dentist for root canal surgery - but had an operation which left him like the guy in Groundhog Day, said Dr. Gerard Burgess. By the way, root canals are dental operations with a pain quotient similar to having your body cut in half with a broken jam jar or listening to half a Justin Bieber CD. Groundhog Day is (a) a time-loop movie, and (b) an item on the weekly wall menu at my office canteen. Anyway, it's sad that they can't cure the guy, but they should at least try to make his repeating day a happier one, so he wakes up daily thinking: "Yay! Today's the day a group of bikini models deliver my lottery winnings!" His memory only lasts 90 minutes, so if you just tell him the ladies arrive at lunchtime, he'll have forgotten the whole thing by then. But I do worry about dentists. Earlier this year, I had four dental X-rays. "Is this safe," I asked the dentist. "Sure," he replied in a distant shout from the corridor where he and his assistant cowered behind two lots of lead-lined doors. "It's perfectly safe." Children make you feel old, since they think any age over 20 is ancient. A woman once came to our front door saying she was "collecting for an old folks' home", and my kids asked her: "Have you come to take dad?" I should have sprang to my feet to remind my children that I was in the prime of life, but I was in a really low chair that it takes a while to get out of. We should all take a lesson from China, said to have the healthiest old folks in the world - thanks to their tradition of morning dancing. There was a report in the paper last week about a group of outdoor dancing grannies who found cars parked in their favorite dancing spot, so they surrounded the cars, lifted them up and placed them elsewhere. Yes, mature adults can be strong. I once separated two supermarket trolleys with my bare hands, and opened a milk carton without power tools. And adults have other uses, too. A reader sent me a recent report about a school district in the US where officials discovered that the heating and air-conditioning systems were still being run by a Commodore Amiga computer. Only one person there remembers how to use it. I remember those first personal computers from the 1980s, made of granite and wood (although I think I had the entry-level model, made of dried cow dung and twigs). They were so exciting. Some had eye-popping color graphics (green letters on black), and could produce a wide range of sounds such as "beep" and silence. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to do my regular weightlifting exercise, also known as "standing up". Nury Vittachi is an Asia-based frequent traveler

THE EDIT PAGE

C O M M E N T A R Y

Brad Brooks and Jenny Barchfield Associated Press

Filthy Rio water a threat at 2016 Olympics T

he waters where Olympians will compete in swimming and boating events next summer in South America's first games are rife with human sewage and present a serious health risk for athletes, an Associated Press investigation has found. The AP analysis of water quality revealed dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria from sewage in venues where athletes will compete in water sports. Nevertheless, an Olympic official said Thursday there are no plans to monitor for viruses, which many experts consider the biggest problem. In the first independent comprehensive testing for both viruses and bacteria at the Olympic sites, the AP conducted four rounds of tests starting in March. The results have alarmed international experts and dismayed competitors training in Rio, some of whom have already have fallen ill with fevers, vomiting and diarrhea. These ailments could knock an athlete out for days, potentially curtailing Olympics dreams and the years of hard training behind them. "This is by far the worst water quality we've ever seen in our sailing careers," said Ivan Bulaja, a coach for the Austrian team, which has spent months training on the Guanabara Bay. "I am quite sure if you swim in this water and it goes into your mouth or nose that quite a lot of bad things are coming inside your body." Sailor David Hussl has already fallen ill. "I've had high temperatures and problems with my stomach," Hussl said. "It's always one day completely in bed and then usually not sailing for two or three days." Water pollution has long plagued Brazil's urban areas, where most sewage isn't collected, let alone treated. In Rio, much of the waste runs through open-air ditches to fetid streams and rivers that feed the Olympic water sites and blight the city's picture postcard beaches. The Rio de Janeiro state environmental agency released a statement Thursday questioning the AP's testing and accused virologist Fernando Spilki, who carried out the testing, and his university of "seeking notoriety." Spilki, a respected scientist who is a board member of the Brazilian Society for Virology and editor of its scientific journal, is not being paid by the AP to conduct the testing. The environmental agency's note underscored its position that the Olympic waters are safe, "with the exception of the Marina da Gloria," where sailing competitions will kick off and which as recently as May was six times above Brazil's legal limit for fecal coliforms. In June, it was slightly above the limit. The agency did not mention that the government's own data shows that on eight occasions this year, most recently on June 25, the waters in Copacabana Beach where long-distance swim events will be held spiked above the legal bacteria limits — considered unsafe for bathers. Mario Moscatelli, a biologist who has spent 20 years lobbying for a cleanup of Rio's waterways, said the state environmental agency was trying to divert attention from the serious pollution problem affecting water. "For years now we've seen the flow of raw sewage, which contains fecal coliforms and other bacteria, viruses, protozoa and an infinite number of pathogenic microorganisms that can cause everything from ringworm to hepatitis," Moscatelli said. Dr. Richard Budgett, medical director for the International Olympic Committee, said after seeing the AP findings that IOC and Brazilian authorities would stick to their program of testing only for bacteria to determine whether the water is safe, as that is

S

ipian Lesan bends to attend to the Vangueria infausta or African medlar plant that he planted almost two years ago. He takes great care not to damage the soft, velvety, acornshaped buds of this hardy and droughtresistant plant. ”All over here it is dry,” says the 51-year-old Samburu seminomadic pastoralist. Sipian is from Lekuru, a remote village located in the lower ranges of the Samburu Hills, an area dotted by Samburu homesteads commonly known as ‘manyattas’, some 358 km north of Kenya’s capital Nairobi. Here, the small villages are hot and arid, dominated by thorny acacia and patches of bare red earth that signify overgrazed land. Samburu County is one of the regions in Kenya ravaged by recurrent drought, with most of the population living below the poverty line. Climate change has made pastoralism an increasingly unsustainable livelihood option, leaving many households in Samburu without access to a daily meal, let alone a balanced diet. “Animals have and will continue to die due to severe drought,” said Joshua Leparashau, a Samburu community leader. “The community still wants to hold on to the concept that having many livestock is a source of pride. This must change. If we as a community do not become proactive in curbing the menace, then we must be prepared for nature to destroy us without any mercy.” As he looks after his fruit-producing sapling, Sipian tells IPS that some decades ago, before people he calls “greedy” started felling trees to satisfy the growing demand for indigenous forest products, his community used to feed on their readily available wild

This July 27, 2015 aerial photo shows the Rodrigo de Freitas Lake in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. An Associated Press analysis of water quality found dangerously high levels of viruses and bacteria from human sewage in Olympic and Paralympic venues. The Rodrigo de Freitas Lake, which was largely cleaned up in recent years, was thought be safe for rowers and canoers. Yet AP tests found its waters to be among the most polluted for Olympic sites. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

the accepted norm globally. "We've had reassurances from the World Health Organization and others that there is no significant risk to athlete health," he told the AP on the sidelines of an IOC meeting in Malaysia. WHO didn't respond to repeated emailed and phoned requests for comment. Budgett's advice for athletes who will compete in the virus-laden waters? "Washing your hands is an extremely important part of reducing the risk of infection of any sort," he said. Water experts say such safeguards aren't enough to protect athletes who get drenched during competitions and have an almost certain chance of being infected by the viruses entering their mouths, nose, cuts on skin or any opening of the body. Brazilian authorities had pledged that a major overhaul of the city's waterways would be among the Olympics' most significant legacies. But the stench of raw sewage still greets travelers arriving at Rio's international airport. Prime beaches remain deserted because the surf is thick with putrid sludge, and periodic die-offs leave the Olympic lake littered with rotting fish. More than 10,000 athletes hailing from over 200 countries are expected to compete in the Aug. 5-21, 2016, games. Nearly 1,400 of them will come into contact with waters contaminated by rampant sewage pollution as they sail in the Guanabara Bay; swim off of Copacabana Beach; and canoe and row on the brackish waters of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lake. Starting next week, hundreds of athletes will take to the waters in Olympic trial events. The AP's tests over five months found not one venue fit for swimming or boating, according to international experts, who say it's too late for a cleanup.

"What you have there is basically raw sewage," said John Griffith, a marine biologist at the independent Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. Griffith examined the protocols, methodology and results of the AP tests. "It's all the water from the toilets and the showers and whatever people put down their sinks, all mixed up, and it's going out into the beach waters." In the U.S., Griffith said, areas with such levels of contamination "would be shut down immediately." Many water and health experts in the U.S. and Europe are pushing regulatory agencies to include viral testing in determining water quality. But Leonardo Daemon, coordinator of water quality monitoring for Rio state's environmental agency, said Brazilian regulations are based on bacteria levels. "What would be the standard that should be followed for the quantity of virus? Because the presence or absence of virus in the water ... needs to have a standard, a limit," he said. Spilki, the Brazilian virologist, carried out four rounds of viral and bacterial water testing for the AP, collecting samples at three Olympic sites. His testing looked for three different types of human adenovirus that are typical "markers" of human sewage in Brazil. In addition, he tested for enteroviruses, the most common cause of upper respiratory tract infections in the young, which can also lead to brain and heart ailments. He also tested for rotavirus, the main cause of gastroenteritis globally. The test results consistently found high counts of active and infectious human adenoviruses, which cause explosive diarrhea, violent vomiting, respiratory trouble and other illnesses. The concentrations of the human adenoviruses were roughly equivalent to that seen in raw sewage.

Fighting Climate Change through Food Forests robert Kibet Inter Press Service fruits during extreme hunger. Now, through a concept new to them – dubbed food or garden forest, and brought to Kenya by Israeli environmentalist Aviram Rozin, founder of Sadhana Forest, an organisation dedicated to ecological revival and sustainable living work – the locals here are adopting planting of trees and shrubs that are favourable to the harsh local weather in their manyattas. On a voluntary mission to help alleviate the degraded land and food insecurity in this part of northern Kenya, Rozin said that his vision would be to see at least each manyatta owning a food forest. “The rate at which the community is embracing the concept is positive,” he said. “We hope that every manyatta will have a small food forest and that these will grow in concentric circles until they meet and touch each other and expand, creating a continuous food forest.” However, the work of Sadhana Forest is not limited to forestation, as 35-year-old Resinoi Ewapere, who has eight children, explained. “I used to leave early in the morning

in search of water and return after noon. My children frequently missed school owing to the shortage of water and food.” But this daily routine came to an end after Sadhana Forest drilled a borehole from which water is now pumped using green energy – a combined windmill and solar energy system. “Apart from the training we receive on planting fruit-producing trees and practising low-cost permaculture farming, we currently receive water from this centre at no cost,” Ewapere told IPS. According to Rozin, Sadhana Forest’s initiative to help the Samburu community plant the 18 species of indigenous fruit trees which are droughtresistant and rich in nutrients is also part of a major conservation effort in that the combination of “small-scale food security and conservation of indigenous trees. will also create a linkage between people and trees and they will protect them.” “We produce the seedlings and then supply them to the locals at no charge for them to plant in their manyattas,” said Rozin. Then, with careful management of the land and water-

WRITE-WING

harvesting structures (swales or ditches dug on contours), water is fed directly into the plants. The quality of the soil on the swales is improved by planting nitrogen-fixing plants such as beans, while the soil is watered and covered with mulch to prevent evaporation, thus remaining fertile. One of the tree species being planted to create the food forests is Afzelia africana or African oak, the fruits of which are said to be rich in proteins and iron. Its seed flour is used for baking. Another species is Moringa stenopetala, known locally as ‘mother’s helper’ because its fruit helps increase milk in lactating mothers and reduces malnutrition among infants. “Residents here understand that their semi-nomadic life has to be slightly adjusted for survival,” noted George Obondo, coordinator of the NGO Coordination Board, who played a role in ensuring that Sadhana received 50,000 dollars from the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) to jump start its Samburu project. The money was used to set up a training centre with over 35 volunteers from various countries, including Haiti, to train locals and at the same time produce seedlings, and to build the green energy system for pumping water from the borehole it drilled. “Things are changing,” said Obondo, “and Samburus know that their lifestyle needs to be altered and also tied to greater dependence on plant growing and not just livestock.” This is why the Sadhana Forest initiative is important, he added, because it is training people and giving them the knowledge and ability to create the resilience that they will need to avoid a harsh future.

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.


PERSPECTIVE

7

Monday

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

10 August 2015

NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE

The Morung Express A Synopsis Of The Sectoral Transformation Of The Nagaland Economy Is reconciliation and unity among the Nagas a primary requirement in resolving the Indo-Naga political issue? policy A poll results

n economy may be growing but growth figures will not help us understand direction of changes productivity. To assess this fact we look at how much each sector contrib-

papers

10 year average (2004-05 to 2013-14) contribution of different sectors of GSDP

Average (states) North-east

By Vyasan R

25.07

TRIPURA

24.13%

SIKKIM

51.04%

NAGALAND

14.12%

MIZORAM

17.73%

MEGHALAYA

29.89%

MANIPUR

32.05%

ASSAM

23.89%

ARUNACHAL PRADESH

30.93% 0%

10%

20%

30%

Agri & allied

40% Industry

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Services

Figure 1: Sectoral Contribution to GSDP(2004-05 prices) utes to the GSDP and then look at the magnitude and change in each sector’s contribution to GSDP. This exercise will tell us the inadequacies in Nagaland’s growth trajectory and also point towards how our economy will fare in the future compared to the other states in the region. Figure 1 above shows the contribution of the 3 different sectors to GSDP.To smooth out the vagaries of annual fluctuations I look at the 10 year averages for each state.

the change in the structure of the economy. In other words the economy has moved away from sectors that were important previously to newer sectors. The shift in the economy would have occurred because of deeper changes in the economy like shifting production patterns or consumption patterns or changing efficiency in production. NAV as a measure however does not reflect changes in productivity but gives a convenient summary measure of the change in the economy. The NAV indices between the years 2004-05 and 2013-14 are given in Figure 2.The North east as a whole has an NAV Index value of 12.08%. The greatest structural change has occurred in Sikkim (51.77%) followed by Meghalaya and Manipur. Arunachal Pradesh with a value of 10% brings up the rear whereas our state has seen structural change that is just above the average for the north-eastern region. Norm of Absolute Values Index

Poor industrial performance in the state: In Nagaland during the 10 year period (2004-05 to 201314) ‘industry’ sector contributed only 14.2 % to the GSDP. Compared to the other states in the region the contribution of the industrial sector to GSDP is the least in our state. We notice that the average state in the North-east has a contribution in excess of 50% from the services sector. Of the eight states in the region only 3 out of the eight states have a contribution that is less than 50%.The sub-component of ‘Public Administration’ in the services category for the 10-year period remained between 11% - 17.5% in all the states of the region other than Assam. This subsector contributed more than 13% to the Nagaland GSDP.The performance of the service sector is to a large extent predicated on the government sector and the sub-component of public administration. The fact that the government sector propels growth in the state is an indication to initiate steps that can encourage private investment in the state. Moreover, compared to the other states in the region the low contribution of the industry sector is a source of worry that needs to be addressed by an appropriate industrial policy. Structural Transformation is just about average in Nagaland: In the economic growth literature a Norm of Absolute Value (NAV) index is used to summarise the changes over time in the structural contribution of various sectors to gross state domestic product. The closer the index is to 100% the bigger is

Overall North-east

TRIPURA SIKKIM NAGALAND MIZORAM MEGHALAYA MANIPUR ASSAM ARUNACHAL PRADESH 0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

Figure 2: NAV Index for the NE States Powered by Compound Annual Growth Rates in excess of 20% in the industrial sector the sectoral contribution of industry in Sikkim increased from just below 30% of GSDP in 2004-05 to more than 60% in 2013-14. This impressive growth rate and transformation in the space of roughly 10 years is noteworthy and occurs rarely. Nature’s bounty has also helped Sikkim in its transformation. To replicate this success may not be possible but the lessons from this success could be used productively in our state. A comparison of the change in sectoral contribution to GSDP across the states shows that almost all the states in the region have seen a reduction in the contribution from the Agriculture and allied sectors. This is reflective of the reduction in relative importance of the primary sector to economic growth. Apart from our state and as mentioned in the previ-

ous article, this reduction in importance of the agriculture and allied sector has led to a concomitant increase in contribution from the services sector in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura as well. In Assam, Manipur and Sikkim the reduction was observed in the case of both the industry and the agriculture and allied sectors.

Implications of the structural change: Research on major states in India has shown that future growth rate depends on the degree of structural change (changes in the contribution of different sectors to GSDP) apart fromgrowth and productivity of factors of production namely, capital and labourand on the past levels of per-capita income. Since the overall growth of the economies in the north-east depends to a large extent on factors similar to those that affect the overall growth rate in the country, we may assume that what is true of bigger states in the country will be true of the much smaller states in the North-east. In other words higher the structural change and greater the initial state per-capita income in an economy higher will be the future growth rates in the state. Structural change can be measured as the change in contribution to the GSDP from individual subsectors in the economy. In the article we used the Norm of Absolute Value Index (NAV). If for example the economy sees a greater contribution from industry and away from the agriculture sector will be reflected in higher NAV. Higher the NAV higher will be the growth rate in the economy as a whole in the subsequent year. This in turn implies that the state economies with higher growth rates and greater structural transformation will have a chance to move ahead of the other states leading to divergence in the region. The implication for our state is stark and clear. The NAV for Nagaland is just below the average for the entire region and at the current rate of sectoral transformation our state has to grow at a higher rate to keep pace with the rest of the region. If we have to remain in the forefront of economic development in the region we have to make use of the growing opportunities in the upcoming services sector. In other words if we are not to fall behind in the region we have to keep up the pace of economicgrowth. The Central Government’s renewed focus on Act East Policy as opposed to Look East Policy will have to be used by our state as a springboard for future reforms. The state has to complement the 3-C (Culture, Commerce and Connectivity) approach of the central government to ensure higher growth in the economy assumes importance in this context.To witness a transformation of the economy both economic and social factors have to work in unison. Appropriate policies devised by our state government will aid in the process. Vyasan R is an Indian Administrative Service Officer borne of the Nagaland cadre. He is currently doing a Masters in Public Administration/International Development at the Harvard Kennedy School. His column will be featured every Monday. Feedback can be emailed to vyasan_r@yahoo.com

scavengers Are India’s real recyclers

T

he gray hill of Bhalswa, in the north of the city, is first visible from the elevated platform of the final Metro station on the northern line. From that distance it looks like a natural feature, a sort of gloomy mesa with black kites wheeling above it. Only when you get closer does it resolve into a hill of trash: compressed and decayed into crud at the base, but higher up, streaming with gray ribbons of polythene and pixelated with bright packaging. Looked at one way, it is a vision of the future: the endgame for India’s consumption economy, which is producing waste at a rate we are nowhere near equipped to handle. Delhi alone throws out at least 7,000 metric tons of trash every day. The four landfills rising around the capital, of which Bhalswa is one, reach the height of 10-story buildings. Soon after Narendra Modi was elected prime minister last year, he signaled that sanitation would be a priority — the priority — of his social program. In October, Mr. Modi introduced the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign, a raft of policies and public appeals aimed at creating a “Clean India” by the end of his term. Corporate support was commandeered to reduce open defecation, while the general public was charged with recycling and eradicating litter. In April Mr. Modi urged a gathering of state ministers to help create “wealth out of waste.” After making his announcement in October, Mr. Modi personally swept up some leaves and junk. He then nominated nine public figures to do the same, and asked each of them to nominate nine more — setting off a brief chain reaction of awareness and awkward broom-handling. He pledged to spend two hours every week cleaning up his surroundings, a commitment that was echoed down the halls of government and in schoolyards across the country. Ten months later, the streets and neighborhood dumps are as deep in it as ever, and it is Mr. Modi’s campaign that seems to have been binned. The prime minister is no longer seen sweeping, and absent his example, neither is anyone else. A nationwide effort by middle-class volunteers made for a great inaugural spectacle. But it was never likely to last much longer than its hashtag trended on social media. Meanwhile, the millions of Indians who do turn daily to the task of collecting, sorting and reducing India’s garbage have been sidelined from the government’s campaign. These are the urban poor whose livelihood relies on the recovery and sale of anything with residual value. They are usually referred to as scavengers or ragpickers: words that describe their desperation, but never their value. In fact, they are India’s consummate recyclers, and the ideal workforce for Mr. Modi’s agenda. They are estimated to number 350,000 in Delhi alone. Their work

Raghu Karnad NYt

already mitigates our garbage crisis, and if they were officially admitted into the chain of municipal waste management, India actually might get cleaner. At Bhalswa, the sides of the hill are ramped, making a route to the top for garbage trucks. On a visit in May, the plateau, four or five acres wide, was full of crashing noise and activity. Hundreds of people were at work. There were cows, dozens of them, foraging for fruit peels. A sour stench wafted through. The odd brand name — Oreo, Haldirams, Tampax — peeped out from the garbage packed underfoot. Away from the main activity stood Mustafa, in his late 60s, with a gray beard and a baseball cap. He knew his trash. “You see this coir,” he said, picking at a tuft in a heap of coconut-husk fiber. “This can be used to pack affordable mattresses, which come for just a few hundred rupees.” Mustafa pulled out a mop-cloth from a bundle at his feet. “This rag gets mixed into paper pulp for newspapers.” Low-grade plastic would be reduced to daane — seeds from which buckets and pipes can be re-synthesized. Twigs and branches from Delhi’s parks and gardens would be sold as firewood. With the right guide, the scene at the top of the Bhalswa dump stopped looking like the apocalypse — and started to look vaguely like a village at harvest time. In the

busiest area, where trucks tipped fresh waste, women with hoes and two-pronged picks broke up and searched the piles. There was a pattern of loose cooperation on how recyclables were bagged and carried away. This garbage had already been sifted for recyclables two or three times: Even so, at the top of the ramp, bales and haystacks of recovered material were accumulating. It was clear that what is deplored as rag-picking is impressively productive. “If this trash work is stopped,” Mustafa said, “a thousand mills, a thousand factories will stop. They all run on trash.” Of course, Bhalswa is a terrible place to make a livelihood. The garbage arrives unsorted, so workers sift through decaying organic muck and unsanitary refuse, including dirty diapers and medical waste. They cut their hands on razors, broken glass and wire. But if the harvest of waste is a sickening and dangerous activity, that is mainly because of the conditions imposed on it, and the stigma attached. Increasingly it is being banished by municipalities, which favor corporate contractors and mechanized disposal — all the more since Mr. Modi’s campaign began. The campaign’s focus on cosmetic results is undermining the work of precisely those Indians who, by extracting a living from our trash, reduce the real costs of our consumption. Any plan for cleaner — instead of just prettier — Indian cities will have to engage waste-workers, not exclude them. Pilot projects in Delhi, Pune and elsewhere have found ways to integrate them into the municipal process and make the occupation more hygienic, more productive and better for the environment. One central problem of waste-work is that it happens in places designed for trash, rather than for people who harvest from trash. The Safai Sena, or Cleaning Army, is a registered group of waste-pickers in New Delhi that runs facilities where workers can spread out, segregate, wash and bale recyclables, rather than wading shin-deep through rubbish and sorting it on a footpath. The land for their sheds was granted by different agencies: The railways, for instance, set one up to process the trash from New Delhi Station. To make this possible on a larger scale, urban-master plans will need to allocate space for decentralized recycling, as they do for other public utilities. In Pune, the SWaCH waste-workers’ collective leads the way in establishing formal access to municipal waste. Like other groups of garbage pickers, this one seeks to make the doorstep collection of waste universal, and to be paid for it as a professional service rather than with pathetic handouts. The city now provides these workers with health insurance, and legal registration to protect them from police harassment. Waste-workers’ unions have reached out to residents’ associations, to formalize how trash is picked up, as well as to large manufacturers, to whom they can sell recycled material. The government has been indifferent so far. But if Mr. Modi is serious about creating wealth from India’s waste, there is a workforce waiting for him. Raghu Karnad is the author of “Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War” and a contributing editor at TheWire.in.

71%

21%

8%

YES

no

OTHER

Some of those who voted YES had this to say: 121 • Yes, this is the only way forward. Since the ceasefire with India all the various groups has shown that they are good fighters but not good political leaders and this is the reason why we are in this mess today. If we leave our future to these leaders, we are in serious trouble. They have sacrificed everything for our freedom struggle, but they also need to acknowledge that they cannot do it on their own. Reconciliation is a primary requirement. Just look at the past and we will know that without reconciliation and unity, we Nagas are doomed. • Yes. Unity among the Nagas is a requirement because unity of ideas can led Nagas stand stronger. • Yes, based on the historical and political rights of the Nagas. • Yes. Becos wev need to make steps.... • Yes, until and unless this done, sovereignty is just a big tamasha and i am guarantee it. • This question is very important in the present situation. Now IM has signed a accord with GoI, but there are other Naga factions that are still fighting for sovereignty. If situation is left like this, there will be more factional fighting. So there must be reconciliation and unity and all the factions should obey the wishes of the public. • Yes, very much without reconciliation among Nagas any solution might bring, but it will cause only civil war among Nagas. It makes India happy only. • Yes, No single political can represent for the whole Nagas. • Without reconciliation and unity how will Naga people survive against the divide and rule policy of India. • As it says in Bible if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses ( matt 6:14-15) let's love each other in a brotherly matter as our Lord commands. Long live Nagalim • Yes. Unity is must in order to have a peaceful coexistence among Nagas. • This question is a no brainer. No faction or tribe along can bring Naga solution. These days we have so many retired arm chair writers who are inciting all kinds of things. For many years they enjoyed the privileges of a bureaucrat and now they shout on top of their lungs as if the entire solution is with them. No, such things will divide us more and more. We need reconciliation and unity. • Only unity among the nagas can help us resolve the issue. India cannot give us unity • Reconciliation and unity among the Nagas is a primary requirement to solve the Naga Political issue because at this juncture, when the house is totally divided any pact by the GOI with any single NPG will further bring chaos to the Naga family. A plot of land where certain project is to be implemented can never be a land in dispute. The concerned department or person who would invest in such a disputed land will automatically incur a loss or the wiser decision would be not to invest there. • Likewise, solution to the Indo - naga political problems should be inclusive of all the NPGs and without sidelining the Hohos who are undeniably the people's voice. • Reconciliation and unity among the Nagas can resolve the indo-naga political issue only if all the political leaders, NPGs, hohos, NGOs etc are ready to come under one umbrella without any differences and with the same view. Some of those who voted NO had this to say: 13 • No. In politics there is always opposition. So long we should for reconciliation and unity and keep idle there can never be achievement. One who keeps on doing can achieve something while chained-dogs barking. Reconciliation and unity is not the priority to resolve Indo-Naga issue. • While waiting for reconciliation and unity, more and more division is taking place. After the FNR reconciliation move, the NSCNs have increased in its factionalism and the NNC has been further split. We are doomed. What kind of reconciliation is this? Some of those who voted OTHERS had this to say: 36 • There will always be differences of opinion in any struggle and so rather than looking at it negatively, we should look at it from a positive light. As long as they are not turning to violence I think differences of opinion should be respected. But there should be a clear understanding on what the end objective is. As long as the end objective is clear, Nagas are okay. • The present situation of chaos and confusion will reign in Nagaland if there is no unity and reconciliation. Just look at what has happened after the signing of the Naga Peace Accord. It has only divided the Nagas more and more. Modi is having a good laugh.

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


8

Dimapur

NATIONAL

Monday 10 August 2015

The Morung Express

Face-off ahead Bihar Assembly poll

Only NDA can develop, foil Modi's BIMARU remark insults Bihar, says Nitish jungle raj: Narendra Modi Patna, august 9 and responds only on twit-

gaya (BIhar) august 9 (Ians): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said only the BJP-le d National Democratic Alliance could ensure Bihar's development, and cautioned the people against the return of 'jungle raj' if the JD-U-RJD alliance won in the upcoming state assembly polls. Addressing a gathering of about 50,000 people in Gandhi Maidan here, Modi attacked Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Nitish Kumar and his ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad. He repeatedly reminded people of the likely return of 'jungle raj' if Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was not voted to power in the state assembly polls. Modi urged people to bring the BJP-led alliance to power in Bihar for the state's development and to prevent the return of 'jungle raj'. He said people should use the upcoming polls as an opportunity to "free themselves from the jungle raj" by voting for the NDA. "You have suffered their arrogance, deceit and exploitation for the last 25 years. Do you want such a rule to continue for another 5 years?" "I am here to appeal to you to vote for us to develop Bihar and to stop a return of the jungle raj. I am confident of getting the blessings from the people for a change," Modi said. He warned the electors that "jungle raj-II" would prevail in Bihar if his BJP-led alliance was not voted to power. "There is a strong possibility of destruction and disaster if jungle raj part-II returns to Bihar." He cited murder of a BJP worker in

Patna a few days ago as an example of the likely return of 'jungle raj'. Blaming the years of rule of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi for Bihar's backwardness and under-development, he said: "When they ruled the state, hardly any development took place." Recalling that he had once described the RJD as "Rozana Jungleraj ka Darr", Modi on Sunday called the JD-U "Janata Ka Daman Aur Utpidan". The prime minister promised that if the NDA came to power, Bihar would rid itself of the 'Bimaru' tag. "We will take Bihar out of 'Bimaru' tag in the next five years by economic development like in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan." Observing that Nitish Kumar's JDU's alliance with Lalu Prasad's RJD was only for political requirement sake, he said: "This alliance will not last after the polls." The prime minister also promised to develop Bodh Gaya, considered the birth place of Buddhism, as a top tourist destination to draw tourists from around the world. "It will create more jobs and increase the earning of local people in Gaya." He also said that if the BJP-led NDA was voted to power in Bihar, the famous Vishnupad temple in Gaya town would be developed for the thousands of visiting pilgrims. It was Modi's second public rally in Bihar after one at Muzaffarpur last month when he kickstarted the BJP campaign for the upcoming state assembly polls. According to police officials, nearly 5,000 security force personnel were deployed for the rally.

(Ians): Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of insulting Bihar and its people by calling it a 'BIMARU' or sick state. "After insulting Biharis by questioning my DNA last month, Modi has again insulted Bihar and Biharis by terming it a Bimaru state," Nitish Kumar told the media here. Nitish Kumar insisted that Bihar was no more a BIMARU state. "It is an open secret." Experts once used to collectively describe undivided Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh as "BIMARU" states to denote their backwardness. That terminology is presently not widely accepted. Addressing a public meeting in Gaya, about 100 km from here, on Sunday, Modi said if the BJP-led NDA won the coming assembly elections Bihar would rid itself of the 'BIMARU' adjective. "We will take Bihar out of 'BIMARU' tag in the next five years by economic development like in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan," the prime minister said. Nitish Kumar pointed out that Modi forgot to mention that when Madhya

People are looking at PM as a joke now: Lalu Patna, august 9 (PtI): Launching a counter-offensive against the scathing remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on him, RJD President Lalu Prasad today accused Modi of lowering the standard of the PM's post. "Narendra Modi has given a new low to the standards of a Prime Minister. People are looking at him as a joke now," Prasad said in a tweet. Modi had taken a swipe at the JD(U)RJD alliance in view of the Bihar election, in a BJP "Parivartan rally" at Gaya today. "In his earlier jungle raj in Bihar, a new experience of jail has been added which threatens to make 'jungle raj II' all the more damaging," he had said. The PM's barb was directed at the recent jail term served by the RJD President at Ranchi in connection with the multi-crore fodder scam. Lalu Prasad's conviction had disqualified him as a Lok Sabha member from Saran and prohibited him from contesting poll for 11 years.

Pradesh and Rajasthan got out of the BIMARU classification, the country was ruled by a non-BJP government. He said Modi had in a way threatened people by asking them to vote for the BJP if they desired help from the central government. "What kind of cooperative federalism is this?" The chief minister described the BJP as 'Badka Jhootha Party' after Modi called Bihar's ruling Janata

Dal-United (JD-U) as the "Janata ka daman aur utpidan" party. He challenged Modi to prove his allegation that the JD-U had spent Rs.300 crore on the election campaign. "He should prove it as he has a habit of telling lies time and again." Nitish Kumar also reminded Modi how then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had reminded Modi to uphold "raj dharma" after the 2002 communal riots in Gu-

jarat when he (Modi) was the chief minister. Modi running a twitter government Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar further described the Narendra Modi government as a "union Twitter government that listens, acts and responds only on twitter". "Finally we have a government that could be truly called a 'Union Twitter Government' that listens, acts

No end in sight to Parliament deadlock;blame-game continues

27 held over witchcraft killing ranchI, august 9(Ians): At least 27 people have been arrested for beating five women to death near state capital Ranchi for allegedly practising witchcraft, Jharkhand Police said on Sunday.The women were beaten to death on Saturday at Mandar, around 40 km from here. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Rajiv Gauba held a high-level meeting here on the rising incidence of women being targeted as witches. He directed the police to file the chargesheet in the murder case within a month. The chief secretary also asked officials to take measures to prevent repetition of such incidents. Besides, the meeting decided to set up fast-track courts for speedy disposal of such cases which have taken place in the past three years.

Monkey drops infant to death JaIPur, august 9 (PtI): In a bizarre incident, a monkey picked up a two-month old baby girl from her room and Indian boys ride on a bicycle through a waterlogged portion of road following monsoon rains in New dropped her to death into a water tank at Raseedpura village Delhi on Sunday, August 9. India receives its monsoon rains from June to September. (AP Photo) in Dausa district, police said today. The girl Yogeshwari was sleeping on her bed when the monkey picked her up and ran away even as it was chased by members of her family including the baby's mother.The monkey lost its grip and the baby fell down in a tank, they said. She was rushed to new DelhI, august 9 prevent further alienation of ternity and government instihospital where she was declared brought dead, they said. (PtI): Opening another front tribals and give them greater tutions recognize the unique health care challenges of our to attack the Narendra Modi control over resources. "There are other challenges tribal population," Gandhi said. government, Congress PresiShe also lauded the "indent Sonia Gandhi today ac- that confront our tribal population. There has been a considervaluable" role in the Freedom cused it of diluting tribal land new DelhI, august 9 (PtI): The Parliamentary able cut in budgetary allocations Movement played by the tribrights and reducing budgetcommittee examining the Lokpal Bill has got two months' for health care and programmes als and in protecting bio-diverary allocations for health care extension till September. It is the second extension given for tribal development. sity which are an inseparable to the panel after it could not finish its work by July end. and other developmental pro"The government's plan to part of our ancient heritage grammes for them. The 31-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on In a statement here, Gan- dilute environmental gover- and civilization. "Adivasi peoPersonnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, headed dhi said the government must nance and Tribal Land Rights ple share a special relationship by Congress MP E M Sudarsana Natchiappan, is examin- adopt the recommendations of is a serious threat to the welfare with the Congress party. Tribal ing the Lokpal and Lokayuktas and Other Related Law the Virginus Xaxa Committee, of Adivasis," Gandhi said in her welfare and development have (Amendment) Bill, 2014. "We have got time till September which was set up by the UPA statement on the occasion of been central to the ethos of our 30 to complete our workand submit report," Natchiappan government in 2013 to assess International Day of World's party. The Congress party resaid.The amendment bill was introduced in the Lok Sab- the socio- economic status of Indigenous People'. mains committed to uphold ha on December 18, last year, after which it was referred tribals in the country, without She said it is necessary that the Rights and Dignity of our to the Committee on December 22. It was asked to submit any further delay. quality health care facilities is Adivasi brothers and sisters its report by March 25 2015 but sought extension, which The commitee recom- available to tribals."It is also and work zealously for their ended on July 30. mended changes in law to important that the medical fra- empowerment," Gandhi said.

Sonia accuses Modi govt of diluting tribal land rights

Lokpal panel gets extension

Patient dies during live surgery workshop at AIIMS new DelhI, august 9 (PtI): A 62-year-old patient died on July 31 when he was being operated upon by a Japanese surgeon as part of a live surgery workshop at AIIMS following complication that arose during the surgery. Shobha Ram, who had been suffering from liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, was selected by doctors for demonstration of laparoscopic liver resection. Ram, who had developed liver cirrhosis after a hepatitis B infection was referred to AIIMS from Delhi Government-run G B Pant Hospital. The surgery, which started at 9 am on July 31, was being broadcast live to a few surgeons. It was being performed by?Dr Goro Honda from Japan's Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center. Honda continued with the laparoscopic technique?for almost seven hours,?following which there was an excessive bleeding and the patient had to be shifted to ICU where he died within an-hour-and-a-half. According to a statement issued by AIIMS, "The patient, Shobha Ram,

Prasad said in his tweet, "The Prime Minister should ask his friend Amit Shah what else he has learnt in addition to falsehood, mis-campaign and dividing people from the jail." He alleged that the attack on him was out of fear of return of Mandal as an issue in the coming state election. "Those generating fear of 'jungle raj-2' are people themselves afraid of 'Mandal raj-2'. This election will be Mandal raj-2 versus kamandal raj-2," the RJD chief said referring to the return of the 1990 electoral fight that was dominated by the Mandal Commission report issue versus Ayodhya episode. Continuing to take potshots on Modi, Prasad said that the PM should have given details of the work done in his one-yearand-three-months tenure. He should tell what he has done for Bihar, the RJD chief said and suggested the PM "to look forward instead of becoming a ghost of past.

ter," Nitish Kumar wrote on twitter. He asked Modi to explain what he did for the farmers of the country in the past one year and accused him of doing nothing vis-a-vis providing enhanced minimum support price for farm produce. Nitish Kumar said it was "heartening" that Modi started his speech at a rally in Bihar taking cognizance of his (Nitish) tweets. "Modiji, even though you didn't answer my questions, (it) was heartening to see you open your speech at Muzaffarpur taking cognizance of my tweets." Nitish Kumar also took a jibe over Modi's promise not to give election ticket to anyone with criminal background. "Modiji, you spoke passionately of decriminalising politics, but conveniently forgot and did nothing in a year. "We commit no ticket to criminals. Now, show courage and commit to this in Bihar today," he said. The Janata Dal-United leader reminded the prime minister that people of the country were still waiting for the Rs.15-20 lakh he had promised before general elections last year. Bihar's assembly elections are due later this year.

had cirrhosis of the liver due to hepatitis B virus infection and a liver cancer. The patient had a detailed preoperative assessment for feasibility of removing the tumour surgically. He was planned for a laparoscopic surgical resection by a very renowned and experienced GI surgeon." "During the course of the surgery there was bleeding, which is a known complication of the procedure. The procedure was converted to an open procedure and all measures were taken to control the bleeding. The bleeding was controlled and the patient was shifted to the intensive care unit. "The total surgical procedure lasted for about 9 hours. Unfortunately, because of the underlying liver disease he did not do well and succumbed at?11.30 pm. The patient's relatives were kept informed of the patient's condition after shifting to the intensive care unit and subsequently," AIIMS said. The mortality rate of this procedure in patients with cirrhosis in most centres of the world is in the range of 5-10 per cent, doctors said.

new DelhI, august 9 (PtI): Parliament is likely to remain paralysed during the last days of monsoon session as Congress today showed no signs of relenting on its protests on the Lalit Modi and Vyapam issues and hit out at the BJP for its "politics of abuse". The ruling party too sharpened its attack on the Congress saying it had played the role of "obstructionist and destructive" opposition during the session as it was "politically bankrupt". 25 Congress members of the Lok Sabha, who were suspended by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for five days for unruly behaviour, will be back in the House tomorrow. Congress leaders, however, parried questions on whether the MPs would again be showing placards in the house, an act that had angered the presiding officer. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu appealed to the Congress to allow Parliament to function for the remaining four days saying government was willing to consider any meaningful suggestion to break the deadlock, but it failed to break the ice. "Eight more important bills are there, four bills were already passed in Lok Sabha. I hope Congress understands its responsibility. Let us see what is going to happen (tomorrow). I want Monday to be Monday and I don't want Monday to be a Sunday," he told reporters in Chennai. "I have told them (Congress par-

ty) that please come to the House. Let there be discussion. Even the suspension of Congress MPs could be revoked. But there was no response. Even now if there is a meaningful suggestion, the government is willing to consider the suggestion," Naidu said. The opposition party, however, told the government that it was not amused by the "politics of abuse" resorted to by BJP leaders and Union Ministers against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. "Unfortunately, BJP leadership's thought process is fast turning to the level of personal abuse as reflected from statements of Kailash Vijayvargiya, Prakash Javadekar, Smriti Irani and Santosh Gangwar. "We, in Congress, reject in toto and want to humbly tell the Modi government that politics of abuse will never replace the politics of consensus and construction in India," Congress' chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said here. The opposition has been agitating for resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for allegedly helping controversial former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Vyapam scam, leading to disruption of proceedings in Parliament. Protesting against the suspension of MPs, Congress and other opposition parties boycotted Lok Sabha proceedings.

‘Good healthcare not linked to affluence, but policies’ new DelhI, august 9 (Ians): Famous for providing affordable heart care to thousands, eminent cardiac surgeon Devi Prasad Shetty feels India can become the first country in the world to prove that healthcare can be de-linked from affluence. "Healthcare is not very important for our politicians as we are a young country. It is still not an issue which can get votes," Karnataka-based Shetty told IANS in an interview here. "For providing cheap and good quality healthcare to the people we do not need any additional funding from the government, but just good policies," the Padma Bhushan recipient said. "We can show the world that good healthcare is not linked to affluence," he said. Shetty said: "For the last some years we have been hounding the government with a special scheme for cheap healthcare which en-

tails taking a nominal amount from every person who uses a mobile phone in the country and setting up a health insurance scheme". He said if the 900 million mobile phone users in the country pay Rs.20 per month, "we can have a good health insurance scheme which can take care of any major surgery or illness a particular person might face," Shetty said. "But there has been no response from the government yet," he added. Shetty is the chairman and Founder of Narayana Health in Bangalore (earlier Narayana Hrudayalaya) who received the Padma Bhushan for his affordable healthcare work in 1992. The man who was called the 'Henry Ford of heart Surgery' by New Yorkbased The Wall Street Journal, has received a dozen other prestigious awards. He has performed over 15,000 heart surgeries. He cited the Karnataka

government health insurance scheme called 'Yeshaswini' wherein poor farmers pay a mere Rs.5 per month and get major benefits. Shetty said under the scheme nearly 90,000 farmers had undergone heart operations. "Today virtually every person in Karnataka has some kind of a health card and can be treated for most of the major ailments," he said. The cardiac surgeon feels that affordable healthcare was important for a country like India where heart diseases had emerged in "epidemic proportions". "Indians as a whole are genetically predisposed towards heart disease," he said adding that "our diet which comprises fried food makes us very vulnerable to heart disease." Additionally, the Indian food chart had a component of carbohydrates, sugar and oil, which was the reason for the high incidence of diabetes in India, he said.

"Almost 50 percent of people we operate upon for heart disease are diabetics," he said, adding: "It is not in the Indian culture to exercise". Shetty also blamed rising affluence in certain sections of Indian society for the scourge. "Rising affluence has given rise to many bad habits like smoking, which has increased massively, specially among women," he said. Explaining his concern, Shetty said women had a natural shield against diseases till they are 45 years of age. "After that nature drops them like a hot potato," he said. "So if a woman develops heart disease after this age, then it is worse than men," he added. Born in Karnataka, Shetty, the eighth of nine children, decided to become a heart surgeon when he was in fifth grade at school after hearing about the world's first heart transplant performed by South African surgeon Chris-

tiaan Barnard. After completing his graduate degree in medicine and post-graduate work in general surgery from Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, he trained in cardiac surgery at Guy's Hospital in the United Kingdom. He returned to India in 1989 and initially worked at B.M. Birla Hospital in Kolkata. He performed the first neonatal heart surgery in the country on a 9-day-old baby named "Ronnie" in 1992. He was also Mother Teresa's personal physician. In 2001, Shetty founded Narayana Hrudayalaya, a multi-specialty hospital in Bommasandra on the outskirts of Bangalore, because he could not find any employers who understood his vision. His organisation has performed numerous heart surgeries at a relatively low cost on Indians as well as foreigners.


InternatIonal

the Morung express

Monday 10 August 2015

Dimapur

9

Attacks on army, police and US special forces kill 50 in Kabul

Calls to abolish nuke weapons on 70th Nagasaki bombing anniversary

KABUL, AUGUST 9 (ReUTeRS): A wave of attacks on the Afghan army and police and U.S. special forces in Kabul have killed at least 50 people and wounded hundreds, dimming hopes that the Taliban might be weakened by a leadership struggle after their longtime leader’s death. The bloodshed began on Friday with a truck bomb that exploded in a heavily populated district and included an hourslong battle at a base used by U.S. special forces. It became the deadliest day in Kabul for years. The Islamist insurgents claimed responsibility for both the police academy attack and the battle at the U.S. special forces base, though not for the truck bomb. The violence was a reminder of the difficulty of reviving a stalled peace process, conveying a no-compromise message from the Taliban following the late July revelation of Mullah Mohammad Omar’s death and a dispute over the leadership of the insurgency. “The question is, who is sending the message?” said Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said Friday was the most violent day since it began recording civilian casualties in 2009, with 355 civilians killed or injured.

NAGASAKI, AUGUST 9 (AP): The city of Nagasaki marked the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing Sunday with calls to abolish nuclear weapons and halt the Japanese government’s push to loosen restrictions on what its military can do. With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the audience, a representative of Nagasaki bomb survivors told an annual ceremony that security legislation introduced by Abe’s government goes against the wishes of the survivors and “will lead to war.” “We cannot accept this,” 86-year-old Sumiteru Taniguchi said, after describing in graphic detail his traumatic injuries and how others died in the Aug. 9, 1945, attack on Nagasaki. Representatives from 75 countries, including U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, were among those gathered under a tall white canopy to shade them from the sun on a 31-degree-Celsius (88-degree Fahrenheit) morning at Nagasaki Peace Park. As a bell tolled, they observed a minute of silence at 11:02 a.m., the time when the a U.S. B-29 plane dropped the atomic bomb, killing more than 70,000 people and helping to prompt Japan’s World War II surrender. The first atomic bomb in Hiroshima three days earlier killed an estimated 140,000. Abe’s security bills, which he says are needed to increase Japan’s deterrence capabilities in the face of growing threats in the region, have run into stiff public opposition. The legislation would ease constitutional limits that restrict the military to self-defense, allowing Japanese forces to defend allies in limited circumstances. Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue, addressing the same ceremony, noted the “widespread unease” about the legislation, which has passed the lower house of parliament and is now before the upper house. “I urge the government of Japan to listen to these voices of unease and concern,” Taue said. A message from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon echoed calls by Taue and others to abolish nuclear weapons. “I wholeheartedly join you in sounding a global rallying cry: No more Nagasakis. No more Hiroshimas,” Ban said in a message read by Kim Won-soo, the acting U.N. high representative for disarmament affairs. Abe, in brief remarks, said that Japan, as the only country to experience nuclear attacks, would seek to play a leading role in realizing a world without such weapons.

On Saturday, NATO-led coalition forces confirmed that one international force member and eight Afghan contractors had been killed in the attack on Camp Integrity, a base used by U.S. special forces near the airport. The blast outside the base was powerful enough to flatten offices inside, wounding occupants who were airlifted by helicopter to military hospitals. “There was a big explosion at the gate ... (The gunfire) sounded like it came from two different sides,” said a special forces member who was wounded when his office collapsed. The initial blast caused by a suicide car bomb at the gate was followed by other explosions and a firefight that lasted a couple of hours, he said. “The helicopters went on for hours ... medevacing people out,” a U.S. contractor at a camp nearby said. A U.S. spokesman for the NATO mission in Afghanistan said the Taliban had increasingly turned to high profile attacks. “The recent attacks in Kabul are consistent with this trend,” said the spokesman, Brigadier General Wilson Shoffner. Camp Integrity is run by U.S. security contractor Academi, which was known as Blackwater before being sold to investors. It said

eight Afghans contracted to a local partner security firm were killed. It declined to comment further. In Washington, the White House said National Security Advisor Susan Rice had spoken with Afghan PresidentAshraf Ghani by telephone to express U.S. condolences. POLICE UNIFORM The Camp Integrity assault followed a suicide bombing at a police academy on Friday evening that killed and wounded more than 40 people, the Interior Ministry said. A police source said the final tally was higher - 26 killed and 28 wounded. “The bomber was wearing a police uniform and detonated his explosives among students who had just returned from a break,” a police official said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents had launched both the police academy and Camp Integrity attacks, but not Friday’s truck bomb, which tore through buildings in central Kabul, killing at least 15 people and wounding 248. The Taliban, who were toppled from power by a U.S.-led military intervention in 2001, rarely admit to attacks that kill a high number of civilians. The insurgents also struck in the north, claiming responsibility for a sui-

Men sit amid debris of their properties at the site a truck bomb blast in Kabul on August 7. (REUTERS Photo)

cide attack in Kunduz province on Saturday that killed 22 members of a militia backing the government. Divisions have broken out within the Taliban high command following the appointment of Mullah Akhtar Mansouras leader. Previously seen as open to reviving peace talks, he has since pledged to press on with the insurgency, which has killed or wounded thousands this year. The conflict between the Western-backed government and the Taliban

has intensified since the NATO combat mission ended last year, but Afghan security forces and civilians have borne the brunt of the violence. Analyst Ruttig said that, with the latest attacks in Kabul, Mansour could be sending a message of resolve to the militant rank and file as well as to the Afghan government. On the other hand, Taliban factions opposing Mansour’s leadership could be seeking to kill off any hope of talks by

launching the violence. “The hope of some people was that the death of Mullah Omar would put the Taliban in disarray and possibly weaken them,” Ruttig said. “I think that was a little over-optimistic.” The death at Camp Integrity was the second of an international service member in Afghanistan this year. The victim’s nationality was not released. Almost 5,000 civilians were killed or wounded in the first half of the year, according to U.N. figures.

Republicans pile on Donal Trump as ‘Typhoon lashes China’s east coast, 8 dead’ US presidential campaign stumbles Rob Reed shows his support for Republican 2016 U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump outside the RedState Gathering tailgate party where Trump was expected to speak in Atlanta, Georgia on August 8. (REUTERS Photo)

wASHINGTON, AUGUST 9 (ReUTeRS): Rival Republican presidential candidates piled on Donald Trump on Saturday for his caustic remarks about a female debate moderator, and the billionaire celebrity candidate backpedaled in an effort to keep his campaign from unraveling. Trump blasted Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly during a debate in Cleveland on Thursday when she questioned him about insulting comments he had made about women. The backlash to his exchange with Kelly has threatened to knock

the wheels off the bandwagon of support that had Trump leading early polls in the race for the Republican nomination for the 2016 election. Asked about Kelly on a CNN interview on Friday, Trump said: “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever.” Trump was promptly dumped from a keynote speaking role on Saturday night in Atlanta at an important gathering of conservative activists put together by the RedState organization. Republican candidates

Carly Fiorina, Scott Walker, Lindsey Graham, Rick Perry and George Pataki denounced the comments on Twitter or in statements. RedState chief Erick Erickson said he disinvited Trump because of his remarks about Kelly on CNN. The Trump campaign issued a statement clarifying that by “her wherever,” Trump meant Kelly’s nose. “Mr. Trump made Megyn Kelly look really bad - she was a mess with her anger and totally caught off guard,” the campaign said. Trump said ‘blood was coming out of her eyes and whatever’ meaning nose, but wanted to move on to more important topics. Only a deviant would think anything else.” Erickson, who invited Kelly to replace Trump at the conference, said he revoked Trump’s invitation because he did not “want someone on stage who gets a hostile question from a lady and his first inclination is to imply it was hormonal.” Trump also took to Twitter on Saturday to renounce politically correct attitudes, as he had done at the debate. “So many ‘politically correct’ fools in our country,” he wrote. “We have to all get back to work and

stop wasting time and energy on nonsense!” Rival candidates, however, hammered on their doubts that Trump was ready to represent the Republican party in a presidential run. “Enough already with Mr. Trump,” said Graham, a senator from South Carolina. “As a party, we are better to risk losing without Donald Trump than trying to win with him.” He added: “Due to Donald Trump’s unrelenting and offensive attack on Megyn Kelly and others, we are at a crossroads with Mr. Trump.” Without mentioning Trump’s name, Jeb Bush made reference to him when he spoke to RedState. Bush, former governor of Florida, said the tough questions at the debate were nothing compared to the challenges the next president will face. Erickson read aloud some of the emails he had been getting from Trump supporters to protest his move, saying it appeared the Trump campaign had made his email address available to them. In some of the emails, according to Erickson, the writers used a racial epithet to refer to President Barack Obama and made other inflammatory comments.

BeIJING, AUGUST 9 (ReUTeRS): A typhoon battered China’s east coast on Sunday, killing eight people and forcing authorities to cancel hundreds of flights and evacuate more than 163,000 people. Typhoon Soudelor killed six people in Taiwan earlier on the weekend then moved across the Taiwan Strait and slammed into the mainland’s Fujian province late on Saturday. It churned towards the neighbouring provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi on Sunday, the Xinhua state news agency said. The Tropical Storm Risk website downgraded

Soudelor to a tropical storm as it moved inland. Eight people were killed in Hangzhou city, CCTV state television reported, as heavy rain and wind toppled trees and triggered flash floods and mudslides. Television showed partially submerged vehicles abandoned on flooded roads as soldiers waded through water, searching for victims. More than 163,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Fujian and more than two million households suffered power outages, Xinhua said. More than 530 flights were

cancelled and 190 high-speed trains were suspended. In Taiwan, the rain and wind eased on Sunday although the Central Weather Bureau warned that conditions remained unstable as crews began clearing fallen trees, mud flows and other debris from blocked roads. The storm killed six people on Taiwan with four missing and nearly 400 injured, authorities said. Typhoons are common at this time of year in the South China Sea and Pacific, picking up strength from warm waters but losing it over land.

Sleep in side positions to avoid Alzheimer’s New YORK, AUGUST 9 (IANS): Developing a simple practice of sleeping in the side-position, as compared to sleeping on one’s back or stomach, may help you reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders, says a study. The side or the lateral sleeping position is the best position to most efficiently remove waste or other harmful chemical solutes from the brain, the results said. The build-up of brain waste chemicals may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions. While it is increasingly acknowledged that sleep disturbances may accelerate memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease, “our finding brings new insight into this topic by showing it is also important what position you sleep in”, said one of the researchers Maiken Nedergaard from University of Rochester in New York, US.

The researchers used dynamic contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to image the brain’s glymphatic pathway, a complex system that clears wastes from the brain. “The analysis showed us consistently that glymphatic transport was most efficient in the lateral position when compared to the supine or prone positions,” Helene Benveniste from New York’s Stony Brook University said. “The lateral sleep position is already the most popular in human and most animals -- even in the wild -- and it appears that we have adapted the lateral sleep position to most efficiently clear our brain of the metabolic waste products that built up while we are awake,” Nedergaard said. The study, therefore, adds further support to the concept that sleep subserves a distinct biological function of sleep and that is to ‘clean up’ the mess that accumulates while we are awake.

Singapore turns 50, celebrates success amid challenges SINGAPORe, AUGUST 9 (AP): Singapore threw a big party Sunday for its 50th anniversary of independence and unrivaled economic success in a region struggling with poverty and political instability, even as the city-state began feeling the pinch of a midlife crisis. As fighter jets screamed through the sky and nationalist songs blared, leaders made speeches and people took advantage of free rides on trains and buses. While marveling at the island’s leap from a poor colonial port to a wealthy metropolis, Singaporeans are also grappling with a growing resentment over political restrictions, an influx of foreign labor and a rising cost of living. “This is a milestone. Coming from an older generation that has seen Singapore through the early years of independence, I know it took hard work by our leaders to get here,” said William Nathan, 70. The weekend of celebrations culminates with fireworks after a military parade on Sunday. The sense of unity and pride in Singapore’sachievements was reinforced with a tribute video dedicated to its founder and longest-

serving leader, Lee Kuan Yew, who died in March at age 91, after running a virtually one-party state. To Lee and his cohort of leaders, setting Singapore on the path to economic success meant putting in place tough policies to try to harmonize a racial mix of majority Chinese and minority Malays and Indians. Lee, who was prime minister for more than three decades, had no tolerance for political dissent. Opposition figures were either defeated in elections or taken to court on defamation charges until they were bankrupt. The country’s laws prohibit bankrupts from contesting elections. His son, current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, is now steering Singapore with similar restrictions, and is facing a general election expected to be held Sept. 12. The ruling People’s Action Party, which holds 80 of 87 parliamentary seats, suffered its worst results in 2011 elections. Most of the mainstream media are controlled by governmentlinked companies, and the few independent news websites that exist are wary of strict defamation

laws that government leaders have often used to silence critics. Reporters Without Borders’ 2015 World Press Freedom Index ranked Singapore 153rd of 180 countries, below Gambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The government’s recent moves to take a teenage blogger to court and require popular news sites to obtain licenses were met with outrage from the online community. But there were no street protests — demonstrations in Singapore can be held only in a designated area, the 0.97-hectare (2.4-acre) Hong Lim Park. All other gatherings require a police permit. “Robbing Singaporeans of freedom is like killing part of the nation’s soul at any time. Is there a price on stealing a soul?” said senior research associate Bridget Welsh of National Taiwan University’s Center for East Asia Democratic Studies. “Singaporeans would have made more progress if there had been more freedom, more ideas, more voices to address the country’s challenges,” she said. When the population boomed to over 2 million in the 1970s from

1.89 million at independence, Lee vigorously campaigned for women to stop at two children - fearing it would impede economic growth. He also carved a place for a second language in the English-medium education system to make Singaporeans more marketable. But as Singaporeans grew more educated and wealthy, wages rose, and the ruling party looked to the rest of Southeast Asia for bluecollared manpower to keep the wheels turning. Today, Singapore is among the five most expensive cities in the world. An unpopular government policy paper in 2013 predicted that foreigners will make up nearly half of the population of 6.5-6.9 million by 2030 to offset low birth rates and support an aging population. It triggered a rare protest of more than 2,000 against foreign labor. “We want the government to know that we are not happy, and you can’t push everything down our throats. Peaceful protests are a legal platform for Singaporeans to voice out,” said organizer Gilbert Goh, who has since held several smaller rallies.

In this July 29, 1964, file photo, Singapore’s then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew stands on a vehicle as he addresses a crowd in Singapore. Singapore’s 50th anniversary on Sunday, Aug. 9, commemorates its leap from a poor colonial port to a wealthy metropolis. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father’s visionary leadership, is credited with developing the city-state into a global trading and financial hub and one of the richest nations in the world. (AP File Photo)


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The Morung Express public discoursE Will the Next Generation find Naga Parents Naga-India Peace Celebrating Marriage Anniversaries? truce: a way forward Dimapur

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Monday

10 August 2015

lancing through the dailies, it’s so inspiring to find couples celebrating their marriage anniversaries. It showsthe fidelity and faithfulness of both partners to each other and above all, to God.We are thankful to those parents who had to go through thick and thin to keep their marriages intact. Today,there is a rise in our generation who have the opinion that living together with one’s partner for life is a herculean task. The concept of “use and throw relationships” is escalating and proving very unhealthy for our society. Most youngsters prefer to go for the self-styled“torch-light weddings,” without the consent of parents and churches.They seek to escape thebags of formalities and complicationsof matrimony.In this matter, there may be some legitimate reasons such as financial constraints, poor family history, fear of family disagreeing about their partners,no proper attachment to the church community, waste of time and resources, and so on. But what one needs to realize is that, marriage is not man-made but God-made. Therefore, the proper benediction

by an ordained clergy and approval by parents needs to be in focus before the couple lives together. Theculture of premarital relationships among our youths today is also very alarming. Scores have fallen into this trap of sexual temptation through illicitbonds with an opposite gender. Many young dainty teenagers eloped and givegratuitous burdens to their parents and the church.Couple of years ago, a survey by Mother’s Hope found out that in Dimapur alone, 500 abortions are conducted monthly. In fact, the age group of most girls who come for abortions are between 12 to 19 years. Conjointly, it is really saddening that each year we hear news of newly born babiesleft in some garbage or forests, some fortunate enough to be rescued but others to be left to die or foods for stray dogs. Where is the sense of humanness? What has gone into our minds that we devaluate the most precious souls that God has given to man? Where is the moral accountability of parents to God for their children? Where is the sense of guilt and remorse? It’s unimaginable to let our own children be devoured by beasts or starve them to death

while we remain callously indulging in our own pleasures and sin. Something has really gone wrong. It’s not just a matter of condemnation but it opens our eyes to see how depraved our society has turn into. This is one of the reasons why the Church leaders have a challenging role toopenly deal and not shy away to this kind of issues in the pulpit. Now turning to the couples who are already married yet on the verge of breaking point,you are to be reminded at this juncture that separation will hurt more than cancer or death. Not to mention, the devastating ramifications of unfaithful marriages upon one’s ownlives and children. Many have become orphans while their parents are still alive. The care, nurture, discipline, love and spiritual guidance of the parents to their children are missing in most of the homes. A survey shows that children of divorce are three times as likely as those from intact homes to be expelled from school or to have a baby out of wedlock as a teenager, six times as apt to live in poverty and are far more likely to be incarcerated. Michael Reagan, the son of the fortieth President of

the United States, wrote of his parent’s divorce, “Divorce is where two adults take everything that matters to a child-the child’s home, family, security, and sense of being loved and protected- and they smash it (to pieces), leave it in ruins on the floor, then walk out and leave the child to clean up the mess.”Children grow up with a sense of emptiness, abandonment, hurt, anger, depression, inferiority complex, suicidal tendencies and lack of trust towards other. The lists could go on. So when parents seek divorce, they are playing with the lives of the young fragile heart and stumping over it heartlessly and if this trend of desacralizing the sacred institution of God continues, then it is very probable that the next generation of Nagas will scarcely find couples celebrating marriage anniversaries. Therefore, through this short write-up, I want to appeal to the Naga youths to seriously take the matter into account because your momentary pleasures may cost you your generation and future. Remember, “What goes around, comes around.” VebuKhamo Kohima Bible College

Peace accord or forced accord

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elhi accord of 3rd August 2015 appears to be no different from the Shillong accord except that the latter did not rule out integration of Naga territories. Delhi accord on the other hand talks loudly of flags, foreign affairs, currency and defenses etc. but remain completely silent on the issue of amalgamation of Naga forest and Naga inhabited areas which was its own commitment made to the Nagas in the famous historical 9th Points agreements of 1947. Therefore, in the present instants, what will the Nagas do with the flag, foreign affairs, currency or defenses when all its valuable forest and natural resources were allowed to be stolen by the greedy neighbours. If India is truly espoused to

be friend of Nagas why should it choose to protect the greed of the encroachers and usurpation of our ancient land and its resources? Also why can’t Delhi be told that it was precisely for this reason that compelled the Nagas to declare Independence by the signing of unilateral plebiscite on 16th May of 1951 since the Government of India had utterly failed to fulfilled its own promises even after a lapse of four years from signing the 9th Points agreement of 1947. In view of the above, it is the duty of the GOI to uphold its commitment if it is really desirous to maintained peace with Nagas and ought to return all our forests, land and its resources and amalgamate all Naga inhabited territory under

one administrative unit as promised to the Naga people. It is an undeniable fact that Nagas war of Independence emanates from the failure of GOI to fulfill its own commitment. Further, the uneasiness expressed by CM Gogoi, CM Ibobi Singh and CM Tuki has nothing to do with the solution of Nagas political issue. Any attempt of the GOI to placate them will only communalize the same and aggravate it indefinitely. Mr. Prime Minster of India should realize that it is not the Naga pride or prestige at stake but for the GOI of India to restore its own trustworthiness and integrity as a Nation in the eyes of the world. T. L Angami Founder GB Federation of Nagaland, Dimapur

Non- negotiable on Core issue of Naga Sovereignty

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ith the speculations doing the round that the settlement to the Naga political problem is not far away, the mandate of Naga people is supreme and a solution within the Indian Union is against the mandate of Naga people. In the name of Naga Club our leaders submitted a memorandum to Simon Commission on 10th January, 1929 and clearly expressed to leave us alone. After the formation of NNC in 1946, the outfit had declared the Naga Independence on 14th August, 1947, one day prior ahead of India’s Independence. The Nagas had pledged to be a ‘Sovereign Nation’ and thereby conducted a voluntary plebiscite in the year 1951 declaring 99% in favor of the Naga sovereign state. The Indian leaders should leave Nagaland and maintain good relationship as two neighbors and peacefully live as before. But till today the government of India fails to withdraw its occupational Armed Forces from Nagaland. Moreover the government of India played a dirty policy to annex Nagaland through her might. If Mahatma Gandhi is really the father of the Indian Nation, why didn’t Indians follow the goodwill principle of Mahatma Gandhi? To leave our rights in the court of India or to decide the Naga future by India is not the rights of the Nagas but to protect our people and our land is our bounden responsibility. We cannot leave our younger generation to live under the bondage of the aggressor. There is a limit for everything and no one can fool the Nagas all the times. It is the time for the Nagas to judge well on the various statements made by different sections of our people in Nagaland dailies. A guilty person will always lie till the end of his life. The world is curious at the present peace talk between the National Socialist Council of Nagalim and the Government of India hijacking the purest democracy of Nagaland. “In defense of our national rights, many patriotic national workers, Church leaders and innocent Naga public were killed by the Indian Army. Granaries and villages were burnt down to ashes. Many Nagas were tortured to death and even buried alive. Many women were molested and raped to the point of death. All these immeasurable sufferings faced by the Nagas in the hands of the Indian Army are not for ones’ guilty but all these are for the cause of our birthright to be a free nation. Can we sell this untold suffering at the cost of such a cheap price? An attempt to submit the right of the Nagas eyeing to go under the constitution of India is a sell-out. The mandate of Naga people is supreme and a solution within Indian Union is against the mandate of Naga people. The ‘solidarity and cause of the Nagas’ cannot be rejected nor denied by any other peoples or nations on earth as the political and historical rights of the Naga peoples have been recognized by the world. The uniqueness right of the Nagas was highlighted and make known to the world by the various Naga political groups in various occasion across the country. Thereby, the Government of India should be accepted and fulfilled the aspiration of the Nagas at the earliest possible time in order to liberate the Nagas in their own home land as the people were self- independent since from time immemorial. The Naga people were appreciated and highly honored towards the various Naga political leaders those who have affirmed and committed to work together and also to cease all form

of hostility amongst the people. The various factions top leaders have also proclaims towards the people that, the unity through reconciliation and forgiveness was “highly political” as Nagas remain divided or united on political and not on moral or individual ground. The reconciliation among Nagas was the only way and that roadblocks that stood on the way needed to be broken through and Nagas talk more of enmity, hostility, fighting and killing, but asserted it was now time for negotiation not confrontation. It is also heartening to note that, the need to interpret the future in a practical manner so that the spirit of nationalism through emotional, social and culture bonds continue to rekindle Nagas living in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland including Myanmar. The Naga people should rethink on the strategy in the light of paradigm shift in the Naga political stand that had been long “frolicked in the garden of idealists.” The Nagas should seek reconciliation through God where the Nagas have the “sovereign right” to decide what was best for the people. The sovereign right of the Nagas should not be forget and Nagas have wisdom to solve it. Also asserting that one can not leave one’s nation and Nagas have to unite and work towards as oneness and nation should be one. The Nagas are a distinct race, they have been living in their own country since from time immemorial, they belong to their motherland. They have a distinct character of life with distinct geographical, historical, linguistic and other features. They have their own habit of living with their customary rituals and rites. They believe in a supreme being who resides above the earth and sky. They have their culture handed down through their forefather. They do not have written documents of law and order, but yet settle their disputes through the village authority. They have their own way of selecting their leaders from pre-historic time, the Naga people have their own economic, political and territorial identities. I believe this is why the Naga people do not want to submit their sovereignty to any nation. The spirit of nationalism is growing from strength to strength. To me the Naga sovereignty is nonnegotiable as it my birth right. History will repeat again and again and no Naga or anybody can altar that history. Today, great injustice is being done to those who sacrifice their lives for the cause of Naga freedom, people who have not shed a single drop of sweat claim the lions share and all kind of luxury at the expense of those who have made great sacrifices. The Naga people struggle for sovereignty since from 1947- 1956, where the Naga people tried their best to please India in order to shun violence. One can imagine how much the Naga people have suffered during the last 40 years without human rights and under the oppressive power of the alien security forces. It is a regular scene to see the Armed forces patrolling the towns and villages in war outfits sometimes with black cloth covering their head and face or with camouflage helmets. The Nagas had been living in splendid isolation and sovereignty and were never ruled by other soverign power. When the British came in to contact with the Nagas in the middle of the 19th century they recognized our separate identity, nationality and uniqueness. Therefore, instead of completely annexing the Naga country to their Indian empire, they kept it as an ‘excluded area’ they did not interfere in our day to day affairs governed

by our cultures and traditions, instead they further protected the area and people from being assimilated by the more advanced cultures from mainland India by introducing the Inner Line Regulation. After the British left, the Indian government not only continued the ILP but introduced more protective measure such as RAP, Protected Area Permit’ to regulate the entry of foreigners to Nagaland. All these are clear indication that the government of India has recognized the uniqueness of the Naga history. Therefore, as we continue to struggle for our political cause, let us remember to zealously protect our culture and identity. Because without it our political struggle will be meaningless. Let me share a few of the vision for the future of Nagas. A strong and resurgent Naga nationalism that will encompass and unite all Nagas in and outside the present Nagaland state; I would like the Nagas to have ‘unity and understanding’ to see the successful conclusion of the Naga political struggle in an ‘acceptable and honorable’ to the Nagas, leading to the integration of the Naga homeland; I also dream of Nagaland emerging as a strong and vibrant political entity prosperous and self reliant, such a transformation being brought about by the resurgent ‘Naga nationalism and patriotism’. I would like to see a new generation of Naga youth, adventurous and competent enough to compete successfully in the national and international level of all aspects. I called upon the factions to realize that it is the time to forgive and forget the past and try to reconcile with each other. Touch our land with a healing hand, a common vision, common concern and positive attitude through spirit of service and sacrifice and fulfill the hopes and aspirations of our people so that we can secure a happier and better tomorrow future. On the Naga sovereignty, which was thoroughly discussed of all the political and historical facts about Nagaland and India, Mahatma Gandhi assured the Naga delegation that the Nagas had every right to be a ‘Sovereign Independent Nation’ Gandhi even promised the Nagas that in case the Indian government tried to forcefully annex the Naga territories in to India, he would be the first person to lay down his life in opposing the annexation. Our Naga position must be understood where the Naga people made the position of our country very clear to the government of India from the very inception of the emancipation of the India and the starting of the government of free India. Nagaland belongs to the Nagas only and nobody else. We cannot feel ashamed to state this simple fact or be frightened to stand as our national rights and defend our honor. Here I want to conclude by affirming and committing to the Nagas for the cause of our motherland that, I vow to thee my Nagalim, all earthly things above-entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love. The love that asks no question, the love that stand the test, that lays upon the altar the dearest and the best, the love that never falters the love that pays the prices, the love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice. Oh! My beloved Nagalim I cried and say that please don’t leave me alone. “Let us all pray and hope to see and bring the fruitful, positive, acceptable and honourable solution for the Naga sovereign independent Nation.” ‘KUKNALIM' Tsongs K Yim, Tuensang

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xcitement is emotional. Anger is danger to Peace. Misreading and mistaking creates needless problems. Reactive and critics are explosive. Human mind must be awakened to resolved human problems in a humane way. Analytic reasoning and understanding the nature of human mind and the problems must be employed to squarely find solution in the right perspective. Anything sort of assumption and unprincipled speculation without rationality will end up as a mist. The frame-work Agreement signed between India and Naga was not the solution in view but a process to work out an acceptable settlement steps for inclusive Naga political solution. Speculations and apprehensions about it are creating problems which are not of the spirit of the Agreement. Negative mind will take positive steps negatively. Positive mind that makes things happen is called faith. Faith can turn negative to positive; impossible to possible. Media’s propaganda creates public opinions and is not the actual substance. It can create adverse situation and complicate the matter. Rumor often creates ruining news. People need to be informed, aware and mind controlled for good when certain political transition is taking shape in the society. Nation cannot grows and prosper when its people are too allergic to new change and development. Any development is an opportunity to create a positive growth. Nation prospers when its leaders lead its people toward Peace and onto righteous path. The current political development of the Naga-India relation for Peaceful amity can be an opportunity for the Nagas to develop themselves to a distinct national identity and for India to shine out globally; its height of humane understanding and magnanimity as a civilized nation among nations. Both creates and leads to higher ground and status of humane civilization. Bilateral understanding and relation must be built to make Peace a reality. Peace for one must also be peace for other. Peace for the Nagas is freedom to exercise their right to self determination. Let this truth be actualized by both the parties in true spirit and in truth to be a model to the world. This vision and hope has been often-time pronounced by A.Z. Phizo and Naga Leaders of the past and present. Nagas need to complete the inclusive politic of fulfilling their aspiration by denouncing the existing mentality of factional pride and fight. Taking credit and profit makes a nation dry. Giving pride and credit to the people makes a nation healthy, wealthy and wise. Peace in a defined form and structure be established through understanding and respecting each others’ right to life and self determination. It is the foundation upon which any settlement can be materialized. There is a line of distinction to be drawn between the logical action and wishful assumption. While trying to understand the mind of India carried by their chosen leaders, I

perceive that, a Nation as India with its high sense of world class status would not stoop down to create needless contention over meager matter. The new Peace truce that has been entered into between Naga and India may be looked upon as a new change for a new start. It is perceived as a framework for building a mutual amity between the two entities that can be developed for lasting settlement of the long drawn conflicting political contention. The spirit of understanding that Indian and Nagas can be a neighborly friends through knowing each others’ need and right and help promoting and fulfilling each others’ aspiration is indeed the crucial need of the hour. This desire has its root in the mind and vision of A.Z. Phizo the visionary founder of Naga nationalism. He once stated in one of his letter written to C. Rajagopalachari, “If we look at the present problem realistically with a long view for peace and goodwill toward one another, we can see that we are living in a wonderful opportunity to bring two people closer than ever before… It is not time to suspect or accuse one another” he also said, “A nation standing on her birth right seeking to get back her liberty and freedom cannot be pushed aside by the march of time …Real peace can be created and preserved only through mutual respect and understanding” Nagas must go slower but with steady pace. Ephemeral and excitement emotion may create a negative climate. Let us avoid it. Rome was not built in a day. And all roads lead to Rome. Somewhere and somehow Nagas will surely land on a secured ground. Envisioning something great is not possible till or unless we get to doing it. Nothing can happen without our effort put in the right way. Solution not in view does not mean it does not exist. An idea such as ‘Naga nation within Nation’ can be materialized. What matter with the Nagas is not opposition but positive outlook and united anticipative effort concentrating toward achieving the desire goal. We must look and act positive. It is possible only when our history of struggle is remembered, valued and mindful when we all keeping working out our salvation together in a well charted direction. Our goal is not victory through might but right and not by power but by the indomitable spirit of truth. Nagas have paid the price of freedom yet it is not realized because the other party in time past have been suppressing into submission or subjugation. Precious lives and blood of the Naga people have been sacrificed as the cost of freedom. Now is the time for all Nagas to create a mass united and concerted effort toward realizing our common goal and future. My humble appeal to all Nagas east and west, north and south is to put aside our ideological differences, factional interest, tribal prejudices, pride of tribal identity, and go for national sentiment. Let us put free ourselves from all that holds us aback and strive toward achieving what is ahead of us. G. Gwangphun A social peace Activist and researcher

The fact prevails

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t is painful to read the paper wars between individuals or groups that we regularly come across in our local dailies. This habit of issuing rejoinder and counter rejoinders has done more harm than good as such paper wars tend to cloud the truth and confuse the general public more and more. With much consternation I am compelled to write a little on the article ‘Like father like son’ wherein the NSCN/ GPRN had accused late Khelhoshe, the father of KK Sema, of exploiting the political rights of the Nagas. This write-up is neither a repudiation to the NSCN/ GPRN’s article nor a defense of Late Khelhoshe but a walk down memory lane to understand a person better in the given context and time. I first met Late Khelhoshe during War World II (1944) when he was then an interpreter for the British Army. During their expeditions to various Naga villages, the British soldiers also used to halt for the night at the Inspection bungalow (IB) in our village, Sukhai village in Zunheboto district. While the British officers ate and slept in the IB, Khelhoshe whose Naga food eating habit is quite different used to bring his separate ration to our humble house and eat whatever meal my mother prepared for the whole family. Though I was a small kid then, I vividly recollect the happy moments when he gave his ration (biscuit and chocolate) to me and my brothers. As fate would have it, Khelhoshe who was appointed as sub-inspector of school under then Assam Government became my teacher at Govt. ME School Aghunato, in 1954. Me and my two other brothers were all studying together in class IV in that year. My impression about him as my teacher during those bygone days was a man who was strict, frank and never hesitated to speak out his mind. In 1958 (if my memory is right), he

became the first Naga MLA under Assam Government as was appointed as a deputy minister in-charge of jails. Yes, it was during his time as deputy minister that much talk has revolved including criticisms and praises. When he was then deputy minister, Khelhoshe announced over radio that there is “no escapation from Naga hostile” (the ‘there is no escaption (escape) route for Phizo’ version may stand corrected). It is a matter of debate what Late Khelhoshe really meant to convey by this announcement. Action speaks louder than words and this is also true of our late leader Khehoshe whose concern for hundreds of fellow Nagas languishing in various Indian jails during those troubled times propelled him to take concrete action. In is on record that when he was then deputy minister incharge of jails, Khelhoshe ordered the release of more than 500 Nagas serving in various jails (especially Jorhat and Nagaon) in a single day on the ground that they were political prisoners. Besides, Khelhoshe also personally gave money to the released prisoners (Rs. 2, Rs. 5 and Rs. 10) depending on the distance to bear expenses on their way back to their respective home and villages. There are still living witnesses who will testify to this humane gesture of late Khehoshe. In my personal opinion, it is not in good taste to talk ill of past leaders who have also done their share of work in shaping the Naga destiny. Like the proverb “to err is human,” all Naga leaders (past or present) are bound to commit mistakes. Those who really work commit mistakes but those who do nothing will not commit any mistake. Society will never progress if positive contributions are always overshadowed by negative thought and heresies. JP Vikugha, ex-Naga Army and Nagaland Police officer (retd) Khushiabill, Dimapur

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.


Entertainment

The Morung Express

Monday 10 August 2015

Dimapur

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Ed Sheeran dating Amy Winehouse biopic to become Nicole Scherzinger? highest grossing British documentary

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he 'Thinking Out Loud' hitmaker reportedly considered himself to be in the ''early stages of dating'' with the Pussycat Doll, according to a close friend. The 24-yearold's pal revealed: ''As far as he's concerned they were in the early stages of daring and he's been open about it with close friends and colleagues. It may not develop beyond those dates, but they're definitely tight.'' The flame-haired singer invited Nicole to be a guest at his three London Wembley Arena shows and the pair were also spotted enjoying a pint at The Station Hotel in Ed's hometown, Framlingham, Suffolk days after his sellout shows. The dark-haired beauty's friend told The Sun newspaper: ''She loved it, because, as she put it, it was 'so real'. She kept saying that.'' The 37-year-old American first sparked rumours of their closeness when she shared a photo with Ed backstage at his North London concert. It's thought the 'Sway' hitmaker became ''extremely close'' to the British musician when

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she told him how his music helped her get over her split from Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton. Her friend added: ''They were showbiz friends who saw each other on the scene. She was drawn to him over the last few months through

his music. When she split from Lewis, she was heartbroken but ended up playing Ed's songs on loop.'' A spokesperson for Ed has denied they are romantically linked and Nicole's representatives are yet to comment.

documentary about tragic singer Amy Winehouse is to become the highest grossing British film of its kind after raking in more than £3million at the box office since its release last month. 'Amy', by BAFTA-winner Asif Kapadia, was released in July to rave reviews with critics praising its depiction of the 27-year-old's short life. It has already taken in £3.16million at the box office and is on track to surpass Senna, Kapadia's other acclaimed film, to become the highest grossing British documentary of all time. It is also likely to become the third highest grossing film of its kind in the UK. While film critics have praised the documentary, the late singer's family slammed its portrayal of her life ahead of the film's release. In April a representative for the Winehouse family told MailOnline relatives felt it was a 'missed opportunity to celebrate her life.' 'They feel that the film is a missed opportunity to celebrate her life and talent and that it is

both misleading and contains some basic untruths,' a spokesman said. ‘There are specific allegations made against family and management that are unfounded and unbalanced.

‘The narrative is formed by the testimony of a narrow sample of Amy’s associates, many of whom had nothing to do with her in the last years of her life.’ The film unearths pre-

viously unseen footage of a young Amy as she prepares for her ascent to stardom. In one harrowing scene, she tells of her anxiety at become a household name. ‘I don't think I'm

going to be at all famous, I don't think I could handle it. I would probably go mad,’ she said. The Back to Black singer died in 2011 at the age of 27 from alcohol poisoning.

Steven Spielberg is selling his £120million, Jennifer Aniston bags 282ft mega yacht because it is 'too small' $5m Emirates deal

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Will.i.am ‘QUITS’ The Voice after four years

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ill.I.am has reportedly 'quit' The Voice after four years as a coach on the show. The Black Eyed Peas star, 40, has allegedly told BBC bosses that he will not return for the fifth series of the talent competition when filming starts next month. And according to the Daily Star's James Ingham producers of the BBC one show were 'desperate' for Will to change his mind offering the star a big pay out that he turned down, saying it was time he moved on. Producers of the show, who already lost pop star Rita Ora to the X Factor this year, are reportedly doing 'everything' they can to persuade Will to stay as a coach but the star has made up his mind. The original mentor has been a permanent fixture on the show since it first hit screens in 2012, but according to reports Will feels 'miffed' that no contestants have gone on to have success after appearing on The Voice. Will, who also works as a record producer and has collaborated with the likes of Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus, is said to be confused over the impact the show's winning contestants - including his own act Leah McFall - have failed to make on the music industry. The MailOnline have contacted Will.I.am's rep for comment. An insider told the Daily Star: 'Will has been in discussions with producers but decided he doesn't want to return this year. 'He's disappointed Rita Ora left and is frustrated the show has failed to produce an international star. 'As a result Will has told BBC bosses he thinks he's achieved everything he achieve on the show,' the source concludes.

t's one of the most famous lines in movie history. And now – 40 years after Roy Scheider exclaimed, ‘We’re gonna need a bigger boat’ in Jaws – it seems the film’s director Steven Spielberg has taken the sentiment very firmly to heart. The 68-year-old has announced he is selling his £120 million, 282ft megayacht The Seven Seas... because it is too small. Instead, the Hollywood mogul is having a new boat built, for £160 million. This latest yacht will be just 18ft longer at 300ft, leading some onlookers to question if he needs a new boat at all. The Seven Seas, which was designed by Nuvolari Lenard and crafted by Dutch shipbuilder Oceanco, already boasts an infinity pool with 15ft glass wall doubling as a movie screen, seven suites for up to 12 guests, a helicopter landing pad, gym, spa, and massage room. In 2013, the director, his wife Kate Capshaw, 61, and their seven children took the yacht on a 30,000mile round-the-world

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cruise, stopping at some of his most notable film locations. They included Shanghai where he shot Empire Of The Sun and Hawaii where he made Jurassic Park.

Spielberg is currently renting it out for about £800,000 a week – making it one of the world’s most expensive charters. A friend said: ‘Steven didn’t realise how much he’d enjoy cruis-

ing the ocean. Now he’d like to spend more time exploring the seas, and bring a few friends along for the ride. So he’s upgrading to a bigger yacht.’ Despite his love of the water, Spielberg

has confessed this was not always the case: ‘I’m not really an ocean lover. I’ve always been a little afraid of the ocean.’ The director did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

fter ringing secret wedding bells Jennifer Aniston has now bagged a 5 million dollars deal with airline Emirates. Tabloid media revealed that the 46-yearold actress has shot a highprofile campaign for the airlines in Dubai as part of the deal and she will be appearing across TV and print advertisements for

the airlines worldwide, reported News.co.au. Meanwhile, the sources have also revealed that the Cake Star, who pulled off a secret wedding with Justin Theroux at her Bel-Air home on August 5, is now enjoying her honeymoon in Bora Bora, where she is accompanied by her friends Courteney Cox, Jason Bateman and Chelsea Handler.

Whitney Houston: Remembering The Superstar Tannishtha Chatterjee On What Would Have Been Her 52nd Birthday 'Unindian' stint with Brett Lee

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hitney Houston had an unmistakable influence on the music industry, as well as pop culture as a whole — and we miss her terribly. What a beautiful soul, who was taken from us far too soon. We’d like to remember the singer and actress today, August 9, on what would have been her 52nd birthday. It was terrible to learn in early 2015 that Whitney’s beloved daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, 22, had been discovered unconscious in her bathtub, much like Whitney was in 2012. Tragically, both women’s accidents ended in their deaths, with Bobbi Kristina passing in 2015. It’s her family’s belief that Bobbi and Whitney are now reunited, and we think that’s so lovely. Whitney’s death affected us all — she was an icon that many of us admired — and it’s hard not to focus on her tragic end. But Whitney had an incredible life that needs to be remembered with love and enthusiasm. Whitney was one of music’s best-selling artists of all time, selling an estimated 170-200 million records. Astounding. To this day, she is the only person to ever release seven consecutive songs to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Nobody has come close to touching that. She also had an amazing film career, starring in movies like Waiting To Exhale and, of course, The Bodyguard. With her iconic turn in the latter, Whitney also composed the soundtrack; “I Will Always Love You,” her seminal hit, is the best-selling song by a woman in music history. The soundtrack made Whitney the first artist to sell over a million copies of an album within a week. Additionally, the album was the #4 best-selling of all time; Whitney’s on that list as the top female artist. It’s incredible what she did with her work, and the legacy she left after her death. It’s unlikely that anyone will ever reach the level of success she conquered in her lifetime, and rightly so. Aside from music, her family was her life. Though she divorced husband Bobby Brown in 2007, it was clear that she was still fond of him. Bobbi Kristina was her pride and joy. HollywoodLifers, please help us remember Whitney in the comments, and celebrate this incredible woman.

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annishtha Chatterjee declares she is “a global actor” and her roster of roles does prove as much. The actor, who has done commendable roles in British, German, Canadian besides, of course, Indian films is now all set to make her debut in an Australian film. The comedy, UnIndian, incidentally marks the debut of Aussie cricket superstar Brett Lee as an actor. “Brett is a natural actor. Actually, he is a lovely human being and you will find a reflection of that in his screen presence. He managed to pull of all the shots effortlessly. "That’s actually an amazing quality for any actor to have,” said Tan-

nishtha, obviously floored by the former Aussie pace ace’s screen antics. The last three years, she says, have marked “an interesting phase in her career”, one that let her juggle with big projects such as Garth Davis’ Hollywood drama Lion, co-starring Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara as well as smaller indie flicks like Island City. She would not mind trying Bollywood but she insists the role has to be good and that she will not go out of her way to bag a project. “I have never pushed for anything. I don’t audition for roles, I don’t do By Vinayak Chakravorty the rounds of producers’ offices. "I don’t remain

in the mainstream — in terms of roles or in terms of publicity. I don’t even have a publicist. "In terms of my career, I strive to be spiritually evolved, and maintain calm and dignity,” she reveals. Perhaps these traits have helped her focus on her international career. “In the global arena, the competition is tougher. There are loads of trained actors from across the globe gunning for just one role. "The difficult deal is colour of skin. While I have not faced racism I realise western cinema is white actor-driven — in the sense they mostly write white characters for their films,” she says.


Arsenal stunned by 2-0 loss to West Ham

BCCI may terminate Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals NEw DELhI, AUGUST 9 (AGENcIES): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is currently working on multiple fronts – floating tenders for two new teams, challenging Kochi Tuskers arbitration in court and preparing a roadmap in case contracts with Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are terminated, reports the Times of India. The board however, has decided to shun the idea of a six-team IPL or inviting two foreign team for its next edition. The IPL governing council is scheduled to meet on August 29 in Mumbai where a report will be submitted to it by the board's fivemember working group. "Termination is a very much an option, as much as auctioning two new teams is," BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur was quoted as saying in the TOI report. "We haven't formed an opinion on that. It can have legal ramifications, even the Lodha Committee hasn't recommended that," said Rajeev Shukla. However, a section within the BCCI believes legal issues are bound to arise if CSK and RR are terminated. For now, only two franchises are against the idea of a fresh auction for new franchises as they believe the exit of RR and CSK will erode the brand value of the cash-rich league. Apart from two IPL franchises, all other stakeholders oppose the idea of inviting foreign teams or going ahead with a tournament with just six teams. "There won't be value erosion. In fact, we strongly believe there'll be value realization if two new teams are auctioned," KXIP co-owner Ness Wadia told TOI. The board also believes the arbitrator in Kochi Tuskers verdict did not stick to the scope of the franchise agreement.

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Mourinho more annoyed with Chelsea medics than players LONDON, AUGUST 9 (REUTERS): Chelsea's Jose Mourinho, who hoped to celebrate his new contract with victory at an expectant Stamford Bridge, ended up grateful his team did not become the first Premier Leaguechampions to start their title defence with a defeat. Yet after managing to hold on to a 2-2 draw against Swansea City with 10 men after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was sent off with 35 minutes left, the Chelsea manager sounded far more aggrieved with his medical staff than his players. The Portuguese, who signed a new four-year deal on Friday, had no complaints about his team's performance as they repelled Garry Monk's inspired side who tried to become the second team to win a league game at the Bridge in Mourinho's two reigns. Yet he became angry and animated right at the end of the match when Chelsea's medical staff rushed to treat forward Eden Hazard with his team still vulnerable to defeat. "I wasn't very happy with my medical staff because you have to understand the game," Mourinho told Sky Sports. "When you go to the pitch to assist a player, you have to be sure the player has a serious problem. And I was sure that Eden hadn't a serious problem. "He'd had a knock, he was very tired and my medical department in their impulse were naive and left me with eight outfield players, and in a counter-attack after a set piece we were with two players less." After Mourinho's temper cooled, it was clear as he addressed reporters that the Portuguese was not overly impressed with some of the calls made by referee Michael Oliver, particularly the Courtois sending off and the penalty given to Swansea for the keeper's edge-of-the-box foul on Bafetimbi Gomis. "I do not want to speak about red cards," he said, though he could still not resist suggesting Chelsea had been "punished". Following his magnetic attraction to controversy last term, Mourinho was asked if this 'no comment' approach would be his new modus operandi which brought a laugh. "No, it's just because (it's) the first time I can control myself!" he said. "I want to react this way so you don't say. 'He was complaining from day one'. In day one we were punished, but it was not on day one that I opened my mouth."

LONDON, AUGUST 9 (AP): Arsenal began the Premier League season with a shock 2-0 defeat by West Ham after a nightmare debut for new goalkeeper Petr Cech at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Cheikhou Kouyate headed West Ham into the lead just two minutes before the break after poor judgment by the former Chelsea 'keeper, who was then wrong-footed by Mauro Zarate's shot from outside the area in the 57th minute. Tipped to be title challengers this season and coming off a 1-0 win over champion Chelsea in the Community Shield, Arsenal failed to create clear chances against a well-organized West Ham defense under new manager Slaven Bilic. The London derby was briefly interrupted in the 75th after a nasty clash of heads in the area between Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud and West Ham defender James Tomkins. Both men were given immediate attention by team medical staff and both players saw the game out to the end. Widely seen as one of the best moves of the preseason transfer market so far, Cech's arrival for a reported fee of about 11 million pounds ($17.3 million) is designed to strengthen Arsenal bid for a first league title since 2004. However, the 33-yearold goalkeeper was caught out just before the break when Dimitri Payet sent a free kick into the area. Cech decided to race off his line and try to clear the danger but Kouyate got to the ball first and sent a glancing header into an unguarded

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Arsenal's Mesut Ozil, left, and West Ham's Dimitri Payet challenge for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and West Ham at the Emirates stadium in London, Sunday, August 9. (AP Photo)

Arsenal net. Superbly taken, the goal came against the run of play in a half where Arsenal enjoyed plenty of possession but lacked the decisive final ball. And the same pattern continued after the re-start. Arsenal kept West Ham on the back foot, Giroud fired a half-chance into the side-

netting and both Mesut Ozil and Aron Ramsey were kept busy trying to find a way through. But instead of finding an equalizer, Arsenal fell further behind after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave away possession as the home side tried to clear from the edge of its penalty area. Zarate latched

onto the ball, twisted and unleashed a low shot to Cech's right as the 'keeper prepared to cover the bigger gap to his left. With an hour on the clock, West Ham had registered two goals from only two shots on target. In a desperate bid to turn the game around, Arsene Wenger sent on Alexis

Sanchez in the 67th minute, having planned to rest the Chile striker after his recent triumph in the Copa America. Wenger sacrificed right back Mathieu Debuchy for Sanchez but the ploy failed to deliver, though Arsenal's sustained pressure led to the clash of heads as Giroud and Tomkins both jumped for an

aerial ball. After treatment, the game continued with Oxlade-Chamberlain firing a rasping shot into the side netting. Sanchez managed to get into a good position inside the area in the closing stages, but managed only a weak shot that summed up Arsenal's afternoon.

Cricket Australia to review foreign flops

MELBOURNE, AUGUST 9 (REUTERS): Australia's cricket board has promised a review of the Ashes debacle after the dead rubber test at The Oval and will seek answers to the team's continued flops on foreign pitches. Eighteen months after blitzing England 5-0, Australia's rout in Nottingham to surrender the Ashes 3-1 has again exposed the team as home-track bullies. Australia have won four out of five of their past test series on home soil, but have been thrashed in away series against India, Pakistan and England in

the last two years. "After every series we will sit down and review, and I think there is an opportunity for a reflection on (our) style of play," Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland told reporters in Melbourne. "It's not easy playing away but it's something we have to get better at. We want to be the best cricket team in the world and to do that we have to be better at playing away." Losing the coveted urn to arch-rivals England is depressing enough in cricket-mad Australia,

but the manner of the team's capitulation after entering the series favourites and pumped-up with confidence has prompted criticism from all quarters. Most of the blame has been heaped upon the batsmen, who struggled to adapt to English conditions and appearing inept when facing the moving ball. Selectors, including coach Darren Lehmann, have also been roasted for a number of surprising decisions, including the omission of long-serving wicketkeeper Brad Haddin for most of the series and for failing to pick an

all-rounder in the decisive loss at Trent Bridge. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he believed up to seven players apart from Clarke may never play another test after the tour wraps up at The Oval, with the ageing team in dire need of regeneration. Steven Smith is all but certain to take the reins from Clarke for the team's two-test tour of Bangladesh in October but critics have suggested a new coach should also be brought in to help the young skipper rebuild the team. Sutherland, however, said

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45-year-old Lehmann, who has now lost two out of three Ashes series in charge, was safe in his role. He also said Smith, who lead Australia to victory against India in the home summer, was more than ready to fill Clarke's shoes despite the 26-year-old's disappointing Ashes with the bat. "We have someone in waiting who has had experience as a captain," he said. "In recent months he has been rated as the best test cricketer in the world. Steven is ready for this challenge but no one is ready-made to just walk into it."

Phelps answers taunts with faster time in 100 fly

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Michael Phelps dives into the pool at the start of the men's 100-meter butterfly final at the the U.S. swimming nationals on August 8, in San Antonio. Phelps won the race. (AP Photo) C M Y K

SAN ANTONIO, AUGUST 9 (AP): Maybe one day they'll learn. Don't talk trash to Michael Phelps. It just makes him go faster. After spending all day digesting Chad le Clos' taunts from halfway around the world, Phelps beat the South African's time from the world championships to win the 100-meter but-

terfly at the U.S. national championships Saturday night. Phelps churned through the water on the return lap, far ahead of everyone, and touched in a dazzling 50.45 seconds. He was nearly a second faster than his gold-medal winning time at the London Olympics and, more important to Phelps, he went

faster than Le Clos' time about eight hours earlier in Kazan, Russia, where he won the world championship in 50.56. After touching the wall, Phelps turned quickly to see his time, shot a defiant look toward the packed stands in San Antonio, pounded the water with his arms, and spit out a mouthful of water. Then the 18-time Olympic champion mugged for the cameras, sticking out his tongue. "The comments were interesting," Phelps said, with a knowing grin. "It just fuels me. If you want to do it, go for it. I welcome it." Following others such as Milorad Cavic who tried to get under Phelps' skin, Le Clos launched a verbal assault from Russia, apparently confident that he had put up a time Phelps couldn't beat. And, rest assured, this thing has gotten personal, even though they are racing in different worlds and aren't likely to meet until they get to the Rio Olympics next summer. "I'm just very happy that he's back to his good form, so he can't come out and say, 'Oh, I haven't been training' or all that rubbish that he's been talking," Le Clos said. "Next year is go-

ing to be Muhammad AliJoe Frazier." Le Clos' father even got in on it, declaring he wasn't even bothering to look at the times Phelps was posting at the juniorvarsity meet in Texas, where the winningest athlete in Olympic history was forced to swim after he was banned from the world championships as part of his punishment for a second drunken-driving arrest. "However fast Michael goes, we go faster," Bert Le Clos told The Associated Press in Kazan. "I don't care about his times, because I know my son is going to beat him." Phelps responded with his fastest 100 fly ever in a textile suit. Challenge answered. "There are a lot of things I could say. But I won't," Phelps said. "I'm going to let what I do in the pool do my talking." All of this is setting up a tantalizing rivalry for Rio, which actually started when Le Clos stunned Phelps to capture gold in the 200 fly at the London Olympics. In recent months, Le Clos was a bit miffed when Phelps jumped back into that event with some pointed comments about the times not improving all

that much while he was in retirement. "I don't do it to talk trash," Phelps said. "I do it to state facts. Some people went back and checked my facts about the 200 fly, and I was right. I know my facts about the sport of swimming." Over the last two days, they went back and forth without ever seeing each other face to face: — Phelps put up a stunning time of 1:52.94 in the 200 fly Friday night, the fastest by any swimmer since he set the world record in 2009 in a high-tech bodysuit. Among the times he beat: Le Clos' winning performance at the last Summer Olympics and Laszlo Cseh's upset victory at worlds, where Le Clos was the runner-up. — Le Clos came back Saturday with his victory in the 100 fly and couldn't resist pointing out that Phelps had not done a time that fast in six years. — He has now. Phelps responded about eight hours later with the best time in the event since those rubberized bodysuits were banned after 2009, and significantly faster than his 51.21 that was good enough for gold at London.

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