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wednesdAY • december 02 • 2015
DIMAPUR • Vol. X • Issue 328 • 12 PAGes • 4
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T R u T H
Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers — Aristotle Getting to Zero: World AIDS Day celebrated in Kohima
India’s ‘real dirt’ lies in minds, needs a clean-up: President PAGe 8
ISL: Chennaiyin FC ends Mumbai’s play-offs hopes
PAGe 2
PAGE 12
Hornbill festival makes a colourful start nagaland Government’s scholarship Quandary Chizokho Vero
Kisama | December 1
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The much hyped 10 day long Hornbill Festival made a colourful start today at the picturesque Naga Heritage Village Kisama, about 10 kms from Kohima. Gracing the festive occasion, Nagaland State Governor, PB Acharya said the festival is a joyous occasion when all people of Nagaland can recall with pride and satisfaction the significant achievements made by the Nagas during the past years. He said Nagaland has achieved remarkable progress over the last five decades, particularly in education and healthcare. Stating that the festival aims to preserve, promote and protect the unique cultural diversity and rich traditions of Nagaland, Acharya hoped that all visitors would experience the warm hospitality of the Nagas. Apprising on the different activities at Kisama, Acharya said the 16 Naga tribes and sub tribes are showcasing their culture, dance, music and food, handloom and handicrafts. He added that Kisama at present is a mini Nagaland. Reiterating that peace is needed for progress and development, Acharya said “violence has no place in our society. Tourists must realize that Nagaland is peaceful and vibrant.” Making referencing to the Framework Agreement signed between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India, Acharya said “this can serve as a new paradigm for security and federalism, reconciling respectfully the aspirations
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
Differing versions emerge on non-payment of scholarships to 150 students by government Morung Express news Dimapur | December 1
nagaland’s governor P.B. Acharya and Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang along with others pose for camera after the inaugural function of Hornbill Festival on December 1. (Morung Photo)
of the Nagas with the larger vision of a strong India.” He appealed to all factions to join the peace process for a graceful and permanent solution of the Naga issue. Nagaland State Chief Minister, TR Zeliang said over 52 years of statehood, the people of Nagaland have continued to maintain and preserve their unique culture and tradition and also progressed in various fields. “We also continue to preserve our culture and traditions by celebrating the Hornbill Festival,” he said. He said Nagas are moving fast on the journey to modernity and civilization, and equally trying to preserve the hallmarks of Naga identity. Zeliang said through this year’s Hornbill Festival, the state wants to promote eco-friendly activities, to show solidarity
with the fight against global warming and climate change. “We will try to avoid use of all forms of disposable plastic products,” he informed. He said the Hornbill Festival will soon become a major tourist attraction and event, not only at the national level, but at the global level; and hoped that it becomes one of the important drivers of the state’s economic development. He stated that the Hornbill Motor Rally has become a truly national event, while the Hornbill Music Concert has become an international event, with the participation of foreign artists. The CM added that the Naga Chef competition is not only about cooking but about bringing out the best of Naga cuisine and an avenue for the youth to put Naga food in the global map. He added that Naga-
land’s rich cultural heritage, its natural beauty and abundant natural resources, including minerals and oil, and its strategic location etc are yet to be truly exploited to the state’s advantage. With its cultural and historical links with the ASEAN region, and with its educated English speaking youth, Nagaland can play a significant role in the government’s ‘Look East’ or ‘Act East’ policy, he said. Once the ‘Act East Policy’ is in full swing, Nagaland and its people can form a vital link and bridge between mainland India and the South East Asian Countries, he added. The CM further said that peaceful resolution of the Naga political issue has become the main agenda of the State Government, mass based organizations, NGOs, civil societies, business organizations as well
as the people. The signing of the Framework Agreement has given a “renewed hope for an early settlement of the Naga Political issue, in a manner acceptable to the Nagas,” he said and appealed to all Nagas, including the various Naga political groups to unite and work together for the common goal of permanent peace in Nagaland. Earlier, Rev. Dr. Phuveyi Dozo invoked God’s blessing while Y Phonlong, Angh of Longcheng village, Mon pronounced traditional blessings. Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, C Apok Jamir proposed the vote of thanks. Scintillating performance from Dreamz Unlimited billed as “Unity” as part of inaugural celebrations and hosted by Sky Entertainment evoked thunderous applause from the crowd.
Contradictory versions have emerged on why the Nagaland State Government has failed to release scholarships to the 150 unfortunate students studying in an Engineering and Technology College in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh. The students from Nagaland had to leave Divya Joyti College of Engineering and Technology campus midway after the deadline given by college authorities to pay their pending tuition fees expired. The tuition fees were to be paid from the scholarship funded by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and released by the respective State government. According to the Times of India report, the college had informed that an accumulated amount for tuition bills for Nagaland Government had run up to Rs 1.86 crore. The students’ were pursuing engineering courses under an initiative of the Eastern Naga Students’ Union Dimapur (ENSUD), who had signed the MoU with the said college under the scholarship programme. By Tuesday, a total of 136 disheartened Naga students had left the college campus, while around 10 remaining students chose to stay by paying the tuition fees on their own. A disillusioned Vikehieto, one of the students who enrolled this year said he would be returning back to Nagaland. Similarly, like him, other students who were compelled to leave are urgently knocking on the doors of other colleges in and around Delhi for admission. In the midst of anxiety amongst the students and their guardians, Parliamentary Secretary for Higher and Technical Education, Deo Nukhu when contacted maintained that the department was not made aware of these students studying outside Nagaland under the scholarship programme.
According to the Parliamentary Secretary, a number of NGOs undertake such scholarship programmes under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for professional and technical courses and fail to notify the Higher and Technical Education Department. When they did not go to the department, how can we pay scholarships to the students, he questioned. Nukhu said the department would verify on the issue. “They should also submit in written to the department on the issue instead of blindly putting it up in the newspaper,” he added. Contradicting the Parliamentary Secretary’s claim, ENSUD President, Stephen Chang asserted that the union had approached the Parliamentary Secretary as well as the department over the programme. “We met the Parliamentary Secretary, he asked us to submit the list of the students. Later when we went to submit the list, he was busy so we handed it over to his personal secretary,” Chang revealed. He added the Joint Director of Higher and Technical Education Department was also aware of the programme. It is also learnt that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs had released Rs 5.45 crore on June 2014 and another Rs 17.58 crore only recently for the scholarships to the Nagaland State government. In a new development, apparently with media scrutiny on the issue, Divya Joyti College of Engineering and Technology is learnt to have asked the students to return back while promising them that they would take only 50 % of the tuition fees. “Many of the students’ now don’t want to go back to the college after made to face such harassment. We are looking for other alternative arrangements,” Chang informed. Meanwhile, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has demanded that the State Government explain to the people why it has not released the scholarship to the students. “Such harassment and ill treatment of our own children - our future - cannot and will not be tolerated. Responsibility for the unacceptable lapse should be fixed immediately on whoever has mismanaged the issue and the government should resettle the affected students to their college without further delay,” NPCC president K Therie said in a press statement.
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is there reason to HiV/AiDs: time to Act is noW celebrate Dec 1? ‘Accept us as we are’ Morung Express news Dimapur | December 1
We have all reached a level of stagnancy PART - II
Morung Express news Dimapur | December 1
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next we have a special rock song by the band Krtrrtn..i mean..Krt..r..rzxy..er..K .. k..kukrr..yvxz..v yeaat! never mind. By some boys in tight jeans and long hair.
The Morung Express Poll QuEsTion
Vote on www.morungexpress.com sMs your answer to 9862574165 If you consider Nagaland to be a Christian State, is it upholding secular and inclusive values? Yes
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no
others
PM greets Nagaland on Statehood Day KOHIMA, DECEMBER 1 (MExN): Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi today extended greetings to the people of Nagaland on the occasion of Nagaland Statehood Day. “Best wishes to the people of Nagaland on their Statehood Day. I hope Nagaland scales new heights of progress in the years to come,” the Prime Minister said in a message through the Press and Information Bureau.
For a long time after statehood, achieved on December 1, 1963, the boundary between the Naga people drawn as a result of the Nagaland State was considered “artificial.” The feeling of “this state, that state” did not come into play until later. But the “artificial” perception of the boundary led to blindness towards corruption; the oft thought paradigm being, “It is Indian money, so let us do anything we like.” Corruption now has become the essential tool to approach many walks of life in Nagaland. Based on such thoughts, The Morung Express asked the people of Nagaland State if there is any reason to celebrate December 1? Compelled to celebrate The political boundary drawn through the Naga territories is being recognised in stronger tones today, socially and politically. There are the ‘Nagas of Nagaland’ and then there are the others. The gains made by some through the State have made ‘Nagas of Nagaland’ take a parochial as well as condescending view of the Naga minorities in other States. Unemployment has egged on this process in no small measure. For Naga Hoho President, Chuba Ozukum, “we don’t agree with the celebration,” though the 16 point agreement has created a situation wherein “Naga people are enjoying statehood and taking rest in the midst of our journey to reach our political destiny.” “Whether we like it or not, the 16 point agreement was signed by a minority of Naga people and the State was established—now the Government
of Nagaland is compelled to celebrate December 1,” notes Ozukum. In the wake of it, many Naga families have prospered and “forgotten the spirit of Naga nationalism.” They have become influential to the point of directing the future Naga course—“they will prefer to live under the Government of India,” fears the Naga Hoho president. “I think it’s a politically correct decision (to celebrate) the Statehood given to Nagaland—the new State has created more opportunities and freedom for Nagas of Nagaland to govern ourselves, to assert our unique political history and cultural identity,” feels aspiring civil services candidate, Renthungo Odyuo. However, border conflicts over territorial limits have become the order of the day, he observes. For concerned citizen Gugu Haralu, the December 1 celebrations have become a mundane ritual to be observed every year without reference to the ongoing context. “No, we have no reason to celebrate because there is no joy left in this State,” she asserts. “The State’s priorities have become upside down—while there are no scholarships for students, we are doing this grand celebration. Where have the big slogans of progress and development gone?” wonders Haralu. For the state of affairs today, she blames both the government and the people. “We have all reached a state of stagnancy.” Is that reason to celebrate? College Lecturer Alemtula Longchar offers her perspective on “Half a century with Mother India.” “The rest of India either can’t locate us on the map or think we only dance around log drums in our wonderfully colourful ‘native’ costumes. Our constant companions, the Army believe we are crude enough to deserve 19th century laws. Our ‘leaders’, both ‘local’ and ‘non-local’, still try to appease us with coloured beads and magic mirrors. Celebrate Statehood Day? Why not?”
When you look at the HIV/AIDS map of India, Nagaland stands out in red. Among 195 countries in the world, India has the third highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS with a prevalence rate of 0.35. Nagaland State currently has an HIV prevalence rate of 0.88 (general population), making it blink out red in the map of the Indian Union. Between April and September 2015 alone, 883 new HIV positive cases have registered for Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) with the Nagaland State AIDS Control Society’s centres. Of these, 459 cases were registered in the ART Plus Centre in Dimapur, which has not received any funding, whether for running the centre or staff salaries, since August this year. Despite these discouraging figures, People Living with HIV (PLHIV), doctors, administrators, support groups and workers came out in large numbers today to observe the 28th World AIDS Day at the Town Hall here today—to share their experiences, express solidarity and remember those who have died of the epidemic. With the theme ‘Getting to Zero: The Time to Act is NOW,’ the program was organised by the Dimapur District AIDS Prevention and Control Unit in collaboration with district level partners and partner NGOs. In engaging with these groups every World AIDS Day, observed since 1988, the world hopes to eradicate the epidemic by 2030. Is that possible for Nagaland? “There is self stigmatisation and fear among patients to access the free ART given by the Government, which could lead to drug resistance and treatment failure in the future,” informed Dr. Hotoka Hesso, Medical Officer at the ART Plus Centre, Dimapur, while presenting the reality of HIV/AIDS in Nagaland. Only 69% of the 18,952 PLHIV in Nagaland registered for ART as of September 2015. Only 57% of them started treatment, informed the doctor.
“I am Lucy, living with HIV, a widow, with a son who is HIV free,” said the president of Dimapur Network of PLHIV in her testimony on World AIDS Day. “I am here to challenge everyone on HIV/AIDS today—church leaders as well as all stakeholders,” she said, affirming that “we don’t need just financial support but for you to accept us as we are. We don’t need your pity.” She urged the PLHIV community to come together and fight the Virus. “We cannot always depend on others. We must come together and lead the fight ourselves,” she encouraged. In his solidarity message, Pastor Yanbemo of the Eyilo Ministry said that it has been working with PLHIV since
2009, running entirely on church funding. With several programs slated for the “Eyilo members,” the Eyilo Ministry has been able to create a space for sharing and caring, of fellowship and empowerment, for people struggling with the Virus. The Ministry has welcomed people from all backgrounds, wiping out discrimination on the ground of race or religion. In her solidarity message, Vimenuo Liegise, General Secretary of Naga Women Hoho Dimapur, asserted that it is time for families to start talking about sex and sexuality, and educate children on related matters, so that the society is empoweredto make its own decisions.
Worse still, it is getting harder to provide any facilities to PLHIV due to the delay in disbursing funds by the Government of Nagaland. A change of pattern in funding—from directly to NSACS through NACO to through the State exchequer—has resulted in “7 to 8 steps being added in the disbursement of funds leading to delays of funding to the ART centres and payment to staff for up to 6 months each time,” said Dr. Hesso. The collapse of these systems could put at stake the challenge to HIV/AIDS, which India is known to have been quite successful at. “Let us be courageous in looking to the future though,” encouraged Dr. Hesso. HIV/AIDS is merely a “chronic manageable disease” and its early detection, treatment and lifestyle modification can enhance chances of survival by up to 35 years from the time of detection.
ciety towards you.” “For us, you are the real heroes,” said Yhome, while expressing solidarity with PLHIV and HIV/AIDS workers, and saluting them for their “bravery and courage.” The HIV/AIDS challenge has to be dealt with “action, not words,” he maintained. So, “let us stop preaching and start acting.” World AIDS Day is a day for us to “retrospect, observe and share solidarity,” noted the DC Dimapur. “We rededicate ourselves to this cause and we will give you our best,” he pledged in his short and precise speech. In a separate speech, Fr. CP Anto, Director of Peace Channel, stated that the “biggest problem” faced by the world today is not “unemployment, illiteracy or discrimination” but the “lack of love and commitment.” “If we have love and commitment, we can immediately put a stop to the spread of HIV/AIDS,” he asserted, further asking the congregation to practice several models presented by the Eyilo Ministry as well as the Naga Women Hoho Dimapur at today’s program. He also asked the Peace Channel model—information, formation and transformation—to be applied in tackling HIV/AIDS.
‘On behalf of society, I apologise’
“On behalf of society, I apologise to you for not understanding you, for discriminating against you,” said Kesonyü Yhome, DC, Dimapur, the guest speaker at the World AIDS Day program today. “We are sorry for our failures as so-
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