December 3rd, 2015

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www.morungexpress.com

thursDAY • December 03 • 2015

DIMAPUR • Vol. X • Issue 329 • 12 PAGes • 4

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T R u T H

I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts — Will Rogers Rains, floods devastate Chennai, army rescues people PAGe 8

USSC total bandh held peacefully

ISL: NE United keep hopes of playoffs alive

PAGe 2

Abba New Generation sets Hornbill Music Fest on fire

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nscn (r) & GPrn/nscn standoff at Padumphukri over Cease Fire office Morung Express News Dimapur | December 2

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Citizens of Kohima, both young and old were enthralled with the power-packed live performance of the New Generation Abba- The Tribute Band from Sweden. The concert was held at Hockey Ground, IG stadium on December 2. Performing with the New Generation Abba was Mike Watson, the original Bassist for Abba. The band performed some of their top chart songs such as Money Money, SOS, Chiquitita, Take a Chance on me etc. The band concluded the show with the songs Thank You for the music and Dancing Queen. (Morung Photo)

reflections

By Sandemo Ngullie

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Its so cold out here. He should have drunk 3-4 mugs of local brew....idiot.

Oi, Doc’, One badly frozen warrior need your attention!

Tikhir Tribal Council asks citizens to vacate YTC areas

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KIphIre, December 2 (mexN): The Tikhir Tribal Council (TTC), the apex tribal body of the Tikhir tribe, has ordered all Tikhir citizens residing permanently or temporarily in villages or towns affiliated to Yimchunger Tribal Council to vacate and return to their respective villages at the earliest. The ‘advisory’ was issued by the TTC President, K. Topan, and General Secretary, W. Philip Tothong, to Tikhir citizens “in view of the impending law and order problem that is likely to happen in Shamator HQ in view of the proposed YAA Golden Jubilee to be held in January 2016,” stated a press release from the Tikhir leaders. All villages under Tikhir jurisdiction have also been directed to “be prepared” and be in a “state of alert and vigil” for “any eventuality” that may unfold in the coming days, it notified.

“Sticking on the Government of Nagaland, Office of the Commissioner Office Memorandum No.CN/ CON(SMTR)07, Dated 4 January 2007, where Shamator town is tagged under controversial town, Yimchunger Students’ Union (YAA) proposed golden jubilee at Shamator town has gone against the government notification and the will of the land owner (Tikhir tribe),” maintained the two leaders in the press release. Therefore, they asked the Tikhir citizens to “strictly adhere” to the notice in order to “avoid inconveniences at the eleventh hour.”

Nagaland govt issue advisories on HINI Flu

DImapur, December 2 (mexN): With the 10 days Hornbill Festival in full swing there will be constant mingling of domestic and out-state tourists. The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, Health & Family Welfare, Government of Nagaland today issued a general advisory on how to protect from H1N1 Flu (or Swine Flu).

The flu is not ‘transmitted by pigs,’ but from human-to-human by infected particles in the air, the advisory informed adding that symptoms of Swine Flu include fever, cough, sore

throat, running nose and breathing difficulty.

The department has also placed a First Aid Stall at Kisama/IG Stadium to address any medical needs. Visitors may also contact any Government Health Unit for issues related to H1N1 Flu, it added.

Measures to avoid HINI Flu infection:

Do’s: • Cover mouth and nose with handkerchief or cloth while coughing or sneezing.

• Wash hand frequently with soap before and after touching one’s nose,

eyes or mouth.

• Stay away from public places if one has fever, coughing and sneezing.

• Sleep well and stay physically active.

• Drink plenty of water and eat nutritious food.

• Visit a Doctor after covering face with a cloth or mask, if one has any Flu like symptoms.

Don’t: • Avoid shaking hands, hugging and kissing socially or any other form of contact greetings.

• Don’t take medicines without consulting physicians.

• Don’t spit in public places.

Fear of an imminent showdown between two Naga political groups gripped the populace of Padumphukri village in Dimapur after a standoff arose between NSCN (R) and GPRN/NSCN on Tuesday.

The tense situation developed over the establishment of a Cease Fire Supervisory Board (CFSB) office in the area.

On Monday evening, NSCN (R) members reportedly arrived at the residence of one of its member at Padumphukri to establish its CFSB suboffice which was strongly opposed by the GPRN/NSCN. The latter stated that they will not let any office be set up in the village.

The Padumpukhri Village Council was caught in the middle after they learnt of the development on Tuesday only after the GPRN/NSCN informed them to intercede with the NSCN (R) to vacate the place.

Situation of a confrontation surfaced after the NSCN (R) refused to vacate while asserting that the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (GoI) has approved for setting up a ceasefire supervisory office at the said location. The GPRN/NSCN warned they would use other means to drive them out.

Against this backdrop, Padumphukri Village Council members, district administration and the police, since Tuesday, camped outside the purportedly CFSB office in an effort to diverge any unwanted situation that might ensue between the two groups. Paramilitary forces were also seen deployed for duty in the area.

Padumphukri Village Council Chairman, Vitoka Katty told The Morung Express on Wednesday that they have been keeping vigil and negotiating with both the parties so that no situation that may threaten the safety and security of the village and its populace take place.

Fearing confrontation, Katty said the Village Council had asked the NSCN (R) to vacate the place but to no avail. The Village Council has also been asking the GPRN/NSCN to practice utmost restraint, he said.

View of the building approved for setting up of the NSCN (R) Cease Fire Supervisory Board Office in Padumphukri village, Dimapur. (Morung Photo)

“We stand by our 2012 resolution that Padumphukri Village does not support tribalism, or clanism and we will not cooperate with any Naga political groups that vitiates the peaceful atmosphere of the village,” the village chairman reminded.

According to another council member, they were not made aware of the setting up of the CFSB office in their village jurisdiction until Tuesday.

In the meantime, Newell Sumi, CFSB member of NSCN (R) on whose residence the office is set up said no one should oppose the CFSB office keeping in mind that it is not a designated camp but an office of “pen and papers.”

“Our main objective of establishing this office is to communicate with the Nagas public and also seek their mandate,” Newell claimed. According to him, the GoI had approved the office after undertaking joint recce of the area by authorities including CFMG chairman NK Singh among others.

He also alleged that GPRN/NSCN tried to provoke them by firing blank shots on Tuesday evening.

On being asked why the Nagaland State government was not notified of the ceasefire office establishment, Newell replied it is not their prerogative but that of the CFMG chairman.

In a separate statement, NSCN (R) MIP appealed to the other NPGs to refrain from indulging in any violent activities so as to ensure that real peace dawn among the Nagas.

It also appealed the public of Padumpukhuri not to panic while asserting that NSCN (R) had not come to Dimapur ‘for war, but for peace.’ “Any misunderstanding with Kehoi camp brothers will be resolved peacefully because we are one in common issue and our unity is inevitable,” it added.

Sources from GPRN/NSCN said it was opposing the move of the NSCN (R) establishing a ceasefire office in Dimapur because the group was Mon based. “They don’t have anything to do here. They are in Dimapur only for extortion and as a shelter point,” the GPRN/NSCN source alleged.

Meanwhile, at the time of filing of this report, Padumphukri Village Council members were still negotiating with both the parties to come to a mutual understanding. “We have been talking with leaders of both the groups and telling them that we won’t tolerate any form of public harassment,” the council chairman also informed.

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FNR visits spot; urges nonviolence

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Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) convener Rev Dr Wati Aier who went to the spot to assess the situation on Wednesday evening maintained that both group should solve the problem in an amicable manner through nonviolence.

“Any form of conflict should be sort out in a rational and democratic manner.” Dr Aier is learnt to have appealed to both the NSCN (R) and the GPRN/NSCN.

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‘State govt cannot be blamed Accessibility is at the heart of for plight of the 150 students’ justice & equality for disability

to do with Union Ministry of Tribal December 3 is Affairs,” Kathipri maintained adding that the department only deals International Day of with two types of scholarship -State Persons with Disabilities scholarship and Minority affairs scholarship.

KohIma, December 2 (mexN): 20 years after the Disability Act was implemented in Parents seek CM’s Morung Express News India, Nagaland has failed to make its governimmediate intervention ment offices accessible for persons with disKohima | December 2 Parents of 139 Naga students abilities. This includes major players like the Parliamentary Secretary for Highwho were studying in Divya Jyoti Nagaland Civil Secretariat and the office of the er and Technical Education, Deo College of Engineering & Technol- Department of Health and Family Welfare.

Nukhu said that Nagaland State ogy, Modinagar today wrote an December 3 is observed as the InternaGovernment or the concern deopen letter to Nagaland Chief Min- tional Day of Persons with Disabilities. partment cannot be blamed for the ister TR Zeliang seeking his immeOn December 22, 1995 both Houses of the 150 students leaving Divya diate intervention unto the Indian Parliament passed the Persons with Jyoti Institute of Engineering Students Exodus: Current status: matter.

Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection and Technology, Modinagar, “While we initially felt of Rights and Full Participation) Act of 1995.

• Out of 150 students, 6 students stayed in DiUttar Pradesh. blessed over the initiative, This laid the foundation for equal rights of Jyoti College after paying on their own.

The Parliamentary Sec- • vya however the failure in re- persons with disabilities in India.

Another 6 students successfully shifted to retary, addressing a press leasing the scholarship to Yet, an RTI filed by Disability Rights Advoother college. Wasted a year. Original docuconference on Wednesday students by the concern de- cate, Diethono Nakhro, to the Home Departments are still pending in Divya Jyoti College said the students were sent partment has shattered our ment seeking information on accessibility faauthority. to the institute after the East- • Around 120 students went for Mewar College children with “deep wounds,” cilities/provisions for Disabled Persons in the ern Naga Students Union the parents’ fraternity stated in Nagaland State Civil Secretariat complex, the of Engineering and Technology out of which Dimapur (ENSUD) entered the letter released to the me- administrative nerve centre of the state, got a 40 to 50 are returning back to Nagaland. into a memorandum of un- • Students who have already studied 1 year in dia here. terse reply – the information sought should be derstanding with Divya Jyoti Questioning the man- treated as ‘Nil’.

Divya Jyoti will be promoted to 2nd year in the Group of Institutes (DJGI) ner in which the ParliamenUttar Pradesh Technical University Exam.

A similar application to another major deand others institutes last year. • Fresher’s who have joined this year will start tary Secretary for Higher and partment, Health & Family Welfare, got the The State government or Technical Education, Deo from 1st year. department of technical eduNukhu feigned ignorance same reply – ‘Nil’. However, it added that ‘procation was not aware and never in- exodus of Naga students from the over the issue, the parents claimed posal for setting up such facilities will be made formed about it by either ENSUD Divya Jyoti Institute. that union ministry had already re- in the near future.’

Nakhro expressed shock that “It has been or DJGI, he said.

Deo Nukhu also said that the leased an amount of Rs 5.47 crore “It is regretted that without the department would be initiating ac- on June 27, 2014 as 1st installment 20 years since the state has been required to knowledge of the department con- tion against the institute and EN- and Rs 17.82 crore on December implement the laws of accessibility in all its buildings and it’s still thinking about putting cerned, this arrangement were SUD after making thorough inves- 30, 2014 as the final installment. done with the help of some of the tigation into the entire issue. Asked If the student did not apply up a proposal.” The Department of Health & students’ organisation. At their own about the fate of the 150 students scholarship, how was the money Family Welfare is a multi crore construction of risk, they have got into this. They returning home in the middle of credited to the account of Nagaland only a few years ago, she informed.

Similarly, the Chief Secretary’s conference cannot blame the department be- the course, Nukhu said at the pres- government, they questioned. cause they have not gone through ent moment we cannot commit In this connection, the parents room kept ‘fancy’ as its priority before ‘accesthe process of selection in the de- anything. sought the Chief Minister’s im- sibility,’ a double flight of stairs leading up to partment. This is the problem we “We were not in the picture at mediate intervention. “At least re- the room.

Accessibility, stated Nakhro, is at the heart of have today for no fault of students all,” echoed Athili Kathipri, Direc- trieve back the original documents or the department,” Nukhu said. tor, Higher and Technical Educa- from the college authority and look justice and equality for people with disabilities.

“Enough speeches have been made by DJGI with assistance of the EN- tion. “They went ahead with selec- for some alternate way for our chilSUD shall shoulder the responsi- tion procedure. This issue comes dren as we cannot remain as mute ministers, parliamentary secretaries and top bilities for the re-imbursement under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs spectacular anymore,” they ap- bureaucrats on equality and inclusion of disabled people, but are they aware that their and scholarship to all the eligible and the department has nothing pealed.

Higher and Technical dept to initiate action against Divya Joyti Institute and ENSUD after thorough investigation, says Deo Nukhu

students and in-case student(s) do not avail the scholarship, DJGI must make an alternative arrangement till the students complete its course, maintains a clause of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between ENSUD and DJGI on April 10, 2014. The copy of the MoU was made available to the media by the Technical Education Department during the press conference. Therefore, the Parliamentary Secretary said that the State government or the department cannot be held responsible for the

office chambers and the offices of all major administrative functions are completely inaccessible to persons with disabilities?” she wondered today.

Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 under sections 44, 45 and 46 categorically provides for non-discrimination in transport, non-discrimination on the road and non-discrimination in built environment respectively. United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), to which India is a signatory, under Article 9 casts obligations on the Governments for ensuring to PwDs accessibility to (a) Information, (b) Transportation, (c) Physical Environment, (d) Communication Technology and (e) Accessibility to Services as well as emergency services.

According to her, the Disability Act in India is “certainly not perfect” but it begins a process for a stronger disability rights legislation based on the UNCRPD. “However, whatever its defects, the 1995 law paved the way towards an accessible and inclusive India. It has helped millions of people with disabilities across the country to come out of the shadows,” she noted.

Has it helped people living with disabilities in Nagaland though?

“If you take a round of govt offices and buildings you will find that not even a single one has equal access and conveniences for all citizens, even the brand new buildings – they are all designed and built to serve only able bodied citizens.. The physical environment across the state is inaccessible in all areas.

The government has consistently failed the disabled community so far,” asserted the Disability Rights Advocate.

Stating that this is not a matter of “discretion or special privilege” but a human rights and developmental issue, Nakhro, on behalf of the disabled community in Nagaland, asked for answers from the Government.

“We don’t need speeches anymore. We don’t want to hear meaningless, empty platitudes anymore. On this day, December 3rd of 2015, we want to ask the state government when it plans to do justice for its disabled citizens.”

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thursDAY 03•12•2015

NAGALAND

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

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Estonian Team calls on CM WORLD AIDS DAY 2015: GETTING INTO ZERO

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‘Disseminating of HIV knowledge at grassroots level required’ Mkg observes 27th

Chief Minister of Nagaland Tr Zeliang With Estonian Team and cabinet members at CMO on December 2.

kohIma, December 2 (mexN): Estonian team had a meeting with the Chief Minister of Nagaland along with his Cabinet members at CMO here today.

The team led by Dr Liia Hannie senior expert on e-Democracy and three other presented power point presentation during the meeting. The visiting team said that Nagaland was the first state in India they are visiting to highlight and share their experience on e-Governance. Dr Liia said that eGovernance is a tool to modernize society and she wishes that Nagaland will soon be called an e-Nagaland State. The other team members also highlighted different topics on e- Governance its concepts-governance

for people, transparency, electronic identification & digital signing etc.

Chief Minister congratulated the visiting team for the powerful power point presented by the team and empowering all the members present at the meeting about e-governance and their success story. He also assured the team they will follow up with the e-governance concept to be implemented in Nagaland through the IT department. He further added that the members will try to educate the citizen of Nagaland about the importance of e-Governance and if possible adopt a similar module in future.

This was stated in a press release issued

by Chief Minister’s Office, Media Cell.

28th Koridang ACCC resolves to abide by INC principles

mokokchuNg, December 2 (mexN): The 28th Koridang ACCC has resolved that regardless of who leads the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC), it shall abide by the principles of INC under the “dynamic” leadership of Sonia Gandhi, president of All India Congress Committee (AICC). This was decided during a joint meeting of 28th Koridang ACCC with the NPCC and DCC Mokokchung members from 28th KoriC M Y K

dang. A press release from Nangshitoshi, president and Imti Longkumer, general secretary of 28th Koridang ACCC further informed that the meeting regretted the defection by the eight Indian National Congress (INC) MLAs to the NPF. It also disagreed with the closure of DCC Mokokchung office by some “unscrupulous officials without consulting all DCC officials, members and the 10 ACCCs of Mokokchung district.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Phek, December 2 (mexN): World AIDS day was observed at Town council hall, Phek organized by DAPCU, PNP+ and ELF theme, “Getting into zero: Zero new infection, zero discrimination and zero AIDs related death” with Murohu Chotso Deputy Commissioner, Phek as the chief guest.

Speaking on the function he said that early detection and access to care and treatment is necessary to bring down the level of infection and spread of HIV epidemic in the society. He opined that awareness and disseminating of HIV knowledge at the grassroots level is very important to reduce early infection to the general population. He asserted that

‘HIV is a reality in our society’

moN, December 2 (mexN): The DAPCU in collaboration with Partner NGOs observed the World AIDS Day 2015 at District Hospital Mon on the theme “Getting to Zero-Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths” with support from NSACS. The guest speaker Dr. Kechongol Sophie, Medical Superintendent, District Hospital Mon, in his speech briefly highlighted the HIV and AIDS scenario and mentioned that HIV is a reality in our present society. He said that there are many people who are still reluctant to go for voluntary HIV testing and avail treatment services due to fear of stigma and discrimination. He urged the participants to understand the issues and play the role to prevent the spread of HIV and to create a favourable environment for those who are living with HIV to access treatment facilities (ART) to live a healthy life.

Key note address was delivered

by Longyim Tzudir, DPO, DAPCU where he mentioned that World AIDS Day celebration has become the most recognized health days celebrations internationally. He

4th NU convocation at Medziphema

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17th July, 1935- 29th November, 2015

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy lade n, and I will give you rest” Mathew 11:28

No greater pain was felt when our most admired, honoured and loving father, Late T. Nukshi (Changtongya) left us for our Heavenly home. It is our deepest and sincerest wish to express our gratitude to all the individuals, families, groups and organisations who stood by us physically, spiritually, materially, financially and especially for the love shown towards us during his prolonged illness and at the time of our loss and grief.

May our Almighty God bless each one of you abundantly.

With Love and prayers, Mrs. R. Tsuktila and family.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

women become more vulnerable to HIV infection due to low economic incomes and low decision making power which subsequently led to them to engage in risky behaviors with the bridge population. Citing stigma and discrimination as a cause of social barriers, he requested bodies of social organizations to be a place of acceptance without distinction.

Dr Limanukshi Junior Specialist District Hospital, Phek spokes on significance of World AIDS day. He said that infection trend has spread from urban to rural areas where transmission through sexual account the maximum and therefore dissemination of HIV knowledge to the rural general population is the best weapon to re-

meDzIPhema, December 2 (DIPr): The Nagaland University 4th convocation programme will be held on December 5, 2:00 pm at SASRD:NU, Medziphema Campus with Union Minister, Smriti Zubin Irani as the chief guest and Chief Minister of Nagaland, TR Zeliang, as guest of honour. Governor of Nagaland, PB Acharya, who is the Chief Rector of Nagaland University, will also be present on the occasion.

Kepfütsami day kohIma, December 2 (mexN): The Kepfütsa Khel of Phek village will hold its Kepfütsami Day on December 7 from 10:00 am onwards.

MLA Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu will act as chief host while Phek Village GB Sipohü Venuh will be feast father.

said that the Day is observed every year on December 1 not just remembering those who lost their lives to HIV, but offers key opportunity to raise awareness among people. He further stated that there is no medicine to cure HIV. Therefore, he called upon the key stakeholders of government departments, civil societies, students, NGOs and fellow citizens to continue to spread awareness on HIV and show love and care to people living with HIV. Besides presentation of special songs by Panger of MTABC and OST, DH, other key resource persons who spoke in the programme were Amos from Mon Town Students’ Union, Dr.T.Ezung, MD, DH Mon, and Sashi on behalf of MUN and NGOs. The programme which was chaired by Ingaupeule Zeliang, begun with pronouncing invocation by Manai K, Youth Director of KBCM and concluded with prayer

by Y.B.David, Chaplin, DH. The district level World AIDS Day programme was attended by government officials, students, civil societies, churches, medical and defence personnel, partner NGOs and many well wishers.

duce HIV infection. He also highlights the epidemiology, trends and basics of HIV to the gathering.

Mese Letro, President PNP+ gave a testimonial sharing and appeal the stakeholders, Government department, NGOs and public leaders to collectively join hands and fight the epidemics and give care and support The programme Chaired by Kuduvo Kezo DPO, DAPCU, Thupuchiyi pastor, PTBC invoke the blessings, Hierhotho DIS gave a welcome address, Elite Music Ensemble and DAPCU chorale enthrall the gathering with special songs, Velato AM&E propose the vote of thanks and Kevichosa Koza pronounced the benediction.

Wokha dist observes World AIDS Day Wokha, December 2 (mexN): World AIDS Day was observed on December 1 at Hammock Resort, Wokha. Jointly organized by DAPCU, TI NGO and Help desk, sponsored by NSACS was attended by 120 youths from the Lotha Baptist Church Wokha.

The programme was chaired by Zurenthung Humtsoe Youth Director, Wokha Town Baptist Church. The theme speaker was Deputy CMO and District AIDS control Officer who spoke on the theme ‘Getting to Zero’ which included zero new HIV infection, Zero discrimination and zero Aids related deaths. The districts scenario was presented by Lichumo, DPO, DAPCU. He urged the participants to avail the facilities available at doorsteps such as counselling, testing and treatment.

Abeni Lotha counsellor, Helpdesk VIHAN came forward to give her testimony as HIV positive speaker and encouraged the participants to come forward to get testing and treated so on to lead a longer and healthier life.

A press release issued by Lichumo, DPO DAPCU, Wokha District stated that the programme concluded with a short speech by Dr. Enrithung Lotha, Chief Medical Officer Wokha.

World AIDS Day

mokokchuNg, December 2 (DIPr): Along with the rest of the world, 27th World AIDS Day was observed at Imlong Place, Mokokchung on December 1 under the theme “Getting to Zero” which was organized by NMP+, DAPCU, C & SS, CCC, Guardian Angel, Grace Society and MKGUN and sponsored by NSACS. ADC Mokokchung, Rajesh S IAS graced the occasion as the chief guest.

Addressing the gathering, the chief guest stated that there is something wrong in the approach to the preventive measures taken to fight against AIDS as the statistical trend shows no decline in the infection ratio. He opined that this can be related to the huge disconnect between theory and practical approaches on the issue.

He also said that discrimination against those infected can be eradicated from our society through more awareness campaigns. He therefore called upon all individuals, groups, civil societies to stand and fight against discrimination and stigma related to AIDS in order to achieve the goal “Getting to Zero”.

The programme was chaired by Razienlung Gonmei (P/D, Grace Society), significance of the day was presented by President NMD+, T.Temsu Jamir. Short speeches were also delivered by representatives from Ao Senden, Watsu Mungdang and AKM. The programme was followed by declaration of signature campaign.

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USSC total bandh held peacefully

Calls for silent procession on Dec 3

kIPhIre, December 2 (mexN): The 12 hour total bandh called by the United Sangtam Students Conference (USSC) in protest against the shooting of Tsarose Sangtam, Class VIII student of Loyola Higher secondary by Capt. Atsase Sangtam and GPRN/NSCN (R) along with his accomplice Pitsase went peacefully without any untoward incident.

Except media, administration, Medical and Paramilitary citizens were restricted from moving around and the town looks deserted as all business establishments was also closed down.

USSC has expressed gratitude to the Kiphire Tuensang District Sumi Students Union and ANSTA

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Kiphire town wears a deserted look as United Sangtam Students Conference imposed 12 hour total bandh in protest against the shooting at a Class VIII student of Loyola Higher Secondary School. (Morung Photo)

Kiphire unit for extending support as volunteer during the bandh.

In this matter the USSC

has further called for silent procession tomorrow where citizens, students and civil society will march

from traffic point Kiphire to Deputy commissioner office to submit a memorandum to the DC.

NORTH EAST HERMONITES ALUMNI (NAGALAND CHAPTER)

INVITES ALL ALUMNI OF MOUNT HERMON SCHOOL, DARJEELING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL HERMONITE REUNION Family members and wellwishers are cordially invited th

Venue and date: NIATHU RESORT- 5 DECEMBER 2015 (from 1 pm) th KISAMA HERITAGE VILLAGE- 6 DECEMBER 2015 For details call or WhatsApp : 9436216824, 8415945644, 9612160188, 9436016039 , 9774020578

A Lab Text manual on “Electronic Devices and circuits” written by Er. Limameren Chang, Lecturer at Institute of Communication & Information Technology, (ICIT), Mokokchung was released officially in the Directorate of Technical Education , Kohima by Athili Kathipri, Director of Technical Education, in the presence of Officers and staff of the Department. This Lab Manual is primarily meant for the students pursuing Diploma and Degree courses in Electronics and Communication Engineering. This was informed in a press release issued by ICIT Mokokchung Principal, Tiakaba Amer.

Late A. Temjen Ozukum 01/01/1937 –26/11/2015 We’re deeply indebted to all who stood by us during the brief illness and demise of Mr. A. Temjen Ozukum of Yimjenkimong village who breathed his last on 26 Nov. 2015 at NEIGRIMS, Shillong.

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Your prayers and presence, financial assistance and physical service rendered to us during our most difficult time have touched us in more than we can express in words.

Your kind gesture in different forms will always remain deep down in our hearts.

May God bless you all abundantly.

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord…, they will rest from their labor….”

(Revelation 13:14)

Loving Wife, Childre n, In-laws, and Grand Childre n

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ThursdAY 03•12•2015

NORTH-EAST

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

CDRO condemns ‘Army Terrorism’ Dimapur, December 2 (mexN): The Coordination of Democratic Rights Organizations (CDRO) has strongly condemned what it called the “continuing army terrorism in the name of combing operations” in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills.

In a press release, CDRO informed that on November 25, the Gurkha Regiment stationed in Assam’s Rangjuli town shot dead two unarmed civilians, a few kilometres from Kharkutta Bazaar in the Garo Hills area, in Meghalaya. The incident occurred at around 8.40 pm, when Alphus Momin, a school teacher, and SD Marak, a vendor, were returning home to Rajasimla village on a motorbike, CDRO informed.

Stating that this was not an isolated case, CDRO brought to fore an incident in March earlier this year

where two daily wagers, Selba Sangma and Jekke Arengh, were shot dead by the Dogra regiment in the same area. “In a bid to cover its ‘mistake’ and pass off the killings as an ‘encounter’, the army planted two countrymade pistols near the bodies,” CDRO alleged. The government had then ordered a probe into the killings.

Calling for an immediate end of army and paramilitary operations in the Garo Hills, CDRO demanded stringent action against army personnel guilty of murdering Alphus Momin and SD Marak. It demanded information on action taken against guilty personnel involved in the murder. It also demanded compensation to the families of the deceased gunned down by the army.

Stating that “Army lawlessness is inherent in the AFSPA as it allows impunity and immunity to men in

uniform,” CDRO alleged that the army had abandoned the bodies on the roadside.

“It was the local police which arrived on the spot after hearing the gunshots and it took the two men to Kharkutta PHC where they were declared, ‘brought dead’. The police initially registered an FIR against unknown people but growing public protests prompted the army to acknowledge its ‘mistake,’” CDRO maintained.

On November 26, the army submitted an FIR claiming that the incident occurred “as the duo had not adhered to the security instructions and refused to comply with them at a mobile check post”. Ridiculing the army’s FIR as a “facesaving” denial, CDRO asserted that it was only the magnitude of the protests – which included the local MLA – that compelled the Garo Hills Deputy Commis-

sioner to promise a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

Meanwhile, CDRO has questioned the Meghalaya High Court’s decision to ask the Centre to impose AFSPA in the Garo Hills.

“Why didn’t the Meghalaya High Court acknowledge the issue of army abuses and why has the state government demanded more paramilitary forces from the Centre? Why is the army or the paramilitary the answer to the intransigent problems of the Garo Hills?” CDRO asked.

Further maintaining that the legal impunity and immunity that the army enjoys makes it the “most dangerous adversary” in conflict areas, CDRO contended, “Not only are civilians’ lives least cared for, the absence of routine checks and balances stipulated in normal law offers untrammelled powers to men in uniform.”

Arunachal Arunachal to get another Shikshak Bhavan guv cautions taNagar, December 2 (pti): ties," he said.

While assuring that the state governPradesh will soon get another power deptt Arunachal 'Shikshak Bhavan' in Itanagar with Chief ment is doing its best for release of grants guWaHati, December 2 (ageNcieS): Arunachal Pradesh Governor JP Rajkhowa on Tuesday pulled up the state power department for the erratic power situation in the state and asked it to take immediate steps to improve the power supply across the state. On Monday evening, Governor Rajkhowa was stuck inside the Raj Bhavan lift for at least three minutes before emergency power was restored.

“The Governor was stuck for dreaded period of three minutes,” a press release issued by the Itanagar Raj Bhavan on Tuesday said. The press release quoted him as expressing hope that the state power department would be cautious with the facilities and leave no stone unturned to improve the power supply on an urgent basis.

Bananas providing employment in Mnp impHal, December 2 (aNi): Banana fibre is a source of employment in urban and rural Manipur. Moirangthem Victoria Devi is a successful entrepreneur from Manipur who designs woven and non-woven fabrics of the fibre obtained from the stem of the banana plant.

She started her work on banana fibre under the guidance of her uncle Devkanta, an agriculture worker. In 2010, she established her own self-help group, under the name of Labuk Lamhang Shanghalliba Farmer Interest Group.

Since then, Victoria and her team have been working on banana fibre and producing different kinds of items.

Victoria Devi told ANI, "I read it in the newspaper that we can extract fibre from the banana stem and make different products out of it. So, I was thinking how to start.

Later, my uncle Devekanta, who is a farmer, suggested I do this business."

So far, Victoria has imparted training to more than 200 artisans hailing from various nooks and corners of the state. She has been awarded for her contribution in popularizing banana fibre-made fabrics.

At present, six artisans are working under her and make items like Banana Silk Cloth, bags, flower pots and decoration items. Malemnganbi Devi, an artisan told ANI, "I joined here because I am interested in producing different kind of products with different designs.

Here, we make different items like bag, cloths, decorative items etc."

Victoria's success can become an inspiration to educated unemployed youth in the northeast and encourage them to explore new innovative business ideas and become self reliant.

Minister Nabam Tuki laying the foundation stone of the building at Government Upper Primary School, Papunallah yesterday. The three-storied building when completed will cater to about 15000 teachers working in the state for overnight stays at subsidized rates.

Incidentally, this is the second Shikshak Bhavan of the state. The other one is coming up at Pasighat. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister exhorted the teachers, students and officials to maintain the asset with sincerity, an official communiqué informed in Itanagar today.

He said the state government is aware of the hardships being faced by the teachers serving in various parts of the state and was committed to provide them with all basic facilities. "This Shikshak Bhavan would ease the accommodation trouble being faced by our teachers visiting the state capital for various purposes," he said and assured sufficient funds for its completion in phased manner.

Hailing teachers as builders of the country as well as the state's future, Tuki called upon them to be sincere and dedicated in fulfilling their onerous responsibility. "While the Government is committed for their welfare, the teachers too must be committed towards their du-

from the Central Government so that salaries can be paid to SSA teachers on time, the chief minister appealed to all to bear with the government as all central government schemes are dependent on timely release of funds from the Centre.

"On our part, we are releasing the state share for all central government schemes in advance," he informed. Tuki further sought cooperation from teachers in streamlining their transfers and postings, which he cited as one of the major issues pending with the department.

"Instead of complaining, I request the Arunachal Teachers Association (ATA) to discuss amongst them and suggest the government ways to streamline transfer and posting of teachers," he appealed.

On the issue of lack of subject teachers in government run schools, the Chief Minister informed that the Government would be soon recruiting the required number of subject teachers and equitably post them as and where needed.

Education Minister Tapang Taloh, Parliamentary Secretary for Education Bamang Felix, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Karya Bagang, office bearers of ATA and departmental officials were present on the occasion, the communiqué added.

Centre mulling policy to push Oil 106 gram and Gas investments in Northeast heroin seized NeW DelHi, December 2 (pti): Government is considering a special policy dispensation to promote oil and gas investments in the Northeast region, said U P Singh, Additional Secretary Ministry of Petroleum & National Gas. The oil and gas sector in Northeast region is confronted with several challenges ranging from demand-side issues to infrastructure to availability of advance technology to arrest the natural decline in oil production, the official said at CII North East Energy Summit.

The government, he said, is conscious of these challenges and the ministry is scheduled to hold a consultative meeting with chief secretaries of all North East States to finalise a Hydrocarbon Vision for North East India. “Special policy dispensations to promote investment in oil and gas in North East Region are under consideration of the ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas,” he was quoted as saying by a CII press statement.

At present, North East region supply 10 per cent of the gas and 12 per cent of the oil requirements of the country. Oil production has come down from 4.84 million tonnes to 4.54 million tonnes between 2011 to 2015 and refineries in the region are now being fed from imported crude oil.

This does not augur well with the overall vision of India to reduce oil import dependence from 77 per cent to 66 per cent by 2022 and half by 2030, the statement said.

“There is a need to increase investment in exploration as well as production,” Singh said. Ved Prakash Mahawar, Director (Onshore), ONGC said North East region offers a huge potential in oil and gas sector.

He said ONGC power plant of 726 MW in Tripura is one of the most efficient plants in Asia. It also produces most cost effective electricity in the country. Tripura is a power surplus state and has huge scope to export it to neighbouring countries, he said.

Mizoram announces reward for capture of militants agartala, December 2 (iaNS): The Mizoram government on Wednesday announced Rs.1 lakh reward for information leading to the capture of five militants who killed three policemen in the otherwise peaceful state. All the five belong to the Manipur-based Hmar People's Convention (Democrats) or HPC-D. They are Thanglawmvel, Rinsang

and Lalrohuol, from neighbouring Manipur, and Lalchawimawia and Jacob from Mizoram. Home Minister R. Lalzirliana said that no peace talks can be initiated with HPC-D unless the outfit eschews violence.

Mizoram is the first and only state in India which got Rs.182.45 crore from the central government in 2000-01 as "Peace Bonus" for keeping peace after de-

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND DIRECTORATE OF SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION NAGALAND: KOHIMA NO.SC/PLAN-33/2015/Vol.1/3584 Dated Kohima, the 2nd Dec. 2015.

CORRIGENDUM

In respect of Department Notification No.SC/ PLAN-33/2015/Vol.1/3567-68 Dated Kohima, the 30th Nov.2015, the result published on December 1, 2015 may be read as “Result of the successful candidates for undergoing 20th Batch of Soil Conservation Assistant training course at Sechu” and not as rendered.

(T. IMKONGMAR AIER ) Director of Soil & Water Conservation, Nagaland : Kohima

KUDA VILLAGE : DIMAPUR

Director

GOVERNEMNT OF NAGALAND DIRECTORATE OF EMPLOYMENT & CRAFTSMEN TRAINING NAGALAND : KOHIMA

NO.DET-7/85/12(II)

Dated Kohima, the 2th Dec’2015

NOTICE

North Eastern Council will sponsor one year course on Hospitality sector and Retail Services at World Class Skill Centre, Vivek Vihar, New Delhi for the North Eastern Youth. The World Class Skill Centre was established as a Joint Venture by the Government of National Capital Territory, Delhi (NCT) and the Government of Singapore. The Institute have state-of-the-art facilities with excellent placement record. Interested youth from NER who have completed 10+2 regular course may apply in the prescribed format on or before 14th December 2015 to the Director (HRD&E), North Eastern Council Secretariat, Government of India, Nongrim Hills, shilling – 793003 by postal mail or e-mail at dirhrd-nec-meg@nic.in.

The prescribed format, terms & conditions and detailed information is available in NEC Website: necouncil.gov.in The screening and selection of the candidate will be done at Guwahati by the representatives of the Institute and representatives of the NE State Governments.

The date and venue will be intimated in due course.

1. Eligibility: The minimum qualification for admission in Hospitality and Retail course; i. Passed 12th class under 10+2 system of education or its equivalent (regular course) with English as a subject. ii. Knowledge of Microsoft Office.

Note: The candidate must have passed 10th class with English & Mathematics as a subject.

2. Age: Minimum age limit is 17 and maximum age limit is 22 years as on 01-01-2016. The upper age limit will be relaxed by 5 years in case of SC/ ST/PH/Girls candidates and 3 years for OBC candidates.

3. Physical Fitness: All the candidates shall be required to submit a medical Fitness Certificate from a Registered Practitioner at the time of admission.

4. Candidate should have good personality.

5. Duration of Course: One year from February, 2016.

6. Expected minimum salary after completion of the course is Rs.15,000/(as intimated by WCSC which is responsible for placement of successful candidates)

NO. DC/KPE/JUD-11/2012-13/972

Sd/(MUTHINGNYUBA SANGTAM) Director, Employment & Craftsmen Training, Nagaland, Kohima.

At Purana Bazar 4Mts drive from Zion Hospital Rs.180 per Sqft 600x600 Filling up the earth is not needed

Contact no.

8119000387

Dated Kiphire the 19th Nov. 2015

Whereas Shri. Aghoto Sema husband of Late. Hokali Sema Pensioner of Sitimi Town has applied for issue of succession certificate under the Indian Succession Act, 1925 in order to draw/receive the payment of movable/immovable properties of her husband Late. Hokali Sema Pensioner, who was expired on 28/09/2001.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY. 1. PEN.COM-16783/NL/S/17758 2. Any other dues etc.

From the Office of the Treasury Officer Kiphire

Public are hereby asked to file objection/claim if any within 30 (Thirty) days from the date of issue of this order. If no objection /claim is received within the given time, Succession Certificate will be issued in favour of the applicant.

(DR. TINOJONGSHI CHANG) Additional Deputy Commissioner Kiphire, Nagaland.

On this momentous occasion, The Morung Express extends our gratitude to you, as we honour all the women and men, past and present, who have contributed, guided, shaped and sustained the evolution of the Nagaland Post.

Throughout its history, the Nagaland Post has been engaged in presenting news and stories that have helped influence and shape public opinion.Your pioneering efforts and leadership have been provided consistently to the people under difficult and trying political situations. The role of Nagaland Post in upholding the values of free press has been crucial to the challenging and evolving process of democratization and justpeace in our region.

The Nagaland Post remains essential for stimulating and shaping Nagaland’s future development. We support your growth and believe your work will continue to empower, educate, cultivate, and inform the people in making decisions that will improve the conditions of our time.

The Morung Express joins you in celebrating the accomplishments of the previous years, and, as colleagues welcome the future guidance you will provide.

Aküm Longchari (Ph.D) On behalf of The Morung Express

LAND FOR SALE

NOTICE

On this third day of December, 2015, The Morung Express offers our sincere congratulations to the Nagaland Post for 25 years of active and dedicated public service in the field of mass media in Nagaland and the North East region of the sub-continent.

With best wishes,

aizaWl, December 2 (pti): Mizoram Excise and Narcotics department today seized 106 grams of heroin in Aizawl, department's spokesperson Peter Zohmingthanga said.

Zohmingthanga said two women - Rosie R. Ralte (29) of Aizawl and Gingoniangi (35) of Khawmawi hamlet from neighbouring Myanmar were arrested on charge of possession of the drug.

The contraband was worth around Rs four lakh in the local market, he said.

The accused were booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, he added.

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER KIPHIRE :: NAGALAND

VACANCY

Applications are invited for the following posts: 1. M. A. (Eng)/ M. A. (Edn)/ M.Sc. (Biology)/ M.Sc (Math) Salary -16,000- 18,000 p.m. (Approx) 2. B.A. (Eng Hons) Preferably B.Ed. Salary- 13,000 p.m. (approx) 3. Primary Trained Teacher.

Salary -13,000 p.m.

Submit applications along with xerox documents & a passport photograph on or before 14th Dec. Selection is done through written test, class demonstration and oral interview. Date of interview on 14th Dec. at 9 a.m.

Contact no: - 9436261009/8974425485/9862956932

in Aizawl

cades of insurgency. That record was shattered on March 28 when the HPC-D ambushed a police party in Mizoram and killed three policemen and seriously wounded six others. The National Liberation Front of Tripura has also occasionally kidnapped engineers, officials and businessmen from Mizoram for ransom.

Congratulations!

GREENWOOD SCHOOL

3

4

ThursDAY 03 •12•2015

Nagaland

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

RD bids farewell to Additional Director

3KW hydroger inaugurated at Khonoma Khonoma, December 2 (mexn): The 3KW Hydroger Project was inaugurated by the Director General Border Roads, Lt. Gen. RM Mittal on November 30 at Khonoma. The project is a joint venture of green energy between Nagaland Empowerment of People through Energy Development (NEPeD and BRO. This electrification of labour camp at Khonoma is a first of its kind in the whole of India. The organizers also appreciated the Khonoma Village Council for taking the initiative of working together with them. The chief guest mentioned that with the help of ENSF and BRO, there will be more upcoming projects in the remote areas of the State.

Kohima, December 2 (mexn): The Department of Rural Department bid farewell to its outgoing Additional Director, Hilo Semp on November 30 at RD conference hall.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Rural Development & REPA, CL John described Semp as “humble grass-root officer, sincere and practical and a blessing to the rural poor people.”

He recalled that Semp had worked in various places all over the State with different sections of people, which helped him in discharging his duties efficiently. He also thanked God for blessing Semp with a successful service to the people and leading him to his retirement. The RD Minister further appealed him to render his services to the

ATMA Mon conducts training & demo mon, December 2 (mexn): ATMA Mon block conducted training and demonstrations on IPM, SHG record keeping, composite fish culture, liming of fishery pond, cultivation of pea, mulching, green manuring and nursery bed preparation of large cardamom at Leangnyu, Longkei and Mon villages on November 27 and 28. The resource persons were Subenthung Odyuo, Mhonchumo ATM and Mhachamo ATM. The programme was chaired by Vimeno Zao, BTM, Mon. Altogether, 107 farmers from 9 different SHGs attended the programme, where treated pea seeds were distributed to the participants.

Kohima Law College RRC organises blood donation camp

Dimapur, December 2 (mexn): The newly constructed building of New Chumukedima Govt. Middle School (GMS) was inaugurated by ADC Medziphema Sara S. Jamir in the presence of Village Council members, officers and staff of Dimapur School Education Department on November 26.

According to a press note

Organisation for Social Change conducts medical camp

Zunheboto, December 2 (mexn): Tenyimia Union Zunheboto had a get together cum picnic on November 25 at Tizu River. During the picnic, Kelhupra, Head Deacon and Dr. Neikeyielie, Chief Veterinary Officer, Zunheboto encouraged and challenged the members to have a good relation with one another and to have a sense of oneness. They also motivated the members to be sincere and a responsible person during their stay in Zunheboto. Khrodi Rhetso, Superintendent of Police, Zunheboto shared and read out the new Union resolution to the gathering. During the gathering, members were divided into 4 groups and Volleyball and Tug of War were played, where Team Pastor won both the games. More than 100 members, both young and old, and well wishers attended the picnic.

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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.”

game Number # 3423

ReSpiRAtOR pROgRAm RESPIRATOR PROGRAM PROCEDURE TRAINING FITTESTING PROTECTION CONTAMINANT CONCENTRATION IDLH AIRPURIFYING DANGEROUS LIFE HEALTH OXYGEN FACIALHAIR INTERFERES SEAL FITTESTED CERTIFIED WELLTRIMMED BEARD CLEANSHAVEN STUBBLE VOLUNTARY HAZARDOUS

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school as it has been doing well.

The meeting was chaired

by Thezo Metha who also gave a brief statement on the school progress and its management and appealed to the authority to provide toilet facilities for all students as well as the teachers, which is not only the basic needs but urgently required by the school.

Kohima, December 2 (mexn): Poumai Naga Union Kohima (PNUK) has elected its new office bearers (2016-18) during its general assembly held on November 28 at PBCK at Midland, Kohima. The team will be headed by Raoping Pou as the president, Th. Paodu as vice president, Joseph as general secretary, Dangao Rova as vice secretary, T. Venü as treasurer and Ng. Solomon Sha as press secretary.

Ashipri Zho, CD John and Ph. Shesou were elected as advisors of the PNUK.

RPOK general meeting held Ko h i m a , D e c e m b e r 2 (mexn): The Rengma Public Organization, Kohima (RPOK) during its general meeting held on November 22 at RBCK Old Church Building unanimously elected a new team of Office Bearers for the tenure 20152018. The team will be led by president-Khinyi Woch; Vice PresidentWekhenu Mesen and Shingato Jemu; General Secretary-Benjamin Lorin; Treasurer- Sochilo Semp.

A press note stated that a short speech was delivered by the incoming president Khinyi Woch on behalf

of the newly selected team dwell on the need for re-strengthening of the organization as we move on with the fast changing trend of the society today, seeking the full cooperation of every member of the organization for the welfare of the Rengma community living in capital city Kohima in particular and the citizens of the state capital in general.

The meeting was chaired by its outgoing president Sawathang Kezseb and invocation was pronounced by Lechito Tep, Associate Pastor, Rengma Baptist Church, Kohima.

DAILY CROSS WORD

CROSSWORD # 3435

Answer Number # 3422

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V E D A P L G U D E S P E L T K W T H I

fied teachers compared to private schools, it added.

It further said that the ADC also asked the parents of the students and the villagers not to hesitate to give complaint against any teaching staff who are irresponsible towards their duties. It also urged upon the department concerned to provide all necessary needs to the

PNUK elects new team

Kohima, December 2 (mexn): Tragopan Club Viswema observed Annual Sanitation Day on December 1. The club members carried out cleanliness drive in and around Viswema village located some 20 km from the state capital.

In the morning, a short formal programme was held before the start of the cleanliness drive. Village council and church members and elders attended the programme.

The purpose of the Annual Sanitation Day was not only to motivate the villagers to keep the village clean, but to create awareness about hygiene and healthiness. Members of the Club said their noble work would go a long way in creating awareness on importance of keeping the village clean and healthy. Scores of people young and old took part in the sanitation drive.

The club also carried out cleanliness drive at Primary Health Centre (PHC) in the outskirts of the village. According to a press release, Viswema is one of the cleanliest villages in Kohima district. The club formed in 1987 has been doing a yeoman service to the village, including conducting games and sports, it added.

Tenyimia Union Zbto get-together held

O

from School Management Committee (SMC) chairman, Thozo Metha, the ADC complimented the timely completion of the project as well as for maintaining a high profile reputation of the school.

She also called upon the villagers to make the best use of the school as government schools have the most quali-

Tragopan Club observes Annual Sanitation Day

Dimapur, December 2 (mexn): Organisation for Social Change, a society based at Kukidolong Village, Dimapur conducted medical camp on November 26, where more than 200 patients from neighboring villages were well consulted by the medical team. A press note stated that medicines were freely distributed by the organisers to all the patients.

SUDOKU

work sincerely and be dedicated in any situation,” he urged.

He advised the officers and staffs to build a strong team spirit to go ahead and compete, while appealing to all to extend the same cooperation to the officer who will be taking over the post of the additional director.

Semp also sought forgiveness for the omissions and commissions he may have committed to his fellow officers and staffs.

A press note stated that farewell speeches were also delivered by Sarah Ritse, joint secretary, Government of Nagaland, RD; Motsuthung Lotha, Mission Director, NSRLM; K. Neibou Sekhose on behalf of NRDSA; Imnukshila, PD, DRDA Mon on behalf of DRDAs; and Neizeu, Registrar on behalf of ministerial staff.

Dimapur, December 2 (mexn): Institute for Children Ministry (ICM) held its first commencement on November 27 at Toluvi village in Dimapur with Rev. Dr. Khehovi A. Shohe, Director, Sumi Baptist Convention, as graduation speaker.

In his address, Rev. Dr. Khehovi A. Shohe lauded Toluvi Baptist Church for establishing the ICM. “Actually, running this kind of institution is the work and responsibility of church associations…a single church shouldering this noble task should be praised by all,” he said.

He asserted that the churches have neglected children ministry for so long and the results are showing today in our society. Reflecting on the need to educate the children holistically, Rev. Dr. Shohe said that the “churches in western countries are dead because of neg-

New Chumukedima Govt Middle School inaugurated

Kohima, December 2 (mexn): The Red Ribbon Club (RRC) of Kohima Law College organised blood donation camp-cum-orientation of RRC on November 27 in collaboration with HDFC Bank, Kohima under the theme “Donate Blood Save Life”. The resource persons were - Ainato Yeptho, Asst. Director (Youth Affairs), NSACS; Alipoker – Asst. Director (VBD) NSACS; Kholie Dolf, President of Voluntary Blood Donors Association, Kohima; Bendang Imsong, Chairman, Executive Board of Voluntary Blood Donors Association, Kohima; and Dr. Tina, MO, Blood Bank, NHAK. Seven members of the RRC donated blood during the camp.

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department whenever needed in the days to come.

Director, RD, Metsubo Jamir while recounting his association with Semp said he was an exceptional officer and his experience in serving in all the districts as well as his association with many people made him a very valuable asset to the department. “He has been an anchor, a back-up and a defender of the department,” Jamir said, while lauding his steady workmanship.

Hilo Semp in his farewell speech said that as an employee of RD, he was grateful to God and to all his senior officers and colleagues in different places of posting for shaping his 35 years of career. “Never take transfer and postings as a punishment but take it as a challenge and

Institute of Children Ministry holds first commencement

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ATMA Peren inaugurates farm school Dimapur, December 2 (mexn): A piggery farm school was inaugurated by ATMA Peren block at Gaili village on November 28, where 30 farmers attended.

Mapeuheile Ndang AO& Convener, explained the concept of farm school and highlighted the role of farm school teacher and appointed Adibu as the farm school teacher, a press note from ATMA informed.

Training and demonstration on cultivation practices of pea and mustard was also conducted with Mapeuheile and Vinatoli as the resource persons, it added. Seeds were distributed to the participants during the event.

ATMA training at Thenyizu village 33 farmers benefited from a training-cum-demonstration conducted at Chesezu and Thenyizu villages under ATMA Kikruma block on November 25 and 26.

During the event, Imtilepzuk, SDAO, Pfutsero and BTT convenor spoke on cultivation practices and importance of toria as an important oil seed crop and advantages of organic farming over chemicals, a press note informed.

It also included a demonstration on preparation of dish wash and detergents by BTM Keduweteü Lomi.

Formations of women SHG, FSG and Farm School along with distribution of raw materials for soap making were also covered during the programme.

DIMAPUR Civil Hospital:

V V H M P R Q Y P O C B A R D O K A A S

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

ACROSS

1. Sandwich shop 5. Jeans material 10. Pile 14. Atop 15. Genus of heath 16. Cocoyam 17. Oceans 18. Relax rules or guidelines 20. Slight 22. Frying pan 23. Lenient 24. Loamy deposit 25. Distracted 32. Fools 33. Alleviated 34. Diminish 37. Barely managed 38. Jump for joy 39. Adhesive 40. Gender 41. Jeweler’s glass 42. Angry 43. Appraisals 45. Send, as payment 49. Gorilla 50. Snob 53. Refrain 57. Deplorable 59. If not

DOWN

1. Powdery dirt 2. Type of sword 3. Give temporarily 4. Offended 5. Luxurious 6. Anagram of “Sire” 7. Pen part 8. Frosts 9. Assign a grade 10. Greetings 11. Ancient Roman magistrate 12. Woodcutting tools 13. Verse writers 19. Suffered 21. Horse feed 25. Midmonth date 26. Microwave (slang) 27. Pinnacle 28. Connection 29. Brownish gray 30. Small islands 31. Animal doctor 34. Distinctive flair

35. Backside 36. Honey insects 38. Dawn goddess 39. Welcomers 41. Language of ancient Rome 42. Rapscallions 44. Swords 45. Museum piece 46. Gladden 47. Acts out without words 48. List components 51. Blend 52. Meal in a shell 53. Away from the wind 54. Balm ingredient 55. Small island 56. Require 58. Top part of an apron Ans to CrossWord 3434

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 60. Bit of gossip 61. Less friendly 62. Part in a play 63. To tax or access 64. Gowns 65. Sow

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

H

ligence towards children ministry. We are about to meet the same fate unless we change and redefine our mission towards our children.”

Vito K Chishi, Programme Co-ordinator, ICM stated that the institute is spiritually dedicated to help the churches in their ministry towards the children. Explaining the reason for existence, he said that ICM is one of its kinds in North East India. “We are trying to impart quality child education and fostering skill development for children educators. We are also upgrading the music skills to encourage children choir,” he added.

Eight students graduated with Diploma in Children Ministry. They were also awarded with different proficiency awards.

The next session will commence on January 2016 (January-June).

Toll free No. 1098 childline

KipHire: 8414853767 (O) 8974304572 (OC)

WE4WOMEN HELPLINE 08822911011

MOKOKCHUNG:

STD CODE: 0369

Police Station 1:

2226241

Police Station 2 :

2226214

Civil Hospital: Woodland Nursing Home:

2226216 2226263

Hotel Metsüpen (Tourist Lodge):

2226373/2229343

TAHAMZAM (formerly Senapati) STD CODE: 03871 Police Station: Fire Brigade

CURRENCY NOTES

222246 222491

BUY(Rs)

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ThursdAY 03•12•2015

RMSA forum continues agitation

Nagaland RMSA Written Exam 2014 Qualified Candidates Forum stages agitation outside RMSA office in Kohima on December 2. (Morung Photo) Our Correspondent been kept vacant.

Kohima | December 2

Continuing its agitation outside the office of RMSA Nagaland at Old Secretariat today, the Nagaland RMSA Written Exam 2014 Qualified Candidates Forum submitted a representation to the Mission Director, RMSA. Interacting with some media persons, Convener of the Forum, Kakika Z. Sumi said that a total of 960 posts were advertised but the government has filled only 532 posts and 428 posts have

The Forum in the representation demanded rectification and re-declaration of the results on merit basis without entertaining B. Ed Degrees submitted after the declaration of the written exam result and fill up all the advertised posts.

The Forum also asked implementation of 3% reservation for physically handicapped candidates as per the advertisement.

Expressing that as per the advertisement, the cut off mark for the backward tribes

was 40% in graduation, but candidates from the backward tribes possessing less than 45% though securing very high marks in the written exam were not selected, the Forum sought clarification for the change in percentage.

The criteria for language teachers, i.e., Sumi, Ao, Lotha and Tenyidie was any graduate with preference to diploma holder in the language, but the Forum said that the candidates holding diploma in the same were not selected on ground of possessing less than 45% in graduation. Therefore, it has sought clarification.

The Forum also asked about the tentative date for the conduct of viva-voce for the sports candidates.

“As we started our indefinite agitation, we shall continue until and unless our demands are fulfilled and clarification is made,” the Forum stated.

Governor condoles Kohima, December 2 (mexN): Governor of Nagaland PB Acharya has expressed sadness at the demise of Lt. Gen. VK Nayar (Retd.), PVSM, SM in New Delhi. Nayar served Nagaland as Gov-

ernor (additional charge) from October 2, 1993 to August 4, 1994. During his stint as Governor of Manipur in 1993 “when the State (Nagaland) was torn apart by insurgencies and ethnic clashes," Acharya

said, Nayar firmly brought the situation under control. Stating that Nayar’s contributions towards the society will be remembered forever, Acharya extended condolences to the family.

CBCC reaffirms Mission Convention resolutions

in particular. And they are going to pray to God for the Naga people in future too as appealed by the NNC,” the release added. The day was marked with laying of wreaths at the memorial monument.

The NNC on behalf of the Naga people expressed

gratitude and gratefulness to everyone on the day, especially the Japanese Christian delegates and other believers from different countries of the world for the "historic" visit. “May our living God Almighty bless the believers who remember the Nagas in prayer,” it wished.

Dimapur, December 2 (mexN): The combined fellowship of Dimapur Pangti Ekhung will be held on December 5, 10:00 am at Purana Bazaar council hall. Therefore, all the members have been requested to attend the fellowship.

SBCZ to celebrate advance Christmas ZuNheboto, December 2 (mexN): Sumi Baptist Church Zunheboto (SBCZ), Department of Youth MinisParticipants of the CBCC Mission Conference held at Phüsachodü Baptist Church try will be celebrating advance Christmas on December from November 27 to 29.

5 under the theme "Prepare the way for the Lord" at Town Dimapur, Decem- Chakhesang Mission Soci- and 489 delegates along Hall, Zunheboto. The celebration will feature hymn and ber 2 (mexN): Chakhe- ety to set up a study com- with CBCC executive drama competitions from all sector youth fellowships. sang Baptist Church Coun- mittee for International members, guests from outcil (CBCC) in its Mission Mission and bi-vocational side the State and members MITE 3rd graduation day from various local churchConference held recently ministry.

It was also decided that es under CBCC. It was held Kohima, Dec 2 (mexN): Modern Institute of Teacher reaffirmed its resolutions taken during the Mission Mission Conference will under the theme ‘Partner- Education (MITE), Kohima will hold its 3rd graduation day on December 3 at 10:00 am. Parliamentary Secretary Convention, 2012 held in become a regular event, ship in Mission’. and will be held once every The speakers were Rev. for Higher & Technical Education Deo Nukhu will be the Kohima. chief guest.

Dr. Vezopa Tetseo, Rev. Dr. To help fulfill the reso- 3 years.

Recognizing that prayer VK Nuh, Rev. Dr. Phuveyi lutions, the conference also put forward recommenda- is the fuel which drives mis- Dozo, and Rev. Khrutsoi Immanuel College PTA on Dec 5 tions and decisions. First sion, CBCC also encour- Luruo. The other resource Dimapur, December 2 (mexN): Immanuel Colwas to train and dissemi- aged individuals, families, persons were Rev. Ke- lege Dimapur will be holding its PTA (Parent Teacher nate mission education to and churches to cultivate doungulo Mero, Rev. Dr. Association) meeting for Class 11 (Arts and Science) the local churches; Area- the habit of prayer for mis- Kenny Kapfo, Rev. Dr. Nein- 2015-2016 batch on December 5, 10:00 am at the Colwise mission seminars will sion, individually and cor- gupe Chiero, and Neiwete lege Campus. All the parents and guardians have been requested to attend the meeting without fail.

Chirhah. be conducted within the porately.

The Mission ConferThis was informed in a next 2 years (2016-2017).

It also decided to ence, held at Phüsachodü release issued by Rev. Ke- Hornbillion strengthen and explore Baptist Church from No- doungulo Mero, Mission Kohima, December 2 (mexN): XL in association International Mission vember 27 to 29, was at- Director, Chakhesang Mis- with Oztronic is presenting Hornbillion “The BIG EDM and recommend to the tended by 34 missionaries sion Society, CBCC. FEST” from December 4 to 5 at Naga Solidarity Park, New Secretariat, Kohima from 5:00 pm onwards.

Kiphire, December 2 (mexN): Two NSCN (R) cadres involved in the November 26 Kiphire shooting, where a school student was wounded, have been arrested by the Kiphire Police on November 29 and 30.

The two accused have been identified as Captain Atsase Sangtam (35) and Sergeant Major Pitsase Sangtam (30), informed a press release from SDPO/PRO, Kiphire Police. The accused shot at the victim on November 26 evening and ran away from the crime scene.

In this connection, a case was registered in Kiphire Police Station under sections 307/326/34 of IPC

the NPCC on August 6, 2015 to withdraw the disqualification petition filed against 8 Congress MLAs by K Therie, PCC Ad hoc President on or before October 4, 2015, failing which, the Committee would be forced to withdraw cooperation.

the NPCC started expelling all Congress veterans and stalwarts from the party, they alleged.

In light of this, the DCC Mokokchung office members unanimously resigned from Congress party in protest against the “arbitrary action”

The two accused in police custody.

and 25( la) Arms Act on November 27 and investigation is on.

Meanwhile, the PRO stated that in the guise of sympathizing with the victim's family, some “anti social elements” forced open the Kiphire Police Station

The office bearers who resigned are: Atenjenba – Vice President; Lima Lkr – Vice President; Arentemjeb Jamir – General Secretary; Imsulemba – General Secretary; Purlemba – Secretary; Lanupokyim – Secretary; I. Tako Jamir – Treasurer.

BJP Nagaland organizational election results

Dimapur, December 2 (mexN): BJP Nagaland has completed its Local Area Committee, Mandal, and District level elections for the term 2015-2018. Altogether, 53 constituencies of 11 districts were set to reconstitute for the term 2015-2018, however, the Dimapur District elections was withheld.

A press release from the BJP Nagaland Secretary to the SEO, Jaangsillung Gonmei informed that a total of 404 members were elected, con-

sisting 309 Local Area Committee presidents, 45 Mandal presidents, 41 State Council Members (SCMs), and 9 district presidents. The election of Mokokchung district president had been withheld and is under review. The 8 mandals where president elections were not conducted are 8 Western Angami A/C, 16 Pfutsero and 13 Pughoboto A/C and the five mandals of Dimapur. The 12 mandals where SCMs were not elected are 8 Western Angami, 16 Pfut-

sero, 13 Pughoboto A/C, 38 Wokha A/C, 41 Tizit, 47 Aboi, 52 Longkhim A/C and the 5 Dimapur Mandals.

The newly elected district presidents are: Phek – Eduzu Theluo, Peren – NC Max Dailiam, Zunheboto – KL Khuvishe Zhimo, Wokha – James Patton, Mon – T. Phongwang, Kohima – Vidilhoulie Thenunuo, Longleng – B. Ajoy Phom, Tuensang – A Yangba Chang, and Kiphire – Yangkhaba Sangtam.

Meanwhile, the State Election Officer and Parliamen-

RDnums pre-Christmas Kohima, December 2 (mexN): The pre-Christmas and Grandparents’ Day of Rev. Dr. Neiliezhu Usou Memorial School, Kohima will take place on December 5, 3:00 pm at The Heritage, Old DC Bungalow, Kohima. The occasion will be marked by special performances from James Basnet band, Usou’s instrumental praise, Ameii Usou Zao & The Choir and children of RDnums.

NNC welcomes Hornbill Festival visitors

gate and tried to damage the government properties as well as create panic among the public. “All such illegal activities are totally uncalled for and befitting legal action would be taken against such anti social elements,” the release warned.

Mokokchung Congress office bearers resign Condolences for Despite sincere request of K. Therie with immediate moKoKchuNg, Decem- in a release informed that the Khekiho Zhimomi ber 2 (mexN): The office DCC had served ultimatum to made by concerned members, effect, it was added. bearers of DCC Mokokchung have resigned from the Congress party. The decision to resign was made during the emergency meeting of DCC Mokokchung on November 30.

Citing the reason for the resignation, the office bearers

Kohima, December 2 (mexN): Nagaland will observe World Disabled Day on December 3 at The Heritage, old DC’s Bungalow, Kohima from 10:00 am. Minister for School Education & SCERT Yitachu will grace the occasion as chief guest.

Dimapur Pangti Ekhung combined fellowship

Foreign delegates visit WW II memorial 2 involved in shooting at student arrested Kohima, December 2 (mexN): After the Christian reconciliation meeting between the Japanese delegates and the Naga people, the Japanese delegates along with American, Korean and British believers visited the Japanese memorial site of World War II at Kiherü (Pulie Badze Ridge) in Jotsoma on November 30.

According to a press release from Information & Publicity Wing, NNC, the team earnestly prayed to God for the memorial and especially for the Naga people and nation.

“This was a very great prayer for the Naga people

World Disabled Day today

tary Secretary, Mmhonlumo Kikon, has notified that as per the clearance from Avinash Rai Khanna, MP Rajya Sabha, National Election Officer of the BJP, Nagaland is now ready for election to the post of president of the BJP Nagaland. The election has been tentatively set for second week of December. The appointment of the Central Observer for the same is in process, and nominations for the post of the president, BJP Nagaland state has been declared open.

Dimapur, December 2 (mexN): Dimapur Timber Industries Association (DTIA) has expressed shock and sadness at the sudden demise of its founder president H Khekiho Zhimomi, Rajya Sabha MP. A condolence message from DTIA general secretary remembered the deceased as an inspirational leader, accomplished industrialist, and a seasoned politician. “He was a true friend of the poor and downtrodden. His doors were always open for everybody irrespective of caste and creed and he devoted his entire life for the well being and upiftment of the society at large,” it added. The association also conveyed condolences to the bereave family.

Dimapur Gorkha Union has also expressed shock and pain at the demise of Khekiho Zhimomi. In his passing, “we” have lost a dedicated political, social worker, and dynamic leader, DGU stated in a message. It also shared the painful loss of the bereaved family.

Expressing shock and grief at the demise of Khekiho Zhimomi, Ikishe Village Council, GBs, and general public of Ikishe village also said they have lost a “golden asset”. A message from Ikishe Village Council recounted that the late MP had adopted Ikishe as Model Village under SAGY and also did many “noble deeds”.

The village paid respects to the departed soul and conveyed condolences to his family.

Kohima, December 2 (mexN): The NNC, Angami Regional Council has welcomed all the foreign visitors from different countries who are here to participate in the Hornbill Festival to the “Naga country”. “We warmly welcome each and every visitor to Naga country to witness the land, natural beauty, cultural and traditional values, social lives, and political plight of the Nagas under occupation of India and Burma (Myanmar) for the last more than sixty long years,” stated Angami Regional Council in a press release. It pointed out that “half of Nagaland is under occupation of Myanmar and the other half is divided into four parts in the North East under occupation of India. This is the political plight of the Nagas till date.”

Therefore, the NNC appealed to each and every foreign visitor to remember the Nagas.

CTSU condemns pheK, December 2 (mexN): Chetheba Town Students’ Union (CTSU) has condemned the unwarranted and highhanded action of the Assam Rifles in mentally harassing and detaining a CTSU executive member, who is also a class XII student, on November 27 at Jail colony, Kohima. “The victim is appearing his exam and detention of students without proper identity verification and further abuses without any valid cause amounts to pre-meditated motives of intolerance towards students,” stated a press release appended by CTSU president, Thepuveto Dawhuo and general secretary, Kenekhoyi Rhakho. It further said that the tag ‘Friends of the hill people’ should be substituted with “Foes of the hill people” as “the undesired and repeated action of the Assam Rifles towards the students is uncalled for in this peace loving society.” The CTSU also urged the authorities of Assam Rifles to check this kind of avoidable mental torture meted to students and also inform the jawans that “students are law abiding lots.”

Capacity building and training today Kohima, December 2 (mexN): The State Resource Centre for Women (SRCW) in collaboration with TOKA MPCS, implementing agency of TRIFED, Government of India, is organizing capacity building and training for SHGs, farmers, and community leaders on LAC culture and other livelihood project on December 3, 11:00 am at SIRD conference hall here. The resource persons for the programme include Ashok Chakravarti, General Manager, NABARD Dimapur, AD Mishra, Regional Manager, TRIFED, Guwahati; Kathi Chishi, Managing Director, Nodal Training Officer North East Naga Traders Private Limited, Secretary TOKA MPCS; and Tovi, General Manager, North East Naga Traders Private Limited.

Governor launches Armed Forces Flag Day Threat on businessman and family condemned

BJP Nagaland wishes Nagaland Post

Kohima, December 2 (Dipr): Governor of Nagaland & Assam, PB Acharya launched the Armed Forces Flag Day week on December 2 at Raj Bhavan.

Armed Forces Flag Day is celebrated throughout the country to honour veterans and brave soldiers who have sacrificed to defend the country from external aggression and also in maintaining law and order whenever called to assist the civil authorities.

It is also observed to enlist public cooperation and support for three basic purposes - rehabilitation of families of battle casualties, welfare of serving personnel and their families, and welfare of ex-servicemen and their families.

Governor, while interacting with the ex-servicemen and family members

AR firing in Pungrungru village condemned

of ex-servicemen, reminded that ex-soldiers, who have retired from their service, should not feel they are a burden or lonely in the society. He reminded that they are the great assets and their sacrifices would be very much remembered by all at all times.

Governor also urged the ex-servicemen to form cooperative societies for collecting as well as setting up handloom and handicrafts production units in different parts of the districts in the State.

He also assured that he will purchase their products or arrange market link to sell their products.

Acharya further urged the association to adopt government schools as “Guardians & Guest Teachers” espe-

cially in their own areas to strengthen the system.

He added that ex-soldiers and senior citizens can feel happy in a small way, going to school, meeting the children and interacting with them as guest teachers or as parents, which would motivate the children and strengthen their morale. He also reminded them that their spirit of nationalism to safeguard the security of the country should continue till the last which itself is a great service.

Brig KK Roy Choudhury, SM, VSM (Retd), Secretary Rajya Sanik Board, highlighted the significance of Armed Forces Flag Day. He was accompanied by about 20 members, including his staff, ex-servicemen, widows and dependents.

Dimapur, December 2 (mexN): Business Association of Nagas (BAN) has condemned the threat issued to Joseph Mero and his family on November 6 by one Kikato Chopy posing as Major and Town Command of a certain NPG. Joseph Mero is the co-chairman of BAN and president of Dimapur Goods Transport Union (DGTU).

“BAN is extremely worried by the constant victimization of business community time and again,” stated a press release issued by Media Cell, BAN. BAN further applauded the Nagaland Police for their swift and prompt action in arresting the accused. It also thanked various civil societies for their support in the case.

The association urged the authority concerned to give an exemplary punishment so that justice is served, while appealing that the accused be booked under NSA and that under no circumstances bail is given so as to set an example to those who may be tempted to do such crimes.

BAN further urged the various NPGs not to harbor criminals within their organizations and be wary of unscrupulous elements using the name of their organization to do anti social activities and tarnishing the image of Naga national movement “which is dear to all Nagas.”

In a separate press note, East Dimapur Business Association (EDBA) also condemned the threat on its general secretary,

Joseph Mero and his family by Kikato Chopy. EDBA appealed to authority concerned to give stringent punishment as per the law.

Meanwhile, it applauded the Nagaland Police for swiftly apprehending the accused.

Naga Council Dimapur also condemned the threat and stated that Joseph Mero is a responsible leader and law abiding citizen. “Thus, threatening innocent public leader was inhuman act which would not be tolerated by the society as it disharmonized the peaceful environment during festive season,” state NCD vice president (Adm) K Ghokheto Chophy. NCD further appealed to the law enforcing agency to take appropriate action against the perpetrator.

Dimapur, December 2 (mexN): Nagaland State BJP President Dr M.Chuba Ao on behalf of the party has lauded Nagaland Post as it celebrates 25th anniversary on December 3. “Nagaland Post as the premier local daily newspaper of Nagaland has dilligently surpassed all the hurdles to attend this glorious height by promoting freedom of expression among the people as a fourth estate,” stated a release issued by BJP Nagaland spokesperson, K James Vizo. “It has made a commendable contribution towards the society in promoting awareness about relevant events and issues across the state and beyond.” BJP Nagaland also congratulated the Editor and all staff of the paper for reaching the milestone.

Kiphire, December 2 (mexN): The Pungrungru Village Council has condemned the Assam Rifles for firing at Pungrungru village under Kiphire district on November 30 during wee hours, “whereby innocent civilian villagers were intimated and kept under fear.” A press release from H Thrunso, Secretary and Yimkiumong, Chairman of Pungrungru Village Council informed that the incident happened at 4:48 am. “Resorting to blank firing within and in the vicinity of the village which disturbed the peaceful environment of the area is a direct insult and also against the ENPO declaration of peace zone,” the village council stated.

The council also urged all right thinking citizens to condemn the act carried out by Assam Rifles.

thursDAY 03•12•2015

IN FOCUS

6

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express X issue 329X issue 185 Thursday 9volume July 2015 volume By aheli moitra

Taking control

T

he paddy fields this time of the year offer a great sight.

Light gold straw stand on the fields, heads full of grain cut off. On some fields, the straw has been altogether cut down—they lay strewn across the fields in delirious sombre after a year’s hard work. In some households, it reminds a family of fresh grain soon to be on their food plate, or some more to add to a granary.

The Rengma people celebrate this time of the year with Ngada, the Sumi with Ahuna, the Lotha with Tokhu Emong, the Kuki with Chavang Kut, the Meitei with Mera Chaorel Houba, and so on.

Though these communities are no more completely self sustaining, the cultural practices and celebrations continue to be held in order to keep ties to the land alive. They are also celebrated to remind oneself of the community ethics of collective cultivation, reaping and the subsequent dance. There are no individual performances on this stage. The efforts and profits are collective, which keeps the ownership and strength of even small communities alive.

In these societies, the sick or the injured were cared for by the family through traditional methods known to everyone.

The diagnosis of a health problem, and its traditional medicine thereof, was likely a form of knowledge passed on through generations. When epidemics broke out, albeit rarely, villages handled the mass deaths together. They cared for those who could get better, and may even have moved from one village site to the next depending on the spread of an infectious disease.

Today, Naga society is faced with the epidemic of HIV/AIDS, among others. A new disease, with new treatment, neither of whose details are clearly postulated for the layperson as all the related research was done/is being done west of the area. Even the funds required to buy the medicines, and distribute to the affected population, is not available to the Government of Nagaland—without the support of the Government of India, there is a clear threat the epidemic poses to the Nagas.

With the complete lack of ownership from the process of treatment and cure, the general population has often looked in the depths of discrimination and paranoia in their interaction with the disease. People living with HIV are often kept at an arm’s length, marginalised from the normal functioning of society.

They have to often keep their HIV status hidden, in life and death.

Such marginalisation is not the bane of people living with this Virus alone. Naga society has provided little space for empowering people with intellectual or other physical disabilities either. It puts to question if the State in place here, established in December 1963, has created spaces for the felt ownership of the State by its people. Till people contribute directly to the disease afflicting the State, as they do in making the gear to wear in a dance or while harvesting the field, the control of epidemics as well as the progress of society will always be beyond reach.

Comments may be sent to moitramail@yahoo.com

lEfT WING |

Rev. John Dear CommonDreams

An Eye for an Eye Makes the Whole World Blind

M

illions of Americans believe that war doesn’t work, that war cannot end terrorism because war is terrorism, and that U.S. war-making is breeding a new generation of terrorists around the world.

Millions also want the senseless killing to stop and they realize we must begin with ending our own military’s killing sprees.

Americans want a new nonviolent response to the violence in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen. We don’t want to keep on inspiring millions of oppressed people to join ISIS or Al Qaeda. We want to stop the killing, make reparations, and start healing our world.

Al Qaeda and ISIS are the outcomes of far too many years of U.S. warfare in the Middle East. The American government has killed hundreds of thousands, militarized much of the Middle East, funded the Palestinian occupation, and used drones to kill innocent civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, and elsewhere.

What is needed instead of continued military violence is a new global nonviolent response. The United States should immediately halt all its bombing raids and drone attacks and pursue ceasefires everywhere. We should start a massive reparations program to Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine, and every land we have bombed, on a scale greater than the Marshall Plan. We should cut off all funding to ISIS from all quarters, and fund nonviolent peacemakers throughout the Middle East. Creative nonviolence should become our new foreign policy and the policy of every nation.

Of course, America is going to have to spend billions of dollars on nonviolent options. This money is available for war and should instead be made available for peace. To start paying for nonviolent solutions, we can close all our nuclear weapons plants, disarm our nuclear arsenal, and allocate those many billions of dollars to the many problems we face in the world.

We have spent some seven trillion dollars on nuclear weapons since Hiroshima. It’s time we instead spent serious money on nonviolent conflict resolution instead.

We have definitive proof that active nonviolence works.

Unlike war and violence, strategic nonviolence brings lasting, peaceful results. Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan’s groundbreaking book, Why Civil Resistance Works, proves through empirical data and strong scientific analysis that violence in response to violence only increases violence and that nonviolent conflict resolution can bring a more peaceful and just solutions.

“An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind,” Gandhi famously said. This sad truth is being played out every day now. We need to have the courage to stop the cycle of violence and use the methods of creative strategic nonviolence to end this madness and pursue a more nonviolent world. This is achievable, but it requires that everyone get involved in building a global grassroots movement of nonviolence. We need to stop the warmakers on all sides who are intent on furthering the cycle of violence and war.

“To retaliate with hate and bitterness would do nothing but intensify the hate in the world,” Martin Luther King, Jr. said.

“Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can be done only by projecting the ethics of love to the center of our lives.”

“When evil men plot, good men [and women] must plan,” King continued. “When evil men burn and bomb, good men [and women] must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men [and women] must commit themselves to the glories of love. When evil men would seek to perpetuate an unjust status quo, good men [and women] must seek to bring into being a real order of justice.”

I hope everyone will stop listening to the voices advocating violence and instead listen to the voices of nonviolence.

Please join the grassroots movements of active nonviolence in pursuit of peace because the people of the world deserve so much more than violence and war has ever given us.

C O M M E N T A R Y

Tom Whipple Intelligent Life

Game over Computers are not just beating humans; they are solving games entirely. Draughts has fallen.

Tom Whipple asks if chess will be next

I

N THE YEARS following the publication of J. Sturge’s canonical “Guide to the Game of Draughts” in 1800, the world of serious players was wracked by argument. Number 105 of Sturge’s “140 Striking Situations” had asked readers to demonstrate that with the pieces in a given position white could always win. An expert claimed in a rival publication that Sturge was wrong: the position was a draw. Another countered that it was a win for white – but not for the reasons Sturge suggested. Arguments would continue for the entire reign of Queen Victoria until a consensus was finally reached: it was a win for white.

This most controversial conundrum in the history of draughts became known as the Hundred Years Problem. The name was a little premature.

In 1997, a grandmaster showed the Hundred Years Problem to Jonathan Schaeffer, professor of computer science at the University of Alberta, who is by his own admission a rather mediocre player. Minutes later, Schaeffer announced that the result was a draw. This time, there was no controversy, because although Schaeffer is a mediocre draughts player he is an excellent computer scientist who had spent the previous decade working on a program, Chinook, designed to “solve” draughts.

It so happened that in the same year the computer Deep Blue defeated Gary Kasparov at chess – an event that Newsweek dubbed, “The Brain’s Last Stand”. In the battle of man versus machine, machine had won a great victory.

In draughts, though, the brain’s defeat has been much more comprehensive. By 1994 Chinook was already good enough to draw a championship match 6-6 with the world number one draughts player, Marion Tinsley. Three years later, it conquered the Hundred Years Problem. Ten years after that, it defeated the game itself: a paper published in the journal Science showed that Schaeffer’s program could play a “perfect” game of draughts. Whatever its opponent did, it would respond with the strongest possible play.

While in theory a better computer program than Deep Blue could come along, the best any future human or computer could hope to do against Chinook was to draw. The game contained no further mysteries.

To many players, Chinook’s victory was the game’s loss. Before a game is solved a skilled player can be considered an artist, driven by inspiration and creativity as much as by cold logic. Afterwards the player is a fallible human – imperfectly striving to do what a computer has already done. The success of Chinook was as if overnight portrait painters had to cope with the invention of photography, calligraphers with the printing press.

Tinsley was untroubled. He said the program made him feel young again: for decades he had been unbeatable and at last he had a worthy opponent.

But some draughts players took it badly. “They said I was going to destroy the game, to ruin it – that no one was going to play,” says Schaeffer. He received hate mail. Some players argued that the computer’s ability to draw on a database of moves, rather than computing best play each time, was cheating. Others considered Schaeffer had besmirched the name of Tinsley, who over a 40-year career lost fewer than ten games. In particular, they objected to the fact that the program won against him by default, because he discovered he had terminal cancer halfway through.

“Chinook couldn’t hold a candle to Tinsley,” complained one angry player in a letter to Schaeffer. Another accused him of “trumpeting an unjustified victory against a sick old man”, a third of “engaging in

intellectual dishonesty”. A fourth just called him “despicable”.

This upset Schaeffer, who in the course of developing the program had formed a friendship with Tinsley. “He was as close to perfection as you could imagine a human being. What some human players were upset about is we now were better than him.”

Schaeffer uses the collective noun a couple of times when referring to him and Chinook. “He was truly outstanding, but he wasn’t quite perfect. He would make a mistake.

It may have been only once every 10-15 years, but he would make a mistake.”

Schaeffer is one of a small group around the world trying to solve the world’s games. Last year, a colleague of his published a paper in which he solved a simplified version of poker. It ended by quoting Alan Turing: “It would be disingenuous of us to disguise the fact that the principal motive which prompted the work was the sheer fun of the thing.”

THERE ARE AROUND 26,830 days in the average life. If you walked 26,830 miles you would cover the entire circumference of the equator, and still have enough distance left to go from Paris to Moscow. There are also 26,830 possible permutations in the first major game to be solved by a computer. That sounds like a lot, but this is a game so simple that in America there is a family of animal trainers that raises chickens to play it against humans as a casino attraction: noughts and crosses.

Most humans have solved noughts and crosses, and the solution is a draw. Writing a program to play a perfect game of noughts and crosses is now a basic undergraduate assignment.

A bigger number is 4,531,985,219,092. There have been roughly 4.5 trillion seconds since humans evolved. When Victor Allis, a computer-science student, contemplated the number in 1988, he realised it was too big for any computer to handle. It is, however, the number of possible permutations in Connect 4.

“Computers then were pretty small,” says Allis.

Allis now runs Quintiq, a large Dutch software company. But he still enjoys talking about Connect 4. Unlike Schaeffer and draughts, he is also rather good at playing it. When he analysed why he normally won he realised it was because of “odd and even threats”: to win you need to have three in a row threatening completion on an odd row if you are the colour that goes first, and on an even one if you go second. That knowledge, plus a few other basic strategies and some clever computing helped him to reduce 4.5 trillion to something more manageable – and to solve Connect 4.

When it was launched, Connect 4 was marketed as “vertical checkers” – the American term for draughts. It was a slogan about as sensible as marketing walking as “horizontal climbing”, for the games are different.

From a computer scientist’s point of view, draughts is 100m times more complex – with 500 billion billion games. For many people, though, it is more about emotion. It is like the difference between rounders and baseball, or pool and snooker. People play Connect 4 for fun; they devote their lives to draughts.

That was why when Allis solved Connect 4 it was an interesting curiosity, but when Schaeffer solved

draughts it was, for some, cataclysmic.

Given how much emotion was generated by the solution of a game that has always been seen as chess’s less serious cousin, one can only imagine the response when chess finally falls. Luckily for Schaeffer’s mailbag, he is unlikely to be around to see that. “We are certainly not going to solve chess in my lifetime,” he says. “It will need a real change in technology.”

We are used to exponential improvement in computing. After all, in two decades the hardest game solved by a computer increased in complexity by 100m. So why is Schaeffer pessimistic about chess?

Five hundred billion billion is big. But the number of atoms in the Earth is unimaginably big. The number of atoms in the universe is an unimaginably big number times an unimaginably big number. Chess is so complex that no one is certain how complex it is – estimates range between these two numbers.

“Very simply expressed, the problem of playing a perfect chess game is that there are too many possible chess games,” says David Levy, president of the International Computer Games Association – a body that, despite its title, has very little to do with Grand Theft Auto – and a lot to do with chess and draughts.

“Remember, the pieces are not all the same. In checkers there are two pieces – the man and the king. In chess there are six pieces. That is a huge difference. The game of checkers – I don’t want to use the word ‘simple’ – but it is simple enough.”

It is hard not to feel there is something marvellous about this. At some point, more than 1,000 years ago, a game was developed by pre-scientific people – maybe in China, probably in India – that developed into something confined to a board eight squares by eight squares, but turned out to be as complicated as the planet we are on. In the centuries since, almost all other games devised by humans have been solved by humans – but it has held firm. Levy won’t go so far as to say it will never be solved. “Never is a very long time,” he says. “Who knows what might one day be possible?

It could be a DNA computer that will solve it, or an optical computer.” Others have suggested quantum computers – even more exotic machines that harness the behaviour of subatomic particles. But it is clear that no computer using silicon chips will ever do it.

The question is, if such a computer is devised, and chess at last falls, does that count as a victory for human ingenuity? Or a defeat? Or maybe, in the end, like Turing we should just accept it has always been about “the sheer fun of the thing”.

Ordeals of Whistleblowers in a "Democracy"

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victor Wallis

he more extreme the crimes of state, the more the state seeks to shroud them in secrecy. The greater the secrecy and the accompanying lies, the more vital becomes the role of whistleblowers – and the more vindictive becomes the state in its pursuit of them.

Whistleblowers are people who start out as loyal servants of the state.

Their illusions about the state’s supposed moral agenda – and the wholeheartedness of their own patriotic commitment – make them all the more shocked when they discover evidence of the state’s wrongdoing.

Given the extreme concentration of weaponry (as well as surveillance capabilities) in the hands of the state, and given the disposition of the state to apply such resources even against nonviolent mass movements, the type of defection practiced by whistleblowers – an option available to military and intelligence operatives at all levels – is crucial to any eventual triumph of popular forces over the ruling class.

Whistleblowers thus not only embarrass the government, disrupt its policies, and (assuming adequate diffusion) educate the citizenry; they also are harbingers of a broader crumbling of the capitalist state and the order it defends. Acting largely in isolation and at great risk to themselves, they em-

body the conviction – or at least the hope – that basic decency has a more universal grounding than does any possible scheme of oppression.

Whistle-blowing’s principal nearterm function is educational. It demonstrates the undemocratic character of the regime whose secrets it lets out; it is thus an essential ingredient of investigative journalism. The documents it brings to light reach the public through those who practice such journalism, whom the government then threatens with prosecution unless they disclose their sources.

The novelty of Wikileaks is that it provided a new form of protection for the anonymity of sources. This, together with the facility of electronic transmission, has made the potential for disclosure greater than ever before. It accounts for the extraordinary fact that the US government has been pursuing draconian charges against someone who not merely is only the recipient rather than the “leaker” of sensitive information, but someone who is not even a citizen or resident of the United States – Julian Assange.

Disclosure is particularly embarrassing when it documents the fact that government officials have lied. The Director of Central Intelligence lied under oath to the US Congress – a felony for which he

was never prosecuted – when he denied that the National Security Agency monitors the communications of the entire US population. This lie was the culminating event in Edward Snowden’s decision to blow the whistle. As we all know, of course, it is Snowden who was then criminalized by the government.

This parallels the experience of John Kiriakou, who publicly confirmed, on the basis of his first-hand knowledge, that the CIA practiced torture by waterboarding.

Kiriakou then became the only government official to be prosecuted and imprisoned in connection with CIA and military practices of torture.

The debate over whistleblowers reached tens of millions of viewers when the presidential candidates of the Democratic Party were asked (on Oct. 13) their views about Snowden.

Hillary Clinton falsely asserted that he could have used established channels to transmit his disclosures of excessive surveillance, presumably at no risk to himself. This claim is refuted by the experience of previous whistleblowers who had taken just that approach.

One of them, Thomas Drake, retold his story two days later, at a news conference ignored by most of the corporate media (video), which was organized on behalf of yet another whistleblower,

WRITE-WING

Jeffrey Sterling, who recently began a 42-month prison term on a conviction of “espionage.”

What Sterling had done was report to the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about a counterproductive CIA attempt (in 2000) to feed misleading technological data to Iranian scientists. What he was prosecuted for was his subsequent conversations with New York Times journalist James Risen, although no evidence was available as to the content of those conversations, since Risen refused to testify. Sterling’s story is recounted in a letter from his wife, seeking presidential clemency from Obama. Sterling had been fired from the CIA in 2002 after filing a complaint against the agency for racial discrimination (an episode on which Risen wrote a news story). After Risen’s book State of War (2006) came out, the FBI raided Sterling’s home, but it was not until more than four years later – under Obama – that he was arrested (2011).

The latest whistleblower, who documents the “normalization of assassination” via drone warfare, is wisely seeking to remain anonymous. The US government will surely take all possible steps to track him down. The work of whistleblowers, as well as their personal safety, is obviously an issue that cuts across national borders. Support for US whistleblowers will need to be as global as the reach of the policies and the weapons that they expose.

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.

thursDAY 03•12•2015

PERSPECTIVE

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

7

World Poverty: Misconceptions of the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics Vicenç Navarro

Poverty is not an individual problem of lack of resources that can be solved through education, as Angus Deaton and the World Bank believe. The problem is the way in which resources are distributed

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he bestowal of the so-called Nobel Prize in Economics (misnamed because it is not awarded by the Nobel Foundation, but by a Swedish bank) upon Scottish professor at Princeton University, Angus Deaton, for his work on global poverty, has been considered (correctly) to be an indicator of the concern that a large number of international organizations are currently expressing about growing poverty in the world, and their relief, on the basis of Deaton’s optimistic opinion, that not only can this be reversed, but also eliminated even within the current capitalist order of the existing economic system in most of the countries where poverty is concentrated.

According to the new Nobel Prize in Economics winner, a transfer of funds - relatively moderate - from rich to poor countries, along with a number of changes in the latter, such as an increase in educational campaigns, would be enough to stop millions from being poor. Deaton actually considers increased schooling to be the greatest engine of progress over the centuries, and the major single cause for the reduction of poverty and the improvement of the welfare of the population.

Increased longevity, which Deaton attributes to the growth of the educated population, is, according to him, the key factor allowing the poor to acquire human capital and thus escape poverty and move up the social ladder.

This vision and understanding of poverty is widely accepted in international institutions (including the IMF and the World Bank, as well as a substantial number of NGOs, government institutions and conservative and liberal political parties, and also parties that belong to the social-liberal tradition, such as many European social democratic parties). Increased education spending is considered by them all a precondition for the elimination of poverty.

needs to buy products which in the US can be purchased with one dollar. If a US dollar can buy you a loaf of bread in the US, the one dollar per day in India means the amount of rupees needed to buy a loaf of bread in India. This amount has been increasing, from $ 1.25 per day (the daily income of 1,200 million people, one third of which are children) to almost $ 2.

Is global poverty decreasing?

On the basis of this criterion, it is assumed that the number of poor is diminishing because each year there are fewer people in this category. But it is often ignored that this is basically due to high economic growth in India and China, which together account for slightly more than a third of the world population. It is often forgotten, however, that in other parts of the world, such as Africa, there are now more people living in extreme poverty than 30 years ago (not only in absolute numbers, but also proportionally).

But the main problem with this concept of poverty is the way poverty is defined - i.e., as a mere lack of resources. According to this definition, the problem of poverty is the poor person’s lack of resources. It seems reasonable enough, but it harbors a huge mistake: it focuses solely on the resources available to that person, regardless of the existing resources in the community that he or she belongs to and which he or she benefits from.

The subsistence value of one dollar per day is very different, for example, in a society where a public health service exists, from the value in a society where people have to pay to access healthcare.

The context in which the person lives is especially important in order to know what resources are available to him or her, for public resources should be added to private ones (one dollar per day).

Neither Angus Deaton nor the World Bank take into account the public resources which can determine that an individual with the same private resources may or may not in fact be poor, depending on the availability of other (public) resources in the society where he or she lives. Their definition of poverty gives excessive importance to private resources and focuses solely on the amount of resources that the individual can buy with the money he or she has. This privatizing and mercantile vision is a biased perspective that hinders the understanding of poverty.

What is the problem with the definition of poverty?

This vision of poverty, however, has several problems. One of them comes from measuring poverty in terms of the resources available to each individual person. For a long time, the level of resources that was considered the threshold of poverty was a little over one dollar per day. It has now risen to $ 1.9 per day. It should be noted, by the way, that what is said to be one dollar per day is not actually one dollar per day. For most countries with a low level of wealth, one dollar per day is considered more than enough for a person to live on, without in fact being poor. However, when the World Bank says one dollar per day, this does not mean that the person in question actually possesses one US dollar, but that he or she has the equivalent amount Poverty is a relational concept To this should be added another er- in the currency of the country where the poor person lives - that he or she ror which also stems from the focus on

the individual without analyzing its relationship with other individuals in the same community. Two people having the same amount of monetary resources but living in two different countries can be classified as poor in one society but not in the other. Being defined as poor, or not, depends on the amount of money that the individual has in relation to other individuals in that community. In other words, poverty is a relational concept. Actually, if everyone in the world was poor, there would be no poverty in the world because, there not being other people with different levels of resources, the person would not feel, nor be, poor. Poverty, therefore, depends on the context where the person that has been defined as poor lives. Let us consider the data.

A poor person living in a poor neighborhood of the Bronx, in New York, has more physical and monetary resources available to him or her (television, dollars, car, mobile, greater living space, public welfare-type transfers, etc.) than a middle-class person in Ghana. If the world were one single society, the poor person from the Bronx, New York, would belong to the global middle class, and the middle-class person from Ghana would belong to the category of the world's poor. And yet (and this is of great importance), if we use the same indicator as Deaton’s (life expectancy to define progress), we come up against a paradoxical situation where the poor person in global terms (the middle-class person from Ghana) lives 15 more years on average than the middle-class person (the poor person from the Bronx). It is indeed paradoxical that the person who has more resources available to him or her (the one from the Bronx) and who is less poor in global terms, has fewer years to live than the other person (the middle-class one from Ghana) who has fewer resources available to him or her.

And this is where Deaton’s and most of the antipoverty establishment’s theories, which state that poverty is an individual problem of lack of resources that can be solved through education, fail miserably.

Poverty is not an absolute, but a relative concept Poverty is not an absolute, but a relative concept. Whether you are poor or not, and whether you are defined as such or not, depends on where you are located within the social structure of any given country. You cannot consider the individual person out of his or her economic, political and social context where he or she lives. This leads us

on to the root of the problem, which is not a lack of resources, but the way in which they are distributed. The distribution of resources nationally and globally is the fundamental issue that conventional wisdom on poverty, as conveyed by the World Bank and Deaton, does not address.

A poor person from the Bronx is at the bottom of society, a profoundly unequal and highly polarized society where little collective support is to be found (the US welfare state is highly deficient, as shown by the fact that 48% of terminally ill patients feel anxiety at not knowing how they – or their families will pay for their medical bills). Moreover, this poor person from the Bronx feels enormously frustrated, because the social and economic gap between him or herself and the average American citizen is huge – which means that he or she feels overwhelmed and has thus very little chances of getting out of the bottom of the well, which in turn generates a lot of frustration and pathologies that are responsible for his shorter life expectancy. The middleclass person from Ghana, however, is not below but above his or her society’s average, and therefore does not feel this kind of frustration and alienation from the rest of society for there is no difficult gap for him or her to bridge, which is something the poor person from the Bronx does experience.

This is where the emphasis on transferring income to the poor in order to solve poverty is just not enough. Experts in social policy are fully aware that much of the anti-poverty measures which are based on the transfer of public funds for welfare purposes have a limited effect. All the evidence shows that such public transfers to the poor, even when necessary to alleviate their predicament, are ineffective in the sense that they do not solve poverty in any given country.

Something similar happens with the emphasis on education as a means to escape poverty. These are necessary but insufficient measures. What is required to eliminate poverty is highly redistributive public policies aiming at reducing the social and economic, financial, political, communication and social gaps which are causing poverty. The evidence is overwhelming in this regard. The greater the inequality in any given country, the greater its poverty. What is required to eliminate poverty is the redistribution of resources aimed at reducing inequalities - which is precisely a taboo subject to international organizations.

From what has been said so far, the conclusion should be that to transfer money from rich to poor countries does not help reduce poverty, unless these resources are devoted to redistributive measures, which is something that seldom occurs. In fact, if the rich countries wanted to help eliminate poverty in poor countries, they could easily do so by helping to redistribute the enormous concentration of wealth that exists in these countries. They do not do so because they are very often the biggest allies of the power structures that control and benefit from the concentration of wealth in these countries.

The reader will also understand why the arguments put forward here do not have the same visibility that Deaton’s or the World Bank’s, for they emphasize redistribution, and thus threaten the richest groups in a country that has great influence on, if not control of, the major means of information and persuasion. It is as simple as that.

2020: A new beginning for Latin America Nadia Pontes

In the next decade, Latin American cities will register the highest growth rates in the world, while the working age population in the region will be larger than the inactive sectors

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he years leading up to 2020 are crucial for Latin America. Forecasts indicate that in the next five years, the region’s cities will register the highest rates of population growth in the world and the economically active population will exceed those not of working age, according to research by the Woodrow Wilson Center.

Furthermore, any agreement that emerges from climate talks in Paris that limits emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) will take effect from 2020. Before then, experts are hopeful that the world can begin to transition towards a low-carbon economy, in which industrial sectors such as energy generation and manufacturing adopt processes that emit fewer GHGs. “Countries need to make transformative changes that involve all sectors. If they can do this correctly, it will be an opportunity for governments to increase job creation and opening new markets that lead to economic growth,” said Amal-Lee Amin, head of climate change and sustainability at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

And ministries providing finance for activities that mitigate climate change must at the same time encourage private sector investment, Amin says.

“We must ensure that the money to finance this transformation flows on a large scale – and not just for isolated projects. We need funding to guarantee a change in industry, as well as policies and regula-

tions,” says Amin.

But many Caribbean countries will not be able to make this transformation alone. Nations like Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica have fewer financial resources to commit to fighting climate change, despite being among the world’s most vulnerable.

“Latin American countries are very concerned about the issue of access to international financing.

They question whether developed countries will fulfill their promises, especially to fund adaptation activities. Mitigation is the main issue, but adaptation is also important,” says Lisa Viscidi, director of the energy, climate change, and extractive industries programe at Washington-based think-tank the InterAmerican Dialogue.

For Caribbean countries, developing an effective strategy to address the impacts of climate change is crucial. With low-lying land and economies strongly oriented towards tourism, these areas may suffer irreparable losses because of rising sea levels and severe storms.

Amin, a former British climate negotiator, argues that if global leaders really want to limit temperature increases to 2 degrees by the end of the century, international financial support for Latin America is indispensable.

“More advanced Latin American countries have taken significant action in terms of mitigation. But they also need international funding to increase their intended nationally-determined contributions (INDC),” Amin adds.

Varying degrees of ambition Despite some exceptions, experts viewed commitments made by Latin American countries in their INDCs as strong. “Mexico and Brazil stand out among these. Venezuela was a disappointment, it did not present any documents,” says Viscidi.

Meeting the goals outlined in these documents is not a simple task for all countries in the region. In energy generation, for example, Colombia is currently replacing some hydroelectric plants with coal-fired plants. “We see that they are following the direction of a more ‘dirty’ grid, and the use of coal is growing,” Viscidi adds.

Tackling emissions from the transportation sector, which are growing throughout Latin America, will also be a decisive factor leading up to 2020. One important measure is the implementation of fuel efficiency standards. “The United States did it and had a huge impact in reducing emissions, as the demand for oil fell,” Viscidi explains.

Ready for 2020 Regional development institutions such as the IDB, promise to get Latin American countries “in good shape” for 2020, with various sectors of the economy already registering significant drops in planet-warming gas emissions.

But even with a committed government effort, some countries have to deal with the vested industrial interests trying thwart change, Amin laments.

“One good thing in Latin America is that the region is not as dependent on fossil fuels, compared with Asia and some parts of the United States,” Amin says.

Faced with climate change, the use of water sources in power generation leads to other challenges. Recent droughts, especially in southeastern Brazil, indicate the problems of relying on hydropower.

But since the 2009 climate talks in Copenhagen, countries in Latin America have demonstrated impressive advances on renewable energy sources “When we look at China, South Africa, and other Asian countries, we can say that the Latin Americans are well ahead, especially Chile, Brazil, and Mexico.

There is a lot of political leadership coming from this region,” concludes Amal-Lee Amin.

The Less the Economy is Left to Politics, the Better

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ome Naga politicians try to make government run businesses rather than empower the private sector to do it. If this were the right way to grow economy, then the most government-intensive countries in the world---like North Korea, Cuba, and Myanmar---would be economic powerhouses. If the USSR taught us anything, it is that monopoly stifles any need to be innovative or responsive to customers. Historically, government-controlled economies are known to have killed market competition and slowed down economic growth.

Crony capitalism usually creeps in when government undertakes businesses. For example, projects that are lavished with government funds are often diverted to dubious characters who are connected to powerful politicians. Or, sometimes some political leaders may confer market monopoly privileges on relatives and friends. In other cases, they may “invent” projects just to please their voting members who can keep them in power, although they make no economic sense. Such voteseeking politicians will not weigh objectively all the benefits and costs of various programs as economic rationality demands, but will often favor spending on programs that have immediate benefits or deferred costs. And what of the tendency of some political leaders to favor spectacular “showpiece” projects at the expense of less showy but more productive programs? As a result of these inclinations, resources are squandered and the economy may not perform anywhere near its potential.

Private sector companies allocate resources where they will earn the highest return, whereas government allocates resources wherever the political process sends them. In other words, government and private sector operate in very different ways.

To illustrate this point, let’s say that an entrepreneur crosses the road to earn higher points, but government officials will be standing by the road demanding a toll fee from him, if not blocking the road entirely. Indeed, it would be understandable to have government officials blocking the road if the entrepreneur is carrying a bag of cocaine drugs. But if that’s not the case, it makes more sense that the government helps the entrepreneur to succeed rather than creates hurdles for him.

Government operations are often inefficient as we would expect given the lack of incentives or external pressures. Think of government employees in the Department of State Transport, Indian Airlines, Indian Postal Service, State Banks of India, government-managed hotels, or utility bills collection offices. What is the point of being friendly to clients, making customers comfortable, adding clerks to shorten lines, interrupting a personal call when a customer comes to the window, saying “how may I help you?” or “thank you” to customers, staying open longer, or keeping the office clean? None of these good customer services or kind acts will make any difference in the employees’ salary nor will any slackness at work jeopardize their jobs. Compare that to a private sector service: if workers are found underperforming, they will be fired from work and shown the door. As such, workers in the private sector have to be willing to go the extra mile to serve their clients. This goes to show that economy can be better managed when it is run by the private sector.

Usually, governments are poor at managing resources. For example, when a property is owned by the government, the incentive to take good care of it is weakened. That’s why government-owned buildings, compared to privately-owned buildings, are generally run down and poorly maintained. Private ownership, on the other hand, encourages wise stewardship.

For if private owners fail to maintain their properties, they bear the consequences in the form of a decline in the properties’ value. Or let’s use another example: if you own an automobile, you have a strong incentive to have the car serviced regularly and see that it is well maintained. Why is this so? Because, if the car is kept in good running condition, it will be of greater value to you and to others who might want to buy it from you.

An important duty of government is to be good steward of public funds---that no public money is wasted or lost. But from the investment point of view, many governments perform very poorly when they get into loan business. Of course, a common argument for its entering into lending business is that it will make loans to people who could not afford to get from private lenders. This is only another way of saying that the government lenders will take risk with the public money.

And when it does, it almost invariably ends up with a huge percentage of losses. In contrast, private lenders operate by very different standards. Since private lenders risk their own funds, or funds of others that have been entrusted to them, they are usually very careful in their investigations to determine the adequacy of the assets pledged and the business acumen and honesty of the borrowers.

As Jerry Jordan, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, U.S.A., has noted, “What separates the economic ‘haves’ from the ‘have-nots’ is whether the role of the economy’s institutions---particularly its public institutions---is to facilitate production or to confiscate it.” Unfortunately, most governments in the developing countries do the latter.

The role of government is to facilitate economic growth. To do so, government must play a supporting role for the private sector to thrive and succeed. First, government can lower the cost of doing businesses in the private sector in the following ways: providing uniform rules and regulations, protecting private property rights, enforcing contract agreements, and rooting out fraud. Rule of law makes markets more credible. Otherwise, business deals are guaranteed only by some kind of personal relationship, which is one reason why nepotism, clans, and family-centered behaviors are so common in developing countries. Second, government must build and maintain infrastructure---roads and bridges, water reservoirs and pipelines, power supply and communication networks--that makes private commerce less costly. Third, government must enhance the productive capacity of the economy by correcting externalities, particularly in the environmental realm---that is, government must try to limit the use of common resources, such as community forests, clean air, and congested roads, because when people are not charged for the use of public goods, they tend to be exploited or used excessively. But when government policies are well planned and well run, the allocation of resources can be more efficient and thus raise economic well-being.

So, what does all this mean? Simply put, government plays some very crucial roles in the economy, especially in dealing with externalities; but it should not be the sole provider of a good or service unless there is a compelling reason that the private sector will fail in that role. Or, as the heading of this article says, the less the economy is left to politics, the better.

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

THURsdAY 03•12•2015

INDIA

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Rains, floods devastate Chennai Chennai, DeCember 2 (ianS): Life in the Tamil Nadu capital was virtually crippled on Wednesday as fresh downpour worsened an already disastrous flood situation, posing danger to thousands in low-lying areas.

Soldiers joined the rescue and relief work and rescued 65 men and women till Wednesday afternoon, officials said, adding that more troops were on their way to Chennai from Bengaluru.

Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said in New Delhi that the situation in Chennai was "unheard of and unprecedented", and promised all help to the beleaguered city and other area.

Residents and officials admitted that almost everyone in Chennai, a sprawling city with over 4.6 million people, had been affected one way or the other by the devastating floods caused by torrential rains.

Thousands of passengers were stranded at the now shut Chennai airport and the railway stations.

Electricity supply snapped in many areas.

Telephone services too were hit.

With schools and colleges shut, and vast areas under sheets of water, most buses went off the roads and suburban train services were suspended after waters flooded the tracks.

Auto-rickshaws and taxis plied in some parts of Chennai but fleeced commuters. A taxi driver reportedly charged Rs.4,500 to

Declare Chennai floods as nat'l disaster: Kanimozhi

People travel on a boat as they move to safer places through a flooded road in Chennai, December 2. (REUTERS Photo)

ferry three people from the airport to a hotel on Anna Salai, the main arterial road. Several parts of Anna Salai were under water.

Steady rains through Tuesday night -- it continued to drizzle on Wednesday -- kept people in Chennai awake due to concerns over the rising water levels, residents said. Unlike in the past, even up-market localities like Shastri Nagar, Anna Nagar, Alwarpet and Mylapore were flooded.

Schools and colleges have been shut for over 15 days. Schools in Chennai functioned only for two days last week before the rains hit again. Hutments along the Adyar river bank have submerged till their roofs. With the river overflowing, traffic over the

Adayar bridge near Saidapet was closed for safety.

Surplus water from Poondi reservoir, which supplies water to Chennai, was released, causing more misery. Water level in the Chembarambakkam, Puzhal and Sholavaram reservoirs have also touched the danger mark.

The Southern Railway cancelled 13 trains out of Egmore station and four trains from Chennai Central. Ten trains from other stations too were axed. But some still dared to conduct weddings.

"Today is an auspicious day for marriages. In our hall a wedding was conducted as planned," K.M. Kannan, manager of the AVM Rajeshwari Kalyana Mandapam in south Chen-

nai, told IANS. But Kannan added: "I have sent my family to Erode as water was threatening to enter our house.

There has been no power supply in our area since yesterday."

Several private establishments have declared a holiday. Some government offices were closed on Wednesday. The Hindu and Business Standard newspapers did not come out on Wednesday due to heavy rains, said an employee of one of the dailies.

Police blocked the wide stretch of Chennai beach as a precaution. According to officials, the Chennai airport has been shut till Thursday morning and all flights have been cancelled after the runway got flooded.

new Delhi, DeCember 2 (ianS): DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Wednesday asked the central government to declare Chennai floods as a national disaster. "The situation is grave in Chennai. The central government should declare it as national disaster," the Rajya Sabha MP said. "The work done by the central government is commendable, but more needs to be done," she added.

Unprecedented torrential rains, the worst in 100 years, have battered Tamil Nadu's northern districts including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Cuddalore. In the last spell of rains, around 180 people died in the four districts. A fresh downpour worsened an already disastrous flood situation, posing danger to thousands in low-lying areas.

"Water entered our apartment and we had to shift to our neighbour's house on the first floor," Revathi Vasan, a resident of west Mambalam in the heart of Chennai, told IANS. "Another family on the ground floor has also shifted with us," she said.

"There is waist deep water around our apartment." In suburban areas, flooding was severe with water levels covering ground floors and threatening to enter the first floors of housing apartments.

Fortunately, people living at higher levels were opening their doors to strangers, several residents told IANS. Movie theatres and malls too came to the rescue of the flood-affected. Major markets like in

Anna Nagar could not escape the flooding.

In many areas, people made makeshift boats by tying up empty barrels to reach safer places. Hotels were swamped by frantic calls from residents and visitors for accommodation.

Suresh, who works with a private company, said: "In my area (Villivakkam), the water has reached chest level. I waded through rain water for a couple of kilometres to reach my work place."

The unprecedented rains, the worst in 100 years, have battered Tamil Nadu's northern districts such as Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Cuddalore.

In the last spell of rains, around 180 people died in the four districts.

Rajiv killing: Tamil Nadu can't free convicts on its own, says SC new Delhi, DeCember 2 (ianS): The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled the Tamil Nadu government has no suo moto power to grant remission and release the convicts accused of conspiracy in the assassination case of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The apex court's constitution bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu said that the state government could grant remission and release the convicts only in consultation with the central government as the case was investigated and prosecuted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The court said this while answering reference by a three-judge bench which had asked the constitution bench to address seven questions framed by it.

Having answered the question of law, the court said the validity of the Tamil Nadu government's decision to grant remission and release the convicts accused of conspiracy in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case would be examined by the three-judge bench.

In the case of heinous crimes, the court by a majority verdict held that it could sentence the accused to life imprisonment, meaning the whole life without remission.

Children still bear consequences of Bhopal gas tragedy, says study bhopal, DeCember 2 (ianS): At least 2,500 out of every 100,000 children born to parents exposed to the gas leakage here in 1984 bear malformations, experts said on the 31st anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy.

The experts from an NGO running a clinic for the survivors of the Bhpoal gas tragedy said far too many children were being born with malformations to parents with acute exposure to toxic gas that leaked from the now-shut Union Carbide factory or chronic exposure to contaminated water.

The NGO, Sambhavana Trust, after a study involving over 100,000 people from about 20,000 families, urged the central and Madhya Pradesh governments to ensure that such children be identified and treated. "We want that the centre and Madhya Pradesh government identify and treat children with congenital malformations born to parents exposed to the tragedy," Sambhavna's managing trustee Satinath Sarangi said on Wednesday.

The Sambhavna Clinic, run by the NGO, provides free medical care to the survivors of the gas disaster and those exposed to contaminated groundwater, he added. Over 3,000 people were believed to have died in the Bhopal gas leak tragedy that took place on the night of December 2-3, 1984.

The findings of the study were expected to be published in international peer reviewed journals within six months, Ritesh Pal, its field coordinator, said.

'India can learn perils of intolerance from Pak' Road agreement with Myanmar, Thailand soon: Gadkari panaji, DeCember 2 (ianS): India only needs to look at Pakistan to understand what intolerance and extreme right-wing fringe elements can do if allowed to run amok, says documentary filmmaker Hemal Trivedi, who filmed clandestinely in the neighbouring country for "Among the Believers" that is sharply critical about fundamentalism.

After going under cover in Pakistani madrasas as a Muslim, teaming up with Pakistani director Mohammad Ali Naqvi, sampling the hospitality of ordinary Pakistanis and screening the film at festivals across the world over the last few months, Trivedi returned to India with one key lesson: intolerance of any form, if emboldened by governments, can lead to civil war.

"In every society there is a fringe minority that believes that their way of life is the right way and that everyone who does not follow their way of life should be killed. What people have to do is to make sure that these forces are not empowered. The moment we do, these forces become so strong that they cause civil war," Trivedi, whose film made waves at the just-concluded 46th International Film Festival of India, told IANS. "Among the Believers" follows the lives of two teenage students who have attended madra-

sas (Muslim seminaries) run by the Red Mosque network, operated by charismatic cleric Abdul Aziz Ghazi, an ISIS supporter and Taliban ally, who is waging jihad against the Pakistani state with an aim to impose a strict version of Sharia law throughout the country, as a model for the world.

"The documentary talks about a fringe minority of extremists who are trying to take over the vast majority of peaceful society in Pakistan and how Pakistanis have become the biggest victims of terrorism," she said.

But the film, which has not been screened in Pakistan yet, has touched a chord with Pakistanis across the globe, because it spells out how they are themselves victims of extremism.

"Pakistanis worldwide love this film, because this is the first time that they are shown as victims of terrorism. They think that this film aptly represents their point of view and the things that are happening in society at present," she said, adding that the film had attracted attention in film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

Speaking about her experience shooting the film, Trivedi said that being a Hindu of Indian origin, she had to disguise herself as a Henna Khan from Dubai to get through most of the Pakistani

madrasas. "I was very afraid about entering the madrasa, because I thought if they found out that I was not a Muslim, they might even kill me for all you know," she said.

The trickier part of the documentary, shooting at Maulana Abdul Aziz's madrasa, was handled by her co-director Mohammad Naqvi, a Pakistani, who she said was threatened and shadowed during the making of the film.

"Mohammad faced a lot of problems. Two or three days after the first shoot with Maulana Abdul Aziz, a nondescript van stopped and started recording Mohammad and the rest of the film crew and they also were receiving anonymous phone calls.

Filming in Pakistan with Aziz was very, very challenging," she said, also recounting the hospitality of Pakistani society in general.

Pakistan's struggle according to her has lessons for India too, where intolerance, Trivedi said, is rearing its head. "The fringe minority needs to be controlled at the source and I think that the Indian government should act, curbing the radical rise of religious intolerance at the source right now," she says. Asked if there is a possibility to temper fringe extremism, she says that the war on terror can never be won, but adds that hardline thinking needs to be systematically weaned off.

KolKaTa, DeCember 2 (ianS): Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said the central government was working towards inking an agreement with Myanmar and Thailand for seamless flow of traffic across the region. Addressing participants in a car rally, held to promote the BangladeshBhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) agreement on uninterrupted cargo movement in the region, Gadkari said the central government is investing Rs.1 lakh crore in the northeastern region for road projects.

"Going forward, we would want to have

roads from northeast to Burma (Myanmar) and then Thailand. We are trying to settle in an agreement. The routes will help tourism and trade will flourish," he said at the concluding ceremony of the BBIN Friendship Motor Rally here.

The rally covered about 4,500 km following the route of road networks laid out during the BBIN-Motor Vehicle Agreement signed between the four nations at Thimpu in Bhutan in June.

Stressing the importance of road network, Gadkari said the central government was keen to develop the infra-

structure in the NE . "We have decided to invest Rs.1 lakh crore in northeast for road projects. We are also very happy to announce that road construction worth Rs.16,000 crore has already started. I hope the NE will benefit a lot from this," he said. The minister said the KolkataDhaka-Agartala bus service that was flagged off in June has strengthened tourism and the mutual ties. "We have also made an agreement with Bangladesh over using the Brahmaputra, which will also help in business and economy," he said.

Married daughter eligible for compassionate appointments: HC bilaSpur, DeCember 2 (pTi): A married daughter is eligible to get government job of her deceased's father on compassionate grounds, the Chhattisgarh High Court has observed.

Justice Sanjay K Agrawal made the observation yesterday while hearing a petition filed by Sarojani Bhoi (28) who had challenged the state government on the ground that she was not given the job of her father who passed away in 2011.

The HC cited that "policy of compassionate appointment excluding married daughters for consideration is

a retrograde policy of the welfare state, and violative of Article 16 (2) (no discrimination on grounds of religion, caste, sex etc) of the Constitution."

Father of Sarojani, Jaldev Pradhan who was working as Amin Patwari in the water resources department of the state s Mahasamund district, died on January 6, 2011. He left behind his wife Hemkanti and two married daughters Sarojani and Sanyukta, he said.

The petitioner made an application for compassionate appointment pleading that after the death of her father she is maintaining her family including her mother as she has

no other source of income.

The state government had rejected her application holding that as per clause 3 (1)(c) of the policy dated 10/06/2003, the married daughter of the deceased government servant is not entitled to compassionate appointment.

Thereafter, Sarojani filed the writ petition challenging the legality and validity of the clause, Contending that the state policy is "unconstitutional" Sarojani said a married daughter holds equal rights as that of a married son to get her deceased father's government job.

After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice

Agrawal observed that prohibiting the consideration of the married daughter from seeking compassionate appointment merely on the ground of marriage is plainly arbitrary and violative of constitutional guarantee envisaged in Article 14, (equality before law) 15 (no discrmination on grounds of religion, caste and sex etc) and 16 (2) of the Constitution of India, he said.

The court further held the state government's policy of 2003 in this regard was "void and inoperative" and ordered the state government to reconsider the claim of the petitioner within 45 days.

In India's dry regions, crowd-funding comes to a lake's rescue Stella Paul Thomson Reuters Foundation

W

hen residents of a city in one of India's most waterstressed regions banded together with authorities to de-silt their local reservoir, they were trying to secure the future of their drinking water supply.

But the activists discovered that the silt that clogs the Nilona reservoir, 750 km (470 miles) east of Mumbai, could also boost harvests in this droughtstricken area, where crop failures have driven thousands of farmers to suicide.

Their innovative model of crowd-funded, citizenled action has become a model for what’s possible to protect water supplies in India, backers say.

Residents of Yavatmal in Vidarbha district rely for their water on an earth-

lined reservoir 10 kilometres (6 miles) away.

The nearly 700 metrelong lake, built in 1972, originally had a capacity of 6.39 million cubic metres, but this has fallen by at least a third as soil has washed into the lake, according to government estimates.

Local activists contend that the silt, combined with vegetation growing along the edges of Nilona, has reduced its capacity by as much as half.

The monsoon in Maharashtra, as in other parts of India, has become increasingly erratic in recent years, and this is partly to blame for the silt problem.

Although rainfall has been enough to keep the 700-metre-long lake more or less full, heavier than average downpours have washed large quantities of soil into the lake.

In July 2014, authorities in Yavatmal halved the

supply of water to the city, from 64 million litres to 32 million litres weekly. Residents now receive piped water for just two or three hours, three times a week.

Local farmers do not have access to the reservoir for irrigation, and the unreliable rainfall, combined with prolonged drought, has made planting and harvesting crops unpredictable, as well as damaging crops and playing havoc with livelihoods.

In drought-ravaged Vidarbha district, thousands of farmers have killed themselves in the past two decades because of crop failures and debts.

INSPIRATION TO ACT Alok Gupta, a 45-yearold doctor in Yavatmal, was inspired to act after hearing a talk a by a physicianturned-activist who had spearheaded efforts to revive over a dozen reservoirs

across Maharashtra.

“It was a wake-up call for us,” recalled Gupta, who is a member of Prayas, a network of professionals who promote civic action for social causes. “The water supply was already inadequate. How would we survive if it got worse?”

The Prayas members were sure of one thing: reclaiming their reservoir would have to be a collective act.

“De-silting Nilona would need huge amount of money, time and hard work. A few of us couldn’t do it. We needed a citizen movement,” said Kamal Bagdi, a businessman and a member of Prayas.

Local government officials initially argued that Nilona would not become completely silted up for another 20 years, at which point they planned to divert water from the Bembla reservoir, 25 kilometres away.

The government estimated the cost of digging canals from Bembla to Nilona at 25 million rupees ($377,000).

But the Prayas members wanted to act sooner, and they proposed an alternative: Mission Deep Nilona (MDN), a crowd-funded project to de-silt the reservoir at a cost of 3.5 million rupees ($52,700).

The activists published a brochure and roped in young people to tour the city in an open truck singing patriotic songs and appealing to locals to save their only source of drinking water.

The response was overwhelming, said Avinash Saoji, founder of Prayas.

MDN raised 2.3 million rupees of its 3.4 million rupee budget from private donations. The government provided the remainder and helped get the necessary approvals from agencies.

The rest of the effort depended upon expertise from Prayas members and the contributions of the city’s residents. Apart from cash, donations also came in the forms of dredgers, trucks and free labour.

“A total of 12,000 people donated labour, helping clear grass, water weeds, pebbles and mud.

Some served free food and drinks,” Saoji said.

MDN was formally launched in April 2015. By the end of May, MDN had removed the first 35,000 cubic metres of the 6.3 million cubic metres of silt clogging Nilona.

FROM THE LAKE TO THE FIELDS For MDN’s leaders, what they did with that silt is a highlight of their story.

“Silt increases soil fertility. If farmers use the silt from Nilona, they can

get a higher (crop) yield.

In turn, we don’t have to worry about its disposal,” said Gupta, who volunteer’s as MDN’s project director.

Farmer Gaju Rawat, who owns a 2-acre farm in Barwada, one of 10 villages around Nilona, agrees.

“They offered us tonnes of silt for free, provided we transported it ourselves. I brought 30 tractors of silt, which is a very good way to increase moisture to my field. Normally I get 15-30 quintals of cotton. But this year, I am expecting at least double that,” Rawat said happily.

Dattatreya Gaekwad, a senior government official in the district’s agriculture department, described MDN as “a perfect example of people’s cooperation for social development.”

In January the group plans to remove a further 100,000 truckloads of silt.

The initial success of the project has inspired the activists to add other improvements to the water system. They have created a storage pond 5 kilometres upstream from Nilona to prevent waste water from Yavatmal flowing directly into the reservoir.

Several check dams and canals are also due to be constructed over the next several years.

The budget for the whole project will expand to 17.5 million rupees ($260,000). It’s a large sum, but less than the cost of the government’s planned diversion of the Bembla reservoir - and, activists argue, a more sustainable solution.

The Prayas members are confident that they can crowdfund the remainder of their plans.

“It will be challenging, but together we can do it,” said a confident Gupta.

ThursdaY 03•12•2015

WORLD

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

9

China may pay “international price” in South China Sea legal case, experts say HONG KONG/MANILA, DeceMber 2 (reuters): When an international court ruled in late October that it had jurisdiction to hear a case filed by the Philippines against China over the disputed South China Sea, Beijing dismissed the decision, saying it would “lead to nothing”.

Philippine officials as well as some foreign diplomats and experts disagree, saying China could come under intensified diplomatic and legal pressure if the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ultimately decides in favour of Manila.

Legal experts say Manila has a significant chance of success, citing the court’s detailed rejection of China’s arguments in the hearing on jurisdiction. A final ruling is expected in mid-2016.

Such a judgment would likely be a millstone around China’s neck, especially at regional meetings, because it would mark the first time an international court has intervened in the dispute, making it harder for Beijing to ignore, the diplomats and experts said.

Barely noticed when

Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21. (REUTERS File Photo)

Manila filed the case in 2013 and largely seen as a sideshow since then to the tensions playing out on the waterway itself, some Asian and Western countries have started expressing growing support for the court process.

One expert said if the ruling went against China on key points he would

expect to see coordinated positions from Western nations that would keep the pressure on Beijing in bilateral meetings and at international forums.

“Other countries will use it as a stick to beat Beijing with. That’s why China is so freaked by this whole issue,” said Ian Storey, a South China Sea expert

at Singapore’s Institute of South East Asian Studies.

Added Bonnie Glaser, a security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington: “That’s the dirty little secret here ... the Chinese have pretended that it’s going to be easy to ignore and reject. I think in reality they

will have to pay an international price for it.”

CHINA CALLS CASE “FUTILE” Manila is seeking a ruling on its right to exploit South China Sea waters in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as allowed under the United Nations Convention on

the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The treaty does not cover matters of sovereignty, but outlines a system of territory and economic zones that can be claimed from features such as islands, rocks and reefs.

China, which claims virtually all the South China Sea, has refused to take part and rejects the court’s authority in the case, even though it has ratified UNCLOS. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim parts of the waterway.

Any ruling against China would be legally binding but unenforceable beyond political pressure because there is no body to enforce such rulings, legal experts say. The Permanent Court of Arbitration declined to comment.

China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday reiterated that Beijing would not accept any decision imposed on China. On Nov. 24, it said the case was a “futile attempt to deny China of its territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea”.

Michael Wesley, a professor in international affairs at the Australian National University,

said China would not feel bound by any ruling.

“The South China Sea is a classic example of how China thinks about, and is probably succeeding in, rejecting and displacing U.S. primacy in the region, without really risking (major) conflict,” he said.

GROWING INTERNATIONAL INTEREST To many diplomats, the case is key to getting China to accept international legal norms over the waterway, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes each year.

A number of countries have requested to observe the Hague proceedings, including claimants Vietnam and Malaysia as well as Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Washington has backed the court process while during a visit to Beijing in October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel suggested China go to international courts to resolve its rows over the South China Sea. After talks in Sydney on Nov. 22, the foreign and defence ministers of Australia and Japan said they supported the right of South

China Sea claimants to seek arbitration.

By refusing to take part in the process, China has forgone the opportunity to formally defend its claims, shown on Chinese maps as a nine-dash line stretching into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia.

Manila is challenging the legality of the line, as well as China’s actions within it. By getting a ruling on its right to exploit waters within its EEZ, Manila hopes to force China to retreat from several shoals and reefs within the zone.

Diplomats and oil industry sources said international energy lawyers would scrutinise the final ruling to see if it clarified rights in contested blocks off the Philippines and Vietnam.

Hanoi made a submission to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in support of Manila’s case but has not launched its own action against China. The Vietnamese government did not respond to a request for comment.

Indonesia’s security chief said last month that Jakarta could take Beijing to court over the ninedash line.

Global warming could cause Facebook CEO, wife donate 99% shares for humanitarian cause FrANcIscO, DeceM- book shares during our lives to adfall in oxygen, mass mortality sAN ber 2 (IANs): Facebook CEO vance this mission. We know this LONDON, DeceMber 2 (IANs): Earth’s oxygen could dramatically fall due to change in ocean temperature of just several degrees, thereby resulting in mass mortality of animals and humans, scientists have warned.

An increase in the water temperature of the world’s oceans of around six degrees Celsius -- which some scientists predict could occur as soon as 2100 -- could stop oxygen production by phytoplankton by disrupting the process of photosynthesis, the study said.

Phytoplankton, also known as microalgae, are microscopic organisms that inhabit almost all oceans and bodies of fresh water. They consume carbon dioxide, and release oxygen.

“About two-thirds of the planet’s total atmospheric oxygen is produced by ocean phytoplankton - and therefore cessation would result in the depletion of atmospheric oxygen on a global scale. This would likely result in the mass mortality of animals and humans,” said lead research-

er Sergei Petrovskii, professor at University of Leicester in England.

The team developed a new model of oxygen production in the ocean that takes into account basic interactions in the plankton community, such as oxygen production in photosynthesis and oxygen consumption because of plankton breathing.

The researchers also estimated that falling oxygen levels caused by global warming could be a greater threat to the survival of life on planet Earth than flooding.

“Global warming has been a focus of attention of science and politics for about two decades now. A lot has been said about its expected disastrous consequences; perhaps the most notorious is the global flooding that may result from melting of Antarctic ice if the warming exceeds a few degrees compared to the preindustrial level,” Petrovskii said.

“However, it now appears that this is probably not the biggest danger that the warming can cause to the humanity,” Petrovskii explained.

Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have pledged to donate 99 percent of their Facebook shares -- about $45 billion -- to advance human potential and promote equality for children.

Declaring the “Chan Zuckerberg Initiative” as they welcomed their first girl child Maxima Chan Zuckerberg or “Max”, the couple on Tuesday said they have created a new foundation that would initially focus on “personalised learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities.”

“As you begin the next generation of the Chan Zuckerberg family, we also begin the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to join people across the world to advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation,” they posted in a 2,200-word letter to their new-born daughter on Facebook.

“We will give 99% of our Face-

Climate deal needed if Bill Gate’s billions are to help ‘poor’ nations WAsHINGtON, DeceMber 2 (reuters): Heads of state and big-name billionaires opened the Paris climate summit with a bang on Monday, promising billions of dollars to develop new green technology to solve a key sticking point of the negotiations: financing a low-carbon future for developing nations like India.

Yet campaigners and experts warned that it will be hard to deploy any new technologies quickly in places where they are needed most unless negotiators at the two-week U.N. talks can work out a deal on how rich countries will help finance this. “I think the elephant in the room is still finance,” said Yvo de Boer, former head of the U.N. climate change secretariat.

He and others were encouraged

by Monday’s announcements, which opened the taps for funding a wave of research in hopes of breakthroughs such as the artificial photosynthesis Bill Gates envisions to produce liquid hydrocarbons that challenge fossil fuels. France and India launched a plan for a trillion-dollar alliance to deliver solar energy to poor nations.

Still, many countries are simply not ready to be on the receiving end of major technology transfers, experts said. For a poor country to adopt new technologies, it must have the right institutions, regulations and workforce in place.

During the Paris talks, experts said, negotiators must map out ways for rich countries to provide funds poor countries need to prepare to receive new technology. They noted that rich countries have promised to spend more than $100 billion a year beginning in 2020 to adapt low-carbon technologies and build defenses against rising sea levels, droughts and other climate-related problems.

So far, the UN’s Green Climate Fund, the main vehicle to dole out this money, has a a long way to go, with just $12 billion in pledges. Scaling up that amount is a major task at the Paris talks. Rich nations want some emerging economies like China to contribute, while developing countries want target dates and accountability.

The billions promised on Monday for technology development “should not be seen as a substitute for the public finance that must be on the table to unlock a stronger agreement by the end of next week,” said Tim Gore, head of policy and advocacy for Oxfam International. Gore said the world needs “a deal to regularly set new targets for financial and technological support for poor countries that need it.”

The U.S. Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which has conducted early research on technologies like fusion and advanced batteries, found that some workers in poor countries “weren’t able to maintain new projects, so things fail,” said Cheryl Martin, the program’s former acting director.

Even if larger nations like India and China can get over these hurdles, less-developed poor nations risk falling further behind.

“We need to ensure that competitiveness of even less developed countries is enhanced by these opportunities rather than being left behind,” said Jonathan Coony, coordinator for the World Bank’s Climate Technology Program.

Poor countries must build manufacturing capacity, research capabilities and a local workforce to develop their own green economy “rather than remaining technology takers,” Coony said.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Intellectual property rights could also pose a barrier to technology transfer. Patents fuel innovation and attract investors to companies that develop technology. But India and other poor countries have said for years that much patented technology is too expensive. They want green technologies treated as a public good. India had pushed a plan to use part of the U.N. fund to buy out intellectual property rights for desired technologies, but the United States opposes any attempt to change the protections.

Developed countries pressing India to abandon coal and fossil fuels more quickly will “have to pick up the incremental cost” of IP rights, says Ajai Malhotra, a former climate negotiator who advises the Indian delegation.

“Developed and developing countries can move ahead by sharing about technology, and it doesn’t mean this will deprive industry in the developed world of their share of profits,” he said.

Gates said in an interview on the sidelines of the talks on Monday that green technology companies could learn from the information technology sector on how to deal with intellectual property rights. “It’s like the IT space,” Gates said. “Some governments put the research into the public domain. Some license it. Then the start-up companies have to deal with intense competition.”

Gates said companies will watch their pricing on green technology if they want to access huge markets in India. “If you want India to buy something you better price it cheaper than coal,” Gates said. “That’s a very tough challenge for these companies. They have to come up with something that’s cheaper than coal or else the amount they are going to sell to India is going to be pretty modest.”

is a small contribution compared to all the resources and talents of those already working on these issues. But we want to do what we can, working alongside many others,” the couple wrote.

We will share more details in the coming months once we settle into our new family rhythm and return from our maternity and paternity leaves, Zuckerberg said.

In the letter to their new-born daughter, the new parents said: “Today your mother and I are committing to spend our lives doing our small part to help solve these challenges.”

Zuckerberg owns about 4 million of Class A shares in Facebook and approximately 419 million Class B shares. Each Class B share is worth 10 votes apiece which gives Zuckerberg majority voting power and control over Facebook’s strategic direction.

“We can make progress to-

Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla are seen with their daughter named Max in this image released on December 1.

wards these opportunities only by standing on the shoulders of experts -- our mentors, partners and many incredible people whose contributions built these fields,” the letter read.

“Max, we love you and feel a

great responsibility to leave the world a better place for you and all children. We wish you a life filled with the same love, hope and joy you give us. We cannot wait to see what you bring to this world,” the proud parents said.

10

thursDAY 03•12•2015

SPORTS/Public diScOuRSe

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Inter-Departmental Sports held at Tseminyu

Dimapur, December 2 (Dipr): The Inter-Departmental Sports Meet-Cum-Picnic for Tseminyu Sub-Division was held at Rengma Sports Association ground, Tseminyu on November 30 with Rengma Hoho President Kenyuseng Tep as chief guest.

Declaring the sports day open, the chief guest lauded departmental officers posted at Tseminyu saying they are well co-ordinated with each other. He expressed his gratitude and appreciations towards respective departments, particularly to the administration headed by ADC for organizing such sports-cumpicnic through which the people of Tseminyu Sub-Division will learn not only about sports, but also for individuals responsibilities for all round development of Tseminyu Sub-Division.

ADC Tseminyu, Vikhweno M. Meratsu, speaking on the occasion said that the purpose of conducting the Inter-Departmental Sports-cum-Picnic is to create more co-ordination among various departments in the Sub-Division for the betterment of the people of Tseminyu.

She also thanked all the departments for their co-operation in organizing the program, and witnessed their enthusiastic participations in sports’ events.

Four Men’s Foot ball teams and four Women’s Volley ball teams contested for the main sports events from White house, Green house, Blue house, and Red house. The White house men’s football team led by team captain, EAC Tseminyu, Shelly Katiry defeated the Blue house by 3 goals to 2 in the final match and won the football champion-

ship. In the final match of Women’s volley ball, Green house led by the team captain Hannah defeated the Blue house and won the women’s volleyball championship. Players were selected from all the 27 departments under Tseminyu Sub-Division.

Penalty shootout competition between NGOs led by the Kenyuseng Tep and HoDs led

by ADC Vikhweno was also held on the occasion where NGOs defeated the HoDs by 4 goals to 3. The program concluded with prize distributions, raffle draw, special songs presentations by GHSS students, and bon fire in the evening. The day long sports-cum-picnic program was attended by all Government employees, NGO leaders, church leaders, chairmen and GBs of the neighbouring vil- Stage-II of the preparation for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 was successfully conducted at Kohima Local Ground on December 1 and 2 unlages. der the tutelage of Bitan Singh, National Selector and Head Coach for Jr. Indian Team ‘B’. He was assisted by Roko Angami and Kevilhoubei.

JESUS AND DISABILITY Disability, Safe Environment and Women’s Rights

J

Samhita Barooah

Wati Longchar

esus brought people with disability, the poor and rejected ones by society into the centre of God’s Kingdom. All human beings are precious, valuable and they must be respected.

Jesus challenged discriminatory practices and the callous attitude of abled rich people. Those who were discriminated, excluded, ostracized, rejected on the basis of disease and disability were challenged by Jesus. A few examples may be cited here: The healing of lepers (Mt. 8:1-4; Mk 1:40-45; Lk 5:12-16; 17:1119) is an extraordinary act of Jesus. Leprosy was considered not only a serious disease, but also unclean – they must be quarantined and must live outside of human habitation (Lev 13:46, Num 5:2-3). Since they wereconsidered unholy, unclean, they were required to shout “Unclean, Unclean, Unclean” when they come near human habitat (Lev. 13:45-46). Anything that comes into contact with the lepers is considered unclean and therefore, such things must be burned and discarded (Lev. 13:52-57; 14:4045). Such disease requires cleansing. Until a leper is declared clean by the priest, he/she cannot go back to lead a normal life.

Jesus broke the cultural and religious norms of his time when he touched and healed the lepers (MT. 8:3; Mk 1:41; Lk 5:13). Jesus set love and compassion above any religious norms and rituals that dehumanized certain people. Jesus demonstrated that no disease can be branded as a disease of/for the sinners.

Jesus reached out and touched the leper. That was a radical step demonstrated by Jesus. Jesus need not have touched him – but he did – to break ritual taboos that kept people apart. Social barriers need to be broken down if true healing is to take place.

Jesus demonstrated to the disciples that they must come out of attitudes that bind the people in seclusion. Jesus commissioned his disciples to go and do the same act of healing even to the leper (MT. 10; 8). Are we then willing to break the religious taboos and extend a compassionate hand to the people with disability?

Another powerful story of the compassionate hand of God is the story of woman with the haemorrhage (Mk 5:25-34, Mt. 9:2022; Lk 8:41048). The woman was sick twelve long years. Defying the Jewish norm, she went and touched Jesus. Haemorrhage was considered as unclean and any such person with a haemorrhage had to be separated from people. The Jews considered even a woman’s normal menstruation as unclean. Even the bed where a woman rests and everything on which she sits were considered unclean (Lev. 15:26). Anyone who touches such things wasthus considered unclean (Lev. 15:27). The person could be cleaned only when the priest makes a cleansingoffering (Lev. 15:29-30).

When the woman touched him, Jesus turned and asked “Who touched my clothes?” In front of all his followers, Jesus then declared her healed and cleansed. Jesus broke the social stigma.

The social stigma associated to her due to her disease was nullified by his declaration “Go in peace” (Mk 5:34).

Jesus’ act of healing of a shriveled man on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-12) was another challenge to Jewish leaders. They did not want the shriveled man to be healed in the Synagogue on the Sabbath because for them the observance ofSabbath was more important than saving a life. They were afraid that this man would enter the synagogue with the ailment which would defile the holy place. Religious rituals, laws and finding fault were more important than saving a life. But for Jesus, life was more important. Jesus broke the religious rituals. Against their ritualism, Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath”. Jesus healed that person in spite of all the religious restrictions and the fact that the Pharisees were watching him. In his view care and healing is of prime importance than religious practices.

Jesus’ liberative work for the sinners, unclean and socially rejected people led him to the cross which stands for suffering in its most cruel form. Jesus’ identification with the victims of suffering and stigma was the significance of the cross. Having done no wrong, Jesus suffered, and hence identified with all who suffer ignominy and injustice, rejection and discrimination in their life. The cross was the symbol of the suffering of the innocent and hence a symbol of solidarity with all who suffer, especially with the socially ostracized sufferer, and this is the essence of the meaning of the cross.Jesus stood for the cause of the sick and disabled. He defended them against the prevailing attitude that suffering and physical impairment is due to sin. Jesus rather reached out and touched them to bring healing to the sick and disabled. He not only healed them of their physical infirmities but also restored them to their rightful place in the society. Because of his compassionate love for the disabled and sick, Jesus did not hesitate to break the Sabbath law (Mk 3:1-6). Jesus’ whole motive behind his healing ministry was not to present himself as a kind of healer or super-magician but his aim was to start a movement of hope for the hopeless; a movement from being a nobody to being somebody. On encountering Jesus, the sick and disabled experienced the worth and dignity of life. In the Kingdom of God there is nothing such as unclean or sinner that cannot be made clean again.

We can imagine what Jesus would do for persons with disability today in our church and society. Jesus will not take the road of denial, discrimination, ostracization and isolation. He would be there with them to bring healing and hope. Jesus would certainly condemn the Pharisaic attitude of abled people. Therefore, it is not our duty to pass judgment and undermine them, but accept those with disability the way they are and minister to them with compassion, open-hearted acceptance, love and care. We should allow them to grow and contribute their gifts to the church and society. The stigmatization of people with disability calls the Church to ask itself what it means, in our time, to be the inclusive community that Jesus proclaimed. As a community of disciples of Jesus Christ, the Church should be a sanctuary, a safe place, a refuge, a shelter for the stigmatized and the excluded. The disciples of Jesus are thus called to work for a church of all and for all.

Researcher and Travel Writer

D

ecember 3 is world disability day and also the commemoration of tribute to the victims and survivors of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy in India. It is a day to remind ourselves of the factors which could stunt the human progress when the aggression and exploitation gets irreversible. Disability is a human condition which gets restricted when it is limited by the externalities and most importantly the natural environment as well. Disabled women have diverse vulnerabilities when it comes to access, affordability and availability of a safe environment in her surroundings is concerned. The context of rural disabled women becomes much more problematic when one tries to examine the safe environment and association of women’s rights vis-a-vis their disabled condition.

A safe environment is very rare in today’s race for growth and excessive resource extraction. Every natural space becomes a lucrative source of income as the culture of commons and natural space sharing is no longer a practice but payment for free spaces and goods have become a norm. More specifically open spaces are shrinking in urban areas and every space is available with a cost sometimes

exorbitant and mostly nominal. In India disability is pitied, prayed, penalised and ridiculed even till recent years but until lately legal and social advocacy has somewhat created a niche for the disabled persons in urban pockets to find space for themselves. But majority of the disabled women in rural areas of North East India are still stone pelted, discriminated, exploited and excluded from social and familial support. Recently when I was conducting my field research, I came across a visually challenged 40-year-old single mother of 3 children living on the daily wages of her adolescent son in a village in Nagaland. She used to receive a meagre sum of Rs. 2200 annually from the social welfare department but this she does not have any such state specific support. Her house rent is Rs. 100 which comprises of a kitchen and a bedroom and she does not have a toilet shed also. I was almost shaken up with such a harsh reality of life, when I see many of the legal provisions, state support services and inclusive policies of various agencies forging ahead to include persons with disability. Women with mental disabilities are again much more traumatised in a rural context as their conditions are invisible and people tend to take advantage of their conditions. In militarised and rugged terrain conditions, support services and health-

care facilities are also skeletal and even if referral services are available there are no adequate transport to take the persons with disability for check-up, assessments, follow up and adequate treatment. Another mother of 7 children shared her plight with her four -year-old son with disability in a construction labour camp which I visited in my field area. She says she could never take her son for any medical consultation as she has to look after her other children and also she would lose out on at least 2 days of daily wage.

Her son survives on tea, biscuits and cannot have any other food. These realities somehow challenges us reflect on what has been missed out in the process of including the most marginalised excluded and invisible sections of the society. I wonder if there could be provisions for the state authorities along with the other agencies of change that could extend their support to these mothers with disability or with disabled children to at least have access to adequate support services.

On this December 3rd, I am just wondering how can these women exercise their rights with dignity and not lead a life out of sympathy and depend only on charity.

Disabled women also have the right to safe environment which is free from pollutants, exploitation, extraction and a culture of fear and oppression. A safe

natural environment is impossible without a public will to connect with their natural surroundings in a sustainable way. In the modern context our lifestyles are such that we live out of suitcases and bags and our only connection with our natural environment is when we breathe the air and use water for all practical purposes. So we are hardly bothered whether there can be gas leaks, petroleum fumes, arsenic, fluoride, lead, zinc and uranium and bauxite contamination in our water, food, air and forests which sustains us throughout the generations. It is a grave concern that only those communities whose living traditions connects them to their natural environment are making a noise about such exploitations and all the rest of the educated, civilised and modern world is indifferent to the indigenous communities, Bhopal gas leak survivors, nuclear power plant protesters, millet growers, food crop farmers, Jhum farmers and anti dam protesters and forest and coastal conservation communities across the world. In this context one has to wake up to the intersectional linkages of disability, unsafe environment and women’s exploitation as very dominant factors to address issues of sustainability, climate change, social inclusion and gender justice.

Starting Early – The Cardinal Rule for parents of Children with Special Needs Neikule Doulo

(Mother of an 11 year old child affected with multiple disability and the Chairperson of Enable)

O

nce again it’s World Disability Day, and this is one particular day when the world acknowledges the lives of the many people who are affected and living with disability. It is also one day in Nagaland when we see programmes being organized to celebrate the lives of these people who otherwise live lives of anonymity the whole year through.

And I do appreciate the works that go to make these programmes wonderful and thought provoking but on the flip side, at the end of the day these children go back to their normal lives that may be far from the gaiety as painted. The promises made by many on this day during such programmes are often forgotten much too soon. Therefore I feel that parents, stakeholders and persons with disabilities have much to ponder upon and have to themselves become champions of the cause rather than wait for help to arrive.

Many parents including myself as well as families with the persons with disability or the persons affected themselves have become a part of the greater network created out of the needs to fight the challenges posed by disability in one form or the other. When my first daughter, Veve, was diagnosed with developmental delays and autism in 2006 at the age of 2 and a half, my husband and I were totally unprepared to face the challenges. At that point of time there was very little awareness about the different types of disability more so about the different kinds of intellectual disabilities. There were many who came to me and said “Oh, autism means that she must be a genius of some sort”.

That is what they perceive of the disability and maybe what they only know of. I guess parents like me are waiting to see the geniuses in their children for we live our lives filled with challenges that many cannot even fathom or even take for granted. When I talk to other co-parents who have similar challenges we discuss issues like “How to get better tips to toilet train our children who are not toddlers anymore?”. Other issues are how to help them to communicate to us as they are non-verbal? And while parents of children with normal kids plan the future of their children and discuss about the best

college or career options, we are thinking of what are the things that we need to put in place to ensure the future of our children after we, parents, are not there anymore. And since our concerns are from the depth of our hearts and sometimes boils down to paranoia, we at times even fail to see the miniscule developments with regard to care of the disabled that is being done, because we need to see bigger things happening and quicker for the sakes of our children with disability.

In 2007, a few of our friends formed Enable and we have been doing massive awareness programmes and advocated the cause of disability. I dedicated myself fully to the cause that my family was catapulted into with the diagnosis of my child. For the next few years our friends worked tirelessly to see that more inclusions of children with special needs happened in schools and even colleges.

We approached the government and the boards to let persons with milder disabilities be given the opportunity to pass their exams to ensure better future for them. Enable even conducted researches to study the status of disability in Kohima and Phek districts of the state supported by the Government and though we wanted to take our study further, we could not get the funding to carry that out. All this and many more programmes were conducted and I feel grateful as I reminisce about it.

Even during those years I attended a number of training programmes to further my knowledge as there is huge dearth of professionals working in the field of disability in Nagaland. Last year my family along with another friend’s family were privileged to attend another such training programme at the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore for two months during which time I had the opportunity to really work on a personal basis with my daughter and observe her needs and requirements.

One stark realization that hit me was the fact that during my busy schedule, doing everything that I thought would be beneficial for her, I may have missed out some opportunities to have helped her more on a personal level. And though regrets maybe in vain, yet I realized that had I picked some of my skills earlier I may have equipped her better. At all the trainings centres that I have taken her, professionals kept telling us of the need to start early and I fully subscribe to it.

Hence my advice to all parents is that

if your child has been diagnosed with a disability, “START NOW”. Do not wait for someone to come and work a miracle in your child. You must realize that you are the best thing that your child has. No one can replace you in his or her life. Try to learn as much as you can and see what you can do for her/him.

My trip to Vellore was an eye-opener that propelled me to really rethink my priorities and also take action. A mother of a teenage girl child whom I met at the training centre said that she got her child diagnosed at 6 months and shared that they have been working with her since then.

She shared that early diagnosis could give them a head start in their life. I really feel pain for the many children in Nagaland including my own daughter who are diagnosed much later and even after that there are limited professionals to guide them.

This year has therefore been a remarkable year for my daughter Veve, as well as for me, as we “home-schooled” her in a room of our house along with two teachers with inputs from special educators that we linked up with from different parts of the globe. Her curriculum is simple and only caters to her needs and goals of becoming more independent. And though I have had to leave all my other works aside it has given me immense joy to see the simple progress that she keeps making at her own pace.

At CMC I also met a few parents who have given up their jobs just to help their children who were in fact affected with milder disabilities and that really touch a chord in my heart. My daughter is 11 today and I am proud of what she has achieved. She can eat independently, maneuver around the house and can lead an adult to what she wants. However we still have a long way to go as we work on her skills of communicating better and other areas of self care that she needs to master to lead a life of independence. And today I am quite confident that I know what I should do to help her but at the same time I am aware that her learning skills are not the same as when she was younger. So therein lies the challenge for parents like us. If I was armed with the learnings that I have today earlier, then I could have done much more.

Therefore learning from my experience, it is crucial that every child is given the opportunity for early intervention.

There is no denying the fact that parents have to take initiatives to impact the lives of their children. During the years of

advocacy, we felt the need for specialized centres to cater to the need of the children who are severely and profoundly affected by disability and we hoped that such centres could be created. However the wait is going to be costly for our children who are growing every day. The initiatives of our own Enable members Dr Asunu Thong and her husband Daniel to start JO Foundation in 2010 as an answer to the quest for their son’s future has given hope to many other countless parents including myself. Such more initiatives are required in many other parts of the state. And though everyone cannot start a school or run a vocational centre, we can always be there for our children and see what the best way to help them is.

And yes I do agree that even though facilities are still limited in the state with regard to disability, our children have much better options compared to the previous generations with the government, churches as well as social organizations propagating inclusions. However even for those special children who are sent to schools, parents need to be aware and see that they are not just attending the class but are picking up some skills in the classroom. The fear that I have with regard to the very “picture perfect” policy of inclusion is that the child may be just sitting in the classroom and not gaining any useful skill. It is a very noble concept for children with mild to moderate disabilities with some basic imitation skills but for others who have limited imitation skills and fall in the category of the severe to profound disabilities, parents will have to carefully deliberate on the subject and see what works out best for them and their child.

Definitely Governments, Churches, Schools, and people placed in positions of authority need to be sensitized and our work on advocating for the cause of disability cannot stop. However, parents will have to realize that our special children need us to help them survive in a world that may look so frightening to them. Even as normal people we are apprehensive of change and I think it is more so for our kids who do not understand the ways of the world and for a few they neither comprehend what is being spoken. As parents let us not give up on our children, but believe that they have a lot of potential. Our faith in their unseen abilities and our words of appreciation will give them the courage to try harder and not give up on themselves.

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.

THursday 03•12•2015

Hornbill Festival

by Samuel Seb Rengma

North East Day marks Hornbill Festival day 2

www.niathugroup.com

T

he north eastern states including cultural troupes from O disha, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab today performed dances and songs at the extravaganza North East Day here as part of the Hornbill Festival 2015.

The second day of the Hornbill Festival is dedicated as North East Day with cultural presentations from the North Eastern states organized by North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC), Dimapur.

NEZCC plays vital role towards the Hornbill Festival in preservation and appreciating cultures and traditions not only locally but nationally by giving a glimpse of the rich diverse cultural heritage of the country.

This year, NEZCC have combined the performances of all the seven zonal cultural centres of India.

Representing Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkota, Odisha performed Sambhalpuri dance. Sambhalpur is a land of myths which owes its origin to

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the legendary Goddess Samleshwari. This dance is also called Chutkachuta dance which is composed based on the various ragas of Sambhalpuri folk tradition. It is dedicated to Goddess Samleshwari Devi.

The melodious songs and typical bright and colorful sarees and ornaments used by the dancing girls are eye soothing.

Representing North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala (NZCC), Punjab cultural troupe performed Bhangra dance.

Bhangra dance of Pun-

jab is associated with fairs, festivals, marriages and harvesting. The Bhangra is danced by men on all happy occasions. Dressed in traditional tehmats, kurtas and plumed turbans, dancers perform to the rhythm of a drum called Dhjol. The dance is accompanied by singing called bolis related with life styles of the people of Punjab with traditional instruments i.e. Chimta, Algoza etc. The dance was very popular in Sialkot, Gijjranwala and Sargodha districts of pre-partion Punjab (now in Pakistan).

Now the Bhangra is very popular art form not only in Punjab but also throughout the world.

Andhra Pradesh represented South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur presented Tappetagullu dance. This dance is very famous in the districts of Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Vishakapatnam of Andhra Pradesh.

This dance is normally performed by the Yadavas caste. They are the migrating people and move from one area to another area with their flock of sheeps and goats to save them in the nights from wild animals. They prepare an instrument called as Tappeta with broken pots and skins of sheeps. These days, the dancers wear Tappeta on their chest and dance to the rhythmical bell sounds which are also worn on their thighs and legs. They also sing songs of Lord Sri Krishna as they dance.

From NEZCC side, Assam performed Bihu dance. Bihu is one of the most colourful dances of India. This dance is an inte-

gral part of the Bihu festival celebrated to mark the advent of Spring and the Assamese New Year.

Arunachal Pradesh also from NEZCC presented Eme-Relo dance. This dance is a traditional folk dance of Gallong Adis of Arunachal Pradesh. The dance is usually performed by the young girls after collecting fish from the river bank for community feats.

Meghalaya also under NEZCC performed harvest dance. With the advent of winter, the Khasis in the field are very busy thrashing the paddy. On the appointed day of the harvest, friends and relatives are invited to come to the fields for harvesting. In the field, the “Nongshoh Kba” or the harvesters make the ‘Phawar’ (Khasi traditional couplets) calling for the wind to blow away the chaffs. While returning home, each and every house gets busy in merry making. Men and women in traditional costumes dance with enchantment, rapture and delight.

Morung Express News

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WIN TICKETS to MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK

Four Contestants are facing their final challenge for the Title Naga Chef Season Three at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama. The restaurants of the contestants are Rhujak An exhibit at the ongoing floral galleria & stalls organized by Renphamo Ezung, Aromati Fusion by Salangyanger by horticulture department at Hortiscape at Kisama. Jamir, Naga Ambrisian Fiesta by Akitoli V Zhimomi and (Morung Photo) Chingtok by Imli Jamir.

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LIVE IN DIMAPUR

WORLD WAR II PEACE RALLY 2015

at NEZCC GROUND @ 6:00 PM

Andrew Ahoto wins best original vehicle

T

he Nagaland Adventure & Motor Sports Association (NAMSA) in collaboration with state’s tourism department today successfully conducted the 6th edition of the World War II Peace Rally. World War II Peace Rally is held during the Hornbill Festival to commemorate the Battle of Kohima and also to promote peace and unity.

For the third time in a row, Andrew Ahoto was

Answer these five questions for a chance to see MLTR live in Dimapur on 15 December, 2015 C M Y K

awarded the best original vehicle while S. Lanu Jamir was adjusted as the 2nd most original vehicle.

The best Dressed Unit was awarded to Tovika while best weaponry award was bagged by Andrew Ahoto.

Asenuo won the award of the best women unit. The most Disciplined Unit went to parliamentary secretary for fisheries Shetoyi Sumi, who act the commanderin- chief of this year edition of WW II Peace Rally.

Parliamentary secretary for tourism C. Apok Jamir and parliamentary secretary for art & culture Eshak Konyak distributed prizes to the winners. Parliamentary secretaries Toyang Chang and Deo Nukhu also present at the prize distribution ceremony.

Earlier, wreaths was laid by parliamentary secretary Shetoyi Sumi and others at 2nd World War Cemetery in Kohima.

The rally was flagged

off from Dimapur Stadium by Asangba Chuba Ao, IAS, Commissioner of Taxes. Ao in his short address congratulated the organizers for taking up the initiative to organize the event year after year in spite of all difficulties faced. Asangba said that the event was not only for fun but also where we can promote peace and unity in the state as well as in the country.

(With inputs from DIPR)

1. Name the three founding members of Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR).

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3. For which Korean soap drama did MLTR record the song 'Eternal Love' in 2014?

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4. Which song did MLTR guitarist Mikkel Lentz reveal as his favourite during an interview in 2010?

Answer:........................................

5. Where did MLTR play their first show ever in Asia?

Answer:........................................

To enter this contest, answer the questions, fill out your particulars below and send a cut out of this coupon to:

• Only original cut-outs of this coupon will be accepted.

Photocopies will be rejected.

THE MORUNG EXPRESS Contact No: House No 4, Duncan Bosti Email: Dimapur-797112, Nagaland

NOW SHOWING From L to R: Y. Longkumer, Registrar, Gauhati High Court, Nino Iralu, Member Secretary, NSLSA, NK Keny, PLV, Mayang Lima, Chairman, Mon, DLSA, and Justice AK Goswami, Judge, Gauhati High Court. Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA) today inaugurated its Legal Awareness Stall for the 10-day Legal Awareness Fiesta during Hornbill Festival here at Kisama.

• Ten winners with the most correct answers will be chosen through a raffle.

• Names of the winners will be published on the December 12 issue of The Morung Express. The winners will be intimated through phone and email.

• Winners can collect their tickets from The Morung Express office in Dimapur by showing a valid identity card, which matches the details filled in the coupons.

Name: Address:

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• This contest will run from Dec 1 to Dec 11, 2015

2. Which year was MLTR's debut self titled album released?

Purple Fusion performing at the inaugural night of the Hornbill International Music Festival at Indira Gandhi Stadium, Hockey Ground, Kohima.

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December 3 highlights

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WORSHIP TEAM THE PURSUIT

SEMINAR ON> VOCAL // B-BOYING DANCE // HIPHOP DANCE // WORSHIP DANCE // COVER DANCE.

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All Dimapurians are cordially invited to come and have a Healthy

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Winner of the first day Hornbill Daily Smartphone Photo Contest, Aseto Tepa, receiving the award from Under Secretary, Tourism Department, Keyirangding Hegui, on December 1. The award (Rs 5000) is sponsored by Tourism Department. The contest is organised by Eastern Art Council and supported by Photography Club Dimapur.

STAGE

SOUND

HOTEL

• Hornbill Motor Rally 2015-Domentation & Scrutiny of cars at Dimapur @ 8:00 AM • Cultural performances by various Naga tribes @ 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon • Exhibition cum sale of handloom & handicrafts products continues… @ 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM • Naga Hipfest Photo Competition 2015 continues… @ 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM • Naga Chef- The Entrepreneurial Round continues… @ 10:00AM to 5:00 PM • Craftscape 2015 continues…. @ 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM • Artist’s Corner continues…. @ 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM • Ziplines continues…@ 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM • NAAME’s Adventure activities continues…. @ 10:00 AM

to 5:00 PM • Hornbill Literature Festival at The Heritage, Old DC’s Bungalow Kohima @ 1:30 PM • Cultural performances by various Naga tribes @1:00 PM to 2:30 PM • Floral galleria and farmer’s mela continues…@10:00 AM to 5:00 PM • North East Conclave on development perspective at Hotel Shilloi, Dimapur (Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Nagaland Post @ 5:00 PM • Hornbill Night Carnival continues…@ 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM • 7th edition of Music Awards of Nagaland at NHV, Kisama @ 5:30 PM • Day one of Hornbill Rock Contest at Indira Gandhi Stadium @ 5:30 PM

11:00 AM | 05:00 PM

02:00 pm | 08:00 pm

12

thursDAY 03•12•2015

SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Yoddha Fighting C'ship concludes ISL: NE United keep

C M Y K

Mokokchung, DeceMber 2 (Mexn): Kishan Gupta, Roshan and Imkong Jamir emerged champions in Flyweight, Bantamweight and Featherweight Divisions respectively in the Yoddha Fighting Champion (YFC) grand prix which concluded here at the Multi Purpose Sports Complex, Mokokchung on Tuesday evening.

Hundreds of mixed martial arts fans witnessed the championship which was organized by the MFC. Fighters from all over the country participated in the championship and enthusiastically participated in the different categories.

In the first fight of the fly weight division, Aleto Nagi defeated Sashi Kant in 2 minutes and 11 seconds to proceed to the final. In the other fight, Kishan Gupta from Mumbai defeated T. Guite from Manipur in 2 minutes and 25 second by Arm Triangle and setting up a fight with Aleto Nagi in the flyweight Division final.

In the fly weight division final, Kishan Gupta emerged victorious beating Aleto Nagi by majority decision. Both fighters exchanged punches and attempted take downs till the last round.

In the Bantam Weight Fighters participating in the Yoddha Fighting Championship at Multipurpose Sports Complex on Tuesday, December 1. (Photo/Akanglemba Jamir) Division Gajendra Kharat-

mul defeated Rohit Punder from UP in 1 minute 46 seconds by Rear Naked choke.

While another fighter from the same Division Roshan of Delhi defeated Hemavi Aye of Nagaland in 2 minutes 24 second after corner stoppage. In the final Roshan from Delhi defeated Gajendra Kharatmul by unanimous decision.

In Featherweight Division, Imkong Jamir from Nagaland defeated Shantanu Pujari in the second round by unanimous decision, while Dipesh Rasal also defeated Satyajit Changmai by unanimous decision. In the final, Imkong Jamir kept his cool focusing more on his opponent’s weaknesses and emerged victorious via a split decision. Despite the heavy exchange of punches and attempted take downs, both fighters managed to stay on their feet till the end.

Exhibition match between Ritesh Paswan and Amartjeet Singh, Amung Konyak and C. Guite of Manipur were also exhibited.

Meanwhile, the organizers MFC has expressed deep appreciation to the different individuals, groups, institutions, the MMA fans and participations for making the event a great success.

Man City, Stoke, Everton down underdogs to make Cup semis

C M Y K

LonDon, DeceMber 2 (reuters): The plucky underdogs were brought down to earth as Manchester City, Everton and Stoke City reached the League Cup semi-finals on Tuesday, ending the hopes of second-tier sides who felled fancied opponents in the last round.

Manchester City were far short of their finelytuned best at home to Hull City, but still managed a comprehensive 4-1 victory while Everton won 2-0 at Middlesbrough and Stoke beat visitors Sheffield Wednesday by the same scoreline. Wilfried Bony's 12th-minute goal calmed City's nerves at the Etihad Stadium, but resilient Hull defending ensured it stayed close before late efforts from Kelechi Iheanacho and a Kevin De Bruyne double put a more presentable gloss on the scoreline.

Hull, who grabbed a late consolation from Andrew Robertson, had knocked out surprise Premier League

Kevin De Bruyne celebrates scoring the fourth goal for Manchester City. (Reuters)

contenders Leicester City in their last League Cup outing and City boss Manuel Pellegrini was not going to take them lightly. The City side included a number of fresh faces from their league victory over Southampton on Saturday, but was still packed full of talent, including playmaker David Silva who was making his first

start in almost two months following injury.

Things looked bleak for the Championship side when Bony broke the deadlock with only minutes on the clock as De Bruyne's effort struck the post and the Ivorian followed up to finish.

POACHER'S GOAL That should have signalled the opening of the

floodgates, but Hull stubbornly fended off the Premier League leaders and their rearguard were not breached again until the 80th minute.

Raheem Sterling whipped a cross in from the left and Iheanacho tapped in from close range to give City breathing space before De Bruyne grabbed a poacher's goal and wrapped up the tie with a curling free kick from the edge of the box.

"We only had 72 hours to recover (from the 3-1 win over Southampton) so it was a very good answer from all the squad," said City boss Pellegrini, whose side are also through to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Middlesbrough, who knocked out Manchester United in the fourth round, saw their luck run out against Everton while Stoke was the end of the road for Arsenal's conquerors Wednesday.

Everton went in front

at the Riverside with a superb piece of individual skill from Gerard Deulofeu after 20 minutes. The Spaniard ran from inside the Middlesbrough half before beating two defenders and finishing low from the edge of the area.

He then set up striker Romelu Lukaku eight minutes later with a delightful cross from the right that the leaping Belgian powerhouse headed superbly into the net.

Wednesday made the biggest splash in the previous round, crushing visitors Arsenal 3-0, but any hope of a repeat at the Britannia Stadium looked faint when Ibrahim Afellay volleyed into the corner on the half-hour for his first Stoke goal.

The tie was wrapped up with 15 minutes to play when Phil Bardsley smashed home a low free kick with Stoke reaching their first League Cup semifinal since they won the trophy in 1972.

hopes of playoffs alive

guwAhAti, DeceMber 2 (Agen- the former West Brom striker and Kamara cies): NorthEast United FC kept their didn't make any mistake in slotting the ball hopes of qualifying to the playoffs stage of past Arindam Bhattacharya.

Andre Bikey got the third goal of the the Indian Super League alive after bagging a 3-2 victory in their final league game night for NorthEast United FC in the 43rd minute, as he rose the tallest inside the box of the season this year in Guwahati.

Cesar Farias' men now move up to the to head in a wonderful free-kick taken by fourth position once again with 20 points. Bruno Arias.

The home side made their intent clear Saturday's game between Pune and Chennai now decides whether North East do in the first half that they were going all out become the fourth team to make it to the to playing their part in a hope to make it to the semis of the ISL this year, and that semis this year.

Meanwhile, FC Pune City failed to re- momentum continued even in the second half. The defence became more resolute as cord an away win in the ISL this year.

Handing a start to Nico Velez proved wonders for Cesar Farias as the ArgenTeams M Gd Pts tine striker used Atlético De Kolkata 13 10 23 the best of his goalFC Goa 13 8 22 poaching abilities to give the home side Delhi Dynamos FC 12 -1 21 the lead in the 4th Northeast United FC 14 -5 20 minute of play. A Chennaiyin FC 13 9 19 wonderful combinaFC Pune City 13 -5 15 tion from NorthEast Mumbai City FC 13 -11 13 United FC saw Victor Kerala Blasters FC 13 -5 12 Mendy pull the ball back from the flank for Velez inside the box, and the Argentine's the visitors started the half with a bang to delightful chip on goal made the difference. bridge the deficit of goals.

Romanian hotshot and FC Pune City The lead didn't last too long as James Bailey slotted a curling ball into the net to marquee player Adrian Mutu had a go on get the equaliser at the 8th minute. Jack- goal on a couple of occasions, but he couldn't ichand Singh remained the mastermind, come successful. Not only Mutu, but also as the Indian forward's pass found Didier Lalrempuia Fanai and Yendrick Ruiz pulled Zokora outside, and the experienced Ivo- the trigger on many occasions, but the shots rian could only square it to the unmarked never really remained on target.

The Romanian did see finally his imBailey, whose shot got a slight touch from Rehenesh, but ultimately, blasted the net. mense work in the half bore fruit, as his curlThe goal festival was just starting to begin er from a free-kick in the 86th minute, found as Diomansy Kamara gave the hosts the lead the back of the net. Mutu wanted to seal the once again in the 18th minute. Velez turned deal and snatch a point from the game as he out to be the assist this time, as the Argentine attempted one last free-kick at the death, but crossed the ball from the left flank to pick out his effort saw the ball hit the wall.

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STANDINGS

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Philadelphia 76ers end losing streak, LeBron stunned

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Los AngeLes, DeceMber 2 (AFP): The Philadelphia 76ers' historic and agonizing losing streak finally ended as Kobe Bryant suffered more defeat with the Los Angeles Lakers in his first road match since announcing his plans to retire. One more defeat for the Sixers on Tuesday -0-18 heading into the game -- would have given them sole possession of the record for the worst start to a season in NBA history.

They had already set a record for the longest losing streak in the history of the NBA, with 28 defeats stretching over last season and the current campaign.

But a 23-point haul from forward Robert Covington laid the foundation for a deserved 103-91 Sixers victory as Bryant and the Lakers tumbled to 2-15, the worst record in the Western Conference. Jerami Grant and Nerlens Noel added 14 points apiece while rookie Jahlil Okafor was one of three Philadelphia players to finish with 12 points.

"I'm pleased for the city," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "We don't want the streak continuing. ....

Obviously, this is a relief on many levels."

Bryant meanwhile was the top scorer for the Lakers, producing 20 points,

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a missed shot in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 1 . (AFP Photo)

two assists and five rebounds. Bryant's haul also featured four three-pointers. But the 37-year-old's effort was in vain, and his final numbers were just 7-for-26 from the floor.

"God knows I can't sustain that level of energy for 48 minutes like I used to," Bryant said.

On Sunday, Bryant triggered an outpouring of tributes after confirming that his glittering 20-year career

in the NBA would end at the end of this season.

- Kobe emotional – But it promises to be a long goodbye for the veteran superstar in every sense, with the Lakers inexperienced roster a pale imitation of the five NBA championship-winning teams Bryant played on during the previous decade.

Yet none of that mattered in Philadelphia. The home fans gave him a

standing ovation as he took to the court for the warmup and again when his name was introduced.

Bryant's coach from school basketball was also on hand to present a framed jersey from his prep years. "I'm not the most emotional person," Bryant said. "I try not to be. But that got to me."

Elsewhere Tuesday, the Washington Wizards stunned LeBron James and

the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 97-85 upset in Ohio.

John Wall led the way with 35 points, 10 assists and four rebounds as the Wizards improved to 7-8, easing pressure on beleaguered coach Randy Wittman. It was the Cavs' first home defeat of the season following a 9-0 start to the campaign at the Quicken Loans Arena.

James scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Cleveland but committed nine turnovers, part of an overall tally of 19, just short of their season-high 21 set in a double-overtime loss. "They beat us from beginning to end," James said. "They beat us in every facet of the game, right from the beginning.

Their pace, their speed, their ability to get the ball up the floor really caused us problems tonight." Wittman's position had been called into question after a dismal start to the season for the Wizards, who reached the second round of the playoffs last year. The hero for Wittman was Wall, who became the first Wizards player to bag a 30-point game this season.

At one point the Wizards surged 22 points clear in the third quarter before Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova scored 10 points in the third to reduce the deficit.

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