March 20th, 2017

C M Y K

www.morungexpress.com

MonDAY • MArch 20 • 2017

DIMAPUR • Vol. XII • Issue 76 • 12 PAGes • 5

T H e

ESTD. 2005

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished Yogi takes charge of UP, Modi calls for ‘Uttam Pradesh’ PAGE 08

7th RoP: Agitation temporarily suspended KoHIMA, MARCH 19 (MExN): All State Services Associations has “temporarily suspended” the proposed agitation over implementation of 7th Revision of Pay (RoP). The decision was made after a meeting held between Cabinet Sub-Committee and office bearers of All State Services Associations on March 19 at Hotel Japfü. The Cabinet Sub-Committee assured at the meeting that the implementation of 7th RoP will be taken up in all sincerity in the State Cabinet immediately, according to a press release from S Takatuba Aier, President, CANSSEA and Convenor of All State Services Associations. The joint meeting was followed by a separate meeting of the State Services Associations wherein it was resolved to request the Government to convey its decision at the earliest. It was also informed that the office bearers of All State Services Associations will hold a meeting on March 23, 4:00 pm in the conference hall of CANSSEA for further consultation.

Clarification Apropos to the news item which appeared on March 19, 2017 issue of The Morung Express under the headline—‘Shocking: MLA threatened to withdraw questions at NLA’—it is hereby clarified that MLA Mmhonlumo Kikon did not receive any threat from the Home Department as implied, but threats allegedly came from ‘intermediaries’.

The Morung Express Poll QuEsTion

Vote on www.morungexpress.com SMS your anSwer to 9862574165 Is a new breed of politicians needed to trigger change in Nagaland? Why? Yes

no

others

Are the existing power structures the main obstacle towards equality in Nagaland? Why? Yes

61%

no

27%

others

12%

Details on page 7

o F

T R u T H

— Laozi

Aspiration to Achievement Towards women empowerment

Jadeja boosts India’s victory chance after Pujara double

PAGE 02

PAGE 12

Eastern Nagaland colleges in ruins ENCSU vows to fight until justice is done to the students’ community DIMAPUR, MARCH 19 (MExN): The Eastern Nagaland College Students’ Union (ENCSU) today expressed concern at several anomalies detected during their tour of four colleges – Sao Chang College, Tuensang; Yingli College, Longleng; Wangkhao College, Mon; and Zisaji Presidency College, Kiphire.

A press note from the ENCSU informed that out of 4 colleges, two have been functioning without Principals.

Yingli College is without Principal for more than 2 years while Wangkhao College is also functioning without a Principal for nearly 1 year.

While appreciating the Vice Principals of the two colleges for managing the difficulties, it demanded that the Nagaland State Government and the department concerned appoint full fledged Principals.

Regarding infrastructure, it pointed out that in Zisaji Presidency College, Kiphire, students have to sit for their classes in a hut. Informing that no bus has been provided for the college, the ENCSU stated that the new college building has “become just a showcase for visitors.” Even in the new building, it was informed that there is no water connection or electrification. Further,

Pictures 1, 5 & 7 show the pathetic condition of sao Chang College Tuensang. Picture 2: The old building of Zisaji Presidency College. Picture 3 & 4: The hostel building which is lying unused after completion due to the lack of grade iV staff. Picture 6: old building gate of Wangkhao College, Mon. now, it has become a place for college events due to lack of auditorium.

the ENCSU stated that the road adjoining the college campus cannot be used during the monsoon.

It further stated that building at Sao Chang College, Tuensang built in the 1970s and abandoned by the government is on the verge of collapsing. “The building will collapse anytime soon,” the union cautioned, while also expressing dissatisfaction with the work quality of the contractor who built the Science Block. Adding that the RCC building cannot be used for 10 years after its completion, it questioned whether the government had initiated any action against the Engineer and the Contractor.

Meanwhile, Yingli College, since

it was communalized by the government in 2016, has not been sanctioned any fund for the construction of building, the ENCSU informed. “Except the construction of Principal’s quarter, the government has ignored the college in all the developmental activities,” it said.

In Mon, the ENCSU detected that Wangkhao College has no auditorium or hall. “The college has to organize all the events either in open space or sophisticated class room,” it stated The Chemistry Department in Sao Chang College meanwhile is running with a single teacher and the laboratories are running without lab assistants, it added.

The union also revealed that all the

UGC sponsored projects “have to be stranded because of failure of Government of Nagaland to release state share.”

Regarding the teaching faculty, the ENCSU demanded that the government take action against irregular employees. It further questioned why all regular teachers from colleges of Eastern Nagaland are being attached to Kohima and Dimapur colleges and at Directorate, while contract appointees are being sent to Eastern Nagaland.

The ENCSU demanded that all such attachment must be cancelled within 15 days from issuing of this press release and the teachers concerned be retained in their respective postings immediately. It also asked that the can-

cellation notification be intimated to the respective colleges and published in the media within a stipulated time.

It warned teachers who do not stay in their place of posting to refrain from this practice and urged the government to create regular posts instead of appointing teachers on contract basis.

The ENCSU also pointed several anomalies with regard to hostel facilities, transportation and library facilities in the colleges.

Meanwhile, the union acknowledged the staff of the colleges for rendering their services despite facing several difficulties and asked the government and the Higher Education Department to “extend all possibly support to private colleges of the region by upgrading the library and other basic necessary.”

It informed that the ENCSU would submit a representation to the Nagaland government with all the facts and figures collected during the tour. “The Union will fight until the justice is done to the students’ community by the Government and the concerned Department,” it asserted.

The ENCSU further sought the support and cooperation from the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO), Eastern Nagaland Legislators’ Union (ENLU), Eastern Nagaland Gazette Officers’ Association (ENGOA), Eastern Nagaland Women Organisation (ENWO), Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) and the people of the area.

More ATM booths demanded in Pfütsero How a village in Phek dist. revived millets and became gender wise

PfütsERo, MARCH 19 (MExN): Kalos Society, Pfütsero today lamented the neglect that the State Bank of India (SBI), Pfütsero Branch has been facing despite repeated appeal and protest by the public as well as the customers.

The Director of the Society in a press statement pointed out that the function of the branch is “increasingly mounting” with growth of its customers and flow of government funds. “However, the bank could not function smoothly due to shortage of certain basic amenities.”

The Society denounced the authority concerned for the neglect and put forth demands to alleviate the hardships of the public and the bank personnel.

It demanded additional ATM booths at Pfütsero Town to cater to the needs of growing customers and also to ease the extra burdens of the bank personnel.

Pointing out the bank could not execute its duties smoothly due to inadequate staffs, Kalos Society further stated that additional field officers – one accountant and three clerical staffs with permanent posting – are necessary at this hour to facilitate the needs of the customers and to keep the managerial works more effective. It was informed that only four bank officers were seen handling the management of the branch.

The statement also highlighted the agony caused to customers in updating passbooks. “Non availability of proper printer has distressed the customers as they have to wait for weeks/months to get their passbook updated or have to search nearby SBI Bank to do that petty job,” it said. In this regard, the Society urged the authority concerned to provide proper passbook printer (SWAYAM – self service bank passbook printing machine).

The branch, it added, needs renovation and revamp in certain areas, especially infrastructures, internet facilities and electrifications.

Meanwhile, Kalos Society called the attention of the authority concerned, administration, and public leaders to survey the “undue hardships” faced by the bank officials and the public and bring “exceptional solution” at the earliest.

An appeal was also made to the public to acknowledge and cooperate with the SBI Pfütsero Branch officials who are “tirelessly and silently working without hesitancy” for the welfare of their customers. “Despite public outrage, criticisms and threats caused to them due to shortage of certain amenities, the officials are working wholeheartedly to facilitate the needs of its valued customers,” the statement noted.

UNC lifts economic blockade newmai news network Senapati | March 19

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P o W e R

The United Naga Council (UNC) will lift the economic blockade on the National Highways linking Manipur from Sunday midnight following a “fruitful” tripartite talk involving the Centre, Manipur government and UNC at Senapati district headquarters this afternoon.

Talking to NNN after the meeting, UNC General Secretary S Milan said the economic blockade will be lifted from midnight of March 19 following the agreement between the participating parties in the talk.

“We’re very happy that the UNC has agreed to lift the blockade. We had a fruitful negotiation,” Joint Secretary, NE, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Satyendar Garg told media after the meeting at Senapati. He said the UNC has its grievances and that today’s agreement said all stakeholders will be consulted on the issue.

Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said his new government’s promise to the people to open the blockade within 24 hours after the new MLAs took oath has been fulfilled.

Addressing a press meet at Classic Hotel here, the Chief Minister further assured to take steps for

burial of those killed during violent protests in 2015. Churachandpur district erupted in violence after the Manipur Assembly passed three controversial “anti-migrant bills” on August 31, 2015.

Biren Singh also assured to repair the important Imphal-Jiribam road, NH-37 which has remained in bad condition. NH-2 and NH-37 are considered lifelines of Manipur.

UNC had started the blockade since November 1, 2016 on the two highways, NH-2 and NH-37, in protest against the previous Congress government’s plan to create two new districts, Sadar Hills and Jiribam. But, the government later created seven new districts, saying it was necessary for administrative convenience.

In today’s meeting, the Government of Manipur was represented

by Additional Chief Secretary Dr J Suresh Babu and Works Commissioner K Radhakumar Singh while the Government of India was represented by Joint Secretary, NE, Ministry of Home Affairs, Satyendar Garg. UNC was represented by its general secretary S Milan, former presidents Paul Leo, Samson Remei, Lohrii Adani, All Naga Students’ Association (ANSAM) president Seth Shatsang and Naga Women’s Union (NWU) president LM Tabitha.

Agreement of the tripartite talks In the tripartite meeting, the grievances of UNC which led to the imposition of blockade were recognised as there was non-adherence to the four Memoranda of Understanding and the Government of India’ assurance on the matter, according to the meeting agreement.

It said the Manipur government agreed to start consultation with all stakeholders to redress the same.

“The Government of Manipur will unconditionally release the arrested United Naga Council leaders and all the cases related to economic blockade against the of Naga tribes leaders and students’ leaders will be closed,” the agreement said.

It added that the next tripartite talks will be held within a month’s time at political level.

‘Welcome home’ prog for UNC leaders Elaborate arrangement has been made to “welcome home” UNC President Gaidon Kamei and Information Secretary SK Stephen in Senapati headquarters, who are expected to be released from jail by 12 noon on Monday. The “welcome home” programme will start at 1:00 pm on March 20. UNC leaders said Gaidon and Stephen will address the public.

Morung Express Feature Sümi (Phek) | March 19

In Sümi Village folklore, millet (Etsübe) is the ‘elder brother’ of the ‘female’ paddy (Erübe). Millets have been traditionally harvested and eaten before paddy; even the traditional millets festival once held greater fervour. Patriarchal as that may be, paddy won the war on securing the fertile valley, banishing millets to terrain where it grows best— the steep jhum field slopes.

This was no easy task. Like all domesticated crops, millets needed help from humans, sparse to come by in the past decade. Consumption had declined, so had production. The rich agro biodiversity as well as grain-based wealth of the people declined alongside. The people of Sümi Village in Phek district of Nagaland took timely note and action, leading to a prospering village polity. Women became leading decision makers in the change that swept the village.

Winds of change We are at a discussion with Diwetso Lohe (52), Pastor of the Sümi Village Baptist Church (SVBC), Neitelo Rhakho (50), Chairperson of the Sümi Village Council (SVC), Kezungulou Wezah (65) and Kezukhalou Shama (40), both members of the SVC as well as farmers and seed keepers. The discussion, at the SVBC’s guest house, is facilitated and translated by North East Network (NEN) Nagaland’s Programme Manager, Wekowe-u Tsuhah.

Wezah and Shama have become the second batch of women core members of the Sümi Village Council; 2010 saw the first ever entry of two women into the SVC alongside 5 male members and 3 Gaon Buras (GBs). In progressive ideals, the Sümi Village Baptist Church is not to be left behind. Two women are members of its core deacon board.

“We encourage women to take part in Church activities, to speak from the pulpit and take up various roles that influence society,” says Pastor Lohe on how they laid base to empower women to talk in public and assert their voices.

“Due to various programs and conventions of the Church, we became acquainted with various issues that made us realize that women are needed in making some core community decisions,” concurs Wezah.

Alongside, the SVC witnessed an increasing number of cases that needed women for collective decision making. In yesteryears, the women’s society of the village spoke once annually at community programs, able to bring only marginal issues to the common table. Now, they are part of the SVC that meets twice a month or even thrice a week at times depending on issues.

While issues particular to women exist, Wezah prefers to use a different example of women’s role. With women

(l-R) neitelo Rhakho, Kezukhalou shama, Kezungulou Wezah and Diwetso lohe seen here at the sümi Village Baptist Church guest house in Phek district, nagaland, in early March 2017. (Morung Photo)

taking up more activities at home and outside, she explains, “When material needs to be provided under central schemes like Indira Awas Yojana, women are in a better position to collate information on which family needs what, to bring the right beneficiaries.”

Wezah and Shama brought up issues of marketing sheds needed for farmers to sell their produce, arrangements to be made for visiting guests, right shawls to be given on right occasions and even bringing men folk back to the field for collective farming.

Pastor Lohe gives an example. In 2015, when the SVBC celebrated its golden jubilee, the women suggested that they cultivate local cotton to make the shawls to be gifted to guests. Their only condition was that men lend a hand.

This way, many young men and women learned to cultivate, process and weave local cotton, a dying tradition. Shama says that the knowledge of agriculture and seeds give women a position of influence over grassroots policy making.

Besides, “Women have brought a culture of dialogue to village council meetings by controlling the tendency towards aggression in the rest of us,” notes Rhakho who has been the Chairperson of the SVC for 12 years, and under whose tenure women leaders were brought into the policy arena. He remains skeptical that women loaded with work at home may find it difficult in the long run to step into public processes but Wezah suggests a way out.

“Men need to share the workload at home so that both can partake in decision making for the community. Like millets and paddy, men and women should work and produce together,” she wisely chips in.

Harvesting millets These visions for a shared future eventually led to the revival of millets in Sümi Village.

“Millets were always a part of our food culture. They were particularly known to be an insurance against sudden changes in climate or food scarcity due to accidents,” says Pastor Lohe after Wezah tells us the traditional lore on

millets. But a blanket ban on burning forests for jhum cultivation by apex bodies, the arrival of market rice, migration of young people to cities, crop attack by birds, difficulty to process—they list in that order—led to reduction in collective farming practices that help retain a large part of Naga agro biodiversity.

Millets remained uncultivated in the village for more than 10 years but any granary had stocks of old millets, keeping its whiff alive. 5 years back, the NEN Nagaland in neighbouring Chizami village started talking about the benefits of millets and its cultivation practices for the community. A chord struck home. Those who heard NEN’s message started consulting elders about the veracity of these claims.

Benefits stood affirmed repeatedly.

So the village decided to instate awards, three years ago, for the ‘Best Millet (and vegetables) Grower’ from the village. This was an extension of a previous award that prized successful paddy cultivation. The Church chipped in to gift winners (first, second and third) with cash prizes as well as farming tools.

“The award is always handed over to the woman of the household,” says Rhakho, reiterating women’s role in the growing prosperity of the village. Village decisions, he notes, on livestock or grains cannot be made without women. With millets, more vegetables get cultivated in the field due to which the local markets thrive. The regulation of rates for such items also needs women for they understand the investment— labour, seeds, tools, storage— required and can gauge market prices better.

Today, Sümi Village in Phek is prospering, becoming increasingly self sufficient in producing food, as well as economically robust by selling local produce. Its development through collective decision making has led to judicious use of central schemes that are keeping rural economies going. With its neat, clean and plural atmosphere, the village has become a model for progressive politics, sparking fresh hopes for a humanity that it not just shared but also self sufficient.

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MonDAY 20•03•2017

NAGALAND

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

AspirAtion to Achievement

towards women empowerment 23 Naga women attend women empowerment workshop in Chennai

Professor Martin Haigh from Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom delivered a lecture on “Pedagogic Research in Geography Higher Education” at Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung on March 16. A press note informed that Professor Martin Haigh is a visiting foreign faculty in Nagaland University for the course ‘Landslide and debris flow systems: Prediction, control and reclamation’ of the Global Initiative of Academic Network (GIAN) under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. The objective of the lecture was to help geographers and those in related social and applied social scientific disciplines to develop their own discipline-based pedagogic research and methodology.

WNSU highlights concerns at New Pangsha DIMAPUR, MARCH 19 (MExN): The Wolam Nyukyan (New Pangsha) Students’ Union (WNSU) conducted three days visitation and meetings with various departments and communities from March 5 to 7 in the village.

A press note from the WNSU expressed concern at the poor performances and functioning of the departmental in-charge in various institutions.

It particularly pointed to the situation at Government Middle School (GMS) New Pangsha and cautioned that “if any of the teachers/staff are found violating or whoever goes basically beyond the norms of VEC criteria quoted under Directorate of School Education, Govt. of Nagaland and caught by the Union, he/she will be held responsible for any of consequences.”

Besides poor performance of the exist-

ing Teachers in the GMS New Pangsha, the worst hardship facing by the Institution is the shortage of teachers with no subject teachers in English and Maths, it said.

It also expressed disappointment to see staffs irregularities, poor fund maintenance and the lack of lab technician at the Public Health Centre (PHC) New Pangsha according to the Committee’s reports.

While urging the concerned staff from the PHC and GMS to cope with their duties, the union also asked the government to take note of the shortage of staff in those institutions and establishments. It added that other areas in need of redressal are electrical department, Anganwadi etc.

Meanwhile, acknowledging the ENPO for its initiative on the border fencing issue, the union hoped for a resolution to the issue.

DIMAPUR, MARCH 19 (MExN): 23 women teachers, social activists, entrepreneurs, including those from Youth Net and Entrepreneurs’ Associate from Nagaland participated in a five day workshop on ‘Aspiration to Achievement’ held in Chennai from March 10 to 14. Twenty five women from Tamil Nadu also participated in the workshop.

The workshop was organized by Global Adjustment Foundation Chennai, with its CEO and Founder Dr Ranjini Manian and team, who provided the 23 women an all expense paid trip to Chennai and delivered resource sessions.

The workshop covered topics such as women empowerment, cross cultural integration , entrepreneurship, personality development, soft skills, beauty, health and fitness, self defense, community building, art work, public speaking, emotional intelligence, networking, online marketing etc.

Laxmi Narayan, Chairman of Cognizant India; Suhasini Maniratnam,

award winning Telugu actress; Latha Rajan, Director of Ma Foi Strategic Consultants; former Miss India and author Shveta Jaishankar; Bryony Ashcroft, Health Consultant; Mita, Banker of Studio Profile; Rohan K Abraham of India Trail; Octoli Tuccu of Global Adjustment Academy; Steve Borgia of INDeco Leisure Hotels pvt ltd; and Rohini Manian, editor of Living Magazine were the resource persons.

Dr Ranjini Manian who is also the founder and CEO of Global Adjustment which provides relocation and cross cultural training and education to foreign Companies in India stated: “Being career intentional, I am happy to work with Naga women because they are bright, well spoken and have such a good attitude.

Just giving them opportunities drives their hard work further for their own growth and national success .I am committed to enabling Naga young women leaders.”

The team of young women felt the need for opportunities of empowerment at the grassroot level

The participants from Nagaland who attended the five day workshop on women empowerment in Chennai.

and pledged to empower more women in Nagaland with the knowledge and skills that they have acquired in the workshop.

The cross cultural based workshop helped both states to learn about each others’ cultures. The women participants from both the states also teamed up to set up a joint entrepreneurship.

The participants from Nagaland meanwhile hoped that the Nagaland state government would also put in efforts to organize more women empowerment and cross cultural programs in the state.

Renponi Lotha, the state Coordinator for the workshop commenting on a talk given by Laxmi Naray-

an, Chairman of Cognizant India, who spoke on ethics, team work and business, said: “We felt as though he was an uncle teaching us about such complex business in such a simple and humble manner and made us enjoy the experience of a richly experienced and successful man, who also holds the credit of the Fortune 500 companies in the world.”

Suhasini Maniratnam, an award winning Telugu actress and wife of reputed Director Mani Ratnam meanwhile encouraged the participants to dream big. She shared her own experiences and difficulties when she first settled in the industry coming from a small village.

Archana, a student from Vaishnavi MOP College, Chennai who also participated in the workshop stated: “I was extremely fascinated by our lovely Nagaland friends .They are extremely sweet, humble and caring and honestly, it’s hard to find such amazing people in today’s world. I loved their traditional outfit and their dance which was so beautiful. I love their humility and patience and would love to visit Nagaland someday.”

The participants meanwhile affirmed to work towards creating gender balance which they asserted can only be achieved when each women empowers other women at the grassroots level.

33 KVA transformer reinstalled at Mangkolemba Health mela conducted at Nyasha village

MANgkolEMb A, MARCH 19 (MExN): The 33 KVA Power Transformer at Mangkolemba Power Station which was damaged on February 20, sending Mangkolemba town and its surrounding villages into darkness, has been reinstalled.

A press note from the

Mangkolemba Town Lanur Telongjem (MTLT) informed that the transformer feeds Mangkolemba town and 11 surrounding villages.

With the assistance of the Mangkolemba Ao Lanur Telongjem (MALT) and the Tzudayong Ward citizens, the concerned

department sent the transformer for repairing on February 26. A short term arrangement for power supply was made with the help of the SDO Power Department at Longnak which served as a lifeline for the affected areas.

The Power Transformer was reinstalled at Mang-

kolemba Power Station on March 18 which will enable resumption of normal life and activities.

The MALT has extended gratitude to Er. Tiameren Walling, EE, Transmission Kohima; Er. Chubatemsu, SDO Longnak; Imotiba Kichu, JE Mangkolemba and all the staff at Power De-

partment Mangkolemba for their efforts.

It further acknowledged the discretion shown by the public in using electrical appliances and the complete halting of small scale industries and machinery at Mangkolemba during the affected period.

Zapami village observes Sanitation Day

DIMAPUR, MARCH 19 (MExN): Zapami village under Phek district observed village sanitation day on March 16. This day is observed to commemorate the Nirman Gram Purushkar (NGP) Award received by the village during 2009-10 from the Government of India for achieving total sanitation coverage status. The Sanitation day was observed under WATSAN Chairmanship of Kedou Wetsah. This year, the sanitation day was observed through poster campaign and mass social work involving the whole village community.

The village roads, drains, community toilets, footpaths were cleaned. This year, household wise cleanliness competition was conducted for the 4 colonies of the village. The 3 cleanest families from each colony were given citations and prizes.

Kedulhi-u Wetsah family from the Kethuku colony was adjudged as the overall cleanest family in the village for this year. This was done to bring sanitation and hygiene awareness at the household level in the village. Around 550 villagers participated in the sanitation day 2017.

Villagers participating during the sanitation day at Zapami village in Phek.

A procession being undertaken in Chumukedima in order to mark the Feast of St Joseph on March 19.

campus, Tenyiphe. During the celebration 56 faithful and 30 Children received the sacrament of Confirmation and First Holy communion respectively.

Rev. Fr. Sajan, Parish Priest, Chumukedima accorded the words of welcome to the Bishop, Priests, sisters, people from the sub-centres such as St. Anthony's Church, Tenyiphe, Holy family church, Nagaland police, Christ the King church, Selouphe, St. Mary's Church, Singrijang, St Mary's Church, Deizephe, St. Paul Church,

The mela witnessed 307 outdoor patients, 18 IUCD insertion 10 ANC, 1 PNC, 12 gynae patients, 164 general cases , 28 ENT, 64 pedia, and with an impressive number of people coming forward for malaria rapid diagonostic test .

The camp was assisted by Dr Akaba, Dy CMO, Mon; Dr Supongmeren, SMO (Gynaecologist); Dr Chimang Paul (Pediatrician); Dr Yingnai (ENT); Dr Kumkiuba (Epidermologist, IDSP); Dr Elizabeth (Ayush) and Dr Thungdeno (Ayush) and several staff of the district health society, Mon. Announcement in the church, banners and posters were the main media used for publicity of the mela.

Orientation cum training on COPTA 2003 held

Participants of the Orientation Programme of NTCP at ADC Conference Hall, Peren Town.

Feast of St. Joseph celebrated at Chumukedima Parish

DIMAPUR, MARCH 19 (MExN): The feast of St. Joseph was celebrated at Chumukedima parish on March 19 with the Most Rev. Dr. James Thoppil, Bishop of Kohima as the main celebrant and a very large gathering of the people.

14 priests concelebrated with the Bishop. The Solemn Eucharistic procession, in a float in the shape of a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, started soon after the Holy Mass and concluded with solemn blessing with the most holy Eucharist at St. Anthony’s

DIMAPUR, MARCH 19 (MExN): A health mela was conducted at Nyasha village, Mon district. “This village remains isolated from the rest of the villages due to the difficulty of the terrains and the lack of initiatives of the people. And therefore this part of the district suffers from many problems rendering the people prone to a number of diseases,” stated a press note.

Deputy CMO Dr Akaba informed that the department had chosen Nyasha considering the fact that this village is one of the hard to reach areas in the district and therefore, called upon the people to make the best use of the event and get themselves check-up and avail free medicines.

Razaphe, Holy Spirit Church, Vidima, St. Thomas Church, Zutovi, Infant Jesus church, Seithekema and St. Joseph Parish, Chumukedima, and to all the invited guests and faithful from other parishes.

Bishop, in the introduction wished the parish community a very happy feast of their patron saint, St. Joseph. In his homily Bishop refering to the reading of the day said that by taking saint’s name at baptism one is linked spiritually with the saint, who not only intercedes for the

person but also becomes a model to be imitated. He stated that the three virtues that can be highlighted in St. Joseph were his docility to God’s plan, sensitivity to people’s feeling and readiness to undergo hardships to carry out God’s plan.

Rev. Fr. Mathew Rhamben, Priest in-charge, Longsa, in his message at the end of the Eucharistic procession said that St. Joseph, was a just, faithful and humble foster father of Jesus who carried out the will and plan of God in happiness. He urged faithful to trust totally

in God and do God’s will. “St. Joseph was an open person and before him any type of “ism” will stand no ground and “ism” should not be a hindrance to our growth towards Christ. The Catholic Church promotes universality and brotherhood of all people and all are invited to it to worship God in oneness and fellowship,” he added.

The hymns for the day were sung by the Choir of St. Joseph’s Chumukedima, GSS brothers and novices. The band by the students of Don Bosco Hr. Sec. School, Diphu added variety and gaiety to the Eucharistic procession. During the Eucharistic process prayer of blessing was said and holy water sprinkled on every house on the way side, decorated with lighted candles, Crucifix, and bible placed at the table.

At the end of the celebration, vote of thanks was proposed by Ashuli Joseph, Secretary, Parish Pastoral Council, St. Joseph’s Parish, Chumukedima. Rev. Fr. Mathew Thuniampral, Director Shalom, graced the meal which was shared by all.

DIMAPUR, MARCH 19 (MExN): A one day orientation cum training programme for law enforcement agencies was held at the Additional Deputy Commissioner’s Conference hall Peren Town on March 17.

It was organised by the National tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) with Sarita Yadav, SDO (Civil) Peren as the guest of honor.

The orientation cum training was held in pursuance of the resolution adopted by the District level Coordination Committee (DLCC) on March 6. Administrative officers from various subdivision of Peren District, police officers (OCs) from various subdivision, Food Safety Officer Peren, and Dobashis of Peren Town attended the training.

The function was chaired by Dr. Ngangshimeren, CMO Peren who is also the Vice

Chairman of the DLCC, NTCP Peren. Welcoming the participants, the CMO highlighted the gathering with the magnitude of problem caused by the use of tobacco in various forms both at global, national, and local levels. He also acknowledged the tireless efforts of the NTCP division Peren and the progress made so far in implementing the programme in the district.

Sarita Yadav gave a short speech focusing on the condition in Nagaland and the menace of tobacco use in the state. She further added that use of tobacco and its products is found to be rather very common among the general population in the state, and therefore called for strengthening the hands of the concerned department and the law enforcing agencies to curb this menace.

DIMAPUR

monday 20•03•2017

NORTH-EAST 3

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

The fire-fighting children of the North East & the debate over slash-and-burn farming Mirza Zulfiqur Rahman

community, the War-Khasi, a sub-tribe of the Khasi, has lived off the land for time immemorial. Their traditional knowledge systems and means of farming have to bepassed on to the next generation. The children are experts at their task and seem to be enjoying the fire-fighting.

The Conversation

On a wintry February evening, along a narrow road leading to a village nestled in the East Khasi Hills in India’s Northeast, some children are playfully running around with branches of dry trees.

Smoke hangs in the cold air. Around another winding turn on the road, a fire in the forest comes into sight.

A local farmer is burning the undergrowth of the land he owns, employing the traditional slash-and-burn cultivation method. This method, also known as swidden agriculture is referred to locally as jhum cultivation and has been prevalent across South and Southeast Asia for centuries.

The dry winter months of January, February and March sees scores of such fires crackling their way through forests, across all states of north-east India.

This fire-fallow farming method helps fix potash in the soil, thereby increasing its fertility. As I stop to watch the fire spread through the forest undergrowth, a spectacular sight, the children come and join me. Only later do I realise that they were not just play-

ing around, they were there as fire-fighters.

I asked the farmer about his land. He explained that he plans to grow pineapples after the soil is prepared. The pineapples of Meghalaya are one of the sweetest and juiciest in northeast India. This forest land lies along an arterial road connecting villages near the border with Bangladesh. Livelihoods in these villages are sustained by farming privately owned plots of land or community-owned forests adjoining the village. The major crops

are betel nuts and leaves, pineapple, jackfruit, oranges, bay leaves, bamboo, tapioca and honey.

As the fire quickly spread through the forest, the farmer called upon the children to begin their fire-fighting activities. The goal is not to allow the fire to spread to the adjoining plot of land.

The children get busy brandishing the branches they had been playing with at the edge of the plot. They rush into small nooks and corners to effectively contain the fire and put it out.

The fire controlled, the

land is spread with ash and dotted with embers emanating smoke. Not too dangerous an activity for children to perform? I ask the farmer. He shrugs, saying that it is normal. The children need to learn the ways of the forest, of preparing the land for cultivation.

They need to know how to conserve water in the dry season and deal with turbulent streams in the monsoon, manage fire and be aware of its implications, and assess wind directions from an early age.

He explains that his

EnvironmEntal concErns The Indian government opposes slash-and-burn cultivation, citing environmental degradation.

Central government agencies and the state government departments concerned with agriculture have been waging a war against such practices. International agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development are pushing local governments to regulate the practice.

Pilot projects have been initiated to counsel farmers to alternate management of farming practices, for example using conservation agriculture in neighbouring Nagaland. But when I ask about the government’s policy, the farmer points out that this is the only method he knows, and that

it has stood the test of time.

In 2009, Yale anthropologist and South-East Asian specialist James Scottargued that the “art of not being governed”, has been integral to the South-East Asian upland communities for centuries. Scott wrote that such communities, like those in north-east India, had long managed to remain “ungoverned”, avoid taxes, and escape slavery and indentured labour conditions.

Under this system, jhum was one of the preferred mechanisms to keep people moving from one part of their hills to another.

This allowed such hill communities to skirt around land tenure systems and effectively kept governance and the state at bay.

In the present day, however, communities do not move as much, and the intervening cycles of cultivating the same plot of land has become shorter.

The traditional practice of slash and burn continues to be employed, even if not many crops are planted in the same plot of land.

In this instance, the farmer explains that he will grow mostly pineapples, which will be interspersed with betel nut, jackfruit and

bay leaf trees. There will be broom grass as well in his land, which he does not need to grow, and which is an intensely invasive species. He laments that it consumes a lot of water and degrades the land faster, but is a very lucrative cash crop in the region, used to make brooms. tradition vs modErnity Slowly but surely, because of a rise in the demands and pressures of the market economy and greater market connectivity, monoculture – only growing one crop – has become the norm on many plots of land, badly affecting biodiversity. Elsewhere in Northeast India, the state of Mizoram has seen the slow and steady march of oil palm plantations. The state government supports such programmes under its New Land Use Policy.

Kolasib in North Mizoram was declared an “oil palm district” in 2014.

Monocultures such as rubber and other cash crops have been promoted in the hill areas by various land use schemes of the government over the past decade.

This will have a direct impact on small hill com-

munities and local food diversity and sustainability.

It is important to assess the impact of the loss of slashand-burn method of cultivation on indigenous cultures, livelihoods and on the larger environment.

James Scott points out that swidden cultivation is on the decline across South and Southeast Asia. However, we need to examine the stories of the existence of such fire-fallow methods. Can the slash-andburn methods continue to exist and prosper and under what conditions?

What would the future hold for such farm practices?

The clash between traditional knowledge systems and modern land governance systems could prevent the sharing of knowledge between generations, and the symbiotic link that locals have with their ecology and environment.

A community-based understanding of ecology and environment is needed to bring environmental politics and developmental debates in Northeast India back to the people. For now, fires continue to rage among competing development models over what constitutes long-term sustainability

Drugs worth over Rs. 225 Manipur legislators sworn in IMPHAL, MArcH 19 (AGENcIES): house of one of its legislators in Imphal. lakh disposed off in Aizawl Even The strength of the Congress in the as Yogi Adityanath and 43 members Newmai News Network Aizawl | March 19

A huge cache of drugs seized by Mizoram Excise & Narcotics department were burnt in Aizawl last Friday as per the court order to dispose off the seized drugs. The contraband goods worth over Rs. 225 lakhs were burnt near Bawngkawn Bri¬gade Field in Aizawl by Commissioner of Excise & Narcotics department Lalhmunsanga.

The burnt drugs included 2.652 kg of heroin, 368.881 kg of ganja, 22,54,376 tablets of Pseudoephedrine, 1,450 tablets of Alprazolam, 12,033 tablets of Parvon Spas, 120 tablets of Spasmo Proxyvon, 15.426 kg of opium and many other intoxicant drugs that altogether worth Rs. 2,55,17,849.

Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner Lalhmunsanga asked officials of Excise & Narcotics department to work under or as per the law while combating drugs.

He said that at least three persons belonging to state Excise & Narcotics department have lost their lives during anti-drug campaign. He added that the burnt drugs were Naga leaders headed by General Secretary of the United Naga Council (UNC) S Milan holding seized since last year, which was ordered by court to be talks with the representatives of Manipur Government and the Centre at DRDA Hall, Senapati headquarters on March 19 afternoon. The UNC announced to lift the economic blockade in disposed off. There is still a huge quantity of seized drugs which are yet to be disposed off.

Manipur following the tripartite meeting.

Bamboo loos make Panel seeks fresh MoU for Ranganadi hydel project Techi said the project MArcH families have been deprived comeback in Assam 19ITANAGAr, (TNN): The Rangana- of their rights due to lack of was commissioned on the GUWAHATI, MArcH 19 (TNN): Once a common sight in Assam, the indigenous bamboo toilet made a comeback in the carbon-neutral district of Majuli on Saturday. Three such toilets, along with seven concrete ones, were inaugurated at Jengaimukh village on the island on Saturday.

Considered to be natural insulators, these toilets were built in collaboration with a socio-cultural organization, an international NGO, and a tea company as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Bamboo expert Hemjit Mahanta designed and built the three eco-friendly toilets at a fraction of the cost needed to build government-sponsored loos.

"Bamboo is a natural insulator. To construct one toilet, eight bamboos and two bags of cement are enough. A bamboo toilet costs Rs 9,000 whereas government-built toilets cost around Rs 12,000," Mahanta said. The toilets in Majuli have been facilitated by the Srimanta Foundation, an Assam-based socio cultural organization as part of its Parichhana Jibon Project, the Andrew Yule Tea Company and NGO Bureau of Integrated Rural Development. "We want to promote bamboo as it is part of the social fabric of Assam," said Dipankar Mahanta of the Srimanta Foundation.

di Hydro Electric Project (RHEP) MoU Demand Committee has asked the state government and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco) officials to sign a fresh MoU for the 405-MW RHEP. The chairman of the committee, Taba Techi, said the land donors and affected

an MoU. Highlighting several discrepancies in giving benefits to the affected people, Techi added that the compensation paid to the affected people was Rs 1.28 crore whereas the compensation amount for the 75-MW Doyang HEP in Nagaland was Rs 25.93 crore.

basis of the meeting held on August 28, 1990, between Neepco and the then chief minister. Pointing out that both the projects were undertaken the same year, the chairman wondered whether there were two hydropower policies for Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

Man from Assam attacked in Bengaluru BENGALUrU, MArcH 19 (THE HINdU): A 33-year-old hair stylist from Assam was beaten up on Thursday evening. The police arrested the accused, Venkatesh (33), and sent him to jail. The victim, Samar Mahilary, alleged that the attack was racially motivated, but the Mico Layout police claimed otherwise.

According to his complaint, he was returning home from work on Thursday evening when Venkatesh, who was in an inebriated condition, questioned him about Debojit, who fre-

quented the building. When Samar pleaded ignorance, Venkatesh allegedly attacked him.

When his friends came to his rescue, they were also allegedly attacked by Venkatesh. Upon receiving a complaint, the Mico Layout police picked up Venkatesh. “He is an alcoholic and unemployed. He always picks a fight with neighbours. This incident does not look like a racial attack,” a senior police officer said. Samar has alleged that Venkatesh harasses women from the NE and even threatens their children.

IISc shootout suspect held in Tripura AGArTALA, MArcH 19 (TNN): A suspect in the December 2005 IISc Bengaluru shooting was arrested on Friday night from the Jogendranagar area on the outskirts of the city.

ATS Karnataka and Tripura Police arrested Habib Mia (37) from his residence in a joint operation. A Karnataka court had issued a non-bailable warrant against Habib in connection with the case. A case was registered against Habib at the Sadashibnagar police station in Bengaluru, following which police had filed a chargesheet against

him. It was on the basis of this that the court issued a warrant for his arrest, SP (West Tripura) Abhijit Saptarshi said.

On Saturday, the executive magistrate of the Agartala District Magistrate and Collector office granted four days' transit remand for Habib. ATS Karnataka, led by an assistant commissioner, flew him to Bengaluru in the afternoon flight on Saturday.

Habib's wife Jharna Begam, along with other family members and neighbours, staged a demonstration in front of the court demand-

ing his release. They claimed Habib has never even been outside Agartala and is known as a good man in the locality. Habib is a plumber by profession.

"We think a conspiracy against my brother is afoot by some sections with vested interests. He has never been to Bengaluru. Terror links is a far stretch. We are poor people living in Agartala for the past two generations and there has never been any such allegation against anyone in our family. My aged parents broke down after hearing the charges against Habib. We

want police to stop harassing us and release him immediately," said Habib's sister Maya Begam.

Saptarshi, however, said the arrest was made only after properly confirming his identity. "Only two days ago, we got the warrant from Karnataka Police, seeking his arrest.

Accordingly, we traced his presence in the Jogendranagar area and intimated Karnataka Police," he said. He added that there is "no chance of any mistake" in ascertaining his identity.

In another case, Tripura police arrested a 40-year-

old man accused of murdering his wife 12 years ago at Sonatala village of Khowai in West Tripura.

Jogendra Tanti, a resident of Chakber, killed his wife Anjana after a family dispute on July 22 in 2006. He went missing soon after the incident. Police had submitted a chargesheet against Jogendra Tanti at a local court stating that the person was absconding.

The court circulated a permanent warrant against Jogendra Tanti. Based on inputs, police picked up him from an abandoned house in the village.

of his cabinet took charge in Lucknow, in Manipur's capital Imphal, 60 elected members of the state assembly were sworn in on Sunday. The swearing-in took place a day before the crucial trust vote.

Earlier, Governor Najma Heptullah appointed BJP legislator V Hangkhalian as Pro-Tem Speaker and administered the oath in a simple function at the Raj Bhavan. Hangkhalian had won the Assembly elections from Churachandpur seat. After his swearing in as Pro-Tem Speaker, Hangkhalian administered the oath to the other newly elected legislators in the Manipur Assembly premises.

Seventeen of the BJP's 21 legislators are camping at a hotel in Assam's Guwahati, the 27 Congress legislators are in the

house went down to 27 from its original 28.

A Congress legislator, T Shyamkumar, had joined the cabinet. The BJP won 21 seats in two-phase Manipur Assembly elections held earlier this month.

On Wednesday, Biren Singh took oath as Manipur's Chief Minister along with eight members of his cabinet. The former footballer replaced Congress' Ibobi Singh, Manipur's longest serving Chief Minister, who had held on to his seat for the last 15 years.

No party received a single majority in the 2017 Manipur assembly election.

Fifty-six-year-old Singh is a former Congress member who joined the BJP in October last year. Y Joykumar Singh of the National People's Party (NPP) is the Deputy Chief Minister.

TRANSFORMATION CRUSADE 2017 Theme “Arise and Shine”

Venue: Kohima Local Ground: Time: 4:30 PM

March 20th Programme

Praise & Worship: Surhuveyi Tetseo, Chakesang Baptist Church (MH) & Worship Team Leader: Assoc. Pastor Zelhoutuolie Zumu, Tuophema Baptist Church.

Pianist: Miss Lozino Noswe Cantor : Miss. Zareni Yanthan Invocation & Offertory Prayer: Mr. Nitoshe Zhimomi, Assoc. Pastor, Sumi Baptist church Speaker: Mr. Rakopra Mekro, Asst. Pastor

15th Death Anniversary

in Memoria of C. TSENVUNGO HUMTSOE ‘20 th March 2002’

Dear Dad, We won’t immortalise you in the stars, because they fade away.

We won’t reminisce you with a poem, or a song, for it will be forgotten soon.

We will keep you safe in our hearts, for there’s where your memory lingers sweetly tender, fond and true.

“Separated by death, together by love” -Loving wife, sons & daughters

4

MonDAY 20•03•2017

business

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Centre to infuse Rs 8,586 cr capital in 10 weak banks Chennai, MarCh 19 (ianS): Contrary to its earlier stand of infusing fresh capital in strong banks, the central government has decided to infuse fresh capital totalling Rs 8,586 crore into 10 weak banks subject to commitment to quarterly milestones by bank boards, management, employees and unions, said a top leader of All India Bank Employees’ Union (AIBEA). He also said SBI Caps will draw a bank wise action plan based on which a tripartite agreement between the government, bank management and employee unions will be signed committing themselves towards certain milestones.

“The central government has written to the heads of 10 banks indicating the amount of fresh capital it would infuse during FY2017. But the infusion is subject to a tripartite agreement between the central government, banks and the unions for a time bound turn around programme,” C.H. Venkatachalam, General Secretary of AIBEA, told IANS on Sunday. He said the government has said that the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is to commit all the three parties to specified and quantifiable milestones to be measured on quarterly basis.

Venkatachalam said the reason for signing the MoU is understandable and AIBEA is ready for it. He said the central government has listed out five parameters under which the milestones would be fixed. These are: (a) active management of non-performing assets (NPA), strengthening of lending and monitoring processes; (b) arranging capital from the market; (c) plan for disposal of non-core assets; (d) divesting stakes in subsidiaries, closure of lossmaking domestic and international branches; (e) reduction in operational expenses including employee benefits to would be reversed once the banks turns around.

According to Venkatachalam, the unions may be agreeable with all the conditions barring the raising of equity capital from the market as it would result in disinvestment.

“All the government-owned banks are making good operational profits. The net profit is low owing to provisions for bad loans. If only the bank management focus their energies on recoveries than all the government owned banks will be very much profitable,” Venkatachalam said.

He said the capital adequacy norms or the Basel norms are for private banks and need not apply for government owned banks. “All the bank unions will be meeting in Kolkata on March 24 to discuss the government’s proposal,” Venkatachalam said. He added the government has asked the heads of the 10 banks to give their consent on its new proposals.

Venkatachalam said the name of the banks and the amount of capital to be infused by the government are: Allahabad Bank (Rs 418 cr), Andhra Bank (Rs 1,100 cr), Bank of India (Rs 1,500 cr), Bank of Maharashtra (Rs 300 cr), Central Bank of India (Rs 100 cr), Dena Bank (Rs 600 cr), IDBI Bank (Rs 1,900 cr), Indian Overseas Bank (Rs 1,100 cr), UCO Bank (Rs 1,150 cr), and United Bank of India (Rs 418 cr). Venkatachalam said the Kolkata-based UCO Bank management is likely to meet the bank unions and brief them about the government’s proposal. “No other bank management has called the unions for a discussion.

Perhaps this would happen soon,” Venkatachalam added.

Birthday Greeting Dear Along To my beloved cousin, remember that each and every birthday signifies a new chapter in your life. I wish that you continue to do good things and fill this new chapter with more wisdom and great deeds.

With love Sis Imdang

Canara Bank Recruitment 2017 Specialist Officers (SO) Job Vacancies • Organization Name: Canara Bank • Employment Category: Central Govt Jobs • Total No. of Vacancies: 101 • Job Location: All Over India Name of the Post & No of Vacancies: 1. Certified Ethical Hackers & Penetration Testers (JMGS-I) - 02 2. Cyber Forensic Analysts (JMGS-I) - 02 3. Application Security Testers (JMGS-I) 04 4. Manager (Chartered Accountant) (MMGS-II) - 27 5. Manager (Finance) (MMGS-II) - 05 6. Manager (Data Analytics) (MMGS-II) 04 7. Manager (Finance Analysts) (MMGSII) - 03 8. Manager (Economist) (MMGS-II) - 02 9. Application / Web Security Personnel (MMGS-II) - 01 10. Information Security Administrators (MMGS-II) - 01 11. Business Analysts (MMGS-II) - 03 12. Data Warehouse Specialists (MMGSII) - 03 13. Extract, Transform & Load (ETL) Specialists (MMGS-II) - 03 14. BI Specialist (MMGS-II) - 05 15. Data Mining Experts (MMGS-II) - 02 16. Manager (Security) (MMGS-II) - 19 17. Manager (Finance) (MMGS-II) - 11 18. Senior Manager (Finance) (MMGS-III) - 02 Educational Qualification: (As on 01.03.2017) 1. Certified Ethical Hackers & Penetration Testers (JMGS-I) - B.E. / B.Tech Degree or Post Graduate Degree in Computer Science / Computer Technology / Computer Science & Engineering / Computer Engineering / Computer Science & Technology / Information Technology / Electronics & Communications with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC/ST). Should possess Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification, Desirable to have possessed CISA / CISSP certification 2. Cyber Forensic Analysts (JMGS-I) B.E. / B.Tech Degree or Post Graduate Degree in Computer Science / Computer Technology / Computer Science & Engineering / Computer Engineering / Computer Science & Technology / Information Technology / Electronics & Communications with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC/ST), Certified Cyber Forensic Professional (CCFP)/ Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) will be given preference.

3. Application Security Testers (JMGS-I) - B.E. / B.Tech Degree or Post Graduate Degree in Computer Science/ Computer Technology / Computer Science

leisure

CROSSWORD # 3891

SUDOKU

Answer Number # 3886

Computer Science & Engineering / Computer Engineering/ Computer Science & Technology / Information Technology / Electronics & Communications with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% or equivalent Grade for SC/ ST/PWD) Desirable to have possessed CISA / CISSP certification + 2 years’ post qualification experience 11. Business Analysts (MMGS-II) - MBA / MMS / Post Graduation Diploma in Management with specialisation in Finance / Banking & Finance from reputed institutes with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC/ST/PWD + 2 years’ post qualification experience 12. Data Warehouse Specialists (MMGSII) - B.E. / B.Tech / M.E./ M.Tech in Computer Science / Compu ter Technology / Information Technology or MCA with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC/ST/PWD) + 2 years’ post qualification experience 13. Extract, Transform & Load (ETL) Specialists (MMGS-II) - B.E./ B.Tech / M.E. / M.Tech in Computer Science / Computer Technology / Information Technology or MCA with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC/ST/PWD) + 2 years’ post qualification experience 14. BI Specialist (MMGS-II) - B.E. / B.Tech / M.E. / M.Tech in Computer Science / Computer Technology / Information Technology or MCA with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC/ST/PWD) + 2 years’ post qualification experience 15. Data Mining Experts (MMGS-II) M.Sc (Statistics / Operations Research / Computer Science) or B.E. / B.Tech. / M.E. / M.Tech. in Computer Science / Computer Technology / Information Technology or MCA with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC/ST/PWD) + 2 years’ post qualification experience 16. Manager (Security) (MMGS-II) Graduation or any equivalent qualification. An Officer with 5 years of commissioned service in Army / Navy / Air Force and not below the rank of Captain or equivalent or an Officer not below the rank of Asst. Commandant in Para Military Forces with 5 years experience 17. Manager (Finance) (MMGS-II) - MBA (Finance) / MMS (Finance) / Post Graduate Diploma with specialisation in Finance with minimum 55% marks or Equivalent Grade + 2 years’ post qualification experience 18. Senior Manager (Finance) (MMGSIII) - MBA (Finance) / MMS (Finance) / Post Graduate Diploma with specialisation in Finance with minimum 55% std code: 03862

DiMaPUR ACROSS 1. Meal in a shell 5. Tablet 10. Demands 14. Sister and wife of Zeus 15. Whines 16. Fellow 17. Utility 19. Story 20. Snagged 21. Not the most 22. Quoted 23. Sprinkle 25. Catkin 27. A large vase 28. Small amounts 31. Minim 34. What place?

35. Tear 36. Brother of Jacob 37. Complaining 38. Celebration 39. Gender 40. Publish 41. Moisten 42. Threesomes 44. Spelling contest 45. Intimidate 46. Stretchable 50. Stairs 52. Language of ancient Rome 54. French for “Friend” 55. Tropical American wildcat 56. Expert 58. Legion 59. Possessing a weapon 60. Desire 61. Kind of bean 62. Utilizers 63. Visual organs DOWN 1. Goons 2. Fable writer 3. Chalk 4. Buffoon 5. A large dark-red oval organ

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

Game Number # 3887

& Engineering / Computer Engineering / Computer Science & Technology / Information Technology / Electronics & Communications with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC/ST). Desirable to have possessed CISA / CISSP certification.

4. Manager (Chartered Accountant) (MMGS-II) - Chartered Accountant.

Candidates with Additional qualification like MBA, ICWA, ACS, LLB will be given preference+ 2 years’ post qualification work experience 5. Manager (Finance) (MMGS-II) - MBA (Finance) / MMS (Finance) / Post Graduate Diploma with specialisation in Finance with a minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC / ST / PWD) + 2 years’ post qualification work experience 6. Manager (Data Analytics) (MMGS-II) MBA (Finance) / MMS (Finance) / Post Graduate Diploma with specialisation in Finance or Post Graduation in Statistics / Financial Risk Management/ Data science/ Risk Management / Mathematics / Economics / Financial Engineering with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC / ST / PWD). Candidates having knowledge of statistical packages such as SAS/ R / PYTHON etc. will be given preference. + 2 years’ post qualification work experience 7. Manager (Finance Analysts) (MMGSII) - MBA (Finance) / MMS (Finance) / Post Graduate Diploma with specialisation in Finance with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC / ST / PWD) + 2 years’ post qualification experience 8. Manager (Economist) (MMGS-II) Economics Graduate and M.A (Economics) with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC / ST / PWD). Candidates with additional qualifications like MBA (Finance) will be given preference + 2 years’ post qualification work experience 9. Application / Web Security Personnel (MMGS-II) - B.E. / B.Tech Degree or Post Graduate Degree in Computer Science/ Computer Technology / Computer Science & Engineering / Computer Engineering / Computer Science & Technology / Information Technology / Electronics & Communications with minimum 60% marks or Equivalent Grade or First Class (minimum 55% marks or equivalent Grade for SC / ST / PWD) + Desirable to have possessed CISA / CISSP certification + 2 years’ post qualification experience 10. Information Security Administrators (MMGS-II) - B.E. / B.Tech Degree or Post Graduate Degree in Computer Science / Computer Technology /

6. Pertaining to the moon 7. Beers 8. Part of the Bible 9. S 10. Temporary 11. Broken 12. Cabbagelike vegetable 13. Hurried 18. Extreme 22. Formally surrender 24. Ballet attire 26. Like a bog 28. Front parts of human legs 29. Anagram of “Tine” 30. Gush 31. A feat 32. End ___ 33. Mounting of animal skins 34. Idlers 37. Small songbird 38. Charges 40. Add 41. Keno 43. Melon tree 44. Screens 46. Aromatic solvent 47. Dawdle 48. Picture 49. Quotes 50. Oceans 51. Apprentice 53. Climax 56. Letter after sigma 57. Prompt

Answer to Crossword 3890

Allow bArge bill bloom build ChArge Children CoArse Crown dodge flower goes hAle hArdly hurry leAgue mAngle meeting merge move nine only

O

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overtime people rAys reACh reAson resign right sAfely seCt sheep smile sport stAmp sunshine swivels teAr teAs throw totAl vAgue will

D

Age Limit: (As on 01.03.2017) Candidate’s Age Limit Should be between For Post 1 to 3) - 20 to 30 Years, For 4 to 15 - 22 to 35 Years), (For Post 16 - 25 to 40 Years), (For Post 17 - 22 to 35 Years), (For Post 18 - 25 to 38 Years). The Upper age limit is relaxed by 5 years for SC/ST; 3 years for OBC, 10 Years for Persons with Disabilities (15 years for SC/ST PWD’s & 13 years for OBC PWD’s) and for Ex-S as per Govt. of India rules. Candidates Relaxation in Upper Age limit will be provided as per Govt. Rules. Go through Canara Bank official Notification 2017 for more reference Pay Scale: For JMGS-I Scale - Rs. 23700 - 42020/For MMGS-II Scale - Rs.31705 45950/For MMGS-III Scale - Rs.42020 51490/Selection Procedure: Short-listing/Test, Group Discussion + Interview Examination Centres for Online Written Test: (i) Bank will be holding online written test at Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Chennai, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Kochi, Lucknow, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam.

Exam Fee Details: Application Fee: For General/OBC Candidates Application Fee is - Rs.600/For All Other Candidates (ST/SC/ PWD) Application Fee is - Rs.100/How to apply: Candidates satisfying the above eligibility conditions Use Following Procedure Given Below to Apply Online: 1. Go to Canara Bank careers page at www.canarabank.com 2. Read the Advertisement carefully to be sure about your eligibility 3. Click on the link New Registration 4. Fill up all the required fields 5. Ensuretheinformationprovidediscorrect 6. Submit the application & Make Payments 7. Take a print out of Canara Bank Recruitment 2017 online application form Important Dates: 1. Starting Date for Submission of Online Application: 15.03.2017 2. Last date for Submission of Online Application: 05.04.2017 3. Last Date for Receipt of physical application for the post of Manager Security: 12.04.2017 4. Date of Written Examination: May/ June 2017

TaHaMZaM

std code: 03871

(formerly senapati)

police station fire brigade

222246 222491

Civil hospital

232224

emergency

229529 229474

mh hospital

227930 231081

fire brigade

2222952

faith hospital

228846

naga hospital

2222916

shamrock hospital

228254

oking hospital

2243339

Zion hospital

231864 224117 227337

bethel nursing home

2224202

northeast shuttles

08974997923

police Control room

228400

KohimA ps/oCs Contact numbers

Police Traffic Control

232106

north ps

KOHiMa

east police station

227607

west police station

232181

south ps

Cihsr (referral hospital)

242555 242533

Zubza ps

dimapur hospital

224041 248011

131/228404

Airport indian Airlines

229366 242441 225212

Officer-in-Charge 8575045516 tseminyu ps

8575045507

Officer-in-Charge 8575045517 8575045505

Officer-in-Charge 8575045515

nagaland multispecialty health & research Centre

248302, 09856006026

eden medical Centre

248288

C

Chiephobozou ps 8575045506

Kezocha ps

232032, 231031

R

8575045508

Khuzama ps

nikos hospital and research Centre

A

8575045502

Officer-in-Charge 8575045518

railway

E

8575045501

Officer-in-Charge 8575045520

Apollo hospital info Centre 230695/ 9402435652

S

std code: 0370

Officer-in-Charge 8575045510

Chumukedima fire brigade 282777

W

marks or Equivalent Grade + 2 years’ post qualification experience

8575045549

Officer-in-Charge 8575045538

H

women Cell

8575045509

Officer-in-Charge 8575045519 Control room

8575045500 (Emergency No. – 100)

FiRE STaTiONS

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MOnday 20•03•2017

NAGALAND

Congress a ‘sickular’ Party, ACAUT, others condemn assault on Dr. Aotoshi not secular: BJP Nagaland Dimapur, march 19 (mExN): The Bharatiya Janata Party Nagaland today accused the NPCC of projecting a secular image only during elections to get votes but becoming “sickular” or non-secular and ruling with “fundamentalist vigour” thereafter.

The Congress Party is “culturally and regionally dividing the nation,” BJP Nagaland said in a statement issued by its General Secretary (Media) & Spokesperson Jaangsillung Gonmei.

The Party was responding to allegations levelled by Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee President K Therie at the introductory programme for the new team of Nagaland Pradesh Youth Congress (NPYC) at Congress Bhavan in Kohima on March 17.

The NPCC President has sounded his “acute desperation because of his Congress party’s grand losses across the country and the North East” BJP said.

“Criticizing BJP has always been the Congress’ escapist method to camouflage its own faults, weakness, non-secularism, corruption and misrules to shield its leaders from their disgruntled workers,” it added.

Responding to allegations of erosion of cultures and traditions etc, the BJP said that

Political parties are not responsible for that as, “Religion is a private matter and only the individual Christian’s inward qualities determine its larger Christian image by conforming to and most importantly, practicing in daily life, it’s tenets.”

The Party also maintained that the fundamental rights under “Article 29, 30 besides the Directive Principles and 371(A) offer sufficient protection for religion, tradition, cultures, education etc.”

The NPCC President’s feigned apprehension of abrogating Art 371(A) is just a weak pretext expecting to draw ignorant votes, the BJP claimed.

On the issue of corruption and other related issues, the Party responded that, “All these of congress misrules have made all the Nagas backward spiritually, ethically, culturally unable to grab modernity.”

Congress’ money centric politics have created generations of greedy materialistic and therefore non-practicing Christians harbouring divisions on tribal, regional, village lines, it further alleged.

The BJP and its allies are committed to build a strong nation throughout the length and breadth of the country on the principles of “Sabka Saath, Sabka ka Vikas” or “Together

with all, Development of all”, it added.

It further reminded BJP in eight years has achieved what the “Congress Government could not do in 50 years” on Naga Political issue. It was the BJP Government under Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who on October 28, 2003 described the ‘uniqueness’ of Naga political struggle and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government, who reached the “Framework Agreement of 3rd August, 2015.”

On the EVM, the BJP Nagaland said that since its introduction in 1982, “only losers complained about EVMs” and it continue to end up as the convenient 'fall guy' for parties and candidates in the face of electoral defeat.

“Controversies about EVMs have been raised time and again...Over the years, all the courts and ECI had attested its non-tamperability. Sufficient four layer safeguards of Software, administrative, technical and judicial scrutiny ensures that these machines are fully tamper-proof.”

It will be further reinforced with the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) besides extreme weather proofs to enhance its non-tamperability, the BJP Nagaland stated.

Dimapur, march 19 (mExN): ACAUT Nagaland has condemned the assault on a “respected and law abiding” Dimapur citizen in a road rage incident at Purana Bazar, Dimapur on March 18.

A press release from the Media Cell ACAUT Nagaland stated that Dr. Aotoshi, CEO of Widows Media and Pro-Chairman of Delhi Public School (Dimapur) and a consultative body member of ACAUT Nagaland, was “brutally attacked and threatened”. And despite his wife’s repeated plea to allow the profusely bleeding Dr. Aotoshi’s to go for medical treatment, the assailant refused

demned the “barbaric” physical assault on Dr. Aotoshi, one of its “bonafide permanent citizens”, on Saturday evening. Taking note of the abusive languages and threat to Dr. Aotoshi, a press release from the Council maintained that such behavior was “unacceptable” and that it has no place in a civilized society.

The Council further urged the law enforcing agency to take appropriate actions against such crimes and make Dimapur city a better place.

In a separate press release, Darogapathar Village Council: the Business Association of DaThe Darogapathar Village rogapathar also strongly conCouncil has vehemently con- demned the unprovoked attack to let him go and instead hurled further abuses and threatened him, it informed.

Stating that “Dadagiri and Gooda Raj culture” are a thing of the past, ACAUT Nagaland demanded that the assailant be booked under relevant sections of the penal code and punished promptly to set an example that law breakers will be held accountable. “Law abiding citizens are comforted by the fact that rule of law prevails in Nagaland,” it added.

and posterity.”

The Council also urged the government to implement the Nagaland Land and Revenue (Amendment) Act, 1978 in letter and in spirit. It appealed to the government of the day to send necessary instructions to the Deputy Commissioners, Revenue Officers and Village authorities concerned to strictly adhere to the law and protect “our” land and properties.

With regard to the Intanki National Park, the memo pointed out there has been rampant encroachments on the area and “devastation of forest by private

Dimapur , march 19 (mExN): A Three-Day Spiritual Convention was held at Holy Cross, Dimapur from March 17 to 19 with Rev. Fr. Biju Koonan VC & Tabor Team, Mumbai animating the convention which was held on the theme “Take delight to the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37).

The first day was spent in Praise & Worship Sessions on God’s Love, Jesus the Saviour and Healing Mass. On Saturday, there was Praise & Worship, Counseling, Deliverance Adoration, Confession and Healing Mass.

“Twenty priests sat for confession and hundreds went to the sacrament of Confession and experienced God’s unlimited and

bountiful forgiveness, and deliverance,” a press release informed.

On Sunday, the concluding day, the first part was spent in Praise and worship and Healing mass, while in the afternoon, thousands lined up to be touched

by Fr. Biju as others prayed and worshiped in the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar, the release informed.

Most Rev. Dr. James Thoppil, the Bishop of Kohima concluded the retreat with a prayer and final blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.

The healing and deliverance sessions continued late into the evening with thousands of faithful from different denominations benefitting from the convention.

individuals in connivance with all type of elements.” The NTC said it reported the matter to the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment and sought immediate intervention but there has been no immediate response. It therefore requested the State Government “not to remain helpless spectator to these destructive activities but rise to protect the National Park without delay.”

Extension of Bengal EasternFrontier Regulation (BEFR) Act of 1873 to cover the entire administrative jurisdiction of Nagaland was also one of the demands. The Inner Line Permit was provided

for the State of Nagaland under the BEFR Act. The NTC further urged the Government of Nagaland to rename the Gaidinliu Memorial Hall building and use the infrastructure for meaningful purpose.

The memo also asked the State Government to impress upon the GOI to revoke extension of Disturbed Area Act in the entire state of Nagaland. It questioned the Government of India “how ceasefires…continued when its legal weapons such as AFSPA and all anti-terror laws are forced on the people.”

Meanwhile, NTC raised objec-

tion to Uniform Civil Code. It requested that the State of Nagaland take up with the Union Law Commission and the appropriate authority to exclude Nagaland from the purview of Uniform Civil Code so that “the inalienable provisions of Article 371A of the Constitution of India remain undisturbed.”

It also reiterated opposition to the recognition of Rongmei tribe stating they cannot be given indigenous Naga tribe status in the State since they have no ancestral land in Nagaland. It urged the CM to respond positively in this regard.

Full text on page 10

Nieduzo Vero Zapami Village constructs extension building for GMS passes away phEK, march 19 (mExN): A hostel for GMS Zapami effective bility to strengthen the manage- standard at school level remains Kohima, march 19 (mExN): Nieduzo Vero, a prominent citizen of Phek passed away today at Phek town. He served in the District Education Office, Phek as SK. He was a veteran football player who represented the district at the various levels in 70s. The funeral service will take place on March 20.

Azo mourns Vero’s demise MLA Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu today mourned the demise of Late Nieduzo Vero, who passed away on March 19 at Phek town after a prolonged illness. Azo said that Late Nieduzo was a prominent citizen of Phek who contributed a lot to the society.

He prayed to the Almighty to grant eternal peace to the departed soul.

village community in Phek district has constructed an extension building for a Government Middle School in the village.

The village community of Zapami Village under Pfutsero Block took up the construction for extension of 5 classrooms as a community project due to extreme shortage of infrastructure as the 4-room GMS building was constructed 400 metres away from the old primary building.

The extension building was inaugurated by Gregory Thejawelie, State Mission Director SSA Nagaland on March 18, according to a press release.

During the inauguration program, Kelhikha Kenye Chairman SMC Zapami highlighted various initiatives taken up by the village community to strengthen the school. To support the school, the church, village council and SMC introduced Boys and girls

from March 2017, he informed.

The community also purchased basic equipments including Microscope for science practicals, he added.

The SMC Chairman further stated that the community intervention has yielded positive responses from parents and students alike. The current year witnessed an increase in enrolment of students, he informed. He later submitted a presentation to the State Mission Director for school infrastructure support.

The State Mission Director SSA in his address lauded the village community for taking the bold initiative to construct the 5 classrooms as a community project. He reminded the villagers that Communitization Act 2002 empowers the village community to have a sense of ownership of the government institutions in the village and take responsi-

ment according to the needs of the people.

Gregory stated that the various positive initiatives made by the village to strengthen the management of the school is a sign of the presence of sound leadership in the village.

He highlighted the various provisions under Right to Education Act where right to free and compulsory education for every child is guaranteed and urged the villagers to make the best use of these facilities.

He lamented that certain misconceptions in the non-detention policy have led to the degrading of quality in the results.

To boost the performance of teachers, 14,000 SSA teachers were trained by the SSA Nagaland at the block level in 2016, he informed. He however admitted that the SSA’s mission effective intervention to assess quality

a major challenge for the SSA Nagaland.

In this respect, he urged the village community to actively participate in the management of the school.

To address the general weakness of the Nagas in Math and Science, the SSA Mission is ready to intervene at the primary level by providing computer aided learning kits for Math and Science to the students, Gregory added and expressed optimism that the initiative would yield positive outcomes.

Further, to boost performance of students, the SSA Nagaland is looking at the possibility of introducing residential government schools. Currently, 6 residential GMS have been introduced in Nagaland as a pilot project in 6 districts with approval for the remaining 5 districts already obtained, he informed.

Teswilii Theyo passes away; CHK, NPC mourn Intanki ‘B’ Range staff march 19 the demise of Teswilü Theyo shift to temporary station Kohima, (mExN): Teswilii Theyo, who passed away today at Dimapur, march 19 (mExN): Following the recent bifurcation of Intanki National Park into two ranges – ‘A’ & ‘B’ Ranges – to intensify enforcement of checking illegal activities, the Protection Force of Intanki ‘B’ Range moved out from Forest Protection Force Camp near Beisumpuikam on March 16.

A press release informing this stated that the ‘B’ Range Protection Force under the command of R. Aaron, Forest Ranger, In-charge Officer of ‘B’ Range, are temporarily stationed at Forest Colony Ahthibung and will be stationed there till the constructed Barrack type Quarter at Khelma HQ is made habitable.

The Field Director who accompanied up to Ahthibung Forest Colony encouraged the Protection Force to be more dedicated in their responsibilities. He pointed out that they were recruited out of thousands of candidates with an oath to render service to protect Intanki National Park. He promised his staff that he will pursue with the higher authorities to give all the facilities they deserve at par with other uniform personnel organizations.

The Field Director mentioned that bifurcation of two Ranges along with division of staffs to two Ranges has been done in order to intensify patrolling routine along the stretch of the Intanki National Park and to ensure total check of illegal activities. He also mentioned that prior to development activities, checking of encroachment, poaching and entry without permission will be pre-requisite and top priority.

wife of former minister N. Theyo, passed away today.

A send off service was held at Midland Colony, Kohima this afternoon where hundreds of people turned up and paid respect to the departed soul.

K. Therie, President Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC), Rev. Dr. Vevo Phesao, Sr. Pastor CBCK (MH) and president Chakhesang Women Society Kohima delivered condolence messages during the service.

Rev. Khrotso Mero, Sr. Pastor CBCK delivered a message while speech on behaved of the family was delivered by Dr. Keveduyi Theyo.

The service was led by Vezopa Rhakho, Pastor CBCK.

Merangkong Senso Telongjem: The Merangkong Senso Telongjem Dimapur has condemned the assault meted out on “our respected member” Dr. Aotoshi. A press release from the Telongjem urged the district administration and the police to apprehend the culprit at the earliest and award appropriate punishment as per the law.

Healing Spiritual Convention held at Dimapur

Nagaland Tribes Council submits memo to Chief Minister Kohima, march 19 (mExN): Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) submitted an eightpoint memorandum to the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Shürhozelie Liezietsu on March 18.

The memo appended by Lendinoktang Ao, President and Nribemo Ngullie, General Secretary of NTC demanded that the Nagaland Special Development Zone (NSDZ) should be revoked without further delay. “The whole intention of NSDZ is to curve out the plain sector of Nagaland State for outsiders for permanent settlement. Such decision is antistate and suicidal for the present

on its advisor, Dr. Aotoshi.

“Such kind of brutal act has no place in our civilized society,” the Association stated and requested the concerned authority to do justice so that such acts are not repeated in future.

Midland Colony, Kohima “Her life was an exemplary of a successful mother, who possesses great qualities of patience, smile, tolerance, a warm receptionist having a humble heart and above all, a God fearing mother,” the CHK stated in a message.

“Indeed, in her death, we have lost a very dear person and yet we will continue to fondly remember her as an epitome of strength and perseverance of a mother,” it added. The CHK extended deepest condolence to all the bereaved family members and prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace.

Nagaland Peace Centre: The Nagaland Peace Centre, Kohima, has deeply mourned the demise of TesCondolence messages Chakhesang Hoho Kma: wilü Theyo, wife of N. Theyo, The Chakhesang Hoho Ex-minister and Chairman Kohima (CHK) has ex- of Nagaland Peace Centre, pressed pain and sorrow at Kohima, who passed away

MEx FILE NLA assembly session from March 21 Kohima, march 19 (mExN): The 15th Session of the 12th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) will start from March 21 at Kohima. Meanwhile, in view of the forthcoming assembly session, there will be a meeting of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) Legislators on March 20 at 4:00 pm in the State Banquet Hall, Kohima. All the members of the DAN party Legislators have been requested to make it convenient to attend the same.

Naga Republic Day on March 22 Kohima, march 19 (mExN): The Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) will be celebrating the 62nd Nagaland Republic Day on March 22 at 10:00 am at TPC Kohima. FGN Kedahge Gen. (Retd) Viyalie Metha will unfurl the National flag and address the Nation. The programme will be led by FGN Killo Kilonser Shevohii Keyho.

Three apprehended by Excise Dept.

Dimapur, march 19 (mExN): Excise personnel manning the Chumukedima Excise check gate apprehended three persons on March 18 and booked them under different sections of the law.

In the first incident, a woman was arrested for illegal possession of 172 bottles of the banned Codeine MMD Cough Syrup. The woman identified as Leuboi Newmai, a resident of Jalukie village, was forwarded to judicial custody and booked under relevant sections of the NDPS Act 1985.

In a separate incident, two persons were arrested for illegal possession of 588 bottles/cans of IMFL. The two identified as Amir Hussain and Kipito were booked under relevant sections of the NLTP Act 1989.

CANSSEA Dimapur extends support on 7th ROP demand Dimapur, march 19 (mExN): The Confederation of All Nagaland State Services Employees’ Association (CANSSEA) Dimapur District has expressed its support to the CANSSEA Central on the demand for 7th ROP for Nagaland state employees. The CANSSEA Dimapur unit in a press release stating that state government employees have always been at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts in the central government reaffirmed its “total and unflinching support” to the CANSSEA Central in demanding the 7th ROP with effect March 1, 2017.

Two discharged by FGN Kohima, march 19 (mExN): The Western Command of the Naga Army, Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) has informed of the discharge of two of its cadres. According to a “Discharge Ahza” which was made available to the media, the two cadres – Capt.

Vikehetuo of the 4th Bn and Lt. Visasielie of the 6th Bn – belonging to the 2nd Brigade have been discharged from “active service of the Naga Army” with effect from March 17, 2017 for extorting money from a petrol pump in Kohima. The ‘Ahza’ was signed by Maj. Gen. Dalung Panmei, GOC, Western Command, Naga Army, FGN.

Condolence service of Late Teswilii Theyo at Midland, Kohima on March 19.

on March 19.

A message from the NPC stated that late Teswilü took very active role in every sphere, especially for the welfare of the Nagaland Peace Centre, Kohima and termed her as a “loving, caring and energetic person”.

“Her immense contribution towards the upliftment of NPC will always be cherished. Her contribution towards the celebra-

tion of the Golden Jubilee of NPC will always be remembered,” the message stated.

“At her death, we not only lost a benevolent person but also a loving mother who took all the pain simply to delight others,” it read.

The NPC offered its deepest condolences to the bereaved family and prayed that the Almighty God grant her soul to rest in peace.

SBCC senior citizens fellowship Dimapur, march 19 (mExN): The Secheku Baptist Church Council will be organizing a senior citizens fellowship (i.e. above the age of 75 years) at Sakraba Baptist Church on March 25 and 26 under the theme, “The Lord has helped us all the way” with Rev. Dr. VK Nuh as speaker. Further, greetings will be brought by Former NLA Speaker, Z. Lohe, Kelhizulo Mero, Parliamentary Secretary Deo Nukhu, Rajya Sabha MP KG Kenye, and CPO President Kekhwengulo Leah. A press release from the Council informing this has also requested all the Secheku Public Leaders and Gazetted officers to come and receive blessings on March 26.

MONDAY 20•03•2017

IN FOCUS

6

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express VOLUME XII ISSUE 76

By Moa Jamir

A Bad Marriage

I

n a common lexicon definition, gratuitous have two connotations – firstly denoting something done without any good reason or justification; and secondly something given or done free of charge. In the ‘one-sided marriage’ between the Government of Nagaland and its employees, both the meanings are appositely applicable.

The non-payment of salary to government employees which crops up at regular interval is aptly illustrative.

While the employees ‘gratuitously’ give their services, the government keeps withholding the salary without any ample justification.

Relationship theorist or any agony columns will exactly diagnose the most common case of bad marriage or a one-sided relationship where an individual gets trapped in such a process out of sheer haplessness and desperation, though gravely aware of the situation one is stuck with. The other partner slyly takes advantage of the situation and tries to exploit it to the hilt. It mentally vexes the individuals, strain them physically and adversely affects their societal relations.

In popular culture, numerous books, films and songs have explored the concept. In 2009, Lady Gaga in "Bad Romance" explored such circumstances and crooned all the way to a Grammy Award. Theoretically, treatise on ethical relationship will employ the term as a “basic and trustworthy relationship” one shares with another human being devoid of “any abstraction other than trust and common protection of each other's body.” Others speak about each entities constantly creating spaces that value their own as well as other’s well-being based on “humanness and mutual responsibilities towards each other.”

In the context of business ethics, employment is considered as a “legal link or contract” forged between an employee and an employer with responsibilities and duties towards each other. Both ethically honouring each other’s duties and responsibilities to ensure compatibility and cementing the bond. It works when both the parties are considered stakeholders and key ethics principles and values “guide the structures, procedures, decision making, etc. within the organisation.” Accountability, transparency, integrity, trust and commitment are some ethical ingredients that strike one’s mind immediately.

In Nagaland, such relationship is missing between the government and its employees. Driven to the wall, the latter voice out in despair through strikes, protest or ultimatum. The former acutely aware of the upper hand it enjoys in the relationship, brokers a temporary truce, only to revert to the usual waywardness afterwards - the one at the other end too powerless to turn the wheel in its favour.

However, the same goes for relation between government employees and common people, where the yoke of one-sidedness trickle down shackling down the whole state of affairs to a perpetual affliction.

Who will resuscitate the marriage?

For any comment, drop a line to moajamir@live.com

LEFT WING |

Steve Parry New Internationalist

Warning: may contain fake news The media must bear some responsibility for getting us into this mess, but journalists can also get out of it

A

t the time of writing, 2017 hasn’t yet thinned out the world of celebrity like its homicidal sibling 2016.

Thankfully, the only global icon to die so far this year is the United States of America. And let’s face it, it was no Bowie…

Nostradamus I’m not, but after everything that has happened in the last year, who would bet against a batch of contaminated canapés at the Oscars wiping out half of Hollywood in a virulent bout of dysentery? The bookies are even offering odds on Kim Kardashian being Trump’s successor, and after 2016’s high-profile divorce from reality, I’m convinced anything is possible.

On that basis, I’m daring to dream and plan to lobby the Mayor of the District of Columbia for planning permission to create a grassy knoll opposite the White House. I think it would really brighten the place up. I’ve taken this seriously and have even committed the ultimate act of modern-day sedition by setting up an online petition.

Of course, my petition is a joke; in reality there is no campaign seeking permission for a knoll, grassy or otherwise, on Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s just an attempt to use this month’s column to generate my own fake news, as these days fake news seems to be where it’s at.

If things go according to plan, an overworked, under-principled content provider will pick up on the gag, ignore my obvious intentions and start frothing about sick, anti-Trump pinkos wanting to assassinate the president. It will be political incorrectness gone madder.

These days, it only takes someone to throw the most ludicrous idea into the clogged and congested ether for someone at a news outlet to pick up on it, recontextualize it for their own purposes and turn it into another piece of prime post-truth ‘too good to be true’ bullshit. It has ever been thus. It just used to be called propaganda.

The bottom line is news is a commodity and Trump clickbait sells. Journalists – or the Orwellian-sounding ‘content providers’ fast replacing them – are increasingly under huge pressure from their paymasters to dispense with journalistic ethics in the rush to capitalize on an audience hungry for spectacle, not specifics, for amusement instead of accuracy.

The temptation by news organizations to allow these unchecked not-even-half-truths to sit alongside genuine factual stories blurs the boundaries between truth and fiction, undermines real news and leads to a breakdown of trust between the public and the media. A breakdown exploited by an unscrupulous White House happy to swim in the muddy waters of misinformation and outright disinformation.

The media must bear some of the responsibility for getting us into this mess, but journalists can also get us out of it.

This is why, as it celebrates its 500th issue, New Internationalist is so important. I look forward to another 500 editions, unless, come 2020, President Kardashian has closed us down and turned us into a lingerie catalogue. Face it, stranger things have already happened.

Steve Parry is a comedy writer, performer and political activist. He is Welsh and lives in north London.

C O M M E N T A R Y

Zenobia Jeffries Yes! Magazine

What DNA Ancestry Testing Can (and Cannot) Tell You

A

s a descendant of enslaved Africans, I’ve always wondered where on the massive continent does my family have its roots. As I aged, I became more uneasy with the phrase “descendant of enslaved Africans.” Where in Africa and from whom, specifically? Millions of people from several different regions were brought to this land.

More than 20 years ago, my mother and aunt started a process of finding these answers. My mother then was excited to tell me about a man named Cupid, a not-so-distant relative.

The Rev. Cupid Aleyus Whitfield was born in 1868 to Cato and Amanda Whitfield, former slaves of Gen. William Gilchrist of Gadsden County, Florida. When he was about 16 years old, Cupid began teaching at a primary school and became known as one of the leading “colored” teachers in Gadsden County. He married Rebecca Zellene Goodson in 1889, and they had either nine or 14 children, depending on the source consulted.

My mother and aunt learned their father, Charlie Whitfield—my grandfather—was one of Cupid’s grandsons.

This is all that I know of my maternal grandfather’s lineage. Of my maternal grandmother’s, I know even less.

Of my paternal family, I knew only my father’s name, and even after I met him in the late 1980s, that was still all that I knew.

I never met his mother, father, or his siblings, and did not know their names. He passed away in April 2006, and I didn’t learn about his death until months later.

But I still wanted to know more about him. And so I began my search.

Unlike my mother and aunt’s experience of uncovering information to fill in the many blanks in our family tree, I have the privilege of Google, ancestry websites, and DNA testing companies that emerged in the early 2000s.

This new technology is revolutionary for folks like me, who want to know not only where they come from but also from whom—genealogical researchers, adoptees searching for family members, and folks tracing family trees, particularly African American families that had been displaced by slavery.

In her decade-long fieldwork to learn how the new technology impacts the way people self-identify, Alondra Nelson, Columbia University professor of sociology, says she found so much more. Her latest book, The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome, explores the way in which DNA is being used as a tool for racial reconciliation.

I spoke with Nelson about what DNA science might offer social change.

Zenobia Jeffries: You open your book with the story of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, the human rights organization that helps find children who were stolen and illegally adopted after their mothers were killed during the Argentine Dirty War. You later tell how DNA was unsuccessfully used in a reparations case here in the United States. How can science

ments and social activism come out of a sense of empowerment and agency. And like-minded people who feel empowered and outraged about the way things are can change things. That empowerment comes to some through the use of these tests is part of what mobilizes them for social justice issues.

help answer fundamental questions about social justice and equality?

Alondra Nelson: The Argentina story shows us that science can help. In that case you’re talking about grandparents and grandchildren. When you’re doing a match, that sort of genetic line is actually pretty close. When you’re talking about the experience of people of African descent, there’s a gap of hundreds of years; you have a bigger mystery and a technical hurdle because you’re dealing with the history of the slave trade. In post-apartheid Africa, you have families who have not been able to do burial rites for members of their [families] who died in the apartheid struggle. I think to be able to identify the remains of a specific loved one, and to be able to commemorate, bury, and memorialize that person is really powerful. Science can help with that identification, but we need to have some complicated conversations. Science can’t be our moral compass.

Jeffries: What implication does DNA testing have for understanding racial and ethnic identity?

Nelson: It’s complicated. The tests are far from definitive. The companies use different databases and make different kinds of mathematical and statistical assumptions. Those formulas and algorithms are their trade secrets, so they’re under no obligation to share them with other countries. So, what we think about in an academic setting, when you think about something being scientifically valid, it means that you can replicate it, you can verify it; [if] someone else does the same experiment or uses the same genetic sample from you and puts it in their database, they’ll get the same results. With these companies, we don’t have any of those kind of gold standards of what we might consider academic research science.

That said, for communities like African Americans, they are in many cases left without any other way to think about that. Though we have some communities who’ve been able to use food and linguistic ties, like the Gullah/Geechee communities, who link to contemporary Sierra Leone through linguistic ties.

But those cases are less common.

And so you have a large swath of people who want to know and who are

willing to try different ways of knowing.

It can help to the extent that, regardless of whether you’re of African descent, you’ve seen the reality television shows— people get a test, and it gives them sometimes new information, sometimes surprising information, or sometimes it just confirms or underscores what they already thought they knew.

Jeffries: Some tests break down one’s percentage of ethnicity. But does knowing that bring us closer or divide us further when you talk about the struggle toward racial justice?

Nelson: A test that says you’re this percent of this or this percent of that is making not a historical or factual assumption; it’s making a statistical and probabilistic assumption. So, what does it mean if a test says you’re either 100 percent or 30 percent Nigerian? That means they’ve created some algorithm that they assume is 100 percent Nigerian. But what in the world would that be? The history of human history is one of intermixing, intermarriage, intermating.

I use the phrase “genealogical aspirations” because the questions that people have in agreeing to the testing experience sort of shape what it can mean for them. If it’s important for you to know what part Norwegian you are versus what part Russian, then you’re going to be interested in how you slice those things up. But if you’re more interested in whether you’re more European or more bio-geographically mixed, then you have a different read of what the tests are.

For me, what’s important is not so much that these types of tests give you the truth of who you are, your identity, but that they suggest how we have come to think about putting human beings in buckets. None of these categories means anything outside of culture and history.

Jeffries: For the companies that own these databases, is there something to be said about the politics of privacy and the ethics of who keeps our DNA? Nelson: Different companies do different things. Often the consent forms you sign when you do one of these tests look like the consent that you sign when you’re uploading a new operating system—there’s a lot of small words and people don’t really read it.

We know, for example, that some companies keep all of your data, because when you’re dealing with millions of genetic markers, the bigger your databases are, the more reliable statistically speaking your findings can be.

And now that some companies are interested, not only in genetic ancestry testing but also in pharmaceutical developments, this data becomes really important. They’re using people’s genetic samples to try to do investigations and for the development of personalized medicine and protocols.

But then you have the new genetic genealogy 2.0 that’s been happening: the ability for people to upload their markers online, to make them available to other geneticists.

On one website you can fill out as much as you can of your family tree and also upload your genetic genealogy results so that other people can see them or people can contact you.

On the one hand, there’s two different competing interests here: One is people wanting to know more about their genealogy and their genetic genealogy, which might cause them to reveal information to other people. But then there’s also this real necessary interest in privacy and the desire for privacy.

Someone might think, “Well, I’m just using this to do my genealogy.” But that same data could be used to reveal things about your medical profile or could be used potentially to implicate people in the criminal justice system.

The thing about DNA that’s different from other kinds of data is that it can be useful in all of these different social and political sites—the exact same data, the exact same samples, potentially. That’s where the portability and transitive nature of DNA technology is the concern.

I’m not trying to paint a dystopic future, but I think it’s something to worry about. Genetic data carries a lot of information that can be used simultaneously in a lot of different places for purposes for which people intend it to be used, and purposes that they do not.

Jeffries: You say DNA can be used as a tool in the struggle for racial justice.

Is using it for genealogical research part of that struggle?

Nelson: Sure. For people of African descent who feel incomplete without having that information about their Zenobia Jeffries wrote this article for African ancestry, it becomes very emWhy Science Can’t Be Silent, the Spring powering.

Whether we’re talking about genet- 2017 issue of YES! Magazine. Zenobia is the racial justice associate editor. ics or identity, we know that social move-

The Indigenous ‘People of Wildlife’ Baher Kamal

I

Inter Press Service

n the northern part of Mount Kenya, there is an indigenous community — the Il Lakipiak Maasai (“People of Wildlife”) — which owns and operates the only community-owned rhino sanctuary in the country.

They have managed to alleviate the human-wildlife conflicts that arise in the area due to the intrusion of wild animals searching for water, prey and pasture during drought.

And they achieved this by reducing bush-cutting to ensure more fodder for wildlife on their lands. Through this conservation strategy, indigenous peoples have demonstrated that they can coexist harmoniously with wildlife while supporting their own pastoral lives and cultures.

No wonder, for thousands and thousands of years, the Earth’s original peoples have faced hard challenges, yet they managed to survive and conserve their natural environment.

They still do so in spite of modern humans who have been systematically abusing their rights, stripping their lands, confining them to reserves, and disdain their ancestral cultures and knowledge.

Now, following recent trends, the international scientific and development community has been further recognising the invaluable role of the indigenous peoples when it comes to facing one of the most dangerous challenges of modern times: the extinction of biological diversity.

For instance, the United Nations says that actively involving indigenous peoples and local communities in

wildlife conservation is key to maintaining biodiversity and ensuring sustainable rural livelihoods.

The urgent challenges that the world faces in maintaining biodiversity worldwide require that indigenous peoples are empowered to act at the national level with assistance from the international community, on March 3 said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the occasion of World Wildlife Day. “The cultures of indigenous peoples and local communities involve the stewardship of wildlife. They simply cannot imagine their life divorced from nature and their interest in the sustainable use of resources is strong,” said Eva Müller, Director of FAO’s Forestry Policy and Resources Division.

Empowerment of these groups c o mb i n e d w i t h their knowledge and long-term planning skills is essential to ensure the survival of future generations – of both humans and wildlife, Müller added.

The relationship between humans and wildlife is highlighted in a new edition of FAO’s quarterly forestry publication Unasylva, which is jointly produced by the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management, comprising 14 international organisations.

It cites several case studies from various countries to illustrate how indigenous peoples can optimize the benefits for their livelihoods while also safeguarding wildlife, provided they are given the rights to make their own decisions in the territories they inhabit.

Human-Wildlife Conflicts Human-wildlife conflicts have become more frequent and severe particularly in Africa, due to increasing competition for land in previously wild and uninhabited areas, Unasylva noted.

“This is often the result of human population growth, increasing demand for natural resources, and growing pressure for access to land, such as expansion of transport routes, agriculture and industries. More specifically, the publication stresses that in central and southern Africa, wildlife and people will continue to share landscapes and resources with conflicts likely to worsen unless actions are taken.”

FAO, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) and other partners have developed the first Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) toolbox, which has helped a local community in Gabon’s Cristal Mount National Park.

It explains that local farmers in this area were particularly frustrated by the fact that animals such as cane rats, roan antelopes, bush pigs and elephants were destroying their entire crops, and thus threatening their livelihoods. At the same time, laws prohibited these farmers from taking action by hunting the protected animals either for meat or to protect their crops.

Anyway, when it comes to underlining the essential role of indigenous people in protecting Nature, FAO is no exception.

In fact, other major conservations organisations, such as the Internation-

WRITE-WING

al Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), notes that “indigenous and traditional peoples have often been unfairly affected by conservation policies and practices, which have failed to fully understand the rights and roles of indigenous peoples in the management, use and conservation of biodiversity.”

In line with numerous international instruments, several IUCN resolutions emphasise indigenous peoples’ rights to lands, territories, and natural resources on which they have traditionally subsisted.

These resolutions stress the need to enhance participation of indigenous peoples in all conservation initiatives and policy developments that affect them. Furthermore, they recognise that indigenous peoples possess a unique body of knowledge relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

Another leading environmental organisation fully agrees.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) recognises the importance of Indigenous Peoples’ participation as well as the valuable inputs that these holders of traditional knowledge – gained through trans-generational experiences, observations and transmission – can contribute to sustainable ecosystem management and development.

“Their close relationship and dependency on functioning ecosystems have made many Indigenous Peoples extremely vulnerable to changes and damages in the environment. Logging, mining activities, pollution and climate change all pose increasing threats to indigenous livelihoods and their survival.”

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.

MONDAY 20•03•2017

PERSPECTIVE

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Something rotten

A recent book explores the systemic rot that holds India to ransom Mitu Varma Himal Southasian

M

ost journalists reporting from the corridors of power in Southasia are often repositories of stories that never get told. Josy Joseph, award-winning investigative journalist and National Security Editor of the Hindu, treads a different path.

He puts together his untold stories, linking them across the board, to present a graphic account of the systemic rot that holds a country like India to ransom. A Feast of Vultures: The Hidden Business of Democracy in India is the result.

A bone-chilling account of the path traversed by the world’s largest democracy since adopting liberalisation and economic reforms in the 1990s, the book records exactly how and why crony capitalism and the mushrooming of a host of intermediaries denies any dividends or instruments of democracy to the vast majority of the country’s poor.

The narrative is unflinching and unfolds sometimes with the pace of a whodunit, but always retains a faithful journalistic eye. It names names and touches the highest echelons of power. But the canvas is vast and some areas are not adequately elaborated upon within the text. In fact, Joseph and publisher Harper Collins, have been sued for the unlikely sum of INR 1000 crore by airline magnate Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways for alleging links between gangster Dawood Ibrahim and the airline.

The book claims that in Decem-

ber 2001, Intelligence Bureau chief KP Singh and Joint Director Anjan Ghosh had written to the then joint secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs Sangita Gairola, saying that they had confirmed information of “intermittent contact” between Goyal and the underworld gangsters Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel to settle financial issues.

The book tracks the business rivalry between Jet Airways and the now defunct East West Airlines, raising questions on the killing of the CEO of the latter, Thakiyuddin Abdul Wahid. Though the author quotes intelligence intercepts to suggest that the murder took place with the connivance of Dawood and one of Wahid’s business rivals, he does not pursue the leads to come to any definitive conclusions. At the book launch in New Delhi, Joseph said he has been threatened and served with legal notices through his two-decade journalistic career and now might face the latter for some revelations in the book, but firmly stands by every word he has written.

Recently, there have been three other books of note on crony capitalism –Sahara the Untold Story by Tamal Bandhopadhyay, Gas Wars, Crony Capitalism and the Ambanis

by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and the Descent of Air India by Jitender Bhargava. The first two authors are business journalists and the last is a former public relations chief of airline.

The books uncover shadowy secrets and underhand dealings in the Sahara group, the Reliance group and the government-run Air India respectively. Joseph seeks to paint with a wider brush. From a tiny hovel in a small village in Bihar, Joseph traverses a wide landscape to finish in the homes of the high and mighty, in corporate boardrooms and in rarefied political decision-making chambers. Though he might not recount detailed evidence of all wrongdoings, he succeeds in connecting the dots to show how the ubiquitous presence of intermediaries as well as the insidious cronyism in the corridors of powers eats into the entrails of the country and overwhelmingly affects the poorest of the poor.

What distinguishes this book is its empathetic outlook that always keeps the most affected in its line of vision.

It opens in the little hamlet of Hridayachak in Bihar, where a persistent Mohammed Anwer Hussain learns to negotiate what Joseph calls “India’s Kafkaesque government departments and the knack for identifying the right intermediaries everywhere.”

It takes ages for Anwer to bring a road to his village that joins it to a now-decrepit National Highway first built by Sher Shah Suri to connect Southasia in the 16th century – only to learn it would have been done

much earlier if he had greased the right palms. This is also the reason why the quest for a hospital for the village remains unrealised. Health, nutrition, education, electrification, water, sanitation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Clean India Campaign, are all scrutinized only to conclude that till the people of the village find the right intermediaries to approach the shadowy and faraway government, none of the intended benefits will ever reach them.

What then of India’s much-touted Panchayati Raj institutions for village self- governance? As Joseph demonstrates, it is the very intermediaries who form part of the Panchayati Raj institutions by virtue of being conduits to the government.

The presence of major political parties tapers off at the district level, with the village posts being outsourced to people that a study, quoted by the author, calls the naya netas or new leaders. These are usually local semi-educated youth who have some experience in negotiating the government bureaucracy and other institutions. The author quotes India’s Comptroller and Auditor General Shashi Kant Sharma to describe them. “They get something to the poor, like welfare schemes and so have significant control over them.

They bring votes to the political parties and also feed the political system at the ground level with money.

They have an eye on a possible future political role,” he says.

The money they spend on getting elected then has to be recovered through taking cuts in government grants, granting contracts on payment of bribes and other corrupt practices that have become the norm. This is true, says Joseph, of even highly literate states like Kerala, where political parties are present right till the grassroots. This is because the pie is small, the takers many, and intermediaries are required to push some cases ahead of others. The book quotes one of the naya netas as saying, “We will be important as long as people are afraid of the government, officials and police.”

India, despite being such a large economy, lags behind Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal in tackling hunger. The Global Hunger Index for 2016 that measures undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting and child mortality, places India at the 97th position in a list of 118 countries. And what will happen when these poorly nourished children, who are also robbed of a decent education and health facilities, grow up and try to join the workforce to seek a decent livelihood for themselves and their families? An overwhelming number of India’s people still reside in villages and, though Joseph

Unemployment and the Informal Economy – Key Challenges for Women in Latin America Jose Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs

T

Inter Press Service

he participation of women in the labour market in Latin America and the Caribbean has steadily grown over the last few decades. But in 2017, as unemployment and informal work are on the rise, there is a continued need to push hard for gender equality in order to create more and better employment for the 255 million women of working age in this region.

Almost half of these women, 126 million, are already part of the labour force – a very important achievement that took many years to reach. Once more, however, it must be stressed that we cannot let down our guard.

Over the past year, as the wave of slow growth and in some cases of economic contraction which struck the region impacted on the labour market, generating a sharp rise in unemployment and also a decline in the quality of employment with respect to some indicators, it has become evident that this situation affects women to a larger extent.

The regional average unemployment rate for women shot up to levels not seen for over a decade in Latin America and the Caribbean, to 9.8 per cent – on the brink of two digits. If projections of slow economic growth for this year prove correct, the average rate could climb above 10 per cent in 2017.

The unemployment rate for women grew 1.6 percentage points, compared to 1.3 percentage points for men. Of the five million people who joined the ranks of the unemployed, 2.3 million were women.

This means that about 12 million women are actively looking for work, without success.

The participation of women in the labour force has continued to expand over the last year. At a national level (rural+urban), women’s participation has gone from 49.3 per cent to 49.7 per cent. An increase is always good news. However, it still

remains well below the participation of men, which is 74.6 per cent.

The downside was that the demand for labour fell from 45.2 to 44.9 per cent in the case of women.

It also dropped in the case of men, although the level remains much higher, at 69.3 per cent.

The latest ILO (International Labour Organisation) Labour Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean also noted that the decline in economic activity has been reflected in a drop in the number of wage-earners, a rise in the number of self-employed workers, and a decrease in formal sector wages, all of which are signs of an increase in labour informality.

The most recent estimates available regarding informality among women indicate that almost half of the female labour force works under these conditions, which generally mean labour instability, low incomes, and a lack of protection and rights.

Several aspects to be taken into account when analysing women’s labour participation have been identified, such as the fact that about 70 per cent of women who work do so in the retail trade and services sector, often in precarious conditions, for example, without contracts.

In addition, 17 million women in the region work as domestics. Women make up 90 per cent of domestic workers. In this sector, the levels of informality are still very high, around 70 per cent.

This description of the characteristics of women’s insertion in the labour market would not be complete without pointing out a notable aspect mentioned by the regional report on “Decent work and gender equality” by several United Nations agencies presented in 2013: in this region, 53.7 per cent of female workers have more than ten years of formal education, in contrast to just 40.4 per cent of men.

Moreover, 22.8 per cent of women in the labour force have tertiary education (complete or incomplete), by comparison to 16.2 per cent of men.

However, this does not prevent

the persistence of a significant wage gap. A report by ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) noted that in 2016, according to available data, women earned 83.9 per cent of what men earned in similar jobs. The gap is still wider among men and women with higher educational levels.

These figures should serve as a wake-up call.

This issue is already part of the sustainable development goals set for all countries in the 2030 Agenda.

Particularly, in Goal #5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, and is key for Goal #8 on economic growth and decent work. For the ILO, gender equality is a cross-cutting objective, present in all its activities.

We are facing a structural challenge, which must involve economic, social, and, as we know, cultural changes as well. It is necessary for governments as well as social actors to make the achievement of greater equality between men and women a top priority.

Formulas have to be sought to improve women’s productivity, stimulating their participation in more dynamic sectors, of medium to high productivity, while at the same time identifying the causes of labour market segregation.

To continue advancing towards equality in the labour market, it is necessary to resort to a combination of actions aiming at gender equality, including: active employment policies; network and infrastructure for caregiving and new policies for services for child care and care of dependent persons; strategies to promote the division of household responsibilities; improved education and vocational training; incentives for women entrepreneurs; increased social security coverage; and determined action to prevent and combat violence against women, including in the workplace.

Equality in employment remains one of the most important challenges for achieving a better future for workers in the region.

points out that there are a lot of exceptions to the naya neta phenomenon, a large part of the population is likely to comprise of these children.

Will they remain perpetual outsiders, suffering deprivation and feeling a justifiable anger, while languishing on the fringes of the purported economic boom?

That India’s ‘nemesis’ Pakistan lags even behind it in tackling hunger could point to the fact that resources are being diverted in a big way in both countries to procure armaments to feed their rivalry, instead of their hungry populations.

Who benefits from this perpetual enmity? In India, Joseph takes the reader to the murky world of arms dealers, who are hand-in-glove with politicians and bureaucrats to procure armaments from global markets and siphon off millions of dollars as kickbacks. These appear to be the most high-flying of the intermediaries with offices and establishments across the globe.

In October 2016 news headlines spoke of an arms dealer alleging Varun Gandhi, a prominent ruling Bharatiya Janta Party Member of Parliament’s involvement in leaking information about defence matters, while being a member of the Defence Consultative Committee. In the same month nearly USD six million was allegedly given as commission to a prominent arms dealer for the purchase and customization of the Brazil-based Embraer Aircraft . Could this indicate greater transparency and alertness in tracking wrongdoing in arms deals? Or is it just another blip in the shadowy universe?

What it certainly points to is that gone are the days of the 1980s, when a scandal over kickbacks paid for the procurement of Bofors Howitzer guns could topple a mighty government. No one bats an eyelid now as these headlines appear, are relegated to the back pages, and gradually disappear.

The rich haul for middlemen and intermediaries continues, whether it be the current right-wing ruling dispensation of the National Democratic Alliance or the earlier United Progressive Alliance government in India. Interestingly, Joseph told an interviewer from the English-daily DNA that the only difference he finds between the two governments is that the current one viciously targets him for his identity. “Obviously (the) government of that time also tried to discourage me from writing, that was part of the game. But there was no concerted effort to discredit me…

Every time I write a story now, which is critical of the present government or the establishment, I see trolls on Twitter and FB abusing me for being a Christian, which my name obvi-

ously suggests. There are rape threats – some people think I am a woman – and murder threats…. It is an organized campaign and I can point out the handles being used that are trying to discredit me.”

Joseph also closely looks at the composition of Parliament and comes up with a startling figure. He quotes a 2010 study by the National Social Watch Coalition to say that out of the 543 members of the Lok Sabha, 128 were businessmen with known or potential conflicts of interests with the parliamentary proceedings they participated in. From earlier Parliaments, he also lists a veritable who’s-who of businessmen and industrialists who either directly, or through their proxies, sat on committees that clearly coincided with their business interests. Most prominent among these was Vijay Mallya, who in 2003 was nominated to the Parliamentary Committee for Civil Aviation, Defence and Industry, despite the fact that he had just set up his own Kingfisher Airlines. Mallya is in the news today for fleeing the country on the diplomatic passport awarded to him as MP after defaulting on thousands of millions of rupees worth of bank loans. That Kingfisher Airlines itself has folded up, nixing the careers of vast numbers of employees, is par for the course in this setting. This is reflected in the book in the tragic suicide of Sushmita Chakravarti, the wife of an ex-employee who hadn’t been paid his wages in six months, even as Mallya busies himself preparing for his Formula One team’s participation in the South Korean Grand Prix.

Joseph also points out that in the UPA-led Lok Sabha dissolved before the 2014 elections, every single member below the age of 30 belonged to a family with powerful political connections, while the figure for those between the age of 31 and 40 stood at 65 per cent. Power, privilege and pelf are concentrated in the hands of a select oligarchy, which is then perpetrated through the parliamentarians pushing their interests in a bid to further feather their nests or make up for the millions of rupees spent in getting elected. Joseph points out that while only one member of India’s first Parliament had listed their profession as politics, at least one fourth of those in the current parliament have done so. “It must be lucrative,” he says in an ironic aside.

Lucrative also has been business for those who made their fortunes in the era of liberalisation – some through cultivating the right contacts, others through cheating and forgery, and still others though entangling with the underworld and even going on to commit murder.

7

Every rule in the book is broken by some top-notch businesses on both the ground and air – whether it be in aviation or the mining industry. The only rule for them, says Joseph, is do not get caught. However he also understands the dilemma of businessmen in the current environment. “Even if a company wants to do business fair and square, politics won’t let them,” he says.

Fittingly then, the book that started out with a heart-rending scene in a hovel in the Mahadalit quarters in Hridayachak, where Udit Narayan Bansi and his extended family live in a tiny one-room hutment surrounded by stinking, stagnant drains, ends just outside the grand mansion of the richest man in the country – Mukesh Ambani. While Bansi had bribed officials for the post of a temporary contract teacher that he was entitled to under the affirmative action schemes for his caste, and had even managed to meet the Chief Minister to lodge a complaint for non-receipt of a housing loan under a government plan to provide financial assistance for the homeless, nothing accrues to him. “We live like rats,” he says, while despairingly pleading with the author for help.

On the other hand, Antilla, the grand residence of twenty-seven high-ceilinged floors in a space that could actually accommodate sixty, is an island of opulence that Joseph says, is built on land acquired cheaply via an underhand deal, putting paid to an orphanage that used to exist there. Joseph digs up the relevant records as also the chequered history of the powerful Ambani brothers and the Reliance group of companies.

It is to the author’s credit that despite discovering the deeply embedded layers of corruption, he still finds reason to hope. He finds it in the arraignment of some important politicians on corruption charges.

He finds it in the anti-corruption movement of 2011 that brought so many people out on the streets. He finds it in the Right to Information Act and the activists who tirelessly work for justice for the cheated, the neglected and the marginalized.

He also finds it in what he feels is an incipient youth movement starting from Jawaharlal Nehru University, spreading over student protests on the suicide of RohithVemula, a Dalit scholar at the University of Hyderabad. But the reader is led to wonder if this hope will ever materialize given that the very perpetrators of this system still remain firmly ensconced at its helm.

Mitu Varma is Director of Film Southasia, an independent media development consultant and journalist.

The Morung Express POLL RESULTS

Are the existing power structures the main obstacle towards equality in Nagaland? Why?

Some of those who voted YES had this to say: • Yes. Absolutely yes. The existing power structures in our state ensure that only the rich will benefit and the powerful will remain in the seat of power. The recent fiasco over the Municipal elections is a good indicator of how the power structures will maintain its dominance. There cannot be any equality in this system.

• Yes, big time, but no one wants to bail the cat.

• Yes. Members in 61% every group are becoming looking for their own interests to fulfill their own selfish ambition. That's why ....

• Yes, the corruption that is prevailing in our state is being sustained by the power system.

This system is protecting and YES covering those who are corrupt and there is abuse of power.

• Yea. Today in our state the system is imposed from outside. Before the power structure was formed according to our value system, but in the present situation it is imposed from outside. This is one of the crux of the situation.

• Delhi has created a power structure which it is using to control the state.

• The power structures have created isms and are dividing the Nagas in class system which never existed before. The gap between the powerful and the powerless has become too much.

• Too many power structures, and they are all equally responsible.

from them. Either we continue Some of those who to keep voiceless or revolt against voted NO had this to say: • No, because there are too many their wrong doings. power structures. Infact there • There are several power structures. Which one are you referare multiple parallel structures. ring to. There is the Indian govt, People are confused which one is the Indian Army and Assam Rithe authentic one. The many govfles, the State government, buernments are trying to legitimise reaucrats, the Churches, 9 Naga their own power structure.

• No. Its not the power structures it Political groups with parallel government, the village government is bad leadership that is the probsystem and organisations like lem. Also with no vision the sociNaga Hoho, NTAC, JCC and tribal ety is moving about aimlessly just organisations. This is just the tip of the ice berg. There is also the different syndicates, elite companies, conglomeration of big business houses, and the list is quite 27% long. The public are squeezed in between all these power structures.

• Our present pow12% er structures are (male) constructed power strucNO OTHER tures, constructed unconsciously for the good of combarking at the moon. munity. But in the process and • Indian system of governance in the course of history have beshould not be blamed. Tribalcome 'God Given" laws which ism of any hue will bring Nagas cannot be challenged by any. backward not forward. Beware of I like what Prof. L. Imsutoshi false pride. This reasoning is not Jamir said in his book Sites in about Art 371A. Tribal Cultural Studies "customary laws and practices are imSome of those who portant but they are constructed voted OTHERS had this to say: • Not the power structure but the procedure of Justice". Any power structures therefore must be depower mongers and their ignoconstructed and reconstructed rance about ‘constructive and with a more realistic human face community centered power and with liberative dimensions. sharing’ is the problem. No matThe notion of 'tested laws and ter how conducive you create practices' one of the stand point the structure of power, if people of the present tradition upholdwho decide, legislate, execute are ers has no validity. Nagas should shamefully ignorant about pubmove forward. lic welfare what can we expect

8

MonDAY 20•03•2017

INDIA

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Yogi takes charge of UP, Modi calls for 'Uttam Pradesh' Will work for everyone, promises Adityanath

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L), Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik (C) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogi Adityanath (R) greet a gathering before Adityanath takes an oath as the new Chief Minister of India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh during a swearing-in ceremony in Lucknow, India, March 19. (REUTERS)

Lucknow, March 19 (IanS): Firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath on Sunday took charge of Uttar Pradesh as its 21st Chief Minister, heading a 47-member ministry that included known Hindutva faces and political turncoats.

The oath taking at Smriti Upvan, which marked the return of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in the country's most populous state, was watched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, BJP Chief Ministers besides thousands of cheering supporters.

Governor Ram Naik administered the oath of office and secrecy to Yogi Adityanath, a Gorakhpur MP known for his hardline Hindutva views, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma as well as 44 ministers.

Maurya is the state BJP chief and a Lok Sabha member from Phoolpur while Sharma is the Lucknow Mayor.

There are 22 members of the cabinet, nine ministers of state with independent charge and 13 ministers of state.

Om Prakash Rajbhar, leader of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, a BJP ally, was also sworn in as a cabinet minister.

The sole Muslim in the ministry is former cricketer Mohsin Raza, who is not a member of the assembly as the BJP did not field any Muslim in the election.

Raza is a minister with independent charge.

Baldev Olakh, who won from Bilaspur, is the Sikh face of the ministry.

Dressed in his characteristic saffron robes, Adityanath, after taking oath, walked over to and sought

the blessings of BJP veterans L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi as well as Rajnath Singh, the Home Minister and a Lucknow MP. Adityanath, 44, was born in Uttarakhand and left his home in 1990 to join the Gorakhnath Math in Gorakhpur. He has been elected from Gorakhpur to the Lok Sabha since 1998.

As celebrations erupted in Adityanath's native village Panchur in Uttarakhand and Gorakhpur town, Modi congratulated the new Chief Minister and his team and hoped

Lucknow, March 19 (IanS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday pledged to work for all sections without bias and said he believed in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan 'sabka saath sabka vikas'.

Addressing his first press conference after taking oath, the Gorakhpur MP also vowed to end the law and order problems in the sprawling and the country's most populous state. In an apparent move to allay fears that he, as a long-time Hindutva icon, might discriminate against the minorities, Adityanath promised there would be no bias for or against anyone.

Agriculture, he said, would be made the base for all development work in Uttar Pradesh.

"Our government is fully committed to fulfil the promises made (before the assembly elections)."

Calling the swearing in of a new BJP government a historic occasion, they will transform Uttar Pradesh into "Uttam Pradesh".

"I have immense confidence that this new team will leave no stone unturned in making UP Uttam Pradesh," tweeted Modi, a star attraction at the Sunday event. "There will be record development... When UP develops, India develops."

Prominent among the cabinet ministers are veteran BJP legislators Surya Pratap Shahi, Suresh Khanna, a seven-time legislator from Shahjahanpur, Ramapati Shastri, Rajesh

the Chief Minister recalled BJP ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, saying his government was committed to fulfilling his dream of antyodaya.

"We want to assure the people of UP that our government will take the state on the path of development and prosperity and would do everything that it takes to do so," the 44-year-old said.

"We will adhere to the credo of 'development for all' initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

Government jobs, he said, would become corruption free and transparent.

Lamenting how in the past 15 years successive governments of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party had deprived the state of the development it deserved, he said the scourge of family politics and poor law and order would soon end.

"Our government will work for the empowerment, welfare and bet-

Agarwal, a six-term MLA from Bareilly Cantt, Satish Mahana and Satyadeo Pachauri.

Three Lucknow legislators - Brajesh Pathak, Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Ashutosh Tandon -- also made it to the cabinet. The fourth Lucknow MLA, Swati Singh, became a minister of state with independent charge.

Political turncoats who contested on BJP ticket and got a place in the ministry included Swamy Prasad Maurya, Dara Singh Chauhan and Brajesh Pathak (all ex-BJP) and Rita Bahu-

terment of the poor and will be dedicated to public welfare."

The government and its officials would be made accountable to the people, Adityanath said.

Improved educational system, better law and order, job creation, skill development, round-the-clock power supply and women security would be the priority issues of his government, he said.

Cabinet ministers Shrikant Sharma and Sidharth Nath Singh were named the official spokespersons of the new government.

The spokespersons later told the media that the Chief Minister had directed his ministers to declare their assets within the next fortnight and to avoid making statements in the public.

Hindutva leader Adityanath was chosen by the Bharatiya Janata Party to be Uttar Pradesh's 21st Chief Minster after the party swept the elections

guna Joshi, a former Congress leader who defeated Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav.

Four women - Gulabo Devi, Archana Pandey, Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Swati Singh -- are in the government. The BJP gave ticket to 43 women - 32 won.

While seven Thakurs, including the Chief Minister, were sworn in, eight Brahmins and 17 OBCs and MBCs also found a place in the government. There are seven Dalit and eight Vaishya ministers.

The ministry also in-

cludes Suresh Rana, an accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar communal riots in which 63 people were killed and thousands rendered homeless.

The Chief Ministers in attendance were N. Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh), Devendra Phadnavis (Mahrashtra), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam) and Vijay Rupani (Gujarat).

The BJP won 325 of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh along with allies Apna Dal and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party.

India should focus on development of villages: Dalai Lama World needs to get rid of violence: Prez The Dalai Lama said the basic needs of all seven billion people of the world like water and food were same despite the technology revolution

DewaS, March 19 (PTI): India should focus on development of villages to ensure prosperity, the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said on Sunday.

“India’s prosperity depends on the development of villages instead of developing big cities. So, the journey of development should start from rural areas of the country,” the Dalai Lama told a gathering at Turnal village of Dewas district in Madhya Pradesh.

He was here to participate in the ongoing ‘Namami Devi Narmade-Sewa Yatra,’ which is aimed at conserving Narmada river. “India is predominantly an agriculture-based economy and rural India must be transformed for the country’s development.

“The focus should be on developing basic facilities like health and education in rural areas. All the basic requirements of the people should be made available in the villages. India will transform only through the rural transformation,” the Dalai Lama said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader also stressed the need for greater participa-

tion of women in different fields.

“The women are more sensitive and full of compassion. Their enhanced participation will make the world a better place as they can ensure promoting deeper human values,” he said.

While lauding the river conservation campaign launched by MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who also participated in the programme, the Dalai Lama said the people should think holistically as far as global warming was concerned.

“The environment has been changing across the world. Our approach should be holistic. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been making efforts for conservation of river Narmada. People should actively participate in such campaigns to make them successful,” he said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader said, “Our ancestors were living here on the earth. Our future generation will live here. We need to save water, carry out plantations.” He said the people across the world have been facing problems due to racism and apartheid. “We need to be united against the discrimination and atrocities. The racism and apartheid are behind most of the social problems across the world. Every person in the world wants to live in peace and happiness,” he added. The Dalai Lama said the basic needs of all seven billion people of the world like water and food were same Tibetan Spiritual the Dalai Lama delivering his lecture at the auditorium despite the technology revolution. of Madhya Pradesh Assembly, in Bhopal.

new DeLhI, March 19 (IanS): President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said the world needs to discuss and deliberate as to why it is facing the scourge of violence and how to stop the "wanton destruction".

"No part of the world today is free from the scourge of violence. This crisis is all pervasive. The basic question being raised today is how to stop this wanton destruction and come back to sanity," the President said.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the valedictory session of the three-day international conference, "Buddhism in the 21st Century - Perspectives and Responses to Global Challenges and Crises", at Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar.

Speaking about the relevance of Buddhism, the President said the philosophy of Buddhism is as relevant today as ever -- especially as the world grapples with complex problems that seem intractable.

"Buddhism has had a deep influence on human civilisation. The mighty emperor Ashoka, who had the ambition of extending his empire as far as he could, was converted into a missionary. Dhamma Ashoka is remembered in history rather than warrior Ashoka," a statement here quoted him as saying. He said in the 21st century, parth of Lord Buddha and Buddhism

will help the world get rid of viloence and terrorism.

About the historical significance of the ancient Nalanda University, Mukherjee said it reflects our ancient educational system which attracted mighty minds in the form of students and teachers in ancient India.

Quoting Gandhiji on the Buddha, Mukherjee said: "He was saturated with the best which was in Hinduism... His great Hindu spirit cuts its way through the forest of meaningless words which had overlaid the golden truth which was in the Vedas."

The President congratulated the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara for publishing the entire Pali Tripitaka (texts or words of the Buddha) in 41 volumes in the Devanagari script.

Appreciating the initiatives of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, the President said this will go a long way in popularising the tenets of Buddhism and will help the coming generations to easily connect with the supreme ideals of humanity, forbearance, discipline and compassion.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Friday inaugurated the threeday international Buddhist conference which is being attended by 1,000 delegates from 35 countries.

The conference is being organised by the Union Ministry of Culture.

New hope for cancer care as Jats call off quota agitation after govt truce Bengaluru lab cracks tricky biopsy

MuMbaI, March 19 (IanS): In a development that could transform the management of cancer patients, a Bengaluru-based laboratory has claimed to have cracked the difficulties related to tracing malignant cells and avoid repeated biopsies.

Doctors often are forced to conduct repeated biopsy tests to detect certain types of cancers related to skin, lung and colon.

But with the new method -- liquid biopsy test -- developed for the first time in India by MedGenome, a genomics-based research and diagnostics company, physicians can identify genetic alterations, interpret, assess and treat various forms of cancer, the company said.

The test has also been validated in a scientific study, in academic collaboration with Tata Memorial Centre Hospital (TMH), Mumbai, and its state-of-the-art R&D satellite Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC).

The test facilitates detection of mutation where there is difficulty of obtaining biopsy or in the event of a damaged biopsy material and nonavailability of tissue biopsy.

The development assumes significance in view of the fact that by 2020 India may have an estimated 1.73 million new cases of cancer and over

880,000 cancer deaths. Around 70 per cent of all cancer patients approach the doctor only when the symptoms noticeably appear and the chances of cure are very low as the by then disease has advanced.

"Management of cancer will undergo a massive transformation in India with NGS (next generation sequencing)-based liquid biopsies.

We are constantly striving to get the most advanced genetic testing technology/technique at affordable prices to the patients and Oncotrack is one such offering," said Sam Santhosh, MedGenome Chairman.

Dr. Kumar Prabhash, Medical Oncologist at TMH, opines: "As the care gets more personalised, doctors will be equipped to make correct diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of diseases. Cell-free tumour DNA (ctDNA) analysis will help in avoiding repeat biopsies of difficult-to-get tumours and also in monitoring the overall response to treatment on real time basis."

In medical terms, the liquid biopsy-based test is a non-invasive screening that analyses cell-free DNA that is isolated from the patients' blood. Using high-end sequencing technology, the screening process identifies specific gene mutations that are linked with melanoma, lung and colon cancers.

This empowers cancer specialists, the oncologists, to look for actionable alterations in a patient's treatment and management, without having to do an invasive biopsy or where biopsy is not an option, Medgenome said.

"Liquid biopsy has the capacity to interpret infinite mutations which will pave the way for new drug discovery, research and therapies. Over 35 oncologists in India have already screened patients using our Oncotrack. Further, since it has a very patient-friendly approach, we are confident it will be very well accepted by the doctors and patients," said Dr V.L. Ramprasad, COO, MedGenome.

Oncotrack is a proven molecular tool after histopathology diagnosis and detecting molecular changes at baseline and at the time of relapse in lung and colon cancer for deciding the right treatment.

MedGenome is a market leader for genomic diagnostics in South Asia and a leading provider of genomics research services globally. MedGenome offers genomics solutions in cancer immunotherapy, diabetes etc., and works with various commercial and academic researchers globally on genomic research projects. It is also a founding member of GenomeAsia 100K initiative to sequence 100,000 genomes in South, North and East Asia, Ramprasad said.

new DeLhI, March 19 (PTI): Jats today called off their quota agitation scheduled for tomorrow in the national capital, following a truce that was reached after a meeting between the leaders of the community and the Haryana government.

Jat leaders decided to call off their agitation after a marathon four-hour meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and two Union Ministers Birender Singh and P P Chaudhary who both are Jats.

"Centre and state will soon begin the process of giving reservation, following the Delhi High court order," Khattar told reporters in a joint press conference along with All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) Chairperson Yashpal Malik.

He also appealed to people in the state to cooperate in maintaining peace and harmony.

"Ab Jat Dilli na aa rahe (Now Jats are not coming to Delhi). We have called off our agitation and march towards Delhi. The state government has agreed to

our demands," Malik told reporters after the meeting.

He added that the community will call off its dharna from most of the places in the state, barring few where it will continue with symbolic protests.

Besides quotas, the Jats have been demanding release of people jailed during last year's agitation, withdrawal of cases slapped during the protests and government jobs for the kin of those killed and injured while taking part in

the stir.

The Jats have been sitting on dharna in various parts of Haryana since January 29.

"The government will now work according to the law and will undertake a survey and check ground realities so that the decision that we finally take will stand in court," P P Chaudhary," Minister of State for Law and Justice said.

He added, "The reservation process will expedite after appointment of

National Commission of Backward Classes (NCBC) chairperson and we want to ensure reservation for the community which is not stuck anywhere due to legal issues".

A Haryana ministerial panel led by senior Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had held talks with the Jats in Panipat on March 16, after which the minister had said that an agreement had been reached with the community and the deadlock could end soon.

Around 30 people were killed and more than 300 people injured when a similar agitation by the Jats had resulted in large-scale violence in Haryana in February last year.

In view of the planned march tomorrow, prohibitory orders had been clamped in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop the Jat protesters from entering Delhi.

About 24,700 paramilitary personnel had been mobilised to maintain peace. Metro and road transport has been curtailed and several schools have been closed in the national capital.

MondAY 20•03•2017

WORLD

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

9

As Mosul battle escalates, civilians caught in crossfire MOSUL, MARCH 19 (REUTERS): Shihab Ayed and several other men struggled to push a cart carrying the bodies of his son and wife, wrapped in blankets, through a muddy ditch nearly two miles (3 km) from their destroyed home in Mosul.

Four other carts followed, laden with daysold corpses from air strikes which the men said had killed 21 relatives and neighbours in an area Islamic State militants controlled earlier in the week.

Ayed, a 40-year-old labourer, pulled back a blanket to show his only son, three-and-a-half year-old Ahmed, lying lifeless with his eyes closed and a big gash in his right cheek.

“Three houses were destroyed by two air strikes,” Ayed said.

“Islamic State fighters were firing from our house and from the road outside, and we were hiding inside.

Fifteen minutes later the strikes hit.

“We pulled the bodies from the rubble and now we’re going to bury them.

Then I’ll come back to my three remaining daughters,” Ayed said, in tears.

The bodies had begun to smell but it had only just become safe enough to leave the district, now cleared of the militants, and bring the carts to Mosul airport, where a bus might be able to take them to the nearest village for burial, he said.

US base rises from the rubble for Mosul push

Displaced Iraqis flee their homes on a rainy day as Iraqi forces battle with Islamic State militants, in western Mosul, Iraq on March 18. (REUTERS Photo)

Reuters counted about 15 corpses on the carts.

They are among the latest victims caught in the crossfire of an intensifying battle between U.S.-backed Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants holed up the centre of Mosul, their last major stronghold in Iraq.

Rights groups have expressed concern over the mounting civilian death toll, as Islamic State fights from homes and denselypopulated areas, a threat the Iraqi military and U.S.led coalition have been countering with heavy weaponry to support troops on the ground.

Families fleeing Mosul in recent weeks have talked of high numbers of civilians killed by air strikes, and said that in many cases Islamic State fighters have already slipped away by the time the bombs hit.

“When the coalition see a sniper on a home, it’s five or ten minutes before that house is hit,” Mohammed Mahmoud, a 40-year-old former police officer, told Reuters in another area of Mosul.

“But they don’t kill the Daesh (IS) militants. Daesh withdraw, and the strikes end up killing civilians whole families.”

capture the western half of Mosul has been “dirtier and deadlier to civilians” than the battle to retake the east, which was completed in January.

The New York-based watchdog said Iraqi Interior Ministry units had recently used non-precision rockets in west Mosul.“Their indiscriminate nature makes their use in populated civilian areas a serious violation of the laws of war,” it said in a statement.

Separately, the United Nations says it has received many reports of civilian BODY BAGS Human Rights Watch deaths in air strikes.

The number of civilians has said the fight to reIslamic State’s tactics since the beginning of the offensive to drive them out of Mosul, which began in October, have been to deploy car bombs and snipers, rain shellfire on troops and residents alike and take cover among the civilian population.

On Friday, even as Ayed and his helpers waited with their carts, helicopters fired at positions in Mosul and forces further back launched Grad missiles into the city.

MOSUL, MARCH 19 (REUTERS): US troops are hard at work rehabilitating this battle-scarred, rubble-strewn airfield as a logistics and support hub for Iraqi and international forces in the decisive battle against Islamic State for the city of Mosul 60 km to the north. The whirl of activity and the return of American soldiers signify a new U.S. build-up in Iraq 14 years on from the invasion that set off a conflict which has undergone various permutations.

But senior officers insist this mission is limited and temporary. The stated goal is to annihilate Islamic State and to help the Iraqi army. “They are a sovereign nation and they’ve allowed us to come and advise them. We want to get rid of the bad guys. We are all moving towards the same objective,” said Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Curtis of the 82nd Airborne support battalion.

Nine months ago, Islamic State still held Qayyara West. The hardline militants had seized it from the Iraqi army in 2014 and destroyed the place, demolishing buildings and breaking up the runkilled in the Mosul campaign - by Islamic State, including executions, or by errant Iraqi and coalition fire - is unclear, with various estimates given by residents, watchdogs and the military.

The U.S.-led coalition backing Iraqi forces with air power and military advisers admits causing unintentional civilian deaths.

This month the U.S. military said the total number of civilians killed by the coalition since the start of operations against the militant group in 2014 in both Iraq and Syria was 220.

That estimate is lower

way with jackhammers. A resurgent Iraqi army recaptured it last July and soldiers from the U.S. 101st Airborne Division were deployed here in October as the offensive to recapture Mosul, Islamic State’s last stronghold in the country, got underway. The 82nd Airborne took over at QWest, as the base is known, in December.

About 1,000 personnel, mostly Americans but including other members of the international coalition, are based at Q-West out of a total of about 1,700 in the area of the Mosul operation, base commander Lieutenant Colonel Sebastian Pastor said. Designated in military parlance as an Intermediate Staging Base, it provides support and logistics for several Tactical Assembly Areas closer to the battlefront. U.S. advisors are out on the field but Q-West also has an offensive role -– a rocket battery is stationed here and regularly fires missiles at IS positions in western Mosul, and an air cavalry troop flies its helicopters in support of Iraqi forces on the ground.

than those of some monitoring groups.

Airwars, a journalistrun project to monitor civilian casualties, says at least 2,590 civilians have likely been killed by coalition “actions” since 2014, including scores in Mosul in the first week of March alone.

Coalition and Iraqi forces have mostly been careful to avoid civilian deaths, a reason military officials said they slowed some assaults in eastern Mosul last year.

But the west, which houses the narrow-alleyed Old City, has been a tough-

er fight, and Islamic State have pinned down Iraqi forces for days on end in some areas without significant advances.

The level of destruction is visibly greater, with dozens of buildings flattened and large holes in roads from air strikes.

In the wrecked Mamoun district on Tuesday, a man trudged down a muddy road in search of body bags.

“I have 18 bodies I need to bury -- my brother’s family,” Faisal Umm Tayran, 50, said matter-of-factly.

“They’re just lying in the garden at the moment.”

B’desh court upholds death Suicide bombers kill four in Northeast Nigeria Kim says engine test is MARCH 19 (RE- approved militia group, just homes in Africa’s most pop- by the group had been new birth of rocket industry sentences over 2004 attack ABUJA, freed. Boko Haram, whose UTERS): Three suicide outside Maiduguri, the city ulous nation since 2009.

DHAKA, MARCH 19 (REUTERS): Bangladesh’s Supreme Court rejected a final appeal on Sunday by a leading militant and two others against death sentences imposed over a grenade attack on the British ambassador in 2004, lawyers said, meaning they could be hanged at any time.

Three militants, including Mufti Abdul Hannan, the head of the Harkat-ul Jihad Islami group, were convicted and sentenced to death in 2008. Three people were killed in the May 21, 2004, attack and about 50 wounded, including then British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury, who was hit in the leg.

A panel of three judges headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected the petition that sought a review of the death sentences, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said.

“Now there is no legal bar to hang them, unless they seek clemency from the president and the president pardons them,” Alam told reporters. Defence lawyer Nikhil Kumar Saha said: “It is up to them whether they will seek clemency from the president or not.” The Supreme court upheld their death sentences last year.

Harkat-ul Jihad Islami was blamed for several other attacks, including a bomb blast later in 2004 at a rally by then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, who later became prime minister. That attack killed 23 people and wounded more than 150. Hasina suffered partial hearing loss.

Hannan was also sentenced to death for a bomb attack on a Bengali New Year’s celebration in 2001 that killed 10 people dead and wounded scores.

bombers killed 4 people and injured 8 others in a village near the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, a police spokesman said on Sunday. A man and 2 women blew themselves up when they were challenged by a member of the Civilian JTF, a government-

worst hit by jihadist group Boko Haram’s 8-year insurgency.

It is the latest in a string of attacks in the last few days to bear the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which has killed around 15,000 people and forced more than 2 million people to flee their

A man claiming to be the group’s leader appeared in a video circulated on Friday in which he claimed responsibility for bombings in Maiduguri and a raid on the nearby town of Magumeri last week. He also denied that 5,000 hostages held

attacks have increased since the end of the rainy season in late 2016, wants to create a state adhering to a strict interpretation of Islamic laws in northeast Nigeria. It also carries out cross-border attacks in neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

‘Germany supports group behind Turkish coup attempt’ ANKARA, MARCH 19 (REUTERS): Turkey on Sunday accused Germany of supporting the network of a U.S.-based Muslim cleric it blames for last year’s attempted coup, comments likely to aggravate a diplomatic feud between Ankara and Berlin.

On Saturday, German news magazine Der Spiegel published an interview with the head of the BND foreign intelligence agency, who said Ankara had failed to convince it that the cleric Fethullah Gulen was responsible for the coup attempt. “Turkey has tried to convince us of that at every level but

so far it has not succeeded,” Bruno Kahl was quoted as saying.

President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman said Kahl’s comments were proof Germany was supporting Gulen’s network, which Ankara refers to as the “Gulenist Terrorist Organisation” or “FETO”. “It’s an effort to invalidate all the information we have given them on FETO. It’s a sign of their support for FETO,” Ibrahim Kalin told broadcaster CNN Turk.

“Why are they protecting them?

Because these are useful instruments for Germany to use against Turkey.”

Germany and Turkey have been locked in a deepening row after Berlin banned some Turkish ministers from speaking to rallies of expatriate Turks ahead of a referendum next month, citing public safety concerns.

Kalin said there was a possibility Erdogan could plan a rally to address Turks in Germany before the April 16 referendum on changing the constitution, a move that would further heighten tensions with Berlin. The constitutional change would give Erdogan sweeping new powers. Critics say it would give him too much power.

US Supreme Court’s ideological balance at stake

President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch arrives to meet with Senator Al Franken (D-MN) at his office on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 7. (REUTERS Photo)

WASHINGTON, MARCH 19 (REUTERS): When President Donald Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch is sworn in for his Senate confirmation hearing on Monday, Democrats will make the case that he is a pro-business, social conservative insufficiently independent of the president.

In a bid to place hurdles in the way of Gorsuch’s expected confirmation by the Republicancontrolled Senate, Democrats on the judiciary committee have said they will probe him on several fronts based mainly on his record as a federal appeals court judge and a Justice Department

appointee under former President George W. Bush.

Gorsuch has served on the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals since 2006. He would replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016. If confirmed by the Senate, Gorsuch would restore a narrow 5-4 conservative majority on the court.

Among questions he will face will be whether he is sufficiently independent from Trump, who has criticized judges for ruling against his bid to restrict travel from Muslimmajority countries.

“The high burden of proof

that Judge Gorsuch has to meet is largely a result of the president who nominated him,” Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut who sits on the committee, said last week at an event featuring several plaintiffs who lost cases that came before Gorsuch.

Another line of attack previewed by Democratic leader Chuck Schumer at the same event is to focus on rulings Gorsuch, 49, has authored in which corporate interests won out over individual workers.

“Judge Gorsuch may act like a neutral, calm judge but his record and his career clearly show he harbors a right wing, pro-corporate special interest legal agenda,” Schumer said.

One case involved truck driver Alphonse Maddin, who was fired after he disobeyed a supervisor and abandoned his trailer at the side of a road after the brakes froze.

Gorsuch wrote a dissenting opinion as a three-judge panel ruled last year that Maddin was wrongly terminated and had to be reinstated with back pay.

Another issue, set to be pressed by California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, is Gorsuch’s role as a Justice Department lawyer under Bush from 2005 to 2006, when he helped defend controversial policies enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, including the administration’s expansive use of aggressive interrogation

techniques.

Gorsuch’ views on social issues, including a 2006 book he wrote in which he argued against the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia, will be discussed too.

In the book, Gorsuch cited the “inviolability of human life,” calling it a “basic good,” which some conservatives say could indicate that he is also opposed to abortion. Conservative activists have for decades sought to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling Roe v.

Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide.

Republicans have praised Gorsuch’s 11-year record on the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

“Notwithstanding Gorsuch’s superb qualifications and principled approach to judging, Democrats and their liberal allies strain mightily to find plausible grounds to oppose his nomination,” Hatch said in a newspaper article on Friday.

Known for his genial demeanor and keen intellect, Gorsuch will, like prior nominees, seek to engage with senators as much as possible while declining to answer specific questions.

Much is at stake for Trump and his Republican Party. If confirmed as expected given the Republicans’ control of the 100-member Senate, Gorsuch would restore the court’s conservative tilt. Doing that without too much drama would be Trump’s

biggest win so far as president.

With the United States divided sharply between liberals and conservatives, ideological dominance of the Supreme Court, where justices serve for life, is a blue-ribbon prize, with an impact that can last for decades.

For Democrats, the hearing will dredge up bitter feelings.

After Scalia died unexpectedly, former Democratic President Barack Obama nominated a replacement, but Republicans for months refused to consider him, blocking a leftward shift on the court.

Since Scalia’s death the court has been divided equally 4-4 between conservatives and liberals.

In some ways, the fight over Gorsuch will be just a preview of an even bigger battle to come over the next vacancy.

“We’ve known for years, before Justice Scalia passed, that this next president would have two or three Supreme Court nominations,” said Carrie Severino, chief counsel of the Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative legal group.

Three court justices are elderly. Ruth Bader Ginsburg just turned 84. Her fellow liberal Stephen Breyer is 78. The court’s frequent swing vote, conservative Anthony Kennedy, is 80.

If any of them was to be replaced by a conservative similar to Gorsuch, the court would have a firm 6-3 conservative majority, possibly for decades.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provides field guidance at the construction site of Ryomyong Street in this undated picture provided by KCNA in Pyongyang on March 16. (REUTERS Photo)

PYONGYANG, MARCH 19 (REUTERS): North Korea has conducted a test of a new high-thrust engine at its Tongchang-ri rocket launch station and leader Kim Jong Un said the successful test was “a new birth” of its rocket industry, the reclusive North’s official media said on Sunday.

The engine would help North Korea achieve worldclass satellite launch capability, KCNA said, indicating the test was of a new type of rocket engine for long-range missiles.

The United States and China pledged to work together to get the North to take “a different course” and move away from its weapons programmes after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met his Chinese counterpart on Saturday.

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches, in defiance of U.N. sanctions, and is believed by experts and government officials to be working to develop nuclear-warhead missiles that could reach the United States.

Kim Jong Un has said North Korea is close to a testlaunch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

KCNA said the test was carried out at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, where North Korea has conducted long-range rocket tests.

South Korea’s military declined to comment.

The Washington-based think tank 38 North said last week satellite imagery indicated activity at the site’s vertical engine stand, possibly in preparation for a rocket engine test.

“The rail-mounted environmental shelter has been moved up against the engine test stand since February 5, either for maintenance or to position a rocket engine for testing,” 38 North said in a note.

It said North Korea had installed the environmental shelter in late 2015 to conceal detection of test preparations.

KCNA cited leader Kim as saying the significance of the test would soon be evident.

“He noted that the success made in the current test marked a great event of historic significance as it declared a new birth of the Juche-based rocket industry,” KCNA said. Juche refers to North Korea’s homegrown ideology of self-reliance.

“He emphasised that the whole world will soon witness what eventful significance the great victory won today carries,” it said.

10

MONDAY 20•03•2017

SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Chelsea march on, Arsenal's Wenger to soon reveal his future after loss

LONDON, MARCH 19 (REUTERS): Chelsea continued their seemingly irresistible surge towards regaining the Premier League title as a late Gary Cahill goal saw them snatch a 2-1 win at Stoke City on Saturday to move a provisional 13 points clear at the top.

The latest triumph for Antonio Conte's unstoppable charges came after London rivals Arsenal's season continued to unravel with a third straight 3-1 away league defeat, this time at West Bromwich Albion.

The Gunners' fourth loss in five league games raised further questions about the future of underpressure manager Arsene Wenger, who announced intriguingly afterwards: "I know what I will do. You will soon know".

Conte had been without the in-form Eden Hazard through injury for what always promised to be an awkward fixture for Chelsea at Stoke and, just as they had recently held Manchester City at home, the Potters again made life difficult.

Willian put the leaders ahead after 13 min-

Chelsea’s Gary Cahill scores to make it 2-1. (EPA Photo)

utes thanks to a blunder

by Stoke goalkeeper Lee Grant but Jon Walters equalised with a penalty before halftime after being fouled by Cahill.

The England defender made amends in the 87th minute with a deserved winner and, after Phil Bardsley had been sent off for Stoke in added time, Conte celebrated with his staff on the touchline as Chelsea moved on to 69 points, leaving all the pressure on their nearest pursuers who

play on Sunday.

Second-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who host Southampton, and third-placed Manchester City, who welcome fourth-placed Liverpool to the Etihad Stadium, now both have to win just to get back within 10 points of the leaders.

WENGER PROTESTS Arsenal's defeat came amid more protests from some of the more vociferous of the Gunners' faith-

ful about Wenger as the manager acknowledged that his side were in the middle of "a unique bad patch" in his two-decade managerial reign.

After dismal defending saw West Brom's Craig Dawson head home twice from corners in a convincing win for Tony Pulis's men, Wenger told reporters: "We lose game after game at the moment and that for me is much more important than my future."

Yet as the debates about

his prospects became ever louder -- one airplane trailed a banner over the ground that declared "Wenger Out" while another trumpeted "In Arsene We Trust" -- the Frenchman said he would clarify his future soon.

His team, though, now look in serious jeopardy of not enjoying a 20th successive season of Champions League football in 2017-18 -- and if Manchester United win at Middlesbrough on Sunday, Arsenal, currently fifth on 50 points, will drop to sixth, two points behind Jose Mourinho's men.

Basement club Sunderland were held 0-0 at home to poor travellers Burnley, while third-bottom Hull City were trounced 4-0 by Everton, for whom leagueleading scorer Romelu Lukaku scored twice in added time, taking his season's tally to 21.

The Belgian became the first Toffees' striker to hit 20 league goals in a season, since Gary Lineker 31 years ago, though his goals were bitter-sweet for Everton fans who know he could leave after this week rejecting a new contract offer.

Leicester City's remark-

able resurgence under new manager Craig Shakespeare continued with a fourth successive win under his stewardship since Claudio Ranieri's sacking.

The champions won 3-2 at West Ham United with first-half goals from Riyad Mahrez, Robert Huth and Jamie Vardy for their first league success away from home all season.

Shakespeare, the first Premier League manager to oversee a side scoring three goals in his first three matches in charge, was "intensely proud" of the results his players had gleaned.

Like Leicester, Crystal Palace eased their worries with a third straight win, 1-0 at home to Watford through Troy Deeney's own goal, suggesting master escapologist Sam Allardyce can maintain his record of never suffering a Premier League relegation.

After Swansea City's recent revival under Paul Clement was checked with a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth in the late game, the bottom five teams are now Sunderland on 20 points, Middlesbrough 22, Hull 24, Swansea 27 and Crystal Palace 28.

State gets two KAI accredited coaches

DIMAPUR, MARCH 19 (MExN): Senliwati Longkumer and Supong Meren representing the All Nagaland Karate Do Association (ANKA) recently received accreditation as Coach from the Karate Association of India (KAI).

A congratulatory press release from the International Shito Ryu karate Federation, India (ISKFIndia) informed that both the Karate Instructors participated in the KAI Referee & Judges Accredited Coach Examination conducted by Shihan Paramjeet S. Singh, the Referee Commission Chairman of Karate Association of India (KAI) at

R.G.B. Sports Complex, Guwahati on February 11.

According to the release, Shihan T. Sangtam, the first World Karate Federation (WKF) 5th Dan grade from Nagaland, and President of ISKF-India & All Nagaland Karate Do Association (ANKA), had recommended Sensei Longkumer and Meren’s participation in the examination.

The certificates were distributed by KAI General Secretary Shihan Bharat Sharma and Referee Commission Chairman Shihan Singh during the 6th Youth & 8th Under-21 State Karate Championship of Assam.

Golovkin edges Jacobs by decision to defend titles

NEW YORK, MARCH 19 (REUTERS): Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, the most fearsome knockout artist of this era, was pushed to the limit by Daniel Jacobs before retaining his world middleweight titles by decision at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

Jacobs, known as "Miracle Man" since coming back from bone cancer five years ago, ended the unbeaten Golovkin's streak of 23 knockouts in a row in a battle that went to the scorecards for the first time since 2008 for the Kazakh champion.

Two judges scored it 115-112, with the third making it 114-113 in favor Two Day Annual Sports Meet of Government Middle School, Old Showuba, was held on of Golovkin, who retained March 15 and 16. his WBC, WBA, IBF and

Daniel Jacobs and Gennady Golovkin exchange punches during middleweight world championship fight at Madison Square Garden. (USA TODAY Sports)

IBO middleweight crowns.

Golovkin knocked Jacobs down in the fourth with a double dose of rights, but as the fight wore on Jacobs confused the Kazakh by sliding into a southpaw stance, scoring

on stinging combinations, holding his own against the dangerous power of the champion.

After a cautious, feeling out in the first two rounds, the bout blossomed into a fascinating battle with the

fighters engaging freely in a thrilling duel to the finish that almost produced another Jacobs' miracle.

Golovkin improved his record to 37-0, while Brooklyn native Jacobs dropped to 32-2.

"I respect Danny Jacobs and very good job and clean job," Golovkin, who used a stinging left jab to set up his power shots, said in the ring after the decision. "Danny Jacobs is my favorite fighter.

Clean, good quality, very good fighter."

Jacobs proved to be the toughest test yet for Golovkin, matching exchanges, using his bigger body to advantage and firing off big combinations against the tiring cham-

pion late in the bout.

The American thought he had taken the decision.

"I think I won the fight," the New Yorker said. "I think I won by two rounds at least.

"They want the big fight, and Daniel Jacobs got X'd out. I won the fight and I won the decision and all I can do is be gracious in the decision."

Jacobs said he stood right up to Golovkin after hitting the canvas early in the bout.

"After the knockdown I told him (he) had to kill me (to beat me)," said Jacobs.

"When I got up I thought this is all he has? There were many times during the fight I went toe-to-toe because I knew I could."

PUBLIC DISCOURSE

Lendinoktang Ao & Nribemo Ngullie President & General Secretary, NTC

Hon’ble Sir, At the outset, the NTC expresses its delight to you for the official invitation extended to NTC to be a part of the swear-in ceremony of your ministry at Raj Bhavan and we look forward to have meaningful audition to share our concern on the crucial issues at hand. The NTC is obliged to draw your kind attention to the following issues for favour of positive response in the interest of the bonafide citizens of the state.

1. Rongmei recognition: The NTC had represented to the State Government for total revocation of the State Govt Notification NO. HOME/SCTA6/ 2007 (PT-1) dated Kohima the 4th Aug/2012 granting “Rongmeis as one of the Naga Tribes” entitling them the benefits of Indigenous tribe in the State of Nagaland in contravention to the fact finding committee report.

The NTC maintained that land and people are synonymous and cannot be separated. Records are clear that Rongmeis have no ancestral land in Nagaland, and therefore they cannot be given indigenous Naga tribe status in Nagaland. Despite protest and repeated representations by the indigenous tribes of Nagaland, the State Government remains adamant to the voice of the people. The NTC once again urges your honour to take heed and respond positively to the general desire of the people and bring the issue to a logical conclusion.

2. The Nagaland Special Development Zone (NSDZ): The DAN Govt. adopted NSDZ on 24.3.2014 under which the foothill areas within the state of Nagaland will be earmarked for the so called special development

NTC memo to Nagaland CM

zones. Within the cadastral areas, the special protective laws of Nagaland such as Article 371A, ILP and Nagaland Land and Revenue (amendment) Act, 1978 shall not be applicable. The NSDZ will become free zone for anyone from any race, own and pursue any business without restriction. The whole intention of NSDZ is to curve out the plain sector of Nagaland State for outsiders for permanent settlement. Such decision is anti-state and suicidal for the present and posterity. It should therefore be revoked without further delay.

3. The Nagaland Land and Revenue (amendment) Act, 1978: NTC had urged the State Government to implement Government notification No. LAW-213/78 dated Kohima, the 30th of September, 1978 in letter and in spirit in order to protect the inherent right of indigenous people, its land and properties and safe guard the indigenous people of the State from external exploitations.

The “Nagaland Land and Revenue Regulation (Amendment) Act 1978” which received the assent of the Governor on the 29th of September, 1978 amended the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886 and extended to the whole of Nagaland State to protect and preserve the land that belongs to the indigenous and vulnerable people of the state. The Sub-Section (2) of the Act stated “Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any law, usage, contract or agreement no person (other than the indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland) shall acquire or posses by transfer, exchange, lease, agreement of settlement of any land in any area or areas constituted into belts or blocks in contravention of the provisions of Sub-Section (1) Sub-Section (3) of the Act stated that “From and

after the commencement of Nagaland Land and Revenue Regulation (Amendment) Act, 1978, no document evidencing any transaction for acquisition or possession of any land by way of transfer, exchange, lease, agreement or settlement shall be registered under the Indian Registration Act, 1908 if it appears to the registering authority that the transaction has been effected in contravention of the provisions of Sub-Section (2).

The Nagaland Village and Tribal Councils Act, 1978 had categorically empowered the Village Council to be the custodian of landed properties vide Section 15, Sub-Section (1)(g) which read “no transfer of immovable properties shall be effected without the consent of the Village Council. Written record of this shall be maintained by the Village Council”.

The people of Nagaland do salute those elected leaders during whose time this law was enacted for protection on our ownership over the lands that belonged to, we, the indigenous people of Nagaland. Much water had flowed during the last 39 years since the law came into effect. The NTC is apprehensive that we have gone awry with the law all the while. The NTC therefore urges upon the Government to implement the law in letter and in spirit. The NTC once again urges the Government of the day to send necessary instructions to the concern Deputy Commissioners, Revenue Officers and Village authorities to strictly adhere to the law and protect our land and properties.

4. Intanki National Park: In view of its great importance to ecological balance, preservation of forest and wild life, the Governor in council declared the formation of Ntangki Reserved Forest with an approximate area of 44,800 acres in a Notification

No.1186R Dated 7 May 1923, to be effective from 15 June 1923. By another Notification No.2005R Dated 18 July 1927, the Governor in council further attached another 5,120 acres of forest land to be added to the Ntangki Reserved Forest w.e.f. 15 August 1927. Later, the Government of Nagaland through a Notification No.ROP-158/74 Dated Kohima, 22 April 1975 declared the Ntangki Reserved Forest comprising an area of 20,202 hectares as wild life sanctuary, and named it as Ntangki Wildlife Sanctuary with effect from 1 April 1975. The Government of Nagaland through another Notification No.FOR-43/83 Dated 3 March 1993 again re-christened Ntangki Wildlife Sanctuary as Ntangki National Park.

It is a known fact that there have been rampant encroachments on the area of this invaluable asset of ours. Also there has been devastation of forest by private individuals in connivance with all type of elements. The NTC reported the matter to the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment and sought its immediate intervention but there is no immediate responds. The NTC therefore urges upon the State Government not to remain helpless spectator to these destructive activities but rise to protect the National Park without delay.

5. Extension of BEFR Act. to cover the entire administrative jurisdiction of Nagaland: The Bengal Eastern-Frontier Regulation Act of 1873 under which the Inner Line Permit was provided for the State of Nagaland. The NTC submitted its representation to the State Government to bring Dimapur Areas under the purview of ILP as Dimapur is inalienable part of Nagaland and the entire State jurisdiction is a tribal belt and equally vulnerable. The NTC therefore urges

the Government of the day to take of suppression, cannot be imposed necessary steps to enforce Inner Line on Nagaland any longer. This double Regulation system all over the state. standard policy of GOI proves that Nagaland was brought to its Union 6. Gaidinliu Memorial Hall at Ko- to be suppressed indefinitely.” The hima: The Chief Minister of Manipur NTC urges the State Government to had rightfully claimed that Gaidinliu take immediate steps and impress was the daughter of Manipur’s soil upon the GOI to revoke extension of since she belonged to Tamenlong. ‘terrorism tag’ of Disturb Area Act in Whatever it may be, venerations ac- the entire state of Nagaland. corded to her already or to be accorded to her in future by anyone outside 8. Objection to Uniform Civil Nagaland is not the botheration of Code: Nagaland is wholly a tribNTC. Yet, Gaidinliu was solely re- al state, and the State came into sponsible for murdering those NNC being under Constitution (13th cadres in 1965 and she is anti-Naga. Amendment) Act, 1962, following The NTC will never allow Nagaland an agreement arrived in July 1960 to be converted into a launching pad in between the Govt. of India and for such cult leader or alien culture the erstwhile Naga People’s Conof idol worship while reaffirming vention. That, the Constitutional its opposition against deification of protection of the religious, social, Gaidinliu in Nagaland, the NTC urges customs and practices of the Nagas Government of Nagaland to re-name is thus enshrined under Art. 371A of the building and use the infrastruc- the Constitution of India, the personal and social life of the Nagas ture for meaningful purpose. both men and women in the State 7. Revocation of Disturb Area Act: remains well contented under the The NTC questioned the wisdom un-codified social, customs and of government of India as to how practices. That, our way of life since ceasefires entered into and political time immemorial is quite distinct dialogue continued when its legal from the people in the mainland weapons such as AFSPA and all anti- India, and Uniform Civil Code, if terror laws are forced on the people introduced, we shall be subjected giving the armed forces special pow- to alien culture and social practices ers to search, raid and arrest without by compulsion under the law, and a warrant, causing untold hardship the enacted law if enforce upon us, and putting law and order in peril as our personal and social life shall be though it is a terrorist infested State. subjected to extinction. That, the “In other words, olive branches were Nagaland Tribes Council having offered to peace loving Naga politi- unanimous public mandate, and in cal groups on one hand whereas war view of the predicament, earnestly has been waged against all those request that the State of Nagaland who are in ceasefire. Peace and War take up with the Union Law Comare never of the same, and the two mission and the appropriate aucannot go together. If peace is to be thority to excluded Nagaland from given a place, war has to pave the the purview of Uniform Civil Code way. Similarly, if GOI is at all hon- so that, the inalienable provisions est and sincere at ceasefire and dia- of Article 371A of the Constitution logue, the Disturb Area Act, an action of India remain undisturbed.

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.

MONDAY 20•03•2017

Comic Books: Where do you begin?

“H

ow do I get into comics?” That’s a question we have encountered from many people, friends and strangers alike.

To those new to the medium, comics are seen as impenetrable. They notice that some series have been running in various forms for decades or there are just so many titles it’s hard to know what to read or where to begin.

Here are a few tips for anyone who is interested on where to start your comic book adventure.

Now before anyone starts complaining, be informed that this is not a list of what we think are the best comics; nor are they all for very young kids.

Here is a list of 10 comic books and graphic novels (in no particular order) which we think are the friendliest examples to first time readers of what the comic book medium offers in terms of both themes and artistic styling.

1. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

No comic book has been the subject of more essays and serious literary discussion than Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen. It has been named one of the 100 greatest novels of the past century by Time Magazine. Released 20 years ago, the 12-issue maxi-series was a groundbreaking achievement for comics. Written "for adults," Watchmen opened the doors for thought-provoking and intelligent comics in the mainstream. Two decades after its arrival, there is still no greater comic book. And for serious readers, this is a great way to get hooked into the graphic novel genre.

2. Saga Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples It’s an epic space opera following a star-crossed married couple and their little mixed baby as they run from both sides of a war. This is one of those comics that’s on practically every list for newbies: It’s gorgeous, thoroughly beloved, a smash hit – and one of those works that you can’t find an easy substitute for on TV or in films. It’s a triumph of the medium, basically.

3. Y: The Last Man

by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra

This tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where the extinction event is the death of all men – except, of course, one. This is another one of those comic books that gets included in seemingly every newbie bundle. There’s a reason for that: It’s gripping and full of cliffhangers while also being tender, hilarious, and full of emotion. It’s one of those rides you can binge-read and then share with everyone who so eagerly pushed it into your arms in the first place.

4. Batman Vol. 1 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Run (Daud)’ premieres in Dimapur Morung Express News

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Dimapur | March 19

ack of patrons for locally made movies in Nagaland is a common affliction. However this has not deterred those with passion to ‘tread where angels fear to tread’ and come out triumphant, at times, through sheer grit and perseverance.

Munna Yadav is one of them. Despite the acute constraints in forms of talent and finances, the proprietor of Murti Films Private Ltd has been instrumental in bringing out films and other fares at regular interval since he made actors of the movie ‘Run (Daud) posed for picture with their fans during his debut with a Nagamese film ‘Mafia Gang’ in 2004. The The its premiere at Town Hall, Dimapur on March 19. (Morung Photo) movie was honed by Ajay Kumar Mehara, another veteran filmmaker from Nagaland. thus the title.

In the intervening years, apart acting in numerous Run (Daud): Review The movie is technically comNagamese movies, he has released Bhojpuri films and Run (Daud), written & directed album, a Hindi album, a Bollywood movie as well as a Shiva Kumar BK, is a typical action parable to any regular bollywood Nepali movie. movie shot mostly in outdoor loca- fare, with visually pleasing cineHe is also started the ‘North East Dancing Best Moms’ tions with Kartik Kumar and Yana matography as well as competent which will begin its Season III shortly. in the lead roles. The plot is simple sound editing.

On March 12, Yadav achieved another millstone but a leap forward However, a sharper editing when a Hindi movie made by his production house hit would have made from the reguthe marquee. the movie crisper The movie, ‘Run (Daud) premiered at Town Hall, Di- lar fare we see in and added more Nagamese movie. mapur with a warm reception from his growing fan base. adrenaline to the The storyline Fans from Agartala, Assam and Kolkata came for the plotline publiis topical, dealing premiere, the producer claimed. cised as a sus“As producer, director and actor, I want to promote lo- with the issue of pense thriller. cal talents. I want to make Dimapur into Mumbai,” Yadav invasion of inforThe dialogue earlier told The Morung Express. mation technolodelivery and In a short function before the show, NPF General Secre- gy in modern life. the screenplay tary (Finance) Basu Damini, who was the Guest of Honour A group of at the premiere said that it was due to Yadav’s passion that he youth is camping needs room for strived all those years despite several shortcomings. improvement, in jungle for a ‘digDamini also assured support in the filmmaker’s future ital de-addiction’ though given fact endeavor and also read out a note encouragement from Ad- camp, when one of that most of the visor to Chief Minister Urban Development, SI Jamir. performers were them unintentionIntroducing the movie, Yadav informed that 99% of the first timers, it is far better than othally captured a murder, being comcast, including the lead actor Kartik Kumar and Director, mitted by a group of Gangster in her er movies produced in Nagaland. are making their debut in the movie.

While, the casts assayed their The film has assorted cast of both Nagas and non-Nagas handy cam. While she is killed upon role competently, the side characdiscovery, she managed to transfer adding to its diversity. Incidentally, a traffic police officer ters were far more superior in their from Nagaland was cast after showing his interest in the the same to the hero.

The rest of the story is about performances. project at the movie pre-production.

Overall, a commendable job givIt was also learnt that the producer is presently in pre- the event that unfolded afterliminary talks with T-Series to give it a wider release. The wards with the gangsters desper- en constraints in Nagaland and the DVDs for home viewing will be released only thereafter. ate to retrieve the video. They are filmmakers as well as the cast deHe also reiterated his appeal for not condemning literally on a run since then, and serves credits for the final product.

Nagamese films but support and promote local talents.

I would rather be stupid than pretend to be intelligent: Alia Bhatt

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ctress Alia Bhatt, who has been trolled a lot on social media, says she would rather be "stupid than pretend" to be smart and intelligent. "I would rather be stupid than pretend to be intelligent. A lot of energy is consumed in pretending to the world that you know it all. If you preserve this energy, you can use it to learn. True knowledge in

acquired by being on the threshold of ignorance," Alia said at the India Today Conclave here on Saturday.

She added: "If I don't know about any singer of the 1970s, I think it is ok. Problem is that it's not okay if you don't have an answer.

You get trolled for even getting out of your bed." The "Udta Punjab" actress says it would bother her if there are no jokes at her expense.

"One day, if the jokes on me stop coming, I'll be upset. I am either relevant and irrelevant. If I am crossing your mind at any point of the day, I am relevant. So why I should be upset? My father says one day, the flowers will stop coming and you'll be upset. I say one day, the jokes will stop coming, and then I'll be upset," she said.

Source: IANS

As with a lot of the mainstays, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact right place to jump in with a character as storied as Batman. So why not choose one by a creator—Scott Snyder (not to be confused with Zack Snyder). This is a fantastic book and really captures the caped crusader in all his glory. Perfect for beginners.

NOW SHOWING REVISED TICKET RATES (Silver) : `.120 (Gold) : `. 200 (Recliner) : `. 400

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Ward 5 (6) Burma Camp, Landmark - Near J.K Hospital Dimapur.

Power House.

Hillstar NOW SHOWING AA GAYA HERO

5. All-Star Superman Vol. 1,

by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely

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The amazing creative team of writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely join forces to take Superman back to basics and create a new vision of the World’s First Superhero. This is a great way to begin understanding the mythos of a phenomenon that now supercedes pop culture and is a j u g g e r - naut cultural mainstay.

6. The Sandman, Vol. 1,

by Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith, and Mike Dringenberg

This is one of the classics. Completely without any action or suspense, it is this story that paved the way for the revolution that the Sandman series began. And this story alone remains one of the handful true perfect masterpieces of the medium. The Sandman is a milestone in modern comics – and literature – and essential reading for everyone interested in the medium.

7. Jessica Jones: Alias,

by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos

If you’re looking for something that relatively directly inspired an onscreen superhero, here ya go.

There are differences between page and screen of course, but this is the main source material where Jessica Jones took the form of the character beloved in the Netflix series.

8. Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1,

by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday

When it comes to the X-Men, there are approximately 10 katrillion places to start. But that can sometimes be the very problem – because that’s very intimidating. So here is one option, with a handy bridge (Joss Whedon) to tie you to other mediums and creators you may be more familiar with.

9. Lumberjanes Vol. 1,

by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke Allen

This story is literally about a bunch of girls at summer camp. A supernatural summer camp! This is one of those punk rock, love-everything-about-it stories that appeals to fans of basically all excellent things. So that may well be you, especially considering how critically acclaimed this series is.

10. Persepoli by Marjane Satrapi

Based on her own personal experience of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Marjane Satrapi introduces us to the effects of cultural change through the eyes of a child. The graphic novel entitled, Persepolis, is a political, historical, and extremely personal account of a girl’s growth into maturity and there are a great range of emotions disseminated in this novel.

Find the Skid Reviewer at: www youtube.com/theskidreviewer www.facebook.com/theskidreviewer And at Instagram at the_skid_reviewer

(The Skid Reviewer is a YouTube channel run by two comic book fans from Nagaland who make videos about anything that catches their fancy)

Ben Stiller helps in raising funds for Somalia

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ctor Ben Stiller joined forces with other celebrities in an effort to send aid to Somalia, where a food crisis is currently ravaging the nation.

The 51-year-old comedian on Friday helped raise over $1 million in under 24 hours to help Somalis facing starvation, reports dailymail.co.uk.

The "Zoolander" actor teamed up with Jerome Jarre of video platform Vine and Snapchat fame to ask Turkish Airline for help sending resources to the hungry. Stiller posted a video on Twitter which explained the dire food situation in Somalia. He also

10:00 AM

MACHINE

shared a plan thought up by Jarre with fans. Jarre wondered if Turkish Airlines could help the stars deliver resources to people in need, so Stiller used his Twitter account to get the airline's attention.

With the help of NFL star Colin Kapernick and stars like American YouTube star Casey Neista, they got the airliner to promise one of their cargo aircrafts to send food to the African nation. According to dailymail.co.uk, the stars were able to raise enough donations to promise 60 tonnes of food in their first relief mission.

22 year old Meyitemsu from Mokokchung has been selected in the mega round dancing category of ‘Yes I Am,’ a national reality show being conducted in Mumbai. ‘Yes I am’ is a multi talent show, bringing together all forms of talents from dancing and singing to stand up comedy on the same platform. The show will be telecast online to a worldwide audience. The company offers to help verified contestants from the reality shows aired across 1020 Indian channels and soon it will be telecast on Zing channel. To enable Meyitemsü reach the final list, click on the love reaction button on his picture through facebook which will be counted as Source: IANS a vote. To vote visit @Yesiamstar on facebook.

Rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry dead at 90

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huck Berry, who duck-walked his way into the pantheon of rock 'n' roll pioneers as one of its most influential guitarists and lyricists, creating raucous anthems that defined the genre's sound and heartbeat, died on Saturday at his Missouri home. He was 90.

Police in St. Charles County, outside St. Louis, said they were called to Berry's home by a caretaker and found him unresponsive.

Efforts to revive him failed and he was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. local time.

Considered one of the founding fathers of rock 'n' roll, Charles Edward Anderson Berry was present at its infancy in the 1950s and emerged as its first star guitarist and songwriter - a nearly 30-year-old black performer whose style electrified young white audiences and was emulated by white performers who came to dominate American popular music.

Although Elvis Presley was called the king of rock 'n' roll, that crown would have fit just as well on Berry's own carefully sculpted pompadour.

Berry hits such as "Johnny B. Goode," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Maybellene" and "Memphis" melded elements of blues, rockabilly and jazz into some of

the most timeless pop songs of the 20th century.

He was a monumental influence on just about any kid who picked up a guitar with rock star aspirations - Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen among them.

Bob Dylan called Berry "the Shakespeare of rock 'n' roll," and he was one of the first popular acts to write as well as perform his own songs.

They focused on youth, romance, cars and good times, with lyrics that were complex, humorous and sometimes a little raunchy.

Both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, as well as the Beach Boys and scores of other acts - even Elvis - covered Berry's songs. "If you tried to give rock 'n' roll another name," Lennon once said, "you might call it 'Chuck Berry'."

Paying tribute to Berry on Twitter on Saturday, Springsteen called him "rock's greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock 'n' roll writer who ever lived." Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger tweeted: "Chuck you were amazing & your music is engraved inside us forever."

When Richards inducted Berry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, he said: "It's very difficult for me to talk about Chuck Berry because I've lifted every lick he ever played.

This is the gentleman who started it all."

Source: Reuters

12:30 PM | 08:00 PM

BADRINATH KI DULHANIA

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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

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MONDAY 20•03•2017

SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

secure first win Jadeja boosts India's victory Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in 100th test chance after Pujara double

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RANCHI, MARCH 19 (REUTERS): Cheteshwar Pujara compiled an epic double century and Wriddhiman Saha hit a careerbest 117 to deflate Australia and put India in a strong position on the fourth day of the third test on Sunday.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja then brightened India's victory prospects dismissing David Warner and nightwatchman Nathan Lyon cheaply to reduce Australia to 23-2.

Matt Renshaw was batting on seven at stumps with Australia still 129 runs behind and under considerable pressure to save the match.

"Obviously we've got to save the game," Australia coach Darren Lehmann told reporters, lamenting the two late losses.

"Once the ball gets a little bit softer it plays pretty well, so there's no real demons in the track.

"It's a case of obviously applying ourselves much like Pujara and Saha did today," he added.

Earlier, Pujara became the first Indian batsman to face 500 deliveries in a test innings, spending more than 11 hours at the crease for his marathon 202 on the penultimate day of the contest.

Resuming the day with India 91 runs behind Australia's first innings total of 451, Pujara and Saha frustrated the tourists and batted through the

COLOMBO, MARCH 19 (REUTERS): Bangladesh secured their maiden test win against Sri Lanka, and their second against a major test-playing nation in the last five months, with an eventful four-wicket victory on the final day of the second test at the P Sara Oval on Sunday.

Playing their 100th test overall, the touring side chased down their target of 191 in the final session to level the two-match series at 1-1.

Bangladesh had lost 15 tests and drawn two of their previous 17 matches in the five-day format against Sri Lanka and Sunday's victory is undoubtedly their best away from home after they beat England in Dhaka last October.

The South Asian nation's other test successes have come against West InCheteshwar Pujara became the first Indian batsman to face 500 deliveries in a Test innings, spending more than 11 hours dies, whose glory days are at the crease for his marathon 202. (AP Photo) long past and are no longer first two sessions to forge decision overturned.

Saha also got a reprieve in his brisk unbeaten 54 to considered to be among a 199-run seventh wicket The 29-year-old took a on 51 when his fellow wick- rub salt into Australia's inpartnership. single off Lyon to bring up etkeeper Matthew Wade juries, celebrating his fifty Both fell in the final his third double century spilled an edge. by twirling his bat like a session trying to acceler- before falling to the offThe stumper-batsman sword. ate with Australia looking spinner. ducked well under the Home skipper Virat pretty jaded by then.

Saha matched Pujara's bouncers from Cummins Kohli called his batsmen DIMAPUR, MARCH 19 Pujara faced 525 balls in doggedness at the other and took a single off Glenn in as soon as they crossed (MExN): The Dimapur his tireless knock, capitalis- end after surviving a couple Maxwell to complete his the 600-run mark and un- District Cricket Associaing on the exceptionally fast of reviews earlier in the day. century which drew his leashed his spinners on tion will conduct the 6th outfield to score 21 boundPlaying his second test team mates in the dressing Australia to drive home the Under-16 Dimapur District Inter-School Cricket aries at the Jharkhand State more than five years after room on their feet. advantage.

Cricket Association Sta- his first, Australia paceman Once past his hundred, "I am very confident Tournament at Nagaland dium, which is hosting its Pat Cummins (4-106) near- he too went for quick runs our spinners will bowl re- Cricket Stadium, Sovima, first test. ly completed a five-wicket and fell to Steve O'Keefe ally well. There is rough, Dimapur from March 20.

Pujara was given out haul when Saha was given who bowled a staggering there are cracks..." Pujara Altogether, 12 schools divided into four groups will lbw to a sharply turning out leg-before.

77 overs for his three wick- told Star Sports channel.

Nathan Lyon delivery when The batsman immedi- ets as Australia endured a The four-test series is be competing in the touron 157 but he managed to ately reviewed and replays tough day in the field. tied 1-1 with Dharamsala nament. The group winner prolong Australia's misery suggested the ball would Down the order, Jadeja hosting the final match will play the semifinals. The by using review to get the have missed the stumps. clobbered a couple of sixes from Saturday. finals will be held on March

test cricket's major players, and Zimbabwe.

It was a great comeback for Bangladesh after they lost the opening test at Galle by 259 runs to a side that blanked Australia 3-0 at home last year.

"The way we are improving, down the line we will win some games," Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was named player of the series, said.

Experienced opening batsman Tamim Iqbal anchored the chase with a stroke-filled 82 after home captain Rangana Herath had picked up two wickets in successive deliveries to reduce Bangladesh to 22-2.

Tamim, who hit seven fours and a six, added 109 for the third wicket with Sabbir Rahman before the latter fell for 41.

Shakib, who set up the win with his 116 in the first innings, fell for 15 with Bangladesh still 29 runs away from a famous vic-

tory and there were more nervous moments awaiting the touring side.

Mushfiqur Rahim was given out leg before but the Bangladesh captain managed to overturn the umpire's decision on review with replays confirming the delivery was missing the stumps.

Herath, celebrating his 39th birthday on Sunday, could not hold on to a return catch offered by Mosaddek Hossain, but later dismissed him for 13 with Bangladesh needing two for the win.

"We are bitterly disappointed but it's part of the game," Herath said. "I think every single area, bowling, batting and fielding will need to improve."

Mushfiqur remained unbeaten on 22 while Mehedi Hasan was not out on two after hitting the winning runs that sparked wild celebrations from the visiting team.

DDCA Inter-School Cricket from today Bronson School 25, Saturday. In the inauguLittle Star HSS ral match on Monday, defending champions RJHSS Group B will take on ZMHSS. Ramjanki HSS Railway High School March 20 matches Zakiesato HSS RJHSS vs ZMHSS @ 8:00 am Group C St Mary’s HSS vs MGH S D Jain HSS HSS @ 11:00 am G Mhiasu School Millennial Vision vs Christian HSS Bronson School @ 2:00 pm Group D Group A HMC School Millennial Vision St. Mary’s HSS School MGM HSS

Bayavü Giants enter Silver Cup quarters Free football coaching camp 1st DSSU Bi-annual sports meet concludes Our Correspondent Kohima | March 19

Lower Bayavü Giants moved into the quarterfinals of the 8th Silver Cup T20 Cricket Tournament being organized by Nepali Baptist Church Kohima Youth Department at Jakhama Local Ground, Kohima.

Due to inclement weather on Saturday, the match between Lower Bayavü Giants and Kohima Thunders was reduced to just six overs after due consultations with the team captains as the winner is scheduled to play Monday’s quarterfinal match.

Playing the six over match in rain soaked conditions, Lower Bayavü Giants won the toss and elected to bat first and set a target of 79 runs losing 4 wickets. Sandeep Paul remained not out scoring 26 runs while skipper Tapitu contributed 23 runs. Thunders’ bowlers Rokovoto and Vungathung Murry claimed two wickets each.

However, Thunders chasing the target managed to score 50 runs los-

KOHIMA, MARCH 19 Travelling and lodging will DIMAPUR, MARCH 19 (MExN): The Nagaland be at the own expenses of (MEXN): The 1st Bi-Annual Sports Meet organFootball Coaches Associa- the coaches.

NFCA will give certifi- ised by the Dimapur Sumi tion (NFCA) is organizing Students Union under free Football Coaching Camp cates to all the campers.

The course will be con- the theme "one team, one for grass-root level between 6 to12 years from March 27 to ducted by former inter- dream" concluded at GHSS 31 at Dimapur stadium un- national and professional ground. The two day event der the theme "Make Foot- footballer and Football was hosted by Sumi KipCoach AFC "C&B" and AFC himi Kuqhakulu, United ball Happen".

All interested young up- "A" (appear) and AIFF Youth Colony. coming footballers have Development Course from Pa t k a i C h r i s t i a n been requested to attend German football expert College Sumi Kiphimi the camp. Birth certificates Coach Roko Angami who Kuqhakulu emerged as the is also the NFCA President overall champion while SD should be produced.

Meanwhile, a Refresher and William Koso AFC" Jains Girls College bagged and Orientation programme C&B" and AFC "A"(appear) the runners-up trophy. The for (All India football Feder- and also AIFF "D" instructor best disciplined unit was ation) AIFF "D" certificates who is also NFCA technical awarded to Sumi Kiphimi holders and (Asian Football Director, this was stated in Kuqhakulu, United Colony.

Confederation) AFC "C" li- a release issued by Ayeto The two day sports censed Coaches, will be General Secretary Nagaland meet was graced by Kuhoi held on March 25 at 9: 00 am Football Coaches Associa- Zhimomi Chairman, Sumi at the stadium. All the AFC tion NFCA. Council Dimapur (SCD) as ing events was played in WSSU officials was won For more i n - the chief guest. Altogether, different categories. and AIFF Coaches in Nagaby the DSSU through Man of the match Tapitu receiving the award from organising land are requested to attend f o r m a t i o n , c o n t a c t 27 units took part in the An exhibition match a tie-breaker after the committee member Prakash Tiwari. the programme positively. 9436424654/8119890832. meet during which 8 sport- between DSSU and match ended in a draw. ing four wickets in the stip- with Tapitu being adjudged ulated overs. Mhonyamo man of the match.

Yanthan scored highest March 20 matches 27 runs for Kohima ThunKohima Hornbills B vs ders. Lower Bayavü Gi- Royal Tourniquets @7: 00 am ants bowlers Thungjamo, glancing Toni Kroos's corLower Bayavü Giants vs BARCELONA, MARCH Sanjiv, Tapitu and Deepak Peraciezie Royals @ 10:00 am 19 (REUTERS): Real ner to the back post where took one wicket each.

Shillong Mavericks vs Madrid went five points Casemiro was waiting to Lower Bayavü Giants Whiskers CC, Dimapur @ clear at the top of La Liga seal Real's fourth straight won the match by 28 runs 1:00 pm after coming through win in all competitions. a testing game at Ath"We've picked up points letic Bilbao to win 2-1 at a very difficult ground afthanks to Brazilian midter being on the back foot field linchpin Casemiro's for a long time. We played strike on Saturday. with a lot of character in a three games in seven days, Europa League ties against Karim Benzema fired game that was vital for us to United's manager had gone Anderlecht.

Real ahead in the 25th minstay on our good run," ZiMiddlesbrough, in con- ute with an exquisite firstas far as predicting that they dane told reporters. would "probably lose" at trast, are left seeking a first time finish from a Cristiano Also on Saturday Real Middlesbrough, but when league win since December, Ronaldo cross after CaseSociedad's hopes of clinchthe mind games stopped and with crucial relegation games miro had begun the move ing the fourth Champions the football began his weak- coming up after the break with a clever long ball from League spot in La Liga away to fellow-strugglers the halfway line. ened team did him proud. faded after they lost 1-0 at "It's fantastic because Swansea City and Hull City.

Athletic worked hard neighbours Alaves, where we managed in a week to Their temporary man- to get back into the game Brazilian forward Deyvergo to the quarter-final of the ager Steve Agnew, pleased and, after Real keeper Keyson scored the only goal of Europa League, which is an by his team's efforts on Sunlor Navas produced a brilthe game a minute before important target for us, and day, was given a boost begot these three points which fore the game when chair- liant save to deny Inaki Athletic Bilbao's Mikel Balenziaga and Yeray Alvarez and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema in halftime. The visitors had Esteban Granero sent off keep us in the race for fourth man Steve Gibson told the Williams, veteran striker action. (Reuters Photo) after the break for a second position," he told BT Sport. club's website(www.mfc. Aritz Aduriz headed the Zinedine Zidane's side nearly took the lead when ing the deadlock. booking.

"With injured players, co.uk) "I hope he’s here this home side level from close had returned to the top of Raul Garcia acrobatically range in the 65th minute.

Real Sociedad are sixth tired players, suspended time next year or the year afDIFFICULT GROUND Casemiro restored Re- the table last week after volleyed at goal, catching in the standings on 48 players, the guys were The Portuguese latched ter. He has a lot of qualities." al's lead in the 68th, how- capitalising on Barcelona's Keylor Navas off guard alpoints, level with Villarremagnificent. shock defeat at Deportivo though the goalkeeper re- onto Casemiro's lofted pass al, who were beaten 1-0 at Agnew, who was also ever, by controlling Ron"We controlled everyLa Coruna with victory over acted well to tip the shot and generously squared to Las Palmas on Friday, and thing until our second goal." briefly in charge seven aldo's flicked header from Benzema, who added to his four behind Atletico MaReal Betis. away to safety.

Mourinho and his years ago, confirmed that a corner and calmly taking They knew they would Ronaldo had a frus- two goals at San Mames in drid, who can extend the coaching staff will now he would like the job on a his time to tuck the ball into be tested by an Athletic side trating day in front of last year's 2-1 win by meet- gap if they beat Sevilla on the net from close range, have a rest, even if many of permanent basis. who had the second-best goal, first having a strike ing the bouncing pass first Sunday. Eibar, meanwhile, "It's a club I have a big thanks to some careless their players will be away home record in the league ruled out for offside and time and sending the ball moved to within three affection for," he said. defending. on international duty.

"I love the people in the Real lead La Liga on 65 and had not lost at home then seeing a hooked ef- into the far corner. points of seventh-place United resume at home Ronaldo also contribut- Athletic Bilbao after drawto West Bromwich Albion area and the passionate points, five clear of second- since being beaten by Bar- fort turned away by Athletic goalkeeper Kepa Ar- ed to the winner soon after ing 1-1 with Espanyol, who on April 1, which is the first crowd. It's a pleasure to be placed Barcelona, who have celona in August.

The Basques made a rizabalaga, yet he played a Athletic had clawed their are ninth with 40 points, of eight projected fixtures in charge of a team and see also played 27 games and host Valencia on Sunday. more energetic start and crucial role in Real break- way back into the game, one behind Eibar. that month, including two them respond like that."

Real Madrid go five points clear atop La Liga

United progress up table at last

M I D D L E S B R O UG H , MARCH 19 (REUTERS): Manchester United's upward trajectory since last losing a Premier League game five months ago finally resulted in some tangible progress on Sunday when a hard-earned 3-1 victory at Middlesbrough carried them to within one win of the top four.

Despite remaining unbeaten since a humbling 4-0 defeat away to Jose Mourinho's former club Chelsea in October, they had been unable to rise any higher than sixth place.

Success at the Riverside Stadium, however, lifted them above struggling Arsenal into fifth.

As well as the possibility of finishing in the top four, they have a second chance of competing in next season's Champions League by winning the Europa League, for which they are the bookmakers' favourites.

Upset at having to play

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