March 7th, 2017 by The Morung Express

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tuesDAY • MArch 07 • 2017

DIMAPUR • Vol. XII • Issue 63 • 12 PAGes • 5

T H e

ESTD. 2005

P o W e R

It is difficult to understand the universe if you only study one planet

PAGe 08

reflections

By Sandemo Ngullie

Kohima | March 6

Manipur High Court declares economic blockade illegal

C M Y K

Imphal, march 6 (IaNS/NNN): The full bench of Manipur High Court has declared the over four-month-old economic blockade of the state as “illegal”, an official confirmed on Monday. The full bench, comprising Chief Justice Rakesh Ranjan Prasad, and Justices N. Koteswor and K. Nobin, passed the order in this regard on March 3. The high court has been hearing a Public Interest Litigation, filed by R.K. Joysana, expressing concern over the situation arising as a result of the blockade. Gaidon Kamei, president, and Stephen Lamkang, publicity secretary, of the United Naga Council (UNC) which is imposing the indefinite economic blockade appeared before the high court. Six other office bearers of the UNC who failed to appear before the court were given a last chance to do so on March 23. Both Kamei and Lamkang were remanded in judicial custody till then. The high court ruling said that the persons and organisation imposing the economic blockade are “violating the fundamental rights of the citizens”. “This is done to achieve some political wishes at the misery of the people,” it said adding that the state works are obstructed. “The blockade imposed by the UNC is hereby declared illegal as per directives of the honourable Supreme Court,” the bench ruled. The Court also gave direction to the state authorities, DGP, IGP and IG and GOC of Assam Rifles to take strong measures on the highways to ensure smooth passage of essential commodities. It further said that the state government on its part, if necessary, should clamp 144 CrPC if there are indications of possible violence in any area along the highways. A direction was also given to the Centre to send in 72 security companies to Manipur to guard the choked highways. Tension has been simmering in Manipur due to an economic blockade called by the UNC in the state starting from November 1. National Highways (NH) 37 and NH 2 have been badly affected due to the blockade. Although the blockade started on November 1 when the state government was planning to create new districts by bifurcating the existing Naga-dominated areas, it intensified after the government ignored the agitation and went ahead to declare Jirbam as a full-fledged district. The state government also created new districts of Kangpokpi, Tengoupal, Pharzol, Kakching, Noney and Kamjongin. According to the UNC, the creation of new districts out of Naga territory without their consent is a deliberate act to suppress the rights of Nagas in the state.

Pujara, Rahul give India 126-run lead vs Australia in second Test

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NMA opens up; clarifies Salary demand: ANHTU to legal stance on UlB issue begin agitation on March 8 Morung Express News

you want an i-phone..but what kind of a toy is an i-phone!

T R u T H

— Miyamoto Musashi

Bamhum gets national recognition

‘26/11 carried out by Pak-based terror group’

o F

The Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA) members who were at the forefront of a legal battle for 33% reservation of seats for women in Urban Local Bodies in Nagaland State said today that they received death and rape threats for their stance. “We faced death threats and rape threats,” said Rosemary Dzüvichü, Advisor to the NMA, during a press conference called by the NMA here today. As violence engulfed Kohima on February 2, they were told that their residences would also be burned. Women leaders in other districts also faced threats of sexual violence, death and public humiliations, stated the NMA today. Thereby, some of the women groups were compelled to dissociate from the NMA—they were given the ‘choice’ either to disassociate from the apex body or the NMA. “The unfortunate part is you have a government that is able to protect itself with so much manpower. We were the ones with absolutely no security,” said the NMA leaders. Despite the accusations, condemnations, and death threats, however, the NMA was grateful to those who believed in their rights. However, they questioned the silence of intellectuals and leaders who, despite knowing wrongs and rights, chose to remain silent. The silence of the church accumulated so much that by the time NBCC took a step, it was too late,

viewed Dzüvichü. Lamenting that people wrongly assumed that NMA was fighting against men, NMA President Abeiü Meru said, “We are just fighting for our rights. Time has changed and we should also change with the times. Some people feel that NMA is destroyed, but NMA will stand and will stay because the concerns for our society are from the heart.” Motive & intent The NMA explained that “Reservation is not an Indian mechanism, but an international, UN mechanism,” but there was “so much use of politics” that “we were literally made scapegoats.” NMA Advisor Rosemary Dzüvichü stated that “There has been so much of misunderstanding about the motive and intent of Naga women especially on the court case. We are hoping now with the new government and the new Chief Minister that dialogues will begin. As far as we are concerned we still stand by the law. If there are initiatives to amend the Act and change the law, then perhaps we will also reconsider and understand.” The NMA further clarified that it sought withdrawal of the Special Leave Petition (SLP) on January 30 with the idea that it should be filed before the elections because “that was the promise we made to the tribal bodies.” The NMA remained hopeful that the Supreme Court will consider the withdrawal because an interim order is already given.

“Over the weeks we noticed whether in social media or papers everyone seemed to be targeting the NMA as though we had no consultations with anyone. As you are well aware from our statement, we had series of consultations which lasted for many hours,” reminded Dzüvichü. She acknowledged that the consultations had led to appeals from different tribal bodies for women to “accept nomination.” “But the fact is that here we are speaking of a law which is already there and the decision of the different women organizations was that even if we did accept the nominations any other third party could actually take the women and the government back to the court. We had legal consultations and it was very obvious that since the Act was not amended or changed to suit nominations, any percentage of nomination which the women took, whatever it is we could have again landed all the parties back to the court. And having spent six years in a court, we were not at all in the frame of mind to go back for another legal battle. That was one of the main reasons why people have not understood why Naga women leaders have not accepted the nomination,” she explained. Further, she maintained, “If the Act was changed to such a nomenclature, maybe women would have considered. But at that point of time it wasn’t and it still isn’t. Refusing 50 percent nomination or refusing the offer of the tribe hohos actually is really an irrelevant matter.”

KohIma, march 6 (mExN): The All Nagaland Hindi Teachers’ Union (ANHTU) will begin agitation on March 8, if the department fails to fulfill its demand to release pending salaries of CSS Hindi Teachers by March 7. The union had earlier issued an ultimatum to the Director, Directorate of School Education to release the pending salaries of CSS Hindi Teachers on or before February 10 and later extended the deadline to March 7. ANTHU through a press re-

lease issued by Ilika Aye, Connon-payment of salaries. vener, CSS Hindi Teachers and • March 10: All CSS Hindi AS Yarthotngam, General SecTeachers will agitate at evretary, ANHTU has asked all the ery office of District Educadistrict representatives of CSS tion Officer (DEO), Sub-DiHindi Teachers to prepare for visional Education Officer the agitation as per the decision (SDEO) in non-violent manof February 28, 2017 meeting. ner with black badge. • March 15: All CSS Hindi The agitation will be carried Teachers will picket the Diout phase wise as follows: rectorate of School Educa• March 8: All CSS Hindi tion in Kohima at 9:00 am. Teachers will perform duty Therefore, all 1379 CSS Hinin their respective school di Teachers have been rewearing black badge as a quested to reach Kohima on sign of grievance against March 14 without fail.

Polluted environments kill 1.7 million children a year: WHo

loNDoN, march 6 (rEutErS): A quarter of all global deaths of children under five are due to unhealthy or polluted environments including dirty water and air, second-hand smoke and a lack of adequate hygiene, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. Such unsanitary and polluted environments can lead to fatal cases of diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia, the WHO said in a report, and kill 1.7 million children a year. “A polluted environment is a deadly one -– particularly for young children,” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a statement. “Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies

and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water.” In the report -- “Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children’s health and the environment” -- the WHO said harmful exposure can start in the womb, and then continue if infants and toddlers are exposed to indoor and outdoor air pollution and second-hand smoke. This increases their childhood risk of pneumonia as well as their lifelong risk of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma. Air pollution also increases the lifelong risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer, the report said. The report also noted that in households without access to safe water and sanitation, or

that are polluted with smoke from unclean fuels such as coal or dung for cooking and heating, children are at higher risk of diarrhoea and pneumonia. Children are also exposed to harmful chemicals through food, water, air and products around them, it said. Maria Neira, a WHO expert on public health, said this was a heavy toll, both in terms of deaths and long-term illness and disease rates. She urged governments to do more to make all places safe for children. “Investing in the removal of environmental risks to health, such as improving water quality or using cleaner fuels, will result in massive health benefits,” she said.

tamenglong residents take to the streets; repair town road Morung Express News Dimapur | March 6

Tamenglong district in Manipur State is known for a number of natural wonders. It is equally known for State sponsored disasters, primarily roads. National highways passing through the district are potentially fatal. For the past few years, even main town roads have become impossible to traverse. “The road became hazardous for people,” said KC Joy (50), a government primary school teacher. Fed up with trying various methods to get the government to do its job, Joy’s friend TP Cornelius (44), a businessperson, and he began a mini revolution in Tamenglong. From mid January 2017, they ventured out every night in a Bolero pick up loaded with sand and stone to fill up potholes. Come morning, people would wonder what kind of providence was at work. Slowly word spread about the silent road builders. People began to contribute in cash and kind; then volunteered themselves. A major road repair initiative by the people took form. SET to build The Tamenglong district headquarters is located 147 km west of Manipur’s capital city, Imphal. The district’s condition of development remains perilous with roads, schools, hospitals and life facing the same discrimination that defines the governance of hill areas in the State. Over the years, the main ring road of Tamenglong town became a waterfall during rains and a dust storm ensued in the dry season. Accidents in the middle of town increased. Till last year, an autorichshaw drivers’ union volunteered to fill up some potholes. “We have tried strikes, memorandums and several other methods of agitation to get the government to repair the road but in vain,” informed KC Joy. Hannah Dichongta (38), who had organized the clean up of Tamenglong’s ‘Prayer Mountain’ and assisted in her brother’s shop in the main town, said

People of Tamenglong district headquarters in Manipur State have started repairing the main town road through their own efforts and contributions after the State Government failed in its duty to ensure basic rights. Seen here are highlights from the Tamenglong people’s road repair work that began on February 14, 2017. (Photos courtesy ‘Tamenglong Concern Group’ on Facebook)

she was “eating dust all day” and “it was difficult even to walk.” When she started seeing some potholes in town repaired in early February, she started asking around. “At first people thought the government had started repairing the road,” she said. But it was KC Joy and TP Cornelius at work. Soon elders of the town called for a meeting and the Society for Enhancing Tamenglong (SET) was formed; KC Joy was made its chairperson with TP Cornelius the Secretary. Full fledged community work began from February 14, 2017. Dichongta became one of the many people who came in to physically volunteer. “When the road project began, I knew a transformation would occur in our society. I wanted to be part of it,” she noted. Despite being criticized for doing a “man’s job,” she continued to lend a hand, inspiring more women to join. As people saw their fellow residents work, monetary contributions poured in. The women vegetable vendors of the town, for instance, chipped in Rs. 10 each, thereby contributing Rs. 1110 as a collective. Similarly, others contributed. “We started with Rs. 50,000, some boulders, sand, stone chips, firewood, bitumen etc. and a group of volunteers from

local churches and colonies,” said KC Joy. Half a kilometer of the road is close to completion through their initiative. Tamenglong Concern Group At first the idea of hiring workers who actually knew how to build a road was discussed, but discarded due to a funding crunch. With the help of citizen experts, the road repair progressed. Initially, the work was slated for night hours but ‘anti social elements’ and lack of street lights made work difficult. “We had to work with the aid of mobile phones, torches or bike and car lights at night,” informed Hannah Dichongta. So the work hours were shifted to daytime—10:00 am to 4:00 pm or till whenever energy permitted. Colonies and churches mobilized youth everyday to volunteer on site. The oldest volunteer was 80 years of age. People from the town contributed refreshments for the workers; others became more conscious of their environment and began to clean up around their shops. Bit by bit, the road healed. Social media took no time to catch up. A Whatsapp as well as Facebook group called ‘Tamenglong Concern Group’ started from New Delhi in 2016 quickly mobilized global support. “We raised awareness on these groups about the work taken up

by the SET and Tamenglong residents. Unprecedented support came in from people, including from Chennai, Guwahati, Mumbai, Bangalore, UAE, USA, Canada, etc.,” said Guisuibou Daimei (28) who is pursuing a PhD in Zoology at Delhi University. He set up the Group in 2016 to raise general concerns on Tamenglong’s deteriorating conditions. Within three weeks, the project had raised Rs. 3 Lakh in cash; till now Rs. 5 Lakh has been raised. Then there was contribution of material like pick-up trucks, sand, boulders, firewood etc. Work itself was done without any specialized equipment, often needing quick local inventions; for instance, with the unavailability of road rollers, volunteers had to resort to using a manual soil leveling tool to flatten the black topped surface! “Our plan is to begin with half a kilometer and extend it if and when possible depending on the contributions we get,” acknowledged KC Joy—the black topping of the entire road is estimated at Rs. 20 Lakh, and no government funding has been forthcoming to date (also due to the election code of conduct).

this crown. An undocumented number of villages of Tamenglong district remain unconnected by roads to date. Political representatives do not bother with the living condition of their electorate. Excessive securitization and conflict defines governance here instead of human rights. “No government agencies have given any kind of remark or acknowledgement on the initiative. The concerned government authorities such as the district administration, the Public Work Department or the Town Committee under ADC, have shown no sign of interest, nor any sense of responsibility whatsoever,” said indigenous rights’ activist Atina Pamei (45) who has been coordinating outreach efforts for the community. People have no option but to look out for themselves. Inspired by the SET initiative, another youth organization has taken up the initiative to construct the Tamei-Tening road that connects Tamenglong district with Peren district in Nagaland. “Roads are essential for human development and Tamenglong lags behind due to the lack of connectively,” said RamThe road ahead kung Pamei (39), Chief Editor Failure of governance is a of local language newspaper, hallmark of states in the North The Cham. Frequent economic East, and Manipur is the jewel in blockades followed by coun-

ter blockades mean people in Manipur, particularly in the hills where food and fuel cannot be flown in and out, are left to themselves to create survival options. The SET considers this as a form of positive protest against the government’s failure to deliver their duties. But this is hardly sustainable. Thus, “We are thinking of forming an association that will work as a watchdog over government works given to contractors so that these are properly implemented,” said KC Joy of their thoughts on taking the movement further, though nothing has been concretized yet. Meanwhile, the Tamenglong road project has not just opened up new hopes, it has also opened up new dimensions of thought for the town. “On an average, 20 people would come out to work every day. Even more women came out to work eventually,” said Hannah Dichongta, who had been away from her home for 15 years. The road project got her, and many like her, to forge new friendships every day while breaking stereotypes. From being reprimanded for ignoring cooking activities at home, she went on to become one of the “most active” women volunteers for the road project, as an SET leader said while giving us her contact details. “I thank the people who began this project,” maintained Dichongta. “Our local political representatives should realize that good roads not only ensure our rights as human beings but also help build our economy. Why wait for problems to pile up before doing your duty towards the constituency? This project is a big lesson for everyone who feels they belong to a place, however big or small. We can all help improve it in the smallest of ways possible.” Let us hope that voices of people like her from Tamenglong who are increasingly taking up the burden of development echo off the hills and find ears in the State’s powerhouse in Imphal at least, if not New Delhi, with whom the onus of development lies.

TuesDAY 07•03•2017

NAGALAND

Dimapur DPDB meeting discusses shortage of teachers

Dimapur district DPDB meeting in progress at DCs conferences hall on March 6. (DIPR Photo)

DiMapur, March 6 (Dipr): The monthly District Planning and Development Board (DPDB) meeting of Dimapur district for the month of March was held on March 6, in the Conference hall of Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur. Parliamentary Secretary for Irrigation & Flood Control, Jacob Zhimomi who is also the Chairman of DPDB Dimapur attended the meeting. Deputy CVO Dimapur Dr. Asenuo Linyu highlighted on the activities and programmes of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department with the aid of power point. As entrusted the department of Education also gave their departmental presentation. In the meeting, Jacob Zhimomi stressed on the need for supply of safe drinking water in the schools and advised the concern department to work hand in glove with the concerned departments. Maintaining that school education is the only human resource department in the state, Jacob expressed concern for shortage of Maths and Science teachers and said that the issue was a major concern for the government. He further pointed out the system of keeping

proxy teachers as another area of concern. “We cannot do magic overnight but can minimise the proxy system gradually by putting our heads and working out together,” he said. Jacob also advised the Vety department to invite the District Administration and the Municipal officials for framing marketing policy for the interest and benefit of poultry farmers. Deputy Commissioner Dimapur, Kesonyu Yhome termed DPDB meeting as a very important platform for airing out views and suggestions by the members for the betterment of the district. Therefore, he urged upon all the members to participate and make the meeting interactive. Basing on verification reports from the authorised officials, the House approved for registration of ACME Club Kuhuboto subdivision and Sewak Nursery school. The housed also approved Digi Campaign Dimapur, which is basically to enhance and expedite financial transactions through digital mode. The Board entrusted Employment department and Industrial Training Institute for women department to give their departmental presentation in the next DPDB meeting.

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Nagaland girl bags gold medal at Mangalore University

Hard work and dedication paved the way to success for Keneiseno Uneino Neihu Mangaluru, March 6 (MExn): The North East People’s Association Mangaluru organized its 5th Annual Social Parting cum Felicitation programme on March 5 at St. Aloysius College, Main Auditorium, Mangaluru to bid adieu to Northeast students leaving Mangaluru and to felicitate the distinction holders. Kaini Cecilia, President of NEPAM and Principal of K. Pandyarajah Ballal College of Nursing, Ullal, Mangaluru congratulated Keneiseno Uneino Neihu who was awarded two gold medals for excellence in the field of history from Mangalore University. She encouraged the students

to work hard and excel in everything they perform and to follow the example led by Keneiseno Uneino and wished the outgoing students good luck and Blessings. Keneiseno Uneino Neihu from Nagaland was felicitated with certificate and cash prize by NEPAM. When asked to speak about her success, she said, “it’s all because of her hard work and dedication.” She dedicated her academic excellence to her mother who always support her decisions and also to NEPAM which was a platform for her to be bold and courageous enough to challenge any-

thing that comes her way. According to the Deccan Herald, Keneiseno Neihu has won Late Dr Gururaja Bhat Gold Medal, Late Dr Paduru Gururala Bhat Memorial Gold Medal, Prof B Sheik Ali Felicitation Committee cash prize, Dr P Gururaja Bhat Memorial Cash prize and Aubrey D’Souza Charitable Foundation prize. “I was interested in history since my school days though my parents wanted me to pursue studies in medicine. But my mother did not force me and supported me in my venture throughout. As I chose the subject of my choice, I wanted to achieve something and the result is two gold medals, and three cash prizes,” she said. She said she had not even heard of MangaKeneiseno Uneino Neihu (right) being felicitated by North luru till she landed here East People’s Association Mangaluru. to pursue her graduation

at St Aloysius College. She said that there is no racial discrimination here and the people of the city are friendly. Right now, Neihu is pursuing her PhD programme at Dibrugarh University in Assam. NEPAM in a press release also said that students who secured distinction in their previous examination were also felicitated. John Lalmuanawma, Vice President of NEPAM welcomed the gathering. The event witnessed many beautiful songs and dance performed by young talented artist. The hall was filled with emotions when the outgoing students gave their messages. New executive members for the year 2017-2018 were also elected. The programme concluded with words of gratitude from Sr. Daina UFS, General Secretary of NEPAM.

Wildlife Day: Listen to the young voices Health dept to launch MI

Officials of the Wildlife Wing, Dimapur with participants on the occasion of Wildlife Day observed on March 3.

DiMapur, March 6 (MExn): The Wildlife Division, Dimapur with the rest of the world observed the Wildlife Day on March 3 with the theme – ‘Listen to the young voices.’ The programme was held at Pherima ‘A’ village and was attended by repre-

sentatives of village councils, GBs, youths, students, officials and staff of the wildlife wing. The officials of the Wildlife Wing enlightened the gathering about the threat to wildlife, its importance and their role in maintaining ecological

balance and how to safeguard it from extinction. They also urged the village elders and teachers to inculcate into young minds, the love, affection and appreciation for wildlife. The officials also explained the implication of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and other

similar Act of the state government to the gatherings. The representatives of the Village informed the department that all forms of hunting and poaching has been banned in their village jurisdiction and assured of renewed support, cooperation and coordination with the department in effectively tackling the wildlife crimes. As part of the Wildlife Day celebration, the participants signed a pledge to always be kind and compassionate towards all wildlife and to endeavour to fulfil human responsibility to protect and care for wildlife. The programme concluded with the distribution of crayons, pencils to every participating student followed by light refreshment.

KohiMa, March 6 (MExn): The MoHFW, Government of India launched “Mission Indradhanush” (MI) in December 2014to ensure that no child remains left out or get dropped out from the ambit of Universal Immunization Programme. From March 7 to 13, Round 1 of MI (Phase-4) will be launched to strengthen the ongoing Routine Immunization in Nagaland state. In this round the selected high-focus areas would be covered strategically for high quality immunization coverage. During first round of Phase 4, Districts and Blocks to be covered are: -Dimapur: Medziphema, Chumukedima, Nuiland, and

Urban.Kohima: Tsemenyu block. Kiphire: Pungroblock. Longleng: All blocks. Mokokchung: Mangkolemba and Tsurangkong blocks. Mon: All blocks. Phek: Meluri block. Peren: Jaluki, Athibung and Tenning blocks.Tuensang: Shamator, Chesore, Noksen, Thonoknyu and Noklak blocks. Wokha: Ralan, Bhandari and WokhaSadar.Zunheboto: Satakha and Suruhoto blocks. The health department in a press release has appealed for support from civil society organizations, Church leaders and the local leaders to create awareness and join the department in the mission to save children from vaccine preventable diseases.

NCS probationers’ training on GPS underway Youths urged to contribute their service to society

Trainees with Addl Director and resource persons at Survey Training Institute, Dimapur.

DiMapur, March 6 (MExn): A three days training on GPS for NCS probationers 2014 batch is underway at the Survey Training Institute (STI) Dimapur to be held from March 6-8. Altogether 20 participants are taking part in the training that involves basics on Land Survey through theory and practical sessions with focus on practical usage of GPS.

The training opened with Vilarietuo Kire, Addl. Director, Department of Land Records and Survey who welcomed the trainees and briefed them on the usage of GPS and its importance. The program was chaired by Zakiesatuo Lhoungu, LRSO & Training Officer STI. Resource persons are Training Officer, STI; Zaphizo, LRSO Dimapur, and Merenkaba, LRSO Zunheboto.

‘Edu is more than imparting knowledge’

Students of the St. Mary’s School, Singrijan village presenting a song on the inaugural day on March 6.

DiMapur, March 6 (MExn): Singrijan village and other surrounding villages are now blessed to have a Catholic school, with the inauguration and blessing of St. Mary’s School, beginning with LKG. The newly constructed school building was inaugurated by Tezu Pradhan, Head GB, Singrijan and was blessed by Most Rev. Dr. James Thoppil Bishop of Kohima on March 6. Bishop James Thoppil, in his address said that Education is more than imparting knowledge. It is forming the whole person, the head and the heart. Education is also like sowing the seed, which if nurtured and cultivated will give great harvest. The students should be imparted not only information

but values that will make them upright citizens. He also said that Singrijan is one of the oldest catholic communities in Nagaland and they deserved a good school. The bishop reiterated the Catholic Church’s commitment to take education at the door step of our people at an affordable cost. He also requested the GBs and leaders of the village to respond positively to the Church’s initiative for progress and development of the people. Tezu Pradhan, Head GB, Singrijan, thanked the Catholic Church for opening the school at Singrijan. It is a long dream of the village to have the Catholic School. He said that it is God’s blessing. He on behalf of the Village leaders assured to give full support

to fathers, teaching staff of St. Mary School, Singrijan in their educational endeavor for the growth and development of the area. The invocation prayer was led by John, Catechist SMC, Singrijan and Mr. Benedict spoke on behalf of the village. The school children of St. Mary’s School, Singrijan, who are just two weeks in the school, gave a special song. The Catholic Women of the village presented a special number and welcomed the guests with traditional dance and songs Rev. Fr. Mathew Thuniampral, Director Shalom, blessed the meal served to all and Fr. Dominic Zeliang compared the whole programme. This was stated in a press release issued by Fr. Thomas Toretkiu, Bishops Secretary, Kohima.

KiphirE, March 6 (MExn): Over 200 youths from across the Kiphire attended the district youth convention and Yuva Kriti organized by Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK) Kiphire at Saramati View Modern High School on March 4 with Sedivikho Khro, Deputy Commissioner Kiphire as the chief guest. Sedivikhro Khro while gracing the occasion highlighted the benefits of attending such events and urged the youths not to keep any space but to attend consistently whenever NYK organizes such events in the district. Meanwhile, he stated that from the time of the Greek City-State to the present era the contribution of the youths to the society is of

A group presenting a cultural song during the district youth convention and Yuva Kriti organized by NYK, Kiphire at Saramati View Modern High School on March 4.

great prominent and stated that the progress of the nation solely depend on the services of youths and therefore urged the youths to contribute their service to the society in their own capacity. Further, he also appealed the youths not to

be confined in the box but to venture out and face the hard realities of life. Keritong Sangtam who is also the resource person of the event spoke on the topic “Role of youths in cleanliness” he stresses the needs of maintaining

cleanliness in one’s personal and public life so as to remain immune from unwanted diseases. Meanwhile, he also encouraged the youths to take initiative in organizing sanitation drive in the district. Earlier, the programme

was chaired by Theose Sangtam NYV. Aketo NYV in his Keynote address highlighted the different activities and objectives of NYK. The other programme of the events includes cultural competition like Folk song, Folk dance and exhibition of stalls by Self Help Groups (SHGs). In Folk song, Anatonger Baptist Youth and Longthonger Village SHG won 1st and 2nd respectively. Friends club of Kiphire Town won the Folk dance competition. In the stall exhibition, flowers group of Phelunger Village and Matrikye SHG secured 1st and 2nd respectively. It may be mentioned that NYK Kiphire is organizing various activities and events across the district.

IQAC NAAC State level consultative meet held MoKoKchung, March 6 (MExn): The IQAC (NAAC) of State College of Teacher Education Kohima organized a one day state level consultative meet for Secondary Teacher Educators on Course Transaction on March 6. The Participants deliberated and discussed on the transaction, issues and problems of the new B.Ed Curriculum prescribed by the Nagaland University. T. Alemla Longkumer moderated the second session and Sandip Ratna extended thanks to all who were present. The Meet was organized to raise the standards of teaching-learning contexts and was attended by all the Teacher Education NCS probationers 2015 Batch with officials from Rural Development Department during an interaction at Institutions except Mokokchung College RD Conference Hall on March 6. The probationers were briefed on the activities of RD department in regard of Teacher Education, Yimyu. to programmes such as MGNREGA, PMAY, GIA and Gender Budgeting.

Career planning and development prog held

KohiMa, March 6 (MExn): YouthNet in partnership with Quest Alliance conducted career planning and development programmes in The Vineyard School, Kohima and Government High School, PWD, Kohima. A similar programme was also conducted at G. Mhiasiu School, Dimapur. With unemployment increasing each day, students need to be aware of various other options apart from traditional jobs. The resource persons from Youth-

Students during the career planning and development programmes conducted by YouthNet in partnership with Quest Alliance.

Net were - Ebibeni Humt- lease said that the resource ucation and plan for their soe and Nuneseno Chase. person encouraged the stu- career based on their pasYouthNet in a press re- dents to take up higher ed- sion, interests, strengths

and skills. They also shared data on unemployment and demographics of young people of Nagaland and how each year more and more people write exams but the number of jobs is decreasing. They encouraged the students to seek opportunities and explore, internships, and look for ways to develop the society. As part of the Impact 5000 by 18 campaign, a career Guidance and Entrepreneurship workshop was held for 6th semester college students of Sazolie College.

TUESDAY 07•03•2017

NORTH-EAST 3

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

in Arunachal Assembly to MANIPUR: Campaigning for 2nd Bill regulate private school affairs phase of Assembly polls ends IMPHAL, MARCH 6 (NNN): The campaign for the second and final phase of Manipur assembly elections which will test the ruling Congress party in the state ended on Monday. The high-voltage campaign concluded at 3 pm for the 22 seats which go to polls on March 8. The first of the two-phase assembly elections was held on March 4. Manipur has a 60-member House out of which 20 are reserved for the Scheduled Tribes. The campaign for the second phase elections saw bitter exchanges between the Congress and BJP over corruption, economic blockade, ‘Frame-

work Agreement,’ unemployment and territorial integrity. The BJP is seen as a potential contender for power. Altogether 98 candidates, including four women, are in the fray for the remaining 22 seats. There are 29 croerpati candidates in the second and final phase of the state assembly elections, according to Manipur Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The Congress is in power in Manipur for three straight terms. The party in the last elections held in 2012 won 42 seats. The 2017 elections are billed as a major test for the grand

old party amidst ‘Modi wave’. The BJP has been trying to make inroads into the state. The keenly awaited battle of Okram Ibobi Singh and rights activist Irom Sharmila will be witnessed in the final round of the elections in Thoubal constituency, the home turf of the three-time Chief Minister, in March 8. Irom Sharmila will also take on BJP’s L Basanta Singh in the constituency. A total of 10,79,369 voters will decide the fate of the candidates fielded by different political parties in 1151 polling stations spread over Lilong, Thoubal, Wangkhem, Heirok,

Wangjing Tentha, Khangabok, Wabagai, Kakching, Hiyanglam, Sugunu, Jiribam, Chandel (ST), Tengnoupal (ST), Phungyar (ST), Ukhrul (ST), Chingai (ST), Karong (ST), Mao (ST), Tadubi (ST), Tamei (ST), Tamenglong (ST) and Nungba (ST). The Congress and BJP have put up 22 candidates each for the fray. There are 2 CPI candidates, 6 Trinamool Congress candidates, 1 NCP candidate, 12 recognised state political parties’ candidates, 24 registered unrecognised parties’ candidates, and 24 independent candidates will contest the second and final round of the

elections. Congress heavyweights K Meghachandra, M Okendro, Th Debendra, D Korungthang, Victor Keishing, Preshow MK Shimray, DD Thaisi, Abdul Nasir of Congress are in the fray. Manipur unit of Naga People's Fron (NPF) President Awangbow Newmai isalso in the fray in the second phase poll. L Basanta, SS Ollis, Sword Vasum, Paojelet Touthang, Francis Ngajokpa, Z Kikhobou Newmai, Samuel Jendai, Adim Pamei and Vunzagin Valte are BJP bigwigs in the second phase elections. Counting of votes will be done on March 11.

CHRI director urges more civil Suspected KRA, KNF cadres society engagement by Commonwealth exchange fire in Kangpokpi NEW DELHI/LONDON, MARCH 6 (MExN): Sanjoy Hazarika, Director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), recently held a series of meetings in London with senior officials of the Commonwealth Secretariat, civil society representatives, scholars and journalists focusing on issues related to advancing the international association’s agenda on human rights, rule of law, media freedom and criminal justice reforms. A statement from the CHRI, Communications Officer Samarth Pathak stated that during the visit, Hazarika met with Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland at Commonwealth Headquarters in the historic Marlborough House to discuss CHRI’s work supporting the development of the Right to Information and police and prison reform. In their hour-long meeting, Hazarika and Secretary-General Scotland spoke of the need for a more robust engagement with Commonwealth

civil society. The recently-held “Rule of Law and Human Rights Conference for Parliamentarians”, organized by CHRI and the Commonwealth Secretariat, in partnership with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK and Westminster Foundation for Democracy, also figured in the talks. They agreed on the need to identify opportunities to deepen partnership between CHRI and various units of the Secretariat; opportunities for collaboration were further discussed at the specific units. Hazarika also participated in a special discussion on “Pressures faced by the Media in South Asia” organized by The Institute of Commonwealth Studies, London. The session was moderated by Rita Payne, former BBC Producer and Board Member of CHRI. The panel also featured Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of the Daily Star of Dhaka, Aftab Arif Siddiqui of the Pakistan Express Tribune, and David Page, formerly of The Guardian.

BIG BOOK SALE BIBLES BOOKS MUSIC GIFTS 6-18 March 2017, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Sunday Closed) VENUE

OM Books

City Tower Junction, Circular Road, Dimapur, Nagaland Ph: 03862-229370 All major Debit/Credit cards are accepted

SUCCESSION CERTIFICATE NO.JUD.21/2016-17/105

Dtd. Zbto. the 23rd Feb, 2017

Smti. Zhekheli of Khuwaboto Colony, Zunheboto has applied for the issue of Succession Certificate declaring that her Husband Late Ahovi Sema has expired on 18/01/2017. It is hereby notified that if no objection to issue this certificate is received from anyone within a period of 30 (thirty) days w.e.f the date of publication in press, the Certificate shall be issued, and no further complaint will be entertained for issue of the same. Sd/- Deputy Commissioner Zunheboto: Nagaland

NOTICE

Whereas application under Succession Act 1925 for grant of Succession Certificate for the estate of Late Nobin Sema has filed by Tokheli (wife) R/o - H/No.54, 4th Mile, ‘H’ Khel, Dimapur to draw his :1. Monthly family pension 2. SBI bank Account No. 30098186282 Who expired on 28/01/2017. Notice is hereby given that any person having interest in the administration of the estate of the said deceased may is she/he so desire appear in this court on or before the said day of 06/04/2017. Given under the hand and seal of the court on this 6th day of March 2017. Principal District & Sessions Judge Dimapur, Nagaland

Regd. No: 250/2016

KANGPOKPI, MARCH 6 (NNN): An exchange of fire took place this afternoon between two suspected Kuki militant groups, Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) and Kuki National Front (KNF). The incident reportedly happened around 4:30 pm at a hillock above Khengjang village of Kangpokpi district. KRA and KNF are both under Suspension of Operation (SoO) involving the Centre and Manipur government. As per the ECI guidelines, the cadres un-

der Suspension of Operation were instructed to stay inside their respective designated camps during the Manipur assembly polls. Villagers of Khengjang who heard the gun shots said that even explosives were also used during the encounter which lasted for nearly an hour. Details of the incident are awaited. The first phase of Manipur’s assembly elections was held in 38 constituencies, including three in Kangpokpi, on March 4.

claimed bodies or donate bodies or organs to hospitals for anatomical examination and dissection and other similar purposes. Besides this one, Health and Family Welfare Minister Jomde Kena also introduced another bill to increase two exofficio members and two elected members in the Arunachal Pradesh Medical Council. Chief Minister Pema Khandu laid the 27th annual report of Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission for the year 2014-15 in the House.

BJP assures CBI inquiry into fake encounters in Manipur IMPHAL, MARCH 6 (IANS): Assam Finance Minister Hemanta Bishwa Sarma on Monday said that if the BJP forms the next government in Manipur, a CBI inquiry will be ordered into staged shootouts in the state. Sarma made the remark while addressing a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party office here. Along with other BJP

members, he has been touring Manipur before campaigning for the second and final phase of state assembly polls ends at 3 p.m. later on Monday. People have demanded booking of those responsible for the killings in staged gun battles by security forces. Sarma said: "A police man close to the establishment is a suspect in a fake en-

counter (staged shootout)." He added that the court has dismissed the interim anticipatory bail to the police officer now facing a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry. Referring to the high turnout of voters in the first phase, held on March 4, Sarma said people voted against the "corrupt Congress government".

Transformation Crusade Theme Date Venue Time

“Arise & Shine.....” Isaiah 60:1 15th - 26th March 2017 Khuochiezie, Local Ground, Kohima 4:30Pm (Every Evening)

Organizing Committee

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

DIRECTORATE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION NO. DTE/MIN/ 4/2013/3

INFORMATION

Eden Medical centre is proud to announce that Dr. Deva Kumar Borgohain, MCH Neurosurgery (AIIMS) Consultant Neurosurgeon, GNRC Guwahati, Assam will be available for consultation on the 11th March 2017 from 12 P.M. onwards. He is specialized in Skull-Base Surgeries, CP Angle Tumours, Pituitary Surgeries, Meningiomas, Gliomas, advanced and complicated Spinal Surgeries, Brain and Spinal Tumour Surgeries, Gamma Knife Intervention and Stereotactic Neurosurgery and Minimal Invasive Key Hole Surgeries. For further details and Appointments, Kindly contact the Reception at 03862-248288 / 248722.

M.G.M. COLLEGE

Near Sewak Main Gate, Midland, Dimapur

Under the aegis of St. Thomas Mission Society Regd. No.SRC/HOME-6028

Phone No.248419/9856001335

Inviting applications for the posts of Assistant Professors for the following Subjects.

1.Economics 2.Education 3.History 4.English 5.Political Science 6.Sociology

NAGALAND : KOHIMA

DATED: 6th March 2017

FREE COACHING ON JEEMAIN-2017 & NEET-2017

MA with Net / Ph.D (as per U.G.C norms)

This is to inform all the interested candidate who has appeared class 12 (science stream) during 2016-17 and are sitting for JEEMAIN-2017 or NEET- 2017 that the Govt. of Nagaland is arranging free coaching classes at Govt. Polytechnic Kohima for the same w.e.f 15th March, 2017. The intake capacity is limited to 500 students only and the selection will be based on first come first serve district wise. The coaching timeline is scheduled from 15th March to 30th March (15 days) for JEE main-2017 candidates and 15th March to 25th April (40 days) for NEET-2017 candidates. Resource persons are drawn from reputed colleges. The application forms can be collected from the Directorate of Technical Education, Kohima, below new secretariat from 9th March till 11th March, 2017 during office hours only. It is advised that the students submit their application on that very day itself. The selection list would be made available in the website of Nagaland Board of School Education (www.nbsenagaland.com) and Notice Board of Technical Education on 13th March, 2017. Below are the documents to be attached along with the application form. 1. JEE MAIN -2017 Application Confirmation Page 2. NEET-2017 Application Confirmation Page. 3. ST-Certificate 4. Indigenous Certificate 5. Class -12 Admit card 6. Passport Size Photograph SD/- (Er. Arjun Singh), Director

KOINONIA PRAYER CENTRE TSIESE BASA, KOHIMA; NAGALAND

“……..MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER.” Matthew 21:13

Application and resume with academic details can be submitted to the college office or emailed to mgmctedimapur@gmail.com . Remuneration as per UGC guidelines. Last date of application 10/3/17. Secretary, St .Thomas Mission Society.

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

DIRECTORATE OF SOCIAL WELFARE NAGALAND: : KOHIMA

NO.SW/NOT1FICATION-1/2017/1312

MONTHLY REVIVAL PROGRAM DATE: 10TH - 12TH MARCH 2017 THEME “MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FROM LACK OF KNOWLEDGE” HOSEA 4:6

Dated, Kohima the 6 March 2017 th

NOTIFICATION

Deponent

Notary Public, Nagaland

(T. MERANGTSUNGBA AIER), Director

Date: 15/11/16

I, Shri. Imtiongdang, husband of Lt. Rongsenla Ao, aged about 75 years, permanent resident of Dibuia Village, Mokokchung, Nagaland and presently resident Ao Khel, Notun Bosti, Dimapur, Nagaland do hereby solemnly declare and affirm as under: 1. That my name is recorded as Imti Walling in my Aadhaar Card, Gun License, LPG card issued by Zinyu Gas Agency and on my deceased wife Family Pension Book. 2. That my name is reflected as Shri. Imti Ao in Electricity Bill and again my name is recorded as Shri. Imtiongdang AO in my SBI A/c No. 10433099638. 3. That although the names were inadvertently and due to clerical errors were used, shown and recorded as Shri. Imtiongdang, Shri. Imti Walling, Shri Imti Ao and Imtiongdang Ao. I hereby state and declare that my name shall be used as Shri. Imtiongdang as recorded in my service book for all official pruposes in future.

Ngandam also placed the Kameng Professional and Technical University Arunachal Pradesh Bill 2017 in the House to establish a university in Kameng. Three more bills were laid in the Assembly. Home Minister Kumar Waii placed the Arunachal Pradesh Protection of Interest of Depositors (In financial establishments) Bill to protect deposits made by public in financial establishments. The Arunachal Pradesh Anatomy Bill 2017 would provide for supply of un-

There will be healing and Deliverance every service. All are welcome.

The undersigned hereby notified for strict compliance, record and information henceforth that the Department of Social Welfare purchased a plot of land (measuring 75 acres of land) at Pherima from the village authority in 1972 and accordingly set up a Blind School during 1977. The land is utilized by the Department till date (now running Juvenile Home). However, since 1994, the Department is confronted with the problem of unqualified claim of the said land based on illegal allotment order issued by some vested interest. It is therefore put to a firm stand that the Department of Social Welfare have not allotted any portion of land to any individual/group/authority or have any understanding or agreement with any individual/group/authority for the use of the said land till date or for future. However, a portion of Department land was illegally allotted without the consent or knowledge of the Department to the individual in question. Therefore, it is hereby officially notified to all concerned that the Department of Social Welfare will never entertain any illegal encroachment claims upon its land by any individual/group/authority and accordingly nullify the present illegal claimants made by the individual or for that matter any other claimants in future.

AFFIDAVIT

Sworn before me by the deponent.

Hazarika opened the discussion, giving examples of the extreme pressures faced by journalists while reporting. Anam observed that “media pressure was not new, but a worrying current development was the public's lack of faith in them, partly due to journalists allowing themselves to become politicised”. He urged greater introspection by media. Payne agreed with Anam, commenting that it was “troubling that the media is being used to turn on itself.” While Page struck a positive note on recent improvements in Sri Lanka, the panels were in agreement that the situation in the region was deteriorating. The speakers also discussed the effects of what was described as the 'tsunami of social media'.

ITANAGAR, MARCH 6 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh government today placed a bill in the Assembly for establishment of a regulatory commission in the private school education sector. Education Minister Honchun Ngandam laid the Arunachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions (Regulatory Commission) Bill on the first day of the budget session. The purpose of the bill is to ensure appropriate standard of admission, teaching, examination, research and protection of interest of students in private schools.

MAIN SPEAKER

REV. ZOTUO KIEWHUO

SENIOR PASTOR, KOINONIA BAPTIST CHURCH LEADERS ROKOPRA MEKRO, ASSISTANT PASTOR.

MENUOSIELIE ÜSOU, EVANGELIST

PRAISE AND WORSHIP SPECIAL PRAISE

MISS. AZHANUO SEMOU/ WOMEN FELLOWSHIP/ YOUTH FELLOWSHIP & MEN’S FELLOWSHIP KBC. COME WITH FAITH AND RECIEVE THE BLESSING OF SALVATION, DELIVERANCE AND HEALING. HOST: NYANBEMO NGULLIE & FAMILY & MISS. ZANEINUO KENSE

tuesDAY 07•03•2017

business

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

India becomes front in global e-commerce proxy war NEW YORK, MaRch 6 (REutERs BREaKiNgviEWs): Global tech giants are heading for a proxy war in India. Alibaba is leading a $200 million investment into Paytm’s marketplace, creating a new Indian unicorn. It confirms the intention of the Chinese behemoth to take on Amazon, which is aggressively ramping up, investing $5 billion into its local operation as other homegrown rivals flail. Only one of the tech big boys will emerge victorious. The $255 billion Chinese group and Paytm have already invested together to build a dominant mobile-wallet payment business, now worth around $5 billion. Their smaller e-commerce unit is now being separated out to meet Indian regulations. After the latest fundraising, Jack Ma’s Alibaba and its own payments affiliate Ant Financial will effectively control the e-commerce company and

Advertisements of Paytm, a digital wallet company, are seen placed at stalls of roadside vegetable vendors in Mumbai. (REUTERS File Photo)

continue to own a large stake in the payments arm, which must be majority Indian-owned. Local rivals Flipkart and Snapdeal, backed by New York investment firm Tiger Global and Japan’s SoftBank, respectively, helped to establish the domes-

tic e-commerce industry. But their future roles look uncertain as these global tech giants, with deeper pockets, get stuck into the market. Privately owned Flipkart is fighting hard to maintain a narrow lead; investors now reckon it

NIACL Recruitment 2017 Assistants Job Vacancies Details Organization Name: The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. (NIACL) Employment Category: Central Govt Jobs Total No. of Vacancies: 984 Job Location: All Over India Name of the Post & No of Vacancies: Assistants – 984

is worth as little as one third of its $15 billion peak in 2015. Meanwhile, the founders of Snapdeal are cutting costs and headcount; an email to employees admits errors in executing its strategy. Talk of a possible merger between Snapdeal and Paytm keeps surfacing in local media. That makes sense, given SoftBank already owns a near 30 percent stake in Alibaba and could lose a fortune fighting head-to-head to build market share. For now, Indian e-commerce has become a free-for-all, and a stark contrast to China where foreign companies have struggled. But there isn’t room for everyone to financially succeed. Alibaba’s new commitment to Paytm Ecommerce, following its success in building out a local mobile wallet business, puts it in a strong position. Fold in Snapdeal, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos would face a significant obstacle in the road to global domination.

Educational Qualification: (As on 30.06.2016) Candidates who have completed Any Degree or equivalent from a recognized Institute are Eligible to apply NIACL Recruitment 2017

Indian women earn Airtel surprise offers free data to 25% less than men postpaid customers starting March 13 NEW DElhi, MaRch 6 (iaNs): Gender continues to be a significant parameter in determining salaries, as men earned a median gross hourly salary of Rs 345.8, whereas women earned Rs 259.8, a survey has showed. The ‘Monster Salary Index’ (MSI) report on gender pay parity was released in a survey titled ‘Women of India Inc’ by online career and recruitment solutions providers Monster India. Despite initiatives on equal pay, 62.4% women feel that their male counterparts get more promotion opportunities. The overall gender pay gap in 2016 amounts to 25% -- a 2 percentage points drop from the 27% gap in 2015, the survey noted. “In India, the gender pay gap story holds true and the overall gap across India Inc is at 25%. This primarily is a manifestation of the underlying diversity challenges that organisations currently face,” Sanjay Modi, Managing Director (APAC and Middle-East) at Monster.com, said in a statement on Monday. Analysing different sectors, the survey revealed that the average gender pay gap in the ‘manufacturing sector’ stood at 29.9% -- an improvement of five percentage points from 2015 and the highest in India. This was followed by a 25.8% pay gap in the information technology (IT) sector. While the gender pay gap in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector was at 21.5%, the education and research sector the average gender pay gap stood at 14.7 %. Furthermore, nearly 68.5% women of India Inc feel that gender parity still a concern and the management needs to step up and implement pragmatic policies to bridge the gap. “There is a dire need for tangible initiatives to bridge this pay gap with removing structural impediments to women’s growth providing access to skills training, jobs and decision-making,” Modi added.

MuMBai, MaRch 6 (agENciEs): Airtel will offer its postpaid customers free data starting March 13, according to promotional mails the telecom operator is sending to users. However, it has not announced how much data users will get as part of the ‘Airtel Surprise’ offer. As per the promotional emails, Airtel postpaid users will be able to see how much free data they get in the MyAirtel app. The app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play marketplace. This Airtel Surprise promotional offer comes within days of Airtel launching the Rs. 345 recharge pack for prepaid

leisure

CROSSWORD # 3878

SUDOKU

st oBC

Gen total

Andhra Pradesh

Age Limit: (As on 30.06.2016) Candidate’s Age Limit Should be between 18 to 30 Years Candidates born not earlier than 1st July 1986 and not later than 30th June 1998 (both days inclusive) are only eligible to apply. 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 NIACL official Notification 2017 for more reference

A r u n a c h a l 0 Pradesh

Assam

Bihar

Chandigarh(UT)

Chhattisgarh

Delhi

Goa

Gujarat

Haryana

H i m a c h a l 2 Pradesh

Jammu&Kashmir

Pay Scale: Rs. 14435-40080/-

Jharkhand

Karnataka

Kerala

Madhya Pradesh 6

Maharashtra

125

250

Meghalaya

Mizoram

Nagaland

Odisha

Punjab

Puducherry

Andaman Nicobar 0

Rajasthan

Tamil Nadu

104

Telangana

Tripura

Uttar Pradesh

Uttarakhand

West Bengal

TOTAL

140 75

228

533

976

Selection Procedure: Preliminary Exam, Main Exam, Interview

Application Fee: For General/OBC Candidates Application Fee is - Rs.600/customers that offers 28GB of data, with For All Other Candidates (ST/ 1GB daily FUP. SC/Women/PWD) Application Reliance Jio, which has upended the Fee is - Rs.100/Indian telecom industry with its ultra-low How to apply: cost data plans and unlimited free calls, Candidates satisfying the gives postpaid users 30GB of 4G data above eligibility conditions Use (with 1GB daily FUP) at Rs. 303 under the Following Procedure Given BeJio Prime subscription plan. Rivals Vodalow to Apply Online: fone and Idea Cellular have also launched 1. Go to NIACL careers page at new bundled data offers, but those are newindia.co.in limited to prepaid recharge pack, with no 2. Read the Advertisement such new plans launched for postpaid us- carefully to be sure about your ers yet. All four telecom operators provide eligibility unlimited calling offers for both postpaid 3. Click on the link New Regand prepaid users. istration 4. Fill up all the required fields 5. Ensure the information provided is correct 6. Submit the application & Make Payments 7. Take a print out of NIACL Recruitment 2017 online applion Theory and Practice of Electronic Gov- cation form ernance, an official statement here said. “We also have discussed several collab- Important Dates: 1. Starting Date for Submisorative initiatives in the domain of capacity sion of Online Application: building and cyber security to ensure safe 06.03.2017 and secure cyber space,” Prasad said. 2. Last date for Submission of “We have also informed the PortuOnline Application: 29.03.2017 guese Minister that India is going to host 3. Date of Preliminary Exam: the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in November 2017, which will see 22nd April 2017 & 23 April 2017 4. Date of Main Exam: 23rd participation of over 100 countries with May 2017 2,000 delegates,” added Prasad.

Answer Number # 3873

std code: 03862

DiMaPUR ACROSS 1. Wharves 6. Anagram of “Cabs” 10. Chore 14. Arm of the sea 15. Sea eagle 16. Hindu princess 17. Not fresh 18. Twosome 19. Press 20. Harmonious 22. Search 23. Russian parliament 24. Easily irritated 26. Warbled 30. Cotillion girl 31. Paraphernalia 32. Urgent request 33. Chalcedony 35. Celebrated 39. Nouveau-riche 41. A dais 43. A chemical compound 44. Dispatched 46. Chopping tools 47. Child 49. Caviar 50. Connection 51. Give in 54. Iridescent gem 56. Tall woody plant 57. Fish seller 63. Jump 64. Pearly-shelled mussel 65. Feel 66. Church alcove 67. Prig 68. Delete 69. Clairvoyant 70. Feudal worker 71. Propelled with oars DOWN 1. Platter 2. Savvy about 3. Burrowing marine mollusk 4. Large brown seaweed

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

Game Number # 3874

s . s t a t e / U n i o n sC no territory

India and Portugal to collaborate in electronic manufacturing, cyber security NEW DElhi, MaRch 6 (iaNs): India and Portugal on Monday agreed to set up an institutional mechanism to collaborate in areas of electronic manufacturing, ITeS, start-ups, cyber security and e-governance, an official said. IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday held a bilateral meeting with Maria Manuel Leitao Marques, Portuguese Minister of Presidency and Administrative Modernisation, ahead of the ICEGOV 2017, the 10th International Conference

State/Union Territory wise Vacancies (Provisional):

State/Union Territory wise Backlog Vacancies: s.no. state/Union territory

oBC

totAL

Madhya Pradesh

Maharashtra

Odisha

Tamilnadu

Uttar Pradesh

West Bengal

TOTAL

TaHaMZaM

std code: 03871

(formerly senapati)

Police station Fire Brigade

222246 222491

5. Place 6. Deposits 7. Sniveler 8. A Freudian stage 9. Decorate 10. Involving three parties 11. Moses’ brother 12. Large tropical American fish 13. Strikingly unconventional 21. House style 25. Break in friendly relations 26. Disgorge 27. Austrian peaks 28. Where a bird lives 29. Doorman 34. He fears foreigners 36. Cab 37. Biblical garden 38. Writing table 40. Desiccated 42. Water vapor 45. Ablation 48. Render harmless 51. Collection of maps 52. Paper with a crinkled texture 53. Stop 55. Unsuccessful person 58. Hotels 59. Roman emperor 60. Chew 61. Being 62. Marsh plant

Civil Hospital emer

232224

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

railway

131/228404

Answer to Crossword 3877

Airport Indian Airlines

229366 242441 225212

229529 229474

KOHiMa

AdMIre QUIet AdMIt rePeAt AGAIn reserVAtIon AroUnd rote ArtIst seetHe BAnner sIeGe BeFore sInCe BosoM soon CLeAr stAte dArK stUnts desPerAte sUIt eXPress tHroAts eYeBrows tIGHt FrIend toKen GenerAtIon toUrIst need trAIn nIGHt worst PoInt YoUnG

east Police station

227607

west Police station

232181

south Ps

CIHsr (referral Hospital)

242555 242533

Zubza Ps

dimapur Hospital

224041 248011

8575045507

Officer-in-Charge 8575045517 8575045505

Officer-in-Charge 8575045515

248302, 09856006026

eden Medical Centre

248288

Officer-in-Charge 8575045516 tseminyu Ps

Kezocha Ps

nagaland Multispecialty Health & research Centre

Chiephobozou Ps 8575045506

Khuzama Ps

232032, 231031

8575045508

Officer-in-Charge 8575045518

nikos Hospital and research Centre

8575045502

Officer-in-Charge 8575045520

Apollo Hospital Info Centre 230695/ 9402435652

8575045501

Officer-in-Charge 8575045510

Chumukedima Fire Brigade 282777

std code: 0370

8575045549

Officer-in-Charge 8575045538

women Cell

8575045509

Officer-in-Charge 8575045519 Control room

8575045500 (Emergency No. – 100)

FiRE STaTiONS

KoHIMA soUtH: 0370-2222952/ 101 (O) 9402003086 (OC) KoHIMA nortH: 7085924114 (O) dIMAPUr: 03862-232201/ 101 (O) 9856156876 (OC) CHUMUKedIMA: 7085982102 (O) 8732810051 (OC) woKHA: 03860-242215/101 (O) 8974322879 (OC) MoKoKCHUnG: 0369-2226225/ 101 (O) 8415830232 (OC) PHeK: 8414853765 (O) 8413822476(OC) ZUnHeBoto: 03867-280304/ 101 (O) 9436422730 (OC) tUensAnG: 8414853766 (O) 9856163601 (OC) Mon: 03869-251222/ 101 (O) 9862130954 (OC) Kiphire: 8414853767 (O) 9436261577 (OC) Peren: 7085189932 (O) 9856311205 (OC) LonGLenG: 7085924113 (O) 9862414264 (OC) we4 woMen HeLPLIne 08822911011 WOMEN HeLPLIne 181 CHiLD weLFAre CoMMIttee Toll free No. 1098 childline

MOKOKCHUNG

std code: 0369

Police station 1 Police station 2 Police station Kobulong Police station tuli Police station Changtongya Police station Mangkolemba Civil Hospital

9485232688 9485232689 9485232690 9485232693 9485232694 9485232695 2226216

woodland nursing Home

2226263

Hotel Metsüpen (tourist Lodge) 2226373/ 2229343

CURRENCY NOTES BUY (rs) seLL (rs)

Us dollars sterling Pound Hong Kong dollar Australian dollar singapore dollar Canadian dollar Japanese Yen euro thai Baht Korean won UAe dirham (Aed) Chinese Yuan

65.21 80.9 8.13 50.03 46.34 49.68 57.81 68.8 1.81 0.0558 17.18 9.2

68.15 84.81 9.06 52.50 48.63 52.11 61.07 72.14 2.02 0.0622 19.14 10.24

tuesday 07•03•2017

NAGALAND

EDTC appeals to construct temporary suspension bridge at Old Dhansiri Bridge Dimapur, march 6 (mExN): The East Dimapur Tribal Council (EDTC) which represents 22 villages under East Dimapur has appealed to the department concerned to construct a temporary suspension bridge at Old Dhansiri Bridge for the convenience of public. The Old Dhansiri Bridge has been closed for reconstruction. In a statement, EDTC Chairman, Tohoshe Awomi and Secretary, Medovie Koza mentioned that for decades, the people of East Dimapur, especially those who do not own means of transportation and who cannot afford autorickshaw fare, have used the Old Dhansiri Bridge to walk to Dimapur Town. “The people could walk to town for shopping, for attending schools and colleges, to avail medical facilities and many other basic amenities but with the dismantling of the old bridge for construction of new bridge poor people are facing immense

People seen crossing over the Dhansiri River by walking through a temporary structure erected for other purposes beside the Old Dhansiri Bridge on March 6.

difficulty to go to places in Dimapur which remained at walkable distance,” the council lamented. It pointed out that the people, putting their lives

Meetings

CS convenes meeting The Chief Secretary of Nagaland has convened a meeting on March 8, 1 PM in the Conference Hall of Nagaland Civil Secretariat to deliberate on steps needed to be taken for to ensure functionality of offices destroyed by fire in Old Assembly & Secretariat Complex on February 2. The officers of 24 effected departments are requested to attend the meeting positively.

Zbto DPDB meeting The monthly Zunheboto District Planning and Development Board (DPDB) meeting has been scheduled on March 8, at DC's Conference hall. All members have been asked to take note and attend the meeting.

BJP Kohima Executive meeting Bharatiya Janata Party Kohima District executive meeting will be held on March 9 at 9:00 Am at Kohima District office. All the District office bearers, District executive members, Senior leaders, District Mahila members, District Yuva Morcha, District Kisan Morcha, Mandal Presidents and General Secretaries are requested to attend the meeting without fail.

RBKKA meeting Rengma Bosti Khatkhati Karbi Anglong (RBKKA) has convened a meeting on March 10 at 10:00 AM in the village premises. All concerned members are requested to attend the meeting without fail.

Rengma Class-I Contractor's Association Rengma Class-I Contractor's Association has convened an emergency meeting on March 11 at 10:00 AM at the residence of the Association President M.S. Khing. Therefore, all the members are directed to attend the meeting failing which they will have no say on any issue discussed in the meeting.

ZAPO Executive Council meet The Zuketsa Area Public Organization (ZAPO) Executive Council Meeting will be held at 11:00 AM on March 14 at at ZAPO Hall, Zuketsa. Therefore, all the Executive Council Members are made mandatory to attend the said meeting.

ZAPO 44th General Session The 44th General Session of the Zuketsa Area Public Organization (ZAPO) is scheduled to be held on March 15 at ZAPO Hall, Zuketsa with Mikha Lomi NCS, Deputy Commissioner (Rtd.) as Session Speaker. The Session shall start at 10:00 AM. The Village Council Chairman of Kuzha-Netho Ketshii are requested to come with minimum 30 delegates each. All the Public Leaders, Bureaucrats, Rtd. Officers and well wishers of Kuzha-Netho Ketshii, ZAPO Dimapur, Kohima, Pfutsero and Phek Units are requested to come, participate and grace the programme.

at risk, are crossing over the river into Dimapur Town by walking through a temporary structure erected beside the old bridge. Calling this “too risky”, the

council stated people will continue to face difficulties until the new bridge is constructed, which may even take 3 to 4 years. In this light, the council

has urged the department concerned to construct a temporary suspension bridge in the larger interest of the poorer section of the society.

NPCC supports demand for RoP implementation Kohima, march 6 (mExN): Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) today expressed support to the demands made by various State service associations to the Government of Nagaland to implement the 7th Revision of Pay (RoP) with effect from March 1, 2017. “When the Central government employees have been granted 7th RoP as per the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission since August 2016, the State government cannot afford to discriminate its employees on grounds of insufficient funds,” NPCC stated in a press release issued by its Media Cell. It alleged that the NPF government in 2010 had done

“gross injustice” to State employees by “misusing” the generous grant of Rs. 712 crores sanctioned by Congress led UPA government for implementing 6th RoP. “Out of Rs. 712 crores sanctioned, only Rs. 472.56 crores were released to 72 departments which included the amount of Rs. 189 crores impounded to GPF accounts,” NPCC claimed. The NPF government, it added, could never give explanation for the balance amount of Rs. 239.44 crores. NPCC further said irrespective of the party in power it had repeatedly highlighted the “gross misuse” of the Rs. 712 crores sanctioned “that could have easily covered even the payment of arrears w.e.f June

1, 2008.” It also stated that over 3000 State government employees who were “force retired” at one go from October 31, 2009 through ‘The Nagaland Retirement from Public Employment (Second Amendment) Act 2009’ were denied the benefits of 6th RoP. The party maintained that the growing pay disparity between Central and State government employees is a matter of great concern. “Since the NPF had allowed BJP to become its supreme high command, it should be able to convince its Delhi masters to bail them out if they are really concerned for the welfare of the people and the state,” it added.

Unpaid for four months, NSSATA Mkg unit cautions to boycott classes moKoKchuNg, march 6 (mExN): The Nagaland Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Teachers’ Association (NSSATA), Mokokchung unit today demanded the State government to release their pending salaries of four months at the earliest, while cautioning that it will have no option but take drastic actions like boycotting classes. The SSA teachers all over the State are undergoing “untold hardships” because of non-release of their salaries by the State government since November, stated a press statement from Imodangba Longkumer, President, NSSATA Mokokchung unit. “Even after the assurance given by the Education Department on November 2, 2016 for timely

release of salaries, the teachers are left in quandary about the release of their salaries,” it added. Expressing dismay at the State government for failing to keep its promise to release the salaries on time, it pointed out that the NSSATA had kept its part of the bargain and called off the agitation and successfully concluded the 2016 academic session. “The NSSATA Mkg Unit had strong faith on the State government to meet the demands of the teachers, however the non-release of the salaries for the past four months indicates otherwise. In this regard, the SSA Teachers of Mokokchung, in our distress and frustration, have no option but to go for some drastic action in the weeks

to come,” the statement read. The unit further noted that the teachers despite being unpaid have been performing their duties for the academic session 2017. Meanwhile, NSSATA Mokokchung unit held an emergency executive meeting on March 5, where it was resolved to expedite the matter with the government till the end. A decision was also made to call a general meeting on March 11, 10:00 am at Ongpangkong Salang to discuss matters relating to the association and the non-release of salaries. All the members have been informed to attend the meeting without fail. Strict actions will be initiated against those who fail to attend, the statement added.

Free Gynae Consultancy on March 8 FPA India, Nagaland Branch – Kohima will be organising Free Gynae Consultancy on March 8 at its Reproductive Health and Family Planning Clinic, main Town Daklane, Kohima. The event is being organised in observance of International Women's Day.

Farewell programme for retiring DAO Longleng held LoNgLENg, march 6 (mExN): The Department of Agriculture held a farewell programme in honour of retiring District Agriculture Officer (Jt. Director) Longleng, G. Kiyevi Ayemi on February 28 at DAO Conference Hall, Longleng. In his farewell speech, G. Kiyevi Ayemi thanked God for giving him an opportunity to serve the people through the Department. He thanked senior officers and staffs of the Department for cooperation rendered to him during his term of service. Helie Rupre-o, Director of Agriculture in his speech lauded the retiring officer for serving the Department for 34 years. He said the retiring officer was best known as an artist for his singing talent within the Department and will be greatly missed. Denngan Avenoho Phom, NCS, Deputy Commissioner Longleng also spoke and lauded the retiring officer for his good

works in the District within a short period. Others who spoke in the programme included Sosangmar, Jt DA and. Nosezole Seleyi, Jt DA on behalf of Directorate Officers Kohima. Shoang, A.O on behalf of the staffs, Y.B. Angam, PI spoke on behalf of District public organisation. The programme was attended by SP Longleng Raguramarajan IPS, commandant 44/AR LT.Col. Sen Gupta, Er. Achakbou Newmai SE (Agri), Johnson S.O., Ang Phom, APMC Chairman, HoD from other Departments and public leaders. The programme was chaired by A.I, Bongkam. Welcome speech was delivered by Imti Tzudir, DDA, Thenlom AFA presented a farewell song. The retiring Officer Keyevi also presented two farewell songs. The programme was ended with a special prayer for retiring officer and his family by Rev. H. Beau, pastor LTBC.

Peren DPDB forms cattle control board pErEN, march 6 (Dipr): The monthly meeting of Peren District Planning & Development Board was held at DC’s Conference Hall on March 6 under the Chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner and DPDB Vice Chairman, Zarenthung Ezung. The chairman welcomed newly posted officers, SDO (C) Peren, Sarita Yadav IAS and Inspector F&CS Peren S. Ali Konyak. The board decided to forward to the Government regarding the up gradation of SDO (C) Office Jalukie to that of ADC Hq. Dr. Khrielasanuo DPO (UID-rch) highlighted her departmental activities where she said that Indra Dhanush Programme would be held from tomorrow. She also said that National Deworming Day would be held on March 10 and 15 while the second phase of intensified polio vaccine would be held in April. Rural Development Project Director, Imtimenla informed that there would be launching of Central Scheme Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM), National Rurban Mission (NRuM)

at Ngwalwa Village on March 7. The Chief Guest will be Chairman, Democratic Alliance Nagaland, TR Zeliang while Minister for RD & REPA CL John will be the Guest of Honour. She requested all the DPDB members to present at the function at 11AM. The Chairman requested all the heads of offices to clear and clean up the surrounding of their respective offices to be safe from forest fires. DPRO Peren, I. Simon Teilia in his presentation of the departmental activities where he said that Public Relations is the art and science of managing ommunication between an organisation and its key constituents to build, manage and sustain its positive image. The Department of Vety. & Animal Husbandry and Food & Civil Supply also gave powerpoint presentation about their departmental activities. A Cattle Control Board was also formed with SDO (C) Hq. as Convenor, DAO Peren - Member Secretary, DHO Peren - Member, DPO (LRD) - Member, CVO - Member, DSCO (Soil) - Member.

28 Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ IGAR (North) conducted a lecture on hygiene and sanitization at Chukitong in Wokha district on March 2. The lecture, organized for students of Govt Higher Secondary School and civil society of Chukitong, was attended by 240 students, 12 teachers and 20 civil dignitaries. The lecture was conducted to promote Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and impress upon the importance of cleanliness for a healthy, disease free life, informed a press release from Assam Rifles.

ATMA Dimapur conducts farmer-scientist interaction Dimapur, march 6 (mExN): ATMA Dimapur conducted farmerscientist interaction on March 1 at S. Hotovi Village. The resource person for the training was James Kikon, Subject Matter Specialist (KVK), Jharnapani and Dr. Aapon Yanthan, ICAR, Dimapur. James spoke on integrated nutrient management (INM). He said INM is maintenance of soil fertility and plant nutrient supply at an optimum level for sustaining the desired productivity through optimization of the benefits from all possible sources of organic, inorganic and biological components in an integrated manner. He also illustrated on the advantages of INM - it enhances the availability of applied as well as native soil nutrients, synchronizes the nutrient demand of the crop with nutrient supply from native and applied sources, informed a press release received here. It also provides balanced nutrition to crops and minimizes the antagonistic effects resulting from hidden deficiencies and nutrient imbalance, improves and sustains the physical, chemical and biological functioning of soil and also minimizes the deterioration of soil, water and ecosystem by promoting

Tuensang DPDB meeting recommends financial aid TuENsaNg, march 6 (Dipr): The monthly meeting of the District Planning and Development Board, Tuensang was held on March 6, at DC's Conference Hall, Tuensang under the Chairmanship of Alem Jongshi, Deputy Commissioner and Vice Chairman DPDB, Tuensang. The Board reviewed the previous meeting minutes and deliberated on the financial aid sought by Sao Chang College, Tuensang, for electrification of college building, digitalization of

Participants during the farmer-scientist interaction conducted by ATMA Dimapur on March 1 at at S. Hotovi Village.

carbon sequestration, reducing nutrient losses to ground and surface water bodies and to atmosphere. Dr. Yanthan spoke on techniques in cucurbits cultivation. Cucurbits are cross pollinated in nature and honeybees are major pollinator; thus for pure seed production, an isolation distance all around seed field is necessary to separate it from fields of other varieties, fields of the same variety not confirming to varietal purity requirement, he said. He also stated that seed crop should be raised in

a se ason which remains dry at the time of seed maturity and seed extraction. Rainy season is preferred over summer season for raising seed crop. Locations are also important in seed production with reference to seed yield and quality of seed. The press release issued by ATMA Dimapur, Kuhuboto Block BTM, Akavi Holo said that the programme, which was chaired by Demalu Hasnusa, BTM (ATMA), Niuland Block, concluded with an interaction with the participants.

library and construction of hostel kitchen. The same was recommended by the Board to be forwarded to concerned authorities. Further, in observance of the National Cancer Day on March 10, at Deputy Commissioner’s Conference Hall, the Chief Medical Officer, Tuensang, informed that free medical check-up on non-communicable diseases will be held, and therefore called upon all members to avail the same.

AR troops apprehend 2 in Dimapur Dimapur, march 6 (mExN): Assam Rifles troops arrested 2 persons in separate operations on March 4 in Dimapur. Troops of 32 Assam Rifles arrested 1 person along with arms from Khermahal, Dimapur during an operation launched with police representatives based on specific input regarding presence of an arms dealer in the area. The arms recovered from the apprehended person identified as Ibomcha Khan (50) were one 7.65 mm pistol, two magazine and 28 live rounds of 7.65 mm, according to a press release from AR.

In the other incident, troops of 41 AR and 32 AR along with police representatives launched a search operation at Bus Station, Dimapur and arrested 1 person identified as Mukhim Rongti (28), allegedly a member of Karbi People Libration Tiger (KPLT), an AR press note informed. One air gun pistol (country made) and air gun pen pistol (country made) were recovered from his possession, it added. Both the individuals along with the recovered arms were handed over to East Police Station, Dimapur for further investigation.

TUESDAY 07•03•2017

IN FOCUS The Power of Truth

The Morung Express

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

C O M M E N T A R Y

Garga Chatterjee

Tamil Nadu: Governors denying Affirmative Power Naga situation needs a process of people their chosen government VOLUME XII ISSUE 63

transformation, not reformation

here is a need to be unwavering while building a shared humanity that assures equality for everyone - women and men alike - with respect and in full partnership. This would have the potential to tilt the scales of justice that benefits all marginalized persons and simultaneously shifts power to be shared more broadly instead of being wielded by a select few. This transition to a shared humanity in which benefits are distributed more evenly increases possibilities of living together in dignity and harmony. All affirmative action that is designed to create equality throughout society ultimately positively benefits everyone – old, young, women and men – which in turn is transferred to future generations. This is precisely why no one must be patronized in ways that become platforms for stereotypes and prejudice to be reinforced. In order to attain a more egalitarian society, initiatives need to specifically address and deliberately break down stereotypes that foment prejudice, discrimination and stigmatize people. Power and equality with respect and dignity generate creative tensions at the center of the human endeavor for a shared humanity. The parochial perspective of power has consistently ensured the construction of a Power system that relates only on the basis of domination through a top-down, hierarchical system. This domination system of Power is clearly reflected within existing political, social, religion and economic realities. Power must therefore be interrogated and examined and uprooted. Here is where we are invited to be courageous by engaging the system of Power, and transforming its very concept into a more inclusive reality that reflects the virtues of a shared humanity. The interrogation of Power will necessarily lead us to questioning whether (Hu)mans are willing to relinquish exclusive Power in exchange for embracing a more inclusive system of Power sharing. Herein lays the dilemma because empirical history reveals that (Hu)mans are not good at relinquishing power. It is therefore necessary to understand what the theologian Walter Wink calls “the principalities and power.” The ability to understand this will determine the feasibilities of whether a sustained nonviolent process can successfully free the powers of domination. So long as the systems of domination that feed on exclusive power remain, the presence and impact of discrimination, human rights violations, violence against women and children, structural violence against ‘minority’ groups and maintaining the ever present status quo will continue to thrive. The present situation demands a need to discover the resolve to engage with the domination system, and envision together building a shared humanity where power is defined and exercised as a concept with the people, rather than over them. To enable equality for all human life, the rights of marginalized persons must first be secured. A step towards this may involve taking time bound affirmative action creating opportunities and the means for all marginalized persons until the gap has been reduced. Indeed, Nagaland needs a nonviolent revolutionary paradigm of thinking and acting. It requires not reformation, but transformation in Naga society.

LEFT WING |

Nicky Milne Thomson Reuters Foundation

"Berta is not dead" "The assassins were wrong when they thought they killed her, because she continues to live through millions of young people" - Berta Caceres' mother

he killing of land rights campaigner Berta Caceres has unleashed a wave of activism in support of women and the environment, said friends, colleagues, and family commemorating the first anniversary of the Honduran's death. The indigenous activist has become a figurehead for protests in her home country since she was shot and killed on March 3, 2016, after receiving death threats over her opposition to a hydroelectric dam project. Speaking on the anniversary of her death, Caceres's mother, Austra Flores, said her daughter's "horrendous" murder had started a legacy of resistance against environmentally destructive developments and violence toward activists. "The assassins were wrong when they thought they killed her, because she continues to live through millions of young people. She lives from beyond," Flores told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview at her home. Demonstrations demanding justice for Caceres have taken place in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, over the past year and banners bearing her image have been raised at protests for women's, indigenous, and land rights across Latin America. On Wednesday this week, hundreds marched on Honduras' Supreme Court, amid chants of "Berta is not dead", to submit a legal challenge against the hydroelectric project she had fought to prevent. Caceres won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2015 for leading opposition to the $50 million Agua Zarca dam that threatened to displace hundreds of indigenous people. DEADLIEST PLACE Speaking to demonstrators, Caceres' daughter, also called Berta, said her mother's death had been an inestimable loss for all the people of Honduras. Six people, including an employee of the hydroelectric company and Honduran military personnel, have been arrested since the 43-year-old teacher was killed by two men at her home in La Esperanza, 112 miles (180 kms) west of Tegucigalpa. But protestors on the march said they were angry that authorities had failed to investigate business and government figures they accuse of orchestrating the crime. Honduras is the deadliest place on earth for environmental activism, according to a report in January by environmental watchdog Global Witness, with at least 101 activists murdered since 2010. The Central American country of 8.5 million people which is rich in forests and valuable minerals, has seen a surge in large resource projects including dams, mines and plantations, and this growth is linked to activists' deaths, campaigners said. The Global Witness report into attacks against Honduran land rights defenders, including Caceres, found state authorities routinely failed to bring perpetrators to justice. Miriam Miranda, leader of indigenous group the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras said in death, Caceres had "multiplied" by emboldening those fighting impunity. "People all around the world are fighting now for justice, to make sure that this killing of women who defend mother earth, is not repeated," Miranda said. Caceres' mother said she would continue the fight. "I want to see change in this country, even if it's the last thing I do before I die," she said.

s of now, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palanisamy of the AIADMK, one of the 2 main Dravidian political forces in Tamil politics, seems to be in charge of affairs. The political turmoil in Tamil Nadu seems to have subsided, albeit temporarily. It could well be a lull before another storm. After Palanisamy won the trust vote in the Tamil Nadu assembly, the opposition DMK, the other Dravidian power, petitioned the Madras High Court to cancel the vote. The Madras High Court adjourned the hearing of the petition till the week starting on February 27. In case the trust vote is cancelled, the focus will again shift to the future behavior of the Governor of Tamil Nadu vis-à-vis asking for a new trust vote and government continuation or formation. Let us look back at what happened around the issue of Chief Ministership of Tamil Nadu and the role of the Governor of Tamil Nadu in that affair. With the guilty verdict on Sasikala Natarajan, the stand of the Governor of Tamil Nadu in not inviting Sasikala to form the government or prove her majority has been hailed in certain quarters as evidence of his farsightedness. The Governor of Tamil Nadu might have been farsighted because he set his sight on things that are far from his brief. And that is a huge problem in a federal democracy like the Indian Union. After O. Panneerselvam resigned from the General Secretary position of the AIADMK, Sasikala Narataran became the General Secretary. O. Panneerselvam thereafter tendered his resignation from the Chief Minister’s post, according to the unanimous (which now appears to be not unanimous but a huge majority) wishes of the legislature party of the AIADMK in the Tamil Nadu assembly. The Governor of Tamil Nadu accepted his resignation and O. Panneerselvam was asked to continue as the care-taker Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu till a new Chief Minister was appointed. The AIADMK wanted Sasikala Natarajan to be the new Chief Minister and a stupendous majority of the MLAs of the AIADMK elected her the leader of the AIADMK legislature party in a meeting of MLAs. None of this was illegal. At this point, O. Panneerselvam rebelled against the AIADMK party leadership and claimed that actually most AIADMK MLAs were secretly supportive of him. He also claimed that Sasikala Natarajan and her associates were holding AIADMK MLAs in certain locations against their wish. This is a charge of kidnapping. If this charge were true, the then acting Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam was fully within his right to send in police to these locations and rescue the so-called ‘kidnapped’ MLAs. He did no such thing but continued to parrot the kidnapping theory. His bluff was called when even after Sasikala’s arrest, the AIADMK legislature party, ostensibly freed from the clutches of Sasikala were now free to choose their leader. They did and they did not choose Panneerselvam but rallied behind E Palanisamy, the successor who has full support of Sasikala. In the trust

vote, 122 MLAs voted for the AIADMK government led by E Palanisamy. The Panneerselvam camp could garner only 11 votes. Sasikala’s chosen successor Palanisamy showed he commanded absolute majority in the Tamil Nadu assembly and a stupendous majority among AIADMK MLAs. Through all of these events, what has been most troubling is the undemocratic behavior of the Governor of Tamil Nadu. It appears that the Governor of Tamil Nadu C Vidyasagar Rao essentially chose to suspend democracy in Tamil Nadu for quite a few days and continued with an unrepresentative and hence undemocratic regime instead. After O Panneerselvam’s resignation, the Governor of Tamil Nadu was handed the signed list of MLAs supporting Sasikala as Chief Minister. This list constituted a majority of the Tamil Nadu assembly. Sasikala, at that point, has no bar to hold the office of Chief Minister. Under which law or article of the constitution did the Governor of Tamil Nadu not invite the person who had the support of the majority of MLAs of the Tamil Nadu assembly to form the government? A majority of MLAs of Tamil Nadu represents the majority viewpoint of the people of Tamil Nadu in a representative democracy. From where did the Governor get the power to deny the people a government? A state without a representative government is essentially autocracy. Why did the governor continue in this situation? He chose to stay away from Tamil Nadu for days together when there was essentially a dangerous power and governance vacuum in Tamil Nadu, because a Governor chose to deny a people their chosen government. The Governor is not elected by the people of Tamil Nadu. He doesn’t rep-

resent their political choice. The MLAs of Tamil Nadu are elected by the people of Tamil Nadu. They represent their political choice. Thus, when a Governor denies the chance to form the government to the person elected by a majority of MLAs of Tamil Nadu as their leader, an unelected person denies the people of Tamil Nadu to exercise their political choice through their elected representatives. Whether Sasikala was guilty or not, that was for the courts to decide. The Governor is not the court. It is not his job to decide or predict whether in 10 days or 10 weeks or 10 months, someone might be convicted. There is no article in the constitution that says that a government or a Chief Minister has to have some minimum tenure or that if someone has a possibility of conviction in a future date then that person cannot be appointed as Chief Minister in the present date. Then on what ground did the Governor of Tamil Nadu deny a representative government to the people of Tamil Nadu at that point? His job was to ascertain who commanded a majority in the Tamil Nadu assembly. He was presented with a list of MLAs representing the majority of Tamil Nadu assembly. Did he suspect that the list was false? In that case, he could have asked for a parade of MLAs. Sasikala had offered to do that given the Governor’s intransigence. Palanisamy’s trust vote shows that Sasikala’s list was not fraudulent. The Governor simply overruled the majority opinion of the people of Tamil Nadu. Because he could. It is immaterial whether he was right or wrong. The relevant legal and constitutional question is, is that his job? Does the Governor of a state, not under President’s Rule, have any right to deny to the person chosen by a majority of MLAs to form the government when no article of constitution disqualifies the person?

That is the real question that the Governor of Tamil Nadu has to answer. There is reason to believe that the charges of partisanship against the Governor of Tamil Nadu are not without substance. This governor C Vidyasgar Rao, a veteran of BJP-Jansangh for more the 40 years, gave ample opportunity to anti-AIADMK forces in Tamil Nadu to try to break the party assisted by his delay. The party, which has fished the most in these troubled waters, is the BJP whose support for the O. Panneerselvam group was quite open. That is not surprising. O. Panneerselvam, in his brief regime, bartered away Tamil Nadu’s state rights when it agreed to the UDAY scheme, something that J. Jayalalithaa had opposed on grounds of encroachment on federal structure. Thus, Delhi had found a pliant partner in O. Panneerselvam. Their horse did not win the race, even though Delhi tried its best through its man in Chennai. Who does the Governor represent? Time and again, it is seen that the Governor represents the Union government. Thus we see the Governors selectively toppling only those State governments that are ruled by parties that are not in power in the Union government at Delhi. The most recent instance of this shameless act happened recently in Arunachal Pradesh. Even more recently, the Governor of Tripura refused to read passages critical of the Union government – a House speech that is prepared by Tripura’s Council of Ministers and thus represents the majority viewpoint of the people of Tripura. Can a Governor ignore the majority viewpoint in a representative government? The Governor is not sovereign. Not even the President of the Indian Union is sovereign. Only the people are. That’s what makes the Indian Union a republic and not a monarchy.

Biofuels could cut transport emissions – but food may be at risk Maina Waruru Thomson Reuters Foundation

rowing use of electric vehicles around the world is helping lower climate changing emissions, but some means of transport will be hard to electrify, particularly air travel and shipping, energy experts say. To "decarbonise" those, the world will need to rapidly develop and bring to market biofuels – while trying to ensure they don't crowd out food production, say the authors of a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). With "the right selection of the right raw material" about 12 percent of transport fuel could come from renewable sources by 2030, said Francisco Boshell, a technology analyst at IRENA and one of the report's authors. The "right" materials might include forest waste such as sawdust, fast-growing trees, agricultural residue, algae and "high-energy" crops, such as grasses grown on degraded parcels of land around the world, Boshell said. "Biofuels have a vital role to play in the global transition to sustainable, renewable energy and, together with electric vehicles and the increase of renewables in the power mix, they can

help us move away from petroleum use in passenger transport," the report noted. Today biofuels are relatively expensive compared to fossil fuels such as oil and gas, but investing in innovation in their production and use could potentially reduce their costs by a third over the next three decades, the report said. To overcome cost problems countries need to come up with innovative technologies, craft favourable policies and develop business models to incentivise production and drive down prices, it said. Care however needs to be taken to ensure that biofuel expansion doesn't result in farmland being turned from food production to biofuel production, Boshell said.

Aviation alone contributes nearly 3 percent of global carbon emissions, a share that is likely to grow in the future as economies develop, the report said. Existing biofuel production stands at 1 billion litres a year, or just 0.004 percent of current global fuel demand, IRENA experts said. Production plants at planning stage or under construction could potentially add another 2 billion litres per year of ethanol, methanol, mixed alcohol and jet fuels, the report's authors noted. "The pace of production and investment will have to increase exponentially, and projects develop further afield, if advanced liquid biofuels are to fulfil their practical and economic potential for displacing fossil fuels," they said. They attribute slow growth in investment in biofuels partly to low oil prices in recent years. European, North American and Latin American countries lead in alternative fuels production, the report said, noting that there is little production in African and Asian countries, except for Japan, China and South Korea.

executive of Sustainable Energy for All, an organisation working to achieve 100 percent global access to sustainable energy by 2030, the best way to cut transport emissions is to focus on electrifying transport as much as possible. But shipping, aviation, mass transport systems and long haul transport – all significant contributors to global emissions – may need to rely on biofuels in order to meet carbon-cutting targets, she said. "The long-term future to decarbonising the transport sector lies in use of biofuels that have twice the efficiency of ordinary fuels," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Other ways to cut transport emissions could come from designing cities so that public transport is more efficient and by encouraging non-motorised forms of transport, Kyte said. One worry is that few new technologies are in the pipeline to reduce emissions from aviation, even as air travel expands as economies grow around the world, said Deger Saygin, a programme officer at IRENA's Innovation and Technology Centre. Projections also suggest that a third of the growth in demand for oil over ELECTRICITY STILL BEST the next 10 to 15 years will come from According to Rachel Kyte, chief the trucking industry in Asia, he said.

WRITE-WING

A THIRD OF WORLD ENERGY Transport currently accounts for about a third the world's energy use, half its oil consumption, and a fifth of its greenhouse gas emissions, the IRENA report said. Those numbers could rise with the number of vehicles on the roads estimated to grow from about 1.2 billion currently to as many as 2 billion by 2030, it said.

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TUESDAY 07•03•2017

PERSPECTIVE

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Land Tax, Reservation for Women and Customary Law in Nagaland Jelle J P Wouters

Economic and Political Weekly

Can elected urban local bodies in Nagaland levy taxes on land and buildings when Naga lands and its resources are, under Article 371A of the Constitution, the domain of customary bodies and laws? Should women be allotted 33% reservation of electoral seats in these urban local bodies, as sanctioned by the Constitution, when customary institutions and practices did not envision political leadership for women? These are divisive questions in Nagaland. A socio-historical background is offered

nfluenced by Verrier Elwin’s views on tribal life worlds, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote in his foreword to Elwin’s A Philosophy for NEFA (1959), that tribal communities in India’s North East “should develop along the lines of their own genius and [that] we should avoid imposing anything on them. We should try to encourage in every way their own traditional arts and culture.” It was in part a follow-up on this philosophy, but primarily as an envisaged (but failed) political compromise in relation to the Naga demand for independence that Nehru assented not only to the enactment of a Nagaland state in 1963, but also to the crafting of Article 371A of the Constitution, which reads: Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, no Act of parliament in respect of religious or social practices of the Nagas, Naga customary law and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law, ownership and transfer of land and its resources, shall apply to the State of Nagaland unless the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland by a resolution so decides. More than five decades later, the legal implications of this amendment continue to be debated with some insisting that, to the letter, Article 371A almost makes Nagaland a “foreign country within the Indian Union,” as no laws or policies designed in Delhi apply to Nagaland unless Nagas—here represented by the state legislature—adjudge it as appropriate to Naga traditions, customs, and cultural proclivities. Interpreted thus, Nagas, truly, were allowed to develop themselves “along the lines of their own genius.” However, the benevolence of this Naga genius, as reflected here through its customary laws and practices, is now contested by (female) voices within Naga society, claiming that, deep down, Naga customary law is shaped by a culture of subjugation and gender inequality. Such sentiments are hardly new, but recently erupted in full force in relation to the proposed implementation of (an amended version of) the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001. At issue, are taxes on land and 33% reservation for women, as proposed by the 2001 act (which itself was a much-delayed response to the 74th amendment to the Constitution, which came into force in 1993 to provide a common framework for the mandate and structure of urban local bodies). The question is whether these provisions contravene and encroach on the spirit and jurisdiction of Naga customary law, as safeguarded by Article 371A. While the battle lines are not always so clearly drawn, the fault line, broadly, is between the Nagaland government and the Naga Mothers Association, which both desire the implementation of the municipal act because central funds flow in for urban development (the release of which remains conditional to the holding of municipal elections, and which, because of these controversies, have been several years overdue) and the broader issue of women’s empowerment. The opposition benches are made up of a host of tribal apex bodies, which staunchly oppose the municipal act for infringing on Naga customary law, which does not recognise both taxes on land and a reservation system for political representation. The pages that follow do not engage hands-on with the public protests and violence that recently took place in Nagaland, the bandhs imposed by tribal bodies, the subsequent deferral of the scheduled municipal elections, and the political aftermath of this crisis. Many journalists and commentators have already done so. What I aim to do instead is to sketch the wider sociohistorical context against which the current controversy unfolds. Land and Taxes “Taxes,” the Naga writer Charles Chasie explains, “has always been an abhorrent issue where Nagas are concerned. It led to the killing of the first British Political Officer in the Naga Hills in 1879 and the war against the British that followed … Taxation was again a large part of the reason for the rise, and sustenance, of Naga nationalism although other reasons were there” (cited in 5 February 2017, Morung Express). Today, taxes, once more, are at the forefront of societal unrest. While most people hate taxes (who likes giving away part of one’s income and assets?), Nagas seem to hate these more than most. They hate taxes in the fear that the imposition of taxes on land signals the beginning of the end of Nagas’ absolute control over their land and its resources.1 For A Z Phizo, who captained the Naga National Council (NNC) into its struggle for independence, the idea of sovereignty itself was always less about state, courts, and a Weberian monopoly on violence, but crucially hinged on Nagas’ unconditional

munitarian ethics (Wouters 2016: 103–07). Phizo (1951) spoke thus: [Among Nagas] land belongs to the people as private property, and every family possesses land. We uphold every person as sovereign: men and women alike. Every family is a landlord; but, there is no landlordism in Nagaland … land being so owned by the people who are in their person sovereign … We do not pay even land tax, which is always a crushing burden to the mass of citizens in many other countries. This “taxless” Naga customary arrangement Phizo contrasted with the position of farmers across India. “What is the lot of Indian cultivators?,” he asked, then answering himself: “They are mere tenants in their own soil and not the sovereign owners of their own land as in our [Naga] country.” It was the urgency for Nagas to protect their age-old landholding system—as evident in the popular local axiom Ura Uvie! (our land is ours)—that Phizo preached as he moved from one Naga village to the next rallying people behind his political movement. An elder in a Chakhesang Naga village recalled Phizo’s visit to his village: He spoke about socialism, the Naga Nation and that we had been an independent people since time-immemorial. I did not understand all of what he said that time, but we of course supported that all our land, cattle and possession should remain ours, and ours alone. Phizo explained that the Indians, if we would not resist them, would count our land and cattle and make us pay taxes over them, and that we would so lose our freedom. (Cited in Wouters 2016: 105) While the sonority of Phizo’s voice has now dwindled, treatises detailing the Nagas’ intimate connections with their ancestral land have flourished since. Authorities on the set-up of Naga society variously detail their relationship with their land in terms of “stewardship” and “reciprocal codependency” (Vamuzo 2012: 9), as “the core of culture,” “origin of ethnic identity” (Varah 2013: 249), and “symbol of identity” (Longchar 1996: 22), as based on a “triune concept of God-Land-People” (Imsong 2011: 14), and, in general, shaped by “a deep sense of supernatural, spiritual and ancestral attachment” (Jamir 2015: 108). What is emphasised too is that whereas in places across the country “all land belongs to the government,” in Nagaland “land belongs to landowners and the community” (Imkongmeren 2015: 61). In fact, the history of post-statehood governance in Nagaland can be read as a history of tussles between the state government, which requires land to effectuate development, and Naga landowners who hesitate to give up even a square inch of their land. But while land and identity are everywhere intimately connected, not every Naga, under customary law, has equal access to land. To begin with, roughly half of the Naga populace comprising women are proscribed from inheriting ancestral land. They are now calling for change and “gender justice” within the Naga landholding system (Jamir 2015: 112–14). But not only are women landless, so-called “late-comers” in several villages, that is, those Naga villagers and clans thought to have settled in the village after its initial establishment, may be restricted in owning land (George and Yhome 2008: 7). Moreover, some Naga villages were traditionally ruled by hereditary and aristocratic chiefs who were the “Lord of the manor” (Hutton 1921b: 150) and presided over a “feudal mode of production” (George and Yhome 2008: 8). But if such qualifications undermine the singular notion that every Naga is a landowner, they do not negate the deep triangular connection between Nagas, land and identity, as well as the longstanding apprehensions over imposition of taxes on land. True, the Nagaland Municipal Act only applies to urban settlements, of which traditionally Nagas had none, but where exactly the urban ends and the rural begins is not always clear. It is further feared that once taxes on urban lands are in place, this system might gradually be extended to villages, in the process forever altering Nagas’ absolute ownership over their land and its resources. The Nagaland government has now recognised this sentiment and in the Nagaland Municipal (third Amendment) Bill (2016) omitted the clause on taxes. The government stated: all references and operative provisions relating to ‘tax on lands and buildings,’ wherever these occur in the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001, shall be deemed to have been omitted. Among many Nagas, however, the worry of a legal loophole remains, and they wonder whether “shall be deemed” means the same as “actually removed” and whether “omitted” implies “deleted.” “Nagas are not legally minded,” Phizo (cited in Nuh 1986: 89) once explained, but statesmen and politicians, he warned, are: “[They] search for a flaw in the legal system and try to produce one when there is none.” While Phizo spoke these words long ago, the fear of such a “legal ambiguity” ran through the recent public protests against the proposed implementation of the municipal act. Women’s Empowerment While the issue of taxes on land has seemingly been resolved, at least according to the government, the question of women’s reservation has turned ever more volatile. What is advocated by Naga women’s organisations, in brief, is that customary law not just privileges Naga males, but is deeply

it is the dark side of customary law that restricts and restrains women from inheriting land and from acquiring positions of public and political leadership. Gender is of course a multidimensional concept, and the status and standing of women in any society can, and should, be measured along multiple axes. At times making gender comparisons between different communities and cultures is a problematic undertaking. What can nevertheless be argued is that in various domains Naga women outdo their counterparts across India. If the safety of women can be interpreted, or at least in part, as a reflection of their social status, the Hindu, basing itself on data from the National Crime Records Bureau, declared Nagaland as the safest state for women in India: “With an estimated female population of over 11 lakhs (in 2014), the rate per lakh population comes to six. In fact, it is the only State in our country to have rates of crime against women in a single digit” (cited in the Hindu, 22 August 2015). 2 Nagaland also enjoys a female literacy rate that is well above the national average, while the female workforce participation rate is “fairly better than the National average” (Sashimatsung 2015: 31). Statistics, however, can conceal as much as they reveal; female literacy, after all, does not necessarily equate empowerment, while the female workforce participation rate does not tell us about levels of job seniority, equal pay, and prevailing gender divisions on the work floor. That said, as early as the 1960s Elwin (1961: 104) commended on the status Naga society bestows on women: Although there is no matriarchy among the Nagas, women hold a high and honourable position. They work on equal terms with men in the fields, and make their influence felt in the tribal councils. If, in the past, Naga women, while not actually part of customary bodies, at least possessed the agency to “influence” decisions, present views that Naga women are wholly excluded from decision-making bodies, would suggest that, in recent decades, patriarchy has strengthened. Dolly Kikon (2002: 174) offers a partial explanation for this. The marginalisation of women, she argues, has deepened due to the particularistic “socio-legal interaction between the Naga people and the State apparatus” in the context of protracted political conflict. It was amidst the Indo–Naga conflict, the spiralling violence, and the militarisation of the hills, that, Kikon writes, women became “the main targets of State oppression.” This led to the “shrinking of the social space” for women and impelled a “significant transformation” within the “internal dynamics of Naga society, where women have had to engage with the strengthening of patriarchal modes of control,” resulting “in the legitimising of processes of exclusion or marginalisation of women from decision-making and political power” (Kikon 2002: 176–77). While Kikon is upfront in identifying the patriarchal hierarchies at the base of Naga customary law, she cautions against “any piecemeal attempt at segregating the status of women in Naga society from the political and militaristic development within society itself” (Kikon 2002: 181). What remains evidently clear is that in the post-statehood era, Naga women have had little or no role to play in Nagaland’s political arena. Amer (2013: 93) writes: While improvements in women’s educational and professional status [as the statistics cited above indicate] may be a stimulus for women’s empowerment this is clearly not sufficient to win elected office. In the electoral history of Nagaland, spanning a period of more than four [five] decades, fifteen women candidates have contested, but all were repeatedly defeated. Of all political contestants in Nagaland only 0.76% (Amer 2013) were female with a zero success rate. Democratic politics across Nagaland, plainly, has been a men’s game. Given that roughly half of Nagaland’s voters are female, this would also imply that females themselves do not wish to vote for other females or, alternatively, that they are stripped from the autonomy to adjudicate on their own votes. For Amer (2013: 94) the absence of women in Nagaland’s political arena remains best understood as a reflection of the patriarchal set-up of Naga customary law: “The traditional institutions around which Naga social and political life revolves have never recognized the rights of women as primary decision makers.” Across India, and in multiple domains of social life, reservations have been applied—with varying degrees of success and with countless side-effects—to transform society in ways that did not grow organically. Female voices within Naga society now insist that reservation for women is the only way to improve women’s public and political power and standing, as the spirit of Naga customary law is unlikely to adapt to modern times. This view is understandable. Another angle to this debate, however, is that, if anything, history shows that Naga customary law is not necessarily rigid and conservative, but willing to adapt and change—albeit only gradually so—over time. Naga Customary Law Perhaps contrary to popular knowledge, Naga customary law is not an ancient fossil or commandments hewn in stone. Customary law permits a certain drift in form, content, and emphasis, and when moral values, religious beliefs, ideas of justice, and the political context changed, Naga customary law usually followed suit. Notwithstanding the regular rhetorical invocation of “since time immemorial” to explain and justify the sta-

customary law and procedures has its genesis in Nagas’ modern history, a history strongly shaped by colonialism, massive conversions to Christianity, and enclosure into the Indian nation state. While, for instance, dobashi courts are today (rightly) celebrated as the personification and repository of Naga customary law, the institution of dobashi (whose literal translation is “interpreter”) is, technically speaking, not a Naga tradition, but was created by the colonial government in its political scheme to extend colonial authority and control deep into the Naga uplands. Dobashis were bequeathed with power and privileges, but conditional on them assisting colonial offices and officers in upholding law and order, communicating colonial decrees to villagers, and in settling disputes. And if, at village levels, gaonburas (village headmen) are nowadays an intrinsic part of customary proceedings, they too were initially village-wise British appointees roped in to effectuate the collection of “house tax,” and for which they received a commission and a red woollen shawl that signalled their standing and loyalty to the colonial government. While British colonialism transformed the workings of Naga customary law, the entrance of Christianity, from the late 19th century onward, altered its character and substance. Christianity’s influence is seen not just in the prayers that nowadays precede and conclude most customary proceedings, but can also be read in the ideas of “forgiveness,” “compromise,” and “divine judgment” that seemingly have become hallmark values of Naga customary law. That such values are modern alterations is not always recognised. Shimray (2011: 12) characterises Naga customary conceptions of justice as “a means of building amity and unity through consultations and mentoring [in which] the arbiter takes the role of a mediator between the parties in dispute in order to reconcile them and encourage a healing in their social relations.” Naga customary law, Shimray concludes, “clearly prioritizes reconciliation and social harmony over redress and punishment.” While this might be an apt reading of the spirit of contemporary Naga customary law, it is nevertheless one far removed from the customary laws colonial officers encountered and wrote about in detail when they first climbed the Naga inhabited hills. Back then, it was the rule of retribution that reigned supreme. Colonial officers, for instance, observed how thieves were “customarily beaten by the kindred of the victim” (Hutton 1921a: 148) or “trussed up like a pig ... [and laid] on a bed of nettle-leaves” (Mills 1926: 194). In other parts of the hills, not only was “the thief killed on the third offence (he is let off twice), but his wife and children are killed as well, an effective way of stopping hereditary tendencies in crime” (Hutton 1921a: 148). Female thieves, however, were dealt with less “harshly”; they “were rolled in a mud-hole and stamped upon in the mud” (Hutton 121a: 149). Yet other Naga villages and tribes allowed both thieves and debtors to be sold as “slaves” (Mills 1922: 111). Before proceeding, it must be qualified here that Naga customary law is inherently plural. It differs not only from tribe to tribe, but also from village to village, and, as such, Naga customary law, as a singular body of law, does not exist. However, any suggestion today of having a culprit beaten, killed, stamped upon in the mud, or sold as a slave would be immediately objected to by village and tribal bodies, precisely because this would contravene the spirit of Naga customary law. Clearly, something has changed, and, most would agree, for the better. What drove these alterations were changing perceptions of the cosmos, and of what constitutes the good moral and social life. Naga customary law, then, was never frozen in time. Contrary to state laws, which, once written down and ratified, make a sort of orthodoxy possible—hence the concept of “archaic laws”—customary laws are processual and potentially flexible. It is for this reason that Justice D M Sen (Directorate of Arts and Culture 1976: v) spoke with profound wisdom when he objected, in the mid-1970s, against a proposal by the Nagaland government to codify Naga customary law, arguing: I am very much against codification. The moment you codify you make it final and firm and rigid. The societies, the tribal societies are developing much faster than any other societies and you yourself do not know what you are going to retain and what are you not. So codification means binding yourself. To be sure, while the form and substance of Naga customary law adapted and reinvented itself in the passing from the precolonial to the postcolonial, and poststatehood era, it always did so in ways that remained distinctively Naga in custom and culture. In fact, it seems its very capacity to adapt and change explains Naga customary law’s remarkable resilience as well as reveals its genius. At this juncture, with the call for inclusion of women in public and political life, Nagas have been given yet another opportunity to invoke their genius in deciding the present and future outlook of customary law.

Notes 1 Through a special constitutional provision Naga tribes, as well as other resident tribes in parts of the region, are exempted from paying income-tax. 2 While crimes against women are, on the whole, comparatively low in Nagaland, it must be qualified that cases of crime against women, when they occur, are regu-

The Medicinal Plants Imbroglio Visiehuno Rosa Kesiezie Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, St. Joseph’s College Jakhama

lot has been written and talked about medicinal plants and their healing powers in different print and electronic media, and they pretty much tell us the same story; that medicinal plants and their products are beneficial and good for treating various bodily ailments as they are natural products and have no side effects. There is no denial about the beneficial effects of medicinal plants. The usage of medicinal plants for healing has been in practice for centuries. An example would be the ancient Hindu system of medicine known as ‘ayurveda’, which is still very much in practice today. This system uses diet, herbal treatments and yogic breathing to bring balance to bodily systems during illnesses. There is also the traditional Chinese system of medicine which is based on plants and their products. The World Health Organization (WHO) had estimated that 80% of population of developing countries uses herbal medicine in one way or another. In India, it is estimated that 60% of the population still relies on medicinal plants for their healthcare. One of the main reasons behind the extensive use of medicinal plants by rural people is its easy accessibility, as people living in remote rural, tribal or mountainous areas have easier access to medicinal plants than modern medicine. There is also the issue of non affordability of modern medicines by people in rural areas. Medicinal plants form a part of the social and cultural life of the tribals who are well aware of their medicinal properties. The knowledge thus gained by tribals has been passed down the generations as a guarded secret. Almost all plants have the ability to naturally synthesize and accumulate some substances called ‘secondary metabolites’, like alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, volatile oils, minerals and vitamins, which are generally useful chemicals having beneficial effects for humans and animals alike and which are difficult or cannot be synthesized artificially. There is an estimated 170,000 plant species found on earth and out of these, 35,000 species are recognized as medicinal plants used by people in different parts of the world. Despite the enormous availability of medicinal plants all over the world, the popularity of the conventional allopathic modern medicines, i.e. the synthetic drugs developed by pharmaceutical companies, still reigns over that of the herbal medicines in treatment of various ailments. Also, only a very small percentage of these useful pants have been tested and made into commercial pharmaceutical drugs. There are a lot of reasons behind this slow paced development of medicinal plants into broad based commercialized commodities. Medicinal plants provided the main source of medicines till the early 20th century. By the mid80’s, interest in plant medicines, however, came down to its lowest. The plants had lost their former attraction as a source of therapeutic innovation and no major pharmaceutical company thought seriously of investing in research on plant-based medicines. The reason for this was that the alkaloids or glycosides present in nature proved to be inconsistent and their extraction often involved expenses which are not justifiable. Overall, in the past 45 years there has been little development of new plant based pharmaceuticals. During that period, the US Food and Drugs Association (FDA) approved fewer than a dozen drugs derived from plants. Part of the reason is simply because the development of a new FDA approved drug cost a few hundred million US dollars. Manufacturers have found that the route from plant to safe, reliable pill is difficult and unpredictable so there is limited incentive to base drug development on plants. One of the reasons for the huge cost for development of a medicinal plant into a pharmaceutical drug is because of the amount of time it takes for development of a safe drug. It takes up to 10 years for a prospective drug (say an untested chemical compound extract from a plant) to be transformed into a safe pharmaceutical drug. This is because the prospective drug needs to undergo detailed safety studies and multiple clinical trials and after which it has to get the approval of the regulatory authorities before the marketing of the new drug could start. Another reason why medicinal plant usage haven’t picked up is the fact that the bulk of knowledge of these healing plants is in the possession of only a few individuals like traditional healers or shamans of certain tribes. This knowledge is a guarded secret and it is only them who can prepare the healing concoctions from plants. Only a fraction of the knowledge of medicinal plants is known by common people. So for treatment of major ailments people need to consult the traditional healers, whose numbers are scarce as compared to conventional allopathic doctors, and so there arises the shortage of these healers. When it comes to the herbal medicine usage, another big deterrent is that no traditional healer would know the exact chemical composition of the herbal concoction they make. On the other hand allopathic doctors would know the composition of the drugs they prescribe and know exactly what those chemicals do when they enter the body. Dosage of the herbal medicines is another issue. In herbal medicine there are no specific prescribed doses for adults or children. This is another problem because in order to treat a disease or ailment the right strength of the drug needs to be administered to the body to have an effect. In this regard the modern allopathic doctors take into account various factors like age and body weight of the patient before they prescribe the dose of the drug. This isn’t something traditional healers do while administering herbal medicines. The above are a few of the issues and challenges which need to be addressed before these traditional plant based medicines can be brought into the general population for wider usage. One approach would be to find a way to paying royalties to traditional healers or the local tribes for their knowledge and for use of the biodiversity of its land. This way the knowledge of the healing plants gets disseminated on to a broader spectrum and would find more users. Also, if there could be more government funded scientific research and development works on prospective medicinal plants it would encourage various individuals or groups get involved in the development of plant based medicine. If the plant derived medicine could be subjected to scientific testing and experi-

tuesDAY 07•03•2017

INDIA

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

'26/11 carried out by Pak-based terror group' Pakistan-based terror group behind 26/11 Mumbai attacks: Ex-Pak NSA Mahmud Ali Durrani

New Delhi, March 6 (iaNS): Former Pakistan National Security Advisor (NSA) Mahmud Ali Durrani on Monday admitted that a terrorist group from his country carried out the 2008 Mumbai terror attack and hoped Islamabad will act against detained Lashkar founder Haafiz Saeed, the mastermind. Durrani's admission at the 19th Asian Security Conference held at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) here is the first by any high-ranking Pakistani official that confirms India's stand that the Lashkar-e-Taiba plotted and executed the carnage nine years ago, killing 166 Indians and foreigners. "I hate to admit that the 26/11 Mumbai attack carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan on November 26, 2008 is a classic trans-border terrorist event," said Durrani, who was the NSA when 10 Pakistani terrorists sailed into Mumbai and committed mayhem over three days. While nine of the Pakistani terrorists were killed, one, Ajmal Kasab, was caught, tried and hanged. Weeks after the attack, Durrani told a national TV that Kasab was a Pakistani citizen -- a remark that cost him his job on January 7, 2009. "I made a statement

Nothing new in former Pakistan NSA's remark on 26/11 attacks: Kiren Rijiju

Site of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack (Reuters File Photo)

on Pakistan television which the (then) Pakistan government did not like and I was sacked. Is that not enough proof for you?" Durrani, also a former Pakistan Army commander, told reporters at the IDSA. However, he insisted that the Pakistan government and the Inster-Services Intelligence (ISI) have "nothing to do" with the mayhem masterminded by Saeed and LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehm-

an Lakhvi, who got bail in 2016 after years of alleged sluggish trial in Pakistan. Durrani said as the then top security official in Pakistan, he had offered assistance to India to probe the Pakistani link into the strike but "unfortunately mistrust overruled common sense" at that time. "I called my counterpart in India (Shivshankar Menon) and said if you allow, we will send two people for investigation to sit with you in Mumbai. But

because of mistrust it was not allowed." India downplayed Durrani's remarks, saying there was nothing new. "India's stand is very well known. There is nothing new in this revelation," Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said. Pakistan's failure to conclude the trial in the case has been one of the major strains in bilateral relations. New Delhi has maintained that it has shared evidence to prove that the 10 attack-

New Delhi, March 6 (ageNcieS): Reacting to former Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani’s admission of Pak-based terror groups involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said there is “nothing new” in his remark. “India’s position is very well known and consistent. There is nothing new for us,” Rijiju when his response on Durrani’s statement was sought. Addressing a conference on combating terrorism, Durrani had said the 26/11 terror strikes were a “classic example” of cross-border terrorism, carried out by a Pakistan-based terror group, but maintained that the Pakistani government had no role in the attack. India has been blaming Pakistani government establishments for the country’s worst terror attack in which ers were trained at a Lashkar camp in Pakistan. Durrani also hit out at Saeed -- a terrorist commander who carries a $10 million reward announced by the US. "Hafiz Saeed has no utility. I hope they (Pakistan government) will punish (him)." Saeed was put under house arrest on January 30. The Lashkar founder, who now runs a banned Jamaat-ud-Daawa charity, was detained after the Mumbai terror attack

166 people lost their lives. Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said on February 12, 2016 that it was abundantly clear that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was behind the deadly Mumbai attack

in November 2008 but was freed by a court in 2009. Pakistan has also listed the Lashkar founder under the country's Anti-Terrorism Act -- a tacit acknowledgment of his links to terrorism. Terror sanctuaries in Pakistan and cross-border terrorism emanating from there remained at the centre of the three-day security conference that was also attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Afghan NSA Hanif Atmar.

and Islamabad should act against all those involved in it. Former Home Minister P Chidambaram had said on June 28, 2012 that Pakistani state actors were involved in the 2008 carnage. “When I say state actors, at the moment, I am not pointing a finger at any particular agency. But clearly there was state support or state actors’ support for the 26/11 massacre,” he had said. Responding to Durrani’s statement, Shivraj Patil, who was the Home Minister, said Pakistan government shouldn’t allow someone to spoil relations between the two countries such that it leads to something fierce. Public prosecutor in the case, Ujjwal Nikal also lashed out at Pakistan after Durrani’s statement saying it now cannot deny that it was an an act of both state and non state actors of Pakistan.

Durrani also admitted that Pakistan had given shelter to leaders of the Haqqani Network -- an Afghan guerrilla insurgent group that was also alleged to have masterminded at least one attack on an Indian mission in Afghanistan in 2008. "(Jalaludin) Haqqani was in Pakistan. I don't know whether he is still there or not." He said terror groups like Haqqani Network "are not our friends, they are our enemies".

Parrikar called on Asian countries to act against the "most pervasive and serious challenge" of terrorism. "The threat of terror is transnational. The response doesn't seem so," he said. "A collective action should come from Asia." The Afghan NSA asked Pakistan to act against "all terror groups without distinction". This, he said, "will certainly produce great benefits not just for Pakistan but also for the region".

Demonetisation improved India's Ex-servicemen hold protest in support Babri Masjid demolition economic landscape: Jayant Sinha of Gurmehar Kaur; flays RSS, ABVP Supreme Court wants trial against Advani,

New Delhi, March 6 (iaNS): Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha on Monday said the government's demonetisation decision has led to a dramatic improvement in India's economic landscape. Sinha said this at the fifth annual conclave of the Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA) here. "It (demonetisation) has led to a dramatic improvement in our economic landscape," Sinha said. "The amount of cash we have in circulation is lower than the amount of cash we had in circulation prior to demonetisation." The minister pointed out that foreign investors have witnessed that the cash-to-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio has come down and that taxto-GDP ratio has gone up. According to Sinha, the government's structural reforms, like the Goods and Services Tax (GST), have excited foreign investors. "You saw that the GST

Council has largely approved the draft of the legislation. It is a very important structural reform," Sinha said. "The investment that is pouring bullishness among foreign investors, bull run in our equity market and the fact that demonetisation is over and worked brilliantly, tell us that in the next 12-18 months, the economy is going to do extremely well." Addressing the gathering, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Secretary Ramesh Abhishek said reforms in foreign direct investment (FDI) policy are "work-inprogress", in which the government has been actively engaged over the last two and a half years. Referring to startups, Abhishek said India has tremendous scope for promoting entrepreneurship. "We have a very young population, very innovative...so the government is creating the ecosystem for promoting this," he said.

PaTiala, March 6 (ageNcieS): Ex-servicemen held a protest march in support of Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, a Kargil martyr's daughter, who recently stood up against campus violence. Over 150 people, under the banner of the State Ex-servicemen Welfare Association (SEWA), took out a march from the war memorial on the YPS Chowk and marched through Fountain Chowk and Lower Mmall. SEWA president Colonel (retd) Kuldip Grewal said that the ideology of the RSS and its student wing Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parsidhad (ABVP) is being turned into an un-christened law of the land with its political wing, BJP, has long maintained silence over their wrongdoings. The definition of nationalism, he said, was fiddled with to thrust upon a particular line of fundamentalism on the people of all castes and creeds. Educational institutions have become battlefields of affiliated political outfits of students.

Gurmehar Kaur

Atmosphere of fear is being created among peace-loving people, he added Members said that the armed forces, which are apolitical to the core, are being politicised and their operations against the enemy are blown out of proportion to gain political mileage. By assuming sheer brute political power, the government started with the grant of truncated ‘one rank one pension’ scheme and then using the same to garner public support in their bid to brighten their chances in the state

assembly elections. They said that Jawans from BSF, CRPF and army recorded their grievances in the videos and, with political connivance, ran in the social and sponsored media when strong in built system is in place to alleviate problems faced not only by the jawans but also their families. Now a minister at the Centre has uploaded a video with the recorded public speech of a serving soldier laced with political leaning. The association demanded that all operations against the enemy are classified as secret and should not be used as a political tool. Violence on the campus should end and offenders should be booked and thrown behind bars. Showing solidarity with Gurmehar Kaur, they said that the prevailing trend is dangerous for the security of the country. It should be stopped forthwith and also Student Unions should be barred from provocating mobs creating wedge especially within the rank and file of troops.

Rahul calls PM old, says they will form govt of young people

New Delhi, March 6 (PTi): Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “grown old” and must be “feeling tired”, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said his party and ally Samajwadi Party would form a “government of youth” in Uttar Pradesh. This government of youth, he claimed, will make UP “the factory of the world” and even former first lady of the USA Michelle Obama would find ‘Made in Jaunpur’ embossed over her kitchen utensils. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has grown old, and hence a government of the youth will be formed in UP. And this government will make the state -- the factory of the world. Products with ‘Made in Uttar Pradesh’ embossed on them will be made available throughout the world,” he said. Continuing his jibe, Rahul claimed that since Modi has grown old, he must be feeling tired. “I told Akhilesh that we must extend some help to Modiji. Let’s give him some time...some moments of peace. You (Akhilesh) become the chief minister,

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (Photo: PTI)

and he (Modi) would get some rest,” he said. Taking a dig at the PM’s road shows in Varanasi, Rahul said, “Repeated retakes of Modiji’s film are taking place.” In four days, there have been four retakes, but things did not materialise,” he said. “Two days ago there was a road show, it did not yield desirable results, then there was a road show yesterday, it too did not result in anything positive. I heard that today Modiji is walking on foot,” said Rahul, taking a swipe.

Continuing his attack, he said that Modiji’s film of ‘Achhe Din’ has flopped and will not be available for public viewing. “In fact, Modiji is afraid, and hence for the last three days he has been camping in Varanasi,” he alleged. In his speech, Rahul said that five years from now, if a farmer from the state goes to the US, he would find that the phones available there are manufactured in UP. “We would emboss ‘Made in Uttar Pradesh’ over it, and whichever shop

he visits, the entire stock would be from UP,” Gandhi said. Referring to the former US First Lady, Rahul said, “When Obama’s wife would be cooking food in her kitchen, she would admire the utensils. After admiring the cooking utensils she should read the lines ‘Made in Jaunpur’ embossed over them.” Referring to the PM’s comment that he has been summoned by Ganga ‘maiyya’ (mother Ganga) as her son, Rahul said, “Modiji should tell whether the riv-

er Ganga has only one son in India.” The Congress vice president alleged that PM Modi has forced Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart L K Advani to “retire”. Continuing in a sarcastic vein, he said that the PM was claiming credit for the entire work of the government. “The entire work of the government is done by Modiji. If the Indian Space Research Organisation launches a rocket, Modiji claims credit for it. He went to the US and hugged then US President Obama. He told External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to stay in India, while he went to the US,” he said. Addressing the crowd, Rahul said that he wanted people to get fair remuneration for their hard work. Attacking Modi, he said the benefits of people’s hard work are being availed by 50 rich families. “Every youngster of UP wants a good and respectable job. I have told Akhilesh that every district of the state must have one high quality coaching centre, which would impart free coaching to the youth,” he said.

Joshi, Uma Bharti, other accused expedited L K Advani

New Delhi, March 6 (PTi): The Supreme Court on Monday kept its options open on examining the dropping of conspiracy charge against accused like L K Advani, M M Joshi and Uma Bharti in the demolition of the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri structure in Ayodhya in 1992. The apex court also came up with the option of ordering a joint trial of cases arising out of the two FIRs lodged in the wake of the demolition of the disputed structure. “There are 13 persons who were discharged only on technical grounds. Today, we are saying why can’t we club both the cases and have a joint trial,” a bench comprising Justices P C Ghose and R F Nariman said. “We will not accept the discharge on technical grounds and we will allow supplementary chargesheet,” the bench said. These observations were made orally during a brief hearing by the bench, which posted the matter for further hearing on March 22. However, the clubbing of two FIRs was opposed by the counsel for the accused on the ground that there were different sets of persons named as accused in the two cases, the trial of which were at an advanced stage at two different places. They were of the view that a joint trial would lead to the beginning of proceedings de novo (afresh). Altogether, 13 persons including Advani, Joshi and Bharti were discharged of conspiracy charge in the case, the trial of which is being held at a special court in Rae Bareli. The second set of case was against unknown ‘karsevaks’ who were in and around the disputed structure and the trial was being held at a court in Lucknow. The appeals were filed by one Haji Mahboob Ahmad (since dead) and the Central Bureau of Investigation against dropping of conspiracy charges against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Advani, Joshi and 19 others for demolition of the disputed medieval structure on December 6, 1992. During the hearing, the bench also said that a supplementary chargesheet was filed against eight persons but not against the 13 who were discharged. Besides BJP leaders Advani, Joshi and Bharti, conspiracy charges were dropped against Kalyan Singh (presently Governor of Rajasthan), Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore (both have since died).

The others against whom the conspiracy charge was dropped include Vinay Katiyar, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya, Satish Pradhan, C R Bansal, Ashok Singhal (now deceased), Sadhvi Ritambhara, Mahant Avaidhynath (now deceased), R V Vedanti, Paramhans Ram Chandra Das (now deceased), Jagdish Muni Maharaj, B L Sharma, Nritya Gopal Das, Dharam Das, Satish Nagar and Moreshwar Save (now deceased). In the appeal, it has been sought to set aside the Allahabad high court’s order of May 20, 2010, which had dropped section 120B (criminal conspiracy) under the IPC while upholding a special court’s decision. In September 2015, the CBI had told the apex court that its decision-making was not influenced by anyone and the dropping of criminal conspiracy charge against senior BJP leaders in the case was not at its instance. “The decision-making process of the CBI is completely independent. All decisions are taken based on correct facts in the light of the extant law. There is no question of any person, body or institution influencing the decision-making process of CBI or the manner in which it pursues its cases in courts,” the agency had said in an affidavit. The agency had said its decision-making process was carried out strictly in accordance with the provisions of CBI Crime Manual and there was a “hierarchic” mechanism that allowed officers at each level to take decisions and make reasoned recommendations in an independent manner. The May 2010 order of the high court had said there was no merit in CBI’s revision petition against the May 4, 2001 order of the special court which had directed dropping of criminal conspiracy charge against them. CBI had chargesheeted Advani and 20 others under sections 153A (promoting enmity between classes), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (false statements, rumours etc circulated with the intent to cause mutiny or disturb public peace) of the IPC. It had subsequently invoked charges under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC which was quashed by the special court whose decision was upheld by the high court. While upholding the special court’s order, the high court had said CBI at no point of time, either during the trial at Rae Bareili or in its revision petition, had ever stated that there was offence of criminal conspiracy against the leaders.

tuesdAY 07•03•2017

WORLD

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Ex-policeman testifies to 200 killings in ‘death police seek ‘men of burning squad’ under President Duterte Philippines desire’ for less bloody drugs operation

MANILA, MArch 6 (reuters): A retired policeman testified before a Philippine Senate hearing on Monday to killing nearly 200 people as part of a “death squad” under President Rodrigo Duterte when Duterte was Davao City mayor, and said he came clean because of his “fear of God”. Arturo Lascanas admitted to lying in October during a Senate inquiry into alleged extrajudicial killings linked to Duterte, but said he did so only because he feared for his family’s safety and because police had warned him to “deny everything”. He said he had personally killed 300 people, about 200 as a member of a “Davao death squad”, with his last in 2015. He also detailed two cases where he had murdered critics of Duterte, under the instruction of the then-mayor’s bodyguard. Lascanas, who broke down in tears before the media when he revealed his story two weeks ago, is the second person to testify before lawmakers to

Duterte’s alleged links to a clandestine hit squad. Duterte’s allies dismiss the claims as a plot by his opponents to discredit a popular leader and his war on drugs, a campaign that critics say has disturbing similarities to a pattern of mysterious killings in Davao. “I feared for the life of my loved ones,” Lascanas said when asked why he had earlier denied the death squad existed. He said he changed testimony because he was tormented by what he had done and wanted the truth to “set me free”. It was “because of my desire to tell all the truth, not only because of my spiritual renewal, but the fear of God, I wanted to clear my conscience”, he said. Duterte has repeatedly denied involvement in summary executions, either as president or during his 22 years as Davao mayor. His police chief Ronald dela Rosa, a former Davao police chief under Duterte, has dismissed the death squad claims as a myth created by the media.

Arturo Lascanas, a retired Davao policeman, speaks during a news conference at the Senate headquarters in metro Manila, Philippines on February 20. (REUTERS File Photo)

Human rights groups have documented about 1,400 suspicious killings in Davao while Duterte was mayor and critics say the war on drugs he unleashed as president has the same hallmarks. Numerous investigations have found no proof linking Duterte to those deaths. More than 8,000 people

Thai king strips wanted monk of his rank BANgKOK, MArch 6 (reuters): The former Buddhist abbot at the heart of a standoff with authorities at Thailand’s biggest temple has been stripped of his monastic rank by the king, the military government said on Sunday. The symbolic step comes more than two weeks after police surrounded the scandal-hit Dhammakaya temple and began searching for Phra Dhammachayo, who is accused of money laundering. The standoff at the temple represents one of the biggest challenges to the authority of Thailand’s junta since it took power in 2014. The former abbot has not turned himself in and police say his followers have hampered the search. A document published in the Royal Gazette said King Maha Vajiralongkorn had agreed to the government’s request to demote Phra Dhammachayo because he had not turned himself in and had fled from the charges against him. “Thus he does not deserve to hold his monastic rank any longer,” the document said. The measure does not mean Phra Dhammachayo has been defrocked as neither the king nor the government has the power to do that. Only a religious council can take such a step. The Dhammakaya temple declined to comment on the measure. The former abbot faces charges of conspiracy to launder money and receive stolen goods, as well as taking over land unlawfully to build meditation centres. His aides dismiss the accusations as politically motivated. They say that he is too sick to face questioning and that they have not seen him for months. The Dhammakaya Temple’s brasher approach to winning adherents jars on conservatives, who say it exploits its followers and uses religion to make money. The temple says it is as committed to Buddhist values as anyone else.

have been killed nationwide since Duterte took office eight months ago, mostly drug users killed by mysterious gunmen in incidents authorities attribute to vigilantes, drugs gang members silencing informants, or unrelated murders. Police reject activists’ allegations that they are be-

hind most of those killings. Police say they were responsible for 2,555 of those cases, when drug suspects had resisted arrest. On Monday, dela Rosa announced the re-launch of police anti-narcotics operations after a monthlong suspension of police involvement in the campaign.

Soy may boost survival in some breast cancer patients New YOrK, MArch 6 (IANs): Eating dietary soy products may be safe as well as beneficial for some women diagnosed with breast cancer, new research has found. Soy foods are considered among the healthiest for human consumption, but their estrogen-like properties -- found in isoflavones -- previously raised concerns of a potential increase in the risk of breast cancer. But, the new findings showed soy foods not only prevent breast cancer but also benefit women who have breast cancer. Women with breast cancer who consumed high amounts of isofla-

vones had a 21 per cent lower risk of dying than women who consumed low amounts. “Our findings suggest that survival may be better in patients with a higher consumption of isoflavones,” said Esther John from the Cancer Prevention Institute of California -a US-based non-profit organisation. Further, the effect was largely confined to women with hormone receptor-negative tumours and women who were not treated with anti-estrogen therapy such as tamoxifen -- which blocks the effects of estrogen, the researchers said, in the paper published in the journal

CANCER. “For women with hormone receptor-negative breast cancer, soy food products may potentially have a protective effect. Women who did not receive endocrine therapy as a treatment for their breast cancer had a weaker, but still statistically significant, association,” added Fang Fang Zhang from the Tufts University in Massachusetts, US. For the study, the team looked at the relationship between dietary intake of isoflavones and death from any cause in 6235 American and Canadian women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Chinese hardliners have parts of brain missing: Dalai Lama • Dalai Lama says he only wants genuine autonomy for Tibet. • Dalai Lama also said he might be the last Dalai Lama. • The Dalai Lama has suggested previously the title could end with him, when he dies.

“Very possible,” he said. “If I become the last Dalai Lama, I feel very happy.” Tibetan Buddhism holds that the soul of a senior lama is reincarnated in the body of a child on his death. China says the tradition must continue and its officially atheist Communist leaders have the right to approve the Dalai Lama’s successor, as a legacy inherited from China’s emperors. The Dalai Lama has suggested previously the title could end with him, when he dies. China accuses him of betraying, and being disrespectful of, the Tibetan religion, by saying there might be no future reincarnations. Asked if he was worried China might appoint its own Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader said it would be foolish. “Our brain usually, you see, has the ability to create common sense,” he said. “The Chinese hardliners, in their brain, that part of the brain, is missing.” China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tibet’s delegation to the annual meeting of China’s parliament, which opened on Sunday, is likely to hold a news conference some time this week. Such meetings tend to be dominated by the issue of the Dalai Lama.

BeIjINg, MArch 6 (reuters): Chinese hardliners have parts of their brains missing, exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said in an interview aired this week, comments likely to infuriate Beijing, which views the Nobel Peace laureate as a dangerous separatist. The Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, denies espousing violence and says he only wants genuine autonomy for Tibet. The animosity between the two sides, and their rivalry for control over Tibetan Buddhism, is at the heart of the debate about reincarnation. Speaking to U.S. comedian John Oliver in India’s northern town of Dharamsala, where the exiled Tibetan government is based, he BeIjINg, MArch 6 (reuters): The killing of the es- also said he might be the last Dalai Lama. tranged half-brother of North Korea’s leader who had been living in the Chinese territory of Macau may be top news around the world, but for some Macanese legislators at China’s parliament it’s more a case of Kim Jong Who? Kim Jong Nam was killed on Feb. 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Malaysian police believe he was assaulted by two women who smeared his face with VX, a seOuL/tOKYO, MArch 6 the North’s border with China, chemical classified by the United Nations as a weapon of (reuters): North Korea fired South Korean military spokesman mass destruction. four ballistic missiles into the sea Roh Jae-cheon told a briefing. It He had been planning to travel back to the former Portu- off Japan’s northwest coast early on was too early to say what the relaguese colony of Macau. The story has also been widely cov- Monday, South Korean and Japa- tively low altitude indicated about ered in Chinese state media, though Beijing, with its close nese officials said, days after the the types of missiles, he added. ties to Pyongyang, has had little to say about it so far in public. reclusive state promised retalia“South Korea and the United Macau delegates to China’s annual meeting of parlia- tion over U.S.-South Korea military States are conducting a close-up ment said they knew little or nothing of the case, and were drills it sees as a preparation for war. analysis, regarding further inunwilling to say whether Kim’s family was still in Macau or if South Korea’s military said formation,” South Korea’s Office they were under police protection, underscoring the case’s the missiles were unlikely to of Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a sensitivity. have been intercontinental bal- statement. The U.S. military said Asked on Sunday about Kim’s family, José Chui, a cousin listic missiles (ICBM) which it detected and tracked what it of Macau Chief Executive Fernando Chui, first said he didn’t could reach the United States, assessed was a North Korean understand the question, and then walked away. but flew on average 1,000 km missile launch, but it did not Asked later in English whether Kim’s family was still in and reached a height of 260 km. pose a threat to North America. Macau, Chui answered: “I have no idea”. Some of the missiles land“I read (about it) in the newspaper, but I have no informa- ed in waters as close as 300 km JOINT DRILLS tion from my sources. I don’t think I’m in a position to give (190 miles) to Japan’s northwest North Korea had threatened you any details.” coast, Japan’s Defence Minister to take “strong retaliatory meaLu Bo, president of Chinese-language paper the Ma- Tomomi Inada said in Tokyo. sures” after South Korea and the cao Daily News, initially said he knew nothing of the case. “The launches are clearly in United States began annual joint Pressed further, he said: “I’m not interested in it.” violation of (UN) Security Coun- military drills on Wednesday Lionel Leong, Macau’s secretary of economy and fi- cil resolutions. It is an extremely that test their defensive readinance, declined to comment. dangerous action,” Japanese ness against possible aggression Macau, like neighbouring Hong Kong, sends representa- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said from the North. tives to the annual meeting of China’s largely rubber stamp in parliament, adding “strong North Korea criticizes the anparliament, which opened on Sunday. They are all carefully protests” had been lodged with nual drills, calling them preparachosen by Beijing. tion for war. It has previously connuclear-armed North Korea. Before he was killed in Malaysia, Kim lived quietly in South Korea’s acting Presi- ducted missiles launches timed the Asian gambling hub of Macau, avoiding controversy dent Hwang Kyo-ahn con- to the joint military exercises. and seemingly relaxed about personal safety, according to demned the launches as a direct Last year, North Korea sources close to him. challenge to the international fired a long-range rocket from U.S. and South Korean government sources say they community and said the coun- Tongchang-ri that put an object believe North Korean agents killed Kim, the half-brother of try would swiftly deploy a U.S. into orbit. The launch was conNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un. anti-missile defence in the face demned by the United Nations for Despite China’s ostensible friendship with North Korea, of angry objections from China. violating resolutions that ban the Beijing has been angered by Pyongyang’s repeated nuclear The missiles were launched use of ballistic missile technology. and missile tests. North Korea test fired a new from the Tongchang-ri region near

Macau legislators at China’s parliament ask Kim Jong Who?

MANILA, MArch 6 (reuters): The Philippines police chief announced the re-launch on Monday of police antinarcotics operations he hoped would be less bloody, “or even bloodless”, entering a new phase in a war on drugs that has caused international alarm. Addressing hundreds of officers, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald dela Rosa said the PNP was reforming and called on “men of burning desire” to join a new task force, the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Group. The PNP has been lambasted by human rights groups that allege extrajudicial killings are systematic in President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drugs campaign, in which more than 8,000 people have been killed since he took office last June. Activists believe police are behind thousands of unsolved killings of drug users, either pulling the trigger themselves or in collaboration with hit men. The PNP strenuously denies that and says its officers killed 2,555 people during raids and sting operations, and all were in self-defence. A furious Duterte suspended the PNP from his crackdown on Jan. 30 after it was found that rogue drugs squad police kidnapped and murdered a South Korean businessman. He called last week for some police to return to the campaign

because drugs were back on the streets and he had insufficient manpower. Dela Rosa gave no details about the new task force, but said it was the PNP’s duty to cleanse itself of bad elements and spare the country of the scourge of drugs. “I hope that this will be less bloody, if not bloodless,” dela Rosa said. “Men of burning desire, you can report to the drug enforcement group. You can volunteer to join the war, with a burning desire to help in this campaign to help this country,” he said. The U.S. State Department said in its annual human rights report on Friday there were serious concerns about police impunity and a growing number of vigilante and extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. It noted Duterte had repeatedly said he would insulate police from legal action. Duterte’s spokesman said in response the Philippines was committed to human rights, but also said it was important not to link reports of abuses to the anti-drugs campaign, which was a “noble crusade”. The New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report on Thursday Duterte was responsible for a “campaign of extrajudicial execution”, and could be liable for crimes against humanity. Asked to comment on that, Duterte said criminals had no humanity.

China’s defence budget to grow 7% BeIjINg, MArch 6 (IANs): China’s 2017 defence spending will grow 7%, a Finance Ministry official said. China’s military expenditure will be 1.04 trillion yuan ($152 bn), including 1.02 trillion yuan from the central budget, Xinhua news agency quoted the official as saying. The figures can be found in a draft national budget for 2017, which has been submitted to the current annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC). China’s budget law and the law on national defence require that defence budget every year be included in the draft report of government budget to be reviewed and approved by national lawmakers, the official explained. He said the military spending was in line with China’s economic development and defence needs. “The majority of the defence budget will be spent on deepening national defence and military reforms, bolstering military and civilian integration, and improving the living, training and working conditions for service personnel at grassroots levels.” China’s defence budget growth this year is the slowest in at least a decade. The increase last year was 7.6%, breaking a multi-year run of double-digit growth. Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the NPC annual session, on Saturday said China’s defence budget would expand by “about 7%. She said the defence spending accounted for only about 1.3% of the country’s GDP, in contrast with NATO members’ pledge to dedicate at least 2% to defence. Fu also pointed to the recent US proposition to hike defence spending by 10%. US President Donald Trump last month asked for $54 billion increase in the country’s military spending in his first address to Congress after taking office. In his government work report delivered on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the country will strengthen its maritime and air defence as well as border control amid efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and security. The country will continue to deepen military reforms, while upholding the absolute leadership of the Communist Party of China over the armed forces, Li said. It will ensure the organisation of important operations related to countering terrorism, safeguarding stability, international peacekeeping, and providing escort in high seas, he said. China will enhance its capacity of innovation in defence related science and technology and step up development of advanced logistics and equipment, Li said, adding that military-civilian integration will be intensified.

NKorea fires four ballistic missiles into sea near Japan

A man walks past a television broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing ballistic missiles, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, March 6, 2017. REUTERS

type of missile into the sea early last month, and has said it will continue to launch new strategic weapons. Last month’s test was the first since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has vowed to rein in North Korea and its young leader, Kim Jong Un. Trump’s national security deputies have reviewed in recent meetings a range of options to counter the North’s missile threat, the New York Times reported. Options include direct missile strikes on the North’s

launch sites and the possibility of reintroducing nuclear weapons to the South, the Times said. Those options will soon be presented to Trump and his top national security aides, the report said quoting U.S. administration officials. The United States withdrew nuclear weapons from South Korea in 1991 before the rival Koreas signed a declaration on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. North Korea has since walked away from the agreement, citing the threat of in-

vasion by the United States. The United States has about 28,500 troops and equipment stationed in the South, and plans to roll out the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile defence system in the country by the end of the year. Japan also plans to reinforce its ballistic missile defenses and is considering buying either THAAD or building a groundbased version of the Aegis system that is currently deployed on ships in the Sea of Japan.

TuesDAY 07•03•2017

sports

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

NbA: curry bounces back to lead Warriors over Knicks

NEW YORK, MaRch 6 (aP): Stephen Curry broke out of a shooting slump with 31 points and moved into the top 10 on the NBA's career 3-point list as the Golden State Warriors recovered from consecutive losses to beat the New York Knicks 112-105 on Sunday. Klay Thompson added 29 points to help the Warriors end their first regular-season losing streak in nearly two years. The Splash Brothers had dried up as Golden State dropped two in a row following Kevin Durant's knee injury, but they regained their touch Sunday. Curry hit five 3-pointers, passing Chauncey Billups for 10th place, and added eight rebounds and six assists. Thompson had a 3-pointer and two other baskets during a late surge that allowed Golden State to pull away after leading by one midway through the fourth quarter. Derrick Rose scored 28 points, and Kristaps Porzingis had 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks. Rookie Tyler Ulis threw in a 3-pointer at the buzzer after a Boston turnover and the Phoenix Suns came

away with a wild victory. The Suns' Eric Bledsoe tied it at 106 with a reverse layup with four seconds to play. Isaiah Thomas, who scored 35 points but missed a free throw with 11.9 seconds left, took the inbounds pass and the Suns' Marquese Chriss knocked the ball away. Ulis, listed at 5-foot-10 but probably not that tall, grabbed it and tossed it up as the buzzer sounded. Ulis scored a career-best 20 points. Bledsoe had 28 to help the Suns win three in a row for the first time this season. Rudy Gobert tipped in George Hill's missed jumper as time expired in overtime on a play that was initially ruled goaltending, lifting the Utah Jazz to a thrilling victory over Sacramento. After Willie CauleyStein made two free throws to give the Kings a 109-108 lead with 8.9 seconds remaining, Hill took an offbalance jumper from just outside the key. Gobert, positioned underneath the hoop, reached up and tipped the ball in as the buzzer sounded. One official initially called goal-

tending on Gobert. But after a meeting near midcourt, the referees went to the scorer's table to review the play and counted the basket. Gobert finished with 16 points and 24 rebounds, Rodney Hood scored a season-high 28 and Gordon Hayward added 23 with five assists for Utah. Ty Lawson scored 19 points for Sacramento, which lost its fourth straight and fell to 1-4 since trading All-Star DeMarcus Cousins. Seth Curry scored 22 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points and 12 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. Russell Westbrook had 29 for the Thunder after scoring more than 40 in each of his last four games. He had six rebounds and five assists, but the Mavericks frustrated him into both a technical foul and a flagrant-one foul. Both came in the midst of a 21-4 third-quarter run that allowed Dallas to blow the game open. Westbrook picked up a technical with 8:15 to go in the third quarter when he bounced the ball angrily in referee Marat Kogut's direction after being called for an offensive foul. Then he got his

flagrant with 4:27 to go in the quarter for shoving Harrison Barnes. Barnes made the flagrant free throws and then another to give the Mavericks their biggest lead at 81-57. He finished with 17 points. Nowitzki tied his season high for rebounds and is 20 points away from becoming the sixth player to score 30,000. He'll likely set the mark at home, where Dallas plays its next three games. Glenn Robinson III hit a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left and Paul George scored 34 points as Indiana rallied to beat Atlanta. Jeff Teague, in his first game back at Philips Arena after spending his first seven seasons with the Hawks, added 16 points and six assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 24 points, and Paul Millsap had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta. Millsap's 3-point attempt fell off the rim at the buzzer. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and made a career-high eight 3-pointers as the Washington Wizards came back from 17 down to beat Orlando.

Bradley Beal led Washington with 32 points, and John Wall had 19 points and 10 assists as the third-place Wizards moved a game ahead of Toronto in the Eastern Conference standings. Otto Porter scored 11 points, and more importantly spotted Bogdanovic in the corner for his final 3 to give the Wizards the lead for good with 48.6 seconds left. Terrence Ross scored 20 points to lead seven players in double figures for the Magic. DeMarcus Cousins had 26 points and 15 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans won for the first time with him in the lineup, beating the spiraling Los Angeles Lakers whose fourthquarter rally fell short. Anthony Davis added 31 points for the Pelicans, who swept the season series for the second straight year and just the second time ever. The Pelicans improved to 1-4 with Cousins, who joined the team in a trade from Sacramento on Feb. 20. They won a game while he was serving a one-game suspension after earning his 18th technical of the season.

(AP Photo)

public discourse

Diethono Nakhro

ational Science Day was observed on February 28 last. The day is celebrated each year to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect by Indian physicist Sir Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman on 28 February 1928. For his discovery, CV Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. The day is marked by various activities in schools and colleges as well as national and state science institutions which include talks, exhibitions, debates, quiz competitions, live projects by students and so on. Big focus is put on schools as a major aim of the celebration is to encourage children in the field of science by highlighting the marvels of science as well as its impact on daily life. A theme is assigned to the celebration each year so that the activities can focus on a common issue and consolidate action. The theme for this year was 'Science and Technology for Specially-Abled Persons’. In essence, the thrust this year was on the use of science and assistive technology in the lives of people with disabilities and

science day: A golden opportunity lost! how these various technologies can improve their quality of life. It was meant to encourage awareness, innovation and reach of accessibility solutions to the millions of people with disabilities in the country and around the world. So, how did the Nagaland schools celebrate the day? As per newspaper reports, they missed the whole point of the theme completely and it was just another science day observation with activities centred on every other use and advancement of science and technology except those related to disability. Special programmes, talks, exhibitions and video shows were held in many schools and institutions, but as far as I could observe, the impact of science and technology in the lives of people with disability did not make it into any of these activities. In fact, the only times that disability was mentioned in any way at all was when the theme was mentioned! According to reports, videos shown in some of the programmes included ‘Life in International Space Station’ and ‘Ill-effect of Global-Warming’. Talks were on Earth-like Plan-

ets discovered by NASA and 104 Satellites launched by ISRO and, of course, about the importance of fostering a scientific temper. A school is said to have enacted a skit on the theme ‘This is my story….when a Smart Phone came’ – I wonder whether they touched on the features and apps that have helped people with visual impairment immeasurably or the touch-free smartphones that have changed the lives of people who cannot use their hands or arms. For years, people with disabilities had to rely on somebody else doing things for them. But while it may have sounded nothing more than science fiction a few decades ago, today science and technology is transforming lives of people with disabilities in unimaginable ways. They can now do things once thought impossible - from switching on a light to reading to getting a voice to express themselves. There are numerous apps and gadgets these days that aid people with disabilities and enhance their quality of life. All these because of innovative science! Thanks to advances in mi-

Clarification to Silverstein Nukhosa Chüzho

Dear Silverstein, I have read your article contending that my article captioned “Fide non Armis” had suffered from certain anomalies by offering alternative views and effecting changes on subject matter regarding the said article to render it more accurate, thereby coaxing it within permissible limit of law and its applicability. First of all, I extent my personal gratitude for the corrections that you gently offered which proved enlightening as I am just a new entrant in public space to put into words as to how I feel for my people, and what best is applicable to my people in resolving issues within our own value and understanding. Secondly, as I have been engaged with some training, I could not afford to reply you on time and for which I beg your patience. And thirdly, I held some of your contentions contravening the spirit of the above article at the personal level as much as my contentions were subject to redefinition at your personal level. Having equipped with “the causes of the French Revolution, … the analogy is not a good one”, an excerpt from your article titled “VIOLENCE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT: REVOLUTIONARIES OR MOBS” to mean that drawing French Revolution as a warning signal to the leaders of Nagaland is not a good one. Merely for purpose of citing an event as a hint to authority to take due care, and to remind our people of the past events as precautions, the causes and the courses of the event so mentioned need not be identical nor is it obligatory for its genesis. Neither do I compare the recent impasse in our state to that of historic French Revolution. I did postulate that leaders are morally bound to read the situation and apply reason to pre-empt any imminent movements, revolutions or wars where French Revolution served as best example for governmentpeople conflict (for we have symptoms capable of transforming into fully matured disaffection, discontentment, and ultimate civil unrest to achieve a target by hook or by crook). While you have stated that it “is not by faith that the government functions”, here I would like to reassert that it is by faith that the government functions. Withdrawal of confidence and withholding of faith by the

people to its government would certainly render an established system crippled and the same was manifested by holding government to ransom for straight 20 days. Here, theory varies with practical and we may be reminded that what you and I theorised may not absolutely be applicable empirically. Functioning of government machineries consequently came to a grinding halt. People’s participation, therefore, forms the backbone of the government as long as government is for the people. And, if government functions only for a few sections of a society, such government’s credibility is questionable and its stability, or most of all, its survival is at threat. You allegedly assumed me of trying “to address both a revolutionary situation and one that was not so, and he (I) could not make up his mind which view of things applied to the present situation”. I may be kindly allowed to clarify that I did not even try to address the situation that is comparable with a revolution nor had applied to the present situation as I just sequenced how the situation got unfolded and how we should govern ourselves in future to arrest such confronting issues that have a tendency to “liquidate” our own existence, by stating that past societies have had so much indications and lessons for us to have a reference. Contrastingly, I also did not try to project the recent crisis as a revolution nor a near civil war and thus define the situation identifiable with either of them. However, it emphasised the causes of the crisis as early signals which need leaders’ principled stance to avoid obnoxious government-people confrontation, and when unchecked, it could end up in any of the above discussed situations which nobody could predict. Drawing to the conclusion of my clarification, may I also take this privilege to acknowledge your realistic contributions towards envisioning our society in a more presentable format. I have been following your contributed articles and rejoinders in our dailies and most of your articles are simply superb. In acknowledgement to your positive critique, I humbly look forward to learn more from you. And, instead of taking up much spaces for public in our dailies, I offer you my email ID – khozch@ gmail.com – as an alternative through which we can communicate. Signing off with thanksgiving.

croelectronics, hydraulics, and motors, nearly every amputee can today achieve goals and accomplish feats that were not possible at the turn of the century. A new generation of prosthetic devices are also allowing people to control them with their thoughts. From self-balancing and stair climbing wheelchairs to cars which replace driver’s seat with wheelchair, science, technology and innovative minds have done it all. By the way, did you know that the stair-climbing wheelchair, the Scalevo Wheelchair, is the brainchild of 10 Zurich students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and industrial design at the Zurich University of the Arts? This is how the wheelchair works: when the wheelchair operator is faced with stairs, he simply has to press a button to release rubber tracks that work on most staircases, including ones that are uneven, cracked, and even spiral. The wheelchair ascends the stairs backwards, but has a video camera that allows the driver to see what's going on behind him, like a reverse parking camera

in a car. Using this technology, the driver is able to climb one stair per second. There’s a great video on this stair-climbing wheelchair and many others related to disability technology and inventions. I wish they had been shown to students. It would have gone a long way in exciting their minds to the possibilities of science in the everyday life of ordinary people. It makes science real! (You can check out the Scalevo Wheelchair video here https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=3lb_8nmy90c) Then there are the amazing inventions that are helping people with visual disability – such as shoes that guide you in the right direction, glasses that help the colour blind see colour, a bionic eye, an app that points out who and what’s around you, and the one that brings a Brailler to your tablet, etc. One of the main impacts of hearing loss is on the individual’s ability to communicate with others, since spoken language development is often delayed in children with deafness. Limited access to services and exclusion from communication can have a significant impact

on everyday life, causing feelings of loneliness, isolation and frustration, particularly among older people with hearing loss. Advances in technology have gone a long way in improving the quality of life for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. One such innovation is the Solar Ear. More than half of the 360 million people worldwide with a disabling hearing loss live in low- to- middle-income countries. Current production levels of hearing aids meets less than 10% of the global need, and the cost of hearing aids and batteries has often been beyond the reach of the poor. Solar Ear is a solar-powered hearing aid battery that costs a fraction of what traditional batteries cost, and lasts for 2-3 years (rather than one week). (Forbes) Then there’s the Live-Time Closed Captioning System which instantly turns speech into scrolling text displaying on a tiny screen clipped to a pair of glasses. The system is being developed by a team of high school students for people who are deaf and the teen inventors say it “restores the user's ability to engage in a naturally flowing conversation.” Yes, that’s what

I said – high school students. When the project started, the creator Daniil Frants was 17. His VP of Frants Innovators, Inc., Ilan Pesselev, was 14. The rest of his team were 18 and under. Most of them attend the same Manhattan high school. These are but a few examples of unbelievable innovation and revolutionary technology that are transforming the lives of millions of people with disabilities positively around the world. But many of these are either unavailable to us or cannot be used in our environment or simply unaffordable. If only the Science Day had been used to highlight some of the amazing game-changing technologies with accompanying talks that challenged young Naga minds to come up with inventions that could potentially change the lives of thousands of people living with disabilities in our state! This would have achieved two things – created some much needed awareness on disability in general and sparked young minds to think about solutions to real-world problems, which in my book is real education. Sadly, a golden opportunity was lost!

People movement is a long awaited dream in our Christian land

he recent incidents that had taken place in Nagaland uniquely gave birth to the Joint Co-ordination Committee (JCC) and Nagaland Tribes Action Committee (NTAC); this shook the entire State as tsunami did in Southern hemisphere. JCC in their acknowledgement column stated in Nagaland Post P.9., dated 26th February, “The people of Nagaland had firmly stood united in protecting our rights, upholding the values and aspirations of the Naga people which has gone into the history through this People Movement.” Truly Nagaland has been anxiously longing for such kind of “People Movement” however who will be free from Politics, free from Corruption and free from any kind of Bribery. People in Nagaland should have had initiated for a People Movement like JCC long ago by following the model of South Korea, where people movement had set their focus on clean election and removal of the rampant corruptions. “People Movement” that Nagaland look for should commit toward the welfare of the merging younger generation. ABAM Social concern group stated in Nagaland Post P.8., dated 27th February, “The long practices of malpractice and unfair means during election which destroyed even spiritual standard of the Christians for decades. ABAM has also decided to publish and distribute a booklet on Clean Election and also provide pledge cards for interested individuals.” Their concern is to set a “People Movement” for a Christ centered purpose. Every tribe should come forward like Ao Tribe and together carry the voice of the people of Nagaland in order to bring a significant transformation in our Christian land. If we want a better Nagaland and prosperous future generation, then every citizen of Nagaland should whole hearted-

ly come forward and form a “New People Movement” alike JCC. By doing this, we can wipe away the tears of the people of Nagaland. Let us all pray to the Almighty God that He may give us a “New God centered People Movement” to revive Nagaland in every way possible. Now let us see how Korean People Movement brought transformation in their Country. As we trace back the background of South Korea, she was colonized by Japan from 1910-1945. Soon after her liberation from the Japanese rule, “the Korean war” broke out between North Korea and South Korea from 1950-1953 that badly damaged the country economically and hence, South Korea was declared as one of the poorest countries in the world till 1970. Till then, the South Koreans lived in poverty and in economic crises. South Korea started to develop only after 1970 and the reality behind this tremendous development was because of two reasons: 1. The Church in South Korea, especially the dedicated elderly women spent the whole night in prayer fervently in 1953. This genuine prayer gave birth to transformation and brought the developments in the Korean peninsula. 2. Young men and women arose, fully determined to work hard tirelessly to develop their Country and because of this, now the South Korea became one of the most developed and richest Countries in the whole world. It is very true that prayers pave the way for development and transformation in the society. The Koreans focused on, “help from God” and God gave them development and revived their land. As the Country developed and prospered through prayers, they broadened their mindset and focused on the overall transformations including the General Election to elect the right leaders. Till 1980, the South Korea Election

was similar to that of the Nagaland General Election where corruption was so much prevalent. But in 1986, the College Youths, Church leaders and social leaders joined together to reform the system of Election from corruption filled to fair, transparent and corruption free. They began to realize that if they receive Black money from their candidate then their country’s Economy and the Democracy will collapse and there will be no developments. With this firm conviction, they formed the People Movement and eventually all the people supported the Movement. Later on, the Politicians also agreed with the stand of the People movement. The Reformation took place in the year 2002 where the Government of South Korea passed the Resolution in the Parliament and made a Rule “We will make our Election clean.”The Government of South Korea ordered that: 1. If any person report to the Government about the corruption, he/she will be awarded Rs. 20,00000/- (twenty lacs). The guilty person will pay the same amount of what he had received from the candidate fifty times as penalty (that means if a public receive Rs. 1000/- from the Candidate than he must pay to Government Rs. 1000/- fifty times i.e; Rs. 50,000/-) heavy penalty. But the Candidate who has given Money to the public will be summoned by the Court and immediately be debarred from contesting and will be imprisoned. 2. If the Candidate open the Election Mess or even offer a plate of Rice or a cup of Tea to the Public for the motive of Election wave, then a Public who ate the food or take the tea at the mercy of his Candidate, the accused will pay fifty times of what he has taken from the Candidate and also the Candidate will immediately be debarred from contesting and will be imprisoned.

Hence, during the Election the Candidate cannot buy any person because the punishment is very high and the Korean people elect the right candidate by using their rightful franchise in order to rule over them and for their Country’s development. There is no corruption in the Korean Government and the Government’s Money is utilized faithfully only for the Development of the Country. This People Movement eradicated the corruption and today the Korean enjoys the developments and prosperity in their Country. Let this atmosphere prevail in the Land of Nagaland, where the people of Nagaland would use their franchise to elect their right Candidate for the development and prosperity of Nagaland a beautiful Land filled with beautiful people. The Korean economy was collapsed because of the Wars but Nagaland economy is collapsed because of the Corrupted Leaders. The Korean Church has given birth to the Country of fair Election through which the development and prosperity follows and this was the result of the prayers. As a senior Citizen of Nagaland, I appeal to all the Nagaland Christians to have Faith like the Koreans and pray fervently for the transformation of Nagaland prevailing situation. The College Students, Church Leaders, Young peoples who are zealous for a better Nagaland, energetic for a change and burdened for our dear land Nagaland must come together and form the “People Movement” then sooner we will see our Nagaland transformed and the Development will take place everywhere and Nagaland become the beautiful State like South Korea which we will truly see “New beautiful Nagaland” with our own eyes. IMPOSSIBLE? BIG NO! POSSIBLE IN CHRIST. Rev. Dr. Vikheshe Chishi Founder & Principal Withee Bible College, Dimapur

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

Tuesday 07•03•2017

EntErtainmEnt

Bamhum gets national recognition ‘I am so thrilled and feeling on top of the world,’ says inventor Moa Subong of Abiogenesis

Morung express Feature

oa Subong of Abiogenesis from Nagaland added another feather to his trailblazing cap by becoming one of the recipients of the ‘Ninth Biennial Award for Grassroots Innovations and Outstanding Traditional Knowledge’ for his invention of Bamhum, a wind bamboo musical instrument. It was presented by President of India Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 4 at the inaugural function of the week-long Festival of Innovations (FION), an initiative of the Office of the President of India “to recognise, respect and reward grassroots innovations and foster a supportive ecosystem.” The award is given by National Innovation Foundation (NIF), started in 2000 as an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology with a mission “to recognize, respect and reward grassroots technolog-

ical innovators and traditional knowledge experts.” Congratulating the awardees, the President said he was informed that there were more than 33,000 entries received for the award this year, out of which 29 national and state awards were given to 37 innovators and community representatives. Every year, entries are invited till March which goes through several screening processes before the final announcement. The last date for submission of entries for the 10th biennial competition is March 31. The best three innovations are awarded Rs 500,000 (National First), Rs 300,000 (National Second) and Rs 100,000 (National Third) each in different categories and also a Life Time Achievement Award of Rs 750,000 and 35% to 52% of the total prize money are given in the form of monthly fellowship, according to NIF. Moa Supong won the top category - National First. “I am so thrilled and

feeling on top of the world. This is something I did not expect,” said a visibly excited Supong when The Morung Express contacted him for his reaction. “This is a very huge motivation for me as well as for the band.” Incidentally, he is presently taking up residency at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official home of the President of India, as a part of its “InResidence Programme” launched on December 11, 2013 to encourage “the creative and innovative potential of people and open up Rashtrapati Bhavan for greater participation and involvement of citizens in its activities.” Ten innovation scholars, two writers and two artists started the programme this year which runs from March 3-18. “My stay here at Rashtrapati Bhavan has been amazing,” Supong replied when queried about the same. “I never thought that I would ever see Rashtrapati Bhavan but to stay here for two weeks, meet and dine with the President and oth-

er dignitaries face to face is like living the dream.” According to the band, Banhum draws its name from the basic roots - the Bamboo and the effect of humming into the instrument and thus the name mixture of the two. “If one hums into it, the instrument produces tones that are sourced from the user's vocal chords and resonates with a captivating effect on the listener.” The Bamhum gets its maximum “exposure and necessary attention” through Arenla, another member of the band who has been playing it as leading instrument of the band, since it was unveiled first on May 3, 2005 during the International Bamboo Festival in Shillong, the band maintained. Abiogenesis, which started as a Naga folk-fusion act, true to its name has evolved over the years effortlessly blending folk elements from Nagaland with “modern music to create an offbeat and completely enchanting melody.” As a pioneer and trail-

blazers, the band has withstood the onslaught of new acts since the release of its first album ‘Aeon Spell’ by Saregama in 2007. It was nominated in the Best Contemporary World Music at the 50th Grammy Awards. Since then, it has become an essential feature in reputed state, national and international events despite the arrival of new act on the scene besides releasing three more albums and other acts. The band is also credited for reinventing version of folk music called ‘Howey Music,' and Subong is also inventor of another bamboo percussion called ‘Tikzik' which was unveiled in Mokokchung during the Discover North East cum Moatsu Fest on May 2, 2014. According to its website, presently, the band has Arenla on Vocals/ Bamhum/ Tikzik; Moa on Guitar/ Harmonica/ Bamhum/ Tikzik; Aso on Drums and Tikzik; and Meren on Bass. The band profile can be accessed at http://www.abiogenesis. altpro.net/

Abiogenesis plays Bamhum during a performance in Mumbai in August 2016. (Picture Courtesy – Facebook)

President Pranab Mukherjee presents the award to Moa Subong of Abiogenesis during the Festival of Innovations at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

'Pretty Woman' could've been 'pretty dark' NCM music fair on March 11

agaland Conservatory of Music (NCM) is organizing a music fair for the first time on March 11, 2017 with an aim to enhance musicianship through activities like games and concert. The music fair will be a day-long event starting from 11:00 am till 7:00 pm with various games and activities in the afternoon and a concert in the evening. The fair organizes pop up stalls to encourage and promote local entrepreneurs to sell their products, including food stalls to DIY stalls. Various games and activities will be held throughout the day for both young and old. From bouncy Castle for children to Polaris (ATV) ride for adults and musical activities (karaoke, musical movies, Disco Musical statues etc) for music lovers to food stalls (café, fast foods) for food lovers.

‘Pretty Woman' was meant to end with Julia Roberts' character Vivian Ward dying from a drug overdose, it has been revealed.

R C M Y K

ichard Gere and Julia Robertsstarrer "Pretty Woman", the 1990 iconic film, not only had a hard time getting made, but it was almost an entirely different and a "pretty dark" movie. "I can't tell you how much time was spent debating," former Disney studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg said at a question and answer session earlier this week, reports pagesix.com. He added: "As a script, ‘Pretty Woman' was an Rrated movie about a hooker on Hollywood Boulevard. By the way, in the original version it's pretty dark -- I think she died of an overdose." "So convincing (people) that we should make that at the Walt Disney Co, and that it's a fairy tale and a princess movie, a lot of people had a hard time seeing it. But, as they say, the rest is history." The Garry Marshall directorial tells the story of a man in a legal business who needs an escort for some social events. He hires a prostitute and they ultimately fall in love with each other.

Nagaland, having declared music as an industry gives NCM a passion and zeal to educate music to music lovers and ultimately encourage music lovers to not only take music as a passion but, professionally. NCM is a premiere academy of Nagaland Music Educational and Arts Society that offers Bachelor's of Performance Arts, Bachelor's of Arts in Music, Associate in Music and tuition classes under NCM extension program, designed and committed to helping students grow into the finest musicians and teachers possible by facilitating them to achieve a high musical potential while imparting them leadership skills necessary to guide the musicians of tomorrow. NCM was inaugurated on August 24, 2012 by the then Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio and is affiliated to the Martin Luther Christian University, Meghalaya.

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Ethnic Future performing at Life Now Springfall dance festival as part of the multimedia campaign on HIV and AIDS awareness supported by the Nagaland State AIDS Control Society.

Jolie hopes Cambodians feel pride of her film

revIseD TICKeT rATes (silver) : `.120 (Gold) : `. 200 (recliner) : `. 400

11:20 AM, 02:00 PM 04:45 PM & 07:35 PM

Source: IANS

ctress-director Angelina Jolie says she hopes Cambodians will be proud of her film First They Killed

Now ShowiNg

My Father instead of feeling hatred or resentment for what the country endured in the late 1970s. The movie throws light on

the genocide in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge communist party's regime, reported BBC. "I hope this doesn't bring up hatred. I

hope this doesn't bring up blame. I hope the people of this country are proud when they see it, because they see what they've survived," Jolie says. The film is based on the autobiography of Cambodian human rights activist and friend of Jolie's Loung Ung, and tells the story of the devastation inflicted on the southeast Asian nation by the Khmer Rouge. More than 2 million people out of a total population of 7 million were killed during the purge, including Ung's father, mother, and two sisters. In February, Jolie made her first official appearance since her split from Brad Pitt when she attended a premiere for her film in Cambodia. She was joined by all of her children at the event.

audition soon

ospel voice of Northeast, a singing reality event organised by AB Entertainment has invited interested singers to participate in the event.

The organiser has informed that the show was organised to promote the young talent in the Northeast. Live performance of the show will be telecasted

in various local channels in the region besides social media such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. The winner of the show will be rewarded with a brand new scooty and a contract worth Rs.5 lacs while potential singers among the contestants will be shortlisted for entry into National TV show. Audition will be held in all the major cities of Northeast state, Audition for Nagaland will be held on March 24 in Dimapur and Kohima 25. Registration forms are available at Dimapur Kiran sports shop, popular bakery, Purana bazar popular bakery and Dream cafe, Kohima near TCP gate. Interested candidates may call +918794145321/ +919862094672.

Avancer has finally released their official music video 'Take Me Away’ – an Adanj Production, Bhopal on March 5. The track was recorded at Element Indie Records, Dimapur and Source: PTI the video is available on www.adanj.in and www.youtube/avancer/nagaland

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

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11:00 AM | 05:00 PM commando 2 (Hindi)

02:00 PM | 08:00 PM

TuesDAY 07•03•2017

SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Pujara, Rahul give India 126-run lead vs Australia in second Test

India's Cheteshwar Pujara plays a shot. (REUTERS)

C M Y K

Bengaluru, March 6 (IANS): Half centuries from opener Lokesh Rahul and middle order star Cheteshwar Pujara helped India reach 213/4 and take a sizeable 126-run second innings lead at stumps on the third day of the second cricket Test against Australia at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday. At stumps, Pujara (79 not out) and Ajinkya Rahane (40 not out) were at the crease, with an undefeated fifth wicket stand of 93 runs. Resuming the final ses-

sion at 122/4, Pujara and Rahane ensured that the hosts did not lose any more wickets with the Saurashtra righthander getting to his 14th Test half ton off 125 balls. Both the right-handers batted with extreme caution, and kept meddling the ball well to bring up their 50-run stand for the fifth wicket off 110 deliveries as the hosts neared the 200-run mark. While Pujara consumed 173 balls for his knock, laced with six boundaries, Rahane 105ball innings included three

hits to the fence. Rahane, who was pushed down to sixth in the batting order for his poor run of below-30 scores in recent times, did not let that affect his batting as the Mumbaikar finally managed to break the jinx. Earlier, India struggled to reach 122/4 in their second innings till the tea session on a pitch where the ball had good bounce and assistance for the slower bowlers. Having ended the morning session at 38/0 after Australia were bowled out for 276 runs in their first

innings with a first-innings lead of 87 runs, India struggled to put up a strong partnership and lost four quick wickets. Seamer Josh Hazzlewood (3-37) was the tormentor for India as he accounted for Abhinav Mukund (16), Virat Kohli (15) and Ravindra Jadeja (2). He began the downfall of India when a delivery hit Mukund's pads before going on to kiss the stumps, with the hosts at 39-1. Left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe too the big wicket of local boy Rahul (51).

Aussie skipper Steven Smith, at first slip, pulled off a blinder with a superb diving catch to the right. At 84/2, Kohli joined Pujara in the middle and the latter departed soon with a LBW decision in favour of Hazzlewood, whose delivery at the off stump kept low. Kohli thought his bat touched the ball before hitting the pad and took a Decision Review System (DRS) but the field umpire's decision remained. Left-hander Jadeja was promoted ahead of Rahane and wickekeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha but the all-rounder could only survive for 12 deliveries, with Hazzlewood dismantling his stumps, with India reeling at 120/4. Jadeja, however, emerged the hero in the morning session, returning with figures of 6/63 with his left arm spin to help India bundle the visitors for 276. His spin partner Ravichandran Ashwin, contributed with two wickets while the pace duo of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav chipped in with an wicket apiece. Jadeja's victims included promising opening batsman Matt Renshaw (60), Smith (8), Peter Handscomb (16), Matthew Wade (40) and tailenders Nathan Lyon (0) and Hazlewood (1).

Tottenham and Man City keep up the chase

LONDON, March 6 (reuters): Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City both issued timely reminders to Chelsea that the Premier League title race might not be over with impressive victories on Sunday. After top-six rivals Arsenal and Manchester United dropped points on Saturday, second-placed Tottenham took full advantage

as Harry Kane struck twice in a 3-2 home win against Everton. That left Tottenham seven points behind Chelsea who face West Ham United on Monday, while City are a further point behind Tottenham with a game in hand after goals by Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane eased them to a 2-0 win at Sunderland who stay rooted to the bottom of

the table. City are three points above fourth-placed Liverpool while Arsenal have slipped out of the top-four after their 3-1 loss at Anfield on Saturday. United are sixth, three points worse off than Liverpool, after drawing with Bournemouth on Saturday. Tottenham look like they are ready to go the distance again. Tottenham

have now won nine consecutive home Premier League games for the first time while Everton's ninematch unbeaten run in the league came to an end. City, who have the chance to move second when they play at home to Stoke City on Wednesday, were in third gear at times against Sunderland but had far too much class. City have kept five

successive away clean sheets in all competitions and have 10 away league wins, although Guardiola was still not totally satisfied. "It was a good victory," he said. "But we were passing the ball between ourselves in the last 25 minutes. "I don't like to defend a result and be near our box. It is okay if you're 3-0 or 4-0 up but not 2-0."

MPL commences: Amur Falcon beat defending champions

Players of MPL inaugural match Merhülietsa Sunrisers and Amur Falcon FC, and match officials pose for lens at D. Khel, Seikhazou Kohima on March 6. (Morung Photo) Our Correspondent Kohima | March 6

The 3rd edition of Morning Premier League, (MPL) got underway today at Seikhazou Ground, D. Khel Kohima Village with Amur Falcon FC playing against the defending champions Merhülietsa Sunrisers. The match was evenly contested in the first half with both the teams trying hard to find the opener. With just few minutes left in

the first half, quick double goals from AFFC sealed the fate for Sunrisers. A goal from Benlo in the 43rd minute and another from Mele in the 44th minute left the Sunrisers players dejected as they left the field for the lemon break. The second half saw a resurgent Sunrisers as Asat scored from a penalty spot in the 53rd minute. But their hope was sealed again when Roko of AFFC

scored a long ranger in the 64th minute. AFFC won the match 3-1. Earlier, a short program was held where the defending champions of MPL 2016, Sunrisers handed over the MPL trophy to MPL president Loben Jamir while Pastor Jonathan Messen of PowerComm led in prayer along with the 10 teams competing in this year's MPL, which is organised by Morning Football Association.

Arsenal facing mission impossible against Bayern LONDON, March 6 (reuters): Arsenal will have to produce the biggest second leg comeback in a Champions League knockout tie to avoid a seventh successive exit at the last 16 stage when they host Bayern Munich on Tuesday. A 5-1 trouncing in Bavaria left the Gunners facing mission impossible for the return leg and confidence is hardly soaring after a 3-1 defeat by Liverpool on Saturday left Arsene Wenger's team outside the Premier League's top four. Stranger things have happened, if not in the Champions League where no team has ever recovered from a four-goal deficit in the second leg of a knockout tie. To progress Arsenal will have to better the feat of Spaniards Deportivo La Coruna who recovered from a 4-1 loss away to AC Milan in 2004, winning 4-0 at home to reach the semis. The last time a team overcame a four-goal deficit in European competi-

tion was Real Madrid in the 1985-86 UEFA Cup -- beating Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-0 at home after suffering, like Arsenal, a 5-1 defeat in Germany. Few Arsenal fans will travel to the Emirates with much hope though and, rather than provide one of the greatest comebacks ever witnessed, the fixture is likely to provide another soapbox for the growing band who feel Wenger's era is close to the end. Arsenal's capitulation in Munich, together with Premier League losses to Watford, Chelsea and Liverpool in their last four Premier League games have stretched the patience of even Wenger's most loyal disciples to breaking point. His decision to leave Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal's leading scorer, on the bench against Liverpool puzzled many. "I really can't understand the thinking behind that...He's their best player," former defender Martin

Keown said. While Wenger will hope for a face-saving miracle against Bayern, he is probably already looking ahead to next weekend's FA Cup sixth round clash with fifthtier Lincoln City. After that it will be trying to salvage a 21st consecutive top-four finish in the Premier League. Bayern, on the other hand, are buoyant after a 3-0 win at Cologne extended their Bundesliga lead to seven points. Manager Carlo Ancelotti will not be taking anything for granted either having been victim of one of the competitions most astonishing comebacks when Liverpool beat Milan in the 2005 final after trailing 3-0 at halftime in Istanbul. Captain Philipp Lahm said Bayern will look to kill off Arsenal's lingering hopes early. "We have to be highly focused and, most importantly, show Arsenal in the first quarter-hour they can forget the next round."

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