C M Y K
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 312 • 12 PAGes • 5
www.morungexpress.com
SunDAY • november 13• 2016
T H e
ESTD. 2005
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Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God Trump packs transition team with loyalists and family PAGE 09
Two students drown at Chathe Morung Express News Dimapur | November 12
In a tragic incident, two students drowned at the Chathe River beside the TL Angami Park on Saturday afternoon. The incident reportedly happened during a school picnic. The two were identified as Pohwang Konyak (16 years) of Chaoha Chingyu village and Konpha Konyak (17) of Longkei village under Mon district– both Class 11 students of Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, Dimapur. The bodies were retrieved by youths of New Chumukedima Village and handed over to relatives of the victims.
SCBWCC receives ‘Annual Balipara Foundation Award’ DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 12 (MExN): The Sendenyu Community Biodiversity & Wildlife Conservation Committee (SCBWCC) has been awarded the prestigious ‘Annual Balipara Foundation Award for 2016’. The award was received by the SCBWCC chairman Gwasinlo Thong on November 9 at Vivanta Taj, Guwahati, in a grand ceremony attended by many eminent conservationists and scientists from India and different parts of the world. The award comes with a citation, cash reward and support from the Balipara Foundation for future initiatives to conserve and preserve the natural heritage of the Eastern Himalayas, a press note from SCBWCC chairman said.
Nagaland to observe National Press Day KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 12 (MExN): Nagaland along with the rest of the country will be observing National Press Day on November 16. The Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR) along with Dimapur Press Club, Kohima Press Club and Mokokchung Press Club will jointly observe the day at Elim Hall, DABA, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur at 12 noon. Dr. Aküm Longchari, publisher and editor of The Morung Express will be the theme speaker. This year’s theme is “Professional ethics in journalism.” Short speech will be delivered by Limawati Ao, Director, DIPR Nagaland. The function will be chaired by S. Henlly Phom, General Secretary, Dimapur Press Club while vote of thanks will be proposed by Xavier Rutsa, president Kohima Press Club.
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Hameed hits maiden fifty as Constitution of Alumni England take driver’s seat Association of SCTE launched PAGE 02
PAGe 12
Chaotic Saturday as demonetisation continues
Anger grows in India as banks struggle to swap banned notes
Rs 2000 more of a burden on debut Morung Express News Dimapur | November 12
As the demonetisation process continued for the fourth day, people were confronted with a new problem – spending their crisp new Rs 2000 notes as the avenue were limited. Saturday witnessed more chaos and even longer queues at the bank and the ATMs. Cash starved people including elderly and women lined up in serpentine queues to withdraw valid currency notes to meet their daily expenses. Branches of State Bank of India saw the most crowds. The queues spread to the streets and the police were put on duty to manage the crowd. “I have been standing for the past two hours but still haven’t even reached halfway, a youth standing outside the SBI main Branch Dimapur lamented. A lone SBI ATM in the vicinity was also dispensing only 2000 notes. At SBI Dhobinalla Branch, another customer who was standing in queue since early morning pointed to a security barricade, and wistfully said it would take another half an hour to reach the counter. Traders also continued to bear the brunt of demonetization. Business has been ‘thanda’ (cool) for last two
People queue up in front of banks in Dimapur to deposit devalued currencies and withdraw new valued ones on Saturday. A notice displayed in a shop saying it has no change for Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. (Morung Photo)
days, a shopkeeper who had lined up outside Corporation Bank Dimapur commented, adding that most of his stocks were given out on credit and he needed the new notes since the wholesalers were not accepting the old 500 and 1000 notes. In Dimapur, most of the shops had put up sign outside with a note saying “Sorry, no Rs.500 or 1000 notes.” Many shops, hotels and eateries turned away customers for the want of change. Even the multinational food chains were only accepting either lower notes or debit cards.
GoI-ENPO talks on Frontier Nagaland by year-end: MHA
Joint Secretary, MHA NE, Satyendra Grag addressing the public meeting in Tuensang town.
TUENSANG, NOVEMBER 12 (MExN): Joint Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs (NE), Government of India, Satyendra Garg on Saturday said the third round of the bilateral talks between the GoI and the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO) on the demand for ‘Frontier Nagaland’ is expected to be held before the end of this year. Garg stated this while addressing a public meeting organized by ENPO at the Parade Ground in Tuensang town, a DIPR report stated. The MHA NE joint secretary also stated that the demand of the ENPO for a separate state appear genuine while observing that problem and hardship faced in the Eastern Nagaland is well understood and the backwardness of the region visible even after 60 years have passed after Nagaland statehood.
Garg also acknowledged that the ENPO has been regularly updating the GoI through the MHA NE on their demand for a separate state. Representative of organizations namely CKS, KTC, STC, YTC, Eastern Nagaland Gaon Butamong Unions in their speeches reaffirmed their stand on the memorandum on ‘Frontier Nagaland’ demand. They also sought answers from the GoI on the process of their demand for statehood. After the public meeting, Garg held an interaction with the public of the Eastern Nagaland. The meeting was attended by the officials of ENPO, Tribal Hoho leaders, women leaders of apex tribal bodies, student bodies, DBs, GBs and the public of Tuensang. The main objective of the meeting was to discuss on the proposed statehood demand of ‘Frontier Nagaland.’
When a Corporation Bank ATM opened in the evening, people jostled to get to the booth as it was dispensing crisp new Rs 100 notes. Instead of coming to the rescue, the newly introduced Rs 2000 notes have only been adding to the woes of the common people. With crisis of Rs 100 notes, traders and customers alike are at loss to get loose change of such a huge amount. Limasungit Jamir, a resident of Mokokchung town who managed to withdraw some amount said, “I went to market with
the new 2000 currency and the shopkeeper was shocked saying “kokai kojera keneka tibo” (How can I give change for that). “I do agree with our PM’s objective but introducing the 2000 note earlier is creating a problem for common people like me. The government should have introduced the new 500 currency instead,” Jamir pointed out. Branch Manager of Corporation Bank at Duncan Bosti said it would take around two weeks for things to return to normalthat is if cash are available. “If it is not an emer-
gency, people should withdraw money only to meet their current needs so that cash are available for everyone,” he suggested. “The problem of the cash crunch is that it runs out quickly due to growing demand. Besides, with banks accepting exchange for those not having an account, every day the cash bought from our ‘currency chest’ runs out by afternoon,” the Branch Manager stated. However, he said there was no reason to panic while assuring that, “Normalcy will return within a few weeks time.”
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 12 (REUTERS): Anger rose across India on Saturday as banks struggled to dispense cash after the government withdrew large denomination notes in a shock move aimed at uncovering billions of dollars of unaccounted wealth hidden from the taxman. Hundreds of thousands of people stood outside banks for a third day for long hours trying to replace 500 and 1,000-rupee bank notes that were abolished earlier in the week. These bills made up more than 80 percent of the currency in circulation, leaving millions of people without cash and threatening to grind large parts of the cash-driven economy to a halt. “There is chaos everywhere,” said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and a bitter foe of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said Modi’s move had upended the lives of the poor and working while the rich - whose wealth he had sought to target - had found loopholes to get around the new rules. People argued and banged the glass doors of a branch of Standard Chartered bank in southern Delhi after the security guards blocked entry, saying there were already too many people inside the bank. Others turned on Modi, criticising his ongoing visit to Japan while countrymen suffered at home. “He is taking bullet train rides in Japan and here you have old people knocking on bank doors for cash,” said Prabhat Kumar, a college student who said he had spent six hours at the queue. “He has made a terrible mistake.” But Modi said he would pursue the war against corruption and tax defaulters even if it meant going back decades to examine records. “If unaccounted money is found out during the current clean up drive, accounts of tax evaders dating back to the country’s independence in 1947 will be checked, Modi said in a speech to the Indian community in Kobe. He said he recognised people faced difficulties as the transition to the new series of bank notes takes place but he was confident they would stand by the decision as part of the war on corruption and to rid India of endemic poverty.
Exemption extended till Nov 14
With people facing difficulties due to the demonetisation move, the government has extended the use of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes till November 14, in railway ticket booking counters, ticket counters of government buses and airline ticket counters at airports. The high denomination notes will also be legal tender in petrol, diesel and CNG gas stations authorised by public sector oil companies, consumer co-operative stores authorised by state or central government.
‘Why Nagaland as an Agriculture state is not growing’ Vishü Rita Krocha
Dimapur | November 12
While farmers are responsible for providing food to our tables daily, farming is an occupation that is often avoided by young people, and is considered as a last resort employment. Most young educated people refrain from choosing farming as a profession. That is precisely why people are taken aback when Rekha Rose Dukru introduces herself as a farmer. She herself never envisioned that she would become one in the future because she grew up hearing: “you will end up as a farmer if you don’t study.” Opposed to what she was fed with, she learnt over the years that there is a great need for more educated youth to get into farming. With very few takers however, she found herself actively involved in farming for the last 7 years despite plenty of odds. When their family venture under the name, ‘Eden Farm’ began functioning in 2001, little did she know that she would eventually forego every other opportunity and stick to farming. A graduate of St. Aloysius College, Mangalore (Autonomous), she also received a PG Diploma degree in Mass Communication from Nagaland University (in collaboration with IIMC, New Delhi). While Dukru has indulged herself in television journalism and was instrumental in making several documentaries, her first love remains farming, which is
With an ageing population of farmers, Rekha Rose Dukru, one of the few young Naga farmers says Nagaland’s agriculture sector can grow only when educated youth engage themselves in this profession.
Rekha Rose Dukru (second from right) at Eden farm with her family members.
why she also turned down an offer to be a media officer in the government sector a couple of years ago. Having found her passion in farming, Dukru however expresses concern that “although Nagaland is an agriculture state, it is not growing.” She laments the fact that there are not many young people engaged in this profession, despite there being a lot of scope. “Most of our parents come from the farming background but they barely encourage their children to take it up as a profession. At this rate, the farming community in Nagaland will really go down in 10
years’ time,” Dukru states. She feels that one reason why farming is not growing in the state despite production having reached a certain level, is because there is a missing link, which, Dukru emphasizes can be filled by the educated youth. “I am not telling them to get their hands dirty, but what farmers need at this point of time is proper linkages to the markets,” she articulates and adds that there is a need to facilitate the farming community in terms of marketing, production, farming rights, understanding government policies and educating others.
While acknowledging that many young Nagas are excelling in the corporate world, she laments that the same is not the case with agriculture. “Sometimes it is very lonely because there are very few educated people in the agriculture sector,” she adds. However, determined to make farming attractive, she says: “I want to bring that respect to agriculture. We (Nagaland state) can be the biggest supplier of at least one or two products; not necessarily in terms of quantity but quality, because we have the potential for that.” Asserting that farming is a very precious resource,
she further expresses concern over the poor roads and electricity. “Farmers outside are talking about things like quality, grading, processing, cold storage, etc and we are still stuck with poor power supply and bad roads.” Speaking from her experiences outside Nagaland, Dukru says: “your problems (poor roads and basic things) become irrelevant because the farming community outside the state is one step ahead of us.” Pointing out that half of the expenditure is spent on transportation by farmers, she goes on to state that “we are not even asking for subsidy or grant-in-aids, but only a good government policy for agriculture.” Many people have been surprised to see the growth of ‘Eden Farm’ when they learn that it has never availed any subsidy or grant. “Most of them think we received a lot of funding from the government, but I am proud to say our farm is a result of our hard work and commitment,” she says. Eden Farm, which engages in Integrated Farming, grows a variety of fruits and vegetables including kiwi, apples, peach, plum, raspberry, persimmon to name some and it also produces at least 2000 kgs of kiwi a year. Eden Farm, which first began on an area of 15 acres has now grown and been expanded to over 75 acres at the foot of Kapampdzü Peak in Zhavame Village under Phek district. It also has a fishery, rears cattle, pigs, etc.