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The Morung Express
A Daily Publication of Morung for Indigenous Affairs & JustPeace
Dimapur VOL. VI ISSUE 281
“
reflections
by Sandemo Ngullie
www.morungexpress.com
Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history
Uncertainty surrounds rahul’s nagaland Visit Al ngullie
Morung Express News
Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi did not confirm visiting Nagaland University; in fact even the Government of Nagaland came to know of his reportedly-scheduled visit to the state only from the I wish I could give you the Media just days ago, state information but I can`t be- political leaders said today. While Congress leadcause we are not Indians ers have implied that the The Morung Express high-profile MP would be Nagaland, the date POLL QUESTIOn visiting and schedule has not been Vote on www.morungexpress.com at all confirmed, least of all SMS your answer to 9862574165 about visiting Nagaland University. Are Naga leaders dwelling Accounts from various too much on the politics political leaders, including of grievances rather than those from the Nagaland fostering the politics of unit of the Indian Nationaspiration and hope? al Congress party and the state government point to Yes no Others puzzlement after the Media said the Gandhi scion is scheduled to visit Nagaland
AI Imphal flight cancelled, Ghy sector on schedule
DIMAPur, OctOber 12, (MexN): Station Manager, Air India Ltd, Dimapur has informed the passengers that due to operational reasons AI9751/AI9752 of 13OCT (Dimapur/Imphal/ Dimapur sector only) is cancelled. However, AI9752/13OCT (Dimapur/ Gauhati Sector) will be operating as per schedule i.e. at 0940Hrs. All passengers of AI9752/13OCT (Dimapur/Guahati Sector) are requested to report at Dimapur airport at 0800Hrs for check-in formalities.
State level workshop on NRLM DIMAPur, OctOber 12 (MexN): The Nagaland state department of Rural Development in collaboration with Ministry of Rural Development, Government of Nagaland will organize 2-day state level consultation workshop on National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) on October 13 and 14 at Niathu Resort, 7th Mile Dimapur. The inaugural programme will begin at 10 am onwards.
Assam asks Nagaland to withdraw its armed force
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GuwAHAtI, OctOber 12 (tNN): Assam has asked Nagaland government to withdraw two platoons of Nagaland Armed Police from the border town of Merapani in Golaghat district in the state, which has generated mass fear and strong protests among locals. The two platoons were requisitioned by the neutral force, CRPF, on August 16 to ease tension over some local issues at Merapani. After the problem was settled, the CRPF asked both states to withdraw their men by September 12. While Assam Police stuck to the deadline, Nagaland has not withdrawn its men from the area inside the state’s territory, which has fuelled fears among locals that this could be yet another ploy by the neighbouring state to encroach on state’s land. State home secretary GD Tripathi, who visited Merapani on Tuesday, told TOI, “The situation at Merapani is not tense. The issue is over the two platoons of Nagaland Armed Police and people are living in apprehension that the two squads might stay there permanently. Continued on page 5
Thursday, October 13, 2011 12 pages ` 3
University October 17. The Morung Express interacted with leaders from the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) as well as from the Nagaland Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). NPCC president SI Jamir told The Morung Express that Rahul Gandhi’s office has not yet confirmed when the MP would be coming to Nagaland. Likewise, he has not confirmed whether he would at all be visiting Nagaland University, headquartered in Lumami, in Mokokchung. In fact, Jamir said, the Nagaland Congress has not even finalized any agenda to present the leader because Gandhi, one of the India’s most high-profile political leaders, has not yet confirmed his Nagaland schedule. Much less, Nagaland University, the NPCC chief implied.
Queried whether Gandhi would be visiting Nagaland on an official capacity as Member of Parliament, Jamir said it would be in the capacity of national Congress youth leader, not an MP. The son of former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi is also the general secretary in-charge of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the students’ wing of the INC and a sister wing of the Indian Youth Congress. Jamir added that “confirmation” would be had ‘anytime’ soon. Chief Secretary of Nagaland Lalthara did not take calls made to him. However, a reliable source from the Chief Minister’s Office told this Daily that the government came to know of the MP’s supposedly scheduled visit only from the Media a few days ago. Continued on page 5
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-George Bernard Shaw
As part of the Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week Spring Summer 2012 naga fashion designer Atsu Sekhose conjured creations in soft ivories, bubblegum pinks, powder blues, minty orange and yellows during Day 4 of the Fashion Week held on October 10. Layering soft voiles, cotton silks and organza fourous red-carpet confections, Atsu’s designer collection used oversized floral digital prints to add an edge to the pencil skirts, multi layered peplums and floor length gowns.
NPF stands by SRD; flays ‘politicization’ Amid China tension, India,
DIMAPur, OctOber 12 (MexN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) defends the “special recruitment drive” of the Nagaland government saying it was meant only to “bridge the gap between the reserved and non-reserved sections.” The NPF denounced the Congress Legislature Party leader for “politicizing“the issue
and said the opposition is a “negative opposition.” The central NPF issued a press release today responding to what the party called “misleading and divisive” statements of “the opposition leader.” NPF Secretary General KG Kenye appended the press release. According to the NPF, the policy of the “SRD” was undertaken
with best intentions and to give more opportunities to the “backward and less-privileged tribe.” The entire exercise, the party said, was “within the norms of the government” as is it being consistent with the policy of the Government of India to “bridge the gap between the reserved and non-reserved” sections of the state.
“Though ten posts of EACs may not have made a huge difference on the disparities between the advance and backward tries it would surely have increased the presence and role of the backward and less-privileged tribes in the working of the government machinery considering the fact that... . Continued on page 5
NSF lauds Power Dept; want others to requisition posts
DIMAPur, OctOber 12, (MexN): In pursuance of the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) demand from the Government of Nagaland for direct requisition of all the resultant vacancies of gazette posts under the Engineering establishment within 60 days, the federation acknowledged those concerned Departments particularly the power department for proactively fulfilling to its demand stated N.Ejanthung Ngullie, general secretary, NSF in a press note. However it was mentioned that the office of PHED and PWD are yet to requisition the remaining vacancies
of gazetted posts from their respective department. NSF therefore, fervently impressed upon the concerned authorities that protective provisions as prescribed in the engineering service rules should henceforth be strictly adhered to and requisition of resultant vacancies be done immediately. The federation also expressed that it has been fighting against injustice inflicted upon the present generation in the system of recruitment against all odds but the spirit for competence has lost amongst the thousand educated unemployed owing to the unprecedented rate of inapt ap-
pointments in various departments. The Press note further stated that NSF demands immediate abolition of any unhealthy practices and the federation strongly envisages streamlining the system of recruitment in all the categories of Government employees. The NSF asserted that it would reiterate and stoutly stand opposing any process of unlawful or backdoor appointments which refutes the essence of quality employment. “Wherefore, any misconduct by authority at all, the federation shall not hesitate to take its own course of action in the interest of the students’ community” stated the note.
Myanmar to expand ties
New DelHI/GAyA, OctOber 12 (IANS): Myanmar President U. Thein Sein Wednesday began his maiden visit to India that is expected to scale up political and economic cooperation between the two countries amid Yangon’s tension with Beijing over a mega dam. Thein Sein began his visit to India, the first since he became president last year, from Bodh Gaya and will also be going to neighbouring Buddhist pilgrimage destinations, including Kushinagar, before touching down in New Delhi Thursday evening. He will hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday that will focus on intensifying economic, energy and strategic ties between the two countries. Counter-terror and security cooperation will figure prominently in the
discussions. A clutch of agreements are also expected to be signed. The discussions will also focus on key transport projects that will accelerate connectivity between Myanmar and India’s northeast states. Besides oil and gas, the two sides are also expected to explore greater cooperation in agriculture as Myanmar possess vast tracts of arable land. Thein Sein will visit the Indian Agriculture Research Institute Saturday morning before heading back to Yangon. Thein Shein, a former general in Myanmar’s Army, touched down on a day when the government in Yangon released several political prisoners as part of a general amnesty, bolstering the new regime’s reformist credentials. In fact, ever since he assumed power, Thein Shein has taken a slew of
steps, including the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, which has struck a chord both domestically and internationally. These reformist steps are set to make it easier for India, which has earlier been defensive about deepening ties with the military establishment, to develop stronger economic and energy ties with Myanmar. Significantly, Myanmar’s president, like his Vietnamese counterpart, is in India at the same time when both countries are having their share of trouble with an assertive Beijing. Thein Shein surprised many when he last month “postponed” a decision on the $3.6 billion Chinesefinanced Myitsone hydroelectric power project, sparking speculation about a growing rift between Beijing and Yangon.
MC Konyak calls for accommodative spirit Kashmir interlocutors submit report, focus on development
KOHIMA, OctOber 12 (NePS): Nagaland Minister for Forest and Environment MC Konyak expressed dismay on the recent development following the Special Recruitment Drive (SRD) of 10 EAC posts for backward tribes. Such unwanted development would not have happened if the advance people had the accommodative spirit and understanding of the nature of the “Special Recruitment Drive,” he told to NEPS here today. The Minister said the “Special Recruitment Drive” was a “one time dispensation” to man the offices where vacancies of over 70 posts were there. Out of which this arrangement was worked out by the Government with sincerity to cope with the situation cropped up due to not filling up the posts, he added. “It is unfortunate that other communities take this recruitment of the Government otherwise,” he added. “We never expect other communities
would take it so seriously.” Stressing the importance of having understanding of the condition of the backward tribes, Konyak called upon the advance people to have accommodative spirit and brotherly attitude. Coming down heavily on the Leader of Opposition Tokheho Yepthomi for criticizing the Government on the Special Recruitment Drive for the backward tribes, the Minister described his (Tokheho) action was only adding fuel to the fire. Responding to Tokheho’s charges that the Special Recruitment Drive of the NFPled DAN Government was to cover up of their backdoor appointments, Konyak said such cases were also there in PWD when the former was Minister of that department. Asked the current stand of the student bodies of the ENPO areas with regard to the Special Recruitment Drive issue, Konyak said he was yet to contact them and also other legislators from the areas.
NSACS RockAware concerts pull in positive response Our Correspondent Kohima | October 12
A month long musical journey of NSACS RockAware, which has already toured 11 districts, fetched a positive response with a total attendance of 19,940 people to the concerts/auditions. This journey connected 6140 students from schools and colleges where 13,800 attendances were witnessed at the concert/ audition. This musical journey covered 11 schools, six colleges and staged 11 concerts in all districts of the state.
Altogether, 86 bands joined this musical journey. 7090 red ribbons have been already distributed at the concert venues in the 11 districts. With the completion of the district level leg competition, the stage is now set for a grand finale, scheduled for October 15 in Dimapur. Commissioner & secretary for health and family welfare Menukhul John said that this year’s edition fetched better and bigger results. NSACS RockAware – A Red Ribbon Super Star campaign, with the key message “AIDS is one problem. We Care”, is part of
Multi Media Campaign to spread awareness on HIV and AIDS. Meanwhile, all district winners have been requested to turn up at the briefing and get-together on October 14 at Jumping Bean Café, Dimapur at 4:00 PM. The grand finale will take place on October 15 at the DDSC Stadium Dimapur. It would start from 4:00 PM onwards. NSACS RockAware is an initiative of National AIDS Control Society, with Music Task Force as chief patron and Legislators Forum on AIDS (LFA) as chief event partner.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram receiving a report on Kashmir from the interlocutors Dilip Padgaonkar, M.M. Ansari and Radha Kumar in new Delhi on Wednesday.
New DelHI, OctOber 12 (IANS): Advocating “meaningful autonomy” and speedy development, the three interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir submitted their report to Home Minister P. Chidambaram Wednesday, a year after they were appointed to draw a roadmap to peace, sources said. The interlocutors -- journalist Dileep Padgoankar, academic Radha Kumar and former civil servant M.M. Ansari -- are learnt to have also recommended the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Disturbed Areas Act from the state that
has seen a bruising insurgency for over two decades. “The minister has told us he would now take the report forward,” Padgaonkar told reporters after presenting the report. The report, sources said, has recommended developmental councils for all the three regions - Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh - and devolution of powers to the sub-regions. It also recommends a massive economic package to tackle the huge unemployment in the state and major infrastructure development to provide connectivity and boost tourism, officials in the know said.
While avoiding the “pre1952 status” phraseology, the report speaks about ensuring “meaningful autonomy” for the state, while preserving its distinct regional and ethnic diversities, it is learnt. The report has also put on record the perceptions of the hundreds of people the team had interacted with during the past one year and even the views of the separatists, who refused to interact with them, the sources added. The trio was appointed Oct 13 last year, when the Kashmir situation had turned grim following street protests and the killing of more than 100 youth.
A year on, there was apprehension in Jammu, one of the three main regions of Jammu and Kashmir. Residents in the region felt the report could be “one sided and against the interests of Jammu”. “In their last press conference in Srinagar the interlocutors said clearly they would be addressing the aspirations of the people within the framework of the country’s constitution,” said professor Muzaffar Ahmad, a college teacher in Srinagar. Jammu’s main demand is for an increase in the number of legislative assembly seats. The region has 37 seats in the house of 87, the Valley has 46, while Ladakh has four seats. The separatists say the interlocutors’ report is immaterial and what really matters is a permanent settlement of the Kashmir dispute. Abdul Gani Bhat, spokesperson and former chairman of the moderate Hurriyat group, told IANS in Srinagar that what mattered was the permanent settlement of the dispute on Kashmir. Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani called the appointment of the interlocutors another gimmick by New Delhi to push the dispute under the carpet.
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Dimapur
Thursday 13 October 2011
‘Ben’ shares his F passion for fashion
LOCAL
or somebody who claims to be feeling terribly lost, he certainly has found the right direction. At S. Koutsu Complex in Dimapur, above the very popular Popular Bakery, a new chain of multi designer stores named ‘Ekada’ has been launched recently. The man behind this exclusive store is Benthungo Kithan. Having traversed across the borders of India and a stint at Turkey, this young affable man has been in the fashion industry for long. And with the duration of his career, he longed to create a platform to showcase the creations of Northeastern fashion designers, who are critically acclaimed in the metro cities of India but otherwise forgotten in their own hometown. And he is not stopping at that! “Ben” as he introduced himself, says that he envisions his store as a way to help young talented Northeast designers in securing internship with famed designers with the country’s most celebrated fashion designers and also at Italy and UK. Through all of these unique ideas, Ben aims to create a unique opportunity for the people to experience fashion in its purest form for the first time in the Northeast. One look at the garments displayed at the Ekada store at Dimapur and the customer would realize that all designers retailing under Ekada has had showcased in one of India’s most prestigious fashion week “Lakme India Fashion week” (LIFW) or Wills India Fashion Week (WIFW). Ben also makes sure that every product in Ekada is first in its class and every product is produced and designed, keeping in mind the international standards of fashion.
The Morung Express
This store is certainly not the average boutique! For it focuses entirely on luxury and offers a wide range of couture, diffusion, and pret collections along with an emphasis on “occasion-wear” also provides for Bespoke services. It is created with a thought of being the destination for the most luxuriant, opulent and fashionable clothing. But it has not always been this luxurious even for Ben. He shares that initially when he knew he wanted to pursue fashion as a possible career option, he did not know which
not so encouraging. He says that only 20% of Nagas belong to the elite group that his store would cater to, and from that majority only 5 % were possible customers as the rest mostly buy on their travels outside Nagaland and abroad. Despite such unappealing figures, Ben still went on with his idea to create The Ekada store, which he also admits is a very risky idea. Ben correlates fashion to aesthetic sense, and even to perfection. He cheekily comments that there are a lot of fashionistas in Nagaland, but none with any originality in their dress sense. He opined that people are too much into trends and random copying of each others clothes. He also does not associate street wear as fashion, which he says is infiltrated with Chinese and Korean apparels. “For me fashion would be when one puts a lot of effort and thought about what they wear, while adding their individual sense to it,” he comments. Many of us have this lackadaisical attitude that it cannot be as easy as to be in an industry like fashion. To this Ben says, “It’s not easy for anybody to launch their dream. It certainly took a lot of determination, research and planning to set up this store”. At the first introduction, Ben had corrected that he definitely did not consider himself a business-man. And he proves this when he asks for support. Not for his store, but for all the designers from the Northeast. For now EKADA stores can be found at Dimapur and Kohima. Ben has plans on creating more branches. He also has plans on stocking creations from renowned designers like Atsu Sekhose and Imcha Imchen. He also plans to showcase his collection soon.
Launches EKADA- a chain of multi designer stores in Nagaland
Benthungo Kithan, proprietor of EKADA, The Fashion Store which has recently opened at Dimapur and Kohima. EKADA is a new chain of multi designer stores focusing on luxury and fashionable clothing. (Morung Photo)
Akangchila Longchar Dimapur | October 12 colleges were the best to opt for fashion, or if choosing fashion would really be a strong career choice. He also says that those days there were no mentors to guide them. “I’m sure a lot of students here are also facing similar problems and difficulties,” he says. Hence, his strive to create Ekada store as an information platform, and to act as career counseling. Ben avers that he wants to spread awareness about successful designers from Northeast and promote their collection in their own homeland. Ben also shares that before he embarked on setting Ekada, he had surveyed potential customer in and around Nagaland. The results were
Phek division NPF general conference
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KOhima, OctOber 12 (mexN): The Naga Peoples Front (NPF) Phek division will hold its general conference on October 13 at Chozuba Local ground from 10:30 AM onwards. Minister for health & family welfare Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu, parliamentary secretary for social welfare & child and women development Chotisuh Sazo, parliamentary secretary for law and justice & tourism Yitachu, arts & culture, New & Renewable Energy, science & technology advisor Deo Nukhu, State Planning Board (SPB) deputy chairman Neiba Kronu, political advisor to CM Z. Lohe, ex-minister Thenucho Tunyi, NPF secretary general K.G. Kenye, exMLA Nuzota Swuro, NPF vice president Pusazo Luruo will speak at the conference. Presidential address will be delivered by Chivotso Nienu, president NPF Phek division. The function will be chaired by Thepuphi Kapuh, member CEC while vote of thanks will be proposed by Vehushu, working president NPF Phek.
Kohima Christian Book Fair underway NCS probationers advised to deliver justice
Our Correspondent Kohima | October 12
A week long Kohima Christian Book Fair 2011 by OM Books got underway here at the Red Cross Conference Hall. This book fair, which opens from 8:30 AM till 5:00 PM daily offers highly discounted books, T. Shirts and CD &DVD. It will go on till October 15.
“I have been visiting OM Books for about 10 years now and they have one of the best collections of Christian Books. Their resources have contributed immensely in my spiritual growth. Whatever juncture one is in life, there is wide variety of literature to choose and be blessed by God’s word. I encourage everyone to visit the store,”
Dearest Anen & Kika (The Morung Express),
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These wishes come to you much after your original dance festivals : but you are no less the delights you always have been to us so we want to wish you with arrears and interest : ). Thank you for being in our lives, blessing us with all of who you both are. Stay blessed & don’t forget our rightful share of reciprocation (Hint* Hint*). Happy Belated Birthday!
MeX-ians United
penned Dr. Bendangtula, directorate of health and family welfare, Nagaland. In feedback, Rev. Dr. Chen Rengma also penned “OM Books in Dimapur is one of the fastest growing book shops and best known Christian literature collection center in Nagaland as I know 90% of purchased books for my church ministry are from OM books. For
any needs any topic at any time, visit OM Books.” As a church worker, I really appreciate OM Books for valuable books to help us update the knowledge and to service effectively in the church ministry. ON Books is the best book for the church workers,” said Rev. Dr. Weyiete Lohe, Chakhesang Baptist Church, Dimapur.
Nagaland to observe World Food Day KOhima, OctOber 12 (mexN): Nagaland along with the rest of the country will observe World Food Day on October 16 under the theme “Food prices: From crisis to stability.” Price swings, upswings in particular, represent a major threat to food security in developing countries. Hardest-hit are the poor. According to the World Bank, in 2010-2011 rising food costs pushed nearly 70 million people into
extreme poverty. “Food prices –from crisis to stability” has been chosen as this year’s World Food Day theme to shed some light on this trend and what can be done to mitigate its impact on the most vulnerable. “On World Food Day 2011, let us look seriously at what causes swings in food prices, and do what needs to be done to reduce their impact on the weakest members of global society,” source said here today.
Dimapur, OctOber 12 (mexN): The NCS probationer 2010 batch led by Lhouchalie Viya, Joint Resident Commissioner Nagaland House Kolkata called upon Sanjay Wadvani OBE the British Deputy High Commissioner and Mainak De, Press & Public Affairs on October 7. The Deputy High Commissioner advised the probationers to deliver justice in the discharge of their duties as Civil Servants. He enlightened on the various activities of the High Commission which is covering the States of West Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkand, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Bhutan. Surprisingly the Deputy High Commission has only 11 eleven working staff covering 14 states and one country a proof of their efficiency.
NCS probationer 2010 batch during their meeting with Sanjay Wadvani OBE the British Deputy High Commissioner and Mainak De, Press & Public Affairs on October 7.
Recalling his visit to Nagaland during the Hornbill Festival 2010 he was of the opinion that the state can attract more investment and merge with the global economy to bring more infrastructure development in the state.
Sd/- Vice president, M/s Pausap Ndang, NPW/Class-1. NCSU-Peren District
them to visit the United Kingdom for training and exposure as they become senior in service and most importantly to keep in touch with the office Deputy High Commission to promote better relations especially in trade.
Representation of NGOs/agencies
NOTE OF GRATITUDE
The NAGALAND CONTRACTORS & SUPPLIERS UNION, PEREN DISTRICT has expressed heartfelt gratitude to all who participated in the “Social Work” held between Peren to Jalukie on October 10, 2011. The Union also extends its gratitude to all the reliable personnel for their outstanding support in requisite matters. Further, the Union urges every registered member to continuously strive for upliftment of society at large. LONG LIVE NCSU-PEREN DISTRICT
“The world belongs to the younger generation and you should lead the way for a better world in matters relating to Climate change, Saving energy, Better education and trade to the region,” he added. As Civil Servants he encouraged
Johnian Spelling Master 2011, Justine Metha of class VIII along with his mother displays the award which he won for the Annual Johnian Spelling competition 2011 held on October 11 at its school premise. Justine was awarded a citation certificate of Johnian spelling master and scholarship for the year 2012. The intellectual pursuit was witnessed by parents, invitees, students and teachers.
KOhima, OctOber 12 (Dipr): Whereas instances have come to the knowledge of the Government that a large number of representations are being received from many NGOs/agencies on service matters of individual officers particularly with regard out-of-turn promotions and upgradation, and in the matters of posting and transfer. In some cases, these express genuine aspirations of the people, but in most of the cases these are catering to the individual interests of officers or the
NGOs/ Agencies. The tendency to bring such outside influence on service matters has been viewed very seriously by the Government at the highest level and it was decided that this needs to be discouraged as it amount to violation of the “The Nagaland Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1968”. In this regard, Rule 19 and 20 of the “The Nagaland Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1968” may be referred to. This was notified in an office memorandum.
Sinai Ministry targets to reach all districts of Nagaland by 2015
Dimapur, OctOber 12 (mexN): ‘He Touched Me: Revival & Healing Crusade’ which is a yearly event of the Sinai Ministry, was held recently in Mokokchung, Dimapur, Kohima and Mon districts with people from all walks of life and of all ages attending the services. The speakers were Rev Lano Longchar, Rev Walter Heidenriech from Germany, Rev Kilang Jamir and Alemsunep Jamir. This event was first started in 2008 in Dimapur and has since been taken to the other districts. While it depends on timing and financial resources, the director of Sinai Ministry, Imliwabang Longchari, has plans to take this revival to all the districts of Nagaland by 2015. The revival pro-
Rev Walter Heidenriech ministering in Dimapur during the ‘He Touched Me: Revival & Healing Crusade.’
gramme is conducted with the financial support which the Ministry receives from well-wishers, friends and family members, who have time and again supported the Ministry in every way possible. Annually it is conducted successfully with
the support from various sponsors, churches, participants, volunteers and the local press media. For information on upcoming events or to know more about the Ministry, log on to www.sinaiministry.org
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LOCAL
The Morung Express
MGNREGS funds are mismanaged: ACCC Meluri DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 12, (MExN): The president, 20th Assembly Constituency Congress Committee (ACCC), in his speech, on the occasion of observing the 142th birth anniversary of the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, at his residence stated that UPA Government in the centre had sanctioned crores and crores of rupees under MGNREGS to the state for providing 100days of guaranteed wage employment to the rural people for poverty alleviation and sustenance. But here in Nagaland particularly in 20 A/C Meluri, not 60 days wage employment is provided to the people and is regretted that most of the funds sanctioned for the said programme is being enjoyed by the privileged few. Stating this in a press release, Lowthow Isaac Leyri, general secretary (Admn), 20 ACCC, Meluri added that the president thanked the UPA Government at the centre, under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, Chairman of UPA and Dr Man Mohan Singh, Prime Minister of India for introducing the MGNREGS in the state of Nagaland which is the fulfillment of an important promisemadetothepeople by the UPA Government in its common minimum programme.Thefunctionended with a prayer by Lapongchu, Chaplin of 20th ACCC Meluri.
KOHIMA, OCTOBER 12 (MExN): Susan Waten, author of “White Spirit” and Director of HAWA was one among the 10 invited delegates to attend Nepal’s first ever international writers’ fest, also known as Kathmandu Literary Jatra held at the historic Patan Museum inner courtyard from September 16-18, 2011. The fest brought in ten select international writers from countries including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the UK on a common literary platform with fifty writers and poets of Nepal, and was attended daily by packed audiences numbering in thousands. Various
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to solve Naga issue, says Dr Shurhozelie
Illicit liquor and banned ‘Gutkha’, which were destroyed on Wednesday, October 12. (Morung Photo)
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 12 (MExN): Excise Dimapur destroyed a total of 737 cases of illicit IMFL, comprising of approximately 10, 468 bottles of assorted brands. The destruction was carried out at a programme conducted on Wednesday, October 12 at the Directorate of Excise & Prohibition. A sizable quantity of banned ‘Gutkha’ was also among the destroyed items. The liquor was seized during the period – March 2009 to September 2011. Mobile Excise Squad was also responsible for the seizure of approximately 3133 bottles of the destroyed liquor and had registered as many as 126 offences under the NLTP Act during the aforesaid period. In terms of quantity destroyed, today’s was the second highest in recent
After visiting Merapani (Maratchu) areas on October 8, 2011, the two student leader of AASU claimed that Naga border villages have encroached on Assam land with the help of the state Government of Nagaland. The union also opined that from the statement of the two student leaders of AASU, it is evident that they are being guided and misinformed by the illegal immigrants (Bangladeshis) living at the border areas of Assam-Nagaland border areas. The LLRPO leaders also cautioned the AASU leaders not to indulge in wild allegation and inflammatory statements which will jeopardize the age old relations between the people of the two states of Assam and Nagaland.
Naga author participates at international writers’ fest
Susan Waten.
Dimapur
Excise destroy huge cache of IMFL PM, Pandey sincere
times. According to the department, the highest was recorded in 2009, when more than 11, 000 bottles of illicit liquor was destroyed. Excise, Dimapur had also generated revenue of Rs. 1, 26, 000, accumulated through imposition of monetary fines on the defaulters, during the period. Representatives from the civil society, Dimapur Municipal Council, district administration and Dimapur Baptist Pastors’ Fellowship were witness to the destruction. Commissioner of Excise & Prohibition, Maong Aier, said that despite the odds, the working standard of the department’s personnel is showing improvement. “Excise personnel carry out their duties without firearms but still, they’re doing a good job.” Lauding the personnel for the improv-
ing performance, he said that during the past three months alone, the department has affected a good number of seizures. He reminded that prohibition officers are duty bound to enforce the NLTP Act. However, for the successful implementation of the Act everybody should take part, he added. “As long as Nagaland remains a ‘Dry State’, it is the bounden duty of all to see that this (liquor flow) is checked.” Further, he said that the church should not expect a miracle; simply on the knowledge that a legislation banning open sale of liquor is in force. He called for a proactive approach where people planning to or indulging in illicit liquor trade are dissuaded, while looking at ways and means towards the rehabilitation of those caught involved.
LLRPO, KSU reacts to ASSU press statement DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 12 (MExN): The Lotha Lower Range Public Organization (LLRPO), Bhandari has cautioned the statement of All Assam Student Union on Assam-Nagaland border which it said was purportedly issued. ASSU general secretary Tapan Gogoi and Manoar Hussain executive member, central committee of AASU had accused the state government of Nagaland for the encroachment of Assam’s land by Naga people. A press note issued by LLRPO president Yingashumo Kithan and general secretary Chenirao Jami stated that those border villages within the border of Nagaland were established even before the state of Nagaland were born in India.
Thursday
13 October 2011
workshops, readings and thematic discussions on topics pertaining to Nepal and South Asia in both the socio-political and literary contexts were held during the fest. According to a press release received here, Jatra was a huge success in terms of the literary and intellectual exchange between the invited international delegates and the informationhungry audience, and also the popular uplifting response of the country to it’s first-ever event of this kind and magnitude. Mention may be made here that Susan Waten is the author of the poetry book titled ‘White Spirit’ and also compiled and edited a book of contemporary short stories by 20 writers from Nagaland entitled Of Voices And Paper, both backed by the North East Zone Cultural Centre. She has also written a book for the Nagaland Beekeeping and Honey Mission called, Rock Bee Honey Harvesting in Saramati Range at Kiphire District. Her presentation at the Jatra was well received and many from the audience came back-stage to meet her. A number of them showed keen interest in the literature of north east India, and the possible collaboration, it said.
“As AASU leader or any public leader should suppose have moral responsibility for the society or union in which he or she is leader. In case of any disorder dispute between the states of Assam and Nagaland, it is the duty of AASU leaders to play important and effective role in solving the dispute or the problem for amicable settlement, advised LLRPO. Meanwhile, the Kyong Students' Union (KSU) in a separate press note has termed the press statement issued by AASU as 'ridiculous'. The note issued by Subenthung Kithan, president and Amos Odyuo, general secretary of KSU respectively urged the Nagaland State Government to seriously take note
and be answerable to their statement that "preparation of establishing three Naga Sub-divisions in Assam Land is also going on in full swing under the patronage of the Nagaland Government and those proposed sub-divisions are Urianghat, Haldhibari and Merapani". The union felt that issuing of such kind of press statement will not bring any solution rather it will only trigger the tension amongst the people in the border area especially a place like Merapani where Border tension frequently occurs. The Union also termed the press statement as a “stumbling block” for Doyang Citizens Forum, Golaghat District (Assam), Kyong Hoho and Kyong Students’ Union when the
three organizations are having people to people dialogue to solve the border tension amicably. In order to eradicate Tapan and Manoar's confusion on border issue, the KSU said that 80% of the inhabitants in A,B,C &D sectors of Assam-Nagaland border stretch are not original Ahoms (Assamese) but illegal immigrants (Bangladeshis) and Non-Assamese. “Therefore, the KSU would like to convey a message to Tapan Gogoi and Manoar Hussain not to get convinced and confused by rumours / propagandas of some vested interested person rather urged them to get well verse of the agelong Ahom-Naga friendship,” further stated the note.
Two GPS foundation laid
Principal of Alder College informs DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 12 (MExN): The principal ofAlderCollege,Kohimahas informed in a press note to the repeaters of Class 12 and BA of its college to report to the college office and fill up the 2012 NBSE and University examination forms on or before October 20.
Annual Day ACK KOHIMA, OCTOBER 12 (MExN): Alder College Kohima, will nobserve its 20th annual day on 14 October at Dr. Setu Memorial Hall, at 10 am, with Director, higher education, Chubainla Jamir as the chief guest. The programme will witness choral, speech on behalf of fresher’s, choreographs, speech on behalf of out-going students, faulty and staff report and presentation of Mr and Miss Fresher’s.
not to break process but to report “actual facts” to New Delhi. “I stand for one and am saying that they (intelligent agencies) are not doing it,” he stated. And as long as they continued working in the same fashion, situation would be fluid as ever before, the Minister cautioned urging New Delhi to oversee these areas so as to translate their “sincerities” into a “reality.” Informing that he was still not aware of the contents of the ongoing talks, Dr Shurhozelie disclosed that they had also not asked the parties concerned for the contents either. “Because we are not interfering in the process as our role is a facilitator,” he added. “We want to be sincere but unfortunately, the people fail to understand our sincerity and taking our sincerity as our weakness,” the Minister explained. “If they don’t want us to interfere, we have not comment,” Dr Shurhozelie said. “But if they ask our comment, we are ready.” He also said looking at the current stage of the political negotiations between the conflicting parties; it showed that “They are also not clear in their mind how to go.” “It appears that New Delhi is also finding difficulty now,” he stated.
KO H I M A , O C T 1 2 (NEPS): Nagaland Urban Development Minister Dr Shurhozelie said he sincerely believed that the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was “sincere” to solve the longstanding Naga political problem. Talking to NEPS here today, the senior DAN Minister, who is also President of the ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF), said the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was sincere to find solution to the protracted Naga political issue. “The Center’s interlocutor to the political negotiations, RS Pandey, is also sincere to solve the problem,” the Minister said. Dr Shurhozelie also made it very clear that in order to translate their “sincerities” into a “reality,” New Delhi should have to oversee works of her “intelligent agencies” here with extraordinary efforts. “I am saying this that many Nagas, not all, are susceptible to flattery and of course, they have other weaknesses also,” the Minister pointed out. “As such once her intelligent agencies are properly checked, their sincerities will clearly emerge unhindered.” Dr Shurhuzelie believed that the role of her “intelligent agencies” here were
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ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE JAKHAMA
Fete Day and Alumni Day Saturday, October 22, 2011 Time: 9:00 AM onwards
All Alumni and well-wishers are welcome!
GRADUATION DAY, 2011
10:00 AM, Saturday, October 29th.
All 2011 grAduAtes, come one And All
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Through this column the “QUEENSBERRY FOUNDATION” wishes to extend our profound gratitude to all the invitees present at the inaugural function of its 13th BRANCH IN KOHIMA, held on Tuesday the 11th day of October 2011 and more particularly to: 1. Shri Chotisuh Sazo, Honourable Parliamentary Secretary (Social Welfare, Child and Women Development) Govt. of Nagaland. 2. Shri Thepusayi Neinu, PS to Parliamentary Secretary. 3. Shri Chubathung Lotha, Joint Director, Women Development. 4. Rev. Dr T.R Angami Metsieo, Assembly of God Church, Kohima. 5. Kezhangulie Kire, Vice President, Angami Student Union, Kohima. 6. And to all the staffs of Press and Media, Nagaland Post, Eastern Mirror and The Morung Express. Your presence and contribution towards our Organization is acknowledged and appreciated. Shri. Vilasietuo Metsieo Branch Manager, Kohima Queensberry Foundation.
Shri. K. Aaron Quinker Chairman & CEO Queensberry Foundation.
Assistant District Coordinator DMA, SSA Kohima, Theyievilie Suohumvü along with Sechü Zubza village leaders and elders while laying the foundation stone of the two GPS at Sechü Zubza on Wednesday.
NAGALAND MEDICAL STUDENTS ASSOCIATION
children mostly from class 1 to 8. Having felt the need for children to go to school so that every section of the society could equally prosper, he also stressed on the government’s plan and initiative for free and compulsory education. Mentioning that education department is one among the few departments being communitized by the state government, Suohumvü fervently appealed to the villagers to hold equal responsibility along with the government in the endeavour. He has urged the Village Council and the Village Education Committee (VEC) not to compromise on children’s education and at the same time asked them to act responsibly in
The Nagaland Medical Students Association (NMSA) would like to express heart felt gratitude to the following for contributing financially for the association’s 19th General conference which was held at Administrative Training Institute (ATI) Kohima, Nagaland from 7-9th October 2011 1. Directorate of Health and 8. Mr. Mengutuo Rio Family Welfare 9. Mr. Chatuo Rio 2. Honorable Chief Minister 10. Mr. Joel Kath Shri. Neiphiu Rio 11. Mr. Kholeo Kense 3. Honorable Health Minister 12. Mrs. Neinuo Rio Shri. Kuzholuzo Nienu 13. Mr. Y. Vikheno 4. Secretary PHED 14. Mr. Zhangulie Rio Shri. Zhaleo Rio 15. Mrs. Anile Kense 5. Northern Angami Women 16. Mr. Thepfuneituo Rio Organisation (NAWO) 17. Mr. Puvizo Zumu 6. Zion Hospital, Dimapur 18. Mr. Neihu Kense 7. Honorable Agriculture Minister 19. Mr. Kehuzelie Rio Dr. Chumben Handilo Kath Vephizo Keyho
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 12 (MExN): The foundation stone of two Government Primary Schools (GPS) were laid today at Sechü Zubza by the Assistant District Coordinator DMA, SSA Kohima, Theyievilie Suohumvü. One of the GPS was laid at Upper Sechü Zubza and the other at Tsurü colony, Sechü. Addressing the gathering after laying the foundation for both the GPS, Suohumvü, while impressing on the need of quality education, also highlighted on the aims and objectives of the SSA scheme and towards its successful implementation. He said the SSA started in 2003 with the aim to provide quality education for
being good guardians and caretakers of the educational institutions located within the village. Also stating that Sechü Zubza has bright prospect to become an important educational centre, Suohumvü, while mentioning that good numbers of educational institutions have already been set up, he foresees that more institutions will come as the village is located at the stretch of National Highway 29 having favorable climate and land resource, and that it also being the sub-divisional centre of the Western Angamis. He further extended his gratitude to Akielie Sekhose and the SZVC for donating land for the said purpose.
APPRECIATION
President Financy Secretary N.M.S.A N.M.S.A
C M Y K
4
Dimapur
Thursday
local
13 October 2011
NIIT & NSDC make public-pvt partnership of the largest commitments of its kind to be undertaken till date. As per a study conducted by IMaCS (the management consulting arm of rating agency ICRA) on behalf of NSDC, India is likely to have an incremental requirement of 24.4 crore skilled people by 2022 in 21 high growth sectors. However, although India is witnessing very good economic growth, the challenge of addressing the ever-increasing ‘available’ but ‘unemployable’ urban and rural workforce continues to be daunting. NSDC is a not-for-profit company set up by the Ministry of Finance as the first PPP initiative with the mandate to skill up 15 crore people by 2022 in 21 focus sectors. This is part of the overall target of Government of India to train 50 crore people by 2022 to meet the global skills shortage. NYJL aims to setup over 1500 state-of-the-art NIIT Yuva Jyoti Centres, across 1000 cities. The aim is to provide industry and job specific training to around 70 lakh young Indians by 2022, thus helping create a pool of job-ready workforce for the service industry. Further, a ‘Skills Inventory’ of around
new Delhi, OcTOber 12 (agencies): NIIT, a leading Global Talent Development Corporation and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) entered into a significant public-private partnership to enhance skills and employability for youth across India. Through this partnership it is estimated that around 70 lakh youth will be trained by 2022, in multi-skilling mode. The emphasis will be to offer job oriented training in semi-urban and rural areas, to applicants mainly from low and middle income households, aspiring to build successful careers through quality training taken alongwith formal education. These skilled youth will initially fulfill the requirements of nine emerging verticals predominantly in the service sector. The Agreement for this partnership was signed by Vijay Thadani, CEO, NIIT Limited and Dilip Chenoy, MD & CEO, NSDC. Under the Agreement, NSDC will participate in NIIT Yuva Jyoti Limited (NYJL), a subsidiary company of NIIT, via a mix of loans and equity. The total project outlay required for this ambitious project is Rs. 377 Crores over the first four years, making this one
2.6 crore youth will be created by 2022 through this initiative. Speaking on this significant partnership Vijay Thadani, CEO, NIIT Limited said, “This partnership will give us an opportunity to reach out to a vast audience whose need for skill development has largely remained unaddressed, thus furthering our objective to develop talent and create employable workforce across the globe. We look forward to working with NSDC as their partner in this vital initiative.” Dilip Chenoy, MD & CEO, NSDC remarked, “We are delighted to partner with NIIT, the leading player in the talent development space, to offer employable skills to around 70 lakh youth across India. NIIT’s experience in offering industry-linked training in multiple verticals in the Service sector further strengthens the execution of our vision to skill India’s youth from semi-urban and rural areas for the global needs.” In the initial phase, the training will be imparted across 9 service sectors – Retail, IT/ITeS, BFSI, Education & Training Services, Media & Entertainment, Healthcare, Telecom, Hospitality and the Informal
sector. The training programs will leverage technology for achieving scale with consistency of outcome and high quality. Built on a strong foundation of the NIIT pedagogy, stateof-the-art industry endorsed curriculum will be used to transfer skills to students. Further, internship will be facilitated for students to apply the skills learnt to real life situations and thus develop a deeper understanding of industry requirements. Each centre will be localized to suit the local community flavour and will be customized for the requirements of the industry sector being addressed. Students will have multiple entry and exit points for each course. Once the basic skills in a particular sector have been mastered by the students, they will be able to pave a path for a career by pursuing advanced courses and specializations. NYJL will assess the existing skill sets and aspirations of the participants and accordingly help them choose the right program. Besides partnering in the joint venture, NSDC will also play a significant advisory role and provide support for the programs offered.
The Morung Express
Measles campaign underway in Tsg
Children show the markings on their fingers after being vaccinated at St. John’s School Tuensang on Wednesday.
Tuensang, OcTOber 12 (Mexn): The Measles Catch-Up campaign started at Tuensang district along with the rest of the state on October 10. The campaign in the district is targeting an estimated 32, 000 children from the age group of 9 months to 10 year old. The first week of the campaign would cover children in schools all over the district and the second and third week would cov-
er the outreach areas. Supervisors, vaccinators and health workers across the district have been assigned at all six blocks so that cent percent vaccination is carried out in the district. Meanwhile, District Immunization Officer (DIO) Dr. Lanuchuba has informed parents to co-operate in vaccinating their children so that no child is missed out during the campaign.
BIRTHDAY GREETINGs
Modern College students conduct field trip Social Welfare deptt visits Viswema village DiMapur, OcTOber 12 (Mexn): The BA Final year students of Modern College, Kohima went for a field trip on October 10 to Botsa, Kohima, under the theme “Deforestation and its Consequences”. The field study was undertaken as a part of the case study for environmental studies. Modern College, Kohima Principal in a press release stated that altogether 180 students, under the guidance of four lecturers, Anthony, Zimik, Temjenchuba and Imsuyanger, respectively documented the effects of deforestation on the ecosystem and concluded from their findings that the environment must be protected for the well being and BA Final year students of Modern College, Kohima during the field trip to Botsa on October 10. flourishing of human life on earth.
ANCSF for proper implementation of ICDP
DiMapur, OcTOber 12 (Mexn): The All Nagaland Cooperative Societies Federation (ANCSF) has declared that it would remain steadfast in ensuring proper and successful implementation of the ongoing Integrated Cooperative Development Project (ICDP) in three districts of the state. The ANCSF in a press release issued by its president RK Mekro and Vice President Kedou Wetsah ask the Zunheboto District Cooperative Societies Federation (ZDCSU) to thoroughly check the irregularities with regard to those societies who have not yet completed 2 or 3 years of maturity of registration and had already availed financial assistance under the scheme in the first phase and submit the first phase and submit detail report in writing to the ANCSF. The Federa-
tion advised ZDCSU to be the watch dog of the entire process of implementation of the ICDP to the last. In the meantime, the ANCSF also appeal to the leaders of the district cooperative societies unions or associations of Dimapur and Mon district to strictly ensure proper implementation of ICDP in their districts in accordance to the scheme patterns of assistance of ICDP and NCDC. It also asked the concerned district units to bring to the notice of ANCSF the irregularities and mismanagement if any so that the ANCSF would take necessary action to prevent or curb such malpractices in order to protect the rights and privileges of cooperative societies under the ongoing ICDP programme.
KOhiMa, OcTOber 12 (Mexn): Social welfare department visited Viswema village on 11 October. The team was headed by Khevito T Shohe, Director Social Welfare, District welfare society, ICDS project officer and staff of Kohima. The team members witnessed the disbursement of pension under National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) to the pensioners of Viswema village. They also held a meeting with the village functionaries and beneficiaries of NSAP. The director social welfare mentioned that more beneficiaries will be covered under the scheme, but due to fund constrains it could not be achieve the target. However the department can put more beneficia-
ries against the death replacement and Dear Amei Jemasked the village functionaries to submit phang. the death report of the beneficiaries reguWishing you a larly so that the other genuine beneficiavery best of your ries from their village will not be deprived. Birthday, on 13th District Welfare officer, Kohima also Oct. 2011 in every shared about the scheme of old age penyear. May the Alsion, widow pension and disability penmighty God bless you sion under NSAP. D.T.H Anthony, Joint abundantly throughdirector, social welfare also highlighted some programmes of the social welfare out your entire life success in everydepartment. Altogether 226 received thing you do. pensions under old age pension scheme, From, your loving Mom, Dad, 19 beneficiaries under widow pension Grandpa & Grandma Uncle, Aunty scheme, 8 beneficiaries under disability & your Relative. pension scheme and 13 beneficiaries unDearest Rengmunbo der state disability pension scheme. A very very happy birth day to you, may God bless you Here we are missing U alot! We’r coming soon with a very very big big birth gift, tell ur mum N daddy to start preparing for belated of Integrated Child Development trict. The board also discussed b.day treat Schemes (ICDS) in the district. proposals to be put up to DPDB Benbo N Achap (Kolkata) In the meeting, ADC Plan- for approval, where concern dening read out the committee partments should fulfil the enmembers under LADP 2011-12. tire criteria format before sub- Jany (Patton) In the discussion Dr. Nihoshe mitting to DPDB. Many happy gave vital suggestions in impleThe board approved up gramenting various department dation of the following schools:- returns of the day, schemes. Further, reports from GMS to GHSS Pughoboto; GMS kaka. God bless some schools with regard to to HS Asukiqa; GMS to HS Ki- you in all and evmath teacher being transferred lomi; GMS to HS Aqhuito and ery way and use along with post to Dimapur was GMS to HS Lizuga. Meanwhile, you to inspire and bring joy to those brought up for which the board the celebration of RTI week on who cross your members including ADC Sara good governance from 5th to 12 path. Take care Jamir requested the parliamen- Oct 2011 was observed after the and have a wonderful birthday. tary secretary to look into the board meeting, where ADC Sara Mom, Dad, brothers, gramma, matter, for the welfare of the Jamir explained the RTI Act to uncles & aunties public and students in the dis- the members.
ADC Zunheboto conducts DPDB meet
ZunhebOTO, OcTOber 12 (Dipr): The monthly DPDB meeting Zunheboto was held on October 11 at the Conference hall of Deputy Commissioner Zunheboto. Additional Deputy Commissioner Zunheboto, Sara Jamir conducted the meeting. Besides all heads of the department, Parliamentary Secretary Industries and Commerce Dr. Nihoshe also attended the meeting. The board welcomed EE Power a new member, followed by presentation of department activities by DPO Social Welfare; District Programme Officer Tosheli Zhimomi highlighted on the activities
DIMAPuR
Simple Rules - There is just one simple rule: “Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.”
SUDOKU game Number # 1987
CROSSWORD # 1996
Answer Number # 1986
Civil Hospital: Metro Hospital: Faith Hospital: Shamrock Hospital Zion Hospital: Fire Service: Police Control Room Police Traffic Control East Police Station West Police Station CIHSR (Referral Hospital) Dimapur hospital Apollo Hospital Info Centre: Railway: Indian Airlines Northeast Shuttles
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LIGHTWEIGHT
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CORNERS
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across 1. Highly skilled 6. Mention 10. Distribute 14. Low point 15. Cards with just one symbol 16. Territory 17. Make amends 18. Nipple 19. A large chime 20. Deplorable 22. Graven image 23. Lady’s title 24. Ancient ascetic 26. Expectorated 30. Tavern 31. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 32. A friendly nation 33. Debauchery 35. Body build 39. A method of painting using emulsions 41. Demesnes 43. Artist’s workstand 44. Where a bird lives 46. Shredded 47. Seated oneself 49. A pigs home 50. Sword 51. Daughter of Zeus
54. Peddle 56. Not this 57. From that time on 63. Enumerate 64. Be inclined 65. Blackbird 66. Initial wager 67. Killer whale 68. Hesitate 69. Fortuneteller 70. Comply with 71. A strong metal alloy
DoWN 1. Freudian stage 2. Information 3. Ancient Biblical kingdom 4. A coniferous tree 5. Tendency 6. Sailboat 7. A large mass of floating ice 8. Blue-green 9. High regard 10. Judge 11. Wear away 12. Part of a joint 13. US bird symbol 21. Small drum 25. Sieve 26. Fill to excess 27. Supplication 28. Donations
29. Compositor 34. The day before 36. At the peak of 37. No more than 38. Feudal worker 40. Flair 42. Elan 45. Core 48. A design on the skin 51. Collection of maps 52. Yours (archaic) 53. Undue speed 55. Lights 58. Parsley or sage 59. Accomplishment 60. Not false 61. Ultimatum ender 62. Whirl
Ans to CrossWord 1995
STD CODE: 0370
Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: Oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home:
100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202
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STD CODE: 0369
Police Station 1: Police Station 2 :
2226241 2226214
Civil Hospital: Woodland Nursing Home: Hotel Metsüpen (Tourist Lodge):
2226216 2226263 2225011
TAHAMZAM (formerly Senapati) STD CODE: 03871 Police Station: Fire Brigade
222246 222491
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The Morung Express
From page 1 Uncertainty surrounds Rahul’s Nagaland Visit
That the Congress leaders have said Gandhi would be visiting in the capacity of Congress leader, would possibly have the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) bristling. Close on the heels of a frontal students’ organization in the North Eastern Region, the North east Students’ Organization, calling for opposition to Gandhi’s ‘political visit’ to Nagaland University, the NSF has also said cautioned that no political activity would be allowed in the institution. NSF chief Kelhouneizo Yhome told The Morung Express October 12 that Rahul Gandhi is welcome to the state. However, Yhome, “formation of political organization” would be opposed. “We will never allow any political parties to disturb students’ careers. NSF would oppose that,” the NSF president said. The NSF was referring to the NESO’s assertion earlier that Gandhi would be ‘coming as a Congress youth leader’ in association with the NSUI to Nagaland University. The NESO had also said earlier that the National General Secretary of NSUI in charge of Nagaland Paritosh Roy ‘preceded’ Gandhi’s scheduled visit.
Assam asks Nagaland to withdraw its armed force
We have asked Nagaland to withdraw its men and I have been informed that Nagaland DGP has ordered withdrawal of the two platoons from Merapani, but we are yet to get a confirmation”.Thetwostates,whichareengagedindecadeslong border dispute, are maintaining a status quo under the supervision of CRPF under directive from the Supreme Court at present. Merapani has been the centre of as many as three bloody clashes in 1968, 1979 and in 1985, which was the worst when over 100 people were killed in firing between Assam and Nagaland Police. At present, a border commission, set up by the apex court, is working on a solution. The state home secretary said though the dispute is on there, is no report of any fresh encroachment by Nagaland on the state’s land. “The status quo is in force on the border” he added. When asked about the government’s stand on allegations that the CRPF, which is deployed on the disputed border as a neutral force has not been neutral enough, the home secretary said, “When I visited Merapani, the people complained about CRPF as role as a neutral force. I am taking up this matter at the highest level”.
NPF stands by SRD; flays ‘politicization’
..the civil service is the prime service of the state government,” the NPF press release said. The NPF government, the party asserted further, is ‘dedicated to uplift of the “backward” and “less-privileged” and would continue to endeavor on it. “The NPF also feels that it is the common goal of all sections of the people to work collectively for upliftment of all members of the Naga family with an accommodative spirit,” the party said. On the opposition Congress, the press release said, the party asserted that “the opposition leader” has used the issue as “another cheap opportunity” to garner political mileage. ‘Such politicizing creates divisions and polarization of the Nagas. The Congress has done nothing but try to politicize every issue, exposing its role as an ineffective but try to negative opposition failing to deliver its responsibility of a constructive opposition,” the NPF said. The party remarked that the decades of Congress rule had “landed us into greater disparities which the present DAN government is struggling to overcome.” The NPF also referred to the placement and regularization of teachers. The Nagaland government initiated various steps to streamline the Education department to “ensure a more effective and better performing education system,” the NPF said. According to the party, the government is making efforts to place teachers in areas “where they are fluent and comfortable with the local language instead of the earlier practice of random posting.” Such efforts, the NPF said, cannot be implemented overnight. “Therefore there is no question of so-called ‘reverting Cabinet decision,’ but rather the series of decisions are aimed at the greater interest of improving the overall system of education in the state keeping in view the secure future of the younger generation,” the party added.
Newmai News network Imphal | October 12
THE NAGA PEOPlE’S FRONT (NPF) will fight the 10th Manipur legislative Assembly elections in all the 11 Naga dominated assembly constituencies in Manipur, announced Z lohe, Political Advisor to Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Wednesday. Z lohe was speaking during a programme , "Oneday NPF Interface with leaders of Senapati District" held at Indoor Stadium, Senapati headquarter. The NPF leader said it is the last and the only chance to have a common platform for the Nagas to contest in the upcoming elections which is expected to be held sometime in February next year. "Some sections of people are insisting the party not to fight the elections but until and unless we have our own leaders in the assembly, we will not be able to understand our rights in politics. So, for the first time, the NPF Manipur Unit will fight by fielding candidates in the 11 Naga majority assembly constituencies", he said. NPF was launched in Manipur with an aim to establish a peaceful co-existence in the state and it is
not an anti-Naga or an antinon-Naga party, he added. lohe also said the party has supported the ongoing peace talks between NSCNIM and the government of India as dialogue is the only way towards bringing long lasting solution to the vexed Naga political problem. "Though some people are trying to brand us as pro-NSCN, we don’t care what they say because our heart is clean", lohe said. "We treat everyone equally, we are proNSCN –IM, NSCN-K, NNC and Federal as they are all set up by the Naga people only lohe added. lohe expressed hope for a positive outcome from the talks between NSCNIM and the government of India. In the occasion, NPF Manipur State Unit president, G.Gaingam said all the Nagas should abandon their political parties and join NPF because it has an agenda for the Naga people. The Nagas have been suffering for more than 60 years and now, the time has come to launch movement for the truth, Gaingam said. NPF leaders from Nagaland, various village and church leaders were also attended the programme organized by NPF Senapati district division.
agartala, october 12 (mexn): The Catholic Church in Tripura is all set to see greater involvement of laity in the Church’s mission. Calling the just-concluded ‘Mission Congress’ on laity’s role in Evangelization, a ‘landmark’ in the 15-year old history of the diocese, lumen Monteiro CSC, DD, the Bishop of Agartala, clarified that true lay vocation consisted ‘not in running the Church but in bringing Christ to the world.’ Centered on the Biblical invitation to be ‘the salt of the earth and light of the world’, the Congress focused on lay people’s role in the evangelizing mission of the Church. Held at St. Arnold’s Ambassa in Dhalai district, the fourday event (October 6 to 9, 2011) brought together 2500 people from the 16 parishes of Tripura and provided them, in the words of Bishop Monteiro, “unprecedented impetus and encouragement”. This was stated in a press note issued by J. Pulinthanath, sdb. The note also said that the Congress concluded with the annual Eucharistic procession in which over 3000 enthusiastic crowd of believers, clad in colorful cultural attire, braved the scorching heat and walked from St. Arnold’s lalchuri to Ambassa town and back, holding placards, waving flags, uttering prayers and singing devotional songs. The centre of the colorful procession was the canopy that sheltered the ‘Blessed Sacrament’, which Catholics believe is the real Body of Christ. In the concluding Mass, Bishop
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Newmai News Network Imphal | October 12
THE NSCN/ GPRN has made a big mistake by issuing a clarification statement in the media over Khullen Khailet problem, a Kuki village in Chandel district, alleged Kuki liberation Organisation/ Kuki liberation Army ( KlO/ KlA) General Secretary l Timothy Kuki. The statement came when l Timothy was speaking to NNN at KlO/ KlA GQ at Saikul, Senapati district on Wednesday regarding a press statement issued by NSCN/ GPRN published on October 10 in some local dailies. Timothy Kuki said the NSCN/ GPRN does not need to involve into the Kuki village problem and if there is a problem "we are ready to solve it by ourselves." "Khullen Khailet is a Kuki village in Chakpikarong sub-division, Chandel district. It does not fall under the jurisdiction of NSCN/ GPRN. The group has never been there or stationed there before", said Timothy. The organization will not sit ideally against those persons who found advising NSCN/ GPRN, he warned. "The then SDO/ BDO of Chakpikarong, P Sana had misused the funds meant for MGNRGS wages totaling nearly Rs 3 lakh within a very short tenure of two months", the Kuki militant leader alleged. "P Sana hired NSCN/ GPRN to conceal the fact and to save his own image without any concrete reason. The officer is now working as SDO/ BDO of Tamei, Tamenglong district", Timothy added. "The NSCN/ GPRN should not make any press clarification in the future without having the truth because such act would tarnish their organization", the KlO/ KlA General Secretary said. A ccording to the press statement issued by NSCN/ GPRN, it was stated that Nehkhojang Haokip was not the chief of Khullen Khailet. But Timothy said Nehkhojang himself has been the chief of the same village since decades.
The Holy Mass at the Diocesan Mission Congress, Ambassa, Tripura.
Monteiro reminded the lay people of their duty to bring the ‘light’ of Christ, through selfless love, forgiveness and peace, into dark arenas of life where poverty, hatred, and selfishness still holds sway. Fr. Robin Gomes sdb, from Kolkata led the band of eminent speakers and resource persons, all of who were assigned various topics to speak on. Some of the speakers were Daniel Jamatia MlA, Eugene Gonsalves, the National Vice president of All India Catholic Union, and Dr. Vincent Darlong. The congress also provided to the participants, particularly the youth, who made up more than half the gathering had ample opportunities to show case their talents in singing and acting. Paul Darlong, Chief Organizer of the Congress sees
the enthusiastic turnout as a sign of faith. “Whereas we had expected only about 1200 people, on the first day itself, the registered number of participants crossed the 2500 mark. It is a sign of our people’s eagerness to know more about Christ.” The note also mentioned that Ambassa not having hosted such large events earlier, there was anxiety about logistics and other facilities. The local organizers took it as a challenge and admirably rose to the occasion. It was the first time that an event of such magnitude was being organized by the lay people themselves. “It must be said, the train service, which is relatively new in Tripura, contributed a great deal to large numbers turning up for the event”, Fr. Pereira said.
Meghalaya villagers desire to merge 'ULFA will always protect the with Assam embarrasses government rights of the indigenous people' Shillong, october 12 (nnn): An embarrassed government of Meghalaya has asked its top officials as well as the deputy commissioner of West Khasi Hills to break all formalities in submitting the report on the six villages alleged that resolved to associate with Assam. Seeing the developmental initiatives undertaken in Assam side, the Meghalaya residents of Sawlad,Nonrilong,Umsha, Umsohiong,Patharsiphiah and Bilkolang villages located in the Assam-Meghalaya border openly displayed their desire to merge with Assam in order to benefit the different development programmes. This is the second case of Meghalaya villagers' dis-
play of lacking faith in the government of Meghalaya. The first being a village in the same district that refused to co-operate in the census operations carried by Meghalaya officials. Following the report, Meghalaya minister incharge of revenue R C laloo has asked his officers in Shillong and the Deputy Commissioner of West Khasi Hills to institute an inquiry and submit the findings at the earliest. laloo told a group of newsmen on Wednesday, “I have asked the officials to ignore all the official formalities and to submit the report at the earliest”, stated laloo while expressing concern on the devel-
opments in the villages located along the AssamMeghalaya border. Asserting that such a display of disloyalty will not be accepted, the minister said, “What belongs to us should be ours”, adding, “Even we are trying to get back our areas taken by Assam through the joint chief secretary committee of border areas. Already, the chief secretaries of Assam and Meghalaya are engaged in the process of solving the vexed inter state border issues involving the 12 areas of dispute. Meanwhile, the disgruntled villagers were complaining about the lack of roads, power, water, schools and health centres.
Judges/Quiz Master for the competition were Kelikha Kenye and Martha, PGTs from Government Higher Secondary School Phek. A documentary film of RTI was also screened in the occasion. The programme was chaired by ADC Phek, Bodeno S. Colo.
Officials, quiz masters and participants of the RTI week quiz competition which was held on Wednesday, October 12 at the DC’s conference hall, Phek. (DIPR Photo)
needs of the people. He said that Good Governance is crucial to the achievements of plan targets and that people’s participation at all stages of planning, implementation and monitoring is a pre-requisite of good governance. Dr. Rongsen also spoke on guiding principles for disclosure, public authority, duty of proactive disclosure and dealing with complaints. State Co-ordinator, Disaster Management, ATI, Kohima, Dr. Hovithal N. Sothu while speaking on ‘RTI and Role of Citizen’ said that the main role of the citizen is to make full use of the Act. He said that RTI is a complete paradigm shift where the government implements and citizen supervises. He dwelt at length on how a citizen should write application for RTI, what a
Dimapur
leader against NPF to contest Landmark ‘Congress’ redefines KLONSCN/GPRN in Kuki in all 11 Naga Laity’s role in Tripura Church meddling village problem dominated ACs in Manipur
RTI Act to promote transparency and accountability
Kohima, october 12 (DiPr): State Capital Kohima, along with the rest of the country, observed the ‘Right to Information Act’ Week from October 5 to 12. In this connection a oneday seminar on RTI was held on October 12 at DC’s Conference Hall, Kohima. Delivering the keynote address, Deputy Commissioner, Bei-u Angami said that the objectives of the RTI Act 2005 are to set out a practical regime of right to information for the citizens, to secure access to information under the control of public authorities in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority. He said that it is the responsibility of the Public Information Officer of a public authority to supply the complete information within the specified time to any person seeking information under the RTI Act. He therefore underlined the importance of training and capacity building. The DC also said that there should be complete attitudinal change among officials for complete implementation of the Act. Deputy Director, ATI, Kohima, Dr. Rongsen longkumer speaking on ‘RTI and Good Governance’ said that RTI is meant to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every Public Authority and to contain corruption. He said that the key attributes of good governance are transparency, responsibility, accountability, participation and responsiveness to the
Thursday 13 October 2011
citizen can do and on certain information that can be refused. He also emphasized on basic things a citizen should know to exercise RTI Act and how to Appeal. A documentary film on RTI was also screened on the occasion. The programme was chaired by APIO & SDO (C) Sadar, Kohima, Wennyie Konyak who also stressed on the importance of RTI and proposed the vote of thank. In the College level Quiz competition at the DC’s Conference Hall, Kohima Vikavi K. Assumi of St. Joseph College Jakhama emerged as the winner and Suiranglugbe Iralu of Alder College won the second position while Pojiabzhal Gangmeih of Oriental College bagged the 3rd prize. SDO Civil Kohima,
, lithrongla Tongpi, who was also the anchor of the programme, gave away the cash prizes and certificates to the winners which was sponsored by the Information Commission. PHEK: In commemoration of RTI week, quiz competition was held at Phek on October 12 at the DC’s Conference Hall. The first position in the quiz competition was bagged by Ahoveyi Vese and second position by Nuzilü Venuh, both from Government Higher Secondary School, Phek. The third position was bagged by Vezono Rhakho from Phek Government College. Deputy Commissioner Phek, Mikha lomi gave away the prizes to the winners which included cash and certificates. The
PEREN: In observance of RTI week 2011 and to create awareness amongst the students on Right to Information (RTI), Peren district administration conducted a quiz competition for college and school at Peren town hall today. A press note issued by Er. Niladri Bihari Mohanty, DIO, Peren District Unit, DC Office stated that the quiz competition was participated by Peren Government College, All Saints Higher Secondary School Peren and St.Xavier School Jalukie. The first prize went to Watimeren Ao, Peren Government College followed by Kuzir, St. Xavier Higher Secondary School Jalukie second and Icudaule of All Saint Higher School Peren third. Giving away of certificate and cash prize to winners was done by Mudongoyi S.D.O(C) Peren. Other highlights included, welcome address and power point presentation on RTI act 2005 as over view by Zuring Medaliang E.A.C Nsong, Documentary film on RTI by D.I.O Peren. The quiz master was Albert, Vice Principal Peren College. The competition was also attended by administrative officers, ASP, Peren and other head of departments.
guwahati, october 12 (at): Ulfa Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, today visited the sensitive AssamNagaland boundary, and interacted with local people and to get a first-hand knowledge of the situation prevailing in the border. The Ulfa leader said that he had been to this area before several times earlier when he was underground in the armed struggle. Rajkhowa said that just after the 1985JuneattackherebyNaga forces when over 100 policemen and civilians were killed and police personnel were fleeing he and his cadres had come to extend protection to the people. Again in early and mid nineties he was here. Hewasaddressingapublic gatheringontheroadsidehere
near the local taxi and truck stand, for which tension had suddenly risen last week as Naga taxi owners attempted to set up their own taxi stand by giving a different name. “We will be always here to support you unlike other leaders who come, go and forget,” he said. Rajkhowa while replying to complaints against CRPF personnel’s failure to maintain its neutrality and siding with the Nagaland government and people’s bid to encroach Assam land, said that Ulfa will urge the Centre to review the security arrangements along the border hotspots He assured the people of taking up with the state and Central governments providing safety and security of border residents.
GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF TAXES NAGALAND: DIMAPUR.
NOTIFICATION
Dated Dimapur the 12th October 2011
NO.CT/Leg/CR/128/2006:: In exercise of the provisions provided under CST Act, 1956 read with Rules 4(1)A of The Central Sales Tax (Nagaland) Rules, 1972 (as amended up to 16.09.2011), online issuance of Form C, F and H is made operationalised mutatis mutandis with immediate effect with the following exceptions and conditions:1. All offline issuance of the above mentioned Forms to the dealers shall be discontinued. 2. The inventories at the disposal of the issuing authority shall be surrendered to the Commissioner of Taxes on or before 17th October 2011. 3. The Forms already issued to the dealers prior to this Notification shall remain valid for use up to the 31st December 2011. 4. Any Forms remaining unutilized in the custody of the dealers shall stand obsolete and valid with effect from the 1st January 2012. (Dinesh Kumar IAS) Commissioner of Taxes Nagaland: Dimapur
GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF TAXES NAGALAND: DIMAPUR.
NOTIFICATION
Dated Dimapur the 12th October 2011
NO.CT/Leg/CR/128/2006:: In pursuance to the government Notification F.No.FIN/REV-3/VAT/10/05 dated 6th July, 2011 and for the interest of public revenue, the Online issuance of Import Declaration in Form 23 (Challan Inward), Bill of Sale in Form 24 (Challan Outward) and Transit in Form 25 under Rules 65(3) of Nagaland VAT Rules, 2005 is made operationalised mutatis mutandis with immediate effect with the following exceptions and conditions:1. All offline issuance of the above mentioned Forms to the dealers shall be discontinued. 2. The inventories at the disposal of the issuing authority shall be surrendered to the Commissioner of Taxes on or before 17th October 2011. 3. The Forms already issued to the dealers prior to this Notification shall remain valid for use up to the 31st December 2011. 4. Any Forms remaining unutilized in the custody of the dealers shall stand obsolete and valid with effect from the 1st January 2012. (Dinesh Kumar IAS) Commissioner of Taxes Nagaland: Dimapur
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The Power of Truth
The Morung Express THuRsDAy 13 OcTObER 2011 vOl. vI IssuE 281
Health of Children
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xpressing concern over the death of 500 children allegedly due to encephalitis, the National Child Rights Commission has asked for a report on the matter from the Uttar Pradesh government in 15 days. In a letter to the state chief secretary, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has stated that the issue amounted to violation of 'children's right to life, survival and development'. Besides asking the UP government for the total number of cases of encephalitis reported so far this year, the NCPCR more importantly has sought information on the existing mechanism for review of the health calamities and the action taken by the concerned departments, especially the department of water and sanitation, to prevent encephalitis in Gorakhpur. Other details that the state government will have to provide include the emergency and corrective measures being taken up. In fact media reports suggest that the dreaded Japanese encephalitis is witnessing an emergence in the so called vulnerable areas such as UP, Delhi and even the northeastern States. After UP, the NE State of Assam has the second highest case and casualty of Japanese encephalitis. Nagaland is also showing 44 cases and 6 deaths so far in 2011. Whether Nagaland’s health care system is prepared not just to respond to any impending crisis but also take preventive measures is going to be crucial in saving the lives of our children. We need to learn some lessons from the present situation in UP where the deadly encephalitis, has been striking with alarming regularity especially in the eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh and 500 children have died due to it in the last two months. According to some media report more than 50,000 lives have been lost in the last three decades. And off course the problem is about the collapse of the public health system. The years of neglect by the government system and the fact that these are among the poorest section of our population, this has only led to the willful negligence and callousness of the authorities. This is plain injustice of the government machinery to ignore poor people whose voice cannot be heard and therefore the lack of concern. And this is evident by the fact that the first outbreak was reported in 1978 and with so many deaths and huge investment made in health care; it is disturbing that the epidemic has still not been contained. In this age of information technology, fast communication and breakthrough in science and medicine, India seems to be struggling when in fact the country ought to be breaking new ground in health and education. The disturbing deaths of so many children should wake up the concern people—government, scientist and business so that collective effort may be put towards more research, cure and proper implementation of health services. The Union Health Ministry should also look afresh into its strategy and come out with a more specific programme to deal with the menace of Japanese encephalitis and more so given the fact that the phenomenon of climate change may only mean more of such epidemic in the years ahead. The only silver lining at present is that while issues of health fail to find mention during elections, this time around, the BJP has decided to encash public anger by taking up JE eradication as a poll promise. The package on offer ranges from a centrally- sponsored comprehensive JE eradication programme for UP on the pattern of Pulse Polio Immunisation among others, if the party is voted to power. Maybe politics for a good cause can actually be a harbinger of the much needed succor for the countless of children who will have to confront this killer virus every year. Our politicians and the government machinery must all wake up from their present state of stupor.
S O U N D BITE
Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal
Of course, he is putting himself above (Parliament). Every citizen is above Parliament. Let me caution you, every citizen is above Parliament. The citizen has every right to tell the Parliament has not done the job… Citizens are more important than Parliament. It is in the Constitution. Anna Hazare and every citizen is supreme. I think the Constitution says so
PUBLIC GRIEVANCE
CELL
IN-FOCUS
PUBLIC GRIEVANCE CELL
“Scholarship distribution – The mind troubler” •-Why is it that the concerned department taking so much time in disbursing the scholarship to all the students till now. . . . . ????????? Now, it has almost reached the end of the year and still now not all the students have receive it. Those students who have not receive it till now are facing a lot of grievances. These students are going regularly on their respective banks to check their accounts in which they are even skipping their valuable classes. “these in future is indirectly affecting their studies” There are some students, who have not receive their stipends. . .are waiting eagerly to at least buy their required text books, note books and to even pay Hostel fees, monthly fees, canteen fees etc..etc. . in a way for which they will not ask their parents for all those above mentioned matter. Most of the colleges or educational institutions will be conducting their selection exams in due course of time and we believe that it will surely affect the mind-set of the students ultimately their studies directly or indirectly. Why are the concerned department so ignorant about the hardships that the students are facing in the present scenario. Various questions have arised in the students minds with regard to the disbursement of the scholarship as to why some students have received the scholarship and at the same time, why some students haven’t. Various questions have started to develop in the students mind’s. – 1) Are the concerned department even trying to eat those little amounts of money issued for the students by the centre.?.?.? 2) Are the concerned department planning to issue the scholarship by next year.?.?.?.? 3) Why the NSF is so silent about it.?.?.? The government employees salaries are being disbursed through their respective bank accounts without any delay every month. . . . But .?.? in the case of students scholarship it is disbursed once in a year; and that too with taking so much of time. . . may be this is the first year that the practise of disbursing scholarships through bank accounts are being processed, but a delay of almost about 3months specially for those students who have still not yet received is just unimaginable. . It will be an act of generosity towards the students community, if the concerned departments look upon the grievances faced by the students and release the scholarship as soon as possible to those who have till now not yet received. Aggrieved Students (Dimapur Govt. College)
THE EDIT PAGE
C O M M E N T A R Y
Harsh Mander
Barefoot: Rainbows in the dust
Street children have often gone through and survived a brutalised life. Adult interventions, therefore, need patience and understanding…
state actors. It is estimated that out of these less than two per cent of street youth and children are reached by the custodial juvenile homes and less than five per cent by all NGO interventions. In Delhi, the national capital, for instance, there are, for instance, an estimated 50,000 street children. In a recent case in the High Court, it emerged that around 1,200 are reached by custodial juvenile homes of the state government, and 1,500 by all NGOs (but very few provide mainstream education and comprehensive residential care). There are also serious limitations to the conventional state approaches such as custodialising such children in unfree homes. NGO models are of uneven quality, and diverse approaches; those that have merit are often too cost intensive to be replicable on the scale which is a dire requirement. The Government of India, through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and other initiatives, has been able to work with state governments and citizen groups to expand significantly the availability of primary schooling at the doorstep of most children in the country. But there remains a stubborn core of children that an even more expanded network of schools would not be able to bring into school, even if the school is at the neighbourhood of where the children live. These are children who survive in the most difficult circumstances, and face formidable barriers to be able to access schooling. These include disabled children, children of migrant workers, rural working children and urban street children.
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hildren on the streets are brave but profoundly vulnerable survivors. They have often run away from drunken and intensely violent fathers, cruel step-parents, incest, starvation, parents who cannot or fail to support or take care of them, and even horrendous massacres. Some are lost or abandoned, or their parents have died or are in jail. They brave, usually with groups of other street children, the harsh adult twilight world of the streets. Like little adults, they negotiate with spirit and audacity the brutalised life of pavements, public parks, railway and bus stations, and waste dumps. They learn to live by their wits on the street, find food, work or beg to get money, fight for whatever they need, and fend off older bullies and the police. At an early age, they often learn to beg at places of worship or traffic lights or forage in rubbish heaps not only for food but also for various materials that can be sold for recycling. As they grow older, girls are often drawn into domestic or sometimes even casual street-based sex work, whereas boys may diversify from rag picking to working in garages and catering establishments. Children and youth of the street have no adult protection, usually because they have chosen to snap their ties with their families and run away, or because their guardians have died, or in jail, or are lost. They are the most vulnerable, because a child needs the care of adults as she grows. Children and youth on the street do retain contact with their families in the city, who may also live on the street or in slums. However, because of extreme poverty, substance abuse or irresponsible parentage, the children are left largely to their own devices. At an early age they learn to find food and earn money for themselves, and often for their families; they may beg, forage in rubbish heaps for food and recyclable materials. Street children live in the present moment and get what joy they can, when they can. Their backgrounds and experiences are colourful and the name ‘ rainbow children' (given to them by a pioneer in work with street children Sister Cyril Mooney) suits them well. You can also never hold a rainbow in the palm of your hand. Children from the street are free spirits. They rebel against being locked inside a gate, being supervised closely, and being corrected constantly. Therefore, they need intelligent and understanding guidance from adults that comes only with love. They prove to be able to learn and accept discipline when this is not accompanied by condemnation or rejection. Protective walls They are extremely resilient and some of them bounce back even after severe maltreatment. But all the time, they carry a well of emptiness in themselves because the significant adults in their lives have failed them. They seem to have created a space around themselves, which served the purpose of self protection when they were living on the street. They do not
Resilient and reserved... Photo: S. Thanthoni
easily allow others to come into this shell. The children often carry scars of earlier negative experiences of which they do not speak until they trust people around them. They sometimes show a strange combination of the maturity of adults coupled with the joy, vulnerability and innocence of a child. Street children typically suffer from many denials and vulnerabilities: these include deprivation of responsible adult protection; coercion to work to eat each day; work in unhealthy occupations on streets like rag-picking, begging and sex work; abysmally poor sanitary conditions; inadequate nutrition from begging, foraging and food stalls; a range of psychosocial stresses; physical abuse and sexual exploitation; and exposure to hard drug abuse. Street children have seen violence, adult betrayal and death, and have survived. If they did not have confidence in themselves, they could not have done what they have done — survive and overcome — and in planning interventions with street children, the new adults in their lives must not undermine that self-confidence, but rather nurture it into maturity and emotional stability. More and more children are taking to streets for a variety of reasons and an alarmingly miniscule proportion have been reached out to by state and non-
New strategies If the country is committed to bring these ‘last' children through the doors of our schools, and to retain them there, this would require the development of strategies that recognise and address those barriers that block a child from walking into schools, and staying there. This is even more imperative in the light of the obligations created by the fundamental right to education. In my next column, I will describe different approaches to working with street children. In our own work with these children over the last five years, my colleagues in Aman Biradari and I have learnt that they have many strengths which children in families often do not display, such as courage, spirit, initiative, self-reliance and also caring and sharing. We have seen that these children are also very wounded; battered physically, emotionally and sexually by the adult world. These include often those closest to them, such as abusive, violent, alcoholic or irresponsible parents. Under their cocky exteriors, we find that sometimes they carry a well of emptiness — and on occasion suppressed violence — within themselves, because the significant adults in their lives have so profoundly and comprehensively failed them. But we have found that many of these wounds can, with love, faith and persistence, heal and be overcome. We find that these children need intelligent and understanding guidance from adults that comes only with love. They prove to be able to learn — sometimes spectacularly — and accept discipline, when this is not accompanied by condemnation or rejection. We find in our care of our children who are formerly from the streets, that children are far more emotionally resilient than adults. And that love truly heals. Source: The Hindu
Letters to the editor NPsc rejoinder to ‘An appeal to the NPsc secretary’
Commission vide No. NPSC./ADVTMedical Officer whereas the Commismission’s office or through the Com1/04 Dt. 13/9/2011. Apart from this, sion has advertised only one post. mission’s web site www.npsc.co.in. the Commission neither received req- 3. The Commission is aware that there 4. It is also the wish of the Commisuisition for two posts of Medical Ofare many disgruntled candidates/ sion that the media be more respon•-Apropos to the letter purportedly ficer nor is aware that the concerned persons out of discredit the Commissible and adhere to journalistic ethwritten by a certain Aletovi Naga capdepartment has placed requisition for sion with all kinds of wild and baseics while publishing letters which tioned “An appeal to the NPSC Secretwo vacant posts of Medical Officer less allegations and thereby to spoil may have further ramifications upon tary “ carried in the Morung Express of to the Commission as alleged in the the mind of dedicated youths who the society. While the Commission 11th October, 201 issue wherein clarifiabove quoted letter. are sincerely preparing for various is aware of its limitations, it always cation of NPSC is sought in respect of 2. While freedom of speech and expresexamination conducted by the Comwelcome constructive suggestions as the Post of Medical Officer under Home sion is an inherent of every citizen in a mission. The Commission through well as criticism. Therefore, the ComDepartment, Govt. of Nagaland. In this democratic country, the freedom does this letter once again APPEAL to the mission desires that before publicaconnection, the Nagaland Public Sernot mean that the author can hurl general public and more particularly tion of any allegation against it, facts vice Commission is to state as follows: wild, unfounded and baseless allegathe intending candidates aspiring may be confirmed from the Commis1. As far as the post of Medical Officer untions against anybody, be it governto be future bureaucrats and techsion as well as the identity and adder Home Department is concerned, ment organizations or otherwise. In nocrats of the state not to be carried dress of the author be retained in the the Commission has received requisithis context, the Commission solicit away with wild and baseless allegalarger interest of all concerned. tion for one post of Medical Officer vide Mr. Aletovi Naga to substantiate his tions. Any clarification in respect of Kelhouseto Nakhro, Deputy Secretary Letter No. POL-1/ESTT/100/2001 Dt. allegation that the Home Department advertisement or examination, the Nagaland Public Service Commission 5/5/2011 which was advertised by the has requisitioned two vacant posts of same may be clarified from the ComKohima
Using the King memorial to live out his legacy
L
Nadra Kareem Nittle
os Angeles, California - Scores of celebrations will take place in Washington, DC in conjunction with the 16 October dedication ceremony of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. However, 43 years after King’s assassination, his dream has yet to be fulfilled. As we dedicate his memorial, each of us should look back on his dream for equality, justice and peace in our country and the world, and remember that King’s vision extended well beyond race. Just before his life abruptly ended, King had been working to direct national attention to poverty. In 1968, the Poor People’s Campaign took place in Washington, DC. King’s cohorts organised this protest after his death to demand that the government provide homes, jobs and resources to underprivileged Americans. Surely King would be disappointed to know that today 46.2 million Americans live in poverty – an all-time high since the 1950s when the government began recording such numbers. While the poverty rate will hopefully improve as the nation rebounds from the economic downturn, the racial wealth gap may remain static. The US Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission, for example, found that some US companies unlawfully discriminate by rejecting job applicants with poor credit histories. This disproportionately affects minorities: in 2007 the Federal Trade Commission found that 26 per cent of African Americans were in the group of people with the lowest ten per cent of credit scores, with ten per cent of Hispanics and seven per cent of whites. Minority groups not only face disadvantages in employment but also in the financial sector. The New York Times reported, in December 2009, that during the real estate boom, banking institutions gave blacks and Latinos sub-prime loans that were more likely to result in defaults, even when they qualified for low-interest loans. The resulting foreclosures were economically devastating to minorities. We would also do well to realise that King not only advocated for economic justice but also for peace. He objected to US involvement in the Vietnam War. In his 1967 speech, “Beyond Vietnam – A Time to Break Silence,” he characterised war as an unjust way to settle differences and criticised the government for prioritising war over
improving society. Even in cases of liberation, which was the argument used to support US involvement in the Vietnam War, King believed that our government should prioritise programmes of social improvement over military spending. Unfortunately, not much has changed, with US troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan for nearly a decade. The very public dedication of King’s memorial should serve as inspiration to live out King’s dream. But what would living out King ’s dream of racial and economic justice and peace look like? When it comes to combatting poverty in minority communities, companies could level the playing field for workers of colour by looking beyond credit history to consider applicants’ skill level and past work references. To assist with minority recruitment, companies could also reach out to established civil rights groups to help spread the word about job opportunities to minorities – as they did in the 1950s and 1960s. And banks should provide black and Latino communities the same opportunities for low-interest loans as their white counterparts. While I believe some money must
WRITE-WING
go toward defence for the purpose of homeland security, counterterrorism efforts and support for liberation movements abroad, in the spirit of King, this should not come at the expense of assistance for those in need. If defence remains the key priority for government funding, programmes that help those in need will suffer. In response to this reality, the Congressional Progressive Caucus released a fiscal plan called “The People’s Budget” in April, which did not pass the House of Representatives. This plan advocated the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and cuts military funding. Unlike the budget plans released by the GOP and President Barack Obama, this plan did not advocate reducing funding for human needs programmes. To truly live King ’s legacy, we should support programmes and practices like these – ones that ensure a just, equitable and peaceful future for all Americans.
* Nadra Kareem Nittle has a MA in Teaching English and Comparative Literary Studies from Occidental College in Los Angeles and is the author of numerous articles and essays about race. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
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Thursday
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
13 OctOber 2011
PERSPECTIVE NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE
US-Myanmar rapprochement?
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Nehginpao Kipgen
olitical analysts and observers alike may be asking whether the engagement between the United States and Myanmar are real or just phony political maneuvers. Optimists may call it a step toward democratization and pessimists may still be reluctant to concur. The U.S. government is pursuing a carrot and stick approach or what some call a “dual-track” policy toward Myanmar. On the other hand, the Myanmarese government is seeking to reestablish the bilateral relationship it had before the 1988 democracy uprising. Given the experiences from successive military regimes, one can be as pessimistic as it can be. Despite the diverse opinions, one thing apparent is that both countries are working to improve the bilateral relationship between the two nations. Recent developments have provided evidence that the Obama administration is committed to the mission. The appointment of Derek Mitchell as U.S. special envoy for Myanmar itself is a significant step. The lingering question now is how serious is this rapprochement? The Myanmarese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, who represented Myanmar at the 66th U.N. General Assembly, was invited to U.S. State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29. It was Lwin’s first visit to the State Department and the highest-level visit by a Myanmarese official in 2011. The meeting between Lwin and Mitchell was attended by two other U.S. officials Michael Posner, democracy, human rights and labor assistant secretary and Kurt Campbell, East Asian and Pacific affairs assistant secretary. It was a follow-up meeting to one first held at the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. In the last three years, there have been four separate high-level bilateral meetings between the two countries on
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U.S. soil. Nyan Win, former Myanmarese foreign minister, visited Washington, D.C., in 2009 and the minister again met U.S. officials in New York in 2010 on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly. If the seriousness of this bilateral engagement were to be judged on deeds rather than rhetoric, there have not been many accomplishments yet. What does the U.S. government want to see from the Myanmarese government before it can resume a full diplomatic relationship, including placing a permanent ambassador at the U.S. embassy in Yangon? The fundamental U.S. demands are the release of all political prisoners (approximately over 2,000 in different prisons across Myanmar); an inclusive dialogue with opposition parties and ethnic minorities; adherence to U.N. non-proliferation agreements on nuclear weapons; greater accountability on human rights issues; and an end to violence against ethnic minorities. Although the Myanmarese government has not fully implemented any of the above demands, there are some indications that it is considering them. The
gyptian film is the most widely viewed cinema in the Arab world, and Egypt is one of a few countries in the region that has maintained this industry since the 1930s, despite war and instability. Accordingly, Egyptian movies, which have long inspired people across the Arab world, have significant potential to positively affect women’s roles in the region and address social issues that might otherwise be taboo for mainstream media, such as divorce – something that affects Egyptian women of all socio-economic levels. "Currently divorce rates in Egypt are very high, yet we don't see [portrayals of ] the financial and psychological challenges divorced women face on the big screen. On the contrary, they are portrayed as opportunists whose only aim is to catch a husband. This is extremely unfair," said Farida Mar'y, a movie critic. While women in the Arab world face many challenges, divorced women, especially in Egypt, face some significant hurdles. Most divorcées were previously housewives who, when they find themselves on their own, need to work for income. For that, they often need to go back to school or attend trainings since they might have been out of the workforce for years, or never worked. According to Egyptian law, fathers are required to support their children financially. Women are expected to support themselves while simultaneously taking care of children in their custody. Divorced women also deal with society’s negative attitudes and stigmas. Consequently, a divorced woman is not likely to marry again, but a divorced man often does.
first significant sign was the dialogue between opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein on Aug. 19, followed by Mitchell’s visit to Myanmar. The other significant sign for rapprochement was witnessed on the floor of the U.N. General Assembly when the Myanmarese foreign minister noted that the “President in exercising the mandate vested upon him by the constitution will further grant amnesty at the appropriate time in the near future.” The government claims that it has released about 20,000 prisoners since May. Whether the proposed amnesty will include political prisoners is uncertain. The latest development, somewhat surprising to many observers, came when the Myanmarese President, on Sept. 30, ordered the suspension of the Chinese-backed Myitsone dam, a hydroelectric project worth $3.6 billion in the state of Kachin. This is one significant sign the government is beginning to listen to the concerns of the people. The Kachins, one of the ethnic groups fighting for autonomy for decades, and others have been protesting
Calling for real women’s stories in Egyptian film
rasha dewedar
While the entertainment industry cannot be depended upon to help change attitudes toward divorced women in society, specialised film projects and initiatives are representing their interests. Radio Divorcée, for example, is an independent online radio station created and managed by Mahasen Saber, a divorcée who felt that other women in a similar situation were not wellrepresented in mainstream media. She decided to raise awareness about the challenges she and other divorced women experience in their daily lives, meanwhile highlighting their achievements and success stories. "I felt that divorced women are not only marginalised in the media but also rejected by their communities. That's why I decided to make my radio station a bridge so people can understand them without stereotyping or jumping to conclusions," Saber explained. The radio station presents topics related to divorced women and aims to have a positive impact on this group, pushing them to fulfill their dreams and ambitions, while overcoming social obstacles. Programmes on Radio Divorcée also feature psychologists who discuss the psychological trauma that can result from divorce and who provide helpful information on how divorced wom-
the construction of this dam, which will not only destroy the ecological balance, but also displace several thousands of people. This sudden announcement is likely to irk the Chinese government, and may result in a strained relationship between the two countries, at least for the time being. All these recent developments are encouraging steps for rapprochement, which the United States considers essential to democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar. In return for its national reconciliation efforts, what the Myanmarese government wants from the U.S. government is primarily the lifting of economic sanctions. The Myanmarese government believes that the Western sanctions, particularly by the European Union, will gradually be lifted if the United States begins to take such a step. In addition, the Myanmarese government wants the U.S. government to know its initiatives on human rights and peace with ethnic minorities. Such acknowledgement from the United States will boost the nominal civilian government domestically. Based on recent developments, it is safe to say that the U.S. government is serious about its rapprochement initiatives. It may not also be an exaggeration to say that the Myanmarese government is beginning to seize this opportunity. The Myanmarese government must unequivocally understand that while rapprochement with the United States is important, it is imperative that it begins genuine rapprochement with the country’s ethnic minorities, which remains the crux of Myanmar’s decades-old problems. Nehginpao Kipgen is a researcher on the rise of political conflicts in modern Myanmar and general secretary of the U.S.-based Kuki International Forum (www.kukiforum.com). He has written numerous analytical articles on the politics of Myanmar and Asia that have been widely published in five continents Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and North America.
en can support their children and successfully continue their lives. Other prominent Egyptian directors and film writers like Khaled Youssef, Khaled El-Hagar, Kamla Abu-Zekry and Yousry Nasrallah are also trying to portray women’s reality in their movies. Last year, for example, the feature-length film 678 was produced especially to discuss sexual harassment and how its victims can face their community and stand up for their rights in multiple ways. The movie’s storyline follows three fictional women from different socioeconomic backgrounds who experience harassment and decide to combat it by raising awareness about it, unlike most victims of sexual harassment – who all too often remain silent to protect their so-called “honour”. The movie had an impact on audiences because it was realistic, reflecting true stories affecting almost every woman in Egypt. This film paves the way for women not only to turn something scary and negative into something positive, but also to propel action by spreading the word and becoming role models for other women in the same position. Radio Divorcée and 678 provide the film industry with examples of what media can do for real women. The first step is to raise awareness of these issues – like harassment, incest, arranged marriages and other all too common problems. In the year of the historic Egyptian revolution, it is time to revolutionise film and draw inspiration from the issues that really impact our communities.
A Man who cared for posterity
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he recent passing away of M. Sekhose, former president of Tenyimi Peoples Organisation (TPO) is a huge loss and setback for the Tenyimi peoples in particular and the Nagas in general. Late Mr.Sekhose according to the various letters of condolences in the local media have played the pioneering part in trying to proactively engage his kindred community members to resolve contentious issues created by the imposition of the modern state system over the local indigenous Naga peoples in northeast India and their territorial space in the later half of the twentieth century. The gradual intrusion of state controlled structures followed by inroads by the various forces of Globalization and the resultant crave for exploitation of hitherto undisturbed ecosystem in many parts of the Naga country have led to many tensions today spilling out in various negatives forms such as parochial communalism, environment degradation and heartless exploitation of natural resources in search of quick wealth over the common resources. The Zeliangrong peoples whose territories are now split into Assam, Manipur and Nagaland state are at the receiving end of many vested forces. The recent appeal by one environmentally conscious citizen from Dimapur to discourage butchering of hapless migratory birds in the city should be an eye opener for the people in the region particularly Naga people of northeast whose territory remains a global biodiversity hotspot. The emerging global warming/ climate movement to reduce environment destruction for our own human sustainability should be vigorously pursued by the society of today. The catastrophic earthquake in Sikkim and growing changes in climatic pattern in our region should draw all of us, as actors, to address this modern dilemma. The common people in the villages for instance rely greatly till date on the multitudes of wild forest products given to us by the Creator and Mother earth. But many environmentalists today predict the likely destruction of this wealth if we do not take responsibility to protect and conserve our environment today. These environmental change in our region as a result of overall global warming process is greatly to impact our communities particularly, our sustainable livelihood, food security, health, culture and economy. We as its inhabitants and overseers have a responsibility collectively to ensure its sustainability for the sake of our future generations. The anti-social waves in our society particularly in the cosmopolitan areas of the state displays an acute deficit for respect of human rights and responsibility for humane dignity, lack of clean environment and sanitation consciousness, uneven equity in the society, and willful craze for any position, consumerism without responsibility and abuse of power for selfish ends rather for the common good. Its time for all to take a pause, reflect and act. The gradual move for positive engagement of communities under conflicts, for creative and mutual resolution of issues and the search for peaceful protection of natural forests zone for collective interest of the nation was a remarkable effort. The keen interest and initiative taken by senior patriarch like late Sekhose in leading a people’s movement for an environment conscious agenda for the welfare of posterity is fully acknowledged. May his soul rest in peace. May his life be an example to the upcoming generation to emulate. And as a mark of respect for such eminent leaders 'who walk their talk' the state and society should also forge their effort unitedly towards making real peace to protect the environment and to educate the society for an peaceable and an environmentally reliable path which upholds our common human dignity, care and responsibility for environment and addressing conflict creatively. With prayers, C.Ashupralo FERN Northeast Dimapur
Rasha Dewedar is an Egyptian journalist with a special interest in the Middle East, gender issues and science. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
Status of Multi Drug Resistant Disaster risk reduction; An everyday concern for everybody Tuberculosis (MDR TB)
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hat is becoming equally apparent, however, is the importance of resilience - not only in the structures we design and build but in the way we perceive, cope with, and reshape our lives after the worst has happened. To use change to better cope with the unknown. In ancient times, cities like Pompeii were simply abandoned after disaster struck - a move that today strikes us as unthinkable. But learning to bounce back is an emergent behaviour that must be both improvised and adaptive. And our creativity is vital. With the UN’s celebration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction with the theme “Making Children and Youth Partners in Disaster Risk Reduction” and slogan “Step Up for Disaster Risk Reduction.” The International Day for Disaster Reduction aims to raise awareness about what we can do to reduce risk. This year it focuses on children. For, while it is true that they are more vulnerable to risk, they also have amazing qualities that can make them more creative: an open mind, curiosity and no inhibitions about asking questions. And, as we work towards reducing risk, we need to have them on board and give them a role towards building a disaster-resilient society. There has always been a perception that disasters strike most often in poor countries. Certainly a cursory glance at disasters over the past decade shows that the losses of life and destruction of the economy are far greater in these more vulnerable regions. And it is true that the three main categories of “natural” disasters - floods, earthquakes and tropical cyclones, which account for 90 per cent of the world’s direct losses - tend to revisit the same geographic zones. As if to complete the vicious natural cycle, these disasters in turn limit the ability of those communities to emerge from the mire of poverty. This year, for example, the Eastern Horn of Africa has seen the worst regional drought in 60 years, with the lives and future of more than 12.4 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti at serious risk. However, the disaster is not only the result of failed rains, but also underlying chronic problems such as limited water supplies, increased populations, migration patterns and environmental degradation, all of which have increased vulnerability. But wealthier, well-developed communities are far from immune. In 2005, in New Orleans, it was not Hurricane Katrina that devastated the community, but flooding, caused by the faulty design specifications and substandard construction and maintenance of the levees. The city, America later acknowledged, had been badly prepared. This year the New Zealand city of Christchurch was devastated on 22 February when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake destroyed most of the central business district and left many outlying suburbs uninhabitable. Though the country is known as the Shaky Isles, seismologists had not predicted such extreme activity in that part of the Can-
Get involved in disaster risk reduction education! Using hands-on models to teach about school safety by IMMOD in Bodrum, Turkey.
terbury region. Now, however, with its historic buildings largely destroyed, Christchurch is looking to the future and rebuilding a new and very different sort of city. Weeks later, on 14 March, the Japanese island of Honshu was rocked by a 8.9 quake - one of the largest ever recorded - and the city subsumed by 14ft tides in the subsequent tsunami. These examples show that, even when armed with considerable resources, it is extremely difficult to anticipate and prepare for such unpredictable threats. So, how can society face this challenge? The term “resilience” has been widely adopted by researchers and policy makers to describe the way they would like to reduce our society’s susceptibility to disasters. Derived from the Latin verb resilire, meaning to rebound or recoil, it was introduced by Thomas Tredgold in the early 18th century to describe a property of timber, and to explain why some types of wood were able to accommodate sudden and severe loads without breaking. But developing societal resilience is not just about erecting large sea walls or highly engineered structures. Modern studies on disaster management focus not only on making buildings resilient, but on people and organisations, too. In the first instance, resilience is seen as the ability to accommodate abnormal or periodic threats and disruptive events, be they terrorist actions, the results of climatic change, earthquakes and floods, or an industrial accident. Identifying, assessing and communicating the risks are therefore vital components and those people and nations which are prepared for an abnormal event tend to be more resilient. But we live in a world which is constantly evolving and those systems, organisations and people who are able and willing to adapt tend also to be more resilient. Creative solutions,
the ability to improvise and the capacity to change will be essential if we are to keep addressing the challenges posed by what is often seen as an unbounded threat. As society becomes more complex, resilient communities tend to be those which are well co-ordinated and share common values and beliefs. It is a sense of interconnectedness that can be undermined by self-interest and personal gain. Understanding the link between the physical and social environment will be vital in developing “connectedness”. Increasingly, people are aware that while change is sometimes gradual and that things can move forward in continuous and predictable ways, change can also be sudden, disorganising and turbulent. Resilience provides a better understanding of how society should respond to disruptive events and accommodate change. Basing on the theme; the UN Children’s Charter “An Action for Disaster Risk Reduction for Children by Children” presents five essential points. The Charter highlights five priorities identified through consultations with more than 600 children in 21 countries. Education, child protection and access to basic information were the main issues the children believed necessary to reduce the impact of disasters and climate change on their families and communities. The five priorities in the Children's Charter for Disaster Risk Reduction are: 1. Schools must be safe - education must be uninterrupted. 2. Child protection must be a priority, before, during and after a disaster. 3. Children and young people have the right to participate and to access the information they need. 4. Community infrastructure must be safe, and relief and reconstruction must help reduce future disaster risk. 5. Disaster risk reduction must reach the most vulnerable. This charter is designed on why and how children can be involved in reducing disaster risk, and keeping themselves and their communities safe. Reducing disaster risk is everybody's business, and needs everyone's participation and investment. And for our future safety – Governments, companies and communities need to systematically include children and young people's participation in their decision-making processes for building disaster resilient societies, Policy makers should recognize that children and young people-led organizations and initiatives are a valuable resource and involve them in DRR efforts., Children and young people can and should be involved in reducing risk to disasters. This includes getting organized to lobby for more investment in disaster risk reduction at the local and community level by governments and companies, their actions to reduce disaster risk need to be recognized, including how these actions link into national and community development such as achieving the Millennium Development Goals. (LITHSA) Kiphire : Nagaland
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ne of the greatest challenge to TB Control is the problem of Multi Drug Resistant TB(MDR TB).India has 2nd highest MDR-TB burden in the world after China. In India, the available information from the several drug resistance surveillance studies conducted in the past suggest that the rate of MDR-TB is relatively low in India. As per WHO estimates 99,000 MDR cases emerged in 2008. However this translates into a large absolute number of cases and as yet the management of patients with MDR-TB is inadequate. The prevalence of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB), defined as resistance to isoniazid and rifampicin with or without resistance to other drugs, is found to be at a low level in most of the region. Specific measures are being taken within the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) to address the MDR-TB problem through appropriate management of patients and strategies to prevent the propagation and dissemination of MDR-TB. MDR-TB is essentially a man-made phenomenon – poor treatment, poor drugs and poor adherence lead to the development of MDR-TB. The key focus is on prevention through sustained high-quality DOTS implementation and rational use of anti-TB drugs Traditionally, DOTS-Plus refers to DOTS programmes that add components for MDR-TB diagnosis, management and treatment. It is envisioned that by the year 2010 the DOTS Plus services will be introduced in all the states across the country. By 2012, it is aimed to extend these services to all smear positive retreatment cases and new cases who have failed an initial first line drug treatment. And by 2015, these services will be made available to all smear positive pulmonary TB cases registered under the programme. It is intended to treat at least 30,000 MDR cases annually by 2012-13. The five essential components of the DOTS-Plus strategy are • Sustained government commitment; • Accurate, timely diagnosis through quality assured culture and drug susceptibility testing; • Appropriate treatment utilizing second-line drugs under strict supervision; • Uninterrupted supply of quality assured anti-TB drugs; and • Standardized recording and reporting system. In India,10 States are implementing DOTS Plus services while another 5 States will be initiating the services shortly. In Nagaland, DOTS Plus services is expected to roll out in two phases. In the 1st phase which is expected to be launched by Dec 2011 at TB Hospital Khuzama the districts of Kohima, Dimapur Kiphire, Peren, Phek and Wokha will be covered. Subsequently, in the 2nd Phase, TB Hospital Mokochung will cater to the remaining five Districts. Investigation and treatment will also be free of cost. Dr. K.T. Lotha State TB Officer (RNTCP) Directorate of Health & Family Welfare Nagaland, Kohima
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