12 dec 2021

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXXII No. 10

DIMAPUR, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021 Pages 12 ` 5.00

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INTERNATIONAL, PAGE 9

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KU seeks apology from HM for statement on Dec. 4 killings

Correspondent

MON, DEC 11 (NPN): Konyak Union (KU) on Saturday has demanded an apology from the Union home minister Amit Shah to Konyaks in particular and Nagas in general, for his statement in Parliament on December 6, that the Oting massacre was due to mistaken identity.

This was stated by Konyak Union spokespersons-- T. Yanlem and Yingphe Konyak- at a press conference at the KU Hall here Saturday.

Yanlem also reminded about the 30-day deadline served by KU for taking action against those security forces involved in the shooting incident and also for the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to make its report public within 30 days.

Konyak Union has said that once its 7-day mourning period was over, various committees formed by it will pursue the avowed objective

of justice for the victims of December 4 massacre at Oting.

Yanlem said it has been closely monitoring the entire situation since December 4 where the entire sequence of events till date were out in public domain.

Without naming any, Yanlem said that some print media had given wrong information that the incident was an ambush between security forces and NSCN (K).

Taking note of many “topsy turvy” news in circulation, the union stressed “We should try to pick up the ones that are factual and Konyak Union is very particular about that.”

Narrating the sequence of incidents on December 4, he said, first eight boys returning from coal mine (at Tiru) were ambushed in the evening, of which six were killed on the spot and two who were grievously injured, were taken away.

Yanlem said when the youths did not reach their

T Yanlem and Yingphe Konyak addressing the media at the KU Office, Mon town on Saturday. (NP)

village at Oting even after night fell, the villagers feared the worst. Eventually at around 8.30 p.m. KU said a team was formed to go and look for the youths.

The team then arrived at the scene but instead found the bodies of the slain youths in the vehicle of the 21 Paras hidden under a sheet. This shocking discovery made the villagers very angry and after which a scuffle ensued with the 21 Paras. KU said in the fracas, the 21 Paras opened fire against the villager and again seven more were killed on the spot.

Yanlem demanded to

know about the role of the troops of 21 Para of Indian Army, based at Jorhat in the December 4 incident.

He also accused 21 Paras of trying to put on camouflage dress on the bodies of the victims and placing weapons on their sides to “tell the world that the innocent villagers were terrorists killed in the encounter”. He also condemned such an attempt to fake an encounter was wrong as the youths were on their way home for the weekend to attend Sunday devotional service the next day with their families.

He also questioned

Mass rally in Tizit on Oting massacre

Protestors seen holding banners and placards during the mass rally on Saturday. (PTI)

the 21 Paras to fire in selfdefence?

Drawing attention on the purported statement made by a unit of Aam Aadmi Party that the slain boys were “terrorists”, he demanded proof or source of information for which the party made such a sweeping remark.

He also recalled that as a member of ENPO from 2007, KU has given a slogan that Eastern area should be a peace zone. Yanlem also wondered whether the agreements-- 2015 Framework Agreement signed between NSCN (I-M) and Government of India and the 2017 Agreed Position between Centre and NNPGs-were being implemented in true spirit.

He said all these agreements were signed to ensure that Nagas were brought to the mainstream but now questioned whether this was the way to bring the people to the mainstream?

It also reminded that

tors also condemned union home minister Amit Shah’s statement in the Parliament that the botched-up ambush was a case of “mistaken identity”. They also demanded apology from Amit Shah for his “false” statement in Parliament.

Furious protestors also burnt effigies of Amit Shah and Indian army. One of the protestors said that the charter of demands placed by the apex body-- Konyak Union should be fulfilled without any delay.

Asserting that they should not test the patience of the people, the protestor said that they will not rest until justice was delivered and the guilty were punished.

Correspondent

KOHIMA, DEC 11 (NPN): Temperature in the State Capital plummeted to a new low on Saturday, marking the first drastic drop for the month. While the beginning of December saw a variation between 30°C and 29°C till the December 10, there was a drop of 7°C on Saturday.

The decrease in temperature was the first significant drop for the month with further descend forecasted towards the end of the month. Temperature at night dropped a whopping 10 points from 17°C on Friday to 7 °C on Saturday.

Of course, these will not be lowest as the last week of the month has colder days in store with temperature

during the day to remain 18°C and night to 5°C, just above freezing point.

Apart from the rain that caused the upset in temperature on December 7 and 8, more rains in the fourth week of the month would be the main contributor to the almost freezing temperatures in the last week of the month.

For 2020, the lowest temperature recorded during day time was 23°C, while night recorded 10°C for the entire month of December. Comparatively, the drop in 5°C for both day and night this year is a new record in itself as the average temperature for the month in the last 10 years is 24°C during the day and 11°C at night.

Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).

Both young and old were seen with placards, some of which read: “Stop killing unarmed civilians, “Revoke Armed Forces (Sp. Powers) Act”, “Stop statesponsored terrorism”, “We

CDS chopper crash: 6 more bodies identified

For the first time since 2nd wave, no Covid deaths in 7 days

This is it!

"I guess for you, covid will always be most dangerous on Sunday."

K Y M C

WEEKLY DATA OF CONFIRMED CASES AND DEATHS 1250 1000 CASES

24 17

24-30

JULY

hima- 4. Three new admissions were reported during the week—two in Kohima and one in Dimapur.

Meanwhile, over 13

7-13

AUG

5

21-27

403

359

591

597

732

689

10-16

225

8

305

180

311

26-2

JUNE

640

623

0

12

405

250

DEATHS

12

500

446

750

662

DIMAPUR, DEC 11 (NPN): Nagaland reported zero Covid-19 deaths during the week (December 4-10), the first time since the second wave of the pandemic hit the state. According to the Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) department’s weekly bulletin released on Saturday, the state also witnessed a decline in Covid-19 positive cases, with only 16 cases being reported from the week, while the State’s weekly sample positivity rate stood at 0.4%.

Of the 16 cases, Dimapur reported 12 and Ko-

an Assam Rifles rifleman Khatnei Konyak from Mon district had laid down his life fighting militants in Manipur. Despite such sacrifices being made by people from Konyak area, KU questioned whether such was the gift by killing innocent civilians.

Also addressing the media, Yingphe Konyak took exception to the statement made by union home minister Amit Shah and said it was “very shameful on the part of Government of India to make such a huge statement”.

She said Amit Shah should have first checked his facts before addressing Parliament.

“Amit Shah has to clarify, apologise and ask for forgiveness from the Konyak people and the people of Nagaland,” Yingphe demanded.

She also demanded to know which army law mandated an army man to change dress of civilians

after shooting them dead?

On Shah’s claim that the incident was a “mistaken identity”, she asked how they could be not identified when the incident had taken place around 4.30 p.m. in broad daylight?

She said Shah, as a Union home minister, should also know the meaning of an ambush-- a surprise attack from a hidden position. She said when security forces were meant to protect the civilians, attacking them from a hidden position was shameful too.

She expressed dismay that government of India handled the entire incident with an indifferent attitude, which the Northeast had been facing for over 60 years.

On the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) of 1958, Yingphe alleged that it was nothing but to torture, rape and kill and that Northeast could not be made as a practice ground.

(Cont’d on p-8)

Mercury plummets in Kohima Oting killing: Dimapur-based

DIMAPUR, DEC 11 (NPN): Hundreds of residents of Tizit, under the aegis of Tizit covil societies, took out a mass protest rally on Saturday to protest against the killing of 14 civilians at Oting and also demanded the repeal of

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (AGENCIES): The bodies of six more soldiers, among the 13 people killed in the December 8 Coonoor crash, were identified and sent to their hometowns on Saturday for last rites, officials familiar with the development said.

The personnel whose bodies have been identified include Wg. Commander PS Chauhan, pilot of the Mi-17V5 helicopter, Sqd. Leader Kuldeep Singh, copilot, junior warrant officer RP Das, junior warrant officer Arakkal Pradeep, L/ Naik Vivek Kumar and L/ Naik BS Teja.

Four more were yet to be identified.

want justice” etc. The rally began from Pentom Junction to Nagaland check gate.

The protestors said that unless the guilty security personnel were punished and justice delivered, the people of Tizit will not remain silent. The protes-

how 21 Para commandos, as an elite force acted in such a manner by depending solely on wrong information given by certain individual(s) or sources. The sheer act of madness on the part of the 21 Paras had resulted in the loss of lives of innocent civilians, he said.

Further, Yanlem also questioned the remark made by one Maj (retd) Gaurav Arya-- who is the adviser on defence and strategy of Republic news channel, that the incident was the result of an encounter and the security forces had acted in self-defence. Maintained that the question of firing in self-defence did not arise as the victims were unarmed and innocent villagers.

Yanlem also said after the first few shots were fired, the 21 Paras should have realised that there was no return fire. It demanded to know from Maj (retd) Gaurav Arya as to what arms or weapons were used by the victims which led

8

4-10

18-24

145 137142 3 2-8

SEP

OCT

lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine were administered across the state. Low coverage districts like Kiphire also reported a good im-

4 16-22

122

6 94 68 67 56 34 3 3 160 4 1 30-5

NOV

13-19

27-3 4-10

DEC

provement in coverage (4% increase), the department stated.

With the new variant-Omicron, classified as a

variant of Concern (VOC)

by WHO due to a large number of mutations especially on the spike protein, the department said that vaccination coverage of the state will be critical to prevent more deaths and hospitalizations in the subsequent waves.

State logs 5 fresh cases: Nagaland on Saturday recorded five fresh cases while no deaths were reported for the eight consecutive day. Of the fresh cases, three were from Dimapur and two in Kohima, taking the total caseload to 32151.

CSOs demand arrest of SFs

NCD members submitting the memorandum to DC.

DIMAPUR, DEC 11 (NPN): Dimapur-based civil society organisations (CSOs) have demanded arrest all Indian Armed Forces officers and personnel involved in the shooting incidents of December 4 and 5, and prosecute them in criminal courts as any other criminals/murderers under the CrPC, Indian Penal Code and other penal laws.

In a joint memorandum to gover nor Prof Jagdesh Mukhi, copies of which were addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Neiphiu Rio, Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) along with Dimapur-based CSOs and tribal hohos/unions, also demanded revocation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 from all Nagas-inhabited land immediately so that Nagas could live at peace.

They pointed out that AFSPA was not only a threat to the people, but also

a threat to the basic structure of the Constitution of India.

“It is undemocratic and inhuman in as much as it has grossly violated human rights,” they added.

The NCD-led CSOs further demanded immediate removal of the tag “Friends of the Hill People” used by Assam Rifles, besides inducting eminent and independent person(s) in the investigation, which should be completed within shortest time possible.

Seeking early settlement to the protracted Naga political issue, the memorandum condemned the massacre committed by the Indian Armed Forces and the “fictitious and deceiving” statement of Union home minister Amit Shah in Parliament.

The also called for immediately meeting the demands put forth by Konyak Union before the Prime Minister. This was stated in a press release by NCD.

Maradona’s stolen watch found in Assam; 1 held ICMR’s new kit to detect Covid-19 in 2 hours GUWAHATI, DEC 11 (AGENCIES): A watch belonging to the legendary Diego Maradona that went missing from his Dubai residence has been found in the possession of one Wazid Husain who according to Assam police was working as a domestic help in his villa.

On specific information from Dubai police the Superintendent of Police, Sibsagar on Friday night operation raided the residence of Wazid Hussain in Sibsagar but couldn’t find him there.

“We traced Wazid in his in-laws residence at Charaideo. He has been apprehended and we are interrogating him. The Heritage

Maradona's watch and (R) the accused in police custody.

Hubot watch which has the football legend initials, his famous number 10 and his logo printed on it was found from his possession. It’s a single edition watch and the normal one is worth rupees 15 lakhs in the market and

this one is priceless. Wazid has been non cooperative so far and there have been many things missing from the Dubai house, the watch is one among them," explained Rakesh Roushan, SP Sibsagar.

According to father Altaf Hussain, Wazid after his marriage in 2005 has been staying with his in-laws and visits them occasionally. Altaf said that his son went to UAE in 2015 and returned in August 2021 August.

Wazid at one point of time claimed that the watch was gifted to him by one “Nigerian acquaintance Derik in Dubai”. The police however have negated this version of Wazid saying that keeping in view the value of the watch, the option of giving it as a gift does not arise. The state police was in close coordination with its Dubai counterparts for further course of action.

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 ( AG E N C I E S ) : I n d i a n Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in Dibrugarh, has designed a Covid-19 testing kit, which is capable of detecting new Covid variant Omicron in just two hours.

The development is significant amid the rising cases of Omicron in many states.

ICMR team, led by scientist Dr Biswajyoti Borkakoty, has developed this new Covid-19 testing kit. The scientists’ team claims to detect the Omicron variant in 2 hours, ANI reported.

Meanwhile, it takes around three to four days to detect the Omicron Covid-19 variant with the cur-

rent testing kits available in the market. However, if the testing kit developed by the ICMR-Dibrugarh is able to detect the virus in real-time, it could immensely help stop the spread of the virus.

“ICMR-RMRC, Dibrugarh, has designed and developed a hydrolysis probe-based real-time RTPCR assay for detection of the new Omicron variant that can detect the new variant within 2 hours. This is important because as of now a minimum of 36 hours is required for targeted sequencing and 4 to 5 days for whole-genome sequencing to detect the variant,” said Dr Borkakoty.

“The kit has been tested against specific synthetic gene fragments of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 within two different highly specific unique regions of the spike protein and also reference wild type control synthetic gene fragments. Internal validation has shown that the tests are 100 per cent accurate,” he said.

India has so far reported 33 cases of Omicron.

However, as per the initial examination of the new variant, health experts say that it may not be as powerful as the delta variant of Covid, which had a huge infection rate and caused many deaths across the world.

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2

STATE

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

SBAK-Aizuto 7th triennial conference underway Welcome ceremony for first batch

A section of the congregation at the 7th triennial conference of SBAK-Aizuto.

DIMAPUR: Sümi Baptist A k u k u h o u Ku q h a k u l u (SBAK)-Aizuto 7th triennial conference got underway at Phuye New Baptist Church from December 11 on the theme “God’s word endures forever.

In a press release, ZTSBC media supervisor Bombo K Yeptho informed that during the first service, executive secretary Rev. Mulato Chishi presented the word of God and prayer

followed by the welcome song by host church and welcome note by Akukau Phuye New Village, Toiho Yeptho.

Executive council of its association president, Dr. Pihoto Khala addressed the congregation while urban mission SBAK director, Rev. Dr. Joshua Rochill spoke on the theme.

Dr. Rochill encouraged the believers to remain firm and hold on to faith

regardless of circumstances and situations in one’s life for the word of God was still alive and nothing could come to pass until it was fulfilled.

As a believer of this present time, we must hold on to the word of God much more than the philosophy and culture of this world, the reverend exhorted.

In the programme, e x - e v a n g e l i s t R e v.

Henito Achumi said the

Delhi Public School Dimapur participates in postcard campaign D I M A P U R : Commemorating 75 years of India’s Independence, the students of Delhi Public School (DPS) Dimapur from Classes IV to IX and XI participated in the “letter to prime minister”, a postcard writing campaign on the topics “unsung heroes of the freedom struggle” and “my vision for India in 2047” on December 10.

A press release from the school informed that the event began with addresses from the principal, B.K Nanda and postal assistant, office of the PMG North East region, Dimapur, L. Imtikumzuk.

Students participating in the postcard campaign at DPS on December 10.

More than 500 students took part in the campaign.

It may be mentioned that the campaign is initiated by the department of posts, ministry of communications

in collaboration with the department of school education and literacy, ministr y of education as part of the ongoing celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mohatsav.

benediction.

Meanwhile on the second day, ex-pastor, Rev. Khuviqhe said the invocation, Aghunato area church leaders presented special song and Anderson Theological College presented the choir.

In the word of God, literature secretary, Rev. Picuto Yepthomi spoke on the topic “fighting the battle on knees”.

R e v. Ye p t h o m i encouraged the congregation and said that though the battle was tough, there would be victory if one fought it on the knees.

He cited examples from the lives of godly men and women in the Bible such as Daniel who fought the battle on the knees though there was an evil device against him and his faith.

In the same way he took the example of queen Esther who stood for her people in prayer and sought deliverance in the mighty hand of God.

When one kneels in prayer in the presence of God there is miraculous victory and deliverance in our lives, Rev. Yepthomi said. He pointed out that prayer was not a time to ask or demand all that people wanted but it should be more like asking what God wanted us to do and what His will was.

A special ceremony for ordaining four pastors as reverend was also conducted during the service ministered by its association executive secretar y Rev. Mulato Chishi.

There would be declaration of new SBAK staff and pastor transfer during the following services.

It may be mentioned that during this this conference, advisor tourism, art & culture, Khehovi Yeptho would grace the conference as special guest while K.K. Sema, IAS retd would deliver the word of encouragement.

ANM held at ICH Mokokchung

DIMAPUR: Impur Christian Hospital (ICH) held a welcome ceremony for the first batch of students of the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) on December 8.

A press release from Ao Baptist Arogo Mungdang (ABAM) informed that during the programme, chairman board of trustees ICH Impur, Dr. Sashimeren Aier said that all glory was given to God for this achievement.

He also acknowledged the government for issuing a no objection certificate for running of the school.

During his exhortation, ABAM church & mission secretary, Rev. L. Yapang Mollier encouraged the students to remember the three principles laid by Apostle Paul which was “to lay aside every weight, run with patience, and look unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith

First batch students of the ANM along with ABAM representatives at the programme.

(Hebrews 12:1)”.

Meanwhile, ABAM executive secretary, Rev. Dr. Mar Pongener expressed g ratitude to the board of tr ustees led by Dr. Sashimeren Aier who had worked without any sign of attrition to bringing the milestone into reality.

He ruminated on God’s bountiful blessings

upon ICH since its inception and expressed appreciation to local churches, families and individuals for their prayers and contributions toward ICH. The program ended with thanksgiving to God and asking His blessings upon ICH. Altogether, 20 students across the state are enrolled for the course.

Two-day workshop for fellows under MGNF held

DIMAPUR: Directorate o f e m p l oy m e n t , s k i l l development and entrepreneurship organised a two-day sensitisation workshop from December 8-9 for fellows under Mahatma Gandhi National Fe l l o w s h i p ( M G N F ) prog ramme under the World Bank assisted “Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP)” project of the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE).

According to a DIPR report, while addressing the workshop, director, employment, s k i l l d e ve l o p m e n t & entrepreneurship and State Skill Development Mission

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

(SSDM), Chiden Yaden stated that the event was organised to understand the experiences of the fellows and enable them to learn from stakeholders in the state’s skilling ecosystem.

MGNF manager from Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIMK), Sreekanth CN apprised the gathering of the structure, objective a n d r o l e s o f va r i o u s stakeholders under the MGNF programme.

L a t e r, ex p e r i e n c e s h a r i n g b y f e l l ow s, presentations by training providers and visit to

centres were also held.

The programme was chaired by deputy director, DESD&E, Zubemo Lotha Tsanglao, presentations were made by YouthNet director Noune Chase, f o u n d e r / C E O, E d u centre Lezo Putsure and DESD&E Menguzelie Suohu.

It may be mentioned that the MGNF programme is an initiative of MSDE, implemented by SSDM and IIMK as the academic partner.

MGNF program was initiated to address the issue of non-availability of

dedicated professionals at district level for effective skill planning and management.

C u r r e n t l y, t h e r e are 12 research fellows placed in each district of

Nagaland under MGNF to work closely with the district administration and strengthen the district skill committees headed by the deputy commissioners (DCs).

25th DEATH ANNIvERSARy of Late N. LEPZUNG IMSONG

22.04.1971 – 12.12.1996 “Good men must die, but death cannot erase their names”

Sadly missed along life's way Quietly remembered every day No longer in our life to share

K-2370/21

Loving Dad, mom, brothers, sisters and loved ones.

dp-5939/21

But in our hearts you always will be.

GRATITUDE

“God called your name so softly, that only you could hear; And no one heard the footsteps, of angels drawing near.

The golden gates stood open, God saw you needed rest; His garden must be beautiful, He only takes the best” We, the family members of Late H. IMTIMEREN CHANG conveys our heartfelt and sincere gratitude to each and every individuals, organizations and well-wishers for your physical, moral, financial and material support at the sudden demise of our beloved husband/father/brother on 3rd December 2021.

We regret our inability to thank everyone individually but it is our sincere prayer that our Almighty God bless each one of you abundantly.

dp-5943/21

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Loving Wife, Children, Grandchildren, Relatives & In-laws.

Late AKHI SEMA PHUCHO 31st Oct’ 1933 – 5th Nov’ 2021

Words are not enough to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and everyone who shared our grief during the brief illness and demise of our beloved father at Nagabazar, Kohima. We record our indebtedness to the various churches, groups, friends, residents of Nagabazar Colony, doctors and nurses of KOHIMAS Hospital and all well wishers for upholding us spiritually, physically & materially in times of our loss. It is our humble prayer that our Almighty God bless each of you greatly for your kind deeds.

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Mrs. Imelho Phucho, Children, In-laws, Grand Children & Great Grand Children K Y M C

STATE

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

nagalandpost.com Poll Q.: Has the UN and other nations made enough noise against the killings in Myanmar?

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

A B C

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

A

B

Yes. No. Can’t Say.

C

12% 83% 5%

NEXT POLL

Q: Are growing atrocities

against Christians a sign that anti-minority minds dominate India ?  Yes.  No.  Can’t Say.

WEATHER FORECAST DECEMBER 12

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala Hazu sun

27 13

Aizawl

Nice with plenty of sun

Guwahati Hazu sun Imphal

Nice with plenty of sunshine

Itanagar Mostly sunny and pleasant

22 9 27 12 24 8 23 12

Shillong

Hazu sun

18 6

Kohima

Plenty of sunshine

19 7

Dimapur Nice with plenty of sunshine

25 12

Pleasant with plenty of sun

22 9

Mkg

Tuensang Mostly sunny and cooler

14 4

Sunshine

19 11

Zunheboto Abundant sunshine

19 7

Wokha

‘Rich resources reflects scope for agri activities’

Neiba Kronu and others at the CYF conference, Pfutsero on Saturday. (NP)

Correspondent KOHIMA, DEC 11 (NPN): Minister for planning & coordination, land revenue and parliamentary affairs, Neiba Kronu on Saturday, said that the Chakhesangs were blessed with rich natural resources which reflected immense scope for agri and allied activities.

Speaking as the guest speaker at the 13th biennial general conference of Chakhesang Youth Front (CYF) on the theme “the essence of unity” at multipurpose hall Pfutsero, Kronu assured market avenues for agricultural products.

He advised the farmers to take up agricultural activities in extensive manner and ensure that there was no space for wasteland.

The minister informed that the government was

also working on improving the connectivity by undertaking various roads projects in Phek district.

Once the road and power are in proper shape, holistic development in other areas will follow suit, he said.

He appreciated the stands of the CYF in supervising the two-lane projects being undertaken within Chakhesang areas and its effort to curb illegal taxation within its jurisdiction.

Kronu called on the Chakhesang youth to take the lead in setting good trends in all aspects and to inculcate work culture.

Stressing on the enormous scope for tourism and agriculture in Phek district, he urged the people to focus in those areas with utmost interest to boost the rural economy.

Nicky Kire graces 64th D. Khel Day

Dr Nicky Kire speaking at the 64th D Khel Day in Kohima on Saturday. (NP)

Correspondent KOHIMA, DEC 11 (NPN): The 64th Dapfhütsumia (D Khel) Day 2021 was observed at D Khel ground here, on Saturday.

In his address, special guest of the event, advisor, urban development and municipal affairs, Dr Neikiesalie Nicky Kire conveyed greetings to the members who had gathered to celebrate the day after a lapse of two years. He said there was a need for the educated youth to know which line to pursue their careers as many people often landed up in the wrong profession.

Dr Nicky, who is also a member of the Khel called upon his fellow members for more coordination and understanding as they work together for the welfare of the people. He said unless a group of people met often it would be hard for them to stay closely knitted thus leading to differences, misunderstanding and lack of progress.

Expressing happiness over the free tuition provid-

ed by members of the youth, Nicky said the youth should consider such services as blessings and do it with all their heart.

He said that helping out the lesser privileged children was a noble service, therefore he urged elders to encourage the youth to come up with such activities.

Reminding the people of some good habits they practiced such as being courteous, greeting each other, especially elders at any given opportunity, he urged the younger generations to keep up the same practices as it had inspired people from other states.

Meanwhile, he suggested that his fellow members initiate cleanliness drives in their respective surroundings which, he said, would be an example to others.

He pointed out that many people did not hesitate to dispose their garbage even in public places.

In this regard, he strongly urged the people to discontinue such habits.

Dr. Nicky challenged gazetted officers of the Khel

to lead in the habit of carrying waste bins in their vehicles so that they did not litter and at the same time show the rest of the people that one should be responsible of their own hygiene.

The officers, being the educated folks should initiate the move to create a new beginning for the whole village, he stated.

The programme was chaired by D Khel council, vice chairman Khriesatuo Keretsü, welcome address was delivered by chairman Pelesielie Khezhie, secretary report was given by general secretary Ketounei Kire while joint secretary Keduoneiu Sachü proposed the vote of thanks.

Khedi Baptist Church, pastor, Dr Ruokuovilie Sachü invoked God’s blessings, special numbers were presented by Dziesekhrienuo Keretsü and Neikuolie Khezhie while Kikruneinuo Kire and friends presented a folk song.

More than 1,500 members of the Khel including guests came together to observe the day.

Urging the CYF to strictly enforce Chakhesang Public Organization (CPO) resolutions on banning, hunting and jungle burning, the minister also encouraged the youth not to feel shy to take up farming as it provided employment opportunity and selfreliance.

Meanwhile, CPO president, Mikha Kenye voiced against the alien culture which threatened the rich culture and traditional practice of the Chakhesang community.

He said the CPO was committed to preserve, protect and promote the rich culture and integrity of the Chakhesang community.

Citing CYF motto “Youth for the Nation”, Kenye urged them to defend the Christian faith and that the fate of a progressive

society lay on the positive approach of the youth.

CYF president Lhuvesayi Lohe said that it would continue to strictly enforce CPO resolutions regarding the ban on hunting, jungle burning and import of pork within CPO jurisdiction.

Lohe said CYF would continue supporting concerned agency or government for smooth implementation of developmental projects and activities within Chakhesang areas. He said that CYF would not tolerate any element which would derail the developmental projects.

CYF adopts 6-point resolution During the conference, CYF also adopted a six-point resolution which included: reduce the twodays CYF biennial general conference to only one day considering constraints in manpower, financial resources, time and logistical supports.

To carry out all the activities or resolution assigned to them by CPO; CYF will not allow illegal taxes and obstructions of developmental activities if any individuals, groups within Phek district, it resolved while also asserting to check the quality of all developmental activities undertaken by the state and centre governments and

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compoundable cases & motor accident cases tribunal (MACT).

Dimapur DLSA organised national Lok Adalat on where 103 cases were taken up and 76 cases were disposed. The total settlement amount was Rs.1, 69,20,818.

Kohima DLSA conducted Lok Adalat with PD and SJ cum chairperson Kohima DLSA Y Longkumer as presiding officer.

Altogether 379 cases were put up where 228 were bank recovery cases, nine telephone bill (pre-litigation) and one pending case out of which 31 was settled.

The total outstanding amount was Rs. 67,96,149.71 and settlement amount Rs. 35,18,791. The total amount weaved by

the banks and telephone through the national Lok Adalat was Rs 32,77,358.71.

In Mokokchung, a total of 15 cases were taken up and two cases with a total settlement amount of Rs, 77,000.

Longleng DLSA conducted Lok Adalat at district court Longleng and Tamlu Town EAC Hq where 26 cases were taken up and 26 disposed. Total amount settlement stood at Rs. 1,48,600.

Zunheboto DLSA conducted Lok Adalat at district court complex and disposed five cases taken up with a settlement amount of Rs. 15, 89,616.

Kiphire DLSA conducted Lok Adalat which was conducted by one

DIMAPUR: Enhulumi (Yoseba/Pfutsemi) Students’ Union [E(Y/P) SU] has expressed dissatisfaction over the speed of works by the NHIDCL along National Highway 29 on constr uction of 2-lane highway between Pfutsero and Chizami.

In a press release, E(Y/P)SU president Wekutsho Lohe and general secretary Eyiekhrote Vero stated that the work begun since mid-2021, however “not even a single kilometer stretch” was completed since the work commenced.

Stating that this had created inconvenience not only to the people living at Pfutsero-Chizami but also to the vehicles, E(Y/P)SU said the construction authority vowed to complete the construction of 2-lane

in the Enhulumi village jurisdiction before Christmas.

It said Christmas was only a week away however the black topping had yet not started. The union pointed out that the public also need to cooperate with construction authority in order to bring about effective road in the region.

E(Y/P)SU has, therefore appealed to individuals to cooperate with the construction works and asked the construction authority to maintain the road properly during construction so that the vehicles do not meet untoward incidents.

Fur ther, the union asked NHIDCL to speed up construction works and complete the construction as vowed to the public of Enhulumi village.

In commemoration of International Mountain Day, six DBCK NCC cadets along with Lt. Rokovinuo reached Mt. Pulie Badze, Jotsoma on Saturday. The cadets planted placards carrying the message “sustainable mountain tourism”.

They also collected plastics littered on the hill top.

APC forwards proposals at ICAR meeting DIMAPUR: APC Nagaland, Y. Kikheto Sema forwarded several proposals at the 25th regional committee meeting of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) through a video conference on Saturday.

According to a DIPR report, Kikheto said that even after 59 years of statehood, there was “no worth mentioning national or regional institute” in the state and appealed to consider the proposals.

CAU at State Agriculture Research Station Kikheto informed that about 70% of the state’s population was engaged in agriculture out of which 73% was under jhum agriculture, which he said was neither economically viable nor ecologically sustainable.

He however said that jhum cultivation could not be stopped, hence there was a need of Central Agricul-

ture University (CAU) specialising in upland or hill agriculture technologies.

Regional Centre for Soil & Water Conservation The APC stressed on the need to conserve soil and water and creation of water bodies and stated that after 58 years of statehood the union government had only recently sanctioned for soil testing labs in all 11 districts and mini STLs in all the 74 blocks of the state.

He therefore proposed for a regional centre for soil & water conservation to be established at SechuZubza where Soil & water Conservation Research and Training Centre had sufficient area of 21 hectares.

By this intervention, he said it would provide a platform to conduct basic and applied research in the field of soil & water conservation in the NER. Regional Livestock Centre on pigs in Zunheboto

Stating that Nagas were mostly pork lovers and considering the requirement being met through imports from other states APC said it was estimated that meat worth about Rs. 1,000 crores were imported annually to meet the local requirement.

In this regard, he proposed for a Regional Livestock Centre on pigs at Zunheboto district which was centrally located in the state where pig feeds could be easily procured and processed from nearby districts.

Establishment of Organic Hub with quality facilities Kikheto said that although the state was by and large organic, there were no institutes established to facilitate and screen for the quality parameters including certification body.

The normal organic certification process takes three years, he said.

CPO appeals for repeal of AFSPA

DIMAPUR: The Chakhesang Public Organisation (CPO) during its general body meeting at Zapami Village on December 10 condemned the Oting massacre on December 4 where lives “fell victim under the guise of AFSPA”.

In a press release, CPO president Mikha Kenye and general secretary Veduvo Rhakho informed that in this regard, the house strongly felt that AFSPA be repealed at the earliest and “allow one life to live in full without fear”.

Warns not hamper 2-lane road project

In the meeting, the house also seriously viewed the ongoing 2-lane road project under Chakhesang jurisdiction and resolved that any unauthorised elements in the form of individual, groups, village or town “trying to disturb or hamper the project” without valid reason would be “dealt with all seriousness”.

The house also urged the competent authorities to be more proactive.

Earlier during the meeting, speeches were also delivered by former NLA speaker Z. Lohe and executive secretary CBCC and former state chaplain, Rev. K. Lürüo.

National Lok Adalat: NSLSA disposes 212 cases

DIMAPUR: Along with the rest of the nation, district Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) across the state conducted the National Lok Adalat (people’s court) where a total of 212 cases were disposed with settlement involved in some of the cases amounted to a total of Rs. 3,08,64,322.

According to Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA) public relations assistant (PRA), Ketholeno Neihu, 11 Lok Adalat sitting benches were constituted in the respective district headquarters and a total of 736 cases were listed for compromise settlement which included cases in pending stage and in pre-litigation stage mostly in the category of bank recovery, criminal

shall report to the concerned authority for necessary action a and when required.

CYF would periodically check irregularities of public servants in the offices within those areas inhabited or occupied by the Chakhesang community; to hold its general main conference in area wise manner on roster basis within its jurisdiction from the forthcoming session.

The conference also approved the new team of CYF for the tenure 20222023 proposed by nomination committee with Vezhoduyi Nakro as president and Seve R. Vadeo as general secretary.

The programme was chaired by CYF vice president Zhietshüte Kapfo, Lasumi Baptist Church pastor, Rev Dr Dingu Kenye said the dedicatory prayer, CRC pastor Chikri Nasa Colony Pfutsero, Sapi Puro said the invocation while CYF general secretary Nyitso Therie proposed words of gratitude and Pfutsero Town Baptist Church pastor Dr Tshülingupe Kapfo said the benediction.

The gathering also observed a two-minute silence to remember the CYF and CPO leaders who had passed away and the massacre of 14 civilians by security forces in Mon district on December 4 and 5.

3 E(Y/P)SU expresses dismay over work along NH-29

presiding officer and one conciliator with bank representatives from SBI Kiphire branch and NSCB LTD, Kiphire. Altogether, 37 cases were taken up out of which three cases were disposed of.

The total settlement amount was Rs. 4,73,583.

Wokha DLSA conducted Lok Adalat where out of 10 pre-litigation cases, seven cases were disposed and one pending case was taken up. The total settlement amount was Rs. 12,62,797.

In Peren, the DLSA conducted Lok Adalat at Jalukie town, rest house with Jalukie SBI, Peren SBI and co-operative bank. A total of 33 cases were taken up and all cases were disposed with a settlement amount of

Rs 26,34,188.

In Tuensang, DLSA principal district and sessions judge cum chairman, Tuensang DLSA N. Longshithung Ezung and JMFC cum secretary Kumdilong Kessen were the presiding officer. Total pre-litigation cases taken up were 23 and 15 cases were disposed.

Total pending cases taken up were two and disposed two cases. Total cases taken up were 25 and disposed 17 cases and total settlement amount was Rs. 15,88,375.

Mon DLSA conducted Lok Adalat at district court front office where 59 bank recovery cases were taken up and 12 cases disposed. Total settlement amount was Rs. 276,367.

He however said that jhum fields remained productive only for two years during which most of the vegetables were produced.

In this, he proposed the possibility of certifying as organic after two years.

Naga Integrated Settled Farming Kikheto also urged the house to adopt the Naga Model of Integrated Settled Farming (NiSF).

He said that NiSF should be adopted by all the agri. & allied departments in a cluster mode and that the most important factor under this model was the availability of water.

He informed that this model was already being implemented at Boke-Botsa under Kohima district as pilot project and if the centre promoted the model, jhum areas could be reduced and forest protected simultaneously increasing ecological services.

Kikheto stated that

most of the centrally sponsored schemes and policies were designed for the mainland India as one-size-fitsall programmes.

He therefore said the policy makers and scientist should also focus on NER specific schemes and highlighted how there was much variation in cost norms for hilly regions because of the topographical challenges.

The APC proposed for a Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) for the new district of Noklak and assured that the state’s agri. & allied departments would continue to closely work with ICAR and KVKs for the benefit of the farming community.

Earlier, the meeting was chaired by secretary, DARE & director general, ICAR, DR. T. Mohapatra and attended by senior centre officials, vice chancellors, heads of ICAR institutions, scientists and officers of agriculture & allied departments of NER.

NEWS IN BRIEF

NGRC-1CU informs: Nagaland government registered class-1 contractors union (NGRC-1CU) has informed all concerned that its office would remain closed from December 16-January 16, 2022 on account of Christmas and New Year.

District level trg held in Kiphire: A district level refresher training for cold chain handler, district vaccine store manager, data entry operator and vaccine and cold chain manager at was conducted in the conference hall of district hospital Kiphire on December 7.

NSCN (I-M) UT recovers vehicle: NSCN (I-M) UT has recovered a two-wheeler, hero maestro edge scooty, bearing chassis number MBUF33AAGGLO7241 and engine number JF33AAGGL15375.

Rightful owner may claim by producing the original documents within seven days from the date of this publication or contact 9774479592.

ADC Pughoboto informs DIMAPUR: Additional deputy commissioner & vice chairman, sub divisional planning and development board Pughoboto, Thungchanbemo Tungoe has informed all the members that the SDPDB meetingcum-pre-Christmas would be held on December 16, 11 a.m., at the office. All the members have been requested to attend the programme and meeting.

16 days of activism culminated in Peren DIMAPUR: The 16 days of activism against genderbased violence was culminated at Peren town hall on December 10.

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NORTHEAST

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

Need to resolve insurgency first: Mnp CM on AFSPA 2nd anniversary of CAA observed

Correspondent

IMPHAL, DEC 11: There was the need for convincing the Centre on the ground reality of the law and order situation before repealing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958 from the state, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh said on Saturday.

Singh said that the state government has its firm stand on repealing the Act from the state. Both the Centre and state have the power to repeal the Act. If the state government repealed it, the Centre may re-impose it. So, the state government was looking for ways to ensure that the Centre does not re-imposed if the state repealed it, the chief minister said.

The chief minister claimed that when the Nagaland government removed the Act from the state, the Centre had re-imposed the same.

“I don’t like repetition of the same,” he said, and added that before taking a step to repeal the Act, there

Manipur CM N Biren Singh meeting renowned theater activist Ratan Thiyam at former’s residence.

was the need for resolving the insurgency problems in the region.

The insurgency problem of the region is a complex one. One should not take it lightly, he said.

Singh added that recently he had seen a positive sign on the calls for political dialogue to insurgent groups when an old and prominent insurgent group of the state set a pre-condition of including “sovereignty” while initiating the political dialogue.

“Whatever the condition may be, the important thing is initiating the political dialogue,” he said.

One should know that political solution was the foremost thing before raising the matter of repeal of the Act, Singh added.

He added that there were some politicians who did not know the core issue behind the insurgency problem. They were making statements only to gain political mileage.

“It was a firm stand

of the state government to repeal the Act. But, before taking a cabinet decision to de-notify disturbed area status, we have to talk, we have to discuss with the Central leaders,” he said.

The state government was working on creating an atmosphere that reached an understanding between the state and Centre while repealing the Act from the state, Singh said.

“I will work on it and will continue to do so,” he said.

The chief minister was responding to a query from the reporters on the stand of the state government amid the growing demand for repeal of the draconian Act on the sideline of his series of visit to residences of eminent personalities of the state as a part of BJP’s “Saknairaba Singga Unaba” programme.

The ruling BJP took up the programme to invite comments on its government’s performance and suggestions that they would like to include when the BJP forms the next government

in the state.

The chief minister met with eminent persons like Ratan Thiyam -renowned theater activist, Professor Ch Priyoranjan Singh- a faculty member of the economics department of Manipur University and Prof N Lokendra Singh, vice chancellor of Manipur University He further interacted with Olympian (Hockey) and Arjuna awardee Kangujam Chinglensana and Pradip Phanjoubam, a well acclaimed writer and editor of Imphal Review of Arts and Politics among others.

During the visit, the chief minister presented them a copy of the BJP-led government’s report card recently published and sought their advice on various initiatives taken by the state government and suggestions on what the BJP can do after the new government to be formed by the party.

He said that the suggestions on what the government would like to do will be incorporated in the to-be drafted election manifesto of the BJP.

Kolkata flyover in poster tweeted BJP leads Congress by

by Tripura govt handle triggers row thin margin in Manipur

AGARTALA, DEC 11 (PTI): The opposition CPI(M) and TMC hit out at the Biplab Kumar Deb government in Tripura on Saturday after a poster tweeted by an official handle had

the photo of a flyover of Kolkata. The opposition parties claimed that the state government was “renting” the development works of other states to flaunt its success after Kolkata’s Sealdah

flyover found a place in the poster of a slogan writing competition on Motor Vehicle Driving Regulations.

Amid the opposition attacks, the poster, tweeted by the MyGov Tripura handle, was deleted. “It is a very shameful act by the BJP-led government in Tripura to showcase West Bengal’s flyover for highlighting Biplab Kumar Deb government’s success. It looks like a rented campaign by the BJP government,” said TMC’s state steering committee convener Subal Bhowmik.

The CPI(M) also slammed the BJP government, claiming that it had to use the photo of a Kolkata flyover to show off its development works.

Hitting back, the ruling BJP said the comments by the opposition parties show the negativity they cultivate.

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (IANS): Manipur is a close contest and the BJP and the Congress are locked in a close battle. They are projected to poll 38 per cent and 34 per cent votes, respectively, as per the third ABP News-CVoter Battle for the States Tracker.

The BJP has led the Congress consistently, albeit by a thin margin, as per the Tracker.

The current projections are based on CVoter daily tracking poll conducted between November 13 and December 9, among 18+ adults, including likely voters.

As for the methodology and survey details, the survey reached out to a total of approximately 92,000+ persons across five states (UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa). It was conducted

through CATI (telephonic survey). The same is also expected to have a margin of error of ±3 to ±5 per cent and may not necessarily have factored in all the criteria.

The trend observed so far seems to be crystallising and the BJP has gained a slight edge over the Congress from the previous round of the Tracker. It is currently expected to win a simple majority of 31 seats, while Congress is close on the heels with 25 seats. The Naga ethnic party NPF is expected to mop up the remaining 4 seats.

The crystallisation of electoral trend has a lot to do with polarisation along ethnic lines witnessed in the state. The renewed Naga assertion and reaction to it from Manipuri tribes is the defining feature of this election.

49 gold bars worth Rs 4 crore seized in Karbi Anglong BOKAJAN, DEC 11: In a major breakthrough, the Karbi Anglong police seized over 8 kgS of smuggled gold over NH 36 near Dillai tiniali on Saturday.

The consignment was recovered from a Hyundai Venue car bearing registration number AS 01EV 2350 heading towards Guwahati from Manipur.

As per reports, the Dillai police intercepted the SUV for routine check and

on verifying the documents, a home guard identified as Maising Tokbi who was checking the vehicle raised doubt over the conduct of the driver. On cross check-

ing the car, the homeguard recovered 4 packets wrapped in black tarpaulin containing 49 gold bars having a value of 4 Crore in the market. Home Guard Maising

Tokbi was offered a bribe by the smugglers which he refused to accept and he immediately reported the matter to his superior officer .Tokbi played a key role in recovery of the gold bars.

The gold bars were concealed near the engine of the vehicle and impossible to detect without proper checking. Police have arrested two person identified as Prakash Basnet (32) and Subhash Bista (24) in connection

Repeal AFSPA during ongoing winter session of Parliament: Manipur Congress

Correspondent

IMPHAL, DEC 11: Opposition Manipur Congress on Saturday demanded that the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 must be repealed during the ongoing winter session of the Parliament.

MPCC working president K Meghachandra, at a news conference held at Imphal Congress Bhavan today insisted that the BJPled state governments in the region should take a major role in pressing the BJP-led Central government to repeal the Act. He said that as the BJP is in power in both the Centre and states, there is no reason for the Central government to decline their demand to repeal AFSPA if the state government gives strong pressure.

He said that if the BJP government at the Centre was really concerned about the growing demand for

repeal of the Act across the northeast states after the Oting massacre, AFSPA should be repealed in the ongoing winter session of the Parliament.

Not only the BJP but its partners in the governments should also raise the issue with the Centre if they were sincere enough to repeal the Act, he added.

Not only the people, political parties, human rights bodies, civil society organizations and all other stakeholders have declared that AFSPA is draconian and it’s a juggle law, he claimed.

On the other hand, the MPCC working president came down heavily on state chief minister N Biren Singh while alleging that even as chief ministers of other states of the region had raised their voices strongly against the Act, he remained without expressing any word against the Act.

If he has the guts, the state chief minister should have raised his strong voice against the Act, he added.

“We are not happy with the timid nature of the state chief minister,” he said.

At the same time, the MPCC working president said that chief minister N Biren Singh and his party, BJP, have been frequently claiming improvement in the law and order situation in the state under its rule but the coalition government has not initiated a step to de-notify the disturbed area status from any part of the state.

The Congress had repealed AFSPA in the Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC) area. However, the BJP, except claiming improvement of law and order, had done nothing to de-notify disturbed area status from other parts of the state to pave the path for repeal of the Act.

Once disturbed area status is de-notified then AFSPA will go automatically, he asserted.

“Go meet the BJP national leaders, meet the Prime Minister and raise your voice against the AFSPA,” he told the chief minister, his council of ministers and state BJP leaders.

The BJP and its partners in the coalition government were among the parties that had fought the last elections to the state Assembly with the promise to repeal the Act if they came to power.

If the Centre repeals the act, it would not only keep the election promise but also they can take the credit, he said.

He said that he wondered why no party in the coalition government was not raising the issue even though the five-year tenure of the government was about to complete.

with the recovery. Both are resident of Manipur.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the seized Gold bars were carried from Manipur and was supposed to be delivered at Guwahati.

The gold bars were seized and sealed in presence of independent witness under the physical supervision of John Das, APS, SDPO Bokajan assisted

by OC Bokajan Mwblik Brahma and staff.

as ‘black day’ in Meghalaya

Correspondent

SHILLONG, DEC 11: Placards and a black flag were hoisted across Meghalaya as a mark of protest against the passage of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act on Saturday.

The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), the apex student’s body of the indigenous student groups across the seven Northeastern states, observed the second anniversary of the Act as a “black day” on Saturday.

Several political parties in the region had strongly opposed tooth and nail the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill by Rajya Sabha on December 11, 2019. The state also witnessed violent protest forcing the lawmakers to adopt a unanimous resolution urging the Narendra Modi-led government to implement the Inner Line Permit to keep the State out of the purview of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Himanta refutes land grabbing allegations

Himanta Biswa Sarma

GUWAHATI, DEC 11 (AGENCIES): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma rubbished the land grabbing allegations against his wife and son, reports The Sentinel Assam. The Chief Minister stated the media which had claimed to unearth land grabbing scandal by his wife and son are leftist media. “The Wire is a leftist media. So, nobody paid attention to them,” he added.

He also asked to fight with him, not with his wife and son or daughter. “If anyone wishes to fight they should target me, not my wife and son or daughter. Some always keep their eyes on my wife,” he fumed.

Earlier, The Wire and a local media portal claimed that they unearthed a massive land scandal by the Chief Minister’s wife and son. The two groups’ claims generated speculations among some sections of people in the state. However, Chief Minister Sarma downplayed the allegations.

File photo of Khasi Students and NESO protesting against CAA in 2020.

In Meghalaya, activists of the Khasi Student’s Union and Garo Student’s Union hung placards and black flags in all important locations of the State.

NESO Chairman Samuel Jyrwa said, “December 11 will always be remembered as a “Black Day” for the whole of the North East. The “black day” is a message to the Centre that the people of the region are against the CAA.” Jyrwa said the observation was also to give a message to the Indian government that the people in the region are against this

Sikkim bans packaged bottle water from January 2022 GANGTOK, DEC 11 (AGENCIES): Sikkim Chief Minister PS Tamang that packaged mineral water will be prohibited in the Himalayan state beginning January 1, 2022, reports The Sentinel Assam. Sikkim is “blessed with natural resources that provide fresh and good quality drinking water.” During his speech on Gandhi Jayanti, Tamang also stated that after the ban is enacted, people will prefer water from natural resources, which is far healthier than water from plastic bottles.

The CM also stated that a three-month buffer period will be provided to deplete the existing stock of mineral water bottles offered at businesses. During a cleaning campaign on the occasion, Tamang, who was joined by Governor Ganga Prasad, said that the

Government of naGaland lonGlenG :: naGaland

No. LLG/REV-1/2011-12/1029

notice

public notice

Government of naGaland

IN THE GAUHATI HIGH COURT

Mr. Nchumbemo & 11 Others -VERSUSThe State of Nagaland & 4 Others To.

Mr. Ponphamo Kikon, VCM, Koio Village, District-Wokha, Nagaland.

office of the deputy commissioner dimapur : naGaland

S/C No. 971/2021

(THE HIGH COURT OF ASSAM : NAGALAND :: MIZORAM AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH) KOHIMA BENCH (CIVIL WRIT JURISDICTION) W.P (C) No. 267/2021

Civil Misc. Case No. 23/2021

notice Whereas the petitioner Smti Manju Bhattacharjee, W/o Late Supriyo Bhattacharjee, a resident of H/No. 649, Lane-3 Kevijau Colony has filed a petition, praying for declaring the petitioner as “Legal Heir and Next of Kin” of Late Supriyo Bhattacharjee.

Notice is hereby issued inviting objection, if any to file before this Court on or before 3.1.22, as to why the prayer of the petitioner shall not be granted.

Given under may hand and seal of this court this 2nd day of Dec 2021.

…… Respondent No. 7 NOTICE UNDER ORDER V, RULE 20, CPC. Please, take Notice that the above mentioned Case W. P. (C) NO.267/2021 has been filed in the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, wherein you have been impleaded as respondent No. 7.

That the Hon’ble High Court dated 06.12.2021 has directed for Substitute Notice through local dailies and the matter is to be listed after the winter vacation for entering of appearance. If no appearance is made on your behalf, by yourself, your advocate, or by someone by law authorized to act for you on the date of appearance, the matter shall be taken up in your absence.

Signed and sealed by the order of the Court this day the 8th December, 2021.

Deputy Registrar (Judl.)

Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench K-2383/21B Kohima, Nagaland

additional deputy commissioner dimapur : nagaland

DP-5929/21

IN THE GAUHATI HIGH COURT

(THE HIGH COURT OF ASSAM : NAGALAND :: MIZORAM AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH) KOHIMA BENCH (CIVIL WRIT JURISDICTION) W.P (C) No. 268 (K)/2021 Mr. Npfuo Kikon

…….Petitioner ……… Respondents

Dated, LLG the 2nd Dec 2021

Whereas, the village of Chingtok Village, under EAC Yongnyah circle of Longleng District, have applied for recognition of village which is having the following boundaries schedules as given below:north : thaupshing river south : chingphangnyiu main road east : yongjhang river West : mey baum river Now, therefore, a public notice is hereby issued for filing of claims/objection if any, so as to report to the Office of the undersigned in written within 30 days from the date of publication of this notice.

No complaints shall be entertained after the expiry of the date. (m. shayunG phom) ncs deputy commissioner longleng : nagaland DP-5934/21

in the court of

NOtiCE iNVitiNG CLAiMS/OBjECtiONS Of OtHER CLAiMANt(S) fOR iSSuE Of SuCCESSiON CERtifiCAtE uNDER PARt-i Of iNDiAN SuCCESSiON ACt 1925.

Whereas application under Succession Act 1925 for grant of Succession Certificate for the estate/pension benefits of Late Subong jamir has been applied by Shri i. Mar jamir, father of Lt. Subong jamir, R/o H./No 77, Kashiram Village, Dimapur, Nagaland for possession of: 1. Pension Benefits 2. SBi A/C No. 20688407968 Notice is hereby given that any person having interest in the administration of the pension benefits/estates of the said deceased may if she/he so desire appear in this Court on or before within a period of 30 days from the date of publication.

Given under the hand and seal of the Court on this the 3rd Dec, 2021. principal district & sessions Judge dimapur : nagaland DP-5935/21

state government is taking steps to prohibit the flow of bottled drinking water from outside. Tourist attractions such as Lachen in North Sikkim, for example, have already prohibited the use of bottled water bottles.

Looking forward to reduce the plastic pollution, Sikkim is a way ahead as it is the first state to outlaw disposable plastic bags smaller than 50 microns in 1988. In 2016, the entire state banned the use of Styrofoam and thermocol disposable plates and flatware.

This isn’t the first time they’ve mentioned prohibiting the use of plastic water bottles. They banned their use in government buildings and events in 2016, instead promoting the use of filtered water, water dispensers, and reusable water bottles.

office of the deputy commissioner

principal district & sessions JudGe dimapur : naGaland

Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 and also to remind the indigenous people of the State and the region of yet another political injustice that the Indian government perpetrated against the indigenous peoples of the North East. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslims minorities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who have migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, after facing faith-based persecution.

-VERSUSThe State of Nagaland & 4 Others To.

Mr. Hathungo Kikon, Son of Mr. Myamo Kikon.

Chukitong Village, District- Wokha, Nagaland.

…….Petitioner ……… Respondents

……RESPONDENT NOTICE UNDER ORDER V, RULE 20, CPC. Please, take Notice that the above mentioned Case W. P. (C) NO.268/2021 has been filed in the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, wherein you have been impleaded as respondent No. 5.

That the Hon’ble High Court dated 06.12.2021 has directed for Substitute Notice through local dailies and the matter is to be listed after the winter vacation for entering of appearance. If no appearance is made on your behalf, by yourself, your advocate, or by someone by law authorized to act for you on the date of appearance, the matter shall be taken up in your absence.

Signed and sealed by the order of the Court this day the 8th December, 2021.

Deputy Registrar (Judl.)

Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench Kohima, Nagaland K-2383/21a

NATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

demands probe into BJP’s Celebrations break out as farmers head home Cong alleged link with ‘lottery king’

CHANDIGARH, DEC 11 (PTI): Farmers from Punjab and Haryana are being accorded a rousing welcome with sweets and garlands at several points on their return home on Saturday for the “victory” of their protests after the suspension of the agitation against the repealed farm laws.

Families of farmers along with fellow villagers at many places on the Delhi-Karnal-Ambala and Delhi-Hisar national highways along with other state highways enroute were welcoming and honouring the peasants coming in tractor trolleys with garlands, ‘ladoos’, ‘barfi’ and other sweets.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farmers’ unions, on Thursday had decided to suspend the over a year-long farmers’ movement against the three contentious farm laws and announced that farmers would go back home on December 11 from the protest sites on Delhi’s borders.

Villagers and others who supported the farmers’ agitation carrying farmer

Farmers return to their homes after their year-long agitation against the contentious farm reform laws, in Patiala, Saturday. (PTI)

bodies’ flags, showered petals on peasants as they assembled on the roadside of the highways to welcome them.

A family came all the way from Chandigarh to welcome farmers near Singhu on the Delhi-Haryana border. “We are here to welcome them. We will go back with them. We are elated and our happiness cannot be described in words. It (the victory) was the result of ‘tapasya’ (penance) of farm-

ers who faced all sorts of hardships, including harsh weather conditions,” said a Chandigarh resident, who actively supported the farmers’ stir.

Because of the large convoy of tractor trolleys and other vehicles, traffic jams could be witnessed at many places on DelhiHaryana national highway.

Some elated farmers, especially youth and women, performed Punjab’s folk dance ‘bhangra’

to the beats of ‘dhol’ as they were on their way back to their homes in Punjab and Haryana.

At Khanauri near Punjab, villagers assembled in large numbers to welcome the agitators and also burst firecrackers amid a celebratory mood.

“We are returning victorious,” said a farmer from Ludhiana.

Preparations to welcome farmers have been made at different toll plazas

and other places along the national highways.

A large convoy of tractor trolleys started returning to Punjab and Haryana in the morning after performing ‘ardas’ (prayer) at the Singhu border.

Farmers headed homes after the suspension of the one-year-long agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws.

Tractors, decorated with flowers and colourful lights and sporting national flag and farmer bodies’ flags, were playing Punjabi songs of victory while the frequent chants of ‘Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal’ rent the air.

Tractor trolleys were carrying cots, mattresses, utensils and other belongings that the farmers had carried with them during the agitation.

Near Bastara toll plaza in Karnal and at Shambhu border near Ambala, an arrangement of ‘langar’ was made for farmers returning to their homes.

Some farmers including women were dancing and doing ‘bhangra’ at the Shambhu border to welcome the cultivators.

C H E N NA I , D E C 1 1 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu BJP is in a spot after the Pradesh Congress Committee (TNCC) president, K.S. Alagiri alleged that the BJP has received an amount of Rs 100 crore during the 2021 assembly elections from lottery king, Santiago Martin. The Congress has demanded “transparent and impartial probe” into it.

The Congress leader wondered as to how the BJP was going to help Martin as a token of gratitude for receiving such huge money.

He also said that the BJP is taking money from all shady characters in Tamil Nadu.

The Congress leader said that people like Martin were providing huge money to the BJP to protect themselves from the long arm of the law. K.S. Alagiri said that there must be a transparent and impartial probe into the relationship between BJP and people like Martin.

The Congress leader wondered whether the BJP would help Martin overcome the Income Tax cases registered against him and said that the BJP as a politi-

Santiago Martin (File)

cal party has been thoroughly exposed over this.

Santiago Martin is a lottery king based out of Coimbatore with lottery business in northeastern states.

He is believed to be worth more than Rs 30,000 crore asset base, and the ED had conducted several raids at his premises in Coimbatore and other parts of the country. Martin was a labour contractor in Myanmar and landed back to TN in 1988 and commenced his lottery business. He was jailed during the Karunandihi government under several charges. He was also close to the CPI-M government of Kerala and had donated liberally to the coffers of the party and there were allegations of the party leaders accepting Rs 2 crore as advertisement for its mouth piece ‘Deshabhimani’.

5 Two held for objectionable posts on CDS chopper crash JAIPUR, DEC 11 (IANS): The Rajasthan police on Saturday arrested two persons for making objectionable remarks on the social media about India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Bipin Rawat and others who were killed in an IAF helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu on December 8.

The arrested individuals have been identified as -- Manish Kumar Meena and Jeevan Lal. Pratapgarh SP Amrita Duhan said Meena made objectionable remarks on Facebook on December 9 on those who were killed in the helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

Jeevan Lal shared the post and broadcasted it to the general public.

As soon as the matter came to the notice, a team led by ASP Chiranjilal Meena was formed.

The police arrested both the individuals with the special cooperation of cyber cell against whom legal action was taken, a police officer said.

Zimbabwe returnee tests Goa headed for split verdict with BJP as single largest party SC designates 7 ex-HC judges, positive for Omicron in Delhi 18 lawyers as senior advocates NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (AGENCIES): A Zimbabwe returnee, who is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, has tested positive for Omicron, becoming the second patient in Delhi of the new Covid-19 variant, reports Times of India.

According to the Delhi government, the travel history of the patient revealed that the person had also travelled to South Africa.

He is admitted at the LNJP Hospital and only has weakness, sources said.

The LNJP Hospital has been designated for treatment of patients infected with the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

On Sunday, a 37-year-

old fully vaccinated man who arrived in Delhi from Tanzania, became the first patient of Omicron in the national capital.

The patient, a resident of Ranchi, had travelled from Tanzania to Doha and from there to Delhi on a Qatar Airways flight on December 2. He stayed in Johannesburg, South Africa, for a week. The person has mild symptoms. A new variant of Covid-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25. As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9 this year.

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (IANS): BJP is expected to emerge as the single largest party with 30 per cent vote share in Goa, which will go to the polls early next year, as per the third ABP NewsCVoter Battle for the States Tracker.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is projected to be the main opposition with 24 per cent vote share, while erstwhile prime contender Congress is projected to poll 20 per cent votes.

It is clear from the vote share that Goa is heading for a split verdict that could eventually lead to a hung Assembly, as per the survey.

The current projections are based on CVoter daily tracking poll conducted from November

13 to December 9, among 18+ adults, including likely voters.

As for the methodology and survey details, the survey reached out to a total of approximately 92,000+ persons across five states (UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa).

It was conducted through CATI (telephonic survey).

The same is also expected to have a margin of error of ±3 to ±5 per cent and may not necessarily have factored in all the criteria.

In the earlier rounds of the Tracker, BJP was projected to win a simple majority, but heading into the final weeks, that edge has undergone erosion.

Currently, BJP is projected to win 19 seats, just one shy

of the halfway mark of 20 seats.

AAP is the surprise of the pack and is expected to win 7 seats, higher than the 6 seats projected for the Congress.

In normal times, the anti-incumbency in the state would have been sufficient to sink the fortunes of the BJP. However, the incompetence of state Congress and better groundwork of AAP has split the antiincumbency votes. This has pushed the BJP into an advantageous position.

The kingmakers in this scenario will be the other smaller parties that are currently projected to poll 26 per cent vote share and win 8 seats. In a hung Assem-

bly, just like the previous Vidhan Sabha, the government formation will be a messy process with some twists and turns.

Incumbent Chief Minister Pramod Sawant of the BJP is the most popular leader for the CM’s post among the Goans with 29 per cent approval.

The second spot is held by AAP’s unnamed leader with 21 per cent approval. Digambar Kamat of Congress is the third most popular leader with 14 per cent approval.

This brings up the question of leadership dividend for AAP. If AAP is currently doing well without a face, does it stand to gain from projecting a strong leader?

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (IANS): Supreme Court has designated seven former judges from various high courts and 18 lawyers as senior advocates.

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and the judges of the Supreme Court in a full court meeting held on December 8, decided to designate 7 former chief justices/judges of high courts, and 18 advocateson-record as senior advocates with effect from December 8.

In the judge’s category, former high court judges are -- Dr JN Bhat, Surendra Kumar, SK Gangele, Vinod Prasad, L Narasimha Reddy, AIS Cheema, and Nau-

shad Ali. Justice Gangele, who retired in July, 2018 faced sexual harassment allegations during his tenure in the Madhya Pradesh High Court by a district court judge.

In the lawyers’ category, those designated senior advocates by the full court, are Ravi Prakash Mehrotra, SN Bhat, Dr Krishan Singh Chauhan, Vishwajit Singh, DN Goburdhun, Vijay Punjwani, Pradeep Kumar Dey, ADN Rao, Rachna Srivastava, Anil Kumar Sangal, Rajiv Nanda, Arunabha Chowdhury, Ravindra Kumar, Vijay Kumar, Manoj Goel, Yadavilli Prabhakar Rao, G Umapathy, and P Niroop.

Dharmendra urges youth to become entrepreneurs for creating jobs India sends med supplies to Afghanistan HAMIRPUR (HP), DEC 11 (PTI): Union Minister for Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday urged the youth to take up entrepreneurship to create livelihood for the people.

Addressing the students and staff during the 12th annual convocation of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Hamirpur virtually from New Delhi, the minister said an entrepreneur is also a job creator.

A total of 1,057 degree certificates were awarded during the convocation. The institute honoured the meritorious students for their academic achievements.

A student of BTech in Electrical Engineering, Charu Sehgal was awarded the Director Medal for her achievements as the best allrounder student for 2021.

The institute conferred

36 gold medals, 10 silver medals, and 11 bronze medals to meritorious students for their outstanding performance and distinguished achievements in various under-graduate and postgraduate programmes.

Pradhan congratulated the degree holders and applauded that NIT Hamirpur has done a good job on education, research, and development front.

He was happy to note that the New Education Policy (NEP) has been partially implemented as the institute has allowed multiple-entry and multiple-exit from the various programmes being offered as of date.

Six faculty members of NIT Hamirpur have been listed in the world’s top two per cent scientists in their respective areas by the report released by Stanford University, the minister pointed out.

Dharmendra Pradhan

He also appreciated the contributions of the institute in Unnat Bharat Abhiyan. He said, “It is impressive to know that as the regional coordinating institute of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan programme, the institute is one of the 27 participating institutes across the state. It has adopted a number of villages to promote sustainable development, means of livelihood among the initiatives using local resources.”

The minister stated that the Union government

has been supporting the setting up of new startups, technology business incubators at several prominent intuitions in the country. The government has launched various schemes such as Start-up India and Skill India to promote entrepreneurship among the youth.

Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs, and Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur congratulated all the medal and degree recipients for their commendable achievements. He said this institute was very close to my native place and, as such, has always been very close to my heart.

He said, “I have always wished and strived for the betterment of this institute.

It is my pleasure to state that, today NIT Hamirpur is highly acclaimed and is one of the most prestigious institutions with a good reputation for excellence in

Saryu canal project: Akhilesh says Yogi govt taking credit for SP’s work’ LUCKNOW, DEC 11 (PTI): Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday took potshots at the BJP government over the Saryu Nahar National Project, saying three-fourths of its works were completed during his government.

According to the Centre, the project was launched in 1978 but got delayed for four decades due to “lack of continuity of budgetary support, interdepartmental coordination and adequate monitoring”.

“The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh took five years to complete the remaining works of Saryu Nahar National Project which was three-fourths completed during the SP government,” Akhilesh tweeted in Hindi, hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in

Akhilesh Yadav

Balrampur here to inaugurate the project.

“There are basically two types of people in the world, some who really work and some who appropriate others’ work. This is the difference between the government of SP and today’s ‘Kainchijivi’ (ribbon cutting) government. That’s why in 2022 elections the BJP is going to

be completely wiped out,” Akhilesh said in another tweet.

He said 2022 will usher in a new era for of the SP and the state will prosper with “canals of development”. Earlier in a series of tweets, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh is the first state to realise former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream project of linking rivers through the Saryu canal project. At least four aspirational districts will also benefit from the project, he said. In a related tweet, he said, “The Saryu canal project connecting five rivers Ghaghara, Saryu, Rapti, Banganga and Rohini is the biggest project under ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana’ to ensure proper utilization of water resources.”

quality teaching, research, consultancy, and education at under-graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels.”

NIT is passionately involved in exploring the frontiers of technology & science and inculcating this commitment among all its students, Thakur said.

He said the central government has taken many initiatives like Start-up India, Skill India, Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, Vocal for Local, Digital India, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat, etc. These initiatives are opening access to enter the world of innovation and entrepreneurship, he added.

Prof. Lalit Kumar Awasthi, Director of the institute, in his address said that we are here for this important event to share the pleasure of achievement of all young people.

Accident kills 2 Punjab farmers returning from protest site CHANDIGARH, DEC 11 (IANS): Two farmers from Punjab were killed in a road accident on Saturday in Haryana’s Hisar district while they were returning from the protest site at Tikri border, police said.

The victims -- Sukhdev Singh (40) and Ajaypreet Singh (32) -belonged to Assa Buttar village in Gidderbaha in Muktsar district.

Another youth from the village, identified as Raghbir Singh, suffered injuries in the accident.

They were returning to their village in two trailers attached to a tractor, when a canter hit a trailer at around 5 a.m.

The deceased along with others had gone to the Tikri border on Thursday.

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (PTI): In the first tranche of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan after its takeover by the Taliban, India on Saturday sent medical supplies to that country in sync with its commitment of extending help to the Afghan people in their times of difficulty.

The medical supplies were sent on a return flight that had brought 10 Indians and 94 Afghans to Delhi from Kabul on Friday.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the consignments will be handed over to WHO representatives in Kabul.

“In view of the challenging humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the Government of India has dispatched humanitarian assistance consisting of medical supplies on the return flight today,” the MEA said.

“These medicines will be handed over to the representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Kabul and will be administered at the Indira Gandhi Children Hospital, Kabul,” it said in a statement. India has been pitching for providing unimpeded humanitarian aid

to Afghanistan to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the country.

At the same time, India has been calling for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul while insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.

India has already announced that it will send 50,000 tonnes of wheat and medicines to Afghanistan by road transport through Pakistan. India and Pakistan are now finalising the modalities for transportation of the consignments.

The MEA said the special flight from Kabul to Delhi, chartered by India, brought 10 Indians and 94 Afghans on Friday.

“The flight brought 10 Indians and 94 Afghans, including members of Afghan minority community. The minority community members carried with them two ‘Swaroops of Guru Granth Sahib’ and some ancient Hindu manuscripts,” it said.

The people were brought under India’s “Operation Devi Shakti” which was launched to evacuate Indians as well as Afghans

from Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul on August 15.

“Under ‘Operation Devi Shakti’, a total of 669 people have now been evacuated from Afghanistan. This comprises 448 Indians and 206 Afghans, which includes members of the Afghan Hindu/Sikh minority community,” the MEA said.

As many as 565 people including 438 Indians were evacuated from Afghanistan in the month of August.

India has been concerned over the recent developments in Afghanistan.

It hosted a regional dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10 that was attended by National Security Advisors (NSAs) of Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The participating countries vowed to work towards ensuring that Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for global terrorism and called for the formation of an “open and truly inclusive” government in Kabul with representation from all sections of Afghan society.

6

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Nagaland Post VOL. XXXII NO. 10 DIMAPUR, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

Making it worse

W

hile Christians across the world are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas and after that to welcome new year 2022; people in Nagaland are still trying to come out of the shocking incident on December 4, the darkest tragedy in recent memory. For the people in Onting village in particular and Mon district in general, time stands still. The villagers still cannot get over with the massacre of 13 civilians by a unit of the Special Forces of the 21 Para Commandos on December 4 at Oting. For the families of the massacred victims, no amount of ex-gratia or offer of employment can lessen their deep grief or make them forget how their dearest ones were gunned down without any reason. The pain and grief caused by unnatural deaths has also shocked and pained not only the state or the north east but beyond. This shows the magnitude of the incident which has catapulted the draconian Armed Forces (Special Power) Act 1958 to limelight. As commented earlier in this column, the AFSPA 1958 is draconian because it empowers the armed forces to shoot, kill or maim any civilian even on mere suspicion and protected from bring brought to trial for offence(s) unless the Central government gives permission to the court. Taking the guilty unit of the 21 Para Commandos to court for justice is one aspect of the tragedy. The other aspect of the tragedy is on what needs to be done in order to make the government of India repeal the black Act. There have been far too many Black Deeds committed under the legal sanction of the Black Act since 1958. By imposing AFSPA 1958 to the entire Naga Hills Tuensang Area(NHTA) to combat the Naga nationalist movement, the government of India had instead created a laboratory for the police forces of various states including the armed forces to blatantly commit inhuman atrocities on Nagas.

Even before the AFSPA was enacted, the then NHTA was brought under Assam Maintenance Of Public Order (Autonomous Districts) Act. Though not as draconian as AFSPA 1958 with regard to the power given to an NCO to shoot, kill or maim any one under suspicion, the AMPO Act was nevertheless as terrifying to the innocent victims who were sandwiched by the police and armed forces and the undergrounds. For the people of Nagaland, the AFSPA is a living testimony of the brutalities which have been inflicted upon them for over 60 years and such a draconian and Black Law should have no place in a democratic country. In the aftermath of the horrific massacre on December 4, the response of the government of India was like adding more salt to injury. On December 6, union home minister Amit Shah rightly expressed regrets for the incident.However,when it came to explaining why it happened, Shah said it was due to mistaken identity as the victims in a vehicle tried to flee when asked to stop by the Special Forces of the 21 Paras. From all accounts including those who survived the massacre, the vehicle was fired upon without any warning and without any provocation.

Perhaps the home minister could have not said anything about why it happened since the state had constituted a SIT to probe the matter and the Army also constituting its Court of Inquiry. Hopefully, the Centre will set the record straight and withdraw the controversial part of the statement even if it may be too little too late.

DailyDevotion Individuality

Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” — Matthew 16:24 Individuality is the hard outer layer surrounding the inner spiritual life. Individuality shoves others aside, separating and isolating people. We see it as the primary characteristic of a child, and rightly so.

When we confuse individuality with the spiritual life, we remain isolated. This shell of individuality is God’s created natural covering designed to protect the spiritual life. But our individuality must be yielded to God so that our spiritual life may be brought forth into fellowship with Him. Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself, but individuality corrupts that human nature for its own purposes.

The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-will. We hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality. If you say, “I can’t believe,” it is because your individuality is blocking the way; individuality can never believe. But our spirit cannot help believing. Watch yourself closely when the Spirit of God is at work in you. He pushes you to the limits of your individuality where a choice must be made.

The choice is either to say, “I will not surrender,” or to surrender, breaking the hard shell of individuality, which allows the spiritual life to emerge. The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing (see Matthew 5:23-24). It is your individuality that refuses to “be reconciled to your brother” (Matthew 5:24).

God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself, He cannot. “…let him deny himself…”— deny his independent right to himself. Then the real life-the spiritual life-is allowed the opportunity to grow.

Quotes

Not knowing anything is the sweetest life. ~ Sophocles

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

Post-mortem

Militarization of the state: AFSPA a ‘licence’ to kill T he State across the globe in recent times is becoming more and more muscular and authoritarian, undemocratic and ruthless as the governments of the day unleash and impose the draconian laws against its citizens. Those who govern needs something to hold on to control its citizens especially those who show dissent, resist and defy. One such example is Armed Forces Special Powers A c t ( A F S PA ) . I n d i a became independent and is a sovereign republic, but the law of the colonizer continues till date.

The irony is that the British who colonized India used AFSPA to control those Indians who defied the imperial rule. But the same AFSPA is now being used by the Indian State against its citizens even after becoming a sovereign state. Even after its independence from the British, the Union of India continues to invoke such draconian laws as against its citizens even now. For instance, the Union of India imposed on the indigenous people of Northeast I n d i a o n S e p t e m b e r, 1958. AFSPA was first promulgated on August 15, 1942, by a British viceroys a n d g ove r n o r - ge n e r a l Linlithgow, under Section 72 of the Government of India Act, 1935.

Its aim was “to confer special powers upon certain

officers of the ar med forces”. The promulgation and imposition of such laws on the citizens of Manipur and Northeast has thus far taken the innocent lives of more than 20,000 besides incidences that stretches to rapes, arrests, torture and extrajudicial executions.

Under AFSPA, any crime committed by armed forces is given complete impunity.

Such provisions can be called as ‘biopower’, a term coined by French scholar, philosopher, historian and social theorist who elaborates that biopower is a technology of power which can otherwise be described as ‘technology of killing’.

This was vividly demonstrated on the 4th and 5th of December, where in the Indian military ambushed 14 unarmed civilians belonging to the Konyak indigenous community in a botched-up insurgency operation in the Mon district of Nagaland.

Whether the operation was a ‘mistaken identity’ or a ‘failure of intelligence’, innocent lives have been lost or whatever no words can justify such a heinous act. This incident sent shock waves across the country and once again resurrected the repeal of AFSPA. Many political parties, human rights and civil society organizations and chief ministers and allies of BJP in the Northeast

region have called the GOI for the repeal of AFSPA. Festivities came to a grinding halt and internet services were shut down. Black flags hoisted across the Northeast region and several posters with a number of captions appeared all over the Naga Hills. At this juncture we should show little caution when others pose the importance of AFSPA, however should show and explain the ways how AFSPA is being used killing innocent civilians.

A number of incidences can be brought to the fore.

Since 1958 In Imphal in 1984 where 14 civilians watching a volleyball match were gunned down

by CRPF; the gunning down of 10 civilians in the Malom in Manipur and the RIMS massacre of 1995, where nine civilians including a medical student were killed.

What do those incidences infer or indicate?

The imposition of AFSPA for the past 63 years has given armed and security forces a licence to kill – a free pass to do whatever they want. In addition to many unwanted things we have in our country including the some of the draconian laws that the British left and now being continued and used in full swing. Strangely AFSPA is still active and toxically present even in ordinary times where there is no wat

Time to dump AFSPA in the dustbin of history

or internal conflicts or any dangerous situation that arise due to internal and external conditions.

It was Cong ress government that imposed AFSPA in the Naga Hills.

BJP’s Manipur unit in its election manifesto in 2014 assured to repeal of AFSPA. After winning the state elections it has put AFSPA to backburner. Be it rape or summary killings or mistaken identity the army and para-military forces are well-protect by the draconian law known as AFSPA. An incident that comes to our memory is the rape and killing of Thangjam Manorama in 2004 in Manipur, with all protests and struggles, no security personnel has been punished till date.

This is how the Indian military and para-military forces are protected under AFSPA has given them ample protection and a license to kill whoever they want. No country in the world has such a law that is active when there is total absence of external war and internal disturbances – unique and distinct characteristics of India. It is high time that the Government of India should consider repealing of this draconian law. The time is ripe that the GOI must give heed to the voices of Northeast citizens.

The incident that took place recently is nothing but a genocide. Nagaland police

violations are taking place across the world such as Julian Assuage will be extradited to the United States for having disclosed the information that the American administration was doing to countries like Iraq and others. The whistle blower of Wikileaks is undergoing all sorts of harrowing times for the past ten years for speaking the truth. The totalitarians and dictators and the socalled ‘democrats’ in order to protect and promote their powers and vested interests use brutal force to contain the voices of their citizens.

The recent episode that we as Indians witnessed in Northeast is one such happenings.

Many do not come to the fore. What happened on the 4-5th of December, 2021 is gruesome and thus grips all of us. Certainly, a black day for our democracy, governance and republic.

Whenever innocent blood is spilled and those responsible for it should pay the price for it. Life is precious and sacred having paramount value and no one has the right to take it.

When law is taken over and given to those without any moderation with blanket power, then the actions ought to be abhorred and repealed. We do not live in the law of jungle – survival of the fittest.

Dr. John Mohan Razu Professor of Social Ethics

Count Down To Christmas 2021

C

hristmas is round the corner.

Christmas needs no h a t h a s g o n e should be retained.

India that once the army introduction in the land around in Mon So, our purpose need is withdrawn at this stage; inhabited by festival frenzy district ever the not be served. As a Naga there will be no law and people. However, the love Oting massacre of innocent and as a politician working order related issues? of God has kept us alive Nagas and the subsequent with various nationalist # The BJP is known to breathe and to eat again politics around those leave party leaders, I would as a ‘nationalist hardliner in the midst of deadly a few questions on the like these black laws to go and pro-army party’; why Covid-19 pandemic. We state of governance in permanently from Naga is BJP Nagaland showing fume for not being able to Nagaland. life. But to hope for this double standards? celebrate Christmas in a O b v i o u s l y, t h e r e without Final Solution may # Can a Chief Minister worldly manner. Let us not are merits that the Chief not help our struggle. or Deputy Chief Minister regret over it. Rather praise Minister Neiphiu Rio There are instances assure they will need army the Lord for allowing us to government has taken up where even one cabinet and para-military presence see another day in the land the battle for revocation of Minister and a senior in key areas? After AFSPA of the living. We only need the Armed Forces Special IAS officer faced much is withdrawn, there has to silent and divine worship Powe r A c t . E ve n t h e embarrassment between be a total withdrawal of the of baby Jesus as done by Disturbed Area Act is one State capital Kohima and army. Is it possible without humble shepherds and the such law that has hardly Dimapur.

Final Solution? wise men from the east. made India’s ‘democratic A car with the # If that is the case One will never know image’ proud.

National Flag (Tricolour) why is the peace process survival unless one has I h a v e b e e n a was kicked. being stalled? Who are the been to hell and back.

Congressman but left the There are many more people trying to stall it?

We know that Covid-19 party after it failed on bitter instances across # In 2018, the BJP pandemic has caused several fronts including N a g a l a n d a n d n o r t h - election slogan was -- collective death and misery ‘election for solution’; on global scale, disrupted the inability to handle eastern region. issues concerning these In 2017, the Supreme but now some forces are lives and livelihood and two laws. It is ironical Court had passed an order stalling the Peace process. the living have to cope today that the debate has about 62 cases of the alleged Is the BJP also part of with economic insecurity, come on these issues yet ‘extra-judicial killings’ by this? What happens to anxiety and disruption again when a BJP-led security forces and police. the BJP campaign and in life. As no expert is dispensation is in power in The abuse of police and personal assurance from in a position to say on New Delhi. In Nagaland, military powers in Manipur Prime Minister Narendra the future of Covid-19, Chief Minister Rio is have been issues of great Modi that a solution will strict observation of all be arrived at? appropriate Covid-19 heading the government concern. # Timing of the Oting discipline has assumed where the BJP is a strong T h e r e h ave b e e n component. repor ts of 1,788 such attack suits the army to greater relevance today.

In the next one year “extra judicial” killings continue with AFSPA and Let us not forget the words of prophet Jeremiah – and a few months, we might across India between 2002 army domination.

If the army is against “people will die of deadly face another election. Both and 2013.

Rio’s party NNDP and the Uttar Pradesh had the t h e s o l u t i o n , N a g a s diseases. They shall not BJP and other state parties dubious distinction with should also ask whether mourn their dead nor be including Congress will the maximum number of No Solution and present able to bury their dead.” get an opportunity to try 743 fake encounter deaths. Impasse suit one set of (Jeremiah 16: 4). This is very familiar to Covid-19 their luck once again with A 410-page petition Naga politicians?

Who are these people p a n d e m i c . G e t t i n g the EVMs. filed in 2012 on behalf W h o k n o w s , w e of two Manipur-based misusing the situation to vaccinated and following might get a few more ‘new o r g a n i z a t i o n s i n t h e create future problems for of all Covid-19 protocols political parties’ in the next Supreme Court had also the people of Nagaland by all are also a response to the tenet of Christianity few months? cited the instance of a state?

W h y s o m u c h – “love thy neighbour as But amid these AFSPA 22-year-old who went withdrawal debates; are we looking for a missing cow confusion and interstate thyself.” By doing this missing another important on his bicycle and was b o r d e r r e l a t e d i s s u e s we shall be protecting our in North East after the neighbour either directly or debate on the Naga peace found shot dead. accord. The peace process We are back to square formation of new BJP indirectly. Covid-19 should is said to be in the final one. The December 4-5 government in Assam? not be allowed to alienate stage for last so many years, rampage has hur t the Why suddenly increased the us from church and Jesus. activities of paramilitary Rather, Covid-19 is telling yet we are stuck up.

Nagas.

The Rio government But it is also a failure forces from Assam side us to re-invent, renew and is now trying to ‘withdraw’ of state police and other against the neighbouring go closer to God. Christmas in its the AFSPA. But without a security agencies that states?

BJP high command external form begin weeks Final Solution to the Naga things were not handled 6need to understand that before Christmas day. problem can we really get in a mature manner. it done?

N o w , t h e r e i s creating war like situation There is glittering display T h e G o ve r n m e n t consensus among Nagas by Assam against the of material world all over of India and the central that the AFSPA should go. neighbouring States in this holy season. Santa agencies will give the excuse B u t I h ave a f ew the volatile North Eastern Clause, Father Christmas, that as long as the Solution questions. Is the Rio region will create unwanted St.Nicholas, Reindeer, etc. are fictional characters. is not arrived, the AFSPA g ove r n m e n t a s s u r i n g situation.

N. Thomas Lotha Christmas tree, Bethlehem and Disturbed Areas Act Nagas and the people of Reader’s note: Articles or letters published in any of the columns do not reflect the view of this

W

filed suo motu FIR and in that said “… security forces blankly fired at the vehicle without provocation … it is obvious the intention of security forces is to murder and injure civilians.”

The DGP and Nagaland commissioner in a joint report said the villagers had found the commandos trying to conceal the bodies after the initial firings. In the FIR, the Nagaland police charge the elite 21 Para-SF unit with murder and said it was kept in the dark about the operation and no locals guides were sought. This shows that the operation was definitely clandestine.

The State is becoming increasingly militarized. In the last three years we have been witnessing an array of arrests and killings taking place in diverse ways. At one-point GOI went all out super-aggressive fashion digging ditches, erecting b a r r i c a d e s, p l a n t i n g spikes and by deploying police and para-military forces against the farmers.

Another glaring incidence was against those students who defied CAA and the ways with which the police acted against those with all sorts of lies and false accusations. Governments at the Centre and States have now given more powers to law enforcement agencies to control the citizens – another face of the State.

Human rights

Star, cake, etc. are different symbols. They are not Jesus – simply contributing towards the glory of Jesus Christ. They are external formation only. But we are not excited about inner divine experiences. The cacophony of celebration shuts us off from the silence of that Holy Night. We release our worldly revelry through joyful but noisy crowding. The pursuit of vain pleasure should not be allowed to overtake the pursuit of divine blessings.

Otherwise we may even end up with the Inn Keeper with no room for Jesus.

A culture of good will, giving, loving, caring, concer n and sharing has developed during Christmas time.

Everyone has become to some extend a charity giver, a gift exchanger, a good will wisher – some genuine, some routine, and some just diplomatic.

This culture is now almost universal in character.

Business flourishes. But complacency at this time will be very risky because deadly virus maybe lurking around.

Let us remember the story of the elephant and the blind men where everyone was correct but none of them was right. An elephant was surrounded by blind men who tried to make sense of the whole of the elephant. Their description is chaotic.

These blind men could describe only that part of the elephant their hands touched. The tragedy is that they were so involved with their own ideas and so sure of their conceptions that they became blind to reasoning. These are obstacles to spiritual growth. We humans too cannot describe the divinity of Jesus because we do not know the real Jesus. In the event of any conflict each side is convinced that it is right while the truth lies elsewhere. That is why John the Baptist made a strong proclamation – “make your path straight before the coming of Jesus.” (Mathew 3: 3) Humans have a tendency to newspaper nor that of the

claim absolute truth based on their limited subjective experiences. This is how Christians dissect Jesus today resulting in diversion in worship, assortment of beliefs, worshipping, cult break away, etc.

A faith has been born on Christmas Day - a faith of love, sacrifice and the truth. That faith has lifted millions from illiteracy and ignorance and placed them upon the road of freedom.

It has emancipated millions from addiction to vices and millions from exploitation by fellow rulers. It has lessened the horrors of war and put nations on the path of peace and justice.

Jesus came to transform human hearts from various vices. Jesus was not a sight – seeing tourist. He came for spiritual business and to harvest spiritual profit.

“Do everything in love.” (1 Cor.16: 14).

Jesus loved a ter ribly sick man lying for 38 years at Bethesda pool in Jerusalem. None helped him. He was helpless. Jesus sided with the one who was the weakest and helpless.

Jesus cured the sick man instantly. The wonder of Jesus is that beneath all our failures Jesus sees the real person. He loves us inspite of what we do.

Jesus exhibited in action the love of God. Wo r d s a n d wo r k s g o together in Jesus’ ministry.

In the parable of the prodigal son we see the love of God as the Father welcomes the boy home, and in the parable of the Good Samaritan we see the love of neighbour for neighbour. Each of us resembles the prodigal son but each of us should also be a Samaritan. This way we shall be laying our treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. This will be our greatest gift to Christmas of 2021.

As you make Jesus the center of your Christmas, You’ll feel priceless joy in your heart.

Mapu Jamir (I.A.S.Retd.)

Editor in any manner.

NATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

Punjab likely to see hung house with AAP on top

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (IANS): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress are projected to poll 39 per cent and 34 per cent votes, respectively, in Punjab, which is going to the polls next year, as per the third ABP NewsCVoter Battle for the States Tracker.

But despite the lead in vote share, AAP may not win a majority out of 117 seats due to regional distribution of voter-base, as per the Tracker.

Also, Congress is benefiting from its Mayawati moment by installing the first Dalit CM in the state.

The move is consolidating its hold over Dalit voters.

This brings us to the conclusion that this is a waveless election in Punjab.

For all the political and social turmoil witnessed in the state, the electorate is remarkably split in its expression. If this situation continues to hold for another month, then we

may see a hung Vidhan Sabha in Punjab with AAP emerging as the single largest party, closely followed

by Congress.

The current projections are based on CVoter daily tracking poll conducted between November 13 and December 9, among 18+ adults, including likely voters.

As for the methodology and survey details, the survey reached out to a total of approximately 92,000+ persons across five states (UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa).

It was conducted through CATI (telephonic survey).

The same is also expected to have a margin of error of ±3 to ±5 per cent and may not necessarily have factored in all the criteria.

Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) is down but not out, it is expected to poll 20 per cent votes and may win around 20 seats in the Badal family strongholds.

Currently it seems to be

out of reckoning, but the party’s performance will most certainly act as the tie-breaker between AAP and Congress.

The Amarinder SinghBJP alliance does not seem to be adding up to anything significant. Currently, the vote share and seat share of the grouping is projected to remain in lower single digits. However, the alliance’s performance may influence the fate of around 30 seats.

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is preferred by 33 per cent voters as CM in 2022 polls.

Interestingly, this number corresponds to the headcount of Dalit population in Punjab. Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu is preferred by only 5 per cent voters, Arvind Kejriwal is preferred by 24 per cent voters and Sukhbir Singh Badal is the choice of 18 per cent voters.

Regionally, the Dalit population is more concentrated in Doaba and Majha

Amid Omicron scare, high ‘seropositivity’ rate should help India, says expert HYDERABAD, DEC 11 (PTI): Observing that data on the new SARS-CoV2 variant, Omicron, is still emerging, an expert has said the very high rate of ‘seropositivity’ should keep the country in good stead even as he emphasised on increased vaccination coverage and adhering to COVID-appropriate behaviour.

“Because, India has the advantage of very high rate of ‘seropositivity’ of 70, 80 per cent, and in big cities more than 90 per cent people already have antibodies,” Rakesh Mishra, former Director of CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) here, told PTI. In view of the protection available to people, even if they get infected, it will be very mild and most of the

time asymptomatic, Mishra, currently Director, Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), Bangalore, said. It would help the cause in a big way if vaccination coverage is further expanded and if vaccines for children are rolled out, he noted.

The spread of Omicron almost looks certain in the country though data is still emerging, but the situation would be better than with Delta as the symptoms appear to be only milder.

However, there is no scope for lowering guard as the virus should be prevented from becoming more virulent. The only way to do that is wearing masks properly, maintaining social distance and vaccination, he stressed. Asked about the possibility of a third wave

Rohini court blast: Delhi Police still ‘clueless’ about culprits NEW DELHI, DEC 10 (PTI): A day after a low-intensity explosion took place inside Rohini district court, the Delhi Police is still “clueless” about the culprits even as the security personnel are checking CCTV cameras at the court premises and probing the incident from all angles.

The force is also investigating a possible terror angle.

Naib Court head constable Rajeev was injured in the explosion that took place on Thursday, creating panic among lawyers and the public and raising questions about security arrangements there.

The explosion took place inside courtroom number 102 that belongs to Metropolitan Magistrate Prituraj, police said.

Sources said the powder recovered from the spot seems to be ammonium nitrate, however, it has been handed over to the National Security Guard (NSG) who will ascertain more details about the substance.

Prima facie, it appears that the explosive was planted in a tiffin inside a laptop bag. Battery parts along with electric wires were also recovered from the site. It seems like a battery was set up for the explosion, they said.

hitting the country in February or March next year as predicted by some, coupled with the threat of Omicron, he said waves are happening in Europe even without Omicron.

Waves can happen even without a new variant, he said. The country has the advantage of a heavy rate of infection from the second wave, Mishra said.

Even if the number of cases increase, he said he does not see the possibility of increased hospitalisations and problems of oxygen arising.

In the same breath, the former official of CCMB emphasized on COVIDappropriate behaviour, including avoiding exposure in closed spaces, and vaccination.

regions of Punjab that account for a total of 48 seats.

The Congress is projected to win 28 out of its 42 seats from these two regions.

AAP is doing significantly better in Malwa region that accounts for the remaining 69 seats. It is expected to win 41 of its 53 seats from Malwa alone.

Therefore, the three X factors that will ultimately decide the Punjab verdict 2022 are the relative sweep of AAP and Congress in their respective strongholds, the performance of Akali Dal and its potential impact on AAP and Congress, and the ability of Amarinder Singh to dent the prospects of Congress.

For now, despite a reenergised and repositioned political stance, Congress is facing more headwinds than AAP. Also, the rural peasantry, fresh from the protests at Singhu border, is unlikely to fully trust the Akali Dal or the Congress.

Both these parties have bag-

gage with Jat farmers who dominate the rural polity.

In terms of Jat Sikh politics, the survey projections are indicative of an emerging vacuum. From 1997-2021, Punjab saw a duopoly of Badal-Amarinder, but currently no leader is polling enough support to inherit the mantle of Jat leadership. Sukhbir Badal is liked by some sections, while others prefer Bhagwant Mann. Navjot Sidhu’s theatrics have not helped him gain traction in state politics, despite the outsized media imagery projected.

Regardless of AAP’s continued lead, there is a distinct possibility of amplification of the current trend of convergence with Congress’ vote share. If the race tightens any further, the eventual outcome will be decided on a seat-by-seat basis.

Therefore, candidate selection may become very important.

TMC promises Rs 5K to every woman head of house in Goa

PANAJI, DEC 11 (IANS): The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday made a major pre-poll promise in Goa guaranteeing the payment of Rs 5,000 to every woman head of the household, if the party comes to power in the 2022 state Assembly polls.

According to the party’s Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra, the scheme, which has already been implemented by the party in West Bengal, would benefit nearly 3.51 lakh households in the coastal state.

“The ‘Griha Laxmi’ initiative is a pioneering and transformative scheme for the people of Goa. The scheme has already been implemented in West Bengal,” Moitra said on Saturday.

“The monthly benefit of Rs 5,000 will be made available through direct benefit cash transfer. As many as 3.51 lakh households will be covered under the scheme,” Moitra said.

7 Pawar said BJP divisive in 1996, we realised it in 2019’: Raut MUMBAI, DEC 11 (PTI): NCP chief Sharad Pawar had said 25 years ago that BJP was a divisive party but Shiv Sena realised about this reality only two years back, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said on Saturday apparently referring to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party severing ties with BJP and forming a government with NCP and Congress after the 2019 Assembly polls in Maharashtra.

Raut was speaking at an event after a book titled “Nemkechi Bolane”, a collection of Pawar’s speeches in Marathi at various political rallies was released.

“Some 25 years ago, Sharad Pawar had said that BJP did not want unity in the country. Its methods are divisive. We realised this two years back. He had also said that BJP’s policies were regressive which would take the country back. However, we took a long time to realise it,” the Shiv Sena MP

Sanjay Raut

said. Referring to the title of the book, which can be roughly translated as speaking with brevity, Raut said, “The name of the book is so good that we all should gift it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He needs to know certain things.”

Raut said the Central Hall of parliament used to be known for meetings between leaders across the parties and between senior journalists and leaders, who would discuss various issues. “However, in the last few years, we have seen that those who try to raise questions are being opposed and muzzled,” he alleged.

Both BJP, TMC practise vote bank politics: Adhir

KO L K ATA , D E C 1 0 (PTI): West Bengal PCC President Adhir Chowdhury on Friday called Mamata Baner jee and Narendra Modi “two sides of the same coin” and accused both ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP of doing religion-based politics to get votes in the polls, whether for the Lok Sabha or local bodies.

Chowdhury, who was releasing the Congress manifesto for the December 19 Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) polls, told reporters here that while BJP embarks on a shrill Hindutva campaign before general elections or local body polls, while TMC counters it by treating Muslims and Hindus as separate votebanks.

“This competitive religion-based politics is creating problems for secular

and progressive parties like us (Congress). We have to make people realise that Didi (Mamata) and Modi (Narendra Modi) are two sides of the same coin. They had pursued this dangerous brand of politics of division in the West Bengal assembly poll in which BJP had a serious setback.

“But BJP seems to be repeating the same agenda again - weaving the Hindutva narrative in the civic polls and TMC is busy with catering to different religious groups as it does not want to talk about development but in creating division,” he said.

Asked about the demand for deployment of central forces during the KMC polls, Chowdhury, who is also the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, said “We don’t have faith in either the Kolkata Police

Adhir Chowdhury

or West Bengal Police in conducting free and fair elections.”

“We feel that if central paramilitary armed forces are deployed during the KMC polls, they will be able

to instil confidence among voters to a great extent and ensure free and fair polls.

But since the state election commission conducts the local body elections, it is its call. We can only hope that

the polls will be held in a free and fair manner and there will be no rerun of the 2018 panchayat poll,” he added.

Commenting on the note of caution by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to party activists against any muscle flexing during the KMC polls, Chowdhur y said “This depends on Didi.

If she wishes there will be free and fair polls and if she wishes otherwise there will be violence.

“Let’s see what happens but we are skeptical,” he said.

Answering a question, Chowdhury said Congress and the Left Front are contesting most of the seats separately and put the onus of absence of pre-poll alliance on the Left.

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BUSINESS/STATE

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

India to be among a few economies to rebound strongly Hope to introduce drone delivery

No. 3769 Yesterday’s solution No. 3768

High prices of automobiles likely to persist during next year

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ductor crunch which has aggravated problems for auto manufacturers.

“As far as semiconductor shortage is concerned, domestic manufacturing has turned out to be a key solution.

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and packaging (ATMP) and specialty fabs.”

Besides, in context to the efforts made by the government to become a self-reliant economy, the report pointed out that Indian automobile and manufacturing sector is expected to boost India’s FDI for the current year on the back of production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.

The scheme is designed to incentivise domestic manufacturing and thereby, aimed at increasing exports.

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NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (IANS): High prices of automobiles are likely to persist at elevated levels even during 2022, said Grant Thornton Bharat in a report.

Lately, increasing cost of commodities in India has resulted in record-high prices for new and used vehicles in the country.

“It is expected that these high prices are likely to remain as such in the next year as well and may not reinstate until 2023.”

Besides, the report cited other challenges for the sector such as semicon-

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Yesterday’s solution No. 4744

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KAKURO

sending Naga Regiment to fight the enemies of India and win the war, while on the other, the army was being sent here to kill their own people. “This cannot be justified,” she asserted.

With so much discussion going on about Naga solution, Yingphe asked whether using the military was the solution.

The spokespersons also asserted that the December 4 incident could not be termed as any other incident or forgiven by terming it as “mistaken identity”. They said unless the 21 Para commandos were blind, there was no question of “mistaken identity”.

On the claims that the vehicle was asked to stop at two checkpoints, the spokespersons pointed out as the particular approach road was narrow and small and so the question of setting up a checkpoint did not arise, which could also be confirmed from ground zero. The duo therefore, urged the police and district administration to come with a clear statement on whether there was any check-point in that area.

Further, the KU spokespersons claimed that when the first gunshot was heard, Oting Students’ Union president had alerted the district administration seeking intervention.

But, regretted that the administration representatives had arrived late.

The KU spokespersons also reminded that they submitted a charter of demands to the President of India and marked a copy to Prime Minister, defence minister and chief minister.

The two said KU would ensure that justice was delivered to the victims at the earliest and warned of taking the matter beyond the State if justice was not delivered within the specified time.

FARIDABAD, DEC 11 (AGAENCIES): The closure of needles and syringes manufacturing factories in Haryana’s Faridabad, as a part of the anti-pollution drive in the NCR region, will hamper the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination drive across the country, said a top official of the manufacturing industry, ANI report stated. “The shutdown of needles and syringes manufacturing factories will create disruption in the supply chain which may impact healthcare delivery across the country in general and the Covid-19 vaccination programme, in particular, resulting in major shortage and other related issues,” said Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices Ltd (HMD) managing director Rajiv Nath. The company, which is among the 228 other factories that have been asked to shut down its operations, claims to contribute over 66% of syringe supplies in the country for curative healthcare and immunization.

“At this location, HMD daily produces 1.5 crore needles and 80 lakh syringes. This has come to a halt now. As we can’t feed needles beyond two days buffer stock from Monday, other factories fed by the mother unit will be shut and daily 1.2 crore syringes will not be available nationally,” Nath said. In a letter to Arvind Kumar Nautiyal, member secretary of Commission for Air Quality Management, NCR, Nath requested Kumar to withdraw the order or make an exception looking at the critical nature of running their operation for the Covid-19 vaccination in India as well as globally to avoid any big national healthcare crisis stating that over 2/3rd of the country depends upon HMD.

No. 10123 Yesterday’s solution No. 10122

No. 4745

drones entering the logistics business, our fast emerging and growing e-commerce industry will be able to access the remotest corners of the country.”

Last year, a SpiceXpress-led consortium had submitted a proposal to DGCA for conducting experimental Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations of remotely piloted aircraft in response to a DGCA notice inviting ‘Expression of Interest’.

“Based on the recommendations of the BVLOS Experiment Assessment and Monitoring Committee, SpiceXpress was granted formal permission by the regulator for conducting experimental BVLOS drone trials in May 2020,” the airline said. “Throttle Aerospace has successfully completed 100 hours of testing based on the recommendations of the ‘BVLOS Experiment Assessment and Monitoring Committee’.”

Covid-19 vax drive could be hit KU seeks apology from HM for... by shutdown of syringe factories (FromShep-1)pointed out that on one side the government was

DP-5942/21

Su doku

airlines. However, a female staff will remain on the train during the day hours.

In overnight trains, no hostesses will serve the passengers. Currently, Indian Railways runs 25 premium trains. These trains include 12 Shatabdi, one Gatimaan, two Vande Bharat, one Tejas Express, Mint reported.

Besides serving food, hostesses will also greet the passengers along with catering to their complaints with any of the services offered on the train. As far as the dress code is concerned, hostesses will wear the same dress worn by railway attendants. Indian Railways will recruit women trained in hospitality service as hostesses.

Moreover, the Railways has also recently restored freshly cooked food in premium trains.

The facility was stopped last year to curb the rising COVID1-19 cases.

by the traditional means of transportations. Furthermore, the airline’s initial outreach plan for its drone business encompasses 10 districts with over 150 locations with an aim to achieve over 25,000 deliveries per month.

It has partnered with Throttle Aerospace for more than 50 customised high-end drones while ‘Aeologic’ will provide the drone software management.

“We hope to introduce our drone delivery services soon. By inducting drones in the supply chain, SpiceJet’s logistics arm, SpiceXpress, will take a massive technological leap which will change the game for fast and cost-effective logistics in India,” said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet at the Gwalior Drone Mela.

“This will not just redefine the entire supply chain business but also offer a unique experience to the end consumer. With

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Crossword

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (AGENCIES): Indian Railways is making efforts to improve the experience of its passengers. In yet another change, the Railways is now planning to soon bring attendants to take care of passengers in its premium trains.

Passengers in trains such as Vande Bharat, Gatimaan and Tejas Express are soon expected to get service by attendants. The move will help Railways to offer airline like services in trains.

The idea to introduce hostesses in the train was taken to provide better facilities to train passengers, a senior official told Mint. However, the crew is not going will not only include female staff but will be a mix of men and women.

The facility will be limited to premium trains of Indian Railways. The crew will also serve food on the trains, similar to how air hostesses cater in

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (IANS): SpiceJet hopes to introduce drone delivery services soon, said the company’s Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh on Saturday. Accordingly, the airline plans to introduce ‘SpiceXpress’ drone delivery service to strategically expand its logistics platform while building a unique supply chain competence.

It plans to introduce customised drones of different payloads including 0-5 kg, 5-10 kg and 10-25 kg which have the potential to change supply chain capabilities thereby making it more resilient and sustainable.

The airline initially plans to target mid mile drone deliveries while preparing for last mile deliveries in future.

Notably, SpiceXpress will focus on delivering vaccines, life-saving drugs and essential goods among others to the remotest and farthest corners of the country which is otherwise difficult to reach

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NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (AGENCIES): Central government is expected to release the 10th instalment under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Yojana in the coming days. Eligible farmers will receive Rs 2000 directly in their bank accounts.

The last date to register your name in PM Kisan yojana to receive the 10th instalment was October 10. However, eligible farmers can still register themselves under PM Kisan to receive the 10th instalment with the 11th instalment in 2022.

Such farmers can receive Rs 4000 as the monetary benefit under the PM Kisan Yojana next year.

Whereas already registered farmers will receive Rs 2000 as part of the 11th instalment under the central government’s flagship scheme.

For those uninitiated, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi is a Central government scheme that was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 February 2019 in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur.

The scheme was introduced by the government to provide financial assistance to marginalised farmers. Farmers will low income are provided with the financial support of Rs 6000 annually under the PM Kisan scheme.

The monetary support of Rs 6000 is provided in three different instalments of Rs 2000 each to eligible farmers.

Railways to soon have hostesses on premium trains

services soon, says SpiceJet

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Farmers could get Rs 2000 instalment ahead of New Year

“Yet, Omicron, a new variant of Covid-19 may pose a fresh risk to the ongoing global recovery. However, preliminary evidence suggests that the Omicron variant is expected to be less severe and more so with increasing pace of vaccination in India,” the finance ministry said.

Observing that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to considerable human and economic costs setting countries back on their developmental goals, the latest review said, the year 2021 is thus a “catch-up” year for the global economy including India, trying to

rural incomes.

The central government finances improved during April 2021 to October 2021 over the corresponding period of previous year, with both direct and indirect taxes showing a significant YoY growth, it said, adding that sustained improvement in revenue collection bodes well for achieving the government’s fiscal deficit target at 6.8 per cent of GDP for the current financial year.

In the first seven months of FY2021-22, it said the government stepped up public capital expenditure in infrastructure by 28.3 per cent over the corresponding period of last year with focus on railways, road transport and highways, and housing and urban affairs.

Revenue expenditure during this period saw a much lower YoY growth of 7.5 per cent, indicating a pronounced shift towards much improved quality of total expenditure, it added.

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agriculture sectors,” it said.

The recovery suggests kick-starting of the investment cycle, supported by surging vaccination coverage and efficient economic management activating the macro and micro drivers of growth, the report said.

India’s economic recovery is expected to gain further strength in the remaining quarters of the financial year, as evident from 19 among 22 High Fr e q u e n c y I n d i c a t o r s (HFIs) in September, October and November of 2021 crossing their pre-pandemic levels in the corresponding months of 2019, it said.

recover the pre-pandemic output level of 2019.

India has not only caught up with its prepandemic output of Q2, but is also expected to do so for the full year, it said, adding, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) in its December statement has maintained the growth forecast of 9.5 per cent during FY 2021-22, implying a full recovery and a 1.6 per cent growth over prepandemic GDP level of FY 2019-20.

“India will be among only a few economies in the world to rebound strongly from Covid-19 induced economic contraction of 2020-21,” it said.

Noting that the agriculture sector has been the foundation on which economic contraction in India was minimised in FY202021 and recovery sped up in FY2021-22, the report said rising production of food grains, increase in MSPs for both kharif and rabi crops in 2021-22 have also raised

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NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (PTI): India will be among only a few economies in the world to rebound strongly from Covid-19 induced economic contraction of 2020-21, a finance ministry report said assuaging that the Omicron variant’s impact on the economy will be less severe due to rapid vaccination.

Real GDP in Q2 of FY2021-22 has grown by 8.4 per cent YoY, recovering more than 100 per cent of the pre-pandemic output in the corresponding quarter of FY2019-20, said the monthly Economic Review prepared by the finance ministry.

“India is among the few countries that have recorded four consecutive quarters of growth amid Covid-19 (Q3, Q4 of FY21 and Q1, Q2 of FY22) reflecting the resilience of the Indian economy. The recovery was driven by a revival in services, fullrecovery in manufacturing and sustained growth in

China slams Biden’s Summit for Democracy

US President Joe Biden delivers closing remarks to the virtual Summit for Democracy in the White House campus. (AP)

khim, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US, took part in the summit.

Ta n g, w h o s p o k e at a panel discussion on ‘Countering Digital Authoritarianism and Affirming Democratic Values’, said governments should work with civil society groups to develop digital democracy to tackle the various challenges facing the world, Taiwan media reports said.

Wr a p p i n g u p t h e summit, Biden said, “A final message I want to impart as we close out this Summit for Democracy is that we know how hard the work is going to be ahead of us. But we also know we

are up to the challenge.”

H e s a i d t h e t wo d ay v i r t u a l g a t h e r i n g has demonstrated that the democratic world is everywhere.

Biden said autocracies can never extinguish the embers of liberty that burns in the hearts of people around the world, in every portion of the world.

“We’re committed to working with all who share those values, to shape the rules of the road that are going to govern our progress in the 21st century, including on issues of cybersecurity and emerging technologies so that future generations continue to reap the benefits of liberty and democracy, as we have,” he said.

Macron, Scholz meet in Paris, vow to enhance ties PARIS, DEC 11 (IANS): French President Emmanuel Macron met the new visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz here in a bid to strengthen relations between the two leading European nations.

This was Scholz’s first foreign visit since taking the reins from his predecessor Angela Merkel on Wednesday.

In a press conference following the meeting on Friday, Macron said that during initial exchanges, there was “a solid convergence of views” and “a desire to make our two countries work together”, reports Xinhua news agency.

The leaders discussed the future of the European Union (EU) with regards to immigration, new energies, border protection and relations with other states.

France on Thursday presented its agenda for the upcoming French presidency of the Council

French President Emmanuel Macron with the new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris.

of the EU. It plans to review the EU’s budget policy and deficit rules, in order to promote post-Covid-19 economic recovery.

The German Chancellor said that “it is a question of maintaining this growth, which was engendered by the stimulus pact.”

“At the same time, we must work on the solidity of our finances,” said Scholz.

T h e C h a n c e l l o r ’s

Virtual Nobel Prize award ceremony for 2nd time due to Covid STOCKHOLM, DEC 11 (IANS): In the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 p a n d e m i c, t h e N o b e l Prize award ceremony was streamed online for a second time in a row from Stockholm’s City Hall.

The Laureates received their awards respectively at their homes, and their prize awarding videos were streamed on Friday evening at the ceremony, reports Xinhua news agency.

Around 300 guests and the Swedish royal family were present at the Blue Hall in the Stockholm City Hall paying tribute to this year’s Nobel Laureates, with no one seen wearing face masks on site.

This years’ laureates are: Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi (physics); Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan (chemistry); David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian (physiology or medicine); Abdulrazak Gurnah (literature); and David Card, Joshua D. Angrist and Guido W. Imbens (economics).

“The ongoing coronavir us pandemic still affects our lives in a profound manner,” CarlHenrik Heldin, chairman of the Board of the Nobel Foundation said in his

opening address.

He emphasising that the current challenge is “to build trust in science and to communicate science in a way that resonates with us as human beings, with all our fears and doubts.”

“This year’s Nobel Prizes draw attention to several of the issues facing humanity,” Heldin said, highlighting, for example, “that climate change is not a political opinion it is scientific facts,” and that “global problems can only be solved by global collaboration carried out in good faith”.

He said under the current pandemic, science and scientists have been extremely successful in making effective vaccines in record time, but equitably sharing the results of science has often proven to be much more difficult.

“Now we have to make the vaccines - and the knowledge of how important they are - reach all people, in all countries,” he said.

Due to the pandemic, this year’s Nobel Banquet in Stockholm City Hall was cancelled.

Nobel Prizes have been presented annually since 1901.

The winners are announced in October each year.

coalition of his Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens unlike the previous German government, has indicated it could agree to a reform.

After Paris, Scholz arrived in Brussels later on Friday, where he met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and NATO Secretar yGeneral Jens Stoltenberg.

The Chinese foreign ministry, which has been attacking the summit in the past few weeks, issued a lengthy statement accusing the US of stocking divisions in the name of democracy. “ S t o k i n g d iv i s i o n and confrontation in the name of democracy is to backpedal in history, and will bring nothing but turmoil and disaster to the world,” the statement said.

For a long time, the US has been imposing its political system and values on others, pushing for the so-called “democratic reforms”, abusing unilateral sanctions and inciting “colour revolutions”, which have caused “disastrous consequences”, it said.

“Democracy has become a weapon of mass destruction used by the United States to interfere in other countries’ affairs,” the statement said, asserting that the US ‘Summit for Democracy’ has “drawn the ideological line and turned democracy into a tool and a weapon”.

The US “sought to thwart democracy under the pretext of democracy, incite division and confrontation, and divert attention from

its internal problems. It attempted to preser ve its hegemony over the world, and undermine the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order under pinned by international law”, the statement said.

Pakistan, which was invited to take part in the summit along with India and the Maldives, skipped it, apparently after a late-night phone call from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi on December 4 where he criticised the meeting saying that what the US aims for is not democracy but hegemony.

The US is seeking to defend its dominant position in the world in the name of democracy, Wang had told Qureshi.

Asser ting that the US is “not a beacon of democracy”, the foreign ministry statement sought to portray the one-party system headed by the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) as People’s Democracy focussing on social and economic development.

KYIV (UKRAINE), DEC 11 (AP): Ukraine’s president said Friday that more opportunities for talks with Russia may arise thanks to the US diplomatic effort to help de-escalate tensions after Moscow massed troops near Ukraine’s border, stoking fears of a possible invasion.

US President Joe Biden spoke with both U k r a i n e ’s P r e s i d e n t Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, as the United States moved to take a more direct role in diplomacy between Kyiv and Moscow.

The US president proposed joining the Europeans in negotiations not just to settle the conflict in eastern Ukraine but to address Putin’s larger strategic objections to NATO expanding its membership eastwards.

In an inter view a i r e d F r i d ay b y t h e Ukrainian TV channel 1+1, Zelenskyy said that “thanks to the US,” one more platform for talks with Russia may appear,

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

in addition to the socalled Normandy format that involves France and Germany.

The two European countries in 2015 brokered a peace agreement that helped end large-scale hostilities in Ukraine’s east, where Ukrainian forces have been fighting with Russia-backed separatists since 2014.

But efforts to reach a political settlement of the conflict that has since killed more than 14,000 people have failed, and sporadic skirmishes have continued along the tense line of contact.

Zelenskyy said Fr i d ay t h a t w i t h t h e support of the US and

Ukraine’s European allies, he doesn’t rule out direct talks between him and Putin -- something he has proposed to the Russian leader several times to no avail.

“I see the support for this path from both our European partners and the US,” Zelenskyy said.

Tensions between M o s c o w, K y i v a n d its Western allies have worsened in recent weeks over the invasion fears.

Russian officials have repeatedly denied plans to attack Ukraine, and in turn, blamed Kyiv for its own allegedly aggressive designs. Putin has urged t h e We s t t o p r ov i d e guarantees that would preclude NATO from expanding to Ukraine or deploying troops and weapons there.

Zelenskyy said Friday that the message he got from Biden during Thursday’s call was the “Russia assured the US and the whole world that it doesn’t intend to continue the escalation against the territory of our independent state.”

South African doctors see signs omicron is milder than delta JOHANNESBURG, DEC 11 (AP): As the omicron variant sweeps through South Africa, Dr Unben Pillay is seeing dozens of sick patients a day. Yet he hasn’t had to send anyone to the hospital.

That’s one of the reasons why he, along with other doctors and medical experts, suspect that the omicron version really is causing milder COVID-19 than delta, even if it seems to be spreading faster.

“They are able to manage the disease at home,” Pillay said of his patients.

“Most have recovered within the 10 to 14-day isolation period,” said Pillay.

And that includes older patients and those with health problems that can make them more vulnerable to becoming severely ill from a coronavirus infection, he said.

In the two weeks since omicron first was reported in Southern Africa, other doctors have shared similar stories.

All caution that it will take many more weeks to collect enough data to be sure, their observations and the early evidence offer some clues.

According to South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases: — Only about 30% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 in recent weeks have been seriously ill, less than half the rate as during the first weeks of previous pandemic waves.

— Average hospital stays for COVID-19 have been shorter this time about 2.8 days compared to eight days.

— Just 3% of patients hospitalised recently with C OV I D - 1 9 h ave d i e d , versus about 20% in the country’s earlier outbreaks.

“A t t h e m o m e n t , virtually everything points toward it being milder disease,” Willem Hanekom, director of the Africa Health Research Institute, said, citing the national institute’s figures and other reports.

“It’s early days, and we need to get the final data.

4 dead in US tornadoes, storms; roof collapse at Amazon

EDWARDSVILLE (US), DEC 11 (AP): Three people died in severe weather in Tennessee, one person died and several were injured in an apparent tornado at an Arkansas nursing home, and emergency crews in souther n Illinois were responding to reports of workers trapped inside an Amazon warehouse after its roof collapsed from storm damage.

At least one fatality wa s a l s o r e p o r t e d i n Missouri as severe storms, s o m e b e l i e ve d t o b e tornadoes, swept across the Midwest and parts of the South late Friday and into Saturday morning.

In Tennessee, two storm-related fatalities were reported in Lake County in the state’s northwestern corner, said Dean Flener, spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

An additional death was reported in neighbouring Obion County.

Flener said the Tennessee Department of Health confirmed the deaths, however there were no other details immediately released.

The official had earlier reported two deaths in Obion County.

A tornado struck the

Ukraine leader hopes for talks with Russia amid tensions

Monette Manor nursing home in Arkansas on Friday night, killing one person and trapping 20 people inside as the building collapsed, Craighead County Judge Mar vin Day told The Associated Press. Officials had earlier reported at least two fatalities.

Within two hours, the building had been cleared and ever yone initially believed to have been inside had been accounted for, Day said.

“It looks like it’s pretty much destroyed,” Day said of the building. “... It happens quick but apparently there was a little bit of time with tornado sirens going off.” Some residents were found in the basement “and were prepared for this,” he said.

Five people had serious injuries, and a few others had minor ones, he said. The nursing home has 86 beds.

Day said another nursing home about 20 miles (32 km) away in Tr uman was badly damaged but no injuries were repor ted. The r e s i d e n t s we r e b e i n g evacuated because the building is unsafe.

At least 100 emergency vehicles descended upon the Amazon warehouse near Edwardsville, Illinois,

about 25 miles (40 km) east of St Louis, where a wall that was about the length of a football field collapsed, as did the roof above it.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many people were hurt, but one person was flown by helicopter to a hospital.

Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback said several people who were in the building were taken by bus to the police station in nearby Pontoon Beach for evaluation. By early Saturday, rescue crews were still sorting through the rubble to determine if anyone was trapped inside.

Fillback said the process would last for several more hours. Cranes and backhoes were brought in to help move debris.

“Please be patient with us. Our fire personnel are doing everything they can to reunite everyone with their loved ones,” Fillback said on KMOVTV. The Belleville NewsDemocrat reported that the Amazon fulfillment center in Edwardsville opened with two warehouses in 2016, with 1.5 million square feet of space. The warehouses are used to store items until they are shipped to mail-order customers.

Often hospitalisations and deaths happen later, and we are only two weeks into this wave.”

I n t h e m e a n t i m e, scientists around the world are watching case counts and hospitalisation rates, while testing to see how well current vaccines and treatments hold up.

While delta is still the dominant coronavirus strain worldwide, omicron cases are popping up in dozens of countries, with South Africa the epicentre.

Pillay practices in the country’s Gauteng province, where the omicron version has taken hold.

With 16 million residents, It’s South Africa’s most populous province and includes the largest

city, Johannesburg, and the capital, Pretoria.

Gauteng saw a 400% rise in new cases in the first week of December, and testing shows omicron is responsible for more than 90% of them, according to health officials.

Pillay says his COVID-19 patients during the last delta wave “had trouble breathing and lower oxygen levels.

Many needed hospitalisation within days,” he said. The patients he’s treating now have milder, flu-like symptoms, such as body aches and a cough, he said.

Pillay is a director of an association representing some 5,000 general practitioners across South

Africa, and his colleagues have documented similar obser vations about omicron. Netcare, the largest private healthcare provider, is also reporting less severe cases of COVID-19.

But the number of cases is climbing. South Africa confirmed 22,400 new cases on Thursday and 19,000 on Friday, up from about 200 per day a few weeks ago. The new surge has infected 90,000 people in the past month, Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said Friday.

“Omicron has driven the resurgence,” Phaahla said, citing studies that say 70% of the new cases nationwide are from omicron.

CONDEMNATION The KNSK, Mon HQ, Apex Women’s Organisation of the Konyak Naga people vehemently condemns the unjustifiable and brutal murder of 14 civilians by the security forces on the 4th and 5th December, 2021. It is nothing less than an act of barbarism, and testimony to absolute disregard for innocent human lives in the Security forces’ quest to achieve goals as dictated by their political masters.

We are at loss to comprehend what senseless blood-lust and greed for glory can drive the so-called “Protectors” to turn into such Monsters. The proverb “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” seems to be the only explanation.

Behind the senseless act of well- trained uniformed personnel unleashing such horror on their fellow citizens, citizens of India. And that Absolute corrupting power is the Draconian Armed Forces Act (AFPSA). As we see it, those responsible for crushing the lives of so many families would not have dared open fire without ascertaining the identities of the victims had it not been for the impunity provided to them under AFPSA. In the light of this situation, the KNSK hereby puts forth three demands – 1. Repeal AFPSA. No more discussions, no more delay. AFPSA has to go.

2. Unprejudiced Investigation into the tragedy be conducted and Justice delivered to the Victims and their bereaved families at the earliest.

3. The Indian Army has to make public the punishment dealt out to those responsible for the killings, to restore the faith of the people, and to heal wounds.

Smti PONGLEM President

Smti NGIPLEM General Secretary

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BEIJING, DEC 11 (PTI): China on Saturday accused the US of using democracy as a “weapon of mass destruction” to “stoke divisions and confrontation” as it slammed the Summit for Democracy organised by the Biden administration, which Beijing portrays as a new front being formed by America to isolate it to halt its rise.

The two-day summit attended by over 100 world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, concluded on Friday with a call to evaluate progress in safeguarding fair elections, protecting human rights and fighting corruption.

While the US omitted China and Russia from the list of invitees, Beijing was furious over the invitation to the self-governing island Taiwan, which China said is a blatant violation of the ‘One China’ policy that considers Taipei as the integral part of the Chinese mainland.

In what could be Taiwan’s most high profile international conference for decades, its Minister without Portfolio Audrey Ta n g a n d H s i a o B i -

9

INTERNATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

New book “CHILDREN STORIES FROM MUMMY’S FANTASY LAND”, written by Obenro Mozhui and illustrated by Etson Ngully was released on 10th Dec 2021, by Shri. Mmhonlumo Kikon, Poet, 2nd term MLA/BJP National Spokesperson, Advisor, IT, Science and Technology, NRE, Govt. of Nagaland/DU. Published by 24by7 Publishing house, Kolkata. Books will be now available at Amazon, Flipkart and Gol Papa.com. dp-5945/21

INFOTAINMENT/STATE

10

We’re Ill-Prepared for the Next Pandemic T

of new pathogens was the area with the lowest worldwide score.

“The global average for the prevention of the emergence or release of pathogens is 28.4 out of 100, making it the lowestscoring category within the GHS Index,” the report authors wrote. They said 113 countries “show little to no attention” to diseases transmitted from animals to humans.

Within the past three years, 155 out of the 195 countries in the survey didn’t invest in preparing for a pandemic or epidemic, and 70% didn’t invest in clinics, hospitals and community health centers.

“Leaders now have a choice,” Dr. Jennifer

Nuzzo, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore, told CNN. “They can make dedicated, sustainable investments in the new capacities created during the COVID-19 response to prepare their countries for the long term, or they can fall back into the decades-long cycle of panic-and-neglect that will leave the world at grave risk for inevitable future public health threats.”

The document also said that people in 161 countries have low to moderate levels of public confidence in their governments -- a key factor among countries with high number of COVID-19 cases and deaths -- and that

the United States had the lowest possible score in that area.

“Such lack of confidence can undermine public adherence to diseasecontrol measures, such as wearing masks or complying with stay-at-home recommendations or vaccination protocols, which have been reported among the ongoing challenges to the U.S. COVID-19 response,” the index authors wrote. “Over nearly two years, U.S. politicians have questioned the motives and messages of health officials and debated the seriousness of the virus and the effectiveness and safety of vaccines. The result: in many areas of the country, people have been unwilling to comply with public health recommendations that would slow the spread of the virus.”

Other weaknesses in the United States included limited access to health care without cost barriers, and lower numbers of health care personnel and hospital beds per capita than many other highincome countries, the report found.

Robert Preidt

Darogapathar village sub-centre inaugurated DIMAPUR: Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dimapur, Dr. Maotemjen inaugurated the Darogapathar village new sub-centre on December 10.

In a press release, Darogapathar Village Council (DVC) informed that during the programme, Dr. Moatemjen oriented gathering on various services provided at the sub-centre level and appreciated the community of Darogapathar for continuous support rendered towards the health department. The CMO also urged them to donate sufficient land for construction of sub-centre building and for any future development.

He talked on the COVID-19 pandemic across

DIMAPUR: Modern Institute of Teacher Education (MITE) Kohima, observed its 9th Graduation Day on December 10 with principal director, school of education, Shanavas C as the special guest.

In a press release, MITE informed that during the programme, Shanavas in his speech said that the human greed had no end and that the world was not the best place to live in.

In this regard he said that everyone had to fight and face challenges.

He encouraged the graduates and studentteachers to stay motivated, empathise and to be the change, keeping the “Alma mater” in mind alive and to work together for a better place.

Delivering the welcome address, MITE principal, Dr. Kate Dandesh Kumar in his speech exhorted student and teachers and highlighted MITE’s achievement.

In the convocation ceremony, the special guest awarded degree certificates to student-teachers.

Organisations condemn December 4 Oting massacre

DIMAPUR: Eastern Nagaland Women Organization Dimapur (ENWOD), GB Union Dimapur (Sadar), Tikhir Women Association (TWA) and Phomla Hoichem have condemned the killing of over a dozen civilians at Oting by security forces on December 4.

ENWOD: While vehemently condemning the massacre of the 14 innocent and precious lives, Eastern Nagaland Women Organisation Dimapur said that no words could express the grief and pain of such degree of atrocity committed by “the senseless and merciless Indian army”.

It prayed that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) would judiciously carry out the investigation and deliver justice to the victims and punish the culprit and the guilty officers, commandos and jawans.

GBUD (S): GB Union Dimapur (Sadar) stated that the barbaric

crime was a deliberate attempt to derail the ongoing Indo-Naga peace talks and non-adhering the ceasefire ground rules.

“Such act of inexcusable occurrence time and again has created an irreparable trust deficit among the Naga people and the armed forces” it stated.

Demanding all armed personnel involved and responsible for the senseless killing violating human ethics be held accountable, GBUD (S) conveyed its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for a speedy recovery for all injured. Further, it reaffirmed its unflinching support and solidarity to its Konyak brothers.

TWA: Tikhir Women Association has condemned the merciless killing of innocent villagers and said that such act of barbaric shooting of unarmed civilians only exposed “their lack of credibility towards their

intelligence and motive”.

“Terming it as mistaken Identity is clearly a mere excuse to shield their calculated operation towards innocent civilians and should be condemn by every responsible citizens”, TWA stated.

The Tikhir mothers extended their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and to the Konyak people and prayed for a speedy recovery of the injured.

Phomla Hoichem: Expressing deep shock over the massacre, Phomla Hoichem questioned the security forces if the guns they carried were used to gun down innocent civilians living peacefully in their own land. It stated that such heinous act by any forces in the land would not be tolerated.

Demanding proper investigation and justice to the victims and their families without any delay, the Phomla Hoichem extended its solidarity to the bereaved families.

FELICITATION

CMO Dimapur, Dr. Maotemjen speaking at the inaugural programme of the sub-centre

the country and advised the people to be prepared for the third wave by ensuring that the members of the community were vaccinated.

Dr. Moatemjen urged them to continue following the COVID appropriate behavior especially during the festive season.

M e a n w h i l e, D VC

chairman, K. Ado Bizo while chairing the programme informed about the efforts and contribution made by the community to establish the health centre in Darogapathar.

Later, Nukmen Baptist Church pastor, Kilang Longkumer said the dedicatory prayer.

We, the children, in-laws & relatives of Mr. & Mrs.Ntheo Ngullie heartily congratulate Mr. N. Nzanbemo Ngullie on his promotion to the post of SDEO, under School Education.

We are delighted the learn about your promotion.

We celebrate with you on your promotion and wish you all the best as you take up a new responsibility. k-2390/21

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he world isn’t ready to prevent or deal with another pandemic because many nations aren’t taking the necessary steps to prepare for what is likely an inevitable future scenario, a new report shows.

The Global Health Security (GHS) index -- an assessment of preparedness for various health emergencies and problems -- is produced by the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Economist Impact and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“The 2021 GHS Index continues to show that all countries still lack some critical capacities, which hinders their ability to respond effectively to COVID-19 and reduces their preparedness for future epidemic and pandemic threats. The average country score in 2021 was 38.9 out of 100, which is essentially unchanged from 2019,” the report found.

The United States did have the highest overall score, at just under 76.

Preparedness in preventing the emergence

MITE Kohima observes graduation day

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

State deputy chief minister Y Patton greeting the congregation at his native village, Old Riphyim during the 99th triennial conference of the Lotha Baptist Church Association (LBCA) on Saturday.

Off-campus trg on promotion of IFS

DIMAPUR: Extension Education Institute - North East Region (EEI - NER), Assam Agricultural University (AAU) Jorhat in collaboration with State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI), Nagaland organised an offcampus training programme on “promotion of integrated farming systems (IFS) in Nagaland” from December 7-10.

SAMETI Medziphema informed that the training was aimed at educating ATMA functionaries on creating sustainable livelihood through IFS. Participants were encouraged to work in convergence with agriculture and allied department.

The programme was chaired by director SAMETI, Medziphema & principal IETC Dr Watimongla Jamir, keynote address by resource persons Dr. AK Bhattacharyya, Dr. Chittaranjan Deka and Madhusmita Dutta, faculty staff and team member of EEI-NER Jorhat Assam.

K Y M C

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K Y M C

ISL: Chennaiyin FC and ATKMB draw 1-1

MARGOA, DEC 11 ( AGENCIES): Chennaiyin FC preserved their unbeaten start to the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) season after a 1-1 draw against ATK Mohun Bagan at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Margao, Goa on Saturday.

The draw also put an end to ATK Mohun Bagan’s two-match losing run.

Liston Colaco (18’) put the Mariners in front but Vladimir Koman (45’) equalised for the Marina Machans just before the interval.

Antonio Habas’ men started the game on the front foot, bossing possession and pushing Bozidar Bandovic’s side back in their own half.

Colaco had the first attempt of the game when he shot from distance trying to catch Vishal Kaith out in the sixth minute but his effort was not on target.

The Goan though broke Chennaiyin FC’s resistance in the 18th minute when he slotted home past Kaith after being found by an inch-perfect through ball from Roy Krishna.

Liston Colaco (18’) put the Mariners in front but Vladimir Koman (45’) equalised for the Marina Machans just before the interval.

Chennaiyin FC though responded emphatically to falling behind in the game and started dictating terms with Anirudh Thapa the shining light. Koman came close to restoring parity in the 27th minute as he drilled a low shot that just evaded the target after a brilliant passing move.

Thapa then came very close to scoring two min-

utes later when Chhangte fed him with a pinpoint cross but his shot from that cutback was deflected away from the target.

Chennaiyin FC kept up the pressure on the Mariners as the corner count increased for Bandovic’s men but Habas’ side who welcomed back Spanish defender Tiri to their lineup were able to resist the

onslaught.

However, Chennaiyin were not to be denied on the stroke of half time after Koman fired past Amrinder after latching onto a loose ball following a long throw-in.

The two sides went level pegging at the interval but Chennaiyin FC had ended the first half as the stronger team.

ATK Mohun Bagan

though carved out the first opening of the second half when he skipped past two markers to run clear on the byline and cut it back for Hugo Boumous whose effort sailed wide of the target in the 47th minute.

The Mariners missed another chance to take the lead in the 62nd minute when Joni Kauko failed to finish from close range from a corner.

The two teams enjoyed spells of dominance but neither team could conjure up a winning goal. Chennaiyin FC ended the game strongly as ATK Mohun Bagan did well to stave off the late threat and secure a point in an intense affair.

The point that stretched Chennaiyin FC’s unbeaten run this season to four games lifted them to third place in the table while the Mariners remained in sixth spot despite snapping their losing run.

ATK Mohun Bagan face Bengaluru FC in their next match on Thursday while Chennaiyin FC are up against leaders Mumbai City FC a day earlier.

Tottenham’s match against Rennes will not be rescheduled: UEFA

L O N D O N, D E C 1 1 ( I A N S ) : To t t e n h a m Hotspur’s postponed Europa Conference League match with Rennes will not be rescheduled and has been referred to a disciplinary panel, UEFA confirmed on Saturday.

Spurs’ group match against Rennes didn’t take place on Thursday following 13 coronavirus cases at the club.

European football’s governing body said it had

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NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

tried to find a viable solution to reschedule Thursday’s match and ensure the group stage could be completed.

“Unfortunately, despite all efforts, a solution that could work for both clubs could not be found,” the UEFA said in a statement.

“As a consequence, the match can no longer be played and the matter will, therefore, be referred to the UEFA Control, Ethics and

Disciplinary Body for a decision to be taken in accordance with Annex J of the...competition regulations,” it added.

The fixture was Spurs and Rennes’ final game in Group G, which must be completed by 31 December.

Rennes were not happy with the

Don’t know what the management or selectors want: Kohli’s childhood coach

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (IANS): Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma on Saturday lashed out at the national selectors and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly for the way they handled the Team India’s ODI captaincy issue recently. Rajkumar felt that the selectors should have asked Kohli to step down as captain from both T20Is and ODIs or shouldn’t have changed the skipper at all.

The stylish batter had decided to quit T20I captaincy as he did not want to continue in the post after the World Cup in the UAE. Rohit was handed over the job after the tournament, and now the board made another announcement to make the Mumbai Indians skipper the captain in the ODI format as well.

“I haven’t talked to him (Virat Kohli) yet. His phone is switched off for some reason. But as far as my opinion is concerned, he had specifically stepped down from T20 captaincy and the selectors sh’uld’ve straightaway asked him to step down from both the white-ball formats or not

Rajkumar Sharma and Virat Kohli

step down at all,” said Rajkumar while speaking on the Khelneeti podcast.

Ganguly was recently quoted as saying that the selectors were in no mood to have separate captains in T20Is and ODIs as it would cause confusion in the team.

To this, Kohli’s coach said he was surprised by the BC’I chief ’s co”ments.

“I read Sourav Ganguly’s comments recently that they had asked Kohli to not step down from T20I captaincy (before the World

Cup). I don’t recall anything like that. This statement came as a surprise to me. There are different statements circulating around,” he said.

“The selection committee doesn’t provide a reason behind the decision. We don’t know what the management or the BCCI or the selectors want.

There’s no clarification, no transparency at all. It’s a pity how this has happened. He has been such a successful one-day captain,” he added.

postponement and they criticised that decision, saying it was taken unilaterally by Tottenham and that they reserved the right to appeal to UEFA. Rennes have already reached the last 16 as group winners, while Tottenham are third -- three points behind Vitesse, who beat NS Mura on Thursday.

The group runners-up will secure a spot in a playoff for the last 16.

DIMAPUR, DEC 11 ( NPN): Nagaland Motorcycle Club (NMC) has conducted another edition of “Hornbill Riders Meet” (Riders Unlocked - 2021) successfully from December 2 to 4 under the patronage of its event partners, the government of Nagaland and the department of tourism, with the cooperation of enthusiastic biking fraternity from across the country, northeast states and Nagaland.

The Naga Chiefs also expressed gratitude to Abu Metha, advisor to the CM and patron of NMC for his continued support and guidance, officers and staff of Tourism department, D’Khel council, Sachü & Kire clans and all individual landowners for their magnanimity.

NMC also thanked Suncity Kohima, Central Chief Kevin Yepthomi, Asabu Kire and Neikho Kire of D’Khel, Col Umesh Sati, NHIDCL, DC Ko-

hima, Royal Enfield, SHGs from Tuensang for their reusable bamboo plates and cups, printers Innovations, stall owners, performing artist who enthralled the 500 participants and guests during the meet, print and electronic media for regular coverage and club members who contributed their time, labour, utilities and cash donations towards the success of the meet.

Stating that that Naga festivals are not just periods of merry making but also times for strengthening social bonds, NMC stated Naga Chiefs are grateful to God for providing the means to be of assistance towards the rebuilding of Morungs burnt by fire at Kisama in the month of November and to have been able to share 210 of lunch packs prepared on December 4 with inmates of Kohima District Jail and Kohima orphanages.

Lastly, the Naga Chiefs said it shared profound sadness and conveyed its deep-

est condolences to the families of all those who have lost their loved ones in the dastardly ambush carried out by the Para commandos and in events that unfolded thereafter in Mon district.

The 3 chapters of NMC namely Dimapur, Kohima and Tuensang condemns all those people directly or indirectly involved for the huge loss of innocent civilians lives.

NMC wished full and speedy recovery to all those injured and stand with all those physically and emotionally scared, the Konyak community, the Nagas and with every citizen of Nagaland state in solidarity.

Expressing regret that the much anticipated 22nd International Hornbill festival has been cut short by this unforseen event, NMC said it strongly believe it time to pause and mourn for those of them whom we have just buried and not to let their deaths go in vain by getting justice delivered.

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NMC conducts Hornbill Riders Meet

1st DEATH ANNIVERSARY IN LOVING MEMORY OF LATE Er. R SANGYU CHANG

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Sr National Hockey: Record 74 goals on Day 1 as Manipur thrash Tripura 21-0

K Y M C

event. In other matches, Hockey Andhra Pradesh earned full points after Hockey Andaman and Nicobar failed to show up for the championship.

In Group C, Hockey Karnataka began the day with a 14-0 win over Hockey Jammu and Kashmir.

Hockey Karnataka had nine players getting their names on the scoresheet. Mohd Raheel (2nd) gave the Southern side the lead and likewise became the first scorer of the 2021 edition. Thereafter, Hockey Karnataka opened the floodgates with Mohd Raheel (14th); Somanna BP (4th, 47th); Punith R (20th, 55th); Bharath KR (23rd, 30th); S Deekshith P (27th); Chiranth Somanna N.D (42nd); Likhith BM (43rd, 60th); Kumar Yashith B (52nd); Shamanth CS

(60th) scoring the goals.

Hockey Karnataka led 7-0 at halftime. Le Puducherry downed first-timers Hockey Ar unachal Pradesh 14-0 while Hockey Punjab thrashed Hockey Uttrakhand 11-0 in a Group D match.

With the presence of 2020 Tokyo Olympian Rupinder Pal Singh, all eyes were on the star dragflicker to make an impact.

However, it was off a penalty stroke that he made his mark in the 50th minute of play.

Hockey Punjab went about their business with ease with Lovepreet Jainth (4th, 46th, 56th, 58th) leading with four goals. Paramjeet Singh (6th), Sudarshan Singh (7th, 18th), Vishal Yadav (21st), Singh Gurshahzad Pirzada (30th), Gautam Kumar (35th) added to the tally.

Late Hezhei Muru

Born in : Dec 1930 – Died on : 03 Dec 2021

We, the bereaved family of Lt. Hezhei Muru would like to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation to all who stood with us during the time of our grief.

We convey our special thanks to:1. Hukiye T Yepthomi, Head GB Thahekhu Village 2. Thahekhu Village Baptist Church 3. Thahekhu Village Council 4. Hukiye Ssa 5. Kulolau Murumi Kuposhukulu 6. Luvishe Ghami Kuposhukulu, Dimapur We regret our inability to thank each one of you individually but we sincerely hope and pray that our Almighty God bless you all abundantly.

Born : 15.12.1964 – Died : 12.12.2020

It’s been a year Since you passed away Our heart still can’t accept the fact That you are no more with us.

The way we miss you is different now We hope you know how much you meant to us.

There’s not a single day that we didn’t miss you It’s not easy for us to move on from this pain We still think about you everyday We still continue to love and miss you In our own special way.

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PUNE, DEC 11 (IANS): Manipur Hockey scored at will and ended up recording a 21-0 victory over their north-eastern neighbours Tripura Hockey on a day when goals were aplenty at the 11th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship at the Major Dhyanchand Hockey Stadium, Nehrunagar-Pimpri near here on Saturday.

While Manipur set a record of sorts, the day overall was all about counting goals with three matches in the morning session producing 39 goals while 35 goals were scored in two matches in the afternoon.

At the end of the day, 74 goals were scored in five matches played. Hockey Karnataka, Le Puducherry, Hockey Punjab, and Hockey Chandigarh were the other big-score winners on the opening day of the

Loving Children, Grandchildren, In-laws and Relatives

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Loving Wife & Children K Y M C

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Ashes: Aus beats Eng by 9 wickets in opener

BRISBANE, DEC 11 (AP): Australia won the Ashes series opener by nine wickets on Saturday with 1 1/2 days to spare after Nathan Lyon picked up his 400th test wicket and quickly added three more to dismantle England’s bid to save the first test.

England resumed Day 4 at 220-2 and Lyon struck in the fourth over, triggering a collapse that netted eight wickets for 77 runs as the visiting team finished the match in a similar vein to how it started.

After restricting England’s second innings to 297, the Australians needed just 20 runs to clinch the match.

They did it in 5.1 overs, for the loss of only makeshift opener Alex Carey (9), with Marcus Harris (9 not out) hitting a boundary to finish off.

Lyon triggered England’s demise when he dismissed Dawid Malan to end a 162-run thirdwicket stand. With that, he joined retired legspinner Shane Warne (708) and retired paceman Glenn McGrath (563) as the only Australians to surpass the 400-wicket barrier in test cricket.

The 34-year-old offspinner was the 17th overall in international cricket, a list topped by Sri Lanka

England’s Ben Stokes lets a ball pass while batting during day four of the first Ashes cricket test at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. (AP/PTI)

spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 800 between 1992 and 2010.

Lyon finished with 4-91 for the innings.

Carey, as well as moving up the order to open in the second innings because of David Warner’s forced relegation for not fielding on Day 3, took a record eight catches for a wicketkeeper on test debut.

After being dismissed for 147 in the first innings and surrendering a 278-run first-innings deficit when Australia replied with 425, England revived some hope of challenging in the

first test when Malan and Joe Root defied the attack for almost two full sessions on Friday.

But the defiance didn’t extend long into Day 4, with Malan (82 from 195 balls) getting an inside edge from Lyon to Marnus Labuschagne at bat-pad.

Lyon took his 399th wicket in January and had to wait almost 11 months for No. 400 because the Australians didn’t play another test in 2021 until this week.

Root added only three runs to his overnight score, making it to 89 — his highest score in an Ashes test

Down Under — before his 165-ball knock ended when he was caught behind off allrounder Cameron Green in the seventh over of the morning.

Lyon chimed in again when he had Ollie Pope caught by Steve Smith in the slips in the next over as England slipped from 2222 to 234-5.

The slide contin ued when Australia took the new ball, with Ben Stokes (14) squared up by a sharply-rising ball from Pat Cummins and edging to Green in the gully, and Jos Buttler (23) caught be-

hind off Josh Hazlewood’s bowling.

At that stage, England was 268-7, and still needed 10 runs to make Australia bat again.

Lyon returned to dismiss Ollie Robinson (8), inexplicably reverse sweeping to point, and bowl Mark Wood (6) before Green finished off the England innings when he had Chris Woakes (16) caught behind.

The loss extended a drought for England, which hasn’t won a test in Australia in a decade since winning the Ashes here in 2010-11 and hasn’t won a test at the Gabba since 1986. A power outage at the broadcast compound cut the TV feed for at least 15 minutes on Saturday, and created another round of technology issues for the match officials.

On Day 1, the TV umpire wasn’t able to access ball-by-ball replays to review front-foot no-balls — and there were 12 that went uncalled in the first session. On Days 2 and 3, the technology used to register “snicks” — light contact between bat and ball — wasn’t available in the Decision Review System, either. The fivematch series moves to Adelaide, where a day-night test starts Thursday.

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2021

Verstappen beats Hamilton to pole in Abu Dhabi decider

ABU DHABI, DEC 11 (REUTERS): Red Bull’s Max Verstappen landed a big blow in his winnertakes-all title battle with Lewis Hamilton by seizing pole position for Formula One’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Saturday.

Mercedes’ seven times world champion Hamilton will line up alongside on the front row, with Verstappen on the quicker soft tyres for the start and the Briton going for the more durable mediums.

The pair are level on points in the standings, with Verstappen ahead 9-8 on race wins -- meaning he will be champion regardless of where he finishes if Hamilton fails to score for any reason.

“I didn’t expect that, but amazing job guys,” said the Dutch 24-year-old over the team radio after being told he had secured pole under the Yas Marina floodlights for the second successive season.

“That was a fantastic lap from him,” said Hamilton. “We’re in a good position with our tyres for tomorrow and I hope we can have a good race.”

The pole was Verstappen’s 10th of the 22-race season, more than anyone else, and he was helped

Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the pole position in Abu Dhabi, Saturday. (AP/PTI)

with a vital slipstream ‘tow’ down the straights behind his ever-helpful Mexican team mate Sergio Perez, who qualified fourth.

“It was a great team work,” said Perez. “Very pleased for Max that I managed to support him there.” Hamilton’s team mate Valtteri Bottas qualified only sixth in his last race for Mercedes.

Team boss Christian Horner said Verstappen’s lap of one minute 22.109 seconds was one of his best of the year and the Dutch driver sounded remarkably relaxed given the amount of pressure on him.

“It’s very important to have a good start and from there onwards we just try to do our race to the very best, then we’ll see where we end up,” said the 2020

race winner.

Hamilton had been fastest in practice and the first phase of qualifying but Verstappen was top in the second phase after he ‘flatspotted’ his set of medium tyres and switched to the soft Pirellis. “The lockup wasn’t ideal so it kind of forced our hand,” said Horner.

Hamilton had lapped nearly half a second faster than Verstappen to top the first session ahead of Bottas, with both doing a run more than the Red Bull driver, but ended up with a best effort of 1:22.480.

The first phase was briefly halted for a loose bollard to be removed after it was hit by Haas driver Mick Schumacher and then run over by McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Top doubles player Herbert pulls out of ICC still not losing hope of Afghanistan’s Abdul Azim, Dhruv Australian Open over vaccine stance featuring in 2028 Olympics win big at Matrix Fight Night 7

Pierre-Hugues Herbert

MELBOURNE, DEC 11 (IANS): Former Australian Open doubles champion and winner of five men’s doubles titles at majors, Frenchman PierreHugues Herbert, has revealed that he will not compete in the opening Grand Slam of 2022 as he is “not vaccinated”. The Australian Open begins on January 17. The Australian Open director Craig

Tiley had recently stated that only fully-vaccinated players will be allowed to compete in the tournament, adding that no exceptions will be made.

The 30-year-old Herbert, who won the Australian Open men’s doubles title in 2019 partnering Nicolas Mahut, is ranked No. 8 on the ATP, while his singles ranking is 110.

“Personally, I am not

vaccinated and the trip to Australia was not an option for me,” Herbert was quoted as saying by French outlet L’Alsace and reported by 7news.com.au on Saturday.

“I do what I can.

But because of my singles ranking, it may have been a bad thing (to go to Australia) for a good start,” said Herbert, who dropped out of the top-100 in singles ranking recently.

“Yes, for my part, it is a personal choice not to be vaccinated. I don’t know how long it will last, I don’t know if it’s feasible today to be a tennis player without being vaccinated.

There is not only Australia. Today, there are the United States, Austria... it is a rather complex topic,” added Herbert.

NEW DELHI, DEC 11 (PTI): The ICC is not losing hope of cricket being among “additional sports” to be played at the 2028 Los Angeles Games after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) started the process of identifying the core sports for the grand sporting spectacle.

The IOC on Thursday named 28 sports in the “initial programme” for the 2028 Olympics with skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing finding places in them. Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon were excluded and the respective international federations have been given time until 2023 to meet certain criteria to secure their spot at the 2028 Games.

The list would be put to vote in the IOC Session in Beijing in February next year for approval, which is

likely to be a formality.

Host City Los Angeles can also propose additional sports in 2023 to be included in the 2028 Games and the ICC is hoping that cricket is among sports to get the nod of the IOC. Baseball, softball and a version of American football could be in the running to bid for additional sports in 2028 Olympics.

“The process to pick additional sports by the host city starts next year (2023) and we are hoping cricket to be a part of that,” an ICC Board member, who is privy to the process, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“We know it will be tough (for cricket to be included as an additional sport). There are no guarantees and we are up against some other great sports to try and get a spot in the 2028 LA Games.”

HYDERABAD, DEC 11 (IANS): The ‘Afghan Lion, Abdul Aziz Badakhshi won the main event of the Matrix Fight Night, defeating Brazil’s Marcelo Guarilha in the Featherweight category here.

With Afghanistan fans packing the stands, there was an almost home-crowd feel for the Afghanistan fighter at the Taj Falaknuma Palace. The first round saw Abdul going for heavy punches, which Marcelo tackled with grappling and submission attempts. Both fighters started quick movements in the second round as Marcelo tried to go for a sudden takedown, but missed and Abdul landed in a few punches.

Abdul used his raw power to slam Marcelo on the ground and then ended the fight with heavy blows, winning the bout via TKO

Abdul Aziz Badakhshi won in the main event defeating Brazil’s Marcelo Guarilha in the Featherweight category

in the 2nd round.

“I am ver y happy about the win. At least with this win, I brought some happiness to the people back in my country, who have faced great hardships.

I am thankful to everyone who has supported me in my journey. I miss my parents a lot, thank you mother and father,” an emotional Abdul said after his win.

In the co-main event, the decider in the trilogy between Sumit Khade and Dhruv Chaudhary in the Lightweight category, the Uttar Pradesh fighter took control from the get-go.

Dhruv took down Sumit and started pounding him with non-stop punches and elbow strikes, leaving no choice for the referee to end the fight.

Benzema fit NBA: Giannis & LeBron James Bucks star in wins Asian Rowing: India win gold and silver Karim for Madrid derby:

HOUSTON, DEC 11 ( AGENCIES): Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James led the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers to victories in the NBA, reports BBC Sports.

Bucks forward Antetokounmpo notched 41 points, 17 rebounds and five assists to end the Houston Rockets’ seven-game winning streak with a 123114 success.

Ja m e s s c o r e d 3 3 points as the Lakers cruised to a 116-95 win over hosts Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 36-year-old helped LA bounce back from defeat by the Memphis Grizzlies.

James became the fifth player in NBA history to reach 100 triple-doubles in that loss and he made his presence felt from the start against Thunder, ending the first half with 23 points.

Avery Bradley impressed at both ends of the court for the Lakers as he posted a season-high 22 points.

Antetokounmpo was similarly potent for the Bucks and became the franchise’s all-time blocks leader in an impressive response to Wednesday’s

Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James.

defeat by Miami Heat.

Khris Middleton added 21 points for the Bucks as they outlasted their spirited Houston hosts.

Elsewhere, 11-time All-Star Kevin Durant scored 31 points to lift the Brooklyn Nets to a 113105 win over the Atlanta Hawks while Trae Young recorded 31 points and 10 assists, marking the fifth straight game he has reached at least 25 and 10 respectively.

Ja Va l e M c G e e claimed a season-high 21 points and grabbed 15

rebounds as Phoenix Suns coasted past visiting Boston Celtics 111-90 for their 20th win in 21 games despite the absences of star guard Devin Booker and centre Deandre Ayton.

The Indiana Pacers won a third straight game for the first time this season as Caris LeVert recorded 26 points, six rebounds and five assists to see off the Dallas Mavericks 106-93, while Cody Martin’s free throw with five seconds remaining lifted the Charlotte Hornets to a 124-123 victory over the Sacra-

mento Kings.

Gary Trent Jr scored 24 points, including a goahead three-pointer with 1:11 to play in the fourth quarter as the Toronto Raptors beat the New York Knicks 90-87, while the Cleveland Cavaliers cruised past the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 123106 win in Minneapolis.

Brandon Ingram scored 26 points to help the New Orleans Pelicans secure a 109-93 win over the Detroit Pistons, who slumped to their 11th consecutive defeat.

R AYO N G ( T H A I LAND), DEC 11 (IANS): The men’s double sculls pair of Arjun Lal Jat and Ravi struck gold and Parminder Singh claimed silver in single sculls as India had another good day at the 2021 Asian Rowing Championships here on Saturday.

In the double sculls final, the Indian combine of Arjun Lal, who recently participated in the Tokyo Olympic Games and finished 11th, and Ravi crossed the finish line in first place in 6:57.383 min, finishing ahead of China’s Zhang Li Qing and Lu Ting (7:02.357) and Uzbekistan’s M. Davronov and A. Dorjov (7:07.734), who had to be content with silver and bronze medals respectively.

Par minder Singh finished second behind Uzbekistan’s Shakhboz Khulmurzev in 8:07.323 to win silver in men’s single sculls. This was Parminder’s maiden medal in international competition.

The Uzbekistan rower won gold in 7:56.307, while Indonesia’s Memo Memo took bronze in 8:20.055.

Starting in Lane 3 in the men’s double sculls final, Olympian Arjun Lal and Ravi got off to a good

Carlo Ancelott

Karim Benzema

In the double sculls final, the Indian combine of Arjun Lal and Ravi finished ahead of China’s Zhang Li Qing and Lu Ting.

start and established an early lead by the 1500-metre mark in the 2000 metre race. They maintained the advantage over the Chinese pair when they crossed the 1000m marker and further extended it with the last 500m to go, thus keeping their advantage from start to finish.

In the single sculls

final, Parminder surged ahead as he completed the first 500m in 1:51.52 while his Uzbekistan opponent was trailing the five-man field with 1:54.17.

But by the 1000-metre mark, the Uzbekistan rower had taken a slight lead by clocking 3:54.26 as compared to 3:54.31 by Parminder.

MADRID, DEC 12 (AFP): Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said Saturday that forward Karim Benzema, who injured a leg last weekend against Real Sociedad, “will play” the derby against Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

“Benzema trained today, he has good feelings, he is available and he will play tomorrow,” Ancelotti told a press conference.

The derby is already crucial for the race for the title. Victory would put Real Madrid 13 points ahead of reigning champions Atletico at the top of the standings.

“If we win, we will simply have three points more than a direct opponent, who will be fighting with us until the end, I am sure,” Ancelotti said.

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