Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com
Vol XXXII No. 68
DIMAPUR, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2022 Pages 12 ` 5.00
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INTERNATIONAL, PAGE 9
PM-DevINE blessing for NE states: Rijiju
Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, FEB 12 (NPN): Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju who arrived Dimapur Saturday enroute Manipur to campaign for the BJP has described the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North-East (PM-DevINE) scheme announced by Union Finance Minister while presenting the Union Budget 2022-23 as a “blessing for the entire North Eastern region (NER)”. Rijiju addressed the media at Niathu Resort after attending a meeting with the State cabinet led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio and other senior government officials at Police Complex, Chümoukedima on the Union Budget and other important issues concerning Nagaland, Rijiju said he urged upon the government of Nagaland to take maximum advantage of the scheme as it was created for the purpose of funding gaps and to take care of those not included in any of the schemes or
Rahul Bajaj, exchairman of Bajaj Auto passes away
Late Rahul Bajaj
PUNE, FEB 12 (PTI): Eminent industrialist and former chairman of the Bajaj group, Rahul Bajaj, who put Indian industry on the world map and was known for his outspokenness, died on Saturday due to age-related illness, according to a group official. Bajaj (83), who stood down from his position of non-executive director and chairman of Bajaj Auto on April 30 last year and remained as the Chairman Emeritus, was not keeping well and passed away at around 2:30 pm on Saturday. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said he will be accorded a state funeral on Sunday. Bajaj is survived by two sons, Rajiv Bajaj and Sanjiv Bajaj, and a daughter Sunaina Kejriwal. The company’s Bajaj Chetak scooter became an aspirational symbol for the middle class Indian families then, with the ‘Humara Bajaj’ tune becoming synonymous with their hopes of a better future. (Cont’d on p-8)
This is it!
“I think we agree that man also needs bread to live even on Sunday.” K Y M C
provisions. He said this was because in the north east, there were many schemes that were not part of the union budget mainly since there were several problems in implementing projects/ schemes which were not funded by any programmes, policy or by any ministry. Rijiju said PM-DevINE would be implemented by North East Council, chaired by Union Home Minister, with an initial allocation of Rs 1,500 crore. He said that for the first time, a provision has been inserted in the budget, taking note of the unique issues faced by the North Eastern states. Rijiju termed the Union Budget 2022-2023 as “self-reliant” and claimed that all sectors across the country had wholeheartedly appreciated and welcomed the budget, including the business community and stock market traders. He said people in remote areas too felt that the budget had included many things for every sector of the country. Speaking on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi reflected in the budget,
for NER in the 2021-22 budget was Rs 68,020 crore and despite the difficulties of Covid-10 pandemic, the total allocation for the region increased by over Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 78,040 crore in the latest budget. Speaking on PM Gati Shakti plan, he explained how it could benefit the Northeast immensely. Under this, he said the region could greatly benefit in terms of better telecom communication, especially in far-flung areas, as the plan would focus on erecting telecom towers at strategic locations, minimising the problem of cables, hence providing better connectivity. Rijiju remarked that the NE States could not utilise budgetary allocation under Congress regimes in the past. However, he claimed that ever since the BJP and its coalition partners came to power, things were changing for the better as they were trying to enhance the capacities of the States. In order to increase the capacities of the States to utilise the budgetary allocation, the minister em-
Kiren Rijiju (NP)
the minister said normally when budgets were presented in Parliament, very few people connected and realised its importance or its aims. However, he claimed that ever since Modi took over as Prime Minister, budget began to be keenly followed both by the corporates and common man alike as it began to have something for everyone, including those living in remotest parts of the country. Rijiju asserted that the budget would ensure selfsufficiency, whereby the country would not rely on imports from other countries, adding that every State and every sector would benefit. According to the union minister, the total allocation
phasised that the States of region needed to take care of many things. “Once we as a State take care of our capacity, we will be able to utilise efficiently all the budgetary allocation made by the Centre. It will only increase the revenue and help us become self-sufficient,” he added. Rijiju further claimed that whenever there was any review or Union Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister would always enquire on the success of a particular scheme or programme in NER. “According to Modi, a scheme could not be considered successful unless it was successful in the Northeast,” he added. “If you leave aside politics, nobody can match the amount of love and affection Narendra Modiji has for NER,” he remarked. AFSPA: Meanwhile, when asked if he, as the minister for Law and Justice, planned to bring a Bill in Parliament to amend the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, Rijiju clarified that the Union Home Ministry was taking necessary measures to ensure
ISL: ATKMB move to second spot SPORTS, PAGE 12
NCB busts pan-India narco network operating on ‘darknet’
NEW DELHI, FEB 12 (PTI/AGENCIES): The NCB has arrested 22 people, including software engineers, a financial analyst, an MBA graduate and one of their own personnel as it busted a pan-India drug trafficking network that uses the ‘darknet’ and cryptocurrency to courier narcotics at home. A 23-year-old woman financial analyst earning nearly Rs 70,000 a month; three Netflix enthusiasts emulating their favourite characters from popular narco-series Narcos and Breaking Bad, ‘LSD King’ running his drug network from Bellary jail in Karnataka; a budding psychiatrist who wanted to spread love through drugs; and a Gujarati couple that switched to drugs trade after lockdown hit their legit business. These are among the 22 persons, which include four women, arrested by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in pan-India, simultaneous raids across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karna(Cont’d on p-8) taka, Assam, Delhi-NCR,
Punjab, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Rajasthan and UP in connection with a case relating to drug trafficking over dark net, with linkages to source countries like the US, UK, Netherlands, Poland, etc. Almost all arrested people are in the age group of 18-35 years. They are professionals ranging from engineers, army officers’ sons, doctors, financial consultants, businessmen, artists such as musicians, to school dropouts. NCB deputy directorgeneral for northern region Gyaneshwar Singh said that one NCB constable was also arrested for allegedly “conniving” with an accused and getting his cellphone destroyed. This cellphone was retrieved by the agency with the help of NDRF divers from a pond in Kolkata, another NCB officer said. One person has been granted interim bail to attend an exam, he added. The federal anti-narcotics agency unearthed three major drug markets-DNM India, Dread and The Orient Express-- running on
the hidden web world after a four-month operation. Four cases have been lodged in the matter and 17 seizures were made during this country-wide operation, officials said. The recreational drugs were being sourced from countries like the USA, UK, Netherlands and Poland using courier services and also the India Post network, Singh said. “The network was busted after a long operation that was initiated after a drug parcel was intercepted by us in Kolkata.” “Our special investigation team that conducts cyber patrolling to check the usage of darknet has busted three big networks being run in the country using the darknet, anonymous cryptocurrency transactions and pseudonymous social media profiles,” Singh said. Darknet denotes the hidden Internet platforms that can only be accessed using specialised software and pre-configured communication protocols for anonymous communication. (Cont’d on p-8)
13 Covid deaths during the week, highest in 4 months: H&FW Set up one all-women police station DIMAPUR, FEB 12 (NPN): Nagaland recorded 13 Covid-19 deaths during the week (February 5-11), the highest weekly deaths in the last 4 months. According to the weekly bulletin report released by the Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) department, out of 13 deaths, 11 had comorbidities (HIV-AIDS, diabetes, hypertension, TB, chronic liver disease and cancer) while seven had not received even a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine and no one had received the third dose, which is recommended for elderly with comorbidities. Further, the State also reported 358 new cases, out of which 90% were detected
WEEKLY DATA OF CONFIRMED CASES & DEATHS 900
30
CONFIRMED CASES
22.5
24
689 640
623
732
675
582
18
507
562.5
570
520
15
15
450
446
405
403
12
12
359
13
12
358 311
9
7.5
8
225
8 180
5
145
3
5 137
7
6 142
4
122
4
94
10-16 Jul
24-30 Jul
7-13 Aug
21-27 Aug
4-10 Sep
in Dimapur and Kohima. The overall weekly sample positivity rate also dropped below 10% after four weeks-- 6.5%. However, Kohima and Wokha recorded sample positivity rate of more than 10%-- 11.6% and
18-24 Sep
2-8 Oct
16-22 Oct
30-5 Nov
225
6 112.5
3
68
3
67
56
1
26-2 Jul
337.5
305
5
0
787.5
21 591
18
17
832
DEATHS
13-19 Nov
3 34
16
2
19
27-3 Dec 0 11-17 Dec
10.8% respectively. During the week, 29 new Covid-19 hospital admissions were recorded in Covid-19 hospitals. State logs 56 fresh cases: Nagaland on Saturday recorded 56 fresh Covid-19 positive cases while
2 9
27
0 Dec 25-31
2
54
1
8-140 Jan
22-29 Jan
5-11 Feb
0
no deaths were reported during the day. Of the fresh cases, 30 were from Dimapur, 20 in Kohima and two each in Mokokchung, Phek and Tuensang, taking the total caseload to 35,173.
in each district, demands Parl panel
NEW DELHI, FEB 12 (PTI): A parliamentary panel has observed that the number of women in police forces is “abysmally” low, constituting just 10.3 per cent, and suggested at least one all-women police station be established in each district in the country. The Parliamentar y Standing Committee on Ministry of Home Affairs, headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma, also said that a roadmap should be laid out to increase their representation in the police force to 33 per cent. “The committee is an-
guished to note that women are abysmally under-represented in the police force as they constitute only 10.3 percent of the police force,” it said in its report submitted to Parliament this week. The panel recommended that the MHA should advise states to establish at least one all-women police station in each district. Further, the panel said, the appointment of women in police may be done by creating additional posts rather than converting vacant posts of male constables as it will also help in improving the police-population ratio.
“Besides increasing the percentage of women in police, taking a cue from the defence forces where women are being assigned combative roles, the MHA may also advise the states and UTs to give them important challenging duties central to the police, and not just duties of inconsequence,” it said. The committee noted that the MHA has advised the states and UTs that each police station should have at least three women subinspectors and 10 women constables so that a women’s help desk is manned round the clock.
1 dead, 3 injured in road mishap 5-15 years age group to receive Covid jabs soon DIMAPUR, FEB 12 (NPN): One person died and three others were seriously injured in a road mishap near Patkai bridge area. According to Dimapur Police PRO, traffic control– II received an information from Chümoukedima police check gate about the accident around 1 a.m. on Saturday. A duty party immediately rushed to the spot and found that the vehicle – Mahindra Thar (MN01 AS4889) – had rolled down from the turning just on
Of the four occupants in the vehicle, one was found dead, while the other three were seriously injured. The injured were immediately rushed to Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research by the traffic personnel. According to PRO, the deceased has been identified through his ID card as 20-year-old Baspatimayum Roshan Sharma, son of The ill-fated vehicle. (Video Baspatimayum Samson grab/social media) Sharma. PRO said that the edge of the bridge and the vehicle was coming it was found near the river, enroute Imphal from Shilthe PRO said. long.
GANDHINAGAR, FEB 12 (AGENCIES): Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday said that Covid-19 vaccination for children in the age group of 5 to 15 years would be administered as soon as it receives recommendation to that effect from a group of experts. He said the group of experts has so far not made any recommendation on the vaccination of this category. “When to vaccinate and to which age group is decided on the basis of recommendation of a group
of scientists. We had implemented its recommendation for the precaution group within one week. We will surely implement its recommendation (for 5 to 15 age group) as and when we receive it,” he said in a press conference. The country-wide Covid-19 vaccination of children in 15-18 age group began last month. “Today, vaccination is not an issue. We have enough vaccines, there is no shortage of doses. We will definitely follow the recommendation of the scientific
community,” Mandaviya added. The government has so far not received any such recommendation, and a decision in this regard will be taken in the coming days on that basis. It is not a political decision. Sero survey and sero prevalence survey in July-August last year showed that 67 per cent children also developed anti-bodies, and children remained asymptomatic, he said. “Ultimately, these are biological things. Therefore, scientists study before making recommendations.
Earlier we used to follow the world (for recommendations regarding vaccination). Today, our scientists conduct their own analysis, they have their own study, and make opinions based on this,” he said. He also said that India used vaccination very effectively to fight the pandemic during its third wave. The minister said 75 per cent of children (15-18 age group) have received their COVID-19 vaccination doses and 96 per cent adults have received the first dose, while 77 per cent have got both the doses.
Jacob inaugurates 2-lane RCC bridge Centre launches welfare scheme ‘SMILE’ Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, FEB 12 (NPN): Public Health Engineering (PHE) minister Jacob Zhimomi inaugurated the long awaited two-lane RCC bridge over Dhansiri river (tributary) at Shozukhu-Zukihe village here on Saturday. The completion of the 340-metre Shozukhu-Zukihi RCC bridge would benefit two administrative headquarters of the State and around 50 villages. Speaking on the occa-
Jacob along with others after inaugurating the bridge. (NP)
sion, Jacob said the bridge would have been completed in 2021, but Covid-induced lockdown and restrictions delayed it by a year He said the bridge,
which was a long-felt need of the people, would serve as a link for many villages. Acknowledging the economic hardships faced by the people due to the
NEW DELHI, FEB 12 (IANS): Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar on Saturday launched the Central sector scheme ‘‘SMILE: Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise’ aimed to provide welfare and rehabilitation to the transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging. The umbrella scheme is designed by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. “As a progressive and developing society, (Cont’d on p-8) it is our duty to respect the
non-completion of the bridge, Jacob hoped that its completion now would improve connectivity, which would improve the local economy, ensure safety of commuters and provide easy access to healthcare services. Meanwhile, IT, Science & Technology and NRE adviser Mmhonlumo Kikon, who accompanied Jacob, said the bridge would not only benefit ShozukhuZukihe village but also the neighbouring villages.
identity and dignity of all sections of society. The Ministry has ensured that each and every need of transgender community and persons engaged in the act of begging are taken care of in most professional way,” the minister said. “The provision of national portal and helpline will provide necessary information and solutions to the problems of the transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging,” he added. The two sub-schemes of SMILE - ‘Central Sector
Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons’ and ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Engaged in the Act of Begging’ - provide comprehensive welfare and rehabilitation measures to the Transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging. The Ministry has allocated Rs 365 crore for the scheme from 2021-22 to 2025-26 for the social security that is needed through multiple dimensions of identity, medical (Cont’d on p-8) K Y M C