14 Feb 2022

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXXII No. 69

DIMAPUR, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022 Pages 12 ` 5.00

German leader Scholz travels to Russia, Ukraine as tensions grow

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INTERNATIONAL, PAGE 9

BJP wary of NDPP-NPF ‘equi-closeness’

Correspondent

KO H I M A , F E B 1 3 (NPN): After the open invitation offered by the NPF to chief minister Neiphiu Rio and the NDPP legislators for both parties to come together, the invite has become a matter of debate and discussion over the speculation of a likely merger between the two regional parties.

It may be recalled that the open invitation was made on January 31,

by NPF secretary general Achumbemo Kikon who disclosed to media at Kohima that his party’s working committee had decided to extend invitation to the chief minister and all NDPP legislators to “join hands” as it was the desire of all Nagas for both parties to come together.

It may be mentioned here that newly-elected UDA chairman TR Zeliang had also told the media that his party had made an open invitation

Voting today in Goa, U’khand, 55 seats in UP phase 2 polls PANAJI/DEHRADUN/ LU C K N OW, F E B 1 3 (PTI): Voting will be held on Monday in all assembly seats in Goa and Uttarakhand, besides 55 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh in the second phase of the state polls, with chief ministers Pramod Sawant and Pushkar Singh Dhami, former CM Harish Rawat and jailed Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan among the prominent candidates in the fray.

The coastal state of Goa, with over 11 lakh voters, has 301 candidates contesting from 40 Assembly seats, while in Uttarakhand, which has an electorate of 81 lakh, 632 candidates, including 152 independents, are in the fray from 70 seats.

Traditionally the two states have seen bipolar politics, but they are witnessing a multi-cornered contest this time with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) throwing its hat in the ring.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and other smaller parties are also vying to make a mark on Goa's electoral scene.

In the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, as many as 586 candidates are in the fray from 55 seats in this phase spread across Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Budaun, Bareilly and Shahjahanpur.

This is it!

“Here we are in a multicrore rupee office complex but too poor to release salaries.”

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for a political merger with NDPP. However, he said NPF was awaiting a response from NDPP. Speculations of merger between the two rose especially after T.R. Zeliang was made chairman of the UDA and the other development where chief minister Neiphiu Rio is likely to go to Manipur to campaign for the ten (10) NPF candidates.

Minister Neiba Kronu had informed the media on February 9 that the chief minister would campaign in Manipur for NPF candidates in mid-February When Nagaland chief minister Rio campaigns for

NPF in Manipur, it would certainly make the BJP which is contesting all 60 seats in the state, a rival.

The NPF in Manipur is a post-poll alliance of the BJP while in Nagaland the NPF did not continue with the alliance with the BJP in 2018 over number of seats.

The NDPP forged a pre-poll alliance with BJP in 2018 giving it 20 seats to contest of which the saffron party won 12.

Nagaland BJP leaders have apprised the party’s central leaders in Delhi about the recent open invitation given by NPF to chief minister Neiphiu Rio and NDPP legislators

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for both the parties to join hands.

Asked to comment about the matter, State BJP president and minister Temjen Imna Along told Nagaland Post on Sunday that this development was made known to the central leaders.

He said being a national party, the BJP does not react to any matter immediately but reaffirmed that BJP was committed to the pre-poll alliance with NDPP and would stand by it.

Since all political parties including NPF have now come under the umbrella of United Demo-

cratic Alliance (UDA) government, Imna Along said anything that takes place would happen only under the directive of BJP central leaders.

Another senior BJP leader disclosed that the central BJP leaders had asked the State unit to adopt a “wait and watch” on the issue.

The BJP leader said that the Centre was more focussed and serious on resolving the Naga political issue.

Meanwhile, when asked about the proposal, NDPP president Chingwang Konyak said no official offer had been received from the NPF for merger and therefore refused to be drawn into the matter.

He remarked that even if his party received any such invitation, the matter would have to be discussed at the appropriate levels and the party members consulted keeping in mind the pre-poll alliance agreement with BJP.

SPORTS, PAGE 12

War clouds in Europe: Russia-Ukraine crisis LONDON/NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (AGENCIES): The fears of a Russian invasion in Ukraine have been growing lately. This has led to a stand-off between Russia and the West.

Riven by an eight-year conflict that has claimed more than 14,000 across its Moscow-backed separatist east, Ukraine is now facing the threat of an all-out invasion by Russia.

The situation has been turning critical with Russia amassing troops at Ukraine border and also sending troops to Belarus to exert pressure on Ukraine. This has led to a war of words between the both sides.

The Kremlin has amassed an estimated 130,000 troops around its western neighbour, staging war games across Belarus to its north and navy drills in the Black Sea to its south.

Wa s h i n g t o n h a s warned war could break out “any day”. An invasion could start with aerial bombing that would make depar-

Overview of battle groups and tents in Bakhchysarai, Crimea on Feb 2.

tures difficult and endanger civilians, the White House said on Friday.

On February 12, US President Joe Biden reportedly told the Western allies during a phone call that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, could launch an attack on Ukraine on February 16. Western countries started pulling their diplomats out of Kyiv and ordering citizens to immediately get out of Ukraine. NATO allies have also stepped up

support for Kyiv by sending additional troops and military equipment to Ukraine.

Moscow has claimed its actions are necessary to secure vital security interests and blames NATO for undermining the region’s security.

And even Kyiv– despite calls for calm from Zelenskyy and a range of other leaders – has prepared a plan to evacuate the capital’s three million residents, just in case.

Nagaland logs 23 fresh FHR: CNTC asks R&B not to No hung assembly, BJP is coming back: Manipur CM Covid-19 cases, 2 deaths award works below SOR

DIMAPUR, FEB 13 (NPN): Nagaland on Sunday recorded 23 fresh Covid-19 positive cases while tow more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

Of the fresh cases, 12 were from Kohima, 10 in Dimapur and one in Mokokchung, taking the total caseload to 35196.

Further, two more patients succumbed to the infection in Dimapur, pushing the death toll to 752 (including 4 non-Covid deaths but with positivity).

As on February 13, a total of 1427891 persons had been inoculated against Covid-19 (807389 first dose and

619902 second dose) while 18620 received their booster shot. Altogether, 55885 teenagers have also received their first dose of Covaxin.

India registered 44,877 new cases of Covid-19 in last 24 hours, taking the daily positivity rate marginally down to 3.17 per cent, the Union health ministry bulletin showed on Sunday.

A total of 684 people succumbed to the viral infection in the span of one day, taking the death toll to 5,08,665. The cumulative total infections in the country now stands at 42,631,421, while the active caseload is currently at 5,37,045.

DIMAPUR, FEB 13 (NPN): Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) has asked engineer-in-chief of PWD (R&B) not to award any contract for the Foot Hill Road (FHR) to contractors/firms who bid below the SOR in order to maintain good workmanship quality.

In a statement, CNTC insisted that entertaining abnormal rates from contractors or firms should be avoided by all means so that reliable and judicious execution of quality works could be carried out.

Standard specifications and proper code of ethics must be followed at any cost as adherence to standard process and practices in addition to usage of advance equipment and technology by firms with sound financial and technical knowledge would benefit the whole State and boost the economy, the statement reasoned.

GUWAHATI, FEB 13 (AGENCIES): With some election surveys forecasting a hung assembly in Manipur, chief minister Biren Singh has ruled out the possibility despite the February 28 and March 5 polls being a multi-corner fight, with regional parties like the NPP, NPF and new entrant JD(U) fielding some strong candidates.

Singh said his party BJP, which faced an intense backlash within over its choices of candidates last month, has been calculative in its strategy and has focused on the winnability of its nominees.

This will earn the party an absolute majority, Singh claimed.

“There is no chance of a hung assembly, no question. I am saying it will all calculations. Out of 60 seats, we have 29 sitting MLAs contesting and their winnability

Over `26K cr for continuation of police modernisation  Rs 4,846 cr for modernisation of state police forces Rs 2,080.50 cr for modernisation of forensic capacities Rs 18,839 crore for SRE NE, J&K & LWE areas  Rs 350 cr marked for raising IRBns, Spl IRBns

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (IANS): Centre has decided to continue the umbrella scheme of Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF) of states and the union territories for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 with a total central

financial outlay of Rs 26,275 crore in the Union Budget 2022-23. This scheme comprises all relevant subschemes that contribute to modernisation and improvement with a total Central financial outlay of Rs 26,275 crore, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Sunday.

According to MHA, the provision has been made under the schemes for internal security, law and order, adoption of modern technology by Police, assisting States for narcotics control and strengthening the criminal justice system by developing a robust forensic set-up in the country.

A sum of Rs 4,846 crore has been allocated for modernisation of the state police forces while Rs 2,080.50 crore has been approved for modernisation of forensic capacities enabling independent high-quality forensic sciences facilities in the states and UTs for aiding scientific and timely investigation through modernisation of resources.

The Central outlay of Rs 18,839 crore has been earmarked for security related expenditure for Jammu & Kashmir, insurgency affected North Eastern states and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas, MHA said.

Six LWE related schemes with an outlay of Rs 8,689 crore has been approved under the schemes, which includes Special Central Assistance (SCA) to Most LWE affected districts & districts of Concern to consolidate the gains, the it said.

The Home Ministry also said that for raising of India Reserve Battalions, Specialised India Reserve Battalions, a Central outlay of Rs 350 crore has been approved while under the central sector scheme of Assistance to States & Union Territories for Narcotics Control with outlay of Rs 50 crore has been continued.

is very high. And with that, we just need to win 11 other seats to form the government, which we will easily achieve. This is the arithmetic we are working upon,” Singh told NDTV. He said this after launching the party’s creative campaign and vans with multimedia facilities to run digital campaigns in all 60 constituencies of the state.

Singh had also informed that BJP national president JP Nadda will be visiting the poll-bound state and release the party’s manifesto.

The CM also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to make a visit to the state.

While the BJP is contesting all the seats this time, the Congress is contesting 54 seats of its own and has left six for its alliance partner - the Left parties and JD(S).

Over 12.37 cr unutilised vax doses in states NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (ANI): Centre on Sunday said that more than 12.37 crore unutilized COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the States and Union Territories (UTs).

According to the Health ministry, 1,70,95,24,720 vaccine doses have been provided to States and UTs so far through the Government of India (free of cost channel) and through direct state procurement category.

However, 12,37,14,841 doses were still available with the States and UTs.

Govt working to tighten MGNREGA scheme to plug ‘leakages’ NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (PTI): Centre is working to tighten the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme as “tremendous leakages” have been noticed in the flagship rural jobs programme for the past two years, a top official said. Centre has allocated Rs 73,000 crore for 2022-23, which is 25 per cent lower than the Rs 98,000 crore provided in the revised estimate (RE) for the current fiscal.

The allocation for the next fiscal is same as was

budget estimate (BE) for the current fiscal, which will end in March 2022.

The official said in the last two years, RE has been higher than BE significantly and it has been noticed that tremendous leakages are going on and middlemen are taking money for enrolling names of beneficiaries under the scheme.

“Direct Benefit Transfer has succeeded in reaching money directly to the person, but still there are human systems... . There are middlemen who are telling

the people that I will put your name in MGNREGA master roll, but you will have to withdraw cash and give me after you get the DBT transfer. It is happening in a big way,” the official told PTI. "It is a recent phenomenon in the last two years.

So much money has flown that there is now a temptation to grab the money deceitfully. Ministry of Rural Development will tighten it,” he added. Explaining the modus operandi, the official further said that the arrangement between the benefi-

ciary and the middlemen is that since the beneficiary is giving some share to the middleman he would not even go for work and hence no work is taking place.

“The government has been very liberal in allocating MNREGA funds in the last two years. We put in Rs 1.11 lakh crore in 2020-21.

It used to be Rs 35,000 crore in 2014-15,” the official said.

During the first Covid-19 lockdown, when the scheme was ramped up and given its highest-ever budget of Rs 1.11 lakh crore, higher

than the budget estimate of Rs 61,500 crore. For the next financial year, the budget allocation is Rs 73,000 crore, while the revised estimates for the current fiscal pegs the expenditure at Rs 98,000 crore.

MGNREGA is aimed at enhancing livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

The “dark horse” of this election- Conrad Sangma’s NPP is contesting 42 seats and the surprise package- JD(U) is contesting 38 seats.

Leaders of both Congress and BJP who did not get party tickets have been fielded by smaller parties and can run away with the votes of both the BJP and Congress. In the hill areas, the NPF is contesting 10 seats.

None of the smaller parties is in any pre-poll alliance.

“After not getting BJP tickets, a lot of our leaders were frustrated since we couldn’t give tickets to everyone. But it has been rather fortunate that most of these leaders- in 12 constituencies, to be precise - have resolved their differences,” Biren Singh said.

“Everyone wanted a BJP

ABG shipyard scam ‘biggest banking fraud’, says Cong NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (AGENCIES): Congress on Sunday questioned the Modi government as the massive ABG Shipyard scam came out in the open after the CBI booked ABG Shipyard and its former chairman and managing director Rishi Kamlesh Agarwal for allegedly cheating a consortium of banks led by State Bank of India to the tune of Rs. 22,842 crore.

The party has also accused the Modi dispensation of complicity, collusion and connivance in the alleged fraud by the Gujarat-based ABG Shipyard, which it dubbed as “India’s biggest bank fraud”. Counting all the bank fraud cases in recent years, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said now Rishi Agarwal is added to the long list of bank defaulters Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya, Jatin Mehta, Chetan Sandesara etc.

The Congress publicly held a press conference and warned the government that ABG Shipyard is a scam in 2018, Surjewala said. Asking why it took the government five years to take action against ABG Shipyard, the Congress alleged that in 2007 ABG Shipyard was

allotted 1,21,000 square metres of land by the Gujarat government when Narendra Modi was the chief minister.

On Saturday, CBI conducted searches at 13 locations at Surat, Bharuch, Mumbai and Pune leading to the recovery of incriminating documents.

SBI filed the first complaint, in this case, on November 8, 2019. The investigation agency sought more details and the complaint reportedly missed details like the time of the fraud, modus operandi etc. The bank then filed a fresh complaint in August 2020. After scrutinising the complaint, the CBI filed an FIR on February 7.

Bank frauds of Rs 5.35L cr occurred under Modi govt: Rahul Gandhi PTI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday alleged that bank frauds to the tune of Rs 5.35 lakh crore have taken place during the BJP government and that these are good days only for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “friends”.

“Bank frauds of Rs 5,35,000 crore have happened so far during the Modi era-- in 75 years there has never been such a fraud with the money of people of India,” Gandhi said on Twitter.

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STATE

Hundreds turn out at health camp

DIMAPUR: Over hundreds of inhabitants availed the health services at the health camp held at Mezoma village on February 11.

In a press release, Chief Medical Officer, Kohima, Dr. Vezokholu Theyo informed that the Reproductive Child Health (RCH) camp was organised

by Chief Medical Officer, Kohima along with District Health Society, Department of Health and Family Welfare, NHM. The camp was conducted by CMO Kohima and all programme officers, DPMU, BPMU Sechu block, MO I/C with Sechu PHC tea, MO Khonoma PHC and MO I/C with Mezoma PHC team.

A short function was organised where MO Mezoma PHC, Dr. Ruyangulie Paphino chaired the programme. CMO, Dr. Vezokholu Theyo encouraged the gathering to avail

Medical camp in progress at Mezoma village.

the services and also partake in various group discussions for a healthy life style and to practice for better health seeking behavior.

Dr. Vezokholu also reminded the participants of health camp on the responsibilities of each and

everyone in bringing about health awareness to uplift the health of the society in general and for contribution of the individual in particular.

Besides screening of Ante Natal Care/HIV (ANC), dental procedure,

malaria, NCD, etc, lab test were provided and free medicines and IEC materials were distributed to the participants of the camp.

Altogether, 133 inhabitants turnout to avail health services at the Health camp, the release stated.

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

LTPT Ministry holds spiritual training DIMAPUR: Living Tree Prayer Tower Ministr y (LTPTM) held its second orientation and spiritual training at the Ministry’s Centre in Shokhuvi Village near ARTC, Chumukedima from February 1-10.

A total of 53 persons registered as trainees from Assam and Nagaland who were counsellors, evangelists, church leaders and chaplains of different ministries.

Resource persons of the event were, Rev. Kilang Jamir, Yehoto Swu, Shetoni Kitoho Rotokha, Awoto Awomi, Dr.Imlitemsu Ozukum and the members of LTPT ministry.

Niengula, the oldest trainee, who was 74 years said, she was inspired by the LTPT Ministry’s seven years of trails and obstacles faced in the wilderness to lay the foundation of the ministry.

LTPT Ministry has so far established eight Prayer Centres spread across India.

MGM College conducts cultural day SDGCC inspects ‘SusDesi’ project

Students at the literary-cum-cultural day.

DIMAPUR: The annual literary-cum-cultural day of MGM College was held on February 8, under strict Covid protocols.

The programme was inaugurated by the principal Rev. Fr. Dr.P.S. Varghese by lighting the lamp.

In a press release, MGM media cell stated that, Varghese exhorted the students on the importance of games and sports and other extracurricular activi-

ties which he considered as an essential prerequisite for the all-round development of the students. Further he explained the thought of Ed Markey: “Education is not only a ladder of opportunity, but it is also an investment in our future.”

The day began with singing competition followed by the debate which was further followed by several other literary and cultural activities under strict

COVID protocols. The four cultural groups under the flag Denver, Tokyo, Berlin and Moscow participated.

College general secretary Manniym Konyak along with cultural secretary Alih Konyak and sports secretary Samkanta informed that the result would be declared after the annual sports meet, scheduled to be held from February 21 to 23, at Dimapur District Sports Complex.

DIMAPUR: SDG Coordination Centre (SDGCC) team, planning and coordination department inspected the SDG innovation project sites of “SusDesi” and “pilot operation of a waste-to-protein treatment facility” in Dimapur on February 2, to review the progress of work.

According to a DIPR report, the “SusDesi” project with implementing partner-LiFE created a sustainable way of tackling waste disposal dilemma at Lake View Colony, Dimapur, directly involving the community.

The project has sensitised the community at Lake View area on waste segregation and management and has introduced door-to-door waste collection, introduced vermicomposting practices in the household and set up non-recyclable wastes.

A material recovery facility has also been set up to store recyclable waste.

MCTE observes 11th foundation day

Faculty members and students of MCTE after the programme on February 12.

DIMAPUR: Mokokchung College of Teacher Education (MCTE) celebrated its 11th foundation day at the college premises on Saturday.

A press release from

MCTE informed that during the programme, vice principal of the college, Dr. Temsurenla spoke on the “significance of the day” as one of not just retrospection but also of

introspection.

She also recollected her experiences as a teacher at MCTE and encouraged the student and teachers to live by the college motto, “anvil of knowledge”.

State level orientation for science and mathematics teachers of ERS

Teachers of ERS and others at the valedictory programme. (DIPR)

DIMAPUR: State level orientation for science and mathematics teachers of Eklavya Residential School (ERS) was held on February 10 at State College of Teacher Education, Kohima.

In a press release APRO, We pre Kronu stated that the orientation programme was organized

by Nagaland TRI in collaboration with State College of Teacher Education, Kohima funded by Tribal

an in-depth understanding of the philosophy, culture, classroom management tenets and teaching and learning practices followed at the school.

Lotha stated that the foundation of every teaching should be to introduce critical thinking in children. The programme was chaired by Dr. Elizabeth Walling while vote of thanks was proposed by SCTE- K vice principal, Dr. Runi Nakro.

The project has also created an employment avenue to the unemployed youth in the locality, the release stated.

The report informed that under the pilot operation of a waste-to-protein treatment facility project, implementation by Jongpong Chiten and Dr. Akumtoshi Lkr, a breeding facility for rearing Black Soldier Fly (BSF) was set up at Bank Colony, Dimapurto test Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) process on various organic waste streams and determine the feasibility of BSF farming in Nagaland as means for sustainable organic waste treatment.

The projects are part of the “SDG Innovation Participatory Action Research Initiative” to implement innovative solutions for addressing on-ground specific challenges which would contribute towards the achievement of SDG Amos Care Channel in initiation with Sejum Village Council conducted mass social Vision 2030. work at Senjum Village, Dimapur on February 12.

Acknowledgement

Meanwhile, MCTESU general secretary E. Phongle spoke on “my vision for the college” and said that the “teacher education” in the college was a process of refinement.

He called upon the student-teachers to “play a pivotal role towards inculcating values of peace, liberty, equality and justice among the budding minds of Nagaland”.

The programme concluded with an extempore speech competition where members from various clubs participated.

The first prize was awarded to Imchamanen, cultural club, second prize went to Olempenla, aesthetic club and third prize to KitheliYepthomi, drama and music club.

The programme was chaired by Mokokchung College of Teacher Education assistant professor, Kerilhusa Peseyie.

Research Institute Division, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, government of India.

Special guest, additional secretary, Tribal Affairs, Nchumbemo Lotha stated that the orientation programme was to ensure that teachers are promptly and effectively trained on their respective subjects.

He said that the modules covered under the programme would enable the new teachers to gain

Born on : 21.06.1985 – Died on : 28.01.2022 The family of Lt. Aremong, would like to express our heartfelt and profound gratitude to all those who stood by us, through prayers, resources, moral and materials support at the sudden demise of our beloved son.

We regret our inability to thank each one of you individually but it’s our humble prayer that Almighty God bless you all abundantly.

Loving parents, siblings, children & cousins dp-724/22

5th DeAth AnniversAry suman Chettri

12 Dec 1983 to 14th Feb 2017 th

2nd DEATH ANNIVERSARY of our DAD

LATE DR. LASO LAZAR MEZE

14 FEB 2020 “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal’ Love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

Dad we dearly miss you every moment Loving Wife and Children

K-296/22

2

1ST DEATH ANNIVERSARY IN LOVING MEMORY

DIMAPUR: School managing committee (SMC), GM Diphupar (AO) organised teachers’ orientation programme on the topic, the code of professional ethics for teachers, Nagaland government service conduct role, classroom management, SMC roles and financial accounting on February 11. A press release from head teacher Limatula informed that resource persons for the programme were T. Lipok Jamir (Rtd), joint director, school education, Shilu Amri (Rtd) joint director, SCERT and senior SDEO, Arong Aier.

K Y M C

dp-725/22

GMS Diphupar orientation prog

Just a prayer from the family who loved you, Just a memory fond and true, In our hearts you will live forever, because we thought the world of you - Loving Parents, Brother and sisters

LATE TEMJEN YONGKONGLEMBA PONGEN Born: 08.02.1959 Died : 14.02.2021

A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies, it brings us together again & again. It is not how long a man lives, but how deep that life is. We remember and cherish you each day until we meet again in eternal glory.

Loving Wife, Daughters & Loved Ones dp-696/22 K Y M C

nagalandpost.com Poll Q.: Should the Supreme Court monitor the actions of ECI during election?

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

A B C

‘Day of Hope’ commemorated 5 NCC cadets participated in RDC

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A

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Yes. No. Can’t Say.

C

96% 2% 2%

NEXT POLL

Q: Should school/college

uniforms rules override personal religious dress choice?  Yes.  No.  Can’t Say.

WEATHER FORECAST FEBRUARY 14

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala Hazy sun

28 10

Aizawl

Nice with plenty of sunshine

Guwahati Sunny Imphal

Nice with plenty of sunshine

Itanagar Sunny and pleasant

24 6 27 10 26 3 23 10

Shillong

Plenty of sunshine

19 4

Kohima

Plenty of sunshine

20 6

Dimapur Sunny and beautiful

25 10

Sunny and pleasant

23 8

Mkg

Tuensang Sunny and cooler

15 4

Plenty of sunshine

19 10

Zunheboto Plenty of sunshine

19 6

Wokha

3

STATE

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Resource persons and participants at the programme.

DIMAPUR: National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM) Nagaland Region in Collaboration with Assisi Centre for Integrated Development (ACID) commemorated “Day of Hope” along with NDWM- Child Right Movement Children and the women at Assisi Auditorium, here on February 12.

While delivering welcome address, director/ coordinator NDWM Nagaland Region, Sr.Pramila explained that Day of Hope was held internationally

each year to break the silence surrounding the death of babies and the children.

She said the occasion was to bring healing to the community and to speak openly about the babies and children who were no longer here. Pramile further said that gender equality was not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

She therefore said that gender equality can be achieved when women,

men, girls and boys have equal rights, conditions and opportunities, and the power to shape their own lives and contribute to the development of society.

Resource person, panel lawyer from DDLSA, Thiu-swang-wi-liu who also spoke on the theme, stressed on gender equality.

She said everyone should get ample opportunities on education, rights and prosperity and explained about the roles and functions of the district legal services authority. Another speaker,

Grace Buansimliu stressed upon the importance of child participation while from the audience, Maya expressed that children belonging to different group have learnt to participate better, but another disadvantages was the use of mobile for online classes due to lockdown.

Abdul on behalf of the CRM children spoke on the theme of the day.

Around 400 participants from both CRM and Domestic workers attended the programme.

DIMAPUR: Five NCC cadets (2 girls & 3 boys) of Nagaland (NCC GroupKohima) were among the 57 NCC cadets of North Eastern Region attended the prestigious Republic Day Camp (RDC) in New Delhi from December 18 –January 29.

Three of the cadets from Nagaland- SUO Mengutsino Nakhro, JUO Talisungit Ozukum and CPL Bakon Chingshong were from St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Jakhama under 1 NL Girls’ BN NCC and 24 NL (I) COY NCC, Kohima respectively, while SUO ShaloTsela was from Kohima College, Kohima under 24 NL (I) COY NCC and LCPL Neikesano Kuotsu from Patkai Christian College, Chumukedima under 1 NL Girls’ BN NCC, Kohima.

Mengutsino Nakhro and Shalo Tsela took part

The cadets from Nagaland at New Delhi. in Cultural Events and Prime Minister’s Rally March-past, and Talisungit Ozukum was the placard bearer of NCC North Eastern Region Contingent in PM Rally March-past.

Bakon Chingshong participated in All India

NCC Boys’ Contingent for Rajpath Armed Marchpast on January 26 and Neikesano Kuotsu took part in All India NCC Girls’ Contingent for Rajpath Armed March-past as well as in Flag Area and PM Rally.

AIDA distributes Mushroom spawn

DIMAPUR: ANMA Integrated Development Association (AIDA) under SBI Gram Seva programme distributed Mushroom spawn and bags to the beneficiaries of five adopted villages namely Khriezephe, Tsithrongse, Diezephe, Urra and Bade.

AIDA had organized training in oyster mushroom cultivation earlier in the month of December 4, 2021 and had

provided the first group of beneficiaries with mushroom spawn which was successful.

The report stated that SBIF through AIDA aims to assist the rural youth and women folks to be self-reliant through mushroom cultivation and a number of other incomes generating activities such as Cuniculture, Poultry, Kitchen garden, and piggery.

Sub-Centre inaugurated at Chilliso Awareness on ‘HIV, TB and blood donation’

Medical staff at the inauguration of sub-centre at Chilliso.

DIMAPUR: A new Health Sub-Centre at Chilliso village under Noklak district was inaugurated by Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Noklak, Dr. Victor on February 13.This was stated in a press release issued by DMO (NHM) Tuensang, Apheang.

Inaugurating the sub-

centre, Dr. Victor urged the villagers to take ownership and community participation in maintaining the health centre.

He also briefed on resensitization of Covid-19 vaccination to stay safe during the 3rd wave pandemic.

After the inaugural function, the medical team

led by SMO with other official staffs from Noklak Hospital visited Wusho Sub-centre and Sanglao Sub-centre under Noklak district and also the undergoing construction of Nokhu PHC. The team urged the contractor to complete the construction within the stipulated time.

DIMAPUR: As part of celebration to commemorate 75 years of Indian Independence day and as per directives of National AIDS Control Organization, government of India, Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS) conducted awareness programme on “HIV, TB and Blood Donation” at Modern Institute of Teacher Education (MITE), Kohima on February 11.

A press release by principal, MITE, Dr. Kate Dandesh Kumar, stated that at the programme, DPO DAPCU, Sentimongla Tzudir highlighted the causes and problems of HIV and the different stages of HIV and AIDS, ways of transmission, preventive measures etc.

She suggested ABC (Abstinence, Be faithful to your sex partners, and/or use a Condom) of prevention as the vital way for AIDS control. She also mentioned on the NACO AIDS App, Dial 1097, NACO and NSACS websites for AIDS and HIV information.

Resource persons, officials and participants of the awareness programme.

Asst. director (SIMU), Avilie Sekhose, shared the importance of blood donation, whereby he highlighted uses of blood donation and blood bank and also spoke on the differences about who could donate blood.

M e a n w h i l e, D I S DA P C U, V i t u o z o l i e Kuotsu presented about Tuberculosis (TB) stating that it was curable and also shared testing and diagnosis facilities from government of Nagaland.

He informed on the

“Tuberculosis (TB) Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan” programme launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India with the target to end Tuberculosis (TB) in the country by 2025.

The release further added that introduction on the programme and resource persons were conducted by asst. professor, MITE, Kavani Hekha, and vote of thanks by assistant professor, MITE, Limanenla Lkr.

Merangkong youths trained on STRY FAC hosts training on ‘waste to taste’

Participants and others at the training programme.

DIMAPUR: Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA), Mokokchung in association with State Agricultural Management & Extension Training Institute (SAMETI), Medziphema and K Y M C

MANAGE Hyderabad conducted Skill Training of Rural Youth (STRY) programme at Merangkong village under Tuli block, Mokokchung under the topic “Vermi-Composting”.

Altogether 16 unemployed youths from Merangkong village attended the training conducted from February 7 to 12.

A press release by ATMA stated that resource persons for the training

were ACTO (Agronomy) KVK, Tuengsang, Samuel Anar, Dy. PD, ATMA Mokokchung, Sentinaro Longchar, along with BTM and ATMs of Tuli block, Mokokchung.

During the training

topics on Introduction to Vermiculture and Vermicompostring; Importance of Vermicompost; Overview of Potential Benefits and Constraints; Steps of Vermicomposting and Methodology; Identification of Basic Characteristics of Worm; Selection of site and Physical Requirements of Vermicompost unit; Construction of Vermicomposting site; Working with worms; Nutrient content of Vermicompost; Pest and Diseases; Environmental Risk and Benefits, Application of Vermiwash; Scope of Vermi Technology in Organic Farming and Post Harvest Management were covered.

Dy. Project Director, ATMA, Mokokchung, Sentinaro Longchar highlighted on the aim and objective of the training.

The release added that the training programme started with inaugural programme chaired by BTM, Tuli block, ATMA Mokokchung, Imlisunep Ajem.

The training ended with valedictor y programme where certificates were distributed to participants.

Resource person, faculties of FAC and students at the training programme.

DIMAPUR: Eco Club, Fazl Ali College in collaboration with WATSAN FAC Campus conducted a hands-on training programme at Cool Creek Boys Hostel FAC on the theme “Waste to Taste” on February 12.

Resource person of the training, Dr.Temjensangla Pongener gave a talk on the waste management and how waste can be managed. Practical hands-on

training was conducted with the participants on collection and segregation on waste management.

A session was also held at College Conference hall on the topic “Community Environment Audit (A FAC Green Campus Initiative) hosted by IQAC, FAC in collaboration with WATSAN FAC Campus.

Chairman WATSAN, P Tiatemsu chaired the programme and Chuba-

laYaden, Youth Mentor, Union Church offered a prayer.

P r i n c i p a l FA C , Dr.Temjenwabang encouraged the need for such collaboration from within the campus dwellers. Coordinator IQAC FAC, Dr. Lanurenla gave a brief insight on the importance of NAAC and the need for Green audit and Green policy as part of the College activities undertaken.

K Y M C

4

NORTHEAST

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

not intimidating people to Manipur needs BJP to shape its future: Rijiju Militants vote for BJP: Mnp CM Biren Singh

Correspondent

IMPHAL, FEB 13: Manipur needs BJP to make its future, said party leader and Union law and justice minister Kiren Rijiju in a speech at the ‘Mega Yuva Conclave’ of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Manipur Pradesh held in Imphal THAU Ground on Sunday.

“We are seeking blessings from the people of Manipur because we want to make the future of the state. People must not waste their valuable votes to the Congress,” Rijiju added.

He said that it was in the hands of the people to avoid revisiting the dark period while terming the Congress rule as a “dark period.”

The Union minister accused the Congress for the communal divide in the country stating that dividing people on community lines is part of the party’s habitual divide and rule policy.

Stating that it was after the BJP came to power that communal harmony re-visited the country, he claimed that there was no

Union minister Kiren Rijiju attending a Mega Yuva Conclave held in Imphal on Sunday. communal clash occurred across the state after the Narendra Modi led BJP’s NDA government came to power in the country.

He said that there were ridges among the various communities in Manipur too, citing divisions among the majority communities –Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis during the Congress rule.

Rijijuwent on to claim that since the BJP-led coalition government came to power in the state there were no divisions among the communities.

As peace was prevalent, the gover nment concentrated on welfare and developmental activities which brought about changes in the state, he added. Rijiju further claimed that there was a tremendous change in the state since the BJP-led government was installed five years ago. He recalled that he had visited Manipur on different occasions, first time in 1994 and said that changes were witnessed only in the last few years, after the BJP-led coalition

Militants release 2 kidnapped workers in Arunachal after 12 days

Hiren Konch from Assam and Ramashis Mahato from Bihar who were released by NSCN (K-YA).

I TA NAG A R , F E B 1 3 (IANS): Two construction workers, residents of Assam and Bihar, were released by the Myanmar based militant outfit NSCN (K-YA), 12 days after they were kidnapped from Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh, police said on Sunday.

Police said that the outlawed outfit of the Yung Aung faction of NSCN-K released the two captives -- Hiren Konch from Assam and Ramashis Mahato from Bihar -- on the IndiaMyanmar border on Saturday night. Longding district Superintendent of Police

Vikram Harimohan Meena said the duo was rescued by the police after “making tremendous efforts”.

He said that both the workers are visibly in good health but their medical checkups are being done.

Police officials said that Banphua Wangpan, Hiren Konch and Ramashis Mahato were engaged in the construction of the PumaoLangkhow road in Longding district and were staying at a camp near the construction site from where the militants kidnapped them on January 31.

Police said that one of

the three captives -- Banphua Wangpan was released the next day and two others were in the hideout of NSCN (K-YA). The police had suspected that the intention behind the kidnapping was ransom. The militants had reportedly demanded Rs 4 crore as ransom.

The NSCN-K (Yung Aung) is based in Myanmar and is doing unlawful activities in some eastern Arunachal Pradesh districts and the outfit is only Naga militant group outside the purview of the ongoing peace talks with the Indian government.

The villagers informed the police that the NSCN (K-YA) cadres are extorting money from businessmen for the past several months. Earlier the militants kidnapped several people including the construction workers in Arunachal Pradesh, but subsequently the guerillas released them after taking ransom.

was installed.

There were lots of developments in every sector in the state and to maintain this flow of development, there was the need for retaining the BJP in power.

All these changes were possible because the BJPled government brought an end to the bandh and blockade culture and people of the state led a tension free life now.

Before the BJP came to power, there were frequent bandhs, blockades on national highways and strikes. The hard work of ending these strikes that hindered the developmental activities should not be allowed to go in vain by diverting votes to the Congress and other regional parties, he said.

“People must elect the BJP this time with absolute majority. People must not divert their mind. Besides, the saffron will remain in power at the Centre further,” he added. Rijiju claimed that BJP’s concern for the welfare and development of Manipur and other northeast states was reflected in the recent

Union budget provision too.

The Union minister, who was in Nagaland on a one-day visit to the state on Saturday, arrived in Imphal today to take part in the election campaigns of the BJP in the poll-bound state.

Manipur will go to poll to elect 60 members of the state Assembly in two phases –February 28 and March 5.

In the first phase, polling will be held for 38 seats spread over six districts , a total of 173 candidates including 15 women were in the fray while as many as 96 candidates filed their nomination papers for the second phase poll in 22 seats spread across 10 districts of the state.

The nomination papers will be taken up for scrutiny on Monday and the last date for withdrawal of candidates is February 16, after which the exact number of candidates to be contested for will be known.

The BJP, leading a coalition government, is fielding its candidates in all the 60 seats.

Asam Sahitya Sabha goes digital, rolls out online book archive

GUWAHATI, FEB 13 (PTI): Asam Sahitya Sabha (ASS), the oldest literarycultural organisation of Assam, on Sunday started its digital journey by launching an archive of old books, a YouTube channel and a Facebook page.

The century-old body also decided to upload Assamese folk tales on various audio apps. At an event here, Cotton University ViceChancellor Bhabesh Chandra Goswami inaugurated the digital archive, which at present contains around 500 ancient and valuable books and journals.

ASS President Kuladhar Saikia said he does not want the organisation to be identified only as a group of elderly writers without any involvement of the young generation.

“If we do not ride the bus of new technology, we will lag behind. That is why we have been speaking about newer modes of communication. And today, we are happy to start our journey

in the digital medium,” he added. The state-run PSU, Assam Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (AMTRON), has provided technical support in digitising the documents, the number of which will increase gradually, Saikia said.

“Various colleges and universities got involved in this process. Many individuals have digitised old books at their homes and sent them to us for archiving.

This initiative is being carried out in association with communities and people,” he added.

Saikia said from now on, ASS programmes can be watched live on YouTube while folk tales from different tribes of the North-eastern state will be uploaded to audio apps such as Spotify, Gaana and Amazon Music.

“We want to involve the new generation with the Sahitya Sabha. Only ASS cannot take the Assamese language forward, we need the support of all the people of Assam,” he added.

IMPHAL, FEB 13 (IANS): Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Sunday vehemently denied the accusation that militant outfits were intimidating the people to vote for the ruling BJP, and called it a “baseless allegation”.

He said, in fact, in a recent episode in Saikul in the hilly areas where some cadres of the militant outfits which are now under the ‘Suspension of Operation’ agreement with the government, had stopped the people from attending a BJP election meeting.

Reiterating his confidence that the BJP would get the two third majority this time, the Chief Minister said that 29 sitting BJP MLAs are contesting the elections and the prospect of their re-electing is very high and 11 other BJP candidates would be succeeded easily.

The National People’s Party (NPP) earlier wrote to the Election Commission demanding adequate security of the candidates as according to the party the militant outfits are

‘23 CPI-M men killed by BJPbacked criminals’ AGARTALA, FEB 13 (IANS): At least 23 CPIM members and supporters were murdered during the four-year rule of the BJP-led government in Tripura, but the police took no action against the culprits, instead in many cases the police took steps against the victims, Left leaders said on Saturday.

The state Secretary of Tripura CPI-M, Jitendra Chaudhury, while talking to the media over the killing of party member Benu Biswas at Kamalpur market in southern Tripura on Thursday evening, said that there is no rule of law in the state. Chaudhury, a CPI-M central committee member, alleged that a section of the police is sheltering BJP-backed criminals and murderers. “The nexus between the police and the criminals is been increasing day by day, leading to total lawlessness in Tripura,” Chaudhury said.

N. Biren Singh intimidating. The NPP leaders in Imphal on Sunday said that the ongoing situation is an attempt to jeopardise the conduct of peaceful, free and fair elections in Manipur.

“If the ongoing situation is allowed to prevail, where militant and underground outfits are moving around openly with arms, the electorates will fear and would not come out to vote, which would directly hamper the conduct of elections. Therefore, we at NPP would like to urge the authorities to put all underground groups under ‘suspension of operation’ in their respective camps and recover arms from

their possession,” an NPP statement said.

Over 2,000 cadres of the pro-talks militant outfits which are under ceasefire agreements with the government and they are staying in the 14 designated camps in different parts of Manipur.

T h e B J P, w h i c h had bagged 21 seats in the 60-member assembly in 2017 and wrested the power for the first time, stitching together a coalition government with the support of four NPP MLAs, four Naga People’s Front (NPF) members, the lone Trinamool Congress MLA and an Independent member.

However, this time, the BJP, NPP and the NPF are contesting separately and put-up candidates against each other.

The elections to the 60-seat Manipur assembly would be held in two phases on February 28 and March 5.

The counting of votes would take place on March 10.

Nitin Gadkari looks obscene in khaki half pant: Cong leader AGARTALA, DEB 13 (PTI): It looks obscene when Union Minister Nitin Gadkari wears khaki half pants, senior Congress leader Ajay Kumar said on Sunday in a dig at the RSS. Kumar, the AICC observer for Tripura, said it looks odd when “old and fat” leaders of RSS wear half pants.

“I am not saying it casually but look at an old photograph of Nitin Gadkari wearing a khaki half pant, it looks obscene.

It looks odd when you see the old and fat RSS people in khaki half pants,” he said, addressing a press conference at the Congress Bhavan here.

“We should not exhort Nitin Gadkari to not wear khaki half pants, but it definitely doesn’t suit him,” Kumar said.

Sharply criticising the RSS, he said there must be freedom for all in the country -- from choosing life partners to clothes and

Ajay Kumar food habits. “One can’t impose Gujarati culture in Tripura and Tripura’s food habits in Gujarat,” he said.

“The RSS fundamentally believes ST/SC and OBC should not benefit from reservation. For the past seven years, it did nothing for the upliftment of the ST people,” he claimed.

On the demand of Greater Tipraland by Tipra Motha, Kumar said the Congress will consider everything within the framework of Constitution, taking into confidence all the stakeholders.

records Assam CM defends father-son New equations in Tripura politics as Cong Arunachal 42 COVID cases, gets a shot in the arm from BJP’s dissidents tally at 63,982 remarks on Cong leader Rahul join TMC after coming out of the saffron camp.

However, after their resignations they flew to Delhi to meet Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi and rejoined the opposition Congress party. Barman and Saha were ex-Congress leaders who had joined BJP with much fanfare at one time. Consequently, the `Ghar Wapsi’ (return home) was a bit of a surprise for many.

Sources said two other legislators from BJP also met Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi and expressed their interests in joining the Congress after a few months due to some technical reasons.

The BJP-IPFT alliance which came to power in 2018 by ending 25 years of CPI(M) rule secured 44 seats (BJP, 36 and IPFT eight seats).

The BJP is now three MLAs short from where it first started in 2018 with the resignations of the two MLAs and another legislator of the saffron party, Asish Das who was disqualified after he joined Trinamool Congress.

BJP had secured 43 per cent vote in the last assembly elections, a huge increase over the 1.87 per cent it garnered in 2013.

This vote share went up in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to a massive 49 per cent.

Congress, which secured 45.75 percent votes in 2013, saw its base eroding to just 1.86 percent in 2018 as the anti-CPI(M) vote swung to BJP. The fact that several Congress leaders in the state like Roy Barman also joined BJP only helped this swell of support for the saffron party which hardly had a presence in earlier decades.

CPIM, on the other hand, saw its vote share eroding from 53.80 per cent vote share in 2013 to 45.46 per cent in 2018 and reducing to third position in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Ever since BJP-IPFT government was formed, relations between the Chief Minister Deb and the Roy Barman camp ran into rough weather and Roy Barman, who was the health minister of the state was dropped from the ministry after the general elections in 2019 on the charge of anti-party activities.

A dozen rebel BJP MLAs even met party President J P Nadda in Delhi with a demand to remove Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb. However, the group was broken up by accommodating two important rebels in the Deb cabinet and the revolt fizzled out. The principal opposition CPI(M) has adopted a

‘wait and watch’ policy, as its old rival Congress and possible future ally shakes off its lethargy and takes baby steps to revive.

While the BJP claims it is not bothered by the departure of the two leaders.

“This was simply a drama and our party is not bothered with the development. There is no threat to the government. Now we are busy in delivering better governance to people to uplift their standard of living”, BJP State President Manik Saha told reporters.

Roy Barman however has predicted the fall of BJP in the state, accusing his former party of corruption, failing to deliver on governance and throttling democracy.

“We will not leave any stone unturned to defeat BJP in the next assembly elections. BJP had 1.87 percent vote share before 2018 elections and the vote share of Congress was shifted to BJP after we joined the saffron party”, he pointed out.

Secretary of the Tripura unit of CPIM Jitendra Chaudhury said Roy Barman’s departure from BJP is not unexpected and claimed people were sensing political change in the state.

However, the CPI(M) leader remained tight lipped on any kind of understanding with the Congress in near future.

I TA NAG A R , F E B 1 3 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh recorded a dip in new COVID-19 cases as the frontier state reported 42 new infections, eight less than the previous day, pushing the tally to 63,982, a senior health official said here on Sunday.

Of the 42 fresh cases, 10 were reported from West Kameng district, nine from Lower Subansiri and four each from the Capital Complex Region, Upper Siang and Namsai district respectively, the official said.

As many as 62,993 people have recuperated from the disease so far, including 197 on Saturday, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 294 as no fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, the official said.

Ar unachal Pradesh currently has 695 active COVID-19 cases, the SSO said, adding that the coronavirus recovery rate has marginally improved to 98.45 per cent from 98.21 per cent the previous day.

The Capital Complex Region, comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, has the highest number of active cases at 158 followed by Lower Subansiri (132), West Kameng (63), East Siang (42) and Lohit (35).

GUWAHATI, FEB 13 (PTI): Despite widespread criticism over his controversial father-son remarks on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday defended his comments and asserted that questioning the army personnel will “not be tolerated anymore”.

In a series of tweets, Sarma posted several screenshots of news reports of the Congress’ statements on the 2016 surgical strike and the appointment of Bipin Rawat as the army chief and the chief of defence staff among others. “Is it wrong to stand by our great Armed forces? Let’s not question their patriotism. Don’t seek proof of what they did for the country.

“India is not just a union of states. ‘Bharat’ is our Maa, not just a motherland. Questioning the jawans is an insult to our Maa!” he wrote on the microblogging site. He also alleged that the Congress “spared no effort to abuse and accuse General Bipin Rawat”. “From the day he became Army Chief, they questioned his abilities.

But they get irked when I question them for disrespecting our brave soldiers.

This is new India. Such attitude won’t be tolerated anymore,” he said.

Gen. Rawat died in a

chopper crash in December last year. He had served as the chief of the Indian Army from December 17, 2016, to December 31, 2019, and was appointed as India’s first chief of defence staff in 2019. During a rally in poll-bound Uttarakhand,

Sarma had on February 11 attacked Gandhi for demanding proof of the September 2016 surgical strike.

He also asked whether the BJP had ever demanded proof of him being the “son of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi”.

FELICITATION

Taking this humble privilege, The Tikhir Gazetted Officers' Association (TGOA), would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the following officers on their promotion: 1. Rosy Margaret Athrila NCS, ADC Niuland to Selection Grade (Joint Secretary rank) 2. K. Supanthong to the post of Assistant Superintendent, Development Authority of Nagaland.

Being elated by their achievement and career progression, the TGOA further prays to the Almighty God to grant them robust health and sound wisdom in pursuit of their illustrious career ahead.”

Sd/Sd/(T. L. KIUSUMONG TIKHIR), NCS (T. ASUTHONG) NSS General Secretary, TGOA Finance Secretary, TGOA

DB-107/22

AGARTALA, FEB 13 (PTI): With a year left for elections to the sixty-member assembly in Tripura, a new equation is emerging in the state with the resignations of two BJP MLAs from the Tripura assembly and their subsequent decision to join the opposition Congress.

It seems the grand old party is trying to stage a comeback in the state which it ruled at one time, much to the chagrin of not only BJP which wants a “Congress Mukt” India, but also to its progeny the Trinamool Congress which has vowed to come to power in Tripura in the 2023 state assembly elections.

Buoyed by its amazing success over BJP in the last assembly elections in West Bengal, TMC’s Abhishek Baner jee had last year claimed his party would form the government in Tripura after the 2023 state assembly elections.

TMC’s claims of being the only real opposition to the BJP by attracting Congress dissidents from the party in Meghalaya, Tripura and even in Goa seems to be slowly unwinding at least in Tripura as the Congress claws back towards a revival course.

Speculation was rife that rebel BJP MLAs Sudip Roy Barman and his close DCassociate Asish Saha would

Declaration As decided in a joint meeting of both the family members on 12.02.2022, I Shri WATIlembA Imchen, son of lt. Imnaangshi Imchen do hereby declare and disown Smti. Imtirenla, D/o Shri Sentimongba and from this day, she shall not be my legal wife. Vide Affidavit Regd. no. 05/2022, Dt. 12.02.2022. Further, all the family members including my children shall not be liable for any debts whatsoever incurred by her to any party/s and whosever does so shall be doing at their own risk and we shall not be liable in any way.

Smti. Imtirenla is solely liable and responsible for any debts incurred by her.

Watilemba Imchen DP-723/22

Akhilesh hits out at BJP over Rs 22k cr bank fraud

HATHRAS (UP), FEB 13 (PTI): Whenever major scams are unearthed in India “people from a particular place are found involved”, claimed Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday while referring to the Rs 22,842 crore bank fraud by the Gujarat-based ABG Shipyard.

Addressing an election meeting at Sikandararau here, he claimed a poor person has to mortgage his land to avail a bank loan while big businessmen fly abroad after getting a huge loan.

On February 7, the CBI booked ABG Shipyard Limited (ABGSL), its former chairman and managing director Rishi Kamlesh Agarwal and others for allegedly cheating a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India of over Rs 22,842 crore.

The ABGSL being a major player in the Indian shipbuilding industry operates from shipyards located at Dahej and Surat in Gujarat.

“ T h o s e w h o h ave read the newspapers would be knowing that a major bank scam has taken place.

Whenever these major scams take place, people from a particular place are involved. In the scams, which had taken place earlier, a number of people were from that place,” the Samajwadi Party chief said.

“The money in the bank is of the poor. When a poor person wants to avail a loan, he has to mortgage his land. But these big businessmen take a big loan from the banks, arrange an air ticket and go to a foreign country,” he said.

Taking on the BJP, Yadav claimed the ruling party had promised that people wearing ‘hawai chappal’ (slippers) would travel on aircraft.

“But, with diesel and petrol becoming costlier, the poor are unable to ride a motorcycle. Farmers are facing hardships due to price rise. Hence, the Samajwadi Party has decided that, if needed, we will give

Akhilesh Yadav (PTI)

free petrol,” he said.

Claiming that farmers had never faced so much hardship as they did under the “double-engine” government, he promised free fertilizers for the poor and small farmers if the Samajwadi party-led alliance emerges victorious in the Uttar Pradesh polls.

“If needed, we will construct purchase centres and ‘mandis’, so that we can buy the crops from the farmers at minimum support price.”

He also pledged compensation of up to Rs 5 lakh to the families of those

Channi can’t keep Punjab safe: Shah LU D H I A NA , F E B 1 3 (IANS): Slamming Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi over breach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security during his visit to Punjab, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday wondered how a Chief Minister who could not provide a secure route to the Prime Minister keep the state secure.

“CM Channi is dreaming of forming a Congress gover nment in Punjab again. A chief minister who cannot provide a secure route to the Prime Minister of India, can he provide security to Punjab?” Shah said at an election rally in Ludhiana.

The Union Minister was referring to the security breach on January 5 that left Modi stranded on a flyover in Ferozepur for around 20 minutes.

“Channi has no moral authority to rule for a second term as he cannot keep the state secure.”

Promising to open Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) branch offices in Punjab, the state where the heroin smuggling along the international border is high as it shares a 553-km barbed-

5

NATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Amit Shah (PTI)

wire fenced border with Pakistan, the BJP leader said if the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is voted to power in the state, it would set up the NCB branches in four districts to curb the menace of drugs abuse.

“The NDA would also constitute an anti-drugs task force in all districts,” he said.

Hitting out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Shah said: “Kejriwal has nothing to do with Punjab’s safety, only NDA can protect the state.”

He called upon the people to vote for BJP-led alliance for stability, development and good governance of the state.

On religious conver-

sions, Shah said it was one of the major issues plaguing. “Religious conversions of Sikhs and Hindus are a major issue in Punjab. The Congress government led by Charanjit Channi or AAP can’t stop these conversions.

There is only one party that can stop such conversions -- the BJP.” Targeting the Congress, he said no one can forget the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. “It still brings tears to the eyes. Channi should explain this sin committed by the Congress.”

Pleading the electorates to give one chance to the NDA to serve the state, Shah said the people of Punjab have already given multiple chances to SAD (Shiromani Akali Dal) and the Congress. “Now they should give a chance to the BJP if they want the place to be in safe hands and to uproot the drug and other mafias in the state.”

In the fray for 117 seats in Punjab are two prominent parties -- the ruling Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, and two alliances -- the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party (SAD-BSP) and the BJP-Punjab Lok Congress.

killed by stray bulls in the state and reiterated 300 units of electricity would be provided to domestic consumers for free.

Referring to the alleged gang rape and killing of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras in 2020, he said that had there been a hospital and treatment was provided, the victim’s life could have been saved.

“But after she lost her life, the BJP government robbed the family of its honour by cremating her forcibly in the night. Her brother told me over phone that the family had wished to cremate her in the morning. The government could not allow this wish of the family to be fulfilled.”

Hathras will go to the polls in the third phase on February 20.

The Samajwadi Party chief termed the 2022 Assembly election as the one to save democracy. “ Yo u m u s t h a v e known in which direction the winds were blowing in the first phase of the polls...

Every party may say claim differently but the atmosphere of Uttar Pradesh changed after the votes were cast in the first phase and so has the language of the BJP leaders,” he told the poll meeting.

Slamming the BJP government over the lawand-order situation in the state, he said, “Under the BJP’s rule farmers were crushed by the son of a minister and most numbers of fake encounters occurred in the state. We will take tough decisions to maintain law and order in the state and no mafias will be spared.”

He committed to building a memorial for farmers who died during the anti-farm law agitation and pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the family of farmers who had lost their lives.

Yadav also touched upon the welfare of asafoetida traders of Hathras, saying all support will be provided to make asafoetida of the region a global brand.

Modi meets ex-Kenyan PM, wants to strengthen ties

Narendra Modi with former prime minister of Kenya Raila Amolo Odinga, during their meeting in New Delhi. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi met former Kenyan premier Raila Amolo Odinga on Sunday and expressed his commitment to further strengthening the India-Kenya relations.

Odinga, who is currently in India on a private visit, met Modi, who expressed his happiness at being able to meet the Kenyan leader after almost threeand-a-half years, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.

The two leaders share friendly relations going back decades, it added.

“Delighted to receive my friend H.E. Raila Amolo Odinga, former Prime Min-

ister of Kenya. I fondly recollect my past interactions with him in India and Kenya,” Modi tweeted along with a picture of the meeting.

“India and Kenya enjoy strong bilateral relations and we welcome further strengthening of our ties,” he said.

During the meeting, Modi recollected his multiple interactions with Odinga since 2008 in both India and Kenya as well as the latter’s support to the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in 2009 and 2012.

The two leaders also discussed other issues of mutual interest, the PMO said.

Amarinder replaced as his govt was being run by BJP, says Priyanka

KOTKAPURA (PB), FEB 13 (PTI): Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said the former chief minister Amarinder Singh-led Punjab government had to be replaced as it was being run by the BJP from Delhi.

She also attacked the Aam Aadmi Party, accusing it of doing nothing in Delhi and said its government has been a “failure”.

Vadra was addressing a “Navi Soch, Nava Punjab” public meeting here ahead of the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls.

Referring to Singh’s tenure as chief minister, Vadra, without naming him, said, “It is true that for five years we had a government here, it is also true that there were some deficiencies in that government. It got lost somewhere on the way.”

“That gover nment stopped running from Punjab. That government started being run from Delhi and that too not by the Congress

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

but by the BJP and the BJPled government,” she said.

“That hidden nexus has come out in the open today. That is why we had to change that government,” the Congress general secretary added.

Singh resigned as chief minister in September last year following a bitter power tussle with state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Singh later quit the Congress and launched his own party, Punjab Lok Congress (PLC).

The PLC is contesting

the state assembly polls in alliance with the BJP and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsaled Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).

Hitting out at the AAP over its Delhi model, Vadra cautioned voters against falling for the party’s claims.

“There is another political party which has come from Delhi. You are being shown a Delhi model through advertisements and people come to you and propagate the Delhi model and the (work done by the) government in Delhi,” she said.

Vadra told the people at the gathering that they should not forget that the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014 on the basis of the Gujarat model.

“There were big advertisements (claiming) so much development took place in Gujarat, everybody is getting rich, everything is prosperous. But what happened? That model was only in advertisements,” she said.

Internal rumblings rattle TMC

KO L K AT A , F E B 1 3 (IANS): With the BJP struggling to negotiate with its own organisational differences, and the Left and the Congress becoming regularly irrelevant in West Bengal politics just before the corporation and municipal elections -- the Trinamool Congress seems to have emerged as the biggest enemy of Trinamool Congress.

The ruling party has bagged three municipalities even before the filing of nominations is over, but that has raised several questions within the party, challenging not only the supremacy of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, but also exposing the chinks within the party that are likely to become bigger in the days to come.

The internal differences within the party came to the fore following a Facebook post by a young Trinamool Congress leader Debangshu Bhattacharya, considered to be close to Abhishek Banerjee.

Bhattacharya wrote on Facebook post on Thursday: “Some people create disturbances in the elections because of their narrow personal gains and that is resulting in unrest in the local body polls. The police

Mamata Banerjee

should be given 100 per cent free hand and if needed double number of central forces should be deployed in the municipal polls.”

Bhattacharya was definitely indicating the ongoing controversy of the walkover in three municipalities -Budge Budge, Sainthia and Dinhata -- where Trinamool Congress grabbed power even before the nominations were over.

Bhattacharya further wrote: “If there is one 2018 then another 2019 is not far to come. Every time it will not be 2021.”

He was indicating at the panchayat elections of 2018 when Trinamool Congress grabbed 34 panchayats without any contest and, according to him, the result was evident in 2019 Lok Sabha elections when the

BJP won 22 Lok Sabha seats -- the highest it has managed in the state so far.

The youth leader also said that the party will not be able to perform like it did in the 2021 Assembly elections when it swept the polls over with 234 seats.

“The people will not forgive even if they go with folded hands. Those who create unrest will ‘make a setting’ with the ruling party, but the workers and the supporters will have to face the backlash - they will die,” he added.

Though the Trinamool leadership is considering the uncontested wins as the organisational and the political weakness of the opposition, particularly the BJP, the post by Bhattacharya is indicative of the growing resentment within the party.

Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee said, “The opposition was elated after getting 38 per cent votes in the Assembly polls but in the last seven/ eight months, they were only seen quarreling with themselves. They have not been able to come to any help of the common people.

They have failed to find candidates for even their own party.”

TMC, AAP lodge complaints against each Bengal Gov hits back at TN CM over remark on proroguing assembly other over bribery video on TV channel of taking the bribe as per the video, lodged a complaint with the chief electoral officer demanding that the clip be removed from all platforms, and also filed an FIR against AAP and the TV channel.

Alemao claimed AAP had violated the “silent period”, the phase between the end of campaigning, which in Goa’s case was Saturday evening, and voting, which is scheduled for Monday.

Naik denied the silent period had been violated claiming he had not indulged in any kind of campaigning.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev also filed a complaint against Naik and AAP Delhi MLA Atishi, who is the party’s Goa desk in charge.

HC says mental health of people ‘least priority’ to Bihar govt PATNA, FEB 13 (PTI): The Patna High Court has said it appears that mental health of people and their treatment are the “least priority” of the Bihar government, and directed the chief secretary to take all steps to ensure establishment of State Mental Health Authority.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice S Kumar, expressed shock over the absence of such an authority in the state.

“It appears that mental health of a person and treatment of those who are in need, more so during the time of Covid-19, is the least priority of the state government,” the bench

said.

It heard a public interest litigation, filed by Akanksha Maviya, which sought direction from the court to the state government to establish a legitimate and functional mental health authority with adherence to the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and start a helpline and counselling facilities.

The government had earlier submitted an affidavit on the issue as sought by the bench.

The Act deals with establishment and composition of the state authority for people with mental illness. The purpose of the law is to provide healthcare services to them and to

protect, promote and fulfil their rights.

The bench noticed that a “step for establishing the authority commenced only in 2020, that too, with the publication of an advertisement in the newspaper and since then nothing has been done to expedite the process”.

It also observed that even the affidavit did not disclose the time limit within which the process of “Shockingly, as is now evident from the affidavit filed by the state, the said authority has yet not been constituted.... we are constrained to direct the Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar, to forthwith take

all steps ensuring establishment of the authority as stipulated under Section-45 of the Act,” the bench said in its order on February 10.

It also directed the chief secretary to file an affidavit of compliance, indicating the latest status before February 25, the next date of hearing.

“We also expect the Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar to indicate the steps taken for complying with the other provisions of the Statute, the deficiencies pointed out by the petitioner in the writ petition, and the suggestion given for proper and effective implementation,” the bench added.

Jagdeep Dhankhar

was prorogued at express request@MamataOfficial@rajbhavan_tn”.

Dhankhar’s response came following a tweet by

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin that the West Bengal Governor’s act of proroguing the assembly is ‘without any propriety’.

Stalin in a tweet had said, “The act of #West Bengal Governor to prorogue the WB assembly session is without any propriety expected from the exalted post and goes against established norms and conventions.”

The Trinamool Congress has also said that the West Bengal Governor had prorogued the state

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assembly on the recommendations of the state government and that there was no confusion in it.

The tweet of M.K. Stalin and the response of the West Bengal Governor and the Trinamool Congress have given fresh ammunition to the AIADMK to target the DMK in the midst of the urban local body elections.

Party leader, V. Periyasami in a statement on Sunday said, “The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister is interfering in matters without properly doing a study on the subject and his undue haste for hitting headlines has backfired.

The Chief Minister must further properly study a subject before commenting.”

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PANAJI, FEB 13 (PTI): On the eve of polling in Goa, the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday lodged complaints against each over a sting operation video broadcast on a television channel.

The channel had broadcast a video claiming one TMC and three Congress candidates had taken bribes to change their party affiliation in case they win the Assembly polls scheduled for February 14.

AAP Panaji candidate Valmiki Naik said his party filed a complaint with the chief electoral officer of the state so that authorities are made aware of the video.

TMC Benaulim candidate Churchill Alemao, who is one of the persons accused

C H E N NA I , F E B 1 3 (IANS): West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has hit out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for his statement on proroguing the assembly session, saying that Stalin was responding to something without knowing facts.

In a tweet, Dhankhar said, “Find it unusually expedient to respectfully invite indulgent attention of TN CM@mkstalin that his extremely harsh hurtful observations are not in the least conformity with facts - attached order. Assembly

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6

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Nagaland Post VOL. XXXII NO. 69 DIMAPUR, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Shocking but no surprises

O

nce again and perhaps one that is still going on, backdoor appointments has again been raised against the state government and in this case, the Technical Education Department by the Rising People’s Party(RPP) a nascent political party that has been throwing the gauntlet at the incumbent government. The RPP has recently come out with an explosive revelation about backdoor appointments in the TED and also how an adviser had appointed a nominee of another adviser to a post despite being the waiting list. As per the RPP the TED had advertised 16 vacancies for post of lecturers but appointed 21 candidates while keeping another 13 under waiting list. Again, while the department advertised eight vacancies for post of demonstrators, 12 were appointed while seven were placed under waiting list.

In all out of 24 vacancies advertised, 33 were appointed and 20 placed under waiting list. Backdoor appointment has become a well established racket in the state since 2003 and not even the state’s own Special Investigation Team(SIT) could do anything more than churn out figures and filed charges. In the end nothing has changed since the system has not been over hauled and no strong deterrent action put in place. In Nagaland suspension from service does not affect the prospects of anyone but rather it is like an achievement. Government cannot create jobs on demand but somehow posts are created but appointments are not done on the basis merit. As the RPP had alleged, VIPs managed to have their favourites or nominees appointed. It is a circle of vested interest among the senior bureaucrats and politicians. While employment in the government has already reached beyond the point of serious concern; in sharp contrast, the figure of unemployment in the government has crossed the point of no return. The trajectories themselves tell a story of how jobs in Nagaland are going to become a negative factor against progress. As per estimates, the number of employees under government services was recorded at 1,10,000 in 2008-10.

The figure then rose to 1,25,000 by 2010-11 and by 2012-13, it reached 1,30,000. According to the latest figure, there are unofficially around 1,40,000 government employees which is a little over 7.1 % of the state’s 19,80,602 population. On the other hand the number of educated unemployed youths in Nagaland today could well touch the one lakh mark. The fact is that Nagaland has the highest unemployment rate in the north east. Not only being the state with the highest unemployment rate in the region, Nagaland also has the highest ratio of people employed in the government service among all other states. In other states, when backdoor appointment takes place, it would have spiralled into agitations and government forced to take action. Huge funds for projects meant for developments have been spend during the past decades but only benefitted a handful. More jobs can come if private enterprises are thriving but instead corruption and extortions are thriving. These have not only dampened the entrepreneurial spirit but discouraged investors from outside to do business in the state. People get the khushi-khushi government they deserve and so that is where the entire problem lies.

DailyDevotion The Devotion of Hearing

Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” —1 Samuel 3:10

Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of love and respect for Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says. If I love my friend, I will instinctively understand what he wants. And Jesus said, “You are My friends…”

(John 15:14). Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord’s this week? If I had realized that it was a command of Jesus, I would not have deliberately disobeyed it. But most of us show incredible disrespect to God because we don’t even hear Him. He might as well never have spoken to us.

The goal of my spiritual life is such close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me (see John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the devotion of hearing. A flower, a tree, or a servant of God may convey God’s message to me. What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things. It is not that I don’t want to hear God, but I am not devoted in the right areas of my life. I am devoted to things and even to service and my own convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don’t hear Him. The attitude of a child of God should always be, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God’s voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things— things which I think I must do. This is not living the life of a child of God. Have you heard God’s voice today?

Quotes

“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.” ~ Leo Burnett

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Voter fears realistic! RBI warns belt tightening T

he definition of “vikas” apparently changes as UP goes to polls, hard-pressed voters harp on myriad problems as poll issues, including junking of ten-year-old tractors, scarce jobs, high prices, low farm MSP and even interest rates.

Interestingly enough as polling begins RBI almost agreeing to the rising prices and other uncertainties at its monetary policy committee (MPC) lowers growth forecasts to 7.8 percent in 2022-23, against finance minister’s 8 to 8.5 percent in the bi-monthly Monetary Policy meeting.

A belt-tightening forecast!

It has kept the interest rates unchanged at a low of 4 percent repo rate, RBI lending rate to banks, and 3.5 percent reverse repo rate, at which RBI borrows from banks.

Former chief economic advisor Kaushik Basu notes that growth has been decelerating. It was 8.2 percent in 2016-17; 7.2 percent 2017-18; 4.2 percent 2018-19; and minus 7.3 percent 2020-21, each year growing less, a first since 1947.

The MPC presumes retail price inflation this year to be at 4.5 percent but cautions about hardening of global crude prices

on inflation. Overall it has retained its inflation projection at 5.3 percent and with closing at 5.7 percent

by March on account of unfavourable base effects.

However, it ignores 13 plus percent of wholesale inflation. The US agrees to one peercent rate rise. The RBI too could have incentivised deposits and ensure better banking health.

The voters are not bothered about the nitty gritty but changed their perception of development – vikas- to mean whosoever they are voting would help them grow. Almost uniformly the voters in UP say that they are voting for vikas and quizzed further they say that they are voting for “our own vikas” and name an opposition SP-RLD candidate. For the other voter it means following the call of Yogi Adityanath and prime minister Narendra Modi. The vikas itself has changed its political candour.

Though it signals a change, it is to be seen how the incumbent BJP fares. The BJP as per the new manifesto is no more contesting the poll on doubling of farmers’ income, announced in 2017 or ensuring MSP to all, demand that the agitating farmers had harped on. But

people also are voting for temples, and communal issues though agree to be hit by rising prices.

The contrary lines are reflecting in the lone MPC dissenting voice of Prof Jayanth R Varma. He had disagreed with the MPC resolution on August 20, 2021saying, “By creating the erroneous perception that the MPC is no longer concerned about inflation and is focused exclusively on growth, the MPC may be inadvertently aggravating the risk that Shivaji inf lationary expectations will be dis-anchored. In that scenario, rising risk premia could cause long-term rates to rise”.

The voters may not have read it but with their practical intuition seem to agree to the perception.

The mood for change is there for a better living condition. Even the main MPC discourse does not belie the perception of Varma. Governor Shaktikant Das says that next year’s Centre’s borrowings would not be as high as projected in the budget. It means shrinkage of borrowings, deposits, uncertain expenses and growth. It is a bit eerie.

Consumption is not rising. That seems to be

the concern of the voters, RBI and the government alike. The voters realise that economy would be shaky whatever the official rhetoric.

The BJP had overwhelmingly benefitted in UP riding on high expectation in 2017. The BJP manifesto speaks of MSP but does not guarantee, and repeats payment to cane growers in 14 days as does SP in 15 days.

One interesting aspect is that in the budget minorities have been Sarkar given priority in allotment of PM Awas Yojana, free food doles and increase in minority affairs allocation to Rs 5,000 crore, Rs 674 crore more than the revised estimates of Rs 4346 crore.

The minority youth get Rs 2431 crore for scholarships and skill development. And most interestingly minorities have been given Rs 10 crore for containing population decline despite many harping on its unusual increases. These issues are being propagated by the Rashtriya Muslim Morcha close interactions with minority religious groups.

But this does not give much of reprieve to the common man. Governor Das says that rising infla-

tion would continue to peak till the second half of 2022-23 “within the tolerance band of RBI providing room for policy to remain accommodative”.

Overall, the MPC notes loss in momentum of near-term growth even as global factors turn adverse. It assesses that owing to Ukraine-Russia conflict, Iran-US qualm, fluid Afghanistan and uncertain Middle East the economic situation may deteriorate.

In such circumstances, expecting improvement in domestic growth drivers is bit optimistic. These have been the concern for lowering growth to 7.8 percent. It expects a very high growth in the first quarter and then gradually tapering off to 4.5 percent in the last quarter of 202223, according to Das. Though Indian voters need not understand the phenomenon emerging in the distant West, it can hit India hard. Considering it, the MPC has concern over stagnant private consumption, which has yet to touch the pre-pandemic level. The global problem may hit India harder in tune possibly with the pessimistic Indian voters.

The World Bank warns of fragile economy infested with daunting challenges.

The world growth may be hit by the difficult situation in the US. Despite tomtomming of high growth, the US suffers from the China syndrome. China has bought none of the $ 200 billion it promised from the US under ‘phase-I’ trade deal.

It can lead US to choppy regime impacting global economy. A global inflation and unstable US economy can create turbulence. Everything is getting expensive in the US. The persistent increase in international commodity prices, surge in volatility of global financial markets and global supply bottlenecks can exacerbate risks to the outlook, says Das. Yes, Chinese trade moves in Indian subcontinent might also cause difficulty.

Das says still India can recover with buoyant rabi crop, robust exports, liquidity conditions improving credit offtake and continued push on capital expenses and infrastructure. The hope is a bit too high and the MPC cautions are sharper than any voter can expect. The unsaid is grim and 2022-23 as per the MPC may not be as bright as it is trying to be projected. Belt tightening seems imminent.

Post-mortem

A

The Naga trait

mong all the states in India, Nagaland is the most unique.

It is inhabited by so many different tribes, each with their own language, custom and traditions. It has to be mentioned that not very long time back, Nagas simply existed as warring independent villages.

There was no such thing as “The Naga people” before Phizo came into the picture. Phizo brought the Naga tribes together and, as such, Nagas came to be seen as a composite Naga people.

Phizo is not just the father of the Nagas but for all the hill people of Northeast India because all the hill states of the Northeast owe their advancement and birth to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India which was adopted on the basis of the 9 point agreement drawn up by the then Governor of Assam, sir Akbar Hydari, and the NNC led by Phizo.

Today, while all the northeastern states have frog-leaped ahead in terms of all round development, Nagaland has lagged behind due to the unsolved Naga political issue.

The main reason for which the Naga political issue has remained unsolved till date is this one trait of the Nagas that we will

not go against the wishes of any dissident when discussing and deciding issues among ourselves. There is such a strong respect for the opinions of others that even a single minority dissent can turn down an issue, or at any rate, result in a stalemate.

This is the reason for much of the long drawn out discussions and arguments which we Nagas generally indulge in, and the impossibility of securing assent to any proposal as long as everybody is not in favor of it.

Since attaining statehood in 1964, governments have come and gone, but all the governments under different CMs too seems to have been handicapped because of this Naga trait.

And because of this handicap, all meaningful development has stalled.

Many crucial issues have come up but have either been relegated to the background or decisive and belated action(s) is being delayed. In a democracy, for the greater good, the government cannot afford to go massaging every ego and pampering every dissent.

The decision of the government in creating four more districts in Nagaland will certainty accelerate the pace of de-

velopment provided the Naga trait does not come in between.

The government will have to take dissent in its stride and forge ahead with its developmental programs. The creation of Chumoukedima district, in particular, was a much felt need as it resolved the issue of giving the right historical perspective regarding the headquarter of erstwhile Dimapur district; since Chumoukedima was the first administrative headquarter of the Naga Hills set up by the British in 1866.

It is unfortunate that certain sections of people are objecting to the government’s decision to place Dhansiripar sub-division under Chumoukedima district. Dhansiripar, by virtue of being one of the oldest sub-division of erstwhile Dimapur district, has everything to gain by being a part of the new Chumoukedima district.

It will be wise on the part of the people of Dhansiripar sub-division to, ‘on their own volition,’ decide to become the eldest member of Chumoukedima district, and not let the ‘Naga trait’ derail their wagon of peace, progress, and prosperity.

Benito Z Swu, benitozswu543@gmail.com

O

ne of the best devices or tools for news and entertainment has been radio for many decades now.

At present we may not see big radios but radios have been an integral part of many families till recently. In simple terms we find that radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. At the global level, radio remains the most widely consumed medium.

Radio is a low-cost medium specifically suited to reaching remote communities and vulnerable people, offering a platform to intervene in the public debate, irrespective of people’s educational level.

It also plays a crucial role in emergency communication and disaster relief. We have seen the importance of radio to disseminate information amongst people.

Though the use of radio has lowered, it is still preferred when it comes to entertainment like listening to songs. The unique ability of radio to reach out the widest audience means it can shape a society’s experience of diversity, stand as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and heard. Building on more than a century of history, radio remains one of the most trusted and widely used media.

Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD). On the occasion of WRD 2022, UNESCO calls on radio stations to celebrate the Day through three sub-themes: trust in radio journalism: produce independent and high-quality content; trust and accessibility: take care of the audience; trust and viability of radio stations: ensure

This is All India Radio giving you the news

M

any of us have set our wrist watch by listening to the 8 a.m. national news on the All India Radio. That sound of Bip Bip Bip before news was enough indicator to make the listeners alert for the news. It has been decades now. The thunderous voice of news readers like Devki Nandan Pandey or Ramanasingh Prasad Singh or Indu Ramanuj Prasad Singh or Vinod Kashyap have sent shivers in our ears.

I happen to be attached with All India Radio for long many years - you can say since childhood. Rather, I did my first programme on All India Radio in the year 1976, when I was just about 10 years. Beginning as a child artist, I would wait for my name to be called by the anchor of children’s programme, to be recognized by my parents. Later I graduated to become a radio artist and did almost 3,000 programs. I even wrote and directed

many radio programmes.

One day I was accompanying my father, who had been an established script writer, in the All India Radio building. After seeing a man clad in simple Kurta Pajama, he suddenly stopped and asked me to touch his feet. I knew nothing about the person so was reluctant. My father looked at me and that was enough for me to bend down and touch the feet of this simple gentleman. As I touched his feet, up came his hand for blessings “Jeete Raho Beta, Khush Raho”.

These five words shook-up my entire body and I immediately recognized this voice. He was Devki Nandan Pandey - the legendry and ace Hindi news reader of All India Radio. I could not believe I was seeing him so closely. There was no relation between his simplicity with his fan-following. Entire India listened to him every morning.

My father told me once

Trust and the Radio

Pandey Ji left, many would come and read news in All India Radio. May be at one point, television will take-over Radio, but there would be none who whose voice could be heard as thunderous as Devki Nandan Pandey or any of the news readers like Ramanasingh Prasad Singh or Indu Ramanuj Prasad Singh or Vinod Kashyap.

It has been years and years and I don’t know when was the last time I switched on Radio to hear the news on All India Radio. We might not be a radio listener any more, but even today, All India Radio news is one of the most authentic news of all times - no sensation and no dramatization - simple news for information and knowledge.

When was the last time you heard Vivid Bharti, “Yeh Vivid Bharti Ka Vigyapan Karyakram Hai...” Can anyone forget this line ever?

Pavan Kaushik, IANS

competitiveness. United Nations Radio was established on 13 February 1946.

The date was, therefore, a natural choice to celebrate this mass medium.

The objective of WRD is to raise public awareness of the importance of radio and to encourage decision makers to use it to provide access to information, and to improve international co-operation among broadcasters. This year’s theme is “Radio and Trust “. The rapid advancement of technology is misleading many people as trust has come down because of biased news by different media houses.

In India, All India Radio (AIR) can do wonders when it comes to radio and trust. AIR is India’s Public Service Broadcaster, the Radio vertical of Prasar Bharati has been serving to inform, educate and entertain its audiences since its inception. One of the largest broadcasting organisations in the world in terms of the number of languages of broadcast and the spectrum of socio-economic and cultural diversity it serves, AIR’s home service comprises of 470 Broadcasting centres located across the country, covering nearly 92% of the country’s area and 99.19 % of the total population. Terrestrially, AIR originates programming in 23 languages and 179 dialects. Bridging between “traditional” and state-of-the art technologies, radio now offers a variety of content through different devices and formats, such as podcasts and multimedia websites. Community radio, for instance, reaches out to those under-represented in mainstream and social media, who may feel better, understood and fairly portrayed and consequently attribute trust to their local station. There is no doubt that radio is cheapest and powerful which can contribute towards a sustainable future by generating awareness amongst people.

Ranjan K Baruah

‘Simultaneous droughts across globe can threaten food security’

D

roughts occurring simultaneously across different regions of the world could place an unprecedented strain on the global agricultural systems threatening the water and food security of millions of people, recent collaborative research has found out.

Continuing fossil fuel dependence will increase the probability of co-occurring droughts 40 per cent by the mid-21st century and 60 per cent by the late 21st century, relative to the late-20th century. That comes out to an approximately ninefold increase in agricultural and human population exposure to severe co-occurring droughts unless steps are taken to lower carbon emissions, said the study carried out by researchers from the Washington State University, Vancouver, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, the

Columbia University, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar.

“There could be around 120 million people across the globe simultaneously exposed to severe compound droughts each year by the end of the century.

Many of the regions that our analysis shows will be most affected are already vulnerable, and so the potential for droughts to become disasters is high,” said lead author Jitendra Singh, a former postdoctoral researcher at the WSU School of the Environment, now at ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

The elevated risk of compound droughts estimated by the research team is a result of a warming climate coupled with a projected 22 per cent increase in the frequency of El Nino and La Nina events - the two opposite phases of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). (IANS)

Karnataka schools to reopen today

HUBBALLI (KARNATAKA), FEB 13 (IANS): Amid hijab row, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday warned trouble makers of legal action as schools up to class 10 are reopening from Monday.

Bommai was speaking to reporters in Hubballi.

“Our officers are observing messages that are put out on social media.

They are also collecting information on their own.

My first duty now is to see that schools and colleges are opened as early as possible and to create a cordial atmosphere for peaceful learning.

The students must focus on examinations scheduled in March. Other things would be taken care of by investigative agencies,” he said.

Bommai said, high schools are reopening from tomorrow (Monday) in the state. District Commissioners and school managements have been told to conduct peace meetings and classes will be held peacefully, he said.

A decision will be taken on reopening of colleges soon after ensuring

7

NATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Classes 11, 12, colleges to re-open after evaluating situation

Basavaraj Bommai

all preparations are being made. “Colleges will function like before in a cordial atmosphere. Reopening schools and colleges is our first priority. I have sought a report from the Education Minister. Based on that, a decision would be taken,” he stated.

Bommai explained the state’s economy has suffered badly in the two years due to Covid and through the budget an attempt would be made to boost the economy.

“Economic progress, welfare of people and financial discipline will be kept in mind while presenting the budget,” he said, adding, “our revenue collections are improving, priority will be given to the lowest and poorest person,” he said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai on Sunday said that schools up to class10 will re-open from Monday while schools for higher classes and degree colleges will re-open after the situation is reviewed, reports livemint.com The Karnataka government has decided to shut schools for classes 11 and 12 and colleges till 16 February amid the ongoing controversy over Hijab.

Earlier, in view of the Hijab row, the Department of Collegiate and Technical Education (DCTE) had declared the closure of institutions from 9 to 11 January.

Meanwhile, the Udupi district administration has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in areas around all high schools in the district from Monday till 19 February.

The move comes as part of a precautionary measure as the schools are reopening Monday after the holiday declared by the state government in view of the hijab-saffron shawl

controversy.

The order will be in effect from 6 am on 14 February to 6 pm on 19 February.

The order has been clamped following a request by the district superintendent of police to deputy commissioner M Kurma Rao for imposing Section 144 within a 200-metre radius around all the high schools.

According to the notification, assembly of five or more members around the school perimeter is not allowed. All sorts of gatherings including protests and rallies are banned. Inciting slogans, songs and speeches are strictly barred.

The row over hijab versus saffron scarves on the high school and college campuses in certain parts of the state had resulted in tension, untoward incidents and even taken a violent turn at some places.

The controversy had started towards the end of December last year when a few women students in hijabs were denied entry into

a government pre-university college in Udupi.

As a counter, some Hindu students turned up wearing saffron scarves.

On 1 January, 2022, six Muslim girl students of the government PU college for women in Udupi attended a press conference in the coastal town held by Campus Front of India (CFI) leaders protesting against the college authorities denying them entry inside classroom wearing hijab (headscarf).

This was four days after they requested the principal permission to wear hijabs inside classes which was not allowed. Till then, Muslim students used to wear hijab to the campus and entered the classroom after removing it.

In its interim order, the Karnataka High Court has restrained all students, regardless of their religion and faith, from wearing saffron shawls (bhagwa), scarfs, hijabs, religious flags or the like within classrooms until further orders.

Hijab row now erupts in MP PM Modi greets

BHOPAL, FEB 13 (IANS): The hijab controversy that erupted in a pre-university college in Karnataka has now hit a college in Madhya Pradesh. As per official information, the fresh controversy over wearing hijab-burqa erupted at an Autonomous PG College in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district on Saturday after an M.Com student Rukshana Khan arrived at the college wearing hijab to appear in the exam.

In the mean time, students from other groups, including some associated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), students wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), opposed the woman wearing hijabburqa during the examination. Sensing that the matter could snowball into a major controversy, the college’s principal-in-charge, Shivesh Pratap Singh swung into action. He not only advised Rukshana Khan not to wear hijab again in the college, but also took a written undertaking from her that she will wear only college uniform like other students in future.

“All the students are

strictly told that they will be allowed only in proper uniform and face masks in the college examination.

But she (Rukshana Khan) arrived wearing hijab-burqa.

She has given a written undertaking that she will come in the college only in uniform,” Shivesh Pratap Singh said.

The political controversy over hijab in Madhya Pradesh had erupted after School Education Minister Inder Singh Paramar supported banning of hijab in schools and also announced that new dress code will be strictly enforced from the next academic year.

Some Congress leaders who belonged to Muslim community opposed the minister’s remarks and said that they would oppose MP government’s proposal to ban hijab-burqa.

On Friday, Bhopal Qazi Syed Mushtaq Ali Nadvi before namaz (prayer) made an appeal to Muslim women to wear hijab-burqa.

Qazi said that he is making this appeal because women have stopped wearing hijabburqa and asked other clerics to make a similar appeal from the mosques.

listeners on World Radio Day

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted all radio listeners and those “who enrich this outstanding medium with their talent as well as creativity”, on the occasion of ‘World Radio Day’.

World Radio Day is celebrated every year on February 13. In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said: “World Radio Day greetings to all radio listeners and those who enrich this outstanding medium with their talent as well as creativity. Be it at home, during journeys and otherwise, the radio remains an integral part of the people’s lives. It is an amazing medium to connect people.”

“Due to #MannKiBaat, I repeatedly see how the radio can be a great medium to share positivity as well as recognise those who are at the forefront of bringing a qualitative change in the lives of others. I would also like to thank all those who contribute to this programme.”

Wankhede deposes before ‘Misuse of power by Governors’: Anti-BJP move: KCR to meet Uddhav; NCB vigilance panel in Delhi Mamata, Stalin plan meeting Mamata Banerjee to come to Hyderabad

Wankhede presented his version to the raid in October last year at the international cruise terminal in Mumbai.

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (PTI): Sameer Wankhede, the Narcotics Control Bureau’s former Mumbai zonal director, on Sunday appeared before a departmental vigilance panel here that is investigating allegations of extortion against the agency team that conducted the drugs-on-cruise raid leading to the arrest of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan and others.

Official sources said Wankhede presented his version and official documents related to the raid, which took place in October last year at the international cruise terminal in Mumbai, before NCB Deputy Director General (DDG) for the northern region Gyaneshwar Singh.

He and his team from NCB Mumbai had earlier too deposed before the vigilance panel and it is understood that the latest deposition is part of the process to conclude the inquiry follow-

ing which a report will be submitted by the DDG to the NCB Director General.

Singh, a 1999-batch IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, is the chief vigilance officer (CVO) of the NCB and was tasked to conduct the probe after Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness in the cruise drugs case, had filed an affidavit claiming that there was an extortion bid of Rs 25 crore by some NCB Mumbai officials and others for letting off Aryan Khan in the case.

Twenty people were arrested in this case and all of them are now out on bail, including Aryan Khan.

Sail had claimed that he overheard that Rs 8 crore ‘bribe’ out of this money was to be paid to Wankhede.

Sail was the bodyguard of a private person and another witness in this case - K P Gosavi - who is now in jail following his arrest by the Pune Police in a fraud case.

Gosavi was arrested by the police after the NCB cruise raid and the vigilance panel will also question him in jail before preparing its final report.

Sail had also claimed that he saw Gosavi meeting Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja Dadlani post the Cordelia cruise raid and that he was asked to sign “9-10 blank pages” in the presence of Wankhede.

Wankhede had maintained that all due procedures were followed during the raid and the allegations were made to deter him from taking strong action against high-profile drug traffickers.

Other officials from the NCB Mumbai team involved in this case have also deposed before the DDG Singh-led panel here this week, sources said.

Singh and his team had last year travelled to Mumbai to conduct an on-spot investigation, questioning and recording statements of all those involved including Wankhede, his NCB Mumbai team, Sail, Aryan Khan and others. The vigilance team also took possession of the NCB case documents and the seizure memo.

Gosavi’s close proximity and photographs with Aryan Khan during the NCB raids had raised questions and the matter is part of the departmental vigilance probe.

C H E N NA I , F E B 1 3 (AGENCIES): Chief Ministers of opposition-ruled states will soon meet in Delhi to discuss the “Constitutional overstepping and brazen misuse of power by the Governors”, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin tweeted today. The matter, he added, was flagged

by Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had suggested the meeting.

“Beloved Didi @MamataOfficial telephoned me to share her concern and anguish on the Constitutional overstepping and brazen misuse of power by the Governors of non-BJP ruled states. She suggested for a meeting of Opposition CMs,” read Stalin’s tweet.

“I assured her of DMK’s commitment to uphold State autonomy. Convention of Opposition CMs will soon happen out of Delhi!” added a second post.

Stalin’s tweet came soon after a heated Twitter exchange with West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who had prorogued the state Assembly from Saturday based on the state government’s recommendation. “The act of #WestBengal Governor to prorogue the WB Assembly Session is without any propriety expected from the exalted post and goes against the established norms and conventions,” Stalin had said. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh

had said, “The governor did not take the decision on his own initiative. He has prorogued the Assembly following the recommendation of the Cabinet. There is no confusion in it.” The friction between Governors and Lieutenant Governors and Chief Ministers in Delhi, Chhattisgarh and in Goa during the Congress rule, have made headlines. Banerjee’s Bengal has led the field, with the Governor and Chief Minister locked in acrimony over multiple issues.

In Tamil Nadu, Stalin has accused Governor R N Ravi blocking the state’s anti-NEET Bill to the Centre which is meant to bypass the national medical entrance exam. Mr Stalin and a few other like-minded parties have decided to send again the Bill to the Governor again, demanding that it be forwarded to President Ram Nath Kovind for his assent.

Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress has declared that it would bring a “resolution” against Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar in the current budget session of the assembly, accusing him transgressing constitutional limits.

Banerjee had blocked the Governor on Twitter after he said the state had become “a gas chamber for democracy”. She also said that she had requested Prime Minister in writing several times, requesting for his removal, but no action has been taken.

HYDERABAD, FEB. 13 (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday said he will soon have meetings with his Maharashtra and West Bengal counterparts Uddhav Thackeray and Mamata Banerjee, as part of the efforts to unite various political parties against the BJP and the NDA Government.

He said he may go to Mumbai anytime soon to meet Thackeray while the West Bengal CM is expected to come to Hyderabad to meet KCR. Charging that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA Government should be dumped for its alleged anti-people policies, he said he would play a major role in uniting anti-BJP political parties.

Alleging that there was corruption in Rafale fighter plans deal, Rao said he will approach the Supreme Court to bring out the truth.

“Mamata Behen ( Mamata Banerjee) called me.

We had a discussion over phone. She invited me to Bengal or she’ll come to Hyderabad. She said Mujhe Dosa kilao. I said most welcome. She may come any time. We are discussing.

There are so many political leaders across the nation, KCR said when asked if he is still mootin g the idea of non-BJP, non-Congress Front.

“Mr Uddhav Thackeray is also waiting. They

nataka he said it is not desirable. He alleged that the Centre is exerting pressure on state government to implement draft power reforms even before they are passed

by Parliament and become an Act. “It is constitutional violence. Even before the law is passed, they are trying to enforce it. It is an insult to the Parliament. It is cheating the people of this country,” KCR fumed adding Telangana will not implement the reforms proposed by the Centre. Lending support to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who demanded proof on the surgical strike, KCR said half of the country including himself wants to know the truth.

Alleging that there was corruption to the tune of thousand of crores of rupees, KCR said the same Rafale jets were bought by the Indonesian Government at lesser price. “We will also file a case in Supreme Court and bring out the theft,” he said. Rao said Modi openly campaigned for former US president Donald Trump during his 2019 ‘Howdy Modi’ programme in Houston.

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walk-in shops be called back immediately. On Sunday, during the meeting held in his village, Hazare said there are plenty of beer bars, permit rooms and shops to sell wine, then why the government wants to sell it in supermarkets and grocery stores?

Does it want to spread addiction? he asked. “During a discussion with officials of the Maharashtra government, I had told them that I don’t feel like living in the state, following which the government started rethinking about its decision,” the activist claimed. Hazare said wine is not the culture of Maharashtra, where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and saint Tukaram Maharaj once lived.

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Anna Hazare

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PUNE, FEB 13 (PTI): Social activist Anna Hazare has decided to suspend his proposed hunger strike from Monday against the Maharashtra government’s decision permitting sale of wine in supermarkets and grocery shops, saying the state government has assured it will take into consideration the views of citizens before going ahead with the policy.

A ‘gram sabha’ was held on Sunday in Hazare’s native Ralegan Siddhi village in Ahmednagar district.

“I told the villagers that now the state government has decided to put up the cabinet’s decision before citizens for their suggestions and objections and only after their nod, a final decision will be taken by the government. Hence, I have decided to suspend tomorrow’s hunger strike,” Hazare later said.

Some days back, Hazare had written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, saying people of the state have demanded that the policy permitting sale of wine at supermarkets and

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Hazare not to sit on hunger strike against Maha govt’s wine policy

are waiting for me. I have to go to Mumbai. Once this Sri Ramanujacharya function is over I think I may go to Mumbai any time,” he further said.

He, however, did not give a direct reply if he will lead the opposition parties saying “one thing I promise you that I will play major role in that”. He also said as of now there was no firm plan as to how the opposition unity will take shape in future and people of the country should rise to the occasion.

KCR said though he met several opposition leader and Chief Ministers before 2019 polls, things went in a different way with BJP coming back to power.

He said the present situation is now proving to be disastrous to the nation as day by day it is worsening.

“Country is fully filled with religious emotions which is not desirable, which is uncalled for, which is unwanted and not good for the country,” he slammed the NDA government.

Rao said petrol and diesel prices will go up after the Assembly polls in UP. On Hijab row in Kar-

8

Coal supply crunch hits non-power sector

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entiating between NCLT” resolved cases in terms of recovery from written-off accounts.

The public sector lender also brought down its bad loans proportion, with the gross non-performing assets (NPAs) falling down to 4.5 per cent at end of December 2021 from 4.9 per cent in the preceding quarter, September 2021. The net NPAs also fell quarter-on-quarter to 1.34 per cent from 1.52 per cent.

Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara said the financial results during Q3FY22 validates that the performance of the bank is improving steadily. “Our slippage ratio for nine months of the financial year FY22 is at 1.16 per cent, while our slippage ratio in quarter three FY22 is 0.37 per cent. This is largely an outcome of the critical changes that have been made in our underwriting processes through the large cycles.

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NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (PTI): Country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) is expecting to recover around Rs 8,000 crore from written-off accounts, including from NCLT resolved cases, in the current fiscal year to be ending on March 31, 2022.

During the third quarter ended December 2021, SBI recovered Rs 1,500 crore from written-off accounts and for the nine months during April-December FY22, the recovery amount stands at Rs 5,600 crore, SBI said in a post Q3 FY22 earnings call with analysts. Bank’s net profit during the quarter surged by 62.27 per cent to Rs 8,432 crore.

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certain players who have taken a position on hybrids and they have vehicles available, and therefore, they are pursuing it primarily to meet the requirement of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)... the way we see this technology is mainly for compliance and it’s relevance is only going to sustain itself for next few years,” he stated.

The company is focussing on technologies, which will not only help us to meet the CAFE requirement, but also enable to lead the charge as far as zero emission technologies are concerned, Chandra said. “And that’s why we have taken a conscious call of focusing on EVs,” he noted.

On the company’s plans regarding flex fuel, Chandra said: “The first milestone for us is in 2025 where it is mandated that we need to be ready with E20 for all our models and we are pretty much on track as far as that is concerned. There is ongoing discussion with MoRTH on implementation of flex fuel beyond this ratio, going up to 85 per cent also.

There is a discussion on the timeline for that.”

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therefore, I see that CNG will have only partial penetration in those segments. .. but yes, given the price points and the economics of CNG versus petrol, it might play out to some extent, but not as deep penetration as we are seeing in the entry segments,” Chandra said.

He further said: “And compact sedan is doing well because of the boot space that you get, which is completely compromised on hatch, and that’s the thing that we’re seeing in the demand profile also that we are getting for the models that there is a strong preference for compact sedan therefore, given the boot space that it gives. So therefore, we would target a few more segments. We’re working on them. But as of now, we have really focused on the hotspot of CNG, which is compact sedan and hatches.” On a query whether the company would look at hybrid cars, Chandra said the company has taken a conscious decision to go with EVs. “There are

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pany sees a strong future of this, given that there is a deeper penetration and expansion of the CNG outlets which is taking place in the country, he added.

Chandra noted that currently diesel car sales across its portfolio stand at around 15 per cent, while petrol and CNG sales account for roughly about 66 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively. “In the next three to five years, petrol will possibly come down to about 50 per cent level, CNG will go up to 20 per cent..diesel would come down further to about 10 per cent and I would say (for) EV..., we have already declared our target of going more towards 20 per cent,” Chandra stated.

Elaborating further, he said the company is focusing on hatchback and compact sedan segments for expansion of CNG model range.

“I think in SUVs, CNG might struggle, given that it is a very performance-oriented segment, and less sensitive to running costs. And

DP-727/22

Crossword

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (PTI): Tata Motors is expecting CNG cars contribution to grow up to 20 per cent gradually in its total sales over the next 3 to 5 years as it anticipates more entry-level petrol and diesel customers to opt for such models, a top company official has said. The Mumbai-based auto major is also bullish on the electric vehicle segment with sales expected to account for about 20 per cent of its overall dispatches over the next few years.

“I think CNG is a segment which is going to grow in the coming years. This will be a subset of, I would say, the petrol, because this is being more triggered with the rising cost of petrol. It uses a petrol engine...and therefore, it will mostly cannibalise petrol and to a great extent, also diesel, replacing diesel in the entry segment,” Tata Motors President Passenger Vehicle and Electric Vehicles Shailesh Chandra said in an analyst call.

Therefore, the com-

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minister. “There is information that some people have invested in cryptocurrencies.

Thus, 30 per cent tax has been proposed in the Union Budget on cryptocurrency gains,” Karad added.

Asked whether fuel prices would rise after the elections in Uttar Pradesh, he said the Centre had cut prices on petrol and diesel

by Rs 5 and Rs 10 respectively. While BJP-ruled states followed suit and cut taxes from their side, many states did not, he added. The price of petrol in Maharashtra, which is ruled by the Maha Vikas Aghadi, is higher than retail rates in MP, which is a BJP-ruled state, Karad said.

ued to rise at 16.1 per cent in the September 2021 quarter, though the Centre and states debt rose 15.1 per cent and 13.6 per cent, respectively.

However, both fell to 57.6 per cent and 29.1 per cent of GDP in Q2FY22, from the 15-year peak of 58.9 per cent and 30.5 per cent in the March 2021 quarter, respectively. In contrast, non-government non-financial debt rose 7.7 per cent or 83.5 per cent of GDP in Q2FY22, lower than the peak of 90.9 per cent of GDP in FY21, which is the highest growth in nine quarters, but still modest. Within this, household debt growth softened to a five-quarter low of 9.1 per cent. Household debt fell to 34.9 per cent of GDP in Q2FY22, from its peak of 38.1 per cent in Q4FY21.

Non-financial corporate debt stood at 48.6 per cent of GDP, lower than the peak of 52.8 per cent in Q1FY21, thus marking the lowest level in seven years.

Tata Motors bullish on CNG, EV sales SBI expects to recover

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NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (PTI): Union Minister Bhagwat Karad on Saturday said cryptocurrencies are not legal in the country and nothing could be said at present about what could happen in this segment in the future.

The Reserve Bank of India and the Union government have not given any sort of recognition to cryptocurrencies and, therefore, they are not legal in the country right now, the Union minister of state for finance, who had come here to attend a function, told reporters.

One can’t say if it would be legitimized or not in the future, said the

states combined) has grown strongly by 16.1 per cent in the September 2021 quarter; while non-government, nonfinancial debt rose at a much slower pace of 7.7 per cent, according to the report. The total non-financial sector (NFS) debt stood at Rs 371 lakh crore in the September 2021 quarter, up from Rs 356 lakh crore in the March 2021 quarter and Rs 361 lakh crore in the June 2021 quarter.

As much as two-thirds of the rise in debt in the second quarter over the previous quarter was due to the government sector, as household debt growth ebbed, corporate debt growth spiked leading to an overall rise of 11.9 per cent in the second quarter, similar to the 12.2 per cent average growth over the previous two quarters.

Government borrowing has been the key driver of higher debt growth over the past few quarters. General government debt contin-

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Cryptocurrencies not legal right now, says Bhagwat Karad

ply by rail as well as road and road cum rail (RcR) modes since the last few weeks has caused the plight of NRS consumers to descend towards catastrophic condition”, they said.

The industries like aluminium, cement, steel, sponge-iron, paper, fertiliser, chemical, rayon and their captive power plants (CPPs) are mostly depen-

continuous process plants along with their captive power plants are highly dependent on coal as a primary source of fuel.

Therefore, interruption in the fuel supply chain is forcing many plants to run at a lower capacity and adversely affecting their cost of production. Higher cost of production will ultimately affect every section of the society, they said.

“It is our humble submission that the standard policy of the Ministry of Coal (CCEA approved) may be strongly implemented to ensure a justified ratio of coal allocation between power sector and industries so that the consumers are not deprived of their legitimate entitlement and could continue their production economically for delivery of goods at affordable price to the common people,” they said.

NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (PTI): Led by the general government debt, the country’s non-financial sector debt grew 11.9 per cent yearon-year to Rs 371 lakh crore, or 170.2 per cent of GDP, in the September 2021 quarter, even as the indebtedness of the households declined marginally, according to a report.

However, this is lower than the previous fiscal, when it had touched 180.2 per cent of GDP after a three per cent contraction in the nominal GDP during FY21, according to the report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services At 180.2 per cent of GDP in FY21, this was the peak as against 155 per cent in FY20. Also, the debtto-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio contracted to 170.2 per cent of GDP in the June 2021 quarter, with the normalisation of nominal GDP, which grew at 14.7 per cent. The general government debt (Centre and

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“While regular supply of coal rakes to the utilities have helped the stock of dry fuel at the country’s power plants to rise, we beg to state that despite several representations by various industry players as well as the associations, the coal supply scenario to the non-power sector has deteriorated even more.

Further curtailment in sup-

dent on domestic coal as fuel as well as a direct feed in the process of manufacturing.

This adverse supply situation that started around August/September last year became further arduous as coal stock at many plants plunged below critical level. The demandsupply ratio had shown signs of improvement during November. However, the supply to the NRS consumers, including CPPs, has plummeted once again despite October-March being the highest production months for Coal India Ltd. “Industries plan for their fuel requirement well in advance. Therefore, any sudden changes in supply commitment from the indigenous sources create huge impact in plant operations,” the associations explained.

Energy-intensive and

Non-financial debt jumps 11.9% to Rs 371L cr

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NEW DELHI, FEB 13 (PTI): Industry associations have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on deteriorating coal supply to the non-power sector, stating that curtailment in fuel supply by rail as well as road and road cum rail (RcR) modes over the last few weeks has pushed the sector towards a “catastrophic” situation. Moreover, fertiliser being part of the regulated sector is also suffering immensely due to supply crunch from the indigenous sources, they said in a joint representation.

The associations include the Aluminium Association of India, Coal Consumers’ Association of India, Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, Indian Captive Power Producers Association, Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association, and Fertiliser Association of India.

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

BUSINESS

German leader Scholz travels to Russia, Ukraine as tensions grow

Olaf Scholz smiles during a briefing for journalist on a government plane on the way to Washington. (File)

BERLIN, FEB 13 (AP): German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is flying to Ukraine and Russia this week in an effort to help defuse escalating tensions as Western intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent and Germany has called on its citizens to leave Ukraine as quickly as possible. Ahead of his first visits as chancellor to Kyiv on Monday and Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with the Ukrainian and Russian presidents, Scholz has renewed his warning to Rus-

9

INTERNATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

sia, as well as his advocacy of continuing diplomacy in multiple formats.

“It is our job to ensure that we prevent a war in Europe, in that we send a clear message to Russia that any military aggression would have consequences that would be very high for Russia and its prospects, and that we are united with our allies,” Scholz told the German parliament’s upper house on Friday.

“But at the same time that also includes using all opportunities for talks and further development,”

Scholz said. Russia has concentrated more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border and launched a series of military maneuvers in the region, but says it has no plans to invade the nation.

Moscow wants guarantees from the West that NATO won’t allow Ukraine and other former Soviet countries to join as members, and for the alliance to halt weapon deployments to Ukraine and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe.

The U.S. and NATO flatly reject these demands.

Scholz has repeatedly said that Moscow would pay a “high price” in the event of an attack, but his government’s refusal to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine or to spell out which sanctions it would support against Russia have drawn criticism abroad and at home and raised questions about Berlin’s resolve in standing up to Russia.

Germany’s reluctant position is partly rooted in its history of aggression during the 20th century when the country’s own milita-

South Korea prez poll: Candidate registration begins

rization in Europe during two world wars led many postwar German leaders to view any military response as a very last resort.

Despite this historic burden, experts say it is of utmost importance now that Scholz stresses Germany is in sync with its European and American allies, especially when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Scholz has to convey a very clear message in Moscow, and it can really only be: There is unity and oneness in the Western alliance. There is no possibility of driving a wedge into the Western alliance, and that must be understood in Moscow. I think that’s the most important message he has to convey there,” said Markus Ziener, an expert with the German Marshall Fund.

“At the same time, he has to make it clear that the costs are high,” Ziener added. “That’s basically the message that is most likely to catch on in Moscow as well. So a military invasion of Ukraine has significant consequences for Russia.”

SEOUL, FEB 13 (IANS): Candidate registration began Sunday for South Korea’s March 9 presidential election, with all four main contenders, including the ruling party’s Lee Jaemyung and the main opposition’s Yoon Suk-yeol, registering on the first day to become the country’s next leader.

The National Election Commission (NEC) will receive candidacy registration for two days through Monday before the official 22-day campaign period kicks off on Tuesday, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Along with Lee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and Yoon of the People Power Party (PPP), Ahn Cheol-soo of the centrist People’s Party and Sim Sang-jeung of the minor progressive Justice Party registered their candidacies on the first day, according to the NEC. Starting Tuesday, candidates can hold street campaigns, put up election posters, send campaign materials to voters, and release TV and radio commercials through one day before the election.

‘Ukraine sees no point closing airspace amid Russia standoff’ KYIV, FEB 13 (AGENCIES): Ukraine sees no point closing its airspace in response to Moscow’s troop build-up, asenior official said on Sunday, as some carriers reviewed their services to the country after the United States warned that Russia could invade at any time.

Dutch airline KLM part of Air France (AIRF. PA) - said it would stop flying to Ukraine and Germany’s Lufthansa (LHAG. DE) said it was considering suspending flights, as a local newspaper, Ukrayinska Pravda, said in an unconfirmed report that the government might discuss the air traffic issue on Sunday.

Two third of the 298 passengers killed when Malaysia Airlines MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014 as it flew from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were Dutch citizens. The infrastructure ministry said airlines were continuing to operate “without any restrictions”.

It also said it was ready to provide additional financial guarantees to support local airlines, many of

A plane carrying military aid, delivered as part of the US security assistance to Ukraine, in Kyiv, Feb 5. (Reuters)

which use leased planes, after one Ukrainian carrier, SkyUp, said it had to divert a flight after the plane’s owner barred it from entering Ukrainian airspace.

“The current situation requires a solution at the state level. Now we are working together with state authorities to find solutions,” SkyUp’s CEO Dmytro Seroukhov said.

Meanwhile, the carrier had suspended the sale of ticket for flights up to Wednesday, he added.

News agency Interfax Ukraine said Ukrainian insurance companies had received a notification from reinsurers that airlines were not covered for war risks.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian

president’s chief of staff, said scheduling reconfigurations by individual carriers had “nothing to do with the decisions or policies of our state.” “The most important point is that Ukraine itself sees no point in closing the sky. This is nonsense. And, in my opinion, it somewhat resembles a kind of partial blockade,” he told Reuters.

NO SIGNS OF EXODUS The United States, its Western allies and other nations have been scaling back or evacuating embassy staff and have advised their citizens not to travel to Ukraine amid the standoff.

Washington says the Russian military, which has more than 100,000 troops massed near Ukraine, could invade at any moment.

Man accused of desecration Nepal’s Chief Justice Rana faces impeachment motion stoned to death in Pak; 62 arrested ISLAMABAD/LAHORE, FEB 13 (PTI): A middleaged man was stoned to death and his body was hung from a tree by a mob for allegedly desecrating a religious book in a remote village in Pakistan’s Punjab province, police said on Sunday, a gruesome incident that has sparked nationwide outrage. The incident took place in Jungle Derawala village, in Khanewal district, situated 275-km from Lahore on Saturday evening, where locals had gathered after their Maghrib (evening) prayers, following announcements that a man had torn pages of the Holy Quran and had set them on fire. The police had arrived in the village before the incident, but the mob had outnumbered them.

They seized the victim from the SHO’s custody and tied him to a tree, after which he was lynched to death, eyewitnesses said.

“Over 300 men had gathered at Masjid Shahmuqeem Muaza in Jungle Derawala village, where they tied a middleaged man with a rope before stoning him to death. Later, they hung his body on a tree,” police officer Muhammad Amin told PTI. He said two policemen, who tried to bring the body down from the tree, were injured when mob began throwing stones at them.

“Police tried to take the injured man into custody, but we were outnumbered by the mob, and they killed

Pakistan police and security personnel at the sight of the incident.

him. They chanted religious slogans and attacked the two policemen who tried to bring the victim’s body down from the tree. Once fresh reinforcements arrived in the village, they shifted the body to a mortuary,” Amin said. According to BBC Urdu service, the victim was identified as Mushtaq Ahmed (son of Bashir Ahmed), who was a resident of Bara Chak village.

The villagers said that the victim was mentally unstable and stayed out of the house for several days.

A number of videos have surfaced on social media in which the enraged mob can be seen torturing the man and hanging his body on the tree. Some had even tried to burn his body, according to the videos that are circulating online.

Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan submitted a preliminary report of the incident to Punjab Chief Minis­ter Usman Buzdar.

Houthis seize strategic Yemeni city from army: Source SANAA, FEB 13 (IANS): The Yemeni Houthis drove the government army out of the strategic Harad city in the northern province of Hajjah, killing more than 60 soldiers and injuring 140 others, a military source said.

“The rebels recaptured the al-Mihsam military camp and the range of high mountains from the army during today’s battle,” the source told Xinhua news agency on Saturday.

“The rebel snipers killed more than 60 soldiers who had infiltrated into the southern and western neighbourhoods and wounded 140 others,” he said.

The Saudi-led coalition forces backing the Yemeni government army launched three airstrikes against the Houthi advance, the source said, adding that “the army now is out of this strategic city”, which borders Saudi Arabia.

The defeat is a major blow to the Yemeni government army which had recaptured most of the city in a fierce battle that began last week.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control over northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President AbdRabbu Mansour Hadi to exile.

According to the report, a case was registered against 33 suspects and 300 unknown persons while sections related to heinous crimes and terrorism were also added. Chief Minister Buzdar has issued directives that all requirements of justice must be met and said no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands. “Police have registered an FIR against 300 people. Of them, 62 have been arrested so far and raids are being conducted to nab the remaining culprits,” Amin said. The detained accused also included the prime suspects. The police will conduct forensic analysis of available footage to identify more suspects.

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday expressed anguish over the incident and said the culprits involved in the lynching will be “dealt with (the) full severity of the law” along with police officials who “failed in their duty”.

KATHMANDU, FEB 13 (PTI): Nepal’s ruling coalition lawmakers on Sunday filed an impeachment motion against Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher JB Rana over allegations of corruption.

Spokesperson of the Parliament Secretariat Rajnath Pandey said that the impeachment was registered at 11 a.m.

Rana, who had assumed the post of Chief Justice on January 2, 2019, has been suspended from his post following the registration of impeachment motion against him at the House of Representatives.

A total of 98 lawmakers from ruling alliance including Law and Justice Minister Dilendra Prasad Badu, Nepali Congress

Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher JB Rana

Whip Pushpa Bhushal, CPN-Maoist Centre Whip Dev Gurung and CPNUnified Socialist lawmaker Jeevan Ram Bhandari have signed the proposal to impeach the chief justice.

There is a provision

SL Navy arrests 12 Indian fishermen for alleged poaching COLOMBO, FEB 13 (PTI): The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 12 Indian fishermen and seized two fishing trawlers for allegedly poaching in the country’s territorial waters, an official statement said on Sunday.

The arrests were made in seas north of Talaimannar. They were indulging in bottom trawling, the Navy said. “In an operation conducted in seas north of Talaimannar in the dark hours of February 12, Sri Lanka Navy managed to seize 2 Indian trawlers with 12 Indian fishermen whilst poaching in Sri Lankan waters”.

This was the third arrest of Indian fishermen in

the Sri Lankan waters during this month. On February 8, the Navy arrested 11 Indian fishermen and seized three fishing trawlers and on February 1, Twenty-one Indian fishermen were arrested. The fishermen issue is a contentious one in ties between the two countries.

There have been several alleged incidents of Sri Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats.

The Palk Strait, which is a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.

Libyan PM urges holding polls to end crisis TRIPOLI, FEB 13 (IANS): Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah has stressed the importance of holding elections as soon as possible to end the country’s current crisis.

“The solution to the current crisis, as well as peace and reconciliation in the country, can be achieved by holding elections soon,” Dbeibah said in a speech during the National Reconciliation Forum in the town of Riqdalin, some 120 km west of the capital Tripoli.

“There is a political class that took over Libya in the past years and seeks to extend (the mandate) and bring back war and conflict,” he said, noting that he had started consultations with local parties to come up with a plan to hold elections and a referendum on the constitu-

Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah

tion, reports Xinhua news agency.

Dbeibah also accused the House of Representatives (Parliament) of falsely issuing resolutions and “being responsible for the conflict and bloodshed”.

The House of Representatives on February 10 unanimously voted for Fathi Bashagha, the former Interior Minister, as the country’s

new Prime Minister, replacing Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah.

Shortly after the vote, Bashagha said that he is “confident that Dbeibah’s government will hand over power and adhere to the democratic path”.

However, Dbeibah confirmed that his government will remain in office until elections are held, and he will only hand over office to an elected government.

The Libyan parliament withdrew confidence from Dbeibah’s government in September 2021 and kept it as a caretaker government.

General elections in Libya had been scheduled for December 24, 2021, but were postponed indefinitely over technical and legal issues, according to the High National Elections Commission.

for automatic suspension of the chief justice with the registration of the impeachment motion.

Speaking to the media, Gurung said that the impeachment was registered against the top judge

because the court was not functioning properly and there were charges of corruption against the chief justice.

There are 21 charges levelled against the chief justice in the motion.

The charges include being unable to safeguard democracy, human rights, rule of law, judicial independence and impartiality.

He has also been charged with exposure to excessive distortion, inconsistencies and corruption.

The impeachment motion comes in the wake of more than three months long agitation by Nepal Bar Association against the chief justice after one of his relatives was appointed as minister in the Deuba cabinet, who had later resigned

after it sparked controversy.

If the motion is passed by at least two-thirds majority of the total number of the members of the House of Representatives, the chief justice shall be relieved of his office.

Meanwhile, senior Justice Deep Kumar Karki has been appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In 2017, a motion of impeachment was filed against the then Chief Justice Sushila Karki - the first woman Chief Justice of Nepal. She was automatically suspended from the post after the registration of the motion.

However, Karki was reinstated to her position through a Supreme Court’s stay order. She retired after a few months.

Key bridge to US remains closed as Canada police clear protesters WINDSOR, ONTARIO, FEB 13 (AGENCIES): Canadian police cleared protesters and vehicles that had blocked a vital trade route on the border with the United States, making some arrests, but the bridge was not yet open to traffic on Sunday.

The officers moved in after a tense standoff between Canadian police and demonstrators since Friday when a court order and threats of arrest failed to end the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, which entered its sixth day on Sunday.

“Enforcement actions continue at the demonstration area with arrests being made. Vehicles being towed. Please continue avoiding the area,” Windsor Police said in a Twitter post early on Sunday, without saying how many had been arrested.

Police stepped up their presence with more than 50 vehicles, including cruisers, buses and an armoured car on Sunday, as the number of protesters dropped to around 45 from roughly 100 on Saturday.

Windsor Police tweeted “there will be zero tolerance for illegal activity”.

U.S. President Joe Biden has asked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to use federal powers to end the blockade of the bridge, North America’s busiest land border crossing. Since Monday, protesters in trucks, cars and vans have blocked

Protesters interact with police officers, as police started to enforce a court order to clear truckers and supporters.

traffic in both directions, choking the supply chain for Detroit’s carmakers.

Police moved in early on Saturday, pushing protesters back from the foot of the bridge, but more people streamed into the area in the afternoon and the operation appeared to have stalled.

“I am very hopeful still that police can ... try and get to these folks in a reasonable way and have them understand that it’s time to move on,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told CBC News. “We can no longer afford as a country to keep it closed.”

The bridge carries about $360 million a day in two-way cargoes - 25% of the value of all U.S.Canada goods trade.

The “Freedom Convoy” protests, started in the national capital Ottawa by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for crossborder drivers, entered its 17th day on Sunday. But

it has now morphed into a rallying point against broader COVID-19 curbs, carbon tax and other issues, with people joining in cars, pick-up trucks and farm vehicles.

Protests erupted across several cities in Canada on Saturday, with some 4,000 people in downtown Ottawa. Financial capital Toronto had some 1,000 demonstrators, though the police had shut key access roads to the central business district.

In the west, hundreds of protesters choked intersections along the Pacific Highway with vehicles leading to the Canada-U.S. border crossing in South Surrey, British Columbia.

Several, camped out near the border crossing, vowed to stay “as long as is needed” until all COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Strangling bilateral trade, protests have spread to three border points, including in Alberta and Manitoba.

INFOTAINMENT

Naga folk fusion artiste Temsumongba releases music video

Temsumongba Ozukum (extreme right) with the cast team members of the music video “Tsungrotsutonga akangashi”.

N

aga folk fusion artiste Temsumongba Ozukum has released a music video in Ao dialect titled “Tsungrotsutonga akangashi”.

During a short release programme, words of encouragement was shared

by Dimapur Aoli Ozukumer Telongjem president K Imtiwati Ao while East Dimapur Ao Baptist Church pastor Rev Jongpong offered the prayer.

Temsumongba Ozukum is a folk fusion singer

and songwriter from Dimapur. Previously he had won Nagaland Music Award in the years 2017, 2019 and 2021 in the folk fusion category.

The newly released song talks about how Ozukumer clan originated at Chungliyimti. The song is written and performed by Temsumongba who hails from Waromung village.

The song was performed during the Aoli Ozukum convention and also during the celebration

of Aoli Ozukumer golden jubilee at N.E.R Agri Expo.

The song narrates and elaborates how the Ozukum clan was associated in the village and yimrong salang (putu menden). It is believed that after originating from one of the stones the descendants had migrated and settled in various Ao villages.

The video can be found on YouTube and other online streaming sites.

(Correspondent)

Akun Wanghum ‘Chup ke se’ to release today

A

kun Wanghum-- composer, singer and song writer—is all set to release his music video “Chup ke se” on Valentine’s Day. The music video has been directed

by Hentick Konyak, produced by Tingmei Wanghum and mixed & mastered by Wangching Vamnokhu. The cast include Er Akep Wangsha, Noona Atang and Wangching Vamnokhu and makeup artist Asula Tikhir.

While making the announcement of the release, the production team said: “This valentines express your love without hesitation. We live once and love once, don’t let your feelings fade away like a wind without wings. Love is attraction between iron and Magnet, light your fire and ignite your love with your heart,” The team also thanked Atae Konyak, Xuvihe Memorial School Dimapur, H Lowang Wanghum and Thulunga Ramchary.

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

How Your Height Affects Your Health

The Long and Short of It The average height for men in the U.S. is about 5 feet 9 inches.

For women, it’s about 5 feet 4 inches. If you’re taller or shorter than average, you might notice a few pros and cons to your size. That holds true as your height relates to your health, too. While height -- or lack of it – doesn’t cause any health conditions, studies show it may make you more or less likely to have certain problems.

Cancer Some research shows that a below-average height may mean you have lower odds of getting some types of cancer. For example, a study of more than 100,000 women in Europe and North America showed that shorter women are less likely to get ovarian cancer. Another of more than 9,000 British men between ages 50 and 69 showed that shorter men had lower chances of getting prostate cancer.

Diabetes The length of your legs may be linked to your chances of getting type 2 diabetes. Based on 5 years of data on more than 6,000 adults, scientists think tall people may be less likely to get it. It’s not clear why the two are related, but one idea is that short stature is a sign of poor nutrition or other metabolism problems before birth or during childhood.

Heart Disease Scientists aren’t sure exactly why, but people who are shorter than 5 feet 3 inches are about 50% more likely to get coronary heart disease than those who are 5 feet 8 inches or taller. The reason may be poor nutrition or infections before

birth or in childhood that affect growth. It could also be that your genes affect both height and your odds of heart problems later in life.

Stroke This happens when blood flow to an area of your brain gets cut off. Taller people are less likely to have one, and this is especially true if they’re at a healthy weight.

Nutrition and other health-related things in childhood that affect how tall you are may be one reason for the link.

Blood Clot This can be a serious condition, especially if one forms in a major vein or travels to your lungs.

Researchers can’t explain why, but studies show that the shorter you are, the less likely you are to have a blood clot in a vein. People who are 5 feet or shorter have the lowest chances of getting one.

Alzheimer’s Disease Height may be an advantage when it comes to this type of dementia, especially for men. One

‘The Good Boss’ starring Javier Bardem wins big at Goya Awards

J

avier Bardemstarrer ‘The Good Boss’ written and directed by Fernando Leon de Aranoa has emerged as the biggest winner at The Goyas - Spain’s top film awards. The film collected six awards, reports Deadline.

T h e f i l m wa s conferred with the Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay for Aranoa, Best Actor for Javier Bardem, Best Original Score for Zeltia Montes and Best Editing that went to Vanessa L. Marimbert.

Earlier, it earned 20 nominations at the awards show, a record in itself.

As per Deadline, the ceremony saw Bardem continue his streak at the

awards, collecting his sixth Goya in total, while filmmaker Aranoa is now up to seven across his career.

‘The Good Boss’, produced by The MediaPro Studio and MK2 Films, stars Bardem as a factory owner who schemes his way to solving all of the problems within his business and his personal life, including his infidelities.

Cohen Media Group will handle the US release.

Further winners at the 2022 Goyas included Blance Portillo picking up Best Actress for her work in ‘Maixabel’, the film also fetched Supporting Actor award for Urko Olazabal and New Actress for Maria Cerezuela.

‘A n o t h e r Ro u n d ’ walked away with Best European Picture title, while New Director went to Clara Roquet of ‘Libertad’. (IANS)

Hurry..Hurry limited stock!!!

Grab a bouquet for your loved one this Valentine’s Day

17th Mumbai International Film Festival from May 29

K Y M C

MIFF held in 2020 was overwhelming, signifying a vibrant documentary culture in India and the world.

The 16th MIFF received a record 871 entries from India and abroad and was attended by a number of prominent documentary, animation and short filmmakers from India and other parts of the world.

(IANS)

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said.

The oldest and largest festival for non-feature films in South Asia, MIFF, organised by Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and supported by the Maharashtra government, attracts filmmakers from all over the world.

The response to the 16th edition of biennial

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he 17th edition of Mumbai Inter national Film Festival (MIFF-2022) for documentary, short fiction, and animation films will be held from May 29.

In a statement, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that the MIFF, much awaited by filmmakers and cineastes in India and abroad, will be held from May 29 to June 4 at the Films Division complex in Mumbai.

Online entry is open, from February 15 to March 15, for films, completed between September 1, 2019 and December 31, 2021, in different competition categories.

The Best Documentary of the Festival will receive a ‘Golden Conch’ and Rs 10 lakh cash award.

The winning films in different categories will receive handsome cash awards, ‘Silver Conches’, trophies and certificates.

“As India is celebrating ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the current edition has instituted a special award for best short film on the theme, ‘India@75’. The festival will also honour a veteran personality from the Indian non-feature film fraternity with the prestigious ‘V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award’ carrying a cash component of Rs 10 lakhs, a trophy and citation,” the ministry

study of more than 500 people showed that men who are about 5 feet 11 inches or taller are almost 60% less likely to have Alzheimer’s disease than those who are about 5 feet 7 inches or shorter. Taller women may have lower odds of it as well, but the link to height doesn’t seem to be as strong for them.

Pregnancy Tall women are more likely to have longer pregnancies than shorter women. In one study, women who were 5 feet or shorter were more likely to give birth before they reached full term than those who stood 5 feet 8 inches or taller. And for every centimeter of difference in height between two pregnant women, the shorter woman gave birth one-fifth of a day sooner. Scientists aren’t sure why this is, but it could be related to the size of certain body parts, like the pelvis or cervix.

Hair Loss A study of more than 22,000 men from seven countries showed

that shorter guys have a greater chance of going bald. The scientists looked for changes in specific genes that can raise a man’s odds of losing their hair early. They found four that were linked to both male-pattern baldness and shorter stature.

Longer Life Several studies over the years have shown that shorter people tend to live a little longer than taller people and have fewer longterm diseases as they age. Scientists are still studying the reasons behind this, but some areas they’re looking into include the amount of damage to cells over time, the levels of some hormones, and the size of some organs, like the brain, liver, and kidneys.

Heat Exhaustion Shorter people are less likely to get overheated or have the more serious condition called heatstroke. This is mainly because taller -- and heavier -- people make more body heat. If they make it faster than they can get rid of it, like during intense exercise, that can lead to heat stroke or heat exhaustion. On the flip side, taller people can stay warmer than shorter people in colder weather for the same reason.

Lower Back and Hips Shorter people are less likely to have lower back pain or break a hip. One possible reason taller people have a bigger chance of a hip fracture is their high center of gravity. That not only makes them more likely to fall, but it also may make them hit the ground with more force if they do.

Medically Reviewed by Minesh Khatri, MD

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FIH Men’s Pro League: France beat India 5-2

P O T C H E F S T RO O M (SOUTH AFRICA), FEB 13 (IANS): Indian men’s hockey team lost 2-5 to France in a tensely-fought match at the FIH Men’s Pro League here on Saturday.

Jarmanpreet Singh (22’) and Harmanpreet Singh (57’) were the only goal scorers for India while Victor Charlet (16’, 59’) scored twice in France’s win and Victor Lockwood (35’), Charles Masson (48’), Timothee Clement (60’) scored a goal each.

Riding on a good contest against the Netherlands in their previous match where they held them 2-2 in regulation time but eventually lost in the shootout, France looked like a confident bunch in Saturday’s game.

They were nothing like the opponent in the first round where India beat them 5-0. The French were more organised in the match on Saturday, defended well and ensured they didn’t allow India to get off to a good start.

Even though India held the ball possession in

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SPORTS

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

Match in action between France and India during the FIH Men’s Pro League match.

the first quarter, and made attempts to create inroads into the striking circle, France’s defensive structure was not easy to break for the Indian forwardline.

While both teams ended the first quarter in a stalemate, it was France who drew the first blood only a minute into the second quarter. It was an

Indian infringement in the striking circle that saw France being awarded a penalty stroke.

Victor Charlet made a little mistake in pumping the ball past India’s goalkeeper Krishan Pathak, putting India on the backfoot. It was not until the 22nd minute that India found the much-needed goal. It was Jarmanpreet Singh who fetched India a 1-1 equaliser. Only a minute earlier, Jarmanpreet had done well to earn India a PC but the chance was withered away.

Closing the second quarter in a 1-1 gridlock, France dominated the proceedings in the third quarter.

Within the first five minutes of the quarter, France were ahead in the game again when Viktor Lockwood assisted by captain Gaspard Baumgarten scored a sensational goal.

He showcased good stick work to make space on the left flank and took a shot that went straight between Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh’s legs.

The 2-1 lead put India

under serious pressure.

Even though they made plenty of scoring opportunities through PCs, India could not muster a goal, thus taking the contest into the final quarter which was intensely fought.

France continued to trouble India’s defence as they set off on the final quarter with a well-converted PC in the 48th minute.

It was Charles Masson who was on target, leaving no chance for Sreejesh to make a diving save. India narrowed the lead to 2-3 in the 57th minute when Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty stroke.

But France were not going to let this match slip away as they upped the pressure with a solid attack, scoring two goals in the dying minutes of the game. Victor Charlet pumped a PC in the 59th minute and Junior World Cup hero Timothy Clement scored a field goal in the 60th minute.

Despite the loss, India continued to remain third in the pool standings. On Sunday, India will play hosts South Africa.

Inter’s 1-1 draw with Napoli blows Serie A title race open

Inter Milan’s Edin Dzeko celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates. (Reuters)

ROME, FEB 13 (IANS): The showdown for the Serie A title between Inter Milan and Napoli ended in a 1-1 draw, as Edin Dzeko’s volley cancelled out Lorenzo Insigne’s early penalty.

It was a head-to-head for top spot as Napoli ranked second before Saturday’s game, one point behind leaders Inter, who have a game in hand.

Napoli made a good start just seven minutes into the game, as Victor

Osimhen was kicked down

by Stefan De Vrij, and the referee awarded the home side a penalty after a VAR check. Insigne, who will join Toronto FC in the summer, stepped up to convert it.

The Partenopei should have made it 2-0 in the 12th minute, but Piotr Zielinski saw his attempt graze the post. Napoli were more aggressive in the first half, but Inter scored the equaliser straight after the break when Dzeko’s header was

blocked, but the Bosnian reacted quickly to smash the rebound into the net.

Napoli still had chances to put the game to bed, but Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic performed well to keep the scoreline down.

After the draw, Inter still lead the table, but will be overtaken by city rivals AC Milan if they beat Sampdoria on Sunday. Also on Saturday, Lazio dominated Bologna 3-0, and Venezia won 2-1 at Torino.

Love travels many paths

Love is… in the moist eyes and warm hugs of a mother in the daily struggles and wrinkled palms of a father in the cuddles of a pet after tiring hours of study in the reminders for classes from siblings & friends in the hurried rush for a class in the words of encouragement from a teacher in the sweeping & mopping of a classroom in the writing and wiping on a board in the hushed murmuring & taking down notes in the questions that seek a little more knowledge each day in the pulling & opening of old books in a library Love for a good life comes through the windows, doors, ceilings & floors Of our homes & institutions

Let us celebrate the love for goals, dreams & a meaningful life

today & everyday

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Chelsea clinch FIFA Club World Cup title

ABU DHABI, FEB 13 (AGENCIES): Chelsea were crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions for the first time as Kai Havertz struck home a penalty deep into extra time to break the hearts of Brazilian club Palmeiras on Saturday.

Havertz, scorer of the winning goal in last season’s European Champions League final, was as cool as a cucumber as he converted in the 117th minute after Palmeiras’s Luan had conceded the spot kick with a handball.

Palmeiras’s miser y was complete when Luan was sent off in stoppage time for a desperate tackle on Havertz Chelsea have now won every major club trophy since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich took control in 2003.

The final in the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, where around 15,000 Palmeiras fans outnumbered Chelsea supporters, took a while to come to life.

Chelsea, who lost the 2012 final to Brazilian side Corinthians, became increasingly dominant though and took the lead in the 55th minute when Romelu Lukaku powered

Chelsea players celebrate after the Club World Cup final soccer match between Palmeiras and Chelsea at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE. (AP/PTI)

in a header.

Palmeiras hit back shortly afterwards when Thiago Silva was adjudged to have handled the ball and Raphael Veiga converted from the spot to send the Brazilian fans wild.

Chelsea looked stronger in extra time but a penalty shootout loomed until Luan’s raised arm was struck by Cesar Azpilicueta’s volley from close range and after a VAR check referee Chris Beath went to check a pitch-side monitor.

He returned to point

Winter Olympics: Arif Khan finishes 45th in giant slalom

Arif Khan

BEIJING, FEB 13 (IANS): Indian skier Arif Khan finished 45th in the Men’s Giant Slalom race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, here on Sunday. The 31-year-old skier from Jammu and Kashmir, who is the only Indian athlete at the 2022 Winter Olympics, ended at 53rd in Race 1 with a time of 1 minute 22.35 seconds. In Race 2, he clocked 1:24.89.

The lone Indian athlete at the Winter Olympics 2022, Arif Khan finished

overall 45th at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre.

His combined time was 37.89 seconds behind gold winner Marco Odermatt of Switzerland, who clocked a combined time of 2:09.35. Slovenia’s Zan Kranjec (2:09.54) and France’s Mathieu Faivre (2:10.69) clinched the silver and bronze medal, respectively. Khan has qualified for the slalom race event also, where he is scheduled to compete on February 16.

“It’s one of my dreams to be at the Winter Olympics and this is my first time. It really means a lot.

It’s a great message back to our country, to our people to join winter sports in future,” Khan was quoted as saying by Olympics.com.

“There were like millions of people watching me live back home. I was trying my best to give the best I have got. But the weather was uncertain, you couldn’t see much, like how the slope was used, but it was good,” he said.

to the spot and Havertz did the rest.

Since taking charge little over a year ago Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, who was in attendance after missing the semi-final because of a positive COVID-19 test, has now earned Chelsea the European and world club crowns.

Palmeiras had been bidding to become the fourth Brazilian club to win the inter-continental tournament since 2000.

The South American club champions worked

Dallas Open: Opelka, Isner play 46-point tiebreak MELBOURNE, FEB 13 (AGENCIES): John Isner and Reilly Opelka played out a marathon 46-point tiebreak, the longest in ATP Tour history, at the Dallas Open on Saturday as Opelka edged out his fellow American 7-6(7) 7-6(22) to reach the final.

Isner was involved in the longest match of all time against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in the first round of Wimbledon in 2010. The pair battled it for 11 hours five minutes across three days before Isner took the fifth set 70-68.

“The crowd was definitely behind me,” said the 36-year-old Isner. “It’s kind of extra disappointing to not be able to get over the line in my backyard... (Opelka) is serving just massive. I don’t think anyone can break him out there.” The big-serving duo fired down 60 aces between them and did not face a single break point in a match lasting two hours three minutes.

like Trojans to keep Chelsea in check and Tuchel’s side laboured early on.

They were not helped when Mason Mount, one of four changes to the side that started against AlHilal in the semi-final on Wednesday, was forced off with an injury.

Palmeiras settled into the game and in Dudu they had a real threat with the midfielder firing narrowly over before flashing another effort wide of Edouard Mendy’s post. Chelsea rarely threatened in the first half

but they took the lead in clinical fashion 10 minutes after halftime.

Callum Hudson-Odoi, who had been wasteful, got to the byline and his cross was perfect for Lukaku who headed past Weverton.

The lead did not last long though as Brazilian Thiago went up to clear a cross but the ball struck his raised arm and Veiga fired the spot kick inside Mendy’s left-hand post.

Chelsea moved up a gear with Havertz just missing the target with a thunderous shot from an angle before Christian Pulisic, who replaced Mount, went close with a shot.

The Premier League club continued to turn the screw in extra time with Palmeiras beginning to flag.

Pulisic’s low cross was deflected up on to the woodwork as Palmeiras dug deep. But the Brazilians’ resistance was finally pierced as Havertz again showed an appetite for the big occasion to keep Chelsea’s trophy machine rumbling on.

For Palmeiras there were tears, but no shame.

Egyptian side Al Ahly won the third-placed playoff, beating Al Hilal 4-0.

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2022

IPL auction: Franchises indulge in quick buys ahead of completion of the auction

BENGALURU, FEB 13 (IANS): With the Day 2 of the 2022 IPL auction nearing an end, all ten franchises indulged in quick buys to fill their remaining slots, featuring mainly domestic players.

Australia’s pace all-rounder Sean Abbott attracted bids from Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad before Punjab Kings joined the race. Eventually, Hyderabad snapped him for INR 2.4 crore.

West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph, who was impressive in ODIs against India, attracted interest from Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab and Gujarat. In the end, Gujarat snapped him for INR 2.4 crore. Mumbai continued their buying spree by picking Australia pacer Riley Meredith for INR 1 crore.

Delhi’s Ayush Badoni was taken by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 20L. Local Bangalore boy Aneeshwar Gautam, a member of India’s U19 squad winning the U19 World Cup this year, was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 20L. Kolkata Knight Riders picked Tamil Nadu all-rounder Baba Indrajith for INR 20L and Sri Lanka all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne for

INR 50L. Karnataka batter R Samarth was picked by Hyderabad for INR 20L. Rajasthan’s Abhijeet Tomar was bought by Kolkata for INR 40L so as Services’ Pratham Singh for INR 20L. Delhi speedster Pradeep Sangwan was taken

by Gujarat Giants for INR 20L while Punjab Kings acquired Bengal’s Writtick Chatterjee for INR 20L. Delhi’s Shashank Singh was taken by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 20 L while West Indies’ batter Kyle Mayers was picked by Lucknow for INR 50L. Karan Sharma went to Lucknow for INR 20L while Baltej Dhanda went to Punjab for INR 20L. Saurabh Dubey was picked

by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 20L while Mohd. Arshad Khan went to Mumbai Indians for INR 20L. Ansh Patel went to

Punjab for INR 20L while Ashok Sharma was picked

by Kolkata for INR 55L. Anunay Singh was the last player in the round to be picked by Rajasthan for INR 20L. After the completion of the 15-minute break, all ten teams will have a chance to submit five to seven players for the second round of the accelerated auction.

Unsold players were Martin Guptill, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Roston Chase, Ben Cutting, Pawan Negi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Kane Richardson, Rahul Buddhi, Laurie Evans, Benny Howell, Saurabh Kumar, Shams Mulani, Dhruv Patel, Atit Sheth, David Wiese, Kennar Lewis, BR Sharath, Sushant Mishra, David Willey, Blessing Muzarabani, Kaushal Tambe, Mukesh Kumar Singh, Ninad Rathva, Ashutosh Sharma among others.

Real Madrid held in Villarreal; Atletico beat Getafe in thriller

M A D R I D, F E B 1 3 (IANS): Real Madrid’s lead at the top of La Liga was cut to four points over Sevilla as Carlo Ancelotti’s side were held to a 0-0 draw away to Villarreal.

The draw, coupled with Sevilla’s 2-0 win at home to Elche, allowed Sevilla to clip two points off Madrid’s lead, although Real Madrid will be moderately content to have taken a point from an entertaining game on Saturday night, in one of the toughest away trips they have between now and the end of the season.

Gareth Bale was a surprise starter for Madrid after 168 days on the sidelines, and was perhaps their best player in attack, seeing one effort well saved by home keeper Geronimo Rulli, Xinhua reports.

Meanwhile, Armaut Danjuma hit the woodwork for Villarreal, while Samuel Chukwueze gave Marcelo a torrid time down the Real Madrid left, meaning Ancelotti will be crossing his fingers that Ferland Mendy is fit for next week’s trip to

Villarreal’s Alberto Moreno in action with Real Madrid’s Atletico Madrid’s Angel Correa reacts after scoring the Marco Asensio. (Reuters) opening goal during a La Liga match against Getafe. (AP/PTI)

play Paris Saint-Germain.

Real Madrid were still missing Karim Benzema in attack but improved in the second half, and a moment of magic from Eden Hazard almost gave them three points in injury-time when he set up Luka Jovic, only for the substitute to hit the bar instead of giving his side three points.

Earlier, second-half goals from Papu Gomez on 70 minutes and Rafa Mir five minutes later gave Sevilla a 2-0 win at home to Elche, who had resisted

well until the decisive first goal.

Atletico Madrid won a thrilling encounter 4-3 at home to Getafe in the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

Although Luis Suarez saw an early penalty saved

by David Soria, Angel Correa again showed his instinct in front of goal to open the scoring for Atletico, and Mathias Cunha doubled their lead after a move started by Marcos Llorente in the 26th minute. Borja Mayoral quickly

pulled a goal back for Getafe with a far-post finish, before consecutive handballs by Cunha and Lemar allowed Enes Unal to turn the game around with two well-taken penalties.

Angel Correa then showed his instincts again to level the game 3-3 in first-half injury-time, but Atletico suffered a setback in the 57th minute when Felipe was sent off for a studs-up challenge. Nevertheless, Mario Hermoso produced a grandstand finish to give Atletico a

vital win.

Cadiz keeper Jeremias Ledesma saved a late penalty from Celta’s Santi Mina to save his side a point in their battle to avoid relegation, although they remain four points from safety.

Osasuna continued their positive run with a 3-0 win away to Rayo Vallecano, thanks to first-half goals Jon Moncayola and Ruben Garcia, with a 90th minute strike to round off the scoring from Kike Garcia.

2nd T20i: Australia beat Sri Lanka in Super Over thriller Prime Volleyball League: Hyderabad Black Hawks routs Chennai Blitz

SYDNEY, FEB 13 (IANS): Brilliant bowling by Josh Hazelwood helped Australia hold their nerve to get the better of Sri Lanka in a thrilling Super Over in the second T20I here on Sunday. Hazlewood was spot on with his bowling in the Super Over and restricted Sri Lanka to just five runs.

Maxwell and Stoinis then completed the formalities with the bat and won the match in three balls, helping Australia take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Sri Lanka, who lost the opening T20I match on Friday, decided to bowl first after electing to bat first.

They managed to restrict Australia to 164/6 in their allotted 20 overs thanks to a knock of 48 by Josh Inglis with Dushmantha Chameera (2/30) and Wanindu Hasaranga (2/33) leading the bowling efforts for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka made a match of it as they rode on a 53-ball 73 by Pathum Nissanka and 19-ball 34 by skipper Dasun Shanaka helping them reach 164/8 in 20 overs. Hazlewood claimed 3/22 for Australia.

Sri Lanka had to make a forced change with Binura

Australia cricket players celebrate after winning the 2nd T20i match against Sri Lanka.

Fernando being unavailable for this match, with round-arm seamer Nuwan Thushara replacing him.

Australia, on the other side, rested Mitchell Starc and brought the Kane Richardson.

Ben McDermott, the highest scorer for Australia in the first T20I, started with intent but soon fell to debutant Nuwan Thushara, failing to clear Wanindu Hasaranga at long-on. Inglis top-scored for Australia with 48 from 32 while skipper Aaron Finch, who seemed set in the middle

lost his wicket at a crucial time to a wrong-un from Wanindu Hasaranga.

Maxwell was Hasaranga’s second victim and fell for 15. It was all up to Steven Smith and Marcus Soinis to finish strongly in the death overs but Dushmantha Chameera snapped them both up in consecutive deliveries. Matthew Wade did manage to make an impact towards the end as he hit a four and a six in the 20th over helping Australia finish 164/4 in 20 overs.

While Sri Lanka bowlers were brilliant in the

second half of the innings, Australia once again failed to finish strongly with the bat, going from 92/2 at the end of 11 overs to 164/6 at the end of 20.

The Australian bowlers were on the money from the start and picked up crucial wickets early on.

Hazlewood sent Danushka Gunathilaka back to the pavilion in the first over for a duck and followed it up with the scalp of Avishka Fernando in his next over, according to a report in the ICC’s official website.

Charith Asalanka

didn’t trouble the scorers either and was the second batter to depart without opening his account.

Opener Pathum Nissanka and Dinesh Chandimal came to the rescue before Adam Zampa struck crucially to remove the latter after the 10-over mark, the report said.

Captain Dasun Shanaka played a brilliant knock of 34 of 19 deliveries, which included two fours and three sixes, kept Sri Lanka in the chase but was unlucky to get run out. Hasaranga played a crucial cameo of 13 while Nissanka too exploded towards the end.

With 19 needed off the last over, Nissanka smashed a four off the first ball but was out for 73 two balls later. Needing 12 off 3, Maheesh Theekshana smashed a six despite Steve Smith’s best efforts on the boundary and took a single off the next.

With five needed off the last ball, Chameera, p l ay i n g h i s f i r s t b a l l , smashed a four-over Stoinis’ head to force a Super Over.

But in the end it proved insufficient as Australia won the match in the oneover eliminator.

Hyderabad Black Hawks celebrate after winning the first set against Chennai Blitz, Sunday.

HYDERABAD, FEB 13 (AGENCIES): Hyderabad Black Hawks recorded its second win from four games defeating Chennai Blitz 15-14, 15-11, 15-14, 15-7, 15-13 in the Rupay Prime Volleyball League at the GMC Balayogi Stadium on Sunday.

Blitz seemed in a hurry in the first set, taking a convincing 8-3 lead thanks to the spiking prowess of Bruno da Silva, Naveen Raja Jacob with G.S. Akhin doubling up as a blocker and attacker. They helped Blitz lead 13-8, and from then on it was Hawks comeback sto-

ry. Once Bruno’s serve went out with Blitz at 13-8, Hawks seized on the opening as attacker S.V. Guru Prasanth, who was outstanding right through and player of the match, and setters- Vipul Kumar, George Antony and S. Praful, were just too good as Black Hawks won the first set.

In the second set, Chennai took a 10-7 lead again, but it was obvious that the defence looked confused, and G.R. Vaishnav was off-colour. On the other hand, Guru continued with his power; Vipul and Amit Gulia made their presence

in the blocks and also set up beautifully.

The third set began on an even note with lead changing sides till it was eight-all when Hyderabad won a super point thanks to the double-block by Guru and Praful. Then Guru looked unstoppable every time he leapt in the air to essay his trademark spikes.

Suddenly, even the Blitz attack fell apart as it ran into the solid defence of Vipul, Praful and Jobin Varghese and on the other hand, Guru scored points regularly to clinch the match after the third set itself.

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