19 july

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXXI No. 223

DIMAPUR, MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 Pages 12 ` 5.00

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INTERNATIONAL, PAGE 9

Single shot for 75% population in 30 days may lower deaths, says ICMR

NEW DELHI, JUL 18 (AGENCIES): An Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) modelling study recently published in Lancet has stated that single dose vaccination of 75% population in a 30-day period was found to substantially reduce mortality by up to 37% and symptomatic infections by 26% in a district witnessing the beginning of another Covid wave.

According to the Times of India report, the study stated that the test positivity rate crossing an example threshold value of 0.5% in the period between two Covid-19 waves in a region could provide a timely alert for the emergence of the next wave. The study suggested employing a technique called “rapid-response vaccination” in a hypothetical district immediately upon the test positivity crossing the threshold of 0•5%, to reduce the local resurgence of Covid-19 at the start of another wave.

Dr Samiran Panda, chief of the ICMR’s epidemiology and communicable diseases division, told TOI, “As per this technique, we concentrated on a vaccination strategy that prioritises

THE FINDINGS

Test positivity rate crossing an example threshold value of 0.5% in the period between two Covid-19 waves in a region could provide a timely alert for the emergence of the next wave Employing a technique called “rapid-response vaccination“ in a hypothetical district immediately upon the test positivity crossing the threshold of 0.5% to reduce the local resurgence of Covid-19 at the start of another wave

If non-pharmaceutical measures could be adpoted, along with rapid-response vaccination, transmission could reduce by 25% Such measures, implemented for a month in a district, can reduce deaths by up to 45% for a Covid infection with reproduction rate of 2 and 30% for that with a reproduction rate of 3

the widest possible coverage with single-dose vaccination, in which it takes one month to cover 75% of the population aged 18 years or above with a single dose. We found that such rapid and focused vaccination efforts alone could substantially reduce mortality by up to 37% in a district witnessing the beginning of another Covid wave.”

He said the appropriate test positivity rate thresholds for other districts in India could be arrived at to employ rapid vaccination strategies to cut down resurging infections during the start of an-

EXPERTS’ SUGGESTIONS What the country should move towards is establishing sentinel surveillance sites at the district hospitals Such sentinel surveillance sites will be able to generate early warning signals about the changing course of disease transmission dynamics (Source: TOI)

other wave. As per the study, if non-pharmaceutical measures, such as mandatory mask wearing, restrictions on gatherings and stay-at-home, could be adopted along with rapid response vaccination, transmission could reduce by 25%. “If these measures are implemented for one month in the district at the same time as the vaccination drive, the model projections suggest that overall deaths could be reduced by up to 45% for a Covid infection with reproduction rate of 2, and by 30% for that with a reproduction rate of 3,” he said.

The model included

practical assumptions on the effect of vaccination, including that, once vaccinated, people take an average three weeks to develop immunity.

Thus, a single vaccine dose could offer 60% protection against severe disease and death, but could not protect against contracting Covid itself, the study findings indicated.

The vaccine efficacy was based on published estimates of 76% protection from symptomatic infection, following a single dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, known as Covishield in India.

Giving another example of rapid and agile vaccination protocol, Dr Panda said, “Clearing off trees in the path of a fast-raging forest fire will ensure that gradually, there would not be any trees for the fire to catch on to. It is like creating a fence to prevent the fire from progressing further. Similarly, when a district crosses its threshold test positivity rate indicating a resurgence in infections, vaccination in the surrounding districts with lower test positivity rate could be ramped up to prevent the infection catching on to them.”

Strict curbs across NE amid concerns over Delta variant

With more cases of delta variant emerging in the region and a slow decline in the number of fresh cases, several states in the North East have been forced to either announce fresh lockdown or other stricter measures to control the situation.

According to reports, Manipur- which is seeing a surge in Delta variant cases -has announced a 10-day lockdown, neighbouring Mizoram has reimposed a seven-day complete lockdown in Aizawl from July 18 till the midnight of July 24.

Meanwhile, Tripura has already imposed a weekend curfew and a day curfew in capital Agartala. Assam and Sikkim have also announced strict curbs amid the surge in cases As for the NE states, the R factor for Manipur is 1.07, Meghalaya 0.92, Tripura 1.15, Mizoram 0.86, Arunachal Pradesh 1.14, Sikkim 0.88, Assam 0.86.

R-factor indicates the speed at which the infection is spreading in the country.

1st ODI: India beat SL by 7 wickets SPORTS, PAGE 12

Naga origin doctor to be honoured by US state: July 19 as ‘Dr. Jonathan Iralu Day’ Correspondent

KOHIMA, JUL 18 (NPN): New Mexico state will observe July 19 (Monday) as “Dr. Jonathan Iralu Day”, to recognise the service he rendered , ever since the pandemic broke out last year.

Dr Vilasier (Jonathan) Iralu is an American citizen of Naga descent and son of noted scientist late Dr. Vichazelhu Iralu (chairman of the department of microbiology at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine) and late Tefta Zografi Iralu. Dr. Jonathan Iralu is also the grandson of late Dr. Sevilie Iralu of Khonoma village.

Dr. Vilasier is among a team of seven doctors and nurses in New Mexico City who are being recognised by the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham at the New Mexico History Museum. Dr. Vilasier graduated from Yale College and obtained medical degree from Harvard Medical School. Dr Vilasier completed Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease training at Harvard. He is currently the Indian Health Service Chief Clinical Consultant for Infectious Diseases, Instructor at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Jonathan Iralu

and also serves as a senior physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Global Health Equity in Boston, Massachusetts.

The team of health professionals in New Mexico were dubbed as “health care heroes” by US media and besides their recognition, a particular day starting from July 19 all through July 26, 2021 has been attributed to honor them as their day all over New Mexico starting with Dr Iralu’s day on July 19.

New Mexico’s Governor stated that, Dr Iralu had been proactive since outset of the pandemic in taking measures to protect the people of New Mexico, establishing a drive thru COVID testing operation weeks before the first confirmed COVID-19 case in New Mexico and, throughout the pandemic, delivering timely,

high-quality COVID-19 patient care to members of New Mexico’s Tribes, Nations, and Pueblos.

Since he could not be interviewed due to requirement of official approval, Dr. Vilasier sent a message to Nagaland Post: “I am grateful for the heroic work being done in Nagaland to treat and prevent COVID-19. I strongly recommend that my fellow Nagas get vaccinated for this infection as soon as possible to stop transmission.

We are praying for the Naga people for God’s blessing, safety, and a full recovery.”

Dr. Iralu lives with his wife Tammy, an elementary school teacher, and their four daughters in New Mexico in the Southern United States for the past 27 years.

Rio congratulates

Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio also took to twitter to congratulate Dr. Vilasier. “I’m delighted to know the State of New Mexico Exec. Office, Santa Fe, New Mexico has proclaimed July 19, 2021 as ‘Dr. Jonathan Iralu Day’. Dr. Jonathan Vilasier Iralu is a 3rd generation doctor from Khonoma village. He has made the people of Nagaland proud. Congratulations to him,” Rio tweeetd.

Congress PAC asks state WSSU issues 10-day ultimatum on ANPSA for fee waiver TSUD concerned over resuming offline classes MLAs to quit for solution DIMAPUR, JUL 18 (NPN): Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has urged upon all present legislators of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA), “to resign and pave way for urgent implementation of political solution” as there was nothing more to talk, as announced by the Government of India’s interlocutor RN Ravi, who is also governor of Nagaland.

According to NPCC, this was among the threepoint resolutions adopted on July16 at the PAC meeting held at Kohima. PAC discussed and deliberated on the current political situation in the State vis-à-vis formation of the Parliamentary Committee and Core Committee on Naga Political issue formed by the elected members and the emerging disturbances on Assam-Nagaland border.

According to PAC, resignation by all MLAs from the house would demonstrate their sincerity towards implementation of political solution. PAC also cautioned

This is it!

Assam government against passing The Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021, as this would create troubles for neighbouring hill States and destroy age-old ties that have withstood the test of time.

F u r t h e r, PAC e x pressed serious concern over the recent provocation at inter-State border by Assam which deployed armed police personnel. PAC said the deployment was beyond the point where “neutral” Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) were deployed.

The meeting therefore observed that both Assam and Nagaland have taken the wrong path in resolving the long-standing boundary disputes – Assam through provocation and Nagaland through timid response.

Since the matter was still pending in Supreme Court, PAC said Assam should stop its provocation and withdraw its armed police personnel from newly occupied positions. It also demanded that CAPFs deployed along the disputed border areas be placed brought under direct control and supervision of Union home ministry.

K Y M C

a representation addressed to ANPSA unit president,

by WSSU president A. Kughato Achumi and info & publicity secretary Iuto.

V. Swu. In the representation, WSSU pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected and disturbed the social and economic lives of the people.

Further, WSSU said owing to unprecedented

State logs 106 fresh Covid cases, 4 deaths DIMAPUR, JUL 18 (NPN): Nagaland’s total Covid-19 caseload rose to 26,682 after 106 fresh cases were reported on Sunday while four more patients succumbed to the infection.

Of the fresh cases, 39 were from Dimapur, Kohima-33, Mokokchung-15, seven in Phek, six in Longleng, four in Peren and one each in Tuensang and Wokha. Further, four more patients succumbed to the Covid-19 infection-- two in Kohima and one each in Dimapur and Mokokchung, pushing the death toll to 528 (including 14 non-Covid deaths but with positivity).

lockdowns, works and jobs have been completely decimated. “Financial system is badly affected that millions of peoples livelihood are at risk of falling into extreme poverty,” it said.

In the light of the above, WSSU has given ANPSA unit ten days time to act effect fee reductions on the ground of the demand being a genuine matter for the welfare of the

people. Further, WSSU warned that failure to comply within the deadline period, would compel it to take further course of action till the demands were fulfilled.

WSSU informed that it has issued the representation on behalf of students/ parents fraternity of Dimapur district and resolved to spearhead the demand for fee concession.

Assam police camp in Daldali RF could cause disharmony: UNTABA DIMAPUR, JUL 18 (NPN): United Naga Tribes Association on Border Areas (UNTABA) has warned that handing over land in Daldali Reserved Forest adjacent to Indisen, Aoyimkum and Rangapahar army cantonment by Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) to Government of Assam for setting up Assam Police Battalion Headquarters and Training Centre for special forces and police commandos would cause disharmony and friction among various tribal com-

munities living peacefully as neighbours between the two States.

UNTABA chairman Hukavi T Yeputhomi and general secretary Imsumongba Pongen in a press release also warned that Nagas might be compelled to resist the move fiercely so as to maintain peaceful coexistence among the people.

They claimed that the areas were under the ownership of Naga people, which were unilaterally transferred to the then Nowgong district for ad-

KOHIMA, JUL 18 (NPN): With increase in eri-culture, especially in rural areas where it has become an importance source of income, sericulture department has decided to promote scientific method of rearing eri and set up pupa processing unit as value addition to ensure that pupas are not wasted.

Speaking to Nagaland Post, director of sericulture T. Sanny Pongener said farmers benefitted more from pupa than cocoon. But cocoon

DEPT MULLS SETTING UP PUPA PROCESSING UNIT

2020, but the department envisaged to improve the quality of cocoon and thereby help the farmers and boost the State’s economy.

Since eri is also an important delicacy of Nagaland and its market demand was high, Pongener stressed improvement in its rearing.

And towards this end, Eri silkworm cocoons harvested by a farmer. he said under Silk Samagra, selection of beneficiaries will also fetched good return if to them, he added. be made, to impart scientific its quality was maintained Pongener said the State method of training so that and hence scientific method produced over 400 metric improvised rearing can be of rearing would be imparted tonne of cocoons as on taken up in massive scale.

DIMAPUR, JUL 18 (NPN): Tenyimi Students’ Union Dimapur (TSUD) has expressed concern over a recent State government advisory to schools and colleges to resume offline classes.

TSUD president Rukewezo Wetsah in a press release admitted that the government would know the best interests of students, but he warned that opening up classes would pose a grave threat to the society as a whole. He said it was practically impossible to maintain Covid-appropriate behaviours in a classroom.

Even as health scientists predict a more severe third wave of Covid-19 and the virus mutating to even deadlier forms, TSUD pointed out that resumption of classes would have to be followed up with lifting of all restrictions on vehicular movement and other activities. He

ministrative convenience by the British Indian government in late 19th and early 20th century.

Pointing out that the Government of Assam had proposed to establish armed police battalions along the inter-State border, they said the Government of Nagaland’s proposal to deploy more personnel in few border observation posts was too little and too less, “which shows how serious the government of the day is on the long-pending border D I M A P U R , J U L 1 8 issue”. (Cont’d on p-8) (NPN): Recently formed Rising People’s Party (RPP) has condemned the government’s notification to withhold salaries of unvaccinated employees or if a Covid-19 He said cocoons pro- negative report was not produced by farmers were pur- duced every 15 days. chased by the sericulture deRPP in a statement ispartment and sold to States sued by its president Joel like Assam and West Bengal. Naga and general secretary He assured that the Amai Chingkhu described department would go all the notification as a “cowout to assist the farmers in ardly attitude”. Both RPP rearing eri – from selection leaders have appealed to the of farmers to impart train- state chief secretary to cancel ing and providing saplings the notification with immedilike castor seeds, kesseru, ate effect. RPP said that such payum and disease free “authoritarian nonsense” laying (DFL) eggs – besides had no place in a democracy providing incentives under like India. They opined it Central schemes to im- was “clearly visible now that prove farmers’ income in the state is suffering from the State. (Cont’d on p-8) leadership crisis.” RPP said

Sericulture dept to promote scientific silkworm rearing Correspondent

“Got this covid test in June when I went to the jungle.

No fear of covid in the jungle only malaria.”

DIMAPUR, JUL 18 (NPN): Western Sumi Students’ Union (WSSU) has sought the intervention of the All Nagaland Private School Association (ANPSA) Dimapur unit, in asking the school managements to consider granting “fee concession for three months” for the academic session-- January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.

This was contained in

feared that this could open up floodgates of the virus, which would be disastrous.

As both teachers and students were now familiar with online classes despite many difficulties, TSUD observed that online class was the best option for now in the interest of everyone.

Meanwhile, appreciating the government’s advisory, TSUD appealed to all educational institutions, on behalf of parents and student community, to reconsider tuition fees raised from students for facilities that were not utilised. Observing that many parents and students had decried that most institutions were realising full tuition fees without any consideration, TSUD said many were struggling to pay their children’s fees, thereby leading to huge financial burdens on the institutions.

(Cont’d on p-8)

RPP slams govt’s order to withhold salaries of staff there were ways and means to tackle issues, instead of “ordering lakhs of government employees” to take and pay for every TrueNat/ RT-PCR/CBNAAT test for covid, once every 15 days.

RPP asked the government that if it does not treat its employees with contempt, then it should provide the tests free of costs. In order to avoid harassment of the employees, RPP has also demanded that the state government should set up a separate Covid testing facility specifically for its employees. Citing Meghalaya High Court’s order dated June 24, RPP said the court has held that forceful or mandatory vaccination violates the fundamental rights of a person. (Cont’d on p-8) K Y M C

2

Sensitisation and awareness on COVID-19

Participants of sensatisation and awareness programme at Chessore Town Baptist Church.

DIMAPUR: As the world continues to fight COVID-19 pandemic, several sensitisation and awareness programmes on COVID-19 are being held to educate the public. Other activities like vaccination and testing are also being conducted to stop the spread of the virus.

NEIRBC: An online training on “how to offer online counselling supports to the general population during the pandemic” was organised for Northeast India Regional Bishop’s Council (NEIRBC)’s Northeast India Covid Task Force on July 10.

A press release NEI COVID Task Force media cell informed that the task force was set up by NEIRBC to provide emotional and psychological support for those affected during CO-

VID-19 pandemic.

The release said the programme was coordinated by coordinator, NEI task force-counselling Bro. Dr. Varghese Mandapathil.

Bishop of Kohima, NEIRBC secretary general, Most Rev. Dr. James Thoppil inaugurated the programme with a prayer and in the introductory exhorted the counsellors to be beacons of light and most empathetic comforters to the people in distress.

At the first training, principal, Loyola High School, Kiphire, Fr. Dr. Joe Mariadhas spoke about the stages and interventions of grieving, provided an overview of grief and its related issues.

N.V., director of Muktha Foundation, Bangalore, Ashwini trained counsellors

on parenting styles, skills for assisting families with pandemic challenges, and taught the children simple coping skills to be used in difficult circumstances.

A toll-free helpline 18001217119 was established to provide emotional, medical or material assistance to those in distress during the pandemic.

Chessore: A sensitisation and awareness programme on COVID-19 and vaccination was conducted and sponsored by ECS Tuensang in collaboration with YBBA Shamator for the 11 villages around Chessore Headquarters on July 17 at Chessore Town Baptist Church. The resource person was Rev. Dr. Chingmak and the medical team was led by Dr. Vikruto of Primary Health Centre Chessore.

STATE

ZSUN, NZPO uphold March 6 decision

DIMAPUR: Zeliang Students’ Union Nagaland (ZSUN) and Nagaland Zeliang People’s Organisation (NZPO) in a virtual meeting on July 16 have decided to uphold the March 6, 2021 agreement made between the Zeliang Students’ Union and NZPO in the presence of Zeme Council and Liangmai council.

In a press statement, ZSUN media cell informed that a virtual meeting, which was also attended

by NZPO general secretary, deliberated on the “contents of 6th March agreement” between ZSUN and NZPO. The release claimed that NZPO general secretary clarified that the decision taken on March 6, 2021 was “clear and true for everyone” and that any NZPO against or opposing it was doing so at their personal level and does not represent the view of the organisation.

ZSUN informed that

the two organisations on March 6 agreed to postpone the Zeliang Students’ Union convention scheduled on March 13, 2021. The convention was rescheduled after three months with effect from March 6, 2021 to July 6, 2021.

The release said acknowledging the Zeliang Students’ Union Nagaland, the NZPO, agreed to extend the tenure of the official members of the interim body, Zeliang Students’ Union, for three months.

Meanwhile, ZSUN has requested the public especially its federating bodies not to be “confused and carried away by such mischievous propagandas meted out by some adversary leaders to tarnish the image of ZLSU in future”.

For any doubt and clarification, one has been asked to contact ZLSU convenor at 9856577450.

The release said the ZSU convention will be held on July 24 at Peren Town.

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

SVC kick starts ‘Project Green Sovima’

Sovima team 21-26 and members of DFO office Dimapur during the plantation drive.

DIMAPUR: As part of “Project Green Sovima”, Team Sovima 21-26 in collaboration with the office of the DFO, Dimapur organised a plantation drive on July 17 along ICFAI University Road.

A press release by the

village council informed that the youth of Sovima under the guidance of officials from DFO’s office, Dimapur planted about 1000 saplings of varied species of plants during the plantation drive.

The council in-

formed that youth bodies from the nine Khels under Sovima have been entrusted to undertake jungle clearing and nurturing of the planted saplings every week on rotation basis in the next couple of months.

Security forces nab ‘drug peddlers’ DIMAPUR: Security Forces in joint operation with police on July 13 apprehended two “drug peddlers” at general area Zunheboto and recovered SP tablets and alprazolam tablets.

According to PRO HQ IGAR (N), based on specific input, security forces along with state police apprehended two drug peddlers and recovered 700 SP tablets and 241 alprazolam tablets worth, Rs. 33,000 and two mobile phones. PRO said the individuals along with recovered items were handed over to Zunheboto Police Station for Garden Prayer Fellowship Dimapur was dedicated by Koinonia Baptist Church and principal, Kohima Bible College, senior pastor Rev. Zotuo Kiewhuo on July 17. further investigation.

KVK Wokha holds plantation campaign

SJC holds ‘faculty development programme’

DIMAPUR: Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Wokha organised tree plantation campaign under the theme, “Har med par ped” on July 16 at ICAR Research complex for NEH Region, Nagaland Centre in commemoration of 93rd ICAR Foundation Day. A press release by KVK Wokha informed that at the programme, senior scientist and head in-charge, Dr. Moa highlighted the activities of ICAR in building up the nation as a whole and farmers in particular.

Members of KVK Wokha during the tree plantation campaign.

He also stressed on the importance of planting change that has detrimental The programme was at- and youths from Okheyan trees in the wake of climatic effect on the environment. tended by KVK officials and Longsachung villages.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENt

DIMAPUR: Five-day “faculty development programme” was organised

by Research and Faculty Development Committee of St. John College (SJC) Dimapur from July 12 to 16.

A press release by SJC informed that the programme focused on key points such as “meaningful teaching- learning, both online and regular, research orientation, publishing works, helping students in conducting meaningful project works and balancing professional as well as personal growth”.

Re s o u r c e p e r s o n , Vineetha Davies from St.

Aloysius College, Kerala, spoke on the topic, “Use of Online Library Resources for Teaching and Research” providing Intel on existence of online digital libraries available and how to use them freely for research and teaching purposes. She delivered her talk on trinity of three elements –teachers, learners and resources – and how faculties without resources could not complete process of learning.

On the second day Dr. Mini TC of WMO College, Kerala, spoke on the topic, “Blended Learning: UGC’s Proposal and Issues”.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses” 1 Timothy 6:12

Resource person for the third day, regional director of IGNOU, Jorhat, Dr. Anil Ch Borah, elaborated on the topic, “Skillbased Teaching /Learning: Making education meaningful”.

The fourth day focused on “research methodology” and was ran in two sessions simultaneously with Arts session headed by Professor Prafulla Kumar Nath from Gauhati University as speaker and Science session headed by Professor Chitta Ranjan Deb from Nagaland University as speaker.

The final fifth day was dedicated to academic research paper publication, which operated with each session separately for Arts and Science faculties headed by Dr. Renu Yadav from Central University of Haryana for the Arts session and Prof. Chitta Ranjan Deb from Nagaland Univeristy for the Science session.

The last session on the final day was preceded by principal, SJC, professor ST Janetius, who delivered talk on “Worklife Balance: Managing Productive Academic and Personal growth”.

IN LOVING MEMORY of our beloved Lt. NATOHO YEPTHO 19th July 2019–2021 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

2 Timothy 4:7 “Loving and Kind in all your ways, Upright and Just to the end of your days.

Sincere and True in Heart and Mind, What a beautiful memory you left us behind.”

Remembering you in your 2nd Death Anniversary.

Loving Wife and Children k-1203

Acknowledgement

ALONO KROSE

Died on 11th July 2021 15 May 1942 – 12 July 2021 We, the bereaved family of Lt. IMSUNUNGSANG AIER wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the individuals, churches, organizations, friends and well-wishers who stood with us and supported us through your prayers, physical and financial assistance during the prolonged illness and demise of our beloved father on 12th July, 2021.

Our special thanks to doctors and nurses of Eden Hospital, Dimapur.

We remain deeply indebted to each and every one of you for the love and kindness shown to us. May the Almighty God bless you all abundantly.

Loving wife, children, in-laws and grand children dp-3325 K Y M C

With heartfelt gratitude, we sincerely acknowledge your prayers, love and support extended to our dear Alono Krose and our family during her illness till her final journey. We deeply regret our inability to reach out to all of you individually.

It is our prayer that, _“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

(Numbers 6:24-26) dp-3308

DARULIE KROSE & Family members

ISSAC KHONIMO PATTON EPOK : 15/08/1960 ECHU : 15/07/2021 We, the bereaved family of Late Issac Khonimo Patton express our sincere gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to all who stood by us and supported us physically, financially, materially and spiritually through prayer at his sudden demise on 15/07/2021.

We deeply regret our inability to thank each and every individual and friends but it is our earnest prayer that our Almighty GOD takes into account all the good deeds and bless you all immensely.

Loving Wife, Daughters, Son and Family Members dp-3321 K Y M C

nagalandpost.com Poll

Q . : C a n t h e C e n t re along with states halt further rise in price of petrol and diesel?

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

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A B C

R Khing inaugurates Tetso SAMETI organises training on climate smart agriculture College city campus DIMAPUR: Two-day training programme on capacity building of extension workers on climate smart agriculture was organised by State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI) Medziphema on July 15-16 for Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) and deputy project director officials.

A press release by SAMETI, Medziphema stated that the training was aimed at imparting technical knowledge on “climate smart agriculture”.

Resource persons for the training program were

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A

B

Yes. No. Can’t Say.

C

75% 19% 6%

NEXT POLL Q: Has the state govt

prepared itself to face the 3rd wave?

WEATHER FORECAST A view of Tetso College city campus at HT square building, Notun Bosti.

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala Cloudy, a couple of t-storms

31 25

Cloudy, a couple of t-storms

25 21

Aizawl

Guwahati A heavy t-storm in the p.m.

29 26

A stray a.m. t-storm; cloudy

26 22

Imphal

Itanagar Mostly cloudy with a t-storm

28 24

Shillong

Cloudy with a t-storm or two

22 19

Kohima

Showers and heavy t-storms

23 19

Dimapur

A stray afternoon t-storm

29 24

Mkg

Rather cloudy with a t-storm

24 20

Tuensang Mostly cloudy with a t-storm

19 16

Wokha

A stray afternoon t-storm

Zunheboto Rather cloudy with a t-storm

24 21 22 18

agricultural meteorology division of system research and engineering, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, scientist Dr. Debasish Chakraborty and Centre for Human Resource Management (CHRD), Kerala director Prof. Dr. P.J. George.

Under the topic of climate smart agriculture, the first lecture on “role of weather based agroadvisory for minimising the risk from adverse weather” was shared by scientist Dr. Debasish on the current climate change which was affecting the increase in productivity of agriculture

crop. He highlighted on the need to cope up with the climate resilient to the threat, reduce contribution to the agriculture and optimize and minimize food security.

Speaking on “integrated farming system approach under the climate change scenario” Dr. George, illustrated on carrying out the Project under District level for Small Holder Farmers Collective/Group (SHFC) where Village Research Person (VRP) are trained to climate resilient and cropping system in order to reduce the loss of production and increase food security for

sustainable agriculture.

Both the resource persons highlighted the importance of climate smart agriculture through scientific method and traditional method.

Altogether 22 participants from different districts attended the training.

Meanwhile, at the valedictory porgramme, SAMETI DPD Yezaho Swu encouraged the participants to put into practice the knowledge gained during the training session and to form a farmers group to tackle the climate change through different cropping system for sustainable agriculture.

Assam Rifles organises tree plantation drive in Kohima

 Yes.  No.  Can’t Say.

JULY 19

3

STATE

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

DIMAPUR: Advisor for animal husbandry & veterinary services, woman resources development, R Khing inaugurated Tetso College city campus on July 17 at HT square building, Notun Bosti.

A press release by the college informed that special guest, R Khing lauded the initiative of the college

and expressed optimism that the coaching academy would produce many Naga officers in the near future.

He praised the college for focussing on not just acquiring a degree and expanding their services to empower students in the field of competitive exams and also in focussing on financial literacy.

At the inaugural programme, dedicatory prayer was proposed by Rengma Baptist Church Sovima, Pastor Gwanilo Khing; Tetso College director Kvulo Lorin highlighted that the centre would be an integrated campus of Tetso College focusing on placements and professional upscaling.

DIMAPUR: Kohima Battalion of Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ IGAR (North) along with civil administration and locals undertook a tree plantation drive under the theme “Assam Rifles: Guardians of the Environment” at Minister Hill, Kohima on July 17.

According to PRO HQ IGAR (N), the tree plantation drive was conducted with an aim to control global warming, promote afforestation

and create a clean and green environment to live.

Locals, youth organisation of Minister Hill and media persons of Kohima Press Club also participated in the drive.

Booklets published

by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India on tree plantation drive were also handed over to DC office, Press Club and youth organisation members of Ko- Assam Rifles Kohima battalion along with local during the plantation drive. hima.

organises webinar ATMA blocks organise various activities for farmers onSCC ‘e-waste management’ DIMAPUR: Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) blocks of various districts and subdivisions organised training, demonstrations and opened farm schools in an attempt to improve agriculture production of the state.

Chumoukedima block: ATMA Chumoukedima block in collaboration with department of fisheries and aquatic resources Dimapur organised one day training and demonstration programme on “scientific management for fish production” on July 13 at Eralibill village.

At the programme, assistant fishery inspector, department of fisheries and aquatic resources, Dimapur, Adiezenuo Dolie said the primary requisite for fish culture was proper pond management and selection of quality fish seeds.

She informed that prestocking pond management techniques should be applied for ensuring proper survival and growth of fish.

Dolie also deliberated on composite fish culture where five to six different fish species were grown together in single pond.

After the training, demonstration on estimation of pond pH, establishment of planktons, liming and turbidity was carried out by the resource person.

Zunheboto block: One day training on “package of practices of ericulture” was organised by ATMA Zunheboto block on July 14 at District Sericulture Office Zunheboto.

At the training, sericulture extension officer and BTT member ATMA, Jepika H Yeptho briefed the participants on the details of rearing of eri silkworm.

BTM, ATMA Zunheboto block, Chubatsur Jamir enlightened the participants with the techniques of making compost from the sericulture waste products and also explained about the economic importance of sericulture in Nagaland.

Tuli block: Training on advanced management practices on piggery, inauguration of farm school on banana, mobilization of united Food Security Group (FSG), demonstration on performance of mid-duration of soyabean was carried out by ATMA Tuli block on July 13 and July 14 at Anaki Old Village and Merangkong village.

The resource persons were State Pig Breeding Centre K Y M C

Merangkong, Dr. Toshiwati and farm school teacher, Temjensosang.

Kobulong block: ATMA Kobulong block, Mokokchung inaugurated a farm school on integrated farming system on July 15 at Tzumalemang Longjang village with Watisashi as farm school teacher.

BTM, C Amongla Jamir while explaining the concept of farm school said the basis of farm schools were based on principles of “learning by doing” with main focus on farmer-tofarmer extension.

She further briefed students on main activities in farm schools and also on the importance of IFS, concept, approaches, components and different types of integrated farming systems that could be adopted.

Nuiland block: Capacity building and skill development programme on “mushroom cultivation” for Food Security Groups (FSG) and Self Help Groups (SHGs) of Kuhoxu and K. Hetoi villages was organised by ATMA Dimapur Nuiland block on July 15 at Kuhoxu village.

Resource person, ACTO (plant protection), KVK (ICAR), Medziphema, Lireni Kikon informed the trainees that oyster mushroom was much easier to cultivate considering the climatic conditions in Dimapur and also easy availability of raw materials required for it.

She mentioned some economic prospects of value-added mushroom products and encouraged the SHGs to take up such activities for personal use as well as for commercial production. Later, hands on training were conducted where step by step procedure was highlighted by the resource person.

Earlier, ATMA Dimapur Niuland Block on July 13 conducted field day on sesamum at Hozukhe village with ACTO (Agronomy), KVK (ICAR), Medziphema, Roben Singh as the resource person.

Chunlikha block: ATMA Chunlikha block, Kohima conducted demonstration on organic pest management at K. Station Village on July 12 and Field Day cum demonstration on organic pest management at Yikhanyu village on July 9.

Resource person ATM, Chenobu Seb highlighted importance of organic approach towards pest man-

agement while ATM, Sinlo Khing demonstrated proper method of sowing the seed, emphasizing on line sowing, proper spacing and cultural practices.

Demonstration on cultivation practices of soybean was conducted at Nsunyu village on July 8 and Tesophenyu village on July 12 where ATM, Sinlo Khing demonstrated proper sowing method of soybean seeds, line sowing and proper spacing of seeds and cultural practices were also briefed to the farmers.

One FSG group was formed and group were briefed on proper cultivation technique. The block also inaugurated a farm school on sugarcane cultivation and processing unit at Yikhanyu village on July 9 with farm Sesinlo Kent as farm teacher.

Ongpangkong north block: A farm school on cultivation of mandarin orange was inaugurated on July 16 at Moalenden village under ATMA Ongpangkong north block, Mokokchung.

The farm school was set up with an aim to promote effective use of resources and efficacious technology transfer among the farming community for their livelihood sustainability.

During the inaugural programme, ATM Tsuktirenla highlighted the concept of farm school and the role of farm teacher while various lessons were given on management of orange orchards by resource person ATM Sakotsungba.

Waluniba was appointed as farm teacher while 20 other farmers were enrolled as farm students.

Demonstration as well as mobilization of food security group, Imchalenjen group under Chubayimkum village was also conducted on the same day with BTM Watisenla, ATMs - Lanusanen, Masatula, Tsuktirenla and Sakotsungba as resource persons.

Aghunaqa block: ATMA Dimapur Aghunaqa block conducted field day on maize and re- visitation of mixed farm school on July 17 at Ghoshito and Tokishe village respectively.

The programme was carried out with AICRP, SASRD, NU scientist Dr. Lawerence Kithan as a resource person.

The resource person spoke on various measures to control the infestation of fall army worm on maize.

Proper land preparation,

crop rotation with non-host plant, cleaning and burning of left over stubbles as a preventive measures were also emphasized.

ATMA team along with the farmers visited the maize field where problems were shared by the farmers and various measures were provided by the team.

Wo z h u r o b l o c k : ATMA Wokha, Wozhuro block in collaboration with NSRLM wozhuro organised within district farmer’s training on “production technologies and value addition in ginger” on July 16-17 at Meriyan village and Tsungza village.

At the training, BTM, Benthunglo Murry spoke on the importance and responsibilities of food security group while keynote address was delivered by ADPM, NSRLM Wokha, Samuel Kithan. Resource persons, BPM Wozhuro block, NSRLM, Lumbeni J Yanthan spoke on “capacity building and skill development key to sustainable livelihood” while convenor

& HI DHO Wokha spoke on “production technologies of ginger” and ATM, Zujanbemo Khuvung emphasized on value addition in ginger.

Meanwhile, integrated farm school was also inaugurated at Meriyan Village with K Arhomo Khuvung as the farm school teacher.

Wokha block: ATMA Wokha block conducted training on quality seed production technique on July 13 at Elumyo Village, Wokha. Training on quality seed production was imparted by BTM, Yanthungo Ngullie,while special highlights on quality seed production technique on soya seeds was imparted by BTT convenor, Bendangla Imsong.

The block also conducted demonstration programme wherein demonstration was imparted by resource person BTT convener, Bendangla Imsong.

ATMA Wokha block also carried out district farmers exposure visit to Tongphi soap factory on

July 15.

Kohima block: ATMA Kohima block organised demonstration on July 8 at P Khel, Kohima village.

A press release by ATMA Kohima block, stated that resource person ATM, Thejavinuo Mepfü-o delivered detailed information on cultivation of Naga tree tomato, a perennial vegetable crop which was popular in Nagaland and found growing in all parts of the region.

The resource person also demonstrated on growing of Naga King Chilli and highlighted importance of maintaining proper spacing and also gave a detail demonstration on sowing of king chili in nurseries and transplanting of the saplings.

DIMAPUR: One day webinar on “e-waste management” was organised

by RUSA Committee of Sao Chang College (SCC) Tuensang on July 12.

A press release by the college informed that the webinar was organised with an objective to create awareness on how to sustainably handle electronic waste.

The main speakers of the programme were co-founders of e-circle, electronic waste collection centre, Dimapur, Bendangwala Walling and Sowete-u Letro.

They deliberated on the various areas of ewaste management in the credibility of data, lack of

awareness and compliance.

The speakers discussed about the impact of e-waste on the environment and deliberated on the latest development in the e-waste management in the country and the importance of reiterating the changes at the policy level which needs to be incorporated to manage e-waste efficiently and sustainably.

The programme was chaired by assistant professor (depar tment of education) Yanglikumla Sangtam, welcome address was delivered by principal in-charge Longtichang Tzudir and vote of thanks was proposed by assistant professor (department of physics) Nungsangtola.

K Y M C

4

NORTHEAST

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

COVID curfew: Life comes ‘Rs 5,000cr annual drug business in Assam’ 10-day to grinding halt in Manipur

GUWAHATI, JUL 18 (PTI): Highlighting that trade in illegal drugs in Assam is worth about Rs 5,000 crore annually, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Sunday urged the police to be unrelenting in their war on drugs.

He also emphasised the need for proper rehabilitation of reformed drug addicts and directed the Health and the Social Welfare departments to work together in this regard.

“Drugs worth Rs 163 crore were seized between May 10 to July 15 this year.

If this is, say, 20 per cent of the drugs which are being trafficked through the state every month, the trade in illegal drugs in Assam would be of at least Rs 5,000 crore per year,” he said, speaking at a programme for disposal of the seized drugs at Barhampur in Nagaon district.

The entire money goes outside Assam, without payment of any tax or anything going to the state exchequer, Sarma said, while stressing that the money used by addicts to procure the drugs comes at the cost of well being

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma burning drugs worth Rs 163 crores. of families. “ W h e n e ve n o n e member of a family becomes an addict, the entire family is ruined. The addicts steal from their own homes or even threaten and extract money from the members. And at last, many even take recourse to crimes and anti-social activities,” he said.

He sa id the fig ht against drugs is a threepronged one first to check the supply chain, then to curb the distribution net-

work, and third to rehabilitate those affected by its abuse.

Pointing out that people want the drug peddlers to be shot dead instead of arresting them, Sarma said though the police must act tough against the criminals, they have to do so by following laid-down rules.

“I have given permission (to police) for extreme action (against drug peddlers), but within the law,” he added.

Speaking on similar

lines at another programme in Hojai district, Sarma said, “We have adopted a zero-tolerance policy against drugs. I have asked the police to use all legal means, including provision for preventive detentions for up to one year, to check this menace.”

He further said the burning of seized drugs, with due permission from the court, will be undertaken from time to time.

As many as 1,493 drug peddlers have been

arrested, 874 cases registered against them, and illegal drugs worth Rs 163 crore seized in the state since Sarma assumed the charge of chief minister on May 10.

The seized contraband includes 19 kg heroin, 8,276 kg ganja, 14 kg opium, 67,650 cough syrup bottles, 1,920 kg morphine, Rs one crore in cash and foreign currency worth Rs 13,630, the chief minister said.

Altogether 9.733 kg heroin, 253.301 kg cannabis, 977 gm of opium, and 2,71,904 seized tablets were burnt in Nagaon, while 324.732 kg heroin, 1015.627 kg ganja/ cannabis, and 35,522 seized tables were destroyed in Hojai.

This was the second and last day of publicly setting ablaze illegal drugs and psychotropic substances with two similar programmes held at Golaghat and Diphu on Saturday.

The chief minister himself took part in the four programmes since Saturday to give out a message of zero- tolerance against illegal drugs.

HNLC demands appointment Cash-for-marks scam in Assam of interlocutor for peace talks board exams unearthed, 2 held

Correspondent

SHILLONG, JUL 18: The banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has stated that it is not ready to shun violence till the government appoints an interlocutor to facilitate peace talks.

“We will not give up violence until the government comes up with something concrete. We are not ready to shun violence until and unless an interlocutor is appointed,” HNLC general secretary-cum-publicity secretary, Sainkupar Nongtraw said in a statement issued to media houses on Sunday.

This came as a reaction to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s appeal to the outfit to shun the path of violence following the IED explosion at the Khliehriat police reserve in East Jaintia Hills district a few days ago.

“As long as there is no official communication, we shall keep spearheading our movement and without fail,” Nongtraw said.“Show us practically that you are serious and we shall stop proving our abilities to destroy anything practically,” he added.

He informed that the outfit had time and again sent various letters addressed to the state government and the central government including the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“Deliberate discussions were held within the council’s leaders to facilitate peace talks. The council has documented each and every letter for future reference, in case we are told that we did not want peace and that we should shun the path of violence,” Nongtraw said.

The HNLC leader further stated that it is child’s play for the Chief Minister

to just appear before the media fraternity and issue any kind of statements. “But at the same time it should be implemented in letter and spirit,” he added.

Stating that it has already been 17 years but nothing concrete has been achieved in the formulation of peace talks, he said, “Lately we feel that peace talks just appear good in newspapers. But the reality is that it doesn’t exist in the dictionary of the government.”

“Right now talking about maintaining peace and harmony is just useless from the orator’s mouth. If you can have oratory skills then we have bomb making skills. You destroy the society by your lies whereas we plan actions to destroy the liars,” he said while stating that this is not the time to put blame upon each other but a time to re-introspect.

RANGIA (ASSAM), JUL 18 (PTI): The Assam Police has unearthed a scam of awarding higher marks in class 10 and 12 state board examinations in lieu of money and arrested two persons from Kamrup district in this connection, a senior officer said on Sunday.

The police also detained four others, including a school inspector and coordinator of the state board, for their alleged involvement in the cashfor-marks scam, he said.

Kamrup Superintendent of Police Hitesh Ch Roy said Principal of Majortop Higher Secondary School in Goroimari, Akkas Ali, and Office Assistant at Inspector of Schools Prashanta Das have been arrested.

The police also detained Kamrup district’s Inspector of Schools Madhab Deka, Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) coordinator Pulpahi Nath,

Goroimari Anchalik Girls High School headmaster Habibur Rahman and Sibeswar Kalita, a staffer of Deka’s office for their alleged involvement in the racket, he said.

“We are interrogating all the six people to get more information. Once we find concrete evidence of involvement of the four detained, we will take action accordingly,” Roy said.

A case has been registered at Changsari police station under several sections of the Indian Penal Code. The Kamrup District Police got information about a “marks scam” a few days back and was investigating it, Roy said. According to senior officials, a team of about 100 policemen raided the Office of Inspector of Schools on Saturday and seized several documents, including answer sheets, a laptop, mobile handsets and unaccounted cash.

CAG pulls up Assam on pension scheme for families of deceased staff

GUWAHATI, JUL 18 (PTI): The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has asked the Assam government to review the Compassionate Family Pension (CFP) scheme as it not only defies legal principles but also has put an estimated additional financial burden of Rs 156.91 crore per annum on the state exchequer.

The state government has not asked for separate budget allocation for the CFP scheme and by booking the entire expenditure under ‘pension’ has violated budget and accounting rules applicable to a new scheme, the CAG said in its report

for the year 2019 that was tabled in the ongoing budget session of the assembly.

The earlier Compassionate Appointment (CA) scheme, implemented prior to 2017, was not effectively managed due to delays in appointment of eligible heirs of employees who died while in service or compulsorily retired on medical grounds and its documentation was also incomplete and deficient, the report pointed out. “Instead of correcting these deficiencies, the state government introduced the CFP scheme which has ‘entitlement features’ and hence is not in keeping with

the well laid legal principles, regarding compassionate appointments by the state,” the report said.

The financial outgo under the scheme, introduced in April 2017, has been Rs 171.55 crore so far and audit has estimated an additional financial burden of Rs 156.91 crore per annum on the state exchequer.

Besides, the state government has extended the benefits of the CFP scheme to cover officers of the All India Services (AIS), whose pension and family pension is borne by the Centre, without consulting the latter, the CAG said. Moreover, in

the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the high rate of positive cases as well as mortality rate, the financial burden on the state exchequer may increase to an unbearable proportion in the years to come, the report pointed out. “Scarce financial resources need to be utilised for welfare schemes of its people and not only for government servants dying in harness who are otherwise taken care of under the existing family pension scheme,” it added.

The CAG recommended the state government to reconsider the “design of the CFP scheme by limit-

ing the benefits to that of the Normal Family Pension as admissible under Assam Service (Pension) Rules, 1969”. Any incremental expenditure beyond the existing family pension needs to be separately budgeted and classified by the state, the report pointed out.

The scheme though introduced as a welfare measure for the state employees has imposed an additional financial burden on the state by increasing their revenue expenditure when there is a need to spend more on creation of infrastructure and on capital expenditure, the report added.

Deserted Imphal street on day one of 10-day strict curfew to control spread of COVID-19.

Correspondent IMPHAL, JUL 18: Daily life came to a grinding halt across Manipur as the 10day strict curfew to curb the spread of COVID-19 disease began on Sunday.

All market places and streets across the state wore a deserted look due to the 10-day ‘strict curfew’, which will last till July 27.

Most people preferred to stay indoors as police and youth clubs in local and village levels warned those violating the restriction.

Responding to the chief minister’s call to observe ‘strict curfew’, even shops

and train passengers who have received both doses of vaccine for the virus.

The latest notification, issued by the Health and Family Welfare department, had said that “COVID positivity is observed even in some of the person(s) who have received two doses of vaccination in a few instances,” and hence, the earlier given exemption was withdrawn.

“Some people who have got both the doses of COVID-19 vaccine are getting infected. While the symptoms in them may not be severe, they run the risk of being carriers,” Dr Lakshmanan S, director, National Health Mission (NHM), Assam, told PTI.

He infor med that among the new COVID-19 cases detected in the last couple of months, approximately five per cent are people who were fully vaccinated.

A survey carried out

by ICMR in Dibrugarh district in May and June had found 5.3 per cent of the sample size who tested positive for COVID-19 had received both doses of the vaccine.

Among those who had received the first dose only, the positivity rate was 12.4 per cent.

Altogether 6,224 people were surveyed, out of which 772 had taken first dose, 332 second dose and 5,120 had not taken the vaccine at all.

The persons who had received both doses and yet tested positive for the virus had displayed ‘very mild symptoms and were in home isolation’, the survey had found.

Dibrugarh district has reported second highest number of new cases and deaths in the second wave in the state so far.

Assam’s decision to withdraw the exemption comes when in many other parts of the country, including Kerala and Mumbai, exemption for fully vaccinated domestic travelers from carrying a RT-PCR negative report for COVID-19 has been announced.

The Kerala government had on Saturday

said negative RT-PCR test reports were no longer mandatory for interstate travel and attending exams for persons who have received two doses of COVID vaccine.

A similar exemption from carrying the negative test reports was also given to people entering Mumbai from July 13.

The Assam government’s decision to once again tighten the screening rules was also triggered due to apprehension of Delta plus variant entering and spreading in the state through people coming from outside, a Health department source said.

No Delta plus variant case has been so far detected in the state, the

While a majority of people abided by the curfew order and remained indoors, there were instances of violations too. The police stopped people coming out on the streets and few vehicles and questioned them if they came out violating the curfew. Those on duty with permitted activities were allowed to proceed but those who came out with no reason were detained and penalized.

Certain essential services have been exempted from the purview of the curfew, the officials said, urging the public to stay indoors.

NE COVID-19 UPDATE

AJP calls for common oppn against BJP 463 new COVID-19 cases in Mizoram GUWAHATI, JUL 18 (PTI): The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) on Sunday called for putting up common opposition candidates against the BJP-led alliance in the by-elections in the state.

By-elections are due in four constituencies, including former chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s Majuli, due to resignations and deaths. Majuli fell vacant after Sonowal was made a Union minister.

“AJP supports the idea of single, common opposition candidates against BJP nominees in the constituencies where by-elections are due,” party chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi told reporters.

He questioned the “hastiness” of burning seized drugs in a two-day programme. “Focus should have been on filing speedy chargesheets against the arrested drug peddlers,” he said. Gogoi alleged that the state government failed to manage the COVID situation, and the health infrastructure is in shambles even as experts are warning of a third wave.

He alleged that the inoculation drive is going on at a snail’s pace and some are forced to return home without receiving jabs after queuing for long hours at vaccination centres.

Gogoi demanded a white paper on the utilisation of funds received as donations from the public in the Assam Arogya Nidhi and CM’s Relief Fund.

He sought a judicial enquiry into cow smuggling racket operating in the state.

Mandatory COVID testing before entering Assam even for those vaccinated GUWAHATI, JUL 18 (PTI): The Assam government has tightened its screening procedure for people entering the state, with no exemption for even those who have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine, an official said on Sunday.

With about 5 per cent of the new COVID-19 positive cases in the state in the last few days being of fully vaccinated people, testing of people entering the state is being once again made mandatory, the official said.

The Assam government had on July 15 withdrawn its earlier order, dated June 25, 2021, which had exempted mandatory COVID-19 testing for air

in the localities and villages had shut their shutters on day one of the curfew.

The state government imposed the strict curfew to break the chain of transmission amid the ever surging cases of COVID-19 infections. Police and security forces were deployed across the Imphal city and its outskirts to implement the curfew. Barricades and extra checkpoints were set up on the main roads to the city and its outskirts to regulate movement of people.

Police on duty assisted by the security force personnel were seen enforcing the curfew in a strict manner.

source added.

The Delta variant has been predominant in the state currently, with 77 per cent of random samples for April and May sent to the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics at Kalyani in West Bengal testing positive for this strain. The remaining were of Kappa strain.

As many as 1,30,056 new COVID-19 cases have been detected in the state between June 1 to July 17, while the deaths due to the virus during the period were 1,568.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state detected so far is 5,45,954 since last year, while the total death toll is 4,984.

AIZAWL, JUL 18 (PTI): Mizoram’s COVID-19 tally surged to 27,153 on Sunday as 463 more people including 117 children tested positive for the infection, a health department official said. The COVID-19 death toll climbed to 121 as a 75-year- old woman succumbed to the infection at Zoram Medical College (ZMC) on Saturday night, he said. The 463 new cases were detected from 4,679 samples tested in the last 24 hours and the single-day positivity rate was 9.89 per cent, he said. The fresh cases were reported from various districts with Aizawl reporting the highest at 294, followed by Lunglei and Kolasib districts both reported 79 and 36 cases each.

Mizoram now has 5,896 active COVID-19 cases, while 21,136 people have recovered from the infection. The COVID-19 recovery rate in the state now is 77.84 per cent and death rate is 0.44 per cent. The northeastern state has tested over 5.55 lakh samples for COVID-19 till date. According to state immunisation officer Dr Lalzawmi, as many as 6 lakh people have been inoculated till Friday, of which over 1.28 lakh have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Arunachal reports 475 new COVID cases

ITANAGAR, JUL 18 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh continued to register a surge in COVID-19 cases as 475 more people tested positive for the infection, pushing the tally to 42,564, a senior health official said here on Sunday. The COVID-19 death toll in the frontier state increased to 201, as two more persons succumbed to the infection on Saturday, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said. Arunachal Pradesh now has 4,323 active COVID-19 cases, he said. As many as 412 patients were cured of the disease on Saturday taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 38,040, Jampa said. The COVID-19 recovery rate in the state now is 89.37 per cent while the active percentage stands at 10.16 and the positivity rate at 8.87 per cent, the official said. Altogether, 8,54,819 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the state so far, including 5,354 on Saturday, Jampa said. Meanwhile, State Immunisation Officer (SSO) Dr Dimong Padung said that a total of 7,73,000 people have been administered COVID-19 vaccine doses so far in the state since the inoculation drive began in January this year.

Sikkim reports 155 fresh COVID-19 cases

GANGTOK, JUL 18 (PTI): Sikkim reported 155 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, pushing the caseload to 23,392, a health department bulleting said on Sunday. Three more patients succumbed to the infection, taking the death toll in the state to 324, it said.

Sikkim now has 2,308 active cases, while 262 patients have migrated to other states, and 20,498 people have recovered from the disease. East Sikkim registered 64 new cases, followed by South Sikkim (53) and West Sikkim (38). The Himalayan state has tested 931 samples for COVID- 19 in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of samples tested thus far to 1,79,018. Sikkim’s COVID-19 positivity rate and recovery rate stood at 16.6 per cent and 88.6 per cent, respectively. (Correspondent)

Manipur logs 963 new COVID-19 cases

IMPHAL, JUL 18: After a daily surge of above 1000mark for four consecutive days, the state on Sunday reported 963 new cases, taking the overall infection caseload to 84,822. The state has been reporting above 1,000-mark since July 14 with the highest single-day spike of 1,171 cases on Saturday. These surging cases led to the imposing of stricter curfew in the entire region of the state for 10 days, beginning from today.

The death toll due the COVID-19 complications also rose to 1,376 with 11 fresh deaths reported on the day, the state health department said. A total of 723 patients were discharged during the day, which took the recovery count to 73,770. The state’s recovery rate dropped to 86.97 per cent. As 6,174 tests were conducted on Sunday, taking the total number of tests done so far to 10,02,399. The number of active cases in the state increased to 9,676. With the increase in the active cases in the last few days, only 1,736 beds in the Covid care centres including in government and private hospitals were available, the health department said. (Correspondent)

NATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

Govt plans slew of bills in Monsoon session Oppn to corner it over Covid management, fuel price

NEW DELHI, JUL 18 (PTI): The government has readied a big legislative agenda for the Monsoon session of Parliament beginning Monday even as the Opposition seeks to corner the ruling dispensation over its handling of the second wave of COVID-19 and the rise in fuel prices.

The government has listed 17 new bills for introduction in the session.

Three of the bills seek to replace ordinances issued recently. Once a session starts an ordinance has to be passed as a bill within 42 days or six weeks, else it lapses.

One of the ordinances issued on June 30, prohibits any agitation and strike by anyone engaged in the essential defence services.

The Essential Defence Services Ordinance 2021 came in the backdrop of the announcement by major

Have an open mind on alliance for UP polls: Priyanka LUCKNOW, JUL 18 (PTI): Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said her party is “open-minded” about forging an alliance with other political parties for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

Asked whether the Congress will go it alone on all the 403 assembly seats in the state or align with some political party, Priyanka Gandhi told reporters in an informal meeting here, “It is too early to say.”

On whether she is ruling out an alliance, she said, “I do not rule it out. We are absolutely not closedminded. We are keeping an open mind.”

“Our aim is to defeat the BJP,” she said, adding that other political parties should also be “open-minded”.

Priyanka Gandhi said the organisation is also her area of focus and a lot of work has been done on it in a silent manner.

“I have an open mind, but my priority is my party,” she said.

To a question on the Congress becoming active in her presence and tending to become inactive as soon as she leaves the state, the party general secretary said, “When I come (here), there is media focus and you pay attention. But when I am not here, you do not pay any attention. But our work is going on.”

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla during an inspection ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, on Monday. Photo-PTI

federations of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to go on an indefinite strike from the later part of July to protest the government’s decision to corporatise the OFB. The Essential Defence Service Bill, 2021 has been listed to replace the ordinance, according to a Lok Sabha bulletin issued on July 12.

The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021 is another measure that seeks to replace an or-

dinance.

According to the government, the ordinance was brought to provide a permanent solution and establish a self-regulated, democratically monitored mechanism for tackling air pollution in the NCR and adjoining areas, rather than limited ad-hoc measures.

The Opposition on its part wants to corner the government by raising issues like alleged shortcomings in the healthcare system during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and

Nationality of MoS Home sparks debate

Nishit Pramanik

KO L K AT A , J U L 1 8 (IANS): The question raised

by Congress MP in Rajya Sabaha Ripun Bora that the recently inducted Minister of Home for State in the Narendra Modi government is a Bangladeshi national, has created sharp debates in West Bengal politics. In a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, Bora said, “I am writing this letter to bring to your notice a very serious and sensitive matter regarding the citizenship and birth place of Nisith Pramanik, the recently appointed union Minister of State, Home affairs”.

“As per the report published in a news channel, Nisith Pramanik is a Bangladeshi National. His birth place is Harinathpur, under Palasbari P.S., District Gaibandha of Bangladesh.

He came to West Bengal for computer study and after taking degree he first joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) and later joined BJP and was elected as MP from Cooch Behar,” the MP wrote.

There are further reports, Bora said quoting different channels and newspaper reports, “He showed his address as Cooch Behar in election papers by manipulation”. It has also been highlighted “the jubilant scenario, including statements of his elder brother and some villagers of his native village at Bangladesh expressing their satisfaction on being appointed Nisith Pramanik as Union minister of State, MHA,” the MP said.

“If it is so, this is a very serious matter for the country, that a foreign national is appointed as Union Minister,” the MP said. “Therefore, I urge upon you to conduct an enquiry about the actual birth place and nationality of Nisith Pramanik in a most transparent way and clarify the whole issue as it creates confusion across the country,” he added.

State minister of Higher Education, Bratya Basu supporting Bora for his concerns expressed shock. On his Twitter handle Basu said, “Several news channels have reported that @ NisithPramanik is a citizen of Bangladesh.

5 Govt ready for Oppn parties to give adjournment healthy discussion notice in Parl over farmers’ issues in Parliament: PM

the distribution of Covid vaccines to states.

It would also seek replies on the rising prices of petrol diesel and cooking gas during the session which would end on August 13.

According to the financial business listed in the bulletin, there would be a presentation, discussion and voting on Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2021-22.

There would also be a presentation, discussion and voting on Excess Demands for Grants for the year 2017-18.

On Saturday, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu urged members of Parliament to stand by people amid the pandemic and discuss all issues related to it in the House to address the concerns of the citizens.

Chairing a meeting of leaders of various parties and groups in Rajya Sabha ahead of the session, he also asked the leaders to ensure a smooth and productive

session.

“A dysfunctional Parliament adds to the prevailing gloom and hence all sections of the House should ensure a smooth and productive session as it offers an opportunity to address the concerns of the people affected by COVID-19,” he told the leaders.

Noting that the second wave of COVID-19 infection sprang several surprises and severely tested India’s health infrastructure, Naidu said Parliament is the right forum to get updated about various aspects of fighting the disease and benefit from ground-level experiences of members of the House from different states.

This is important in the context of a possible third wave of infection which is being talked about a lot, he said.

During the session, all Covid-related protocols, which include maintaining social distancing, would be followed. Both the Houses will sit simultaneously.

Navjot Singh Sidhu appointed Punjab Congress president

Danish Siddiqui to be buried at Jamia graveyard

Navjot Singh Sidhu

CHANDIGARH, JUL 18 (AGENCIES): Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu was appointed the Punjab Congress president on Sunday, after months of bitter party-infighting with Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, reports news18.com Four working presidents have also been appointed alongside Sidhu, namely: Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Pawan Goel, and Kujit Singh Nagra. Danny, a Dalit Sikh is Rahul Gandhi’s choice. While Sangat Singh is an OBC, Goel is a Hindu, and Nagra is a Jat Sikh.

NEW DELHI, JUL 18 (PTI): Slain photojournalist Danish Siddiqui will be laid to rest at the Jamia Millia Islamia graveyard, according to a statement on Sunday.

“Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) Vice Chancellor accepted the request of the family of late photojournalist Danish Siddiqui to bury his body at the JMI graveyard meant exclusively for university employees, their spouses and minor child,” the university said in the statement. Siddiqui had done his masters from the university. His father Akhtar Siddiqui was the Dean of Faculty of Education there.

Danish Siddiqui had studied at AJK Mass Communication Research Centre (MCRC) from 2005 -2007.

The Jamia Teachers’ Association (JTA) expressed condolences at the death of Danish Siddiqui.

The Officiating Director of AJK MCRC said, “Danish was one of the brightest stars in our hall of fame and a proactive alumnus who kept returning to his alma mater to share with students his work and experiences. We will miss him deeply but are determined to keep his memory alive.”

Jamia Millia Islamia VC accepted the request of the family of late Danish Siddiqui to bury his body at the JMI graveyard .

Professor Sabeena Gadihoke said his photographs were hard-hitting but he never compromised on the dignity of those within his frames.

“Danish had the

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Award by MCRC. During the ceremony, he described being a photojournalist as both an honour and responsibility to bear witness for those who could not speak for themselves, in the hope that he could make a change for the better, the JTA said in a statement.

JTA president Professor Majid Jamil described his death as a big loss to journalism and the Jamia community.

Siddiqui, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018, worked for Reuters news agency and was killed on Friday in the town of Spin Boldak, near the border with Pakistan. He was embedded with Afghan special forces at the time of his death.

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unique ability to bestow a journalistic picture with empathy and to give dignity and grace to his subjects,” she added. In 2018, Danish Siddiqui was awarded the Distinguished Alumni

notices on the farmers’ issue in both Houses of Parliament, he added.

Sources said several opposition parties are also planning to give an adjournment notice over alleged phone tapping of their leaders.

Earlier in the day, TMC leader Derek O’ Brien, responding to a tweet by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, alleged that phones of many opposition leaders were tapped.

“Strong rumour that this evening IST, Washington Post & London Guardian are publishing a report exposing the hiring of an Israeli firm Pegasus, for tapping phones of Modi’s Cabinet Ministers, RSS leaders, SC judges, & journalists. If I get this confirmed I will publish the list,” Swamy tweeted.

The Monsoon session is scheduled to continue till August 13.

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NEW DELHI, JUL 18 (PTI): Several opposition parties will move adjournment notices in both Houses of Parliament on Monday over farmers’ issues, RSP leader N K Premachandran said here.

Opposition parties held a separate meeting after an all-party meet convened by the government on Sunday, a day ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament.

The opposition meeting was attended by leaders of the Congress, TMC, NCP, CPI(M), CPI, IUML, RSP, Shiv Sena and the AAP. The farmers’ protest against the three agri laws and the rising prices of petrol and diesel are the most important issues right now, and these will be raised by the opposition during the session, Premachandran said.

Many opposition parties will give adjournment

NEW DELHI, JUL 18 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday told an all-party meeting ahead of the Monsoon session that the government was ready for a healthy and meaningful discussion in Parliament on various issues.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi quoted the prime minister at the meeting to say that the various floor leaders were told that the government was ready for a healthy and meaningful discussion on various issues raised as per rules and procedures.

At the meeting attended by 33 parties, the prime minister said suggestions from public representatives, especially from the Opposition, are valuable as they make the discussion rich.

The meeting was held a day ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament and was attended by Prime Minister Modi and floor leaders of various political parties.

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OPINION/EDITORIAL

Nagaland Post VOL. XXXI NO. 223 DIMAPUR, MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

Fingers crossed

N

agaland’s High Powered Committee(HPC)on Covid-19 announced the third unlock on July 17 amidst a note of caution by the principal director of health & family welfare Dr. Neikhrielie Khimiao that Lockdown would be re-imposed if the situation does not improve. The state has recorded a steady decline in covid-19 cases from around 12 % during May-June to 8% by mid-July. The decline in positivity rate had, in a way, provided the ground for unlock 1,2 & 3. Nagaland declared its second total lockdown from June 4 till June 11 but was extended to June 18 and subsequently Unlock -1 was announced w.e.f. July 1. As per Unlock 3 ; shops will be allowed to open (on rotational basis); Churches, weddings and funeral services will be permitted with a capacity of 50 people in attendance; Government offices will resume with 50% of staff in attendance and Curfew to remain from 7 p.m. till 5 a.m. Under Unlock-III, educational institutions and offices allowed to reopen in a staggered manner with 50% attendance admissible with strict adherence to covid protocols. In a way, this is an attempt to ‘normalise’ life as much as possible in order to restart the economy. Many people live mostly in rural areas and most of them are farmers or engaged in small time business. Some activities such as farming, construction, restaurants including roadside businesses have been relaxed but with strict adherence to covid protocols. When Unlock-III was decided, the positivity rate of Nagaland hovered around 6%. Within the next few days, the rate shot up to 8 %. Even as the overall weekly nationwide Covid-19 positivity rate has come down to 2.32%, most states in the northeast have many districts recording a positivity rate above 10%. Several districts in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Tripura have reported a high positivity rate of above 10%. This has been a cause of concern for the centre and the prime minister. The views on unlocking has always been debated by officials. One view is that relaxing lockdown should not be as important as saving lives even under extended Lockdown. The health experts say that relaxing lockdown means people will come into contact with more people and that increases the opportunity for the virus to spread. That was how the second wave spread rapidly and the Delta virus made things worse with spikes in new cases and more deaths across many countries, especially India. The experts maintain that the focus should be on getting people vaccinated and preventing another wave of infections. With health infrastructure in over 80% of the state, especially in rural areas, being without adequate manpower and also medical facilities, there is need to seriously consider whether easing curbs of Lockdown should be the primary focus of the government. Also, most epidemiologists predict more waves, given that India is evidently still far away from reaching herd immunity and its vaccination rate remains slow. The same is the case with Nagaland where testing is low and which has pushed up positivity rate. As a rule of thumb, one threshold for the percent positive being “too high” is 5%. For example, the World Health Organization(WHO) recommended in May last year, that the percent positive remain below 5% for at least two weeks before governments consider reopening.

Nagaland should ponder over this issue with deep introspection since its health care will be severely tested when the third wave appears.

DailyDevotion The Mystery of Believing

He said, “Who are You, Lord?” —Acts 9:5 Through the miracle of redemption, Saul of Tarsus was instantly changed from a strong-willed and forceful Pharisee into a humble and devoted bondservant of the Lord Jesus.

There is nothing miraculous or mysterious about the things we can explain. We control what we are able to explain, consequently it is only natural to seek an explanation for everything. It is not natural to obey, yet it is not necessarily sinful to disobey.

There can be no real disobedience, nor any moral virtue in obedience, unless a person recognizes the higher authority of the one giving the orders. If this recognition does not exist, even the one giving the orders may view the other person’s disobedience as freedom. If one rules another by saying, “You must do this,” and, “You will do that,” he breaks the human spirit, making it unfit for God. A person is simply a slave for obeying, unless behind his obedience is the recognition of a holy God. Many people begin coming to God once they stop being religious, because there is only one master of the human heart— Jesus Christ, not religion. But “Woe is me” if after seeing Him I still will not obey (Isaiah 6:5 , also see Isaiah 6:1). Jesus will never insist that I obey, but if I don’t,I have already begun to sign the death certificate of the Son of God in my soul. When I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and say, “I will not obey,” He will never insist. But when I do this, I am backing away from the recreating power of His redemption. It makes no difference to God’s grace what an abomination I am, if I will only come to the light. But “Woe is me” if I refuse the light (see John 3:19-21).

Quotes

Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion. ~ Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

Afghan conflicts hit India with fears of security, high prices

T

he new session of Pa r l i a m e n t m ay have more to decide than the set agenda of 30 bills as the Afghan situation is turning murkier with a hasty US withdrawal. The house may have to chart out time to discuss the developing situation that sees Taliban, Pakistan and gradually China growing their influence and mostly at the cost of India.

The stability of the present Afghan regime is critical for New Delhi not only to save its Afghan investments as also it might hit the supposed better GDP growth at 7 plus percentage. The situation is becoming complex as apart from extra budgetary burden on the covid19 health issues, depressing activities, and high inflation, India’s security related expenses may surge to check the fall-out of increased violence in the western part of the subcontinent.

India and Afghanistan share deepened economic and trade links despite uncertainties about achieving a political settlement to the lingering conflict. India has invested over $3 billion in reconstruction and relief work since 2001 when the US-led troops drove

the Taliban out of Kabul.

Delhi still firmly supports President Ashraf Ghani’s government. Four months back in March, during a three-day visit to New Delhi, Afghan foreign minister Haneef Atmar desired that the two countries deepen economic and trade links.

But the recent flash battles with Taliban, tactically supported by Pakistan army, and capture of many strategic areas; are making it difficult. The recent statement of Pak army spokesman Maj Gen Baba Iftikhar, “Pakistan is a facilitator of the peace process but not a guarantor” speaks volumes of Pakistan’s complicity.

Islamabad had always been against India’s humanitarian and developmental work that made India immensely popular in Afghanistan.

The recent killing of an Indian photo journalist Danish Siddiqui, embedded with Afghan army reveals the weakening of control by Ashraf Ghani regime.

India has last week withdrew its diplomatic personnel from Kandahar consulate general and closed down consul offices in Herat and Jalalabad amid growing threats to Indian employees in these

regions not far from Pak border and operational areas of Taliban. The strategy is to weaken the Afghan hold, strengthen Taliban so that it could have renewed vigour at the negotiating table for power sharing. Afghanistan remained a key issue at foreign ministers’ discussion at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet on July 14 in Tajikistan.

Minister of Shivaji External Affairs S Jaishankar participated with the foreign ministers of China, Russia, Pakistan and West Asian countries. The SCO joint statement merely stated that international terrorist organisations are destabilizing the country and peace be restored with talks between Taliban and Afghan government.

It does not give any succour to India. The wishy-washy deals of SCO will not solve the issue. As it appears India is on the back foot. The Taliban’s historic linkages with Lahkar-e-Taiba and jaish-e-Mohammed are the sore points. Taliban will always stand by these organisations and shelter them even if it gives an assurance to India. This virtually pushes India to the brink of direct or indi-

rect conflicts and increases its security paraphernalia and expenses.

The issue of Iran virtually reneging on Chabahar port and access to central Asia, Taliban has already created problems. India’s $ 3 billion investments are virtually at stake. It is likely to impact its external trade as well. The additional burden on India is not easy to fathom but Sarkar w o u l d b e substantial.

The Afghan failure of the US is reflecting also on dollar. This is adding to global inflation and it would create further troubles for India. The inflation has virtually crossed the newly-set up tolerance level of RBI at 6 percent up from 5 percent. During the last one year CPI has been rising continuously.

The government has announced for its staff 11 percent rise in DA and it may add another 3 percent to adjust to the rising inflation.

The wholesale price index is also galloping and has reached 12.94 percent as per May figures due to rise in commodity prices in the international market. The sharper rise means the consumer prices would further firm up. The government ex-

penses would go beyond the revised estimates of 7 percent. This would constrain the government on one hand and the other would cause market prices to zoom.

The National Statistical Organisation figures say food, fruit, edible oil prices and daily rise of petrol prices are impacting consumption. (A SBI report on its card uses reveal that high petrol and commodity prices have led people to cut expenses on other items to pay for fuel). In the rural areas, the share of bulk or high value purchases fell 22 percent and low value by 10 percent. People are opting for less than Rs 10 purchases, a sign of severe cash and income crunch.

Even for FMCG electronics and apparel, buyers are settling for lower priced products. Overall share of high value products drops- packaged goods by minus 21.6 percent; home care and personal care by minus 2.7 percent, and TV sales fall by 4 percent since end December, 2020.

The lockdown has impacted IIP, which grew at 29.3 percent against a drop of 57.3 percent a year back. It is a positive indicator but not exactly a booster for the economy.

The poorer sales and pro-

duction also mean that the industry would take time to recruit people and employment scenario might take time to brighten up.

International commodity prices are expected to harden, says Bloomberg, because of the volatile Afghan situation. Despite the U.S. having spent an estimated $900 billion on the Afghan conflict, the Taliban are at their strongest controlling more than half the country. The Afghan military, which receives training and advice from the U.S. and its allies, has been hampered by insufficient air power and heavy combat losses and desertions.

India may not have direct involvement in the conflict but it is expected to pay a heavy price for it even in the domestic market. A HSBC Capital Market study warns that upside risks to inflation could re-emerge in the second half of the fiscal as conflict deepens. Corporate are likely to pass on higher prices to consumers and there would be demand side pressure further hardening the prices.

The recovery remains dicey and more so as the Afghan situations gets murkier. The countr y would have to gird up its loin.

Post-mortem

Fr. Stan Swamy & Misuse of Anti-Terror Law

O

ne can talk of many things, but nothing can justify the death of Fr. Stan Swamy, an octogenarian Catholic priest suffering from multiple ailments, including Parkinson’s disease. The extreme hostile circumstances in which he was kept confined at Taloja Central Jail is an unimaginable gross violation against humanity.

He was reportedly arrested by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) in the Anti-Terrorism and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act on October 8, 2020 for his alleged role in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence, a place he never visited in his life, as per his interview with Brut and supposed links with CPI(M). He was languishing in jail for 9 months and though he requested bail on medical grounds, he was denied multiple times.

At a time when Covid 19 looms large, with social distancing as one of the primary preventive measures, instead of 1,400 inmates, the prison hosted 3,000 people, cramped far beyond its capacity and for an elderly,

H

ow are you? How are you feeling? I hope you are taking care of yourself and enjoying the petty pleasures of life. Have you ever ask this questions to yourself and wondered about it.

Maybe most of us have not.

Muniba Mazari once said ‘Love yourself and learn to enjoy your own company because if you don’t love your company, nobody else will’. Loving yourself or Self-love is an easy word to define, but we often neglect its importance. It is an important part of your mental — health and well-being.

Self-love may mean different to different people. So, what is Self-love? Self-love is not only about making yourself feel good, but it can have a much broader meaning.

It’s hard to believe that only half of 2021 is left. Though the world is slowly coming back to normal, India is having a second wave of the global pandemic, and it’s been really tough for every one of us. During this pandemic each of us are isolated at home, students with their

gravely ill Swamy, contracting Covid was a death knell. Adding to the woes, the prison reportedly had no allopathic doctor for medical treatment. He died on July 5, 2021 due to Covid complications at the age of 84.

It is absolutely unjust for a man, who gave close to four decades of his life, for the service of the poor, downtrodden and marginalized tribal community in Jharkhand to die this slow, painful death held as a prisoner for nine long months, awaiting trial.

With failing health, things were going beyond control and he had to literally beg for a straw and sipper, for several long weeks, as he was unable to hold a glass in his hands, due to Parkinson’s. When he was arrested in Ranchi, his belongings like a sipper, straw and winter clothes were confiscated. On November 6, he moved court seeking permission to allow a sipper and straw, after 20 days NIA said it does not have it.

The issue came to the public fore and they started ordering a sipper and straw online, displaying screenshots in social media, to be

delivered to the NIA headquarters for Swamy. Only after much public outcry, it was finally given to him on December 4, 2020.The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) also objected the denial as violation of his basic rights.

Swamy who stood for communal harmony, equality and justice was made to undergo undue terrible harassment, acute physical pain and mental agony, without any legal recourse or medical care. He earned the dubious distinction of being the oldest person to be accused of terrorism. He denied the charges two days before being taken into custody saying that he was implicated with incriminating evidence planted in his computer because he, like many others had expressed dissent against the ruling government.

Swamy was the Director of the Jesuit run “Indian Social Institute”, Bangalore for more than a decade. He had questioned the non-implementation of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution that stipulates setting up of a “Tribes Advisory Council” with members solely from the Adivasi

community for their protection and welfare.

He created awareness on the landowner’s right to claim compensation through the Land Acquisition Act, but sadly the landowners were thrown into jail when they did so. So he founded the “Persecuted Prisoners Solidarity Committee” to study the nature of under trial in the central tribal states of MP, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, WB and then sought legal recourse, by filing a case against Jharkhand State in Jharkhand High Court on behalf of about 3,000 young Adivasis languishing in jail. According to him, this became the bone of contention and those in power wanted to put him out of the way. Thus the serious charge of Bhima Koregaon violence was slapped on him. He was taken away first by Pune Police, then forcibly by NIA and interrogated. He however said that what was happening to him is not something unique to him, but a part of the broader process taking place all over the country, as many prominent intellectuals, lawyers, writers, poets, student

Learning self-love during this lockdown

daily online classes, parents busy homeschooling their children, rooms becoming a workplace and many more. It has somehow become difficult or rather uncomfortable for us to adapt to this new normal. Sometimes it becomes stressful of how things are going.

Likewise, I feel that every single person is having a hard time at this moment.

And so at this tough time are you giving time for yourself and allowing yourself to grow mentally and emotionally? The sudden change in our living and work has constantly made us occupied or engaged in something.

However, we should give time to ourselves to relax and rest. Sometimes it’s good to take a break.

So take deep breath, relax and try to learn to love yourself more.

For me, Self-love is about allowing yourself to grow slowly and accepting yourself for who you are in whatever situations you are in. It is about embracing your flaws, your weaknesses, loving all aspects of yourself and most im-

portantly having a high standard for your own well — being and happiness.

As a student, I feel that in this modern society we are so much influence by social media and quick changes in our surroundings that it often made us to compare ourselves with someone who has much better capabilities than us.

And so, it makes us feel insecure and self- conscious. Like Joe Duncan has quoted, ‘ The first step to accepting yourself is to STOP comparing yourself to others’, and I feel it is true. Not everyone is walking the same path of life as you are. Everyone has their own worries, problems and difficulties.

Not everyone is born the same. It is just a waste of time to feel unsure and think about it. When you stop comparing yourself with someone, you start to feel more confident, secure, and most importantly, you start loving yourself.

The next step, I would say, to Self-love is to let go of the past and to move on and learn from your mistakes. It is difficult to

bury the hardest time that you have faced. Nor will it be easy to forget that it happened. But remember that nothing can be done to undo it. Just remind yourself that you were strong enough to endure it and that it happens for a reason to either teach you a lesson or strengthen you. Making mistake is something that most of us are afraid of. No one is born perfect in this world, and so we should stop striving to do everything perfectly. It is okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are meant to remind you that you are trying and still learning. It is going to teach you the greatest lessons in life. So, try something new, make mistakes on the way and learn from it. But at the same time never forget to care for yourself.

Change yourself for yourself and not for others. Stop caring about what others think of you.

You are not born to please them. Start focusing on yourself, change for yourself and try to find joy in the little things that you do.

Start treasuring the people around you who appreci-

leaders were put in jail just because they have expressed dissent or raised questions, against the ruling powers of India. He said he was happy because he was not a silent spectator, but a part of the process, part of the game and was ready to pay the price, whatever be it.

While in Taloja Centra Prison, he highlighted the plight of the under trials, who were unaware of the charges against them and who had no legal or other assistance. He was optimistic, despite being imprisoned and wrote, “But we still can sing in chorus. A caged bird can still sing.” In his words, “If I don’t speak for the poor and the exploited then I am not true to myself ‘. He lived true to his words.

India, the largest democracy in the world has failed its citizens, by killing a man who was innocent, until proven guilty, a central tenet of criminal justice. A dead person cannot defend or justify his own cause, should we also be silent?

Kuolachalie Seyie, Trustee Member, Kezekevi Thehou Ba (KTB)

ates you for who you are.

Be always grateful for the things that God has given you and never complaint about the things that you don’t have.

Finally yet importantly, you have to respect yourself, care for your physical and mental health and always stay positive. During this lockdown, discover some new skills that you

think you will enjoy. Eat healthy food, get enough sleep and exercise to stay fit or even meditate to find peace in yourself. Thus, try to learn self-love during this lockdown and thrive to encourage yourself everyday with a positive mind, body and soul.

Merenmongla Aier, Class 12 Science, Modern College Kohima

Reader’s Post

Request to notify the exam date of advertised Hindi teachers post Sir,

With due respect and kind motive. I hereby ring knowledge to concern authority, to ensure transparency of the advertised 84 Hindi teachers post. Dated 16th January 2020, Advt no ED/HT/ADVT-1/2015-16/12 and assure aspirants that exam will be conducted as per the directives issue by the govt and by adhering all covid safety measures. It’s over a year yet no notifications was issued till date. As there’s a saying; “Patience has its limits”.

It’s my earnest appeal to kind authority to consider the fact and issue notification for the exam at the earliest.

Aben, Mokokchung

Reader’s note: Articles or letters published in any of the columns do not reflect the view of this newspaper nor that of the Editor in any manner.

7

NATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

BJP cites news portal’s Pegasus spyware: Phone numbers Mumbai rains: 31 dead funding to demean India of over 40 Indian journalists leaked CM UDDHAV THACKERAY SOUNDS ORANGE ALERT FOR NEXT 5 DAYS

Firemen and rescue workers after a wall collapsed on some shanties in Chembur’s Bharat Nagar area. (PTI)

Travel Affected: The Western Railway and Central Railway briefly suspended suburban train services in Mumbai after the heavy rains, and many longdistance trains were terminated or regulated at various stations. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) had also temporarily suspended flight operations between 12:42 am to 05:24 am on July 18, as a safety precaution. A total of 9 flights were diverted. Flight operations commenced post 05:24 am, however, and are now proceeding as scheduled.

Ex-gratia Announced: Uddhav Thackeray had earlier in the day expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of each of the victims. Prime

Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind had also mourned the loss of lives.

‘Full Fur y’: “Last night Mumbai faced a weather system of extremely heavy rainfall accompanied by thundering and lightning, some parts crossing 200 mm of rain in 3 hours. These were mini cloudbursts in a short span with the full fury of nature,” Aaditya Thackeray said in a tweet.

Images from a Doppler radar showed that the thunderstorm had a cloud top height of nearly 18 km (around 60,000 feet), the IMD said. “To put in other words, the height/vertical extent of this monster thunderstorm is approximately twice that of Mount Everest!” tweeted meteorologist Akshay Deoras.

MPs urge Centre to restore MPLAD fund suspended last year

NEW DELHI, JUL 18 (AGENCIES): At the meeting chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on the eve of the Monsoon Session, Members of Parliament raised the issue of restoring MPLADS (Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme), which were suspended last year for two years so that the government could use them in Covid-19 management efforts.

MPs told the Speaker that without the MPLAD funds, they were “powerless and helpless in their own constituency”. The Speaker agreed to take up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said time was needed for it to be restored.

All MPs, PM Modi and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and President Ram Nath Kovind had taken salary cut of 30% due to the impact of Covid-19.

Floor leaders includ-

ing Congress’s Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Trinamool Congress’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay, TR Baalu from DMK, Rakhi Mishra from BJD, Ritesh Pandey from Bahujan Samaj Party and Midhun Reddy from YSR Congress attended the meeting.

The MPs also said there were too many bills that the government had listed for the Monsoon Session, which did not leave enough time for them to discuss the issues of urgent public matter.

The speaker assured the leaders that he would try his best to ensure that every party got adequate opportunity to raise the matter they wanted to. Towards the end of the meeting, PM Modi had an informal chat with the leaders and said everyone should work for the productive session of Parliament.

NEW DELHI, JUL 18 (PTI): Seizing on the alleged dubious foreign funding of a news portal, the BJP claimed on Sunday that “anti-india” elements in league with foreign forces are part of a conspiracy to demean the country and target the Modi government. Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra cited media reports about the Enforcement Directorate probe into the portal, Newsclick, and said that it received FDI of Rs 9.59 crore and foreign funding of another Rs 28.46 crore to dubious purposes. Money was diverted to various people, including activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, he alleged, saying this was a “price tag” to foment anti-india sentiments, “abuse” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and do propaganda for foreign forces. “Anti-India forces are doing this conspiracy in league with foreign forces,”

he said, alleging that the portal wore the mask of a media house to demean India.

Some mainstream politicians of India and foreign forces are also with such portals, and they have been working as a gang in a planned way, he alleged.

Patra claimed that whenever any “good” thing happens in the country, be it the Covid vaccination policy or the Central Vista project, some people targeted it.

He alleged that the incident highlights the role of foreign funding and foreign conspiracy behind such campaigns to demean India.

The Central Vista project received nod from courts but some people still went ahead with their agenda in a “stubborn” manner to demean India, he said.

Since Modi became prime minister, he has been a thorn in the flesh of some leaders not only here but also of foreign forces, Patra claimed.

Haryana extends lockdown till July 26

CHANDIGARH, JUL 18 (PTI): The Haryana government on Sunday extended the coronavirus lockdown in the state by another week, till July 26, while allowing restaurants, bars and clubs to open for one more hour, up to 11 pm.

According to the an order issued by Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan, “The Mahamari Alert-Surakshit Haryana is extended for another week, that is from July 19 (5 am onwards) to July 26 (till 5 am) in the state of Haryana.”

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vector of surveillance, i.e.

Pegasus.

A good chunk of the journalists who appear in the records are based out of the national capital and work with prominent organisations.

Fo r i n s t a n c e, t h e leaked data shows that at least four current employees and one former employee of the Hindustan Times group were of potential interest to the Indian Pegasus client – executive editor Shishir Gupta, editorial page editor and former bureau chief Prashant Jha, defence correspondent Rahul Singh, former political reporter who covered the Congress Aurangazeb Naqshbandi, and a reporter in HT’s sister paper, Mint.

Other prominent media houses also had at least one journalist whose phone number appears in the leaked records.

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she was investigating the dealings of a prominent minister, Piyush Goyal, with businessman Ajay Piramal, The Wire said.

The number of former Indian Express journalist Sushant Singh appears on the list in mid2018, at a time when he was working on an investigation into the controversial Rafale aircraft deal with France, besides other stories. Digital forensics conducted on Singh’s current phone showed signs of Pegasus infection earlier this year.

The Wire said the list of journalists to emerge from the Pegasus Project’s reporting cannot be considered exhaustive list or even a representative sample of reporters subject to official snooping as it is limited to an analysis of one leaked dataset over a narrow time period and covering only one potential

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NEW DELHI, JUL 18 (IANS): The Pegasus snoop list has 40 Indian journalists and forensic tests confirm presence of Pegasus spyware on some devices, The Wire reported.

Those on leaked list of potential targets include journalists at Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Wire, Indian Express, News18, India Today, Pioneer, besides freelancers, columnists, and regional media.

The presence of a phone number in the data does alone not reveal whether a device was infected with Pegasus or subject to an attempted hack.

However, the Pegasus Project, a consortium of international news organisations, believes the data is indicative of potential targets identified in advance of possible surveillance attempts.

Two founding editors of The Wire are on this list, as is its diplomatic editor and two of its regular contributors, including Rohini Singh. Singh’s number appears after she filed back-to-back reports on the business affairs of Home Minister Amit Shah’s son, Jay Shah, and Nikhil Merchant, a businessman who is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and while

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MUMBAI, JUL 18 (AGENCIES): Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday met with officials after thirtyone people were killed in separate incidents of landslides in Mumbai as the city witnessed frightening rains, reports news18.com Incessant heavy downpour overnight during a major thunderstorm pummeled Mumbai, causing severe waterlogging and traffic disruptions in the financial capital starting late Saturday. An orange alert was issued for Mumbai and coastal Maharashtra for the next five days, as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation continues to shift people out of low-lying areas, and where landslides are anticipated, the Chief Minister said in the meeting.

31 Die in landsliderelated incidents: While twenty-one people were killed after a wall collapsed on shanties in Chembur, ten people were killed in Vikhroli as some hutments collapsed, both incidents owing themselves to landslides.

While rescue operations by the NDRF have concluded, Thackeray said BMC staff is on duty for the next 24 hours for any concerning developments.

No rescue operations are slated for Monday.

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AHMEDABAD, JUL 18 (PTI): A tremor of 3.9 magnitude hit Gujarat’s Kutch district on Sunday, officials said.

There was no report of any casualty or damage to property, they said.

The tremor of 3.9 magnitude was recorded at 12.43 pm at a depth of 14.2 km, with its epicentre located 19 km north-northeast (NNE) of Bhachau in Kutch district, an official from the Gandhinagar-based Institute of Seismological Research said.

The seismic activity was recorded a day after the same region witnessed a tremor of 1.6 magnitude at 12.02 pm on Saturday, at 21 km NNE of Bhachau, the official said.

Kutch district is located in a “very high risk seismic zone”, as per the state disaster management authority.

The district witnessed a devastating earthquake of 6.9 magnitude in January 2001.

dC-592

Mild tremor at Kutch in Gujarat

Sericulture dept to promote scientific...

(From p-1) Meanwhile, during a visit to sericulture farm at Tsiesema, about 14 km from the State Capital, Kohima district sericulture officer Vilhousienuo Khro stressed that eri-culture should start from grassroots where both young and old could rear.

She mentioned that the department intended to increase the number of silkworm rearing farmers to help the farmers and also to increase cocoon production.

She said the farm was a facilitating centre for Kohima district with space for training, plantation, weaving unit, staff quarters, etc.

Khro informed this

correspondent that over 500 farmers in five blocks of Kohima district were into silkworm rearing, adding that farmers could rear in three cycles a year. He pointed out that nothing got wasted in eri-culture as even the litters were excellent manure and farmers fetched handsome returns by selling pupa and cocoon.

Mentioning that Tseninyu sub-division and Chiephobozou had the highest cocoon producing blocks in Kohima district, which alone produced 4.3 metric tonne of cocoon in 2020, assistant sericulture officer Keneizetuo Khro, who too was present, said 11 staffs from the department were manning the sericulture

Crossword

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KAKURO

farm.

Mentioning that farmers would be assisted for two years under new scheme, he said silkworm and postcocoon activities like spinning, yarning and weaving training were imparted to the farmers so that they could get maximum benefits out of the cocoon.

With department SHG weaving unit in place, the cocoons are utilised to make fibres for making different kinds of clothes. The department also runs an emporium at the sericulture directorate where varieties of products are put on display for sale.

During Hornbill festival, the products attract lot of visitors who want to buy original silk products.

OMCs pause petrol, diesel price hike on Sunday Oil marketing companies (OMC) hit the pause button on the incessant rise in petrol and diesel prices on Sunday. In the national capital, petrol was sold for Rs 101.84 per litre, while diesel was also sold at the unchanged price of Rs 89.87 a litre. On Saturday, petrol price was increased by 30 paise, while diesel was kept unchanged.

TSUD concerned over resuming offline...

(From p-1) It, however, appealed to all the educational institutions to consider those parents who had been regularly paying fees.

While facilities like lunch, electricity, buses services and other facilities were not used, TSUD said the public understood that salaries of cooks and drivers should be raised from students. But it would greatly alleviate the parents if a small percentage could be deducted, the student body added. Acknowledging the institutions that voluntarily waived off certain percentage of fees since the pandemic last year, TSUD said some were realising the full amount from students and hence appealed to all to consider fee deduction as humanly as possible.

The union appreciated all institutions for adapting to Covid-19 situation and continuing to provide education to the student community. “Efforts of the teachers in adjusting with the environment created by the pandemic are another example of their sincere dedication and their desire to motivate and provide education to all students.

TSUD salutes the pioneers of all educational institutions who have embarked on the noble journey of providing education to the younger generations,” the release added.

TSUD said it saluted all the educational institutions and teachers for giving their best to uplift the student community during these perilous times.

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NEW DELHI, JUL 18 (PTI): India’s video OTT market is expected to touch $12.5 billion by 2030 from about $1.5 billion in 2021 on the back of access to better networks, digital connectivity and smartphones, according to a report by RBSA Advisors.

The report noted that the next wave of growth in the OTT landscape will come from tier II, III and IV cities and the Indian language speaking population.

“OTT industry is poised for aggressive growth prospects with access to better networks, digital connectivity and smartphones.

OTT platforms in India have been increasingly attracting subscribers on a daily basis. Apart from top favourites Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, the space is seeing a plethora of local and regional OTT players,” it added.

These include players like SonyLIV, Voot, Zee5, ErosNow, ALTBalaji, Hoichoi and Adda Times among others.

The report said the Indian video OTT market

in India is expected to grow from $1.5 billion in 2021 to $4 billion in 2025 and further to $12.5 billion by 2030.

The audio OTT market - which sees participation from players like Gaana, Jio Saavn, Wynk Music, Spotify and others is also poised to grow from $0.6 billion in 2021 to $1.1 billion in 2025 and further to $2.5 billion by 2030, it added.

“The OTT market in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 28.6 per cent over the next four years.

RBSA believes that this industry has the potential to grow to be $15 billion industry over the next 9 to 10 years,” it said.

The report highlighted that Covid-19 pandemic has been a game-changer

and OTT video streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Voot, SonyLIV and others had gained immense popularity in India.

It added that the OTT landscape is expected to get hyper competitive in next 4–5 years, and the OTT service providers will strive to emerge as the preferred platform among the consumers.

The massive investments made by OTT services like Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ Hotstar and others in originals as well as acquired content will help subscription video-on-demand make up 93% of the total OTT revenue (as compared to 87% globally), increasing at a CAGR of 30.7% between 2019-2024, it said.

Assam police camp in Daldali RF could cause disharmony: UNTABA

(From p-1) They demanded that if the Nagaland government could not open new battalions, then the existing battalions should be brought immediately along the border.

Meanwhile, UNTABA proposed to the Nagaland government to hold a chief ministerial-level meeting immediately to conduct comprehensive review of the Interim Agreements of 1972 and 79 for i) adopting appropriate step to de-notify Dispute Area Belt (DAB) and remove

DAB tag from all “ancestral and historical Naga lands” bordering Assam and ii) adopting appropriate step to remove “neutral forces” (CRPF) and assume the civil and police administrations in all these areas directly.

The association also proposed to the State government to persuade Government of Assam to withdraw the “infamous” civil suit no. 2 of 1988 from Supreme Court so that inter-State boundary dispute could be settled on “historical basis” for all

time to come.

UNTABA asserted that the traditional and historical boundary between the two States was Dhodhar Ali or Naga Bund that runs from Golaghat to Upper Assam and from Golaghat downward from Daigurung river to Kaliani river then to Kopili river down to Barak river.

It stressed that until a solution was brought to the inter-State boundary dispute on the basis of historical facts, there could never be permanent peace between the two States.

RPP slams govt’s Several factors still hinder monetary order to withhold... transmission to bank rates: RBI (From p-1) RPP said this notification has left the government of Nagaland “walking on thin line”. RPP said the notification issue was not only irrational but also such action also raises doubts whether the government, in forcing lakhs of state employees to take tests every 15 days, was trying to mobilise funds through dubious methods. The party termed this as nothing but “ extortion” which is another blunder after the government had to withdraw its cess on fuel. RPP said the state government “is again playing with the livelihood of its own employees.”

MUMBAI, JUL 18 (IANS): Although transmission of deposit and lending rates has significantly improved in recent times, several factors continue to obstruct effective monetary transmission to these bank rates, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said.

The RBI Bulletin for July 2021 noted that the central bank has made several attempts to improve the effectiveness of monetary transmission by refining the process of interest rates setting by banks.

Noting that the recent developments in respect of

transmission to deposit and lending rates has shown improvement, it said: “However, there are several factors which continue to impede monetary transmission to deposit and lending rates of banks.”

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It noted the ministry had received requests for further extension of the time period beyond the earlier one which expired on March 30 as “there is a continued requirement to expedite drug manufacturing” in view of the outbreak of the second wave of the pandemic. Rules notified under the 1986 Act classify projects into three categories — category ‘A’ which needs to be appraised by the ministry, category ‘B’ where states need to give clearance and category ‘B2’ which exempts projects from EIA and public hearing.

bia and the UAE put off a deal at Opec on production cuts earlier, it is becoming increasingly clear that Opec+ is nearing a deal that would give it better terms and allow the cartel to boost output in the coming months.

Already Opec output in June increased by 590,000 bpd to 26.03 million bpd.

In July, the output has increased further and may increase again next month.

If this happens and cases of Delta variant of Covid continues to rise globally, there could be added pressure on oil that can see a fall from current levels in coming months.

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Category ‘B2’ projects,” said the notification under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. At the same time, it clarified that all such projects/activities after December 31 would be considered as per provisions in force at that time. The ministry in its notification justified the liberal approach in granting green clearance due to the existing Covid-19 threat. It said, “The Centre deems it necessary to provide another window (of exemption) in view of the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic and continued requirement of expeditious drug manufac-

NEW DELHI, JUL 18 (IANS): Fuel consumers may get some respite from rising prices of petrol and diesel as global oil scenario is expected to soften down in the coming days with oil cartel Opec reaching an agreement to raise production to meet the growing demand.

The increase in Covid cases globally have made the oil market uncertain as it has the potential to erode demand quickly.

The benchmark Brent crude declined by 3 per cent to settle at around $73 a barrel, while US crude has fallen by about 4 per cent to settle at about $71 a barrel.

The fall this month has come after crude fell in the previous eight months as the global economy recovered from the pandemic.

Sources said after differences between Saudi Ara-

India’s video OTT market to touch $12.5 bn by 2030: Report

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NEW DELHI, JUL 18 (IANS): Amid continued threat of Covid-19 pandemic and possibility of its third wave, the Centre has exempted drug manufacturers from stringent environmental clearance processes till December 31.

Under the exemption, notified by the environment ministry on Friday, all such proposals will be appraised for speedy green clearances by putting activities relating to ‘active pharmaceutical ingredients’ (API) under ‘B2’ category projects.

Since projects under ‘B2’ category do not require environment impact assessment and public hearings, drug manufacturers can get speedy green clearance.

The flexibility may help domestic drug manufacturers become self-reliant in the manufacture of APIs which are used as raw materials for producing medicines. “All proposals for projects or activities in respect of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, received from 16th July, 2021 to 31st December, 2021, shall be appraised as

Covid resurgence, Opec supplies hike could come to India’s aid

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Europe flood fury: hundreds remain missing Cubans gather in support of revolution EUROPE, JUL 18 (AGENCIES): Rescue crews have been racing to find survivors of floods that have wreaked havoc across western Europe, killing at least 170 people, reports BBC News Many people are still missing after record rainfall triggered severe floods in Germany and Belgium, and the death toll is expected to rise further.

Submerged cars are being searched for bodies as flood waters begin to recede.

But a senior German politician has been criticised for laughing during a visit to affected areas.

Armin Laschet, who is the conservative candidate to replace outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel, was caught on camera apparently joking with colleagues as President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was expressing sympathy to victims.

Mr Laschet later tweeted (in German) that he regretted his behaviour, but commentators and politicians were quick to condemn him. “Laschet laughs while the country cries,”

Firefighters on the roof of their vehicle Thursday climb into an inundated house in Trier, western Germany.

Bild newspaper said on its website. Mrs Merkel herself is expected to visit the region on Sunday afternoon.

European leaders have blamed climate change for the floods, which have also affected Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Experts say global warming makes torrential rainfall more likely.

The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began.

At least 143 people are now known to have died

in the floods in Germany, including four firefighters.

Rescue teams were hampered by difficult conditions on Friday, leaving relatives of the missing waiting anxiously for news.

But by Saturday the authorities said numbers of people unaccounted for had been steadily decreasing.

The states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland have been the worst affected by the rainfall.

And though the risk of

further flooding is diminishing there is growing concern about the Steinbachtal dam in North Rhine-Westphalia, south-west of the city of Bonn. Inspectors say large parts of the structure have come away leaving it extremely unstable, and more people may be asked to leave their homes.

Meanwhile emergency workers have been searching abandoned cars on the stillflooded B265 road, but fire service spokesman Elmar Mettke said no bodies had yet been found.

“It seems like in the cars we have checked so far the occupants have all reached dry land unscathed.

But we will continue to look and it will be a while until we are done here,” he told Reuters news agency.

A resident of Schuld in the Rhineland-Palatinate district of Ahrweiler told AFP news agency that cars had been washed away and houses knocked down in scenes he likened to a “war zone”. In the nearby spa town of Bad NeuenahrAhrweiler residents were determined to begin the huge

clean-up operation, scraping mud from the streets and clearing piles of debris.

But many businesses and livelihoods in the town have been swept away. Nearly 100 people in Ahrweiler are believed to have died.

Despite the ongoing rescue efforts, people have reportedly been travelling to see the damage, leading the police in Mainz to ask people not to “tour a disaster area” where people had suffered so much loss. Similar warnings have been issued in the Netherlands, according to NOS.com.

In Belgium, the army has been sent to four of the country’s 10 provinces to help with rescue and evacuations. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo declared 20 July a national day of mourning.

He said the floods which have claimed at least 27 lives in Belgium - could be “the most catastrophic our country has ever seen”.

Rescue workers from France, Italy and Austria were sent to the city of Liege, where residents were evacuated after flash floods.

Cubans throng public spaces as they express their discontent over the goverment’s economic policies.

H AVA N A , J U L 1 8 (IANS): Thousands of Cubans gathered at the La Piragua esplanade in Havana to express their support of the island nation’s government after the recent unrest.

Raul Castro, leader of the Cuban socialist revolution, President Miguel Diaz-Canel, high-ranking officials, and leaders of social organisations attended the event on Saturday, reports Xinhua news agency Addressing the au-

dience, Diaz-Canel said that the Cuban revolution continues to stand by its people, and accused the US administration of sponsoring a political and communicational campaign against the Caribbean country.

Abiding by social distancing guidelines and mask mandates, participants held national flags and patriotic banners in support of the Cuban socialist revolution, and dozens of people waved from

balconies.

Unity has helped Cubans overcome crises, said Gerardo Hernandez, national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, adding that the US administration wanted to destabilize the tranquility of the island’s neighbourhoods.

“This revolution was made by Raul (Castro) and Fidel (Castro) for the humble, with the humble, and for the sake of the humble,” he said, adding that the Cuban government will continue the work initiated by its predecessors.

Julio Cesar Crespo, who works at Havana’s Higher Institute of International Relations “Raul Roa Garcia”, told Xinhua that young people in Cuba were committed to the development of socialism on the island.

“We have to defend the revolution, which has been a beacon for all Cubans,” he said. “ We c a n n o t l o s e (what) all we have shed so much blood for. Today we come to reaffirm our revolutionary convictions.”

China’s first human infection S.Africa to prioritise prosecution of suspects for violence case with Monkey B Virus dies

The virus, initially isolated in 1932, is an alphaherpesvirus enzootic in macaques of the genus Macaca. Photo- VCG

BEIJING, JUL 18 (IANS): A Beijing-based vet, who was confirmed as China’s first human infection case with Monkey B Virus (BV), has died from the virus, but his close contacts are safe from it, for now, Global Times reported.

The 53-year-old male vet, who worked for an institution researching on non-human primates, showed early-onset symptoms of nausea and vomiting, a month after he dissected two dead monkeys in early March.

Beijing renews orange alert for rainstorms BEIJING, JUL 18 (IANS): The Beijing Meteorological Observatory on Sunday issued an orange warning for rainstorms after the accumulated downpour in some areas of the Chinese capital had exceeded 150 mm.

Mountainous areas are at risk of secondary disasters such as floods and mountain torrents, while water logging is expected in low-lying urban areas, said the Observatory.

China has a four-tier colour-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue, reports Xinhua news agency.

Some scenic spots in Beijing, including Fragrant Hills Park, Beijing Botanical Garden and the Mutianyu section of the Great

Wall, were temporarily closed on Sunday.

The Jin’anqiao subway station was also closed down due to water-logging outside the station.

Several road sections in Fangshan district were disrupted due to rain-triggered landslides, while six railway bridges in districts of Shijingshan, Changping, Fengtai and Mentougou have been closed due to ponding.

The municipal water affairs bureau activated a level IV emergency response for floods on Sunday morning, the lowest of the four-tier emergency response system.

It has mobilised 8,000 people and three emergency monitoring and reporting teams to make preparations for flood control.

The vet sought treatment in several hospitals and eventually died on M ay 2 7 , C h i n a C D C Weekly English Platform of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed.

It said that there were no fatal or even clinically evident BV infections in China before, thus the vet’s case marks the first human infection case with BV identified in China.

Researchers have collected the cerebrospinal fluid of the veterinarian in April and identified him as positive for BV, yet samples of his close contacts suggested negative results for the virus. The virus, initially isolated in 1932, is an alphaherpesvirus enzootic in macaques of the genus Macaca.

and public violence. We are ensuring that nothing disrupts the processing of these matters and that the public can have trust and confidence in our criminal justice system,” Lamola said on Saturday.

“The directions provide for, among other things, the postponement of cases through audiovisual links and the compilation of a priority roll at each court which will enable the courts to prioritise the hearing of priMobs indulging in loot, arson and violence. Image -Reuters ority cases which include gender-based violence and JOHANNESBURG, JUL violence, public disorder sexual offences, corruption 18 (IANS): South African and massive looting which Minister of Justice and took place recently be expeCorrectional Services Ron- dited, reports Xinhua news ald Lamola unveiled direc- agency. tions to fast track trials of “These directions will those who were involved enable our courts and the in the looting and public justice system to respond violence since July 7. effectively and appropriateThe directions de- ly to deal with cases flowmand that cases of public ing from the recent unrest

cases, cases involving children and contravention of Covid-19 regulations.”

Lamola said, if necessary, additional dedicated staff including from a pool of experienced retired magistrates and prosecutors will be called upon in order to fast-track these cases where hundreds of arrests have already been effected.

More than 2,500 people have been arrested in connection with the violent protests in the country in the past week over former president Jacob Zuma’s imprisonment.

The death toll has in-

creased to 212.

In the wake of the violence, the number of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) deployed has increased to 25,000.

The deployment will remain until August 12.

Zuma, once known for his fight against apartheid, has been imprisoned in the Estcourt Correctional Centre for 15 months for disobeying court orders.

He did not testify before the judicial commission that was investigating accusations of corruption against him between 20092018.

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

NAGALAND STATE EGOVERNANCE SOCIETY ( NSeGS) DIRECTORATE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATION (Below New Secretariat) Thizama Road, Nagaland: Kohima 797001

Dated kohima, 19th July 2021

No.NSeGS/EA-1/ 2021

NOTICE INVITING E-TENDER REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) SELECTION OF CONSULTANCY AGENCY FOR ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS OF IT E-READINESS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE The Nagaland State e-Governance Society (NSeGS) invites e-Tenders from eligible for Assessment and Analysis of IT e-Readiness for Implementation of Enterprise Architecture.

Interested Bidders are requested to download the e-Tender Documents from www. nagalandtenders.gov.in and or www.nagaland.gov.in. All Bids should be submitted only through the e-Tender Portal www.nagalandtenders.gov.in and bids submitted through any other means shall not be accepted.

Important Dates Sl 1 2 3 4 5 6

Events Start date of issuance / sale of RFP document Start date and time for RFP Submission Last date and time for RFP Submission Date and time of opening of Pre-Qualification bids Date and time for opening of Technical bids Date and time for opening of Commercial bids

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Date 19th July 2021 6th August 2021, 2:00 PM 14th August 2021, 2:00 PM 16th August 2021, 12:00 Noon 17th August 2021, 12:00 Noon 20th August 2021, 2:00 PM Sd/Member Secretary (NSeGS) & Director, Department of IT&C, Govt of Nagaland Issued by DIPR

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KABUL, JUL 18 (IANS): At least 53 Taliban militants were killed and 38 others injured in multiple airstrikes and fierce battles in Afghanistan in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday.

In Kapisa province, 18 militants were killed and 24 wounded after Afghan Air Force (AAF) conducted airstrikes in support of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in the Tagab and Nijrab districts, Xinhua news agency reported citing a Ministry statement as saying.

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53 Taliban militants dead in 24 hours

INFOTAINMENT

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NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

‘Titane’ wins Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival T he 2021 Cannes Film Festival officially came to an end with the awards ceremony in which this year’s competition jury named the best films and performances of the festival. With Spike Lee serving as president, the jury featured director Mati Diop, singer/songwriter Mylène Farmer, actress/director Maggie Gyllenhaal, writer/director Jessica Hausner, actress/director Mélanie Laurent, writer/ director Kleber Mendonça Filho, actor Tahar Rahim, and actor Song Kang-ho.

Find the full list of winners below.

In a historic win, Julia Ducournau won the Palme d’Or for her film “Titane,” which Neon releases stateside this year.

This makes her only the second female director ever to win the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize, including Jane Campion in 1993 for “The Piano.” (In a gaffe that briefly stunned the audience, Spike Lee accidentally announced the Palme winner at the top of the ceremony.)

Since the 2020 festival was cancelled due to the pandemic, the last film to take the Palme d’Or (the

Director Julia Ducournau, Palme d’Or award winner for the film “Titane” at the 74th Cannes Film Festival. (Reuters)

festival’s top prize) was Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” in 2019 — a film that went all the way to the Oscars, winning Best Picture the following year.

This year’s jury had plenty to choose from, with new films from Leos Carax, Wes Anderson, Julia Ducournau, Paul Verhoeven, Asghar Farhadi, Sean Bak-

er, and many more playing the festival in competition.

As is tradition, the festival’s big winners will screen one more time for those still in France on Sunday.

Full Cannes winners list

Palme d’Or : “Titane” Grand Prix : (tie) “A Hero” and “Compartment No. 6” Jury Prize : (tie) “Ahed’s Knee” and “Memoria” Best Actress : Renate Reinsve, “The Worst Person in the World” Best Actor : Caleb Landry Jones, “Nitram” Best Director : Leos Carax, “Annette” Best Screenplay : Ryusuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car” Camera d’Or : “Murina” by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović Short Film Palme d’Or : Tian Xia Wu Ya by Tang Yi Special Jury Mention for Short Film : “Ceu de Agosto” by Jasmin Tenucci

In a return to form after two years, this year’s Cannes delivered quite the wide range of cinematic experiences, from bigger studio fare like Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” and Matt Damon in Tom McCarthy’s “Stillwater” to provocative new entries from Ducour nau (“Titane”) and Carax (“Annette”).

At the beginning of the festival, Jodie Foster kicked off the proceedings by accepting the festival’s Honorar y Palme d’Or prize. An Honorary Palme also went to Marco Bellocchio during the ceremony.

Also already announced were awards out of the Un Certain Regard and Critics’ Week lineups. Kira Kovalenko’s “Unclenching the Fists” won the top prize out of Un Certain Regard from a jury led by Andrea Arnold, who premiered her own documentar y, “Cow,” out of competition at Cannes. In the Critics’ Week sidebar, Omar El Zohairi’s “Feathers” won the top prize from a jury led by Cristian Mungiu, himself a Palme d’Or winner for 2007’s “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.”

(IndieWire)

Britney Spears says won’t perform while her father controls career

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ritney Spears on Saturday said she would not perform again while her father retains control over her career, and said the conservatorship she has been under for 13 years had “killed my dreams.”

Her remarks, in a lengthy Instagram post, were the latest in a series of emotional public comments about the conservatorship that controls her personal and financial affairs and which she has begged to be brought to an end.

“I’m not gonna be performing on any stages anytime soon with my dad handling what I wear, say, do, or think,” the “Piece of Me” singer wrote. “ I ’d mu c h r a t h e r share videos YES from my living room instead of onstage in Vegas... I’m not gonna put on heavy makeup and try try try on stage again and not be able to do the real deal with remixes of my songs for years,” she added.

The pop star’s father, Jamie Spears, has sole control of his daughter’s $60 million estate under the

court-appointed conservatorship that he set up in 2008.

Spears, 39, who has undisclosed mental health issues, has not performed in public since late 2018 at the end of a world tour and an extended concert residency in Las Vegas.

Spears this week appointed a new lawyer to represent her in her bid to bring the conservatorship to an end, calling it abusive. read more “This conservatorship killed my dreams ... so all I have is hope and hope is the only thing in this world that is very hard to kill,” she wrote on Saturday.

“I didn’t like the way the documentaries bring up humiliating moments from the past ... I’m way past all that and have been for a long time,” she added.

One of the documentaries, “Framing Britney Spears,” brought wider attention to the conservatorship and swelled public support for Spears. It was nominated this week for two Emmy awards. read more Spears and her lawyer have yet to file a formal request to end the conservatorship. The next court hearing is Sept. 29 in Los Angeles.

(Reuters)

No sign of Covid-19 vaccine in breast milk: Study How our immune system may help prevent miscarriage T V

accines against Covid-19 were not detected in human milk, according to a small study, indicating vaccine safety for pregnant and lactating women and providing early evidence that the shots are not transferred to the infant.

Researchers from the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco (UCSF) analysed the breast milk of seven women after they received the mRNA vaccines -- Pfizer and Moderna -- and found no trace of the vaccines that are known to inhibit transmission of SARS-CoV2, a virus that causes Covid-19.

The study, detailed in JAMA Pediatrics, offers the first direct data of vaccine safety during breastfeeding and could allay concerns among those who have declined vaccination or discontinued breastfeeding due to concern that vaccination might alter human milk.

The World Health Organisation recommends that breastfeeding people be vaccinated, and the Acad-

emy of Breastfeeding Medicine has said there is a little risk of vaccine nanoparticles or mRNA entering breast tissue or being transferred to milk, which theoretically could affect infant immunity.

“The results strengthen current recommendations that the mRNA vaccines are safe in lactation, and that lactating individuals who receive the Covid vaccine should not stop breastfeeding,” said Stephanie L. Gaw, Assistant Professor of Maternal-Foetal Medicine at UCSF. “We didn’t detect the vaccine as-

sociated with mRNA in any of the milk samples tested,” said lead author Yarden Golan, a postdoctoral fellow at UCSF. “These findings provide experimental evidence regarding the safety of the use of mRNA-based vaccines during lactation.”

The study was conducted from December 2020 to February 2021.

The mothers’ mean age was 37.8 years and their children ranged in age from one month to three years.

Milk samples were collected prior to vaccination and at various times up to 48 hours after vaccination.

Researchers found that none of the samples showed detectable levels of vaccine mRNA in any component of the milk.

However, the authors noted that the study was limited by the small sample size and said that further clinical data from larger populations were needed to better estimate the effect of the vaccines on lactation outcomes.

(IANS)

he US researchers have discovered a class of immune cells that plays a role in miscarriage, which affects about a quarter of pregnancies.

Researchers at University of California-San Francisco found that the recently discovered subset of cells known as extrathymic Aire-expressing cells in the immune system may prevent the mother’s immune system from attacking the placenta and foetus.

The researchers showed that pregnant mice who did not have this subset of cells were twice as likely to miscarry, and in many of these pregnancies foetal growth was severely restricted.

“When you’re pregnant, the immune system is seeing the placenta for the first time in decades -- not since the mother made a placenta when she herself was a foetus,”

said Eva Gillis-Buck, from UCSF. “Our research suggests that this subset of immune cells is carrying out a sort of ‘secondary education’ -- sometimes many years after the betterknown population of the educator cells have carried out the primary education in the thymus -- teaching T cells not to attack the foetus, the placenta and other tissues involved in pregnancy,” she added.

The findings are published in the journal Science Immunology.

The immune system has to be educated not to attack one’s own tissues and organs to prevent autoimmune disease.

But pregnancy presents a unique challenge, since the foetus expresses proteins found in the placenta as well as proteins whose genetics are distinct from the mother.

“It was a conceptual

leap to link Aire-expressing cells, which are critical for preventing autoimmune disease, to pregnancy,” said Tippi Mackenzie, Professor of surgery at UCSF’s Center for Maternal Foetal Precision Medicine.

In the thymus, Aireexpressing cells begin interacting with other immune cells very early in life to teach them what not to attack.

The thymus begins to shrink and is nearly gone by adulthood, by which time most immune cells have been educated. But as the thymus shrinks, the population of eTACs in lymph nodes and the spleen expands, the researchers explained.

The study suggests a healthy pregnancy may depend on having these cells around, they added.

(IANS)

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capable of doing another.

For me, it was very cut and dried that I wasn’t coming back,” he said.

Following a two-year break, however, he was approached by producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson and realised that he’d changed his opinion on the matter.

“I went and did other things. I got some separation. My family forgave me for being away from home for that length of time,” he said.

In other Bond news, former 007 star Pierce Brosnan has said that Tom Hardy and Idris Elba are good fits for the role after Craig.

“Idris Elba comes to mind,” he told People last month. “Idris is such a powerful presence and such a great former voice tensity.

He would be magnificent.

There’s Tom Hardy out there as well. Tom can really chew the furniture up, just be a ball boy – both men can.”

(NME)

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aniel Craig has revealed that his own rumination on Casino Royale partly inspired him to take the role of 007 for a final time.

The James Bond actor, who bows out as Britain’s famous fictional spy in No Time To Die this autumn, said in a new interview that his idea for the new film to be a direct conclusion to the events seen in his first Bond film, Casino Royale (2006), helped him decide to reprise his role.

He told GamesRadar: “We started talking about it and I went, ‘There might be a story we need to finish here – something we started in Casino [Royale]. Something to do with Vesper [Eva Green’s character], and Spectre, and something that was connected, in a way.’ It started to formulate. And I thought, ‘Here we go.’”

Craig added that other factors played a part in influencing his decision, such as his family. “I thought I probably was physically not

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Craig says ‘Casino Royale’ plot persuaded him to play Bond again

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Russia at Tokyo Olympics with new name

TOKYO, JUL 18 (AP): Russia is competing under another new name at the Tokyo Olympics, the latest fallout from the Games’ longest-running doping saga.

You won’t see the Russian flag above any podiums but the national colours are on the uniforms.

Doping cases old and new still cast a shadow over the team. Two swimmers from the Tokyo team have been suspended for cases dating back years and two rowers tested positive last month.

Rebranding Russia: This time it’s not Russia, or even the Olympic Athletes from Russia. It’s the Russian Olympic Committee.

Officially the athletes will represent not their country, but the ROC, and Russia’s name, flag and anthem are banned. Critics point out that it will be hard to spot the difference when Russian teams are wearing full national colours.

The new rules — an evolution of the “OAR” restrictions used at the 2018 Winter Olympics — are a confusing patchwork of dos and don’ts. Russian red, white and blue on uniforms

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NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

Russia’s official kit for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

are fine — the blocks of colour on the official tracksuits form one big flag — but not the word “Russia,” the flag itself or other national symbols.

The artistic swimming team said it’s been blocked from wearing costumes with a drawing of a bear.

Official Olympic paperwork and TV graphics will attribute Russian results to “ROC” but won’t spell out the Russian Olympic Committee’s name in full.

Gold medalists will get music by Russian composer Tchaikovsky instead of the country’s national anthem.

Nearly at full strength: Despite the name change, Russia will have a nearly full team at the Olympics after sending depleted squads to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.

This time, only track and field and weightlifting will impose limits on Russian squad size. They are the two sports with the largest numbers of doping cases — from Russia and elsewhere — in recent Olympics. Russian officials have selected a 10-person track team that includes three world champions.

Russia is sending more

than 330 athletes to Tokyo, with the exact number still unclear because of uncertainty surrounding the rowing team. That’s about 50 more than in 2016, when the doping-related restrictions hit harder across multiple sports, but still the secondlowest number since the Soviet Union broke up in 1991.

The team ranges from 16-year-old gymnast Viktoria Listunova to 56-yearold dressage rider Inessa Merkulova.

Doping disputes: The latest rules on Russia’s name and image were set last year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a ruling that satisfied almost nobody. As so often with Russia, the sanctions aren’t as much about doping as about the coverup. Just when Russia was patching up relations with the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2019 by allowing it access to the Moscow anti-doping lab’s files, WADA investigators spotted strange anomalies in the data.

Evidence had been deleted and spurious information added, including fake messages designed to tarnish the name of WADA’s star witness, former lab director Grigory Rodchenkov.

WADA said the edits were made while the lab was sealed off by a Russian law enforcement body. Russia denied wrongdoing. The CAS ruling was hailed as a partial victory in Russia, which had its initial fouryear sanction cut to two. It was criticized by some antidoping figures who wanted neutral-color uniforms at the Olympics and stricter vetting to ensure doping suspects couldn’t compete.

New cases: Russia is heading back to court ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, but on a smaller scale than its big legal battles from 2016 and 2018.

Swimming governing body FINA said Wednesday it had provisionally suspended swimmers Alexander Kudashev and Veronika Andrusenko because of evidence from WADA’s investigation of the Moscow lab data. Russian officials are now heading back to CAS to try to get the suspensions lifted so the two can compete in Tokyo.

A week before, Russia cut two rowers from its Tokyo squad after revealing they both tested positive for the banned substance meldonium in June.

ICC inducts Mongolia, Tajikistan and Switzerland as new members

DUBAI, JUL 18 (IANS): The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday inducted its newest member countries -- Mongolia, Tajikistan and Switzerland -- at its 78th Annual General Meeting. The meeting, which was conducted virtually, welcomed Mongolia and Tajikistan as the 22nd and 23rd members of the Asia region, while Switzerland is Europe’s 35th member, with the ICC now comprising 106 members in total, including 94 associates.

The Mongolian Cricket Association (MCA) which was established in 2007 became the official national administrator of the sport in 2018. There is a growing junior cricket structure in place primarily through school cricket with a coaching programme ongoing in 16 schools -- and the sport was officially accepted into the National Youth Games in 2019.

Women’s cricket is a priority for Mongolia with females accounting for 39 per cent of all participants playing school cricket. In addition, Mongolia is due to host the International Youth Green Games in September

2021 where cricket has been selected as one of the participating sports.

President of Mongolia Cricket Association, Battulga Gombo said: “Joining the ICC is fundamental in the establishment of a coherent structure for cricket in Mongolia. I am happy to see this noble game helping the young people here, contributing valuable experiences and giving them skills and ethics that they can take into other areas of their lives.”

Cricket was first played in Switzerland in 1817 and Cricket Switzerland (CS) was inaugurated as an association in 2014. Over the past seven years, CS has led the unification of the sport following the expulsion of the Swiss Cricket Association in 2012. The

new federation currently comprises 33 active clubs, organises three domestic men’s competitions and competes regularly in Central European tournaments and has an active juniors programme.

In addition, Zambia, having had their membership suspended at the ICC AGM in 2019, are no longer a member of the ICC due to continued non-compliance with ICC Membership Criteria 2.2(a)(i), 2.2(b)(i) and 2.2(b)(ii). Russia have been suspended due to continued non-compliance with ICC Membership Criteria 2.2(a) (i), 2.2(b)(i) and 2.2(b)(ii) and have until the time of the next AGM to demonstrate compliance or risk having its membership of ICC terminated with immediate effect.

Charlo, Castano super-welterweight Olympic: First batch of athletes from India reaches Tokyo unification bout ended up in draw

TEXAS, JUL 18 (AGENCIES): Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano were both denied a historic unification win when they drew their super-welterweight fight in San Antonio, Texas.

All four belts in the division were on the line for the first time, but Charlo retained the WBC, WBA and IBC titles and Castano his WBO belt.

Charlo almost knocked his opponent down but Castano controlled the tempo.

The judges called it 117-111 for Charlo, 114 apiece and 114-113 for Castano.

Both fighters disagreed with the result and claimed they deserved vic-

Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano in action during the fight.

tory.

“A draw isn’t what I wanted to hear,” said Charlo, whose record now stands at 34-1 with 18 knockouts and one draw.

“I won this fight. I hurt him a lot more. My power is serious. I had him in trouble in the second and

10th rounds.

“This is my first time experiencing something like this. This comes with boxing - wins, losses and draws.” Castano, who is now 17-0 in his career with two draws and 12 knockouts, disagreed with Charlo’s assessment.

TOKYO, JUL 18 (IANS): Sai Praneeth, Chirag Shetty The first batch of athletes and Satwiksairaj Rankiredfrom India landed in Tokyo dy posed for photographs on Sunday. The 88-memwith thumbs up signs after ber contingent was given a completing their formalities warm send-off by Union at the airport.

Sports Minister Anurag The boxing team, feaThakur at the Indira Ganturing Amit Panghal, Mandhi International Airport in ish Kaushik, Vikas KrisNew Delhi on Saturday. han, Ashish Kumar, Satish The archer y team, Kumar, MC Mary Kom, comprising Deepika KuSimranjit Kaur, Lovlina mari, Atanu Das, Pravin Borgohain and Pooja Rani, Jadhav and Tarundeep Rai, arrived in Tokyo from their was given a warm welcome training base in Assisi, Italy. by the host town of Kurobe Some of the Indian in Japan. athletes in events such as The table tennis team, weightlifting, shooting, rowcomprising Sharath Kaing and sailing had reached mal, G Sathiyan, Manika Tokyo a couple of days back Batra and Sutirtha Mukherfrom their training bases jee, was seen at the Haneacross the world. da airport alongside the A total of 127 Indian swimming team of Sajan athletes have qualified for Prakash, Srihari Nataraj and the Olympics, surpassing Maana Patel. The badmin- Indian Badminton team pose for photographs as they leave for Olympic village, the 117 qualifications for the ton team of PV Sindhu, B ahead of Tokyo 2020 Olympics, in Tokyo, Sunday. (PTI) Rio Olympics in 2016.

Punjab lad Simi plays world record innings for Ireland

D U B L I N, J U L 1 8 (IANS): Simi Singh, a former Punjab age-group cricketer, who failed to make the senior state side and then shifted to Ireland where he has got to play for the national side, went down in record books as the first player to score a century while batting at No. 8 in One-Day International cricket.

The 34-year-old Singh hit 100 not out off 91 deliveries (14x4s) in Ireland’s 70-run loss to South Africa in the third and final ODI. Before Singh’s century, Sam Curran’s 95 not out against India in Pune on March 28 this year and Chris Woakes’s 95 not out against Sri Lanka in Nottingham in 2016 were the highest in the No. 8 posi-

Simi Singh

tion in ODI cricket.

“Simi spends more time in the nets than anyone else,” Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie was quoted as saying by Irish Times.

“He works so hard on his game and has grown

into a top all-rounder for us,” Balbirnie added after the 3-match series ended in a 1-1 draw.

Singh, who bowls offspin, also took the wicket of Quinton de Kock, who made 120 off 91 deliveries and stitched a 225-run

partnership with fellow opener Janneman Malan (177 off 169 balls).

“I thought he also bowled well today and to get his maiden century from number eight was a credit not just to him but to the guys who hung around with him,” said Balbirnie further.

Singh hails from Mohali and played age-group cricket for Punjab. After failing to play at the highest level for the state, he went to Ireland in 2006.

He earned an ECB Level 2 coaching degree and certificate as personal trainer.

A few years back he got Irish citizenship.

He also worked in stores, cleaned toilets and then began coaching cricket to schoolchildren.

2nd death anniversary of

1st DeAtH ANNIversAry

Late Chenio shitiri

19th July 2019 – 19th July 2021 “Even in death, the righteous have refuge” Proverbs 14:32 We can no longer see with our eyes or touch you with our hands, but we will forever feel you in our hearts.

Although we are apart, your spirit lives within us forever in our hearts until we meet again.

Loving wife and family members dp-3322

NONDILO MAGH 30/06/1969 - 19/07/2020 A thousand words won’t bring you back, We know because We’ve tried; neither will a thousand tears, We know because We’ve cried. Sadly missed along life’s way, quietly remembered every day. No longer in our life to share, but in our hearts, you’re always there.

Loving Wife, Children, Parents and Siblings. dp-3289

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

1st Death anniversary

Thus We Will Always Be With The Lord 1 Thessalonians 4:17

1st Death anniversary We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 1:3

LAte tIAyANGer AMrI dp-3290

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19/07/2020

Though you left us, your memories were cherished and you are never forgotten and always remembered in our hearts.

Loving family members

(1990/09/29 – 2021/06/28) “You will be forever in our hearts, never forgotten We are comforted that you are in God’s loving care” We, the bereaved family of Mrs. Sashirenla Imsong appreciate and sincerely thank each and every individual, families, friends, doctors and nurses, church, village council, different organizations and the many prayer warriors for the spiritual guidance, compassion, physical presence and financial support during the brief illness and tearful demise of a loving wife, a most caring daughter and a beloved sister. Though we cannot mention each and everyone of you by name and thank you in person, we pray that our Almighty God shower His abundant blessings and grace upon you all.

In gratitude Loving husband, family members & relatives mkc-217

Lt. Abemo L Murry ‘A year has passed, yet you are deeply missed in every single day of our lives; for you are so special who meant a lot to us that nothing can express’ Loving wife, parents & relatives wc-138 K Y M C

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NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

takes controversial 1st ODI: India beat SL by 7 wickets Hamilton eighth home British GP win

C O L O M B O, J U L 1 8 (IANS): A good bowling and batting display helped Shikhar Dhawan’s India thrash hosts Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series here on Sunday.

The team coached by Rahul Dravid was called a “second-string side” by Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga before the start of the tour.

And though the hosts were forced to put up a ‘second’ squad after some key players had to be left out due to disciplinary reason and injuries, the Indians were clinical in executing their plans and won the match without breaking a sweat.

Chasing a target of 263 set by Sri Lanka, who chose to bat first on winning the toss, India skipper Dhawan led from the front with an unbeaten 86 off 95 deliveries while Ishan Krishan blasted 59 off 42 balls to keep the Indians in control.

India reached 263 for three wickets with 80 balls to spare. Dhawan and fellow

India’s captain Shikhar Dhawan walks off the pitch after defeating Sri Lanka by seven wickets in their first one day international cricket match in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, July 18. (AP/PTI)

opener Prithvi Shaw had set the ball rolling by raising 58 runs for the opening stand before Shaw was caught

by Avishka Fernando off Dhananjaya de Silva (2/49).

Dhawan continued to keep vigil at the other end as Ishan Kishan went about scoring runs and India were

in cruise mode.

Earlier, India restricted the Sri Lankans to a modest 262 for nine in their allotted 50 overs thanks to some good work by bowlers Deepak Chahar (2/37), Yuzvendra Chahal (2/52), Ku l d e e p Ya d av 2 / 4 8 .

Chamika Karunaratne was

thetop scorer for Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 43. A lot of players got into double figures but could not post a big score.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 262/9 in 50 overs (Avishka Fernando 32, Charith Asalanka 38, Dasun Shanaka 39, Chamika Karunara-

tne 43 not out; Deepak Chahar 2/37, Yuzvendra Chahal 2/52, Kuldeep Yadav 2/48).

India 263/3 in 36.4 overs (Prithvi Shaw 43, Shikhar Dhawan 86 not out, Ishan Kishan 59, Suryakumar Yadav 31 not out; Dhananjaya de Silva 2/49).

SILVERSTONE, JUL 18 (AGENCIES): Lewis Hamilton won his home British Grand Prix for a recordextending eighth time on Sunday despite a 10-second penalty for a controversial first lap collision that sent Red Bull rival Max Verstappen crashing out of the race.

The Mercedes driver, now only eight points behind Verstappen after 10 races, passed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for the lead with two laps to go as a capacity 140,000 crowd rose to cheer him.

Hamilton’s team mate Valtteri Bottas was third after obeying team orders to let Hamilton throughand chase Leclerc in a race halted after Verstappen’s crash and then re-started.

The win was the 99th of seven-times world champion Hamilton’s Formula One careerand fourth of the current campaign.

It was also the worst possible result for Verstappen, who had started on

Lewis Hamilton

pole position with a 33 point lead and seeking a fourth win in a row but who ended up empty-handed and in hospital for checks.

“This is a dream for me today, to do it in front of you all,” Hamilton told the biggest crowd to attend a sporting event in Britain since the start of the pandemic. Last year’s race was held without spectators.

“I always try to be measured in how I approach, particularly with battling

with Max, he’s very aggressive. And then today I was fully alongside him and he didn’t leave space. “Regardless of whether I agree with the penalty, I take it on the chin and I just kept working.

“I was like ‘I’m not going to let anything get in the way of the crowd’s enjoyment of the weekend and the national anthem and the British flag’.”

Leclerc also kept his head up after missing out on what would have been Ferrari’s first win since 2019.

“I gave not 100% but I gave 200%. I gave all of me but it was just not enough in the last two laps,” said the Monegasque.

“Congratulations to Lewis, he did an incredible job. It’s amazing to see so many fans in the grandstand.”

There was no point awarded for fastest lap, with Red Bull’s Mexican Sergio Perez setting it but failing to secure the necessary top 10 finish to trigger the bonus.

Makhachev beats Moises in UFC Djokovic, Tsitsipas, Osaka, Barty headline revised Olympic list

Islam Makhachev kicks at Thiago Moises.

N E VA DA , J U L 1 8 (AGENCIES): Russia’s Islam Makhachev impressed on his first main UFC event appearance as he easily defeated Brazil’s Thiago Moises at UFC Fight Night in Nevada.

Makhachev, 29, won by submission in the fourth round of the lightweight fight to move to 20 wins and one defeat.

It was the first time

Moises had lost by submission in his 20-fight career.

In the co-main event America’s Miesha Tate, returning after five years, beat compatriot Marion Reneau by technical knockout to move to a 19-7 record.

That bantamweight bout ended in the third round and Reneau officially retired from the sport after the defeat.

Makhachev, who had

148 total strikes to Moises’ 18 when the fight was stopped, called out former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos after the bout.

“Why all these guys run?” Makhachev said.

“Nobody want to take this fight.

“You can run, but you can’t hide. I am here.”

Saturday’s other fights saw Poland’s Mateusz Gamrot beat America’s Jeremy Stephens by submission in round one of their lightweight contest while the middleweight bout between Brazil’s Rodolfo Vieira and America’s Dustin Stoltzfus was won

by Vieira in round three.

America’s Billy Quarantillo also won, beating Mexico’s Gabriel Benitez by technical knockout in round three of their featherweight bout.

LO N D O N, J U L 1 8 (IANS): After a spate of high-profile withdrawals, a revised list of tennis players that includes the likes of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev, has been announced for the Tokyo Olympics.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost the French Open final to Serbia’s Djokovic, will hope to bring glory to Greece on his Olympic debut, while Russia’s world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev -- who has won 10 tour-level titles on hardcourt, the surface on which the Olympics are being played -- is also making his debut, according to atptennis.com, which released the revised list on Saturday.

The other men’s tennis stars to be seen in Tokyo include two-time Olympic

Novak Djokovic

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Naomi Osaka

Ashleigh Barty

gold medallist Andy Murray of Great Britain, Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman. Australia’s No. 1 player Alex de Minaur has withdrawn after testing positive for COVID-19.

London 2012 and Rio 2016 gold medallist Andy Murray is set to make his fourth appearance at the Olympics in singles and doubles.

Among those skip-

ping the Olympics include Swiss ace Roger Federer, Spain’s Rafael Nadal, Stanislas Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, Denis Shapovalov, Nick Kyrgios, David Goffin, Milos Raonic, Vasek Pospisil and Dan Evans.

The biggest beneficiary of the withdrawals has been India’s Sumit Nagal. The 23-year-old will now enter the singles field of 64 in Tokyo. Nagal will join Sania Mirza and Ankita Raina in

India’s team for the Olympics.

“No words can express my emotions. A surreal feeling to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Grateful to all your support and wishes,” tweeted Nagal after receiving confirmation for his ticket to the Olympics.

In the women’s section, Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty, Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka and French Open cham-

pion in singles and doubles, Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic, are the big names.

Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu are among the women players who are skipping the Olympics.

The tennis event will be held at the Ariake Tennis Park from July 24 to August 1.

Carreno Busta earns first ATP 500 trophy in Hamburg Ivanisevic, Martinez inducted in tennis Hall of Fame

H A M B U RG, J U L 1 8 (AGENCIES): No 2 seed Pablo Carreno Busta captured his second title of the 2021 season – and his first at the ATP-500 level – on Sunday in Hamburg, 6-2, 6-4 over Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic.

The 30-year-old Spaniard notches his sixth title overall and improves to 17-4 on clay in 2021 with his victory, a dominant display which saw Carreno Busta drop just 11 points on serve over the course of the 82-minute contest, as he converted all three break points he saw against the No 6 seed to improve to 9-2 lifetime at Hamburg.

Pablo Carreno Busta

“You make me feel at home in Hamburg,” Carreno Busta said. “It’s amazing the atmosphere for playing tennis in this court. From the first match I played here – not this year, three or four

years ago – I feel something special and it’s very important for me to finally win this title. I will enjoy for sure a lot.”

Carreno Busta cracked 27 winners against just seven

for Krajinovic, including 17 off the forehand side (against three for Krajinovic).

Krajinovic, who falls to 0-4 in finals, was the big story of the week after he upset top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals on Friday for his third career top-five win. On Saturday he backed that win up with a 6-4, 6-2 takedown of compatriot Laslo Djere, but he was unable to put his best foot forward against Carreno Busta on Sunday, despite the fact that he had taken their only previous tour-level meeting, in Stockholm in 2019.

LONDON, JUL 18 (IANS): Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic became the first Croatian to earn an induction in the tennis Hall of Fame during virtual ceremony on Saturday evening.

The former world No. 2, who is among the current world No. 1 Novak Djokovic’s coaching staff, had won the Wimbledon singles title in 2001, besides lifting 22 tour-level trophies.

“We are a small country with a huge heart. We never stop believing. I had a lot of ups and downs, and I never stopped believing,” Ivanisevic told atptennis.com after being inducted.

Ivanisevic, despite being a hugely talented player, was let down by his temperament on several occasions before he won at The All England Club at the fag end of his career.

“For the first time in my life, I can

Goran Ivanisevic Conchita Martinez

say I am proud of myself. It was not easy to be my fan. It was frustrating, it was sad, probably a lot of people got divorced because of me. But one thing is for sure: it was entertaining to be my fan.”

Ivanisevic remains the only wild card to win the Wimbledon.

“I would like to thank the Wimbledon committee for giving me a wild card. I don’t know if they did a good job or not, or if they now regret

it. But thank you guys, because if you didn’t give me a wild card, I wouldn’t be standing here. I think it was a good decision.” Former world No. 1 John McEnroe of the United States, who inspired Ivanisevic to start tennis, said, “I love Goran Ivanisevic, and I am absolutely thrilled to induct someone into the Hall of Fame who is arguably crazier on the court than I was,” McEnroe said.

“But here’s the truth: He’s been great for the sport of tennis, certainly has personality. Yes he’s a character, yes he had serious game. He’s lefty, I like that. He’s super-talented.

“He always had me on the edge of my seat because I never knew what was going to happen next, and I’m not sure he did either. But his unpredictability was also partly why we loved him.”

Bucks edge Suns to grab 3-2 NBA Finals lead

PHOENIX, JUL 18 (AGENCIES): The surging Milwaukee Bucks took control of the NBA Finals with a 123-119 victory over the host Phoenix Suns on Saturday to move a win away from ending one lengthy championship drought and extending another.

After dropping the first two games of the series the Bucks have roared back to life and after hanging on in a wild Game Five finish, now lead the best-of-seven NBA Finals 3-2.

Milwaukee are now one win away from clinching their first NBA championship in 50 years, while Phoenix remain two wins away from their first title in the team’s 53-year existence.

The Suns were trailing by a point with 20 seconds left when Milwaukee guard Jrue Holiday ripped the ball from Devin Booker’s hands

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, top, dunks over Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul during the second half of Game 5 of NBA Finals, July 17 in Phoenix. (AP)

and sent an alley-oop pass to Giannis Antetokounmpo for a dunk that sealed the Bucks’ win. “One more to

go. One more to go,” An- good basketball.” tetokounmpo said during a A n t e t o k o u n m p o, televised on-court interview. whose brother and team “We’ve got to keep playing mate Thanasis was ruled out

of the game due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, had a team-high 32 points but he missed a number of late free throws that left the door open for Phoenix. No details were given on Thanasis’s circumstances. Booker scored a game-high 40 points for a Suns team that led by 16 points after the first quarter before the Bucks clawed their way back and withstood a late Phoenix charge.

“We came out and did what we intended to do, get off to a great start and we let it go,” said Booker. “They stayed resilient and they kept playing through. So, tough loss for us.”

Phoenix initially looked like a completely different team than the one that just lost two road games, making a fast start in front of a raucous crowd that included fourtimes NBA champion LeBron Jameled 37-21 after the first quarter.

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