1 Jan 2022

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXXII No. 27

DIMAPUR, SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022 Pages 12 ` 5.00

‘Serious’ talk between Biden and Putin sets stage for diplomacy

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INTERNATIONAL, PAGE 9

India beat SL by 9 wkts to win U-19 Asia Cup SPORTS, PAGE 12

AFSPA issue: NDPP pleads; NPCC taunts

NDPP urges GoI to revoke AFSPA notification DIMAPUR, DEC 31 (NPN): Expressing shock and anguish at the recent notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declaring the whole of Nagaland as a “disturbed area” for six more months, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) has appealed to the Government of India to nullify and revoke the notification.

NDPP through its media and communication committee said that such notification only belittled the high-level meeting held between the Union Home Minister, the chief ministers of Nagaland and Assam, deputy chief minister of Nagaland and leader of the NPF legislature party on December 23, 2021 in Delhi.

Ruling NDPP said that issuing such a notification on the penultimate day of 2021 came as a rude shock and a huge disappointment to the people of the state.

Further, the party said

MHA extends validity of FCRA registration NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (AGENCIES): Ministry of Home Affairs Friday extended the December 31 deadline for validity of Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registration of NGOs to March 31, 2022.

The extension will however bring no relief to Missionaries of Charities (MoC), founded by Mother Teresa, as the ministry asserted that NGOs whose request for renewal was turned down will not be eligible to either receive or utilise the foreign contribution in their designated bank accounts, reports The Hindu.

MHA has, therefore, advised all FCRA registered associations to take note of the fact that in case of refusal of the application for renewal of certificate of registration, the validity of the certificate shall be deemed to have expired on the date of refusal of the application of renewal and the association shall not be eligible either to receive the foreign contribution or utilise the foreign contribution received.

Holiday Notice

Offices of Nagaland Post will remain closed on

January 1 & 2, 2022 and open on January 3, 2022.

We at Nagaland Post, wish all our valued readers and well wishers- A Happy & Prosperous New Year 2022.

This is it!

"Be honest. Even you cannot think of new year party without these.

So let's not talk about principles."

K Y M C

the notification came at a time when people of Nagaland were hoping that there would be no orders or notifications issued till the report of the high-powered committee (constituted by MHA to examine and consider the repeal AFSPA and removal of the disturbed area coverage) was final.

NDPP has, therefore, urged the Centre to reconsider and revoke the decision especially because there was a mass movement against AFSPA and with the Nagaland Legislative Assembly having passed resolution December 20, 20201.

It claimed that Nagaland has been amongst the safest states for more than two decades and there has been no serious encounter with the security forces.

NDPP said that ceasefire, which has been in place for the last 25 years, was also working and there was relative peace and tranquillity.

The party said that the

only major incident that disturbed the peace was the December 4, 2021 Oting incident, which it asserted had nothing to do with insurgency or law and order.

Affirming that AFSPA needed to be repealed and the tag of disturbed area needed to be removed, NPDD said the use of the words “dangerous and disturbed” was misleading and inappropriate.

It asked the responsible authorities, who pass such orders from far off locations without any proper knowledge of the ground situation, to wake up to present realities.

The ruling party said that issuing notifications and orders with such language was unwarranted and would negatively impact the ambition and aspirations of the young generation and the youth, especially when the people are anxiously waiting for a final settlement of the Indo-Naga issue.

(Cont’d on p-3)

Extension a slap on NLA resolution: NPCC

Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has termed the extension of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the State by the Central government as mala fide and a slap on December 20 Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) resolution, Oting massacre and people of Nagaland.

In a statement, NPCC president K Therie also said the reactions of ruling coalition partners as amusing, proving that they would continue to support the BJP-led Central government no matter what.

Therie pointed out that there was complete distrust of the alliance government in Nagaland as per Congress’ assessment.

Therie recalled that the decisions of the meeting of chief minister Neiphiu Rio, deputy chief minister Y Patton and NPF Legislative Party leader TR Zeliang with Union home minster Amit Shah, in Delhi

on December 23, was announced with much fanfare giving hope to withdrawal of AFSPA, which however turned out to be a bluff.

“As we mourn with the aggrieved, we cannot appreciate, thank or clap.

Hon’ble Union Home Minister had misled Parliament and the nation in justifying the Oting massacre. Appreciating him at this juncture is nothing but an insult,” the NPCC president asserted.

Referring to the notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, that stated: “The Central Government is of the opinion that the area comprising the whole of Nagaland is in such a disturbed and dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary”, NPCC president pointed out that the justification of extension of AFSPA was in contrast to the ceasefire.

He insisted that the

question of “dangerous condition” did not arise while there was ceasefire in the State.

Acknowledging that there could be public disturbances from Naga insurgent factions on account of extortion and factional violence, but he alleged that this was the creation of the ruling alliance. He said the policy to “actively facilitate” insurgents were responsible for internal disturbances.

Therie questioned that if the Centre recognised public disturbance, then why impose AFSPA and not dismiss the State government instead that actively facilitated internal disturbance.

He alleged that the Oting massacre was a gameplan of the State government to violate ceasefire and delay implementation of a negotiated solution so that with the support of the insurgents, it could continue to rule.

(Cont’d on p-3)

Public march against AFSPA on January 10

Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, DEC 31 (NPN): Following the Union Home Ministry’s notification declaring Nagaland as “disturbed area” for another six months with effect from December 30, a mass public march against imposition of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has been scheduled on January 10.

Informing this to Nagaland Post, Kevitho Kera, who is one of the organizers, said that citizens would gather at 4th Mile junction at 6 a.m. that day and march all the way to

Kohima, where they would submit a memorandum to Nagaland governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi against the Act. He said the participants would spend the night at Piphema before starting the march the following morning for the State Capital.

Kera clarified that no political party or organisation was involved in the planned march, adding that the public has had enough with false promises. “Public will now the lead the movement for peace,” he remarked.

(Cont’d on p-3)

US returnee, others test negative for Omicron variant No science behind night curfews to tackle Covid: WHO’s Swaminathan

Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, DEC 31(NPN): The genome sequencing result of the person who tested positive for Covid-19 on return from the USA including samples that were collected as a result of contact-tracing, have returned negative for Omicron.

Informing this to Nagaland Post, state nodal officer for Bio-Safety Level 3 laboratories, Dr. Tina Khamo said that 41 samples including the sample of the US returnee were sent for genome sequencing. All of

them tested negative for the omicron variant.

The person, who had returned from the US, had initially tested negative on arrival. However, on the eighth day, the person tested positive for Covid in Dimapur and was asymptomatic.

The patient was kept under quarantine as per the proto-

cols, the health department had said.

Earlier, principal director Health & Family Welfare Dr. Neikhrielie Khimiao had assured that the department was prepared to face any emergency situation as necessary measures had been put in place like manpower, testing kits, oxygen units, etc.

With the impending omicron variant, he said necessary information, advisories and orders have been issued to all District Task Forces (DTFs) and authorities concerned to be on alert, particularly border districts like Dimapur,

Kohima, Wokha, Mon and Mokokchung.

Dr Tina Khamo had also informed earlier that the department had sent a proposal to the government to set up a genome sequencing facility at BSL-3 laboratory in Kohima so that test reports could be made available early.

It may be noted that the Centre on Thursday urged 19 states including Nagaland to ramp up Covid testing “in a big way” to identify cases promptly and restrict its spread in view of the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant.

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (IANS): There is no science behind night curfews when it comes to tackling the spread of Covid variants, WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan has stressed.

In a TV media interview, she said that countries like India must formulate science-based policies for curbing the spread of the virus.

“Things like night curfew, there is no science behind it. One has to take

evidence-based measures.

There is a whole list of public health measures,” she told CNBC-TV18.

“Entertainment venues are places where these viruses spread the most.

It's natural to bring in some restrictions there,” Swaminathan added.

She said that Indians need to be prepared, but not panic. “What we can expect to see in India is a surge of Omicron cases, I think it is just beginning now in some of the cities and is going to

infect a lot of people,” the WHO scientist said.

In a separate tweet on Friday, Swaminathan said: “Hospitalisations are also rising, mostly in unvaccinated people. Though #Omicron may cause less severe disease, a small percent of a huge number is still very large & can overwhelm health systems”.

“Whatever the #covidvariant, #Omicron or #delta - vaccination protects against hospitalisation and death,” she added.

Omicron: Delhi, Mumbai on high ‘Only procedural’: Why Centre State logs 10 fresh Covid cases alert for community transmission extended AFSPA despite oppn COVID-19 STATUS AS ON DECEMBER 31, 2021 NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (AGENCIES): All samples from metro cities-- that have tested positive for Covid-19-are being sent for genome sequencing, government sources said on Friday, amid fears over an Omicron-driven third wave, adding that 18% of recent samples in India had the new variant.

In Delhi, the new variant - said to be highly infectious - has been found in over 50 per cent of the samples that tested Covid positive since December 12, sources in the Health Ministry said, confirming the community spread of Omicron in the national capital.

In Mumbai, the genome sequencing at the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital has detected Omicron in nearly one-third samples it tested– in an indication of community spread in the state.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Health minister Satyendar Jain said that 54 per cent of the new cases in the capital have tested positive for the Omicron variant, these include those who do not have any travel history.

He said stringent curbs have been put in place as part of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to check the spread of COVID-19 and the Delhi Disaster Manage-

ment Authority will decide on implementing more restrictions.

145 crore Covid vax: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Friday said that India has crossed the milestone of 145 crore Covid vaccinations. “My gratitude to our doctors, scientists, healthcare and frontline workers for displaying immense grit, determination & resolve in the challenging 2021 year,” he said.

Consequently, India’s recover y rate stands at 98.36%. India’s active caseload was at 91,361. Active cases constitute 0.26% of the country's total positive cases.

GUWAHATI, DEC 31 (AGENCIES): Nagaland government had opposed the extension of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the state prior to and after the 4 December Oting incident, in which an Army ambush led to the deaths of 14 civilians, reports the ThePrint.

According to an official with the state’s home department, the Nagaland government was consulted on the extension of the AFSPA a month ahead of its expiration in the state on 30 December, as is protocol.

“The state government has been opposing extension for a long time. Since it was

to expire… the state government has been putting in their opposition with this.

This time too we had opposed the extension on 29 November and then again after the Oting incident,” the official said.

According to a senior home ministry official, the extension was “procedural” since it was lapsing at the end of the month and is “not reflective of anything that lies in future”.

“It was lapsing and the extension was done as part of procedure since we could not have a situation of vacuum till nothing is decided by the committee,” the officer said.

ATM usage to become expensive from January 1 MUMBAI, DEC 31 (PTI): Using ATMs beyond the permissible free transactions for cash as well as non-cash purposes will cost more from Saturday.

As per the Reser ve Bank directive issued in June, the banking customers would be required to pay Rs 21 per transaction with effect from January 1, 2022 for transactions beyond the free permissible limit. Presently, banks are allowed to charge Rs 20 for such transactions through ATMs. Customers would,

however, continue to be eligible for five free transactions (inclusive of financial and non-financial transactions) every month from their own bank ATMs. They would

also be eligible for three free transactions from other bank ATMs in metro centres and five in non-metro centres.

The RBI had earlier allowed banks to increase

interchange fee per transaction from Rs 15 to Rs 17 for financial transactions and from Rs 5 to Rs 6 for non-financial transactions in all centres with effect from August 1, 2021.

The charges have been increased to meet the increasing cost of ATM deployment and expenses towards ATM maintenance incurred by banks/white label ATM operators, as also considering the need to balance expectations of stakeholder entities and customer convenience.

It may be noted here that the central bank had set up a committee in June 2019 under the Chairmanship of the Chief Executive, Indian Banks' Association to review the entire gamut of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) charges and fees with particular focus on interchange structure for ATM transactions.

There were 1,15,605 onsite ATMs and 97,970 off-site automated teller machines as on March 31, 2021.

District

Dimapur Kiphire Kohima Longleng Mokokchung Mon Peren Phek Tuensang Wokha Zunheboto Total

ACTIVE CASES Symptomatic SEVERE AsModymperate ICU tom- Mild On On (without atic Oxy- Oxy- ventilagen gen tor) 50 9 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 9 3 0 0

RecovDeath ered

ICU (On ventilator 0 13728 420 0 257 9 0 9177 125 0 287 0 0 2255 56 0 1128 12 0 901 6 0 577 18 0 1086 13 0 376 11 0 595 16 0 30367 686

Non Covid Deaths Miwith gratCovid 19 ed Positivity 11 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 16

704 1 205 18 69 17 15 9 3 16 12 1069

Total Cases

14923 267 9505 307 2380 1159 922 604 1101 407 626 32201

*16 deaths not due to Covid-19 *0 deaths under investigation

DIMAPUR, DEC 31 (NPN): Nagaland on Friday recorded 10 fresh Covid-19 positive cases while no deaths were reported during the day.

The 10 fresh cases were reported from Dimapur, taking the total caseload to 32201. The death toll remained unchanged at 702 (including 16 non-Covid deaths)

Gov, CM extend New Year greetings DIMAPUR, DEC 31 (NPN): Governor of Nagaland Prof. Jagdish Mukhi has extended his warmest New Year greetings to the people of Nagaland and wished all a safe and prosperous year.

In his message, Prof.

Mukhi expressed optimism that the year 2022 would bring a sense of hope and encouragement. “And as we start to move into a new pasture, we should embrace this New Year with great enthusiasm and happiness,” governor said.

He prayed that God bless people of the state with peace, prosperity and good health in the year 2022.

CM: Taking to twitter, state chief minister Neiphiu Rio said New Year was “a time to renew our hopes, faith and resilience anew as another year dawns upon us.”

“May we make the most of all that we are blessed to have. I wish you all a fruitful and a #HappyNewYear. #StaySafe,” Rio tweeted.

K Y M C

2

STATE

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022

‘Swachhta Pakhwada’ concludes at ICAR-NRCM

One of the speakers at the closing ceremony on

DIMAPUR: ICAR-NRC on Mithun, Medziphema organised the closing ceremony of “Swachhta Pakhwada” on Friday. The fortnightly activities commenced on December 16.

In a press release, ICAR-NRC on Mithun informed that at the closing programme, in-charge

director, Dr. Nazrul Haque congratulated all for the accomplishment of Swachh Bharat Pakhwada.

He also presented a brief report of the activities carried out by the institute under the mission of Swachh Bharat.

Speaking at the programme, an officer from

the Assam Rifles also emphasised on the need to keep one’s environment and premises clean. He highlighted the history of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and said that it was currently the largest cleanliness campaign in the world.

The officer acknowledged ICAR-NRCM for

being the “only research institute for Mithun in the world” and expressed appreciation to the institute for spearheading the campaign through various activities. He said that the Assam Rifles would be happy to collaborate on activities related to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in the future.

A press briefing on the institute activities and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was also conducted by Doordarshan, Kohima.

The closing ceremony was attended by staff of the institute, farmers and public with 66 participants.

During the fortnight, activities including displaying of banner at prominent places, taking swachhta pledge, cleaning the campus premises and adopted villages (Jharnapani and Porba) with mass participation were carried out.

Composting of organic wastes was also demonstrated to the public along with campaign on cleaning of sewerage, water lines and curbing of use of Single Use plastic (SUP).

It may be mentioned that the Swachhta Pakhwada launched by government of India is a fortnightlong programme observed to ensure mass participation of citizens in Swachhta activities.

NHHDC to organise state handloom expo

DIMAPUR: Nagaland Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd. (NHHDC) has informed that it would be organising a “State Handloom Expo” at Urban Haat, Dimapur from January 10-23, sponsored by the office of development commissioner (handloom), ministry of textiles.

In a press release, managing director, Zakabo

V Rotokha informed interested cooperative societies, NGOs, apex societies, SHGs, etc., to apply to the project cell, NHHDC Ltd, Half Nagarjan, Dimapur along with copy of passport size photograph and detailed address, mobile number, bank A/C no with IFSC code of participants with an application on or before January 7 during office hours.

Participants should be from within the state and must be registered with the NHHDC Ltd., Dimapur, the release informed.

Zakabo also informed that the selection would be done on the basis of quality and quantity of products brought by participants and stalls would be provided free of cost including daily lumpsum allowances to all exhibitors/stalls.

Matri Foundation conveys New Year’s greetings DIMAPUR: Matri Foun- ness to all in the New Year dent, Sweety Biswas urged dation (MF) has good ahead. In a press release upon all to “do small things health, wealth and happi- Matri Foundation presi- with great love”.

Losami Drivers’ Union (LDU) held its 29th general session on December 28 with Losami Village Council chairman, Zechete Mekrisuh as special guest.

Power grid organises tree plantation drive As state mourns Oting massacre, desire for normalcy a distant dream

Staff of power grid participating at the plantation drive (NP)

Dr Dimeswar Bharali attending to one of the staff during the medical camp. (NP)

Staff Reporter DIMAPUR: Power grid sub-station Dimapur organised a tree plantationcum-medical check-up at its premises, here on Friday.

The plantation drive-

cum-check-up was organised to celebrate the “one nation-one grid-one frequency” under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Altogether, 25 saplings were planted during the drive. Meanwhile, the medi-

Niki-led NSCN (K) informs on financial matters

K Y M C

Students carrying placards and banner during NSF protest rally against AFSPA in Kohima on December 17, 2021.(NP file photo)

held after two years due to the pandemic. Diplomats from a number of countries were attending the festival when it was called off amid rising tension.

The issue of resolution of the Naga political issue hit a bump during the year with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland IsakMuivah (NSCN-IM) refusing to hold talks with the then Centre-appointed interlocutor and state governor R N Ravi, claiming it did not trust him. Ravi was shifted to Tamil Nadu as governor on September 9.

The talks resumed on September 20 in Dimapur with the appointment of former Intelligence Bureau special director AK Mishra as the new interlocutor.

The dialogue subsequently moved to New Delhi but the insistence of the NSCN(IM), which had signed the Framework Agreement in August 2015, on a separate flag and constitution blocked a final solution as the Centre held on to its position of not con-

ceding those demands.

On the other hand, the parallel talks with the Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups (NPPGs), which is willing to go ahead and reach a final agreement, could also not make much headway.

To facilitate resolution of the Naga issue and put forth a united voice before the Centre, principal opposition Naga People’s Front (NPF), having 25 MLAs, proposed joining the government, which was accepted by the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA).

This led to the formation of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government, leaving no significant opposition in the state.

Asserting that resolving the Naga political issue tops its agenda, the state government in June constituted a committee of 60 legislators and two MPs to iron out the differences between the negotiating parties.

The assembly also adopted a four-point resolution on the vexed political ques-

2ND DEATH ANNIVERSARY

tion in February, with the 60-member House resolving to work unitedly to facilitate meaningful negotiations.

However, unanimity proved elusive as the Congress urged all the 60 MLAs to resign to demonstrate their sincerity and pressure the Centre for a solution to the decades-old problem.

The year also witnessed a split in the NSCN (Reformation) with Akato Chophy becoming its new president. At present, there are at least 13 Naga underground groups in the state.

Factional tussle within the state BJP continued for the second year with presidents of six district units demanding the removal of the party’s Nagaland president Temjen Imna Along, but that did not find favour with the central leadership.

The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), a major constituent of the ruling coalition, won the bypolls to Noksen and Shamator-Chessore uncontested, raising its tally in the state assembly to 21.

2nd death anniversary of Late avito Chung

of Late Er. A. Victo Zhimomi

25th Death anniversary

In March, inter-district dispute between Peren and Dimapur districts turned violent, claiming the lives of three people.

Tension also prevailed along the interstate boundary with Assam. However, defusing the situation, Assam and Nagaland signed an agreement on July 31 to maintain peace in areas around Ao Senden and Vikuto villages.

The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic hit the state in April-May, forcing the government to impose strict restrictions.

The state has reported 32,188 Covid cases. Of the total 702 deaths so far, 623 happened in 2021. The state has till date administered 13,33,991 doses of vaccine.

Nagaland witnessed a drought-like situation this year with the delay in the arrival of monsoon and erratic rainfall. According to Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) data, the districts recorded rainfall deficiency of 20-59 per cent, except for Mon which received 40 per cent excess rainfall.

The Nagaland government launched the Vision 2030 document in August, along with the District Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Localisation and Integration Manual, aiming for a well-governed, peaceful, inclusive and prosperous state with a sustainable and diverse economy, a skilled and healthy population, providing equitable opportunities for all citizens.

of our Most Beloved

Lt. Kevikhweno Sothu,

Left to be with our Almighty God on 01/01/1997 DP-6154/21

DIMAPUR: Niki-led NSCN (K) through its MIP has informed that its chaplee ministry has been constituted and would take charge of all financial matters of the “government’ with effect from January 1, 2022.

MIP informed all financial assignments given to “government officials” stands withdrawn with effect from January 1, 2022.

The group has therefore informed all financial matters would be dealt “strictly through the chaplee ministry.”

MIP also provided the numbers +917629957131 and +918730901957 for any queries relating to all financial matters.

It cautioned that anyone doing financial transactions without due approval of the ministry of chaplee would be doing so at their own risk.

cal check-up was carried out by retired medical doctor from Assam, Dr Dimeswar Bharali where labourers and staff of Power grid station were provided with free medical treatment and medicines.

KOHIMA, DEC 31 (PTI): The killing of 14 civilians by security forces in Mon district brought a disconsolate 2021 to a close for Nagaland, with the shared aspiration of its people for an early solution to the decades-old political issue remaining a distant dream.

Fourteen civilians, including six daily wagers working at a coal mine, were shot dead in a series of firings by security forces in Mon district over December 4-5 in a botched anti-militancy operation, triggering a nationwide outrage and reigniting the demand for withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 from the Northeastern state.

Even as political leaders of the region, including Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, pushed for repeal of the controversial law, the Centre declared the entire state of Nagaland a “disturbed area” for six more months with effect from December 30 under the AFSPA while terming the state’s condition “dangerous”.

The state assembly also held a special session on December 21, when it passed a resolution demanding withdrawal of AFSPA from the state and the Northeast, besides an apology for the killings in Oting village in Mon. The move drew flak from the Congress and the newly-formed Rising People’s Party as they demanded justice and not mere apology. In solidarity with Konyak Nagas, the tribe to which the victims belonged, the state government called off the signature Hornbill Festival, which was being

Born : 01/07/1979 – Died : 01/01/2020 Two years have passed since you left us and gone.

But always remember you with silent tears.

Missed you always.

Loving Wife, Children and Family members

10th Death anniversary Time flies fast thinking of your life with us, but it’s been 25 years since you left for Heavenly abode.

Retrospections of your life, God in His mercy gave us the best Mother and we are so grateful for the time we had with you. You lived with us so short but you taught us all a mother should guide the children and family. May God continue to bless and watch over your children, family and generation that you had prayed to God during your life time with us.

You always have a special place in our hearts, remembering your prayers, teachings, love, sacrifices and kindness you showered us, has made us what we are now. Mother of great faith in God, you will always be respected and remembered as the greatest mother to us.

Thank you, dearest Mother, for being such a positive force and amazing Mother in our life.

We love you so much and miss you immensely. Wish someday we will be reunited before God. Keep praying for us at the safe of His arms.

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” DC-

Loving Brothers, Sister, Children, In-Laws, Grand Children & Relatives

of our beloved father

Late Donsmaidao thaosen

Died on 1st January, 2020

“A great soul serves everyone all the time, A great soul never dies, It brings us together again and again.”

DP-6188/21

– Maya Angelou From Loving Wife, Children, In-laws and Grandchildren

Today is the day you left us for your heavenly abode. But your memories of your love, good caring and footsteps are still in our hearts. We missed you all the day.

DP-6191/21

Loving Children

Died on 1st Jan 2012 K Y M C

nagalandpost.com Poll Q.: To prevent spread of Omicron, will penalty for non-compliance of COVID protocols help?

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

A B C

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

A

B

Yes. No. Can’t Say.

C

68% 32% 0%

NEXT POLL

Q: Will taking demand

for repeal of AFSPA in the Supreme Court succeed?  Yes.  No.  Can’t Say.

WEATHER FORECAST JANUARY 1

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala Hazy sunshine

26 11

Aizawl

Mostly sunny and pleasant

Guwahati Clearing Imphal

Partly sunny and comfortable

22 8 25 11 23 6

Itanagar Nice with sun and some clouds 21 11 Shillong

Clouds and sun

17 5

Kohima

Clouds and sun

18 7

Dimapur Partly sunny Mkg

Sun and some clouds

23 10 20 9

Tuensang Cooler with clouds and sun

13 4

Sunshine and some clouds

18 10

Wokha

Zunheboto Sun and some clouds

17 7

Extension a slap on NLA resolution: NPCC

(From p-1) “I do not see justice will be delivered. We have not seen any concrete move of the government in that direction. All its activities appear to be an endeavour to hide the criminals and conspirators.

They are trying to escape under the garb of AFSPA which will be extended every six months,” he mentioned.

The NPCC president accused the State government of failing to protect, defend and stand for the people, alleging that the latter had also gone back from its own commitment to pave the way for solution.

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NORTHEAST/STATE

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022

India strikes back at China with strong China says Arunachal inherent part of it reply for ‘inventing’ names in Arunachal

BEIJING, DEC 31 (PTI): China on Friday defended the renaming of 15 more places in India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, claiming that the southern part of Tibet has been “China’s territory since the ancient times”.

India on Thursday strongly rejected China renaming 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh and asserted that the state has “always been” and will “always be” an integral part of India and that assigning “invented” names does not alter this fact.

India’s reaction came in response to China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs announcing Chinese names for 15 more places in Arunachal Pradesh which Beijing claims as South Tibet.

“We have seen such.

This is not the first time China has attempted such a renaming of places in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in New Delhi.

Aerial view of a village built by China inside Arunachal Pradesh.

“Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India. Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact,” Bagchi said.

Asked for his reaction to India’s assertion, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here that “Zangnan (the southern part of China’s Tibet) is located in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

“It has been China’s territory since the ancient

times,” he said in updated comments posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.

China refers Arunachal Pradesh as Zangnan.

Earlier, Zhao said “the southern part of Tibet belongs to the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China and it has been China’s inherent territories”.

“China’s ethnic minorities such as the Moinba and Tibetan ethnic groups have lived and worked in this area for a long time, and many place names have

been passed down,” he said.

“In order to strengthen the standardised administration of place names, the competent department of the Chinese government, in accordance with the regulation on the administration of geographical names, has announced the second batch of standardised names of places in Zangnan for use by the public, which completely falls within China’s sovereignty,” Zhao said in the updated comments.

This is the second batch of standardised Chinese names of places in Arunachal Pradesh released

by China.

The first batch of the standardised names of six places was released in 2017.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet which is firmly rejected by the External Affairs Ministry which has asserted that the state is an “inseparable part of India”.

Beijing routinely protests visits of top Indian leaders and officials to Arunachal Pradesh to reaffirm its claim.

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (AGENCIES): India has lashed out at China for giving “invented” names to several places in Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing has its eyes set on this remote state in northeast India and is looking to assert its sovereignty over the territory, reports The Sentinel Assam.

Several stretches in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are disputed and it seems as if Beijing would not soften its rhetoric anytime soon.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs of China said that it had “standardized” the names of 15 places in Zangnan (“South Tibet”) and gave formal Chinese names to all these places.

Beijing has labelled Arunachal Pradesh as “South Tibet” and claimed that China has historical links with the region. The renaming of residential areas, rivers and mountains followed a similar move in 2017 involving six other locations in the same area. The

Arindam Bagchi

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India responded by saying that Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India.

“Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact,” MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a statement. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian reitThe Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) erated Beijing’s stance by saying that “Southern Tibet is in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, and has historically been Chinese territory.” The Spokesman also added that the renaming came within

the scope of China’s sovereignity.

The bilateral relationship between India and China suffered a huge blow when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers intruded into the Galwan Valley in June 2020 and 20 Indian soldiers were killed following a brawl.

Since then, multiple rounds of talks between New Delhi and Beijing proved to be futile and both the sides failed to de-escalate tensions.

Both the sides have militarized the LAC by deploying thousands of extra troops and military hardware.

It is to be noted that China does not recognize the MacMahon Line.

This line marks the boundary between the China-occupied territory of the East Himalayan region and Indian regions.

This line was determined by Sir Henry MacMahon, then Foreign Secretary in the Government of British India. The length of this line is 890 kilometers.

NDPP urges GoI to revoke ‘Drug peddler’ shot at while trying AFSPA notification to escape custody: Assam Police

(From p-1) Stating that Nagaland has been undergoing positive growth in the tourism and service sector, NDPP has, however, said that with imposition of AFSPA, state’s efforts towards economic growth and integration with the mainstream would only be negatively impacted.

At a time when the Naga people have put their trust and confidence on the assurance that the Indo-Naga talks were moving in a positive direction, NDPP said the Government of India must make efforts towards building confidence and strengthening that trust.

However, it said that by passing such unpopular and unwanted orders, the feeling of alienation would only grow.

JORHAT (ASSAM), DEC 31 (PTI): A suspected drug peddler was injured after police opened fire at him while he was allegedly trying to escape from custody in Assam’s Jorhat district on Friday, a senior officer said.

The injured person was admitted to state-run Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH), where his condition is stated to be stable.

Superintendent of Police Ankur Jain said that the incident took place

when the accused was being brought to Jorhat from Dhubri.

“The man got down the police vehicle on the pretext of relieving himself.

However, he then attempted to flee, forcing our personnel to shoot at his leg,” the officer said.

The accused had earlier escaped from custody and Jorhat Police nabbed him from Dhubri on Thursday, he said.

A total of 32 accused

have been gunned down and 58 injured while allegedly attempting to flee police custody since the second BJP gover nment led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma assumed office in May. The opposition alleges that the state police has turned “trigger happy”, but Sarma says that the law enforcers have “full operational liberty” to fight criminals under the ambit of law.

Public march against AFSPA on January 10 (From p-1) Asked out public response so far, Kera said they have received support from many individuals confirming their participation, adding that students from a theological college would also be joining the march.

Mentioning that he expected participation of

a large number of youth in the march, Kera appealed to all right-thinking citizens, irrespective of tribes or communities or political affiliations, to join the march.

Further asked whether the march would be called off if the recently-formed committee to repeal AFSPA

notifies partial withdrawal of AFSPA from the State, Kera asserted that the public would not be satisfied with partial repeal and demanded its full withdrawal.

He assured that the march would be peaceful and “apolitical” voice against AFSPA led by the public.

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Assam in 2021: From a new CM to evictions drives

GUWAHATI, DEC 31 (AGENCIES): Amid the ongoing pandemic, the year 2021 has been a roller coaster ride for the state of Assam- be it COVID-19 protocols or the much sought after Assam Assembly Election 2021, reports The Sentinel Assam.

The year 2021 witnessed resounding popularity among the public of Assam, replacing the former Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and vouching for a new chief minister in the face of Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.

However, since the new formation of the government or most of the pre-election period the state has been in the driver’s seat when it comes to COVID management or implementation of policies and acts.

COVID-19 Management Assam in the last couple of years have been on war-footing and with the latest threat of Omicron, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Saturday announced the imposition of night curfew in the state.

The curfew will come into effect from 26 December 2021. However, the night curfew will be lifted on 31 December.

The night curfew will be from 11.30 pm to 6 am every day. According to the order, all the workplaces, business/commercial establishments, Dine in restaurants, hotels, Dhabas and other eateries, the takeaway of food items from restau-

File photo of a farmer shot at during the eviction drive in Gorukhuti. rants/dhabas and other eateries, the opening of sale counters, showrooms etc. of cold storages and warehouses, shops dealing with groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, will remain open up to 10.30 pm.

The order further said that jurisdictional DDMAs will fix the limit of gatherings depending on Covid situation in their respective districts.

Assam Election 2021 Assam gets Himanta Biswa Sarma as new Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the face of the BJP in Northeast India, has been sworn in as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam.

Dr. Sarma and the outgoing Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, met Governor Jagdish Mukhi on Sunday afternoon and put forward the BJP’s claim to form the

government.

The BJP won 60 of the 126 seats in the Assam Assembly election. Its allies, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), won nine and six seats, respectively. It may be recalled that Sarbananda Sonowal had handled the sports ministry portfolio in the first term of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government from 2014 to 2016 before he became Assam chief minister. While Sarbananda Sonowal enjoyed popular support and did not have any major incumbency, Himanta Biswa Sarma, was the health minister in the Sonowal government.

Gorukhuti Eviction Drive An eviction drive in Sipajhar in Assam’s Darrang district took a violent turn, leaving two dead and several

injured after clashes broke out between the police and protesters. A horrifying video showed a protester armed with a lathi being shot by a policeman, then jumped on and stomped on by a civilian. Meanhwhile, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has also instituted a judicial probe into the deaths, and the civilian has been arrested. In Assam, ethnic conflict over land goes back decades, and such eviction drives predate the current regime. Earlier, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had stated the eviction drive was not against any community but encroachers. BJP national general secretary Dilip Saikia had claimed the people evicted were “Bangladeshis” who came over the past few years and grabbed government land.

Majuli Boat Tragedy

At least one person died and several passengers went missing after a private boat capsized in the Brahmaputra river near Nimati Ghat in Assam’s Jorhat following a head-on collision with a ferry on Wednesday.

A woman died in hospital after she was rescued from the river. As many as 120 passengers were travelling in the boat when the incident happened, an official of the Inland Water Transport (IWT) Department quoted. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he has directed Majuli and Jorhat administrations to undertake rescue missions expeditiously with help of NDRF and SDRF. Expressing deep concern over the ferry accident in Majuli, Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal directed his ministry to provide all necessary help for the rescue operations. He also spoke to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and enquired about the tragedy.

Assam By-Polls The BJP-led ruling coalition clean swept the bye-poll in five LACs (Legislative Assembly Constituencies) in the State. The Election Commission declared bye-poll results today. What is significant in the bye-poll results is that the candidates won with huge margins.

With this win, the ruling alliance gained its strength in the state Assembly. Yet again, Congress, AIUDF, Raijor Dal (Independent) and the BPF suffered a setback. According to the Election Department, while

BJP won Thowra, Bhabanipur and Mariani LACs, UPPL won Gossaigaon and Tamulpur LACs. BJP candidate Sushanta Borgohain won Thowra LAC with 54,956 votes, defeating his nearest rival independent candidate Dhaijya Konwar (Raijor Dal) by a margin of 30,561 votes. Dhaijya Konwar received 24,395 votes.

BJP candidate Phanidhar Talukdar won the Bhabanipur LAC with 64,200 votes, defeating his rival Congress candidate Sailendra Nath Das by a margin of 25,641 votes. Das received 38,559 votes.

Assam’s war on drugs Social media has been abuzz with the success of Assam in dealing with the drugs menace in recent days. The Assam Police has launched an all-out offensive on drugs. Over thousands of people, including women drug traffickers, have been arrested across the state and narcotics worth crores of rupees seized from them while a few also shot at in encounter. The ongoing crackdown has also unearthed a well-oiled drug trafficking network, which spreads from India’s Northeast to the rest of the country, and probably beyond.

Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021 The Assam government has amended a section Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021 to allow transportation of cattle from one district to another, which was barred earlier, informed Ashok Singhal, State Cabi-

net Minister. “Cattle Bill has been amended to allow transportation of cattle from one district to another, though it will not be allowed in districts having an international border,” said Singhal.

The decision was taken following reports that people in villages are facing hurdles in selling their cattle and their transportation even from one village to another village. The Assam Cattle Preservation Bill,2021 says that the sale of beef or its products will not be allowed in areas that have a predominant population of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and other non-beef-eating communities or within a radius of five km of any temple, satra (Vaishnavite monastery), or other religious institutions belonging to Hindus, or any other institution or area as may be prescribed by the competent authority.

The bill provides for the protection of cattle by regulating their “slaughter, consumption, illegal transportation”. It seeks to replace Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 1950.

The Cattle Preservation Bill passed has been passed in the Assam Assembly on August 13. The bill was passed by a voice vote in the state assembly. The bill aims for making the cow protection law identical to other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka.

Crisis of Baghbor legislator Sherman Ali Ahmed Sherman Ali

Ahmed, a Baghbor legislator, said that the Congress party had asked him that if he wished his suspension from the Congress lifted, he needed to cease speaking about minority concerns.

Sherman Ali, a member of Congress, was reportedly suspended for allegedly making “communal and inflammatory” statements.

He was also detained for the same reason and is now out on bail. Sherman Ali now claims that Congress imposed some requirements in order to lift his ban.

APCC president Bhupen Bora has urged Sherman not to talk to the media and has also asked him not to speak about minority concerns, according to Sherman. “Congress is a secular party,” he said, “yet this situation appears to be rather problematic.” I’m baffled as to how Bhupen Bora could impose such a stipulation.” He stated that Bhupen Bora had also told him that if he wanted to speak for minorities, he could join “Asaduddin Owaisi’s party.” Sherman went on to say that now that these criteria are in place, he would confer with his constituents before making a final judgement on the matter. “I will leave politics if 51 per cent of my constituents beg me to stay in Congress and accept the terms.” “However, if the majority requests that I stand by my principles, I will take the subject to the party’s top command, and the ball will be in their court,” he said.

Tripura in 2021: Violent polls, communal unrest, BJP-TMC tussle 63 children among 243 new AGARTALA, DEC 31 (PTI): Tripura felt on edge through 2021 as it made news headlines for bitterly fought elections and communal clashes amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

The ruling BJP, which tasted defeat in the elections to Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) earlier in the year, won a resounding victory in the civic polls, pulverising the TMC which made a gallant attempt to make inroads into the now saffron citadel.

The saffron party bagged 329 of the 334 seats in the urban civic bodies of the state, where it was hardly a force to reckon with before the 2018 Assembly polls.

The CPI(M), which was dethroned by the BJP in the 2018 assembly polls after an uninterrupted rule of 25 years, ended up with just 18 per cent vote share.

The TMC, which was trying to gain a foothold in the northeastern state, buoyed by its assembly poll victory in the neighbouring West Bengal, managed to garner over 16 per cent of the votes polled in the civic elections, having put up a

File photo of violence in Tripura. creditable fight in the face of political violence and alleged intimidation.

Several TMC leaders were taken into custody by police for reasons ranging from Covid protocol violations to breach of peace. Notable among them was TMC youth wing leader Saayoni Ghosh, who was charged with attempt to murder and promoting enmity.

The Mamata Banerjeeled party, which has been accused of unleashing violence in West Bengal, was at the receiving end in Tripura where it levelled similar allegations against the BJP. A string of incidents of violence rocked Tripura during the campaign, forcing the Supreme Court to inter-

vene. Taking cognisance of a petition that sought protection for TMC members, the Supreme Court directed the Tripura government to ensure political parties are not prevented from conducting programmes in a peaceful manner.

In the tribal council polls, the newly formed TIPRA, led by former state Congress president and scion of Tripura’s erstwhile royal family Pradyot Kishore Deb Barman, clinched 18 of the 28 seats, leaving nine seats for the BJP and one for an Independent.

In early part of the year, the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed the small Northeastern state. The ad-

ministration tried to fortify the health infrastructure and speed up the vaccination drive amid the rising number of infections.

The government announced free education and other assistance for children who lost their parents to the infection.

Octogenarian Purna Laxmi, a resident of a remote hamlet in West Tripura, became the first person in the state to be administered anti-Covid vaccine in June.

Since then, roughly 88 per cent of the eligible population has been inoculated, according to State Immunisation officer Dr Supratim Biswas.

During the year, Chief Minister Biplab Deb, often in the news for shooting from the hip, courted controversy when he said government officials need not worry about contempt of court cases as he controlled the police and it wasn’t easy to send someone to jail. The chief minister, in the eye of a storm over his remark, later said his statement was twisted out of context.

What came as a welcome move was the promise of a Rs 1,300 crore assistance by Union Finance

Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for sustainable development of Tripura’s tribal areas. Sitharaman inaugurated 11 projects during her visit to the state in August.

The northeastern state hogged the limelight in the second half of 2021 as communal clashes in Bangladesh provoked a backlash in the state, where places of worship of Muslims were desecrated.

Restrictions were imposed on public movement in Panisagar and Dharmanagar areas of Tripura to avoid further disturbances.

Security was beefed up across the state and the government appealed to people to maintain peace.

Two women journalists, who had covered the violence and vandalisation for a Delhi-based news channel, were arrested for alleged criminal conspiracy and spreading communal hatred.

A magisterial court in Tripura, which granted them bail, said keeping the two under detention “would be extreme curtailment of personal liberty”. The Supreme Court later stayed the criminal proceedings against them.

COVID-19 patients in Mizoram

AIZAWL, DEC 31 (PTI): Mizoram’s COVID-19 tally rose to 1,41,400 on Friday as 243 more people, including 63 children, tested positive for the infection, a health official said. The northeastern state’s coronavirus death toll remained unchanged at 542 as no fresh fatality was reported, he said.

Mizoram had registered 41 fewer cases on the previous day.

Aizawl district record-

ITANAGAR, DEC 30 (IANS): A rights body on Thursday said the Chakma and Hajong communities in Arunachal Pradesh would not cooperate with any “illegal census” of the state government.

The Committee for Citizenship Rights of the Chakmas and Hajongs of Ar unachal Pradesh (CCRCHAP) said that the two communities would not cooperate with any “illegal census”.

“Any census on them must meet the litmus test of complying with Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the 1996 Supreme Court judgment in the case of National Human Rights Commission of India vs State of Arunachal Pradesh,” CCRCHAP General Secre-

tary Santosh Chakma said in a statement.

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) reportedly in a statement on Wednesday said that the Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh has been instructed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu to conduct the census of the Chakmas and Hajongs of the state.

The CCRCHAP statement said that about 95 per cent of the Chakmas and Hajongs are citizens of India by birth and they cannot be discriminated against in any manner.

Further, the Supreme Court in its order of 1996 unequivocally stated while the application of any individual Chakma migrant of 1964-1969 is pending consideration, the state of

Arunachal Pradesh shall not evict or remove the concerned person from his occupation on the ground that he is not a citizen of India until the competent authority has taken a decision in that behalf, the statement said.

Santosh Chakma said: “The Chakmas and Hajongs reserve the right to approach the Supreme Court in case of violations of Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the judgement of 1996.”

There are about 65,000 Chakma and Hajong people in the state out of which about 4,500 are migrants of 1964 -1969, while the rest are the descendants and citizens by birth under the Citizenship Act of 1955.

ICU beds only for COVID-19 patients,” Keshab Mahanta said.

Mahanta further said that the state government is preparing to increase the number of beds to 25,000 within a week.

The Assam government has targeted to vaccinate all students in the state age group of 15-18 years by January 9. “ T h e va c c i n a t i o n drive for the age group of 15-18 years will be started from January 3 and we have targeted to vaccinate all students of this age group by January 9.

We have directed all Deputy Commissioners of the districts, Inspector of Schools Health Officers to take this as a mission,” Keshab Mahanta said.

According to the state

coronavirus patients stood at 98.44 per cent, while the mortality rate was at 0.38 per cent.

Mizoram has thus far tested over 15.2 lakh samples for COVID-19, including 2,517 on Thursday.

The administration has inoculated more than 7.30 lakh people to date, of whom 5.89 lakh have been fully vaccinated, State Immunisation Officer Dr Lalzawmi said.

Arunachal Pradesh logs 3 new COVID cases, tally at 55,339 ITANAGAR, DEC 31 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh on Friday reported three new COVID-19 cases, one more than the previous day, with the tally rising to 55,339, a health department official said.

The death toll remained at 280 as no fresh fatality due to the infection was recorded in the last 24 hours, State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

One more person recuperated from the disease during the period, taking the total number of recoveries to 55,038. The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state stood at 99.46 per cent.

‘Chakmas, Hajongs in Arunachal Assam gears up to tackle Omicron; won’t co-operate with illegal census’ more beds, vaccination for all students GUWAHATU, DEC 31 (AGENCIES): In view of rising cases of the Omicron variant in the country, the Assam government has arranged 9000 special beds including 1000 ICU beds in government hospitals across the state for COVID-19 patients, reports India Today.

Assam Health Minister Keshab Mahanta on Friday said that the state is fully prepared to tackle any situation.

“We have arranged 9000 special beds in the government hospitals of the state for only COVID-19 patients, including 1000 ICU beds, 2600 Oxygen beds.

Currently, 1600 ICU beds are available in the government hospitals, but we have arranged 1000

ed the highest number of 88 fresh cases, followed by Serchhip (73) and Mamit (34). Sixty-three children are among the new patients, the official said.

The single-day positivity rate dipped to 9.69 per cent from 9.80 per cent on the previous day, he said.

The state now has 1,658 active cases, while 1,39,200 people have been cured of the disease so far.

The recovery rate among the

Health department, the estimated population of the age group of 15-18 years in the state is around 18.25 lakh. Meanwhile, a genome sequencing laboratory will be set up at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital soon, Mahanta said.

“Genome sequencing facilities are now available at North East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST) in Jorhat.

The Assam government will set up a genome sequencing laboratory at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital soon,” Keshab Mahanta said. The Health Minister also said that construction works of six new medical colleges in the state are going on and five more medical colleges will come up.

Arunachal Pradesh now has 21 active Covid-19 cases, the SSO said.

The Capital Complex Region, comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, has the highest number of active cases at 13, followed by Namsai at three, Lohit and West Kameng at two each and Tawang at one. Altogether, 12,04,943 samples have been tested for COVID-19 so far, including, 149 on Thursday, Jampa said, adding that the positivity ratio was at 2.01 per cent. State Immunisation Officer Dr Dimong Padung said 14,61,096 people have been inoculated thus far.

Parts of Guwahati under excise scanner ahead of New Year’s Eve

GUWAHATI, DEC 31 (AGENCIES): Ahead of New Year Eve, some of the locations in Guwahati city are under the scanner of the District Administration which will help in detecting the selling of illicit liquor. The areas under the scanner include GS Road, Khanapara and Zoo Road in Guwahati, reports The Sentinel Assam.

These particular regions are targeted by the Kamrup Metro (M) Excise Department for strict vigilance against the selling of alcohol illegally during the celebration of New Year 2022.

According to reports, the Kamrup Metro (M) Excise Department has formed seven groups that are deployed in different areas throughout the district to keep strict checks over the

selling of illegal and illicit alcohol in the city. These groups will be monitoring and detecting various circles that fall under the Kamrup district where IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) and country liquor is sold illegally to youths at reduced rates during the festive season.

Meanhwhile, the area of Khanapara in the city has been mainly targeted by the excise team for the illegal selling of liquor because youths residing in the city buy alcohol at very low prices from the Meghalaya side which creates a closed link from Khanapara. The Kamrup Metro (M) Excise Department will also keep their check over the illegal selling of desi liquor that is consumed by people across the city during the festive season and is expected to be sold ahead of the New Year.

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Resident doctors strike called off: FORDA Bajrang Dal says ‘no’ to New Year celebrations

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (PTI): Resident doctors in Delhi, who have been protesting over the delay in NEET-PG counselling for two weeks, on Friday called off their strike and resumed services after receiving assurances from the government that their demands would be looked into, their federation said.

The stir by the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) was called off at 12 noon, it said in a statement.

FORDA president Dr Manish said the agitation was carried out by “overworked and exhausted” doctors, and after getting some assurances from the central government, the strike was called off this afternoon and doctors resumed work at their respective hospitals.

“We have lived under great stress over this period, but the common cause and support of doctors kept us going,” he said.

Patient care was affected at several major hospitals in Delhi in this period as resident doctors were boycotting services to lodge their protest. Their primary demand from the Centre was expediting of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) or NEET-PG counselling pro-

File photo of a protest by FORDA cess. In its statement, FORDA claimed that the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has agreed upon some key points in connection with the agitation.

He has agreed that the health ministry will submit the committee report to the Supreme Court of India before January 6, and will publish the NEET-PG 2021 counselling schedule following the court hearing on January 6, the statement said.

The ministry has regretted the alleged “brutal incident of violence” by Delhi Police against several resident doctors who were protesting peacefully on December 27, it claimed.

The statement said that “no punitive or disciplinary action will be taken by the authorities” against any resident doctor who took

part in the agitation that initially had started from November 27, has also been agreed upon.

On December 9, the resident doctors had said they were suspending the agitation, called by the FORDA, for a week following the health ministry’s assurance to expedite court hearing and subsequently fast-track the counselling process.

They had then resumed their stir from December 17 after a week-long gap.

“The plight of overburdened and exhausted resident doctors seems to have fallen on deaf ears of the authorities who do not seem to be concerned about the shortage of healthcare workforce due to non-admission of fresh batch of resident doctors,” FORDA had written to Union Health

Minister Mandaviya days ahead of resuming the strike Protest by a large number of resident doctors on Monday had taken a dramatic turn, as medics and police personnel had faced off in the streets, and both sides had claimed that several persons had sustained injury in the ensuing melee The federation on Thursday had held protest in the campus of Lady Hardinge Medical College, and also sought withdrawal of police cases lodged against some of their colleagues in the fraternity after the face off between the resident doctors and police personnel. On Thursday, a “series of meetings of FORDA representatives was held with multiple Delhi Police officials. It was highlighted by Delhi Police that they have highest regard for doctors,” the federation said in its statement.

They also assured that police complaints lodged against resident doctors “will be taken care of as per the legal procedures,” FORDA claimed.

“A virtual meeting of FORDA members with all RDAs’ representatives was convened late in the evening whereby all the proceedings were conveyed, all points of concern were discussed in

details. It was unanimously decided to call off the agitation on 31st December, 2021, 12:00 pm, considering various factors, including patient care,” it said.

It was also decided that a national meeting with all RDAs’ representatives will be convened by FORDA on January 6, it added.

FORDA in a separate statement, also thanked members of the media fraternity for highlighting the crucial issue.

Resident directors of three Centre-run facilities, Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, RML Hospital and those of Maulana Azad Medical College and its attached hospitals and several other Delhi government-run hospitals had taken part in the stir here. Amid the ongoing protest by resident doctors in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on December 28 had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into ways to “personally resolve” the issue, as he had asserted that doctors should be in hospitals not streets, when the coronavirus cases are rising again.

In his letter, he had also urged the prime minister to ensure that the NEET-PG counselling process is expedited.

File photo of members of Bajrang Dal. VARANASI, DEC 31 (IANS): After Valentine’s Day, the right-wing Bajrang Dal is now targeting New Year celebrations.

Bajrang Dal activists in Varanasi have put up posters in malls and hotels, warning people “not to promote western culture in Kashi by celebrating New Year”.

The Bajrang Dal has termed the promotion of western culture as “immoral and anti-religious” and warned that its activists will strongly oppose any such New year celebrations and events in

the city.

Bajrang Dal convener Nikhil Tripathi ‘Rudra’ said: “New Year celebration is a meaningless event.

It has no morality and has nothing to do with spirituality. Such events take the youth of the country on the wrong path.”

Tripathi alleged that the liquor and drug mafia try to take advantage of the situation on the pretext of celebration.

“As there will be celebrations at many places in the city, we will stage protest peacefully and within the limits of law after the

permission of the police administration.”

However, the police said that no one will be allowed to disturb law and order.

The Bajrang Dal has also demanded a ban on the sale of liquor in bars, pubs, hotels and clubs during New Year.

Commissioner of Police A Satish Ganesh said: “No one will be allowed to take law in their hands.

If anything goes wrong, the police will take action.

We have made proper arrangements for the peaceful New Year celebration.”

PM shy of naming China on land grab: Cong ‘More encounters do not mean militancy has increased’ NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (IANS): After the Chinese government renamed 15 places of Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress on Friday slammed the Modiled government for ‘inaction and shying away from naming China for the land grab of Indian Territory’.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said, “China is ‘renaming’ 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh. Satellite images had recently showed China has also built two villages in our territory.

PM Modi and his Beijing Janata Party leaders shy away from even naming China! All they do is distract and deny this land grab by the Chinese.”

The reaction comes as ahead of China implementing its new border law,

Mallikarjun Kharge the Chinese government had renamed 15 places of Arunachal Pradesh in its map.

China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs issued a statement stating that they have ‘standardised’ names for 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh, to be used on the Chinese maps.

This is the second time China has renamed some places of Arunachal Pradesh. Way back in 2017, China had changed the

names of six places.

On October 23, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislative body, passed a new law citing “protection and exploitation of the country’s land border areas”. The committee had stated that the new law will come into effect from January 1.

The law is not meant specifically for the border with India. China shares its 22,457 km land boundary with 14 countries including India, the third longest after the borders with Mongolia and Russia.

The new border law has 62 articles and seven chapters. As per the law, the People’s Republic of China shall set up boundary markers on all its land borders to clearly mark the border.

SRINAGAR, DEC 31 (IANS): Senior Army officers and Jammu and Kashmir police personnel said on Friday that the number of active militants in 2021 was the lowest since militancy started in the Union Territory.

Addressing the media after the killing of six militants and a soldier in two separate encounters in Kulgam and Anantnag, top army and police officers said that while the number of total militants active was less than 200, the count of local counterparts was around 85-86 only in 2021.

Asked whether the number of militants is rising, Lt General D.P. Pandey, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15 Corps, said, “The numbers this year has reduced. There

Lt General D.P. Pandey is a very interesting trend which has come to light that I thought I should share with you all.

“Senior youth who are beyond 20, 21 or above are not joining militant ranks.

Finding it difficult to get youth to join from this age group, they have started to recruit in the age pocket of 15 to 16.

“The second trend is that the militants are no longer proud of themselves

for picking up weapons.

So they are not declaring their names and are hiding their identity. It was very clear and evident in a recent operation, which came under spotlight for various reasons when all family members belonging to an over ground worker (OGW) network or militants came out in open and claimed innocence.”

Pandey further said: “So today I feel that the society doesn’t want to accept OGWs or militants in their houses and proximity.

Majority of the operations which happened this year were based on human intelligence, which is another trend. We have been able to breach the 200-mark which is an achievement in itself.”

Vijay Kumar, IGP

(Kashmir), said that it is for the first time in the history of J&K that number of active militants has reduced to less than 200.

“It is also for the first time that the number of active local terrorists has come down to less than 100. There are around 8586 militants left after yesterday’s encounter. Howev-

er, increase in the number of encounters does not mean rise in militancy. It means proactive action on our part. Militancy is not increasing, but declining.

“In the summer, foreign militants hide in the higher reaches and they come down with the onset of winter, which is a good thing for us,” Kumar said.

182 terrorists killed in 100 successful operations in J-K in 2021: DGP Dilbag A total of 182 terrorists, including 44 top ultras, were killed in 100 successful operations in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021, DGP Dilbag Singh said on Friday.

He also said that 134 youngsters joined terror ranks in the Union territory this year, with 72 of them been neutralised and 22 arrested.

“Infiltration down this year, only 34 terrorists have managed to infiltrate. Besides nine terrorists of JeM involved in the attack on a police bus in Pantha Chowk were eliminated in the last 24 hours,” he added.

UP school kids made to take pledge for ‘Hindu Rashtra’ Sidhu accuses Parkash Badal, Amarinder Singh of ‘looting’ Punjab

SONBHADRA, DEC 31 (IANS): School children in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district were reportedly made to take a pledge to make India a ‘Hindu Rashtra’.

A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, creating a fresh controversy.

The children, dressed in their school uniforms, had gathered in the park after school hours. Some kids visiting the park with their parents, were also part of the oath-taking event.

The students were made to repeat the pledge to ‘fight, The students were die and if required kill’ to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra.

made to repeat the pledge to make India a Hindu nation. The oath stated to “fight, die and if required kill” to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra.

The oath was administered to school children at Nehru Park in Sonbhadra district and ended with slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, “Vande Mataram” and “Jai Hind.”

The pledge stated: “We promise to work towards making and keeping India a Hindu Rashtra. We will fight for this, die for this, and if required, kill for

this. But we will not back down even for a moment, no matter the sacrifice.

May our ancestors, teachers, Mother India give us enough strength so that we can fulfil our pledge. May they give us victory.”

T h e c o n t r ove r s i a l video of the incident was shared by a news channel on its Twitter handle.

The police, when contacted, said that they had been apprised of the incident and the video’s authenticity was being investigated after which action would be taken.

Voters won’t allow outsider parties to use Multani wants Punjab as Goa as lab for political experiments: Sawant a new country, says NIA

PANAJI, DEC 31 (PTI): Voters will not allow parties that have come from outside to use Goa as a laboratory for political experiments in the upcoming state Assembly elections, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Friday in a remark aimed at the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Sawant was addressing a gathering in his native village of Kothambi in Sankhalim Assembly constituency, where he formally kicked off his election campaign for the polls scheduled to be held in February 2022.

“We are taking forward the legacy of former chief ministers late Dayanand Bandodkar, late Manohar Parrikar and others,” the BJP leader said, taking a jibe at the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP),

Pramod Sawant accusing it of selling out its values to political parties that arrived from outside the state.

The chief minister was referring to the pre-poll alliance between the MGP and the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, which has decided to contest the elections in Goa this time.

Besides the TMC, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, which currently rules Delhi, is also in the fray.

“People will not allow Goa to be used as a laboratory for political experiments by parties that have come from outside the state,” Sawant said.

The chief minister recalled how he and his young BJP supporters were ridiculed as “immature fellows” during the 2012 state Assembly elections.

“Some senior people questioned how I will be able to win the election with these immature fellows.

Everyone in our team was under 50 years of age. But we won the polls,” he said, referring to his victory from Sankhalim seat, which he has represented twice.

Only 40 days are remaining for the polls as elections may be held somewhere between February 10 and February 14, the chief minister said.

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (IANS): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday said that they have lodged a separate case against Jaswinder Singh Multani, a Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) member who has been arrested in Germany for conspiring against India.

“The case was registered on Thursday under sections 120B, 121A of IPC and sections 10, 13, 17, 18 & 18B of UA(P) Act,A against Jaswinder Singh Multani, a Germany-based operative of Sikhs for Justice (an unlawful association), and his other associates,” said an NIA official. The official said that this case was of criminal conspiracy hatched by Multani with several other pro-Khalistani elements located abroad for radicalising, motivating and recruiting youths

in Punjab on ground and online through social media platforms to propagate their ideology with the aim to secede Punjab from the Union of India. “They have been involved in raising funds to procure arms, ammunition and explosives by using smuggling networks in Punjab to revive terrorism in Punjab. Jaswinder Singh Multani has also been in contact with ISI operatives to carry out terror attack in Mumbai and other parts of India,” the NIA official said.

The NIA official said that a team of elite officials was formed to look into the matter. Since Multani’s arrest in Berlin following Indian intelligence inputs, a team is likely to visit Germany. The NIA officials said that they want to bring back Multani to India to prosecute him for his offence.

SANAUR (PB), DEC 31 (PTI): Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday targeted former chief ministers Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh for allegedly “looting” the state over the last 25 years.

He blamed the previous governments led by Badal and Singh for leaving the state with a heavy debt burden.

“For 25 years, two chief ministers looted Pun-

jab,” said Sidhu while addressing a gathering here.

“They (Parkash Singh Badal, Amarinder Singh) left the state in such a situation that the youth do not want to stay here,” he alleged, referring to youngsters’ preference to go abroad.

The Congress leader said Punjab is carrying a heavy debt burden.

The state does not generate enough revenue to be able to meet its total expenditure of Rs 1.40 lakh crore.

It pays Rs 30,000 crore as interest on debt, he claimed.

Sidhu said the GST compensation from the Centre will stop in June next year and this will add to the state’s fiscal deficit.

He also stressed the need to empower panchayats in the state and said it can be done with the implementation of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment that was aimed at allowing gram panchayats to operate as self-governance units.

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2. The discipline wise vacancies of Head Constable (GD) under Sports Quota-2021 are as follows which may increase or decrease at any time or stage of recruitment :Vacancy S. No Discipline / Events Men Women 1 Athletics (various events) 52 38 2 Boxing (Different weight category) 08 10 3 Basketball 08 -4 Gymnastics 05 -5 Football 10 -6 Hockey 15 -7 Handball 06 -8 Judo (Different weight category) 07 04 9 Kabaddi 07 08 10 Shooting (Rifle & Pistol) 03 01 11 Swimming (Different category) 17 -12 Volleyball 05 -13 Weightlifting (Different weight category) 16 07 14 Wrestling (Different weight category) 14 -15 Taekwondo (Different weight category) 08 -Grand Total 181 68 For complete details please see the advertisement / notification in the Employment News / Rozgar Samachar dated 01/01/22 or visit CISF website i.e. https://www.cisfrectt.in. davp 19113/11/0006/2122

6

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Nagaland Post

Post-mortem

VOL. XXXII NO. 27 DIMAPUR, SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022

A challenging new year

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little over 7 billion people across the welcomed January 1,2022 the first day of the new year with celebrative mood despite the looming shadow of the newest virus mutant called Omicron. This sentimental feeling is a thing that has been there for ages since January 1 was accepted as the beginning of the year. The mood this time is somewhat better than it was the world was in the grip of a pandemic with ban on travel and public gatherings. Thus, there is a psychological build up to bid goodbye to the old year and to welcome the New Year. New Year thus provides an opportunity for a review of many aspects in a person’s life and the effort to make life better –spiritually, mentally and physically. These are the epitome of what a progressive resolution ought to be and through which relationships, responsibilities and careers are addressed. Nagaland welcomes the New Year 2022 along with the rest of the world. One can look at the recent past through different perspectives, depending on what affects the person most.

People of Nagaland will still have to address many issues that have spiralled to levels that attract attention and which need to be handled with cooperative wisdom, if society in Nagaland is to come out of the shadows of doubts, confusion and conflicts. There is more than enough reason to seriously ponder over why, since over a decade, governance has taken a back seat and who have been tossing all rules out of the window. Celebrations are momentary but cannot hide the painful reality that poverty and not prosperity has become abundant. The problems of the old will continue to dominate the New Year and these cannot simply be wished away. Nagaland’s birth was preceded with upheaval in the erstwhile Naga Hills Tuensang Area(NHTA)- a confrontation of concepts between politicians who were aware of their limitations and those who did not believe they could be limited.

Society is fractured by isms both socially and politically. Today state politics has gone adrift and headed towards a blind alley. Politics has its time and place but when it fails to correct the drift in society, it creates a negative impact overall –economically, socially and morally. Trends evident today indicate that over saturation of a regressive politics riding on the back of culture and traditions that have less to do with syncretism for a contemporary approach and more with preserving a mythical past has cast a mist. The new year will see the continuance of the emotional tone against the Armed Forces(Special Powers)Act seen as the devil’s tool used to legitimise terror on people. However, justice for the victims of the Oting massacre is one unchallengeable, undeniable and non-negotiable aspect while the other aspect on which all politicians seem to agree on, at least outwardly is –early resolution of the Naga political issue. The year also provides an opportunity to effect cleansing of the electoral practices, which has been blamed as a major contributor of criminalisation of the Naga society. Other unfulfilled issues include a system for quality education, rise in anti-social offences, juvenile delinquency, mounting concerns of HIV, thriving black market in alcohol and drugs etc. Many of them will still continue to plague Naga society to a great extent. Therefore, may the new year 2022 be a year for determined resolution of all issues to prepare for a greater and brighter future.

DailyDevotion Yesterday

You shall not go out with haste,…for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

—Isaiah 52:12

Security from Yesterday. “…God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.

Security for Tomorrow. “…the Lord will go before you….” This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our “rear guard.”

And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.

Security for Today. “You shall not go out with haste….” As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us.

Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.

Quotes

And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022

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he misuse of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act suggests that it deserves to be completely rewritten or scrapped.

Why do people believe that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 or AFSPA is a draconian legislation? A constitution bench of the Supreme Court dealt with its constitutional validity and, in 1997, held that the law is constitutionally valid and does not suffer from the vice of arbitrariness (Naga People’s Movement of Human Rights v Union of India, 1997). In theory, the decision is undoubtedly correct but not on the grounds of implementation.

Special powers were conferred on the armed forces through ordinances to deal with the situation arising in the provinces of Bengal, Assam, East Punjab and Delhi, and the United Provinces on account of partition. These ordinances were replaced by the AFSPA, 1948. The law was a temporary legislation enacted for one

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AFSPA: The Misuse of Power year but continued till 1958 when it was replaced by the AFSPA, 1958, which was initially intended for Assam and Manipur but later extended to the entire north-east region.

The law contains only six sections, of which Sections 3, 4, and 6 are problematic. Section 3 of the act relates to powers to declare an area as “disturbed area.”

The declaration can be issued only by the governor of a state or the administrator of a union territory or the central government as to what constitutes a “disturbed area.” The concerned authority must be satisfied that an area is in such a disturbed or dangerous condition that the use of armed forces is necessary in aid of the civil power. The power to issue a declaration is discretionary but should it be exercised on the subjective satisfaction of the concerned authority or on objective material? This is important because in the past, the President’s Rule was somewhat indiscriminately imposed in different states until it was called out by

the Supreme Court, requiring the objective material to be made available to the President to exercise his or her discretion. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court did not address the issue of subjective satisfaction versus objective material. So, a declaration can be made on the whims and fancies of the authority concerned.

There is no known instance of any declaration being struck down in judicial review or challenged.

The law is silent on the life of a declaration and any administrative review with the passage of time.

The Attor ney General stated before the Supreme Court that henceforth the union of India would review a declaration and do so every year, but the Supreme Court held that it should be reviewed every six months and directed accordingly. The review is not expected to be mechanical or routine, but perhaps no one knows the reality because such declarations have continued for several years without judicial reviews even after 1997. On a different subject, the Su-

preme Court has held that the issuance of repeated ordinances would be a fraud on the Constitution.

This logic should apply to repeated declarations of an area as “disturbed area” being a fraud on the AFSPA. Strangely, the Government of Nagaland says that the state is not a disturbed area, but the central government says it is. Who is right and why?

Finally, Section 3 of the act expects the armed forces to act in aid of the civil power, but the recent killing of miners in the Mon district of Nagaland suggests that the civil authorities were not even aware of the action taken or proposed to be taken by the armed forces. The extremely unfortunate incident once again raises the issue of accountability.

Section 4 of the act empowers officers (including non-commissioned officers) to fire upon or otherwise use force even to the causing of death against any person who is acting in contravention of any law or order for the time being in force in the disturbed area

prohibiting the assembly of five or more persons or the carrying of weapons, etc.

The check provided by this section is that the officer must form an opinion (subjective or objective) that it is necessary to use force for the maintenance of public order and that the officer must give due warning as he may consider necessary before using force.

In the Nagaland incident, it appears that there were intelligence reports available with the concerned officer and therefore perhaps an opinion was formed on the basis of the objective material. But it is not clear whether a public order situation had arisen nor is it clear whether due warning was given to the miners. Reports suggest a grave violation of this section.

What is the consequence of a failure to abide by the requirement of Section 4 of the act? Section 6 of the act provides blanket immunity to persons from prosecution, suit, or other legal proceedings in respect of anything done or purported to be done

Value of purposeful life

he myster y of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) The end of a year is the beginning of another year. Life with a purpose is a purposeful life. Values are “beliefs that have an inherent worth in usefulness or importance to the holder,” or “principles, standards, or qualities reflected worthwhile or desirable.” Purpose and meaning in life hugely depend on beliefs and perceptions.

Your sense of purpose helps you live by those values. Having a sense of purpose in life is integral to the well-being of the whole, which results in positive health and the psycho-emotional wellbeing of the individual.

The value of purposeful life is a long-term direction that strives not only to selfactualization but also helps in reducing cognitive decline and greater longevity.

It is one such characteristic that influences the individual in building a life-long career, assets, and reducing liabilities. Discovering purpose in life is the core foundation that determines the direction of your life.

In the absence of purpose in life, people usually experience mental disharmony and emotional suffering (hopelessness, depression, anxiety, and meaninglessness). Setting a purpose for your life is actively programming your life.

Born with a Purpose,

or Choose One Purpose in life can be defined as a long-term goal that directs human behaviour.

The goal inspires you to make a difference beyond yourself and personally brings meaning to life. Purpose serves as a guiding factor towards life’s decision that shapes goals, offers a sense of direction, influences behaviour, and creates meaning in one’s life.

However, when it comes to a question on whether people are with purpose or choose one, the followings thoughts can be given: (1) Those who believe that a life’s purpose is something that we are born with, that it is planted in our souls before we are born and we must embody or achieve it. It’s our embedded destiny, and we have no choice in the matter. (2) Those who believe that fate and destiny don’t exist and we have the power (or “free will”) to choose our life’s purpose and do what we choose with our lives.

If you are still confused about finding your purpose in life, asked yourself - What are my strongest beliefs? What are my passions? Answers to these questions will help you to live purposefully. You either utilize your gifts and talents to create a life more meaningful, or you create it.

Give yourself the freedom to refine, edit, and change your purpose statement until it reflects you.

Purpose in Life Having a purpose in life offers psycho-emotional wellbeing and the fundamental factors to happiness and

longevity. Failing to discover the meaning of life will lead to lifeless focus, less efficient output, burdensome life, depression and stress. On the other hand, having a purpose will motivate an individual towards a satisfying future.

Even when things go wrong in life, the sense of purpose helps find and do things that add meaning to life. Life is unpredictable, filled with several unwanted experiences (failure, disappointment, sickness, etc.). It is a healthy sense of purpose in life that helps put those unwanted events in perspective, motivating you to re-focus and move ahead. It also helps identify things that truly count if circumstances change. Get the energy to keep going when things get tough and become more resilient as you grow.

Benefits of having a sense of Purpose There are three main beneficial domains in having a healthy sense of purpose: psychological, physical, and academic. People who lack purpose in life have a higher chance to associate with drugs and other addictions. Purpose in life serves as the central component for optimal human development and psychological wellbeing. Purpose in life helps the individual have an optimistic worldview, hope, life satisfaction, and boost up self-esteem. Purposeful life brings psychological wellbeing and physical health.

Several psychological studies found purpose in life is hugely associated with a wide range of physical health indicators.

It can also improve physical functioning and lower the risk of disabilities. Even in the field of academics, purposeful life is also associated with indicators of success in the classroom. Another study found that even inducing a temporary purpose-mindset hugely improves students’ academic outcomes, including self-regulation, college persistence, grade point average, and the amount of time spent studying. “The only way you can really postulate any kind of a goal at all is imagination. And if you don’t postulate high flown goals - if you don’t hitch your wagon to a star - it’s a cinch you’re not going to get up to the top of the pine tree because it takes that much to get this much. You know, in Alice in wonderland it says you have to run just to keep up. You have to run twice as fast if you want to get any place” (L. Ron Hubbard). Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs theory (Physiological needs, Safety needs, Belongingness and love needs, Esteem needs, Self-Actualization) and move on in a systematic procedure in fulfilling your needs. We are all created with a special purpose. So, make use of your life, for you have only one life. Discover your purpose by yourself, rather than what society wants you to do.

Fr Paul Lelen Haokipis a PhD research scholar, Department of Sociology and Social Work, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

in exercise of the powers conferred by the act, except with the previous sanction of the central government.

Therefore, even if there is excessive use of force without adhering to the requirements of Section 4 of the act, the concerned officer can get away should the central government decline to grant sanction for prosecution. In a recent article, one commentator has written that sanction has not been granted for prosecution in any case over the last 63 years (Sanjoy Hazarika, Hindustan Times, 7 December 2021). Although the refusal to grant sanction must be accompanied with reasons and is justiciable, there does not appear to be any reported instance of such a refusal being subjected to a challenge in a court of law.

The implementation of the AFSPA suggests that it deserves to be completely rewritten or scrapped; there is no third alternative.

Justice (Retd) Madan B Lokur (Economic & Political Weekly)

AFSPA extension: GNF open Letter to PM Mr. Narendra Modi, Here are some salient facts for you to consider: • The widows, children, and parents of the innocent Naga civilian young men murdered in cold blood by the Indian Armed Forces on December 4 and 5, 2021, in Mon district of Nagaland, are still in mourning.

And your government has taken no moral responsibility for the murders, nor tried to remove the cause of the murders, Armed Forces Special Powers Act (1958).

• The leaders of state governments in the region, including Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Manipur have appealed for the removal of AFSPA. • The people and civil society of the region have long wanted AFSPA repealed.

• Government of India is currently in negotiation with Naga Political Groups for a peaceful settlement of the Indo-Naga political problem going back to the year India herself became an independent nation from British Rule.

And, your answer as Indian Prime Minister to all these is to extend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Nagaland?

From where Nagas have been vis-à-vis India since 1947, and what you are doing to us as a people in 2021, your place in history will be that of the Indian Prime Minister under whose leadership India committed the 2021 Oting, Mon, massacre that disrupted our cultural Hornbill Festival and brought gloom to our joyous and peaceful Christmas celebrations; the Prime Minister who extended AFSPA, after the Oting massacre, as India’s 2022 New Year’s gift to the people of Nagaland.

What we have said above is all fact -sad facts. But we still believe that as long as there’s life, there’s hope for changing course for the better in the life of individuals and for nations. We look forward to a peaceful future with government of India and in our homeland.

GNF co-convenor, Prof Rosemary Dzuvichu, GNF secretary, Prof Paul Pimomo.

Modi govt trying to justify militarization of Nagaland

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he Government of mining the intellect and MHA says three months fight and defend the demoIndia under Prime goodwill of the Nagas by (90 days). Also given that cratic rights of the people.

Minister Narendra extending the draconian the withdrawal of DisWhat is even more Modi is fooling the people Armed Forces (Special turbed Area and AFSPA atrocious on the part of of Nagaland by the series Powers) Act (AFSPA) by from Nagaland will be the establishment in Delhi of bizarre action in the another six-month even based on recommendations is the attempt to deceive recent past, starting from though only a few hours of the committee, it would the people of Nagaland the misleading statement earlier, it took the moral have been more respectable through its contradictory in Parliament by Union high-ground by setting-up for the GoI to atleast let the and paradoxical official Home Minister Amit Shah a panel to look into the committee submit its report position. While on the on the December 4 Oting withdrawal of the AFSPA before deciding on the one hand a committee will incident. The BJP leader from the state. extension of the AFSPA. study the situation and rectried to cover-up the masWhat is completely The Naga Rising con- ommend on the feasibility sacre of innocent civilians unacceptable and undig- siders that the decision of the AFSPA, the latest by the Indian army as a nified on the part of the to extend the AFSPA by Gazette notification issued case of ‘mistaken identity’. Modi-government is that 6 months exposes the in- by the Ministry of Home This was a blatant lie to the people of Nagaland sincerity and insensitiv- Affairs (MHA) has already protect the killers and also were informed that the ity towards the people of concluded that “the whole justify the militarization of committee is to submit its Nagaland by the GoI and of the state of Nagaland Nagaland. report within 45 days (i.e. the complete weakness of is in such a disturbed and I f t h a t w a s n o t February first week, 2022). the elected government dangerous condition that enough, the Modi led BJP However the December in Nagaland under the use of armed forces in aid government is now under- 26 official order from the Neiphiu Rio led UDA to of Civil is necessary”.

Reader’s note: Articles or letters published in any of the columns do not reflect the view of this

Now, therefore, what is the whole point in setting up the committee on AFSPA when the MHA has already given its opinion, clearly stating that Nagaland is ‘disturbed’ and ‘dangerous’ and requires the AFSPA. The Naga Rising is also not at all convinced with the setting up of the high-level committee to examine the possibility of withdrawing the AFSPA. The very composition of the panel, centered on officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the military, does not give us the confidence that it will take a fair and objective assessment on the draconian newspaper nor that of the

AFSPA. Even the Nagaland Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, included in the panel, are both All India Service (AIS) officers and serves under the Ministry of Personnel and MHA. If at all, with the extension of the AFSPA for another 6-month, the setting up of the GoI appointed Committee is nothing but an eye-wash and time delaying tactic. The Naga Rising is aghast at the manner in which the GoI is trying to fool and mislead the Naga people into confusion and submission.

Issued by The Naga Rising in public interest

Editor in any manner.

7

NATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022

SP regime ordered firing at ‘kar sevaks’: Shah

in Faizabad.

He alleged that under the SP and BSP rule, “symbols of faith were not respected”.

Today, PM Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are

working for the glory of every faith, he said.

“When Akhileshji comes here, seeking votes in Ayodhya, ask him what was the crime of the kar sevaks? why did your government open fire on them? what is

your objection to the removal of Article 370,” he said.

“Akhilesh Babu, if your second generation also comes, neither Article 370 is going to come back nor the triple talaq,” Amit Shah said. He said the SP, BSP, the Congress and TMC chief Mamata Baner jee worked together to oppose the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370.

“On August 5, 2019, Modiji uprooted Article 370 in Parliament,” he said.

He also credited PM Modi with the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

On the other hand, he said, “Whenever the SP, BSP and the Congress were in power, they made efforts to stop this. Don’t you remember that the ‘kar sevaks’ were fired upon, sticks were used on Ram’s sevaks, Ram sevaks were killed and thrown into the mother Saryu.”

“I want to tell all those

141 Mumbai residents without travel history Omicron infected

Kerala logs 44 more Omicron cases

I-T raids SP’s Kannauj MLC as part ‘Rally behind Missionaries of raids on UP perfume traders of Charity in stressful times’

T H I RU VA NA N T H A PURAM, DEC 31 (PTI): Kerala on Friday reported 44 more cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19, taking the total number of infections in the state to 107, the state Health Department said.

Of these, 10 patients came from high-risk countries and 27 from low-risk countries. Seven people were infected with the new variant of COVID-19 through contact, it said.

With this, Omicron infections have been confirmed in a total of 107 people in the state, it said.

While a total of 41 patients came from high-risk countries, 52 arrived from low-risk countries tested positive for Omicron and 14 people were diagnosed with the disease through contact.

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (PTI): The Income Tax department on Friday raided multiple premises linked to certain perfume traders in Uttar Pradesh, including an SP MLC from Kannauj, as part of a tax evasion investigation, official sources said.

They said the searches are being conducted in Kannauj, Kanpur, the national capital region, Surat, Mumbai and few other places, and about 30-40 premises are being covered.

A residential building in south Delhi’s New Friends Colony and about a dozen premises in Mumbai are being covered in the raids that started early morning with police escort.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) said through a post on its official Twitter handle that the premises of its MLC Pushpraj alias Pampi Jain

AYO D H YA / S A N T KABIRNAGAR (UP), DEC 31 (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asked people here to seek an answer from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for the firing on ‘kar sevaks’ during his party’s government in the past and asked why Lord Ram had to “stay in a tent” for years. He was referring to the makeshift temple on the site, which was disputed in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case.

Addressing a rally during the BJP’s Jan Vishwas Yatra ahead of the UP Assembly polls, he alleged that the SP, BSP and Congress governments made efforts to stop the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

“Do you remember that ‘kar sevaks’ were shot in Ayodhya and bodies were thrown into the Saryu,” he said referring to a 1990 incident during the SP regime while addressing a rally at Government Inter College

MUMBAI, DEC 30 (PTI): As many as 141 Mumbai residents who had not traveled abroad recently tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus on Thursday, the civic body said.

Out of 153 persons who were found to have Omicron infection in the city during the day, only 12 had international travel history, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

But as per the Maharashtra government’s release, issued earlier in the evening, out of 198 Omicron cases reported in the state, a whopping 190 were from Mumbai.

The difference in state and BMC statistics could not be reconciled.

As per the BMC update, the tally of Omicroninfected Mumbai residents without history of overseas

Amit Shah at Hanuman Garhi Temple, during his state visit ahead of 2022 UP assembly polls, in Ayodhya. (PTI)

travel rose to 160. The total of Omicron cases in the city rose to 290.

Of 141 Mumbai residents without travel history who tested positive to Omicron, the highest 21 are from the K-west ward which includes Andheri West, Juhu and Versova, followed by D ward that includes Malabar Hill, Mahalaxmi and Tardeo areas.

Additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani told PTI that the BMC would be sending 375 more samples for genome sequencing on Friday to check if there has been community spread of the Omicron variant.

The report was expected in five to six days, he said.

Community spread can be confirmed only after the report arrives, Kakani added.

who wanted to stop it, if you can, try and stop it because no one has the power to stop it. A grand temple will come up in a few months at the place where Lord Shri Ram was born,” he said.

He also asked Why Ramlala had to “stay in a tent” for years.

“It is time for the people of Ayodhya, citizens of the country and people of UP to think why Ramlalla had to live in a tent for so many years,” he said. Referring to the raids conducted by the Income Tax Department on the house of a perfume trader in Kanpur, Shah said bundles of notes were seized and the stench of the Samajwadi perfume has spread all over UP. He said there used to be three “Ps” during the SP government--”pariwarvaad”, “pakshpaat” and “palayan”-and today there are three ‘Vs’ “vikas, “vyapar” and “sanskratik virasat”--and Ayodhya is the biggest example of the three Vs.

Heavy rain in Chennai; Govt offices, schools, colleges shut

MLC Pushpraj

in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, have been raided.

Jain is a businessman and has interests in perfume manufacture and others.

Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also held a scheduled press conference at the SP office in Kannauj where he also spoke about the raids and other issues. The party’s Twitter post said the raids were launched by the “BJP government” soon after Yadav had announced that the media conference will be held there, and dubbed the

C H E N NA I , D E C 3 1 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has declared a holiday on Friday for all government offices except those engaged in essential services, schools, and colleges in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpatu districts due to heavy rainfall.

It may be noted that three people lost their lives in Chennai due to electrocution and four subways were closed due to waterlogging.

Stalin visited the waterlogged areas of the city and met the Greater Chennai Corporation commissioner Gagan Singh Bedi and other officials at the commissioner office in Rippon building on Thursday night to evaluate the situation. Traffic movement was slow due to the subways being shut and heavy waterlogging in certain areas of Chennai.

Revenue and Disaster management minister,

action as an “open misuse of central agencies by a scared BJP.” Yadav had recently launched a perfume called ‘Samajwadi ittra’ prepared

by Jain in the run-up to the assembly polls in the state that are expected to be held early next year.

The exact identities of those raided were not confirmed by authorities.

Sources, however, said another perfume trader based in Kannauj and one in Kanpur were also being searched as part of the latest action.

Sources said the action was launched after the department obtained details from the Goods and Service Tax (GST) department about possible income tax evasion by perfume business entities and others by allegedly claiming bogus input tax credit.

Flooded bazaar road due to heavy rain at Saidapet in Chennai. (Photo by Martin Louis, EPS)

K.K.S.S.R Ramachandran while speaking to IANS said, “Three people have lost their lives in Chennai and surrounding areas due to electrocution and disaster and relief work is in full swing. We have already shut four subways due to waterlogging and two companies of NDRF are already in the city.” He also said that with respect to heavy rain forecast, the Chief Minister has declared a holiday on Friday in Chennai and adjoining districts.

Heavy rains have led to

PANAJI, DEC 31 (IANS): Goa Archbishop Fr. Filipe Neri Ferrao, in his New Year message on Friday, urged people with “goodwill” to rally behind the Missionaries of Charity to help them overcome the “stressful difficulties” faced by them in India in recent times. His call comes amid a controversy over the reported non-renewal of the religious order’s Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act registration.

“It is perhaps fitting to recall here the stressful difficulties and challenges that these Sisters of the much revered Mother Teresa have been facing in our country in recent times, while carrying out their mission of heroic service to the last, the least and the lost,” Ferrao said in his message, saying as citizens of India, it is the responsibility to extend our wholehearted support

the increase in storage level of Chembarambakkam lake with the level rising to 98 per cent of the total capacity.

The inflow, according to officials, is 2900 cusecs while the outflow from the lake is 1000 cusecs.

Several parts of Chennai and Kancheepuram districts continue to suffer due to waterlogging and the weather department has issued an alert of heavy rainfall in the districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, and Tiruvallur on Friday.

Fr. Filipe Neri Ferrao

and generous help to the Sisters of the order. “I have no doubt that all men and women of goodwill who are concerned about the plight of our less fortunate brothers and sisters will come forward and reach out to the Missionaries of Charity and to the thousands under their care who are facing an extremely difficult situation,” he said, adding that popular assistance would help the Sisters continue their “noble service to the most neglected of the society can continue without undue hurdles”.

‘TMC outsourced polls to event agency’: Fadnavis dig at Kishor Rahul Gandhi slams Centre for ‘missing’ vaccination target PANAJI, DEC 30 (IANS): The Trinamool Congress has virtually outsourced elections to an event management agency, BJP’s Goa poll in-charge and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday, taking potshots at the Prashant Kishor-led Indian-Political Action Committee, without naming him.

“For them, elections are an event. They have outsourced elections to an event management company. Now elections are also being outsourced,” Fadnavis told the public meeting in the

Mayem assembly constituency in North Goa. “In the BJP, workers fight elections, workers make efforts, plan. Leaders contest elections on the faith of these workers. They (Trinamool), on the other hand, outsource elections to an agency. This agency fights elections on their behalf and are keeping their bags open to buy and sell. They are trying to catch whichever goat comes their way and take him along. Such attempts are happening,” he added.

Fadnavis also took on the Congress and the Aam

Devendra Fadnavis

Aadmi Party, claiming that the former was crumbling across the country, while accusing the latter’s national Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of merely posturing. “The mask behind the Delhi model fell when during Covid, not a

single patient visited Arvind Kejriwal’s mohalla clinic, because the mohalla clinics do not treat anything other than common cold, fever and dysentry. When people started dying one after the other they realised that the mohalla clinic is an eyewash and nothing else,” he said.

“No one speaks about the grand old party, Congress, these days. Because no one is willing to stay in that party.

I feel barring Digambar Kamat the party does not have a single MLA. “Pratapsingh Rane has announced that he will not contest. So there is

only one MLA. This is the state of the Congress,” he said. He claimed that the Congress’ top leaders did not inspire faith anymore. “This is the state of the Congress in the entire country, not just Goa. Everybody is deserting Congress because no one has faith in the Congress leadership. Congress has part-time leaders, not full-time leaders.

They go to Italy, England, London, Malaysia, Thailand and in the remaining time they indulge in politics. As a result no one has faith in the Congress party,” Fadnavis said.

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed the Modi government for not fulfilling its “promise” to fully vaccinate all eligible beneficiaries against COVID-19 by the end of the year. The government had told the Supreme Court in June that it expected the entire eligible population to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by end of the year.

“The Centre had promised to vaccinate everyone with two doses of vaccines by end of 2021. Today, the year comes to an end. The country is still away from the vaccine. Another rhetoric bites the dust,” Gandhi said on Twitter. As on Friday afternoon, more than 144.67 crore doses of COVID-19

Rahul Gandhi

vaccines had been administered across the country. More than 84.51 crore beneficiaries have received the first dose of the vaccines, while more than 60.15 crore beneficiaries have been received both the doses.

Cold wave sweeps through Delhi as ‘K’taka police planned attack Haryana’s economy better than Delhi’s, mercury dips to 3.8 degrees Celsius on Dalit Koraga community’ freebies spoiled their economy: Khattar

Delhi’s Palam and Lodhi Road recorded a minimum temperature of 7°C and 4°C respectively on Friday.

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (PTI): Delhi woke up to cold wave conditions on Friday as the minimum temperature dipped to 3.8 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The city was swept by a cold wave on Thursday as well as the temperature dropped sharply to 3.4 degrees Celsius from 8.4 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

Similar conditions are likely to persist for the next few days, the weather department has forecast.

The maximum temperature is likely to settle at around 19 degrees Celsius and there will be shallow fog, it said.

The weather stations at Delhi’s Palam and Lodhi Road recorded a minimum temperature of 7 degrees Celsius and 4 degrees Cel-

sius respectively on Friday.

In the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave if the minimum temperature dips to 4 degrees Celsius. A cold wave is also declared when the maximum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius and is 4.5 notches below normal.

Delhi had experienced cold wave conditions on December 20 and December 21 as well, when the minimum temperature settled at 3.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest so far this season, and 4 degrees Celsius respectively.

The IMD has forecast cold wave to severe cold wave conditions in northwest India till January 3.

A “severe” cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to 2 degrees Celsius or the departure from normal is more than 6.4 degrees Celsius. The city’s air quality was in the “very poor” category as the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ SAFAR system recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 308 on Friday.

Siddaramaiah

BENGALURU, DEC 31 (IANS): Karnataka police planned attack on Dalit Koraga community in Kotatottu village in Kundapur city of Udupi district, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah alleged on Friday.

“The police department had foisted cases on Koraga community members who were victims of police atrocity. This gives room for enough suspicions that the attack on the community was planned by the police department,” Siddaramaiah explained. The lodging of cases on Koraga community

by Kota police in the state is not only inhuman, it is a

matter of shame. The Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai should direct immediate withdrawal of cases, he demanded.

Siddaramaiah has also urged CM Bommai to take action against the police who attacked the innocent Koraga community members. BJP claims that all Hindus are one. They seem to have forgotten Koraga community which comes under Dalit category. Is this part of hidden agenda of BJP to keep Dalits as untouchables? Now, the Social Welfare Minister Kota Srinivas Poojari is shedding tears, but will the police have courage to attack Koraga community without his notice? he questioned.

If the incident has happened without the minister’s knowledge, he is inefficient and if he knew about, it is shameful. Siddaramaiah further questioned the silence of Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje who represents local parliamentary seat on the issue.

G U RG AO N, D E C 3 0 (PTI): Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Thursday said the state is the top performer in the five parameters of self-reliance, and its economy is better than Delhi’s which has “spoiled” its economy by “giving freebies”. “ We h ave s e t o u r targets in the direction of ‘aatamnirbhar Haryana’ for achieving the goal of making India a five trillion economy as visualised by Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi. While realizing the dream of Atmanirbhar Haryana and Atmanirbhar Bharat, we will strengthen the economy of the state and the country,” he said, according to a government statement.

Speaking at a programme organised by a national Hindi daily here, he said five parameters have been set for self-reliance including strengthening the economy, improving infrastructure, improving

Manohar Lal Khattar

systems, demography and attracting investments.

“Among these, Haryana is in a much better position than other states of the country in terms of economy. Even our economy

is better than the national capital Delhi. While the income of Delhi state is good but they have spoiled their economy by giving freebies.

On the contrary, in Haryana we are making our citizens responsible,” he said.

He said entrepreneurs should also give priority in employment to poor families having annual income of Rs 1 lakh in their units.

He said there is no shortage of employment in the state. He said about 1500 startups have been given support in the state and 4,000 applications are currently under process.

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GST hike on textiles put on hold GoM to recommend rate by February

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (PTI): Heeding to demands made by several states, the GST Council on Friday put on hold a decision to hike the tax rate on textiles to 12 per cent and referred to a panel of state ministers to recommend rate by February, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The panel, the highest decision-making body for indirect taxes, met under emergency provisions after states made a request for deferring the tax rate hike on textiles, from the current 5 per cent, to be effective from January 1, 2022.

Currently, the tax rate on manmade fibre (MMF) is 18 per cent, MMF yarn 12 per cent, while fabrics are taxed at 5 per cent. In the Council meet in September, it was also decided that a 12 per cent uniform GST rate would apply on textile products, except cotton, including readymade garments.

Briefing reporters after

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BUSINESS

Nirmala Sitharaman the Council meeting called under ‘emergency provisions”, Sitharaman said the Council had in September decided to correct the duty inversion in textiles with effect from January 2022.

“From December onwards... representations started coming and on December 29, letter also came from the Gujarat FM and therefore the emergency meeting (was called). The decision of the emergency Council meeting today is that we retain the status quo and not go to 12 per cent, from 5 per cent, meaning don’t do the correction now in case of textiles,” she said.

Sitharaman said states also raised the issue of long-

term ways by which the Council could look at correcting duty inversion and also have a plan for revenue generation.

“The decision of the Council was that the rate rationalisation committee would also look at textiles in their review, and submit the report by February which I agree to have it circulated to all ministers and post that to hold either at end February or sometime in March a Council meeting in which the committee’s recommendation or report will be discussed,” she said.

The Group of Ministers on rate rationalisation is headed by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai,

and also include Finance Ministers of West Bengal, Kerala and Bihar.

Stating that every state agreed that there is a duty inversion in textiles and there is a need to correct it, Sitharaman said “the overriding push” was probably because a certain segment of the textile industry said it would immediately cause an increase in the price.

“That is why it has gone back to the committee to actually do a more indepth study and come and present it to the Council,” she said, adding there are many complexities in taxation of textiles.

States like Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh have said they are not in favour of a hike in Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate on textiles to 12 per cent, from 5 per cent, with effect from January 1, 2022.

“The industry while representing, inter alia, felt that there could be a temptation of not coming into the formalised system and the immediate pressure to be in the realm of informal seg-

ment of the business. Also the second was that it would burden the lower end of the buyers,” Sitharaman added.

The Council in its previous meeting on September 17 had also decided to correct the inverted duty structure in footwear and textile sectors. With effect from January 1, 2022, all footwear, irrespective of prices, will attract GST at 12 per cent.

To a query on the impact of Omicron variant of coronavirus on the economy, Sitharaman said the spread at which it is spreading has made everybody sit and pause to look where it is going.

She said the Prime Minister has reassured the nation that there is no need to panic, but “we have to follow all the protocols and has also announced vaccination programme for frontline workers again and made sure 15-18 years age group also get covered.”

“With our levels of caution kept on board, youths getting covered with vaccines, with each of our efforts, we should be able to face it,” she said.

Rupee ends 2021 on positive note; 74.29 against USD MUMBAI, DEC 31 (PTI): The rupee surged 13 paise to close at 74.29 (provisional) against the US dollar on the last trading session of 2021, tracking positive domestic equities amid year-end dollar selling by banks and exporters.

At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened up at 74.35 against the greenback and witnessed an intra-day high of 74.10 and a low of 74.38.

It finally settled at 74.29, a rise of 13 paise.

In the previous session, the rupee surged 29 paise to close at a more than one-month high of 74.42 against the US dollar.

On the domestic equity market front, the BSE Sensex ended 459.50 points or 0.80 per cent higher at 58,253.82, while the broader NSE Nifty surged 150.10 points or 0.87 per cent to 17,354.05.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against the basket of six currencies, fell 0.04 per cent to 95.92.

Sensex rallies over 450 pts on last trading day of 2021 MUMBAI, DEC 31 (PTI): Equity benchmark Sensex rallied over 450 points on the last trading day of 2021 on Friday, led by strong gains in Maruti, SBI and Bajaj Finance.

The 30-share index surged 459.50 points or 0.80 per cent to end at 58,253.82.

Similarly, the Nifty rose by 150.10 points or 0.87 per cent to 17,354.05.

Titan was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 3.5 per cent, followed by Kotak Bank, SBI, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Finance, HUL, Axis Bank and Sun Pharma.

On the other hand, NTPC, Tech Mahindra, PowerGrid and Infosys were the laggards. Bourses in Tokyo and South Korea were closed on Friday. Among others, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose by 1.24 per cent while Shanghai Composite gained 0.57 per cent.

Stock exchanges in Europe were trading with losses in mid-session deals.

“What a year 2021 has been...The globe recovered from the Covid pandemic but faced another round of virus spread in March.

However resilient Nifty kept rising through the year till October and then saw some decent correction. Globally and in India the marketcap on GDP ratio touched an all-time high due to large liquidity flows, low-interest rates, the expectation of early return to normalcy and low returns from other asset classes,” Dhiraj Relli, MD & CEO, HDFC Securities, said.

Transition to 2022 will see a more normal monetary policy, and investors could do well to expect more moderate returns from financial markets. Central banks will start to raise rates but remain more tolerant of inflation. “Post a super show in 2021, valuation levels in Indian equities could make most people cautious on India within EMs and Asia.

Indian equities are running into many challenges, including the US rate cycle, rising oil prices, elections in key states, potential Covid wave 3, an upward inflexion in domestic interest rates, rich headline valuations and strong relative trailing performance,” Relli said.

Kerala Govt launches campaign to 2022: labour reforms, informal workers’ security fund await take off provide housing for landless poor

Crossword

Su doku

KAKURO

phase of the ambitious mission aims to rehabilitate the landless poor by providing them land. During the inauguration ceremony held in Kochi yesterday, Minister M V Govindan received documents of contribution from two businessmen.

While industrialist Kochouseph Chittilappilly agreed to provide an amount of Rs 25 crore for the project, NRI businessman P B Sameer promised 50 cents of land in Nellikuzhi panchayat in Ernakulam district, officials said.

Hailing the businessmen for their generous contributions, the Chief Minister requested all to make the ‘Mansodithiri Mannu’ campaign a huge success.

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ment has notified four labour codes. The Code on Wages, 2019, was notified on August 8, 2019 while the three others -- the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 -were notified on September 29, 2020.

The Code on Social Security provides for creating a social security fund that will help in bringing informal sector workers under the social security net as well as welfare schemes.

Expressing hope that all informal sector workers will be registered on the e-Shram portal in 2022, Yadav said, “we have taken many initiatives which show our government takes care of poor persons, espe-

cially the e-Shram portal launched by our ministry under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which got a huge response.

“The purpose is to register the data of the unorganised workers and that is the mandate under the social security code. I am also happy that all trade unions have wholeheartedly supported this mission.”

About the progress on the implementation of the labour codes, Yadav, earlier this month, told the Rajya Sabha that Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code is the only code on which the least number of 13 states have pre-published the draft rules.

The highest number of draft notifications are

pre-published on The Code on Wages by 24 states/UTs followed by The Industrial Relations Code (20 states) and The Code on Social Security (18) states.

Experts are of the view that the implementation of labour codes will not be that easy as it appears because there are differences with trade unions as well as the industry.

One of the key issues is about the definition of wages which caps allowances at 50 per cent and provides for higher deduction of provident fund and gratuity. Once implemented, such a move will mean that eventually the take home salary of employees will come down and the employers will also be required to restructure the salaries’ structure.

Reliance buys British battery firm for GBP 100 mn

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (PTI): Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd on Friday announced the buyout of British battery maker Faradion Ltd for an enterprise value of GBP 100 million, as the oil-to-retail conglomerate continued with the acquisition of end-to-end technology for its multi-billion-dollar clean energy portfolio.

Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd (RNESL), a unit of the nation’s most valuable company, signed definitive agreements to acquire 100 per cent shareholding in Faradion for an enterprise value of GBP 100 million and will invest an additional GBP 25 million as growth capital to accelerate the commercial roll-out, the company said in a statement.

Based out of Sheffield and Oxford in the UK and with its patented sodium-ion battery technology, Faradion is one of the leading global battery technology companies. It has a competitively superior, strategic, wide-reaching and extensive IP portfolio, covering several aspects of sodium-ion technology.

Since October 10, India’s most valuable company through RNESL has made a wave of acquisitions and strategic investments

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to give shape to its green energy business that spans solar, battery and hydrogen investments. The direction largely has been towards acquiring or gaining access to cutting-edge technology that can reduce the cost of renewable energy production, especially in solar energy generation.

It has put USD 1.2 billion in partnerships with REC, NexWafe, Sterling and Wilson, Stiesal and Ambri to acquire the expertise and technology portfolio to start to build a fully integrated end-to-end renewables energy ecosystem through solar, batteries and hydrogen. And in that series, it has now invested in the British battery maker.

“Faradion’s sodiumion technology provides significant advantages compared to alternative battery technologies, especially lithium-ion and lead-acid,” the statement said.

These advantages in-

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provide land to about 2.5 lakh landless people in 3 years from 2021-22. But that goal cannot be achieved through the government system alone. The participation of the general public is essential. To ensure that, an extensive campaign called ‘Manasodithiri Mannu’ is being launched,” Vijayan wrote in his Facebook page.

He said the LDF government has given a promise to the people that the dream of providing housing for all would come true.

Noting that the Life Mission project launched by the state government has provided housing to lakhs of families in its two phases, the Chief Minister said the government during the third

states are ready with draft rules for the four codes and the Centre had firmed up the rules from its end, back in February 2021. The latter is a prerequisite for enforcing the new codes.

On the tall order of enforcing the codes in 2022, that would eventually aid creation of the social security fund for the informal sector workers, Union Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav told PTI, “we are working on that. We are committed to social security. We are committed to the welfare of labour. For that purpose, whatever will be (required), we want to do.”

More than 17 crore informal sector workers have registered themselves on the e-Shram portal.

The central govern-

DP-6182/21

T H I RU VA N A N T H A PURAM, DEC 31 (PTI): The Kerala government has launched a campaign seeking generous contribution from people for providing housing for over two lakh landless poor in the state within three years.

Minister for Local Self Governments M V Govindan inaugurated the campaign titled “Manassodithiri Mannu” in Kochi on Thursday.

In a social media post, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said this campaign aims at providing land and housing to 2.5 lakh families within three years with the generous support and donations from the public. “The decision is to

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (PTI): Ushering in a big wave of reforms by implementing the four labour codes, setting up the national social security fund to cover over 38 crore informal sector workers and improving the ease of doing business will top the agenda of the labour ministry in the New Year.

In a major move, the ministry launched the eShram portal on August 26, 2021 for creating a national database of over 38 crore informal sector workers. It will help the government to ensure last-mile delivery of benefits of various social security schemes to the informal-sector workers.

So far, the progress in pushing ahead with the labour codes, has been considerable as most of the

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INTERNATIONAL 10 Yemeni soldiers killed in Houthi attack

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‘Serious’ talk between Biden and Putin sets stage for diplomacy

WILMINGTON/MOSCOW, DEC 31 (AGENCIES): U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday exchanged warnings over Ukraine but conveyed some optimism that diplomatic talks in January could ease spiralling tensions.

In a 50-minute call, their second conversation this month, Biden said he needed to see Russia decrease its military build-up near Ukraine, while Putin said sanctions threatened

by Washington and allies could lead to a rupture in ties. The call was requested

by Putin.

“President Biden reiterated that substantive progress in these dialogues can occur only in an environment of de-escalation rather than escalation,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the call created a “good backdrop” for future talks.

The leaders’ exchange set the stage for lowerlevel engagement between the countries, including a Jan. 9-10 U.S.-Russia security meeting, followed

ing “serious costs and consequences,” said a senior administration official.

“Both leaders acknowledged that there were likely to be areas where we could make the meaningful progress as well as areas where agreements may be impossible, and that the upcoming talks would determine more precisely the contours of each of those categories.”

Aides have said the possibilities include measures that would effectively disconnect Russia from the global financial system, while further arming NATO. Ushakov said Putin “immediately responded” that any sanctions now or later “could lead to a complete breakdown in ties between our countries.” He added: “Our president also mentioned that it would be a mistake that our descendants would see as a huge error.”

Moscow’s troop deployments over the past two months alarmed the West, following its seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014 and its backing of separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine.

SANAA, DEC 31 (IANS): Ten Yemeni soldiers were killed in a missile attack launched by the Houthi militia in the country’s oilrich province of Shabwa, a military official said.

“The Houthi rebel militia bombed a base of progovernment forces recently stationed in the southwestern part of Shabwa with explosive-laden drones and ballistic missiles,” the official told Xinhua news agency late Thursday.

Two missiles and two explosive-laden drones str uck the pro-gover nment forces positioned in Merkhah As Sufla district of Shabwa, causing huge explosions, and killing 10 soldiers of the pro-government troops and injured more than 17 others in the area, he added.

According to the official, the soldiers were part of the reinforcements in the last two days to help with the ongoing operations against the Houthis in Shabwa.

On Monday, elite military units of the pro-government Giants Brigades were dispatched from Aden, the country’s southern port city, as part of the plans to launch a large-scale military offensive against the Houthis in Shabwa.

9

Omicron wave may have peaked in South Africa; overnight curfew lifted JOHANNESBURG, DEC 31 (PTI): South Africa has lifted overnight curfew rules that were first imposed nearly two years ago, with officials saying the country may have passed the peak of its fourth wave of COVID-19 infections.

The decision announced by the Presidency on Thursday followed meetings of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) and the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC), which received updates on the management of the current fourth wave of COVID-19 in South Africa.

The wave is currently being driven by the Omicron variant, which was first detected in South Africa last month.

“The curfew will be lifted. There will therefore be no restrictions on the hours of movement of people,” the Presidency said in a statement.

The number of people permitted at public events has also been increased.

“Gatherings are restricted to no more than 1,000 people indoors and no more than 2,000 people outdoors. Where the venue is too small to accommodate these numbers with appropriate social distancing, then

no more than 50 per cent of the capacity of the venue may be used. All other restrictions remain in place,” according to the statement.

The Presidency cited several reasons for the decisions, which have been welcomed by the restaurant industry and members of the public who were cautioned on Wednesday by Minister of Police Bheki Cele that they would be arrested if they were out in public after midnight on Friday to celebrate the advent of the New Year.

The curfew was in place from midnight to 4 am under the lowest level of South Africa’s five-level lockdown strategy.

“All indicators suggest the country may have passed the peak of the fourth wave at a national level,” the Presidency said, adding that cases had declined in

all but two of the country’s nine provinces over the past week.

Other factors included the levels of vaccination in the country; lower rates of hospitalisation, which have not resulted in capacity being overloaded as with previous waves; and the marginal increase in the number of deaths in all provinces.

Conceding that the risk of an increase in infections is still high given the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, the government called on all organisers of gatherings to ensure that all health protocols are observed at all times and that all attendees are encouraged to be vaccinated.

The restaurant industry welcomed the decision to remove the restriction on serving alcohol at restaurants licensed to do so beyond 11 pm.

Pak, China vow to tap full potential of Gwadar Port Chinese city under lockdown runs out of supplies

Growing a beard is not mandatory, says Taliban

cept under limited circumstances, and cannot go out to buy food.

Many have said on social media that they are running out of supplies, despite city authorities delivering free groceries.

The lockdown entering its ninth day on Friday as authorities battle the worst outbreak China has seen in months, the BBCreport said.

China’s adoption of a strict zero-Covid strategy saw the city closing bus stations, cancelling outward bound flights, and con-

‘SL agrees to extend lease of WWII oil tank farm to India’

Udaya Gammanpila

COLOMBO, DEC 31 (PTI): Sri Lanka has agreed to sign a fresh deal with India to lease out the strategic World War II era oil tank farm for 50 years in the eastern port district of Trincomalee, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila said here on Friday.

Gammanpila said the deal will be signed next week after the Cabinet approval and is an extension of the 2002 agreement with the local operators of the Indian Oil Company, LIOC. Sri Lanka in 2002 entered the original deal with India on the island’s most strategic oil storage complex, which was used as a supply base during World War II. India at all times had shown a strategic interest in the Trincomalee tank farm which the British rulers had

built to refuel Allied warships and aircraft.

“The LIOC will have the control of just 14 of the 99 tanks over a 50-year lease,” Gammanpila said while speaking to reporters here.

He said 61 tanks out of the total number of 99 tanks would be run under the joint venture company formed between the state oil entity, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the LIOC with CPC holding the majority 51 per cent stake.

Gammanpila, who had previously said his intention was to reacquire complete control of the tanks, claimed the new deal was “a triumph for Sri Lanka”.

The next week’s formalisation of the agreement will come in the background of Sri Lanka seeking India’s help to tide over its current economic woes exacerbated by the ongoing foreign exchange crisis in the local economy.

Officials said that the island nation has shut its only refinery for its inability to pay for crude oil and was negotiating a credit line with India for fuel purchases.

Washington has not been convinced by a report over the weekend that Russia would be pulling back about 10,000 troops, with officials saying they’ve seen little evidence of a drawdown. The United States deployed its JSTARS military plane in Ukrainian airspace for the first time earlier this week, though different types of surveillance aircraft are common in the region.

For his part, Biden reiterated his threat of unprecedented sanctions if Russia chose to invade Ukraine.

“Biden laid out two paths,” including diplomacy and deterrence, includ-

ducting millions of tests in Shaanxi province.

The restrictions initially allowed only one person per household to leave home once every two days to buy supplies. However, the measures were intensified on Monday and residents were barred from leaving their homes except to get tested for Covid, the report said.

Since then, people have taken to the Weibo social media platform to ask for help acquiring food and other essentials, claiming they have yet to receive their free supplies from the government. “I heard other districts are gradually getting supplies, but I didn’t get anything. My compound bans us from going out. I ordered some groceries online four days ago, but no sign of getting it at all. I haven’t been able to get any vegetables for days,” read one comment posted on Friday.

ISLAMABAD, DEC 31 (PTI): All-weather allies Pakistan and China have agreed to use the full potential of the strategic Gwadar Port in Balochistan province, a major project under the CPEC that provides the Communist-giant an opening to the Arabian Sea. The CPEC is the flagship project of China’s ambitious USD 60 billion Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and it links China’s Xinjiang province with Pakistan’s Gwadar port in Balochistan province.

The decision was taken during a meeting between Pakistani and Chinese officials on Thursday via video link, according to a statement by China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority.

“The two sides resolved to redouble the efforts to tap the full potential of Gwadar port and free zone as well as to make sure that the local population of Gwadar and surrounding areas fully benefit from these projects by utilising the massive op-

A view of Gwadar Port

portunities being created in various sectors,” according to the statement.

The sixth session of the Joint Working Group on Gwadar reviewed the implementation of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in Gwadar and also deliberated upon the future course of action with regard to development of Gwadar city, port and the free zone, it said.

The two sides reviewed the progress made on various projects, including full

operationalisation of the Gwadar port and its inclusion in the Afghan Transit Trade route and vowed to redouble efforts to tap the full potential of the Gwadar Port.

The meeting also noted the completion of the project Gwadar Free Zone Phase-1, and start of work on the bigger Phase-II, covering an area of 2,221 acres.

The meeting emphasised on the need for finalisation of the marketing and investment plan for

Boris Johnson hails UK’s booster vaccine success in New Year message

Blast rocks central Quetta; 4 killed, 15 injured

pointment. Get that jab and do something that will make 2022 a happy New Year for us all,” he added.

O n N ove m b e r 3 0 , the British government announced plans to offer all adults the chance to get their top-up booster jab by the end of January 2022. This target was brought forward earlier this month through the “Get Boosted Now” campaign, aiming to offer all adults a top-up booster by the New Year in response to the surging Omicron variant.

Since then, the National Health Service (NHS) in England said it has broken record after record – including the highest number of vaccinations ever recorded in a single day: 830,000 topups reported on December 18. This was also the day the UK hit over 1 million vaccinations in total, including first, second, third and booster doses – jumping from 928,000 the previous day. “Our world-leading vaccination programme has meant tens of millions of people have been able to see their loved ones this Christmas knowing they have the protection of the booster,” said UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

QUETTA, DEC 30 (AP): At least four people were killed and 15 others injured in a bomb blast in Pakistan’s central Quetta on Thursday night. The bomb went off hidden beside a car parked near Science College on Jinnah Road, officials said.

Jinnah Road is one of Quetta’s main thoroughfares and busiest shopping district. Officials are assessing the type of bomb.

The deceased and injured have been shifted to Quetta Civil Hospital. Officials said nearby buildings had broken glasses after the explosion and most of the injured suffered from shrapnel and nail injuries. The explosion site is barely 2 km from the four-star Serena Hotel in the city, where a powerful bomb took the lives of five people and injured dozens others in April this year. The Chinese Ambassador was lodged at the hotel at the time but he was away on an official dinner. The restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces have become the hotbed of terror attacks in recent years, with raising concerns over a spike in attacks after the August 15 takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

LONDON, DEC 31 (PTI): British Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his New Year’s Eve message on Friday to celebrate the UK’s COVID-19 vaccination programme with over seven in 10 eligible adults in England boosted so far, an increase of 8 million top up jabs this month amid the Omicron spike.

Johnson declared that the government has met the target to offer the chance to get a COVID-19 booster to every eligible adult by the end of 2021 and urged those who haven’t yet been jabbed to take up the offer of a booster, or even their first or second dose.

His message comes as the country’s daily COVID infections remain at record highs of 183,213, largely driven by the Omicron variant, with experts hopeful these will not translate into a similar spike in severe disease and hospitalisations.

“Happy New Year.

2022 is almost upon us. And whatever the challenges that fate continues to throw in our way and whatever the anxieties we may have about the weeks and months ahead, particularly about Omicron and the grow-

Boris Johnson

ing numbers in hospitals… we can say one thing with certainty – our position this December the 31st is incomparably better than last year,” said Johnson. “And as I speak tonight on New Year’s Eve, we’ve met our target, we’ve doubled the speed of the booster roll out.

And it’s precisely because of that huge national effort that we can celebrate tonight at all,” he said, urging caution with New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Addressing the minority who are opposed to vaccines, he said people who think the disease can’t hurt them should look at those going into hospital now, “that could be you”.

“So, make it your New Year’s resolution – far easier than losing weight or keeping a diary – find a walk-in centre or make an online ap-

Free Zone along with its implementation strategy.

The meeting was informed that the Plan would soon be submitted for consideration of the Cabinet Committee on CPEC. The Pakistan side assured the Chinese investors, who made presentations during the meeting on their planned investments in Low Carbon Recycling Park, within the Gwadar Free Zone, of full support and cooperation for their ventures.

The meeting also took note of various operational issues faced by the projects during the course of the year, several of which were resolved through intervention of relevant authorities.

Both sides resolved to address any remaining issues on priority.

The meeting was also informed that the Pakistan government was actively implementing various projects, in close collaboration with the provincial government to ensure provision of all the necessary facilities in Gwadar.

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (IANS): The Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has said that growing a beard is just a recommendation to people and that it is not mandatory, Khaama Press reported.

The Ministr y in a Twitter post directed all the Taliban affiliates not to force people to grow beards and that it is a personal choice.

It comes after the ministry’s provincial offices’ directions over preventing trimming and shaving beards in some provinces aroused national and international reactions, the report said.

On the other hand, the ministry in its recent directions directed drivers not to seat two women in the front seat and totally avoid seating women who have not observed Islamic hijab.

Hurong Village CounCil KipHire : nagaland

Felicitation The Hurong Village Council (HVC) with immense pride and honour extend our heartfelt congratulations to Smti. Sentitula Sangtam on being promoted to the post of Deputy Director of SCERT Govt. of Nagaland and for bringing Laurel to our village.

The council wishes her good health and success as she endeavors to shoulder higher level of tasks and responsibilities ahead.

(Chumtsaliba) Council Secretary, Hurong Village

dB-461/21

by a Russia-NATO session on Jan. 12, and a broader conference including Moscow, Washington and other European countries slated for Jan. 13.

Despite the talk of diplomacy, the tone of the call was described by officials on both sides as “serious.” And neither country detailed significant progress towards a resolution or the outlines of any deal.

In Kyiv, leaders worry about the 60,000 to 90,000 Russian troops that have gathered to its north, east and south. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization security alliance has been making its own preparations from the west.

(Tsapizi) Hd. GB, Hurong Village

FELICITATION

The Yachem Officers’ Forum extends its heartiest congratulations to Shri. Y. Denngan Avennoho Phom, NCS and Shri. M. Shayung Phom, NCS on their promotion to the post of Secretary and Additional Secretary to the Government of Nagaland respectively.

The Forum particularly joins the community in celebrating and acknowledging the attainment of the first ever post of Secretary to the Government of Nagaland from amongst the Phom community in the person of Shri. Y. Denngan Avennoho Phom, NCS. The first and the second NCS officers respectively from Yachem village, both the officers have by their exemplary conduct and commitment served the government and the people in various capacities with sheer dedication and with distinction. The forum thank the Almighty God for His guidance in their careers hitherto and for His manifold blessings upon Yachem village. The forum further looks forward to inspiration and leadership from the two senior bureaucrats and wishes them the very best in their new assignments.

Sd/(M. TAKOCHUNGBA PHOM) Convenor Yachem Officers’ Forum

dp-6192/22

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (IANS): Some residents in the Chinese city of Xi’an, where a lockdown has been enforced in the wake of an ongoing Covid-19 resurgence, have said that they do not have enough food, even as officials insist there are adequate supplies, the BBC reported. On December 23, more than 13 million people in the city in Shaanxi province were ordered to stay home last week as authorities sought to battle the Covid outbreak. People have not been allowed to leave ex-

Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden (File)

Sd/(S. SAMUEL PHOM) Secretary Yachem Officers’ Forum

INFOTAINMENT

10

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022

Science reveals how red meat harms the heart Justin Bieber’s ‘Peaches’ sets new Grammy record R J ed-meat lovers may raise their risk of hear t disease through a chain of events that plays out in the gut, a new study suggests.

Many studies over the years have tied diets heavy in red and processed meats to a heightened risk of heart disease and stroke.

That type of evidence does not, however, prove red meat is the problem -- or, if it is, why.

The new findings offer more clues about the “why.”

Researchers found that particular gut bacteria, more abundant in red-meat eaters, are key in turning a dietary nutrient called carnitine into a foe: a chemical known as TMAO, which helps promote blood-clotting and clogged arteries.

For the average person, the insights reinforce what’s already known about heart-healthy eating, said study co-author Dr. Stanley Hazen, who directs Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Microbiome and Human Health.

In particular, he point-

ed to the traditional Mediterranean diet, which has been shown in clinical trials to cut the risks of heart disease and stroke.

That diet is high in fish, fruits and vegetables, legumes, olive oil and nuts -- and low in red meat and processed foods.

The new study was published Dec. 23 in Nature Microbiology. It is among the latest to delve into the relationship among diet, the gut microbiome and human health.

“Microbiome” refers to the vast collection of bacteria and other microbes that naturally inhabit the human body, especially the gut. Research in recent years has begun to reveal just how vital those

gut microbes are -- not only in digestion, but in immune system defenses, brain function and the health of the cardiovascular system.

It’s well-established, Hazen said, that people with diets high in red meat typically have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke than those who eat little red meat.

The traditional suspect was saturated fat, found almost exclusively in animal products. Saturated fat can boost “bad” LDL cholesterol, which contributes to cardiovascular disease.

But, Hazen said, research has shown that any ill effects of saturated fat are not enough to explain

the excess heart disease risks linked to heavy redmeat consumption. There had to be other mechanisms.

The new findings point to one, said Lauri Wright, chair of nutrition and dietetics at the University of North Florida, in Jacksonville.

There is still much to learn about the gut microbiome, said Wright, who is also a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. But in general, she said, diets rich in foods like vegetables, fruits and high-fiber grains help “feed” beneficial gut microbes.

“It still goes back to food,” Wright said.

Hazen, too, said he is a “big supporter” of using diet to change the gut microbiome, rather than adding certain bugs via probiotic supplements.

“Changing your diet changes the soil” that feeds gut microbes, he explained.

The latest findings build on earlier work by Hazen and his colleagues focusing on TMAO. The chemical is generated

when gut bacteria break down carnitine, a nutrient particularly abundant in red meat.

The researchers had already shown that TMAO appears to raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.

And in a 2019 study, they found that adding red meat to healthy people’s diets for a short time boosts blood levels of TMAO. Those levels went back down, though, when red meat was swapped for either white meat or vegetable proteins.

In the latest study, looking at both humans and lab mice, the researchers found that a cluster of gut bacteria -- within a group called Emergencia timonensis -- transform car nitine into TMAO. While meat-eaters harbor a decent amount of those microbes, longtime vegetarians and vegans have very few.

In the experiments with mice, the researchers found that introducing E. timonensis boosted TMAO levels and the blood’s propensity to form clots.

(By Amy Norton)

ustin Bieber’s ‘Peaches’ has broken a record at the Grammy Awards, with 11 songwriters contributing to the Song Of The Year nominee.

With perfor mers Bieber, Daniel Ceasar (Ashton Simmonds) and Giveon getting a songwriting credit alongside Louis Bell, Bernard Harvey, Felisha “Fury” King, Matthew Sean Leon, Luis Manuel Martinez Jr., Aaron Simmonds, Andrew Wotman and Keavan Yazdani, ‘Peaches’ has become the Song Of The Year nominee with the most songwriters ever involved.

In 2021, Beyoncé’s ‘Black Parade’ became the first nominee to be written by nine songwriters, taking over from Bruno Mars’ ‘That’s What I Like’ which was co-written by eight people and nominated in 2018. Before that, Destiny’s Child’s 2000 hit ‘Say My Name’ held the record for most songwriters involved in Song Of The Year, with seven people credited.

The final round of voting for the 64th annual

Grammy Awards is currently underway. Members of the Recording Academy have until January 3 to cast their ballots, with winners announced on January 31.

The leading nominees for the 2022 Grammys include Jon Batiste with 11 nominations, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. with eight each, and Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo with seven. Nominated in the Best New Artist category are the likes of Finneas, Japanese Breakfast, Glass Animals and Arlo Parks. Jay-Z also earned three nominations for the 2022 ceremony, setting a new Grammys record

by surpassing Quincy Jones for the most nominations in the history of the awards with 83.

Trevor Noah has been announced as the host of the Grammy Awards for the second year in a row. Noah peppered his opening monologue at the 2021 Grammys with jokes about the Royal Family and Harry Styles.

The 2022 ceremony will take place at what will, by then, be the newly named Crypto.com Arena. It’s also been confirmed that the Recording Academy will be releasing NFTs to commemorate the next three years of the Grammys.

(NME)

Arnold Schwarzenegger donates Anthony Hopkins-starrer ‘The Father’ gets top award at Chinese film fest Five had no need to change name he Chinese governrector’s Cultural Revolution25 houses to homeless veterans ment-backed Golden set ‘One Second’ won best One veteran named Bruce Henry Cooper told Fox11 the project had been a “life-saver” for him and other homeless veterans this Christmas.

He added of the ‘Kindergarten Cop’ actor: “He has not forgotten us.”

The Village for Vets project has been working with retired service members who have resorted to living on the streets since 2016, by setting them up with tiny houses that are fully equipped with water, heating, electricity and air conditionin.

IANS)

T

Rooster Awards honoured Oscar-winning drama ‘The Father’ with the event’s first-ever prize for best international film in the coastal city of Xiamen.

Beijing hopes that its star-studded awards ceremony can surpass the Taipei-based Golden Horse Awards, once known as the “Oscars of Asia” for Chinese-language content.

This year, the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, which kicked off Tuesday, added the international film competition category for the first time, reports variety.com.

This year’s 34th iteration honors films screened theatrically in China be-

tween July 1, 2020 and July 15, 2021. ‘The Father’ beat out animation ‘Wolfwalkers’, World War II drama ‘Persian Lessons’, Italy’s live-action ‘Pinocchio’ and the Thai drama ‘Happy Old Year’. The film grossed $4.14 million in China in June nearly double the $2.12 million it earned in the US. Veteran helmer Zhang Yimou was the most deco-

rated of this year’s ceremony, with his two films ‘Cliff Walkers’ and ‘One Second’ bringing home four of the top prizes.

Zhang won best director for his work on spy thriller ‘Cliff Walkers’, which also netted a best actor win for his lead, Zhang Yi. Beijing had selected the film as this year’s submission to the Academy Awards. The di-

supporting actor (Fan Wei) and best sound.

The prize for best feature film went to jingoistic local drama ‘Island Keeper’, a film created as an ode to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Communist party based on the real-life story of a couple who face hardships to guard China’s coastline.

Fellow 100th anniversary title ‘1921’ took home gold with best screenplay.

Zhang Xiaofei won best actress for her work ive insisted there was as the titular mom in the no need to change Chinese New Year hit ‘Hi, their name after two Mom’, while Zhu Yuanyuan won best supporting actress members left.

The remaining memfor her work in family drama ‘My Sister’.

(IANS) bers of the ‘Everybody Get Up’ hitmakers - which comprises Scott Robinson, Ritchie Neville and Sean Conlon following the dewas one of the most ‘Liked’ partures of Abz Love and Koos in the Hindi commu- Jason ‘J’ Brown – insisted having a different moniker nity, it added.

The report mentioned would make them a comthat Kannada superstar pletely new band and other Puneeth Rajkumar, who acts have endured line-up passed away in October, changes without similar was the most mentioned ce- comments.

Scott said “If you lebrity among the Kannada community on the platform. change the name, you’re The upcoming movie essentially a different band.

“Obviously some peo“RRR” trended among the Telugu community, with us- ple might come to a Five ers sharing their views and show and think we might excitement in their mother not be as good as three…”

Richie interrupted: tongue.

(IANS) “Then we stick it to them!”

Scott added: “We do find it funny. But the thing is, you’ve got Westlife – Brian [McFadden] left and no one batted an eyelid.

Take That became three, no one batted an eyelid.

It’s just because we called ourselves Five.

“At the end of the day, it’s something to talk about.”

Richie added: “We embrace it now. Five is the soul. You know what you’re getting when you

Covid-19, UP elections 2022 trended most among on Koo in 2021

H

omegrown micro-blogging platform Koo on Friday said that topics such as Covid-19, and UP elections 2022 trended the most among on the platform in 2021.

The company has released a new report that unravels insights into how Indians across linguistic diversities think, feel and express themselves

online on topics most relevant to them. “On the Koo app, #Covid19, #Tokyo2020, #IPL2021, #UPElections2022, #LakhimpurKheri trended the most among users,” the company said in a statement.

Politics and sports garnered in much traction on the platform with #UPElections2022, #Tokyo2020 and #IPL2021 trending -- as users shared their thoughts and opinions across languages.

Virat Kohli and Olym-

pic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra were among the most mentioned celebrities on the platform, as fans sent in their love and support to their sporting heroes.

Poetry generated a lot of fervour in the Hindi community on the platform, as users unleashed their creativity through “shayaris”, “ghazals”, “dohas” and “kavitas”, the company said.

In fact, veteran actor Anupam Kher’s poetic Koo on the hypocrisy of humans

Healthy diet in early pregnancy may Led by Musk, world’s 10 richest men lessen gestational diabetes risk add $402 bn to their net worth in 2021

L

A

ll women please take note. If you are having a healthy diet in your early pregnancy, it may reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, finds a new study.

The study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, said that obesity is a significant risk factor for developing gestational diabetes mellitus and an increasing number of pregnant women are overweight or obese.

“Our research results show that following a healthy diet in early pregnancy reduces the risk of gestational diabetes, says first author,” said researcher Lotta Pajunen from the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of Turku (Finland). According to the research, dietary habits have an impact on both obesity and the onset of gestational diabetes mellitus. For the study, the team included 351 overweight or obese women to examine the connection between dietary intake and onset of gestational diabetes.

K Y M C

The women’s nutrient intake was calculated from food diaries, on the basis of which two dietary patterns, a healthier and an unhealthier dietary pattern, were recognised.

In addition, the overall quality of the diet in reference to that recommended was described with a diet quality index and the inflammatory potential with a dietary inflammatory index.

The study also found that a higher dietary inflammatory index, meaning a diet that increases the low-grade inflammatory markers in the body was

connected to an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus.

Furthermore, a higher consumption of fat and especially saturated fats was connected to gestational diabetes. This is of interest as the intake of saturated fats is known to increase the body’s inflammation.

“Eating vegetables, fruit, berries, and wholegrain products as well as unsaturated fats is particularly important. These nutrients and foods reduce inflammation in the body and therefore also the risk of gestational diabetes,” the researchers said. (IANS)

ed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world’s 10 richest people added nearly $402.17 billion (India has a forex reserve of about $635 billion) in 2021.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk added $121 billion to his net worth in 2021, becoming the world’s richest man who briefly saw his net worth cross $300 billion.

As of December 29, Musk had a net worth of $277 billion.

At the second place, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, however, did not add much to his net worth. He only added $5 billion, to stay at the second spot with $195 billion in his kitty, reports CNBC. The third spot was taken by Bernard Arnault at $176 billion (he added $61 billion in 2021).

Arnault is the CEO of luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, which owns brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Givenchy.

At the fourth position, philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates saw his net worth soar to $139 billion, adding $7 billion in 2021.

Google co-founder Larry Page with $130 billion net worth (and adding $47 billion in 2021 owing to the strong performance of Alphabet) was the fifth richest person on earth.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with a net worth of $128 billion was at the sixth place. He added a cool $24 bil-

F

hear the name Five.”

The trio insisted fans wouldn’t want them to have kept going as a quintet if not everyone wanted to be involved but they won’t try to erase their former bandmates from their history.

Sean added: “It’s our story. We’ll never forget Jay and Abz. They don’t want to be here, but we’re not trying to erase them.”

Scott said: “But we’re the three members of the band that want to be here and we’re flying the flag for Five.

“The fans don’t want someone who doesn’t want to be there.”

Although the group had “amazing times” during their 90s heyday, there were also moments when things got “extremely dark”.

Scott said in a recent interview: “There were some really amazing times – winning awards, selling loads of albums, travelling the world.

“But behind the curtain, you didn’t really see any of the countries, you were suffering from sleep deprivation and no one knew.

“There were some amazingly bright times and some extremely dark times.”

(Contactmusic)

Happy 75th Birthday lion this year.

Zuckerberg owns a 13 per cent stake in Meta (formerly Facebook), which has grown in value by more than 20 per cent this year.

At the seventh place, another Google co-founder Sergey Brin with $125 billion net worth added $45 billion in 2021.

Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO and owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, added $41 billion in 2021 to see his net worth reaching $122 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Cloud major Oracle’s Chairman and Founder Larry Ellison with $109 billion (and adding $29 billion in 2021) was at the ninth place while Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, finished 10th with $109 billion net worth and adding $21 billion in 2021. (IANS)

01/01/1947 Prem B. (Rtd DIS) President, KDPA Kiphire A dedicated, sincere and humble person You are truly our inspiration.

Happy Platinum Birthday.

Wishing you good health and long life.

“Gray hair is crown of splendour It is attained by a righteous life” Proverbs 16:31 Love Family.

DP-6124/21

A

ctor Arnold Schwarzenegger has donated 25 houses to homeless veterans in Los Angeles, after teaming up with the Village for Vets programme.

Schwarzenegger paid $250,000 to purchase the structures, located in West Los Angeles, according to Fox11, and donated them to those who previously fought in the US armed forces but are now facing homelessness, reports femalefirst. co.uk. The 74-year-old actor tweeted about it.

He wrote: “Today, I celebrated Christmas early.

The 25 homes I donated for homeless veterans were installed here in LA. It was fantastic to spend some time with our heroes and welcome them into their new homes.

“I want to thank @ villageforvets for arranging the homes and being a fantastic partner, @secvetaffairs, @amvetshq and everyone who worked with us and made this possible.

We p r o v e d that when we all work together, we can solve any problem.”

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NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022

at Centurion testimony to Man Utd up to 6th after 3-1 win over Burnley Victory India’s all-round prowess: Kohli

MANCHESTER, DEC 30 (AGENCIES): Manchester United moved up to sixth in the Premier League thanks to a 3-1 over struggling Burnley at Old Trafford on Thursday to maintain their unbeaten start under interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

With the win, United moved above Spurs into sixth, level on 31 points with fifth-placed West Ham United. Burnley remain in 18th place on 11 points.

After the poor display in Monday’s 1-1 draw at Newcastle, Rangnick made six changes to his side with Edinson Cavani starting in attack alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bur nley, who had their last three games postponed due to COVID-19 cases amongst their opponents, were hit by four positives of their own, including goalkeeper Nick Pope, while key forward Maxwel Cornet was ruled out with injury.

The wide-open nature of the game was evident from the outset with Chris Wood missing an early chance, heading wide for the visitor’s and then Ronaldo wasted a glorious opportunity, firing over the bar when clear on goal.

But it was not long before United had the lead

Manchester United’s Scott McTominay in action with Burnley’s Aaron Lennon.

-- Mason Greenwood’s pass to Ronaldo was miscontrolled but Scott McTominay leapt on the loose ball and struck a low drive through the crowded area and into the bottom corner.

Luke Shaw then burst through the middle of the Burnley defence but fired his shot into the side netting as United visibly grew in confidence.

The second was not long in coming, after a mix-up in the Bur nley defence, Jadon Sancho cut in from the left and his

‘Three Liverpool players COVID positive before Chelsea trip’

LO N D F O N, D E C 3 1 (AGENCIES): Three Liverpool players and more staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the trip to Chelsea but it is too soon to ask the Premier League to postpone the game, manager Juergen Klopp said on Friday.

The league has postponed 18 games so far due to a mixture of COVID-19 outbreaks and injuries at several clubs, leaving them without enough players to fulfil fixtures.

“We have three new COVID cases in the team and a few more in the staff, so it’s not so cool at the moment,” Klopp told reporters ahead of Sunday’s game in London.

“I’m not (able to reveal who tested positive) because we have to go through the whole process, PCR (tests), but you will see the day after tomorrow on the team sheet, it will be clear who is affected.”

When asked if Liverpool would have to ask for

the game to be postponed, Klopp said: “Not yet, but we don’t know. We never had an outbreak where 1015 players had it.

“For us, it’s more every day another one (tests positive)... it feels like a lottery in the morning. It’s day by day another case.

We don’t know how it will look in a few hours.”

Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho and Curtis Jones had returned to training earlier this week after going into isolation due to positive COVID-19 tests.

Klopp added that Thiago and Takumi Minamino, who missed the midweek loss at Leicester City due to muscle soreness, were not yet fit to play.

“Taki is probably closer, he’s running outside.

Thiago not yet,” the German coach said. “It might take a little longer, a hip issue -- we have no idea where it’s coming from.

We have to be a little bit patient.”

low shot took a deflection off the outstretched foot of Burnley skipper Ben Mee and beat Wayne Hennessey.

United, playing with an attacking 4-4-2 formation, were leaving space for Burnley to break into and looked far from secure at the back but their positive approach paid off when they grabbed the third goal in the 35th minute.

Hennessey tipped a fierce McTominay drive against the post but the ball fell straight to Ron-

aldo, who guided the ball into the unguarded goal.

That felt like game over but Bur nley kept t h e m s e l ve s i n w i t h a chance thanks to a fine solo effort from Aaron Lennon, the former Spurs winger taking advantage of a poor touch from Eric Bailly, dribbling into the United box and beating David De Gea with a wellplaced angled shot.

Hennessey did well to keep out efforts from Greenwood and Cavani after the break while Burnley’s chances were limited

to headers at set-pieces from James Tarkowski.

Rangnick was pleased with the attacking performance in the first half in particular.

“The whole team performance was a lot better, I was pleased with the performances of our wingers. Jadon did well and Mason. Edi (Cavani) and Cristiano, the work effort was amazing,” he said.

United are four points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, with a game in hand, as they search for a way into the top four and a place in next season’s Champions League.

“I wouldn’t say fourth is the minimum. It is about taking next development steps. Now eight games in a row without a defeat. It is about taking next steps,” said the German.

Bur nley manager Sean Dyche said his team had paid the price for some lax defending.

“The frustrating thing for me is that we could have made two blocks on the edge of the box and we didn’t,” he said.

“I was quite pleased with the performance generally, we are a little bit stretched with COVID-19 and injuries. There were some good performances but the details are killing us.”

CENTURION, DEC 31 (PTI): The opening Test win over South Africa here is a testimony to the “all-round side” that India has become in the longest format, said skipper Virat Kohli, describing Centurion as the “the most difficult” among all venues in South Africa.

India wrapped up a memorable 2021 in style by bringing down South Africa’s citadel, the Supersport Park, as they handed the Proteas a 113-run loss in the opening Test. It was a perfect end to the year in which the Indians outplayed Australia in their own backyard despite being plagued by injuries.

“Test series in South Africa in any place is not easy and Centurion is obviously the most difficult of them all,” Kohli told bcci.tv.

While India’s batters did well to ensure substantial leads in both innings, the pace unit ran through the South African batting line up, picking 18 wickets.

“We ended up getting a result in four days is a testimony to the fact that we have become the side we have become today and strength of the squad was on full display,” Kohli said.

“We were just looking for opportunities to win the game and that’s how we play

Reserve premier league concludes

Royal Challengers Bangalore of Project Sector sporting red jerseys and Kings XI Punjab of IG Sector sporting yellow jerseys.

Correspondent

KO H I M A , D E C 3 1 (NPN): The Royal Challengers Bangalore of Project Sector emerged as the champions of the 6th edition of the Reserve Premiere League 2021, here at Police Reserve Ground, Kohima on Friday.

The final match was

played between Royal Challengers Bangalore (Project Sector) versus the Kings XI Punjab (IG Sector). Earlier, RCB won the toss and elected to bat first.

The target was set at 149 runs in 20 overs with a fall of 8 wickets.

In the 2nd innings, Kings XI Punjab of IG sector scored 137 runs in 20

overs with 5 wickets down.

During the first innings, Supong from RCB team made a half century with 52 runs and Lennihao of Kings XI Punjab also made a half century of 51 runs in the 2nd series.

Scoring 137 runs, Kings XI Punjab however failed to reach the target by 12 runs from RCB.

Overall, the highest runs scorers of the tournament was Lennihao of Kings XI Punjab with a total of 199 runs and Kechesin Keppen of Kings XI was the highest wicket taker of the tournament with 8 wickets.

The annual RPL which is organized by the Police Union Baptist Church Youth Department had a total of 5 teams from the 6 sectors of New Reserve Colony. The teams were Royal Challengers Bangalore (Project Sector), Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings (Dairy Farm NST), Sunrisers Hyderabad (Lower MT) and Mumbai Indians (Upper MT). The match umpires of the tournament were Theja Leizietsu and Jackey.

Earlier, in the Women’s Volleyball, Lower MT emerged Champion and Dairy Farm NST was the runners up. The Reserve Premiere League commenced on December 26 and culminated at a function here in the New Reserve Police Ground.

Virat Kohli

cricket now and given an opportunity at any stage we will pounce on it,” he added.

Having never won a series in South Africa, Kohli feels the win is a “golden opportunity” for the Indian team to put pressure on the home side in the second Test and eke out a favourable result.

“It’s a beautiful position to be in, to be 1-0 up away from home, put the opposition under pressure again in the second Test is a golden opportunity for us and something that every player is looking forward to.

“This sets us up beautifully for Wanderers, we can go out there and be more positive and optimistic.”

Re f l e c t i n g o n t h e year gone by where India achieved historic success in Australia and are leading a Test series in England, which would be completed next year due to a COV-

Diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games is ‘meaningless’: Coe

Sebastian Coe

L O N D O N, D E C 3 1 (AGENCIES): World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said he takes human rights “very seriously” but that Britain’s diplomatic boycott of next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics is “meaningless”.

The United States, Australia and Canada have also announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games over China’s human rights record, a stand that China dismissed as “political posturing”.

Coe drew criticism over his comments last week when he said he was “philosophically opposed” to boycotts.

Rohit, Ashwin, Pant, Axar in Cricket Australia’s Test XI of 2021 Man City’s Cancelo assaulted

Rohit Sharma

MELBOURNE, DEC 31 (IANS): Star opener Rohit Sharma, spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, and Axar Patel, and wicketkeeperbatsman Rishabh Pant were the four Indian cricketers who featured in Cricket. com.au’s Test team of the Year for 2021, which was revealed on Friday.

Having dominated white-ball cricket and his home conditions for years, the 34-year old Rohit Sharma conquered his final frontier this year by proving he can score big Test runs outside of Asia. And a strong 2021 that saw him finish second behind Joe Root in the list for leading run-scorers in 2021.

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Ravichandran Ashwin

Axar Patel

It could have been even better if the classy righthander had translated multiple strong starts into big hundreds. He reached 20 or more in 14 of his 19 completed innings but posted two centuries -- 161 in a total of 329 to set up a win in Chennai and a patient 127 at The Oval, his maiden Test hundred away from home.

On the other hand, one century and an average below 40 completely undersell Rishabh Pant’s impact this year, especially in the first three months of 2021.

The dynamic left-hander’s numbers would have looked considerably better if he’d been able to turn scores of 97 (in Sydney), 89

not out (in Brisbane) and 91 (in Chennai) into hundreds but, as ever with a player as destructive as Pant, the numbers only tell half the story anyway.

The way he dismantled the bowling attacks of Australia and England at the start of the year rightfully earned him comparisons with the great Adam Gilchrist and while his tour of England was one he’d rather forget, 2021 may one day be viewed as the year a modern great truly arrived on the world stage.

Meanwhile, this year also showed how prolific Ravichandran Ashwin has become as he took more Test wickets (54) than any-

Rishabh Pant

one else.

However, he suffered some disappointment as well. Dominant as ever at home (where he took 46 of his 54 wickets), the offspinner missed India’s series-sealing win in Brisbane due to injury and was then surprisingly overlooked for their series in England as selectors preferred the extra batting punch provided by Ravindra Jadeja.

But another year of 50-plus wickets is certainly worth celebrating, as is a fifth Test hundred and the crucial cameo he made with the bat in India’s famous draw at the SCG. Another Indian spinner Axar Patel showed how

bowling in favourable conditions is one thing but exploiting them to maximum effect is another thing altogether.

The fact that Patel wasn’t selected for India’s series opener against England in February was made all the more baffling by the carnage that followed as the left-arm spinner bagged 27 wickets in just three Tests in one of the more memorable debut series in history.

A combination of pinpoint accuracy and clever variations (the bulk of his wickets against England came from balls that didn’t spin) made him a constant threat and he’s another destructive spin option for India to call on for future campaigns.

Apart from these four Indian cricketers, players from Sri Lanka, Australia, England, Pakistan, and New Zealand were also named in the Cricket.com.au’s Test team of the year.

Cricket Australia Test XI of 2021: Rohit Sharma, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Root, Fawad Alam, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kyle Jamieson, Axar Patel, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi

during robbery at home

Joao Cancelo

MANCHESTER, DEC 31 (AGENCIES): Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo said on Thursday he was assaulted during a robbery and posted a picture of himself on Instagram with a cut above his right eye.

Cancelo did not mention where the incident took place but the club later said it happened at the 27-yearold’s home.

“Unfortunately today I was assaulted by four cowards who hurt me and tried to hurt my family,”

ID-19 outbreak, Kohli said the side is getting confident with each passing game.

“The new year is a very good marker to analyse how you played your cricket and I think we’ve played some outstanding cricket over the last 2-3 years, specially overseas.

“We are a side which is getting better and more confident with how much cricket we play.” Stand-in Test vice-captain KL Rahul, who was also adjudged the player of the match for his fabulous 123-run knock in the first innings, was also delighted by the win.

“Coming to a country like South Africa and beating them in their own fortress feels very special.

“This is the second such victory for us, one was in Gabba and now one in Centurion. Hopefully we can build on this and win the series,” Rahul said.

Cancelo said. “When you show resistance this is what happens.

“They managed to take all the jewellery and leave me with my face in this state.

“The most important thing for me is my family and luckily they are all OK.” City said in a statement they were giving support to the player and his family and that he is helping the police with their enquiries.

“Boycotts, on balance, are historically illiterate and intellectually dishonest. A political boycott is, frankly, meaningless,” Coe told British media on Thursday.

“That’s not to be an apologist for countries that do not conform to the basic standards around human rights ... I’m not insouciant or cavalier about human rights. I take them very seriously.

“I don’t think over the long haul (boycotts) actually achieve a great deal. There are always unintended consequences.

And at the end of the day, the people that most suffer in all that are the athletes.”

Cameroon report 4 COVID cases ahead of ACN

L O N D O N, D E C 3 1 (AGENCIES): Cameroon’s football federation said four of their players have tested positive for COVID-19, with the Africa Cup of Nations (ACN) hosts set to kick off the tournament against Burkina Faso in just over a week’s time.

Pierre Kunde Malong, Jean Efala, Michael Ngadeu Ngadjui and Christian Bassogog had been under observation since Wednesday due to “strong suspicions” and will continue to quarantine apart from the group, the Cameroon Football Federation said on Thursday.

Algeria, Ivory Coast and Morocco, who are among the favourites for the Cup of Nations, have been also been hit by COVID-19 in the build-up to the tournament.

Cameroon, who have won the Cup of Nations five times, will compete in Group A with Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and Ethiopia at the tournament, which gets underway on Jan. 9.

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NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022

India beat SL by 9 wkts to win U-19 Asia Cup

DUBAI, DEC 31 (IANS): An outstanding show by the bowlers followed by an unbeaten half-century from opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi led India to an easy nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a rain-hit final of U19 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Stadium here on Friday. The win also meant that India clinched the U19 Asia Cup trophy for the eighth time out of nine editions.

After restricting Sri Lanka to 106/9 in 38 overs, India had to chase 102 in the same allotted overs.

Sri Lanka struck an early blow as Harnoor Singh was trapped plumb lbw by Yasiru Rodrigo for just five.

But his partner Raghuvanshi, who was hit early on the helmet, was unfazed in shot selection. He got his first boundary of the match with a lovely backfoot punch and followed it with a pull over square leg.

His partner Shaik Rasheed kept the scoreboard ticking by rotating the strike and hitting a boundary.

The duo’s efforts meant

India U-19 cricket players celebrates after winning the U19 Asia Cup against Sri Lanka in Dubai.

that they brought up the half-century of their stand for the second wicket. After that, Raghuvanshi brought out his stroke-play, smashing boundaries while using his feet, and found gaps with ease.

Raghuvanshi completed his impressive fifty in 64 balls with a single through on-side. The Indian batters were also aided by the fact that the Sri Lanka bowling attack was too wide or gave too much room to effortlessly play their shots. It was fitting that Raghuvanshi hit the winning runs, a late squeeze on a Matheesha Pathirana yorker through the third man to help India

maintain a clean slate in the finals of the tournament.

Earlier, India’s bowling attack, with immaculate line and length and discipline, did exceedingly well to keep Sri Lanka to just 106/9.

The fantastic show with the ball was started by pacers Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravi Kumar, and Raj Bawa.

The trio pushed Sri Lanka on backfoot in the first ten overs, giving very little breathing space for the batters.

After Kumar and Bawa took a wicket apiece, offspinner Kaushal Tambe increased Sri Lanka’s problems by picking up two wickets. Left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal was the pick

Alexander Zverev sets sights on best season after strong finish in 2021

Alexander Zverev

S Y D N E Y, D E C 3 1 (AGENCIES): German Alexander Zverev said he has matured enough to be able to build on his success and the world number three hopes to use the momentum from his strong finish in 2021 as a springboard for the best season of his career.

Zverev won six titles this year, including the Olympic gold in Tokyo and two Masters titles in Madrid and Cincinnati, capping a memorable season by clinching his second ATP Finals trophy last

month in Turin.

The 24-year-old will begin his 2022 season in Sydney where he will lead Germany’s campaign in the ATP Cup. “I won the finals in 2018 and had a really bad 2019. I hope I can change that,” Zverev told reporters. “I hope I can do it differently. I was a lot younger back then. I didn’t know how to handle big titles maybe as well.

“I was 21-years-old going into the 2019 season.

I do feel I’m a little bit of a different player but also I’m

a different person, I think.

I’ve had a lot more experience on the court, I had a lot more experience outside the court. “I know how to handle maybe the media a little bit better. I know how to handle pressure maybe a tiny bit better, as well.

“After the Olympics I continued to play great tennis. I hope I can still use that momentum going into 2022, and hopefully have the best season of my career so far.”

Germany are in Group C of the 16-team event and will open their campaign against Britain on Sunday with Zverev taking on world number 12 Cameron Norrie in the second singles tie. Canada and the Unites States are the group’s other teams.

With Zverev’s success in 2021 and Daniil Medvedev defeating top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open final, the younger generation look poised to give the ‘old guard’ a run for their money in 2022 and the German predicted an exciting year ahead for the sport.

of the bowlers, taking 3/11 in eight overs.

The toss went in Sri Lanka’s favour, but the innings didn’t go their way on a lush green pitch. Left-arm pacer Kumar provided the first breakthrough as Chamindu Wickramasinghe departed for three, giving a simple catch to Bawa at third man while going for a hoick over mid-wicket.

Kumar could have got his second wicket if not for slip fielder dropping a tough chance apart from an early run-out chance missed.

Kumar and Bawa kept things tight as Sri Lanka crawled to 15/1, without scoring a boundary. Bawa got his first wicket as Shevon Daniel nicked behind to keeper Aaradhya Yadav for six. Sadisha Rajapaksa and Anjala Bandara struck a boundary each but offspinner Tambe trapped the latter lbw.

Tambe retur ned to clean bowl Pawan Pathiraja for four. Rajapaksa, who had entered the double figures, holed out to Rasheed off left-arm spinner Ostwal.

Ostwal returned in the 27th over to take out Dunith Wellalage (caught by Bawa at mid-wicket) and Ranuda Somarathne (trapped lbw).

Sri Lanka laboured to reach 74/7 in 33 overs before rain halted play.

It took almost two and a half hours for the rain to relent before Sri Lanka could bat for five more overs to finish their innings. After the match re-started, a brilliant direct hit from Rasheed caught Raveen de Silva short of the crease.

Rodrigo and Pathirana hit a couple of boundaries before the latter pulled straight to a diving Raghuvanshi at deep backward square leg to give Hangargekar a wicket on the last ball of the innings, ending Sri Lanka’s misery with the bat.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 106/9 in 38 overs (Yasiru Rodrigo 19 not out, Raveen de Silva 15; Vicky Ostwal 3/11, Kaushal Tambe 2/23) lost to India 104/1 in 21.3 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 56 not out, Shaik Rasheed 31 not out; Yasiru Rodrigo 1/12)

Iniyan finishes third in Lorca Open chess

Grandmaster P Iniyan

LORCA (SPAIN), DEC 31 (PTI): India’s teenage Grandmaster P Iniyan finished a creditable third in the Lorca Open 2021 chess tournament here.

The 19-year old Iniyan scored seven points from nine rounds, winning seven games while losing two including in the final round to Karen H Grigoryan (Armenia). The loss to the Armenian GM proved crucial as the third-seeded Indian player had been the leader after the eighth round.

Iniyan gained five Elo points as a result of the performance in the event which concluded late on Thursday.

Among his wins were one over compatriot GM Karthik Venkataraman in the eighth round.

Venkataraman also finished with seven points but took the fourth place on the basis of an inferior tie-break score.

International Master Srijit Paul claimed the seventh spot after scoring 6.5 points.

Brazilian GM Alexandr Fier took the top prize with 7.5 points, edging Grigoryan, who also secured 7.5 points on the basis of a better tie-break score.

NEW DELHI, DEC 31 (IANS): India fared really well in sports and it was not just cricket. IANS looks at the top sporting moments of Indian athletes in 2021.

1. Neeraj Chopra strikes gold: Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra became the second Indian to win an individual gold at the Olympics, outperforming the field by quite a distance to notch up the first track-and-field Games medal for the country.

2. Team India wins Gabba Test: Team India fought and won against all odds to beat a formidable Australian squad on their home ground at The Gabba.

3. Pramod Bhagat: With badminton being introduced for the first time at the Tokyo Paralympics, ace shuttler Pramod Bhagat didn’t disappoint and became the first Indian in the sport to win gold at the Paralympic/ Olympics. His feat was followed by that of Krishna Nagar.

4. Sumit Antil: Following in the footsteps of Neeraj Chopra, Antil not just won gold in parajavelin but also dominated the sport with three of his throws shattering the world records.

5. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu: She overcame all odds and managed to win silver at the Tokyo Olympics in women’s 49kg category.

6. PV Sindhu: Ace shuttler Sindhu created history by becom-

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) dribbles as Brooklyn Nets center LaMarcus Aldridge (21) defends during the second half at Barclays Center.

Caldwell-Pope (four 3-pointers, 12 points) and Anthony Gill (eight points) return from protocol. Spencer Dinwiddie, however, entered health and safety protocol prior to the game.

Cleveland’s Kevin Love collected 24 points and 11 rebounds and rookie Evan Mobley scored 14 of his 21 points in the first quarter. Lauri Markkanen and Isaac Okoro each added 11 points for the Cavaliers, who were playing their first game

since Ricky Rubio sustained a torn ACL on Tuesday in a 108104 setback at New Orleans.

Bucks 136, Magic 118 Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 33 points and 12 rebounds, helping Milwaukee complete a regular-season sweep of host Orlando with a victory.

Jrue Holiday put up 25 points and seven assists and Khris Middleton added 22 points and six assists as the Bucks ended December on a

MELBOURNE, DEC 31 (IANS): Spanish tennis stalwart Rafael Nadal has arrived in Melbourne for the season opening Grand Slam -- the Australian Open -- after two weeks of speculation following the winner of 20 majors testing COVID-19 positive recently.

Nadal, whose maiden title at Melbourne Park came in 2009, had ended the 2021 season early after a recurring foot injury had forced him to withdraw from the US Open.

He returned to action at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi in the third week of December and tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Spain. Nadal had then informed that his RT-PCR test has returned positive and he is experiencing ‘unpleasant moments’, leading to speculation that he might not compete at the Australian Open.

However, he posted an

Rafael Nadal

image of him standing on the blue Melbourne court on Friday and tweeted, “Don’t tell anyone…here I am.”

Soon the tweet went viral, with thousands of fans wishing him success. “ We l c o m e R a f a ,” tweeted a fan, while another said, “Yayyyy can’t wait.”

With Roger Federer missing from the seasonopening Grand Slam due to a keen surgery, and Serbian World No. 1 Novak Djokovic yet to confirm his participation, the Australian Open was desperately looking for some big names, and Nadal’s presence would give them a lot of comfort.

Indian athletes’ top sporting moments in 2021

Joel Embiid’s 34 points help 76ers rally past Nets B R O O K LY N , D E C 3 1 (AGENCIES): Joel Embiid scored 34 points and converted the tiebreaking three-point play with 3:14 remaining as the Philadelphia 76ers made all the plays down the stretch in a 110-102 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday in New York.

Embiid shot 11 of 23 from the floor and notched at least 30 points for a seventh straight road game. His hoop and subsequent free throw started Philadelphia’s game-ending 13-5 run.

Tyrese Maxey added 25 points and hit five of Philadelphia’s 13-pointers. Seth Curry added 17 points for the Sixers, who shot 42 percent on a night when they were coached by assistant Dan Burke after head coach Doc Rivers was placed in COVID-19 protocol.

Kevin Durant returned from missing three games in the NBA’s health and safety protocol and scored 33 points for the Nets. James Harden produced his second triple-double in three games since returning from the protocol with 33 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.

Wizards 110, Cavaliers 93 Bradley Beal collected 29 points and a season high-tying 10 assists in his return from health and safety protocol to fuel host Washington to a win over Cleveland.

Beal made 13 of 23 shots from the floor for the Wizards, who also saw Kentavious

Rafael Nadal arrives in Melbourne for Australian Open

five-game winning streak. DeMarcus Cousins fueled a key run with 13 of his 15 points coming in the third quarter, and Bobby Portis and Donte DiVincenzo each had 11 points and nine rebounds.

Orlando has lost five consecutive home games for the first time this season.

The Magic are 2-13 -- and 0-11 against Eastern Conference opponents -- at the Amway Center.

ing the first Indian woman to win back-to-back medals in two Olympics. The Rio Olympics silver medallist won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, beating China’s He Bing Jao 21-13, 21-15 in the third-place playoff.

7. Ravi Dahiya: The Indian became the second Indian wrestler, after Sushil Kumar, to win the Olympic silver. That was after he lost the gold-medal match to a Russian.

8. Avani Lekhara: She became the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic medals by claiming the 50m Rifle 3-Positions SH1 bronze to add to an unprecedented gold she had won earlier in the Games.

9. Sukant Kadam: The ace shuttler, who missed the Para-

lympics by a whisker, made amends by winning gold at the Uganda Para Badminton Championship and also won his first gold at the 4th National Para Badminton Championship.

10. Punam Raut: The Indian cricketer who has cemented her No. 3 position in the Indian batting line-up, held the spirit of the game against Australia. The star batter decided to walk even after the umpire gave her not out, holding the spirit of the game.

11. Team India’s Centurion Test: At the start of the year, India breached The Gabba, they ended the year by breaching yet another fortress. India took a 1-0 lead over South Africa in the three-Test series with their first ever Test win at Centurion.

Ganguly discharged SF wicketkeeper-batter Quinton after COVID treatment, to de Kock retires from Test cricket remain in home isolation KOLKATA, DEC 31 (PTI): BCCI president and former India skipper Sourav Ganguly was on Friday discharged from a hospital here after being treated for COVID-19 but will remain in home isolation for the next two weeks.

The former skipper will be in home isolation under doctors’ supervision and has not been infected with the Omicron variant, hospital authorities said.

“We have discharged Ganguly this afternoon. He will have to be in home isolation for the next fortnight under doctors’ observation. After that the next course of treatment will be decided,” a hospital official told PTI. The 49-year-old was rushed to the Woodlands Multispeciality hospital on Monday night as a precautionary measure after his RT-PCR test came positive for COVID-19.

“He is clinically stable...Dr Saptarshi Basu and Dr Soutik Panda will keep an watch on his health status,” hospital’s MD and CEO Dr Rupali Basu said in a statement.

Ganguly received the “Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail therapy” after admission.

He was admitted to hospital twice earlier this year and underwent emergency angioplasty after having complained of cardiac issues.

His elder brother Snehasish Ganguly had also tested positive for COVID-19 early this year.

Grandmaster P Iniyan

JOHANNESBURG, DEC 31 (AGENCIES): South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Grandmaster P Iniyan, 29, has retired from Test cricket to spend more time with his family.

De Kock and wife Sasha are expecting their first child soon. “This is not a decision that I have come to very easily,” he said after South Africa’s 113-run defeat by India.

“My family is everything to me and I want to have the time and space to be able to be with them during this new and exciting chapter of our lives.”

De Kock made his Test debut in 2014 and scored 3,300 runs at average of 38.82, scoring six centuries and 22 fifties in 54 matches.

He apologised for making himself unavailable for a match at October’s T20 World Cup rather than obey an instruction from Cricket South Africa that all players should take the knee as a gesture in support of racial equality and justice.

“I love Test cricket and I love representing my country and all that it comes with,” De Kock added.

“I’ve enjoyed the ups and the downs, the celebrations and even the disappointments, but now I’ve found something that I love even more.

“I’m fully committed to white-ball cricket and representing my country to the best of my ability for the foreseeable future.

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