25 Sept 22

MLAs for early solution, not polls: Tovihoto

Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, SEP 24 (NPN): Advisor Power, H. Tovihoto Ayemi reiterated that the top agenda for all 60 legislators of the 13th Na galand Legislative Assembly (NLA), irrespective of party affiliation, was for early so lution to the Naga political issue and not election.

“We are not interested in election or campaigning, but we want Naga solution for our people,” Tovihoto said, as the special guest at the inaugural of NST colony ‘welcome gate’ cum thanksgiving programme here Saturday.

Tovihoto maintained that the Naga political issue should be resolved at the earliest as it has been a longfelt desire and also a prayer of the Nagas.

Tovihoto said Gov ernment of India was seri ous about securing peace ful solution for which the legislators were acting as facilitators between Gov

Ao Senden flays abduction of NSCC engineer

DIMAPUR, SEP 24 (NPN): Ao Senden has strongly condemned the ab duction of one Ramakanth Giri, senior supervisor and engineer of Nitin Sai Con struction Company (NSCC) engaged in the construction of Changtongya-Longleng road, on September 21, 2022, allegedly by Yung Aung-led NSCN (K).

In a press release, Ao Senden president Chubawà ti Longchar and general secretary Imtipokyim de manded safe and sound return of the abductee.

Ao Senden affirmed to “seriously view and stand with the demand” taken by Langpangkong Tsukong Mungdang (LTM) and the Langpangkong Tsukong road co-ordination com mittee. On September 21, LTM while condemning the abduction had demanded “unconditional” release of Giri within 24 hours.

NEW DELHI, SEP 24 (AGENCIES): Prime Min ister Narendra Modi will roll-out 5G services in India on October 1 at the India Mobile Congress event. Ac cording to its website, India Mobile Congress (IMC) is the largest telecom, media, and technology forum in Asia, jointly organised by Department of Telecommu nications and Cellular Op erators Association of India.

ernment of India and the Naga Political Groups. He also welcomed signing of the ‘September Joint Accor dant’ between WC/NNPGs and the NSCN (I-M).

Tovihoto also reaf firmed that the State BJP was equally committed that the aspirations of the Nagas are fulfilled with regard to solution to the Naga political issue. He said BJP and fully supports solution that was honourable and acceptable to the Nagas

which will usher in a new era of peace and harmony, all round progress and eco nomic growth.

when it comes to the peace and harmony and welfare of the society. “Community engagement plays a crucial role in transforming com munities and in the overall development of the society,” he stated.

On the developmental front, Tovihoto mentioned that the state has witnessed many developmental activi ties under the leadership of chief minister Neiphiu Rio. He however, reminded that the support, cooperation and participation of the public was crucial for any development to take place successfully.

government, a number of schemes and programmes have reached every house hold and thus improving lives of the common mass, he added. NST colony being a centrally located, the advi sor encouraged the youth to take advantage of it and make use for business start ups etc.

In his brief speech, retired commissioner & secretary L Yantsowo Lotha called upon the residents of the colony to foster unity and respect in order to move forward.

Ukraine vote starts

AIS officers in NE want Centre to rescind order for withdrawing special benefits

Correspondent

SHILLONG, SEP 24: A day after the Union govern ment has withdrawn special benefits including additional monetary allowance given to All India Services (AIS) offi cers posted in the North East ern states, the All North East IAS and other Associations are preparing to send rep resentations to Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to rescind its order.

officers posted in the North Eastern states face.”

“North-East rank and file of officers are very un happy with the order. Now it seems officers are get ting punished for serving in Northeast. Just imagine already for 1.5 years during Covid-19 pandemic and our DA increments were denied and now this,” one of the AIS officers said on condi tion of anonymity.

stated that post-retirement housing facility which was introduced in the year 2007 for officers belonging to cadres shall be withdrawn.

UNITED NATIONS, SEP 24 (IANS): India on Saturday said that peace is possible in the sub-continent only when Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism, “comes clean” and ends persecution of minorities.

Replying to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Shar if’s attacks on India at the highlevel UN General Assembly meeting on Friday, the first secretary of the Indian Mission to the UN, Mijito Vinito, dis puted his claims about wanting peace with New Delhi pointing out that Islamabad’s actions do not match his words.

He zoomed in on Islam abad’s history of terrorism and

Speaking on the im portance of traditional wel come gate, the advisor said it recognizes the symbol and identity of the community/ village. He said a progressive society exists only where there is unity and coop eration among people and therefore, encouraged the gathering to have a holis tic and cohesive approach

“Development takes place for the welfare of the people, thereby the public should also show their sup port by taking care of public property as its own” he said.

The DoPT on Friday had issued an order to all the State chief secretaries informing that special in centives and allowances of additional 25 per cent basic pay among other incentives granted to AIS officers post ed in North East be with drawn with immediate effect.

The additional mon etary allowance introduced in 2009 for AIS officers com prising IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service belonging to the Assam-Meghalaya joint cadre, Sikkim, Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur cadres has been discontinued, the order read.

The inter-cadre depu tation for officers of NE cadres that was consolidated in 2017 has also been with drawn. “Many AIS officers serving in the region will go to Delhi now as salary is same at least for the sake of better career prospects and education of children. This little extra incentive was keeping All India Ser vice officers going in NE as there are many challenges for education and children, amenities etc,” another AIS officer said.

He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Mo di’s concern for Nagaland along with the rest of the country was praiseworthy. It is because of the relent less support of the Central

India lambasts Pak at UNGA over Sharif’s ‘peace’ remarks

Hafiz Saeed, leader of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who master minded the 2008 Mumbai ter rorist attack, is living openly in Pakistan, as is another operative involved in the attack, Sajid Mir.

said: “A polity that claims it seeks peace with its neighbours would never sponsor crossborder terrorism, nor would it shelter planners of the hor rific Mumbai terrorist attack, disclosing their existence only under pressure from the inter national community.”

A country that truly seeks peace “would not make unjus tified and untenable territorial claims against neighbours, it would not covet their lands and seek to illegally integrate them with its own”, Vinito said re ferring to Pakistan’s continued occupation of parts of Kashmir in violation of Security Council Resolution 47 of 1948.

Vinito, who is from the 2010 Indian Foreign Service batch, drove his stinging re

Spl. Correspondent

DIMAPUR, SEP 24 (NPN): Even as the shutter down strike of all Dima pur-based goods transport offices entered ninth day on Saturday, the Dimapur District Citizens’ Forum (DDCF) has appealed to the transport agencies to restart their services “in good faith and for the well-being of the city as a whole.”

The transporters under All Nagaland Goods Mov ers Union launched an in definite shutter down strike on September 16 against the failure of the authori

ties to arrest the miscreants responsible for August 26 firing incident, in which one employee of TS Goods Car rier suffered injuries.

DDCF also appealed to the responsible authorities to intervene and arrest those responsible for “creating such a situation” and bring them to justice as per the law. The forum hoped that the arrest of “unwanted ele ments” would “once again” restore the faith of those af fected in the administration and resume their operations without any issues.

NEW DELHI, SEP 24 (NPN): Union Minister for DoNER, Tourism & Culture, G. Kishan Reddy on Saturday launched the two-day virtual conference ‘SymphoNE’, with the aim to boost Tourism sector in North Eastern Region.

Terming the North East region as a ‘Traveller’s Unex plored Paradise’, Reddy said the region is a rare combina tion of scenic beauty, unique cultures and abundant in natural resources. He said the Central government un der the leadership of Prime

Some of the AIS of ficers serving in the North Eastern states have described the order as “insensitive and abrupt with no regard or consideration of suffering and challenges which AIS

sponses home with a calm demeanour.

Exercising India’s right of reply, he countered Sharif’s claims about the treatment of minorities in India and held a mirror to Pakistan’s own record.

“It is not just about the neighbourhood that we have heard false claims today, it is about human rights, about minority rights and about ba sic decencies…When young women in the thousands from the minority community are abducted as an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), what can we conclude about the underlying mindset?” he asked.

“The incentive of re imbursement of payable In come Tax to Tribal All India Service officers belonging to the North East Cadres while on central deputation has been withdrawn,” the order read. Further, the order

However, the order is not clear if the officers belonging to Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) or UT cadre posted in two North Eastern states - Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh- will be affected by the DoPT order.

DIMAPUR, SEP 24 (NPN):

Residents of Purana Bazar’s six colonies under the banner Joint Council Purana Bazar East Dimapur (JCPBED) took out a massive public rally in support of Naga land Liquor Total Prohibi tion (NLTP) Act, 1989 and against all illegal activities within Purana Bazar juris diction here Saturday.

The rallyists number ing around 1000 people, mostly students in uniform, Church leaders, GBs of all six councils and oth ers, marched from Daroga jan Bridge to Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) Purana Bazar with

placards some of which read “Stop drinking, start living”, “Don’t drown your future with alcohol”, “It’s never too late to quit drinking alcohol”, Love your family, not alcohol” etc.

Minister Narendra Modi was committed towards the rapid and accelerated development of North East.

Reddy was optimistic that the SymphoNE will serve as a platform to delib erate and work together to

KOHIMA, SEP 24 (PTI): The Na galand government has not submit ted utilisation certificates (UCs) for 251 projects worth Rs 609.07 crore over 10 financial years, said a CAG report.

The State Finances Audit Re port of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India for the year ended March 31, 2021, tabled in the just-concluded session of the Na galand assembly by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, made the revelation.

As on March 2021, 173 UCs for projects worth Rs 396.47 crore were due for submission from 201112 to 2019-20, while 2020-21 had the highest outstanding of 78 UCs

unleash the tourism poten tial of region.

Terming ‘SymphoNE’ as a ‘great beginning’, sec retary DoNER Lok Ranjan assured all stakeholders that the suggestions and feedbacks by partners and stakeholders will be noted and the Ministry would work on a mission mode to fulfill all the expectation.

NEC secretary, K. Mo ses Chalai, in his address, opined that the Centre was working towards the next level of tourism growth in the North Eastern region. Tourism has surged in recent years and with technology

chairman of model colony council, stated that the rally was taken out following the decision taken of the joint council consultative meeting on September 3, 2022.

He said that consulta tive meeting unanimous ly decided to raise voice against existing illegal activi ties and alcohol related so cial menace within Purana Bazar jurisdiction.

JCPBED, which sub mitted representation to the district administration, excise department and com missioner of police, has appealed for effective imple mentation of the NLTP Act

and also take action against the offenders under appro priate sections of the law.

Speaking to the media persons after the rally, co-or dination team convenor, Vi kugha Kappo, who is also the

Stating that the drive against selling of alcohol was not a new initiative, Kappo said that such initiatives had been carried by each colony council and GBs under their respective jurisdictions. He said that all six colonies under Purana Bazar decided

for projects worth Rs 212.60 crore, the CAG stated. Non-submission of UCs means that the authorities have not explained how funds were spent over the years while there is no as surance that the intended objectives of providing these funds have been achieved, it said.

The CAG said that the high pendency of UCs is fraught with the risk of misappropriation of funds, while the state would also lose out on central funds.

The major defaulting depart ments were Rural Development-- Rs 184.35 crore, Planning and Coordi nation-- 166.54 crore, and Educa tion-- Rs 73.65 crore.

Earlier, the NST colony chairman N. Diswang Hau delivered the welcome ad dress while the programme was chaired by NSTCC executive member Yhunilo Thong. Invocation by as sociate professor DBC, Rev. Temsu Imchen, dedication prayer by Chang Baptist Church pastor Rev. Wongto Chingmak, and thanksgiving and benediction by apostle N. Joseph Konghay, director Jerusalem Global ministry. failed to submit `600 cr UCs for 251 projects: CAG report appeals transport

and digitization, tourism in the region will receive a significant boost, he added.

The conference was attended by several eminent personalities, policy think ers, Tourism officials, travel & tour operators etc.

SymphoNE aims to develop one-stop solution to eliminate all obstacles faced by the tourists, and tour operators while carrying out the operations for the visi tors while solving logistics & infrastructural facilities, lack of awareness about the locations among tourist and to spread necessary informa tion among the people.

Missing police jawan found dead

DIMAPUR, SEP 24 (PTI): A Nagaland Police Indian Reserve Battalion jawan, who had reportedly been missing since September 17, was found dead at a village in Niuland district on Satur day, police sources said.

Yanponthung N Tun goe (28), from Old Riphy im in Wokha district, was posted at Niuland town. He died an unnatural death and the body has been sent for post-mortem, they added. The body will be sent to his native village after comple tion of formalities. Further investigation is underway.

NPCC welcomes WC’s decision to prevent election for solution

DIMAPUR, SEP 24 (NPN): Welcoming the decision of the Working Committee of NNPGs to “prevent election for solution”, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Commit tee (NPCC) said it was also the desire of the party to see the implementation of solu tion at the earliest.

“Congress will stand with them. If BJP and Alli ance do not file nomination, we shall not file nomina tions. We want implemen tation of solution under President’s Rule,” NPCC president K. Therie stated.

Therie recalled that in 1998, NPC did not take part in the election on the same slogan and Congress re

turned to power almost un opposed. He said the same slogan was raised again in 2018, during which some senior Congress leaders trusting the “Solution not Election” slogan prevented All India Congress Com mittee from preparing for election. “Just before filing nominations, AICC directed to file nominations in case other political parties filed nominations and we were wiped out,” Therie stated.

Therie, however, asked whether NNPGs could real ly prevent election under any circumstance with future at stake, as it would amount to failure of Constitutional ma chineries

G. Kishan Reddy

Tovihoto Ayemi inaugurating the NST colony ‘welcome gate’ on Saturday. (NP)

Members of the Joint Council Purana Bazar East Dimapur and others during the rally, in support of Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, Saturday. (NP)

Mijito Vinito speaking at the UNGA

‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ held in Dimapur

Staff Reporter DIMAPUR, SEP 24 (NPN): As part of the ongoing statewide campaign, “Swachhata Hi Seva” (September 15–October 2) on the theme “visual cleanliness of vil lages”, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Dimapur division, in collaboration with Dimapur Naga Students Union (DNSU) organised a “shramdaan” at Dimapur Railway Station, here, on Saturday.

During an awareness programme before the drive, DWSM, PHED (R) Division, Dimapur, district coordinator Imojungla Longkumer highlighted about the campaign.

DNSU AGS, Chuthuzhuni Chache urged upon the participants to give their efforts in keeping public places clean and also discouraged littering.

She also stressed

on the importance of segregating wastes.

The awareness programme was chaired by DNSU deputy speaker Matsunginla and invocation was offered by Sorenbeni.

The programme ended with an anti-litter pledge administered by DNSU speaker Michael Kath and vote of thanks was proposed by PHED (U) division SDO,

Chümoukedima, Er. Wati Thompson.

The mass cleanliness drive was also participated by executive engineer, Sanitation and WSSO, Er. Ichirang Zeliang.

It may be mentioned that the campaign is an initiative of the Swachh Bharat Mission and is conducted every year on different themes.

The campaign is aimed at generating community

NNF working office inaugurated

participation in achieving complete cleanliness of every village throughout the country and to instill in the minds of citizens that cleanliness is responsibility of every citizen.

Meanwhile, distribution of IEC pamphlets and shopping bags along with cleanliness drive at garbage vulnerable sites was also conducted at Tsithrongsge, Dhansiripar Block.

KVK Mkg conducts JSA campaign & mela

DIMAPUR: Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Mokokchung organised “Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA)” campaign and mela on September 23 at Sangtemla Ward Multipurpose Hall, Mokokchung.

At the programme, divisional forest officer Mokokchung, Sentitula Pongen said humans as custodians must earnestly work towards water conservation and suggested that modern technology of farming should be amply applied with creative initiatives. In order to conserve water and forests, Dr. Sentitula stated that one must preserve flora and fauna, sensitise and involve community and agriculture and that allied departments should coordinate to assist the community.

The programme was chaired by senior scientist & head KVK, Mokokchung while keynote address was delivered by SDO (C) Longtiba Sangtam.

DCO Longleng organises ‘celebration of tribal festival’

DIMAPUR: District Cultural Office (DCO) Longleng on Saturday, organised “celebration of tribal festival” on the theme, “Igniting Cultural Traditions” at PBCA Convention Hall Longleng.

Staff Reporter DIMAPUR, SEP 24 (NPN): Nagaland NGOs Forum (NNF) dedicated its working office at Daily Bazar, Purana Bazar, here, on Saturday.

Exhorting the gathering, NNF advisor, Kughalu Mulatonu stated that Nagaland was a conglomeration of various tribal societies and therefore, he said, one must have an extensive view to contain every society into one “whole act.”

Pointing out that Nagas were divided politically, internally and externally, Kughalu expressed hope that NNF and other NGOs would work together and do something to bring unity.

He stated that the democracy in India was nothing but centralisation

and polarisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Kughalu also added that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the BJP were among the two richest political parties in the world.

In this regard, he opined that it would be difficult to overtake BJP in another 50 years.

Highlighting the issue of women reservation, he stated that “women are free and should strive to be free”, and that women should opt for equal quota.

In a welcome address, NNF president, Povotso Lohe said the forum will aim to look after the welfare and interests of all genuine NGOs registered with the Home department, and also take up schemes which

APC inspects construction of agri directorate building

DIMAPUR: Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), Y. Kikheto Sema accompanied by director of Agriculture, senior officers and superintendent engineer (SE) of the department inspected the ongoing construction site of the new directorate of Agriculture at New Capital Complex, Kohima on September 23.

According to a DIPR report, APC expressed concern over the slow pace of work, which began during 2012-13.

He lamented that the construction remained almost static over the years although the payment has almost been cleared amounting to Rs. 15.39 crore.

He directed the director and engineer to convey to the contractor that since payment is almost made in full, there should not be further delays and the work should be completed by January 2023.

Kikheto also stated that for the last nearly 17 years, the state has spent large sum of money for construction of about 40 directorate buildings mostly under negotiated loan of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO).

Delays in completion of work beyond the stipulated period have huge financial implications on the state as the state has to repay the loan with high rate of interest, he stated.

Awareness prog on RBI ombudsman scheme

DIMAPUR: RBI Ombudsman Guwahati and Integrated Banking Department RBI Guwahati, organised an awareness programme on “Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme and e-BAAT (Electronic Banking Awareness and Training)” for students and faculty of Japfü Christian College, Kigwema, Kohima on Saturday.

According to a DIPR report, chief general manager and ombudsman, RBI, Guwahati, Partha Choudhuri delivered the welcome address while NER, Reserve Bank of India, Guwahati, regional director Sanjeev Singha delivered the opening address. Principal, Dr. Visakhonü Hibo also delivered a short speech.

have been registered with the centre.

Povotso also informed that the forum would fight for the renewal tenure of NGOs in the state from two years to five years.

The programme was chaired by NNF general secretary, Nungsangmeren, dedicatory prayer was offered by Rev Dr Vikheshe Chishi and vote of thanks was proposed by NNF vice president, Vikali A Zhimomi.

According to a DIPR report, special guest, EAC Longleng, Dr. Samuel Akho Konyak said Nagas were gifted with rich culture and traditions and that the diversity united them.

He said India spends Rs. 3000 crores annually in art and culture ministry, which was a clear sign of its importance.

“We should tolerate and respect different cultures and traditions and never have the thought of superiority against others,” he stated. Highlights included folklore recitation by Choiphen Phom and D. Rose Henyah Phom,

presentation of cultural dances by Yongnyah Cultural Troupe Society, Good Shepherd School, Bhumnyu Student unit Longleng, Pongo Student Unit Longleng and Phom Lempong School.

The programme was chaired by Meria P Moichong, invocation by MBC pastor Tanlei, welcome address by DCO Longleng Mapeudibe and vote of thanks by ARO Tenhe Chungpang.

Correspondent

KOHIMA, SEP 24 (NPN):

Konyak Baptist Church Kohima golden jubilee celebration got underway, Saturday afternoon, at Capital Cultural Centre, Kohima.

The jubilee celebration is being organised on the theme “Maturity in Christ”.

At the opening session, KBBB executive secretary, Rev. Chemyuh shared the

Noklak DPDB meeting held

DIMAPUR: Noklak District Planning & Development Board (DPDB) meeting was held on September 22 in the deputy commissioner’s conference hall. According to a DIPR report, the board approved formation of Noklak District Sports Council, upgradation of PHC at Thonoknyu and New Pangsha Village, and registration of Society of Noklak District Handloom & Handicrafts Council and recommended them to the responsible departments.

word of God while minister of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Y.M Yollow and W. Henyong Konyak exhorted the gathering.

The opening programme witnessed special presentation by KBBK Sunday school children while Rev. Chemyuh unveiled the jubilee plaque, which was dedicated by Rev. Y. Chingang Konyak, the first

full-time KBBK pastor. Jubilee choir, KBBK women folks also presented special songs.

The event also witnessed silent prayer for the departed, who were involved in KBBK.

KBBK mission board member, Rev. T. W. Yamyap offered the dedicatory prayer for all the church leaders of KBBK including the formers and the present members.

NEWS IN BRIEF

ASMHSS Mkg annual meet: Alumni Association Model Higher Secondary School (AAMHSS) Mokokchung has convened its annual general body meeting on September 29, 6 p.m. at the school premises. All members have been requested to attend the meeting. For details one has been asked to contact at 9089868226, 7005025621.

Disability assessment camp in Longleng: Disability assessment camp by the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALMCO) in coordination with the district administration and the department of social welfare, Longleng has been scheduled from September 26-October 1, 2 am-5 pm. In this regard, villages under the district have been requested to avail the facilities.

25/06/1976 to 20/09/2022

We, the bereaved family of our beloved Lt. Hovito A Swu 11 NAP (IR) who passed away on 20th September 2022 express our sincere gratitude to everyone who stood by us Physically, Financially and Spiritually. deeply regret our inability to acknowledge each and every one individually, but it is our sincere prayers that our Almighty God bless you all abundantly. express our special gratitude to:

1. The Commandant and all Ranks of 11 (IR ) BN. Y. Vikheho Swu, MLA 13th A/C Pughoboto. Dr. Sukhato A. Sema, Ex. BJP Candidate 13th A/C Pughoboto Shri. Zhewoto Kiba, 1st Class Contractor Dr. Hukato Swu, Dy. Director Higher & Tech. Edn. Smti. Holi Chishi, C.O. 15th (IR) Bn Shri. Yekhuvi Achumi, UT CAO NSCN (IM) Shri. Kiyevi Swu, Asst. Director, Food & Civil Supplies Shri. Kitoho Rotokha, General Secretary, JDU Shri. Kughaho Yeptho, Kilonser NSCN (IM) Sumi Aphuyemi Dimapur Logdrum Hr. Secondary School, Sangtamtilla Thahekhu Village Block 7 Baptist Church Dimapur Lizutomi Union Ighanumi Kuposhukulu Dimapur, Kohima Delta Company 15 (IR) Fellowship Platoon Outpost Razuphema North PS Women Fellowship Kohima Baptist Church General,Hospital, Sec.

PHED, Dimapur Division officials along with the DNSU members and volunteers on Saturday.

KBBK celebration

Rev. Y. Chingang dedicating the jubilee plaque with Rev. Chemyuh and KBBK pastor H. Moba, Saturday. (NP)

NNF office bearers with Rev. Dr. Vikheshe Chishi after the dedication of NNF working office. (NP)

AGOK organises ‘Krüta Nousi Kehou’

in Nagas was very strong, however, the entrepreneurs in the state have been fail ing over the years as they were unable to access the right environment, infor mation etc.

In this regard, he urged upon AGOK mem bers to take the responsibil ity in disseminating proper information to those facing financial constraints, ac cessing guidance and get ting the right information.

the government as a source of employment, however, with saturation of the sec tor and limited industrial activities, there has been a steep rise in the unem ployment rate in the state, he stated.

He stressed that a change of mindset was the need of the hour since government was unable to give employment to all the educated youth.

DIMAPUR: Angami Ga

zetted Officers’ Krotho (AGOK) organised “Krüta Nousi Kehou” with its units—SAGOK, NAGOK, WAGOK & CGOK, and Village Level Officers’ Krotho at Capital Con vention Centre, Kohima, on September 23.

According to a DIPR report, the programme was organised with Kicha/ Rüna office bearers to dis seminate information to the educated unemployed youth at grassroots.

Addressing the gather ing as guest speaker, secre tary of Works & Housing, Kesonyü Yhome stated that the state’s resources were shrinking day by day and so were the employ

NSCN (I-M) Lotha region holds 4th general meeting

DIMAPUR: NSCN/GPRN

Lotha region “national workers” held its 4th gen eral meeting on September 22 at Likya Community Hall Wokha Town and re affirmed to support and uphold the principles of August 3, 2015 Framework Agreement signed between NSCN and government of India.

In a press release, office of the Central Administra tive Officer (CAO) Lotha Region informed that the house also reaffirmed the affirmations made at the “National emergency as sembly” held on May 31, 2022 at GHQ Hebron, and at August 26, 2022 meeting of “Naga National workers “from Nagaland state held at Agri Expo, Dimapur.

CAO Lotha region in

formed that the meeting was graced by collective leader ship members—–‘Lt.Col. (retd)’ S.Y Lotha and R.T Tsanglao. A silent prayer in memory of the martyrs and departed souls of the “national workers” from the Lotha Region was observed prior to opening of proceed ings. The release informed that an exhaustive delibera tion of a number of agendas were undertaken with a host of speakers sharing their viewpoints.

The meeting chaired by the caretaker/CAO Lotha Region, Nzanbemo Tsanglao began with an invocation by the region chaplain, P.Merio Kikon, tatar and concluded with a mass prayer and benediction by deputy kilonser, Yanpot hung Ovung.

Joint meeting for SLB platinum jubilee held in Zunheboto

ment opportunities in the government sector.

He said there was sig nificant loss of opportuni ties which were available within Nagaland, however, this can be easily gauged by taking into account the num ber of non-Nagas employed in the unorganised and pri vate sector which otherwise could have been capitalised by Nagas themselves.

Disclosing that Di mapur had the largest non-Naga workforce with 32700 people, followed by Kohima with 10900 and Mokokchung with 2215 non-Naga workforces, Ke

sonyü stated that construc tion sector employed the highest number of nonNagas followed by loading & unloading of goods in railways stations, bus sta tions and godowns.

The third largest sec tor employing workforce was in the trading and entrepreneurial activities such as running of small shops and ancillary busi ness followed by groceries and ration shops.

Commissioner & Secretary, Industries & Commerce, Kekhrievor Kevichüsa remarked that the entrepreneurial spirit

He highlighted the importance, benefits and criteria of a scheme called PMRY under the department of Industries & Commerce which has been designed to provide employment to educated unemployed youth.

Labour, Employment, Skill Development & En trepreneurship, additional secretary, Kovi Meyase said youth who aspire to set up enterprises should take advantage of the Leverag ing Entrepreneurship De velopment Center (EDC) and avail entrepreneurship Development Programme which will cover 60 can didates.

The youth of the state predominantly depend on

Retd. joint direc tor, Agriculture, Vizonyü Liezietsu also highlighted the scope and prospects of Agri & Allied sector and how it would help one become self-reliant in.

He further empha sised on the benefits of crops commercialisation through different methods.

At the programme, keynote address and the way forward were deliv ered by AGOK president, Neilasa Sopfü while Akho Neikha & friends presented a special number.

Later, vote of thanks was proposed by AGOK vice president, Er. Nirei-e Nisa and invocation was offered by Khedi Baptist Church, Kohima, associate pastor Kezhakietuo Belho.

DIMAPUR: Office of the chief veterinary of ficer (CVO) has informed pet owners in Dimapur, Chümoukedima and Ni uland districts that the department of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services (AH&VS) will be organising a free-anti rabies vaccination in commemo ration of “World Rabies Day”, on September 28,

on the theme, “Rabies-One Health, Zero Deaths”.

In this regard, CVO office has informed all con cerned that the vaccination camps will commence from 9 am, at Duncan Council Hall; CTC Hall Chümouke dima and Public Ground Niuland. All the pet owners have been asked to avail the opportunity and vaccinate their pet dogs.

DIMAPUR: A joint meeting of Sumi frontal organisa tions and sub-committees of the organising committee of 75th jubilee celebration of the Sumi Literature Board (SLB) was held at Sumi Baptist Church, Zunheboto on Saturday to discuss the jubilee celebration of SLB.

In a press release, SLB platinum jubilee, media and awareness committee mem ber, Holoka T. Sumi stated that during the meeting, planning committee chair man, HK Khulu, IAS (retd) said the platinum jubilee celebration will be held on December 13, 2022, at Mul tipurpose Hall Zunheboto on the theme “Niza Tsa Na Ni Ju-Aje”.

The meeting resolved to invite minister of Ag riculture & Cooperation, Kaito Aye as chief guest, advisor of School Education & SCERT, KT Sukhalu as guest of honour and ad visor of Tourism, Art & Culture, Khehovi Yepthomi for launching of Sumi dic tionary.

Addressing the media, SLB chairman Vihoshe Muru stated that the state

government granted per mission to introduce Sümi language under modern Indian language as a subject in HSLC in November 1977.

The Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) then granted approval in 1978 and the first exams were conducted in 1980.

Further, the Nagaland University approved intro duction of Sema (MIL) in Pre-University (PU) on Janu ary 1997 and the subject was first introduced in Mount Olive College Kohima in the same year.

He said the Sütsah Academy Thilixu began in 2015 had 260 passed out students till date and a di ploma course had begun at Yemhi College with three dictionaries.

Under the initiative of the department of Art and Culture, an Anglo Sümi dictionary with diacritic markers is undergoing print ing and is expected shortly, he informed. The meeting was attended by Sumi Hoho, Sumi Kukami Hoho, Sumi Totomi Hoho, Sumi Offi cers union and other Sumi organisations.

Kovi Meyase speaking at the ‘Krüta Nousi Kehou’ in Kohima. (DIPR)

Members of the SLB planning committee and others at the meeting on Saturday.

Assam govt consistently asking Centre to ban PFI: CM

GUWAHATI, SEP 24 (PTI): Assam Chief Min ister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said his govern ment has been consistently requesting the Centre to ban the Popular Front of India (PFI) for allegedly “creat ing an eco-system for terror activities”. The state police have so far arrested “11 PFI activists” as a part of the nationwide crackdown on the radical Islamic outfit, he said.

“The Assam govern ment is consistently asking the Centre to ban the PFI…. we are convinced that the organisation needs to be banned,” Sarma said on the sidelines of a programme here. The state government, however, has given its inputs on the outfit to the Centre, he said.

In a massive crackdown on the PFI, multi-agency teams spearheaded by the NIA arrested 106 leaders and activists of the radical Islamic outfit on Thursday in near-simultaneous raids in 15 states for allegedly supporting terror activities

in the country. Sarma said the police are investigat ing whether there are links among the outfit and the radicalisation modules in some madrasas busted by the law enforcement agen cies since March this year.

“We have intelligence inputs that the PFI has cre ated an ecosystem that en courages some people to join the radicalisation modules sponsored by the ISIS and Al Qaeda in Indian Subcon tinent (AQIS),” Sarma said.

The state police arrest ed the PFI activists as “there were intelligence inputs”, and specific cases were regis tered against them, he said.

After these arrests,

some people staged pro tests and blocked roads at Nagarbera in Kamrup (Rural) district.

“We are trying to find out people who instigated the protests and will take action against them,” Sarma said.

PFI’s West Bengal state chief Minarul Sheikh was among the 11 arrested peo ple and he was apprehended in New Delhi.

Of the arrested PFI ac tivists, four are from Nagar bera in Kamrup (Rural) district, two from Guwa hati, and one each from Karimganj, Barpeta, Baksa and Nagaon. The arrested people have been brought to Guwahati and are being interrogated separately at the Special Branch head quarters here.

According to a state ment issued by the Assam Police on Thursday, leaders of the organisation were apprehended as there was “reliable information that they were making efforts to foment communal strife throughout the state”.

Investment Summit in Sikkim postponed for lack of policy

SHILLONG, SEP 24 (PTI):

Drugs worth over Rs 18 crore have been seized and 134 traffickers arrested in the last four months in Meghalaya, Director Gen eral of Police L R Bishnoi has said.

GANGTOK, SEP 24 (AGENCIES): The Sik kim Investment Summit, which was scheduled to be held in November, has been postponed to February 2023, reports East Mojo.

The change in the summit schedule has been made considering the ab sence of an industrial policy in the state. The decision was taken during a review meeting chaired by chief secretary V.B. Pathak at Tashiling Secretariat on September 17.

As per the review meeting, the summit has been postponed following the absence of centrallybacked industrial promo tion schemes such as the North East Industrial De

velopment Scheme (NEI DS), 2017, which ended on March 31, 2022, and a state industrial policy.

However, the curtain raiser event of the summit will be held on November 2022 as scheduled.

The review meeting, which was attended by Chief Minister’s Chief Eco nomic Advisor Mahendra P Lama suggested that an industrial policy would be required to attract potential investors to the state. He also suggested that Com merce and Industries De partment must chalk out sub-sectorial policies within the industrial policy for thrust areas like green in dustries, education, health care and wellness.

India-Bhutan border gates reopened

RANGIA/ GUWAHATI, SEP 24 (PTI): India-Bhutan border gates in Assam have been reopened for tourists after a hiatus of two-and-ahalf years, an official said on Saturday.

The gates, which were closed since the outbreak of COVID-19, have been reopened on Friday with some new rules, including a sustainable development fee, he said.

Bhutan’s Consul Gen eral at Guwahati Jigme Thinley Namgyal de clared the reopening of international border gates at Samdrup-Jongkhar in Tamulpur district, Dadgiri and Gelephu in Chirang, Namlang and Panbang in Baksa and Samrang in Udal guri district. Members of the Indo-Bhutan friendship Association were present at the occasion.

The gates will remain open from 9 am to 5 pm.

Several visitors and businessmen gathered at the gates during the reopening celebrations, and people from both the countries exchanged greetings.

The Bhutan govern ment had earlier announced reopening of its borders for trade, commerce and official

transit from September 23, provided that the COVID-19 situation does not change for the worse, he said.

A sustainable devel opment fee (SDF) will be charged to improve services and infrastructure develop ment for the tourism sec tor, besides environmental conservation.

If tourists stay in Bhu tan, the fee for Indian travel lers will be Rs 1,200 per day, while it has been fixed at USD 200 for those coming from other countries, the official said.

Visitors from India have to produce voter ID card, passport or any other identity proof at the immi

gration check posts, while children have to produce birth certificates.

Eco-tourism, bird watching, and other tour packages have been planned by the Bhutan government for tourists, the official said.

Rules and standard operating procedures (SOP) have been chalked out to facilitate seamless move ment and to give a pleasant experience to travellers to the Himalayan country.

Bhutan Prime Minis ter Dr Lotay Tshering had unveiled the new ‘Brand Bhutan’ at Thimphu on Thursday to encourage Bhu tanese to be responsible for protection of heritage.

Tribal party TIPRA emerges as the big challenger in Tripura politics

AIZAWL, SEP 24 (PTI): In a major drug haul, a joint team of Assam Rifles (AR) and Mizoram Police have seized a huge quantity of Methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 167.86 crore from near the Myanmar border in Champhai district, an AR officer said.

During the operation carried out jointly by Ser chhip batallion of Assam Rifles and state police at Melbuk village on Friday, a huge consignment of 5,05,000 tablets (55.80 kg) of Methamphetamine, a party drug, were seized from the possession of a woman ped dler, the officer said. “This is the biggest drug haul ever made in a single operation

in Mizoram,” he said.

During the last three years, Assam Rifles have seized drugs worth over Rs 200 crore, the officer said.

Action on specific in formation, the joint team intercepted a vehicle at the village and on checking it 55.80 kg of Methamphet amine tablets were seized from the peddler, he said.

The contraband worth Rs 167.86 crore was con cealed in various compart ments of the vehicle, the of ficer said. Both the accused and the seized contraband were handed over to Zo khawthar police station on Saturday for further investi gation and legal proceedings, he said.

The seized drugs in clude 3.62 kg heroin, 4,500 kg ganja, 150 gm opium, 145 bottles of cough syrup and 11,902 amphetamines tab lets. Thirty one vehicles, 90 mobile phones and cash Rs 24.22 lakh was also seized during the period, the DGP said. “We have waged a war against drugs throughout the length and breadth of Meghalaya. During the last four months (from June to September), we have seized drugs worth Rs 18.33 crore. This is a huge recovery and credit goes to the state po lice, anti-narcotic task force as well as the special branch for timely collection and dis semination of intelligence,” Bishnoi told reporters here on Friday.

A total of 134 drug traf fickers have been arrested in 48 cases registered so far.

AGARTALA, SEP 24 (IANS): With less than six months to go for the elections to the 60-mem ber Assembly, the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Re gional Alliance (TIPRA), a tribal-based party is fast emerging as a main force in the indigenous people domi nated areas to give the ruling BJP and the opposition par ties a tough challenge.

As tribals constitute over one third of Tripura’s four million population and with 20 tribal reserved seats (in the 60-member Assem bly), the indigenous people always played a very vital role in the electoral politics of erstwhile princely ruled Tripura, which before merg ing with the Indian Union on October 15, 1949 had been governed by 184 tribal kings.

In Tripura’s 20 tribal reserved seats and in 10 Scheduled Caste reserved seats, the CPI-M led Left parties had been tradition ally the strongholds.

In the 2018 Assembly elections and in the polls to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Coun cil (TTAADC) in April last

year, the Left party virtually lost the space to the TIPRA, locally known as TIPRA Motha.

To regain their lost ground among the tribals, the CPI-M has appointed Jitendra Chowdhury, a se nior tribal leader and former minister, as the state secre tary a year ago.

In over seven decades of the Left movement in Tripura, Chowdhury, 64, has been the second tribal leader to become the state Secretary of CPI-M in Tri pura after former Chief Minister late Dasaratha Deb, who along with an other former Chief Minister Nripen Chakraborty, were the father figures of the Left movement in Tripura.

When TIPRA, headed by Tripura’s former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Man ikya Deb Barman, scripted history in the Northeast ern state and wrested the 30-member TTAADC in the April 6, 2021 elections, it became the main politi cal force in the tribal areas leaving behind the Left, the Congress and the BJP in Tripura. Highlighting their demand of “Greater Tipra

land” (upliftment of tribals in Tripura and outside), the TIPRA defeated the CPIM led Left Front, the BJP and the Congress in the elections to the TTAADC, which in terms of political significance is considered as a mini-legislative Assembly after the Tripura Legislative Assembly.

Constituted in 1985 un der the sixth schedule of the Constitution, the TTAADC has jurisdiction over twothirds of Tripura’s 10,491 sq. km. area and is home to over 12,16,000 people, of which around 84 per cent are tribals, making the autonomous constitutional body the second important law making legislature after

Assam Cabinet decides to increase medical seats for tribes demanding ST status

GUWAHATI, SEP 24

(PTI): The Assam Cabinet has decided to increase the number of reserved seats by two each for the six communities demanding Scheduled Tribe status in medical education from the academic year 2022-23.

The six communities - Tea garden tribes, Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Matak, Moran and Chutia - which are currently under the Other Backward Com munities (OBC) have seats reserved for students from

these communities in the MBBS, Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said at a media briefing after the cabinet meeting late on Friday night.

The tea garden tribes will now have 26 reserved seats, the Koch Rajbong shis 10, Tai Ahom seven, Chutias six while Matak and Moran will have five each, he said.

Three seats will be reserved under the ex-ser vicemen quota for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)

studies.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, also decided to increase the upper age limit at entry level posts in medical colleges from 38 to 40 years for general category, 41 to 43 years for Other Backward Com munities and More Other Backward Class (MOBC) and 43 to 45 years for SC/ ST category applicants to motivate PG doctors to of fer their services as faculty in the medical colleges.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat arrives in Meghalaya on two-day visit

Correspondent

SHILLONG, SEP 24:

Rashtriya Swayamsevak

Sangh (RSS) chief, Mohan Bhagwat arrived in Megha laya on a two-day visit on Saturday evening.

This is Bhagwat’s maiden visit as the head of RSS to the hill state, which is the Christian majority state. His visit to Meghalaya also assumed significance as the state is going to fresh As sembly elections early next year between February and March in 2023.

Bhagwat is scheduled to meet with civil society groups and well-wishers

where he will discuss upon the present development of the organisation, a RSS functionary said.

However, it is unclear if the top RSS leadership will interact with any of the political leaders of the state.

The National People’s Party is leading the govern ment in Megh alaya and

is supported by Bharatiya Janata Party , United Demo cratic Party besides five sus pended Congress legislators and other minor political parties.

He will also interact with the Meghalaya’s RSS functionaries where he will discuss and discuss on mat ters related to the Sangh in the state.

The RSS Chief will also deliver a lecture on Sunday on issues like envi ronment protection, village upliftment and values of family, society as well as the nation. Bhagwat will depart from Shillong on September 26.

The cabinet also de cided to streamline the process of laying the City Gas Distribution Pipeline (CGDP) by allowing the Deputy Commissioners to give permission for right of way, preferably within 15 days and not exceeding 30 days from the submission of a detailed plan.

The meeting also de cided to lease land to the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) for setting up an Academic Research and Career Information Cen

tre at Betkuchi village in Kamrup Metro district, Baruah said.

It was also decided that the state government will release Rs 18.02 crore as loan to Assam Tea Cor poration Limited for pay ment of bonus to its em ployees/workers for the ensuing Durga Puja.

The cabinet decided that for installation of floating solar power plants, the user rights of the water bodies under the Assam Fisheries Development

Corporation Limited (AF DCL) will be transferred to Assam Power Distribu tion Company Limited (APDCL) following an agreement between them. It was decided to set up the Assam Fodder Mis sion for a period of seven years with a proposed bud get of Rs 120.20 crore for training and capacity build ing of 40,900 beneficiaries and create employment opportunities for 85 dairy farmers in advance feed processing sector.

PRESS STATEMENT

This is to apprise all the readers through this column that we, the Members of the Murry Clan, supporters of shri. y m humtsoe, from the ‘a’, ‘B’ and ‘c’ Khels of Wokha Village consisting of 162 household, solemnly reaffirm and endure the decision taken on the 9th of sept. 2022 to give an unwavering support to the dynamic and visionary leadership of shri y m humtsoe, the First ncs Officer from Wokha Village, in the forthcoming 14th nla Election 2023.

The members will continue to uphold the Wokha Village General Meeting’s decision of 26th feb 2022 and urge all responsible readers not to be swayed by partisan political opinions hereinafter. The resolution of the members to remain united and propagate the idea of free and fair election to ensure peace and tranquility during the ensuing General Election 2023 remains in effect.

Zaremo Murry James Murry Soren Murry (Mipongshanrui) (Yenkishanrui) (Senthenrui) Convener Co- Convener General Secy. (Shri. Y. M. Humtsoe (Shri. Y. M. Humtsoe (Shri. Y. M. Humtsoe Supporter B/Khel) Supporter A/Khel) Supporter C/Khel) D b-1109/22

the Tripura assembly.

After the merger of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), one of the state’s oldest

tribal-based parties, last year with TIPRA, the latter got a further political boost to take on the other local and national parties.

Deb Barman while talking to IANS, said that his party TIPRA would not forge any pre-poll alliance with any political party and put up at least 40 candidates in the next Assembly polls.

Besides the emer gence of the TIPRA, which changed the political spec trum of the Northeastern state, the Trinamool Con gress entered Tripura poli tics last year for the second phase.

Government of naGaland office of the deputy commissioner dimapur : naGaland

Civil Misc. Case No. 15/2022

Notice

Whereas the petitioner Shri/Smti/Miss Avito Sema, Geeta Sema, D Grace Sema W/o, S/o, D/o Late K David Sema @ David Sema a Resident of H/No. 319/283, Supply Colony, Dimapur has filed a petition, praying for declaration as “Legal Heir and Next of Kin” of Late K. David Sema @ David Sema.

Notice is hereby issued inviting objection, if any to filed before this court on or before 17th Oct day of 2022, as to why the prayer of the petitioners shall not granted.

Given under my hand and seal of this court 16th Sept day of 2022.

additional deputy commissioner dimapur : nagalandDP-4631/22

INFORMATION

We, Mr & Mrs. B. Yashi Longkumer and family members of Late Mapuienla Longkumer would like to acknowledge the help and support rendered by all individuals, groups, student organizations and different associations including the Dimapur Police and especially the St. Joseph University in actively taking part in nabbing the culprit who took the life of our beloved daughter Late Mapuienla Longkumer on May 25, 2022 in the St. Joseph University hit and run case.

Through this column, we would also like to hereby state that we forgive Mr. Dildar Hussian, the accused person, in the name of the Lord as we strongly believe that God remembers those who suffer; He does not forget their cry, and he punishes those who wrong them. We no longer hold any resentments against anyone, and we have no desire to pursue this issue in the present or in the future.

Sd/Mr. & Mrs. B. Yashi Longkumer Parents of Late Mapuienla Longkumermkc-362/22

MoU signed between the Commerce and Industries department and the National Institute of MSME, Hyderabad.

India-Bhutan border gate

TIPRA is headed by Tripura’s former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman.

Drugs worth over Rs 18 cr seized in M’laya in 4 months

Methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 167.86 cr seized in Mizoram

Arrested women peddler with seized tablets.

Himanta Biswa Sarma

Mohan Bhagwat

Himachal will elect BJP govt again: PM Modi

MANDI (HP), SEP 24

(PTI): The voters of Him achal Pradesh have made up their mind to repeat the BJP government in the state as their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand had done a few months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.

Modi addressed a rally of the BJP youth wing in Mandi via video-conferenc ing as he could not reach the venue by helicopter due to inclement weather.

Earlier, the voters in Uttar Pradesh and Uttara khand followed a tradition of changing the governing party every five years, but they have now given up this practice. Similarly, the vot ers and the youth of Him achal Pradesh have made up their mind to repeat the BJP government as they know the BJP can provide a stable government and can work in the direction of developing the state.

Earlier, there were co alition governments in the country for decades which created doubts in the minds

of people of the world that the government of multiple parties would collapse mid way, he said.

However, eight years ago in 2014, the voters vot ed for a strong and stable government at the Centre which has brought stability in work culture and poli cies. A strong foundation is now ready and an ordinary person of the country and

Culprits in PFI violence will not be spared, says Vijayan

the world have faith in the government, that is why the entire world is now keen to connect with India, he add ed. The ‘Yuva Vijay Sankalp Rally’ was organised at Paddal Maidan in Mandi, the home district of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, ahead of assembly polls in the state scheduled for later this year. Modi said his BJP is the party which has given

the youth the maximum rep resentation and expressed hoped that they will fulfil the dream of making India a developed country.

Himachal Pradesh is one of the three states which has been chosen for devel oping the pharma hub, he added. Modi also congratu lated the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh for lead ing other states in formulat

ing a drone policy.

The prime minister ex pressed his disappointment for not being able to come to Mandi due to bad weather to address the rally physically. He said he would soon visit Himachal Pradesh to have a face-to-face meeting with the people of the hill state.

Modi said he can gauge the enthusiasm of the gath ering of the youth as they used chairs as umbrellas to protect themselves from rain but did not leave the Paddal Maidan.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister tweeted, “Looking forward to be ing among our energetic Karyakartas at the @BJYM Yuva Vijay Sankalp Rally in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh today. The NDA govern ment has undertaken vari ous initiatives aimed at em powering our Yuva Shakti and ensuring they become self-reliant.” Thousands of youths from across the state came to the Paddal Maidan for the rally, organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM).

AHMEDABAD, SEP 24 (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Satur day claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing `Bharat Jodo Yatra’ has made the BJP and RSS nervous and forced the RSS chief to reach out to various sections of society.

Rashtriya Swayam sevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat visited a mosque in Delhi two days ago.

“Both BJP and RSS are nervous ever since Con gress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra commenced. Bhagwat is also meeting people from different walks of life. This is the effect of our initia tive,” said Ramesh, Con gress’s general secretary incharge of communication, at a press conference here.

Bhagwat earlier this week also held discussions with the chief of the All India Imam Organisation, Umer Ahmed Ilyasi.

“Bhagwat’s visit was nothing but a publicity stunt. Though he visited

‘Pakistan Zindabad’ chants in PFI protest in Pune

BJP seeks stern action

PUNE, SEP 24 (PTI): A video of protesters pur portedly raising “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans during an agitation held here by the Popular Front of India (PFI) has surfaced on social media, prompting some BJP leaders in Maharashtra to demand strong action against the slogan shouters.

THIRUVANANTHA

PURAM, SEP 24 (PTI):

Kerala Chief Minister Pina rayi Vijayan on Saturday termed the violence in the state during the hartal called by the Popular Front of In dia (PFI) a day ago, as a pre meditated one and said the culprits will not be spared.

Vijayan, while address ing a senior police officers association’s event here, condemned the violence and said it resulted in destruc tion of public and private properties in the state. “In yesterday’s hartal, led by

the PFI, Kerala witnessed a pre-meditated violence. The state witnessed an organised and violent interference from their part resulting in huge loss to the state,” Vijayan said.

The Chief Minister said it was an attempt to destroy the peaceful at mosphere of the state and that the culprits will not be spared. The NIA on September 22 arrested 106 activists of the PFI in 11 states for allegedly support ing terror activities in the country, officials had said.

The city police said they were looking into the matter.

The PFI had organised a protest outside the district collector office in Pune city on Friday to denounce the recent nationwide raids on the organisation and the ar rest of its activists. During the protest, the police de tained around 40 protesters.

A video of “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans being raised when the protesters were taken into custody and made to sit in a police vehicle, went viral on social

media. When asked about the pro-Pakistan slogans by the protesters, the city police said they were investigating the matter.

“We have already reg istered a case against the PFI members for unlawful assembly and we are look ing into the slogans matter,” said Sagar Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police.

An offence against more than 60 protesters has

Top priority to strengthen border infrastructure: Shah

KISHANGANJ (BIHAR), SEP 24 (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that the Narendra Modi government gives top priority to strength en the country’s borders, a reason why expenditure on infrastructure development in these areas has gone up considerably under the cur rent regime.

Addressing personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal at the Fatehpur outpost, falling in Bihar’s Kishan ganj district along the bor der with Nepal, Shah also underscored the Centre’s sensitivity towards welfare needs of those manning the country’s international boundaries. “Between 2008 and 2014, annually around Rs 4,000 crore were spent

“Bharat Jodo Yatra has nothing to do with elec tions, at least not Assembly elections in Gujarat and other states. However, it will surely impact the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” said Ramesh, adding a stronger Congress will make the opposition even stronger.

been registered against more than 60 protesters at the Bundgarden police station for organising the agitation without permission, for unlawful assembly and for blocking the road, another official said.

Taking to Twitter, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Nitesh Rane said those who raised proPakistan slogans should re member that they will not be

spared. He also demanded a ban on the PFI.

“To all those shouting Pakistan Zindabad slogans in support of PFI in Pune.. Chun chun ke marenge.. Itna yaad rakana!!! #Ban Pfi,” he said.

Another BJP MLA Ram Satpute sought a strict action against those who raised slogans, and said the Pune police should arrest them.

the mosque, his intentions were not good. This was just pretence, because he re mains silent on real issues,” Ramesh said.

When asked why Ra hul Gandhi’s Yatra (footmarch) across India would not pass through the BJPruled Gujarat where elec tions are due in December, Ramesh said the campaign was not election-centric.

Including Gujarat in the itinerary was also not feasible as the Yatra would have taken 90 days to reach the state by which time elec tions would have been over, the Congress leader said.

“Bharat Jodo Yatra is not being taken out for the purpose of uniting the opposition. People are now realising that if Congress remains weak, a united op position is meaningless,” the Rajya Sabha member added.

The purpose of the Yatra was to stop the nation from disintegrating under the BJP rule, he said.

“India is getting weak er. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s language changes during elections and at tempts are made to polarise people on the basis of caste, religion and language. This Yatra will change the course of Indian politics. It will also give a new lease of life to Congress,” he said.

Lalu Yadav slams Shah for attacking Bihar govt

NEW DELHI, SEP 24 (PTI): RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav on Saturday hit out at Home Minister Amit Shah over his attack on the Bihar’s ruling alliance and stressed on the need for Opposition unity, a day before he meets Congress leader Sonia Gandhi along with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“Amit Shah has totally gone crazy. His government has been removed there (Bihar). It (BJP) will face a rout in 2024 as well. That is why he is going there run ning and speaking of jungle raaj and all those things. What did he do when he was in Gujarat,” Yadav told reporters.

Shah told the gathering.

“Our personnel on the borders also chip in with their expertise in times of national calamities and law and order situations. The government realises this and has been working to provide them and their families with better facilities,” Shah said.

NEW DELHI, SEP 24 (PTI): Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday got the nomina tion form for the AICC presidential poll collected from the party headquarters here with sources saying he is likely to file his papers on September 30.

Tharoor’s close aide Aalim Javeri collected the forms from the office of the party’s central election authority chairman Mad husudan Mistry on the first day of the start of the nomi nation process, all but con firming an electoral face-off for the top party post with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

The nomination form is likely to be filed by Tha roor on the last day of the nomination process on Sep tember 30 as the idea is to collect nomination-endors ing signatures from across the country, sources told PTI. A total of 10 Pradesh Congress Committee del

The total money spent on border infrastructure projects under the NDA rule at the Centre has been Rs 44,600 crore, he said.

“This has led to a 3.5 times increase in the total length of border roads,”

Amit Shah interacts with SSB personnel during a visit to the Indo-Nepal Border Outpost, in Fatehpur, Bihar. (PTI) on border infrastructure projects. This subsequently climbed to nearly Rs 6,000 crore per year,” he said after inaugurating build ings of Fatehpur, Raniganj, Aamgachhi, Pekatola and Beria outposts.

To a casual observer it may appear that the SSB has an easy job, having to guard borders with friendly countries like Nepal and Bhutan, he said.

“But we know chal lenges faced by you are no less daunting since patrol ling an unfenced area is tricky. Your rapport and goodwill among the local population plays a very im portant role,” observed the home minister.

LUCKNOW, SEP 24 (PTI): Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday batted for the ‘one nation, one voter list’, saying that there is a need for paramount and path-breaking reforms in the electoral process of the country. The former minority affairs minister was addressing a conference at an event organised here to celebrate the birth anniversary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.

“Different voter lists for elections to Panchayat, Municipal Corporation, Municipality, Vidhan Sabha, Lok Sabha and other elections not only create confusion but also raise ques tions on the credibility of the voter lists. ‘one nation, one voter list’ and ‘one nation, one voter card’ can help to solve this problem,” he said. Naqvi said many significant electoral reforms took place in the year 2000 during the tenure of former prime minister Atal

egates are needed to endorse a candidate.

After over two decades, the Congress is set to see a contest for the post of party chief with Gehlot, who has announced his candidature, expected to take on Thar oor. Tharoor on Monday had met Sonia Gandhi and expressed his intention to contest the poll. The Con gress president conveyed she would stay “neutral” in the elections, according to sources. Sonia Gandhi had welcomed the idea of more people contesting the poll and dispelled the notion that there would be an “official candidate”.

CHANDIGARH, SEP 24 (PTI): The ruling AAP in Punjab on Saturday sharp ened its attacked against Governor Banwarilal Puro hit, alleging that he is acting at the behest of the BJP.

The fresh attack came a day after the Governor’s office sought details of the legislative business to be taken up in the September 27 Assembly session. Puro hit had come under fire after he stopped the government from holding a special ses sion of the Assembly on September 22 to bring a “confidence motion”.

AAP leader and state Cabinet Minister Aman Arora said the Punjab gov ernment does not want any

confrontation but asserted that it will be unacceptable to the ruling party if anyone tries to deprive them of ex ercising their constitutional rights. Arora accused Puro hit of cancelling the earlier special session scheduled for September 22 at the in stance of the BJP-led Centre to make the party’s “Opera

tion Lotus” a success.

The Governor is acting at the behest of the BJP, he alleged addressing the me dia here. Arora said it never happened in the past 75 years that details regarding the legislative business were sought. “A shameful inci dent took place yesterday, which has not happened in the past 75 years. The Gov ernor issued a new letter to the Punjab government to know about the legislative business,” said Arora.

As per convention, the Business Advisory Commit tee of the House, in which representatives of all politi cal parties are there, decides the legislative business to be taken up. “If 117 MLAs

“Jungle raaj was in Gu jarat when he was there,” the former Bihar chief minister alleged.

“Amit Shah bilkul pa glaye hue hain,” he said, speaking in Hindi.

Shah on Friday flayed former ally Nitish Kumar, accusing the Bihar chief minister of backstabbing the BJP and trying to fulfil his prime ministerial ambitions while “sitting in the laps of Congress and RJD”.

Asked about the home minister’s claim that the BJP will form the government at the Centre in 2024 again and then in Bihar the next year, he said, “We will see that.” With the BJP saying that Kumar will dump the RJD later in his pursuit of power, Yadav asserted they are together now. Kumar and Yadav are likely to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday evening.

money by political parties, candidates in elections and to ensure financial transparency in the electoral process,” he said. “The other electoral reforms introduced by Modi also include easy and accessible procedures for voters, expansion of voter ID cards, legal re strictions on money and muscle power, formulating guidelines for non-serious candidates and political parties and the appeal for ‘one nation, one election’,” the BJP leader added.

Bihari Vajpayee including the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), ban on contesting from more than two places, limit on election expenditure and putting curb on criminalisation in the politics. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also initiated various crucial reforms in the electoral process. The Modi Government has brought ‘elec toral bonds’ to curb the use of black

He called Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay an “institution of political purity and probity”, terming his prin ciple and ideology an essential and effective lesson for electoral reforms.

Cautioning the people about money and muscle power in electoral politics, the leader said Pandit Deen dayal Upadhyay Ji had said “vote for a person, not for his purse; vote for a party, not for a person; vote for ideol ogy, not for a party”.

want to discuss and resolve public issues, then why is he fearing,” asked Arora. He alleged that the Gov ernor houses in states with non-BJP governments have become places for “hatch ing conspiracies”. In Delhi, where AAP is in power, the Lieutenant Governor is acting like an opposition, he alleged.

“In Punjab, the BJP has two MLAs and the Congress is fully supporting them. I feel that the Centre has given the responsibility of playing the role of op position to the Governor here because of which such letters are being issued every day. It is very unfortunate,” alleged Arora.

Asked whether the state government will pro vide the details sought by the Governor, Arora said a decision in this regard will be taken after the chief minister and the Vidhan Sabha Speaker hold legal consultations.

Whether the con fidence motion will be moved, he evaded a direct reply and said, “Just wait for it. Whatever happens will be before you.” Asked if the Governor denied permis sion for holding the session, Arora said, “Let him do so, we will plan accordingly.” To a query, Arora asked the Governor to play his role and not to interfere in the functioning of MLAs.

Lalu

Prasad

Yadav

Shashi Tharoor

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

Jairam Ramesh

A BJP supporter during BJP Yuva Sankalp Rally, in Mandi, Saturday. (PTI) & RSS are nervous due to Bharat Yatra, claims Jairam Ramesh

PFI protest in Pune

Kochi: Popular Front of India member after being produced before court following a nationwide raid. (PTI)

Deadly stealth

Recent drug seizures by police at Dimapur and mostly at nearby Karbi Anglong indicate that trafficking is going on in a huge scale that was unimaginable till a few years back. The magnitude of the quantity of drugs especially heroin, confirmed that the north east region is a major transit zone of trafficking of various illicit drugs and heroin. According to various media reports, since the Burmese military (Tatmadaw) seized power under a coup in February 2022, drug production in Myanmar has increased. During different periods of the military regime in Myanmar it has been declared that drug production was to be eliminated from the country. However, in reality, during these periods, the Burmese military and drug lords always coexisted and mutually profited from drug production and trade Myanmar is the second-biggest producer of opium in the world after Afghanistan and is now believed to be the largest source of methamphetamine. A large proportion of the drug resources in the country comes from the Golden Triangle, an area where Myanmar’s Shan State meets Laos and Thailand. Drugs such as opium, heroin, methamphetamine and many more are smuggled from Myanmar into the northeast. Moreh (Manipur), Champai (Mizoram), Dimapur (Nagaland), and Guwahati (Assam) have become the nucleus of drug trafficking industry in India’s northeast. Drugs produced in the notorious ‘Golden Triangle’ enter India through Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland from Bhamo, Lashio, and Mandalay in Myanmar. Also, drugs illicitly manufactured in India and used for refining heroin travel through the same route for trade. Among the widely sold drugs is Ya ba (Thai: literally ‘crazy medicine’), formerly known as yama (Thai: literally ‘horse drug’), also known as “bikers’ coffee” and “kamikaze”. Shan state, inhabited by indigenous Shan, Wa, Palaung, Lahu and Akha has a long history of being one of the world’s opium (and heroin) repositories and in the last two decades it has also become one of the world centres of yaba –or WY (methamphetamine)–production. Yaba tablets contain a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine. The illicit use of this drug combination has been widespread, particularly in South and Southeast Asian countries. Like other north eastern states, Nagaland is also a market for drugs from Myanmar. The biggest seizure in 2021 was in December when Assam Rifles and Manipur Police seized over 54 kgs of heroin valued at Rs.508 crore in the market. Another popular drug widely used in Nagaland is Ice (crystal methamphetamine), a drug that stimulates the brain and nervous system, and is highly addictive. Dependence on ice means that the person needs the drug to help him or her go about their everyday activities. Usually in powder or crystal form, “ice” is commonly snorted or smoked. It can also be injected, which increases the threat of disease transmission through needle-sharing. While the church and other organisations are focussing mostly on alcohol, there is an urgent need to accord top most scrutiny on the growing drug addiction among youths and especially school students. Hundreds of young children in districts close to the Indo-Myanmar border are getting ensnared by drugs. This is a dangerous situation and society needs to take the call urgently. The state government needs to accord top priority on funding rehab as well as treatment centres in collaboration with church and NGOs involved in the field to confront the menace.

DailyDevotion The “Go” of Preparation

If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. — Matthew 5:23-24

It is easy for us to imagine that we will suddenly come to a point in our lives where we are fully prepared, but preparation is not suddenly accomplished. In fact, it is a process that must be steadily maintained. It is dangerous to become settled and complacent in our present level of experience. The Christian life requires preparation and more preparation.

The sense of sacrifice in the Christian life is readily appealing to a new Christian. From a human standpoint, the one thing that attracts us to Jesus Christ is our sense of the heroic, and a close examination of us by our Lord’s words suddenly puts this tide of enthusiasm to the test. “…go your way. First be reconciled to your brother….” The “go” of preparation is to allow the Word of God to examine you closely. Your sense of heroic sacrifice is not good enough. The thing the Holy Spirit will detect in you is your nature that can never work in His service. And no one but God can detect that nature in you. Do you have anything to hide from God? If you do, then let God search you with His light. If there is sin in your life, don’t just admit it— confess it. Are you willing to obey your Lord and Master, whatever the humiliation to your right to yourself may be?

Never disregard a conviction that the Holy Spirit brings to you. If it is important enough for the Spirit of God to bring it to your mind, it is the very thing He is detecting in you. You were looking for some big thing to give up, while God is telling you of some tiny thing that must go. But behind that tiny thing lies the stronghold of obstinacy, and you say, “I will not give up my right to myself”— the very thing that God intends you to give up if you are to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Mizoram Church on clean election: Lessons for Nagaland

The Church is the biggest force in bringing peace and a clean election system in Mizoram. The Church mitigated the Mizo National Front (MNF) and the Security Forces. The Church condemned violence and killing and took many steps to bring back peace in Mizoram. The Peace Committee met the Central Government and the Mizo National Front leaders several times. Sometimes they faced problems from both the Central Government and the MNF. But they never gave up the hope for peace. Finally, the “Peace Accord” was signed on June 30, 1986, and normalcy was returned to the people.

The introduction of a democratic institution replaced the institution of Chieftainship in Mizoram. The election system was introduced, and people elected their representatives. However, time after time, elections have become costly, a large amount of money was spent by the candidates to buy votes, to please party men/women, etc. Those with money or access to money alone could contest the election, and the money power decided who should win.

Money became the deciding factor. Visionary leaders and people with integrity could not context and be elected because of money. Moreover, the detrimental things were kidnapping the candidates;

killing, vote rigging, and clanbased politics were heard and seen during the election. There were several reports of untoward incidents everywhere during the election.

In that situation, the Mizoram People Forum (MPF) was formed by different church denominations and NGOs like the Young Mizo Association, Mizoram Upa Pawl, Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl, etc. It was established in 2006 to promote good governance, peace and harmony, just and sustainable socio-economic development, and freedom of the people. The MPF took strong measures for free and fair elections with the help of the district and local forum.

The MPF and all political parties in Mizoram have signed an agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which strictly prohibits the use of force, support of underground armed groups, and any other undue influence on the voters to secure their votes.

The use of banners, flags, and posters is restricted, and the voters’ influence through money or other incentives and inducements is restricted. Use of alcohol is strictly restricted. The agreement also prohibits houseto-house campaigns by the candidates and their supporters 10 days before the election.

In addition, the parties must ensure that their candidates are honest and hard-working

people with great integrity and free from the influence of alcohol and other drugs. Parties must include only realistic and do-able policies and programs in their manifestos, and no party or candidate shall indulge in huge and wasteful election expenditure. The MPF keeps a watchful eye on political parties and candidates to ensure the guidelines are strictly observed during the elections. It may be assumed that because of the active participation of the MPF, free and fair elections was achieved in every instance. It would say that the MPF, under the patronage of the Church, has played a vital role in electoral reforms in Mizoram. Nagaland is a unique state where Christian are majority. Churches in Nagaland, Village Council, Youth Forums, Naga Mother Association, and many civil societies should come together and form Naga People’s Front to clean the election system and create a permanent peace settlement. Nagas people need to liberate themselves from the present menace of political corruption and dream of a better future. Let us chose clean leaders and a political part that respect diversity and stands for political rights of all citizens.

Dr. Sentiwate Aier Asso. Professor Union Biblical Seminary Bibewade, Pune sentinaier@yahoo.com

Unemployment menace in the state

Most unfortunately, today Nagaland is riddled with unprecedented high unemployment. The report read that Nagaland has one of the highest rate of unemployment in India. However, it seems no one has the grit to talk about honestly as to what had led this unemployment menace to shot up astronomically over the years other than haranguing the youths to be hard working, to be skilled and even tagging them as a lethargic and couch potato.

The stats shows that, our state is producing anywhere between 7 to 9 thousands graduates every year from different fields. Of which not all of them are lazy. In fact, there are some promising youths who really work hard to find themselves to be employed. It’s just that they are eagerly waiting for the platform. Unfortunately, owing to lack of political will the state is lagging far behind in almost all fronts that the many youths in our state find less scope due to desperately want of infrastructure and development.

While it is no denying the fact that, no government of anywhere will be able to provide jobs to all the educated youths in public sector, however in the context of Nagaland, if it would have been implemented on the grounds of these few points mentioned below in letter and in spirit, it would have been thought to be beneficial not only for the state alone but also definitely open up many avenues that will minimize the unemployment menace in a huge way. Has all these materialized on time besides other things it will verily add humongous revenue to the state coffer.

Decision making

When you make a decision, you try to control the future. If you take a new job in a new city, you also try to move toward a vision of a potentially better you. The same applies to other life-changing choices, like whether or not to have kids. Deciding to turn what-ifs into reality is what propels your story forward.

But the hard truth is that study after study shows humans are not great decision-makers. We restrict life’s possibilities to a narrow subset of choices; we tend to omit some of the most important objectives, and we’re not good at estimating the probability of certain outcomes.

“People are generally quite bad at perceiving and using probability information,” says Katherine Fox-Glassman, a psychology professor at Columbia University who studies decision-making.

“Our brains are really well suited to so many

things — understanding uncertainty is not one of those things for most people,” Fox-Glassman tells me. “People misinterpret, distort, ignore, and misuse probability in dozens of well-documented ways.”

Fox-Glassman’s students often tell her they’re excited to take her class because they want to learn to make better decisions. By the time the semester ends, they tend to report that they didn’t achieve their original goal — but they do pay more attention to how they make their choices.

“I’ve had that experience, and it’s absolutely a double-edged sword — any time you’re bringing more strategy or wisdom to a situation, you’re also raising the possibility of overthinking things or getting too in your head about it,” she says.

Ultimately, making a big decision is about balance — and action. If you don’t make a choice,

someone — or something — will make it for you.

The factors that go into a decision

We make many different types of decisions thousands of times a day, but a good chunk of the most consequential choices are made in the context of social interactions. In practice, this could mean deciding whether or not to break up with someone — or whether or not to speak your mind to your boss about something that’s bothering you.

Successful social decision-making typically depends on how well we understand the intentions, emotions, and beliefs of others. When you make a social decision, you factor in traditional decisionmaking — which typically involves the processes of learning, valuation, and feedback — as well as the mental state of the other person or people involved. This process engages specific neural networks.

This type of decisionmaking is also where reason meets emotion. Studies show that most of the time sentimental decisions are the result of intuitive processing while practical decisions are the result of rational processing. But this isn’t true for all people — especially people who are emotionally connected to their work.

There’s no one-sizefits-all way everyone approaches decisionmaking because people are individuals. Some people might make a pro and con list when deciding whether or not to date someone — others might just go with their gut.

How to feel confident about your decisions Because every decision, and every decision maker, will be different there is no universal first step for approaching a choice, Fox-Glassman says. But, she says, “it can be helpful for the decision maker to list their goals and

1. Expedite the construction process of the medical college in Kohima so as to start functioning at the earliest. And also, the medical college in Mon district should start its constructions process without any further delay.

2. The full-fledged high court complex of our own should be completed at the soonest possible time.

3. Oil exploration in Wokha district and elsewhere should start drilling.

4. Wazeho cement factory at Phek district should be revisited and start its production.

5. Plywood factory at Tizit which comes under Mon district and that of pulp and paper mill in Tuli at Mokokchung district should be rejuvenated.

6. Sugar mill in Dimapur should be revived.

7. Setting up engineering colleges and more technical institute in the state will do great service to the citizens of the state as a whole.

8. Vocational training institute in every district to trained the local youths should be set up while the sports and music should be given more attention.

These are some of the few points, that if made into functional it will definitely open up many job avenues for the upcoming promising youths who are desperately waiting for the platform thereby it will minimize the menace of unemployment in Nagaland.

Y. Mhonchumo Humtsoe MA (International Relation) North East Christian University (The views expressed are of writer’s personal opinion and do not represent the stand of the University)

then to look at what type of each goal is.”

If the decision is more of a practical one or concerns money, writing out an objective pros-andcons list can help. That kind of calculation-style approach works well for meeting easily quantifiable goals, Fox-Glassman explains.

If goals are more social — like trying to win others’ approval — a more rule-based decision can be more appropriate, she says. This is thinking that something is the right thing to do, regardless of the costs. Meanwhile, decisions about emotional goals — choosing what feels good, avoiding what feels bad — might be made without you even realizing you’ve made a decision yet.

Most big decisions involve elements of all of these goals, Fox-Glassman says. And multiple goals can conflict — for example, you may want to have another child, but the

family finances just aren’t there.

“When different modes of decision-making each lead us to a different answer, that’s unpleasant and might us feel bad about any choice we make — or even hesitant to decide at all,” she says. “But if we can figure out where the conflict came from, we may have the option to decide which mode we want to follow, or which of the two conflicting goals is more important to us. It’ll still be a trade-off, but at least it’s more transparent.”

In the end, any decision can end up being the best choice. Studies suggest that people who dwell in a state of inaction over decisions are more likely to feel regret than those who make a decision.

And once you do make a hard decision, your brain adjusts its preferences — meaning you’re more likely to be able to make another hard decision in the future.

Sarah Sloat

ADB & IDMC report on natural disasters alarming

With 41.4 million people displaced due to natural disasters between 2010 and 2021, India has emerged as the most vulnerable in South Asia in this respect, followed by Pakistan (16.4 million), Bangladesh (14.1 million) and Nepal (3.3 million). South Asia, as a whole, accounts for 61.4 million such people.

These are among the 10 most vulnerable countries in Asia and Pacific region, according to a new report titled ‘Disaster Displacement in Asia and the Pacific: A Business Case for Investment in Prevention and Solution’ jointly prepared and released by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Internal Monitoring Centre (IDMC).

The total number of people displaced in the region due to natural disaster and hazards was 225 million, accounting for over three-quarters of the global number.

The figures included individuals displaced more than once. In this sense, the number of internal displacements does not equal the number of people

displaced during the year. Although it would be fair to assume that high number of internal displacements is linked to high population exposure –as would be the case in highly populated countries like India and China – the number of disaster displacements cannot be looked at relative to the population of a country.

Floods are among primary hazards of concern for most weather-induced displacements. Countries with most internal displacements caused by floods in Asia and Pacific region are China with 40.4 million displacements, India (29.9 million), and Pakistan (15.2 million).

Most displacements associated with floods are urban, as cities are often located in flood-prone river basins or coastal areas. Rapid urbanisation in highly and densely populated countries like India, Bangladesh, and China contributed to heightened flood displacement risk, especially in unplanned and informal settlements that lack adequate drainage and water management infrastructure. As

a result, poor communities tend to be unevenly affected by the impacts of floods and resulting displacements.

India is also among the three countries with the most internal displacements, with about 11.3 million caused by storms, while Philippines ranked the worst (41 million), followed by China with 27.1 million displacements.

Asia and the Pacific is also the world’s most active seismic region. The Pacific Ring of Fire – where tectonic plates meet –trigger around 90 per cent of the earthquakes globally. The continental Asia is also highly prone to earthquakes due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates.

Below average monsoon rains also cause severe droughts which severely affect rural communities, whose livelihood depend on agriculture. The scarcity of water during summer is another problem.

India is among the countries that suffers heavily from this problem. India is also among the three most affected countries due to slow onset of hazards, after

Afghanistan and China.

Poorer households are often disproportionally affected in a disaster, as documented in India, the report says.

The report discusses the role of climate change in disaster displacement, noting that the effects of climate change are becoming visible, and are projected to increase displacement as the frequency and intensity of hazards changes and impacts on food insecurity and water scarcity.

It also looks at the social and economic impacts and what steps are being taken to better prevent and prepare for disaster displacement.

The report analyses the impact of floods, storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity on each subregion in Asia and the Pacific, and how disaster displacement disproportionately affects vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly.

The report also discusses the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction as a gauge on

measures undertaken to address both natural and manmade hazards and highlights the need for political, technical, and financial support in a regional concerted effort to reduce the impact of disasters on lives, livelihoods, and economies.

“Disaster displacement is already eroding the development gains in Asia and the Pacific and threatens the long-term prosperity of the region,” said ADB’s Chief of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management

Thematic Group Noelle O’Brien, adding, “We need to strengthen policies and action on disaster risk management to ensure the region doesn’t regress on its development goals.”

“Disasters are costing Asia and the Pacific hundreds of billions of dollars,” said IDMC Director Alexandra Bilak.

“However, the ultimate cost still lies in the millions of lives that are affected by unmitigated disaster displacement every year,” he added.

Gyan Pathak (As published in National Herald)

The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.

Uttarakhand resort murder: Body of young woman found

BJP leader, son Pulkit Arya expelled as outrage grows

DEHRADUN, SEP 24 (PTI): The body of Ankita Bhandari who worked in an Uttarakhand resort was recovered from a canal on Saturday, police said as the ruling BJP swung into action to expel its leader whose son, the main ac cused, owned the property and the administration be gan demolishing the struc ture.

Outrage over the kill ing of the 19-year-old, who worked as a receptionist in the Vanantara resort in Pauri district’s Yamkeshwar block owned by Haridwar BJP leader Vinod Arya’s son Pulkit Arya, escalated as details emerged of her trauma in the days preced ing her death.

Violent protests erupt ed in areas surrounding the resort with locals breaking

glass panes and some trying to torch a pickle factory in its premises. However, the fire did not spread much as the weather was cloudy.

BJP’s Yamkeshwar MLA Renu Bisht’s car was also attacked near the Cheela canal close to Ri shikesh from where the young woman’s body was recovered, six days after her parents found her missing from her room. However, the crowds, seething with anger, succeeded only in breaking the rear wind screen of her car and Bisht was escorted to safety by police personnel.

Bhandari had been un der pressure from Pulkit Arya – who was arrested on Friday with resort man ager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta and sent to 14 days

judicial custody – to provide “special services” to guests, Director General of Police Ashok Kumar said.

This had been gleaned from her chat with a friend, he said.

Earlier in the day, Bhandari’s Facebook friend reportedly alleged that she was killed because she re fused to have sex with guests as demanded by the owner of the resort.

Farmers lift blockade on NH-44 in Haryana after govt intervention

in the main paddy yielding districts and 28 quintals per acre in other paddy dis tricts,” an official said.

Chaduni hoped this decision would help the farmers in selling sell most of their produce at MSP.

Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sharma said the govern ment agreed to help farmers to stack their paddy in the grain markets till the pro curement process starts on October 1.

As the ripples of an ger spread, Chief Minis ter Pushkar Singh Dhami promised that no one would be spared and that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Deputy Inspector General P Renuka Devi had been constituted to probe all aspects.

“It is a tragic incident. Such a heinous crime has been committed against our daughter. Action is being

taken against those involved in it. The father and brother of the main accused Pulkit Arya have been expelled from the BJP,” Dhami told reporters.

“Demolition of the resort owned by the main accused is underway. Some of its rooms have also been sealed so that evidence is not destroyed. We have also issued an order to identify all resorts built illegally on

We are living in constant fear of State: Kapil Sibal

NEW DELHI, SEP 24

(PTI): Former Congress leader and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal has alleged that people have been living in fear of investigating agen cies, the State, and the po lice.

government or forest land and demolish them,” he added.

The administration had started demolishing the structure on Friday night on grounds of illegalities.

Vinod Arya had for merly served as chairperson of the Uttarakhand Mati Board with a state minister’s rank. His other son Ankit, who was also in the BJP, has now been removed as vice

president of Uttarakhand OBC Commission.

Bhandari had called a friend the night before she was reported missing to say she was in trouble, accord ing to local reports.

The Congress staged protests in district head quarters across the state on Saturday to voice its anger over the vulnerability of women in the state.

Pradesh Congress Committee president Karan Mahra said the young wom an had gone missing on Sep tember 18 and the FIR was lodged four days later. “It shows the state government is not serious in its actions. Women are not safe in Ut tarakhand,” Mahra said.

“The action being tak en by the state government is just an eyewash. The resort has been demolished only partially. It may also be an attempt to destroy evidence,” added Congress leader Garima Dhasauni.

Countering the alle

gations of delay in action against the culprits, DGP Kumar said the matter was transferred to regular police from revenue police on Thursday and the accused were sent behind bars with in 24 hours.

The autopsy is being done at the All India Insti tute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, police said.

According to Pauri Additional SP Shekhar Chandra Suyal, Ankita was found missing by her par ents on September 19 (Mon day) but they reported the matter to the revenue police the following day.

Due to slow progress in the investigation, the matter was handed over to regular police on September 22 and the arrests made on September 23 (Friday).

The three men ac cused of the crime initially tried to mislead the police, but confessed when inter rogated closer, Suyal said yesterday.

Army capable of giving befitting reply to any power: Rajnath Singh

not prosecuted and hence, are “emboldened to give an other speech of the nature.”

KURUKSHETRA (HARY

ANA), SEP 24 (PTI): Farm ers on Saturday lifted their over 20-hour blockade of the National Highway-44 at Shahabad here after the government assured them of increasing the ceiling on per acre yield for procuring crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Farmers under Hary ana Bhartiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) had on Friday blocked the national high way connecting Delhi and Chandigarh, demanding the government to immediately

begin paddy procurement.

The procurement of Kharif crops, including paddy, in Haryana will start from October 1.

Haryana BKU (Chadu ni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said the decision to end the stir was taken after the government agreed to consider procuring 30 quintals of paddy per acre instead of the earlier 22 quintals.

“It was decided that the average yield of 30 quintals per acre will be considered for procurement at MSP

Chaduni said the problem arose this year due to the government order that said none, including rice mills, could buy paddy from the farmers before October 1.

He said earlier, rice mills and commission agents used to purchase the paddy but supply it to the government agencies after the procurement began.

Meanwhile, the vehicu lar movement that had come to a standstill since Friday afternoon as the protesting farmers had blocked the highway with their tractors, was cleared.

Talking about the “use of religion as a weapon”, the Rajya Sabha MP on Friday said that even though it was happening all over the world, “India is an exces sive example of the use of religion.” “It’s happening all over the world. It was complete intolerance what happened in Leicester yes terday. We all know what happened there. So it’s being exported now.

“The real problem is, in India today those who are part of the hate speech are the collaborators of a particular ideology, the police are not willing to do anything,” Sibal said.

The former Cabinet minister was speaking at the launch of his book, “Reflections: In Rhyme and Rhythm”, published by Rupa Publications.

He ad ded that those who give hate speeches are

“Whole populations are afraid and they get men tally ghettoised. What do they do? So they are afraid. We are living in constant fear. We fear the ED, we fear the CBI, we fear the State, we fear the policemen, we fear everybody. We don’t have any trust in anybody anymore,” the politicianturned-poet said.

The 74-year-old senior advocate also criticised the judiciary, alleging that the poor man cannot come to the court as he has “no money to pay the lawyers.”

NEW DELHI, SEP 24 (PTI): Defence Minister Ra jnath Singh on Saturday as serted that the Indian Army has the capability to give a befitting reply to any power looking at the country with evil intentions and when it engages with China now, it does so on an equal footing.

Singh made these re marks at an event to re lease a five-volume book on Deendayal Upadhyay in the presence of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. When China conducted the first nuclear test in 1964, Deen dayal Upadhyay was the first one who spoke in favour of

India conducting its nuclear test, Singh said.

When India carried out its first nuclear tests in 1998 in Rajasthan under the lead ership of then prime min ister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the idea was not to use the weapon against any country

but to maintain a deterrent, he said.

“Because of that de terrence, the Indian Army today has full confidence of self-defence. Today in 2022, when India’s army engages with China, it does so on an equal footing.

“If any power looks towards India with evil in tention, Indian soldiers have the capability to give a befit ting reply,” he said. Singh said the coun try’s goal is not only to make items for its needs, but also to export defence items to other countries.

HIRING MATH TEACHER

A private school centrally located in Kohima is looking for a passionate educator to fill the role of Math Teacher to teach Mathematics and BookKeeping at High School Level. The candidate should possess minimum academic qualifications of B. Com (or) B. Sc. (Candidates with B.Ed will be preferred.)

*Rewarding salary package will be commensurate with qualifications and experience* Interested candidates may email their Resumè /CV to info@ccsnagaland.com or call 7085438622 for more information.

LUCKNOW SEP 24 (PTI):

The Samajwadi Party has claimed that the temple of UP Chief Minister Yogi Ad ityanath in Bharatkund was built by “BJP supporters” to “capture” barren land owned by an individual.

In a tweet, the SP also attached a newspaper article in which a native of Ayod hya alleges that his nephew got the temple constructed on his land on the Faiz abad-Prayagraj highway, 25 km away from the underconstruction Ram Mandir, without his permission.

The temple has a lifesize idol of Adityanath, with a bow and arrows, and a halo around his head. The idol is clad in a saffron robe.

Special prayers are being offered twice every day at the temple, followed by morning and evening prayers. Prasad is also dis tributed to “devotees”. Akh ilesh Yadav said in a tweet on Friday, “The uncle of the person who has built the temple has complained to the chief minister himself

Yogi temple in Ayodhya

that it has been built with the intention of taking illegal possession of his land. Now, the chief minister should tell whether he will take action against the ‘land mafia’ or a special squad will arrive from Delhi.”

Farmers under Haryana BKU (Chaduni) had blocked the national highway connecting Delhi and Chandigarh.

Rajnath Singh

Police carry the body of a female resort receptionist who was murdered allegedly by the resort owner, Saturday. (PTI)

Smoke billows from a factory owned by Pulkit Arya after locals set it on fire, in Pauri Garhwal district, Saturday. (PTI)

PM to launch 5G on Oct 1 Byju’s pays $234 million to Blackstone for Aakash

of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

During his Indepen dence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the Prime Minister had said that the 5G services will be launched in India soon.

Delhi, from October 1-4. “Taking India’s digi tal transformation & con nectivity to new heights, Hon’ble PM, @naren dramodi, will roll out 5G services in India; at India Mobile Congress; Asia’s largest technology exhibi tion,” read the screenshot of the tweet (now deleted from the NBM handle).

Vaishnaw last month said the government expects 5G services to be rolled out in the country by October 12, and the Centre will make sure that the prices are affordable for the con sumers.

Vaishnaw said that installations are being done and telecom operations are busy with the seamless roll out of 5G services.

NEW DELHI, SEP 24

(IANS): Edtech major BYJU’s has finally paid the remaining dues of nearly Rs 1,983 crore (over $245 million) to global VC firm Blackstone in the $1 billion acquisition of Aakash Edu cational Services.

People close to the de velopment told IANS that BYJU’s paid the remaining dues to Blackstone within the extended deadline that ended on September 23.

acquisition amount.

Last month, BYJU’s said it had closed the $1 bil lion acquisition of offline test preparatory services provider Aakash, one of the largest deals in the edtech space.

The edtech major’s Founder and CEO Byju Raveendran told IANS last week that the $22 billion com pany is consolidating the loss-making acquisitions and optimising the rest and there is only “growth ahead” as seen in the company’s FY22 financial results.

The company clocked gross revenues of nearly Rs 10,000 crore in FY22.

All the top telecom honchos -- including Re liance Industries Chair man and Managing Direc tor Mukesh Ambani and Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises Sunil Bharti Mittal -- are sched uled to join the keynote ad dress at the sixth edition of the IMC that will take place at Pragati Maidan, New

The event will see par ticipation from telecom gear manufacturers and other industry stakeholders, in the presence of IT Minis ter Ashwini Vaishnaw.

According to sources, the government may show case some successful 5G testbeds being run in the country by Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea at the IMC 2022, jointly or ganised by the Department

The government will ensure that the 5G plans remain affordable for the public, the minister said.

The 5G services would be rolled out in a phased manner and during the first phase, 13 cities are likely to get the 5G internet services.

The cities are Ahmed abad, Bengaluru, Chan digarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kol kata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune.

According to BYJU’s financial report FY21, “as per the terms of the agree ment for acquisition of Aakash Educational Ser vices, consideration to the extent of Rs 1,983 crore was due to be paid by the com pany to the sellers in June, 2022. This has been deferred to September 23, 2022”.

Blackstone has nearly 38 per cent stake in Aakash and BYJU’s has paid nearly 75 per cent of the Aakash

Public rally in support of Nagaland...

(From p-1) to initiate the move to gether so as to have better effect. Kappo, however, maintained that the rally was not a move against the state government, but a reminder to carry out and implement the Act in its truest form. Claiming that the state government was the appropri ate agency to monitor and keep check on illegal sell of liquor in the state as per NLTP Act, Kappo, however, lamented that the enforcement agencies were not keeping tabs on the liquor business in the state.

“In Nagaland, it is a fact and everyone knows that shops, which sell mineral water and chips, are selling alcohol as well,” he stated.

The convenor has, there fore, appealed to all the respon sible agencies to deploy their

personnel and implement the NLTP Act immediately. He as sured that the colony councils would extend full support and assistance to the law enforcing agencies in implementing the Act. Asserting that most liquor business under Purana Bazar was being carried out by nonlocals, Kappo warned that the council would also take action against the owners of houses that were running liquor busi ness. Further, the convenor in formed that the council would also checking any illegal activi ties under its jurisdiction and take punitive actions against the perpetrators.

Asked whether the coun cil had taken actions against those selling liquor within its jurisdiction, he pointed out as per the NLTP Act, power and function to check selling of liquor was the responsibility of

the state government and not to councils.

He, however, said that the council, having been chosen by the residents of the colony, would further initiate action against those perpetrators. Kap po also said that the councils had on many occasions issued legal notices and warned house owners to stop selling liquors.

On asking about their next course of action, the team convenor expressed hope that the public rally and submission of representation to district administration, excise depart ment and commissioner of police would be enough for the enforcement agencies to take necessary action.

The convenor, however, warned that the council would have no option but to take its own course of actions if the state government failed to act.

Raveendran said the core education business is doing excellent and the company has a healthy cash reserve of more than $1 billion.

He said that loss-mak ing acquisitions like White Hat Jr, the beleaguered coding platform BYJU’s acquired for $300 million, are now being consolidated. In 2007, he founded the test preparation business Byju’s Classes, and in 2011 Raveen dran founded BYJU’s with his wife, Divya Gokulnath.

UK pound falls to 37-yr low against US dollar

LONDON, SEP 24 (IANS): The British pound fell to a fresh 37-year low against the US dollar as investors worried that large-scale tax cuts an nounced by the UK government would bring much fiscal uncertainty.

On Friday, the pound tumbled more than 3 per cent and traded below $1.10, reaching its lowest level since 1985, reports Xinhua news agency. The big sell-off came after Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng had earlier in the day unveiled his ambitious plan to cut taxes and boost eco nomic growth.

The new measures include cancelling the planned rise in corporation tax to 25 per cent, keeping it at 19 per cent, and reversing this April’s 1.25 percentage point rise in National Insur ance contributions. Kwarteng also announced a one-percent cut to the basic rate of income tax to 19 per cent in April 2023, a year earlier than planned. The 45 per cent additional rate of income tax on earnings above 150,000 pounds will be scrapped. Meanwhile, the UK’s consumer price index (CPI) rose by 9.9 per cent in the 12 months to August.

NEW DELHI, SEP 24 (IANS): Annual Foreign Di rect Investment (FDI) nearly doubled to $83 billion as ‘Make in India’, the flagship scheme of the government to facilitate investment and foster innovation, completed eight years.

As per the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, FDI inflows stood at $45.15 billion in 2014-2015. The year 2021-22 recorded the highest ever FDI at $83.6 billion. According to the ministry, to attract foreign investments, the government has put in place a liberal and transparent policy wherein most sectors are open to FDI under the automatic route.

“The year 2021-22 recorded the highest ever FDI at $83.6 billion. This FDI has come from 101 countries, which has been invested across 31 states and UTs and 57 sectors in the country. On the back of economic reforms and ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in recent years, India is on track to at tract $100 billion FDI in the current financial year,” the ministry said on Saturday.

It said the Produc tion Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme across 14 key manufacturing sectors was launched in 2020-21 as a big boost to the Make in India initiative.

The PLI scheme incen

tivises domestic production in strategic growth sectors where India has compara tive advantage. This includes strengthening domestic manufacturing, forming resilient supply chains, mak ing Indian industries more competitive and boosting the export potential. The PLI scheme is expected to generate significant gains for production and em ployment, with benefits extending to the MSME eco-system.

Recognising the im portance of semiconductors in the world economy, the government has launched a $10 billion incentive scheme to build a semiconductor, display and design ecosys tem in India.

Complemented by sin cere efforts of domestic toy manufacturers, the growth of the Indian toy industry has been remarkable in less than two years despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

The import of toys in FY21-22 reduced by 70 per cent to Rs 877.8 crore. There has also been a distinct im provement in the quality of toys in the domestic market.

NPCC welcomes WC’s decision to prevent...

(From p-1) before the World and will reflect on the BJP gov ernment at the Centre. He said that if the roadblock to implementation of solu tion is not removed, people would continue to suffer more and even “lose our identity and religion.”

Terming the Frame work Agreement as a “gen tlemen’s agreement”, signed on behalf of the nation and in full public view, Therie said no party can go back from the Agreement. “If there is any misinterpreta tion or misunderstanding, it is not the fault of the public,” he stated.

Lamenting that seven years have passed after sign ing of the FA, Therie said the aspiration of the people has been clearly written on the wall- to implement so lution. People want peace, safety and security, one government, one tax and development, he said, add ing that both sides (Centre and NSCN I-M) had agreed that within FA, details and execution plan were to be worked out shortly, for im plementation. Asserting that the stakeholders have

endorsed the implementa tion of Working Commit tee’s Agreed Position (AP) for Nagaland, Therie said if AP is implemented, it would lead to other solutions. He, therefore, said there was no reason as to why AP should not be implemented in Nagaland. The matter was purely in the hands of the Central government, he added. With “stakeholders” rejecting the PAN Naga Hoho” and the Centre mak ing its stand clear that flag and constitution were nonnegotiable, Therie said there was nothing more to negoti ate for Nagaland.

Therie further went on to state that though the state government had commit ted to pave the way “albeit hypocritically”, the Core Committee had nothing to do with in the negotiation.

He said Union Home Minister entrusting the Core Committee to convince NSCN (I-M) was some thing like asking a child to convince his father, adding that the UDA leadership lacked courage to mediate between Centre and the NSCN (I-M). He also al leged that UDA and NSCN

(I-M) were hand in glove and that “what NSCN (I-M) speaks, the chief minister also speaks in the same lan guage and tone.”

Therie was of the view that solution with NSCN (I-M) would impact more on the stakeholders of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Therefore, he said there can be solution if chief ministers of both the states are taken into confidence.

Meanwhile, the party chief has directed all Con gress rank and file to con tinue preparation in all seri ousness for electoral battle “to remove the roadblock to solution, growth and expan sion.” Given opportunity, he said Congress government would cooperate with Naga national workers and the Centre to implement the solutions.

‘Make in India’ completes eight years, annual FDI nearly doubles to $83 bn

Ukraine annexation vote starts

LONDON, SEP 24 (AGENCIES/IANS):

Ukrainians have reported armed soldiers going door-to-door in occupied parts of the country to collect votes for self-styled “referendums” on joining Russia.

“You have to answer verbally and the soldier marks the answer on the sheet and keeps it,” one woman in Enerhodar told the BBC.

In southern Kherson, Russian guardsmen stood with a ballot box in the middle of the city to collect people’s votes.

The door-to-door voting is for “security”, Russian state media says.

“In-person voting will take place exclusively on 27 September,” Tass reported. “On the other days, voting will be organised in communities and in a doorto-door manner.”

One woman in Melitopol told the BBC that two local “collaborators” arrived with two Russian soldiers at her parents’ flat, to give them a ballot to sign.

“My dad put ‘no’ [to joining Russia],” the woman said. “My mum stood nearby, and asked what would happen for putting ‘no’. They said, ‘Nothing’.

“Mum is now worried

Typhoon lashes Japan; 2 killed

TOKYO, SEP 24 (REUTERS): A typhoon lashed central Japan on Saturday with torrential rain and fierce winds, killing two and leaving tens of thousands of households without power, the Kyodo news agency reported.

Shizuoka city, southwest of the capital Tokyo, was hit especially hard, seeing a record 417mm of precipitation since the rain started on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

Winds at the centre of Typhoon Talas were blowing at about 65kmh, with peak gusts of about 90kmh, it said.

A man in his 40s was killed in a landslide and a 29-year-old man was found dead after his car plunged into a reservoir, Kyodo reported.

Power was also cut to about 120,000 households, supplier Chubu Electric Power Grid said, adding that a landslide had knocked over two electricity pylons.

“We apologise deeply for the inconvenience caused by this power outage. The outage is being prolonged due to landslides, among other factors, but we are doing all we can to fix it as swiftly as possible,” the company said on Twitter.

Central JR restarted some of its bullet train services, which had been suspended from Friday evening because of the rain.

that the Russians will persecute them.”

The woman also said there was one ballot for the entire household, rather than per person.

Although the evidence is anecdotal, the presence of armed men conducting the vote contradicts Moscow’s insistence that this is a free or fair process.

Experts say the selfstyled referendums, taking place across five days, will allow Russia to claimillegally - four occupied or partially-occupied regions of Ukraine as their own.

In other words, a false vote on annexation, seven months into Russia’s invasion.

The “annexation” would not be recognised internationally, but could lead to Russia claiming that its territory is under attack from Western weapons supplied to Ukraine, which

could escalate the war further.

US President Joe Biden described the referendums as “a sham”, saying they were a “false pretext” to try to annex parts of Ukraine by force in violation of international law.

“The United States will never recognise Ukrainian territory as anything other than part of Ukraine,” he said.

British Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, said the UK had evidence that Russian officials had already set targets for “invented voter turnouts and approval rates for these sham referenda”.

Cleverly said Russia planned to formalise the annexation of the four regions - Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - by the end of the month.

EU‘musttakeseriously’

Putin’s nuclear threats

The EU must not ignore Vladimir Putin’s threats that he could use nuclear weapons in the conflict in Ukraine, the bloc’s foreign policy chief has said, as per a media report.

Josep Borrell told the media that Putin’s assertion he was not bluffing had to be taken seriously.

His remarks come as Russia begins a partial mobilisation and moves to annex four regions of Ukraine. Putin has faced setbacks on the battlefield, with his forces pushed back by a Ukrainian counteroffensive.“Certainly it’s a dangerous moment because the Russian army has been pushed into a corner, and Putin’s reaction - threatening using nuclear arms - it’s very bad,” Borrell said.

Seven months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, analysts agree that President Putin’s forces are on the back foot, but he said a “diplomatic solution” must be reached, one that “preserves the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.

“Otherwise, we can finish the war, but we will not have peace, and we will have another war,” he said,

Guterres calls for efforts to close 3 major gaps to end Covid pandemic

UNITED NATIONS, SEP 24 (IANS): UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres has called for efforts to close three major gaps to end the Covid-19 pandemic.

First, the booster gap, he said, adding that the coverage remains low everywhere, reports xinhua news agency.

Low-income countries, in particular, are still struggling, with only 35 percent of healthcare workers and 31 percent of older populations fully vaccinated and boosted, he said while addressing a high-level event on ending the pandemic.

“Our top priority continues to be getting vaccines into arms. This must include addressing the shadow pandemic of vaccine hesitancy, and countering misinformation with life-saving facts.”

Second, the testing gap. Testing rates are plummeting everywhere, exposing the world to potential variants and undermining the rollout of new treatments. Giving these new medicines a chance means dramatically expanding testing and treatment coverage, especially for low- and middle-income countries, he said.

Third, the preparedness gap. Now is the time to strengthen defence against future threats by investing in early-warning systems, local manufacturing and diagnostic capabilities, and

a well-paid, well-supplied health workforce. The world must never be caught so unprepared again, he said. “Making progress toward closing these gaps is what today is all about.

It’s time to build political momentum to finish the job on Covid-19. Let’s get it done. Let’s end this pandemic -- once and for all,” said Guterres.

The world is challenged on all fronts.

Most of those challenges, particularly rising poverty and inequalities, have been aggravated by the pandemic that continues to upend lives, livelihoods and economies, he said.

This is the third UN General Assembly taking place under the shadow of Covid-19, he noted.

While no country was spared, low- and even middle-income countries continue to suffer the worst impacts, he said.

At least 35 dead in Iran protests

TEHRAN, SEP 24 (AFP):

At least 35 have been killed in more than a week of protests that erupted in Iran after the death of a young woman in police custody, state media reported.

“The number of people who died in recent riots in the country has risen to 35 people,” the Borna news agency, which is affiliated to the sports ministry, said late Friday, citing state television.

The official toll had previously stood at 17 dead, including five security personnel.

Demonstrators have taken to the streets of major cities across Iran, including Tehran, for eight straight nights since the death of

Abe’s state funeral to cost more than Queen Elizabeth’s: reports

BBC reported. Putin said his country had “various weapons of destruction” and would “use all the means available to us,” adding: “I’m not bluffing”.

At the same time, the President announced the call-up of 300,000 Russians who have done compulsory military service, sparking protests and reports of people fleeing the country to avoid being sent to the front line. Borrell dismissed concerns that the EU’s arms supplies were running low, and said it must continue providing military support to Ukraine, as well as applying economic sanctions against President Putin and his allies and conducting diplomatic activity.

He admitted that the rising cost of energy prices caused by the conflict was a matter of concern.

“People in my country tell me the price of the gas means we cannot continue working, we cannot continue making my business run,” the Spanish politician said, adding he had heard similar concerns from leaders from Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.

NEW DELHI, SEP 24 (AGENCIES): Former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe’s funeral is set to take place next week amid heavy criticism from people in the country who are questioning the high cost of the event. Shinzo Abe was assassinated in July this year.

The Japanese government will shell out around 1.66 billion yen on the event, which is reportedly more than the cost of Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral, media reports said. According to NDTV, the controversy over Abe’s publicly funded funeral has triggered demonstrations

in Japan where many have opposed the event. A comparison between Abe’s funeral and that of Queen Elizabeth’s shows that the latter’s estimated funeral cost was lower at about 1.3 billion yen, the report added.

People have also expressed concern as Japan spent $13 billion on the Tokyo Olympics, which was almost double the budget estimated for the event.

The contract to organise Abe’s funeral was given to Tokyo-based event organiser Murayama.

As per a report by The Guardian, the Japanese government had put the

estimated cost of the state funeral at 250 million yen. According to the chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, some 800 million yen is estimated to be spent on the policing of the event while hosting the dignitaries is expected to cost 600 million yen. He had further said that the bill for the state funeral could reach up to 1.7 billion yen, the report added.

Earlier this week, a man had set himself on fire near the office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida while opposing the plans to hold a state funeral for Shinzo Abe.

Israel no longer partner of Palestine in peace process: Abbas

UNITED NATIONS, SEP 24 (IANS): Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that Israel has decided not to be a partner of Palestine in the peace process and that it will be treated as such.

“It is clear that Israel, which is ignoring the resolutions of international legitimacy, has decided not to be our partner in the peace process,” said Abbas in his speech to the General Debate of the UN General Assembly.

policies, destroying the twostate solution, he said.“This proves unequivocally that Israel does not believe in peace. It believes in imposing a status quo by force and by aggression.

Israel has undermined the Oslo Accords, which it signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), he said, adding that it has and still is, through its premeditated and deliberate

FELICITATION

At the same time, the world can draw strength from some inspiring progress. On average, countries have vaccinated 75 per cent of their healthcare workers and other populations. New oral antiviral drugs are coming on board. Combined with testing, these offer a clear path to preventing deaths among the most vulnerable. And countries are increasingly integrating COVID-19 measures into routine health services and programs, he said.

We the New Colony Youth Organisation (NCYO) and New Colony Youth Fellowship (NCYF) Wokha would like to take a boundless delight and profound honour to congratulate Mr. Limhathung N Yanthan, (Ex-President, NCYO) for being elected as the President of Lotha Youth Hoho for the tenure 2022-25.

The NCYO and NCYF convey the best wishes in your future endeavours. We wish to receive your selfless service for the members of our society. We also congratulate the newly elected team of Lotha Youth Hoho Sd/- Sd/Mhachan E Ovung Rhonathung Humtsoe President, NCYO Co-ordinator NCYF wc -223/22

“Therefore, we do not have an Israeli partner anymore to whom we can talk. Israel is thus ending its contractual relationship with us,” said Abbas.

“Therefore, it is our

right, rather, our obligation to look for other means, to recover our rights and to achieve a peace built on justice, including the implementation of the resolutions that were adopted by our leadership, especially our parliament,” said Abbas. The state of Palestine will also start the accession process to join other international organizations, he said.

WOKHA TOWN OVUNG EKHÜNG WOKHA : NAGALAND

FELICITATION

Wokha Town Ovung Ekhüng (WTOE) takes pride in congratulating Ar. T. Chanthungo Ovung , S/o Er. (Rtd) & Mrs. Tsolow Ovung of Phiro Village, for clearing the NPSC (CTSE) 2021 Examinations and bagging the post of Junior Architect under Works and Housing Department, Government of Nagaland.

WTOE further wishes him the best in all his future endeavours.

Mahsa Amini.

The 22-year-old Kurdish woman was pronounced dead three days after her arrest in the Iranian capital for wearing the hijab headscarf in an “improper” way.

Thousands of people marched through Tehran during a pro-hijab rally Friday, paying tribute to security forces who have moved to quell a week of protests by what media called “conspirators”.

“The lessons from these successes are clear. The virus is treatable. We can save lives. And we can bring the virus under control -- even among high-risk populations. If we could combine these tools with greater ambition among world leaders, we could end the pandemic this year,” said Guterres.

OFFICE OF THE KIGWEMA GAZETTED OFFICERS KROTHO KIGWEMA, KOHIMA, NAGALAND FELICITATION

The Kigwema Gazetted Officers Krotho (KGOK) with profound gratitude to God, take immense pride in extending our heartiest congratulations to :

1. Mr. Vipin Yhoshü, S/o Lt. Vizelie Yhoshü and Mrs Kono Yhoshü for being awarded the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service during 15th August, the 75th Indian Independence Day 2022.

2. Er. Khevono Zhasa, D/o Mr. Sanyü Zhasa and Mrs. Dzuvino Zhasa for securing the post of JE (Class-II Gazetted) under Power Department, Government of Nagaland. Sd/- Sd/Dr. Vimezo Kere Mr. Metsisieto Zhasa President, KGOK General Secy., KGOK k-2267/22

OFFICE OF THE KNSK PESSAO VILLAGE PO TOBU PIN 798624 DIST. MON, NAGALAND

FELICITATION

With immense pride and honour, we the KNSK Pessao Village would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to Miss Neki W. Konyak, D/o C.Wanmai Konyak & Mrs. Mongoi for securing the post of Junior Engineer (Class II Gazetted) under Works & Housing Department, Govt. of Nagaland in the recently declared Nagaland Public Service Commission (CTSE) Examination 2022.

The union further wishes her success in all her future endeavours.

S. Hejeang Aneang C. Chingnyu Maohnyu President Gen. Secy. KNSK Pessao Village KNSK Pessao Village k-2272/22

OFFICE OF THE YACHEM BÜHÜ PANGTHAI KOHIMA

FELICITATION

With immense pride and honor, the Yachem Bühü Pangthai Kohima would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to the following individuals for their outstanding achievement in different position and bringing laurels to the Yachem village.

1. Langtochingham K Phom , S/o Shri. Kolochiba Phom for clearing NPSC-CTSE and securing the post of Junior Engineer (JE) electrical

2. Nyulen A Phom, D/o Lt. O. Akum Phom for clearing NPSCCESE and securing the post of Asst. professor

Dr. K.Z. Ovung Chairman, WTOEwc-222/22 K. L. Ngachu Chairman, Pfutseromi Unit NPF Shri. N. Ritse President, Youth Wing Pfutseromi Unit NPF Shri. T. Kapfo Treasurer, Pfutseromi Unit NPF and other active members.

We are sure of our unprecedented victory in the forthcoming election fulfilling the aspirations of common people. Further, we also appeal to likeminded individuals and organizations to come together with us and join NDPP to bring peace and prosperity to our society.

KADIELHI

3. Y. Denngan Avennoho promoted to Secretary to the Govt. of Nagaland.

4. M. Shayung Phom promoted to Addl. Secretary to the Govt. of Nagaland

5. Benjamin Longkup promoted to Addl. Deputy Commissioner. Sd/- Sd/-

A soldier cast his vote in Luhansk.

Shinzo Abe’s publicly funded funeral has triggered demonstrations in Japan. (Representational)

Mahmoud Abbas

Antonio Guterres

People light a fire during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini in Tehran.(Reuters)

Moko Koza releases debut album ‘NAGA MANU’

Zatsu, Bem Khuvung and Imli Longkumer.

It is produced by Ina Zhimo featuring guest pro ducers Naga Beatz and Rylo. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Infinity Inc. Studio, Dimapur, Na galand. Album art design by Hangji x Luso and pho tographed by Yanger pho tography. Here’s how you can purchase the album in 3 simple steps:

Make payment of ` 950 through the G/pay no +918794038346.

Send a screenshot of your order to @infinity inc_nagaland on instagram with your name, address and phone no.

Pick up your exclu sive physical copy of the ‘NAGA MANU’ Album from Infinity Inc. Studio or have it delivered to your doorstep. (Shipping/deliv ery charges extra)

National Cinema Day draws over 6.5 million viewers

Bob Dylan’s audiobook has all-star cast of narrators

1. Too Much Salt

The more salt you eat, the more cal cium your body gets rid of, which means it’s not there to help your bones. Foods like breads, cheeses, chips, and cold cuts have some of the highest counts.

You don’t have to cut salt out entirely, but aim for less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day.

2. Binge Watching

It’s fine to enjoy your favorite show. But it’s way too easy to spend endless hours in front a screen, nestled on your couch.

When it becomes a habit to lounge, you don’t move enough and your bones miss out.

Exercise makes them stronger. It’s best for your skeleton when your feet and legs carry the weight of your body, which forces your bones and muscles to work against gravity.

3. Miles of Bike Rides

When you pedal to work or ride for hours on the weekend, your heart and lungs get stronger. Your bones? Not so much. Because it’s not a weightbearing activity, bike riding does not increase your bone density, unlike walks, runs, and hikes.

If you’re an avid cy clist, you’ll want to add some time in the weight room to your routine and mix it up with activities like tennis, hiking, danc ing, and swimming (the water’s resistance helps your bones).

4. Too Much Time in Your “Cave”

Maybe you need to get out more. The body makes vitamin D in sun light. Just 10-15 minutes several times a week could do it. But don’t overdo it. Too much time in the sun can raise your risk of skin cancer. And there are some other catches, too.

Your age, skin color, the time of year, and where

you live can make it harder to make vitamin D. So can sunscreen.

Add fortified cereals, juices, and milks (including almond, soy, rice, or other plant-based milks, as well as low-fat dairy) to your diet. And ask your doctor if you need a vitamin D supplement.

5. Another Pitcher of Margaritas

When you’re out with friends, one more round might sound like fun. But to keep bone loss in check, you should limit the amount of alcohol you drink. No more than one drink a day for women and two for men is rec ommended. Alcohol can interfere with how your body absorbs calcium.

6. Overdoing Some Drinks

Too many cola-fla vored sodas could harm your bones. While more research is needed, some studies have linked bone loss with both the caffeine and the phosphorous in these beverages. Other experts have suggested that the damage comes when you choose to have a soda instead of milk or other drinks that contain calcium. Too many cups of coffee or tea can also rob your bones of calcium.

7. Bowls of Wheat

What sounds healthi er than 100% wheat bran? But when you eat it with milk, your body absorbs less calcium. Don’t worry about other foods, like bread, that might contain wheat bran. But if you’re a fan of the concentrated stuff and you take a cal cium supplement, allow at least 2 hours between the bran and your pill.

8. Smoke Breaks

When you regularly inhale cigarette smoke, your body can’t form new healthy bone tissue as eas ily. The longer you smoke, the worse it gets.

Smokers have a great er chance of breaks and take longer to heal. But if you quit, you can lower these risks and improve your bone health, though it might take several years.

9. Your Prescriptions

Some medications, especially if you have to take them for a long time, can have a negative impact on your bones. Some antiseizure drugs and gluco corticoids, like prednisone and cortisone, can cause bone loss. You might take anti-inflammatory drugs like glucocorticoids if you have conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lu pus, asthma, and Crohn’s disease.

10. Being Under weight

Over 6.5 million people went to the theatres on National Cinema Day, which was celebrated on Friday to com memorate the successful reopening of movie halls, the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) announced.

More than 4000 screens from across the country, in cluding cinema chains like PVR, INOX, Cinepolis, Carnival, Miraj, Citypride, Mukta A2, Movie Time, Wave, M2K and Delite, participated in the initiative.

As part of the one-day event, various cinema halls started shows at 6 am on Friday, offering “celebratory admission price” of Rs 75.

“Audiences of all ages came together to celebrate this historic day at the cin emas. We are thankful to the 6.5 plus million moviegoers who attended their local cinema to purchase movie tickets, making 23 Septem ber the highest attended day of the year for the Indian cinema industry,” MAI pres ident Kamal Gianchandani said in a statement.

Theatres across the country have been struggling to record a decent footfall since the onset of the CO VID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The National Cinema Day, which was celebrated weeks after the release of Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt’s blockbuster hit “Brahmas tra: Part One Shiva”, led to a good turnout. Filmmaker R Balki’s thriller “Chup: Re

venge of the Artist” and R Madhavan-starrer “Dhokha: Round D Corner” also wit nessed positive response at the ticket window.

Rajender Singh Jyala, chief programming officer, INOX Leisure Ltd, said “All the theaters, all the shows and all the movies are houseful as audience are very happy to watch movies at Rs 75. This is going to be the highest footfall day in the history of cinema.”

“We had around 6 lakh footfalls at our 702 screens across India. The number one film is ‘Brahmastra’ as the number of shows are more, followed by ‘Chup’, ‘Dhokha: Round D Corner’, ‘Avatar’ and ‘Sita Ramam’,” Jyala told PTI.

He felt such initiatives should be taken regularly to bring audiences to the the atres. Exhibitor and distribu tor Sunny Chandiramani, who runs 25 screens across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, said it has been the “most fantastic” day for theatres in the country.

“It has been the most fantastic response. We are overwhelmed. All shows are housefull and we have witnessed the highest ever occupancy today,” Chan diramani told PTI. The National Cinema Day was to be held on September 16. However, on the request of various stakeholders and in order to maximize par ticipation, it was pushed to September 23. (PTI)

The list of narrators for the audiobook version of legendary music icon Bob Dylan’s upcoming book has come to light, and it reads like a who’s who of Oscar contenders from the past few decades, along with the author himself doing some of the reading.

The lineup of voice talent reading chapters from ‘The Philosophy of Modern Song’ includes Jeff Bridges, Steve Bus cemi, John Goodman, Oscar Isaac, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Sissy Spacek, Alfre Woodard, Jeffrey Wright and Renee Zellwe ger, reports ‘Variety’.

This lineup of all-star Dylan surrogates is yet to be officially announced. It was first published by the UK magazine Uncut; Vari ety has confirmed the list.

‘The Philosophy of Modern Song’ is a col lection of essays about 66 different songs Dylan considers great pieces of songwriting.

It comes out Novem ber 8 from Simon & Schus ter. Word of the audiobook readers follows the revela tion last month of the 66

tunes Dylan is tackling in the forthcoming book.

It will include his eval uations of classic songs written and/or recorded by greats like Jimmy Reed, Willie Nelson, Little Rich ard, Nina Simone, Elvis Costello and Townes Van Zandt, along with perhaps less expected picks like Cher’s ‘Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves’, the Eagles’ ‘Witchy Woman’ and Rose mary Clooney’s ‘Come On-a My House’.

The song list further includes four picks made popular by Elvis Presley, three famously recorded by Ray Charles and two from the Frank Sinatra catalog.

The oldest song on Dylan’s list is Stephen Fos ter’s ‘Nelly Was a Lady’

written in 1849, and the most recent is the late War ren Zevon’s ‘Dirty Life and Times’ from that singer’s 2003 farewell album.

While prospective lis teners await the chance to see which audiobook read ers have been paired with which songs, it can make for a fun guessing game in the meantime.

Will it be Rita Moreno who is heard channeling Dylan’s thoughts about the Clash’s ‘London Call ing’? Will Helen Mirren apply an Oscar-worthy performance to a reading of why Dylan adores the Fugs’ ‘CIA Man’? Can we hope to get Jeffrey Wright on Cher? The answers will be blowin’ in some time in the next six weeks. (IANS)

Constance Wu says she was sexually harassed by ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ producer

Actress Constance Wu is opening up about her time on ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ and making allegations that she was sexually harassed by a senior producer of the 2015-20 ABC sitcom.

In an interview with The New York Times, Wu talks about an incident she details in her memoir Making a Scene where a

producer she only refers to by an initial showed “controlling behaviors”, reports ‘Deadline’.

“’Fresh Off the Boat’ was my first-ever TV show. I was thrown into this world,” Wu told NYT.

Wu also revealed that during a sporting event in 2015, the producer touched her thigh and grazed her crotch.

‘The Crazy Rich

Asians’ actor also said there was another argu ment during the second season of ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ over attending a film festival but by then, Wu felt empowered to cut ties with the producer in question.

In an interview with The Atlantic, Wu said she had not opened up about this situation in the past due to fear of consequenc es. (IANS)

DECLARATION

A low body weight, a BMI of 18.5 or less, means a greater chance of fracture and bone loss.

If you’re small-boned, do weight-bearing exercises and ask your doctor if you need more calcium in your diet. If you’re not sure why you’re underweight, ask your doctor about that, too. They can check to see if an eating disorder or another medical condition is the reason.

11. If You Take a Tumble

When you tripped as a child, you probably got right back up again. As you get older, though, falls get more dangerous, especially if you have weak bones.

A fracture or broken bone can take a long time to heal. In older adults, it can often be the start of a decline that’s hard to come back from. Walk easier at home with safety features like grab bars and non-slip mats. Clear the clutter from your path, indoors and out, to avoid a misstep.

Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev Bone Health

We, the undersigned NPF party workers from 36 A/C Satakha, through this column declare that we have resigned from both Primary and Active membership of NPF party and have joined NDPP Party to support and work under the able leadership of Shri. Neiphu Rio, Hon’ble Chief Minister Nagaland and Shri. G. Kaito Aye, Hon’ble Minister from 36 A/C Satakha on this day 24th of September, 2022.

1.

3.

2. Ahoto

4. Village

Photography Club Dimapur (PCD) and DV Group (Rage Coffee) in collaboration with Canon as equipment partner and hotel De Oriental Dream as hospitality partner commenced it’s “Photo Walk” at hotel De Oriental Dream. ( S taff Reporter)

Infinity Inc. artist Moko Koza’s debut album

“NAGA MANU” was officially launched on September 6. The album consists of 10 songs which also includes his hit singles

like ‘NAGA MANU’ and ‘Tribally Savage’. The album also fea tures a series of collabora tion with several talented artists like Virie, G’nie & Kevizhapu Kire, Nourhe

Duleep Trophy: W. Zone inch closer to title

COIMBATORE, SEP 24

(PTI): West Zone closed in on a memorable comefrom-behind victory as they took out the South Zone top and middle-order after setting them an improbable victory target of 529 in the Duleep Trophy final here on Saturday.

Reeling at 156 for six at stumps on the fourth and penultimate day, South Zone were staring at a heavy defeat as they trailed by 375 runs.

West Zone put up a mammoth 585 for four in their second innings after conceding a 57-run firstinnings lead to their op ponents.

Prolific run-scorer

Sarfaraz Khan recorded a fine, unbeaten century (127 off 178 balls) to continue West’s charge after over night double centurion Yas havi Jaiswal was dismissed for 265 at the SNR College Cricket Ground.

At the end of third day’s play, West Zone were 376 for three and Jaiswal was batting on 209 off 244 balls. Jaiswal began the day from where he had left last evening, adding seven more boundaries to the 23 he had hit by the end of third day’s

play. Jaiswal eventually fell to off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham, having faced 330 deliveries during his monu mental knock and added 164 runs with Sarfaraz for the fourth wicket.

There was no respite, however, for the South bowl ers as Sarfaraz went about his task with consummate ease to swell his team’s overall lead and put them in

a commanding position.

In all, Sarfaraz found the fence 11 times and cleared it twice, while also stitching together an unbro ken partnership of 103 runs with Het Patel (51 not out) to compound South Zone’s misery.

The declaration from West skipper Ajinkya Ra hane came after Sarfaraz completed his century on

Duleep Trophy debut. Patel, coming off an excellent 98 in the first innings, scored his runs quickly, facing just 61 balls while hitting seven fours and a six.

Batting for five ses sions, West left their op ponents flattened, and the South Zone team did not quite recover from that. This was evident from their second innings batting as,

National Games, TT: Harmeet, Sutirtha enter final

SURAT, SEP 24 (IANS):

Gujarat’s Harmeet Desai and West Bengal’s Sutirtha Mukherjee came up with inspired performances to upset top seeds G Sathiyan and Manika Batra to reach the men’s and women’s singles table tennis finals at the 36th National Games, here on Saturday.

Harmeet defeated Sathiyan 4-2 while Sutirtha got the better of Manika by an identical margin. Later in the session, Manush Shah and Krittwika Sinha Roy clinched the mixed doubles gold for Gujarat, earning a standing ovation from the packed stadium.

In a riveting clash be tween two Team India players that kept the fans engaged, Harmeet rode on the vociferous support of the home crowd to start the semi-final clash against World No 37 Sathiyan by taking an 8-0 lead in the opening set and never looked back thereafter.

By the time Sathiyan found his footing, the local hero was up two sets to nil. The top seed did manage to catch up with the last edi tion silver medallist by win ning the next two sets but that hardly created a dent

The 29-year-old from Surat tightened his defence, stuck to his game plan and closed out the semifinal on the third match point in the sixth set to stay on course for his second gold medal from these Games.

He had led Gujarat to the men’s team gold earlier this week.

However, the chances of an all-Gujarat men’s singles summit clash were dashed when Haryana’s Soumyajit Ghosh came

back from a set down to beat Manush Shah 4-1 in the other semifinal.

In the women’s singles semifinal, Sutirtha was equally dominating against Manika. She countered Manika’s backhand threat by effectively slowing down the rallies to take the first two sets.

The 27-year old Man ika threatened to make a comeback after she saved a set point before winning the third. The two players shared the next two sets

Brazil, Argentina win intl friendlies

to seal a comfortable 3-0 victory, reports Xinhua.

Since losing the final of the Copa America last year, the five-time world champions have been ac cumulating a 14-game un beaten streak -- 11 wins and three draws, with 33 goals for and just four goals against.

Elsewhere, in the duel between Argentina and Honduras, Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez scored the opener with a right-footed shot from very close range.

Argentina dominated the whole game with of fensive attack as captain Lionel Messi doubled the lead by converting a pen alty before the halftime break. In the 69th minute, Messi scored his second by unleashing a shot outside the box.

with the exception of Rohan Kunnummal (93 off 100 balls), all batters failed to live up to the challenge.

Even as his colleagues left one after another, Kun nummal was able to bat flu ently for the runs he scored with his team in an extreme ly difficult situation.

All of South Zone’s ex perienced batters failed and fell to the pace duo of Atit Sheth and Jaydev Unadkat, who bowled very well and grabbed two wickets apiece.

Kunnummal waged a lone battle, but he too fell at the fag end of the day, bowled by left-arm spinner Shams Mulani, who fin ished the day with figures of 2/24 from seven overs.

The likes of skipper Hanuma Vihari, Mayank Agarwal, Baba Indrajith and Manish Pandey all failed to put up a semblance of a fight.

Brief Scores: West Zone 270 and 585/4 de clared in 128 overs (Yas hasvi Jaiswal 265, Shreyas Iyer 71, Sarfaraz Khan 127; R Sai Kishore 2/157, K Gowtham 2/235).

South Zone 327 and 154/6 in 40 overs (Rohan Kunnummal 93; Jaydev Un adkat 2/26, Atit Sheth 2/29, Shams Mulani 2/24).

PWC organizes Futsal for girls

BEIJING, SEP 24 (IANS):

Winger Richarlison scored twice in 12 minutes as Brazil breezed past Ghana 3-0 while another South American powerhouse Ar gentina also grabbed a 3-0 victory over Honduras in pre-World Cup interna tional friendlies on Friday.

Brazil opened the scoring by Marquinhos’s bullet header in the ninth

minute from a corner by Raphinha. Richarlison ex tended the advantage just before the half-hour mark with a pin-point strike from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom left corner.

Assisted by Neymar, the Tottenham Hotspur for ward added the third for the team on the stroke of halftime with a clever firsttime header from a freekick

The 2022 World Cup host Qatar lost to Canada 2-0 at Generali Arena in Vienna, Austria.

In other matches held on the day, Mehdi Taremi’s lone goal in the 79th min ute helped Iran stun Uru guay 1-0, Morocco took down Chile 2-0, and Saudi Arabia held Ecuador to a 0-0 draw.

but Sutirtha took control of the sixth by opening up a 5-1 lead then wrapped up the semifinal on the first match point.

Sutirtha, who has al ready won the team gold and has also reached the women’s doubles final, will face second seed and national champion Sreeja Akula in the gold medal match. The Telangana pad dler had little trouble in beating Diya Chitale of Maharashtra 4-1.

“I am quite comfort able while playing her as we have been playing together for a long time. There were quite a few good rallies but I was enjoying myself out there,” Sutirtha said after her win.

Meanwhile, Gujarat picked up their first in dividual gold medal of the 36th National Games after Manush Shah and Krittwika Sinha Roy reg istered a straight-sets win over Telangana’s Sreeja and FR Snehit in the mixed doubles final.

The Gujarat pair were hardly tested in the gold medal encounter, winning 11-8, 11-5, 11-6. Both the bronze medals went to West Bengal.

DIMAPUR, SEP 24 (NPN): Innovative and Development Cell (IDC), Pranabananda Women’s College (PWC) organized the 2nd Inter-Higher Sec ondary Girls’ Futsal Tour nament on September 23 and 24.

According to coordi nator, IDC, Meyisangla Jamir, Asstt Prof, Depart ment of English, the tour nament was organized with the vision to provide

platform to the girl students in the field of sports to em power and uplift them.

A total of nine teams from different Higher Sec ondary Schools of Dima pur participated.

Pilgrim Higher Sec ondary School emerged as the winners and Green Wood Higher Secondary School as runners-up.

A brief programme was organized on the final day which was chaired by

Bendangmongla Lemtur, Asstt Prof. Department of Commerce. Imkongakum Ao, Asst. Prof. Depart ment of History exhorted the participants and vote of thanks was delivered by Themneingah Henneng, Asst. Prof. Department of Political Science. The tournament was sponsored by ICFAI University Naga land, Inner-Wheel Dima pur, NIIT- Dimapur, Titan and Kiran Sports Dimapur.

Injured Sindhu to miss National Games

HYDERABAD, SEP 24 (PTI): Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu will not participate in the Na tional Games as she has not recovered fully from an ankle injury, but the ace shutter will be present at the opening ceremony.

Sindhu, who is on the path to recovery after sus taining an ankle injury dur ing the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, is going to be in Gujarat for the opening ceremony on Sep tember 29 along with other sports stars. Badminton ac tion begins in Surat on Octo ber 2. “It is unfortunate that I will not be competing in

the Games due to my injury. Had I been fit, I would have definitely represented my state (Telangana),” Sindhu said.

“The National Games is a great opportunity for all the athletes and everyone I have spoken to is excited about it. I am sure the bad minton matches will be very exciting.” Winner of silver medal in the 2016 Rio Games and bronze in Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu is the flagbearer of Indian badminton.

“It is important that I take care of myself and fo cus on the challenges ahead in 2023 (Asian Games) and 2024 (Paris Olympics),” she

explained. Sindhu’s father PV Ramana, himself a vol leyball international, said it was unfortunate that she could not compete in the National Games. “She was very keen to compete. Un fortunately, she cannot do so as her next review with the doctors and MRI will be in the first week of October,” he said.

The injury on her left ankle has been described as a stress fracture. The treatment protocol revolves around affording the ankle rest. “I will be part of her rehab programme. Having been a volleyball player, I know what it is to make

heavy landings. I will pass on my experience to Sindhu once she resumes training,” said Ramana. Sindhu had got injured in Birmingham.

“She did not talk about the injury and used conser vative treatment to continue playing in the Common wealth Games. It included icing, strapping the area on the advice of her coach, physios and doctors,” said Ramana. Sindhu could not compete in the World Championship recently as she was resting. As per her latest consultation with or thopaedic experts in Hyder abad, she has been advised to take further rest.

Yashasvi Jaiswal plays a shot en route to his double century. (M. Periasamy)

Winners and runners-up of the Futsal tournament.

Advisor VG and I&PR, S.Keoshu Yimkhiung with both the teams- Chessore Village FC XI and Mangko FC XI before the final match of the 33rd Chessore Area Sports Association meet at Chessore town ground on September 24. (IA Shamator)

Harmeet Desai in action on Saturday. ( A.M.Faruqui) in Harmeet’s confidence.

Argentina forward Lionel Messi in action.

India held by Singapore in FIFA friendly

HO CHI MINH CITY, SEP 24 (AGENCIES): India and Singapore held each other level as the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho chi Minh City, Viet nam on Saturday.

Takayuki Nishigaya’s men drew first blood from a Ikshan Fandi free-kick goal (36’) only to be can celled by Ashique Kuruni yan equaliser (43’) as there was no separating the two sides after the two first-half goals.

According to ISL Me dia Team, the Blue Tigers started strongly, getting attacking action from An irudh Thapa and Liston Colaco, as Thapa found Colaco through on goal but the winger’s shot was wide of the mark.

In the 15th minute, threat loomed at large in side the box for India as Ikshan Fandi was played through on goal but Anwar Ali was adept at getting the ball back with a ferocious challenge to deny a shot at goal.

Minutes later, Thapa, Ashique Kuruniyan, and Colaco linked up beauti fully as Kuruniyan laid it off to Colaco who took a shot from distance but

Ashique Kuruniyan scored India’s equalizer in the 43rd minute. (AIFF) the Singapore keeper was aware and made a crucial save to keep the score level.

Gurpreet Singh Sand hu was called into action in the 25th minute as Fandi leapt high to head home from a cross but Sandhu proficiently used his legs to make the save.

India were on throttle when it came to attacking, as the side were constantly in search of outlets to find the opener. Ashique Ku runiyan ran down the left and took a tight-angled

shot towards the goal but Singapore keeper Joshua Pereira comfortably denied him the goal with a save. Igor Stimac’s men had two big chances from a corner but neither could be converted into a goal. The first chance saw it being cleared on the line while the second chance was set up by skipper Chhetri to Narender Gahlot but the defender’s header was off target. The Lions found the opener of the game through a free-kick as Ku

runiyan fouled a player just outside the box. Ik shan Fandi, the free-kick taker, placed his shot that took a heavy deflection off the wall, leaving Sandhu puzzled as his diving save got a hand to it but could not keep the ball away from the line.

Singapore’s lead didn’t last long as Ashique Kurnuniyan hit back with an equaliser right at the cusp of half-time. Chhetri threaded a line-breaking pass between two defend

Ind vs Eng 3rd ODI: India women take series 3-0

ers to find Kuruniyan, with the latter making no mis take and finding the back of the net with a lowlytaken finesse shot to restore the parity.

India continued their attacking approach in the second half and reaped more and more chances as he received the ball from a set-piece taken by Anirudh Thapa but the winger’s volleyed shot was guard ed well by the Singapore keeper.

Thapa kept pulling the strings from the midfield as he found Chhetri at the far post but the captain’s powerful header was saved yet again by the custodian.

The Blue Tigers squandered a golden op portunity to take the lead after Roshan Naorem failed to capitalise from the free-kick in a dangerous position.

The closing stages of the game saw the Blue Ti gers have several attempts at goal but none of them found the back of the net as Ishan Pandita had a go at the goal from a Yasir Mo hammad cross but his shot flew above the crossbar.

Igor Stimac’s men will take the field next against Vietnam on Tuesday.

Open volleyball tourney in Wokha

DIMAPUR, SEP 24 (NPN):

Deputy chief minister, Y. Patton will grace the opening ceremony of the 4th edition of late Bishop Abraham Memo rial Volleyball Tournament on October 2 at St. Paul’s Parish, Wokha.

The tournament is or ganized by Nagaland Catho lic Youth Movement on the theme, “One in Faith and Action”.

The tournament is held every after three years in re membrance of late Bishop Abraham Alangimattathil, SDB, DD who was the first Bishop of Kohima Diocese.

All together 62 parish/ units/teams will be partici pating in the tournament comprising of 32 men’s teams and 30 women’s teams.

The closing ceremony on October 5 will be graced by advisor, Catholic Association of Nagaland, Elias T. Lotha. Further details can be contacted at the following numbers 9774842099 and 7085613959.

KDFA to host 2nd Futsal Club C’ship

DIMAPUR, SEP 24 (NPN):

Kohima District Football Association in collaboration with the Nagaland Football Association will host the 2nd Nagaland Futsal Club Cham pionship 2022 from October 7-11. The winner of the state championship will qualify for the National Futsal Club Championship 2022 sched uled in November.

Raducanu retires from Korea Open with injury

SEOUL, SEP 24 (AGEN CIES): Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu is out of the Korea Open after retiring injured from her semi-final against top seed Jelena Ostapenko. The 19-year-old took a medical timeout during the second set as she struggled with a left glute injury, BBC report said.

She carried on as Os tapenko claimed the second set but conceded the match to the Latvian at 4-6 6-3 3-0. Ostapenko will face second seed Ekaterina Alexan drova of Russia, who beat

Germany’s Tatjana Maria 6-2 6-4. British number one Raducanu, who was play ing in her first semi-final of a regular WTA Tour event, has struggled with various injuries and has retired mid-match on a number of occasions since winning the US Open in 2021.

After a nervy first service game where she was broken by the former French Open champion, Raducanu regained compo sure to break back immedi ately and claim a decisive break at 4-4 and then served out the set.

Julius Baer Cup: Erigaisi to meet Carlsen in final

NEW YORK, SEP 24 (PTI): Young Indian Grandmaster Arjun Eri gaisi got the better of Liem Quang Le (Vietnam) to set up a final clash with world no.1 Magnus Carlsen in the Julius Baer Generation Cup online rapid chess tournament.

While the 19-year old Erigaisi had to fight hard to subdue the challenge of his Vietnamese rival, Carlsen won 3-1. In the Erigaisi- Liem Le match, the first game ended in a draw before the Indian won the second to go ahead. A draw followed in the third before the Vietnam player drew level with a 32-move victory.

However, in the tiebreaker, it was Erigaisi all the way as he won two straight games to book a spot in the final, to be

played Carlsen was made to work hard for his pas sage into the final by the Keymer. The German teen ager fought to stay in the match as both games 1 and 2 ended in draw before the World No.1 broke through to win the next two.

The USD 150,000 event’s two-day final be gins late on Saturday with the first match being a best of four games encounter. The second match will take place on Sunday when the winner will be crowned.

Earlier, Carlsen had topped the preliminary standings with 34 points followed by Erigaisi and Indian R Praggnanandhaa in fourth place.

The event features 16 players spanning three gen erations and is being held on a round-robin-cumknockout format.

Tasnim Mir wins Emerging Hero award

LONDON, SEP 24 (PTI):

India beat England by 16 runs in the third and final women’s ODI to sweep se ries 3-0 for the first time here on Saturday.

Sent in to bat, India were all out for a paltry 169 but that proved enough in the end. India kept losing wickets at regular intervals to be bundled out in 45.4 overs at Lord’s in veteran

seamer Jhulan Goswami’s farewell game. All-rounder Deepti Sharma top-scored for the visitors with an un beaten 68 off 106 balls, while opener Smriti Mand hana was the second highest scorer, making exactly 50 runs in 79 deliveries.

Among England bowl ers, medium pacer Kate Cross returned with excel lent figures of 4/26, while

there were two wickets apiece for Freya Kemp and Sophie Ecclestone.

Chasing the small tar get, England suffered a toporder batting collapse to be all out for 153 in 43.3 overs.

Charlie Dean top-scored with 47, while captain Amy Jones contributed 28.

For India, the retiring Goswami took two wickets while Renuka Singh and

Rajeshwari Gayakwad got four and two, respectively.

Brief Scores: India: 169 all out in 45.4 overs (Deepti Sharma 68, Smriti Mandhana 50; Kate Cross 4/26).

England: 153 all out in 43.3 overs (Charlie Dean 47, Amy Jones 28; Jhulan Goswami 2/30, Renuka Singh 4/29, Rajeshwari Gayakwad 2/38).

NEW DELHI, SEP 24 (AGENCIES): Tasnim Mir was honoured with the Emerging Hero award at the Sportstar West Sports conclave in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Tasnim’s father, Irfan, received the award on her behalf.

Hailing from Mehsa na, Gujarat, Tasnim Mir became the first Under-19 Indian Badminton player to be ranked World No1 in Junior rankings earlier this

Tearful Roger Federer bows out of Tennis

LONDON, SEP 24 (AFP):

Roger Federer ended his remarkable career with an agonising doubles defeat alongside a long-time rival, Rafael Nadal, at the La ver Cup in the early hours of Saturday. The 20-time Grand Slam champion, dogged by a knee injury, has not played since the 2021 Wimbledon quarter-finals and last week announced his retirement at the age of 41. But he rolled back the years in London, scene of many of his most famous triumphs at Wimbledon, to the delight of a feverish, partisan crowd.

Federer and Nadal -the pairing that tennis fans across the world were des perate to see -- went down to Team World’s Frances Tia foe and Jack Sock 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 11-9 at the O2 arena.

The result meant Team Europe were locked at 2-2 with Team World at the end of the opening day of the Ryder Cup-style event after Andy Murray slipped to de feat against Australia’s Alex de Minaur.

“We’ll get through this somehow,” said a tearful Federer. “It’s been a won derful day. I told the guys

I’m happy, not sad. “It feels great to be here. I enjoyed ty ing my shoelaces once more, everything was the last time.

“I didn’t feel the stress so much even though I thought maybe something was going to go, like a calf, but the match was great.

“Playing with Rafa and having all the greats here, all the legends, thank you.”

Federer has enjoyed a storied rivalry with Spain’s Nadal over nearly two de cades -- together they have won 42 Grand Slam singles titles in a golden era for the men’s game. The pair, who first met in 2004, played 40 times, including in nine Grand Slam finals, with

Nadal holding a 24-16 win ning record.

But on Friday they were on the same side of the net in a fitting farewell for Federer, who turned professional nearly a quarter of a century ago. There was a huge roar and standing ovation as the Swiss great and Nadal came onto the black court, dressed in blue shirts and white shorts, both wearing white headbands.

Both teams held serve fairly comfortably at the start of the match, with cries of “Let’s Go Roger, Let’s Go” breaking out at 3-3.

But Federer and Nadal seized on their first break point in the 10th game, win

ning the first set when Sock netted with a backhand to huge cheers. The two su perstars were rocked in the third game of the second set when Nadal was broken but they levelled at 3-3. The second set went to a tiebreak, which Team World won comfortably to force a match tie-break.

In a nerve-shredding shootout, Federer produced a vintage cross-court winner to level at 7-7 but he was struck on the arm by a Tia foe shot on the next point.

Federer and Nadal were unable to capitalise on their single match point at 9-8, with their opponents winning the next three points to take the match.

- ‘Big Four’ reunitedThe six-strong Team Europe also includes Novak Djokovic and Murray -- the other two members of the so-called “Big Four”, who dominated the men’s game for so many years.

Italy’s Matteo Berret tini will take Federer’s place over the weekend as an alternate, with the Swiss great opting out of singles matches. Europe have won all four previous editions of the Laver Cup and took

a 2-0 lead after the opening session in London, courtesy of wins for Norway’s Casper Ruud and Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas shrugged off a dramatic on-court protest by a demonstrator who set his arm ablaze to beat Ar gentina’s Diego Schwartz man 6-2, 6-1. The protestor, wearing a T-shirt that read “End UK Private Jets”, was quickly dragged off court after water had been poured on his burning arm.

In the evening session Murray lost a gruelling en counter to De Minaur 5-7, 6-3, 10-7 before all eyes turned to Federer. The Swiss is leaving the stage 19 years after winning his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003. He retires with a men’s record of eight Wimbledon crowns, 103 titles overall and more than $130 million in prize money alone, won with a game defined by a rare elegance and precision.

Nadal (22) and Djokov ic (21) have both surpassed Federer’s tally of Grand Slam titles but Team World captain John McEnroe said Federer’s retirement would leave “a void that will never be filled”.

year, Sportstar reported. She won the national junior champion (U-19) at the age of 14 and also claimed the national crown in the under-13, under-15 and under-19 girls’ singles categories.

Tasnim also won U-15 singles and doubles titles at the All-India Sub-Junior ranking tournaments in Hyderabad and Nagpur in

2018. At the 2019 World Junior Championships in Russia, she could not go past the round of 32 but re turned to win the title at the Asian U-17 & U-15 Junior Championships the same year in Indonesia.

She had also emerged victorious at the President Cup Nepal Junior Inter national Series 2020 in Kathmandu.

‘End of an era’: Cricketers pay tribute to Jhulan Goswami

LONDON, SEP 24 (AGENCIES): The curtain came down on the career of one of cricket’s greatest at Lord’s on Saturday. Jhulan Goswami - arguably the best fast bowler women’s cricket has seen – played her 204th and final one-day interna tional, BBC reported. “It is the end of an era,” said former India captain Mith ali Raj, as she reflected on Goswami’s stellar 20-year career.

Goswami, 39, went into her final match before retirement as the leading wicket-taker in women’s ODIs with 253 wickets in 204 matches. She made her debut at the age of 19 against England in Chen nai in January 2002. Gos wami has also played 12 Test matches and 86 Twenty20 internationals, playing her last in that format in 2018.

Her final farewell comes at Lord’s, where In dia lost by just nine runs to England in the World Cup final in 2017, the second fi nal in which she played and lost. But she leaves interna tional cricket with a series win as India lead 2-0, their

Jhulan Goswami

first series win in England since 1999.

“I’d like to thank the BCCI, my team-mates, my coaches, my captains - ev eryone. Thank you for this opportunity, this is a special moment,” Goswami said before the match. “When I started my career in 2002, I played my first series against England and I’m ending against England. The most important thing is that we’re 2-0 up in this series.

Goswami and Mithali, the all-time leading run scorer in women’s ODIs, held India’s team together for 20 years but both have now retired in the past six months. The pair have been a consistent presence in India’s ranks as they have recently started to compete more closely with the likes of England and Australia, reaching that final in 2017 and also finals of the T20 World Cup in 2020 and the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.

“Each and every mo ment has emotions for me. The 2017 World Cup, the way our team came back and fought - nobody ini tially thought that we were going to be in a final. But the way we played in that tournament was something different.”

Arjun Erigaisi Magnus Carlsen

An emotional Roger Federer, left, sits alongside his playing partner Rafael Nadal. (AP/PTI)

Tasnim Mir

Minister of Agriculture and Co-operation, G Kaito Aye congratulates Grand Master Israel G. Xuivi for his historic induction into International Taekwondo Hall of Fame at Jersey City, New Jersey, USA.

Indian women’s team members celebrate after taking a wicket during 3rd ODI match against England on Saturday.