8 NOV 2021

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXXI No. 334

DIMAPUR, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Pages 12 ` 5.00

Iraqi PM survives assassination bid with drones

FOLLOW US ON

nagalandpostofficial

Watch us on YouTube

@Nagaland_Post

INTERNATIONAL, PAGE 9

23 days to go for Hornbill Festival

Covid AY.4.2 variant not of INSACOG POST-COVID NEGATIVE IMPACT ON LOCAL ECONOMY LOOMS LARGE concern: NEW DELHI, NOV 7 Correspondent

STATE GOVT EXPENSES FOR GOVERNMENT EXPENSES FOR THEHORNBILL FESTIVAL FESTIVAL

KOHIMA, NOV 7 (NPN): Nagaland is gearing up for the internationally acclaimed annual Hornbill Festival with the state government already in Hornbill-mode with hectic preparations to showcase the pride of the state from December 1 to 10.

In 2020, the Hornbill Festival went virtual after severe Covid-19 restrictions across India. However, a 50-minute telecast of the festival was broadcast globally to keep the festival spirit alive. Earlier in 2000, the Hornbill Festival was conceptualized as a gala cultural event for all tribes of the state who came together under one roof at Khuochiezie (Local Ground) to foster peace and unity.

The Hornbill Festival eventually shifted to its permanent venue at Kisama Heritage Village in 2003, some 12 Kms from Kohima.

The Her `itage Villages is designed in the form of an ancient Naga village to give an authentic feel of a true Naga village and to experience travelling back in time.

Over the years, the Hornbill Festival, from being a cultural showcase, has gradually metamorphosed into variety of local and global.

Year Plan (Earmarked) Non-Plan (Additional Fund) Total Amount in lakhs 2017-18 Rs. 4,00,00,000 Rs. 28,96,900 Rs. 4,28,96,900 2018-19 Rs. 5,00,00,000 Rs. 2,00,00,000 Rs. 7,00,00,000 2019-2020 Rs. 5,00,00,000 Rs. 5,52,50,000 Rs. 11,52,50,000 2020-2021 Rs. 37,70,000 (Virtual) NIL Rs. 37,70,000 2021-2022 Rs. 4,50,00,000 NIL Rs. 4,50,00,000 The Hornbill Interna- ative artists, entertainers, IT tival is not for profit but to tional Rock Contest draws experts, traditional dancers promote tourism trade and thousands of young music and singers, event managers, industry. However, there enthusiasts from all over In- local craftsmen, weavers, is need for transparency dia and is a popular item. In caterers etc. on who decides to award 2019, five countries officially T h e r e p o r t a l s o contract and the process participated in the music claimed that in 2019 some involved etc in the name of festival.

1631 persons were given di- promoting Hornbill FestiIn 2019, internationally rect employment which in- val. This has given rise to renowned Hindi music com- directly supported over 8000 allegations of favoritism and poser Dr. A.R. Rahman who families and dependents etc. nepotism since no tenders attended Hornbill Festival Another impact was have been for award of varitook to electronic and social home stays where local en- ous contract be it for sound, media to millions across trepreneurs have set up 300 light, TV rights, food stalls, the world to promote brand home stays. During the ten- to catering for VVIPs, VIPs Hornbill Festival. day festival income gener- or IPs. Besides cultural troupes ated by the home stay was Visitors to Kohima will from neighboring states as estimated at around Rs.2.25 be welcomed by the deplorwell as other parts of the crore (300 x Rs. 2500). able road condition from country, troupes from S. KoAs per the report, dur- Piphema to Kohima which rea, Thailand and Hungary ing 2019 there were 3015 has virtually come to standetc have also participated in foreign tourists visiting the still after some earth works the festival. state during the Hornbill were done some two to three As per post event anal- Festival besides 55,584 do- years ago. Portions of the ysis, Hornbill Festival has mestic tourists. The report newly constructed stretch of promoted tourism trade and also stated that during De- the 4-lane road from Pagla related business such as ho- cember 2019 Hornbill Fes- Pahar to Medziphema are tels, restaurants where local tival, 98.9% of Rs. 100.73 deteriorating even as work is youth are employed either crore or Rs. 99.62 crore still going on endlessly. The as receptionists, managers, came from domestic tour- 4-lane road was supposed to support staff, tourist taxi ists. be completed in 2018 and at drivers, tour guides, photogThe government main- the present pace, may not be raphers, videographers, cre- tains that the Hornbill Fes- completed even by 2022.

WC seeks early solution from PM, HM D I M A P U R , N OV 7 (NPN): W orking Committee (WC) of the NNPGs has appealed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah to announce the honorable and acceptable political solution to “IndoNaga conflict”.

WC, NNPGs through its media cell maintained that the arrival of AK Mishra as the new representative of the Government of India (GoI) in the “IndoNaga matter” had raised greater optimism and given hope to the Nagas.

WC also said it appreciated the decision of NDPP, NPF, BJP elected legislators and all political party leadership in forming the opposition-less government in Nagaland.

WC said “the unprecedented step” in burying all differences, was the clearest signal to the Government of India (Gol) that the Nagaland government, Naga tribes and Civil Societies are ready and prepared for the “much-awaited Indo-Naga political solution.”

The WC also sought clarity from the state government over the latter’s stand

This is it!

"Madam you are 100% right. Rate of edible oil has been slashed. But only for inferior quality. These two are superior quality.”

K Y M C

Also demands clarity from the legislators on role as facilitators on the Naga political issue, since it represents the people of sixty constituencies in the state. It said the government should also respect the desire and aspiration of the 14 indigenous Naga tribes, minority tribes and non-indigenous communities of Nagaland, the Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC), Nagaland Gaon Bura Federation (NGBF) Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO), Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) etc.

WC d e m a n d e d t o know as to who was the stumbling block between Nagas and the government of India in the impending solution?, According to WC, the real Naga identity was much more than flag or constitution. WC said that if flag and constitution was the real Naga identity, then why did proponents not resolve it in 1997 in the initial years of negotiations?

WC said that the issue of flag and constitution were dug out after 20 years of talks after it (WC) signed the ‘Agreed Position’ with the Centre on November 17, 2017. After the government of India recognised the right to Naga self-determination in consonance with their distinct history and identity, WC said each passing day it became increasingly obsessive component for some and this describes something else altogether.

WC called upon the present Naga leaders to fight for and retain the real Naga identity that many have lost in the hunt for name, fame and power.

It said that the real Naga political history and identity was moral uprightness, sound judgement, leadership skill, honesty, physical strength with hard labour, bravery, martial spirit, generosity, comradeship, community service and honorable and respectful existence.

WC said these were beyond physical forms and that the supernatural element, the Almighty God bestowed these elements in the hearts of Nagas throughout generations. (Cont’d on p-8)

(Source: Tourism Deptt.)

(AGENCIES): The frequency of the new AY.4.2 mutation of the coronavirus is less than 0.1% of all variants of interest or concern at the moment, said the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) in its weekly bulletin on Sunday.

As per the panel, the frequency currently is too low to be concerning and the vaccine effectiveness against it does not seem to be different when compared to other Delta variants.

“There is currently no biological basis for increased transmissibility of AY.4.2, as judged epidemiologically, and assays are in progress,” it said. The INSACOG noted that Delta (B.1.617.2 and AY.x) continues to be the main variant of concern in India and no new variant of interest have been noted till now.

Delta, which was first found in India in October last year, led to the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, which was at its peak in April and May. The AY.4.2 was reported to be expanding in England in July this year.

T20 WC: Malik sizzles in Pak 72-run win, to face Aus in semis SPORTS, PAGE 12

Dr. Jamir to receive Padma Bhushan award today Spl Correspondent

NEW DELHI , NOV 7 (NPN): Veteran Naga politician, former governor and four-time chief minister, Dr. S.C. Jamir, will be awarded with the Padma Bhushan- the nation’s third highest civilian award on November 8 by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind at the Darbar Hall at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Dr. Jamir at his 7 Lok Kalyan Marg residence where both discussed various issues including the Naga political issue.

As Governor of Goa, Jamir briefly held charge of Gujarat while Modi was the chief minister. Both developed a rapport during that period.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted photos of their meeting and also described Jamir as “elder statesman”.

After Dr. Jamir’s meeting with Modi on Saturday, top Intelligence Bureau officials met him on Sunday and held discussion on the broader aspects of the Naga political issue.

Dr. S.C. Jamir (File)

The veteran politician, whose political career spans over 60 years and who also served first under then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, then Indira Gandhi, is considered an authority on Naga political history.

When Modi became PM in 2014, all Congressappointed governors were removed except Jamir.

Dr. Jamir (born 17 October 1931) will be the first ever Naga politician to receive the award which was conferred on the 71st Republic Day, 2020.

Dr. Jamir is being honoured with the Padma Bhushan for his exceptional and distinguished service

NE experience higher burden of cancers: ICMR and health system status.

In a report ‘Clinicopathological Profile of Cancers in India: A Report of the Hospital Based Cancer Registries, 2021’, ICMR said that the proportion of all cancer cases was higher in males (52.4 per cent) than females (47.4 per cent) with gynaecological cancers, including breast cancer, comprising over half of all cancers in females. Childhood (0-14 years) cancers constitute 7.9 per cent of all cancers, noted ICMR. The report said that cancers of the head and neck region accounted for nearly one third of the cancers among males. The highest proportion of cancer

from all sites was reported in the 45 to 64 years age group, except for prostate cancer in males, which was higher in those over 65 years.

The re por t fur ther states that out of the 6,10,084 cancers, 3,19,098 (52.4 per cent) cancers were reported in males, and 2,90,986 (47.6 per cent) in females.

ICMR said that tobacco use-related cancers constituted 27 per cent of all cancers.

The leading cancer cases projected in 2025 are breast cancer (females), lung cancer and Oral cancers. The leading cases of cancers in men will be oral, esophagus, lung and stomach, while in women breast and cervix cancer will be leading in 2025.

NPP opposes govt’s move to nominate members to ULBs

Check illegal collection at checkgates: NVCO to govt

State logs 13 fresh Covid-19 cases D I M A P U R , N OV 7 (NPN): Nagaland on Sunday recorded 13 fresh Covid-19 positive cases while no deaths were reported during the day.

Of the fresh cases, five were from Dimapur, three in Kohima, two each in Mokokchung and one in Zunheboto, taking the total caseload to 31,935.

India reported 10,853 Covid cases taking the total tally to 3,43,55,536, while the death toll climbed to 4,60,791 with 526 more fatalities.

D I M A P U R , N OV 7 (NPN): National People’s Party (NPP) has opposed the State gover nment’s move to nominate members to urban local bodies (ULBs).

The party in a release said ULBs implied governance of an urban area, including municipalities, by the people through their elected representatives.

However, considering the constitutional provisions and functioning of ULBs in

Cancer cases in NE states expected to rise to 1.56 million in 2025 Out of 6,10,084 cases, 52.4 % reported in males & 47.6% in females NEW DELHI, NOV 7 (IANS): On the occasion of National Cancer Awareness Day, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Sunday that the North Eastern states have been experiencing a higher burden of cancers in both men and women.

ICMR said that a total of 1.39 million was estimated to be the cases in

India, the party accused the State government of bypassing a prerequisite entity of a democratic set-up, which was conducting free and fair elections to these bodies, including Dimapur Municipal Council and Kohima Municipal Council.

NPP termed the recent announcement by planning & coordination, parliamentary affairs and land revenue minister Neiba Kronu that the State government had decided to nominate mem-

these states in 2020 which is expected to rise to 1.56 million in 2025.

ICMR report on the cancer burden of the eight North Eastern states is based on the analysis of the data from 11 Population Based Cancer Registries (PBCR) and three Hospital Based Cancer Registries (HBCR) from 2012-14.

The coverage by the PBCRs is around 35 per cent of the population of the North Eastern states and reflects the cancer profile of the region fairly well owing to the representation of all the eight states of Northeast partially or completely. The report briefly puts forth the risk factor profile for cancers

bers to ULBs for an interim period as highly questionable and objectionable as it was neither constitutional nor democratic.

It said the pretext of averting a showdown visà-vis the contentious issue of 33% reservation for women in the ULBs not only showed the inability of the government to solve crucial law and order issues, but also revealed its incompetency in understanding the ground realities of the

grassroots politics of which ULBs were integral components.

“How can we expect democracy to prevail when local self-governance is not possible in principle?” the party asked.

Asserting that nomination to ULBs was totally undemocratic in nature as only a few selected individuals finding favour with their political bosses would be appointed as members, NPP

(Cont’d on p-8)

Over 17.7 lakh children in India severely malnourished: Govt data NEW DELHI, NOV 7 (PTI): Over 33 lakh children in India are malnourished and more than half of them fall in the severely malnourished category with Maharashtra, Bihar and Gujarat topping the list, the WCD ministry has said in response to an RTI query.

Prompting concer n that the Covid pandemic could exacerbate the health and nutrition crisis among the poorest of the poor, the Women and Child Development ministry estimates that there are 17,76,902 (17.76

lakh/1.7 million) severely acute malnourished children (SAM) and 15,46,420 (15.46 lakh/1.5 million) moderately acute malnourished (MAM) children as of October 14, 2021.

The total 33,23,322 (33.23 lakh/3.3 million) is a compilation of data from 34 states and union territories, the ministry said in response to an RTI query by PTI. The numbers were registered on the Poshan tracker app developed last year as a governance tool for real-time monitoring of nutritional

in the field of public affairs.

The prime minister has often lauded Jamir’s contributions, and his government had bestowed Padma Bhushan.

The four-time chief minister was also governor of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Odisha.

Dr. Jamir is also the only surviving member of the Naga People’s Convention (NPC) which negotiated the 16-Point Agreement with the government of India, that formed the basis for the creation of Nagaland as the 16th state of the Indian Union.

Meanwhile, the Ao Senso Telongjem Dimapur (ASTD) has organized a grand civic reception at Dimapur airport to honour and welcome Dr. S.C. Jamir, the veteran Naga politician, after he lands at Dimapur from New Delhi on November 10.

The union has further requested all units to be present to receive Dr. SC Jamir at Dimapur airport.

It has also asked the units to place volunteers along the highway from the airport to welcome the veteran politician.

outcomes. While the numbers are alarming in themselves, a comparison with figures from last November make them even more so. A 91 per cent rise in the number of SAM children has been seen between November 2020 and October 14, 2021 -up from 9,27,606 (9.27 lakh) to 17.76 lakh now.

H oweve r, t h e t wo sets of figures are based on differing methods of data collection. The number of SAM children (from six months to six years) identified last year was counted

by 36 states and union territories and conveyed to the Centre.

The latest figures are through Poshan tracker where the numbers were directly entered by anganwadis and accessed by the Centre and the age group of the children has not been specified.

The World Health Organisation defines SAM by very low weight-for-height or a mid-upper arm circumference less than 115 mm, or by the presence of nutritional oedema. MAM

is defined as moderate wasting and/or mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) greater or equal to 115 mm and less than 125 mm.

Both MAM and SAM have severe health repercussions on the health of a child. Children suffering from SAM have very low weight for their height, and are nine times more likely to die in case of diseases due to their weakened immune system. Those suffering from MAM are also at increased risk of morbidity and mortality during childhood.

The last available figure of malnourished children is from NFHS-4 (National Family Health Survey) in 2015-16 according to which 38.4 per cent children under five years are low height-forage and 21 per cent wasted or low weight-for-height in India. NFHS-5, released in December last year, which gave figures for 22 states and UTs also presented a grim scenario and showed that malnutrition increased among children in 2019-20 from 2015-16 in 22 states and UTs.

D I M A P U R , N OV 7 (NPN): Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) has urged the State government, particularly the district administrations of Kohima and Dimapur, to check illegal collection of cash at checkgates, including at Phesama check-gate where Nagaland Police were indulging in illegal collection.

Alleging that some local youths were also still collecting cash at Phesama check-gate in the name of “SAPO local tax”, NVCO president Kezhokhoto Savi expressed regret that despite a standing order of the chief secretary of June 22, 2009 clearly mentioning that the State government had decided that henceforth no collection of taxes/cash would be made by any organisation or individual, including government departments like the Police, Excise, Forest and Taxes departments, some departments were still collecting cash at the checkgates and on highways.

(Cont’d on p-8) K Y M C

2

STATE

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Churches celebrate World Sunday School Day

(L) Graduating students of CBCMHK along with their teachers after the graduation service on Sunday. (R) Sunday School Children of KLBC D.Block presenting special number.

DIMAPUR: Along with the rest of the World, various churches across the state celebrated “World Sunday School Day’ on November 7.

CBCMHK: On the occasion, 55 students graduated from Sunday School (Knights Templar class), youth department at Chakhesang Baptist Church Ministers’ Hill Kohima (CBCMHK).

According to media and publicity committee of CBCMHK, a graduation ceremony was held in the afternoon devotional service at the church with chaplain of Mount Sinai Higher Secondary School, Kohima Zaseto Sasü as the main speaker.

Congratulating the students, Sasü said they have reached an important milestone in the journey of the Lord. However,

reminded them that this was not the end but they have many milestones to be covered. “Where you are right now is because of the grace of God. It is a result of God’s faithfulness and teachers investment and effort in your life”, he said.

M e a n w h i l e , C B C M H K Yo u t h department has organised a welcome programme for the graduating students on November 13.

Earlier, Rev. Pusazo Chüzho prayed for the students; assistant superintendent, Sunday School department, Küvelü Phesao led the service while Mütünelü Tetseo spoke on behalf of the graduating batch and Sunday school teachers performed a skit.

K L B C : Ko h i m a Liangmai Baptist Church (KLBC) D.Block also

celebrated the day at the church premises. Pastor, Rev, N.Silubo Zeliang emphasized on the topic of why Sunday school is important for the children.

A press release by media cell of KBC stated that Rev. Silubo in his speech encouraged the responsible parents to nurture their children as desired by God as a gift and heritage of God and to play the important role of parents.

On the occasion, three children from Kohima Liangmai Baptist Church Sunday School Department accepted Jesus Christ as their personal saviour and were baptized, a d m i n i s t e r e d b y Rev, N.Silubo Zeliang. Women de par tment of KLBC presented gifts to all the children on the Occassion.

SBAK-Aizuto:

Zunheboto Town Sumi Baptist Church (SBAKAizuto) also obser ved World Sunday Day along with the rest of the world with the theme “Grow in Christ”.

The programme was held in a low key manner keeping in view the COVID-19 situation On the occasion, va r i o u s e n t e r t a i n i n g and special items were presented by the Sunday School students.

Wo m e n l e a d e r ZTSBC, Anatoli Aye, while exhorting the children urged them to follow the right path which the Lord wants us to do.

She also included prayer as an important part in knowing and talking to God and reminded the children to be attentive at churches and be a well participator in prayers and

other activities. A special prayer for all the children was said by pastor ZTSBC, Rev. Dr. Daniel Chishi.

LBCD: On the occasion, Lotha Baptist Church Diphupar (LBCD) acknowledged and felicitated 21 Sunday School graduates.

Pastor LBCD, Rev. Limhathung Lotha invoked God’s blessings for the graduating Sunday School students and also felicitated them with the certificate and a Holy Bible.

The word of God was delivered by Sunday School teacher, Lopilo Lotha on the topic, “Worry not, Fear Not but Trust in God,” taken from the passage, Hebrew 11:6.

Signifying the day, Sunday school children presented choreography, songs and recited bible verses.

NDPP Phek region adopts 5-point resolution DIMAPUR: Nationalist Democratic Progressive Par ty (NDPP) Phek Region held its general meeting cum gettogether on November 5, at Kapamodzu Peak, Zhavame village, Phek district.

A press release by NDPP Phek region stated that as part of the meeting, NDPP Phek region unanimously adopted fivepoint resolution presented

by convenor Resolution Committee, Neikhrolo Khalo and member secretary, Dr. K. Hoshi.

The resolution agreed to appreciate chief minister Neiphiu Rio for his dynamic leadership in the gover nment, NDPP president Chingwang Konyak for his able leadership in party organization and minister N e i b a K r o nu f o r h i s unreserved leadership given

to the party in the district.

The region reaffirmed absolute confidence in their leadership and assured to extend all-out cooperation to them even in the days ahead.

The region further welcomed farsighted political action of chief minister in forming opposition-less government under “United Democratic Alliance” (UDA) in the interest of Naga political

issues, and was confident that UDA gover nment would leave no stone untur ned to facilitate political negotiation between Government of India and Naga negotiating groups for acceptable and honourable solution at the earliest as desired by Nagas.

The region resolved to adopt open door policy to welcome all like-minded people willing to join the party so as to work

together and ensure return of NDPP-led government to power after the 2023 general election.

Further, with the twolane road construction in full swing in Phek district, the house resolved that on completion of projects, the NDPP Phek region resolved to under take extensive fr uit tree plantation along roads under the banner of tree for wealth.

Sunday School Superintendent, Rhonbeni Odyuo read the word of God, while associate pastor, Yimstu Yanthan said the offertory prayer.

ZBCK: Zeme Baptist Church Kohima (ZBCK) also celebrated World Sunday School Day on Sunday.

Dr. Lungsang Zeliang, while delivering her sermon said ‘God wants us to be children of Light and not children of darkness and it applies to everyone and not only children’. She advised the older children to be a role model for their younger siblings and help them in studies.

She also talked about using technology responsibly and said that technology can be a blessing or a curse depending on how we use it. She further hoped that Sunday school will be inclusive and cater to the spiritual growth and spiritual feeding for children who are born different or differently abled and make church a space where every child is accepted.

Earlier pastor ZBCK invoked special blessings for teachers and students.

The other highlights of the celebration included bible reading by Izinlung (OT) and Heinchale (NT) and bible recitation by Inswading. Musical piece was presented by Chidibe and friends followed by special song from the senior class.

FAC organises ‘The Santa’s Workshop’

AMUNT inspects ongoing works on NH-02

Members of AMUNT at the inspection works on NH-02.

Correspondent MOKOKCHUNG, NOV 7 (NPN): All Ward Union Mokokchung Town (AWUMT) on Sunday inspected the ongoing works on NH-02 in Mokokchung town.

AWUMT team led by president, Limanungsang met the executive engineer of National Highways, M o k o k c h u n g d iv i s i o n and contractors, Trident Enterprises, and expressed their views and concerns.

Limanungsang said that the contractors have given their assurance that the ongoing works would be completed before Christmas, if they do not face mechanical problems.

It was also informed that the contractors have

ag reed to broaden the carpeted area of the road surface as well as build proper drainage, including cross drainage.

AWUMT president also said that the contractors h ave a g r e e d t o b u i l d footpaths for pedestrians along the highway where it will be possible.

Meanwhile, AWUMT has informed the public to cooperate with the workers for timely completion of the ongoing works. It also informed all concerned to obey the Deputy Commissioner’s order to remove building materials, off road vehicles and other moveable properties kept along NH-02 stretching f r o m K m 1 1 7 ( S ewa k Gate) to Km 156 (DEF) Mokokchung immediately.

ICFAI University celebrates Fresher’s Day

DIMAPUR: ICFAI University, Nagaland, celebrated fresher’s day on November 6. A press release by the university stated that Vice Chancellor ICFAI University, Dr. A.K. Verma welcomed and motived new students, while newly elected Students’ Council members were also introduced. Jesa Chiero and Anakali Jimo were crowned as Mr and Miss IUN respectively.

AcKnowLedgement

DIMAPUR: Eco Club of Fazl Ali College organized “The Santa’s Workshop” in collaboration with t h e Yo u n g Wo m e n Christian Association (YWCA), Mokokchung on November 6. “The Santa’s Workshop” is an annual event of the Eco Club of Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung. Around 30 members participated in the workshop.

Born in 1937 – died on 04/11/2021

We, the family members of Lt. Y. Jonsumi Khuvung, would like to express our special thanks to every individual who stood by us physically, spiritually and financially during her illness.

As it would be impossible to thank everyone individually who helped us in different ways, it is our humble prayer that the Almighty and loving God bless you abundantly for your generous deeds.

Loving sons, daughters, grand children, great grand children, in-laws and relatives. dp-5347/21

Fondly Remembering our beloved Dad on his

k-2151/21

1st Death anniversary

dp-5345/21

K Y M C

Late Vikheto M. Chophy A year has passed us by without you. But not a single day passes when we haven't missed your presence and your warmth around us. There's always a special kind of feeling when we think about you Dad. Everyday we are reminded of what we have lost and try to make peace with it. The pain of losing you is immeasurable.

But deep down in our hearts we know you are beside us unseen, unheard, always near, still loved, still missed and very dear.

Beloved wife, children, grandchildren and in-laws k-2130/21 K Y M C

STATE

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Lotha community celebrate Tokhü Emong festival

3

(L-R) Mhathung Yanthan speaking at the Tokhü Emong festival. Azheto Zhimomi with Lotha community elders of Padumpukhuri at the unveiling of jubilee monolith on Sunday. Members of MKWTB at the celebration.

DIMAPUR: Lotha community celebrated Tokhü Emong, the post-harvest festival, with traditional fervour on Sunday.

The main event of Tokhü Emong-cum-Mini Hornbill Festival was held at Wokha with advisor, Horticulture and Border Affairs, Mhathung Yanthan as the special guest.

On the occasion, Yanthan highlighted the significance of celebrating the festival and reminded the gathering to carry forward the practices of ancestors, who were brave and truthful.

He said that the Lothas need to transform their lives and go back to the olden days of the ancestors and expressed his desire to prioritise and promote the culture and tradition.

He also encouraged the Lothas to be iconic leaders and show exemplary to the Naga community.

Emphasizing on Naga economy, Yanthan

said that Naga economy was based on agriculture, for which he stressed on adopting the new technology.

The advisor said that apart from conducting a mini hornbill festival for all tribes, the state is all geared up to celebrate mega Hornbill Festival, “festival of festivals” after a gap of one year due to the pandemic.

He therefore urged the gathering to take more precautions and get vaccinated.

Citing Wokha district as a land of history where earlier the elders and leaders form the first Trible Council came together with vision and goals that led to the formation of Naga National Council (NNC) at Wokha district, he reminded the gathering that “we shall not leave in the past glory”.

On the prevailing border issues, he said that the government was continuously working for the welfare of the people.

He also called upon all the stakeholders to come forward and work closer with the state government to expedite and explore the oil and nature gas at Champang, Wokha.

The programme also witness Tokhü song from Nchumbemo Erui, traditional dance from Rengma Cultural Troupe (Tesophenyu Village) and N. Longidang Village Cultural Troupe.

E a r l i e r, t h e p r o gramme chaired by vice chairman Lotha Hoho, S. Mhonlumo Lotha began with an invocation by Rev. Fr. John Ntonse Lotha.

Welcome address was delivered by treasurer, Lotha Hoho, Renoponthung Ezung.

The meaning of Tokhü Emong festival was shared by ex-chairman L, Mhao Humtsoe while Tokhu Emong blessing prayer was said by pastor Longsa Baptist Church, Rev. L.K Tsanglao.

During the evening session, the declaration

of singing event of Tokhü Emong was declared open

by DC Wokha, Orenthung Lotha as the special guest.

Padumpukhuri: Lotha community of Padumpukhuri Village also observed Tokhu Emong festival under the theme “togetherness” which coincided with the silver jubilee celebrations of the community.

MLA, 3 Dimapur III A/C, Azheto Zhimomi, who graced the festival as special guest, also unveiled the jubilee monolith.

Extending jubilee and festival greetings, Azheto encouraged Lotha community of Padumpukhuri to retrospect the past and acknowledged and honoured the pioneers and move forward with positive approach for the betterment of the society.

Speaking about his strong emotional bonding of brotherhood with Lothas right from his school days, he said “we are living in a cosmopolitan place and in the larger interest

of the society in general we must maintain unity and brotherhood with all other communities”.

On the Naga people’s long desired solution to Naga political problem, Azheto said that “Nagaland state legislators are sincerely committed towards finding long lasting solution” and therefore, all the legislators though remaining under different political parties, have come under one umbrella to voice out in unison and to work together to achieve the long desired wish of the Naga people.

He said it was not the responsibility of leaders or national workers alone but the moral responsibility of entire Naga people to play a role in one’s own capacity to unite all Naga people and groups and make a clarion call to the Government of India to respect the rights and demand of the Nagas.

Village council chairman of Padumpukhuri, Aheto Yeptho also ex-

horted the gathering with jubilee and festival greetings.

He called upon the members of Lotha community to play a pivotal role in bringing about positive changes in the society.

Azheto Zhimomi was accompanied by host of NPF party workers of Dimapur district and Dimapur III assembly constituency.

D I P H U PA R ‘A’ : Joining the rest of the Lotha Community, Diphupar ‘A’ Church Colony Lotha residents celebrated Tokhu Emong, the premier festival of the Lotha with fun and fervour at the New Church compound Diphupar.

In the programme, EdangoTsanglao narrated folktales while children showcased the rich traditional Lotha attires under the guidance of Wonchibeni Ngullie, Melody Khuvung and Eyilobeni Ngullie.

Folksong was pre-

sented by female elders under the leadership of CNY director, Ajano Patton and Janpeni Ovung.

Rev. Limhathung Lotha, Pastor, Lotha Baptist Church Diphupar pronounced the Tokhu blessing prayer while Mosa Patton invoked the opening prayer.

The programme was chaired by Elliey Humstoe while chairman Lotha Community Diphupar, Zubenthung Patton proposed the vote of thanks.

MKWTB: Moilan Khel Wophang Taro Bosti (MKWTB) Karbianglong Assam celebrated the festival.

On the occasion, significance of the festival was highlighted by Rhanlamo Ovung.

Earlier, our ancestors celebrated the day for nine days but now it celebrated for seven or a day according to the convenient of their time, he said.

Exhor tation was delivered by Thungso Humtsoe wherein he en-

couraged the gathering to reconcile, retrospect, to have a peaceful environment by coordinating with one another.

A blessing prayer was said by A Thungjabemo Ovung while a special song was presented by Eloe Okho, financial report was presented by Ramongo Ovung and later vote of thanks was delivered by Tokhu chairman T. Yansathung Ovung. (Staff Reporter) Rilan village: Lotha community of Rilan village also celebrated the festival by organizing traditional games and sports reviving the culture and traditions of the community on October 6, at the village.

Highlights of the event included singing of traditional songs and dance which was actively participated by both parents and children.

The games included pole climbing, indigenous go-karting, fire making and catapult shooting etc.

‘Atal Tinkering Lab’ inaugurated in Kiphire Correspondent KIPHIRE, NOV 7 (NPN): Deputy Commissioner Kiphire, T. Wati Aier inaugurated the “Atal Tinkering Lab”, at Saramati View Modern School, Kiphire on November 6 in the presence of invitees and students.

In his inaugural address, Aier congratulated the school administration, teaching staff and students

T. Wati Aier visiting the project at Saramati school Kiphire.

for their academic achievements in the recent years and also bringing the Atal Tinkering Lab into function. He also reiterated nagalandpost.com Poll on the need to targets on Q.: Will prices of all items new areas of education like c om e d ow n s i n c e oi l electronics, Information prices have been slashed? Technology, MBA, skill development etc. Aspi100% –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– rants should focus on self –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 90% employment, or in pri80% –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– vate sectors, multinational 70% –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– companies and get trained 60% –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

A B C

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

A

B

Yes. No. Can’t Say.

according to the needs of such institutions, he added.

Further, he also emphasized on the needs of Covid-19 protocol and importance of Covid-19 vaccination and urged the student community to encourage and motivate their parents and elders to get vaccinated.

Asela Rothrong, who is also in-charge of the Lab, briefly explained the

aims and objectives of the lab, and added that it was a proud moment for the student community as it is the first of its kind in Kiphire district. She assured that the facility will be open for all those who are interested to tinker on robotics and innovate.

Deepankar, ATL Engineer, who trained the students for the last few days, gave a brief history of Atal Tinkering labs in the country.

Headmaster, Bose C. P in his welcome address, mentioned the support and recommendation of the district administration and the District Education Officer to the school to accomplish the project.

During the inaugural function, the young innovators from the school exhibited and explained various innovative projects.

LSU organises stone pulling ceremony

C

24% 59% 17%

NEXT POLL

Q: Is it a wise idea to have

Hornbill Festival for a full ten days in view of Covid-19?  Yes.  No.  Can’t Say.

WEATHER FORECAST NOVEMBER 8

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala Hazy suinshine

30 16

Aizawl

sunny

28 13

Guwahati Hazy sunshine

30 16

Sunny and nice

28 12

Imphal

Itanagar Sun mixing with clouds; nice

27 15

Shillong

Mostly sunny and pleasant

22 8

Kohima

Nice with sun, some clouds

24 11

Dimapur Mostly sunny and pleasant

29 16

Mkg

Sun mixing with clouds; nice

Tuensang Mostly cloudy and cooler Wokha

Sun mixing with clouds; nice

Zunheboto Mostly cloudy

K Y M C

27 13 18 8 24 15 23 11

Participants at the stone pulling ceremony organised by LSU.

DIMAPUR: The Lazami Students Union (LSU) held a traditional stone pulling ceremony on November 6 to mark its 75th Platinum Jubilee celebration.

Head GB of Lazami, L. Saluvi Futhena spoke on the significance of the stone pulling tradition.

He said stone pulling was an age old tradition practiced by the forefathers since time immemorial and is practice till now but things

have changed a lot with the coming of Christianity.

Pulling the stone is not an ordinary task but all customs and traditions are followed. Women folks do participate in the ceremony by carrying rice beer and offering the drinks for the men folk but it is a taboo for women to touch the stone or even the rope used for pulling the stone, he said.

Lazami Students Union president, Khuvishe Swu

thanked the pioneers for their dedication and hard works.

Lazami students Union 75 Platinum Jubilee member, convenor souvenir committee and president Lazami Welfare Kohima, Ngukato Tsuipu said the Union is celebrating its 75 years under the theme “75th Strides and Beyond” where the main event will take place in the last week of December 2021.

K Y M C

4

NORTHEAST

Tripura violence: Oppn flays police FIRs

AG A RTA L A , N OV 7 (PTI): In the aftermath of Tripura police acting against 102 people including Supreme Court lawyers and rights activists based on their social media posts on alleged violence against minority places of worship in Tripura, the opposition Cong ress and CPI(M) as well as human rights bodies lambasted the state government.

The opposition Cong ress on Sunday demanded withdrawal of cases filed against those who have been booked including several Supreme Court lawyers for allegedly trying to “spread communal disharmony”.

Tripura Pradesh Congress chief Birajit Sinha told PTI “the mosque at Panisagar was attacked by activists of VHP and houses of minority communities were vandalised by them... they should be arrested first. I do not think the lawyers, who visited the state, came with any bad intentions and did not spread any communal hatred. Government should immediately withdraw charges against them”.

The Tripura police on Saturday had booked social media account holders under the stringent U n l aw f u l A c t iv i t i e s Prevention Act (UAPA), criminal conspiracy and

SFI activists protest against alleged communal violence in Tripura, at Tripura Bhawan, New Delhi. (PTI) forgery charges. book them under law.

Inspector General of “ We h av e s e r v e d Police (IG), Law and Order, notices to Twitter, Facebook Arindam Nath however and YouTube to freeze their said, altogether complaints accounts and inform us were lodged against 102 of all particulars of those people and notices were persons to it”, Nath said. served on four Supreme Notices were served on Court advocates and three Estesham Hashmi, Supreme others, that the police would Court lawyer, advocate like to clarify that filing Amit Srivastav, coodinator FIR does not mean “they of Lawyers for Democracy, are guilty.”

NCHRO national secretary “If those people have Ansar Indori and PUCL not said anything false member Mukesh Kumar or had no intention of who had visited Tripura as spreading communal hatred part of a fact finding team. or hatching any conspiracy, In the notice to the lawyers, they should appear before the police had asked them police and clarify their to delete the social media position”, Nath told PTI. posts and appear before He at the same time investigators by November added that it had to come 10. to the police force’s notice A mosque was that many netizens even vandalised and two shops used fake identities and tried were set ablaze at Chamtilla to spread communal hatred during the October 26 Vishva and police had rightly taken Hindu Parishad rally, which initiative to identify and was called to protest against

the communal violence in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Three houses and a few shops, reportedly owned

by Muslims, were also ransacked in nearby Rowa Bazar, the police said.

Tripura Minister for Information and Culture, Sushanta Chowdhury on Saturday said, “A group from outside with vested interests had hatched a conspiracy against the administration to create unrest in Tripura and malign its image by uploading fake photographs of a burning mosque on social media after the October 26 incident at Panisagar. Legal actions must be initiated against them” BJP spokesperson, Nabendu Bhattachar ya added, “In the aftermath of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh during Durga puja, a vested interest group was active to create communal disturbances in Tripura and in such a situation police cannot remain idle and so they started investigation. I am sure right to freedom of speech and expression was not infringed anyway” The Tripura Human Rights Organisation (THRO) however criticized the state government for ser ving notices to the Supreme Court advocates and stated that it was a move to silence the voice

of democratic rights. “ T h e s t a t e gover nment’s action is h i g h l y c o n d e m n a b l e.

Those who perpetrated the violence are roaming freely, while the lawyers, who are also members of rights bodies who were trying to restore normalcy by bringing facts to light, were booked under stringent acts. It is not acceptable”, THRO said.

The opposition CPI(M) in a statement said, after the attack on minorities in Bangladesh a group of people tried to foment communal tensions in different parts of the state.

“When some lawyers visited the state as fact finders, cases were registered against them, this is an act of intolerance. If they had done any illegal activity then normal law was enough to take actions against them, but applying such stringent acts (as the UAPA) against them is an instance of intolerance”, the statement said.

The notice served on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube said, “…some persons/organization are publishing/posting distorted and objectionable news items/statements in Twitter regarding the recent clash and alleged attack upon mosques of Muslilm communities in the state.”

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Editors Guild condemns booking 102 people, including journos under UAPA NEW DELHI, NOV 7 (PTI): The Editors Guild of India (EGI) on Sunday condemned the Tripura Police’s action of booking 1 0 2 p e o p l e, i n c l u d i n g j o u r n a l i s t s, u n d e r t h e U n l aw f u l A c t iv i t i e s (Prevention) Act and said the government cannot use such stringent laws to suppress reporting on communal violence incidents.

The Guild, in a statement, said it was “deeply shocked” at the police’s action against journalists and said it was an attempt by the Tripura government to deflect attention away from its own failure to control majoritarian violence.

Tr i p u r a Po l i c e o n Saturday booked 102 social media account holders under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), criminal conspiracy and forgery charges and served notices to the authorities of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to freeze their accounts and inform all particulars of those persons to it.

This action came after Tripura Police registered a case against four Supreme Court lawyers under the stringent act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly promoting communal disharmony with their social media posts on

the recent violence in the state targeting Muslims.

The EGI said, “The Editors Guild of India is deeply shocked by the Tripura Police’s action of booking 102 people, including journalists, under the coercive Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, for reporting and writing on the recent communal violence in the state.”

The Guild said one of the journalists, Shyam Meera Singh, has alleged that he has been booked u n d e r t h e UA PA f o r merely tweeting ‘Tripura is burning’.

“This is an extremely disturbing trend where such a harsh law, where in the process of investigation and bail applications are extremely rigorous and overbearing, is being used for merely reporting on and protesting against communal violence.

“The Guild is of the opinion that this is an attempt by the state government to deflect attention away from its own failure to control majoritarian violence, as well as to take action against the perpetrators of this.

Governments cannot use stringent laws like UAPA to suppress reporting on such incidents,” it said.

The EGI demanded that the state government

conduct an objective and fair investigation into the circumstances of the rights instead of penalising journalists and civil society activists.

“Further, the Guild reiterates its earlier demand to the Supreme Court of India to take cognisance of the manner in which such laws are unjustifiably used against freedom of speech, and to issue stringent guidelines on charging journalist under them, so that these laws don’t become an easy tool for suppressing press freedom,” it said.

A mosque was vandalised and two shops were set ablaze at Chamtilla in Tripura during a rally by Vishva Hindu Parishad on October 26, called to protest against the communal violence in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Three houses and a few shops, reportedly owned

by Muslims, were also ransacked in nearby Rowa Bazar, according to police.

The state government had on October 29 alleged that a group from outside with vested interests had hatched a conspiracy against the administration to create unrest in Tripura and malign its image by uploading fake photographs of a burning mosque on social media after the October 26 incident.

Why Centre not giving clarity on Standard of govt schools not at par with private schools: SC judge Arunachal Pradesh: Congress

NEW DELHI, NOV 7 (IANS): Amid Pentagon report on China’s Intrusion in Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress on Sunday asked the Centre to clarify the situation, and also alleged that the gover nment’s approach was like “head in sand”, which is damaging country’s the territorial sovereignty.

Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said in a tweet, “Indians are getting to know about a village built

by China in Arunachal via report by Pentagon, USA When will BJP Govt brief people of India regarding China’s misadventures & illegal occupation- BJP Govt “head in sand” approach is damaging for India’s territorial sovereignty!.”

Citing reports, the Congress said that China has intruded into Indian

territory but the government was in a denial mode.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, P aw a n K h e r a , p a r t y spokesperson said, “It has now been confirmed by an annual report by the Pentagon to the US Congress. The report -‘Militar y and Security Developments involving the People’s Republic of China, 2021’ confirms that China has intruded 4.5 km deep inside the Arunachal Pradesh Territory in our area.”

The Congress said China has constr ucted several villages which are dual pur pose villages.

“What is a dual use village?

It not only has a civilian population residing there, but these villages can also act as cantonments for the Chinese army,” said Khera.

The Congress Spokesperson said, as per the Pentagon report, about 4.5 km within our territory China has constructed 101 structures, some of them multi storey structures and this is a very very serious issue.

“The Prime Minister must withdraw that clean chit first of all and give a deadline to the nation, when will the status-quoante of April, 2020 be restored across all our borders with China?

Whether it’s Depsang, whether it’s Gogra Hot spring, or the DOB sector, whether it’s Arunachal Pradesh, we need answers, we need deadlines, we need dates and we need an apology for misleading the world that China has not entered our territory,” Khera said.

AG A RTA L A , N OV 7 (IANS): Supreme Court judge, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit on Sunday said that the standard of education imparted in government schools is not keeping at par with that at private schools, even though India has best professional educational institutions in the public sector.

Expressing his concern at this disparity and stressing on quality of education, he said: “I do not think that the government is not capable of imparting quality education in the government schools.

“Best professional institutions like AIIMS, IIT, NIT, National Law School, Indian Institute of Management and also institutions on architecture are in the public sector in India. All these public sector professional institutions are the frontrunners in the country.”

Justice Uday Umesh Lalit Addressing an interactive programme on children’s rights in Agartala, Justice Lalit said that every child must feel that he or she is getting education at par with the education given in the other parts of the country.

Citing the case of Bihar, after the enactment of the Right to Education Act, the enrolment of girls in elementary and secondary education rose to 50 per cent from the 36 per cent and now boys and girls are neck and neck in education in the state.

“Due to the spread of education in Bihar, the marriageable age of girls has risen. The total fertility rate in Bihar was 4.2 per woman and now it is 3.2 against the national average of 2.3 per woman.

“Spread of education is reflected in the girls’ lives. No person should be deprived of education.

Darkness of education must be eradicated, quality of education must be provided to every child as they are the future of the nation,” the Supreme Court judge said.

He said that besides protecting the rights of a child’s education, other aspects like health and wellbeing also must be secured.

“There should not be any child trafficking and no child abuse in any manner.

An atmosphere must be developed so that the girls can raise their issues, build their own potentiality. Create

an atmosphere, allow the children to grow to obtain fullest potentiality and do not marry the children at an early age,” Justice Lalit emphasised. He said that scholarships, schemes and other benefits must be given to those children who lost their both parents during the Covid-19 pandemic and these benefits must reach to the needy children.

“We (the court) would see whether the benefits are reaching to those children are not. The National Legal Services Authority has been doing enormous works for the benefit of the deprived sections,” said Justice Lalit, who is an Executive Chairperson of the National Legal Services Authority.

Supreme Court judge Justice Hrishikesh Roy, who also spoke, highlighting some instances of Assam and Mizoram where the legal service authorities are doing their best in providing

legal and other assistance to the deprived and the needy people.

Tripura High Court C h i e f Ju s t i c e I n d r a j i t Mahanty, and judge, Justice Subhasis Talapatra, who is the Executive Chairperson of Tripura State Legal Services Authority, also spoke in the interactive discussion.

Justice Arindam Lodh, Justice Satya Gopal Chattopadhyay of the high court, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Chairperson Nilima Ghosh, National Legal Services Authority’s Director Puneet Sehgal, among others, were also present in the event.

A poster exhibition on “Children’s Rights: Protecting Children: Providing Hope” highlighting the rights of children was also organised at the famous Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan in Agartala.

CBI arrests former Assam CM’s Cong demands apology from Modi, ex-CAG for ‘conspiracy’ 3 new cases take Sikkim’s son in bank loan scam case COVID tally to 32,042 G U WA H AT I , N OV 7 (AGENCIES): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested Ashok Saikia after a raid at his residence in connection with a Rs 9.37 lakh bank loan scam case, reports News18.com.

Saikia, the son of former Assam Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia, has been held in a 1996 loan scam case in the Assam State Co-operative and Agriculture Development (ASCARD) Bank.

A CBI team raided Ashok Saikia’s residence in Sarumataria, Guwahati, and interrogated him for hours before the arrest.

Ashok Saikia’s brother Debabrata told News18, “It’s a very unfortunate case.

As our advocate reports, the CBI shouldn’t have intervened in the issue. My brother Ashok already paid the amount to the ASCARD Bank, a cooperative rural bank. My younger brother is innocent. All the loans have already been repaid by him by 2015. I am sure justice will be served in his favour.”

Debabrata Saikia is the Leader of Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly.

“There were two cases registered against me. In the first case, the court

has already passed the judgement. Further, I made an appeal to a higher court in this regard and hence, I have nothing to say much about it,” Ashok told media.

“The second case is about a loan case, in which I have already paid my pending dues both principal and interest after a settlement with the bank.

However, the case is still pending at the court. CBI has sent me a notice and has asked me to appear before the court on November 9, 2021,” he said.

During a media interaction, Ashok also produced a copy of the ASCARD bank letter claiming that he had already repaid the entire amount on September 14, 2011.

The bank letter reads, “Ashok Kumar Saikia, D i r e c t o r, H B S I n d i a Pvt. Ltd was a loanee of Assam State Co-operative Ag riculture and Rural Development (ASCARD) Bank Limited. He has availed loan amount of Rs 9,37,701 only under Bridge Loan Scheme during the year 1996. As per our letter dated 14.09.2011 under the compromise settlement scheme he has fully repaid the dues both principal and interest. Now his aforesaid loan is liquidated.”

G U WA H AT I , N OV 7 (PTI): The Congress on Sunday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai tender an unconditional apology to the nation for their “sinister role” in an alleged conspiracy to bring down Manmohan Singh-headed the UPAII government using the purported 2G spectrum scam.

A conspiracy to destabilise the government

has been exposed with Rai’s recent apology to Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam for wrongly naming him as one of the MPs who had pressured him not to name Singh in the CAG report on 2G spectrum allocation, Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh claimed.

“The criminal conspiracy to bring down the UPA government is thus writ large. The nation must know that truth has been vindicated.... The BJP had conspired to malign our government and Vinod Rai

was a party to it. “Let Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vinod Rai and all others tender an unconditional apology to the nation and admit to their sinister role (in the conspiracy),” Vallabh told a press conference here.

Rai had recently tendered an unconditional apology to Nirupam in response to a defamation case filed by the latter following his claim that the Nirupam was one of the lawmakers who sought to pressure him to keep then PM Manmohan

Singh’s name out of the government’s audit report on 2G spectrum auctions.

Nirupam had filed the defamation case against Rai after the former CAG in his book in 2014 made the allegation against him and repeated it in interviews to the media.

Vallabh asserted that the loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer in the grant of 2G spectrum licenses during the UPA regime was a ‘presumptive’ number put forth by Rai, which was not backed by any evidence.

GANGTOK, NOV 7 (PTI): Sikkim’s COVID-19 tally rose to 32,042 on Sunday as three more persons tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said.

East Sikkim registered two new cases, followed by one in West Sikkim.

The state had reported nine fresh COVID-19 cases and one fatality due to the infection on Saturday.

The Himalayan state now has 135 active cases, while 31,176 people have

recovered from the disease, and 332 patients have migrated to other states.

Sikkim’s COVID-19 death toll remained at 399 as no fatality was reported in the past 24 hours.

The state has thus far tested over 2.62 lakh samples for COVID-19, including 106 in the last 24 hours.

Sikkim’s positivity rate and recovery rates are 2.8 per cent and 98.3 per cent respectively.

North-East’s first homegrown private medical college in Manipur Correspondent I M P H A L , N OV 7 : The National Medical Commission (for merly known as Medical Council of India) has approved setting up the first ever ‘homegrown private medical college’ in Manipur.

The college which will have an intake capacity of 150 students per year beginning from 2021-22 session is also the first ever college of its kind in the entire northeast region of the country, officials of the Shija Hospitals and Research Institute (SHRI) Private Limited claimed.

SHRI was permitted to set up the college under

the name and style of Shija Academy of Health Sciences (SAHS) at Health village in Imphal’s Langol area where the private hospital is running from.

SHRI CMD (chief managing director) Dr Palin Khundongbam, who announced NMC’s approval for setting up of the private medical college by NMC at a news conference today, said that two private medical colleges did exist in the region – one in Sikkim and other in Tripura.

However, they were now running on PPP (PublicPrivate Partnership) mode after the state governments of each state took over the colleges, Dr Palin said.

The NMC approved the setting up of the college after due inspection and screening, he said.

An NMC team had recently paid a surprise visit to the infrastructures being developed by the SHRI at the Health village. The commission did not delay in granting permission, he said. NMC granted the permission vide its letter no. NMC/ UG/2020/000092/032984 issued on November 1 last, he informed.

SHRI was all set to commence the academic session in line with the national academic calendar which got delayed for the current 2021-22 due to

COVID-19 pandemic.

The session is likely to commence from December and SHRI was all set for this, he said.

As the students to undergo the medical course is to be in accordance with the ranking of the NEET, SHRI has proposed the state government seat sharing of 30% for state government nominees, 60% for SHRI management and remaining 10% for Non-Residential Indian (NRI), he said.

“The proposal is based on one of the nearest private medical colleges in Kolkata as we don’t have a full private medical college in NE India,” he said.

The approval of the

s t a t e g ove r n m e n t wa s awaiting, he said, hoping to get an approval as early as possible.

The main purpose of establishing the new medical college, the CMD said, was to produce strong, empathetic, compassionate, socially and environmentally responsible research-oriented medical graduates and postgraduates for the new era of health sciences.

It also aimed at providing affordable quality healthcare, and medical value tourism to help save the state’s exchequer and inclusive growth of the region, he added.

Each year, over 4000 medical aspirants from

Manipur alone appear in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance (NEET). However, only around 150 students are selected as government nominees and over 400 students of the state go outside the state and country for private medical studies every year.

C u r r e n t l y, i t w a s estimated that about 700 Manipuri medical students are studying in China alone. Many more students were also studying in other countries, Dr Palin said.

He estimated that the state spent approximately over r upees 500 crores outside the state annually for healthcare and medical education.

Wankhede was part of plot to ‘kidnap’ Aryan: Malik

MUMBAI, NOV 7 (PTI): Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Sunday alleged that Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede was part of a plot to “kidnap” actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan for ransom.

Speaking to reporters here, Malik claimed that Mohit Bharatiya, former president of Mumbai BJP’s youth wing, was the “mastermind” of the plot.

Aryan Khan was last month arrested following a raid led by Wankhede on a cruise ship from which drugs were allegedly seized.

He was later granted bail by the Bombay High Court.

Malik has repeatedly termed the cruise drugs raid as “fake” and levelled a series allegations against Wankhede. The minister on Sunday claimed Wankhede had met Bharatiya at a ‘kabarastan’ (graveyard) in suburban Oshiwara.

“But, because of his (Wankhede’s) good luck, we couldn’t get the footage since police’s CCTV was not functioning. Hence, out of fear, Wankhede had lodged a false complaint that he was being stalked,” Malik said.

“The alleged cruise rave

Nawab Malik (PTI)

party was a plot to kidnap Aryan Khan for ransom, of which Mohit Bharatiya was the mastermind,” the NCP leader alleged.

Accusing Wankhede of being involved in the plot, he claimed Bharatiya was a member of Wankhede’s “private army”.

Malik also claimed that journalist RK Bajaj and advocate Pradee p Nambiar were members of Wankhede’s “private army”.

The minister appealed to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan to come forward and support his fight against injustice.

He accused Wankhede of creating fear among drug consumers while protecting peddlers and traffickers.

He claimed the trap to kidnap Ar yan Khan was laid through Rishabh

5

NATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Sachdeva, the brother-in-law of Bharatiya.

“Rs 25 crore were sought, and the deal was finalised at Rs 18 crore...

Rs 50 lakh were given. The deal got spoilt because the selfie of K P Gosavi (NCB’s witness in the cruise drugs case) with Aryan, after his arrest, became viral,” he claimed.The minister further said there have been attempts to frighten Shah Rukh Khan that since he “gave an amount of Rs 50 lakh”, he too becomes an accused.

“I appeal to him not to get scared. If your child is kidnapped and ransom is sought and the parent pays it, he is the victim and not the accused,” Malik said.

Ar yan Khan was taken to the cruise party by Pratik Gabba and Aamir Furniturewala, he claimed, adding that Sachdeva, Gabba and Furniturewala were let off by the NCB. “Kashif Khan, an organiser of the cruise party, had tried hard to invite state minister Aslam Shaikh and children of our top ministers to come to the party,” he claimed.

“Besides cases of Aryan Khan and Sameer Khan (Malik’s son-in-law),

all 26 cases (being probed by the NCB) should be given to the SIT for probe. If there is an attempt to scare me by putting my son-in-law’s case for re-examination, let me be clear that I am not scared,” the minister said.

Malik’s son-in-law was arrested in January this year by the NCB in an alleged drugs case, and was granted bail in September.

The minister on his Twitter handle also posted an NCB notice to issued to one Sanville Steanley D’Souza under the NDPS (Naroctic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, dated June 23 this year, directing him to be present at the agency’s office.

Malik claimed this is the real name of Sam D’Souza, whose whose name had cropped up in connection with the payoff allegations in the cruise drugs case, and released a pur ported telephonic c o nve r s a t i o n b e t we e n D’Souza and NCB official V V Singh. He said V V Singh called D’Souza for interrogation in June this year and had also warned the latter against changing his phone handset. “ W h y h a s n’ t h e (D’Souza) been arrested

yet?” Malik asked, without revealing the case details.

Bharatiya on Saturday alleged that one Sunil Patil from Dhule, “who is closely associated with NCP leaders including former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh”, is the mastermind of the cruise drug bust episode.

However, Malik on Sunday claimed Sunil Patil did not belong to the NCP and he had never met him.

He also said the NCB had challenged the Gujarat government’s forensic lab report which gave a clean chit to his son-in-law before an NDPS cour t in the alleged drugs case.

Malik appealed to the NCB and the BJP not to “shield” tainted persons.

“My fight is not against the NCB or the BJP. It is against those indulging in wrongdoings. Please suppor t me. I am also supporting eradication of the drugs menace,” he said.

Malik also demanded that action be taken against NCB’s “quartet” -- Wankhede, V V Singh, Ashish Ranjan and Wankhede’s driver Mane -claiming they were involved in “wrongdoings” in the NCB’s zonal office.

BJP’s best yet to come; party’s growth unparalleled in WB: Nadda NEW DELHI, NOV 7 (PTI): Setting the tone for upcoming assembly elections in five states, BJP president JP Nadda on Sunday set targets to further strengthen the par ty’s organisation and asserted that its best is yet to come.

Addressing the party’s national executive, Nadda also reached out to Sikhs, who are in majority in pollbound Punjab, by listing a number of measures the Modi government has taken for the community, including expediting action against 1984 riots accused, facilitating foreign grants to gurudwaras and keeping langars outside the review of the Goods and Services Tax. Briefing reporters about the meeting, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the executive hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effective leadership during the Covid pandemic, 100 crore vaccinations and providing free food grains to 80 crore poor people.

He said that Nadda noted that this is the largest food programme in human history.

JP Nadda (PTI)

On BJP’s growth in West Bengal, Pradhan quoting Nadda said if one looks at its growth in the state from the political science perspective, then there will be ver y few parallels of it in Indian political history.

According to Pradhan, Nadda said that if one looks at the BJP’s vote share in the 2014 assembly elections and the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal, and compares them with the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and 2021 assembly polls, it shows substantial growth of the BJP in the state.

Setting new organisation targets for the BJP’s expansion, Nadda said the party will constitute booth level committees

at all 10.40 lakh polling stations by December 25 this year and have “panna committees”, in reference to each page of voters’ list

by April 6.

Citing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Pradhan said the executive lauded Modi for his foresight of enacting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which aims at providing citizenship to minorities in some neighbouring countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Following Nadda’s speech, the chief minister of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, tabled the BJP’s resolution, touching various landmark initiatives taken by the Modi government.

Sharing the details of the resolution, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the resolution specifically mentions that “we shall ensure the party’s victory in upcoming assembly elections”. There is positive, energetic and unconditional support from the national executive to ensure the party’s victory in upcoming assembly elections, she said.

Fire-hit Maharashtra hospital Bombay HC sends Anil Deshmukh in ED custody till Nov 12 lacked safety measures: Official

PUNE, NOV 7 (PTI): A senior fire officer of Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar civic body on Sunday claimed the hospital where a major blaze killed 11 COVID-19 patients lacked various fire safety measures suggested by them.

A seven-member committee formed to probe the incident is likely to submit by Monday a primary report, listing the possible cause of the blaze at the district civil hospital, officials said.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to have a virtual meeting with officials of the Ahmednagar administration on the incident, that took place at the hospital on Saturday.

Asked about on what lines the probe was being conducted, Ahmednagar

Municipal Corporation’s chief fire officer Shankar Misal told PTI that they were checking from where the fire originated, who saw it first and what immediate actions were taken.

“On this basis, we will come to the conclusion,” he said.

“Barring fire extinguishers, the other safety measures that we had suggested were not there,” the official said.

Asked if the fire could have been doused at an early state had there been sprinklers at the facility, he said, “Yes”.

“Our recommendations, including for s p r i n k l e r s, we r e n o t implemented,” he said, adding that this was the first such incident at the hospital.

“There were oxygen pipes, electric wires, medical instruments, etc. But, most probably, short circuit seems to be the cause of the fire.

Our officials checked the CCTV footage and it was seen that smoke first started billowing through the ceiling. We are conducting a thorough investigation into the incident,” Misal said.

A seven-member team, comprising divisional commissioner, government officials from medical field, state fire services and Misal, is preparing a report on the incident, officials said.

“The report will have details like when the fire brigade team came, what was its observation, how many fire staff members were there, what technique was used to douse the fire,” Misal said.

MUMBAI, NOV 7 (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Sunday set aside a special cour t order remanding former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh to judicial custody, and sent him in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody till November 12 in a money laundering case.

The ED in its application said the special court, by remanding D e s h mu k h t o j u d i c i a l custody, had denied the a ge n c y s u f f i c i e n t a n d adequate opportunity to investigate a case that has “wide and serious ramifications” .

The agency said it could interrogate Deshmukh only for five days, of which two were holidays (Diwali).

A vacation bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar was hearing an application filed by the ED, challenging the special court’s order of

November 6 remanding Deshmukh to 14-day judicial custody on the ground that it was bad in law and against the principles of natural justice.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the ED, told the court that based on the probe conducted so far, custodial interrogation was the need of the hour considering the allegation of collection of around Rs 100 crore has been made in the case.

The entire money trail is required to be established and the involvement of foreign angle cannot be ruled out at this stage, the agency said in its application.

Deshmukh’s counsel Vikram Chaudhri and advocate Aniket Nikam told the court that while they were opposing the plea on merits and maintainability, the NCP leader has

Anil Deshmukh

consented and volunteered to be interrogated by the ED. The court then remanded Deshmukh to the ED’s custody till November 12. The ED in its application said the special court, by remanding Deshmukh to judicial custody, had denied the agency sufficient and adequate opportunity to investigate a case that has “wide and serious

ramifications” and more so, when the probe is at a crucial stage.

“The sessions judge (special court) ought to have appreciated that the investigation in cases of colossal frauds and money laundering, like the present one, cannot be expected to be completed within a short span of time,” the application said.

A sufficient opportunity needs to be given to the investigating agency to probe the entire gamut of the case, so that it can collect sufficient quality evidence which will help to go to the root of the matter, it added. The ED said it wants to now confront Deshmukh with dismissed cop Sachin Waze and others, including the NCP leader’s family members like his

sons Hrishikesh Deshmukh and Salil Deshmukh and his chartered accountant.

Deshmukh was arrested by the ED on November 1 after 12 hours of questioning in connection with the multi-crore money laundering case. He was produced before a special holiday court on November 2 which remanded him in the ED’s custody till November 6.

When he was produced before the special court on Saturday, the ED had sought further custody, but the court refused and sent him to judicial custody.

The ED had earlier told the special court that Deshmukh was the “prime beneficiary” of proceeds of crime and directly involved in the offence of money laundering.

tragedy was the doing of the Centre and the state, which were assisted in it

by Ajay Mishra, who hails from the area. Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri district after being allegedly hit by a vehicle that was carrying workers of the BJP on October 3.

“The farmers are our backbone, who give support to the economy, and are our ‘annadata’, but the BJP government has cheated them and has done injustice to them,” the SP chief said.

He also went on to attack the ‘Ujjwala Yojana’, PM Narendra Modi’s flagship scheme for distribution of LPG cylinders to poor households. “Due to the price rise, the ‘Ujjwala Yo j a n a ’ h a s b e c o m e ‘bujwalla’ (damp squib) yojana. And our ‘Baba chief minister’ sometimes is afraid of red colour. Our chief minister in order to reduce the price rise can change the colour of the cylinder or its name,” he said.

Yadav said the recent slashing in prices of petrol and diesel was owing to the BJP’s loss in by-polls, and said they will come down further still if they lose the Uttar Pradesh polls. He stressed the coming election in the state was crucial for democracy, and invoked B R Ambedkar to say the country needs to be run according to the constitution as drafted by the founding fathers.

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

DIRECTORATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION No. HEd/SCHO-1/2016/

NAGALAND : KOHIMA

kohima, dated the 5th Nov. 2021

NEC MERIT SCHOLARSHIP

It is hereby informed to the students pursuing diploma/degree/post Graduate/Mphil/phd course that the North Eastern Council (NEC), Ministry of development of North Eastern Region (doNER), Government of India, Shillong is offering NEC Merit Scholarship to the eligible candidates of the North Eastern States. Interested candidates can visit the National Scholarship portal (https://scholarships.gov.in) for detail guidelines and online application.

Breakup of scholarship quota for Nagaland and scholarship amount Level of Study No. of quota (Fresh) Amount diploma 18 20,000/- p.a. degree 120 22,000/- p.a post Graduate 48 25,000/- p.a M.phil/phd 6 30,000/- p.a.

Total Scholarships: 192 Last date for online application: 30-11-2021 Last date for Institution verification: 15-12-2021

dC-1086/21

Sd/(Dr. APENI LOTHA) director Higher Education

k-2118/21

LUCKNOW, NOV 7 (PTI): Recalling the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said farmers would not get justice as long as the BJP’s “triple-engine” government remains in power.

Along with the BJP-run governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav counted as the third engine Union minister Ajay Mishra, whose son Ashish Mishra was arrested in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

The SP leader was speaking at the ‘Janadesh Maharally’ held in Ambedkarnagar district, where he formally inducted senior BSP leaders Lalji Ve r m a a n d R a m a c h a l Rajbhar in the party fold.

Verma was the leader of the BSP legislature party in the state assembly and Rajbhar state chief of the BSP before they were expelled for “anti-party” activities.In the 2017 UP Assembly polls, Verma had won from the Katehari seat, while Rajbhar won from the Akbar pur assembly constituency.

M e a n w h i l e, B S P supremo Mayawati said taking BSP “turncoats” into its fold will not help the Samajwadi Party increase its mass base and will only weaken it.

Commenting on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, Yadav said it was unforgettable, and that the

dp-5322/21

Farmers will not get justice till BJP is in power: Akhilesh

6

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Nagaland Post VOL. XXXI NO. 334 DIMAPUR, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

T

Riding the fuel hike

here was elation across India when prime minister Narendra Modi had a timely gift for Indians on Diwali by slashing taxes on petrol and diesel which came into effect from November 4.

The slashing of excise duties on petrol and diesel by Rs. 5 and Rs.10 per litre respectively, was however described as ‘tokenism’ by the opposition. The slash in fuel prices has come as a sop which is expected to assuage farmers, manufacturers, and transporters, who have been unnerved by the steep price rises.

The government touted the move as “a fillip to the economy,” but in real terms it is expected to also bolster the BJP politically especially when seven states go to the polls in 2022. The tax cuts- Rs. 5 per litre for petrol, and Rs.10 per litre for diesel- are an attempt to quell growing resentment over rising fuel prices. Responding to the cut in excise duty, most BJP-ruled States followed suit by cutting their fuel taxes, ostensibly with an eye on bringing fuel rates below Rs.100 a litre. Gujarat, Karnataka, Assam and Tripura and NDA constituents also slashed prices by Rs.7 per litre for both diesel and petrol. Uttar Pradesh announced a tax cut of Rs.7 per litre on petrol and Rs.2 per litre on diesel. In Goa, the prices of petrol and diesel were reduced by Rs.12 and Rs.17 per litre respectively. While there was a sense of relief across the nation, the opposition was however quick to pounce on the government lest the people forgot that it was responsible for the runaway price hikes.

TMC leader Derek O’Brian shot back saying that last year, excise duty on petrol increased by 65% but now it has decreased by 15% after the cuts. He said between April and September, Government’s collection from excise on petrol rose 33% compared to last year. Collection of excise is 79% more than pre-Covid levels,” he said in a tweet. The TMC leader pointed out that in 2021, price of petrol was hiked by Rs. 28 and Diesel by Rs. 26/litre. The Congress claimed that after BJP lost 14 by-elections two two Lok Sabha seats, it reduced Petrol price by Rs. 5 and Diesel by Rs. 10 and tom-tommed as ‘Diwali Gift’ of Modi Ji!.”

The Congress demanded that the Narendra Modi Government should instead reduce prices to 2014 level and not undertake cosmetic measures. The cuts in petrol and diesel excise duties are the first in three years. The government’s markdown comes at a time when its repository is filled with funds from rising goods and services tax collections and the higher excise duties predating the cuts. Meanwhile, Energy expert Narendra Taneja, chairman of the New Delhibased Independent Energy Policy Institute, said both petrol and diesel are de-control commodities and thus fuel prices are not in the hands of any government. He said India has to import 86 per cent of its oil and that Crude oil will be more expensive in the coming months. By 2023, Taneja reckoned that the price of crude oil can rise by Rs 100 and so it is out of the hands of any government.” In order to de-politicize oil, Taneja backed the demand that petrol and diesel should be incorporated in GST so that more relief can be obtained and more transparency can be ensured.

DailyDevotion The Undetected Sacredness of Circumstances

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God… —Romans 8:28 The circumstances of a saint’s life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance. God

by His providence brings you into circumstances that you can’t understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands.

God brings you to places, among people, and into certain conditions to accomplish a definite purpose through the intercession of the Spirit in you. Never put yourself in front of your circumstances and say, “I’m going to be my own providence here; I will watch this closely, or protect myself from that.” All your circumstances are in the hand of God, and therefore you don’t ever have to think they are unnatural or unique. Your part in intercessory prayer is not to agonize over how to intercede, but to use the everyday circumstances and people God puts around you by His providence to bring them before His throne, and to allow the Spirit in you the opportunity to intercede for them. In this way God is going to touch the whole world with His saints.

Am I making the Holy Spirit’s work difficult by being vague and unsure, or by trying to do His work for Him? I must do the human side of intercession— utilizing the circumstances in which I find myself and the people who surround me. I must keep my conscious life as a sacred place for the Holy Spirit. Then as I lift different ones to God through prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for them.

Your intercessions can never be mine, and my intercessions can never be yours, “…but the Spirit Himself makes intercession” in each of our lives (Romans 8:26). And without that intercession, the lives of others would be left in poverty and in ruin.

Quotes

Bad officials are the ones elected by good citizens who do not vote. ~ George Jean Nathan

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

COP pledges are game of lobbies: India, world desertify T he climate meet COP 26 is galore of promises as desertification the world over increases.

The meet is less on concrete terms to bring down temperature but high on verbose.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has struck the right issue. He has taken time till 2070 so that India development is not smothered by the reticence of the developed world. He says that the commitment to climate has a cost and the rich nations are not meeting out their pledge of providing $ 100 billion a year to developing nations by 2020 as agreed at the climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009. The target has not yet been met.

Nations like Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia on the other hand are asking the UN to play down the need to more rapidly from fossil fuels. The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that 32000 submissions have been made by governments, companies and other interested parties to dilute the issues of fossil fuel.

They are arguing that that the world does not need to reduce the use of fossil fuels as quickly as the current draft of the report

recommends. A West Asian country oil ministry has sought removal of phrases like the need for urgent and accelerated mitigation actions at all scales. The issue of temperature reduction by 2 degrees widely talked may remain on paper as they press for slower action and cutting temperature limit reduced to 1.5 degrees.

Australia does not accept the conclusion that closing coal-fired thermal power plants are necessary, even though the COP26 objective is to end the use of coal that adds to the problem of green house effect. OPEC also asks the IPCC to delete lobby activism. It would protect rent extracting business models. Saudi Arabia wants deletion of the UN conclusion that the focus of decarbonisation efforts in the energy sector needs to move rapidly to zero-carbon sources and actively phasing out fossil fuels.

Many developing countries are not comfortable with the zero emission.

Argentina, Norway and OPEC also challenge the contention. Norway wants the UN scientists to allow the possibility of capture and storage (CCS) as a potential tool for reducing emissions from fossil fuels.

Even India had to resort to will increase by 11 to 23 larger coal prospecting as its percent compared a 30 year power system was report- period of 1961 to 1990. This edly coming to a critical means that dry lands could stage and it had to keep be 50 to 56 percent of the the thermal power plants earth’s land surface, a 38 running. percent rise, by 2021. The The draft report accepts arid regions will expand carbon could play a role in over southwest of North the future but says there are America, north and south uncertainties about its feasi- Africa and Australia, the bility. The CCS emerges as Mediterranean and South a vague term for continuing America. with the fossil fuel.

Now at Glasgow COP In 2015, Paris Agree- 26, Australia and 123 other ment stressed the need for countries signed an agreelimiting temperature be- ment to end deforestation low 2 degree to 1.5 degree by 2030. There have been celcius before 2100. India many such declarations beand China’s commitment fore. Such policies have to be has increased hopes that adopted by different counzero emission tries at the is possible by Shivaji Sarkar domestic 2070 but that l e ve l . I f again does not remain a these are not implemented certainty. due to domestic political The globe is warm- pressure such declarations ing up faster. The climate would have little impact. change is affecting rainfall India never reneges patterns and warmer at- on such commitment but mosphere can lead to more there are various lobbies that rainfall in some areas and are on reckless construcdrought in many others. It is tions in the Himalayas and expected to increase global other sensitive zones leadpoverty as water in excess or ing to serious crisis. About shortage would play havoc 97.85 million hectares (29.7 with human development. percent) of India’s total The global area of dry geographical area (TGA) lands is expected to expand of 328.72 mha underwent as the climate warms. Vari- land degradation during ous projections on emission 2018-19. In 2003-05, 94.53 scenarios indicate arid lands mha (28.76 percent of the

TGA) underwent land degradation. The number increased to 96.40 mha (29.32 percent of the TGA) in 2011-13. About 83.69 mha underwent desertification in 2018-19. This was greater than the 81.48 mha in 20032005 and 82.64 mha in 2011-13 that were . India witnessed an increase in desertification in 28 of 31 states and Union territories between 2011-13 and 2018-19. Forest covers are dwindling all over Asia and various Indian states too are amending their laws for increased “developmental activities” across. Tree felling and water erosion also is causing heavy erosion as construction activities are increasing. The Centre’s commitment and the states’ priorities often clash and the latter play havoc at the ground level.

A McGill paper has found that more airport constructions would have environmental problem, increase warming and other ecological problems. But since these have become symbols of fast development without studies across, India and many other countries construct more airports. Each adds to environmental degeneration. Recently in UP and the

hilly states a number of airports are being constructed to “better” connectivity.

Man’s greed cause Kedarnath tragedy and repeated Himlayan landslides. there is more propaganda than demonstrative action.

The IPCC says that various climate models suggest that rainfall will be more intense for almost the entire world, potentially increasing the risks of soil erosion. Projections indicate that most of the world will see a 16 to 24 percent increase in heavy precipitation intensity by 2100.

Director of research, Grantham Institute at Imperial College, London, Joeri Rogelji, says that pledges at climate meets are not sufficient to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and COP 26 still has an important task. For the temperature control the pledges need to turn to action. But, he says, those pledges do not match the ambitions.

The International Energy Agency is unhappy with what the governments are trying to show. The governments need to have clear and credible policy, it says.

Ambitions count for little if they are not implemented successfully. Would COP remain as another paper?

Post-mortem

Dare you go, into the wild?

H

e embarks on a thrilling adventure into the wilderness accompanied by different celebrities around the world. Four Indians from Prime Minister Modi to southern superstar Rajnikant, Bollywood’s Khiladi Akshay Kumar and now superstar Ajay Devgn, who joined the British adventurer Bear Grylls for his unmatched survival tricks and skills over the years. Even US President Barack Obama appeared on the wild show inside Alaskan wilderness.

Welcome to the wild ! It’s fierce. It’s unforgiving. It’s expert mode on. Let’s go. If you see a shark, stay calm ! It’s absolutely enthralling to see Ajay’s struggling of survival with Bear in the Indian Ocean, watching PM crossing Kosi River in a makeshift raft to learning how to make a spear in the jungles of Jim Corbett, adventurous journey of Rajnikant through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Akshay’s learning a reef knot to navigate a river full of crocodiles. Those are indeed a mesmerizing stare.

Interestingly celebrities are

C

only allowed to say ‘I’m going wild’, while people from all walks of life also overcome so many personal challenges. Over centuries riverine people have learnt to live with rivers. But even then rivers flooded, changed courses and wreaked havoc, people learnt to take that in their stride. Soldiers posted close to the frontier, have to fetch an uphill task while asserting the territorial integrity and defending the country. How soldiers survive on the highest battlefield in the world, where soldiers die from harsh weather than actual fighting in Siachen glacier. Yet a patriotic move that went unnoticed by the masses. But those episodes are undoubtedly the world’s most trending televised event. But everything was not so wild with the running wild show.

The adventure with a forest with my early days of jungle training at the hills of Karnataka is still fresh in memory. We were learning survival techniques in dense jungle for a week, where tall trees and plants grow very close together. We were confined in a base camp for the jungle warfare

survival. Air warriors don’t need much counter-insurgency and jungle warfare but they had to learn to fight the guerrilla like a guerrilla. Enemies and straggles are bayoneted where they fell in the forefront of a dummy fight.

One fine morning, we were loaded into a Stallion 6X6 to an unknown destination. With heavy boots and combat uniforms, we were guessing for a treacherous journey. The road trip got off to a rocky start as much of the road had been swallowed up by jungle. Soon after an hour, we were dropped at the other side of our camp separated by a hill. With no compass, we lost our way. The sun was directly overhead. The commander left us in Jonga pointing finger at one direction ‘the other side of the hills is your base camp, go hike, climb and reach your destination before the dusk that now falling rapidly’.

Today I recount the experience where we did desperate attempt at survival after becoming lost in the rainforest. Our entry fell into various groups. As the sunset was still a couple of hours away,

we tried to understand direction based on the Sun but trees and vegetation fully covered the sky from the falling sunlight. Since there was no road; we walked with the help of a jungle canned stick and saying ourselves loudly ‘dare you go…into the jungle. We trekked through the jungle and vowed to continue fighting.

Initially it was heroic move on foot. We shouted but observed that it was difficult to know where a shout is coming from. With no landmarks we passed, we realized our orientation got clueless. We walked in straight line, justified it loudly to ourselves and even followed animal trails as they head in the same direction always. A full of camping water bottle helped us to remain rehydrated.

Fallen trees, slippery rocks, heatstroke are the most common reasons for injuries but mosquitoes are the main dangers in the jungle as it spreads malaria, dengue and yellow fever. We tried to protect with a towel hand cotton covering face from such dangers. Heavy and thick shoes caused blisters after continuous treks for the entire

day. Cuts and wounds over face occurred while trespassing into the jungle.

There was no break possible as dark was almost falling sharply.

Alas! We were yet to reach any destination. We found no way to move further and the situation was met with puzzled looks of four members of our group. There was extreme tiredness and mental exertion leading to a total mess. It wasn’t an easy task while carrying a heavy backpack and only water to prevent fatigue. Bruised knees were already swelling up. We shouted for help but with no such luck and continued to explore.

The camp fire had already begun. And there was scattered light that filtered through trees into us, we shouted in reply. It filled with joie de vivre at last. Trainees wined and dined in camping tents, learning their survival. Hope someday Bear Grylls will live in the countryside and would reveal the true life stories of ordinary people trapped in extraordinary situation of survival.

Kamal Baruah, A former air warrior

Chhath Mahaparva: A festival of nature

hhath Puja is the festival of adoration of Adishakti Sun. The early hymns of the Vedic texts are the hymns of worship of these powers. Ancient Magadh region has been a stronghold of Brahmanism and hypocrisy.

The entire region has been marked as the site of resistance to social rigidities and discrimination in Vedic religion and thus originated the natural festival of Surya Puja with name Shashti (Chhath) Vrat. Some “Maga” priests (from whose name the word Magadh is derived) from Aryan (present-day Iran) were called on to assist.

Whenever there were restrictions for women and the marginalized sections of the society, the people developed new methods of worship without detaching themselves from original roots. Against the declaration of the sanctity of the Ganges and other Holy rivers by the Pundits, they even chose beaches, ponds, puddles, other sources of water logging built by their own labour. They built Surya Mandirs at several places on the banks of rivers, which are ample testament of artistic glory.

Chhath Puja is the only festival among all worships that does not require a third person (i.e. the priest) be-

tween Bhakt and Bhagwan.

It is not a festival of idol worship, but adoration of the almighty natural God “Surya”, whom everyone sees and who is the survivor of life. With the migration of people, Chhath Vrat also reached other parts of Magadh and became an integral part of the Indian culture. Later it crossed the boundaries of the states and attained worldwide identity.

Along with water, woman (Parvaiti) and Sun, purity has a special significance in Chhath Vrat.

All Vedic texts, provide for the worship of the rising Bhuvan-Bhaskar, but the Chhath ritual is the only worship in which the first Ardhya is given to the setting Sun, while the second Ardhya is offered to the rising Sun. This is a classic example of the capability of the Sun setting in the world.

Chhath Puja is a celebration of solidarity and purely folk faith. The Ardhya ends with folk songs and locally grown fruits, flowers and roots in the fields. Common fruits and flowers such as radish, tubers, succulents, sugarcane, turmeric, ginger, coconut, banana etc., on which our life survives, are the materials of worship. No Vedic Mantra, Havan or any other ritual is required. It is celebrated

with complete simplicity, cleanliness and participation. All parvaitis are equal and there is no restriction of Varna (castes) on the banks of rivers, ponds, puddles. No one asks anyone’s class from those who give Ardhya. The folk songs of Chhath festival underscore the importance of environment, biological balance and identity of women in the family.

Humanization of Surya Ved, Puran, Upnishad, Mahabharat and other religious scriptures describe glory of the Sun. There is a tradition in Indian culture to offer water to the Sun every day. On the occasion of Chhath Puja the setting Sun on the evening of Karthik Shukla Paksha Shashti and the redness of the rising Sun on the morning of Saptami bring different colors to crores of fasting women and men. The Sun is special and lakhs of people standing in the water bodies with Ardhya in their hands wake up cheering the Sun on seeing its redness.

In this festival, women put her feelings to the Sun: “Anna, Dhan, Lakshmi, He Dinanath, Ahai Ke Del; Ek Putra He Dinanath Sagar Andhar”. (i.e. Food, wealth, prosperity all have been provided by you. If there is any shortage, that is a child). In

other festivals, where there is male dominance; in Chhath Puja, women even pray for daughters as Runki-Jhunki, which is characterized in the folk song “Runki Jhunki Beti Mangila, Padhal Panditawa Damad; Ye Chhati Maiya, Darshan Dihin Na Apan”.

In the songs sung on Chhath Vrat, Surya himself is the son of a mother and Moon is his sister. Surya’s mother and the sister Moon wake him up - “Utho Babua Bhel Bhinsar, Ardh Kera Ber Bhel”. Even the sun is not less naughty, after getting the opportunity, He also pinches the woman :- “Deve Ke Deliau Ge Abla, Garva Jani Bol, Garva Se Bolve Ge Abla, Uho Lebau Chhin”.

These Magahi folk songs have a deep meaning.

People have been explained about life and the world in a subtle way. Everything is from the sun. He is the one who gives and takes away life. Fruits, flowers, intact and all other things, which are dedicated to the Sun, are given by him. Worshiping the Almighty Sun, brings kindness, sympathy and affection to the masses as well.

Kosi Bharai If a person has made vow or wish and it is fulfilled, then some families perform extra ritual of “Kosi Bharai” during the Chhath festival. In this, the role of

sugarcane, which is called Kosi or Kusiyar in the western region, is considered important. Five sugarcane with leaves are erected in the form of a mandap. The five canes represent “Panch Tatwa” (i.e. Bhumi, Vayu, Jal, Agni and Aakash). Either elephant or Jhilmiliya (a type of Tub), made of clay is placed inside it, over which the Kalash is kept. Dhapani (lid). Diyas are placed around it and gram, Arva rice, Thekua, rice laddoos etc. are tied in the sugarcane.

All this is decorated in the courtyard after returning from Sandhya Ardhya.

Women sing the song of Kosi and Sindoor is applied to the married women. Devotees do Jagran throughout the night. In the morning, all the items are decorated in the same way at the Ghat.

After this, except the cane and Prasad, the remaining items are immersed.

The glory of Chhath is immeasurable. It is believed that observing Chhath Vrat not only liberates from diseases, but also increases wealth and prosperity.

Seeing the importance of Chhath, peoples of other faiths apart from Hindus have also started worshiping the natural God Surya.

The festival of folk faith has been governed by the Chhath tradition and its

strict legislation. But now the market, which specializes in taking advantage of all the opportunities, has diluted this festival as well.

With the changing times, the market has also started merchandising the people’s faith, belief, sensibility and joy. Now sporadically, an idol of Sun is being installed and superstitions, Pandas, Priests are being used as tools, although it is not needed in this festival. There is a competition to spoil the taste by parodying and fusion of Chhath songs settled in female vocals. The flood of cassettes coming every year in the name of Chhath festival has expanded a huge market of profits. Branded companies are attracting customers with their products. The politicization of Chhath Vrat has started in some parts of the country, especially in Mumbai and Delhi and vote bank is being created by this. The good wishes of the world, state, society and family for which women worship the sun, their own faces have started to wither due to rising inflation.

Er. Prabhat Kishore (The author is a technocrat & academician. He holds Master in Engineering from M.N. Regional Engineering College, Allahabad/Prayagraj)

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

7

NATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

as bridge of faith for common Heavy rains lash Chennai, flood alert sounded Work man, PM Modi tells party workers

A worker pulls a rickshaw through a waterlogged area following heavy rain in Chennai, Sunday.(PTI)

in Chennai and its suburbs.

The Kamarajar Salai point (DGP Office on the Marina beachfront) near the Tamil Nadu Secretariat recorded the highest of 23 CM and suburban Ennore in north Chennai 10 cm.

Some of the suburban locations, including areas covered in nearby Tiruvallur district received between 3 CM (Poondi and RK Pet) and 9 CM (Cholavaram).

The IMD has given a ‘red’ category warning, indicat-

ing heavy rains in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry on Sunday.

In view of increase in showers in catchment areas, surplus water was released from Poondi reservoir, which was raised in a phased manner up to 3,376 cusecs of water, the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority said in a tweet.

S i m i l a r l y, C h e m barambakkam and Puzhal reservoirs, two other impor-

Sidhu hits back at Punjab AG, accuses him of subverting justice CHANDIGARH, NOV 7 (PTI): A day after Punjab Advocate General A P S Deol accused Navjot Singh Sidhu of spreading misinformation and obstructing him, the state Congress chief on Sunday hit back, alleging that the AG’s “earnest inaction” was subverting justice in the sacrilege and drug cases.

The advocate general had on Saturday accused Sidhu of obstructing the functioning of the state government and his office, and “spreading misinformation to gain political advantage”.

In a series of tweets on Sunday, Sidhu lambasted Deol, saying “justice is blind but the people of Punjab are not”. “Mr. AG-PUNJAB, Justice is blind but people of Punjab are not. Our Congress party came in power with a promise to give justice in Sacrilege Cases, in which you appeared before the High Court for main con-

Navjot Singh Sidhu

spirators/accused persons and made serious allegations against our Govt,” he said.

“Today, you are representing the same Government of same political party in power and accusing me of spreading misinformation, whereas, I am fighting for justice in Sacrilege cases and you were procuring blanket bails for the accused persons,” Sidhu said in another tweet.

The Punjab Congress chief has been opposing Deol’s appointment as the state advocate general. Deol had represented former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in cases related to the

2015 post-sacrilege police firing incidents. “A person of character does the right thing for right reason with right motive. Your earnest inaction is clearly subverting justice rather than ensuring it,” Sidhu alleged.

In another tweet, Sidhu alleged that Deol had prayed for transferring the investigation to the CBI as “you were afraid of their false implication in sacrilege cases on accounts of malafide, malice and ulterior motives on the part of political party in power in the state of Punjab”.

tant sources of drinking water to the Chennai city were opened to let out surplus rain water, water resources authorities here said adding the initial release -from both the facilities- was to the tune of about 500 cusecs.

Four teams of National Disaster Response Force have been deployed to assist in rescue operations in case of emergency. One team each in Chengalpet and Tiruvallur and two teams at Madurai are stationed for rescue operations, the TNSDMA said.

While most parts of the city and suburbs witnessed waterlogging, parts of several neighbourhoods in Saidapet, Velachery, Adambakkam, Madipakkam and West Mambalam experienced inundation up to about two to three feet. Several subways were filled with rainwater up to to several feet. Rain water also entered several houses in such areas prompting

residents to move out to safer locations. Electricity supply was disconnected to such areas as a precautionary measure.

Stalin, also the DMK president directed party office-bearers MPs, and MLAs to work in tandem with authorities to address the grievances of people in affected areas.

Sounding a preliminary flood alert, the state water resources authorities earlier advised district collectors of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur to evacuate people living in low-lying areas and house them in safe locations.

Inspecting inundated localities here, Subramanian said, “the present scenario is not like what was witnessed in 2015 in Chennai. CM Stalin has directed officials to monitor water level in reservoirs and take necessary steps according to the situation. Civic personnel are on the job to tackle the situation.”

Repeal farm laws, relieve farmers: Mayawati

LUCKNOW (UP), NOV 7 (PTI): Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday sought to know why the people should believe in BJP’s slogan of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas’ when the government has failed to win the faith of the protesting farmers. “The BJP says ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas’. But, how can people believe this ‘jumlaa’ (rhetoric) when the country’s farmers have been so fiercely protesting against the three farm laws for such a long time and are agitated,” she tweeted in Hindi. In another tweet, the BSP supremo said she expects the government to repeal the three contentious farm laws and relieve the farmers as a Diwali gift akin to how it reduced the excise duty on petrol and diesel after three years.

NEW DELHI, NOV 7 (PTI): Zydus Cadila’s three-dose Covid vaccine ZyCoV-D is set to be included in the national anti-coronavirus inoculation programme this month with the Centre placing a purchase order with the Ahmedabad-based firm for one crore doses, official sources said on Sunday.

The Union Health Ministry is learnt to have given the go ahead to initiate the preparatory work for the introduction of the indigenously developed world’s first DNA-based Covid jab, which in all probability will be given to adults initially under the country’s vaccination drive, sources in the know of developments said.

ZyCoV-D is the first vaccine cleared by India’s drug regulator

k-2116/21

(l. chase complex, above IcIcI Bank, midland, dImapur)

dc-1085/21

PM Modi at BJP National Executive Meeting.

man,” he added.

Sources said that Modi advised BJP leaders to focus on the issues the party has raised for the people during and before and after elections and to continue doing so. “We must continue to address the issues concerning people,” he said, as per the sources.

Referring to “selfless service” of BJP workers during the pandemic, Modi said that a “new culture of service has been demon-

strated by the ‘karyakartas’ during the pandemic under party chief J.P. Nadda”.

Before the Prime Minister’s address, state presidents of five poll-bound states presented a report about their preparedness, and the Punjab chief said that they were gearing up to contest all 117 seats.

Chief Ministers of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur also present a report card about their works.

Govt orders 1 cr doses of Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D vax

galaXY cOachIng centre admIssIOn Open: for repeaters of class X and XII (arts & com.) attached hostel for girls. limited seats. class started.

NEW DELHI, NOV 7 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked BJP workers to reach out to the people and work as a “bridge of faith” for the common man.

At his address at the concluding session of daylong BJP national executive meet at NDMC Convention Centre here, he also highlighted that today the place that the BJP is at is due to the fact that it has always been connected with the common man since its starting days, and has moved ahead with hard work and dedication of workers, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav said.

“Prime Minister said that BJP workers have to become a bridge of faith for the common man. BJP is not a family-based party.

“The Prime Minister also called service to people is the highest form of worship and advised workers to be with the people and stay in touch with common

for inoculation of those aged 12 years and above.

“The Centre has already placed a purchase order with Zydus Cadila for supply of one crore doses of ZyCoV-D, each costing around Rs 358 excluding taxes, at the earliest. This price includes the cost of a disposable painless jet applicator which has to be used for administering each dose,” an official source said.

“The vaccine in all probability will be given to adults initially because of limited production capacity,” the source said.

Zydus Cadila is in a position to provide one crore doses of ZyCoV-D per month, company officials are learnt to have conveyed to the ministry.

For administering to adults, frontline workers and vaccinators will be provided a brief training for using the needle-free pharma jet application in actual field settings.

The three doses of ZyCoVD are to be administered 28 days apart, with each dose comprising a shot in both arms.

ZyCoV-D received emergency use authorisation from the drug regulator on August 20.

Meanwhile, a comprehensive programme for paediatric immunisation including developing a priority list of comorbidities is being worked out by the NTAGI (National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation) for the launch of ZyCoV-D and Covaxin.

k-2146/21

CHENNAI, NOV 7 (PTI): Heavy rains lashed Chennai and its suburban areas overnight leading to all round water-logging and authorities on Sunday sounded a preliminary flood alert to people as three city reservoirs were opened in a phased manner to release surplus water.

Chief Minister M K Stalin inspected several inundated areas here along with top officials including Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu and directed authorities to take swift action to drain flood water.

Stalin, along with Cabinet colleagues distributed flood assistance, including rice, milk and blankets to people in affected areas, housed in a temporary shelter here.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian said Chennai experienced 20 cm rain in about 12 hours since last night. According to IMD data, the rainfall ranged between 10 CM and 23 CM

dial:- (O) 03862-359047 (m) 9436002701, 9862227758

Edu-Care Montessori & Primary Teachers Training Institute under Icst reg. no. h/rs-3980, govt. of nagaland an IsO 9001:2015 certified Organization & member of Indian montessori centre, International accreditation by tnV uk ltt.

admIssIOn gOIng On courses offered :  Certificate in Pre-school Program (3 Months)  Diploma in M. & P.T.T (6 Months).  Advance Diploma in M&P.T.T (1 year) Eligibility : 10+2 & above.

100% Job Placement Assistance Address : United Colony, Ward-20 near DEO Office, Dimapur, Nagaland. contact : 9774445529, 8415057699 dp-5321/21

Great OppOrtunity

db-352/21

db-353/21a

For Educated Ambitious Youths in a Leading Multi-National Direct Sales & Marketing Organisation Fix Salary Rs. 8,000/- – 15,000/- P.M + Daily Remuneration Upto Rs. 1000/- During 6 mts – 1 year probationary period.

Successful candidates will be given placement within Nagaland & N-E States with a starting package of 12 Lacs P.A Walk-in-interview with Bio-Data Between 10 AM – 4 PM before 12th November at Impulse marketIng Br. OffIce. naga shOppIng arcade OB-10 dImapur - ph. 8787441070 near hOtel saramatI dp-5342/21

BUSINESS/STATE

Check illegal collection at NPP opposes govt’s move to Currency notes in check-gates: NVCO to govt nominate members to ULBs circulation continue to rise

(From p-1) It claimed that some truck owners had told NVCO verbally that on the night of October 5, some police personnel and local youth had allegedly collected cash from trucks carrying empty cartoon and waste papers, including two trucks at the Phesama check-gate.

NVCO said that the Southern Angami Public Organisation (SAPO) had officially written to the chief secretary on September 30 last informing that the governing body consisting of 13 villages had unanimously decided to discontinue SAPO local tax at Phesama check-gate in the interest of the public with effect from October 1, 2021.

While pointing out that such illegal collections at the check-gates had been going on for the past several decades, NVCO said that as long as the authorities continue collecting money, how could they stop other organisations from doing the same.

NVCO has therefore urged the state government to effectively implement the government standing order of June 6, 2009 so as to completely stop collection of cash at the check-gates and on highways.

Crossword

Su doku

KAKURO

(From p-1) warned that this would not only give rise to nepotism and favouritism to prevail, but also lead to more corruption that was at the very root of poor development in Nagaland.

The party cautioned that there would be total lack of accountability and an increase in the misappropriation of public money collected as revenue by the ULBs. This arbitrary decision of the State government without consultation with the stakeholders would create more discrepancies and dissatisfaction in various quarters, for which the State government would be solely held accountable, it added.

NPP also termed the move as highly suspicious at this juncture considering the fact that the State Assembly elections were scheduled

next year and wherein the ruling party and its allies might make the best possible use of a favourable position of their parties and candidates in the municipal areas like Dimapur.

Therefore, condemning in strongest terms the “unethical and unconstitutional” decision of the State government, the party urged the civic bodies, tribal hohos, student bodies and like-minded individuals to raise their voice against such unreasonable and biased steps taken by the government that could jeopardise healthy democracy and polity of the State.

Further, it also called upon the State government to immediately conduct fresh elections to the ULBs so that people’s belief and faith in democratic principles were reinstated.

NEW DELHI, NOV 7 (PTI): Five years after the demonetisation, currency notes in circulation continue to rise albeit at a slower pace even as digital payments surge with more and more people embracing cashless payment modes.

Primarily, banknotes in circulation went up in the last financial year as many people opted for the precautionary holding of cash amid the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting normal lives and economic activities in varying degrees.

Official data points out a jump in digital payments through different modes, including plastic cards, net banking and Unified Payments Interface. UPI of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is fast emerging as a major medium of payment in the country. All said, currency notes in circulation are still in the upward curve.

On November 8, five years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the demonetisation of old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 banknotes and one of the key objectives of the unprecedented decision was to promote digital payments and curb black money flows.

No. 10089 Yesterday’s solution No. 10088

No. 4711 Yesterday’s solution No. 4710

No. 3735 Yesterday’s solution No. 3734

ACROSS 3. Tyre surface (5) 8. Humorous (5) 10. Lowest point (5) 11. Decompose (3) 12. Nun’s costume (5) 13. Harass, torment (7) 15. Wall painting (5) 18. Colour (3) 19. Food shortage (6) 21. Word for word (7) 22. First man (4) 23. Single step (4) 24. Melodious (7) 26. Tolerates (6) 29. Deity (3) 31. Cloth made of flax (5) 32. Hugs (7) 34. Light boat (5) 35. Meadow (3) 36. For a particular purpose (2,3) 37. Canvas shelters (5) 38. Raising agent (5) DOWN 1. Heals (5) 2. Temporary, provisional (7) 4. Genuine (4) 5. Brutal person (6) 6. Fact (5) 7. Backless sofa (5) 9. Signal agreement (3) 12. Repulsive (7) 14. Animal doctor (3) 16. Competitor (5) 17. Horizontal (5) 19. Exhaustion (7) 20. Of the Pope (5) 21. Dead language (5) 23. Short light oars (7) 24. Threaten (6) 25. Fish (3) 27. Feathered friends (5) 28. Lure (5) 30. Decease (5) 32. Swindles (4) 33. Boy’s name (3)

D I M A P U R , N OV 7 (NPN): Inderjit Camotra, who was born in Kohima, has been appointed the first CEO of Unity Bank.

He is the son of S. Darshan Singh former law and justice secretary, government of Nagaland.

Inder jit studied in Baptish High and Little Flower School Kohima and was also a topper and Darshan Singh gold medallist.

After his schooling, he Camotra was earlier with pursued engineering at IIT StanChart, ANZ and CiDelhi and went overseas tibank. for MBA at New York.

Unity Bank com-

menced its operations on November 1, after it got the banking licence from the Reserve Bank of India. The bank, with equity of Rs 1100 crores and over 2 lakh customers, is promoted by Centrum Group & Bharat Pe, and seeks to be India’s Digital Bank.

Unity Bank will shortly takeover the ailing PMC bank which has Rs. 10,600 cores of deposits and over 10 lakh customers The bank also aims to have over 150 branches across India.

WC seeks early solution from PM, HM (From p-1) WC also cautioned that the Naga tribes and history will one day unearth names of leaders of today, who either assisted or played spoilsport in the “imminent Indo-Naga political solution”.

Even as the Naga tribes have expressed utmost urgency for practical and honorable solution to save future generations from further catastrophic existence, WC asked whether the “Nagaland state government, a ready facilitator which is a constitutional arm and also privy to government of India position, choose to remain in a state of slave-master electoral mentality, indulging in impractical political innuendos?”

As people’s elected representatives, WC said that it was time to be real statesmen, agents of inter-generational reformers.

And if the intention was real, WC said the true meaning of oppositionless government is to translate words into practical action.

WC said this was the perfect God gifted time for the state government to facilitate the expressed will of the people of Nagaland.

WC also reminded that all the negotiating groups had concluded the talks as on October 31, 2019 and that this was also the official stand of the Centre.

WC maintained that the ‘Agreed

Position’ between WC and the government of India and the subsequent ‘Status Paper’ was the result of thousands of consultative hours put in by WC leaders with Naga tribal leaders, current and past Naga legislators and parliamentarians, Naga intellectuals, neighboring community leaders in Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

According to WC, this was a clear and firm understanding of the past history, present scenario and future partnership that “both Nagas and the GoI will must entrench relationship.”.

It also categorically stated that the Centre and WC, NNPGs blueprint of the “proposed Indo-Naga political solution” was not Nagaland state centric but guarantees adequate political and administrative space and scope for divided Nagas in Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to protect ancestral land, resources, culture and traditions through redefined political structure.

It added that while there is a great necessity to promote, preserve and strengthen Naga history, identity, culture, customs and traditions beyond the present Nagaland state, the reality and the practical existence of Nagas under various political and administrative boundaries cannot be ignored as the “GoI has made it very clear that state boundaries, as of now, won’t alter.”

Rupee to gain strength on likely return of FIIs MUMBAI, NOV 7 (IANS): The expected return of foreign capital into India’s key indices will strengthen the Indian rupee further during the upcoming week.

Accordingly, the rupee is likely to touch the 74 to a USD mark during this period.

The FIIs have been on a selling spree in India’s equity market, however, the rate of off-load has significantly come down during the last few sessions.

On last Thursday, during the hour-long ‘Muhurat Trade Session’, FIIs

sold just Rs 328.11 crore worth of stocks on the BSE, NSE and MSEI in the capital market segment.

“Rupee closed strong in this short trade week at 74.50 to a USD on back of lower crude and IPO inflows.

Also on the back of IMF’s suggestion of lower interventions to India’s Central bank,” said Sajal Gupta, Head, Forex and Rates at Edelweiss Securities.

“The US yields also softened a bit after touching 1.70 levels paving way for a rally in risk assets.

Rupee is expected to test

beauty CastLe saLon

experienCed driver required

SeaSon offer

1. Hair Straightening - 1600/2. Smoothening - 2000/3. Facial - 1000/Contact no. 9402022717 dp-5343/21 7630878701

Salary: Negotiable Contact Between 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM 8794365038 9089759792

74 levels this week and the Nifty is likely to gain further strength.”

According to Devarsh Vakil, Deputy Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities: “This week rupee behaved exactly as expected and appreciated amid heavy FPI flows from ongoing IPOs. Better PMI numbers of manufacturing and service activities indicating economic conditions are improving.”

PerManenT PoST

We recruiting candidates, class X, XII, Graduate & above for different post in International Government Registered Org. (Kohima Branch) Contact: 9863120398 8787417344 k-2150/21

LAND FOR SALE Location : Bamunpukhuri-A (3 km from Zion Hospital) 43 x 41 : Rs. 4.85 Lakhs 60 x 50 : Rs. 8.95 Lakhs 85 x 57 : Rs. 12.80 Lakhs Contact : 9402615648 7005204949 dp-5257/21

FIRE EXTINGUISHER & HYDRANTS

We sell, service all types of fire extinguishers. we install Fire Alarms, Hose Reel and Hydrants for buildings.

M/s TAZ FIRE & SAFETY EQUIPMENTS 4th Mile, Dimapur Contact : +91 9436060371 +91 8415829492 dp-5186/21

LAND FOR SALE OLD SHOWUBA AREA i. 5 Puras (` 90/- per sq. ft.) ii. 10 Puras (` 110/- per sq. ft.)

Near Four Lane For more details, contact : 9856603713/ 9612242850

dp-5314/21

the Centre during the fiscal.

So, experts said that even if another round of similar level of excise duty cut is announced by the Centre, its budgeted revenue would remain on track while the move will provide further relief to consumers who have seen fuel prices rising by over Rs 26 per litre in 2021 alone.

Government sources, however, indicated that further duty cuts at this juncture would not be considered as revenue is required for several additional expenditure schemes

oil sector expert from one of the four big audit and accounting firms.

In FY21, contribution of the petroleum sector to the exchequer remained at over Rs 4 lakh crore.

This is because excise duty was raised by Rs 13 and Rs 1 6 per litre on petrol and diesel between March 2020 and May 2020 and it rose to Rs 31.8 on diesel and Rs 32.9 per litre on petrol. It had come down a bit after duty cuts were announced now.

The increase in excise duty last year was to mop up gains arising from international crude oil prices falling to a two-decade low.

In fact, a large portion of additional excise earnings was used for Covid relief measures announced by the government.

But the thinking now is that with tax revenues both direct and indirect showing buoyancy with the economy fast on revival mode, some revision in duties can be made in the interest of the common man.

Land with buiLding for sale

at Landmark Colony (pWd), Near NpF Office, dimapur Area : 3900 Sq.Ft. Three storeyed building with 28 rooms No brokers, genuine buyers only Contact : 9863509417 9856344143 dp-5329/21

LAND FOR SALE At 4 Lane Touched

1. 4 Bighas Any type of Commercial Site Rs. 230 per sq.ft 2. 14 Bighas Paddy Field & Residential Site Two Mnts walk from 4 Lane Rs. 60 per sq.ft Contact : 8787702327

dp-5346/21

enue by around Rs 45,000 crore in the balance period of FY22.

So, the average duty cut is around Rs 7.5 per litre (tax collections also depend on the quantum of sale of petrol and diesel).

Without any duty changes, the government was expected to collect over Rs 4.3 lakh crore from auto fuels. Now with duty cuts, this estimate may fall to a round Rs 3.80 lakh crore for FY22. This is still much higher than the budget estimate of Rs 3.2 lakh crore from excise collections by

including on Covid relief programmes and paying GST compensation to states. But if the global oil price spikes further, further cuts could be considered, sources said.

Together with states also announcing VAT duty cuts on petrol and diesel, consumers have got bigger relief on auto fuel prices across the country. However, even after the cuts, fuel remains at elevated levels with rates above Rs 100 per litre-mark in several parts of the country.

A Rs 5 per litre increase in fuel prices adds 0.5 per cent to inflation.

Thus, any increase in petrol and diesel rates had a multiplier effect in raising rates for several other activities depressing the purchasing power of consumers.

“The much awaited duty cuts are welcome, but a lot more needs to be done considering projections that global oil may move up $100 a barrel soon. There is room for further reduction in oil sector duties,” said an

dp-5337/21

NEW DELHI, NOV 7 (IANS): Consumers expect further relief from the surging price of auto fuels as the government has room for additional excise duty cuts on petrol and diesel without impacting its budgeted revenue from the sector.

Sources said that the government has enough room to cut excise duty on petrol and diesel with an earlier ICICI Securities report suggesting that excise duty could be cut up to Rs 8.5 per litre without impacting the government’s target for revenue from the tax on the two fuels this year. The estimate was based on cuts affected from April 1, 2021.

But with seven months of the year already over, higher levels of cuts could be made as increased collections have already been made in the past seven months o f FY22.

Gover nment on Wednesday announced a Rs 5 per litre reduction in excise duty on petrol and Rs 10 cut in duty on diesel that would impact its rev-

Kohima-born Inderjit Camotra becomes Unity Bank’s CEO

dp-5213/21

Consumers expect more duty relief on auto fuels

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

dC-1084/21

8

Iraqi PM survives assassination bid with drones

BAGHDAD, NOV 7 (AP): Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi survived an assassination attempt with armed drones that targeted his residence early Sunday and officials said he was unharmed. The attack was a major escalation amid tensions sparked by the refusal of Iran-backed militias to accept last month’s parliamentary election results.

Two Iraqi officials told The Associated Press that seven of al-Kadhimi’s security guards were injured in the attack with two armed drones which occurred in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone area. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give official statements.

“I am fine and among my people. Thank God,” the prime minister tweeted shortly after the attack. He called for calm and restraint, “for the sake of Iraq.”

He later appeared on Iraqi television, seated behind a desk in a white shirt, looking calm and composed. “Cowardly rocket and drone attacks don’t build homelands and don’t build a future,” he said.

In a statement, the government said an explosivesladen drone tried to hit alKadhimi’s home. Residents

Mustafa al-Kadhimi

of Baghdad heard the sound of an explosion followed by heavy gunfire from the direction of the Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies and government offices.

The statement released by state-run media said security forces were “taking the necessary measures in connection with this failed attempt.”

There was no immediate claim for the attack.

It comes amid a stand-off between security forces and pro-Iran Shiite militias whose supporters have been camped outside the Green Zone for nearly a month after they rejected the results of Iraq’s parliamentary elections in which they lost around two-thirds of their seats.

“The assassination at-

tempt is a dramatic escalation, crossing a line in unprecedented fashion that may have violent reverberations,” wrote Ranj Alaaldin, a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution, in a post on Twitter.

Protests turned deadly Friday when the demonstrators tried to enter the Green Zone. Security forces used tear gas and live ammunition. There was an exchange of fire in which one protester affiliated with the militias was killed. Dozens of security forces were injured.

Al-Khadimi ordered an investigation to determine what sparked the clashes and who violated orders not to open fire.

Some of the leaders of the most powerful militia factions loyal to Iran openly blamed al-Kadhimi

Palestinians, Israel spar over US mission TEL AVIV, NOV 7 (AP): The Palestinians on Sunday slammed Israel for rejecting the promised reopening of the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, a move that would restore Washington’s main diplomatic mission for the Palestinians in the contested city.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said late Saturday there was no room in Jerusalem for another American mission.

The Trump administration shuttered the U.S. Jerusalem consulate, an office that for years served as the de facto embassy to the Palestinians.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pledged to reopen it, a move that Israel says would challenge its sovereignty over the city. The reopen-

9

INTERNATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Naftali Bennett

ing could help mend U.S. ties with the Palestinians ruptured under Trump.

In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it views the reopening of the consulate as part of the international community’s commitments to ending Israel’s decadeslong occupation of territories the Palestinians seek for their future state.

“East Jerusalem is an inseparable part of the oc-

cupied Palestinian territory and is the capital of the state of Palestine. Israel, as the occupying power, does not have the right to veto the U.S. administration’s decision,” the statement said.

Asked about the consulate at a press conference, Bennett repeated Israel’s position on Jerusalem.

“There’s no room for another American consulate in Jerusalem,” he said.

“Jerusalem is the capital of one state and that’s the state of Israel.” Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid suggested the consulate could instead be opened in the Palestinian administrative center in Ramallah, West Bank. The Palestinians reject the idea because it would undermine their claims to Jerusalem.

US backs India-UK led solar Green Grids Initiative at COP26

for Friday’s clashes and the protester’s death.

“The blood of martyrs is to hold you accountable,” said Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, addressing al-Kadhimi at a funeral held for the protester Saturday.

“The protesters only had one demand against fraud in elections. Responding like this (with live fire) means you are the first responsible for this fraud.”

The funeral was attended by leaders of the mostly Shiite Iran-backed factions who together are known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic.

Abu Alaa al-Walae, commander of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, in a tweet apparently addressed to alKadhimi that did not name him told him to forget about another term.

Al-Kadhimi, 54, was Iraq’s former intelligence chief before becoming prime minister in May last year. He is considered by the militias to be close to the U.S., and has tried to balance between Iraq’s alliances with both the U.S. and Iran. Prior to the elections, he hosted several rounds of talks between regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia in Baghdad in a bid to ease regional tensions.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s national security council, said indirectly in a tweet Sunday that the United States was behind the attack.

The assault on al-Kadhimi “is a new sedition that must be traced back to foreign think tanks, which have brought nothing but insecurity, discord & instability to oppressed Iraqi people through creation & support of terrorist groups & occupation of this country for years,” he said.

The U.S. strongly denounced the attack.

“This apparent act of terrorism, which we strongly condemn, was directed at the heart of the Iraqi state,” said State Depar tment spokesperson Ned Price.

“We are in close touch with the Iraqi security forces charged with upholding Iraq’s sovereignty and independence and have offered our assistance as they investigate this attack,” he added.

E g y p t ’s P r e s i d e n t Abdel Fattah el-Sissi also condemned the assassination attempt. Writing on Facebook, he called on all sides in Iraq to “calm down, renounce violence and join forces to preserve the country’s stability.”

4 Yemeni migrants killed in crossfire

N.Korea holds artillery fire competition: State media

SANAA, NOV 7 (IANS): At least four Yemeni migrants were killed in a crossfire in the past 24 hours when they were trying to cross into Saudi Arabia to seek jobs, medics have confirmed. Six other illegal migrants were wounded in the exchange of machine guns and artillery fire between Yemeni Houthi militia and Saudi border guards in the Yemeni border district of Monabih, the medics told Xinhua news agency.

Such accidents have been frequently reported in this area. The Monabih district in Yemen’s northern province of Saada has become one of the busiest routes to enter Saudi Arabia among the illegal migrants who lost their jobs since the civil war erupted 7 years ago.

SEOUL, NOV 7 (IANS): North Korea has conducted an artillery fire competition to boost the country’s defence capabilities as set forth by the “militant policy” of the ruling Workers’ Party, state media reported on Sunday.

The competition was held Saturday to inspect “how the mechanised troops of the KPA have conducted drills in order to increase their mobile artillery combat capabilities”, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

KPA stands for the Korean People’s Army, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Pa k Jo n g - c h o n , a member of the Presidium of the Politburo of the ruling party, guided the competition.

North Korean leader

LONDON, NOV 7 (PTI): The US has partnered with the UK and India-led Green Grids Initiative of a global energy grid launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

At a meeting of the Steering Committee of the Green Grids Initiative – ‘One Sun One World One Grid’ (GGI-OSOWOG) earlier this week, US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said that the US is excited to be back in the climate conversation and to partner with the new initiative. “All the energy humanity uses in a year is equal to the energy that reaches the earth from the sun in a single hour,” said Granholm.

“The GGI-OSOWOG is focusing on the two most important pieces of the puzzle. We at the US Department of Energy are happy to be a partner with GGI-OSOWOG,” she said.

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) under India’s presidency and the UK’s COP26 Presidency had launched GGI-OSOWOG during the World Leaders’ Summit of COP26 on Tuesday. The Steering Committee of GGI-OSOWOG comprises five members be-

Jennifer Granholm

sides India and the UK – the US, Australia and France – and has been set up to deliver the vision of One Sun One World One Grid under which 80 countries have resolved to combine their efforts to create more interconnected grids, endorsing the ‘One Sun Declaration’.

Energy Secretary Granholm told the meeting this week that the US is focusing on next-generation technologies to ensure solar panels and grids are consistently efficient across markets and geographies.

“The US is interested in helping countries that do not have access to electricity by leveraging the power of the sun,” she said.

Following the leaderlevel events of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC) 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on Monday and Tuesday, each country’s delegates and officials have been participating in a series of meetings to finalise the way forward to tackle climate change by the end of the summit on November 12. The Indian team includes Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav and chief negotiator Richa Sharma. “We must return to the sun to save the earth.

As the world progresses to achieve new heights economically and socially, solar energy will power the transition,” said Yadav.

“The GGI-OSOWOG initiative has sustainable development and climate change mitigation at its core with focus on underserved areas. It will stimulate green investment and create millions of green jobs,” he said.

The One Sun Declaration for GGI-OSOWOG will be focused on building new transmission lines crossing frontiers and connecting different time zones, creating a global ecosystem of interconnected renewables that are shared for mutual benefit and global sustainability.

An artillery fire competition between large combined units of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) on the western front. (AFP)

Kim Jong-un did not attend the event.

“As soon as the firing orders were given by the commanders of the combined units, gun barrels to annihilate the enemy com-

petitively shelled the target to accurately hit it,” the KCNA said.

The unit that won the first place received a “master gunner certificate, medal and badge”, and Pak was

“greatly satisfied with the competition results”, the report said. It’s unusual for the North to unveil an artillery fire competition that was not presided over by leader Kim.

dp-5327/21

dc-1072/21

dp-5318/21

that the Taliban’s would-be suicide bombers were “members of elite cadres who parade in regimental order wearing colourful uniforms that showcase the different types of suicide bomber and their function”, the report said.

In October, the Taliban announced that it was deploying its “martyrdom brigade” along the border with Tajikistan. The move came amid tensions between the Taliban-led government and Dushanbe, which accused the group of monopolising power.

dc-1087/21

NEW DELHI, NOV 7 (IANS): As the Taliban attempts to transform from an insurgency into a government, its contingent of trained suicide bombers remains central to its military and political strategy, experts say, RFE/RL reported.

In a victory parade after retaking power, the Taliban displayed its suicide bombers and arsenal of explosives-laden suicide vests. The parade triggered outrage among many Afghans who said Taliban suicide attacks had killed hundreds of civilians over the years.

The militants also announced the formation of a new “martyrdom brigade” made up of suicide bombers, in a move that experts say is an attempt to rebrand its suicide bombers as elite fighters ready to protect the new government, the report said.

“The current Taliban leadership seeks to retroactively take ownership of suicide bombing in all its forms and to give it a new meaning that will help it transform a decentralized insurgency into a unified government,” says David Edwards, a professor of anthropology at Williams College, as per the report.

He says the new suicide bomber brigade is intended to “confer legitimacy on the Taliban leadership as it attempts to turn itself into a semblance of a government with regular troops under its command and not just covert agents of violence”.

Edwards also noted

dp-5216/21

Suicide bombers remain central to Taliban strategy

INFOTAINMENT

10

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

WhatsApp working on new Travis Scott concert tragedy: Two Over 28 mn years of life lost Communities feature: Report children, aged 14 and 16, among 8 dead in 31 countries in 2020: Study T

human lives, continuous and timely monitoring of excess years of life lost (YLL) would help identify the sources of excess mortality and excess YLL in population subgroups,” the researchers, including Nazrul Islam from the University of Oxford, said.

YLL measures both the number of deaths and the age at which it occurs, making it a more detailed assessment of Covid-19’s impact on populations.

F o r t h e s t u d y, published by The BMJ journal, using this measure, the team set out to estimate the changes in life expectancy and excess years of life lost from all causes in 2020.

They compared the

F

acebook-owned WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new Communities feature that will give admins more power over groups.

According to WA B e t a I n f o , t h e C o m mu n i t i e s f e a t u r e appears to give group admins more power over groups.

The new feature is speculated to grant admins the ability to invite new users via a Community Invite Link and then start messaging other members.

The feature was seen in the latest beta version for WhatsApp, version 2.21.21.6.

Community is expected to be a social media-like function within the messaging app itself, similar to a Facebook group.

With Communities

like feature, WhatsApp is trying to remove the gap between it and other messaging apps like Telegram and Signal.

WhatsApp has also started rolling out a feature that would allow users to link their account to secondary devices and continue to send and receive messages without the primary smartphone online.

The feature is officially rolling out to all WhatsApp users in the most recent update of WhatsApp on both Android and iOS versions.

Once enabled, you will be unlinked from all devices before re-linking to a new device. Once linked, it behaves pretty much the same way, except you will be able to chat regardless of whether your main smartphone is online or not.

(IANS)

has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life. I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.”

Multiple reports from attendees collated b y ‘ Va r i e t y ’ f r o m i t s own investigations and media reports, however, allege that security and emergency workers were difficult to find and at times unresponsive during the chaotic scenes at NRG Park. The crowd, in fact, was already rambunctious, with many concertgoers seemingly inebriated.

The first reports that people were falling down and had been injured came around 9.30 p.m. local time. The festival stopped at 10:10 p.m. Some people were trampled in the crush of fans in front of the stage.

Sam Fender turned down Sir Elton John duet Tuensang Chapter

Dimapur Chapter

Kohima Chapter

The Nagaland Motorcycle Club (NMC) celebrated its ‘11th Foundation Day’ on Sunday.

The foundation day was observed by Kohima chapter, Dimapur Chapter and Tuensang chapter in their respective districts.

All the chapters hosted a small programme among their own members to commemorate the anniversary, while some chapters inducted new members to its fold. A minute of silence was also observed by all NMC chapters for their departed members.

TikTok emerges as most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide for Oct

S

dc-1069/21

hort video platform TikTok emerged as the most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide for October 2021 with more than 57 million installs.

The countries with the largest number of installs were from Douyin in China at 17 per cent, followed by the US at 11 per cent, reports Sensor Tower.

K Y M C

Instagram was the second most installed non-gaming app worldwide last month with more than 56 million installs, which represented a 31 per cent increase from October 2020.

The countries with the largest number of Instagram installs were from India at 39 per cent, followed

by Brazil at 6 per cent. Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram rounded out

the top five most installed non-gaming apps worldwide for the month.

Last year, the Indian government said it was banning 59 apps developed b y C h i n e s e f i r m s, i n c l u d i n g ByteDance’s TikTok and PUBG Mobile over concerns that these apps were engaging in activities that threatened national security.

(IANS)

S

am Fender turned down the chance to feature on Sir Elton John’s ‘Lockdown Sessions’ album because he was too busy.

The ‘Will We Talk?’ hitmaker has been “hanging out” with the 74-yearold music legend and admitted they discussed the possibility of recording a duet for the ‘Crocodile Rock’ singer’s latest LP, but Sam ultimately had to decline as he was working hard on his own record, ‘Seventeen Going Under’,

and didn’t want to “rush” anything.

H owe ve r, S a m i s hopeful he and Elton will still work together one day in the future.

He said: “Elton is now actually a friend, so I’ve been hanging out with him and learning some of his tricks”.

“He’s a legend. We were going to do something for his ‘Lockdown Sessions’ album but I needed to stay focused on what I was finishing”.

“We didn’t want to

rush it or f*** it up, so I hope we can return to it down the line or drop it in later.”

As well as Elton, Sam has also been able to call on Paul Weller for advice and he really values the former Jam singer’s opinion.

He told the Daily Star Sunday’s Wired column: “Both have their opinions on the album . Paul’s great to bounce things off because he’s a lyric writer himself, he really engages with that.”

The ‘Tiny Dancer’ singer recently heaped praise on Sam, hailing the 27-year-old singer as the “best rock and roll artist there is”.

Discussing who else he would like to duet with, Elton said: “I’ve collaborated with most people. Sam Fender. He’s a British rock and roll artist who’s the best rock and roll artist there is. He makes Oasis sound like a calm palm trio. He is brilliant.”

(Contactmusic)

Around 50,000 people were in attendance.

Summing up the dangers imminent in the post-Covid return to normality, ‘Variety’ noted: “As the concert world has cautiously returned from 18 months of pandemic lockdown, festivals have been a major force in that comeback, both for fans and promoters. Yet the tragedy at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival ... showed just how quickly disaster can occur.”

The sentiments of the community were articulated

by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who said: “This is an artiste that we know has a following among young people in particular, young people with bright futures.” She added that the ages of the victims “just breaks your heart”. Houston is in Harris County, Texas.

(IANS)

4 get CM’s scholarship for Music

N

agaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio on Sunday announced that four meritorious individuals have been selected by Ta F M A t o u n d e r g o intensive music courses at music maestro AR Rahma’s KM Music Conservatory in Chennai.

Informing this in a tweet, Rio said that the four individuals who have been selected include—Vitolu Zhimomi (production/ studio), Vikhietuonuo Rutsa (piano), Vizovolie Rhatsu (voice/choir) and Binthu Newmai (voice).

The four individuals will undergo three months intensive music and music production courses at the Academy, Task Force for Music and Arts stated.

dp-5348/21

LO N D O N, N OV 7 (IANS): More than 28 million years of life were lost than expected in 2020 in 31 upper-middle and high-income countries, finds a new study.

According to a study, except for Taiwan, New Zealand, Denmark, I c e l a n d , N o r way a n d South Korea, all other countries examined had more premature deaths than expected in 2020, with a higher rate in men than women.

The highest rates of excess premature deaths were in Russia, Bulgaria, Lithuania and the US. “As many of the effects of the pandemic might take a longer time frame to have a measurable effect on

observed life expectancy and years of life lost in 2020 with those that would be expected based on historical trends in 200519 in 37 upper-middle and high-income countries.

Between 2005 and 2019, life expectancy at birth increased in both men and women in all the countries studied.

In 2020, there was a decline in life expectancy in both men and women in all countries except New Zealand, Taiwan, and Norway, where there was a gain in life expectancy.

The highest decline in life expectancy (in years) was in Russia (-2.33 in men and -2.14 in women), the US (-2.27 in men and -1.61 in women), Bulgaria (-1.96 in men and -1.37 in women), Lithuania (-1.83 in men and -1.21 in women), Chile (-1.64 in men), and Spain (-1.11 in women).

Overall, excess years of life lost to the covid-19 pandemic in 2020 were more than five times higher (2,510 per 100,000) than those associated with the seasonal influenza epidemic in 2015 (458 per 1,00,000).

(IANS)

wo children, aged 14 and 16, were among the eight people who died at American rapper Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in Houston o n Fr i d ay n i g h t ( U. S Central Time), the city’s mayor said.

The other victims ranged in age from 21 to 27, Houston Mayor Sylvester Tur ner said at a press conference. Among the injured is a 10-year-old who is in a critical condition, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said. Scott, an eighttime Grammy-nominated ar tiste who is hugely popular among young adults, was performing at NRG Park, when the crowd began to push toward the stage.

Responding to the tragedy, Travis Scott issued a statement on social media that read: “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at the Astroworld Festival.” At least eight people died and more than 300 injured as fans rushed toward the stage during Scott’s headlining performance.

Scott added in his statement: “Houston PD

K Y M C

Djokovic downs Medvedev to claim record sixth Paris Masters

PA R I S, N OV 7 ( R EUTERS): Novak Djokovic won a record-extending sixth Paris Masters title by avenging his U.S Open final defeat against Russian Daniil Medvedev with a 4-6 6-3 6-3 victory in Sunday’s showpiece match.

The Serbian, who is guaranteed to secure the year-end world number one spot for a record seventh time, needed time to adjust to break the world number two’s sturdy defence but was unstoppable once he found his opening.

Djokovic was looking to avoid ending a season without a Masters title for the first time since 2017 and kept his cool throughout to accomplish his mission against the holder.

Medvedev was overwhelmed in the third set and bowed out of the contest on the first match point when Djokovic unleashed a superb forehand winner down the line.

Two months after Medvedev denied Djokovic a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam men’s singles

Novak Djokovic

title when he beat the Serb at Flushing Meadows, the Russian was hoping to lock his opponent into a backhand-to-backhand battle again.

Medvedev broke in the opening game as

Dr. Imkongliba Ao Memorial Open Volleyball Trophy

DIMAPUR, NOV 7 (NPN): The 2nd All Nagaland Dr. Imkongliba Ao Memorial Open Volleyball Trophy, day and night matches organized by Japukong Youth Organisation (JYO) will be held from December 7 -9 at DDSC stadium, Dimapur.

The event will be graced

by Minister of Higher Education, Tribal Affairs, government of Nagaland, Temjen Imna Along, as the chief host.

The winner of the trophy will receive a cash prize of Rs. 1,25,000/-; runners – up Rs. 75,000/-; third prize - Rs. 30,000/- and fourth prize - Rs. 20,000/-. Meanwhile, individual prizes will be awarded to the “player of the tournament”, “Best spiker” and “Best setter” with a cash prize of Rs. 10,000/-each.

Interested teams have been requested to register by November 30 on payment of Rs. 5000/- as registration fees.

Forms will be available at the following places: VJ coaching centre, Duncan Dimapur; Kiran Sport, Dimapur and Capital counter, Mokokchung.

Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a tion, one may contact at 7005280962 or 6009231946.

Djokovic made a flurry of unforced errors with the lanky Russian keeping him on the back foot.

The world number one levelled for 2-2 but Medvedev stole his serve again to move 4-3 up with

a splendid sliced backhand at the net.

The Russian then held serve twice to pocket the first set when Djokovic returned long.

The Serbian, however, turned the tables in the second set, going 3-1 up as Medvedev buried a backhand into the net.

Djokovic served and volleyed to save a break point at 5-3 and saw off a second with a big serve.

Medvedev set up a third with a spectacular block at the net but the top seed’s first serve again came to the rescue.

Djokovic eventually took the match into a decider with an ace on his third set point.

He broke for 3-2 courtesy of three unforced errors by Medvedev and stole his opponent’s serve again to move 5-2 up.

Serving for he match, Djokovic gave Medvedev too much space and the Russian pulled a break back but his tank was empty and he surrendered on his serve in the next game.

Jepchirchir and Korir win New York City Marathon N E W YO R K , N OV 7 (AGENCIES): Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir won the 50th running of the New York City Marathon on Sunday in 2:22:39, surviving a thrilling three-way battle before sprinting for the finish line, and fellow Kenyan Albert Korir won the men’s race in 2:08:22.

Jepchirchir is the first athlete to pick up Olympic gold and win the famed fiveborough race in the same year, with compatriot Viola Cheptoo and Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh finishing second and third respectively.

American Molly Seidel, who took home the bronze from the Tokyo Games, finished fourth.

Albert Korir, who finished second in 2019, had established a 17- second lead through the 35-kilometre mark and leapt into the air as he broke the tape in Central Park, with Moroccan Mohamed El Aaraby finishing 44 seconds behind and Italian Eyob Faniel finishing third. The temperature hovered around 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.44°C) on Staten Island as the marathon major kicked off at 8 a.m. ET.

D I M A P U R , N OV 7 (NPN): The 9th edition of “Hornbill Riders Meet” (HRM) with the theme “Riders Unlocked” will be held from December 2 to 4 at Chünca (Kire Farm) and Khetsiegei (Sachü Badze), south east of and 10 kms away from Kohima, along the Phek, Kiphire road.

The event will be hosted by Naga Chiefs of Nagaland Motorcycle Club (NMC) with Nagaland Tourism, government of Nagaland as partners. The meet would be open to all Royal Enfield riders, this year’s

edition will be subjected to limited entries due to unavoidable factors.

It will be mandatory for all participants (including organisers) to produce either vaccination certificates or covid negative test report taken not more than 72 hours as of December 2.

All existing government SOPs and any additional regulation that might be put in place by Health authorities will be followed.

Naga Chiefs of ‘Nagaland Motorcycle Club’ welcome riders from Nagaland and beyond to

Champion Michazou Mima with the dignitaries.

KO H I M A , N OV 7 (NPN): Michazou Mima emerged as the champion of the 1st edition of Open Volleyball Tournament 2021 organized by Seiyhama Baptist Church on November 6 at Seiyhama village under Kohima district.

Winning the coveted champion title, Michazou pocketed a cash prize of Rs. 20,000. Nexus, Kohima stood runners-up and

awarded with Rs. 15,000.

Semi-finalists Koinonia Prayer Centre Tsiese Basa and Chienino Brothers, Kiruphema received Rs. 5000 each.

Menuokho Ngukha of Michazou and Menuoselie Hojha of Chienino Brothers bagged the best spiker and best setter titles respectively.

Seiyhama Village Council chairman Lhoulalie Zumu graced the vale-

dictory function and gave away prize to the winners.

Earlier, Roko Angami, president Nagaland Football Coaches Association (NFCA) and also president of Northern Angami Youth Organization (NAYO) graced the inaugural function as the special guest.

22 teams from Kohima district including one team from Phek district joined the tournament.

Nagaland wushu selection trial on Nov 16

DIMAPUR, NOV 7 (NPN): The Nagaland Wushu Association will be participating in the upcoming senior national wushu championship-cum-national game qualifier which is to be held on December 4 to 10at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. In this regard, there will be a trial selection on November 16.

All the instructors and interested candidates are requested to contact coach DP Gabriel Khamo at 7630994233.

register for the muchawaited event. Venue will be opened to registered riders at 3 pm on December 2.

Online registrations will be opened on November 9 at 9 am and close on November 25 at 9 pm. “On the Spot” registration will not be entertained for this edition due to Covid-19 concerns and protocols.

For enquiries and registration, interested motorcycle clubs and solo riders can contact Dr. Tali Ao at 9612155250 and Alem Ozukum at 8132907408.

8th Kohima District Open Volleyball tournament from November 10

DIMAPUR, NOV 7 (NPN): The 8th Kohima District Open Volleyball Tournament 2021 (Men & Women) has been scheduled for November 10 to 12 at Kohima local ground under the aegis of Kohima District Volleyball Association (KDVA).

Last date for submission of entry forms is November 8.

Entry forms have been made available at Sports World, Main Town, Kohima and Star Sports, near Southern Angami Sumo Parking, BOC Kohima.

Meanwhile, Kohima District Volleyball Association ground management committee has convened a meeting on November 8, 10 am at Kohima Local Ground.

Portland Trail Blazers center Cody Zeller (40) grabs a rebound against Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (39) during the first half at Moda Center.

PORTLAND, NOV 7 (AGENCIES): The Los Angeles Lakers fell to their fifth defeat of the season, losing 105-90 to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The depleted Lakers, who were without star player LeBron James because of an abdominal strain, lost Anthony Davis after just seven minutes

Former Mr Olympia Shawn Rhoden REAL MADRID CLAIM NARROW WIN OVER RAYO dies aged 46

K Y M C

Open volleyball tourney at Seiyhama

9th edition of Hornbill Riders Lakers fall to 5th defeat with loss to Trail Blazers Meet from December 2 to 4

Barcelona surrender 3-goal lead in Vigo M A D R I D, N OV 7 (IANS): Newly-appointed Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez was given an idea of the task that lies ahead of him as Barcelona surrendered a 3-0 lead away to Celta Vigo in a La Liga match.

Barca turned in an excellent first half display on Saturday night in Sergi Barjuan’s last game as caretaker coach and led 3-0 thanks to goals from Ansu Fati, Sergio Busquets and Memphis Depay.

However, after Ansu Fati, Eric Garcia and Nico Gonzalez were forced out through injury in the second half, Celta got back into the game thanks to Iago Aspas, who scored the first goal after an error from Ter Stegen.

Nolito headed home Celta’s second with just over 15 minutes left to play and with the five minutes of injury time completed, Aspas curled the ball into the corner of the net to leave the Barca players sprawled on the pitch in despair. First half goals from Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema gave Real Madrid a 2-1 win at home to

11

SPORTS

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Barcelona’s players react to throwing away a three-goal lead at Celta.

Real Sociedad, which sent them to the top of the table ahead of Real Sociedad’s game later on Sunday.

Radamel Falcao came on as a late substitute for Rayo and headed his side back into the game with 15 minutes remaining, but the Colombian had to limp off moments afterwards as Rayo pressed for an equaliser until the end.

Raul de Tomas’ sev-

enth league goal of the season helped Espanyol to a 2-0 win at home to Granada. Adria Pedrosa put Espanyol ahead in the 30th minute and De Tomas showed the form he is in when he scored his side’s second 12 minutes later.

Two goals from Joselu, who scored a 76th minute penalty and a last minute header saw Alaves continue their positive run

as they came back from a goal down to Levante.

Jorge de Frutos’ 13th minute strike looked as if it would give Levante their first win of the season, but Joselu broke their hearts with his side’s only two shots on target.

Salvi’s sixth minute goal gave Cadiz a surprise 1-0 win at Athletic Club Bilbao and lift them out of the relegation zone.

NEW DELHI, NOV 7 (IANS): Former Mr Olympia Shawn Rhoden has reportedly died at the age of 46. According to information received here, the American pro-bodybuilder suffered a heart attack on Saturday. Among those who joined the outpouring of condolences via social media was retired American bodybuilder Rich Gaspari.

“I am shocked to hear of the passing of Mr. Olympia @flexatronrhoden It’s very sad to hear of his passing,” Gaspari captioned an Instagram post on Saturday.

“He had always been a gentleman towards me.

Shawn had one of the most aesthetic physiques in bodybuilding. My condolences to his family. #rip #ripbrother.”

In 2018, he won the Olympia -- the Super Bowl of bodybuilding competitions -- by defeating seven-time Olympia champion, Phil Heath.

He was also the oldest competitor to win the prestigious title at 43. Rhoden first got into bodybuilding as an amateur during the early 1990s, where he competed on and off throughout the years. In 2010, Rhoden turned pro, finishing 11th in his first Mr Olympia.

with illness.

The Blazers led by 34 points at one stage with Damian Lillard top-scoring with 25 points.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Davis did not have Covid-19 and had “woken up with a bit of a stomach bug”.

“He came back in and said his thumb felt pretty

good, good enough to play, then he went and threw up in the back,” he said.

“He still wanted to give it a go, but by the time tip-off came around he had already thrown up four times. He wanted to see if getting out on the floor would change it, but wasn’t able to go.”

Elswhere, Tyler Herro

and Jimmy Butler starred as the Miami Heat held on to defeat the Utah Jazz 118-115 to record their sixth win in seven games.

Herro scored 29 points while Butler added 27. Kyle Lowry also scored 20 as part of a triple-double for the Heat.

Donovan Mitchell starred for the Jazz, finishing the game with 37 points, but defeat saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.

Elsewhere, the Denver Nuggets edged the Houston Rockets 95-94, with Aaron Gordon sinking back-to-back threepointers in the final two minutes.

The Phoenix Suns overturned a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-117, with the Suns’ Devin Booker finishing the game with 38 points.

Luka Doncic scored a match-winning threepointer on the buzzer as he finished with a game-high 33 points to help the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Boston Celtics 107-104. Joel Embiid scored 30 points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 114-105.

Usman beats Covington in UFC rematch NEW YORK, NOV 7 (AGENCIES): Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman retained his title with a unanimous decision win against Colby Covington in their rematch at UFC 268 in New York.

Usman, 34, dropped the challenger twice in quick succession at the end of the second round with a big left hook then a huge right hand.

Covington, 33, rallied in rounds three and four and the pair traded heavy shots in the fifth without either able to land a fightending blow.

The judges scored it 48-47 48-47 49-46.

On a packed card at Madison Square Garden, Rose Namajunas defended her strawweight belt against Zhang Weili, while Justin Gaethje beat Michael Chandler to put himself in contention for a lightweight title fight.

“I am the poundfor-pound best alive right now,” said Usman, who won their first meeting in Las Vegas at UFC 245 in December 2019 via fifthround TKO. For the rematch, both fighters arrived in New York with different game-

Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington in action.

plans and improved skills as they went back and forth throughout the full fiveround duration.

After the fight, which has been preceded by verbal angst, Usman paid tribute to his opponent.

He said: “Guys, I just gotta give it up. I know there was a lot of trash talk, there’s a lot of bad blood here, and I’m sure there’s still going to be some after tonight.

“When you share an octagon with someone this tough, you can’t help (but respect them). That respect is going to come.” Usman’s victory improves his record to 20-1 and extends his winning streak to 19 fights as he cemented his place at the top of the UFC’s

pound-for-pound list.

And ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ admitted he had to fight with his head, rather than his heart, to ensure he did enough to defeat an elite opponent.

“I’m gonna tell you what, he’s tough,” he added. “He’s super tough. I wanted to get crazy and get him out of there, but that’s not what is the best do.

“We take our time, we stay calculated, we listen to our coaches and we find the finish.

“Unfortunately, that’s the next best guy in the division. He’s a tough son of a gun, and he wasn’t going to let me find that finish.”

Covington, meanwhile, promised he would return better than ever.

K Y M C

12

SPORTS

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021

T20 WC: Malik sizzles in Pak 72-run win, to face Aus in semis

SHARJAH, NOV 7 (PTI): Playing international cricket since the last century, when some of his current teammates were not even born, Shoaib Malik on Sunday showed them the way with an astonishing 18-ball 54 to set up Pakistan’s 72-run mauling of Scotland in the T20 World Cup. It was the tournament’s joint fastest half-century alongside India opener K L Rahul’s 18-ball 50, which also came against Scotland, as Pakistan stopped the Scots at 117 for six after posting an imposing 189 for four.

As her Indian tennis player wife Sania Mirza watched from the stands, Malik, 39, blasted six sixes during his whirlwind unbeaten knock, which overshadowed skipper Babar Azam’s fourth half-century of the tournament.

Batting first, Pakistan pummelled 129 runs in the back 10 after limping to 60 for two at the halfway stage.

With the ball, the inform team did what was expected of them in their last Super 12 engagement to

Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik plays a shot during the T20 World Cup match against Scotland in Sharjah. (AP/PTI)

set up a semifinal date with Australia.

Pakistan blazed their way into the last four with five wins from as many outings, underlining their credentials as one of the firm favourites.

Thanks to Malik’s blitz, Pakistan scored 43 runs in the last two overs, including 26 in the final six balls bowled by Chris Greaves.

Coincidentally, it was at this very venue that Malik made his One-day Inter-

national debut in October 1999, against West Indies.

His first Pakistan captain, Wasim Akram, retired from the game nearly two decades ago.

Meanwhile Babar, who once again donned the role of the accumulator, became only the third batter to score four half-centuries in a T20 World Cup after former Australia opener Matthew Hayden and India captain Virat Kohli, who achieved the feat in 2007 and 2014

Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen lose in HYLO Open semis

SAARBRUCKEN (GERMANY), NOV 7 (IANS): Two Indians reached the men’s singles semi-finals of the HYLO Open BWF World Tour Super 500 event but both failed to progress as Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen crashed out in straight games.

Srikanth seeded sixth here, lost to second seed Lee Zil Jia of Malaysia 21-19, 22-20 while Sen lost to Loh Kean Yew of Singapore 18-21, 12-21 as India’s hopes in the tournament came to an end on Saturday.

Srikanth lost to Lee of Malaysia in a hard-fought encounter -- 21-19, 22-20 -- in 44 minutes. Srikanth and Lee remained neck and neck and the Malaysian won the last two points from 19-all as he won the first game. There was not

Kidambi Srikanth

Lakshya Sen

much difference between the two players as they matched each other point for point. Srikanth led 3-2 before Lee caught up and went ahead 9-6. Srikanth had to play catch up after that but could not overtake the Malaysian.

In the second game, Lee took the early lead 4-0 before Srikanth caught up with him at 5-5. Srikanth won seven consecutive points as he led 15-8 before Lee fought back and caught

up with him at 17-17. They were again tied at 20-20 but the Malaysian player won the next two points to clinch his place in the final.

Lakshya Sen had a slight edge at 9-8 but his opponent from Singapore remained on his toes as they went neck and neck before Loh won the last few points to win it 21-18. The Singapore player was more aggressive and controlled the game better as he won 21-12 in 46 minutes.

New Zealand beat Afghanistan by 8 wkts to qualify for semis; India knocked out

respectively.

Having struggled to 60 for two at the halfway stage, Pakistan got 129 runs in back 10.

Opting to bat first, Babar Mohammad Rizwan were off to a sedate start, as the Scotland bowlers managed to keep the run rate below six until the power play.

Having smoked Bradley Wheal for a gigantic six over deep mid-wicket, Rizwan was dismissed by Hamza Tahir, who drew the batter with a tossed-up delivery before getting an underedge to the wicketkeeper.

The Scots deserves plaudits for the manner in which they kept a lid on the Pakistan scoring as they ended the power play at 35 for no loss, which became 35 for one in the first ball of the next over with Rizwan’s dismissal.

Pakistan were not so well placed at 60 for two at the halfway stage as Scotland managed to keep their opponents to a run a ball.

H o w e v e r, t h i n g s changed completely as Pakistan entered the back 10

with both Babar and the veteran Mohammad Hafeez (31 off 19 balls) cutting loose to clear the ropes at regular intervals during a brisk 53-run third-wicket partnership.

Babar was his usual classy self when he played the ball along the ground, but at the same time, he did not hesitate to go over the top, the result of which were three sixes.

After Babar’s dismissal, the show belonged to Malik.

In a massive chase, Scotland lost the wickets of skipper Kyle Coetzer and Matthew Cross with just 36 runs in the board.

Scotland were never in the game as they struggled to 42 for two at the end of the first 10 overs.

Richie Berrington was the lone Scotland batter to shine with a 54 ball off 37 balls.

One of the biggest positives for Pakistan bowling was the manner in which Shadab Khan (2/140 bowled, getting his googlies and leg-spinners right ahead of the big semifinal against the Aussies.

Aston Villa sack Smith after five consecutive defeats

Saurabh, Abhishek win silver and bronze

LONDON, NOV 7 (IANS): Aston Villa on Sunday sacked coach Dean Smith in the wake of a Friday’s 1-0 defeat to Southampton, their fifth consecutive loss in Premier League that put them under a relegation struggle.

Aston Villa’s chief executive Christian Purslow explained the decision saying that “after a good start to last season, this year we have not seen the continuous improvement in results, performances and league position which we have all been looking for.” “For this reason, we have decided to make a change now to allow time for a new head coach to make an impact,” he said.

Smith joined the club in October 2018, leading them to promotion to the Premier League and keeping them in the top-flight in the two subsequent campaigns -- finishing 11th last season, reports Xinhua.

WROCLAW (POLAND), NOV 7 (IANS): India’s Saurabh Chaudhary won silver and Abhishek Verma bronze in a star-studded men’s 10m air pistol final, on Day Three of the ongoing ISSF Presidents Cup Rifle/Pistol here.

The Indian duo was able to get the better of reigning Olympic champion in the event, Javad Foroughi of Iran in the four-man final, but not 2016 Rio Olympic champion Christian Reitz of Germany, who won gold.

Christian dominated the final, finishing with a score of 34 with Saurabh quite some distance behind with 24. Abhishek went out in bronze-medal position after the second series of five shots with a score of 21.

Javad was first to be eliminated in fourth place after the first five-shot series. The final consisted of three series of five-shots each.

Saurabh had also finished second to Christian in the first semifinal 24-25,

New Zealand produced a clinical all-round performance to beat Afghanistan by eight wickets in their last Super 12 stage match and qualify for the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, here on Sunday.

With this win, New Zealand not only made it to the semi-finals but also knocked out both Afghanistan and India from the tournament. This is the third time that New Zealand have made it to the semi-finals in T20 World Cups following 2007 and 2016.

Riding on a fighting fifty by Najibullah Zadran (73 off 48), Afghanistan posted a respectable 124/8 in 20 overs.

While Zadran was the lone warrior for Afghanistan, Gulbadin Naib (15) and Mohammad Nabi (14) also chipped in with cameos while Trent Boult 3-17

New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson bats during the T20 World Cup match against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. (AP/PTI)

and Tim Southee 2-24 were the main wicket-takers for the Black Caps.

In reply, all four New Zealand batters - Martin Guptill (28), Daryl Mitchell (17), Kane Williamson (40 not out), Devon Conway (36 not out) made small but vital contributions and helped their side chase the target quite comfortably in 18.1 overs with eight wickets in hand.

Rashid Khan (1/27) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman

(1/31) were the wickettakers for Afghanistan.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 124/8 in 20 overs (Najibullah Zadran 73; Trent Boult 3-17, Tim Southee 2-24) against New Zealand 125/2 in 18.1 overs (Kane Williamson 40 not out, Devon Conway 36 not out; Rashid Khan 1/27) MONDAY’S MATCH India Vs Namibia Time: 7:30 pm

India’s Saurabh Chaudhary (L) and Abhishek Verma (R) on the podium.

to make the final. Abhishek had won the second semifinal over Javad 27-24 to make the medal round.

The Indians had earlier made the top eight by finishing third and fourth respectively among 12 shooters in the first qualification round,

with Saurabh shooting 581 and Abhishek shooting 580.

The inaugural ISSF President’s Cup is a rechristened version of the ISSF World Cup Finals, where the year’s top 12 athletes according to world ranking are invited to determine the best

individual athletes of the year in the respective Olympic events. Individual winners will be awarded ‘The Golden Target’ along with prize money. Cash awards will also be awarded to all athletes in the individual competitions.

Smith Rowe seals victory for Arsenal against Watford ‘Canelo’ Alvarez beats Caleb Plant to create boxing history Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The hosts thought they had been handed a golden chance to break the deadlock when Chris Kavanagh awarded a penalty in the second half, only for the referee to overturn the decision after consulting the pitch-side monitor.

Richarlison appeared to beat Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to the ball and was brought down in the area but Kavanagh deemed that the Frenchman had got a fingertip to the ball.

Leeds United 1-1 Leicester City

Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe scores his side goal against Watford during the Premier League match on Sunday.

LO N D O N, N OV 7 (AGENCIES): Emile Smith Rowe scored in a third successive Premier League game as Arsenal claimed 1-0 victory over Watford in manager Mikel Arteta’s 100th match in charge.

The in-form Smith Rowe registered the 100th league goal of Arteta’s tenure with a low drive from outside the box after 56 minutes. Gunners captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a first-half penalty saved by Ben Foster following a poor challenge by Danny Rose on Alexandre Lacazette - and the Hornets goalkeeper produced

another fine stop to keep out Gabriel’s header shortly before half-time.

Watford were fired an early warning when Bukayo Saka had an eighth-minute finish ruled out for offside at Emirates Stadium.

The Hornets’ first attempt did not arrive until the 40th minute but Joshua King squandered the chance to earn a late point, shooting into the side-netting after pouncing on a mix-up between Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White. The visitors’ afternoon was made worse as Juraj Kucka was dismissed for a second yellow card late on and defeat

left Claudio Ranieri’s side 17th, two points above the relegation places.

It is a sixth victory in eight Premier League games for Arsenal, who move up to fifth - level on points with fourth-placed West Ham.

Everton draw with Tottenham 0-0

Antonio Conte’s first Premier League game in charge of Tottenham ended in a hard-fought goalless draw against Everton at Goodison Park.

Conte has only had a few days to work with his players and kicked off his tenure with a 3-2 win

over Vitesse in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, but this was a real gauge of the task at hand for the Italian. Tottenham have gone more than three hours in the league without a shot on target but substitute Giovani lo Celso almost got Conte off to a winning start in the league when he curled an effort against the post with two minutes to go.

This was also a much improved Everton from recent weeks, although Rafael Benitez’s side, without a win in the top flight since September, had Mason Holgate dismissed late on for a high follow-through on

VAR ruled out a second-half Leicester goal as the Foxes shared the points with Leeds in an entertaining Premier League game at Elland Road. Ademola Lookman thought he had poked home the winner midway through the second period, but was standing in an offside position when Jamie Vardy had flicked on a Youri Tielemans corner.

Leeds forward Raphinha had put his side deservedly in front in the 26th minute when his free-kick from out wide caught out Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel at his far post.

But Leicester responded seconds after the resulting kick-off with Barnes curling a stunner into the top corner from a tight angle. Both sides had chances to win the game late on as Marcelo Bielsa’s team moved three points clear of the relegation zone, while Leicester stayed 12th.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez throws a punch against Caleb Plant during their boxing match.

LAS VEGAS, NOV 7 (AGENCIES): Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez made history in Las Vegas by beating Caleb Plant to become the first undisputed world super-middleweight champion.

The 31-year-old knocked out Plant in the 11th round to unify all four major belts in fewer than 12 months.

Mexican Alvarez added Plant’s IBF belt to the WBA Super, WBC and WBO ones he already held.

He knocked the American down twice in the 11th - first with a left hook and then followed it with a right uppercut.

Although Plant got up, the punches had taken their toll and Alvarez went on the attack again to finish

the fight with one minute and five seconds of the round remaining.

Alvarez said Plant, 29, wanted to keep going but he told him he should stop.

“He wanted to continue. I told him there is no shame. Of course I came out on top,” said Alvarez, who had the support of the Las Vegas crowd as he improved to 57 wins, one defeat and two draws, with 39 knockouts, as he handed Plant the first defeat of his career.

“Caleb is a good fighter. He was a difficult opponent with a lot of ability and I do respect him”.

“He was making the fight pretty difficult, but Eddy [Reynoso, trainer] told me to just stick to the gameplan in the last two

rounds. In the end, I got him. That’s the way it had to finish. He was already hurt and I went for the kill.” Alvarez had won just about every round leading up to the 11th but Plant proved to be an awkward opponent as he weathered the storm but without causing the Mexican, who was warned for a low blow in the fifth round, too many problems.

By the 10th round, Plant’s jab had disappeared and he couldn’t get through the Alvarez defence The win for Alvarez means he becomes the first Mexican and only the sixth fighter since the WBO began sanctioning world-title fights in 1988 to hold all four belts from the separate governing bodies at the same time.

Printed, Published and Edited by Geoffrey Yaden at G.M. Printers, Circular Rd. Dimapur-797112. Ph: Desk 248489, Fax: 225366, e-mail-npdesk@gmail.com. Adm.& Advertisement  :248267 Fax: 248500 e-mail-npostadvt@gmail.com Kohima: 2290567, R.N. 40978/90 RN/NE 707 K Y M C

K Y M C