December 2, 2020

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXX No. 358

DIMAPUR, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020 Pages 12 ` 5.00

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Rio extols Nagaland’s statehood journey

Correspondent

KOHIMA, DEC 1 (NPN): Nagaland celebrated its 58th statehood day on December 1,2020 at Nagaland Secretariat Plaza here where Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio addressed the gathering.

Greeting the people on the occasion , Rio expressed gratitude to all leaders, who by their sacrifices, foresightedness and determination ensured the creation of Nagaland State with special Constitutional provisions as the 16th State of the Union of India on December 1, 1963. Rio said the journey as a state since its creation, about six decades back, has been “wonderful by any yardstick” and has had significant and enduring achievements to show in every field. He also said development and progress was witnessed and the quality of life enjoyed by the people has seen a marked improvement, though many challenges still remain.

On Naga political issue, Rio informed that continued efforts has been made for all round progress of the state in every sphere while the quest for the final

Rio addressing the 58th statehood celebration at Kohima Tuesday. (NP)

solution to the long standing Naga Political Issue has also continued all along.

Asserting that the long journey towards the final solution has passed many a stretch and milestones, Rio was optimistic that the journey was finally reaching its ultimate destination.

He mentioned that the negotiations between the various Naga Political Groups and Government of India have seen a breakthrough with common ground being reached on various issues and hoped the same zeal and spirit of understanding and oneness was moving forward to the eventual solution without any delay.

Rio recalled that at the October 15 consultative meet held in Kohima with

the representatives of all the Tribal Hohos, civil society organizations, political parties, ex-parliamentarians and various public leaders, detailed discussions were held on the Naga Political Issue. He reiterated to every stakeholder, that there will be only one solution for the Naga Political issue and mentioned the seven point resolution: appreciating Government of India for acknowledging the unique history of the Nagas; recognizing the Naga issue as a political issue expressed gratitude to the civil societies for their support.

He said an appeal was made to the negotiating groups to come together under a spirit of oneness, mutual trust and understanding with sincerity and commit-

2 arrested in 6 tribe bodies not to connection with be part of proposed Nov 18 incident 14 Naga Tribes Forum Correspondent

KOHIMA, DEC 1 (NPN): Two persons allegedly involved in the Thongtsuo village incident in Noklak district on November 18 in which several houses were burnt and one person was killed and another injured by miscreants have been arrested and are currently under police custody.

Confirming this to Nagaland Post on the sideline of an event here on Tuesday, director general of police (DGP) TJ Longkumer said few other culprits too have been identified.

He said there are apprehensions that other identified persons could have already slipped across the border to Myanmar. However, the special investigation team (SIT) constituted for investigating the crime was on the job and hoped to arrest the culprits, he added.

Despite many challenges, the DGP claimed that the SIT was doing a great job, walking miles and miles to reach the spot.

He said police officers have been placed at strategic locations to ensure that the situation does not flare up.

He exuded confidence to arrest the remaining culprits and deliver justice.

This is it!

“Sir, if everything today is for the reserved, what about the deserved?”

K Y M C

DIMAPUR, DEC 1 (NPN): The six tribal bodies of Eastern Nagaland would participate in 14 Naga tribes meeting only in regard to a “unified Naga Political Solution” as initiated

by Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO), but not without prior consent from the organisation. This was resolved at a joint consultative meeting of ENPO and six tribal bodies held at Hotel Saramati here on Tuesday.

The meeting also resolved that the six tribal bodies of Eastern Nagaland would not participate in the formation of 14 Naga Tribes Forum as proposed.

And road communication being the backbone for any human development, the joint consultative meeting further resolved that ENPO would not allow any undue taxation and unnecessary deductions by any individual, agent or group on all the ongoing road constructions within Eastern Nagaland. “ENPO shall not compromise the quality of workmanship from any contractors in its jurisdiction,” it was resolved. This was stated in a press release.

ment towards achieving one solution for one people as early as possible and affirmed to relentlessly work in a collective and unified manner with one voice.

RESPONSE TO PANDEMIC Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said the COVID pandemic made medical emergency require an extraordinary response on many fronts and expressed pride on the state being able to rise to the occasion.

Rio said every possible step was initiated to further develop and improve the entire health infrastructure and in a matter of a couple of months state managed to go from a state with nil testing capacity to 2600-3000 testing capacity per day.

The chief minister also elaborated on the response and preparedness of the state in making elaborate protocols and processes for management of returnees including their quarantining. He said all these succeeded in keeping the State free from the virus for a much longer period, providing crucial time for further strengthening our health systems. In this regard, Rio said the strength of health professionals also

saw a big increase wherein 428 were recruited such as 109 medical doctors, five dental surgeons, 129 nurses, six research scientists, six laboratory technicians for BSL Laboratories, ten OT technicians and 13 ECG technicians. He also said appointment of 21 AYUSH doctors and 129 nurses is nearing completion. With all these additions made in the health infrastructure which have been necessitated due to COVID -19, the overall effect was also an appreciable and permanent improvement in the existing health delivery systems in our State, he added.

Also he mentioned that there was substantial improvement in the health facilities to deal with Covid-19 cases like the number of ventilators in the hospitals has increased from 14 in March 2020 to 145 now, increase in number of beds in isolation wards, ICU and non-ICU wards in COVID Hospitals and in COVID Care Centers was also increased in the last eight months while the number of ambulances was also substantially increased having 110 departmental ambulances.

Mumbai outclass East Bengal 3-0 in ISL sports, Page 12

Bust of Dr.Imkongliba Ao unveiled at Raj Bhavan

DIMAPUR, DEC 1 (NPN): As part of the 58th Nagaland Statehood Day celebration, a memorial to commemorate the contributions of the Founding Fathers and the Martyrs was inaugurated in the Lawns of Dr.Imkongliba Ao Hall, Raj Bhavan with unveiling a bust of Naga Peoples’ Convention (NPC) president Dr.Imkongliba Ao. Nagaland Governor RN Ravi felicitated family members of the NPC leaders at the programme.

Extending warm Statehood Day greetings to the people, governor RN Ravi paid rich tributes to the NPC leaders and countless Nagas whose blood, sweat and sacrifices created Nagaland. Mentioning that the NPC leaders through a peaceful democratic process for over three years and intensely extensive sociopolitical churning of Naga society helped crystallise the free-will of Naga people on their political future, Ravi said they united the Nagas living in Assam and NEFA. He added that Nagas, (Cont’d on p-5) through centuries, had been

RN Ravi, Neiphiu Rio, Dr. SC Jamir and others during the unveiling ceremony of the Bust of Dr. Imkongliba Ao.

a freedom loving people and fiercely resisted any attempt of encroachment on their way of life.

According to the governor, the bold and farsighted NPC leaders secured the people of Nagaland their freedom from any interference in their way of life, including customs, cultures, traditions, religion, system of justice and land and resources through a constitutional safeguard. He hailed them as true heroes of Nagaland.

Lamenting that people of Nagaland have not yet been able to fully enjoy the fruits of Statehood due to some people, mostly from outside the State who, in pursuance of a perverse

political ideology, are creating roadblocks for enduring peace, he alleged that these people have been peddling preposterous lies to mislead the public.

While unveiling the bust of Dr Imkongliba Ao, Ravi urged the people of Nagaland to renew their sense of gratitude to the founding fathers and commit themselves to build a Nagaland of their dreams where genius of Naga people will blossom to the fullest. Chief minister Neiphiu Rio, who too was present on the occasion, extended Statehood greetings to the people and paid tributes to architect of Nagaland Dr Imkongliba Ao. (Cont’d on p-8)

NSF to urge govt for completion of Foothill Road State’s COVID-19 tally 11209

NSF team members along with AKM officials at the press conference.

Correspondent

M O KO KC H U N G, D E C 1 (NPN): Accompanied by Ao Students’ Conference (AKM) leaders, a delegation of Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) on Monday visited Tsurangkong range along the border with Assam where the economic blockade imposed by some Assam-based organizations is still on.

Later, addressing a press conference at AKM office here on Tuesday after the visit, NSF vice president Dievi Yano said NSF was able to understand the ground reality and assured that after returning to Kohima, the student leaders

would take up the issue of early completion of the Foothill Road with the State government.

Yano observed that Naga people had been at the receiving end from time to time and that the government should wake up to the reality and speed up the Foothill Road project immediately.

Yano said the purpose of the visit was to extend solidarity to the affected people.

During the visit, the delegation met with Aosenden Village Council officials and leaders of Tsurangkong Range Naga Youth Front and had a threadbare discussion on the present border situation. Former NSF general

secretary O Wati Jamir, who was also present, said there was a clear indication that land had been encroached by Assam beyond one kilometre. Jamir asserted that the people would not be intimidated through the economic blockade and were rather prepared for any eventuality. He also stressed that completion of the Foothill Road was a paramount importance.

Wati also reiterated the AKM demand for completion of the sanctioned building being constructed at Aosenden and withdrawal of temporary Assam Police post from the village to avoid further tension. He said the visiting team met Mokokchung DC and SP, and would convey the message to the State government and try to initiate the best efforts possible in this regard.

On being asked about the observations of the visiting team on the issue, the student leaders said the people had been very patient till now, but stressed that patience should not be taken as a sign of weakness, warning “We are mentally prepared for any eventuality”.

COVID-19 STATUS AS ON december 1, 2020

ACTIVE CASES Symptomatic AsympCritical-ICU District tomMod- Se- With- With On atic Mild erate vere out Oxy- VentiOxygen gen lator Dimapur 417 24 7 0 0 0 4 Kiphire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kohima 273 16 8 0 0 7 0 Longleng 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mokokchung 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mon 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 Peren 25 6 0 0 0 0 0 Phek 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tuensang 20 1 0 0 0 0 0

Death MiRecovunder Total Death gratered InvestiCases ed gation 5638 24 3005 9 116 556 448 43 191

38 1 20 0 1 2 0 0 1

3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Wokha

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

28

1

0

Zunheboto Total

1 767

0 47

0 15

0 0

0 0

0 7

0 4

136 10194

0 64

0 3

67 0 16 9 4 9 0 0 0

6199 25 3344 18 121 597 479 44 213

0

29

3 140 108 11209

*7 deaths not due to Covid-19 *3 deaths under investigation

DIMAPUR, DEC 1 (NPN): Nagaland on Tuesday recorded 23 positive cases of COVID-19 taking the tally to 11209. All 23 cases were detected in Dimapur—eight armed forces/security personnel, 14 traced contacts and one frontline worker.

According to state health department’s daily bulletin, 108 COVID-19 patients have also recovered—106 in Dimapur and one each in Kiphire and

Peren.

Out of the total 11209 cases, 10194 patients have recovered from the infection and currently are 840 active cases in the state.

India’s virus tally rises to 94.62 lakh

P T I a d d s : I n d i a ’s COVID-19 caseload rose to 94.62 lakh while total recoveries surged to 88,89,585, according Health Ministry’s data updated on Tuesday.

ENSF phase-II indefinite NSCN (I-M) slams Gov’s ‘irresponsible statement’ NSF flays Ravi for lauding 16 Point Agreement agitation passes off peacefully

NSCN (I-M), NSF hit out at Nagaland Governor RN Ravi

DIMAPUR, DEC 1 (NPN): NSCN (I-M) has again hit out at the Governor of Nagaland, RN Ravi, for the latter’s speech saying that “any person on Earth that runs the blood of the Nagas” would “certainly have been provoked” by his “irresponsible statement” made on the anniversary of 58th Nagaland Statehood Day. NSCN (I-M) through its MIP said that Ravi’s statement reminded Naga people “of how under the leadership of AZ Phizo the war of resistance of the Nagas against the Indian colonialists were manipulated by the IB (Intelligence Bureau) officials who roped in some of the treacherous Naga individuals, mostly Indian government employees that formed a superfluous body called the Naga People’s Convention (NPC).” NSCN (I-M)claimed that NPC came out of nowhere and signed the 16-Point Agreement that hijacked Naga solution and a state under the Indian Constitution was

accepted and “giving a foothold to the Indian government to claim that from thence Nagas were a part of India.”

NSCN(I-M) said the agreement was “nothing less than a calculated plan of the Indian government” to backstab the leadership of AZ Phizo and the Naga National Movement through NPC” and reducing to nothingness the untold sufferings of the Nagas, loss of lives, properties and dignity.

NSCN (I-M) said Phizo and the Naga nationalists and the entire Naga people “instantly condemned and rejected NPC and the 16-Point Agreement”. It said that today, Ravi’s statement “clearly exposed” that another NPC was in the making.

NSCN(I-M) said Ravi’s assertion that some of the civil societies “under his payroll are the main stakeholders on the Indo-Naga Issue and therefore their decision must be supreme is farce”.

DIMAPUR, DEC 1 (NPN): Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) Tuesday condemned what it described as “shallow attempt” by the Governor of Nagaland and Government of India representative and interlocutor for Naga peace talks, RN Ravi, to “mislead the Naga people” through his speech on the eve of 58th Nagaland Statehood Day. NSF president Ninoto Awomi and general secretary Liremo R Kikon said they were “appalled” at Ravi’s “blatant attempt to placate his alter-ego” by glorifying the 16-point agreement that had “long been disowned by the Naga people.”

NSF said creation of Nagaland did “reap in monetary dividends for a section of the Naga people besides other tangible and intangible perks”, but it only resulted in a more fractious Naga society.

(Cont’d on p-5) It also said the Governor’s

claim that creation of Nagaland state has been the best thing to happen to the Naga people only revealed his “shallow understanding of the Naga history and also the narrow walls within which he has been trying to solve the vexed Indo-Naga Political issue.”

NSF also said Ravi’s claims undermines and belittles the “very people he has been assigned to have a political dialogue in order to pave the way for lasting peace and tranquillity all over the Naga homeland.”

The student body also reminded Ravi that the Naga people were spread across four Indian states and two Countries, without their consent. NSF said that Ravi’s mandated role should be to find a common ground for all the Naga people and not instigate further division by “patronizing an agreement brought about by declared ‘traitors’ of the Naga cause.”

DIMAPUR, DEC 1 (NPN): Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) Tuesday informed that the Phase-II democratic indefinite agitation passed off peacefully and successfully.

In a press release, ENSF president Sepili L Sangtam

said that boycotting of statehood celebration, locking down of government offices and restricting the movement of government registered vehicles by the six federating units at respective headquarters passed off peacefully.

(Cont’d on p-5)

Meet with CM inconclusive; stir to continue

ENSF Tuesday said that the meeting convened by the chief minister along with principal secretary to the CM at chief minister’s residential complex (CMRC) Kohima remained inconclusive. ENSF president Sepili L Sangtam said the federation acknowledged the chief minister for the concern shown and inviting the federation to sit across the table and discuss the issue pertaining to the ultimatum served. He said the meeting could not come to a logical conclusion as the chief minister stated that to address all the charter of demands put forth by the federation required some more time and also need an approval of the cabinet.

Therefore, since the meeting was inconclusive, the federation stated that the proposed democratic indefinite agitation would continue in the entire Eastern jurisdiction (Cont’d on p-8) until the demands were fulfilled.

K Y M C

state

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

DGP inaugurates traffic control room in Kohima

Correspondent

DGP Nagaland, T. John Longkumer with SP Kohima and officers of police department. (NP)

the FM channels will be used to disseminate advisories and warnings to the public to avoid congested routes, thus, increasing the outreach of traffic police. He informed that KPTSS empowers the public to come forward as conscientious and law abiding people to

DHS Tuensang review meet of AB-PMJAY

TRIBUTE TO LT. PAOKHOTHANG SINGSON

K-1942

DIMAPUR: District review meeting of Arogya Yojana Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan (AB-PMJAY) for Tuensang and Noklak districts was held on November 30, at deputy commissioner‘s residence.

A press release by DMO, Tuensang, Apheang stated that DC Tuensang, Kumar Ramnikant mentioned that in regard to problems related to Beneficiaries Identification System (BIS) rejection, the district may compile and submit it to the higher authority.

CMO Tuensang, Dr. Moatemjen informed to map out the low coverage areas and to focus more on those areas for smooth and successful implementation of the programme.

District coordinator (AB-PMJAY) Mutsoi, gave a powerpoint presentation on performance status of AB-PMJAY and its key features.

De puty CMO, Dr. G.Viholi Sema informed that, every block will have to prepare a powerpoint on performance status of their own block and present at the next meeting. Meeting was attended by DC Tuensang, CMO, DY. CMO, SMO/ MO in-charge of empanelled hospitals, district coordinator, PMAM, LDA District Hospital, programme manager (ECS) and DMO (NHM).

strengthen the arms of law.

Longkumer opined that with its unique “reward point” accumulation system, it would be appealing to the public at the same time augur new age of police public cooperation, whereby he urged the public to extensively use the platform.

(1924-2005) For we know that, if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 Corinthians 5:1 Loving Wife, Children &, Grand Children

Longkumer lauded SP Kohima for reducing the cost of implementing the schemes by using the abundant CCTVs and making them operational for public surveillance and control. He also added that provisioning of four residential flats in the same building, housing

have a good overview in managing traffic, while Google maps will be used to identify traffic congestion. He said that live traffic updates will be disseminated periodically through 103 MHz FM Tragopan and Kohima police twitter and facebook handles. Kumar said KPTSS was a first of its kind conceptualized in 30 days inviting citizens to register with Kohima Traffic Police as “Traffic Sentinel”.

He said citizens can report certain traffic violations via photos and videos through whatsapp which will later be upgraded to mobile app.

Kumar said that the police will ensure the safety

and security of the sentinels by keeping their identity confidential. He said cash or special rewards will be handed over through a systematic method of points earned per violations reported, besides dedicated and willing sentinels will be used in creating awareness about traffic law and road safety.

Presenting technical report, superintendent engineer Police Engineering Project, Imnajungba Jamir informed total estimated cost of constructing traffic control room and staff accommodation was Rs. 1,64,24,000 but work order amount was Rs. 1,12,00,000 under negotiated loan

2015-16 from HUDCO. He said the construction commenced on February 23, 2016 and completed on February 12, 2020. Jamir said the 3 storied building has 22 rooms and 6 toilets on an area of 5,450 sq.ft.

It may be mentioned that, in the first phase of KPTSS, public can report certain offences by capturing photos and videos of defaulting vehicles and sending it through whatsapp number 9863275596. In the second phase, KPTSS app will be launched, where the sentinels could earn reward points. On accumulation of 100 points, a cash reward of 1000 will be rewarded.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We, the bereaved family members would like to convey our heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation to all our well wishers who stood by us physically, spiritually, financially, in prayer and all other uncountable ways, at the sudden demise of our beloved Husband and Father Lt. P. K. Atsacho Sangtam.

We pray that our Heavenly Father may bless each and every one concern.

DP-5275

KOHIMA, DEC 1 (NPN): DGP Nagaland, T John Longkumer inaugurated traffic control room, residential flats and launched Kohima Police Traffic Sentinel Scheme (KPTSS) at traffic control room, Tuesday.

Delivering a speech, Longkumer appraised that the traffic control room was envisaged to be the application of technology, to solve the problems of supervisions and co-ordinate the efforts of traffic policemen in Kohima. He said that the traffic control would be using cutting edge technology in Google Maps, CCTV cameras drones and FM. Longkumer said through Google Map the predictive abilities will be sharpened and that CCTV and drones would augment police’s effort to hotspot management. He also said

the traffic control addresses a crucial problem for employees.

DGP encouraged every unit to come up with such programmes that benefit the public and enhance their capabilities at fulfilling their charter. Delivering opening address, SP Kohima, Manoj Kumar appraised that the traffic control room would be commanded by UBI as in-charge, ASI as second incharge and 10 other officers, consisting of 4 units.

To monitor the flow of traffic, identify any traffic violation and take assistance in investigation of road accidents and general crime, he said that 22 CCTV cameras were installed at seven locations within Kohima and live feed from all the cameras were centralized at the traffic control room.

Kumar informed that traffic monitoring unit will also be flying drones to

Loving Wife, Children, Family Members and Relatives.

K-1944

2

Lt. P.K. Atsacho Sangtam BORN in 15th OCT 1958 DIED on 25th NOV 2020

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

"Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts."

LT. BENDANGSENLA

Born on : 10.02.1970 – Died on : 25.11.2020 Through this column, we, the bereaved family members would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every individual for your selfless contributions during our bereavement.

May the good Lord bless you all abundantly.

DP-5271

Loving Husband, Children & Grandchildren

Late Mr James Athikho (Hopi) Died on: 27.11.2020 We, the bereaved family members of Late Mr James Athikho (Hopi), would like to acknowledge and express our sincere gratitude to: 1. Rev. Fr. Vimedo Joseph, Cathedral Kohima 2. Catechist and Mao Catholic Union Kohima 3. SIB Kohima 4. Superintendent of Police, Mon 5. SIB Mon and Longwa 6. Longwa Village Council 7. Tenyimei Church, Mon 8. SBI Mon 9. Mao Catholic Community, Chumukedima 10. Lower Tsiepfü Tsiephfe Union, Kohima.

We deeply regret our inability to thank each and every one of you individually, who supported us spiritually, physically and financially. But we pray that our Almighty God bless you all abundantly.

Loving Wife, Children and Family Members K-1945

K-1947

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

DP-5279

K Y M C

Loving wife, children, In-laws and relatives.

DP-5281

BORN 18/11/1980 We, the bereaved family members of Late Khriezo Kanuo would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every individuals who stood by us physically, financially, materially and through prayers during his prolong illness and sudden demise of our beloved on 31/11/2020.

We would like to convey our thankfulness to:1. Chakhesang Baptist Church, Medziphema.

2. Kuzhami Baptist Church Chumukedima.

3. Losami Baptist Church.

4. Chakhesang Christian Fellowship Guwahati, Assam.

5. Christ Temple.

6. Losami Welfare Union Dimapur.

7 Tenyimia Union Chumukedima Electrical Field Staff.

8. ANFWA Zone Chumukedima Power Department.

9. Chakhesang Union Chumukedima.

10. Chakhesang Community Medziphema Area.

11. Chakhesang Youth Organization Medziphema Town.

12. Neiphrolie Colony, Council Chumukedima.

13. Power Department Chumukedima.

14. Akami Clan.

15. Peteneizo & Family.

We regret our inability to mention and thank each and every individual personally, but it is our earnest prayer that our Almighty God bless you all abundantly.

DP-5264

K Y M C

State

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

58th Statehood Day celebrated across Nagaland

Special guest and DC, Mokokchung, Limawabang Jamir DC Zunheboto, Peter Lichamo taking the salute on DC Wokha, Orenthung Patton giving the statehood day taking the salute on December 1. (NP) statehood day on December 1. (DIPR) speech on December 1. (DIPR)

DIMAPUR: Nagaland celebrated its 58th statehood day in various districts across the state on December 1, where salute was taken by administrative heads, and chief minister’s statehood day speech read out.

Kohima: In Kohima, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio in his speech listed achievements of his government at New Secretariat Plaza, Tuesday.

R io sa id tha t the extraordinary situation brought by the COVID-19 pandemic made for new initiatives and approaches by various departments, where he said that department of Employment, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship introduced Mobile Skill Mor ung, and department of Youth Resources and Sports in partnership with YouthNet launched “LaunchPad”. Further he said Task Force for Music and Arts (TaFMA) started music incubation programme for young artistes.

Rio said, department of Women Resource Development embarked on production of reusable and affordable three layered masks for frontline

workers. DUDA initiated income generating activities for the rural populace by way of providing machineries to farmers and procuring farmers’ products, he informed.

Rio said department of Agriculture distributed selected kharif and rabi seeds on the basis of local needs and has initiated an action plan to take up the Naga model of integrated settled farming on pilot basis during the current year. Special programmes under NEC funding was launched for Agriculture and allied sectors as well as skill development in line with strategic economic roadmap developed by the state government, he stated. Department of Horticulture initiated two units of nurseries, one for orange in Kohima and another for kiwi and persimmon in Pfutsero, while Tourism department outlined several strategies for the revival of the Tourism industry in Nagaland, stated Rio. Department of School Education launched the online digital education in the state which was working since May 2020 and also launched the Teacher’s APP in the month of Sep-

tember 2020, he added.

In Higher Education sector, he said foundation stone of the Professional College of Music & Fine Arts, Tsiesema, Kohima district was laid while science laboratory building of Phek Government College and science stream building at Dimapur Government College was inaugurated.

He informed that academic session of the newly established Government Polytechnic Aboi, Mon, Government Polytechnic Wokha and Peren were expected to start from 202122. CM said department of PWD has completed the improvement of Kohima and Dimapur city roads initiated in 2018-19, while under MoRTH, DONER and NEC 48 projects covering more than 597 kilometres of road were being taken up this financial year. Under PMGSY work was ongoing on another 300 kilometres of road, he stated.

PHED during the 100 days campaign launched on October 2, aims to provide water supply to all the schools and anganwadis, while in MGNREGA, he said the approved target for the current financial

year for the state was 200 lakh person days, out of which 135.38 lakh person days have been generated till date. Rio also touched on directorate of Fire and Emergency Services which has completed the construction of the central workshop at New Capital Complex, Kohima. He said CAWD has completed the construction of residences of four deputy commissioners, while the directorate of Home Guards, Civil Defense and State Disaster Response Force has completed the construction of the 100 bedded trainees’ barracks multi-storey building at Central Training Institute, Toluvi, Dimapur.

He also said that Municipal Affairs department under KSCDL (Kohima Smart City Development Ltd), has resumed three uncompleted projects under the mission. He conveyed his best wishes to the people of the newly created Noklak district.

Dimapur: In Dimapur DC, Rajesh Soundararajan took the general salute from three parade contingents at DDSC stadium, Dimapur.

According to DIPR report, DC said on Naga political issue, the negotiations

between the various Naga political groups and the Government of India have seen a breakthrough with common ground being reached on various issue and expected everyone to continue with same spirit of understanding and oneness for moving forward to the eventual solution without any delay. Highlighting different initiatives being taken up by different departments for all round development, DC mentioned the extraordinary situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the substantial improvement in the health facilities to deal with COVID-19 cases. Parade contingents for the day included Commissionerate of Police, 15th IRP Mahila Bn and 15th IRB Mahila Bn Pile Band and ABI, Commissionerate of Police, Dimapur Neichuzo Rio was the parade commander.

Mokokchung: In Mokokchung, the occasion was held at Imkongmeren Sports Complex, Mokokchung, with DC Mokokchung, Limawabang Jamir as special guest. DC took the salute and read out the 58th statehood day speech of chief minister

of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio. (Correspondent) Zunheboto: Deputy commissioner, Peter Lichamo took the salute and read out the speech. Highlights of the speech included COVID-19 pandemic covering the do’s and don’ts, preparedness of the state and various other details of the ongoing pandemic.

The state speech concluded with best wishes to the people of Noklak district, the youngest district of the state created this year.

Wokha: Deputy commissioner (DC) Wokha Orenthung Lotha, took the general salute and presented the speech at Wokha HQ. Lotha frontal organisations attended the statehood day celebration.

Phek: DC Phek, Sachin Jaiswal as special guest delivered the statehood day speech. After the function the district planning development board meeting was also held where the DC called upon everyone to be attentive in their duties for smooth conducive atmosphere of the district in particular and the state as a whole. He also thanked all the members for their cooperation and their support during the hard times

caused by COVID-19.

Peren: In Peren and Jalukie, programme was held at deputy commissioner’s office complex, new district headquarter and ADC headquarter Jalukie. General salute and unfurling of the national flag was done by DC Peren who also read out the statehood day speech.

A special song was presented by Keyi Zeliang at district headquarter and short speech was delivered

by ADC, Dr. Tinojongshi at Jalukie. Declaration of the results of online quiz competition of district level was also held at Jalukie.

Pfutsero: Programme was held at ADC office compound Pfutsero, where ADC Pfutsero, Phuleshe K Yepthomi took the salute and read out the statehood day speech.

Bhandari: Programme was held at additional deputy commissioner office premises, wherein Sulanthung SDO (C) took salute from Nagaland Police (NP) Bhandari and delivered the statehood day speech.

Occasion was attended by head of offices, DBs and government employees.

EAC Bhandari, Dr. Riku Khutso chaired the programme.

Tseminyu: In Tseminyu, it was observed at additional deputy commissioner office premises Tseminyu with Tsutsowe Kupa, SDO (Civil) Tseminyu as special guest.

Programme was chaired

by Rosy Sangtam EAC (Tsongi) under Tseminyu sub-division. All the heads of department attended the programme.

Medziphema: In Medziphema, the occasion was held at ADC office complex Medziphema,

3

with additional deputy commissioner Medziphema, Thsuvisie Phoji delivering the statehood day speech. The 11th NAP (IR) Bn Ruzaphema led by parade commander, inspector W. Tiatemjen Ao took part in the celebration. Selected head of the departments attended the programme.

Pughoboto: Pughoboto sub-division celebrated at the ADC office compound, where the tri colour was unfurled by the SDO (C) Longasen Lotha and salute from the DEF Pughoboto. He also read out the statehood day speech. Programme was attended by the officers, DBs, GBs and others.

Tening: Tening subdivision under Peren district observed at ADC official residence Tening.

Tumben P. Tsanglao, EAC unfurled the national flag followed by reading of the statehood day speech.

Government officials from different departments, GBs and public leaders attended the programme.

Changtongya: Programme was held at Changtongya headquarter at SDO (C) office complex with Moakumzuk Tzudir SDO (C) Changtongya as the chief guest. He unfurled the national flag, delivered the statehood day speech and took the salute from O/C Police Station contingent, followed by national anthem.

Meluri: ADC Meluri Temjen Chuba read out statehood message, which was attended by all government employees and head of offices under Meluri sub-division.

Longleng: In Longleng, the day was celebrated at DC’s official residence on December 1.

Induction prog held by BJP minority morcha in Kohima

DIMAPUR: Kohima district BJP minority morcha held a programme on November 29 for induction of its new party president, Raj Das at Hotel Japfu Kohima.

A press release by Kohima district BJP minority morcha media officer stated that, chief spokesperson of BJP Nagaland, Kuputo Shohe graced the occasion as guest speaker, wherein he appreciated the role of minority morchas in the Minority morcha members of Kohima district during the induction of new party state.

He encouraged them to president on November 29.

nagalandpost.com Poll Q.: Will present elected members pave way as promised, if solution is achieved?

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

A B C

from 7 a.m to 10 a.m in commemoration of the statehood day at Naga Shopping Arcade Area (Super Market) Dimapur. Tree plantations on the road dividers along the stretch from Nagarjan Police point to Walford point were whitewashed during the social work. Volunteers from the affiliated community/tribes participated at the social resulted in producing the work. (DDCF media cell)

Panel discussion on gender-based violence

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A

B

Yes. No. Can’t Say.

C

26% 50% 24%

Next poll

Q: Is the Centre’s farm

policy pro-corporate and encouraging profithoarding?  Yes.  No.  Can’t Say.

WEATHER FORECAST December 2

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala Hazy sun

29 16

Aizawl

Pleasant with plenty of sun

Guwahati Hazy sun Imphal

Sunny and pleasant

Itanagar Mostly sunny and nice

25 12 28 15 26 11 26 14

Shillong

Hazy sun

20 7

Kohima

Mostly sunny and nice

22 10

Dimapur Sunny and pleasant Mkg

Mostly sunny and nice

Tuensang Mostly sunny and cooler Wokha

Hazy sun

Zunheboto Sunny much of the time

K Y M C

27 14 24 11 18 7 22 13 21 9

work hard and excel more in the coming days towards the progressive growth of BJP Nagaland. Shohe further congratulated the new team of Kohima district minority morcha and welcomed them into the party fold.

The formation of the new team for Kohima district BJP minority morcha was initiated by state secretary minority morcha, Mustafa Amed. Induction was held in the presence of state minority morcha president Deep Kumar and his officials.

Dimapur District Citizens’ Forum (DDCF) organised a social work on December 1,

Panellists and participants at the discussion held on November 30.

DIMAPUR: District administration Dimapur, District Level Centre for Women-MSK & SakhiOne Stop Centre, Dimapur in collaboration with North East Institute of Social Science and Research (NEISSR) organised a panel discussion on “16 days of activism against gender based violence” on November 30 under the theme “orange the world: fund, respond, prevent, collect”.

A press release by DLCW-MSK stated that keynote address was given

by WWO, DLCW-MSK where she spoke on violence against women and the need to promote culture of equality. She said that in order to achieve, education and awareness were the tools to be used.

The panel discussion was moderated by Vitonuo Gugu Haralu with panellists ADCP Crime

Branch, Dimapur, Relo T Aye, president, Naga Women Hoho Dimapur, Sungsabeni Jamio, director, Prodigal Home Dimapur, K Ela, assistant professor, City Law College Dimapur, Elizabeth Humtsoe and founder & chief functionary, Can Youth, Dimapur Jenpu Rongmei.

Relo stressed that the practice of violence inside the family was captured by the children which

same cycle towards women, while Ela shared that women with disabilities were worst affected section of the society facing various abuses and such cases were not taken up by the society.

Sungsabeni Jamio addressed the issues of discrimination which first begins within the family where women are subjected to violence and often tend to tolerate the injustice in silence.

Elizabeth gave a brief insight on the importance of individual rights in availing services provided by the law and the government.

Jenpu Rongmei stressed on the need for proper advocacy, community based policy and the compromises of violence in the name of religion.

E a r l i e r, t h e p r o g r a m m e wa s c h a i r e d by district coordinator, DLCW-MSK Dimapur, Dhonthaidi Langthasa, professor NEISSR, Dr Toli Kiba pronounced invocation and welcome address by principal NEISSR, Rev Dr C.P Anto. Vote of thanks was delivered by Bovili K Chishi, case worker, Sakhi, Dimapur.

Can Youth launches ‘child parliament’

Student participants at the child parliament conducted by Project SPATIAL on November 25.

DIMAPUR: Project SPATIAL under Can Youth supported by Child Aid Network formed “child parliament” for students of Government High School, Sarbura on November 25.

A press release by Can Youth stated that, project coordinator, project SPATIAL, Lairing Dau Jigdung gave a brief concept on the purpose of formation of child parliament explained that it was a platform for students at school, where they can express their emotions fearlessly and work with their understanding of right to self.

He also shared that it focuses on ensuring qual-

ity education by creating a child-friendly situation in school together with teachers, parents, and stakeholders.

Lairing pointed out that child parliament would be effective in teaching and emphasised where students could play an important role in maintaining the school sanitation, carrying out activities and assisting teachers in various ways.

He also illustrated on the objectives of child parliament where the students would become sensitive to school related issues and linking school management to solution, ensure students participation in

order to create a better educational environment in the school, etc.

Meanwhile, the team along with the headmistress and students had a discussion on formation of the group and elected for various posts to be introduced in child parliament.

Later, students nominated for different posts were Chenibemo Lotha as president, Methila Norah as prime minister followed by cabinet minister.

It may be noted that Can Youth is planning to launch child parliament in different Government Schools under Dimapur.

K Y M C

4

northeast

HIV&AIDS epidemic in NE alarming: NACO Report

AGARTALA/ AIZAWL , DEC 1 (IANS): The status of HIV/AIDS epidemic in north-eastern States of India is indeed alarming, says a report of the ‘National AIDS Control Organisation’ (NACO).

The AIDS-related mortality per 1,00,000 population in India was estimated to be the highest in Manipur (36.86), followed by Mizoram (28.34), Nagaland (26.20), Andhra Pradesh (21.76), Puducherry (15.33), Meghalaya (11.08) and Telangana (10.79), added the NACO report.

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s Joint Secretary, Alok Saxena — in his observation incorporated in the recent NACO report — said that evidence has emerged globally that HIVinfected people are more at COVID-19 death risk as compared to HIV-negative patients.

“The challenges for the ‘National AIDS Control Programme’ have multiplied with the COVID-19 pandemic,” added Saxena in the NACO report.

In another disturbing development, the trend of ‘Intravenous Drug Users’ (IDU) is rising at a rocket speed among the youth between 15 and 20 years

in several north-eastern States, especially in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.

“The IDU or the HIV/AIDS prevalence are now a major public health problem instead of a simple health issue.

To check the rapidly rising trend, we are robustly working with other 11 departments of Tripura government, including Education, Social Education and Welfare, Sports.

Police,” said Tripura State AIDS Control Society’s Project Director Phanindra Kumar Majumder.

According to the Excise and Narcotics Department officials from Mizoram, nearly 1,645 people have died of drug abuse in the State since 1984 when the first case was reported.

“Sharing of a common syringe by injecting drug users is a key reason

for Mizoram becoming one of the leading states of HIV/AIDS prevalent in India, registering an average of five to six HIV positive cases a day,” said an Excise and Narcotics Department official on condition of anonymity.

Besides, Mizoram with 2.04 per cent, in two other north-eastern States — Manipur and Nagaland— the HIV prevalence rates are 1.43 per cent and 1.15 per cent per one million people respectively.

Mizoram recorded more than 20,000 HIV positive cases and nearly 2,000 deaths since the first case in 1990. Smuggling of drugs, arms and other contraband worth thousands of crores takes place frequently in the north-eastern region from across the borders, especially from Myanmar.

Officials said the

Meghalaya Assam DGP reviews security arrangements ahead of BTC polls partially lift odd/ Kokrajhar, Dec 1 (PTI) : Assam Director General of Police Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta on Tuesday reviewed law and order situation in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) ahead of the Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) polls.

Elections to the BTC will take place in two phases on December 7 and 10, and votes will be counted on December 12, election officials said.

Mahanta told reporters after assessing the situation that adequate security arrangements have been made in the BTR to conduct free, fair and peaceful polling with 30 companies of paramilitary forces already deployed in the region.

Additional companies of security forces would be sent, if necessary, he said.

Stray incidents are reportedly taking place in some remote areas and there will be zero tolerance towards violation of law and order by political parties parties or individuals, the DGP said.

He also urged people of this region to cooperate with the administration so that polling remained

even restrictions

Correspondent

Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta peaceful. Altogether 72 candidates are in the fray for the 40- member council whose term ended on April 27.

The BTC polls were deferred on March 20 by the Assam State Election Commission due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The elections are being held after a fresh Bodo Accord was signed in New Delhi on January 27 by leaders of all the four factions of the NDFB, then All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) chief Pramod Boro, then BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

The council is currently being administered under the supervision of Governor Jagadish Mukhi.

SHILLONG, DEC 1: The Meghalaya Government on Tuesday partially withdrew plying of vehicles on the streets on an odd/even basis from December 10 in the State.

In an order issued by Commissioner and transport department, Meban Synrem stated the odd/ even arrangement for plying of two wheelers is withdrawn within the Shillong Urban Agglomeration area with effect from December 10.

The government had imposed the odd/even from June 2 after COVID cases surged in East Khasi Hills district, especially in Shillong agglomeration.

Due to this decision there are less vehicles plying on the street. Vehicles so far were allowed to ply based on odd/even numbers at the end of the number plate.

If odd vehicles were allowed on a given day, the next day vehicles with even numbers were allowed. The rule applied for all types of vehicles.

drugs were smuggled from Myanmar which shares 1,643 km of unfenced border with four north-eastern States — Mizoram (510 km), Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km) and Nagaland (215 km).

The drugs, mainly the Methamphetamine tablets (also called Yaba tablet or party tablet), contain a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine and are misused as high-dosage drugs in Bangladesh and neighbouring countries, besides India.

A recent 100-page study report submitted to the ‘Mizoram State AIDS Control Society’ said that the problem of drugs and substance abuse in Mizo society probably started as a spill over of international drug trafficking.

“Mizoram shares two long international borders — one with Myanmar and the ‘Golden Triangle’ in the east and with Bangladesh in the west. The geographical location of the State provides an easy route for trafficking of heroin.

Being adjacent to the “Golden Triangle”, Mizoram is one of the drugtrafficking routes from the ‘Golden Triangle’ to India and elsewhere. Drug abuse has become a rampant

problem among the youth with the initial drug abuse of heroin.

The report said that before 1978, social evils like drug addiction and substance abuse were not much known; even though, it cannot be said that there was no such problem.

However, after half a decade the first death due to overdose of heroin injection was witnessed when a 24-year-old youth died due to heroin overdose in 1984. Since then, there was a noticeable rise in the growth of substance abuse population and heroin, Proxyvon, cough syrup, sedatives, Nitrozepam and volatile are the preferred drugs of choice.

The 100-page NACO report said that nationally HIV incidence was estimated at 0.05 per 1,000 uninfected population in 2019. It had declined from 0.54 in 1995 to 0.05 in 2019. “State and Union Territory (UT)-wise, incidence per 1,000 uninfected population was estimated to be the highest in the three north-eastern states of Mizoram (1.18 per 1,000 uninfected population), Nagaland (0.73) and Manipur (0.34) in 2019. Among Female Sex Worker (FSW), incidence (percentage) in the country

least at home. If any of our language dies, the connection to our cultural identity will die,” the chief minister said.

Khandu appreciated the efforts of a few community-based organisations for conducting folklore and folksong competitions on social media platforms during the lockdown.

He also praised the Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP) for tirelessly working through its various tribe-based branches to promote, preserve and propagate indigenous faiths and cultural traditions.

The chief minister said that the department of Indigenous Affairs (DIA), established in 2017 for preservation and promotion of indigenous culture of the state, will henceforth have an advisory council, replacing the present posts of chairman and vice chairman.

Members will be appointed to the advisory

council on rotation basis from each community of the state, who will in coordination with departmental officials chalk out plans and policies to guide the minister concerned.

Referring to Article 371(H) of the Constitution (Special provision with respect to the state of Arunachal Pradesh notwithstanding anything in the Constitution), the chief minister said that feedbacks from community-based organisations have been received and he will be calling on the Prime Minister soon to discuss the matter.

Khandu said, as people were not educated and aware of their tribal rights vis-a-vis Constitutional provisions when Arunachal Pradesh was conferred statehood in 1987, constitutional protection of tribal rights in the state had “missed the bus”.

He expressed optimism that the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue.

65 fresh COVID cases, one more death in Meghalaya Correspondent Shillong, Dec 1: With the death of an octogenarian physician, the third doctor in the state to have succumbed to COVID-19, the fatality figure due to the viral infection rose to 112, while 65 more infections added up to 669 active cases, even as 158 recoveries surged the number of recovered persons to 11094 as on Tuesday.

The 82 year-old physician from the Laban locality in the city, who passed away at the Military Hospital here on Monday, had been diagnosed with “severe pneumonia with respiratory failure due to COVID-19 with CAD with CKD with Type-2 diabetes mellitus with hypertension”, a medical officer said.

Director of Health Services (MI), Dr. Aman War said that the fresh COVID19 cases included 36 in East Khasi Hills district, 16 in East Garo Hills district, 7 in West Garo Hills district, 3 in South West Garo Hills district, 2 in South West Khasi Hills district and one in West Jaintia Hills district.

With 374 active COVID-19 cases, including 350 civilians and 24 from among armed/paramilitary forces, East Khasi Hills, including Shillong is the most

Dr. Aman War affected district in the State, followed by West Garo Hills with 141 positive cases as per the latest count.

Of the 158 new recoveries from the viral infection registered as on Tuesday, the senior medical official said 70 were from West Garo Hills district, 65 in East Khasi Hills district, 8 each in South Garo Hills district and East Jaintia Hills district, 4 in Ri-Bhoi district and 3 in South West Garo Hills district.

On the other hand, of the 2,43,668 persons tested for COVID-19 in the State till Tuesday, Dr. War said 2,31,793 tested negative, even as 253 persons are in institutional quarantine and 343 are in home isolation.

As per the latest data received on Tuesday evening, 65,732 persons from outside returned to the State, which had 30 containment zones.

After recovery from COVID, Biren reviews situation in Manipur Correspondent IMPHAL, DEC 1: Barely a day after he recovered from novel coronavirus disease, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh reviewed the COVID-19 situation of the state, in a meeting held at the lawns of the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Tuesday.

Singh who tested positive for the viral infection on November 15 last was declared recovered on Monday after his latest RT-PCR results turned out negative.

Most of the cabinet ministers also attended the meeting during which top officials of the state health services tabled the latest scenario of the pandemic in the state and action being initiated to tackle the spread of the contagion.

During the meeting, the chief minister stressed on the need for timely diagnosis and hospitalization for effective treatment and prevention of casualties, a release of the state DIPR said.

He directed the concerned officials to regularly monitor availability

of oxygen in all the districts.

Singh further asked officials to make a WhatsApp group for the medical superintendents of all the government and private hospitals for a better coordination amongst them in the fight against the pandemic.

Taking serious note of the rising cases of COVID19 related casualties in the state, the chief minister urged officials to monitor the mode of treatment and facilities being provided to the COVID-19 patients.

During the meeting, a report of the survey conducted by a group of experts to find out the causes of death to COVID-19 patients was also tabled.

The group of experts headed by state health services director Dr K Rajo had conducted the survey in RIMS, JNIMS, Shija Hospitals and Raj Medicity where maximum number of deaths due to COVID-19 was reported.

Late hospitalization was stated to be the main reason for most of the casualties. The finding also stressed on the need to

Let us focus on peace, harmony in 13 new cases push Arunachal’s Arunachal Pradesh: Pema Khandu COVID-19 tally to 16,282 ITANAGAR, DEC 1 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday asserted that India is a democratic and secular country, where every religion and faith is equal.

Speaking at the Indigenous Faith Day here, Khandu observed that earlier all tribes and communities followed their respective indigenous faiths, which, pushed by modernity and democratic process, changed with time.

“What we should never forget is that we are all from the same origin. So let us respect each other and focus on peace, harmony and development of our state,” he said.

The Indigenous Faith Day is celebrated to preserve, promote and protect the traditional faith and practices of tribal communities.

“I appeal to the elders to teach their young ones their native language and urge them to speak in their native language at

was as high as 2.12 per cent in Meghalaya, followed by 1.14 per cent in Mizoram and Nagaland.”

The report said that the State and UT-wise, annual AIDS-related deaths were estimated to have declined from 2010 to 2019 across the country excluding Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and Assam. Nationally, the annual new HIV infections had decreased by 37 per cent since 2010.

The decline in the annual new HIV infections had been witnessed in all States and UTs except Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh.

“Exce pt Manipur, HIV prevalence in the north-eastern States has shown a stable-to-rising trend due to a relatively higher number of annual new HIV infections. Annual new HIV infections have increased in Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura while being almost stable in Mizoram and Nagaland during 2010-2019.”

There is a need for community-driven integrated AIDS response in these States on an urgent basis to respond to the growing HIV problem in the region,” said the NACO report.

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

I tanagar , D ec 1 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh’s COVID-19 tally rose to 16,282 on Tuesday as 13 more people tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said.

Fo r t y - s e ve n m o r e people were cured of the disease, taking the recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state to 94.65 per cent, he said.

The Capital Complex region reported the highest number of new cases at seven, followed by Tawang and Lepa Rada (two each) and Lower Dibang Valley and Tirap (one each), State Surveillance Officer Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

Twelve infections were

detected through rapid antigen tests and one during TrueNat tests, he said.

Ar unachal Pradesh now has 817 active coronavirus cases, while 15,411 people have recovered from the disease and 54 patients have succumbed to the infection to date, he said.

The state’s positivity and fatality rates stand at 5.35 per cent and 0.33 per cent respectively, the official said. The Capital Complex region, comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, has the highest number of active cases at 586, followed by West Kameng (58), Lepa Rada (24) and Changlang (21), Jampa said.

Mizoram reports one more COVID-19 death, toll rises to 6

Aizawl, Dec 1 (PTI): Mizoram on Tuesday reported one more COVID-19 death after a 41-year-old man succumbed to the virus, taking the toll to six, an official said.

The northeastern state reported 22 fresh cases, pushing the tally to 3,847, he said. It now has 269 active cases, while 3,572 people have recovered from the disease.

Manipur CM N Biren reviews COVID-19 situation of state on Tuesday. create awareness among the general public to attend hospital as soon as the patient becomes symptomatic, the release said.

As tabled in the meeting, RIMS hospital has currently 170 isolation beds including 17 ICU beds, JNIMS has 145 beds including 15 ICUs, Shija Hospitals has 57 beds including 15 ICUs and Raj Medicity has 21 beds including 4 ICUs. On the other hand, with the deaths of eight more patients, the total number of lives claimed by the new novel coronavirus

5,600 kg poppy seeds seized near Myanmar border Aizawl, Dec 1 (PTI): Poppy seeds worth around Rs 25.20 lakh were seized near the Myanmar border in Mizoram’s Champhai district, officials said on Tuesday.

Eighty bags of poppy seeds, weighing around 5,600 kg, were seized in an operation by the Serchhip battalion of Assam Rifles and officials of Customs on Monday in the ZotlangRuantlang area along the India-Myanmar border, they said.

Acting on specific inputs, the team found a vehicle loaded with poppy consignment without any legal documents, officials said.

On being questioned, the driver revealed that the consignment was smuggled from Myanmar, they added. The contraband along with the seized vehicle was handed over to the Customs, they said.

No person has been arrested in connection with the seizure.

in the state rose to 289 on Tuesday.

Of the eight deaths over the last 24 hours, two were females aged 42 and 80, while the rest were males ranging between 35 to 75 years, according to the daily update of the COVID-19 Common Control Room of the state government.

Meanwhile, the state’s COVID-19 infections rose to 25,243 as 198 new cases were confirmed during test of 2,693 samples in the past 24 hours. The total number of samples tested in the state so far reached

4,23,035.

Among the new infections, 156 persons were from the general population while 42 were personnel of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

The total infections included 21,718 recoveries. A total of 152 patients were discharged on Tuesday, as per the daily update report.

The 3,236 active cases currently being treated in various COVID care centres included 337 CAPF personnel. The recovery rate of the state was 86.03%.

Schools and colleges to remain closed in Tripura

AG A RTA L A , D E C 1 (PTI): Schools and colleges in Tripura will continue to remain closed as the states health department has not given its permission for reopening of the educational institutions from Tuesday, a notification said.

A high-level meeting of the education department on November 26 had decided to start classes for students of Class 10 and Class 12 from December 1. However, it was said that the decision would be effective only after obtaining permission from the health department.

The director of higher

education Saju Vaheed in a notification on Tuesday said, as the health department did not give a clearance, the decision has been postponed for the time being.

“In view of not receiving positive response from the Health and Family Welfare department, Tripura, regarding the re-opening of College/ Institution, it has been decided to cancel the physical attendance of the students”, the notification said.

An official of the education department said, online classes will continue as usual.

Happy Birthday, Ritisha.

You are the real gift for all of us. The most heartfelt birthday greetings to the person whose presence in our life makes it so bright and special!

Love from Baba, Maa, Borda, Chorda.

5

national/state

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

NSCN (I-M) slams Gov’s Enough stock of commodities: DC Mkg, MCCI India test-fires BrahMos ‘irresponsible statement’

A naval version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile successfully test-fired in Bay of Bengal. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, DEC 1 (PTI): A naval version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test fired from a stealth destroyer of the Indian Navy in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday as part of a series of trials of the weapon, officials said. A similar test firing of the missile was conducted by the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea six weeks back.

“The BrahMos antiship missile was successfully launched by INS Ran-

vijay and it hit the target ship at maximum range with pinpoint accuracy,” Indian Navy Spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said. BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russian joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or from land platforms.

On November 24, the Indian Army had “successfully” test-fired the surfaceto-surface BrahMos missile that flies at a speed of 2.8

Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.

The range of the new land attack version of the missile has been extended to 400 km from the original 290 km. India has already deployed a sizable number of the original BrahMos missiles and other key assets in several strategic locations along the Line of Actual Control with China in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

In the last two-andhalf months, India has testfired a number of missiles including an anti-radiation missile named Rudram-1 which is planned to be inducted into service by 2022.

The Indian Air Force on October 30 test-fired the air launched version of the weapon from a Sukhoi fighter aircraft in the Bay of Bengal.

The IAF is also integrating the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on over 40 Sukhoi fighter jets which is aimed at bolstering overall combat capability of the force.

Correspondent

(From p-1) It said when the Government of India and the Naga people were fully committed to resolve the issue which was at its concluding stage and through peaceful means, “once more the ex-IB official RN Ravi is planning to hijack the more than seven decades of war and 23 years of peace talks in the same style of the NPC.” NSCN (I-M) accused Ravi of attempting to “murder” the future of the Nagas and the vital national interest of India.

It warned that “Nagas must wake up and should not allow us to be fooled twice with the same trick.”

While agreeing with Ravi’s assertion that India as a nation should have a sovereign territory, one constitution and one national flag, NSCN (I-M) said in the same breath, “Nagaland/Nagalim too must have sovereign territory, one constitution and

one national flag within which the two must share sovereign powers and coexist peacefully as two entities as agreed upon in the Framework Agreement where he himself is a signatory.”

NSCN(I-M) advised Ravi as Governor of Nagaland “not to bite off more than he can chew as far as the Indo Naga Issue is concerned.”

It also asked if Ravi, the interlocutor, would speak in the same “bipolar language as this RN Ravi the governor of Nagaland state does?”

Citing Phizo’s November 22, 1948 letter written to C. Raja Gopalachari, the Governor General of India, “I am certain about one thing, my turbulent Naga people cannot be frightened into submission”, the NSCN (I-M) said “The same is gently reminded to Ravi today that we are undeterred by your threat.”

MOKOKCHUNG, DEC 1 (NPN): In the backdrop of economic blockade imposed by some Assam-based organisations at Mariani in Assam’s Jorhat district, whereby movement of all vehicles to Nagaland along NH 702D has been restricted, both Mokokchung district administration and Mokokchung Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MCCI) have claimed that there was sufficient stock of all commodities.

Mentioning that the status was found during an assessment of stocks and prices at Mokokchung town on November 29 by the district administration, Mokokchung Municipal Council (MMC) and MCCI, deputy commissioner (DC) Limawabang Jamir requested the public not to resort to panic buying. He also asked all traders to adhere to the price list of essential commodities fixed by MMC. The DC also provided helpline numbers for any public grievances faced in this regard –8131836575

ENSF phase-II indefinite agitation passes off peacefully tion would continue till the government meets the demand of ENSF. In Noklak district, the Khiamniungan Students’ Union (KSU) said they successfully imposed indefinite democratic agitation by boycotting statehood day celebration and locking up the government offices at Noklak District HQ, Nokhu EAC, Panso EAC and Thonoknyu SDO (Civil) Hq. KSU also restricted movement of government registered vehicles.

However, district administration, police, medical and central agencies were exempted.

The agitation began at 6am and implemented

all the directives of ENSF and no untoward incident occurred within the district, KSU media cell informed.

Responding to ENSF and KSU directive, the Pathso Range Students Union (PRSU) enforced the agitation within its jurisdiction.

Volunteers from Pathso, Ekhao, Pathso Nokeng and Pathso Town student bodies participated in the agitation.

The agitation commenced at 6 am at Panso EAC HQ by displaying placards. The national flag was not hoisted and no activities was organised relating to the Statehood Day, informed PRSU assistant information & publicity secretary

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Contact : Faith Theological College (FTC), Ura Villa Colony, Circuit House Area, Dimapur Phone No. 9856319201 / 7005091090 / 8837099195

DP-4520

(From p-1) ENSF informed that one vehicle was seized Tuesday for not respecting its directives. It stated that those seized vehicles would be released only when their demands were fulfilled.

The federation has directed all the six federating units that the second phase of day-two indefinite democratic agitation would remain the same and as per the directives issued.

ENSF has expressed gratitude to the six federating units for their continued support and cooperation in all the endeavours undertaken by the federation and also to the Eastern brethren for expressing solidarity with the cause.

Meanwhile, reports received from all the districts of eastern Nagaland stated that the agitation was successful.

In Kiphire, the United Sangtam Students’ Conference (USSC) as per ENSF directive boycotted the statehood celebration in the district.

USSC volunteers were seen preventing the celebration at public ground Kiphire and restricting movement of government vehicles at Kiphire town. As per USSC official, one government vehicle was seized for violating ENSF directives. However, no untoward incident was reported. USSC said agita-

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Khumong T. In Longleng district, the Phom Students’ Conference (PLP) succesfully enforced the phase-II agitation at Longleng district HQ and Tamlu Subdivision on December 1.

In a press release, PLP president A Mane Phom and assistant general secretary Amos Phom said that the agitation passed off peacefully and no untoward incident occurred within the district.

They said that agitation would continue until demands were fulfilled and

justice delivered to Eastern people.

In Mon district, the Konyak Students Union (KSU) strictly enforced the phase-II indefiniate democratic agitation.

In a press release, KSU president Bumang Phaiba and assistant general secretary Nokpho Wangsha stated that in the entire district the union did not allow hoisting of flag. KSU affirmed to extend continued support and cooperation to the federation until demands were fulfilled by the state government.

In Tuensang, the Yimchungrü Akherü Arihako (YAA) imposed agitation starting from 6am on Tuesday under its jurisdiction.

In a press release, YAA president Achung Jangleh said that union officials along with volunteers successfully boycotted statehood day celebration at its Shamator HQ. and Pungro HQ, but no untoward incident occurred.

YAA also said it would continue to impose indefinite agitation in a peaceful democratic manner until justice was served.

(district administration), 7005850562 (MMC) and 9436006062 (MCCI).

Meanwhile, MCCI too claimed that there was sufficient stock of all commodities and that prices were stable.

Assuring that efforts are being made to replenish the market to meet public demand without any hitch despite the economic blockade, the trade body urged the people not to resort to panic buying as this would create artificial scarcity of goods and commodities in the market. Further, it also requested the public not to fall prey to rumours or unconfirmed reports.

In order to take stock of the situation in local market, MCCI said it conducted an empirical assessment of stocks and prices on November 29 along with Mokokchung district administration and MMC and was also closely monitoring the market in close coordination with competent authorities in Mokokchung.

Mentioning that price control and regulation of services and commodities

without marked MRP are under the purview of district administration and MMC, the trade body advised people not to spread rumour that it was responsible for price hikes. Instead, it clarified that its policy was to ensure that all goods and services are sold in Mokokchung below the prescribed rates set by statuary bodies in the best interest of customers.

MCCI warned traders and businessmen indulging in unethical and illicit business practices like price hike and hoarding by taking undue advantage of the prevailing situation of initiating strong punitive action against them.

Apart from working for protecting the rights and preserving the dignity of business community, MCCI asserted that it was dedicated to serving the people and was ever ready to go the extra mile to ensure that the market was stable under any given circumstances. This was stated in a press release by its president Tsukti Longkumer and general secretary Limalenden Longkumer.

Rio extols Nagaland’s statehood journey

(From p-1) He said a new Cath Lab has been installed in CIHSR Dimapur while another Medical College was also being established in Mon which will go a long way in further improving the health sector especially in the eastern parts of the State.

The celebration was held by strictly following the laid down SOPs .

Five contingents 4th NAP, DEF Kohima, STF, 15th NAP Mahilla Bn and PTS Brass band took part in the march pass led by parade commander Watichujang Jamir Deputy commandant4th NAP and assistant commandant 4th NAP Lucy Yhome.

Earlier DGP Nagaland T. J Longkumer reviewed the parade.

Deputy chief minister, cabinet ministers, chief secretary and few senior government officials attended the celebration.

6

OPINiON/EDITORIAL

Nagaland Post Vol. XXx NO. 358 Dimapur, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

Annual entertainment

D

ecember 1 is Nagaland statehood day and since 2000 the government’s planners and thinkers felt it would be a befitting occasion to showcase and promote Naga culture and promote inter-tribe harmony. Thus was born the Hornbill Festival earlier billed as ‘The Festival of Festivals’ and which today has carved a niche for itself as an important tourism itinerary nationally and internationally. From one day to two or three days and presently to ten days, the Hornbill Festival has indeed become the annual event that sets everyone, especially the tourism department , literally on fire due to the hectic schedules and daily events. Since over half a decade, the government’s remarkable think tanks have sought to ride the Hornbill success by terming Nagaland as the ‘Land of Festivals’. Nagaland has scores of festivals celebrated by its sixteen tribes. Most of these festivals revolve round agriculture. In an agricultural society, the occasion for feasting was logically at the end of a harvest. More importantly these occasions for rejoicing obtained a seasonal regularity. December 1 is also World AIDS Day, which also serves as reminder about the scourge, which like the coronavirus, continues to spread alarmingly. However, this year celebration of statehood day and observance of World AIDS Day was muted owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions on public gathering as well as advise on public to not venture out unless necessary, appear to have dampened the celebrative spirit. The Hornbill Festival is a tourist attraction offering internationally acclaimed Naga cuisines including the choicest delicacies at the Heritage Village. The Heritage Village is a must-see place which has a lasting impact on visitors, especially from far away states including those from abroad.

Who wouldn’t like to see, experience and enjoy the rare occasion of all-in-one festival? As the celebrations evolved from cultural events to entertainment, packaged with the traditional fervour, fashion show and some music and adventure sports thrown in between, it has indeed become the ‘happening festival’ and over the years, has become a culture in its own right. Today, the Hornbill Festival, which has been subjected to evolutionary changes is accepted as ‘the annual event’ and can even be equated as among the most exciting tourist promotional programmes in India. The overall picture that emerges through all these events, suggests that tourism is being sought to be promoted within the weeklong festival. This also raises the question – whether the state wants more tourists and if this is to be restricted only for ten days in December or should tourism be a serious matter that offers packages all year through as in other states?

Nagaland offers some splendid spots for those who love nature in all its resplendent beauty. Areas that have not been given due importance are private and public participation in tourism. The clichés that have been emblazoned, such as- ‘Hornbill, the Festival of Festivals’ and Nagaland as the ‘Land of Festivals’; have been restricted to the bill boards. This is because connectivity to travel to the festivals is though bad roads sometimes unreachable during monsoon. Even requirement of facilities such as affordable transport, lodges and power etc have not been met .It is time for the government of Nagaland to leave festivities and tourist trade to private businesses and investors and focus on roads, electricity and water instead of trying to be the big event management corporation.

DailyDevotion The Law and the Gospel

Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. —James 2:10 The moral law does not consider our weaknesses as human beings; in fact, it does not take into account our heredity or infirmities. It simply demands that we be absolutely moral. The moral law never changes, either for the highest of society or for the weakest in the world. It is enduring and eternally the same. The moral law, ordained by God, does not make itself weak to the weak by excusing our shortcomings. It remains absolute for all time and eternity. If we are not aware of this, it is because we are less than alive. Once we do realize it, our life immediately becomes a fatal tragedy. “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died” (Romans 7:9). The moment we realize this, the Spirit of God convicts us of sin. Until a person gets there and sees that there is no hope, the Cross of Christ remains absurd to him.

Conviction of sin always brings a fearful, confining sense of the law. It makes a person hopeless— “… sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). I, a guilty sinner, can never work to get right with God— it is impossible.

There is only one way by which I can get right with God, and that is through the death of Jesus Christ. I must get rid of the underlying idea that I can ever be right with God because of my obedience. Who of us could ever obey God to absolute perfection!

We only begin to realize the power of the moral law once we see that it comes with a condition and a promise. But God never coerces us. Sometimes we wish He would make us be obedient, and at other times we wish He would leave us alone. Whenever God’s will is in complete control, He removes all pressure. And when we deliberately choose to obey Him, He will reach to the remotest star and to the ends of the earth to assist us with all of His almighty power.

Quotes

Courage is found in unlikely places. ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

Post-mortem

Governor’s speech at unveiling bust of Dr. Imkongliba Ao

O

n the auspicious occasion of the 58th Statehood Day of Nagaland, I extend my warmest greetings and best wishes to all of you present here and to the people of Nagaland.

At the outset, I pay my heartfelt tribute to the Founding Fathers of Nagaland – the leaders of the Naga Peoples’ Convention and countless Nagas whose blood, sweat and sacrifices created this beautiful State.

People of Nagaland shall always remember them with utmost gratitude.

We are fortunate to have amidst us one of the Founding Fathers, Padma Bhusan Dr. S.C.Jamir, a man who dedicated his life to the service of the people of this State and the Country. I, on behalf of the people of Nagaland and the entire Country, thank Dr. Jamir for his decisive role at a crucial time in shaping the State.

May God bless him with long healthy life and he may continue guiding and mentoring the younger generations.

On behalf of the people of Nagaland, I convey a deep sense of gratitude to other members of the Naga Peoples’ Convention who are unfortunately, no more with us. I tell their

M

family members that your fathers and grand-fathers were the heroes and will always remain heroes for the people of Nagaland and the Country.

On this day we remember the bravery and sacrifices of the Naga leaders who fought through the darkest period of senseless bloodshed through peaceful democratic process to protect the rights and identity of the Naga people.

They stood for true freedom of Nagas - freedom from interference in Nagas way of life.

From time immemorial, Nagas have been a freedom loving people.

T h e y h ave c h e r i s h e d through the centuries their freedom from interference in their way of life. They have fiercely resisted any encroachment on this freedom. For the Naga people, their traditions, cultures, customs and customary institutions have always been dear and close to their heart.

When the British were leaving and birth of free Union of India was imminent, Nagas raised their concerns and insisted for convincing safeguards against interference in their way of life.

Thanks to the Naga leaders diligent pursuit of their

emory is such an inherent gift. Everybody has a story to tell as all and sundry is blessed with the faculty to remember the event that came to pass. A worthwhile occasion fit for such reminiscence is the memory of childhood at Christmas time.

The remarkable episode that is indelibly imprinted in one’s memory as a child differs from one to another. What is your childhood memory at Christmas time? For some of you, the memory may be incredibly good, where you spent the time with kinfolk over traditional cuisine by the fireplace. For others of you, it may be a night of carolling with friends having a conventional tag. For some of you, it may be pinning your ears back to Jim Reeves and Boney-M creating nostalgia in the winter air. For others of you, it may be simply being at home free from the obligation of assignments and coursework.

For some of you, it may be an astonishing journey to some distant land. The list goes on.

Good childhood memories that you have bracketed together count and they remain.

There is a Christmas Album called Christmas Love and I situate my childhood Christmas recollection to this one thing. The Album cover portrays the innocent infant Jesus in a manger with Joseph, Mary, and the Shepherds in jubilation.

I could call to mind listening to the songs from the album during the season. It had become one of my preferred albums and topped the personal chart not only once but right through my childhood days. Adding flavour; my mother showed her affection for the album as much as I did. We gained from listening to the melody and the lyrics that complemented the music became a dividend to the enthralment.

Forwarding the time to the present; today’s Christmas has evolved to something different from the earlier ones.

The innovation that has been taking place in the rest of the world is having its sway in almost every aspect here and now.

This progress is for the most part seen in cosmetic arrangement rather than the internal growth though. The poignant trend is the overlapping of this influence into the season’s internal arrangement. The church has adopted the influence and adapted herself to this drift. The trend in a visible format is manifested in the form of allotting

freedom that most of the tribal areas in the North East region got their selfgovernment through the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.

While majority Nagas continued to pursue political campaign for a more convincing safeguards under the Constitution of India, some radical leaders articulated their position in extreme terms of independence and adopted violent means to achieve it which pushed Naga Hills into widespread bloodshed.

In the midst of such an unfortunate predicament, some bold, brave and farsighted Naga leaders formed the Naga Peoples’ Convention under the Presidentship of Dr. Imkongliba Ao. They reached out to Nagas beyond the Naga Hills District and mobilized them to save the Nagas from senseless bloody violence and help them shape their political future. The NPC leaders facing extreme threats to their life took initiatives even to reach out to the radicals to shun the self-destructive path of violence and be a partner in the peaceful democratic enterprise to decide the future of Naga people. They initiated an

Take us back ceiling budget for the external embellishment of the church premises. In consequence, the church building is elaborately decorated and illuminated with shades of varied colours making it come into sight akin to a grand festivity at the palatial edifice. In the adornment, the church also has moved a great deal away from traditional adherence as is evidenced from the way she places her decorative stuffs.

We see less and less of Joseph, Mary, and the Shepherds by the side of newborn Jesus in a manger; and more and more of Santa Clause and other fictitious characters occupying a dominant place in the panorama nativity scene. This reminds us of something not fairly right and that something is that we have pushed Christmas into the commercial hub.

The adapted mercantile trend has been persuading the young minds to mull over Christmas as any other festive celebrations. Put concretely, a large space has been fashioned for relative thinking to dwell.

This has extensively pushed the factual implication of the season to the periphery. “Action speaks louder than words” they say.

The manifold manifestation of this distortion is not within the veiled form anymore when one sees the way the younger generation anticipates, observes and behaves. In the name of Christmas, anything that suits the secular outlook in revelry is up to standard. To many; drunkenness, orgies and the like have become a norm and a fashion in this phase of the year and they no longer bother so long as they maintain the standard of living. Indeed, a heart-rending reality!

Behind the scene of jubilation, a comprehensive portrait is sketched in the album cover which qualifies the front scene as Jesus is hung on a tree, with thorns on his head and blood cascading down the face. The time-honoured significance cannot be undermined altogether and the album carries that meaning in a vivid manner.

Realising this significant mark will definitely enable us to put Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds back to the rightful place; in close proximity to the Child in a manger.

We can no longer remain at the birth narrative for too long by way of being complacent but we have to look beyond and proceed to the grand event that was to take place on mount Golgotha following the first

intensely extensive sociopolitical churning in the Naga Society to crystallise their position on their collective political future.

Eventually after over three years of socio-political churning the freewill of the Naga Society emerged in the form of a 16 Point Memorandum which was the basis of their political negotiation with the Government of India on the political future of Nagas.

I salute the strategic foresight, political vision and extraordinary negotiating skills of the Naga leaders. They were not only successful in crystallising the free-will of the Naga people through wider democratic participation of all the tribes but also through their skilful political negotiation with Government of India they got what could have been otherwise unthinkable. They created a fullfledged State by uniting the Nagas of Assam and NEFA with extraordinary constitutional safeguards against any interference in their way of life, their customs, traditions, system of justice, their religion, their land and resources.

This freedom came at a heavy cost. Dr. Imkongliba Ao was soon

assassinated. Many other Nagas made their ultimate sacrifice so that their successive generations could live in freedom. Their martyrdom and sacrifices did not go in vain. The birth of Nagaland State is triumph of the politics of peace over politics of violence. What the Naga leaders achieved through democratic process, violence could never and will never be able to do so.

For far too long this glorious achievement of the Founding Fathers have been eclipsed.

Nagaland State born out of the sweat and blood of its Founding Fathers and sacrifices of countless freedom loving Nagas is and shall remain an integral part of the Union of India. Nagaland state is not a temporary arrangement. It is an enduring entity and Article 371-A of the Indian Constitution is a sacrosanct commitment to the people of Nagaland.

Unfortunately, the people of Nagaland have not been able to fully enjoy the fruits of Nagaland State and their full rights and privileges as citizens of the Union of India.

Till today the dream of the Founding Fathers for enduring peace remains

elusive to the people of Nagaland. Some people, mostly from outside the State, imbued with a perverse political ideology, have been peddling preposterous lies and are standing as a roadblock to the enduring peace in Nagaland.

Our befitting tribute to the Founding Fathers will be to liberate our State from the vice-like grips of those vested interests who have destroyed two generations of the people of Nagaland. For this, we must rise above divisive, violent politics and embrace unity, peace and prosperity for the better future of our children and generations to come.

Today as we unveil the bust of Dr.Imkongliba Ao in the majestic premises of Kohima Raj Bhavan, I urge the people of Nagaland to renew our sense of gratitude to the Founding Fathers and commit ourselves to building a Nagaland of their dreams where the genius of Naga people blossom to the fullest and the State joins the front-ranking States of the Indian Union.

I once again wish you all a very happy 58th Statehood Day. God bless Nagaland!

School fees during the pandemic

Christmas; namely, the Cross.

The true meaning of celebrating Christmas can be tapped only in realizing this eventful event on the mount. This will allow us to make a distinction between Christmas and its misrepresentations.

Decoration is an important part of the celebration for in so doing we demonstrate our love, respect and honour in an indispensable manner. But it becomes a stumbling block when the outward beautification outweighs the inner state of the heart. Consequently, the church needs to ask herself whether the outward appearance that is extensively seen is in anyway reflecting the true inner decorum of the heart.

If the stunning Christmas star that is hung upon the tree in the front of your handsome building doesn’t portray your true inner being then how great the inconsistence is! If the huge amount that is extracted from the church budget for the purpose of embellishment doesn’t help in meeting people’s spiritual needs; then, as a church, she needs to genuinely create space for the contemplation to come into her sphere of influence sooner rather than later.

As the season of Advent has come to us again, may we have a time of retreat and retrieve our childhood memory at Christmas time where we once anticipated the eventful day with awe and wonder. You and I as part of the church should become an agent of change by having the courage to put Joseph and Mary, the Shepherds, and above all else the innocent infant Jesus in the centre stage of the nativity scene and not the fictitious elements. In so doing, the ornamentation in the church premises, no lesser than that sheer size that is also seen in homes, will at length become substantially momentous. Love from heaven will redirect us had we shuffled the priority to our fancy.

You and I can become persons of worth once again since the Word has become flesh in the birth of Christ the Lord. The redemption from the bondage of sin has come to us through the Word. Let us dare to unlock the childhood memory that reflects the true character of anticipation where love, joy, peace and hope met in abundance. May the spirit of the season take us back to that childlike wonder at the first Christmas.

Bito Lohe

T

his year has now come to its end. The COVID-19 pandemic has turned all our world fully upside down and there is nothing that has not been affected by this pandemic.

Amongst many of the things, the academic life of our school going children has also been greatly affected to the extreme of remaining indoor, locked at home for fear of being infected by the COVID-19 till date. There has been a lot of discussions and speculations all through this year amongst many sections of parents, school proprietors, students union and the general public about exempting/waiving certain amount on school fees, since no classroom classes were conducted for the whole year after few days of school admission except online classes. What use to be a normal of 8 to 9 of school hours has now become an hour or two of online classes.

We really appreciate all the teachers for putting their extra effort during this uncertain times and helping our children, despite of many problems which they themselves are going through. But we hope school proprietors will also understand and exempt certain amount of school fees, say at least 25 percent, as many parents who are daily wage earners, small business people, petty traders etc have been really hit hard by this pandemic.

This doesn't mean that teachers' salaries should be deducted, but it should be understood that utilities such as electricity, water, toilets, generators, libraries, laboratories etc, besides all these school facilities like co-curricular activities and school premises are not

being used for almost whole year due to the effect caused by the pandemic, but the fees for all these above mentioned school curriculum have already been paid by the parents during school admission.

Therefore at least some compromise should be made by them too, rather than sending notifications to the parents to clear up the school fees even for January- 2021(for the next academic session) if they wish to procure their kid's final progress report.

T h e s t a t e g ove r n m e n t should also work out some modalities like in other neighbouring states of Assam and Meghalaya, where exemption of school fees have been ordered by their government and have come to the rescue of the suffering parents.

Even if others fail to notice or understand the plight faced by the parents with less income during this most difficult time, students organizations are expected to play the most vital role for the welfare and well being of the students and their parents by looking on every angels and understand the situation, instead of being one sided.

One sad thing in this scenario is the school which are run by some students leaders, some affluent churches or some individuals/families from missionary aided background are not exempting even a small fraction of amount for the whole year. If such is an example set by them, what can we expect from others ?

Let some humanitarian thought and deed take place in a land where we proudly call ourselves a Christian state.

H. Khetoho Aye, Dimapur

Reader’s Post

Appeal to SBI Dimapur Sir,

With due respect I on behalf of the customers would like to bring to your notice the problems faced on the day to day basis regarding SBI (ATM). Every time we are in want of some cash, we are compelled to run from one ATM to the other. Last month one incident happened. After trying many times was compelled to use other private bank's facility, than instantly got SMS from SBI reminding to use SBI-ATM stating for better security, convenience and faster complaint resolution. Therefore you are kindly requested to update the ATM machines as well as timely installation of cash. Pray that one of the leading banking sector in India will not let its customers down. Looking forward to your prompt action in this regard.

Ashi Aier, Midland Dimapur

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.

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

state

7

‘World AIDS Day’ observed in Nagaland

H&FW department officials along with guests during the event held at CMO Zunheboto, Dr. K. Akaho Sema delivering his RRC MCTE members with resource person and others during the programme on December 1.

Kohima on December 1. (NP) speech on December 1.

A press release by educational assistances and DPO DAPCU, Kohima, for one academic year and Sentimongla Tzudir stated onetime financial assistance that during the programme, to PLHIV families espeADC congratulated the cially those women whose positive speaker for her livelihood/health had been courage and setting an ex- affected by this pandemic. ample for other PLHIV to Programme was attended come forward and not to by all staff from CMO and live in fear of stigma and MS, ward youth presidents, discrimination.

Yingli Mission Society (TI) She added that the NGO, OST and Mental PLHIVs were not alone Health Program District in their fight against the Hospital. disease and that the adDAPCU Phek: District ministration would gladly Aids Programme Control help wherever possible. Unit (DAPCU), Phek along Further, Rutsa encouraged with DLN, ELF, AHANA all children living with HIV and VIHAAN Phek ob(CLHIV) beneficiaries to served the day at town counParticipants at the programme held at CMO office Longleng on December 1. Guest speaker, EAC Phek, Wetsho Lasushe at the programme held in Phek. do well academically. Na- cil hall, Phek sponsored by galand State AIDS Control NSACS. A press release by disDIMAPUR: World AIDS series of activities includ- would be sitting down with ed by various individuals CMO also held that it Ketho Angami expressed Society (NSACS) provided Day was observed on De- ing awareness, prevention, all the stakeholders to dis- and groups including Dr was not only the responsi- concern on the alarming a one-time educational as- trict media officer, NHM cember 1 at various districts testing and treatment and cuss and chart out various Joyce Z Angami, H&FW bility of the health depart- rise of HIV significantly sistance to three CLHIV Phek, stated that guest through respective health also de-stigmatise people strategies to bring down the secretary Wezope, Dr Vin- ment but every section of among the youth which in the district who were fe- speaker EAC Phek, Wethso units, under the theme, affected by the disease.” prevalence rate. ito, representatives from people to fight against HIV stood at 91% of all HIV licitated in the programme. Lasushe said that as responEarlier, significance of the sible individuals, citizens, “global solidarity, shared Bhatia disclosed that Earlier, Bhatia also Naga Mother’s Associa- and AIDS with collective transmission in the state. responsibility.” so far there were 317 In- handed out a one time tion, Kohima Network of effort.

He elaborated on “end- day was shared by KNP+ leaders and the people can Kohima: In Kohima, tegrated Counselling and special financial assistance positive people and NaA quiz competition ing the HIV/AIDS epidem- president, Yhuni and clos- achieve the goal to end the the programme was or- Testing Centres (ICTC) in to 33 families of People galand Network of Positive was also held, where cer- ic: resilience and impact” ing remarks by Sentimon- HIV and AIDS epidemic by 2030. During the proganised by department of the state dedicated to test- Living with HIV (PLHIV) People. (Correspondent) tificates were handed over and called upon the youth gla Tzudir.

DHS Longleng: Dis- gramme, CMO, Dr. VibeHealth and Family Welfare ing and treatment of people from all over the state afDAPCU Zunheboto: to the winners and grant in to play the main role in (H&FW) at its directorate with HIV/AIDS, apart from fected by the Covid-19 pan- District AIDS Prevention aid to CLHIV beneficiaries bringing about awareness trict Health Society (DHS) ituonuo Mepfuo presented on Tuesday. Speaking as the setting up of a number of demic. and Control Unit (DAP- was given. Earlier, district in the community as well Longleng commemorated grant in aid to three children special guest, principal sec- blood bank facilities where He also gave away CU), chief medical officer ICTC supervisor, Jubit K as to extend their support the day at conference hall, living with HIV for educaretary, H&FW and chair- strict protocols are main- financial assistance to 42 (CMO) office, Zunheboto chaired the programme, to the PLHIV. President, CMO office, initiated by tional support of one acaman, NSACS Amardeep tained to ensure safe blood children from all over the observed “world AIDS welcome address by DPO, NMP, Temsu Jamir shared District AIDS Control Soci- demic year with cash, sponsored by NSACS. NSACS Singh Bhatia said the state transfusion procedures. state who were orphaned day” under the theme DAPCU, Hokishe Chophy, his journey on being HIV ety (DACS) Longleng.

A press release by dis- online quiz competition remachineries on HIV/AIDS He lauded the public by HIV/AIDS. “global solidarity shared re- invocation by staff nurse and AIDS positive and have a pressing need to participation in the form The event was chaired sponsibility” on December DH, Zhetoli and benedic- elaborated on why it was trict media officer stated sult of various categories of work harder than before of NGOs, community and by NSACS project director, 1 at conference hall, Dis- tion by community care imperative that the com- that the chief medical offi- winners was also declared in order to bring down the faith-based organisations Dr K Vikaro Kinimi, wel- trict Hospital Zunheboto. A coordinator, Visheli. munity be made aware of cer, Dr Obangjungla spoke by DPO, DAPCU. Meanwhile, president disease’s prevalence rate in for rendering their help and come address was delivered press release by district meRRC, MCTE: Red the preventive measures to on the significance of the the state. Although there extending a robust partner- by Dr Bernice. dia officer stated that, dur- Ribbon Club (RRC) of erase the stigma attached day and this year’s theme, PNP + FO AHANA, Mese has been tremendous suc- ship which have substanSumi Baptist Church ing the programme, guest Mokokchung College of to it. College presented a “global solidarity, shared Letro gave a positive voice cess over the past years, tially helped in reaching associate pastor Kito S Sho- speaker, CMO Zunheboto, Teacher Education (MCTE) small token to the Network responsibility”. Speaking where he requested parhe said the prevalence rate out to the high-risk groups. he pronounced a special Dr. K Akaho Sema thanked virtually celebrated “world of Mokokchung People on the theme, MO (OST) ticipants not to stigmatise of HIV/AIDS in the state Their intervention has re- prayer for PLHIV commu- the organiser (DAPCU) AIDS day” on December 1. Living with HIV and AIDS District Hospital, Dr. Khy- the people living with HIV othungo Yanthan said that but to contribute morally was second highest in the sulted in reducing AIDS nity while Kohima Network and advocate, DLSA, Tovi A press release by assistant (NMP). country and seven times prevalence rate among In- of Positive People president shared about the legal aids professor, nodal officer, DAPCU Kohima: UNAIDS leads the world and physically. Earlier, the the national average which jection Drug Users (IDU), Yhuni and Greater Involve- to PLHIV, RRC and gath- RRC MCTE, Imtimenla District AIDS Prevention to achieve the shared vision programme was chaired by was very worrisome even female sex workers and ment of People Living with ering. CMO congratulated Jamir stated that the aim and Control Unit (DAP- of zero HIV infection, zero Thuputo Venuh PM ELF, inafter having put various MSMs, Bhatia added.

HIV/AIDS, NSACS, as- the participants of the quiz of the event was to har- CU) Kohima in collabora- discrimination and zero vocation by pastor, Angami Baptist Church, Phek Town, programmes into place two Highlighting about sistant director Moasungla competition organised by ness the potential of the tion with Kohima Network AIDS related deaths.

He also said that the Thepfuneizo Yhor, vote of decades ago. the law prohibiting dis- Jamir also spoke.

NSACS for RRC. He ex- youth by educating their of Positive people (KNP+) Adding that one of the crimination against people A special presentation pressed concern about the peers and others in the observed the day at Dis- educated must empower thanks by Vezotalu Shijoh, main reasons for observing with HIV/AIDS, Bhatia was made by Benathung alarming increase in which community on sex educa- trict Tuberculosis Centre communities and inculcate brief presentation of HIV the day was to, “rededicate said this was a huge step and Avilie and vote of the state stood as one of the tion and awareness in HIV under the theme “global in people about discrimi- scenario of Phek district by ourselves towards achiev- towards creating a better thanks was delivered by highest prevalence rate of and AIDS. Speaking as the solidarity, shared responsi- nation and stigmatisation. DIS DAPCU, Hierhotho ing the goals we have set environment for those af- IEC, NSACS joint director- 1.5 % HIV and AIDS and resource person, president, bility” with ADC Kohima, Meanwhile, NSACS pro- Kajiri and special number to reduce the prevalence flicted by the disease.

Metevinuo Sakhrie. briefed about stigma and ARK (Access to Rights and Lithrongla Tongpi Rutsa as vided a onetime financial by RPC member, Akhruto assistance to few CLHIV for Dozo. of the disease through a He further said he The event was attend- discrimination.

Knowledge) Foundation, special guest.

NLBC observes first death PAPO questions NSDMA on non release of fund anniversary of its founder

DIMAPUR: Phek Area Phek to be forwarded to bridge over Tizu river on P u b l i c O r g a n i s a t i o n the department for imme- Chepoketa — Suthotsu (PAPO) has questioned diate financial assistance road (Rs. 9,32,986.59).

Nagaland State Disaster for reconstruction of the However, despite sevManagement Authority hanging foot bridges. eral appeals to the depart(NSDMA) why the fund As per the memoran- ment since 2016, PAPO meant for Tizu surround- dum, the then DC Phek, claimed that the sanctioned ing villages, were not re- Morohu Chotso submitted amount has not been released. the proposal with techni- leased by NSDMA to this In a statement, PAPO cal estimate to the NS- area. president, Vezehu Vero DMA and accordingly, Therefore, PAPO statand asst. general secretary, the National Disaster ed that it wanted to know Rakhusu Veswu stated that Management Authority where the sanctioned fund Tizu surrounding villages (NDMA) New Delhi ac- meant for this area gone, witnessed unprecedented corded sanctioned vide why the release of fund was flood on July 24, 2015, office letter No.33-8/2015- delayed, whether the fund where planted crops were NDM-1 Dated 9” March- was diverted, whether there destroyed and hanging foot 2016, the release stated. was anything wrong in rebridges at several points, The sanctioned order in- leasing the fund to the genuthe only lifeline of com- cluded: Reconstruction ine beneficiaries, whether it munication were all swept of bridge over Tizu river was accorded based on air away. on Chepoketa - Tehephu survey by the central team Deeply saddened with (Rs. 46,56,112.38); foot and whether the departRev. Hotokhu Zhimo. (NP) the unfortunate disaster, bridge over Tizu river on ment was not satisfied with Staff Reporter Wotsa and how he had to PAPO submitted a memo- Khuza—K.Khuno (Rs. the dipped photocopies of serve God in his journey on randum to the then DC 14,19,020.99) and foot the damaged foot bridges?

DIMAPUR, DEC 1 (NPN): Earth.

Others who shared New Life Bible College (NLBC), Dimapur com- their personal experiences of memorated the first death late Rev. Dr Wotsa were Dr anniversary of its founder Kuhoi Zhimo, Er Kikheto DIMAPUR: NSCN (I-M) Phom region his individual capacity not as stated in the and former principal, late and Rev Moses Murry. has denied the news report on Naga army media. Stating that “a habitual defector Earlier in the pro- personnel from Phom region joining the and terminated person cannot use the Rev. Dr. Xashepu Wotsa, at its premises in Purana Ba- gramme, invocation was de- FGN and claimed the report was “totally name of the entire Phom region, NSCN livered by Takosenla Wall- baseless and condemnable”. zaar on Tuesday evening. at any cost”, the CAO claimed that Phom Executive secretary of ing, songs by Aghali K ChiIn a statement, CAO of NSCN (I-M) national workers led by him, collective SABAK, Rev. Hotokhu Zhi- shi and Dovixu and friends Phom region, Menjei Phom stated that leadership member Meyong Phom and mo, who spoke on the occa- of New Life Bible College. Chuba Kumzuk Phom was recently ter- all the central representatives and regional sion, reminded the gathering Vote of thanks was delivered minated from the NSCN membership on authorities were peacefully performing of the vision and passion by New Life Bible College account of “anti-national activities against their assigned responsibilities and duties of late Rev. Dr. Xashepu principal Jackto Wotsa. our organisation”. He joined the FGN in as usual.

NSCN (I-M) denies news report

Book on ‘Transformative Action for Common Future’ released

DIMAPUR: Author of 40 books, theologian and writer, Dr. Wati Longchar’s new book on, “transformative action and common future” was released by principal, Discipleship Bible College (DBC) Dimapur, Rev. S. Wati on December 1.

A press release by the organisers stated that, the book which has been translated into 10 languages including Mandarin and Burmese, covers a wide range of issues confronting the society today, such as the problems aggravated

by COVID-19. Speaking at the launch, Dr. Tali Ao commended how Dr. Wati Longchar’s thoughts flow like clear water, based on and derived from the percep-

Book of Dr. Wati Longchar being released by Rev. S. Wati at Dimapur.

tive analysis of Biblical texts, realities of life, capitalist and dominant market, churches, naive dependency on wealth and power and challenges aggravated by COVID-19.

It may be noted that the book was jointly published

by DBC and the programme for Theological and Cultures in Asia (PTCA).

Dr. Wati Longchar serves as regional missionary for theological education in East and South Asia of International Ministry of American Baptist Churches and Ao Baptist Arogo Mungdang, Nagaland. The book is available at DBC, ABAM Impur and Christian book stores Dimapur.

News in brief TKC inaugural programme of Sokhriezie Park: Tsutuonuomia Khel Council (TKC), Kohima village will be organising an inaugural programme of Sokhriezie Park, market and waste disposal vehicle on December 4, 12 p.m, where minister of Rural Development, Metsubo Jamir will be the special guest on the occasion.

PDBA new team of office bearers: The Phek District Bar Association (PDBA) during its emergency general body meeting at LCS conference hall on November 30, discussed matter relating to strengthening of the association. PDBA new team of office bearers for the tenure 2020-2023 was also elected during the meeting, led by Povotso Lohe as president along with nine others.

business/state

NSF flays Ravi for lauding 16 Point Agreement (From p-1) NSF also said that Naga people had “outrightly rejected and disowned” the theories forwarded in ‘Bedrock of Naga society and that any attempt by governor to legitimize the same through his statement “reeks of insensitivity and disregard for the aspirations of the Naga people.”

NSF maintained that with his patronising of the illegitimate 16-point agreement, the current peace process “becomes doubtful to be enduring if the real representatives of peoples’ resistance are isolated like the past misadventures.”

NSF said that Naga people’s assertion for self determination was in line

with the inherent ethos, values and customary systems of the Naga society and not otherwise. NSF slammed the policies of the government of India in attempting to muzzle the voices of Naga people through militarization which was causing much harm to the Naga society.

Further, NSF said that wishes of the Naga people for early conclusion of the peace process should in no way be construed as their willingness to accept anything and everything that was handed over to them.

The federation has appealed to interlocutor to “rise up from his self induced slumber” and realise that the NPC’s 16-point agreement was a total fail-

Crossword

Su doku

KAKURO

ure and that it only sowed the seed for further division and confusion. It also reminded Ravi that the “obvious failure of the impugned agreement” to solve the Naga political issue led to the ceasefire and political dialogue with NNC in 1964 and “thereafter the endless political dialogue leading to this day.”

Meanwhile, NSF has appealed to the interlocutor to “refrain from furthering the old ‘carrot and stick’ policy” and adopt a more pragmatic approach in order to ensure that the “interests of the two entities are upheld through the political solution”, which it said was in the interest of “both the Indians and the Naga people.”

Mon CCI says no to illegal taxation DIMAPUR, Dec 1 (NPN): Mon Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) has informed the business establishments in Mon headquarters to not pay any illegal taxes/donations. In the event of such illegal donations, demands and extortion, the business community have been asked to report to Mon CCI. In a press statement, Mon CCI president, N. Ünok SN, and general secretary and admn. Kamnyi Konyak also cautioned against selling of liquor, opium etc. and stated that it will not be held responsible for any consequences if any of the shopkeepers found indulging in such activities.

Reminding that state government has prohibited the sale and use of fire crack-

ers in all parts of the state from November 10, 2020 till January 31, 2021, the Mon CCI has asked all the shop owners to adhere to the government order.

It also asked all shops to keep their surrounding clean by way of painting and decoration before December 10, 2020 in view of the upcoming Christmas and New Year.

Meanwhile, Mon CCI informed that there will be a mass social work on December 2 at 9 am in Mon town.

In this regard, shopkeepers have been asked to down their shutter from 6 am to 9 am during the mass social work. Further, Mon CCI warned that serious action will be initiated in the event of any one found violating the above information.

No. 9763 Yesterday’s solution No. 9762

No. 4382 Yesterday’s solution No. 4381

No. 3406 Yesterday’s solution No. 3405

Across 4. Mental pictures (6) 7. Learned (8) 8. Engraves (6) 10. Court case (5) 13. Hearing organs (4) 14. Croon (4) 15. About, roughly (2,2) 16. Pleasure, merriment (3) 17. Fibber (4) 19. Rugby forward (4) 21. Mafia boss (9) 23. A hood (4) 24. Playthings (4) 26. Skill (3) 27. Discharge (4) 29. Plant (4) 32. Boy’s name (4) 33. Sleep noisily (5) 34. To badger (6) 35. Gigantic (8) 36. Shooting star (6) Down 1. Defeats (5) 2. Herb (5) 3. Unguis (4) 4. Notions (5) 5. Curves (4) 6. Ogles (4,2) 9. Sports cup (6) 11. Chest bone (3) 12. Shining (5) 13. Irregular (7) 15. Dolt (3) 16. In favour of (3) 18. Loafers (6) 20. Tree sap (5) 21. Acquired (3) 22. Toddler (3) 23. Invent (6) 25. Ventilate (3) 28. Skinflint (5) 30. Helicopter blade (5) 31. Perceive (5) 32. Facility (4) 33. Indian dress (4)

(From p-1) Recalling the progress made by the State in various fields, he reiterated the State government’s commitment to the seven-point resolution adopted by the consultative meeting of October 15, 2020 wherein all stakeholders of Naga society unanimously resolved to support “one solution”.

The lone surviving NPC member and former chief minister SC Jamir recalled that successive State governments and MLAs had taken oath of allegiance to the Constitution of India in the last 57 years and emphasised that constitutional provisions on Nagaland was the fountainhead for Nagas and should not be muddied by anyone.

Unfortunately, he alleged that some people who were nowhere to be seen during the critical periods of Naga history were now “unrealistically muddying the fountainhead”.

As rich tributes were paid to the founding fathers

of Nagaland, including NPC leaders and all those martyrs who sacrificed their lives for securing an honourable future for Naga people and created Nagaland as the 16th State of the Union of India, Jamir, who is the sole surviving leader of NPC, exhorted the Nagas to unite and move forward along with rest of the country.

At the programme, Sorei Keishing, a professional sculptor who designed and sculpted Dr Imkongliba Ao’s bust, was acknowledged by Ravi.

Nagaland Legislative Assembly speaker Sharingain Longkumer, deputy chief minister Y Patton, higher education & tribal affairs minister Temjen Imna Along, Rajya Sabha member KG Kenye and Dr Imkongliba Ao’s son Tali Longkumer, among others, were also present.

State chaplain Rev TW Yamyap Konyak pronounced the invocation prayer, while the welcome address was delivered by

Amazon witnesses ‘biggest holiday season’ ever

WDCCI, WDCRA to streamline labour charges

New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS): Amazon on Tuesday revealed that the company has witnessed its largest holiday shopping season so far this year, as independent businesses selling on Amazon surpassed $4.8 billion in worldwide sales from Black Friday through Cyber Monday -- an increase of over 60 per cent from last year.

More than 71,000 small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) worldw i d e h ave s u r p a s s e d $100,000 in sales this holiday season to date.

The company, however, did not disclose the figures for the entire year.

“Independent businesses selling on Amazon - nearly all of which are small and medium-sized businesses - are seeing record demand from customers so far this holiday season in the US and around the world,” the e-commerce giant said in a statement.

BRICKS FOR SALE 1st Class Bricks Stock available Stayam Co. Ltd at Monday Bazar, Padumpukhuri, Dimapur @ Rs. 9.30 fixed Contact : 9612958620

FIRE EXTINGUISHER We sell, service all type of fire extinguishers we install fire alarms and hydrants for buildings.

M/S TAZ FIRE & SAFETY EQUIPMENTS Contact- + 91 9436060371 & + 91 8415829492

DP-5059(B)

LOST NOTICE Apache RTR 160 has been lost from Pesozuo Khel Sovima Village, Dimapur on 28.11.20.

Regd. No. : NL07EA15820 Maker's Name : TVS Motor Company Ltd. Chassis No. : MD634BE40J2E88487 Engine No. : BE4EJ2X88102 Colour : Pearl White Owner Name : Dil Bahadur Thapa Contact : 7005835464

chief secretary Jane Alam.

President of India Ram Nath Kovind, VicePresident M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, Union home minister Amit Shah, Union defence minister Raj Nath Singh, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union petroleum & natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Union tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda, Union culture minister Prahalad Patel, DoNER minister Dr Jitendra Singh, Union sports minister Kiren Rijiju, Manipur governor Dr Najma Heptulla, BJP president JP Nadda, chief ministers of all Northeastern States, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and a large number of dignitaries and celebrities, including from Bollywood, tweeted their best wishes and greetings to the people of Nagaland. This was stated in a press release by Raj Bhavan PRO.

DIMAPUR, DEC 1 (NPN): Noting that porters engaged in different works including construction has hampered the normal activities in Wokha town, the Wokha District Chamber of Commerce & Industry (WDCCI) and Wokha District Consumer Rights Association (WDCRA) have resolved to not allow porters to engage in different works apart from their assigned works.

WDCCI information and publicity, Abenthung Kikon in a statement stated that the resolution was taken at the joint consultative meeting of WDCCI and

WDCRA with coolies/porters at Wokha district chairman & VDBs conference hall on December 1.

The members at the consultative meeting further resolved to streamline the unskilled labour charges including registration number and uniform. The meeting was attended by around 50 porters including locals.

Meanwhile, the two associations have encouraged the Naga youths to take up both skill and unskill labours rather than depending on the non-Nagas.

HOME DELIVERY

We are looking for sincere young Nagas from Dimapur to work in an automobile and tools trade.

1. Assistant Manager :- Diploma in engineering/B com 2. Sales Assistant :- 12 standard and above 3. Helper :- Welder, Mechanic, Electrician, all can apply For enquiry please contact : 9862578227/ 9077796976 Date of interview : 4 December Time : 1 PM onwards.

Address : M/s Screwdriver Opp. DDSC Stadium, Golaghat Road, Dimapur 797112.

DP-5278

Pure Citronella Oil available in Dimapur Rs. 1200 per Litre.

Contact No. 8974267898

URGENT FOR SALE Land with house near High School Kohima Area : 60 x 80 Sq. Ft Price : 23 lakhs Contact : 8837262324

LAND FOR SALE BAMUNPUKHURI-B 5 Kms from Zion Hospital Area : Price 70 x 40 : 4.45 Lakhs

DP-5230

Contact : 9402615648 7005204949

LAND FOR SALE (1) At Police Colony Dimapur Land with Building (2) At Nihokhu Paddy Field 4 Puras (3) At Nihokhu 15 Puras of Land DP-5199

Contact : 9436615040 9856194877

JOB VACANCY

JOB VACANCY For Road Project: 1. Site Engineer Diploma in Civil Engineering Exp : Minimum 3 Yrs Salary : Rs. 22,000/2. Site Supervisor Diploma in Civil Engineering Exp : Minimum 3 Yrs Salary : Rs. 18,000/3. Store Keeper Diploma in Civil Engineering Exp : Minimum 3 Yrs Salary : Rs. 15,000/Contact No : 6009106810 9597359840 DP-5269

DIMAPUR KHENSA SENSO TELONGJEM In Aid of Golden Jubilee RAFFLE DRAW RESULT 1st Prize Sl. No. 0975 2nd Prize Sl. No. 1343 Consolation Prize: 0061, 2228, 1290, 0070, 1759, 0180, 2872, 0228, 1144, 0335.

Note: Winners must claim the prize within 15 days of the draw.

Contact: 7421828247/9436066690

DP-5284

the revenues from domestic transaction (including import of services) are 0.5 per cent higher than the revenues from these sources during the same month last year,” the ministry said in the statement.

The gross GST revenues collected in the month of November 2020 were Rs 1,04,963 crore, out of which central GST was Rs 19,189 crore and state GST was Rs 25,540 crore. IGST was Rs 51,992 crore, including Rs 22,078 crore collected on import of goods, and cess was Rs 8,242 crore, including Rs 809 crore collected on import of goods, the statement said.

Last week, sources in

New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI): Gold prices rose Rs 45 to Rs 48,273 per 10 gram in the national capital on Tuesday on a positive global trend, according to HDFC Securities. The yellow metal had closed at Rs 48,228 per 10 gram on Monday.

Silver prices also gained Rs 407 to Rs 59,380 per kg, compared with Rs 58,973 per kg in the previous trade.

“Spot gold prices for 24 karat in Delhi were trading up by Rs 45 in line with recovery in global gold prices despite rupee appreciation,” HDFC Securities Senior Analyst (Commodities) Tapan Patel said. The spot rupee was trading around 4 paise stronger against the dollar during the day, he added.

In the international market, gold and silver were trading higher at USD 1,812 per ounce and USD 23.34 per ounce, respectively.

“Gold prices pared morning losses and traded up as investors weighed the vaccine progress and stimulus hopes as President-elect Joe Biden started White House transition.

K-1946

it crossed the psychological Rs 1 lakh crore-mark.

November is the second straight month when GST revenues have topped Rs 1 lakh crore. One lakh crore is one trillion. The year-onyear growth in GST collections in November stood at 1.4 per cent while in October and September, it was at 10 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively.

“In line with the recent trend of recovery in the GST revenues, the revenues for the month of November 2020 are 1.4 per cent higher than the GST revenues in the same month last year.

During the month, revenues from import of goods was 4.9 per cent higher and

the finance ministry said that GST officers have identified top 25,000 taxpayers who had filed GST returns in October but have not done so for November. Till November 28, 80 lakh GST returns were filed for that month.

As per GST rules, for the supplies made in the month of October, the GSTR-3B returns were expected to be filed in a staggered manner by 20th, 22nd and 24th of November. Those having a turnover above Rs 5 crore annually are expected to file their GSTR-3B by 20th of the month.

GST revenues had topped Rs 1 lakh crore in 8 out of the 12 months of 2019-20 fiscal. However, in the current fiscal, the revenues have taken a hit due to COVID-19 lockdown and consequent slowdown in economy. Revenues in April was Rs 32,172 crore, May (Rs 62,151 crore), June (Rs 90,917 crore), July (Rs 87,422 crore), August (Rs 86,449 crore), September (Rs 95,480 crore), October (Rs 1,05,155 crore) and November (Rs 1,04963 crore).

DP-5195(A)

New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI): GST collections posted growth for the third month in a row in November over the previous year collections, in signs that the economy continues to reflate after a strict lockdown.

Collections of tax on the sale of goods and rendering of services came in at Rs 1,04,963 crore in November, the finance ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The collections were higher than Rs 1.03 lakh crore recorded in November 2019 but were Rs 192 crore lower than October 2020 collections.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections, which directly reflects the state of economic activity, had plummeted to a record low of Rs 32,172 crore in April after the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Subsequent easing of lockdown restrictions helped collections rise. The collections witnessed the first year-on-year growth in September and last month,

Bust of Dr.Imkongliba Ao unveiled at Raj Bhavan

Gold rises by Rs 45, silver gains Rs 407

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GST collections cross Rs 1 trn again

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

DP-5266

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LOST NOTICE I, Ms. Imtimenla Aier, D/o Shri.

R. Among Aier, I am applying for duplicate copies of Secondary School Examination Marksheet (2011-2013).

My particulars are as follows: Name : Ms. Imtimenla Aier Father's Name : Mr. R. Among Aier Roll No. : 3145938 Registration No. : G113/32506/0030 Name of the School : Delhi Public School, Dimapur DP-5274

LOST NOTICE I, Manoj Kumar Jaiswal am applying for duplicate Marksheet Copy of HSLC & HSSLC as I have lost it.

Name : Manoj Kumar Jaiswal F/Name : S.P Jaiswal School : S.D Jain Hr. Sec. School (HSLC - 2005) & Ram Janaki Hr. Sec. School (HSSLC - 2008) D.O.B : 21.12.1986 DP-5280

DC-640

Biden gets access to President’s Daily Brief

WILMINGTON, DEC 1 (AP): Joe Biden on Monday got his first look as president-elect at the President’s Daily Brief, a top secret summary of US intelligence and world events — a document former first lady Michelle Obama has called “The Death, Destruction, and Horrible Things Book.”

Biden has already had eyes on different iterations of the so-called PDB, which is tailored to the way each president likes to absorb information.

More than a decade ago, Biden read President George W Bush’s PDB during Biden’s transition into the vice presidency.

After that, he read President Barack Obama’s PDB for eight years.

Now, after a fouryear break, he’s reading President Donald Trump’s PDB. “The briefers almost certainly will be asking Biden what he prefers in terms of format and style,” said David Priess, author of “The President’s Book of Secrets,” a history of the PDB. “A t a m i n i m u m , they’re seeing what seems to resonate most with him so that when they make

Joe Biden

the book his book, they can tailor it to him.”

Obama’s PDB was a 10- to 15-page document tucked in a leather binder, which he found waiting for him on the breakfast table.

Later in his presidency, he liked reading the ultra-secret intelligence brief on a secured iPad. “Michelle called it “The Death, Destr uction, and Horrible Things Book,” Obama wrote in his recently released book, ”A Promised Land.”

“On a given day, I might read about terrorist cells in Somalia or unrest in Iraq or the fact that the Chinese or Russians were developing new weapons systems,” Obama wrote.

“Nearly always, there was mention of potential terrorist plots, no matter how vague, thinly sourced,

or unactionable — a form of due diligence on the part of the intelligence community, meant to avoid the kind of second-guessing that had transpired after 9/11.”

From now until Inauguration Day, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be reading the PDB crafted for Trump, who had delayed giving Biden and Harris access to it as he contests the outcome of the election.

Trump, who prefers absorbing information in visual ways, likes short texts and graphics.

“Trump himself said during his campaign and during the transition in 2016 that he did not like reading long documents — that he preferred bullet points,” said Priess, who has not seen any of

“Ill-informed” and “unwarranted”: India on Trudeau’s comments on farmers’ protest

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava has termed Justin Trudeaus’ comment as ‘ill-informed’ and unwarranted.

New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI): India on Tuesday strongly reacted to comments by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other leaders there regarding farmers’ protest, calling the remarks as “illinformed” and “unwarranted” as the matter pertained to the internal affairs of a democratic country.

“We have seen some ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India. Such com-

9

international

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

ments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

In a terse message, the ministry further added that “it is also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes.”

In a video posted on his Twitter account, Trudeau said,”the situation

is concerning and we are all very worried about family and friends and I know that is a reality for many of you.

Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest.”

He also said, “we believe in importance of dialogue and that is why we have reached out through multiple means directly to Indian authorities to highlight our concerns.”

Trump’s PDBs. “ It probably has charts, tables, graphs — things like that.

Not the parody that people make that it’s like a cartoon book ... but something that is more visual. But we don’t know for sure.”

The written brief, which Trump doesn’t always read, often is followed by a verbal briefing with an intelligence official, although those oral briefings stopped at least for a time in October.

Priess said he didn’t know why they stopped or if they had resumed, but that they stopped at a time when Trump was spending much of his time on the campaign trail.

Before Trump authorized Biden to get the PDB as president-elect, Biden was given some intelligence background briefings as a candidate.

But they were more general and did not include the nation’s top secrets.

The other thing that a president-elect gets is a briefing “on CIA’s covert actions,” former acting CIA director Mike Morell said at an event hosted by the Center for Presidential Transition based in Washington. “It’s important for the president-elect to get

this briefing ... because on Inauguration Day, these covert actions will become the new president’s.”

In 1961, President John F Kennedy read his first brief while sitting on the diving board of a swimming pool at his retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. President Lyndon Johnson liked to read his brief in the afternoon.

President Richard Nixon relied on his national security adviser Henry Kissinger to peruse the briefs and tell him what he thought the president should know.

As the laborious recount of ballots dragged on in 2000, President Bill Clinton decided that then-Gov George W Bush should get access to his PDB just in case he was the winner.

Bush became was the first incoming president to read it before he was presidentelect.

Biden is getting the PDB later than usual because of Trump’s ongoing protest of the election results.

Trump approved the briefings for Biden last Tuesday, a day after his administration approved the formal transition process to his successor.

Azerbaijan fully reclaims lands around Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijanis with national flags and a portrait of Azerbaijani Maj. Gen. Polad Hashimov. (PTI/AP)

Baku, Dec 1 (AP): Azerbaijan on Tuesday completed reclaiming territory ceded by Armenia under a Russia-brokered peace deal that ended six weeks of fierce fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hailed the restoration of control over the areas as a historic achievement.

“We all lived with one dream and now we fulfilled it,” Aliyev said in an address to the nation.

“We won a victory on the battlefield and on the political arena, and that victory opens a new era for our country. It will be an era of development, security and progress.”

Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994. That war left not only Nagorno-Karabakh itself but large chunks of surrounding lands in Armenian hands.

In 44 days of heavy fighting that began on September 27, the Azerbaijani military routed Armenian forces and wedged deep into Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing Armenia to accept a Russia-brokered peace deal that took effect November 10.

The agreement saw the return of a significant part of Nagorno-Karabakh

under Azerbaijan’s control and also requested Armenia to hand over all of the regions it held outside the separatist region.

The Lachin region, which lies between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, was the last of the three areas on the rim of Nagorno-Karabakh to be surrendered by Armenian forces on Tuesday.

Russia deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers for at least five years to monitor the peace deal and help the return of refugees. The Russian troops will also ensure safe transit between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia across the Lachin region.

Turkey, which has strongly backed its ally Azerbaijan, has extended its clout in the region.

On Tuesday, Russian and Turkish military officials signed documents to set up a joint monitoring center to ensure the fulfillment of the peace deal.

The peace agreement was celebrated as a victory in Azerbaijan, but sparked mass protests in Armenia, with thousands taking to the streets to demand the ouster of the country’s prime minister.

European regulator to decide on 1st virus vaccine Berlin, Dec 1 (AP): The European Medicines Agency will convene a meeting on December 29 to decide if there is enough data about the safety and efficacy of the COVID19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for it to be approved, the regulator said Tuesday.

The agency also said Tuesday it could decide as early as January 12 whether to approve a rival COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. The German pharmaceutical company BioNTech and its U.S. partner Pfizer said earlier Tuesday that they had asked the regulator for speeded-up, conditional approval of their coronavirus vaccine, concluding the rolling review process they initiated with the agency on October 6.

The move comes a day after rival Moderna said it was asking U.S. and European regulators to allow the use of its COVID19 vaccine.

BioNTech said if the vaccine, currently named

BNT162b2, is approved, its use in Europe could begin before the end of 2020.T he companies said last month that clinical trials with 44,000 participants showed the vaccine is 95% effective. The efficacy rate in particularly vulnerable older age groups was more than 94%, they said.

In a statement, the EU medicines regulator said it had already begun a “rolling review” of the Moderna vaccine based on laboratory data previously submitted by the company and would now assess data on how well that vaccine triggers an immune response and whether it is safe enough for broad use across Europe.

The agency said that “if the data are robust enough to conclude on quality, safety and effectiveness,” then it could approve the Moderna vaccine at a meeting scheduled for January 12.

BioNTech and Pfizer have already submitted a request for emergency approval with the U.S. Food

and Drug Administration and the U.K. regulator MHRA, as well as rolling submissions in other countries including in Australia, Canada and Japan.

“We have known since the beginning of this journey that patients are waiting, and we stand ready to ship COVID-19 vaccine doses as soon as potential authorizations will allow us,” Pfizer’s chief executive Albert Bourla said in a statement.

BioNTech said it stands ready to ship stockpiles of vaccines where they are needed when the Amsterdam-based agency or the FDA approve the vaccine. “Depending on how the authorities decide we can start delivering within a few hours,” said BioNTech’s chief operating officer, Sierk Poetting.

The European Union’s top official said around 2 billion doses of potential COVID-19 vaccines have been secured for the bloc’s 27 nations, with the first deliveries likely to start before the end of the year.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said EU nations have started working on their vaccination plans and on the logistics for delivering tens of millions of doses across the bloc, a major challenge for the EU. “If everything goes well, the first European citizens might already be vaccinated before the end of December,” Von der Leyen said. “And it will be a huge step forward toward our normal life. In other words, I just wanted to say there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

The Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has secured deals allowing to purchase doses with Moderna, AstraZeneca, SanofiGSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, BioNTech-Pfizer and CureVac. Von der Leyen however urged EU citizens to remain “disciplined till we have reached finally a vaccination that is appropriate to eradicate this virus.”

Germany’s science minister said Tuesday that

the same safety standards are being applied in the approval process for coronavirus vaccines as for other drugs and that this would be key to gaining the widest possible public acceptance for COVID immunization.

Anja Karliczek cited the fact that Europan regulators plan to hold a public hearing on Dec. 11 about the approval request by BioNTech and Pfizer.

Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Karliczek stressed that the vaccine will be voluntary and that authorities will work hard to inform the public about possible side effects that a small percentage of recipients might experience after immunization, such as headaches, exhaustion and fever.

Marylyn Addo, a doctor at Hamburg’s UKE hospital who is involved in the trials for a rival vaccine, said the rapid development of a vaccine was the result of enormous efforts by scientists, early funding and experience from previous vaccines.

On World AIDS Day, South Africa Record 235mn people will need China says Delhi SCO Heads of Govt finds hope in new treatment humanitarian assistance: UN meeting sent many ‘positive signals’ Johannesburg, Dec 1 (AP): Health officials are hoping that new, long-acting drugs to help prevent HIV infection will be a turning point for the fight against a global health threat that’s been eclipsed by the coronavirus pandemic.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the new drug in a weekly newsletter, saying the long-term acting and injectable HIV drug has “the potential to significantly strengthen our response to the epidemic.”

The region is especially hard-hit. South Africa has the biggest epidemic in the world with 7.7 million people living with HIV, according to UNAIDS. In separate studies of men and women earlier this year, including one by the HIV Prevention Trials Network and the Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (RHI) at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, the drug — Cabotegravir — had successful trials.

The shot given every two months has been proven to be 90 per cent more effective than the daily pill known as PrEP. K Y M C

Ramaphosa’s message noted, however, that South Africa’s battle against HIV had suffered because of the coronavirus pandemic and the resultant strain on health services, a situation repeated in many countries with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. In her World AIDS Day message, UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima lamented the fact that more than 12 million people are still waiting to get on HIV treatment, while 1.7 million people were infected with HIV in 2019 because of lack of access.

She called on companies to “openly share their technology and know-how and to waive their intellectual property rights” so that the world can produce vaccines, including for COVID-19, at the scale required. There is no vaccine for HIV. She also stressed that the global AIDS response was off track even before COVID-19 and the world needed to reset its targets if it is to meet the goal of ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

The response against COVID-19 has shown what

can be achieved by working together, UNAIDS said.

Fears that the world is losing focus on the AIDS epidemic were reflected by figures in South Africa that showed 225,000 HIV/AIDS patients in the country’s largest province of Gauteng had discontinued their vital anti-retroviral treatment this year, partly but not only because of difficulties accessing care during the virus pandemic.

Yet, amid the stark figures, health officials and women, hold onto hope that cabotegravir could mean less visits to health centers as many look to reduce exposure to COVID-19.

Dr. Sinead DelanyMoretlwe, director of research at the Johannesburgbased RHI, said women in sub-Saharan Africa, who are disproportionately affected, were among those who will benefit significantly from the drug.

Some research suggests women may be at greater risk of getting HIV through sex than men are, but Delany-Moretlwe added that social issues also contribute significantly to their increased risk.

Mark Lowcock

United Nations, Dec 1 (IANS): A record 235 million people will need humanitarian assistance next year, a nearly 40 per cent increase on 2020 which is “almost entirely from Covid-19”, a top UN official said on Tuesday.

In an appeal for $35 billion to meet humanitarian needs next year, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said the global health crisis had resulted in people reeling from conflict, levels of displacement and climate change shocks, reports

Xinhua news agency.

He added that “multiple” famines are looming.

This year’s Global Humanitarian Overview sets out plans “to reach 160 million of the most vulnerable people in 56 c o u n t r i e s ” , L owc o c k said.

He noted that while richer countries had invested large amount in staving off economic disaster from the Covid-induced slump and could now see “light at the end of the tunnel”, the situation in relatively poor countries remains precarious.

Lowcock said “multiple” famines were looming, adding that funding was needed to “stave off famine, fight poverty, and keep children vaccinated and in school”.

He also highlighted how climate change and rising global temperatures had further contributed to the bleak outlook for humanitarian needs in 2021 -- humanitarian agencies have plenty of work to do in countries most vulnerable to climate change.

BEIJING, DEC 1 (PTI): China said on Tuesday that the virtual meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) hosted by India has sent “many positive signals” with leaders reaching consensus on several issues.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday attended the virtual meeting of the eight-member bloc which was also addressed

by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.

A s k e d h ow C h i n a viewed the outcome of the SCO heads of the government meeting, told a media briefing here that the meeting was about implementing the outcomes reached at the recently concluded SCO Summit and discuss measures to enhance cooperation in areas such as the fight against COVID-19, trade, investment and culture sectors.

Earlier this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the SCO Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS), the highest forum of SCO, meeting

hosted by Russia in a virtual format.

“Many consensuses were reached. The leaders also released a joint communique as ratified many cooperation documents.

There are many positive signals,” Hua said, while talking about Monday’s meeting.

Parties spoke highly of the SCO countries’ joint efforts to fight COVID-19.

They all expressed readiness to uphold Shanghai spirit and continue to fight the virus, she said.

“They are opposed to stigmatising the virus and they all support the WHO’s role in upholding regional and international global public health security,” she said.

“They believe in taking a host of measures to boost economic recovery.

China pointed out that we need to advance our cooperation agenda, build a safe and stable development environment and consolidate the basis for integrated development and promote innovation-driven development,” she said. China will launch a trade index for the

SCO countries and deepen cooperation in agriculture, poverty alleviation and other areas, she said.

In his address at the meeting, Premier Li made a strong pitch for greater counter-terrorism cooperation among the SCO countries to foster a secure and stable environment for development.

Li said members of the SCO grouping should actively foster a secure and stable environment for development. “With uncertainties and destabilising factors growing in the region, we need to work together to uphold regional peace and stability,” he said.

“Joint counter-terrorism exercises must continue to be held in order to forestall sabotages by terrorist, separatist and extremist forces exploiting the pandemic,” Li said.

The SCO is an economic and security bloc in which India and Pakistan were admitted as full members in 2017. Its founding members included China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

K Y M C

Infotainment

10

Sushant Singh tops Yahoo’s Most Searched Personality list for 2020

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ate Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput was the most searched personality of 2020 while his girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, was the most searched female celebrity, according to a yearend list released on Tuesday by the search engine Yahoo for India.

Yahoo’s 2020 Year in Review (YIR) for India gives an idea of the year’s top newsmakers and events, based on anonymised daily search habits of users.

While Sushant, who was found dead at his residence in June this year, emerged as India’s ‘Most Searched Personality’, there is a large presence of political personalities in

the top 10 this year.

This is the first year since 2017 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not taken the number one spot in the list. This year, PM Modi is at the second spot. Rhea is at number three, followed by Rahul Gandhi, Amit Shah, Uddhav Thackeray, Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Amitabh Bachchan and Kangana Ranaut.

Sushant also tops the ‘Most Searched Male Celebrity’ category, followed

by Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor.

Rhea is number one on this year’s list of ‘Most Searched Female Celeb-

rity’. Actress Kangana Ranaut came second, with Deepika Padukone, Sunny Leone and Priyanka Chopra following in the list.

When it comes to the ‘Top Newsmakers’ of 2020 category, PM Modi stayed firm at number one, with Sushant and Rhea jointly at the second spot and Rahul Gandhi at number three.

In the ‘Celebrities with Babies and Pregnancy Announcements’ in 2020 category, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli emerged on the top spot. Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan came in second, while Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra grabbed the third spot.

Actor Sonu Sood got a special mention, and was picked as ‘Hero of the Year’. he was lauded his efforts to help migrant labourers reach home during lockdown amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The search engine named Covid Warriors as YIR’s ‘Personality of the Year’ 2020.

The result is based on anonymised interest patterns of users, according to what was searched for, read, recommended, and shared.

(IANS)

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acebook-owned WhatsApp on Tuesday said they are starting to release some new updates including improvements to Wallpapers, the launch of a search feature for Stickers and a new animated sticker pack.

Wallpapers on WhatsApp are seeing four major updates - custom chat wallpapers, additional doodle wallpapers, an updated stock wallpaper gallery, and the ability to set separate wallpapers for light and dark mode settings.

“Make your chats personal and distinguishable by using a custom wallpaper for your most important chats and favourite people, and you never need worry about sending the wrong message in the wrong chat ever again,” the company said in a statement.

With the new update, users can also find Doodle wallpapers in more colours.

WhatsApp serves over two billion users around

virus reacted when confronted with a number of different plant chemical compounds already known for their potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

“Mpro in SARSCoV-2 is required for the virus to replicate and assemble itself. If we can inhibit or deactivate this protease, the virus will die,” Xie said.

Computer simulations showed that the studied chemical compounds from green tea, two varieties of muscadine grapes, cacao powder and dark chocolate

were able to bind to different portions of Mpro.

“Mpro has a portion that is like a ‘pocket’ that was ‘filled’ by the chemical compounds. When this pocket was filled, the protease lost its important function,” Xie explained.

Lab experiments also showed similar results. The chemical compounds in green tea and muscadine grapes were very successful at inhibiting Mpro’s function; chemical compounds in cacao powder and dark chocolate reduced Mpro activity by about half.

“Green tea has five tested chemical compounds that bind to different sites in the pocket on Mpro, essentially overwhelming it to inhibit its function,” Xie said.

“Muscadine grapes contain these inhibitory chemicals in their skins and seeds. Plants use these compounds to protect themselves, so it is not surprising that plant leaves and skins contain these beneficial compounds,” the author noted.

(IANS)

Bad Bunny named Most-Streamed Artist Globally in Spotify’s Wrapped 2020 list

Film that addresses issue of digital addiction now on OTT

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B

ad Bunny and The Weeknd are among the Most-Streamed Artists of 2020.

Streaming giant Spotify has unveiled its annual Wrapped list for the year, and the 26-year-old Puerto Rican rapper came out on top, with more than 8.2 billion streams globally.

Reacting to the news, Bad Bunny - whose real name is Benito Ocasio K Y M C

said study author De-Yu Xie from the North Carolina State University in the US “One of our lab’s focuses is to find nutraceuticals in food or medicinal plants that inhibit either how a virus attaches to human cells or the propagation of a virus in human cells,” Xie added.

In the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science, the research team performed both computer simulations and lab studies showing how the so-called “main protease” (Mpro) in the SARS-CoV-2

said: “Nahhh! Oh, wow!

Thank you. I don’t know what to say. I’m so proud right now.”

What’s more, the Un Dia (One Day)’ star’s second studio album, ‘YHLQMDLG’, is the Most-Streamed Album of the Year, having been streamed an impressive 3.3 billion time over the past 12 months.

The top 5 Most-

Streamed Artists Globally list is completed Drake, J Balvin, the late Juice WRLD and The Weeknd.

The latter’s album ‘After Hours’, Post Malone’s ‘Hollywood’s Bleeding’, Harry Styles ‘Fine Line’ and Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia make up the top 5 Most-Streamed Albums, along with ‘YHLQMDLG’.

And The Weeknd also bagged the Most-Streamed Song of 2020 globally and in the UK with ‘Blinding Lights’, with almost 1.6 billion streams.

In second place is Tones And I with ‘Dance Monkey’, followed by Roddy Ricch’s ‘The Box’, ‘Roses - Imanbek Remix’

by Imanbek and SAINt JHN, and Dua Lipa’s ‘Don’t Start Now’.

E l s e w h e r e, B i l l i e Eilish topped the MostStreamed Female Artists Globally for a second year consecutively. Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and Halsey also made the top 5.

(Contactmusic)

K-Pop BTS tops Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Life goes on’

WhatsApp brings custom chat wallpapers, other updates

Green tea, dark chocolate may fight against Covid

n a unique study, researchers have claimed that chemical compounds in foods or beverages like green tea, muscadine grapes and dark chocolate can bind to and block the function of a particular enzyme, or protease, in the SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19.

“Proteases are important to the health and viability of cells and viruses.

If proteases are inhibited, cells cannot perform many important functions - like replication, for example,”

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

S

ignal, a short film that highlights how digital detox is need of the hour, has now dropped on OTT. The 32-minute film revolves around the life of a young hotelier who gets trapped in a forest in Uttarakhand due to a landslide and ends up on an estate, owned by former fighter pilot Steve Lall. Raghav Marwah, who plays the lead role in the film, is also serving as its creative producer.

“I strongly believe that each of us needs to build a connection with ourselves first, in this digitally connected world. We feel lucky to have launched this project at a time where the pandemic has changed the future of content consumption and digital platforms,” said Raghav.

“Though we have done quite a lot of short films in the past, this one is close to my heart as it addresses the current issue of digital addiction and highlights how a digital detox is the need of the hour”, said Akshay Marwah, CEO of Marwah Studios.

(IANS)

the world.

To reflect this global community, they have selected new, diverse, and iconic images of nature and architecture from around the world, as well as eye catching new designs. Users can find them in the “Bright” and “Dark” albums.

According to the company, users can now set a separate wallpaper in dark mode for the best chat experience. Users can easily search and find stickers with text or emoji, or browse through common sticker categories.

“As we start to roll this out, we encourage sticker app creators to tag their stickers with emojis and text moving forward, so their stickers are searchable for WhatsApp users,” the company said.

Also, the World’s Health Organisation’s “Together at Home” sticker pack is now available as animated stickers.

T h e “ To ge t h e r a t Home” sticker pack is available within WhatsApp, including with text localised for nine languages - Arabic, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.

(IANS)

Peter Dinklage of ‘GOT’ to star in superhero comedy

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ctor Peter Dinklage will star in a reboot of American superhero black comedy, The Toxic Avenger.

Macon Blair will write and direct the project, which is being described as a contemporary reimagining of the 1984 hit of the same name, reports variety.com.

Dinklage will play Tox i e, t h e s u p e r h e r o around whom the film revolves.

Originally known as Melvin, the protagonist becomes disfigured when he is pushed into toxic waste, and soon assumes the moniker of Toxie. In order to save his son, friends and community from corruption and greed, Toxie should rise to the occasion and become a hero.

After the debut of the original Toxic Avenger film, it became a cult classic and expanded into a musical production, children’s cartoon series and Marvel comic.

(IANS)

K

-pop group BTS have bagged the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 with their latest single, Life goes on.

Earlier this year, their disco-theme track Dynamite had topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

According to Billboard, BTS is the first duo or group in history to have two No.1 Hot 100 debut songs.

Life goes on is the lead single of BTS’ new album BE (Deluxe Edition) that has also topped the Billboard 200 chart.

The album shares the emotions and thoughts the band, comprising RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Jungkook, SUGA

and j-hope, has felt during the pandemic.

The album carries the hopeful message that life goes on.

Recently, the group has

been nominated for Best Pop/Duo Group Performance for the 63rd Grammy Awards that will be held on January 31, 2021.

(IANS)

S. Korea passes law to allow BTS to postpone military service

South Korea’s parliament on Tuesday passed a bill to allow globally recognised K-pop artists such as BTS to postpone their mandatory military service to age 30.

All able-bodied South Korean men aged between 18 and 28 must serve in the military for about two years as part of the country’s efforts to guard against North Korea. The amendment to the Military Service Act was designed to provide exceptions for K-pop megastars who improve the country’s cultural status and boost the economy. South Korea allows eligible students to defer their duties up to age 28 and has granted exemptions for high-profile classical musicians and athletes who won Olympic medals or a gold at the Asian Games, including Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min. (Reuters)

Instagram Live now allows 3 more users in India

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nstagram on Tuesday announced that its ‘Live Rooms’ feature, now has an ability to go Live with up to three additional people in India which help creators grow their audiences by going live with multiple guests.

The early tests for this feature were done in India and now India is one of the first countries to roll it out more broadly, the social media platform said.

Instagram Live gives people the ability to go live and create and connect virtually, and hence has seen diverse use cases this year.

“From the launch of Reels, to the testing and rollout of Live Rooms, India is playing a crucial role in the way products are being designed for the future,” Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, said in a statement.

In March, Instagram Live views in India grew 60 per cent in a week-onweek basis.

Now with the ability to go Live with up to three guests, creators have more opportunities have conversations with their communities, and to expand their reach and use cases for Live, such as starting a talk show or a podcast, hosting a jam session etc.

“While Live Rooms will facilitate greater audience engagement, safety continues to be a focus and the existing safety measures will work on Live Rooms as well. There are built-in controls to keep the community safe,” the

company said.

To use ‘Live Rooms’, users need to go live, tap the plus sign in the top lefthand corner of your stories tray or click the ‘Create’ plus icon in the top right of the home navigation bar.

To add guests to the live stream, the creators need to tap the Camera/ Rooms icon.

Then, they will see people that have requested to join them live. Users can also search for the guest’s name to send them a request to join live. User can add all three guests at one time, and they can also add guests at a later time.

According to the company, the rollout for ‘Live Rooms’ has begun and will be available to everyone in India and Indonesia soon.

(IANS)

I was lucky enough to get best mentors: AR Rahman

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usic maestro A R Rahman says he was lucky enough to have some of the best mentors in his career and now he wants to extend the same help to budding talent from India as the ambassador of BAFTA’s ‘Breakthrough Initiative’.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ (BAFTA) on Monday announced Rahman as its ambassador in India with the aim to help recognise talent across the breadth of the Indian entertainment industry.

The initiative, supported by Netflix, aims to identify, celebrate, and support up to five talents working in film, games, or TV in India.

The double Oscarwinner said he would not just help BAFTA navigate the diverse creative landscape of the country but also educate people in the country about the organisation and its work.

“My role is to curate and along with the (other) judges find those amazing and original voices from India. We nurture them for a year. There is networking

opportunity, mentorship, screenings and workshops.

When these talents interact with the BAFTA breakthrough mentors, a lot of things change. They get nudged,” Rahman told PTI in an interview.

The musician hoped his experience across south and north film industries, as a producer and composer in the past 20 years, will help him find amazing

talents from India.

Asked about his early years as a budding musician and the questions he faced, Rahman said in his experience, the best guidance comes from one’s own self.

“You need to have instinct, be conscious that I need to push myself and find my own voice and be original. When you have all these questions, op-

portunities will find you,” he said.

Recalling his breakthrough as an artist with Mani Ratnam’s 1992 film “Roja” in India and internationally through Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical ‘Bombay Dreams’, Rahman said one thing led to another in his career.

“It was a gradual process for me,” he said adding that with time he understood what a composer meant, how was supposed to behave and understand one’s self-worth.

“These are the things that I learnt through collaborations... I was lucky enough to get best mentors.”

Rahman said even though Indian music went international long ago, the country needs to come together to keep up the good work.

“We have reached the stage of making Indian music popular globally long back. (Still) we have to put our act together; we have to be united. The whole India has to come together and we have to be one to achieve greatness,” he said.

(PTI) K Y M C

11

sports

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

Fulham stun Leicester; West Ham rise to fifth Australian Open to be finalised ‘soon’

Ademola Lookman cooly slotted the ball past Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.

West Ham ride their luck to beat Aston Villa

At the London Stadium, West Ham earned a third successive victory after Villa striker Ollie Watkins missed a late penalty and then saw a stoppagetime equaliser disallowed

by VAR.

Bach runs unopposed to stay on until 2025 New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI): International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach is set to remain in office until 2025 as he will run unopposed next year for a second term, the IOC said on Tuesday.

Bach succeeded outgoing president Jacques Rogge in 2013 after prevailing over five other candidates in an election in Buenos Aires.

Presidents are limited to two terms in office under the rules of the Olympic body. The length of the first presidential term is eight years with re-election securing another four years in office. “The members of the IOC were informed today... that President Thomas Bach will be the only candidate for the presidential election, which will be held during the 137th IOC Session in Athens in March 2021,” it said in a statement.

Bach is a German lawyer who won a gold medal in fencing at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. An IOC member since 1991, he introduced a string of reforms in 2014 designed to reduce the cost and size of the Olympics,

Thomas Bach

as potential host cities were scared away by the financial implications.

He also had to deal with the fallout of the 2014 Sochi Olympics doping scandal that led to the Olympic ban of Russia in 2018, and more recently had to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has also ruled the IOC virtually unopposed, with the vast majority of decisions receiving unanimous support from the committee members, who currently number just over 100. More than half of them became members during Bach’s presidency.

West Ham got off to the perfect start in the second minute when Angelo Ogbonna made an astute run to the far post and rose above Matt Targett to head a corner past Emiliano Martinez.

Villa drew level in the 25th minute when Jack Grealish ran at the West Ham defence before letting rip with a 20-yard drive that took a slight deflection on its way past Lukasz Fabianski.

West Ham regained

Three more Pak players in NZ test positive New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS): Three more members of the Pakistan cricket team in New Zealand have tested positive following the second round of Covid19 testing taking the number of affected players to 10. The result of one more test is pending. The New Zealand health ministry is still investigating if the cases are historical.

“Day 6 swabs were taken yesterday from the 46 members of the Pakistan cricket squad in Christchurch who to date have returned negative test results for Covid-19. Of those, 42 have subsequently returned a further negative test result. Three are under investigation to determine whether they are historical cases, and one test result is pending,” a statement from the Ministry of Health, New Zealand, said on Tuesday.

The ministry also said that the ban on Pakistan team’s training continues till such time as the medical officer of health determines there is no risk in their training.

Knight Riders to invest in USbased Major League Cricket

KKR were led by England captain Eoin Morgan in this year’s IPL.

New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS): The Knight Riders Group, which already owns Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League, will be making a “a significant long-term investment” in the future of American cricket as they have become stakeholders in the US-based Major League Cricket (MLC), the multimillion dollar T20 tournament expected to start in 2022.

The investment by the Knight Riders Group, which is led by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan along with Juhi Chawla & her husband Jay Mehta, K Y M C

is part of a strategic longterm investment to help USA Cricket run the sixteam T20 league.

“For several years now, we have been expanding the Knight Riders brand globally and closely watching the potential for T20 cricket in the USA. We are convinced that Major League Cricket has all the pieces in place to execute on its plans and we look forward to making our partnership an enormous success in the coming years,” said Shah Rukh Khan in a statement.

American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), USA Cricket’s partner in developing a professional T20 league in America, had

invited the Knight Riders Group.

Venky Mysore, the CEO of KKR and Red Chillies Entertainment said, “We have had a keen interest in the developments in the United States and our expansion into the US is consistent with our long-term strategy.”

“We look forward to the new challenge of building cricket in the world’s most sophisticated sports and media market and we believe that we can bring a huge amount of expertise to help make Major League Cricket realise the potential that it undoubtedly has,” he added.

MLC will be the first professional T20 league in America if and when it is launched. The tournament was slated to take place over the span of nine weeks starting from July 4 in 2021 but was postponed following the outbreak of coronavirus.

San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. were among the 22 locations touted for the tournament when the league was announced in February this year.

the lead in the 46th minute after an inspired substitution from David Moyes.

Moyes sent on Said Benrahma at half-time and with his first touch the winger chipped in a cross to Jarrod Bowen, who glanced a deft header over Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez for his fourth goal of the season.

Villa winger Trezeguet won a penalty in the 74th minute when Declan Rice tugged at his shirt to prevent him having a shot.

Melbourne, Dec 1 (AFP): The arrangements for next year’s Australian Open are close to being finalised, the tournament director said on Tuesday, following a report it could be cancelled over coronavirus difficulties.

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said details of the event, whose January 18 start date has been the subject of intense speculation, should be settled “very soon”. “We are confident we will be in a position to finalise details for the Australian Open 2021 very soon,” Tiley tweeted.

“Everything will require approval and agreement from the Victorian (state) government before it can be confirmed,” he added.

Victoria’s sports minister last week said he expected the year’s first Grand Slam to be delayed for one or two weeks.

The tournament’s fate appears to hinge on when the state government will allow players to arrive, and whether they’ll be able to train during their mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Tiley had originally wanted players to fly in from mid-December so

they could undergo quarantine before playing traditional warm-up events before the Grand Slam.

But state premier Dan Andrews reportedly only wants players to arrive from early January -- making it impossible to play the build-up events before a January 18 start.

State officials are cautious over allowing mass arrivals as Melbourne only emerged from a monthslong lockdown to eliminate a second wave of Covid-19 in late October.

Tiley said Tennis Australia was in “constant communication” with

players about how they can “safely practise and prepare for a Grand Slam tournament under the Victorian government’s proposed quarantine conditions”.

Tiley’s tweet comes after he was quoted by Melbourne’s Herald-Sun as telling a gathering of business leaders that cancelling the Australian Open remained an option.

A report in The Australian newspaper speculated that the ATP Cup, the flagship men’s team event that made its debut in January, would be scrapped in the reshuffle.

India look to avoid first ‘whitewash’ vs Aussies in 20 yrs

New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS): Indian bowlers will have pride to play for and also gain some confidence ahead of the T20 and Test series when they take on Australia in the third and final ODI at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Wednesday.

If Australia, who are leading the three-match series 2-0, win the final match, it will be the first time they will sweep an ODI series against India at home in 20 years, though not necessarily in a bilateral series. The last occasion when India suffered a whitewash was in 1999-2000 when they lost all their four games in the triangular series that also featured Pakistan.

India’s worry has been their bowling as it has failed to stop Australia from getting to record totals. The Aussies made 374 in the first ODI and 389 in the second to take the game out of India’s reach. These are the highest totals the Aussies have scored against India in 50-over games. While there is very little time for the bowlers to rebound as the surface at Manuka Oval is likely to be batting friendly again, the visitors may ring

in a change, bringing in Chiman bowler Kuldeep Yadav for leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal who has conceded 160 runs in 20 overs during the two games and picked just one wicket.

Kuldeep hasn’t played much cricket in recent times but his angle as Chinaman, with the ball turning into a right-hander, could be handy. He played just five games in IPL while his last ODI was 10 months back, on February 5.

Indian middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer on Tuesday admitted that the bowling has not been up to the mark but promised that the team would play positively in the final match. “...despite the two losses we are going to play positively. We have played really good cricket in terms of batting. Obviously, the bowling wasn’t up to the mark but I am sure the bowlers are really positive...good to see a few of the bowlers going out there and practicing with certain plans. We are very determined to go out there and win the next game and see to it that we don’t suffer a clean sweep,” Iyer told reporters on Tuesday.

India take on Australia in the 3rd ODI on Wednesday.

The Indians had an optional practice on Tuesday and a few of the bowlers and batsmen went out to iron out the chinks.

For Australia, the biggest question would be who will open in place of David Warner who will miss not just the final ODI but also the T20 International series that follows.

Skipper Aaron Finch said that they have plenty of options although they haven’t finalised the replacement yet.

“We haven’t picked a team yet. We have a few options, though. Whether we go with (Matthew) Wade or Marnus (Labuschagne) comes up to open the batting. Alex Carey has done a lot of it in the past. I can

see there being a number of roles for each one of those guys. We’ll wait and see.

We haven’t seen the wicket yet. Once we see the wicket we’ll have a clearer idea on how that’s going to look,” the 34-year-old said.

OFFICE OF THE

HURONG VILLAGE COUNCIL P.o & Dist. Kiphire -798611, Nagaland .

FELICITATION

The Hurong Village Council convey our heartiest congratulations to Shri.

David Thingchum Sangtam for his appointment as a member of Nagaland Public Service Commission. The Council with profound gratitude acknowledge him for bringing laurels to the village and wishes him good health and great success in days to come.

Sd/Tsalitong Sangtam Chairman Hurong Village Council

Sd/Atsaba Sangtam Secretary Hurong Village Council

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but instead they remain fourth – three points behind leaders Tottenham – after a second successive league defeat.

Watkins has been in fine form this season, but he let West Ham off the hook as his penalty hit the bar.

There was more misfortune to come for Watkins in the final moments when he swept home from close-range, only to see the goal chalked off for the narrowest of offside decisions.

“We got fortunate that in some way it was offside. I think we can play much better, but I’m taking tonight’s result,” Moyes said.

Frustrated Villa boss Dean Smith added: “We’ve missed a penalty and had a goal disallowed for a part of the body that can’t put the ball in the net. The only reason Ollie Watkins’ arm is out there is because he’s fouled. He either scores or it’s a penalty.”

Smith was also angry that Grealish was called a cheat by one of West Ham’s backroom staff.

“One of their members of staff called Jack Grealish a diver and a cheat. I spoke to David (Moyes) and he said he’d deal with it,” Smith said.

PRESS NOTE

The 7 Mile Village Council hereby withdraw the NOTICE published in Nagaland Post Dated 17th November' 2020 in respect of Mr. Z. KEPFELHOU KOZA of 7 th Mile Village, Dimapur, Nagaland. th

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7th Mile Village Council Dimapur : Nagaland

APPRECIATION With immense pride, joy and honour, we the GBs Union Dimapur Urban (Sadar) thankfully acknowledge Shri. Zasivikho Zakiesato and his family who graciously donated a plot of land measuring 100 x 75 ft. at Zakiesato Colony for construction of GBs Union Office cum Guest House.

GBUD state that the precious land donated will be used for the Welfare of the GBs. Let our Almighty God bless him and his entire family abundantly.

T. Onen Jamir M. Y. Ngullie Gen. Secretary President

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London, Dec 1 (AFP): Fulham climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone on Monday after finally solving their penalty woes in a shock 2-1 win at Leicester, while West Ham rode their luck to move into fifth place with a dramatic 2-1 victory against Aston Villa.

Scott Parker’s side won for just the second time in the league this season thanks to Ademola Lookman’s 30th minute opener and Ivan Cavaleiro’s penalty eight minutes later.

Fulham had missed three of their four previous penalties this term, but Cavaleiro held his nerve to convert from the spot for the crucial second goal.

Harvey Barnes scored for Leicester in the 86th minute, but Fulham held on and move one point above the bottom three.

It was an emotional success for the Cottagers, with Lookman celebrating his goal by displaying one of Papa Bouba Diop’s Senegal shirts after Fulham’s former midfielder died aged 42 at the weekend.

Leicester would have gone second with a win,

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sports

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

Mumbai outclass East Bengal 3-0 in ISL Holyfield to fight McCrory next year

Panaji, Dec 1 (Agencies): Mumbai City outclassed East Bengal 3-0 in their third match of the Indian Super League (ISL) season on Tuesday at the GMS Stadium, Bambolim.

A d a m L e Fo n d r e scored a brace (20’, 48) and Hernan Santana (58’) was on target as the Islanders cruised past the Kolkata giants, reports goal.com.

Sergio Lobera made four changes in the Mumbai lineup which defeated FC Goa 1-0 in their last match. Mohammed Rakip, Bipin Singh, Ahmed Jahouh and Vignesh D, replaced Amay Ranawade, Sarthak Golui, CY Goddard and Farukh Choudhary. Robbie Fowler, on the other hand, replaced two players from the East Bengal lineup from the Kolkata derby as Loken Meitei and Rana Gharami made way for Mohammad Irshad and Wahengbang Angousana.

Mumbai were in control of the game right from the off and commanded proceedings.

They got their first chance to score in the ninth minute when Mandar Rao Dessai took advantage of Surchandra’s mistake on the right side of the box and found Le Fondre who set it up for Hugo Boumous to fire but thanks to a quality save from Debjit Majumder

Anthony Pilkington of SC East Bengal and Rowllin Borges of Mumbai City FC in action, Tuesday. (PTI)

Boumous failed to break the deadlock.

The Islanders finally scored the opening goal in the 20th minute from an excellent counter-attack.

Rowllin Borges sent a long ball for Boumous and who first beat Surchandra in pace and then went past Irshad inside the box before squaring the ball for Le Fondre who converted a routine tap-in. The Red and Golds

never looked comfortable with the ball throughout the first half and their backline was extremely shaky which allowed Mumbai to constantly pose threat on them.

Mumbai picked up things from where they had left in the first half and continued with their dominance.

They scored the second goal in the 48th minute of the match from a penalty.

Boumous followed

through ball down the middle from Jahouh and entered the box but before he could pull the trigger, Majumder came out of his line and committed a foul resulting in the penalty. Adam Le Fondre converted his brace from the spot-kick.

The Islanders piled on more misery on the Red and Golds as they scored the third goal in the 58th minute. Ahmed Jahouh’s

Giant Olympic rings returns to Tokyo Bay

Hamilton to miss Sakhir GP with COVID

The Olympic symbol is reinstalled after it was taken down for maintenance ahead, Tuesday. (AP/PTI)

Tokyo, Dec 1 (AP): The five Olympic rings are back in Tokyo Bay. They were removed for maintenance four months ago shortly after the Tokyo Olympics were postponed until next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rings arrived on Tuesday after a short cruise from nearby Yokohama and are positioned on a barge in the shadow of Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge.

The rings — painted

blue, black, red, green, and yellow — are gigantic. They stand about 15 meters tall and 33 meters in length — about 50 feet tall and 100 feet in length.

The rings will be lighted at night and herald the coming of the Tokyo Olympics, which are to open on July 23, 2021, followed by the Paralympics on August 24.

The rings made their first appearance early in 2020, just a few months

before the Olympics were postponed late in March.

The reappearance of the rings is the latest sign that organisers and the International Olympic Committee are increasingly confident that 15,400 Olympic and Paralympic athletes can safely enter Japan during the pandemic. These Olympics are sure to be like no other. They will hinge partly on the availability of vaccines and rapid testing for COVID-19 , and on athletes and other participants following strict rules that could involve quarantines, a limited number of fans in venues, and athletes leaving Japan shortly after they finish their competitions.

Organisers have been vague about exactly how the Olympics will be held. Plans are in flux with dozens of COVID-19 countermeasures being floated involving athletes, fans, and tens of thousands of officials, judges, VIPs, and media and broadcasters.

London, Dec 1 (IANS): Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for novel coronavirus and will thus miss this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix, Mercedes announced on Tuesday.

Hamilton, who sealed this year’s title in Turkey and won Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, was tested three times last week including Sunday afternoon as part of the regular testing program, returning a negative result each time, according to Mercedes. However, on Monday morning, he woke up with mild symptoms and was informed at the same time that a contact prior to arrival in Bahrain had subsequently tested positive. He therefore took a further test and returned a positive result.

The Briton is now isolating in accordance with Covid-19 protocols and public health authority guidelines in Bahrain.

out-swinging free-kick was kept in play by Boumous and Hernan Santana sent the ball in with a quality volley. Mumbai climbed to the top of the league table with six points from three games while East Bengal languished at the rock bottom position without registering a point.

WEDNESDAY’S MATCH

Hyderabad Vs Jamshedpur 7:30 pm

Indian women’s football team. (AIFF)

I am sure these players will very well represent India in future,” said Patel.

The women’s team is currently ranked 55 out of 159 nations while the men’s team is 104 out of 210 countries. Rijiju also expressed similar optimism, saying that in the near future, India will qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“Be it senior or junior, ranking of women’s team is higher than men’s. We have ability to qualify, even if we are not the host nation. I believe India will soon qualify in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. We feel that the men should also qualify,” he said. While summing up the main points coming out of the interaction, Sports

Authority of India Director General Sandeep Pradhan asked the AIFF to prepare a road map with a “vision” of the women’s team qualifying for 027 World Cup. “We request the AIFF to bring all the stake-holders together and come up with a concrete and actionable road-map for participation in the 2027 FIFA Women’s

Glenn McCrory has posted a promotion poster suggesting he will fight Evander Holyfield.

pion after Evander moved up to heavyweight, I took his vacant crown and I said to him the other night, ‘Why did you move up? Were you scared of me?’

“It’s 30 years in the making. I was the heir to his cruiserweight throne and he was the fight I always wanted, he was the best and he moved away. “I’ve always been in good shape, I climbed the eighth-highest

mountain in the world last year, so if I can do that with no training, I can certainly fight Holyfield – it’s what I do!” McCrory last fought in 1993 when he was outpointed by Alfred Cole. He won 30 of his 39 fights, losing 8 and drawing one.

Holyfield retired a winner in 2011 after KO’ing Brian Nielsen. He finished his career with 44 wins, ten losses and two draws.

Grosjean ‘saw death coming’ in crash

London, Dec 1 (Agencies): Romain Grosjean says he “saw death coming” in his fiery crash in the Bahrain Grand Prix and fought to get out “for his children”. According to BBC, the French Haas driver suffered burns to the back of his hands after crashing at 137mph and sustaining an impact of 53G on the first lap of Sunday’s race.

Grosjean is to remain in hospital in Manama for a further night on Tuesday.

“I would say there is a feeling of being happy to be alive, of seeing things differently,” he said.

Speaking to France’s TF1, he added: “But also there is the need to get back in the car, if possible in Abu Dhabi.” The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the final race of the 2020 season, on 13-15 December, after a second race in Bahrain on a different track layout this weekend.

Grosjean said he wanted to race at Yas Marina “to finish my story with Formula 1 in a different way”. He does

Indian women’s team can qualify for 2027 WC: AIFF Mumbai, Dec 1 (PTI): All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Praful Patel on Tuesday said that the national women’s side can qualify for the FIFA World Cup before the men’s team does, despite the less attention given to them.

Patel said the AIFF is hoping for the women’s team to qualify for the 2027 FIFA World Cup. Supporting Patel’s view, the sports ministry asked the AIFF to prepare a “concrete and actionable” roadmap to work towards the women team’s qualification in the 2027 World Cup. “Women team’s FIFA ranking is better than the men’s team, which is very good, when we had less attention to women’s football compared to men’s,” Patel said in a virtual interaction with the members of the U-17 Women’s World Cup team with Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju in attendance.

“When these kids grow, I feel the women’s team will be participating in the World Cup much before the men ... and I’m very hopeful about 2027 edition (of FIFA World Cup). We will continue to give all the support and

London, Dec 1 (Agencies): Evander Holyfield will reportedly make a sensational boxing comeback to fight Glenn McCrory in April next year.

The Real Deal has been teasing a return to the sport that made him a world champion for months, The Sun, reported.

Holyfield has shared photos and videos on his social media accounts showing gruelling training routines and his impressive physique at 58 years old. It was strongly rumoured that he would be the opponent for Mike Tyson in his ring return at 54.

This would have completed the trilogy with Holyfield 2-0 up against Iron Mike. But Roy Jones Jr was the man picked for that - the pair drew at the Staples Center in Los Angeles at the weekend. Now, as reported by talkSPORT, Holyfield will lace up the gloves - and fight British former cruiserweight world champ McCrory. The 56-year-old said: “I spoke to Holyfield on the phone the other night and he said he’ll fight me. “He’s been scared of me for 30 years, but now he’s finally going to fight me. He’s getting brave. “We’re looking at April, I’m talking to Joe Brown and Jim Freeman from the BKB company and they want to put it on at the O2 in April. “I was cham-

World Cup. That is the vision. That will make India a power-house in women’s football in 2027,” Pradhan said.

India was to host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup this year but after a postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the age group showpiece was cancelled. The country was, however, given the hosting right for the 2022 edition.

Patel informed that eight members of the current U-17 team are eligible to play in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup as they are 2005-born while the remaining will be agebarred. He urged the players, who will miss the 2022 U-17 World Cup, not to get disappointed, saying there are several other opportunities for them.

“Our young girls should not lose hope, because you will get many opportunities to play for the country. There is qualification round one in March (next year) for FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2022 and round 2 in August, you will get a chance for that and we are starting the camp in January,” informed Patel.

Romain Grosjean ‘s car hit the wall at 53G and promptly burst into flames in sickening fashion. (Inset) Grosjean shared a video saying he was fine.

second birth”. He said: “To come out of the flames that day is something that will mark my life forever.

He described his experiences in the immediate aftermath of the crash, as he was in the cockpit of the burning car, which had broken in two and become lodged in a barrier.

“I don’t know if the word miracle exists or if it can be used, but in any case I would say it wasn’t my time [to die],” the 34-year-old said. “It felt much longer than 28 seconds. I see my visor turning all orange, I see the flames on the left side of the car. “I thought about a lot of things, including Niki Lauda, and I thought that it wasn’t possible to end up like that, not now. I couldn’t finish my story in Formula 1 like that”. “And then, for my children, I told myself that I had to get out. I put my hands in the fire, so I clearly felt it burning on the chassis. “I got out, then I felt someone pulling on the suit, so I knew I was out.”

not have a drive for next season, after Haas decided to change their line-up and recruit two new drivers who come with financial backing for 2021. They announced Russian Nikita Mazepin on Tuesday and are expected to confirm Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time champion Michael, on Wednesday.

Team boss Gunther Steiner said on Tuesday that he had spoken to Grosjean about his intention to return for the final race and there was “plenty of time” before

a decision had to be made.

“He really wants to be in Abi Dhabi,” Steiner said. “But I said: ‘Try to get better, we speak on Sunday or Monday let’s say, how you feel, if it is doable.’”

He is being replaced at this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix by Brazilian novice Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. Grosjean described his escape from the accident, in which he spent nearly 30 seconds in the inferno, as “almost like a

Perez gets eight-year ban for match fixing

Arpinder Singh questions ministry after TOPS snub

Madrid, Dec 1 (Reuters): Spanish tennis player Enrique Lopez Perez has been banned from the sport for eight years for his involvement in matchfixing activities in three separate instances in 2017, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) said on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old Perez, who reached a career-high singles ranking of 154 in 2018 and a best doubles ranking of 135 last year, was also fined $25,000.

“The disciplinar y case was heard by anticorruption hearing officer Richard McLaren on 5 November 2020,” the TIU said in a statement.

“He found that Enrique Lopez Perez breached the rules of the Tennis Anti-corruption Programme three times at tournaments in 2017, with two further charges unproven.”

Perez was provisionally suspended in December, 2019, and will not be able to attend or play in any sanctioned tennis event for the next eight years.

New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI): Asian Games goldwinning triple jumper Arpinder Singh on Monday questioned sports ministry’s decision to drop him from the Target Olympic Podium Scheme on the basis of a performance review when no competition was conducted during the year due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The 27-year-old Arpinder, who won a gold in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, was dropped from the TOPS core group while the likes of Neeraj Chopra, Tejinder Pal Singh Toor and Hima Das were retained after a “performance review”.

“I was surprised because how a performance review could have been done during this pandemic.

There was no competition the whole year. Did they call for a trial to know that my performance has gone down? I don’t know the basis of this,” Arpinder told PTI from Amritsar.

“I train alone these days in Jalandhar. I have taken a short break and I am going back to Jalandhar

Arpinder Singh (File)

in a day or two. As far as I know I am jumping the same distance as earlier during training. I am maintaining myself.”

He said the ministry’s decision “borders to harassment” and has “demoralised” him.

“I have been in the TOPS for nearly two years and suddenly I am being dropped for no fault of mine,” he said.

“I was not expecting this. I have not done anything wrong.”

Arpinder has a personal best of 17.17m though he won the gold in Jakarta with a jump of 16.77m. In 2019, he had a best of 16.83m during the National Inter-State Championships in Lucknow.

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