Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com
Vol XXXII No. 102
DIMAPUR, SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2022 Pages 12 ` 5.00
US seeks China’s help to end Russia’s war in Ukraine
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INTERNATIONAL, PAGE 9
Cabinet seeks total e-roll revision before ULB polls
Correspondents
KOHIMA, MAR 18 (NPN): The State Cabinet, at its meeting on March 17, decided to effect a total revision of the electoral roll (e-roll) before conducting elections to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). This was disclosed to Nagaland Post by planning & coordination, land revenue and parliamentary affairs minister Neiba Kronu. He said that the cabinet has asked the State Election department to conduct the e-roll revision as it was required. Kronu also said it would take some time to prepare the e-roll revision after which the ULB polls would be held as per the notification to be issued. UDA secy and co-secy: Meanwhile, United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has inducted Kronu and soil & water conservation minister Kashiho Sangtam as UDA secretary and co-secretary
State logs 1 fresh Covid-19 case DIMAPUR, MAR 18 (NPN): Nagaland on Friday recorded one fresh Covid-19 positive case while no deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. One fresh case was reported from Dimapur, taking the total caseload to 35459. Meanwhile, the death toll remained unchanged at 758 (including 4 non-Covid deaths but with positivity).
Vaccination status
Further, a total of 27 children in the age group of 12-14 years received their first dose of Corbevax vaccine and in the age group of 14-18, 90120 (61706 first dose and 28404 second dose) received their vaccine. On the other hand, a total of 1455605 adults had been inoculated (818189 first dose and 637416 second dose) while 23953 received their booster shot. PTI: With 2,528 new COVID-19 cases being reported in a day, India’s infection tally now stands at 4,30,04,005, while the count of active cases fell below 30,000 after around 685 days, according to the Union Health Ministry on Friday. The death toll climbed to 5,16,281 with 149 daily fatalities being recorded. The count of active cases has declined to 29,181 which comprises 0.07 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further improved to 98.73 per cent, health ministry said.
respectively. Confirming this, Kronu said this was decided at the UDA meeting held at the chief minister’s residential complex here on Friday. Naga issue: On the Naga political issue that has been perennially on the backburner except to be revived at consultative meetings, Kronu informed that the cabinet has also decided to further discuss the issue for two hours during the forthcoming budget session, scheduled from Saturday. Asked if the assembly would pass any resolution over the issue during the budget session, Kronu said he was not in a position to say anything for the moment. 5-day NLA from today: Five-day budget session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) will commence on March 19, 2022. The session would begin with the Governor’s address followed by obituary reference to the passing away of
the former legislators during the inter-session period, election of deputy speaker and moving of motion of thanks to the Governor’s address. State chief minister Neiphiu Rio, who also holds the finance portfolio, would present the Budget for the year 2022-2023 on March 22. This will be the first budget session of the opposition-less government and also the last budget session of the 13th NLA as the assembly election is due by FebruaryMarch next year. Besides question hour, the session will also have laying of annual administrative reports of departments, government reports and rules, presentation of assembly committee reports. The CAG report on state finances and the government activities would also be laid. There will be no session on March 20 on account of Sunday while there will be recess on March 23.
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KOHIMA, MAR 18 (NPN): All speculations have been put to rest now as the BJP central leadership has recommended the name of State BJP Mahila Morcha president S. Phangnon Konyak as the BJP candidate for the lone Rajya Sabha seat. Phangnon’s name was among four individuals declared by BJP national general secretary Arun Singh on Friday. After nearly five decades, Phangnon, will be the second Naga woman to represent the State in the parliament after Rano M Shaiza. Shaiza was elected to the 6th Lok Sabha in 1977
S. Phangnon Konyak
Meanwhile, BJP Legislature Party Leader and deputy chief minister Y. Patton informed Nagaland Post that there were 11 applicants. However, he said the party’s Central leadership after thorough examination and decided to recommend Phangnon, keeping in mind that there was no women representative from Naga-
SPORTS, PAGE 12
PM lauds media’s NFHRCC meet adopts 11-pt resolution HIGHLIGHTS role in development NEW DELHI, MAR 18 (AGENCIES): Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the role played by the Indian media in the success of national campaigns such as Swachh Bharat and “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao”, besides promoting yoga and fitness in the country. “I have seen the positive impact the media can play. The example of Swachh Bharat Mission is well known. Every media house took up this mission with great sincerity”, Modi said, inaugurating online the centenary celebrations of leading Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi. The Prime Minister called upon media organisations to join the efforts to develop a strong and inclusive India. “Large-scale transformation is needed for any policy to succeed. Every media house in the country took up our campaigns with great sincerity, beyond the domains of politics and
Narendra Modi
political parties,” Modi said in his virtual address. He recalled the contribution of the founders of Mathrubhumi towards India’s freedom movement and the newspaper’s efforts to uphold the democratic ethos of the country during the Emergency. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in his virtual address, pointed out that Mathrubhumi was one of the very few dailies founded during the freedom struggle that survived the oppression of the British government. He urged the daily to take a bold stand against divisive forces.
BJP recommends Phangnon Konyak for RS seat Correspondent
WWC: Bowlers save WI blushes against B’desh
land after former MP late Rano M. Saiza. As reported, NDPP leader and chief minister Neiphiu Rio, during the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, reportedly agreed in principle to support a BJP candidate in return for support extended to the NDPP candidate for the Lok Sabha elections. Rio’s tweet on Friday was a clear indication that his party-- NDPP, has also endorsed the decision of the Central BJP to nominate Phangnon as the RS candidate. Rio congratulated Phangnon “on being selected as the candidate for the biennial elections to the Council of States @RajyaSabha, from Nagaland.
I wish you the best for the upcoming elections and for all your future endeavours.” For the NPF, though a senior NPF leader and legislator had earlier informed Nagaland Post that since the party was now part of the UDA government, it would likely go by the UDA consensus candidate. However, NPF was yet to take a call as the party’s Working Committee meeting held on March 18 endorsed the senior party functionaries to examine and coordinate with the NPF legislators wing whether or not to contest the poll. The decision will be made known soon, a senior NPF leader said.
DIMAPUR, MAR 18 (NPN): Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC), which held a crucial joint meeting at its office Khermahal, Dimapur on Friday, has resolved to “mitigate” the foothills road construction work in consonance with the specification as mentioned in the TOR/ DPR. Further to expedite the work to be completed at the earliest. In a press release, NFHRCC convenor Supu Jamir, co-convenor Hokiye Yepthomi, secretary W Lemba Chang and assistant general secretary Chenithung Humtsoe stated that the joint meeting was attended by foothills road contractors, divisional EEs of PWD (R&B), Young Naga action committee on foothill road and office bearers of Dimapur-based Tribal Hohos. The house reiterated that no individuals or groups would ask tax or any form of donations from the foothills road contractors
No individuals or groups will ask tax from foothills road contractors Contractors not permitted to sublet works to any third-party agencies
Appeals to the department not to deduct any percentage including Doyang bridge contraction firm. In the event of any individuals or groups indulging in such activities, the meeting resolved that the committee will view the matter seriously. In order to maintain the quality of works, the house resolved that the responsible contractors were not permitted to sublet works to any third-party agencies or firms. The joint meet also re-
affirmed not to permit any members to partake in the foothills road construction as a contractor. Further, the house resolved to appeal to the department not to deduct any percentage of any form except compulsory statutory fees. The meeting decided that final bill payment be released only after an inspection was done jointly by the department and the committee. The house also resolved to invite other Naga tribes such as Angamis, C h a k h e s a n g s a n d Pochurys to be a part of the NFHRCC. It was also resolved to undertake a joint tour programme in the entire foothill stretch from Niuland to Tizit within March 2022. If any misunderstanding or dispute arises in any area while executing the work, the house resolved that the same shall be immediately communicated to NFHRCC with a view to avoid any unwanted situations. (Cont’d on p-8)
Centre asks states to restart monitoring ILI, SARI cases NEW DELHI, MAR 18 (PTI): Citing the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in southeast Asia and parts of Europe, the Centre has asked the states to restart monitoring influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infections so that no early warning signals are missed and Covid is controlled. Testing for influenzalike illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) cases has been the pillars of Covid management for the government. However, the testings were stopped recently as India has been recording a
steady decline in COVID-19 cases. As part of intensified surveillance, patients being hospitalised with ILI and SARI will again be tested for Covid-19 and positive samples will be sent for genome sequencing. I n a l e t t e r, U n i o n Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan asked all states and UTs to ensure adequate number of samples are submitted to the INSACOG network for timely detection of new Covid variants. He also stressed on maintaining testing according to protocols, observing all precautions and not let-
ting the guard down while resuming economic and social activities. “Effective surveillance by monitoring of emerging clusters of new cases, if any, testing as per norms and monitoring of ILI and SARI cases shall be taken up on a continued basis to ensure no early warning signals are missed and spread of infection can be controlled,” he said. He also emphasised on five-fold strategy of test, track, treat and vaccination and adherence to Covidappropriate behaviour and practise effective hand and respiratory hygiene.
Russia says it made progress in negotiations Azad meets Sonia, pitches for ‘united’ fight in upcoming polls M O S C OW, M A R 1 8 (AGENCIES): The head of the Russian delegation in talks with Ukrainian officials says the parties have come closer to an agreement on a neutral status for Ukraine. Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian negotiators in several rounds of talks with Ukraine, including this week, said Friday that the sides have narrowed their differences on the issue of Ukraine dropping its bid to join NATO and adopting a neutral status. “The issue of neutral status and no NATO membership for Ukraine is one of the key issues in talks, and that is the issue where
the parties have made their positions maximally close,” Medinsky said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. He added that the sides are now “half-way” on issues regarding the demilitarization of Ukraine. Medinsky noted that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is possible after the negotiators finalise a draft treaty to end the hostilities and it receives a preliminary approval by the countries’ governments. Meanwhile, Russian forces pressed their assault on Ukrainian cities Friday, with new missile strikes and shelling on the edges of the
capital Kyiv and the western city of Lviv, as world leaders pushed for an investigation of the Kremlin’s repeated attacks on civilian targets, including schools, hospitals and residential areas. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin used a rally before a packed soccer stadium on Friday to justify the invasion of Ukraine, promising tens of thousands of people waving Russian flags that all the Kremlin’s aims would be achieved. “We know what we need to do, how to do it and at what cost. And we will absolutely accomplish all of our plans,” Putin told a rally at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.
NEW DELHI, MAR 18 (PTI): G-23 leader Ghulam Nabi Azad met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday, after which he said leadership change is not an issue as the Congress Working Committee unanimously decided that she should continue as party chief till internal polls. After meeting Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence here, Azad told reporters that he gave her suggestions to strengthen the party and held a discussion on how to take on rivals “unitedly” in the forthcoming assembly polls. Kapil Sibal, another
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Ghulam Nabi Azad.
G-23 leader, had said recently that Gandhis should step aside and pave the way for someone else to take over the reins of the party. Asked about Sibal’s call for leadership change, Azad said, “There is no question of leadership (change). When Mrs Gandhi had offered (to quit)
at the CWC, then all of us asked her to continue. There will be a discussion on that when the elections take place in the party.” Party workers will decide at that time who will be the president, Azad said, adding, “The post of the party president is not vacant today.”
In the working committee, when she had offered to quit, “all of us, be it from any group or thinking, said Mrs Gandhi you continue, we have no problems, but there are some suggestions we had given to strengthen the organisation,” Azad said. “Nobody has said Mrs Gandhi should just quit, let me tell you very clearly that we had decided in the working committee,” he told reporters. Playing down the meeting, he told reporters that it “may be news for you but we keep meeting the Congress president at various intervals”.
bandh: SAYO informs on exempted category This is it! Lucknow Zoo welcomes new inmates from Nagaland DTotal I M A P U R , M A R 1 8 Ketholeno Neihu requested affect activities of common
“Our artist depicts how our missile behaved after it was accidentally fired at Pakistan.” K Y M C
LUCKNOW, MAR 18 (IANS): The Lucknow Zoo has got two leopard cats after a gap of seven years. The leopard enclosure had been lying vacant ever since the death of the last big cat due to kidney failure in 2015. Besides two leopard cats, three slow loris and two Himalayan bears are the new attractions at the zoo. Leopard cat is a small wild cat, native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia while slow loris is nocturnal strepsirrhine pri-
Slow Loris from Nagaland at Lucknow Zoo.
mate. The Himalayan bear is jikistan, entire Kyrgyzstan found in Nepal, Tibet, west and south-east Kazakhstan. China, north India, north The new inmates have Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Ta- been brought to Lucknow
under the animal exchange programme with the Nagaland Zoological Park. The city zoo had a slow loris till 2005. As part of the exchange programme, the Lucknow zoo has sent a pair of hog deer and two pairs of gharials (fish-eating crocodile) to Nagaland. “The new inmates will be kept in quarantine under special care for 15 days and the visitors will be able to see them only after the quarantine gets over,” said a zoo official.
(NPN): In connection with the 72-hour total bandh called by Southern Angami Public Organization (SAPO) within Southern Angami jurisdiction from March 21, 1 a.m. to March 23, 12 noon, Southern Angami Youth Organization (SAYO) has informed that vehicles on medical emergency, para military vehicles, press/ media, students, educational institutions teachers/faculty will be exempted. SAYO president Metekhrielie Mejura and information & publicity secretary
students, teachers and faculty attending schools, colleges or any educational institutions from Manipur to the Southern Angami region to carry valid IDs proof. SAYO has, however, informed that entry and exit of all Manipur-bound private or public passengers, goods carrier vehicles or commuters will be totally restricted during the 72-hour bandh period. All entry and exit points, alternative routes will also be restricted, SAYO informed. SAYO, however, stated that the bandh will not
man in the Southern Angami region including educational and medical institutions, private or government offices, shops and business establishments among others. SAYO reiterated that the bandh has been called to protest against non-withdrawal of Manipur armed personnel at Kezoltsa. Despite call to resolve the issue at the disputed land, SAYO said Manipur government continued to undertake developmental activities in violation to standing agreement with the TPO resolution. K Y M C