06 August, 2016, Saturday

facebook.com/easterntoday

@easterntoday

For business, mail at: md.easterntoday@gmail.com

cmyk

cmyk

www.eastern-today.com

ASSENG/2015/64205

PAGE 6

Vol. II

Issue 49

Dibrugarh, Saturday, August 6, 2016

LIVE SCORE: ENGLAND VS PAKISTAN - 3RD TEST, DAY 3, EDGBASTON

Price -

5.00

PAGE 3

Pages- 12

ANCIENT CHINESE SECRETS

MINING POLICY WILL NOT SOLVE NGT IMPASSE, SAYS PRESTONE

FOR HEALTHY, GLOWING SKIN

Page - 11

Page - 5

Page - 12

Glimpses of Kokrajhar attack

Assam Attack: Suspected NDFB (S) militants kill 14, injure 20 Terror struck Assam today when suspected NDFB(S) militants attacked a crowded market place in Kokrajhar district killing 14 people and leaving more than 20 others injured.

“

Our government is committed to take stern action against extremists outfit to ensure the safety of civilians

One of the attackers was killed in retaliatory action by security forces.

Assam Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay said the attack at Balajan Tiniali market, 12 km from here, was suspected to be the handiwork of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-S) and search operations by the security forces were on in the area.

He said, 12 people died on the spot when the militants,

ET CAPSULES

UPLA cadre nabbed Diphu August 5: Self styled Area Commander United Peoples Liberation Front (UPLA) Angjok Teron, was apprehended during a Joint operation conducted by the Indian Army and Hamren Police inside general area of Bhoksong under Baithalangso Police Station at around 3:30 pm yesterday. One 7. 65 mm country made pistol along with 3 live rounds of ammunition and a large number of documents belonging to UPLA was recovered from him. (Correspondent)

Free eye checkup camp to be held

cmyk

Golaghat, Aug 5: A Free Eye Checkup camp will be organized here in Golaghat by Agarwal Yuwa Sabha and Akhil Bharatia Marwari Mahela Sanmelan, Golaghat in association with Lions eye hospital, Jorhat on 7th August from 10:00 am to 1:00pm in Sankardev Sisu Niketan Athkhelia.

All are requested to attend the same. (Correspondent)

CM Sonowal who came in a van around 12.30 pm opened fire. Two more people died on their way to the hospital, another police official said.

One of the attackers was killed when security forces were patrolling the area rushed

in and retaliated, Sahay said.

The body of the slain militant was yet to be identified.

Red alert sounded in Tinsukia, two columns of Cobra commandos deployed

It is suspected that three or four militants may be hiding and operations are on to nab them, he said.

AK-56 and 47 series rifles along with grenades were recovered from the spot.

Rishu Kalantri.

Tinsukia, Aug 5

In the backdrop of a terror attack at Kokrajhar in lower Assam, that jolted entire Assam, a red alert has been sounded around 677 kms back here in Tinsukia district. Two columns of Cobra commandos has been deployed in Tinsukia district.

More than 20 persons have been injured, most of them critically, and were admitted to various hospitals in the town.

The six killed have been identified as Mazhar Ali, Salam Ali, Danda Basumatary, Moniram Basumatary, Parmeswar Basumatary and Tapan Chakraborty.

Army rescuing innocent victim of Kokrajhar attack Contd. on Page 4

Confirming this development to this correspondent, superintendent of Tinsukia police Mugdha Jyoti Mahanto said, a red alert has been declared in entire Tinsukia distirct.

Contd. on Page 4

Oboro Suraksha Samiti sets deadline to administration

Governor condemns the attack in Kokrajhar

ET Correspondent Nalbari, Aug 5

The Governor of Assam P.B Acharya condemned the inhuman attack on innocent people by the terrorists at Balajan Tinali in Kokrajhar town today which resulted in death of 13 persons causing grievous injuries to several others.

The Oboro Suraksha Samiti of BTAD has strongly condemned the massacre of Kokrajhar weekly market and demanded the administration to nab the culprits and put exemplary punishment to them within 24 hours. Otherwise, the Samiti will resort strong agitation programme against the failure of the administration.

Contd. on Page 4

ET Bureau Guwahati, Aug. 5

Terming it to be the dastardly act of cowardice, the Governor Achraya said that the he asked the government to take strict action against the perpetrators and no stone should remain unturned to nab the culprits.

Sonowal seeks PM Modi's personal CM makes on spot visit of flood- intervention for bailing out Assam from affected areas in Namsai district the onslaught of floods and erosion ET Bureau Namsai, Aug 5

A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Aug 5

To address the recurring flood crisis in the state, Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday called for finding longterm solution instead of shortterm measures during his visit to Namsai to take stock of the flood-affected areas in the district.

“The flood occurrence is not new. Since 1995 people of Namsai district has struggled with the floods. What we need is a lasting solution. For that I have brought along senior ministers, Chief Secretary and heads of departments so that they could help us find solution to the recurring problem,” said the Chief Minister.

He was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, newly inducted Ministers Kumar Waii and Kamlung Mossang, and MLAs Pasang D Sona and Zingnu Namchoom. Chief Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin, Commissioner (Disaster Management) Hage Kojeen and Chief Engineer (WRD) Modak Ngomdir were also present on the occasion.

Chief Minister along with his team inspected the breached embankment of NoaDehing River that had taken a new course through low lying areas of Lower Silatoo, Nongkhong and Mahadevpur areas crossing National Highway NH 52 to rejoin its

CM Pema Khandu making spot visit of flood-affected areas of Namsai district

“

I have instructed the administration and the department that there should be no shortage of any facilities in the relief camps” | CM Pema Khandu| original course near Mahaloni village.

The breached river has now posed danger to entire Mahadevpur town and could be a threat to Namsai area if the river is not diverted to its original course, informed the

officials.

For diversion of the river in the breached point to its original course will involve latest technology. Chief Minister informed that the work will be entrusted to WRD department who will consult specialized firms for river piping to prevent erosion along the 2 km of breached embankment.

gathering about his recent visit to New Delhi where he had approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Sing and Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju. He had asked them for deputing a central team to Arunachal to ascertain the damage in flood affected areas, to which the central ministers had readily agreed.

“What we want is long-term solution. The cost will be high but efforts will be on. I have fully authorized the Chief Secretary to go ahead with the work,” he said later in a public meeting in Namsai town announcing that the project to divert Nao-Dehing River to its original course will be started soon.

On relief, the CM had asked the Home Ministry for an aerial survey and accordingly on Saturday last, Rijiju had made a joint survey with high level team from the state accompanied by Chief Minister.

Chief Minister briefed the

Contd. on Page 3

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Parliament House and made a strong pitch for his personal intervention in State Government's bid to bail the State out of the recurring floods and erosion that have had a crippling effect on the demography and economy of the State.

Chief Minister Sonowal, who is in the National Capital for the last two days, met Prime Minister Modi and sought his help for the State to deal with floods and erosion problem. Apprising the Prime Minister of the devastation wrecked by the recent waves of floods in Assam in terms of human lives, properties, livestock and wild life, Sonowal sought his kind personal intervention to help the State in fortifying its efforts against recurring floods and erosion.

Sonowal also drew the attention of the Prime Minister of the popular demand in the State of declaring ‘flood as national

problem’ and sought Modi’s help in according the State's flood as national problem. Stating that Assam has as many as 1,250 river embankments covering a distance of around 5000 km which were built 30 to 50 years back to save the rural populace and rural economy from recurring floods, Sonowal said most of the embankments have outlived their utility and need immediate repairing. Sonowal also sought Prime Minister’s help in strengthening the embankments as ‘a strong network of embankments and dykes’ are prerequisites for the economy of Assam to flourish.

Sonowal also drew the attention of Prime Minister Modi over the uncertainty that looms large on the continuation of North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy and sought his direction in this regard. The Chief Minister also made a plea to the Prime Minister for a special incentive to pave the way for industrial growth in Assam taking into consideration its locational disadvantage. Moreover, he also informed Modi that after BJP came to power in Assam, several

business houses and entrepreneurs have shown interests in investing in the State and a special incentive for the State will catapult Assam's industrial growth.

Another issue that Sonowal brought to the attention of Modi is the ongoing NRC update process in Assam and said that 68 lakh families applied their claims for the NRC and the State Government has submitted a revised estimate of Rs. 882.61 crore for the exercise. Sonowal requested the Prime Minister to accord early sanction of the amount for smooth completion of the NRC update process. On the Indo-Bangla fencing issue, the Chief Minister apprised the Prime Minister that of the 280 km Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam sector, around 71 km is still unfenced of which around 60 km falls in the riverine stretch of the Brahmaputra. He also impressed upon the Prime Minister for his kind intervention of handing over the construction work of the fence to the Army as it was done for fencing the IndoPak border along J&K sector.

NSCN (K) cadre held at Ledo ET Correspondent Margherita, Aug 5

to Finbiro of Changlang District of Arunachal Pradesh.

In a joint operation of Ledo police and Indian Army, nabbed a hardcore NSCN (K) cadre from Ledo area of Margherita Sub Division. The nabbed NSCN (K) have identified as Corporal Nange Gunje alias Johny who belongs

A pistol and live ammunitions were recovered from the nabbed NSCN (K). At Margherita sub-division police and army have kept strict vigil as the Independence Day is very nearer and insurgents groups may trigger tension at any moment.

Nange Gunje

cmyk

PTI Kokrajhar, Aug 5

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

PAGE 2

ASTRO FOR YOU Aries You will be indecisive today, which is not usually the case with you. This could lead you to indulge in speculation, which is not so bad unless you risk all your money in it. Besides, when it comes to matters of the heart, you must exercise a great deal of caution.

Taurus Impulsive action kicks in as you work and interact today. Do not let the pressure and strain cloud your thoughts, and instead focus on acting on the things at hand. If you find things spiralling out of control, take a break and listen to some music that soothes your heart.

Crackdown against JACAS to revive illicit liquor Autonomous State

demand

Gemini Today, you will decide to become a bit more conscious about your health. You may or may not join a gym or measure your calories, but you will definitely sit up and take notice of your lifestyle and unhealthy food habits. A new job is also likely, which will open a completely new chapter in your life.

Sushanta Roy Diphu August 5: The 3rd foundation day of Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State (JAKAS) was observed at Telehor playground, Jengkha, West Karbi Anglong yesterday.

The program was organized

by Hamren District Committee of JACAS. A public meeting presided by Wilson Terang was attended Karbi Chief Harsing Ronghang as the Chief Guest, JACAS Central Executive Committee Convener Bijoy Teron, and leaders of various students and youth organizations. The Karbi Chief in his speech called upon every Karbi-both young and old, rich and the poor, political

Cancer Today, you will put your heart and soul into whatever task you take up. And, that's a great thing to do. Don't lose heart though, if despite the best efforts, the results of your efforts are not too forthcoming. Feeling dejected is only going to hamper your progress. Remember that you'll receive your due sooner or later. Spend some time with your loved ones to revive yourself. Alternatively, a quiet evening tucked in the bed with a nice book is also a great idea.

Leo If one were to put an earnest spirit and a frank attitude together, the result would be a Leo; it's like your hallmark. And with qualities like these in your kitty, don't be surprised if you happen to reach a milestone or two today. Will it be marital bliss or career success? No matter what the area is, be assured that your societal standing shall get a heady boost today.

Just don't let the success go to your head.

Virgo The booster rockets of your ambitions and spirit to work will kick in at the maximum today. Seek recreation after a hard day's work and look to relax at private parties, socialdos and even weddings.

Libra "Every man has specific natural abilities", said Aristotle. This seems to be true for you today. Your natural talents will be acknowledged and documented at work. This might prompt your equals to hold you up above the rest, and for your seniors to positively encourage you to scale greater heights. But as always, be careful to make sure that success does not make you heady with arrogance. Keep yourself firmly grounded, and remember that, 'pride cometh before the fall'.

Scorpio You will find yourself thinking with your heart rather than your head today. You may not be able to repress your feelings, and you should not even try. But you should be careful about how you express them, particularly in public as people may judge you wrongly on the basis of it.

Sagittarius Today, your superiors at work are going to trust you with many complicated assignments.

But, after exerting yourself, you are sure to come out with flying colors and have your work appreciated. Do not be surprised if cash incentives come your way. Such may indeed be your fortune.

Capricorn You will be a live wire, today. With amazing exuberance you have completed mammoth tasks and have spread the energy around. It will give you tremendous job-satisfaction.

Everything seems well and good the personal front, too. Spending some quality time your spouse will relax your mind and keep you in an upbeat mood.

Aquarius For a moment, it seems that you're swamped with problems. But you are brave enough to deal with any ugly issue that crops up suddenly. A romantic evening, which may just be time together in a jacuzzi, or simply preparing a meal together. Pure ecstasy!

Pisces You are fond of traveling and are always looking for an excuse to set off. Hence it comes as no surprise if you pack your bags and decide to embark upon a journey on a whim today.

It is a much needed break too, from the daily stresses of earning a livelihood. While you are seeking solitude, you will take your friends and relatives along with you on the trip.

PRASAR BHARATI (India's Public Service Broadcaster) ALL INDIA RADIO : DIBRUGARH (M.W.529.1m/KHz567 F.M. 101.30 MHz) Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights 6-8-16 (SATURDAY) 5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti (Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-30 A.M-Bidyarthir Anusthan 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali (Assamese Modern Songs) 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi (Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-05 A.M- Antara (Composite Programme of Hindi Film Songs) 12-30 P.M-Hindi Film Songs 1-50 P.M-Adhunik Geet 2-30 P.M-Western Music 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 4-45 P.M-News for Arunachal Pradesh 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 6-15 P.M-Ganya Raijor Anusthan (Rural Programme) 7-15 P.M-Yuvavani (Youth Programme) 7-45 P.M-Daakpakhili 8-00 P.M-Ekalabya (Sponsored Programme of K.K Handique State Open University) 9-30P.M-Radio Serial in Hindi-"Marudhar Ke Phool" Sd-/H.O.P

DDMA assesses flood damage in Kamrup ET Correspondent Rangia, Aug 5: The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) of Kamrup has assessed the flood damages on Friday at the Conference Hall of DC office, Amingaon under the chairmanship of Kamrup DC Vinod Seshan.

Speaking on the occasion, MLA of Palashbari LAC Pranab Lakita, MLA of Hajo LAC Suman Haripriya and MLA of Boko LAC Nandita Das appeals all the departmental heads to ensure that

flood affected people should get benefits from the Government as per norms and to assess the flood damages after proper field survey. The MLAs further requested the Departmental officers to keep them updated about any damages as well as schemes proposed thereof.

Presiding over the DDMA meet, Kamrup DC Vinod Seshan also asked all Departmental heads to prepare proposal as per the SDRF norms. DC further entrusted the Circle Officers to verify

the schemes proposed by various Departments against flood damages in their respective jurisdiction.

The DDMA meeting elaborately reviews the up to date status of Ex-gratia grant and Rehabilitation grants and all other schemes proposed by various departments against the flood damages in the District in respect of roads, bridges, embankment, agricultural field, irrigation, health centres, educational institutions, anganwadi centres, electricity, drinking water schemes, fishery and veterinary etc.

ET Correspondent Mangaldai Aug 5 : Darrang excise department today conducted a massive crackdown against illicit liquor and seized more than 2,000 liters of country liquor illegally stored for sale at Ramhari weekly market.

Superintendent of excise as well as Assistant Commissioner Pallabi Sharma Choudhury told the reporters that the operation has been carried out in support with local police following the direction of the Deputy Commissioner, Darrang Manoj Kumar on the basis of the

public complaints.

The team conducted raided at 25 temporary huts and found country liquor which has been stored for sell. The department destroyed 1,500 liters of country liquor which were stored in plastic drums, gallons, containers, bottles etc.

However, the liquor traders were mostly women reportedly managed to fled from the spot.

Today in Chapai several hundred liters of illicit liquor have also been seized and later destroyed. Three

persons found involved in these illegal trade have reportedly picked up for interrogation.

It ma y b e m e n t i o n e d here that local public of the area leveled allegations that this illicit practice has been running since long in the weekly market in connivance with a section of corrupt excise and police officials and the authorized lessi of the market thereby threatening the academ i c and soci al at mosphere of the locality.

Army celebrates pre-Independence day with students & public in Jorhat ET Correspondent Jorhat, Aug 5 : Indian Army Jawans are best ranking forces throughout the world taking 10th position may it be technology, recruitment or human resources, Indian soldiers are the best solders who has been graded today, said Major General Rajiv Mishra, Vishisth Seva Medal, GOC 41-Sub Area of Jorhat Military Station.

tiative by the Indian Army to make and connect with civil population to attract youths to know more about the forces which is a welcome step towards building mutual trust and confidence to assure the general public among the masses that security of our nation is safe hands in spite of heavy threat from various sides that we are one.

While addressing a gathering of school students, teachers and parents Major General Rajiv Mishra said on the occasion of pre-independence day celebration at the Jorhat stadium which is a ini-

The pre-independence day celebration knows your forces mela-major attraction were infantry weapons, machine guns, long range mortars and field artillery guns. The array also showcased the

weapons and equipments used by the special forces commandos, state of art radio communication devices and parachutes for dropping supplies were major attraction for the young classes towards the forces.

The inaugural session highlight were the dogshow performed by Assam Rifle dogsquad ,bands from the Army and Assam Rifle gave a scintillating performance playing patriotic and popular times thrilled the crowd as the retreat of our jawans at the forward positions during war.

price policies for arriving at MSP for milling/ball copra and raw coconut for the season 2017.

Senior officials from Coconut Development Board, Coir Board, KERAFED, State Agricultural Department, Scientist from CPCRI and representatives from NAFED and State Agricultural Prices Board Participated in the meeting.

Government of India an-

nounces Minimum Support Price (MSP) for ball copra and milling copra every year based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). Whenever prices fall below MSP, the Government machinery intervenes and procures copra from farmers at MSP through national level nodal agencies of Govt. of India. This procurement under the Price Support

Sushanta Roy Diphu August 5: In an inauguration spree, KAAC CEM Tuliram Ronghang on Thursday inaugurated various irrigation schemes across the district yesterday.

The first visit was to Langparpan Irrigation Scheme P(-II) with a command an area of 370 hector which was taken from the AIBP financial year 201415 with a sanction of Rs.919.68 lacs. The second visit was to Borjan MIS (PII) with a command area of 400 hector from AIBP financial year ofanction of Rs. 994.56 lacs. The third visit was to Dikodisa Irrigation Scheme with a command area of 266 hector from AIBP Financial year 2013-14 with a sanction of Rs. 663.91 lacs. The fourth visit was to Disama No.2 Irrigation Scheme (P-II)

with a command area of 210 hector with an estimate cost of Rs.523.94 lacs. The fifth visit was to Langkreng Langso Irigation Scheme with a command area of 80 hector with an estimated cost of Rs. 199 lacs. It may be mentioned that so far CEM Tuliram Ronghang has inaugurated a total of 11 Irrigation Schemes within last two days.

Tuliram Ronghang also inaugurated the Veterinary Training hall cum guest house at Manja Demonstration Farm Complex. The building which was an undertaking of the State Government aimed to impart veterinary training to local people. The CEM attended the program as chief guest and in his speech expressed hope that the training centre will benefit people in Karbi Anglong.

Governor reduces cars in his convoy

Government expresses profound grief over demise of Padma Shri Mahim Bora

ET Bureau Guwahati, Aug 5: The governor of Assam Acharya has decided to cut down the number of vehicles of the Governor’s convoy to the bare minimum.

Reducing the convoy from 13 cars to 7 cars, the Governor Acharya said that he did not want to cause any traffic snarls and also hit emergency services. He also said that during his movement in the streets siren would not be blared.

Scheme is intended to provide relief to the coconut growers during the period of price fall below MSP. The team also visited the Coconut Processing unit of Al Malabar Coconut Products Pvt. Ltd., Thrithalloor, Thrissur, Kerasuraksha Federation of Coconut Producers Societies, Marancherry and Nirmal Industries, Irinjalakuda and observed the processing activities.

BSF apprehends three cattle smugglers A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Aug 5: Troops of Guwahati Frontier of Border Security Force apprehended three Indian cattle smugglers today from the International Boundary in Dhubri District of Assam.

The cattle smugglers were

identified as Abdul Latif (32), S/O Habibur Rahman, Sahiful Islam (22), S/o Abdul Rahman Mondal, R/ o vill-Dighaltari part-I, POPattamari, Distt- Dhubri (Assam) and Sahjahan Ali (23), S/O Md Abdul Mazid Ali, R/O vill-Charbhasani,

PO-Bhogdore, DistDhubri, were apprehended by the troops of BOP Sealdah, while they was trying to smuggle cattle heads from India to Bangladesh. They have been handed over to local police for further legal ac-

Adviser of JACAS Kangther Bey in his speech mentioned that JACAS will soon approach the BJP government to fulfill the long cherished dream of Karbi Anglong People.

CEM’s inauguration spree

CACP delegation visits Coconut Development Board, holds discussion A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Aug 5: A delegation of CACP team headed by Prof. Vijay Paul Sharma ,Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP) and Shri. S. R. Joshi (Advisor, CACP) visited Coconut Development Board and held discussion with Shri. G. R. Singh, Chief Coconut Development Officer, Coconut Development Board and other stakeholders in coconut sector, regarding

leaders and farmers and all sections of people to join hands with JACAS to avoid failure of the Autonomous State movement. “If we want Autonomous State, we must be united, fighting, killing and blaming each other will not help, even leaders of the districts including all in public office should cooperate with the people and try to fulfill their wish while occupying their seats,” Karbi Chief said.

tion. 10 cattle were also seized from the place of their apprehension.

BSF troops are always alert to the issues of trans-border crimes and illegal infiltration and are making all out efforts to prevent commission such crimes.

ET Bureau Guwahati, Aug 5: The Government of Assam has expressed profound grief at the sad demise of Mahim Bora, noted litterateur and winner of Padma Shri who passed away at Guwahati on 5th Aug, 2016.

Necessary steps have been taken to provide State Honours during the funeral of the late litterateur at Nagaon. The Deputy Commissioner, Nagaon, was requested to convey the condolence message to the bereaved family members.

(Janasasnyog)

Governor contributes for the flood victims ET Bureau Guwahati, Aug 5: An amount of Rs.50,000/- was contributed from the Raj Bhawan, Assam for the flood affected people of the state today. The Governor of Assam P. B. Acharya contributed Rs.25000/- from his salary to the Chief Minister’s relief fund and Rs.25000/- was also contributed from the officers and staff of Raj Bhawan for the flood victims.

The Governor also appealed to all to contribute generously to the Chief Minister’s relief fund and also extend support for the flood hit people in Assam.

Corrigendum The rank of Delhi Public School, Numaligarh in a news item published in 'The Eastern Today' on Aug. 2 should be 7th and not 15th as was reported.

The factual error is hereby rectified and deeply regretted. - Amit Nagori, Correspondent, Golaghat.

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

PAGE 3

Land slide Snaps Darak-Potom Road AoL solar lights reach students of Anjaw Aalo, Aug 5: The heavy land slide that took place between Koneh Raglaah and Degi Potom village has totally blocked the Darak-Potom Road for nearly a month and it has not been cleared till date causing inconveniences to the commuters.

agency but nothing has been done so far to address the woes of the people.

The land slide was triggered by continuous rain during the first week of July. The villagers are not in a position to clear it due to presence of very big boulders on the road The PRI leaders and and still wait for the Public have ap- department to take proached concerned care of it.

DIGP Neihlaia reviews law and order situation of Central Range

ET Bureau Anjaw, Aug 5: Hayuliang 04/08/2016. Tojum Ete Circle Officer. Hayuliang gave away solar study lamps for the students of Chirang Primary School, Dingliang Middle School and Huiliang Primary School. Someye Krong, GB, Chirang received the lamps on behalf of the three school managements.

Tojum Ete lauded the Art of Living for the noble gesture saying that it will be of great help to students of the areas as power supply is very erratic. Sohan Krong, ASM, Chirang volunteered to distribute the lamps to all the

students of the three schools. Sohan also thanked Dr Rama Tewari, Deepak Sharma and Chaitanya D Sangawar of the AoL for the assistance rendered.

Chaitanya D Sangawar expressed happiness over the fact that the lamps reached the destination inspite of numerous hurdles caused by extreme weather conditions. He appreciated Sohan Krong, ASM and Mantaw Bellai for their tireless efforts to receive the lamps in Assam and transport it to Anjaw braving bad weather and road blocks. The excitement in the eyes of the school children knowing of

the prospects of the light gifts motivated us to get them to Anjaw at any cost and all out efforts were put in that direction to reach them here informed Sohan Krong. Krong appreciated Mantaw for his contribution for the cause. The students will no more need to worry for light if they want to engage in their academic pursuits in the evenings now says Mantaw.

Sohan also conveyed the gratitude of the parents, villagers and panchayat to Dr Rama Tewari for her initiatives. CO Ete further suggested that the AoL should also consider to conduct yoga courses in Anjaw.

Tirap district ZPC distributes yarn to weavers ET Bureau Pasighat, Aug 5: Central Range DIGP John Neihlaia today held a coordination meeting with the senior police officers in the office conference hall.

He took stock of crime situation of central range and measures to be taken to keep the crime in control. While discussing various issues concerning

the safety and security of life and property of the residents he laid stress on strengthening police public relations for the betterment of society. Emphasizing the need for peoplefriendly approach and behavior, the DIGP stressed that the police should not only be fair in their actions but also should look like being fair to everyone.

"Public confidence can be generated through our

people-friendly attitude which should be exhibited at all levels." At the same time, he also stressed for maintaining strict vigil on and criminals.

Reviewing the general security scenario of the range, Neihlaia directed officers to expedite the crime disposal and strive hard to maintain law and order situation. He further added that the meeting

aimed at getting feed backs and sensitizing one and all towards individual responsibility for greater welfare of the society.

People should extend wholehearted supports to the police administration in containing crimes, protecting and preserving unity, integrity, peace and tranquility in the society, he added. He also reviewed various welfare measures being taken up

for police personnel.

The high-level meeting which was attended by the SPs and Sr. SPs of Siang, East, West and Upper Siang, Upper Subansiri districts and Commandants of 5th IRBn and 2nd APP Bn. They briefed the DIGP about the available inputs and their assessment over the security and law and order situation of central range.

Sonowal asks police to be on alert ahead of I-Day IANS Guwahati, Aug 5: The Assam government will deal with the militants involved in Friday's the attack very sternly, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said and directed the state police to be on high alert in view of upcoming Independence Day celebrations.

Sonowal has asked Assam DGP Mukesh Sahai to put all the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) across the state on high alert.

Sonowal also warned that the militants involved in the attack in Kokrajhar that left 13 people dead will be dealt with very sternly.

Singh to take stock of the situation.

CM Sarbananda Sonowal He directed the police chief to beef up security and to launch a vigorous drive to apprehend those behind the killing. He asked the DGP to instill a sense of security among

the people and to ensure that peace prevails in Kokrajhar.

while tackling terrorist groups," Sonowal said on Friday.

"We will not tolerate any threat from any group.

The government will not bow to any pressure

Assam DGP Mukesh Sahai went to Kokrajhar along with DG Special (law and order) R.M.

The Chief Minister asked Minister for Health & Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma to visit the site of the incident.

He asked the district administration of Kokrajhar to ensure that the injured persons get proper free treatment and to shift the seriously injured to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital for immediate treatment.

A medical team from Guwahati was sent to Kokrajhar for proper care and treatment of the injured.

The Chief Minister also announced ex gratia of Rs. 5 lakh to the next kin of those killed in the attack on Friday.

CM makes on spot visit of floodaffected areas in Namsai district Contd. from Page 1 Khandu earlier visited a relief camp in New Silatoo area and promised that there will be no shortage of ration, water supply and medical facilities in the camps.

In the aftermath of the flood, the local administration had setup 28 relief camps with total inmates of 6000. As flood

receded, the relief camps have come down to 4 with 308 inmates as of now.

“I have instructed the administration and the department that there should be no shortage of any facilities in the relief camps,” Chief Minister Khandu told while addressing the flood victims.

He instructed the medical team to stay alert to prevent

any outbreak of diseases and assured that if need arises, more manpower will be sent from Itanagar for medical assistance.

To provide alternate land for settlement for the relief camp inmates, Chief Minister assured to provide one and asked the local administration to immediately identify a safer place for rehabilitation.

Also for the damages

caused by the floods that had resulted in homes and businesses flooded, livestock lost, crops destroyed, Khandu promised that whatever the damage estimated will be fully compensated as per the relief norms.

“I have come here to share you sorrow as Chief Minister.

Don’t worry the government is with you, the administration is with you,” he assured.

Responding to various memorandums submitted by public, Khandu advised the people to shun negative mindset during times of difficulties.

“People are in grief over their loss. If we fill the atmosphere with negativity, it will make them sadder. What we need is problem solving attitude. Give them hope,” he urged.

ET Bureau Khonsa, Aug 5: The Tirap district ZPC Sontung Bangsia on 4th August distributed yarn (acrylic yarn, silk yarn, fine cotton yarn, cotton yarn and 4 ply wool tools and also tools and machineries to the newly passed out trainees of craft centres and local weavers at an impressive function organized by the department of textiles and handicrafts at Khonsa. While addressing the gathering Tirap district ZPC Sontung Bangsia while appreciating the department of textiles and handicrafts for imparting such an invaluable training to the local artisans to futher hone their skills in different trades, asked the trainees to make a sincere effort to incorporate improved designs in their weaving to increase the demand of their finished products in the fiercely competitive market. She said that the huge number of educated youth cannot be absorbed in government

jobs as the job vacancies are few so self-employment was the best solution by getting trained in different trades. She assured all possible help and support from Tirap District Zilla Parishad to the department of textiles and handicrafts.Earlier, in her welcome address ADTC Chanyok Rajkumari while thanking the ZPC for her unstinted support and constant encouragement

urged the weavers to improve their products so that they could compete against others while selling their finished products in the market. She said that she and her staff would visit from house to house to check the quality of the products of the weavers. Altogether 32 villages in Tirap district were covered under the flagship programme of CMITPS-2016-2017.

Public Interpreter late Gogo Moyong passes away, AMWS mourns Spl/Correspondent PASIGHAT, Aug 05: The President of Anbo Moyong Welfare Society (AMWS), late Gogo Moyong who was also serving as PI at Nari Sub-Division has passed away at New Delhi on Thursday morning at around 4 am while undergoing treatment of kidney related ailments in Ram Monohar Lohiya Hospital.

Late Moyong was born to late Talom Moyong, father and late Yatok Taloh Moyong, mother on 10th November 1972 at Komsing Village. Besides

discharging his responsibilities as Public Interpreter (PI) in the government services since his joining during the year 2000, late Moyong was equally shouldering the social responsibilities for upliftment of various societies like Donyi-Polo Yelam Kebang, Lamrung Gangging at Solung Ground as President. He left behind his wife, a son and two daughters. His untimely demise has been mourned by all section of the society including AMWS members who prays heavenly abode for his departed soul, said

Gogo Moyong AMWS Secretary, Abi Moyong in a statement this evening.

Bihar expels 8 government doctors for negligence IANS Patna, August 5 : Eight government doctors were expelled from service in Bihar on Friday for negligence of duty, officials said.

"A decision to expel eight government doc-

tors posted at hospitals in different districts across the state was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar," an official of health department said.

According to officials, the doctors expelled were found absent from duty for the last five years.

This is the first major action against government doctors in Bihar for negligence of duty.

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

PAGE 4

Governor advices State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to increase public awareness on human trafficking

Assam govt accords full state honours to litterateur Mahim Bora

ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 5: The Governor of Assam P.B Acharya expressed his concern over the newspaper reports and also the article published in the Outlook magazine in its issue dated 8th August 2016 that stated that 31 girls from Assam were allegedly trafficked outside the State, informed in a press release issued by the administration.

A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Aug 5: The Government of Assam has accorded full State honours to noted litterateur and former President of Asam Sahitya Sabha, Mahim Bora who passed away at GNRC Hospitals in Guwahati on Friday morning. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal directed Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia to make all necessary arrangements for according full State honours to the eminent litterateur.

In view of this Acharya met Runumi Gogoi, Chairperson of Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and also the representatives of Child Welfare Committee, Kokrajhar on Thursday and sought her report and asked them about the veracity of the incident.

Runumi Gogoi categorically said that the Com-

mission denies the news published in a section of media that the girls were trafficked. She moreover said that the process of taking the girls outside the State was wrong and emphasised that certain laws needs to be observed before taking the children out of the state like the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 and Supreme Court verdict dated 1st September 2010.

Governor Acharya asked the Commission to work diligently for the protection of child rights. He advised the commission to sensitize the people regarding child trafficking and increase vigilantism to thwart attempts of human trafficking by anti- social elements.

Meanwhile, in a message, Chief Minister Sonowal condoled the death of Bora, saying he was a well known literary figure and educationist. The Chief Minister said the passing away of Bora has left a big void in the literary firmament and his gem of creations like Ranga Jiya, Kathanibari

Ghat, Rati Phula Phul and Bohubhuji Tribhuj will continue to motivate and inspire the present and future generations.

“Mahim Bora strode like a colossus on the literary firmament and his creations will continue to be fountainhead of inspiration for generations to come,” he said, adding, he would be remembered for his honest writing and creating literary awareness among students.

The Chief Minister expressed his heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul.

Sonowal directed Minister for Cultural Affairs, Naba Kumar Doley to attend the final rites of the noted litterateur at his home town Nagaon.

Govt. of Assam extends registration process of online Digital Literacy Programme ET Correspondent Rangia, Aug 5: The Government of Assam has extended the online registration process under Digital Literacy Programme up to August 10 next. At least one member of each household of the selected Gaon Panchayats and local bodies who is either illiterate or studied up to seventh standard and in between 14 to 60 ages will

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has condemned the killings and directed the district authorities to provide medical aid to the injured.

He has also directed Finance, Education and Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to rush to the spot and review the situation in the area, where more security personnel have been deployed.

Sonowal, who was sworn in as the first BJP chief minister of Assam on May 24, said his government is committed to

ensure the safety of life and property of the people of Assam.

"Our government is committed to take stern action against extremists outfit to ensure the safety of civilians," he said.

"We will not tolerate any threat from any group. The government will not bow to any pressure while tackling terrorist groups," he said, adding all deputy commissioners and superintendents of police across the state have been directed to be on high alert following the attack and in view of the upcoming Independence Day.

The Chief Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to him and conveyed their condolences.

The Assam government has decided to grant an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh to those injured and Rs 20,000 to those who sustained minor injuries in the attack, he said.

He hoped that the people of Assam will maintain peace during this critical period.

"I am sure people of Assam will definitely maintain peace and harmony. This is our sincere appeal to everyone," he said.

ET Correspondent, Haflong August 5 : The N.C Hills indigenous Students' Forum in a press meet held at its office David Keivom and Paoneilun Changsan, President and Gen. Secretary disclosed that if their long pending demand is continue to be ignored by the railway Authority N.C Hills Indigenous Students Forum Will be compiled to organize Rail Blockade from 16th August 2016 for which the Railway Authority will be solely reOboro Suraksha sponsible. said the N.C Hills inSamiti sets deadline They digenous Students' Forum to administration has approached the Railway authority several times for Contd. from Page 1 the last two years to comThe Secretary of the Oboro pensate the affected citizens Suraksha Samiti, Jhon das said democratically, but due to that the Kokrajhar massacre is a the continuous ignoring topre-planned attempt of the wards the genuine demands miscreants. “When we declared any agitation programme, such of NCHISF, The NCHISF incidents happen to stop the has organized blockade of movement of non-Bodos”, he Railway line in the 1st May added. of 2015 where one student Das further said that the sustained a bullet injury Suraksha Samiti is going to while demanding in a demostage an agitation programme at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on cratic way. On the Second day 2nd May , A joint meetAugust 12.

The Oboro Suraksha Samiti ing was held at the Conferalso held an executive meeting ence Hall of The Deputy at Nalbari today.

Commissioner. On that Meeting, The Railway authority has promised to compensate all the affected peoples within 30 days. But, unfortunately no compensaconfirmed by top level of- tion was received by the afficers in the Indian army. A fected peoples and by the massive operation was bullet victim as well. launched immediately but Even though the before the security forces reached the village militants railway line is constructed for the benefit of the public had moved away. whereas in N.C Hills the

Red alert sounded in Tinsukia, two columns of Cobra commandos deployed Contd. from Page 1

We have deployed two columns of Cobra commandos for special operation in exigency, added SP Mahanto and said, one col-

umn has been deployed at Margherita sub-division while the other at Tinsukia sub-division.

It may be noted that The Eastern Today broke out a

report of movement of a large armed group of ULFA (I) and NSCN-K at Khalgaon, merely 3 kms from Digboi town back on July 28. The input received with The Eastern Today was

In Kamrup District, the selected Gaon Panchayats and local bodies for the Digital Literacy Programme are 69 no. Dakhin-Pochim Boko, Chaygaon, Hajo, Kamalpur, Kochpara

and Rangia. For these Gaon Panchayats and local bodies, altogether 12 nos. of training centres has been identified for imparting training under Digital Literacy Programme.

The interested villagers are requested to enrol their name for getting the benefit within August 10 through the concerned Gaon Panchayat Secretaries.

Declaration I Miss Kimi Pulu, aged about 35 years, D.o: Shri Jatan Pulu, a permanent resident of Yibuk village, P.O/P.S: Roing, Lower Dibang Valley district, Arunachal Pradesh and legal guardian of Mr. Talee Melo through affidavit executed in the court of CJM Roing do hereby solemnly affirm and declare under oath that in class-X marksheet has wrongly entered the date of birth of my ward as 20/02/ 1992. Instead the correct date of birth of Talee Melo is 18/05/1999.

NCHISF adamant to launch rail blockade from August 16

Assam Attack: Suspected NDFB (S) militants kill 14, injure 20 Contd. from Page 1

be brought under registration process so that they may be able to get the benefit under the Digital Literacy Programme.

Advt.

Construction of BG line and NHAI badly affected many Dwelling houses, Schools, Places of worship, Paddy fields, approach roads Etc. Most of the affected people are daily wages earner. And many are earning their living through plantation of crops. But with the construction of BG Line most of their paddy Fields and plantations areas are damaged and their paddy fields were dried up due to unavailable of proper irrigation system as the drains were also damaged. The rivers are also dried during the season of plantation due to excessive of Dumping of soil in the river. In this light, we had approach the higher authority for several occasion to solve the matter.

We the N.C Hills Indigenous Students Forum on 08th July 2016 have once again approached official of Railway Authority at Maligaon and submitted the memorandum to General Manager reminding him once again of the long pending grievances faced by the general public of N.C Hills District and to pay the necessary compensation to the affected villagers as rehabilitation. But so far, no progressive steps to solve the plight of the villagers have been taken up even though the railway authority have promised on 2nd May 2015 at the joint meeting to pay the compensation within 30 (thirty Days) it has been more than one year since the Railway Authority promised

to pay the compensation but instead Many affected citizens are continues to be still homeless as their houses are totally damaged and most of them are in temporary tent. The students are most affected because as their parents are daily wages earner and their home and sources of income are wiped out.

Many parents are totally out molded as to how they shall continue the education of their children.

If the Railway authority continue on ignoring the problems faces by the affected citizens, than many students will be forced to leave their studies to support their family for earning their daily bread, which is an offence which we are aware as 'Child Labour'. Moreover, as the monsoon season is coming the people living in these areas has to face various challenges to fight against the heavy Monsoon rain. So it is an urgent need for payment of compensation to the affected people to once again to rebuild

their home and plantations for their living.

Besides this the Residences living in surrounding Mahur town and Harangajao Town are facing great difficulties as there are no link roads to their respective railway station from the main town. So in order to lighten the difficulties faces by the common citizen residing in these two towns. We urge the Railway authority to take up necessary action for immediate construction of the said link roads as it is an urgent need for the benefit of the citizen leaving in this area.

We have been neglected long enough, and it appears that the Railway Authority are not concerned with the present problem faces by the affected people and felt no necessity to rehabilitate the affected citizen as per they promised.

So, if our demand is not fulfill as agreed in the meeting to pay all the compensation within 15th August 2016,

The two day long day long Training Programme for Legal Services Lawyers concludes.

Shambhu Boro Tezpur, August 5 : The two day long training Programme for ‘Legal Services Lawyers’ organized

by Sonitpur District Legal Services Authority under the aegis of Assam State Legal Services Authority held at the Council Hall of Tezpur University concludes successfully on 31 last. Besides dignitaries from Gwuahati High Court and office bearers of state and Sonitpur District legal services authority the programme was participated by representatives from five districts namely Sonitpur, Udalguri, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Darrang falling under ZoneII District. The programme was formally inaugurated

by Judge of Gwuahati High Court Hrishikesh Roy who in his inaugural speech urged the law professionals to be sincere and dedicated in carrying out their services for the greater interest of the common people of the society. Emphasizing the need of bridging the gap between the mechanism of

law and the common civil society, the renowned layer further said that until and unless law reaches the common people of the society it cannot be ascertained that legal services towards the society is complete. The noted lawyer further stated that the primary aim of executing the body “Legal Services Authority” across the country is to provide legal services to the needy and disadvantaged section of the society. “Legal services lawyers’ duty is to provide legal services to the marginalized section of the society. There are so many projects related with the law services lying unimplemented due to the lack of awareness among the people, so awareness among the people regarding the law is an another important aspect for the law professionals.” He said adding there is a deficiency in the system and understanding it under the initiative of legal services authority a programme christened “Khohari” (reach out and respond) has been launched

already through which it has already identified altogether twenty five thousand people who are requiring prosthetic assistance. Referring to the tragic story of one homeless widow with two small kids Ilashi Basumatary whose cries went unheard the celebrated lawyer stated that Ilashi was provided every possible assistance under the venture of Legal Services authority

for restarting her life.

“There are so many stories in the society similar to Ilashi Basumatary and we as law professionals will have to go deep into it for bringing a change to these unwanted scenes.” He maintained. On the otherhand, giving reference to the activities of national level organizations like “Mahavir Vikalanga Sangstha” and Jaipur Food

People” he also urged the lawyers to take the legal services near the common people.

VC, Tezpur University Prof.

Mihir Kanti Chowdhury said that the number of pending cases is high in India and that is only because of fewer number of lawyers, courts and benches of judges and to mitigate this problem and disposing all the pending cases num-

ber of lawyers and courts is to be increased thereby reaching out the common people. Appreciating the organizer for holding the event Deputy Commissioner, Sonitpur, Laya Madduri said that it was a very welcome step as people belonging to the vulnerable and marginalized section always feel that because of the poor economic condition they are unable to

gain the adequate justice from the court. Stressing ensuring of justice to all section of the society she urged the district legal services authority to deal with the issue sincerely. On the otherhand, president, Tezpur Bar association, Jamini Baisya addressing the occasion lauded the role of the women in the society either in the administrative field or in the field of law profession.

Prier to it the district and session judge, Sonitpur, AK Borah in his welcome address said that money doesn’t play any role in seeking justice and it is an obligatory for one and all including downtrodden and disadvantaged section of the society. The session ended with vote of thanks

by Audri Bhattacharyya, secretary DLSA, Sonitpur.

The inaugural session was followed by the business session which was participated by senior advocates of Guwhati High Court, respectively Achinta Malla Buzrbaruah, Debajyoti Talukdar and Sanjay

Medhi. The next day’s prgoramme began with felicitation justice Arup Kr. Gowsami, judge, Guahati High court, which was followed by a chorus by the students of Tezpur Law College and the business sessions. Attending the business sessions Anghshuman Bora, advocate, Gauhati High Court spoke topic “Lawyering skills-Criminal laws: Drafting, Examination of witnesses and arguments”, P. J. Saikia, Member, MACT, Sonitpur delivered on the subject lawyering skills civil laws, Gitali Rabha, chief judicial magistrate, Udalguri spoke on the topic adequate assistance to the mental health act as a tool for providing mentally retarded persons while A. K. Borah, District and Sessions judge–cumchairman, DLSA, Sonitpur spoke on the issue of PRO BONO activities of legal services. At the Audri Bhattacharyya, secretary DLSA, Sonitpur offered vote of thanks.

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

REGION

PAGE 5

GST rollout Mining policy will not solve

by April next NGT impasse, says Prestone Shillong, Aug 5: As many as 60,000 revenue officials of Central and state governments will be trained on GST laws and IT infrastructure framework to prepare them for rollout of the new indirect tax regime by April, 2017. As per the detailed Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout road map prepared by Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, the IT infrastructure framework will be ready by March 2017 and a massive outreach and industry sensitisation programme will also be carried out, a report said.

After the training on GST laws gets complete by December 2016, GSTN will train them on the related IT infrastructure by March 2017. Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) is a

non-government company set up by the Centre and states to provide shared IT framework and services to central and state governments, tax payers and other stakeholders.

Our Reporter adds: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has hailed the passing of the GST Bill in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Talking to newsmen here on Thursday, the Chief Minister said that the erstwhile UPA Government had initiated the whole exercise of GST. According to Sangma, some states had issues with certain relevant sections of the Bill and later engagements helped in sorting out the differences.

He said that the purpose of the GST Bill is to create a new tax regime which is acceptable to all.(Agencies)

Garo Hills flood toll four Shillong, Aug 5: The death toll in the floods that hit the plain belt of Garo Hills has gone up to four. A 20-month-old baby identified as Md. Abdul Rashid Ali, fell into flood water at Nayagaon under Selsella outpost on August 2.

Meanwhile, the fate of two persons who have gone missing is still not

known. West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Pravin Bakshi informed that a 13-member team of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) had been conducting search operations for the last three days. Three people - a young woman and two minors - were drowned in the flood-hit areas of western Garo Hills .(Agencies)

Shillong, Aug 5: Forest and Environment minister Prestone Tynson on Thursday said that framing of mining policy in the context of open cast mining in the coal mining areas of the state is impossible and the only solution to the pending problem is to seek an exemption for rat hole mining with necessary environmental safeguards from the Centre.

"The experts have suggested that open cast mining is not possible in

the coal mining areas of Meghalaya due to the peculiar nature of mines, and in this regard, a mining policy cannot solve the current problem," he said.

According to Tynsong, the open cast mining is not appropriate since the coal seams (layers) are thin, and hence controlled rat hole mining by adopting safe and secure standards ensuring safety of workers and environment is the need of the hour.

The Minister pointed out that the Coal India Limited made an attempt to carry out open cast mining in Garo Hills in the past, but ultimately, it had to abandon the plan.

Tynsong, who is also holding the Parliamentary Affairs portfolio, said that the best option is to secure exemption from Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Act 1957 and Coal Mines Nationalization Act, 1973 through a presidential notification.

"Only the union cabinet

can take a decision to exempt Meghalaya from the purview of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Act 1957 and Coal Mines Nationalization Act, 1973", Tynsong said.

The State Assembly had adopted a resolution urging the Centre for invoking para 12 A (b) of the Sixth Schedule through a presidential notification to ensure the relevant provisions of the two central mining acts is exempted for operation in Meghalaya.( Agencies)

HC pulls up Adelbert for late arrival Shillong, Aug 5: The High Court of Meghalaya on Thursday reprimanded former KHADC chief Adelbert Nongrum for arriving late for the hearing of the contempt case filed against him and five members of Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) for criticising an earlier verdict of the Court on the issue related to stripping of the powers of headmen.

Chief Justice, Justice Dinesh Maheshwarin in his order granted two weeks' time to Nongrum and others for filing supplementary affidavits. Apart from Nongrum, in compliance with the recent order issued by the court on July 19, the members of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) were present in

the court ) room well on time.

These include the HYC general secretary Robert June Kharjahrin, Nickson Dohling, Organizing Secretary; Donboklang Kharlyngdoh, Vice President; Anthony Kharbuli, Adviser; and Issac Basawiamoit, Asst. Organizing Secretary. Justice Maheshwarin in the order said that when Court enquired about the personal presence of the Adelbert Nongrum and five other members of HYC, it was suggested that Nongrum, who is the principal contemnor could not reach the Court, allegedly for having stuck in traffic jam.

Terming his (Nongrum) approach questionable, the

court said, "The principal contemnor is supposed to be present in the Court on each date of hearing, which necessarily requires his presence at the time when the case is called out".

Virtually admitting the mistake of their client, Nongrum's counsels GS Massar and HS Thangkhiew urged the court to excuse the default of the principal contemnor. The Court, while accepting the submissions of the duo, kept this aspect open for final order on the subsequent date i.e September 7.

Earlier, as per the order of the High Court, the five HYC members on Wednesday deposited Rs.5,000 each with the Member Secretary, Meghalaya State Le-

gal Services Authority.

The Court acknowledged that the affidavits on behalf of five HYC members have been filed and the copies supplied to the counsel for the CBI on the basis of whose report, the case was taken up against them.

The counsel K Paul, appearing for five HYC members made a submission that though affidavits tendering unconditional apology as also clarifications from the five persons have been filed, they may be permitted to file supplementary affidavits making their position further clear.

The Court hence granted the permission in the manner that if any supplementary affidavit or affidavits are proposed, the same may be filed within two weeks from Thursday.(Agencies)

19th Manipur Integrity Day obNew complex on IndoBangla border to boost trade served AMUCO rings out unity Agartala, Aug 5: A multipurpose Integrated Development Complex (IDC), to be funded by the Union Commerce Ministry, will be set up in Tripura to boost trade with Bangladesh, officials said on Thursday.

The IDC will come up at a cost of Rs 12.62 crore at the Manu Land Custom Station (LCS) near Sylhet division in Bangladesh. "The IDC will be an important trading point between India and Bangladesh. This will be the second IDC along Tripura's border with Bangladesh," Tripura's Industry and Commerce Department Director V.G. Genner told .

Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman inaugurated the first IDC at Srimantapur in Tripura along the border with Bibir Bazar district of Bangladesh.

Tripura has eight Land Custom Stations along the India-Bangladesh border. The IDC, to be built on six acres of land, is a miniature of the Integrated Checkpost built

by India along Bangladesh and Myanmar border to boost trade and business.

The IDCs would have all basic modern facilities like customs, immigration, banking with currency exchange facility, warehouse and public utility services.

"Of the Rs 12.62 crore projects, 90 per cent would be borne by the Union Commerce Ministry and the rest by the Tripura government," he added.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Tuesday visited the proposed site of the new IDC. There are 31 Land Custom Stations in the northeast bordering Bangladesh. According to a Tripura official, the total IndiaBangladesh trade has increased manifold in Tripura from Rs 4.12 crore in 199596 to Rs 384 crore in 201516.

Goods worth Rs 382 crore were imported from Bangladesh and the remaining amount was the value of exports. India has a 1,880km border with Bangladesh along four states - Tripura (856 km), Assam (263 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km). (Agencies)

AMSU gears up for Hunger Marchers' Day Imphal, Aug 5 : The All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU) has started due preparations for this year's edition of the Hunger Marchers' Day. Speaking about the commemorative event which would be held on August 27 and 28, AMSU president Sanasam Subhaschandra informed that an observation committee has been constituted for the 51st Hunger Marchers' Day. The committee would launch a poster and sticker cam-

paign from tomorrow. The committee would visit schools and launch a mobilisation campaign from August 8.The Hunger Marchers' memorial tomb located at Pishum Chinga Macha is being renovated for the commemorative function, Subhaschandra said.

After paying tributes to the student martyrs at Pishum Chinga Macha, a mass procession would be taken out from Pishum Chinga Macha to DM College campus

where a public meeting would be held which would also feature a mega blood donation campaign. As a part of the commemorative function, a workshop on "Peaceful co-existence among ethnic people of Manipur" would be held at Centenary Hall, Manipur University in the third week of August, Subhaschandra said. He then appealed to all the organisations not to call bandhs or blockades on these days.(Agencies)

Girl found dead Chandel, Aug 5 : A young girl was found dead under mysterious circum- stances inside her house at H Wajang Village under Teng-noupal police station in Chandel district today. The deceased individual is identified as one M Lam-neikim Haokip (21) D/o M Thenjang Haokip of Peljang village in Chandel district and presently staying at H Wajang Village near Pallel.

The younger sister of the deceased young girl who was at the nearby house said that the boy friend of her elder sister

identified as Kophung Maring of Lamlong Khunou village under Tengnoupal police station along with his friend came to their house while her sister was alone at around 10.30 am.

"On hearing someone crying in our house, I immediately rushed in and found my sister's boy friend crying and embracing my sister who was lying on the floor and a bedsheet was also found hanging near her body," said the sister of the deceased girl.

According to another girl from the adjacent house, a friend of Kophung Maring called her out and informed that Lamneikim have committed suicide. "I immediately went there and found Lamneikim's boyfriend weeping near her body," She added. Meanwhile, a team of police personnel from Tengnoupal police station and forensic team investigated the crime scene. Later, the police team transported the body for post mortem at JNIMS, Imphal.(Agencies)

call to fight external forces

Suspected Kuki militants kill one in Manipur

Suspected Kuki militants kill one in Manipur Imphal, Aug 5: Suspected Kuki militants in Manipur, who are signatories to the suspension of operations (SOO), stormed a village and killed a person and injured the village chieftain critically, officials said on Friday.

The incident took place in Manipur's Senapati district on Thursday night. The victim has been identified as Thangneilal Chongloi, 30.

The injured village chieftain is 60-year-old

Thangkholal Chongloi. The attackers left the village soon after the incident.

Police and paramilitary personnel rushed to the village on Friday morning. In Manipur, several underground organisations had joined the national mainstream after signing the SOO.However, allegations are that the ground rules are not always observed. Police said that a case has been registered.

(Agencies)

Meghalaya rights panel functioning from Guwahati Shillong, Aug 5: The Megh-alaya State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC), which was constituted recently after a long wait, is presently functioning from Guwahati. Speaking to media persons here on Thursday, the MSHRC Chairman Justice (retired) Aftab H. Saikia said that he was forced to function from Guwahati as the state government was yet to provide an accommodation to the

commission.

"The government will definitely provide the infrastructure but for time being complaints will be received through online registration," he said while directing EP Kharbhih, Commissioner-Secretary, Home and Political departments, to initiate the process of online registration to facilitate people to file complaints through internet.(Agencies)

Teachers' body urges members to stay away from agitation

Imphal, Aug 5 : In commemoration of the historic mammoth rally of August 4, 1997, the 19th Manipur Integrity Rally was observed here today under the aegis of the All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO).

Offering of homage at the Integrity Pillar (adjoining Mapal Kangjeibung) and a public convention were the main features of the Integrity Day observation.

Speaking at the public convention held at Kwakeithel Akham Leikai community hall, AMUCO president Dr Y Mani Khuman said that the historic mass rally was taken out in response to the direct challenges posed by the cease fire agreement signed between the Government of India and NSCN-IM 19 years back.

It is said that the mass rally of August 4, 1997 was the biggest rally in the entire South East Asia.

The historic rally successfully neutralised the challenges posed by external forces particularly Government of India and NSCN-IM. Apart from commemorating the historic rally,

people need to monitor and analyse the ongoing peace process between Government of India and NSCN-IM. "We need to re-affirm and strengthen the common resolution adopted on the historic day", Dr Y Mani Khuman asserted.

Even though the first anniversary of the Framework Agreement signed between India and Government of India was celebrated yesterday, no details of the agreement have been divulged yet.

"We cannot fight the external forces individually.

Only the collective strength and unity can defeat the external forces", he asserted.

As resolved 19 years back, all the communities and ethnic groups of Manipur must join hands and fight for a common cause and a shared destiny, Dr Mani said.

Compartmentalised movements driven by ethno-centric political aspirations are suicidal and such parochial movements will leave all the indigenous people with no future.

AMUCO is always prepared to join hands with

civil society organisations of all ethnic groups in order to defeat all challenges and bring about a common 'political mainstream', he said.

Establishment of a separate militant group for Gorkha community and their (Gorkha community) claim of being indigenous people of the land cannot be accepted. They are, in fact, challenges to the indigenous people, Dr Mani added.

Irabot Foundation Manipur president Th Iboyaima, Poirei Leimarol Meira Paibi Apunba Manipur president L Memchoubi, Kuki Inpi Manipur home affairs secretary Hemjathang Khongsai, Zeliangrong Union Imphal chairman DH Gaikhangmei and AMUCO advisor KT Rahaman too participated in the public convention as presidium members.

Families of the three students who were killed on the day of the mass rally were also present at the commemorative function The gathering paid homage to the three students before token gifts were presented to their families.(Agencies)

Shillong, Aug 5: The All Primary School Teachers' Association (APSTA) has appealed to all non-government deficit school teachers to refrain from participating in the state rally to be organized by the Joint Action Committee of All Teachers' Association of Meghalaya (JACATAM) on Friday.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, the APSTA

said that nearly 90 per cent of its pending demands had been met by the State government and hence there was no reason for the teachers to join the agitation. The current demand of the association is to examine the Assured Career Progression Scheme (ACPS) and the Education department is studying the case, the statement said.(Agencies)

Ratan's case HC to hear respondents' counsel on Aug 9 Imphal, Aug 5: The respondents' counsel will make his submissions before the Court on August 9 regarding the criminal petition case filed by former JCILPS convenor Khomdram Ratan. This was announced by a Division Bench of Justice N Kotiswar and Justice Kh Nobin High at the hearing of the case held at Court room No 4 of the High Court of Manipur today.

It may be mentioned that it was the second hearing held after the Court declared that Ratan's criminal petition was maintainable on July 29 last. During today's hearing, petitioner's counsel made his submission before the Court. After hearing the submissions, the Court announced that the respondents' counsels would be heard on August 9.

A large number of JAC members, JCILPS Women Wing volunteers and Ratan's wife were present at the Court room and Court

complex during the hearing.

Police personnel of Imphal west district including women police personnel were also there at the Court complex.

Manipur police announced Ratan as a wanted man through a statement issued by its PRO on June 2 night.

The statement said that a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh would be given to the individual who provides information about Ratan's whereabouts.

The wanted tag was announced after a photograph showing Ratan along with three others receiving oath from UNLF leader Nongyai holding a flag of the banned outfit went viral on the social media. However, Ratan in a press conference held at JCILPS office had claimed that the photograph was morphed and the Government was trying to suppress the pro-ILPS agitation. He filed a petition at the High Court challenging the wanted tag on June 27.(Agencies)

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

PAGE 6

'Pak barred Indian media from covering my speech'

Shah to meet CMs of BJPruled states on August 27

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

New Delhi, Aug 5: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday revealed that Pakistan did not allow Indian media personnel to cover his speech at the SAARC summit in Islamabad on Friday as he lambasted the neighbouring country for its poor hospitality and failing to capitalise on numerous peace efforts initiated by India over the years.

Briefing the Rajya Sabha about his visit to Pakistan to attend the Home/Interiors Ministers conference of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Islamabad, Singh said he had no idea whether his speech was blacked out by Pakistan but confirmed that Indian media wasn't "allowed inside".

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh "There are reports that my speech was blacked out. I have no idea about that but yes, Doordarshan, All India Radio (AIR) and Press Trust of India (PTI) reporters weren't allowed inside," said Singh reacting to queries put forward by other MPs.

Una flogging: Dalits begin 'Asmita Yatra' in Gujarat, seek justice Ahmedabad , Aug 5: Demanding justice for their community following the Una flogging incident, hundreds of Dalits and members of various civil rights organisations on Friday began the 'Dalit Asmita Yatra', a foot march from here to Una town of Gir Somnath district.

Nearly 800 people commenced the 380-km-long journey from Vejalpur area of city this morning.

The foot march participants will converge at Una town on August 15 where the Dalits will hoist the tricolour on the occasion of Independence Day. "The foot march is the first step towards liberating Dalits across India from the age old traditions. On our way to Una, we will request Dalits to give up their ancestral work of disposing of dead animals to give a strong message to the government," said Jignesh Mevani, one of the organisers of the foot march During this ten-day of foot march, the Dalit leaders will address several small gatherings on their way to Una to educate the community members about their rights.

"This padyatra is mainly aimed at giving a message to government that Dalits will not tolerate any atrocities on them. We will circulate the videos of this entire journey on social media platforms, so that the Dalit movement spreads across the nation. We want to bring

all the Dalits under one roof," Mevani said.

During the journey, leaders will try to raise a strong pitch for the allotment of agriculture land to Dalits, for which forms will be distributed to them on way.

"Since Dalits don't want to continue the work of disposing of cattle and cleaning sewer lines, we want the government to provide us agriculture land, so that we can live a respectable life.

We will collect these forms and submit it to the government after the yatra," said Mevani.

On July 11, four Dalit youths were beaten up by cow vigilantes at Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka of Gir Somnath district when they were allegedly skinning a dead cow.

Though the youths pleaded that they were from the skinner community, the gaurakshaks' thrashed them alleging that they were involved in cow slaughter.

The idea of foot march from Ahmedabad to Una was floated by former IPS officer Rahul Sharma at a mass gathering of Dalits held in the city on July 31.

"We received support of many other civil rights organisations and people like Sharma, who will remain with us till we reach Una. The foot march is the beginning of a nationwide mass movement for the Dalit rights," Mevani said.(Agencies)

"Whatever they (Pakistan) wanted to do they did, but I don't want to complain and I have no regrets," he added.

The home minister criticised Pakistan for failing to improve ties with India despite so many chances. "All our PMs have

worked towards ensuring good relations with our neighbour but this neighbor just doesn't get it," he said in a mocking tone.

Singh also lambasted his Pakistan counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan who despite organising lunch for the visiting dignitaries, left the venue immediately after the meeting.

The Indian home minister too skipped lunch at the venue. "He had invited everyone for lunch but left immediately after. So, I did whatever was needed to be done keeping in mind our country's esteem. I did not go there to have lunch," he said.

Talking about the massive protests against him in Pakistan, Singh said that he was taken to the venue by air instead of road for secu-

rity reasons. "On the way to the hotel I saw some protesters but that was not a concern for me otherwise I wouldn't have gone to Pakistan," he said.

He reiterated his statements given in Islamabad and said that "strong action" must be taken against countries that support terrorists and that all countries should work together to extradite terrorists. "There is a need to take strong action not just against the terrorists but also those who support terrorism‌ All countries should help in extraditing terrorists," he told the house. "During SAARC meet, I urged all members that terrorists should not be glorified nor should be patronized," he said further.(Agencies)

Indian prisoner attacked twice in Pak jail: Report

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah New Delhi, Aug 5: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah will be meeting the chief ministers of all BJP-ruled states on August 27 to build a consensus on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill after it was passed by the Rajya Sabha.

"A whip has been issued to all CM's of BJP-ruled states to be present in the meeting called by the president (Amit Shah)," a source in the BJP said.

According to the reports, Shah will directing the Chief Ministers to ensure that the bill is ratified.

The GST Bill was finally passed in the Rajya Sabha on August 3 but it now has to be ratified by Lok Sabha and states.

The Ministry of Finance on Thursday announced that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill that was finally passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday is likely to implemented from April 1,

2017.

The GST, which will subsume over a dozen central and state levies including excise duty, service tax and VAT, was first introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 19, 2014, and was passed by the Lok Sabha around five months later on May 6. It was then referred to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha which submitted its report on July 22.(Agencies)

BJP's dalit MP wants discussion on attacks on dalits

Mumbai, Aug 5: A 31year-old Indian prisoner, convicted by a military court this year for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card, was attacked twice by inmates in a Peshawar jail during the last two months, his lawyer has said.

Hamid Nehal Ansari, a Mumbai resident arrested in 2012 for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online, suffered injuries after he was attacked by inmates in the Peshawar Central Prison.

Ansari's lawyer Qazi Mohammad Anwar told a Peshawar High Court bench on Thursday that his client had been kept in a death cell

with a hardened criminal awaiting execution for a murder.

Superintendent of the prison Masoodur Rehman confirmed the incidents but insisted they're of minor nature and that such incidents did happen in prisons, the reported on Friday Rehman also told the bench that Ansari, who was serving three years jail term, had been kept in the death cell.

"He (Ansari) can't be kept in a normal barrack along with other prisoners for the sake of his security," he said.

Ansari's lawyer said the jail superintendent should give an undertaking to the court that attacks won t happen

against his client in future.

The superintendent, however, said he couldn't give a written guarantee in that regard, the paper said. Ansari had gone missing after he was taken into custody by intelligence agencies and local police in Kohat in 2012 and finally in reply to a habeas corpus petition filed by his mother, Fauzia Ansari, the high court was informed on January 13 that he was in custody of the Pakistan Army and was being tried by a military court.

He was convicted by the military court for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card and sentenced to three years imprisonment. (Agencies)

New Delhi, Aug 5: BJP's dalit member Udit Raj on Friday demanded a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the recent incidents of atrocities against dalits, saying the community was being targeted across the country.

Udit Raj referred to a host of recent cases, including in Gujarat, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in which dalits were attacked.

He also spoke about recent beating up of dalits in Patna and killing of a dalit couple in Mainpuri in UP for Rs.15.

"Incidents of atrocities against dalits are happening in various parts of the

BJP's dalit member Udit Raj country...It should be discussed," he said. The government had recently rejected the opposition's de-

mand for a similar debate, saying the issue has already been raised in Parliament.

(Agencies)

Geelani urges SAARC to intervene in J&K

Leave politics of confronMayawati shedding tation: Naidu tells AAP crocodile tears for Dalits: BJP

New Delh, Aug 5: Hitting back at BSP supremo Mayawati, the BJP on Thursday alleged that she was merely interested in doing politics in the name of Dalits and cited a number of cases of crimes against the community members in UP to wonder why she never visited these families.

BJP targeted her after she launched a sharp attack on it in Ahmedabad over beating up of Dalits by cow vigilantes in the state ruled by the saffron party. Its national secretary Shrikant Sharma accused her of entering into a deal with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.

"She has double standards.

When she was in power, there were over 30,000 cases of atrocities against Dalits. A Dalit family in Kannuaj was run over and one person died in police firing but she did nothing. Now she is shedding crocodile tears.

"A Dalit girl was raped and murdered in Hathras on

January 1 this year and another was raped and killed in Meerut on November 9 last year. A similar incident happened in Noida.

She visited none of the victim families. She has a deal with the SP government," he said.

Sharma said the BJP government in Gujarat had acted swiftly and all the accused are behind bars. He claimed that the Modi government had taken a number of welfare measures for the uplift of the Dalit community and referred to its decision to develop five places associated with Dalit icon B R Ambedkar.

"She is merely doing politics in the name of Dalit," he alleged.

In a stinging attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS, she said on one hand they talk of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas', but on the other target Dalits and Muslims in the name of 'gau raksha' (cow protection).(Agencies)

New Delhi, Aug 5: Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP should not continue its "confrontational attitude" towards the Centre after the high court ruled that Lt Governor was Delhi's administrative head.

Any confusion within the Delhi government about the law has been clarified by the high court, he said. Naidu said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) should now cease its tirade against the Union government.

"I hope the Delhi government understands and gives up its confrontational attitude and quarrelsome mentality," he told reporters here, adding that the judgement makes it amply clear that "we must confine to our jurisdiction accordingly."

He said Delhi is a Union territory and everyone should understand that. For the past 18 months, AAP "has been accusing and abusing the BJP government, dragging Narendra Modi in everything" but it has now lost the excuse to do so, he said.

In a huge blow to the Kejriwal government, the Delhi High Court held that the LG is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory and also that the

Srinagar, Aug 5: Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Thursday asked SAARC to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir and listed six Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) to create an atmosphere conducive for peace and resolution of the issue.

Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu AAP government's contention that he was bound to act on the advice of Council of Ministers was "without substance".

Asked about reports of 'blackout' of Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement during SAARC ministerial meeting, Naidu said that this was "Pakistan's model of democracy". He, however, added that since Parliament session is on the government would respond on the incident in the House.

"We have our own line, don't worry. We should think about national interest," the Urban Development Minister said.

Government sources have described the reports of a 'blackout' of Singh's statement as "misleading".

"It is the standard SAARC practice that the opening statement by the host country is public and open to the media while the rest of the proceedings are in camera, which allows for a full and frank discussion of issues," a government source said.

On a question about imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh, Naidu accused Congress of double standards saying the party had imposed it on "scores of occasions.(Agencies)

The international community, especially a regional forum like SAARC, of which India is a member, has a special responsibility to intervene and uphold International law by fulfilling its promises and obligations towards the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Geelani said in

a letter addressed to secretary-general of SAARC, Arjun Bahadur Thapa.

The Hurriyat leader said a good beginning could be made to create an atmosphere conducive for peace and resolution if the SAARC urges India to take the six CBMs.(Agencies)

Helpline launched to assist dengue patients New Delhi, Aug 5: A helpline has been launched to provide assistance to the people suffering from dengue by offering complete medical assistance.

Through this platform, patients across 10 cities, Delhi NCR,Mumbai,Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore,Pune,Ranchi,Jaipur and Indore, can get informa-

tion like availability of trusted doctors, map of all hospitals, approximate cost of treatment,availability of beds in hospital, details on insurance applicability and more.

The helpline number (18001022-733) will provide all relevant information about the dengue and its treatment. Speaking on the

launch of the helpline number, Ravi Viramani,founder CrediHealth, said, "With the launch of this helpline number,we intend to provide all relevant information relating to treatment of dengue.This initiative will allow patient and his family to prevent any panic which is leading to unnecessary rush in hospitals."(Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

Malaysia confirms Flight 370 course was on pilot's simulator

NEIGHBOURS

US asks Pak to act against terror Brazil's former head jailed groups targeting neighbours nuclear for corruption

Pak, Aug 5: In a strong message, the US has asked Pakistan to act against all the terror groups in the country, especially those targeting its neighbours and not just the ones that pose a threat to it.

Kuala Lumpur, Aug 5: Malaysia has confirmed one of the pilots of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 had plotted a course on his home flight simulator to the southern Indian Ocean, where the missing jet is believed to have crashed.

It's the first time Malaysia has acknowledged the route was on Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's simulator.

Australian officials oversee-

ing the search for the plane in July said data recovered from the simulator included a flight path to the southern Indian Ocean.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, who made the comments on Thursday, also cautioned there were "thousands" of destinations on the simulator and no evidence to confirm that Zaharie flew the plane in that area.

(Agencies)

Singapore forms bureau to investigate air, marine accidents

Singapore, Aug 5: Singapore has formed a new bureau to conduct investigations into air and marine accidents since August, said a Ministry of Transport (MOT) statement on Friday. The new Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) was restructured from the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), news agency reported.

It will be independent of and separate from any judicial or regulatory proceedings, and make recommendations to enhance the safety of air and sea transport, the statement said.

"Indeed, the sole objective of TSIB's investigations is the prevention of further accidents and incidents; they are not for the purposes of apportioning blame or liability.

Countries such as Australia, Japan, Britain and the US

have similar setups," the ministry said.

Since its formation in 2002, the AAIB has conducted and participated in investigations of various air accidents and incidents, and has contributed to improving the safety of air travel in Singapore.

TSIB, which will continue and build on the work of the AAIB, will take over from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) the role of conducting independent safety investigations into marine accidents and incidents, and make recommendations to enhance the safety of sea transport.

MPA, in the meantime, will continue to investigate marine accidents and incidents for compliance with its regulations for ships operating within Singapore waters and ships under the Singapore flag.

Mauritius to revive CECPA negotiations with India

PAGE 7

"We have been very clear with the highest levels of the Government of Pakistan that they must target all militant groups and that includes those that target Pakistan's neighbors. They must also close all safe havens," Deputy Spokesman of the State Department Mark Toner said on Thursday.

"They (Pakistan) have made progress. They're going after groups, but selectively.

taken considerable action against terrorist networks.

We need to see them go after all groups and as I just said, even those groups that might not threaten Pakistan itself but threaten its neighbors," he said.

Responding to questions about Pentagon's decision to withheld $300 million military aid to Pakistan,

Toner said, "We've urged the Government of Pakistan to address this and to pursue closer counterterrorism cooperation with Afghanistan against all groups that pose a long-term security threat to the region, not just to Pakistan," Toner said. He added that Pakistan has

"I would answer it is we believe that Pakistan has taken and is taking steps to counter terrorist violence and certainly focusing on those groups that threaten Pakistani or Pakistan's stability," he said. "They have, the military has shut down some of these safe havens.

They've restored government control to parts of Pakistan that were used as terrorist safe havens for years.

The spokesman said these are important steps that have continued or contributed to security interests in the region. "And they ve come at a cost of Pakistani lives lost," Toner said.

Himalayan railway connecting Tibet with India feasible: China Beijing, Aug 5: Chinese officials say trans-Himalayan railway connecting Tibet with India and Nepal is economically and technically feasible as Beijing looks to make Tibet an economic and cultural hub connecting China with South Asia.

"The construction of a railway crossing the Himalayan mountains is now economically and technologically feasible," Zong Gang, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Department at Beijing University of Technology, told a forum here run by the China Tibetology Research Centre.

The Himalayan railway would start from Xigaze, a city in Tibet, run to Gyirong, a land port on the Chinese border, and extend into

Nepal, although it would not be a high-speed railway, state-run China Daily quoted Chinese researchers as saying at the forum yesterday.

China built a railway running for more than 1,100 km to connect the highland region of Tibet with the rest of the country in 2006 and extended it to Xigaze with an additional 250-km rail link connecting the city to Tibetan provincial capital Lhasa.

China now mulls a rail link to the both Nepal and Yadong, a Tibetan county close to Sikkim border. Chinese officials say that in future it can be connected to India. The daily today published a map with railway line linking Xigaze with Yadong and Burang, both

closer to Indian borders in Sikkim and Uttarakhand, and Gyirong, bordering Nepal.

The altitude at Gyirong port is 2,800 meters above sea level, while the Gyirong mountain pass to Nepal lies at about 1,800 meters, making the railway geographically feasible, Zong said. In contrast, Lhasa where China has built a railway network is about 3,700 meters above sea level and the altitude at Xigaze is about 3,800 meters.

The rail line extension between Xigaze and Nepal border was agreed this year during visit of pro-China Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, who signed transit treaty with China in a bid to reduce landlocked Nepal's dependence on India for

supplies. But the fall of the Oli government and the election of Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda as new Prime Minister has raised anxieties in Beijing over the return of India's influence in the Himalayan nation and the fate of a number of connectivity projects.

"Once Prachanda takes power, he is bound to rectify Oli's pro-China tendency when in government and take India's interests into account, as India is sour about losing its grip on Nepal," according to an article in the state-run Global Times published on July 29.

"The fixed agreements between China and the Oli government are unlikely to be changed, or it will deal a heavy blow to bilateral ties, which is too much for the new government to bear," it said.(PTI)

US govt covering up Iran cash deal: Trump campaign Iran, Aug 5: Trump campaign has alleged that the US government is engaged in a "cover-up" of its Iranian cash deal, notwithstanding the rebuttal by Obama administration of paying any ransom to Iran for the release of American prisoners.

"The Obama Administration is now engaged in a coverup of their fly-by-night untraceable cash airlift to Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism," Stephen Miller, senior policy advisor from the Trump Campaign alleged.

The statement by Trump's campaign came after US President Barack Obama refuted allegation of paying any ransom amount to the Iranians. "The reason that we had to give them cash is precisely because we are so strict in maintaining sanctions, and we do not have a banking relationship with Iran, that we couldn't send them a check, and we could not wire the money," Obama told reporters at a Pentagon news conference.

"The Obama-Clinton foreign policy gave rise to ISIS, made Iran flush with cash, and is now admitting vast numbers of refugees and migrants into the US from some of the most volatile regions in the world - including more than 100,000 migrants annually from the Middle East, plus they're now on track to hit their target of 10,000 Syrian refugees this year through dangerously expediting their admission (which Hillary Clinton wants to increase by 550 per cent)," Miller said.

secretly paid a ransom of USD 400 million to the world's foremost state sponsor of terror.

"President Obama pushed through his dangerous Iran deal despite overwhelming opposition from the American people. He promised to hold them accountable.

He hasn't. Iran is stronger than ever - and there is nothing to prevent its regime from using this cash infusion to strengthen its nuclear program or fund terrorist organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah," he said. "Thanks to President Obama, the US and every other free nation is threatened by this rogue, aspiring nuclear power. This is unconscionable. It's time to hold Iran accountable.

It's time to hold this administration accountable," Ryan said.(Agencies)

Port Louis, Aug 5: Mauritius is looking to revive efforts to put in place a comprehensive economic cooperation pact with India, close on the heels of sorting out long-pending issues related to the bilateral tax treaty.

Commission in Mauritius, the island nation was the "single largest source of FDI into India during the financial year 2014-15, with FDI equity inflows amounting to USD 9.03 billion - 29 per cent of total inflows in 2014-15".

The island nation, a major source of foreign direct investments coming into India, is also eyeing a preferential trade agreement. Minister of Finance and Economic Development Pravind Jugnauth has said that Mauritius would revive talks with India on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA).

After long drawn negotiations, the amendment to the 1983 Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) was signed by India and Mauritius in May. With the changes, India can impose capital gains tax on investments routed through Mauritius.

"President Obama's refusal to acknowledge that these funds will end up being used to subsidise terror is shameful and Hillary Clinton's support for the President's actions are a national disgrace," he said.

For two years starting from April 1, 2017, capital gains tax would be levied at 50 per cent of the prevailing domestic rate and after that, full rate would be applicable. The three-decade-old taxation treaty, which came into force from April 1, 1983, is said to have been misused by many Indian and multinational companies to avoid paying tax or to route illicit funds.

US to keep troops in Afghanistan till next year to tackle ISIS

"Now that the issue of DTA (Double Taxation Agreement) with India has been resolved, the government will revive and finalise the negotiations with New Delhi on the CECPA including a Preferential Trade Agreement," he said in his 2016-17 Budget speech recently.

India exports petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, cereals, cotton and electrical machinery, among others, to Mauritius. The island nation exports to India include iron and steel, pearls and precious/ semi-precious stones. In 20142015, India exported USD 1.9 billion worth goods to Mauritius while the imports during the same period were to the tune of USD 21.19 million, as per official figures.

According to the Indian High

The island nation was the biggest single source of foreign direct investment into India in 2014-15, accounting for about 24 per cent of USD 24.7 billion FDI. In his speech, Jugnauth also expressed his gratitude to the Indian government for the "exceptional financial support of USD 353 million, that is some Rs 12.7 billion", which the island nation would be receiving over a four-year period.(PTI)

Afganistan, Aug 5: President Barack Obama has said that the US has decided to keep a large number of American troops in Afghanistan wipe out the Islamic State terror group in the country. President Barack Obama has said that the US has decided to keep a large number of American troops in Afghanistan wipe out the Islamic State terror group in the country. Recently, Obama announced his intention to keep 8,500 American troops in Afghanistan till January next year as against the 5,500

Obama was responding to questions on a Wall Street Journal report that the US transferred a plane load of hard cash amounting to USD 400 million to Tehran at the same time when Iran released four American prisoners. The Trump campaign did not appear to be convinced by Obama's statement.

decided earlier. Obama said every time there is a terrorist attack he feels disappointment, because he would like to prevent all of them.

"That's true not just when the attacks are in Europe or in the United States. When you read stories about attacks in Lebanon, Iraq or Afghanistan, or distant parts of the world that don't get as much attention, they get my attention," he said.

"Because that is somebody's kid, somebody's mom, somebody who is just going about his business and

"But none of this is surprising from an Administration that allowed its Secretary of State to threaten the country with a private email server, delete her records, and lie about it to us all," he said.

The House Speaker Paul Ryan yesterday alleged that the Obama administration

mindlessly, senselessly, this person was murdered. So I haven't gotten numb to it. It bugs me whenever it happens, and wherever it happens," he said replying to a question.

"We are constantly pushing ourselves to see are there additional ideas that we can deploy to defeat this threat," he added. "Now, it is important that we recognise terrorism, as a tactic, has been around for a long time. If you look at the 1970's, or the 1980's, or the 1990's, there was some terrorist activity

somewhere in the world that was brutal," Obama said.

"As much as I would like to say that during my eight year presidency we could have eliminated terrorism completely, it is not surprising that it hasn't happened, and I don't expect that will happen under the watch of my successors," he said.

The US president said if the IS had not destroyed AlQaeda in the FATA (Pakistan), more Americans would have been killed and more attacks like 9/11 would have taken place.(Agencies)

Brazil's former nuclear head jailed for corruption Rio de Janeiro, Aug 5: A Brazilian court has sentenced a former head of the state nuclear company Eletronuclear to 43 years in prison for corruption. The sentence imposed on Thursday on Othon Luiz Pinheiro da Silva was one of the toughest handed down as part of the investigation into the Petrobras corruption ring, news agency reported.

Pinheiro da Silva was found guilty of corruption and money laundering within the Petrobras corruption ring, along with 12 other people, including his daughter Ana Cristina da Silva Toniolo, who was sentenced to 14 years and 10 months in prison.

Pinheiro da Silva was found to have organised bribes for the contracts signed between Eletronuclear and construction companies Andrade Gutierrez and Engeviz for the construction

of the Angra 3 nuclear power plant in Rio de Janeiro.

Investigations found various irregularities in the contracts for building Angra 3, including fraud in the tendering process, bribes to public officials and favouritism in the assignment of contracts.

The contracting process was overseen by Eletronuclear, a subsidiary of the state electric company Eletrobras, and was orchestrated to be in favour of several private companies involved in the corruption ring.

The Petrobras corruption ring is estimated to have embezzled at least $2 billion between 2004 and 2014, leading to the arrests of dozens of government officials, Petrobras staff and executives of private companies.

UN ask China to stop ill-treatment of hunger striker China, Aug 5: Expressing concern over the critical health condition of a prominent Chinese activist who has been on a hunger strike in a prison to protest against censorship of a newspaper in China, a group of UN human rights experts have asked the country to urgently provide him with medical care.

Prominent Chinese human rights defender Yang Maodong, known by his pen-name 'Guo Feixiong', was arrested in August 2013 for taking part in a public protest against official censorship of a Guangzhou newspaper, and has been sentenced to six years in prison on charges of "gathering crowds to disturb public order" and "picking quarrels and provoking trouble".

"We are concerned about repeated incidents of degrading and humiliating treatment suffered by Guo in detention, both at the hands of other inmates and prison guards at Yangchun Prison in Guangdong province," an independent group of experts appointed by the UN have said.

Guo has been on a hunger strike for almost three months, demanding to be transferred to another prison where he would be free from ill-treatment.

The experts said that his public profile as a human rights defender seems to have been the cause and aggravating factor for the denial of appropriate medical care and ill-treatment, which included sleep deprivation, harassment, and humiliating medical procedure filmed by prison officials for public release."Guo's six-year imprisonment is connected to

his peaceful and legitimate human rights activities," the experts said.

"His only wrong-doing was to have exercised his rights to peaceful assembly and expression concerning censorship in China" they said.The experts reiterated that the criminalisation of legitimate human rights activities and the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly that has formed the legal basis for the arrest, conviction and detention of Guo, is incompatible with China's obligations under international human rights law.

They recalled that in 2015, the UN Committee against Torture recommended the Government of China, "to refrain from prosecuting human rights defenders, lawyers, petitioners and others for their legitimate activities for broadly defined offences".The experts asked Chinese authorities to release Guo and recognize the important contribution of human rights defenders in upholding constitutional values in China.

The experts are UN Special Rapporteurs, Michel Forst, on the situation of human rights defenders; Maina Kiai, on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; David Kaye, on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Juan E Mendez, on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Dainius Puras, on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; and Setondji R.(PTI)

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

PAGE 8

India at Rio

Indian Activist Irom Sharmila Ends 16-Year-Long Hunger Strike

The Games Begins There was a time when the country was the undisputed king of at least one sport - field hockey. But that's nowhere near the case across the 15 disciplines India's largest contingent of 119 athletes will compete at Rio 2016.India's biggest ever contingent would nonetheless be eyeing a historic medal haul when the 31st Olympic Games - the first ever in South America - got underway with the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

Abhinav Bindra's historic individual gold at Beijing eight years ago confirmed that, and the fact was set in stone by two more shooting medals at London 2012 - from the guns of Gagan Narang (bronze) and Vijay Kumar (silver). The trend is expected to continue in Rio, with Bindra appearing in his last Olympics along with 11 other top shooters, including veterans Gagan Narang and Manavjit Singh Sandhu besides debutant pistol shooter Jitu Rai. Even wrestling, despite the recent wrangle between the players, has high hopes attached to it ever since Sushil Kumar broke the 56-year Olympic jinx for the sport with a bronze in Beijing, followed by a silver in London. Yogeshwar Dutt joined the medal winners in 2012 with a bronze, taking India's tally to six - the nation's best ever finish.

Though Sushil won't be there in Rio, Dutt will carry India's hopes in his last hurrah at the Games. The women's archery team led

by Deepika Kumari, badminton queen Saina Nehwal and tennis duo of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna are the others carrying high hopes of a medal in Rio. In terms of placing on the Medals Table, India's best rank was 19th with one medal, the hockey gold, at 1932 Los Angeles. But only 37 nations participated in that edition, largely due to the 'Great Depression'. In contrast, Rio 2016 will see 206 countries and two independent teams, including a Refugee Team making its maiden appearance at the Games.

A eight-member squad for the first time - will be represented in all the three formats - Men's freestyle, Female wrestling and Greco-Roman. After Geeta Phogat became the first woman wrestler in an Olympics in London, the family will see two representations in cousins Vinesh and (48kg) Babita Kumari (53kg) who will join Sakshi Malik (58kg) to make it three in the ring.

Of the three, there are high hopes from the duo of Shiva Thapa (56kg) and Vikas Krishan (75kg), both of whom are World Championship bronze-medallists and are ranked sixth in the world. Then there's the senior-most member of the team, Manoj Kumar (64kg), the 2010 Commonwealth Games champion who will be the darkhorse. Gymnastics also holds some promise where 22-year-old Tripura girl Dipa Karmakar became the first female gymnast from India to qualify for the quadrennial event.

Irom Sharmila's remarkable 16-year hunger strike comes to an end as she looks to enter politics instead Padmapriya Govindarajan The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is an extremely controversial piece of legislation in India which disproportionately empowers the Indian army to act out against possible insurgency in areas declared "disturbed." It allows forces to shoot on sight or arrest on suspicion without a warrant and, among other provisions, allows personnel to be entirely immune from criminal prosecution. In the Indian state of Manipur, activist Irom Sharmila Chanu has been one of the strongest activists standing for the repeal of AFSPA. She has been fasting for 16 years now to this end.

Sharmila began her fast in November 2000, after 10 civilians were killed during an unwarranted attack by the Assam Rifles battalion.

This marathon fast attempted to send the message that there could be no normal life for an individual under AFSPA and is one of the longest (entirely nonviolent) hunger strikes in the world. The government did not take too kindly to this and charged her with attempt to commit suicide and imprisoned her in a ward of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in the city of Imphal, where she was kept alive by being force fed

through a Ryles tube in her nose. She has even been accused of supporting anti-India militancy by certain factions, despite the fact that she has never called for secession or violence and has remained focused on her sole burning desire to repeal AFSPA. Although briefly released in 2014, she was re-convicted almost at once and has effectively seen no home outside her ward for the better part of the last 16 years.

Sharmila has now, however, decided to opt for a change in tactics - taking her family, her fellow activists, and the country by surprise, she announced her decision to end her hitherto fast unto death on August 9. Babloo Loitongbam, the Director of Human Rights Alert in Imphal and a long time supporter of Sharmila, said that while he was certainly surprised by the suddenness of her decision, she had for a long time been very disillusioned by the lack of political impact and support her lone crusade received. Her brother, Irom Singhajit also said that he had no knowledge of such a looming decision, especially since she firmly rebuked all his efforts to dissuade her in the early years of the fast. In the wake of her announcement, security around Sharmila has

Irom Sharmila's remarkable 16-year hunger strike comes to an end.

(Photo: southeast-1.amazonaws.) been severely tightened and no one has had a chance to meet her in isolation - so she has not directly interacted with either of them.

In Sharmila's own public announcement, she said that she is ending her fast, but not her fight. She will instead be contesting the next Assembly Elections in Manipur and attempt to continue her battle, but from within the system this time.

She also said that she was uncomfortable with how constantly she was made out to be a "goddess" figure by the people who sympathized with her cause and wishes to reclaim some of the normalcy she has been fighting for, by contesting the elections and also marrying her long-time boy-

friend.

During her brief release in 2014, the Aam Aadmi Party approached Sharmila with a request for her to contest elections and she turned them down. Now she will be contesting as an independent. Her decision has in equal parts been welcomed and vilified. On one hand, several feel that her brave and arduous protest eventually fell on deaf ears. While it did bring the limelight and provoke intense discussion on the AFSPA stipulations, they were never close to repealed. In fact, the writ of AFSPA has even been expanded in some spaces since her strike began. Both the sheer refusal to heed to her protest and her own inability to directly engage

with those in power, by virtue of her isolation, suggest that a change in strategy involving head-on engagement might just be welcome. Her strong presence and appeal may certainly stand her in good stead during her campaign.

On the other hand, several worry that this may destabilize the movement against the AFSPA. For years, Sharmila's struggle has been the face of the movement and with its conclusion, they worry that the movement will lose strength. The activist group Meira Paibis, which is among Sharmila's core support group, has expressed uncertainty at this decision. The declaration of her intention to get married

has stirred up groups who believed that her boyfriend, Desmond Coutinho, was attempting to wean her away from her cause.

While Sharmila's battle has been solid and remarkable, it has not paved the route for the political outcome she desired. In so many ways, her decision to move on from it without giving up her cause is a stellar attempt to grasp at normalcy in a state which has seen over 1,500 AFSPA-related deaths in the duration of her fast. Sharmila's change in tactics, far from jeopardizing the movement, may well strengthen it if she gains the ability to use the goodwill and support she has garnered over her lengthy struggle to find space within the political system to push the cause forward.

It is perhaps patently unfair to expect her to continue down an admirable, but ineffective path, for fear that the movement loses its martyr. While she collected several awards in the course of her struggle, the government remained adamant in its implementation of AFSPA. Rather than starve her strength while the system looked on unconcerned, Sharmila's decision may feed the fury of 16 years of relative inactivity, making way for a better political outcome. Courtesy: The Diplomat

New Motor Vehicle Bill

Indian Parliament Passes Highly Anticipated Goods and Services Tax Bill

Drunk Driving Fine Rs. 10,000

The long-awaited bill finally passes after a political compromise is reached.

The Union Cabinet approved the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2016, providing for hefty penalties for violation of road safety rules. The fine for driving without licence goes up ten times to Rs. 5,000 while penalty for drunken driving increases fivefold to Rs. 10,000. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The important provisions include increase in compensation for hit-and-run cases from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 2 lakh.

It also provides for compensation up to Rs. 10 lakh in road accidents fatalities.The Cabinet also recommended that for persons without helmets the new proposed penalty would Rs. 1,000 apart from suspension of licence for three months. The current penalty is Rs. 100. For seat belt violation, new proposed penalty is Rs. 1,000, up from Rs. 100.

For driving without insurance, the proposed penalty is Rs. 2,000, up from Rs. 1,000. For offences by juveniles, the guardian/ owner shall be deemed to be guilty. They will have to pay a penalty of Rs. 25,000 apart from threeyear imprisonment. The juvenile will be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act and registration of his or her motor vehicle will be cancelled. The bill provides amendments in various penalties. While the old penalty for violating road rules was Rs. 100, the new minimum penalty is Rs. 500. Similarly, the penalty for speeding was Rs. 400, but the proposed penalties for LMV (light motor vehicle) is Rs. 1,000 and for medium passenger vehicle Rs. 2,000. The

new proposed penalty for unauthorised use of vehicles without license would go up to Rs. 5,000 from Rs. 1,000. For travelling without ticket, new proposed penalty is Rs. 500 which goes up from Rs. 200. For driving despite disqualification, the new penalty is Rs. 10,000, which is now Rs. 500. The new proposed penalty for dangerous driving would go up to Rs. 5,000 from Rs. 1,000. For disobedience of orders of authorities, the new proposed penalty is Rs. 2,000, compared with Rs. 500 at present. The vehicle without permit will now have to pay up to Rs. 10,000.

For aggregators (violations of licencing conditions) the proposed penalty would be Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 1,00,000.

The new proposed penalty for overloading is Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 2,000 per extra tonne. For not providing way for emergency vehicles the proposed penalty is Rs. 10,000. For overloading of passengers, the penalty would be Rs. 1000 per extra passenger.

The bill also proposes to mandate the automated fitness testing for the transport vehicles with effect from 1st October 2018. As this would reduce corruption in the Transport Department while improving the road worthiness of the vehicle. The penalties are also proposed for deliberate violation of safety/environmental regulations as well as body builders and spare part suppliers. For overloading of two wheelers, new proposed penalty is Rs. 2,000 and disqualification of licence for three months. Currently, the penalty is Rs. 100.

Ankit Panda The Indian parliament passed the highly anticipated Goods and Services Tax bill. The bill will simplify and streamline India's tax system, putting in place a national valueadded tax. The GST bill will result in a constitutional amendment and represents the most significant change to India's tax laws since the country's independence in 1947.

The Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's bicameral parliament where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a strong majority, voted to pass the bill in May. The

bill had come across difficulties in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house, where the GST proposal was bogged down by the opposition.

Because the GST bill included a constitutional amendment, it required a two-thirds majority in both houses to pass.

In recent months, leading up to the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament, India's opposition Congress Party managed to win some concessions from the BJP in the GST. With the support of the Congress, the bill finally cleared the upper house.

In Wednesday's voting, the bill, known officially as the Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014, was passed with 203

regime simplified, leading to an India-wide common market without cascading taxes across state and central governments.

Image for representational purpose (Photo: mages.jagran)

votes in favor and none against. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a regional party based in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, staged a walkout

before voting, refusing to support the bill.

The adoption of a GST in India has been long coming, with the proposal initially having been

mooted over 15 years ago.

For Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, the GST success will go down positively with international investors eager to see India's tax

M.L.A's Reluctance And Fund-Availability

Dispur's M.L.A Atul Bora (Photo: netrailblazer)

Sir, Dispur's M.L.A Atul Bora finally agreed to pay one month's salary to the flood-affected people, but previously expresses his reluctance saying that if an M.L.A pays one month's salary, he/she will have to die of starvation or will have to take recourse to syndicate to earn extra money. This shows Atul Bora in poor light Padma Hazarika, the BJP M.L.A from Sotia acrimoniously criticizes Sri Borah for his reluctance for a good cause. Erstwhile M.L.A Akon Borah, too, landed himself in troubles by some preposterous comments. Does the Present M.L.A keep up the legacy? To disobey the Chief-minister's directive making statement publicly is tantamount to breach of discipline and decorum of the party. It is for the Chief-minister to decide what action the party is contemplating to initiate against the M.L.A of Dispur. In case the Chief-minister fails to take action against the M.L.A, this will unfold that all is not well with the BJP M.L.As and that indiscipline is palpable in the party. Mamata Banerjee, the firebrand Chief-minister of Bengal would have viewed this from a different angle. It

seems, since its taking over charge as the state government of Assam, the party has been confronted with the controversy one after another. What pains us, the state ruling dispensation is resorting to lie while allocating funds to the flood-affected areas, showing discrimination and publicly announcing wrong figure about the funds at its disposal for allocation, if new paper reports are an indication. We believe, to make good the deficiency of meager fund at its disposal and due to non-allocation of more funds from the centre, the state machinery is compelled to increase the VAT that compounds common man's misery.

Yours etc.

Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh

The Modi government is reportedly looking to operationalize the GST

by April 2017, which will mark the start of India's next fiscal year. Between Wednesday's passage of the bill and April 2017, the central government, led by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, will have to ensure that the Indian states that need to ratify the bill do so. Following ratification of the bill by the necessary states, India's parliament will also need to detail the structure of the tax. Courtesy: The diplomat

Best Letter The best letter

of the month in the Letter to the Editor section will be awarded an amount of Rs 200. So please keep writing.

Letters to the editor and articles should be sent to : The Eastern Today Chowkidingee, Near Sankardeva Hospital Mancotta Road, Dibrugarh786001 (Assam) Ph: 0373-2328944 Email : editor.easterntoday@gmail.com

p O

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

Prabir Kumar Talukdar The northeast of India boasts of an uneven terrain which certainly makes it a top destination for nature lovers and hikers. But due to its topography and inaccessibility to most areas, transportation of critical patients becomes a herculean task. The air ambulance is a relatively new concept in the context of transferring patients from their home to the designated hospital in India. Often termed as Medevac, it's a plane/helicopter that is equipped with all the necessary life-saving equipment, approved flight stretcher, and medication to treat a critical patient. Also included is a team of medical staff specifically trained to address the needs of a patient while transportation.

Fast and efficient, an air ambulance can evacuate seriously injured patients from the scene of the accident to receiving sophisticated medical facilities on board.

Service in North East Northeast India becomes a prime place for air ambulance service due to unavailability of high-end medical infrastructure in the region.

In most cases, critical and normal patients choose to get treated in metro cities like Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai rather than continuing with their treatment in the region. In such cases, air ambulance plays an important role in transferring

patients bed to bed. However, unavailability of concrete airstrip or proper helipads makes it difficult to introduce this service in the other states of the region.

Right now, the northeastern region has 11 airports spread in all the eight states.

Assam has five namely in Guwahati, Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Silchar and one each in Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura.

Though the standard of healthcare infrastructure has greatly increased compared to past decades especially in Guwahati with the emergence of private role players in healthcare section. Hospitals like GNRC, International Hospital, Hayat Hospital and even the state-owned, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital has played a great role in providing excellent medical care facilities at a fraction of the cost compared to medical facilities outside the state. Guwahati being the gateway to the Northeast plays a key role in bringing the international standard of hospital care under one roof. Having said that, it becomes impossible to evacuate a patient who lives far away from an operational airstrip or airport. In such cases, use of helicopters comes into play. However, the only helicopter service provider in the Northeast, Pawan Hans, a

ed

Medevac in the Northeast

: Image for representational purpose (Photo: airambulanceaviation) state-owned PSU is right now facing a bleak future with a track record flagged with accidents and dismal maintenance of its fleet. ''We still have an ongoing partnership with Pawan Hans for air ambulance service but right now it's in a dormant state due to their poor service. For now, we only run airport-pickup am-

bulance service in Guwahati'' said Mr. Mrinal Hazarika, Public Relation officer, GNRC. Cost Effective Air ambulance service generally opts for transferring patients from the area of accident or residential place to the nearest or best possible healthcare facility.

However, in some cases,

Page 9

the service is also used by patients for a transfer to an outside country where he feels the diagnosis and treatment will be better or a necessity is required. Air ambulance service can be broadly defined into two main categories. One is hiring a private chartered plane through a specific aviation agent or through a

Hospital which provides that service. Second is a commercial stretcher. In here, specific booking is done before hand in any commercial airliner. The airline will go through the case summary of the patient and will only allow if the patient is deemed eligible to fly without many worries. A required number of seats are then removed and the commercial stretcher is fitted in there with all the required medical facilities and a team of medical experts. The former is an expensive affair with a cost that can go up to as high as 7lacs-9lacs one way depending on the type of airplane and the city from where it will be flown down.

The latter is a most commonly used service by patients with a cost that can be around 1.5lacs to 4lacs depending on the distance that will be required to cover. ''We have two aircraft in our fleet positioned at Chennai and Delhi but we only receive 10-12 cases annually where we require the service of the planes. Mostly, patients ask for the commercial stretcher since it suits their budget and saves time equally'' said Mr. S.N Farid, Apollo Hospitals Information Centre .

The budget and service requirement of a medevac depends on many factors1. Distance and Time required for transfer, 2. Clinical condition of the patient 3. Medical equipment's required for transfer, 4. Medical and paramedical staff accompanying the patient,

5. Type of aircraft used for transfer, 6. Ground transfer required for transport, 7.

Medicines and oxygen used for the transfer.

Type of aircraft for the service also plays an important role in deciding the total cost of the service. At present, twin PT-6 turboprop fitted engine KING AIR B 200 and single turboprop fitted Pilatus PC 12 is used by most operators.

They're operation although, is dependent on the prevailing weather conditions.

The twin PW545C turbofans fitted engines of Cessna Citation XL is an excellent aircraft with no adverse effects of weather in their operation. It's endurance and speed calls for shelling out more money than the previous two aircraft. The cost effectiveness of such a service comes with the fact that most of the operators are based out of the Northeast.

So in general, for an immediate basis availability of an air ambulance will easily take around 5-6hrs depending on the weather conditions, availability of aircraft, the city from where it will fly from. This is an absurd amount of time in context to a critical patient. In the mainland, it takes around 1.52hrs for arranging a medevac. Mr. Raju Ranjan Gogoi, a Guwahati-based aviation entrepreneur and founder of Radiant NE Aviation & Travel Support said '' We provide a package of medical transfer by commer-

cial airlines wherein it include bed to bed transfers, ground handling, and ambulance, escort team of one doctor and one nurse, one relative attendant on board in economy class''. He further said that commercial stretcher saves a patient of about 70% of the total cost compared to an air ambulance which involves a private chartered plane. ''A transfer from Guwahati to Delhi will cost around 3lacs with the package'' he added.

Roadmap Air Ambulance's introduction in the landlocked region of northeastern India surely means a step towards global healthcare. But availing such an expensive service in a region whose per capita income hovers below the nation's average is a matter of concern. A step towards making it more accessible for poor and middle-class demography will definitely catapult its need. In addition to that, the region needs to have more airstrip and concrete helipads in order to spread the service beyond the gateways. Having said that, private players and operators shifting base in Northeast is equally important as this will cut time and money by a huge amount. Northeast India currently doesn't have any operators with an all go ready medevac. In the coming years, Northeast will hopefully play an important role and key site for the emergence of healthcare infrastructure. Courtesy:nezine

Why Do You Feel Like You're Indian PM Risks Political Backlash If To Build 100 Million Toilets Fails Falling When You Go To Sleep? Plan Robin Jeffrey

Image for representational purpose (Photo: kinja-img)

Jason Ellis It should be one of the most relaxing times of the day. You climb into bed, get comfortable and cosy, start to feel your brain slowing down ‌ and then suddenly you experience a shocking falling sensation. It's like you misjudged the number of stairs you were walking down, leaving your leg in mid air for just a bit longer than you expected. Not pleasant.

This bedtime tumbling sensation is the phenomenon known as the "hypnic jerk" and may sometimes be accompanied by a visual hallucination. You may have heard it called a "sleep start", the "hypnagogic jerk" or the "myoclonic jerk", but for the sake of sanity we'll just stick with the former.

So What Is It? The hypnic jerk occurs when the muscles, usually in the legs (although they can be observed throughout the body), involuntarily contract quickly, almost like a twitch or spasm.

Although the reasons behind this are not that well understood, the evolutionary perspective suggests that it serves at least two important but interrelated functions, the former of

which is still relevant today.

First, this sudden awakening allows us to check our environment one last time, an opportunity to ensure that it really is safe to go to sleep by creating a startle-like response. You might have accidentally dropped off somewhere dangerous, after all.

Another suggested evolutionary function is that it allowed us - or at least our early ancestors - to check the stability of our body position before we went to sleep, especially if we started to fall asleep in a tree. The jerk would allow us to test our "footing" before unconsciousness set in.

The other main theory suggests that the hypnic jerk is merely a symptom of our active physiological system finally giving in, albeit sometimes reluctantly, to our sleep drive, moving from active and volitional motor control to a state of relaxation and eventual bodily paralysis. In essence, the hypnic jerk may be a sign of the eventual switch over between the brain's recticular activating system (which uses arousal neurotransmitters to aid wakefulness) and the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (which utilises inhibitory neurotransmitters to reduce

wakefulness and promote sleep).

When Jerks Go Bad Either way, although in most cases a normal and natural phenomenon, the hypnic jerk can be a rather disconcerting or frightening experience. In extreme cases - whether in terms of frequency or the velocity and violence of the jerk - it can keep people awake, preventing them from entering the normal sleep onset process, resulting, in the longer-term, in a form of sleep-onset insomnia.

As the hypnic jerk is related to motor activity, anything that is going to keep your motor system active at night is likely to increase the chances of you having one - and possibly even a more intense one, too.

As such, caffeine (or other stimulants) and/or vigorous exercise in the evening and high stress and anxiety levels at night are associated with an increased chance of a spontaneous hypnic jerk and should, where possible, be avoided. Other associations include being overtired or fatigued, sleep deprived or having an erratic sleep schedule. Here, keeping a good regular sleep/ wake pattern can help.

Finally, from a nutritional

perspective, it has been suggested, albeit anecdotally, that deficiencies in magnesium, calcium and/or iron can also increase the chances of experiencing a spontaneous hypnic jerk.

That said, it has also been suggested that hypnic jerks can be evoked through sensory stimulation, during the sleep onset period, so ensuring that your sleep environment is cool, dark and quiet may be helpful in reducing the frequency and intensity of them.

There is actually very little research on the topic, presumably because it is largely seen as a normal phenomenon, making it difficult to suggest a definitive "treatment". However, we do know that as we get older the number of hypnic jerks we will experience should decrease naturally.

The main issue to consider here is whether the hypnic jerk is causing you or your bed partner a problem? If it is, then it is time to see a sleep specialist. The difficulty is there are a number of sleep disorders, such as sleep apnoea, that have symptoms which mimic the experience.

And if all else fails, perhaps just blame the ancestors.

Courtesy: Youthkiawaaz

The Western world may take them for granted, but in India, home to more than 1.2 billion people, about half the population has no access to or doesn't use toilets. That's 600 million individuals, or 120 million households: a formidable challenge for sanitation.

But it's a challenge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embraced wholeheartedly. His Swachh Bharat! (or Clean India!) campaign aims to build 100 million household toilets and 500,000 community toilets by 2019.

It's 18 months since the new prime minister inaugurated the program. He chose Mahatma Gandhi's 145th birthday, October 2, 2014.

Gandhi was a major advocate of sanitation.

A clean India, Modi declared, would be achieved by the 150th anniversary in 2019. That is also the year of the next scheduled general election.

Since October 2014, there have been hundreds of photo opportunities and activities aimed at cleaning up domestic waste and at toilet building. Tens of millions of rupees have been committed - US$20 million went into advertising alone in the first six months.

The interest of the prime minister and the investment of substantial funds have given public sanitation and public health a profile that they have never had before in India.

So, will Modi achieve his dream of bringing sanitation to the masses?

The Sanitation Challenge In the eyes of various people, from Gandhi in the 1920s to foreign tourists in 2016, India has offered extraordinary examples of unhygienic practices.

"During my wanderings," Gandhi wrote in Young India in 1925, "nothing has been so painful to me as to observe our insanitation throughout the length and breadth of the land."

Today, as the middle class expands and non-resident Indians with experience and expectations acquired abroad come and go, pressure to achieve sanitation

targets is growing.

Depending on who is counting, India collects between 55 million and 70 million tonnes of waste a year.

TheUnited States is estimated to produce about 250 million tonnes a year, threeand-a-half times more for a population a quarter of the size. As Indian affluence grows, the potential for more garbage is a menace that the Clean India campaign is trying to head off.

Further impetus comes from widespread acknowledgement that random defecation, whether in town or countryside, injures public health and leads to physical and mental stunting in children. India's record in these matters falls behind sub-Saharan Africa and neighbouring Bangladesh.

Two factors make India's struggle with public sanitation different from the experience of urbanisation in Europe and North America in the 19th and 20th centuries, and from the problems of other ex-colonial countries today.

The first difference is the sheer volume of waste and the scarcity of space to deal with it. India's population density is about 370 people per square km. China's is about 150.

However you treat waste, you need space - for composting, biogas manufacture, sanitary landfill, sorting and recycling, incinerating. Nowhere else in the world have so many people generated waste on this scale and had so little space to deal with it.

: Image for representational purpose (Photo: cdn.downtoearth) A great many highercaste people are repelled by the idea of connection with any kind of "waste".

Possibilities And Pitfalls In Swachh Bharat's favour is the work of activists and some dedicated sanitary engineers over the past 20 years. The Solid Waste Management Rules laid down by the Supreme Court of India in 2000 are an excellent guide, and local governments not following them are in contempt of the nation's highest court.

The rules go into fine detail about how to set up collection systems and disposal centres. They prohibit "manual handling of waste" and restrict "land filling‌to non-biodegradable, inert waste".

The second problem lies in caste and the ideas and practices that go with it. Fifteen per cent of Indians are Dalits ("scheduled castes" in official language and once referred to as "untouchables"). Sections of Dalits have had "waste" as their expected vocation for generations.

As such ambitious standards suggest, no local government has been able to get within a tiger's roar of meeting the requirements of the rules. They are a worthy, distant target.

At scattered locations around the country, local governments, non-government organisations and some businesses have shown remarkable achievements in cleaning up neighbourhoods, reusing and recycling materials and maintaining clean public toilets. There's unlikely to be a shortage of public funding, as the prime minister's reputation is on the line.

As Indian scholar Sonal Sharma wrote this year, "Various micro-level studies show that non-Dalit workers do not like to clean toilets and that the workers who clean toilets are always from lowest castes."

Household income is not a crucial obstacle. Of India's 120 million non-toilet households, a significant percentage could have afforded a toilet long ago if they had wanted one.

There's a cultural struggle

to be won about the importance for health - especially childhood health - of taming human excrement.

There's also an authority problem. Local governments, responsible for public sanitation, are underpowered legally, financially and administratively. For officials, service in local government carries little prestige and modest salaries. Local governments have trouble extracting rates and dues from residents, and the legal difficulties in locating sites for waste management are great.

It would be unwise, however, to write off Swachh Bharat. India has achieved some surprising results in the past 15 years. Tobacco smoke used to be everywhere; today some states are largely smoke-free.

Some too have done a fair job in trying to eliminate plastic bags. The Delhi underground network, the Metro, was completed on time and on budget and serves the city well.

Swachh Bharat has the benefit of prime ministerial backing in a way that no Indian clean-up campaign has had before.

That's risky politics, because if "insanitation throughout the length and breadth of the land" is still a problem at election time in 2019, it will provide a propaganda picnic for opposition parties seeking to oust an incumbent government.

The photo opportunities will be very different from those recent ones of smiling politicians, awkwardly held brooms and sparkling corridors. Courtesy: The Conversation.

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

BUSINESS

Pulses to be imported by Govt. to check prices New Delhi, Aug 5: Scrambling to control prices of pulses, the Centre has decided to import 30,000 tonnes more pulses in an attempt to narrow down the gap between demand and supply and lid prices. The Consumer Affairs department held a meeting of the price stabilisation fund, in which it was decided that more pulses would be procured for the buffer stock.

The government had recently increased the buffer stock limit of pulses to 20 lakh tonnes. "The govern-

$4 million investment done in Israel's Cloudyn by Infosys Bengaluru, Aug 5: Infosys said it had picked up a minority stake in Cloudyn, an Israel-based cloud management and optimisation provider, by investing $4 million. According to a regulatory filing to the BSE, Infosys expects the transaction to be completed by August 15. This is the eighth investment by the company after it formed the $500 million 'Innovation Fund' to invest in start-ups focused on cloud and other digital technologies.

"Cloudyn enables enterprises to manage and optimise their hybrid, multicloud deployments. The solution provides visibility into usage, performance and cost, coupled with actionable recommendations for confident cloud growth," Infosys said in the filing. (Agencies) Caption: Image for representational purpose.

(Photo: globaleye)

Facility for faster deliveries opened in Chennai by Amazon Chennai, Aug 5: Amazon India has opened an 'urban Fulfilment Centre' in Chennai to support its recently introduced Prime program of one and two-day deliveries and serve a wider set of customers during the upcoming festive season till January 2017. With this centre, Amazon India has 23 operational Fulfilment Centres in 10 states across the country with a combined storage space of more than six million cubic feet. This is the second of the six such centres planned ahead of the festive season. The new fulfilment centre offering a storage area of close to one lakh cubic feet is located at Virugambakkam. It is also Amazon's second centre in Chennai. Amazon India's new centre has been set up in a Central Warehousing Corporation building. It will fuel the growth of ancillary businesses such as packaging and logistics thereby creating employment opportunities. (Agencies)

Rs 3,500 crores to be raised by Tata Power via debentures Bhubaneswar, Aug 5: Tata Power has said it has raised Rs 3,500 crores through an issuance of unsecured, taxable, redeemable, non-cumulative, listed, rated and non-convertible debentures worth Rs 3,500 crore on a private placement basis.

Last month, Tata Power's board at its meeting held on July 11, had approved issuance of non-cumulative, redeemable, taxable, listed, rated securities in the form of non-convertible debentures up to an aggregate amount not exceeding Rs 3,500 crore. The tenor of these securities is three years and these debentures will mature on August 3, 2019. (Agencies)

Union Consumer Affairs Secretary Hem Pande.

(Photo: drs.rai.net) ment has decided to import 20,000 tonnes of tur and 10,000 tonnes of urad for

the buffer stock," said a Ministry statement, after the meeting chaired by Union Consumer Affairs Secretary Hem Pande here.

The meeting reviewed the procurement and distribution of pulses across the country from the buffer stock. "So far, the government agencies have procured about 1,19,572 tonnes of pulses from the domestic market and farmers. Besides, 56,000 tonnes of pulses have been contracted for import," said the statement, adding that as of

now 1,75,572 tonnes of pulses are available with the buffer stock.

It was pointed out during the meeting that the States had been repeatedly requested to lift tur and urad pulses from buffer stock and sell it at subsidised price of Rs. 120 per kg. However, only three States Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana - have lifted some quantities against their allotments.

Over 29,000 tonnes of pulses have been allocated to various States till August

1 to sell on subsidised rates.

As per the latest government estimate, pulses production is likely to dip marginally to 16.47 million tonnes during 2015-16 against the previous year's production of 17.15 million tonnes. Pulses saw an average price rise of 29.6 per cent during 2015-16. Pulses prices have soared up to Rs. 200 per kg in the retail markets in recent months due to fall of production in last two crop years following back-to-back drought.

(Agencies)

Refit closure of Delhi Oberio hurts EIH New Delhi, Aug 5: The closure of The Oberoi hotel in New Delhi for renovation since April 1 this year has dented the first quarter results of EIH Ltd. as it reported a post-tax loss of Rs.12.3 crore against a Rs.21.2 crore loss in the same period last year. The total revenue for the first quarter was Rs. 278.9 crore.

After its renovation by April 2018, the 283-room hotel will become profitable

and be among the best hotels in India, EIH Chairman P. R.S. Oberoi said at a press meet. "The 1965 vintage hotel needed extensive work to protect against the risk of declining market share and to ensure a future leadership position in the national capital," Mr. Oberoi told shareholders at the Annual General Meeting.

Asset write-off at The Oberoi, New Delhi, impacted profitability by Rs.18.4 crore

in the first quarter and additional write-offs are expected this quarter, he said, assuring shareholders that the company was optimistic of improving its revenue and profitability to partly offset this revenue loss.

Vice-chairman S.S. Mukherjee said this was the first time that the group had shut down a property for renovation. Its hotel in Mumbai had had a forced shutdown after the 26/11

terrorist attacks and needed a Rs.180-crore makeover. On the impact of roomaggregators and online market places, Mr.Vikram Oberoi, CEO and managing director, said, "Disruptive business models are not affecting our businesses now.

But we will continue to pay attention on these." He added that it would be wrong, however, to say there would be zero-impact in future. (Agencies)

Rs.600 cr. business aimed in 3 years by BPL Mumbai, Aug 5: Consumer electronics maker BPL Ltd. is aiming for a turnover of Rs.600 crore in the next three years from the consumer electronics business, which it exited in 2006. The company exited the business owing to various reasons including accumulated debt, the collapse of its technology partner Sanyo, among others and re-entered the television business through a partnership with India's largest online retailer Flipkart. The consumer electronics business is currently dominated by LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics. BPL started selling its range of TV sets in the 24-inch, 32inch and 40-inch categories from January this year after a short test-marketing run

Ajit G. Nambiar, Chairman and Managing Director, BPL. (Photo: d152j5tfobgaot) with Flipkart. According to the company, the re-entry has been a success. The company's decision to go the e-way for a comeback is primarily due to the lower cost of distribution and better inventory management.

"We know that we are coming back after a short gap.

The comeback through an exclusive partnership with Flipkart gives us a quick time to market and also lowers cost of distribution," said Ajit G. Nambiar, Chairman and Managing Director, BPL. The company has set a sales target of Rs.65 crore by the end of the year. BPL has also put an ambitious target of garnering 10 per cent share of the overall TV sales volume on Flipkart. It also plans to garner 5-6 per cent of overall TV sales in the country within the next three years. For 2015, the industry body for Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers' Association (CEAMA), had predicted overall sales of 14.5 million television sets in the country. Presently, BPL sells around 8,000-10,000 TV sets

through Flipkart and intends to sell around 30,000 TV sets during the festive season starting from October. Apart from TV sets, BPL is also planning to introduce other consumer electronics goods like a washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioners and microwave oven by the end of the year. "We are also entering into other consumer electronics goods. With our current infrastructure we can produce these goods in our facilities in Palakkad and Bengaluru," said Manmohan Ganesh, General Manager, BPL. The company, which had around 9,000 employees across its 28 factories during its prime time, now employs around 600 people in its three factories situated in Bengaluru and Palakkad. (Agencies)

Sugar subsidy to mills extended by Govt.

New Delhi, Aug 5: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the extension of production subsidy to sugar mills that achieve a minimum performance standard with regard to export of sugar and supply of ethanol. This has been done to offset the rising cost of cane and facilitate timely payment of cane price dues of farmers. "Due to drought situation, there has been significant decline in sugarcane/sugar produc-

tion in the country by about 1.8 million MT (mMT) and 0.8 mMT respectively," according to a government statement. "Drought-affected States requested to reduce the target of sugar export and ethanol supply due to non-availability of sufficient sugarcane and molasses." Initially, the export quota target was at 15.70 kg of sugar for each tonne of estimated cane crushing.

(Agencies)

PAGE 10

Sahara chief's parole extended till Sept. 16 by SC Kolkata, Aug 5: The Supreme Court extended the parole of Sahara chief Subrata Roy till September 16 on the condition that he deposits Rs. 300 crore with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). A Bench led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur passed the direction when informed that Mr. Roy had complied with the court's order on July 11 to deposit the balance of Rs. 300 crore out of the Rs. 500 crore promised by him when he was granted parole on humanitarian grounds following the death of his mother. The court also allowed the Sahara group to go ahead with the sale of its properties to raise an amount of Rs. 5,000 crore as a bank guarantee which it

Sahara chief Subrata Roy. (Photo: livemint) has to deposit in addition to Rs. 5,000 crore to get bail for Mr. Roy. During the hearing, the Bench made it clear that failure to deposit Rs. 300 crore by the next date of hearing would lead to Mr. Roy going back to

the jail. SEBI informed the court that it has sold eight Sahara properties through e-auction, fetching Rs 195.07 crore. It indicated its push to sell the remaining properties through e-auction. (Agencies)

Renault all ready to unveiled new version of 'Kwid' Pune, Aug 5: French auto major Renault will this month launch a new version of its small car Kwid that will be powered by 1-litre petrol engine, enhancing the offering of the "widely accepted" model in India. The company, which currently sells the Kwid with an 800cc engine, is looking to garner 5 per cent share in the Indian car market by the end of this year. "The Kiwd has been widely accepted in the Indian market and we are ready to enhance our offering under the model range by launching a 1-litre engine version this month," said Renault India Operations Country CEO & Managing Director Sumit Sawhney. He said that the company has already sold over 75,000 units of the Kwid since its launch in September last year. "With the launch of the 1-litre Kwid, we will be further enhancing our offering in the segment and serve customers who are looking for a more powerful vehicle in the entry level segment," Sawhney added.

Renualt Kwid will be competing with Maruti Suzuki's Alto, which also has an 800

Image for representational purpose. (Photo: i.ndtvimg) cc (Alto 800) as well as a 1litre engine (Alto K10) versions. The current Kwid powered by 800 cc engine is priced between Rs 2.62 lakh and Rs 3.67 lakh (exshowroom Delhi), while the Alto 800 is tagged between Rs 2.45 lakh and Rs 3.76 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). While Renault is yet to announce the price of the 1-litre Kwid, the Alto K10 is priced between Rs 3.25 lakh and Rs 4.15 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The strengthening of the portfolio is part of the company's plans to increase its market share in India, he said. "Last year we

had stated that we want to garner 5 per cent marker share in India. We are on course and I am hopeful that

by December this year we would touch the mark," he said. In the first seven months of the year, Renault India has sold over 75,000 cars, Sawhney said, adding that "at the current rate we will more than double sales we had last year". According to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), domestic car sales stood at 20,25,479 units in 2015-16 as compared with 18,77,706 units in the 201415. (Agencies)

2nd day rise in gold price, surges by Rs 220 to Rs 31,250 per 10 grams Kochi, Aug 5: Taking comfort from firm global developments and increased buying by jewellers at the domestic market, gold rose for the second straight day by surging Rs 220 to Rs 31,250 per 10 grams. Silver bounced by Rs 470 to Rs 47,820 per kg backed by increased demand from coin makers and other consuming industries. Marketmen said that besides a firming trend overseas, more buy-

ing activity by jewellers to meet retailer demand at domestic spot markets mainly kept the precious metals higher. Globally, gold rose 0.11 percent to USD 1,364.30 an ounce and silver by 0.07 percent to USD 20.58 an ounce in Singapore today.

In the national capital, gold of 99.9 percent and 99.5 percent purity surged Rs 220 each to Rs 31,250 and Rs 31,100 per 10 grams respectively. It had gained Rs 50

yesterday. Sovereign followed suit and jumped Rs 100 to Rs 24,300 per piece of eight grams. Tracking gold, silver ready recovered Rs 470 to Rs 47,820 per kg while weekly-based delivery recaptured the crucial 48,000-mark by rising Rs 655 to Rs 48,400 per kg. Silver coins, too, spurted by Rs 1,000 to Rs 77,000 for buying and Rs 78,000 for selling of 100 pieces. (Agencies)

IMS certificate bagged Q1 net of Berger Paints zooms

by Essel Highway

55.38% to Rs 117 crore

Guwahati, Aug 5: Berger Paints reported a 55.38% jump in its consolidated net profit at Rs 117 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, 2016. The company had posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 75 crore in the same period last fiscal,

Berger Paints said in a statement. Consolidated total income from operations during the period under review stood at Rs 1,246.08 crore as against Rs 1,126.32 crore in the year-ago quarter, up 10.63%. Berger Paints said its shareholders have ap-

proved through a postal ballot issue of bonus shares in the proportion of two bonus shares for every five existing fully paid up equity shares. Subsequently, the bonus shares have been allotted. The board has also recommended a final dividend of Re 1 per equity share, which, together with the interim dividend of Re 0.65 paid earlier, makes a total dividend of Rs 1.65 or 165% per equity share of Re 1 each, it added. The company further said it has been servicing the northeastern market from factories based out of Rishra in West Bengal and elsewhere. Anticipating huge potential and steady growth in the northeastern markets in the

forthcoming years, the company decided to set up manufacturing bases in the region itself. "Accordingly, Berger Paints India Limited has acquired land for setting up an integrated paint plant at Naltoli in the Nagaon District of Assam near Tezpur," it said adding production was scheduled to commence by January 2017. The factory will produce an entire range of products including waterbased, solvent-based and dry products such as putty and distemper. In addition, the British Paints Division of the company is also setting up a distemper and putty manufacturing facility at Nalbari near Guwahati. (Agencies)

Noida, Aug 5: Essel Highways Ltd, the road infrastructure arm Essel Group, has become the first road infrastructure company in India to get globally acclaimed Integrated Management Systems (IMS) certificate.

"These accreditations make Essel Highways the first road infrastructure company in India to achieve the IMS certifications in four critical parameters namely quality, environment, health and road traffic safety management," according to a company statement.

The certificate has been issued by the British Standard Institutions (BSI) In-

dia and will be valid till 2019 subject to successful surveillance audits in the coming years. "We are dedicated to continuously improving the Quality, Environmental, and Occupational Health & Safety management practices in order to provide world class standards at our project sites.

Going forward, we are hopeful in not only consolidating our position but looking at state-ofthe-art innovations which will not only match but surpass global benchmarks in road infrastructure," said Ashok Agarwal, chief executive officer, Essel Infra projects. The IMS is a combination of four in-

ternational standards ISO 9001 Quality Management System, ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System and ISO 39001:2012 Road Traffic Safety Management System. Essel Highways has 14 roads with 10 operational assets with an asset value of $2 billion. Essel Highways operates eight state and two national highways while one state highway and three national highway projects are under construction.

The company has so far executed more than 4,400 km of roads in nine states. (Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

Features

PAGE 11

WOMEN’S Ancient Chinese secrets A reality check to for healthy, glowing skin your beauty rules Sanya Jain

We've all heard those beauty rules, like how you shouldn't pair dramatic eyes and bold lips, haven't we?

But who makes these rules anyway? Not shampooing your hair every day to get the mane of your dreams is proof that some of these norms should definitely be broken. We give you some common beauty rules that you can and should break.

You go, girl!

Chinese women are envied throughout the world for their flawless skin and ageless complexion. As it turns out, this is because they use some traditional ancient Chinese remedies in their skincare routines! So, we bring to you ancient Chinese secrets for healthy, glowing skin Pearl powder: Pearl powder is something that Chinese women have traditionally used for glowing complexion. Studies have supported the fact that pearl powder rejuvenates skin, removes pigmentation, fights acne, regenerates collagen and soothes irritated skin. So many benefits! It is then no wonder that the Chinese have been using it for cosmetic purposes since 320 AD. You too can use pearl powder for glowing skin - just make a mask using 1 tablespoon pearl powder, 1 tablespoon honey and 1 egg yolk, and apply it on your face.

Teas To Detox: The right kind of herbal tea, taken at the right time, can benefit you immensely.

The Chinese soak their herbs in hot water to make teas that detoxify the body, improve the immune system and give you healthy, glowing skin. Oolong tea, for example, is a traditional Chinese tea that is extremely beneficial for the skin!

A Rejuvenating Jade Roller: Another ancient Chinese secret is using a jade roller

Representational image Photo: popxo on your face to target acupressure points. It was believed that jade gave rise to a host of beauty benefits, some of which include the following. " Improving skin tone " Improving blood circulation " Eliminating toxins from the body " Refining facial contours " Anti-ageing benefits like removing fine lines and wrinkles " Tightening of pores " Promoting lymphatic drainage to get rid of toxins from the body Goji Berry Gorgeousness: Goji berries are a storehouse of antioxidants, amino acids, minerals and vitamins that promote clear, healthy skin. They're also

loaded with beta-carotene, which is very good for the skin. You can make goji berry tea by soaking these miracle berries in either hot or cold water with a teabag for some time and then drinking the tea. After drinking the tea, eat the berries which will have become plump and juicy.

soak unpolished rice in water till the water starts looking milky white. Dip a cotton ball in this water and massage your face for 2 to 3 minutes. You can store this water in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and keep using it. What an affordable way to make a great face toner!

Mint Magic: Indians have a lot of homemade remedies for glowing complexion, but one thing that we've hardly ever used in our face packs is mint! Mint or the humble pudina can be used directly on the face to instantly brighten complexion. Just grind the leaves to make a paste that can be applied on the face. You can also use mint with cucumber and honey to make a face pack that will tone your face!

And Finally‌ The Royal Secret!

Rice For Radiant Skin: Chinese women have been using rice water to tone their skin for centuries. To make rice water, simply

The only female ruler in Chinese history was Empress Wu, who was renowned and is still remembered for her youthful skin even at the age of 80! It is believed that she used an especially prepared face mask three times a day to keep her skin ageless and glowing. This face pack was made of mung beans (moong dal), green tea extract and a herb called motherwort. You can make a modern version of that face pack using organic moong dal, green tea extract and motherwort!

A woman who is selflessly building toilets and roads in rural India In what could a major boost in government's Clean India Campaign a woman from America is building toilets for people in India. Marta Vanduzer-Snow, a 35 yrs old young woman who is not an Indian by birth, is surprisingly carrying out development works in India and that too with her own money.

There are many people who want to bring changes in the society but only handfuls have the guts to convert their words into deeds and Marta is one of them.

An American Ph.D student Marta Vanduzer-Snow moved to rural India four years ago thinking that the country needed a different approach altogether-"To be an invisible human who makes a difference on the ground." Marta is a Rutgers University scholar who grew up in Boston. She has paved way for the construction of 82 low-cost evapotranspiration toilets in homes, and 1 in a primary school. She has also got done 122-meters of 10-feet-wide permeable roads constructed. What's more? The construction cost of these projects have been half to one-third the cost of similar governmental projects in the villages of Rai Bareli and Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

Each government toilet, built under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan costs about Rs 17,000. Compared to this, the evapotranspiration toilet that Marta has brought to the villages costs Rs 9,109. As against government's Rs 4 lakh per 100 meter of interlocking road, Marta's 100meter permeable road costs only Rs 2 lakh.

: "But human life is about hope and how we look at future and what is possible for us. That is why I am doing what I am." says Marta Photo: lifebeyondnumbers

Co-author of books and research papers with various academics, Marta has developed a theory for threepronged strategy on development that integrates the pieces of infrastructure, health and education together. "I wanted a small scale model based on my theory that I could execute.

So I did some research and found that Amethi and Rai Bareily had quite a few active self-help groups. I decided to learn, practice and contribute," Marta told The Times of India.

An Amartya Sen development economics fan, Marta spends her personal resources on all these projects.

She has also set up 27 solar power plants, including two street lights and a mobile charger. One of the only villages in Rae Bareli boasts of being the beneficiary of night light set up by the do-gooder scholar. Marta has also got

French drains built, with rainwater harvesting techniques and has been working on myco-filteration systems for potable water. She has also run literacy programs, written text books on English and organic farming, set up libraries and oversaw a pilot stage of four classrooms. She also runs 'Mera Doctor' a 24x7 doctor-on-call service for free for a year to two villages.

She moved to rural India three years ago thinking that India needed a different approach altogether-"To be an invisible human who makes a difference on the ground."

The result-Marta, a Rutgers University scholar who grew up in Boston, got 82 low-cost evapotranspiration toilets in homes and 1 in a primary school and 10 feet wide 122 meters permeable roads constructed, all at half or onethird the cost of similar governmental projects in the vil-

lages of Rai Bareli and Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. coauthor of books and research papers with various academics, Marta has developed a theory for three-pronged strategy on development that integrates infrastructure, health and education. "I wanted a small scale model based on my theory that I could execute. So I did some research and found that Amethi and Rai Bareily had quite a few active self-help groups. I decided to learn, practice and contribute."

Along with her programme coordinator Pawan Singh in some villages, she has also run literacy programs, written text books on English and organic farming, set up libraries and oversaw a pilot stage of four classrooms. The Rutgers scholar also run telehealth, 'Mera Doctor' a medical facility that offers 24x7 doctor-on-call service for free for a year to two villages.

Having grown up in both under-privileged and privileged classes in the States, Marta says her idea about the difference in the two classes shaped her view of the world.

"The sharp difference was basically due to access or lack of access to opportunity," she believes. The travels through Africa, Middle East, Asia and half a year she spent in Nepal running community service programs after high school confirmed her understanding of the difference in social classes. "But human life is about hope and how we look at future and what is possible for us. That is why I am doing what I am."

Courtesy: timesofindia

"Don't Wear Makeup Often, It's Bad For Your Skin" While we're definitely from the school of which says that your skin deserves to breathe, this rule is certainly outdated. Nowadays, makeup is designed to not clog pores and even contains hydrating ingredients.

Some makeup products also contain SPF, making them perfect to wear all day and protect your skin.

"Don't Moisturize Oily Skin" All oily-skinned girls have definitely been apprehensive about moisturizer at some point or the other.

You're worried about that unappealing shine, and understandably so. Well, contrary to popular belief, skipping moisturizer can actually make your skin oilier in the long run. Moisturizing is never a bad idea for any type of skin as it hydrates it and leaves it supple. Just look for a moisturizer that

is "oil-free" and suits your skin, that's all.

ing.

"Play Up The Eyes Or The Lips, Not Both" Such a common beauty rule that definitely should be broken. Liner, mascara and bright lips look just as gorgeous as smoky eyes and a killer red pout. If you stick to neutral colours on your eyes like brown or taupe, feel free to wear any colour on your lips you wish.

"Match Your Foundation To Your Jawline/ Inner Wrist" No ladies, definitely break this rule the next time you buy makeup. Match your foundation to your neck/ chest than on your jawline or wrists to get a more accurate match. This will help pick a shade that will blend in seamlessly between your face, chest and the rest of your body.

"Don't Mix Scents" Layering scents is actually a great way to experiment with a signature fragrance as well as to make its effects long-lasting. Make sure that the scents you mix have similar notes so as to not make it too overwhelm-

replace moisturizing with it.

"Women Can't Use Men's Products" Surprisingly, so many men's products actually work better than women's.

Using beard wax can tame brows, men's shaving creams/ gels can actually give you smoother legs and their eye creams can work wonders for us too!

Check out some men's products that are surprisingly good for our skin and "Drinking Lots Of Water hair.

Will Make You Glow" "Let Your Nails Drinking water is defi- Breathe" nitely healthy, but your Your nails are made of skin reacts to moisture- dead tissue, they don't heavy products more than breathe. You can keep your the water you drink. So digits coloured as long as drink water, yes, but don't they aren't discoloured

The top 10 highest paid Indian women in business According to several business journals and magazines, Marissa Mayer, Yahoo CEO was one the top female executive in the world. In 2014, she was taking home close to USD 42.1 million. Some of the other world women business leaders were Martine Rothblatt taking home close to USD 31.6 million, 24th in the list of highest paid women Chief Executives, Meg Whitman, USD 19.6 million, 72 on the list Carol Mayrowitz, TJX Companies, ranked 54th and Indra Nooyi of Pepsico USD 19.1 million is ranked 81st. However, India isn't far behind in this competition , here is a list of the highest paid Indian women in business.

1.

Kavery Kalanithi, Managing Director, Sun TV network Possibly one of the highest paid woman in business, Kavery Kalanithi , wife of the media tycoon Kalanithi Maran. This is even after a decline in her pay packet from Rs. 72 crore. As of fiscal year 2014, her total compensated pay package was Rs. 598,900,000. She has also served as the chairman at SpiceJet Limited since 2010 November and as its non-executive director from November 15, 2010 to January 30, 2015.

2.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD, Biocon Ltd The CMD of India's largest publicly traded biopharma organisation, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is in fact, one of the top 100 most powerful woman in the world. In 2014, she was also awarded the Othmer Gold Medal for outstanding contribution to the progress of

science and chemistry. She has been described as the wealthiest self-made woman in India by Forbes magazine. As of fiscal year 2014, her total compensation was Rs. 16,347,463.

3.

Urvi A Piramal, Chairperson Ashok Piramal Group Widowed at 32, Urvi entered the world of business in 1984. She entered a tumultuous phase in the business, after her husband Ashok Piramal, who was heading the family business.

In 2005, after the family business split what Urvi and her sons inherited were a dying texile mill and two engineering companies. The assets, in fact, were with negative networth. However, in seven years flat, she managed to turn the business around. Today, the business interests have diversified in several sectors and by 2012 -2013 her annual salary was Rs. 7.3 crore.

4.

Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO, ICICI Bank.

Since 2005, Chanda Kochhar has consequently been featured in Fortune's list of 'Most Powerful Women in Business.' In 2009, she also ranked 20 in Forbes 'World's 100 Most Powerful Women.' Chanda Kochhar is widely recognised for her role in shaping the retail banking sector in India and for her leadership of the ICICI Group, as well as her contributions to various forums in India and globally. As of 2014, Chanda Kocchar's total compensated packaged was Rs. 52,282,644 5.

Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson, HT India

A former member of the Rajya Sabha, Shobhana Bhartia is the Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group.

When she inherited the business from her father, KK Birla, the media venture wasn't supposed to be a profit-making venture. Today, HT Media is one of the most profitable and successful media businesses in the country. In financial year 2014, Shobhana led the company to a net profit of Rs.155 crore from a Rs. 24 crore the previous year. As of 2014, Shobana was drawing a total compensated package of Rs. 26,880,000 6.

Preetha Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospital Enterprises The Managing Director of one of the largest healthcare conglomerates of the country, Preetha Reddy is believed to be a pioneering businesswoman in the healthcare sector. As of fiscal year 2014, her total compensated package was Rs. 51,110,000. Under her leadership, Apollo along with the Government of India helped introduce the NABH - National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare providers.

7.

Vinita Singhania, Managing Director, JK Lakshmi Cement She has been listed as one of the most powerful women in business in 2013.

Vinita Singhania was also the first woman president of the Cement Manufacturers Association from 2009 to 2012. Her foray into business started after her husband Sripati Singhania's sudden demise in 1998.

Under her leadership JK Lakshmi has shown a 62 per cent jump in profit during 2012-2013. Within five years of taking over, she raised the turnover of the organisation from Rs. 100 crore to 450 crore. As of 2014, Vinita was drawing a package of Rs. 43, 973,000.

8.

Vinita Bali, Britannia Industries While she served as the CEO of Britannia industries from January 2005 to March 2014, she has been ranked among the world's top 50 business women and has also received a Forbes Leadership Award. As of 2014, her package was Rs. 41,083,742.

9.

Renu Sud Karnad, Managing Director, HDFC The MD of HDFC since January 2010, Renu Sud Karnad has played a key role in product development, strategy and budget.

She is considered somewhat as financial expert and has significant expertise in international business. As of 2014, she was drawing a package of Rs. 71,619,159.

10. Suneeta Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Sister of Preetha Reddy, Suneeta Reddy is the Joint MD of Apollo Group of Hospitals. Known for her strong financial acumen, Suneeta is believed to have played a key role in encouraging medical value travellers to Apollo Hospitals.

She also led the Apollo Reach Hospitals Model, which was commended by the World Bank. As of 2014, Suneeta's total compensated package was Rs. 51,840,000 Courtesy: yourstory

cmyk

cmyk

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

PAGE 12

LIVE SCORE: England vs Pakistan - 3rd Test, Day 3, Edgbaston New Delhi, Aug 5: Welcome to our live cricket blog for Day 3 of the 3rd Test between Pakistan and England at Edgbaston. Follow live score and all the latest updates as we bring you ball-by-ball coverage right here.

No risk taking! England begin with a cautious approach, Cook and Hales dealing with the Pakistani bowlers well.

Azhar Ali`s patient century lifted Pakistan to 257 for three and a dominant position on the second day of the third test against England at Edgbaston on Thursday.

Replying to the home team`s 297 all out, Azhar

shared a second-wicket partnership of 181 with Sami Aslam on the way to

an excellent knock of 139 as England endured a frustrating day in the field.

Independence Cup Football Tournament 2016 MIAO Organized by Miao Sub-Division Youth Organization (MSYO) Indrajit Tingwa 5 Aug: The Scorpion Returns registers win in the second round match against Songking A and securing their place in the quarter finals. Scorpion Returns will take on Civil Power FC in the quarters. In the first half

if the match only one goal was scored by Scorpion Returns in the 10th minute.

In the he second half, Scorpion added one more goal through a successful penalty shoot. In the last moments of the match, Songking A netted out their solitary

gaol. Thus Scorpion Returns won with a score of 2 goals to 1 goal of a Songking A. Ball possession was mostly with Songking A throughout the match. Some splendid attempts were

made too by Songking A but could not turn it into goals.

Next the Scorpion Returns take on Civil Power FC in the he quarter finals.

Today, Sri John Pads,SDPO MIAO graced the match as well the chief guest.

Hockey: India aim to bury London hockey horror at Rio IANS Rio de Janerio, Aug 5: A resurgent Indian men's hockey team aims to put behind the humiliation of 2012 Olympics as it opens the Rio Games campaign against Ireland on Saturday with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.

Four summers ago, India's players were happy with the Olympic qualification after the team failed to make the cut for the Beijing Games in 2008. In London, they finished 12th -- the last place in the competition.

With a rich history of eight Olympic gold medals, Indian hockey fans may not be at fault for calling the London campaign a disaster.

But for a team that failed in qualification for Beijing, making it to London was an achievement in itself.

However, the manner of its losses, including one to South Africa, have left a scar in the erstwhile global hockey king's history.

However in the last four years, many things have changed in Indian hockey.

With respectable performances in several world tournaments, India has shown that it can challenge the current hockey superpowers.

Just after the London Games, India's Australian chief coach Michael Nobbs, who helped the country recover from the Beijing noshow shame, left. The team's high performance director Roelant Oltmans guided the team to a silver

medal at the Asian Cup. Another Australian, Terry Walsh came in and phased out ageing veterans from the squad in his aim to make the team best in Asia. At the 2014 World Cup, India didn't qualify for the medal rounds but the margin of their losses to top teams dwindled.

Later, India was crowned Asian Games champions.

The win showed the team's improving fitness levels, capable of adjusting to the modern style, blending its traditional skill-based approach to the modern fitness oriented outlook.

But another coach controversy ensured Walsh's departure, forcing Oltmans to be at the helm again. India performed decently at the 2014 Champions Trophy, losing only to Pakistan in the bronze medal match at Bhubaneswar.

India's hunt for a new fulltime chief coach started, landing Dutchman Paul van Ass who promised to deliver a tactics-oriented game.

Under him, India's upward performance remained intact, flourishing at the Hockey World League (HWL) Semi-Final in June, 2015. But he too made a swift exit, following a tussle with the federation.

Oltmans was back at the helm for the third time and ended India's global medal drought since 1980 Olympics triumph with a bronze against the Netherlands in

the HWL Final in December 2015. It helped India rise to sixth in the global rankings.

This year also has seen India's growth continuing with the rare silver medal finish at the Champions Trophy in London in June.

These wins have meant that India will aim to reach the semi-finals in Rio. Their squad, a mixture of youth and experience, does not get intimidated by the world powers.

They rub shoulders with the world's best players in the cash-rich Hockey India League (HIL) and the experience has plenty to do with the rise of the team.

Captain P.R. Sreejesh will be goalkeeper, while the defenders Rupinder Pal Singh and V.R. Raghunath have big roles to play -along with their drag-flicking duties.

Sardar Singh, one of the best midfielders of the current generation, may have been seen the captain's armband snatched from him due to off-field issues, but will remain India's lynchpin as per as dictating the pace of game is concerned.

Manpreet Singh's performance will also be crucial.

Among the frontmen, S.V. Sunil will hope to rise to the occasion and lead a band of young attackers -Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Nikkin Thimmaiah.

Birendra Lakra, who has been ruled out due to knee injury.

India are now fifth in the rankings and are clubbed with with the Netherlands, two-time defending champions Germany, Argentina, Canada and Ireland in Group B. The top four teams will enter the quarterfinals.

The other group features reigning world champions Australia, Britain, Belgium, New Zealand, Spain and hosts Brazil.

While Australia will aim to capture the Olympic title to complete a rare double of holding both the world and the Games title at the same time, Germany will look to dismiss the fears that the days of its "Golden Generation" are over.

The Olympic Games will mark the final tournament for five-time World Player of the Year Jamie Dwyer of Australia and the 2004 champion will aim to go on a high.

The Netherlands will aim to end the title heartbreak of London Games and World Cup losses in the finals. For Britain and Belgium, it is a case of bridging the gap between the top three teams.

Moreover, the rejigged format which will see an extra round of quarter-finals will make the competition more exciting and it might help mid-ranked teams like India.

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams lead history charge in Rio Jose Mourinho hints at Paul

Pogba's arrival; Manchester United to close the deal soon

Rio de Janeiro, Aug 5: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams lead a charge for Olympics history from Saturday which will help lift the gloom caused by a raft of pullouts from the Rio tournament.

World number one Djokovic can complete the Golden Slam by adding a maiden gold medal to a sweep of the four majors he achieved at the French Open in June.

Defending champions Murray and Serena Williams, the injury-hit Rafael Nadal and Venus Williams are all in a position to become the first players to win more than one singles gold since tennis returned to the Games in 1988.

Top seed Djokovic appears to have the toughest task when he faces Juan Martin del Potro in his opener on Saturday.

The Serb was defeated by the giant Argentine in straight sets in the bronze medal match four years ago.

Djokovic has an 11-3 record against Del Potro, although the two have not met for three years.

Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, comes into Rio with a world ranking of 145 having been as high as four in 2011 before his career was almost ended by four wrist operations.

"This match is going to be completely different. My game is not as good as I played four years ago," said Del Potro.

Djokovic said he never had

Only one regular who will miss the Games is defender

any intention of pulling out of Rio where five of the world`s top 10 -- Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic, Tomas Berdych and Dominic Thiem -- will be missing.

"It`s my number one goal.

It would mean the world to me to crown my career with gold, it would rank as one of my highest achievements," said Djokovic.

Murray, too, always intended to play even though he has not set foot on a tennis court competitively since winning a second Wimbledon in July.His Olympics victory in 2012 set the foundation for his eventual Grand Slam breakthrough.

After downing Federer for gold, he went on to become the first British man to win a Grand Slam singles title in 76 years when he triumphed at the US Open.

The 29-year-old has backed that up with the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon titles.

"It was great winning

Wimbledon but time to move on now and focus on this event and the next few months," said the Scot.

Murray, who is Britain`s flag-bearer at Friday`s opening ceremony, starts his campaign on Sunday against gritty Viktor Troicki of Serbia.

Nadal, the 2008 champion in Beijing, had to sit out the 2012 Games with a knee injury -- a withdrawal which also meant he had to cede flag-bearing duties.

The Spaniard will get a second opportunity on Friday to lead his team into the opening ceremony before facing Argentina`s Federico Delbonis in the first round.

Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam title winner, admitted his best medal chance may be in the doubles where he is playing with Marc Lopez and mixed with Garbine Muguruza.

Serena Williams, fresh from a seventh Wimbledon title which took her level with Steffi Graf`s Open era

record of 22 majors, won her first Olympic singles gold in London and then teamed up with Venus for the doubles title.

The sisters had also won doubles gold in Sydney in 2000 and Beijing eight years later.

The only blot on Serena`s Games record was having to miss the 2004 Olympics in Athens with a left knee injury.

"I just don`t see a time when I say I don`t want to do this anymore. I always give my maximum and that`s what I bring to the court," said the 34-year-old America who faces Russian-born Daria Gavrilova of Australia in the first round.

Venus, the 2000 champion, is seeded fifth and meets Belgium`s Kirsten Flipkens.

At 36, she will be the oldest player in an Olympics tennis event since its reintroduction in 1988. (AFP)

England, Aug 5: Jose Mourinho expressed confidence on Friday that Manchester United will sign Paul Pogba in time for the Premier League season and criticised rival managers` reactions to the mooted world-record transfer.

United and Juventus are believed to be putting the finishing touches to a deal for the France midfielder expected to exceed ÂŁ100 million ($130.4 million, 117.7 million euros).

Mourinho described other managers, such as Liverpool`s Jurgen Klopp and Arsenal`s Arsene Wenger, as "unethical" for talking openly about the Pogba fee and questioning his colossal price tag.

Whatever the validity of their claims, Pogba`s arrival at Old Trafford appears imminent and Mourinho is hopeful that his squad will be complete in time for United`s trip to Bournemouth a week on Sunday.

"Yes, we have 22 players and we are going to have 23," said Mourinho when asked if a signing was close.

"I don`t like to speak about other clubs or players from other clubs. Other managers like to do that. They like to speak about my club and my players.

"I am very pragmatic on this. All that matters is what happens in my house and not in my neighbour`s house."Paul Pogba is a Juventus player until he isn`t, officially, so we stay

like this. The market closes on August 31, but I think my club is trying to do everything to close our market before the 14th.

"Normally, next week, we will have our squad closed."

Wenger described the potential Pogba fee as "completely crazy", while Klopp said he wanted no involvement in such an inflated transfer market -- comments that clearly did not sit well with United`s manager.

"I only speak about us," said Mourinho. "I heard already two of my colleagues from other clubs speaking about us. I do not like that. It is not ethical."He added: "There are things I do that (people say) are not ethical and when others do it, everything is normal, nobody says that. I do not speak about the others. They can do what they want.

"Our market was good. We made decisions -- decided to bring four players, not 10 -- that are Man United level.

Four that we think can really improve the squad and not just be one more. This is the profile of our market.

"A young defender that needs time to be a top one, but who has top potential.

A creative player that we know the quality (of).

"A super striker, and we are going to get a very good midfield player. We try for balance. I am happy with my squad. I am happy with the effort of the club. The others, it is their problem."

With those signings -- in order, Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic -- already in at United ahead of Pogba, certain players will find themselves surplus to requirements under Mourinho.

One of those is thought to be Germany veteran Bastian Schweinsteiger, with reports Mourinho has discarded the respected midfielder, opening the United manager up to criticism.

"It is the same as in every club in the world," said Mourinho when asked about Schweinsteiger.

"The manager decides his squad and chooses a certain number of players to face the season. That is it.

"I normally like to work with 20 players, plus the three goalkeepers, which is what I have done for 15 years, because we have so many players.

"But at the same time we have so many competitions and especially the Europa League. That is a competition that changes a lot at the start of the season, with 15 matches and playing on the Thursday.

"There is a big risk of a lot of travel. You play Premier League on Sundays. I made the decision to be with 23, plus three goalkeepers, which is still a lot. I had to make my decisions. It is simple." (AFP)

Printed, Published and Owned by NIKH KHOPI and Printed at PEE GEE(India) Ltd., C/O Asomiya Khabar Pulibor, Jorhat-785006 and Published from T.C Borah Building, 1st Floor, Next to Sankardeva Hospital, Mancotta Road, Chowkidingee Dibrugarh-786001, Assam. Email: editor.easterntoday@gmail.com. For advertisement: advt.easterntoday@gmail.com

Editorial Adviser: Subir Bhaumik

Editor: Ripunjoy Das

cmyk

cmyk

Tele : Dibrugarh, 0373-2328944, for circulation contact: 8471896580, Telephone & Fax: 0373-2328944.