07 July, 2016, Thursday

Vol. II

Issue 19

WOMEN'S KABADDI LEAGUE: FIREBIRDS HOLD STORM QUEENS TO THRILLING DRAW

Dibrugarh, Thursday, July 7, 2016

Doomdooma , July 6 : During his visit to Tinsukia district , the chief minister of Assam Sarbanand Sonowal conducted a meeting at Digboi India Club and gave clear instruction to the officers . He also instructed to the Deputy Commissioner Puru Gupta to take action against irregularities .

In the wake of the instruction , the Doomdooma Forest officer along with forest preservation troops took action and sealed an illegal sand mining spot at Badlabhata near Doomdooma and seized a sand loaded truck bearing the number AS23AC9828. A case has also been registered (Correspondent)

Eid-ul-Fitr to be celebrated across the country on Thursday Guwahati, 6 July: Eid-ulFitr, which marks the culmination of the fasting and holy month of Ramzan, will be celebrated across the country on Thursday. As this lunar month was of 30 days, fasting by Muslims will automatically be over on July 7, the day on which Eid will be celebrated. The Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, also announced that the Eid will be celebrated on July 7.

Markets in Guwahati are wearing a festive look as people are busy shopping for Eid-ul-Fitr which will be celebrated this week to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramzan. Most families start the preparations almost two weeks before Eid where they buy dresses for themselves with matching shoes and jewellery. (Staff Reporter)

P.G. Agarwal One Man Commission Inquiry Extended to Inquire of Bogus F.I.Cards Dispur, July 6: The Government of Assam has extended the term of One Man Commission of Inquiry headed by Justic P.G. Agarwal Retd.Judge of Guwahati High Court, Guwahati, to inquire into the matter of circulation of huge number of bogus F.I.Cards upto 31st July, 2016 or till the submission of its report, whichever is earlier. (ET Bureau)

2 woman peddlers arrested Dibrugarh, Jul 6: Rohima Begum and Renu Begum were arrested today by Dibrugarh police with 65 small packets of brown from her possession. Police said that they have arrested the woman from her resident at Maalipatty in Dibrugarh.

As per statement, she purchased the drugs from Renu Begum and planning to go to Moran to sale the drugs. The arrest of Renu Begum is a big success for Dibrugarh police. (Staff Reporter)

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CM PM Modi neglected Assam during Arunachal releases funds cabinet expansion, says CM Tarun Gogoi ET Bureau Itanagar, July 6

Tuesday.

A Staff Reporter Guwahati, July 6

Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday criticized the expansion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's council of ministers, saying Assam has been neglected in the process.

"There should have been at least two ministers, including at least one cabinet minister, from Assam considering the mandate the BJP had received from the people of Assam," Gogoi said.

"This is perhaps the first government at the Centre which had only one minister and not even a minister of cabinet rank," he added while addressing a press conference in Assam's main city Guwahati.

"How can the wishes and aspirations of the people of Assam be placed at the Cabinet meetings of the central government," Gogoi asked, adding that Assam was largely ignored during the ministry expansion by Modi on

Gogoi also took a dig at the BJP-led Assam state government for its decisions to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) on 127 items and to withdraw the subsidy on petrol and diesel, and said this will hit the people of the state hard.

"The BJP had campaigned of 'achche din' during the elections but are these good days that people of Assam are witnessing," he asked. "Where is the 'achche din' promised by them? I admit that we had failed to control the price-rise, but why has the BJP failed to do so as well," Gogoi said.

"We have failed and so people did not vote for us.

They voted for the BJP, expecting better days and the state government is doing just the opposite," he said, adding that although the chief minister had instructed the state machinery to contain price rise, the administration and bureaucrats have failed so far.

"The BJP government at the Centre had also claimed to

have abolished the illegal toll gates in different parts of the state. However, the price-rise is continuing and now the government has increased the VAT which will further increase the price rise," Gogoi added.

Focus on Railway safety, NE connectivity, says new Union Minister of State, Rajen Gohain from Assam

He also slammed the NDA government at the Centre over the proposed sale of 12 oilfields in Assam and said that the move will harm the state.

"Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan himself admitted that there is a probability of getting 21 million tonnes of oil in the 12 oilfields. If it is so, then why the same had not been explored earlier? And if there are 21 MMT of oil there, how can these be marginalised oil fields," Gogoi questioned.

"If there is so much of oil, the Centre should have taken up steps to explore those oilfields by the public sector companies. This is a conspiracy to hand over the oil fields to private parties and this will affect the interest of Assam," he added.

Newly inducted Minister of State for Railways, Rajen Gohain PTI New Delhi, July 6

Safety of passengers, improving amenities and expansion of rail connectivity in the entire North-East will be top priority for the new

Increase in the tax rate will not increase in Price ET Bureau Guwahati, July 6

The State Government has effected some changes in tax structure effected vide Notifications issued by Finance (Taxation) Department on 4th July, 2016.

It has been reported in certain sections of media that essential commodities like sugar, pulses have been made taxable through recent amendments.

The attention of public and tax payers is drawn to the fact that essential commodities like paddy, rice, wheat, dal (pulses), sugar, salt, atta, maida, suji, besan, sago, bread, unstitched textile fabrics are all exempt from tax under the Assam VAT Act. No tax changes have been made in respect of these items.

With regard to increase in tax rate on items of mass consumption, it is stated that out of 131 items in second schedule, on which tax rate has been moderately increased from 5% to 6%, many items

including medicines are governed by Maximum Retail Price (MRP) system.

Hence, 1% increase in tax rate will not cause any increase in prices as the consumer will continue to pay the same MRP and hence will not put any additional burden of tax on the consumer. There will not create any inflationary impact on the common man and consumers as the MRP of these goods is not changed. Further it is also a fact that in the MRP fixed by a manufacturer, there always remains a margin to absorb any moderate tax hike.

Out of 131 items, declared Goods like iron & steel, coal, steel pipe, jute, oil-seeds, hide & skin will continue to be taxed at 5% as these items are covered by central Sales tax Act, 1956. This apart, more than 13 items out of 131 items were removed earlier from the second schedule. Other than above items, tax-rate on other commodities have not been touched/ changed.

(Janasanyog)

LED project inaugurates, 7000 streets lights to be replaced in Dibrugarh

AJYCP burns CM Sonowal's effigy over price rise Spl correspondent Tinsukia, July 6

The decision of Assam government to increase VAT by 1 percent on schedule 2 goods has drawn criticism and flank from all corners. Continuing its ante up against government over price rise of essential commodities earlier, Asom Jatiyatavadi Yuva Chatra Parishadon (AJYCP) on Wednesday burned effigy of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal here at thana charali in the town.

Members of the organization

alleged that despite steep price rise of essential comodities by some corrupt businessman in nexus with government officials, this BJP government has failed to be down price.

Instead of going for an all out crackdown on such business houses and corrupt officials to reduce the burden of price rise on common man, this government has further increased prices of several goods including medicines and other household necessary goods and so on by increasing vat tax by 1 percent which is very unfortunate, added the protestors.

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, July 6

The Dibrugarh Municipal Board (DMB) is going to replace all existing 7000 street lights to LED. The project was inaugurated at Thana Chariali

by MLA Prashanta Phukan in presence of MLA Rituparna Baruah here today.

The Executive Officer of Dibrugarh Municipal Board, Mr Dipu Kr Deka signed an

agreement with Energy Efficiency Service Ltd (EESL), a joint venture company of PSUs of Ministry of Power, Government of India on June 28, 2016.

“No additional investment will be made. About 83% of the saving to be generated after installation of LED will have to be paid to EESL for Seven years monthly installments,’’ said Anuradha Dey, Chairman of DMB.

Contd. on Page 4

This decision has been taken considering the very old rate of stipends that the ITI and Craft Centre Trainees of the state were receiving for the last many years and needed a must upward revision. This measure will go a long way to encourage the unemployed youths to undergo basic skill development trainings in ITI and Govt Craft Centres so as to make them self-employable and elligible for various govt and private jobs after completion of the training course. It will also encourage youths to learn basic traditional methods of arts, crafts and handlooms making in the Govt Craft Centres which is in diminishing trend among the youths today.

For this purpose, the Chief Minister who is also the State Finance Minister released an

Taking cognizance of the long hours working conditions of the drivers and their low pay scale, Chief Minister approved the pay up gradation of govt drivers from existing Grade Pay of Rs 1900 to Rs 2400 in PB – I to Rs 5200-20200 at par with the post of LDC/SK. However, the enhancement of ration money of police personnel and the pay up gradation of drivers shall be placed before the State Cabinet for final approval.

DC terms DDSE’s statement as false, enquiry instituted Bill withdrawal with fake work completion row Maksam Tayeng Pasighat, July 6

While taking serious note of the alleged misuse of government funds meant for school repairing and maintenance, the Dy. Commissioner has initiated an enquiry against the DDSE, O. Panor while terming his statement of clarification as false.

As informed to this reporter today afternoon through DIPRO on the alleged fund misuse, DC Isha Khosla has ensured for a proper investigation into the matter to unearth the truth. After the complaint lodged by All Bogong Students’ Union (E) yesterday, wherein bill withdrawal without practically carrying out the work were alleged against a contractor who is said to have said that, the fund of school repairing was given to him by DDSE as friend for tea, the Dy.

Commissioner swung into action and directed for proper enquiry and investigation into the matter. However, on his defense, DDSE, Panor who is presently on leave has categorically said that, some bigwig (political leaders) must be behind to trouble him. But I am ready to be investigated as I have done nothing wrong from my side, added Panor.

For repairing and maintenance of various ageing schools under East Siang District, the department of education, government of Arunachal Pradesh had sanctioned a fund of around Rs. 1 crore during the financial year 2015-16 which was allocated to various local contractors after a board approval. However, many school has now reported of not getting the repairing or maintenance and funds are said to been siphoned off by contractors without practically carrying out the work. The

more interesting part of the row is that, the work completion photographs submitted at office for drawing bill was computer edited whitened wall which appears like white wash was done.

Out of sheer greed, contractors are not even hesitating to draw bills with zero work. At least if not 50%, 20-30% of work wouldn’t have invited these much of embarrassment. Since the schools are ours, the children studying therein are ours, then we shouldn’t be too greedy while carrying out contractual works in our respective schools. We always talks about development, we yawns for better infrastructures, but our own people, be he is a legislator or a bureaucrat or an engineer or a contractor, we don’t hesitates to loot the developmental money meant for our progress and development in the forms of schools, roads, electricity, etc.

Students Union gave ultimatum to retain a DC, Deputy CM warns not to poke their nose in Govt functioning government employees in the interest of public services.

ET Bureau Itanagar, July 6

LED Street lights

Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, who took charge here today.

"I am from North-East.

These states are hilly region.

So getting rail connectivity in the region is a difficult task,

Continuing with the welfare measures to improve the economic conditions of the people, the Govt of Arunachal Pradesh in its Cabinet Meeting on May 19 last had approved the enhancement of stipend of ITI and Govt Craft Centres Trainees from existing Rs 550 per month to Rs 3000 per month.

amount of Rs 58.48 lakhs as per BE 2016-17 out of total fund allocation of Rs 311.76 lakhs and said to incorporate the remaining amount in the Revised Estimate of 2016-17.

This enhancement of stipend at present will benefit 866 trainees in the state.

As per the commitment during his budget speech, Chief Minister also approved for enhancement of ration money of police personnel from existing Rs 300/- per month to Rs 1000/ - per month which was taken in recognition of the dedicated and selfless service of Police Personnel. The enhancement will benefit 11,701 police personnel from constables up to rank of Sub-Inspector of the state Police Department.

In a sharp reaction, Deputy Chief Minister, Kameng Dolo, who is also the local legislator from 12th Pakke-Kessang Assembly Constituency has break his stoic silence over the ultimatum served to the state government on retention of ADC, Seijosa

by Arunachal Pradesh Anti Corruption Students Union (AAPACSU).

Quoting relevant rules, Dolo said the state government has a final take

Deputy Chief Minister, Kameng Dolo

on the decision of transfer and posting of civil servants before completion of prescribed tenure. He further said it is the prerogative of a state government to effect transfer and posting of

Sending loud messages to the Student leaders, Deputy Chief Minister, Dolo said, it is none of the business of student organizations to poke their nose in the matter of government functioning.

They should confine to the welfare activities of the student community.

“Transfer and posting is a normal routine of the state government” Dolo emphatically said that the state government would not tolerate such type of

threatening.

Sensing some political interest behind the whole issue, Dolo claimed that some disgruntled people have been instigating the student organization that did not want to see positive development in the area.

I am always open to the positive and constructive suggestions for the changes and development in my constituency. Development comes by teamwork, which must be sufficed with the long-term holistic approach towards development, Dolo asserted.

Seijosa is known for the bad condition of law and order due to presence of outside disturb elements and often reported border disputes with the neighboring states. In view of such situation, some time, its required High Ranking Official Level dialogue, where the representation of senior most officers is urgently called for to make presence felt and heard the grievances of the people, Dolo said. We need senior and experienced administrator to be posted at Seijosa, who could attend the needs of people at call of duty, he added.

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DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, JULY 7

PAGE 2

ASTRO FOR YOU Aries You can make a difference to others' lives. Considerate and thoughtful, today, you will be treasured more than ever as a boss, colleague, parent or beloved. Utilise this exchange of energy to sort out difficult issues.

Taurus Today, your mind shifting from your professional affairs and drifting, time and again, towards your home and family. You are likely to return home early and get happily engrossed in discussing pressing domestic issues with your family members. This will possibly be followed by a festive evening filled with fun and laughter. You're going to devote the whole day to your home and family and will be inclined to do little else.

Gemini You will be lost in the memories of the past today. You will be in a nostalgic frame of mind.

Intellectual pursuits will attract you. Do not let your past lay a shadow upon your present and your future.

Cancer The day shall find you in buoyant spirits.. As you are feeling lively and full of beans, you will not mind slogging it out, even if in some mindless activities or chores. It is a perfect day for activities like gardening, cooking, baking and even for a nice house warming gettogether. Evening stars encourage you to go all out and splurge - emotion-wise, moneywise or time-wise - on your sweetheart!

Leo The trader in you comes to the fore today. With an impeccable eye for recognising profitable avenues, you will quickly spot opportunities that arise from buying goods at cheaper prices, and selling them off at a rate that leaves you with a lump sum profit. Start with small transactions, and treat each transaction with care before you plunge into bigger ventures, like the Bull-n-Bear tussle of the stock markets.

Virgo There is a strong indication that you will dabble in writing or performing arts, and emerge with excellent results. Since these are your passions, you may cultivate hobbies in these fields, if they are not already your profession. Enjoy the power you have over people today as you grip them with sweet words, swinging to your whims.

Libra You will spend time with your family members by putting them above other commitments.

There may be plans made to go out for dinner or for a short excursion with them. Health of a close relative may be a cause of concern for you today.

Scorpio The target is locked in and the arrow is shot. It is only a matter of time before Cupid celebrates and hits the bull's eye and you find yourself in the mush of things. Sentiments and romance will be the order of the day. There is a good chance that marriage proposals or new relationships will find their footing today.

Sagittarius The way you keep your interests alive will keep your mind occupied. Leisure activities and by-lines will by-pass the mundane routine today.. Pamper yourself by doing what you like, be it gardening, cooking or even plain old reading.

Capricorn New projects and partnership will keep you busy today.If a meeting is scheduled, you may be praised vociferously for your ability to make the right decision at the right time. You may also bag rewards for the commendable efforts you'd put in the past.

Aquarius If you are an astrologer, doctor or a spiritual leader, today is a favourable day for you.

Those who may want to challenge you must reconsider the thought of testing your strengths.

Doing charity work, helping the needy, and working for humanitarian causes give you a feeling of contentment. Today, it will be one of those extremely fulfilling days.

Pisces An action-packed day awaits you, busy as you will be corresponding with old contacts, telephonic interviews, organising meetings and scheduling tasks. Do not forget to breathe!

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

5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti (Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-15 A.M-Classical Music 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali (Assamese Modern Song) 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi 9-05 A.M-Antara 12-30 P.M-Gharjeuti 2-30 P.M-Dopahar Samachar 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 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 Anushthan 7-15 P.M-Yuvavani 7-45 P.M-Sponsored Programme-"Ei Poth Hoise Bikashor" 8-00 P.M-Gyanmalini (Sponsored Programme of D.D.E.,Dibrugarh University) 8-30 P.M-Aapuni Sajag Ne? 9-16 P.M-Barerahaniya 10-00 P.M- Classical Music Sd-/H.O.P

Name Change This is to inform to all concern that I have changed my name from I N D R A AGARWAL to K A V I T A CHOWDHARY vide Affidavit No. 14247 dated 06.07.2016

ET Correspondent Bokajan, July 6: The decision of the new BJP led alliance government in the state to revise VAT schedule by 1% has sparked off protest in many places across the state where hundreds of student activists from Karbi Anglong district unit of AASU carried out a torch light rally in protest against the price hike at Bokajan in East Karbi Anglong.

The move is further expected to hike prices of atleast 127 commodities under 2nd schedule of Assam Value Added Tax Act, 2005. The commodities include sugar, medicines, LPG cylinders,

petrol, diesel, cable/DTH, automobile spares, CFL bulbs etc.

"This is a conspiracy to shift the burden of Rs 10,000 crore liability inherited by the government on the shoulders of the common man", said Bedanta Saikia, Central Executive Member, AASU.

AASU holds torch rally against the revised VAT schedule and price hike in Karbi Anglong

Social service held at Yomcha Aalo, July 6: A massive social service was conducted under the banner of Mother’s Vision lead by Bage Yomgam and Luksa Gamlin in collaboration with District Administration and PRI within Yomcha Town on 3rd July last. The entire stretch of Yomcha ADC HQ was cleaned on the day. The ADC Yomcha Rujum Raksap, ZPM Shri Yiyom Yomcha, HODs, PRI members, Public, Youths and students communities took keen part in the said social service.

(DIPRO)

Doomdooma forest department seizes illegal sand mine ET Correspondent Doomdooma, July 6: During his visit to Tinsukia district, the chief minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, conducted a meeting at Digboi India Club and gave clear instruction to take action against irregularities.

Meanwhile, following the barbaric terror attacks the scheduled 7th social business day to be held in the Bangladesh capital city on 28-29 July has been postponed. Yunus Centre, which functions as Prof Yunus’s secretariat in Dhaka, said in a statement that all activities related to the social business day were cancelled. “I express my

In the wake of the instruction, the Doomdooma Forest officer along with forest preservation troops took action and sealed an illegal sand mining spot at Badlabhata and a sand loaded truck bearing number- AS-23-AC-9828.

A case has also been registered.

AISF burns effigy of CM Sonowal

ET Bureau Guwahati, July 6: Governor of Assam, Hon’ble P B Acharya inaugurated the Sainik Bhawan cum Community Hall at Mangaldoi recently in presence of more than 500 members from ExServicemen Community, which includes War Widows, War Disabled, Ex-Servicemen & Widows.

diture towards the project was Rs. 74.0 lac. This complex, which is one of the best in the District HQs, would not only benefit the Ex Servicemen but also be an asset to the District of Darrang. This Community Hall has been designed in such a manner that it can be converted in to a temporary Hospital or a shelter during calamities or any emergencies.

ders of our country and allowing the society to grow and prosper in peaceful atmosphere. He spoke about the sacrifices of soldiers who have laid their lives for the country. He exhorted the community to lend support to war widows and their families in their hardships.

AISF burns effigy of CM Sonowal in Golaghat.

ET Correspondent Golaghat, July 6: Due to the sudden increase of tax percentage in essential commodities, the All India Students Federation Golaghat District Unit burned the effigy of Assam CM, Sarbananda

Sonowal, in the heart of Golaghat town here today.

Rathyatra celebrated in Dibrugarh

No hindrance will be tolerated in establishment of AIIMS, says Ajit Bora

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Jul 6: Sri Sri Jagannath Cultural trust today organised Rathyatra at Sri Sri Jagannath Temple in Khanikar, Mancotta. Thousands of devotes thronged the temple premises from the morning and pulled the Rath with rope. The people of Dibrugarh celebrated the Rathyatra with great enthusiasm.

The temple was built in the year 2014 and Pran Pratistha Mahotsav was held on 4, 5 and 6 Dec, 2014 in a three days long festivities. Late Assam Governor Janaki Ballabh Patnayak was a moving force behind construction of the landmark temple at Dibrugarh which is gradually becoming a tourist hub for the people of northeast.

In addition, the Governor lauded the role of Ex-soldiers in protecting the bor-

Synchronsing with the occasion the Governor also distributed welfare and rehabilitation items to the War Widows and aged members of the Ex Servicemen community.

Large numbers of devotees take part at the Jagannath Rathyatra organized by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Guwahati. Pic - UB Photos

Prof Yunus reacts to terror attacks, Dhaka social business day postponed NJ Thakuria Guwahati, July 6: The lone Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus expressed shock at the barbarity of the terrorists, who killed 20 hostages and two Bangladeshi police officers in cold blood at Dhaka’s Holey Artisan Bakery on 1 July evening and pleaded for a new world of equality and dignity.

While talking to The Eastern Today, Tridip Bora, AASU, KADC secretary said, "If government officials do not take any affective measure to curb price hike, than we will take intense agitation in near future."

Governor inaugurates Sainik Bhawan cum Community Hall in Mangaldoi

The Community Hall was constructed by the Army and later developed in to a multipurpose hall by the Sainik Board. Total expen-

7-7-16 (THURSDAY)

Advt.

AASU holds torch rally against the revised VAT schedule and price hike in Karbi Anglong

heartfelt condolences to those, far and near, who have lost their loved ones and wish their souls to rest in peace,” said Prof Yunus, the economist turned asocial thinker, who was honoured with Nobel peace award in 2006 along with his creation Grameen Bank of Bangladesh.

The nurturer of microfinance and the architect of

social business initiatives around the globe uttered dismay that ‘such attacks taking place in Bangladesh’ as Prof Yunus ‘always believed Bangladesh to be a tolerant liberal country’.

“We must do soul searching on how this breeding of violence began in our country. We want to create a society peacefully shared by everyone, with everyone having their space, having

the right for all to express their views freely, without fear or social or official constraints,” asserted Prof Yunus.

Arguing that violence, military or terrorist, can no longer be contained in one country or region, Prof Yunus appealed to all nations to work to bring lasting peace in the Middle East. “We are seeing this

everyday and must wake up to the fact that violence in one place breeds violence even in remotest places of the world,” stated the global social leader adding, “I plead to the powerful nations please overcome differences among yourselves to bring peace in the Middle East so we have better chances of peace in our cities and communities around the world.”

Many activist of the organization took part in the protest and criticized the government using anti-slogans.

ET Correspondent Golaghat, July 6: All Assam OBC Students Association has warned everyone and asked not to indulge in any sort of politics in establishment of AIIMS. The President, Ajit Bora and Secretary Himanta Saikia said, "AIIMS may allowed to establish anywhere in Assam and no hindrance or obstruction will be tolerated in its establishment." They further have asked the members of OBC to be united and demanded the government and administration to provide them with their constitutional rights.

Preetom Saikia Appointed as Chairperson of Assam State Film (Finance & Development) Corporation ET Bureau Dispur, July 6: In exercise of powers conferred under Article 14 (a) of Memorandum of Association and Article of Association of Assam State Film (Finance & Development) Corporation, the Governor of Assam has appointed Sri. Preetom Saikia, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary to the Govt. of Assam, Cultural Affairs Department as Chairperson of the Assam State Film (Finance & Development) Corporation with immediate effect in place of Ms. Bobeeta Sarma (resigned) until further order.

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, JULY 7

PAGE 3

Pasighat celebrates Dree with gaiety and fanfare Pasighat, July 6: The biggest festival of Apatani community “Dree” was celebrated on Tuesday at Engo Takar Cultural Hall, Pasighat with gaiety and fanfare. Local MLA Kaling Moyong graced the occasion as Chief Guest while ABK (ES) President Okom Yosung and DC Isha Khosla joined the festival as Guest of Honour and Special Guest respectively.

Greeting the gathering on the auspicious occasion, Chief Guest and local MLA Kaling Moyong said “Dree” is one of the most colourful and socio-religious festivals of Apatani community, observed throughout the State with age-old culture and traditional value and enthusiasm. Such festivals bring all the sections of society together irrespective of caste, creed and religion and promote peace and harmony.

All the festivals in Arunachal were related to agriculture and well-being of all human beings and animals adding that festivals fostered love, happiness and peace. Urging the people not to leave any room for levity in protection and preservation of the age-old

heritage, the MLA further stated that it was an important vehicle to carry forward the essence of our socio-cultural identity. He profusely appreciated the initiative and efforts of celebration committee led by Vice Chairman Er. Duyu Tacho and Secretary Nada Apa for their efforts to preserve the age-old culture and tradition stating that observing such indigenous festivals in true spirit. It would help the

younger generation in knowing their age-old cultural heritage, he pointed.

people to extend cooperation to uphold the feelings of unity and integrity.

Participating in the festival as guest of honour ABK (ES) President Okom Yosung exhorted the younger generation to carry forward this legacy by actively involving themselves in such celebrations so that they could learn and keep the tradition alive. He fervently appealed to the

Vice Chairman Er. Duyu Tacho read out the Mythology associated with Dree while Secretary Nada Apa also spoke and shared his views. The day-long program was marked by various cultural presentation and “Daminda dance” enthralled audience.

(DIPRO)

Special care and attention are essential for mentally retarded children: Ering Pasighat, July 6: Special care and attention are essential for mentally retarded children to cop up with people around; stated Loksabha MP Ninong Ering while gracing a two-day mentally retarded childcare camp, organized by DD (ICDS) Pasighat Ponung Ering Angu. It was sponsored by the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (NIMH), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (GoI), Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh yesterday at JN College lower campus auditorium, Pasighat where JNC Principal Dr. T Talom and VP Dr. Chowdhury were also present on the occasion.

In his inaugural speech, Chief Guest Ering appreciated the noble efforts of Principal S. Ganesh of NIMH and said children labeled as such need special care to overcome social, intellectual and physical disabilities. Mental retardation is a developmental disability that could appear from the very birth of a child and proper handling and treatment could make such to live self sufficiently.

NIMH’s endeavor is to excel the building capacities to empower persons with men-

Parliamentary secretary conducts inspection of civil works ET Correspondent Namsai, July 6: Chau Zingnu Namchoom, Parliamentary Secretary Tax and Excise, Textile and handicraft who is also the local MLA visited the ongoing construction site of working women hostel in Namsai.

R.K. Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Namsai , Chaw Kyasing Munglang, ZPC Namsai, C.S. Namchoom, EE, PWD, C.J Mannou, EE, WRD and C.M Chowpoo, ZPM, Namsai were accompanied with the Parliamentary secretary . Zingnu Namchoom expressed his satisfaction on the quality of ongoing construction work.

He appeal to the concerned executive agency to ensure timely completion of much needed working women hostel which will immensely help the District Administration to provide safe accommodation for a

One day training on NERPAP for EROs and BLOs held at Pasighat Pasighat, July 6: One day training on NERPAP for EROs and BLOs was held at the DC’s conference hall, Pasighat yesterday. The training was imparted by R Pertin, AERO, 38 Pasighat East. The twin objectives of NERPAP were presented and discussed.

Improvement in the health of Electoral Rolls and standardization and optimization of polling stations were also presented. Part and section, boundary demarcation on GIS were also shown.

The AERO also stressed on proper implementation of NERPAP, 2016 for errorfree electoral rolls.

(DIPRO)

Loksabha MP Ninong Ering while gracing a two-day mentally retarded childcare camp, organized by DD (ICDS) Pasighat Ponung Ering Angu tal retardation. Since the quality of life of every person with mental retardation is equal to other citizens in the country, in that they live independently to the maximum extent possible and through constant professional endeavors, he added.

NIMH empowers the persons with mental retardation to access the state of the art rehabilitation intervention viz educational, therapeutic, vocational, employment, leisure and social activities etc informed the MP in his address. He distributed TLM (Teaching Learning Material) kits to the parents and advised them to avail optimum benefits out of the camp.

Chairman of the inaugural function ZPC Kaling Dai told the attending parents that a retarded child should never feel that he/she is neglected or avoided in his family. Help him/her to be a part of family occasions and let him/her live in touch with the outer world. A retarded child should never feel that he/she is neglected or avoided in his family.

Help him/her to be a part of family occasions and live in touch with the outer world.

DC Isha Khosla said the term “mental retardation” is often misunderstood.

People often think that retardation happens only

when the person is below normal intelligence and that retarded person is unable to learn to care for themselves.

However, most children with mental retardation can learn a great deal, and as adults can even lead partially independent lives.

Parents can make significant changes in the lives of retarded children by giving an extra share of love, care and concern to retarded children, she opined.

Khosla advised to allow the child with mental retardation to stay in the family and take part in community life to learn and pick up himself; even though slowly.

(DIPRO)

large number of ladies working in different establishment in the Namsai District. Chaw Kyasing Munglang, ZPC Namsai requested to the Parliamentary Secretary to take up the matter with the concerned department/ministry for early clearance of various

Reprimanding the erring police officer, Deputy Chief Minister, Dolo said his act of collecting money from police personnel residing in campus is damaging the

image of the State Government. “Why did you collected money, when the State Government has accorded top most priority to police department for its overall development,” he rued saying that such an act is never expected from a responsible government servant demeaning the established procedures.

While inspecting around the Firing range, police barracks, quarters to take stock of the infrastructures and other facilities available within police campus, Dolo instructed the police housing officials to prepare necessary estimates to take up repair and maintenance of the building and dilapidated inter-connected roads runs through the

APPBn Campus on urgent basis.

Informing about his recent meeting with Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh and MoS, Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi, Dolo, also the Home Minister instructed to place estimates for undertaking drainage works all along the approach road, which is being damaged by monsoon rainfall due to absence of proper drainage system. He was also told that the police jawans are living with their family in the Campus without any provision of portable drinking water supply. Jawan informed him that to meet the problem of drinking water supply, they have dug wells from their own sources.

He also visited the newly constructed buildings, where 40 families of police personnel, who were displaced from Naharlagun due to ongoing construction of State Hospital to be shifted temporarily unless new buildings with double storied are not come up in the campus.

On enquiry, IGP, Novin Payeng, IPS informed the Deputy Chief Minister that initially those buildings are proposed for accommodation of the CRPF battalions. The State Government had made a request to the MHA for sanctioning of four additional CRPF battalion for maintenance of law and order in the state, disclosing this, he informed the

Namchoom also requested to the Deputy Commissioner, Namsai to take stock of all ongoing civil work within Namsai constituency

Arunachal BJP celebrates Birth Anniversary of the founder of Bhartiya Jana Sangh ET Bureau Itanagar, July 6 : The Bharatiya Janata Party, Arunachal Pradesh observed the 115th Birth Anniversary of Lt. Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukharjee, the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh on the historic day of 21st Oct 1951 at Raghomal Arya Kanya Vidyalaya at Delhi and an ideologue of the Bharatiya Janata Party, here today at party Head office, opposite Arunadaya School, ‘H’ Sector, Itanagar.

The birth day anniversary of Late Dr. Mukharjee was attended by the party state office bearers, senior leaders, and workers, which includes Shri Techi Necha, Vice President, Shri B. R. Wage, General Secretary, Shri Hinium Tachu, State Secretary, Shri Tadar Kama,

State Secretary, Shri Dugh Saha, State President, BJYM, Smti Padmeswari Jamoh, President BJMM and besides Dr. Taba Nirmali respectively.

The birth anniversary celebration was presided over the Shri Techi Necha State Vice President, while recalling the auto biography of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukharjee, Shri Techi Necha recalled that he was the second son of Sir, Austosh Mukharjee, who was borned on 6th July, 1901 at Calcutta.

Dr. Late Mukharjee served the nation in various capacities being the stanch nationalist as the Member of Syndicate in Calcutta University, elected to the legislative council, Calcutta, and served as the youngest Vice

Chancellor, Calcutta University at the age of 22 years, was the First Industry and Supply Union Minister under Nehru Cabinet in 1947. He was the founder president of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and President All India Hindu Maha Sabha and also President Maha Bodhi Society, India. Later on, he was died in captivity at Jammu and Kashmir for safe guarding the sovereign and integrity of the India on 23rd June 1953.

Meanwhile, Smti Pradeswari Jamoh President, BJMM, Shri B. R. Wage, General Secretary, BJP, and Shri Hinium Tachu, Secretary, BJP also spoke on this historic birth anniversary of Dr. Late Shyama Prasad Mukharjee.

Vanmahotsava and Consumer Awareness Campaign held at Bene Village ET Correspondent Aalo, July 6: The West Siang District Socio-Cultural and Economic Development Society in collaboration with Department of Legal Metrology and Consumer Affairs and Forest Department organized one day camp on Consumer Awareness programme and Plantation at Bene village on 5th July last.

Nyali Ete, DFO Aalo stressed on maintaining clean environment through plantation and J. Kamgo ACLM spoke in detail on right and duties of con-

Vanmahotsava and Consumer Awareness Campaign held at Bene Village

Arunachal Deputy CM, Dolo warns a Senior Police Officer for collecting money ET Bureau Itanagar, 6 July: Responding to request of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister to take appropriate action against officers indulging in corrupt practices, his deputy Kameng Dolo during his surprise visit to Arunachal Armed Police Battalion (APPBn) campus at Chimpu on Tuesday last has directed the senior police officer to return money collected from police personnel for maintenance of the dilapidated main approach road.

developmental proposal already submitted to the government pertaining to newly created Namsai District .

and to prepare a comprehensive plan for proper sanitation, solid waste management, beautification of Namsai township and to initiate immediate measure to stop open defecation specially in remote villages .

The entire team also visited the proposed site for construction of Boys and Girls hostel of Govt. H.S. School, Namsai which are already approved for construction under MSDP and work will be commenced soon. Delighted over speedy construction of Poi pee mau auditorium in permanent ceremonial ground, Namsai under SPA Namchoom said that long pending demand of indigenous Khamti people will be fulfilled soon and advised the concerned agency department to complete the construction work enabling this year celebration there.

Deputy Chief Minister that MHA has yesterday communicated the approval of one additional CRPF battalion for the state.

Dolo also inspected the under construction Police Officer Mess cum Accommodation for high ranking police officer at Chimpu, which was started in the year 2011with an estimated cost of Rs. 11.47 crore. He was apprised that construction works have been delayed from schedule time due to lack of funds and requested him to release the remaining installment of fund for its early completion.

During his inspection to family colony, where Dolo was informed of difficulties

faced by children to attend their schools and other colony dwellers for daily marketing due to absence of connectivity to cross over the river. On the spot, he instructed the police authority to a submit proposal for construction of foot suspension bridge, while he also directed for submission of comprehensive proposals for all infrastructural developmental requirement for the APPBn Campus.

IGP (HQ), Novin Payeng, IPS AIGP (Admin), Take Ringu, IPS, SE, EE of Arunachal Pradesh Housing Corporation and 1st APPBn Commandant, Tojo Karga accompanied the Deputy Chief Minister, Kameng Dolo.

sumer, adulteration in essential and package commodities. Mijum Lona President WSDSCEDS and Secretary Shri Lee Sora spelt out broad aim and objectives about the role of society. Tumpe Ete, ZPM Pubu Yombu Anchal Samity, Limi Ete ASM, Tumge Ete GPM Chairperson and HGB of the village also spoke and extended their gratitude to WSDSCEDS, Forest Department and Legal Metrology and Consumer Affairs for bringing such important awareness programme in their village.

CM Pul condoles over demise of Yabi Gadi A Staff Reporter I t a n a g a r, J u l y 6 : Chief Minister Kalikho Pul has deeply condoled the demise of Yabi Gadi, mother of Gojen Gadi, MLA, 29Basar (ST) Assembly Constituency who expired today. She was 87 years old and died of old age after prolong illness.

the demise of his beloved mother saying that mother is the most valued and precious person in once life.

Citing that to loss forever who born and nourised you and make you an able person in this world is the saddest truth and most painful moment of the life.

She is survived by two sons and one daughter, Gojen Gadi being the 2nd of her children.

He prayed to almighty to bestow enough strength and courage to the family members to bear with the irreparable loss. He also prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul.

Chief Minister in his message expressed sorrow and mourn for

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, JULY 7

PAGE 4

Sales Tax department seize buses along with huge goods in Kokrajhar ET Correspondent Kokrajhar, July 6: The flying squad from Sales Tax department and police seized three buses and detected huge goods from different places in Kokrajhar district in last 48 hours, bound for several districts of Assam, which were carrying goods without paying taxes from West Bengal state.

On Monday too, flying squad detected a bus at Serfanguri which was carrying goods declining to pay taxes along the check gate.

The market value of the said detected goods would be 4-

that tax department has been stepping stern job to check against tax non-payers in the district. He also added that at least three buses were detected which were carrying huge goods without paying tax.

Sales Tax department seize buses along with huge goods in Kokrajhar 5 lakhs, which includes Biri, cloths, toys, food items, tea leaves, cosmetics etc.

Former HGB, Mirem Vill.

Tamok Tatan (Eko) passes away Maksam Tayeng Pasighat, July 6: Social worker cum former Head Gaon Burah, Mirem Village under Bilat Circle, late Tamok Tatan (Eko) passed away after a prolong illness at the age of around 86 years at his native village Mirem on Tuesday afternoon at 12.10 pm.

As a mark of respect to his departed soul, the people of Mirem village besides other people from Legong Banggo area paid a 2 minute silence in a small yet tearful programme organized by villagers in his memory while bidding goodbye to his departed body today.

While attending the funeral of late Tatan (Eko), 36th Nari-Koyu MLA Kento Rina and former Health Minister, Dr. Tangor Tapak termed the demise of late Tatan (Eko) as great lost for the society. Late Tatan (Eko) was a great orator and a perfect decision maker in all his Kebang decisions as Head Gaon Bura. Dr. Tapak recalled a moment his when he went to take late Tatan (Eko)’s blessing during the time when he was first contesting as MLA. Late Tamok Tatan (Eko) was born in Beging village under Boleng Sub-Division in present Siang District during 1930 from where he migrated to Yagrung village a month later 1950 earthquake and then to Miising village (now abandoned) and then in the present village, Mirem during 1958.

He was appointed as Gaon Bura during 1972 and after

Late Tamok Tatan a few years he was made Head Gaon Bura of the village until 2009-10 when he resigned from HGB owing to his poor health. Late Tatan’s wife, late Yake Tatan expired during 1995 is now survived by 3 sons and 1 daughter along with grand children. Late tatan had 3 elder sisters and he was the lone son of late Tasin Tatan. While deeply mourning the demise of late Tatan (Eko), Tirki Manmong Welfare Society (TMWS) President, Obyak Ering and its Secretary General Tado Muang said that, late Tatan (Eko) was a straight forward man having social interest having deep knowledge about Adi history, genealogy etc. In him we, TMWS lost a good man and we pray for heavenly above for his departed soul, quoted Muang. Beside others, Addl. Dy. Commissioner, Ruksin, T. Pada, former ZPM, Nakek Moyong, former ZPM, Mayup Ering and GB Mirem, Talo Padung also spoke and remembered late Tatan (Eko) as a good man.

Babul Chandra Kakati, Superintendent of Taxes said

“We detected buses, which were illegally carried goods without paying taxes along the check gates. We are checking strong manner to check non-tax payers in the district so that government could receive lots revenue. The market value of seized goods would be around 4-5 lakhs. The seized goods

would be fined huge amount tune as per guideline from tax commissioner”, Kakati said.

Drivers of the detected buses told that they were detained for carrying goods on buses. They also alleged that no any checking was done along the check gates of Srirampur and Barobisha.

“We were detected by police for carrying goods on bus. We drive every day, but no checking is done along the Srirampur check gate while passing, said one of the detected driver.

ET Correspondent Haflong July 6 : Despite lack of infrastructure and shortage of staff, the Haflong AIR has been maintaining its tradition of popularity among the people of Dima Hasao in general and of rural masses in particular opined the rural people of the district.

The Haflong AIR which is Frequency Modulation centre was inaugurated by the then Union Minister, Information Broadcasting Ajit Panja in presence of the then Chief Minister of Assam Hiteswar Saikia and others long back in 1992 with a promise to cover entire district but after few years the Haflong AIR failed to draw the attention of the authority concerned resulting to become a mere Radio Station having less coverage and programmes.

As it is known to all that the

entire district of Dima Hasao had passed through critical situation during last several years in the name of insurgency also affected the functioning of the AIR Haflong remarkably. The people from outside never wanted to come in the district during these days but now with the returning of peace in the district, the situation has changed remarkably and the importance of Haflong AIR increased encouragingly.

The present existing officials and others though less in numbers are gradually becoming more proactive to offer popular and beneficial programmes like Bhakti sangeet,Haflong Diary, Yuva vani, Kisan vani, chitra geet etc. but due to limitation of coverage, the remote villagers are being deprived of listening these informative programmes.

Gaon Buras of villages like Tungje, Hangrum, Bor Chenam, Doheng, Laisong etc are of the opinion that since the villagers of remote villages of the district are having no other means of media except AIR FM, the authority concerned was to maintain the tradition of popularity by increasing the coverage limit of the Haflong AIR and also add some more programs even discarding few useless programs which are not beneficial to the remote people of Dima Hasao. They appreciating the recent efforts of AIR Haflong in reaching out to the rural mass said to think about the rural people who are deprived of day to day information due to remoteness and lack of communication but the AIR Haflong could reach them more than that of other medium and help them in a great way.

Woman, 2 daughters charred to death while cooking New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) In a tragic incident, a woman and her two daughters died after a fire broke out in their house following a suspected gas leakage in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri area, police said today.

The deceased have been identified as Mithlesh Devi (42) and her daughters, Kavita (15) and Anjali (20).

Anjali was married around four months ago and was reportedly pregnant, relatives of the family told police.

New Delhi, July 6 (ANI): Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra on Wednesday rubbished the AntiCorruption Bureau (ACB) notice to former chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the alleged water meter scam as a "letter of request" and "illegal" and demanded registration of FIRs against ACB chief Mukesh Kumar Meena and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.

rushed to help the family.

The fire broke out around 9 PM yesterday when Mithlesh was cooking dinner, with Anjali and Kavita assisting her in the kitchen. While Mithlesh's husband, son and daughter-in-law managed to flee from the house, the three in the kitchen got trapped, a police official said.

The fire is suspected to have spread because of a gas leakage. Neighbours called up police and fire services and

Has Meenaji sent a basket of sweets and fruits along with the letter of request?

All these are necessary to know," he said.

Dubbing the ACB notice to Dikshit as a "prarthana patra" (a letter of request), Mishra read out notices issued to him as a complainant in the tanker scam case and to Dikshit as an accused in the water meter scam. "In the notice," he read out, "the complainant has been asked to be present at the PS AntiCorruption Branch, Fifth Floor, Vikas Bhavan, at 11

ET Correspondent Kokrajhar, July 6: The district administration and excise officials of Kokrajhar conducted a surprised operation against selling of local made wine and liquor along the Ward No.9 near railway station on Tuesday night and able to destroy over 130 kgs of Paswai materials in Kokrajhar district.

A joint team of excise department and district administration involving magistrate along with police and CRPF raided the area along the railway track (West of Kokrajhar railway station) where some families have been dealing in producing local wine illegally since

few years.

During the operation, several buckets were found filled of Paswai, which was meant for selling in the area. Operation troops destroyed the recovered Paswai and took stock of several inputs about trading of wines along the area.

Madhav Prasad Sarma, Deputy Commissioner, Kokrajhar, told that district administration and excise jointly raided the area after getting complain about trading locally made Paswai. District administration has been intensified to check illegal selling of wines in the district.

Haflong AIR gaining Spondon celebrates 4th death annipopularity in rural masses versary of Hiren Bhattacharya with

Mithlesh and her daughters were charred to death, the official said.

Anjali was married to an erickshaw driver, who lived in the neighbouring locality.

She had come to visit her family and was helping her mother in the kitchen, the official said.

A case has been registered and the matter is being looked into, the official added.

Kapil Mishra dubs ACB notice to former Delhi CM as 'letter of request', 'illegal'

"A report came on the yesterday night that Shiela Dikshit had been served a notice in connection with the corruption in the purchase of water meters, which is two years and five months old. But when I saw a copy of the notice today, I was shocked to find that the content of the notice was such as if the ACB wanted to absolve Dikshit from all charges," said Mishra holding a press conference here.

Search operation against selling of local wine and liquor held at Kokrajhar

a.m. on July 4. While the ACB writes to the accused, Shiela Dikshit, that a suitable and convenient date, time and place are required to be fixed for the above mentioned purpose in August 2016."

"Is Shiela Dikshi an auntie of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi? Is there taking place a celebration in the house where you need to fix date and time?

He, however, claimed, "Above all, what absolves Shiela Dikshit from the case is she has not been issued the notice under any section of the law, while I got the notice under section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). She is not bound to even reply to this notice. This is not a notice, but a request letter. It's 'illegal' on the part of ACB to issue a notice without mentioning a section."

Slamming the ACB notice to Dikshit as a "ugly joke", he demanded that Meena must quit as either he didn't know the law or was under severe pressure to let Sheila walk free.

He also demanded that

poem recitation and music ET Correspondent Mangaldai, July 6: People of Mangaldai paid rich tribute to legendary poet, lyricist and artist, Hiren Bhattacharya, popularly accepted as “Hiru da” by his followers on his fourth death anniversary.

Befitting the occasion, a public function of poem recitation and music has been organized for the second consecutive year by a local cultural and literary youth organization called ‘Spondon’ on Monday afternoon at Uttar Mangaldai Unnati Sadhini Sabha, Karimchak, Mangaldai.

Renu Konwar, president, Darrang District chapter

of women literary forum, Asom Lekhika Sanstha, ceremonially marked the beginning of the function by lighting the lamp in front of the portrait of the eminent personality. This was followed by recitation of self-composed poems by young and senior poets including prominent writer, poet Barada Saikia, Jamuna Kalita, Dipjyoti Saharia and Kishore Das to pay deep respect to their ideal poet as well as lyricist.

The function also featured public felicitation to local youth named Nirmal Ghosh for clearing the coveted State Civil Service Examination in Assam Police Service.

“We conducted a surprised operation against illegally selling of local wine after getting complain from the area. During the operation, 130 Kgs Paswai were destroyed. We will continue our operation against illegally selling of liquor and anti-social activities in the district”, Sarma added.

“Under direction from DC, we raided the area and found Paswai, which were destroyed during the raid. It was observed that peoples along the rail track, used to live through trading locally produced wine. An FIR will be lodged against them along the court”, Brahma said.

Squad named for Tong-ILMoo-Do Federation Cup declared ET Correspondent Kokrajhar, July 6: A 24 member team along with three officials’ squad have been named from Bodoland Tong-IL Moo-Do Association to participate in the 2nd Tong-IL-Moo-Do Federation Cup 2016 to be held from July 30 next at Nehru Stadium, Margao in Goa. The cup has been organized

by Goa Tong-IL-Moo-Do Association with two day programme scheduled on July 30 and August 1 next.

Jutika Brahma, secretary of the association said that Bodoland’s participants are participating the federation cup, being organizing in Goa for the first time ever. She said, altogether twenty one players are participating the competition where they will perform their best performance in the competition.

Focus on Railway safety, NE connectivity, says new Union Minister of State, Rajen Gohain from Assam Contd. from Page 1

but our government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to provide rail connectivity to all states of North- East by 2020 and we will work towards the goal," Gohain told PTI. The BJP MP from Assam is the second MoS in the Ministry headed by Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu.

The other MoS is Manoj Sinha.

"Today is my first day. I am getting briefed. It is a huge ministry and our country is also very vast," he said.

Emphasising on "safety and security", he said, "It is very crucial and steps have been taken to strengthen it.

We will continue to do so."

He also highlighted the need for improvement in passenger amenities.

"Amenities for passengers have definitely improved in comparison to the past. But

there is still room for further improvement."

Gohain said punctuality is very important and many steps are being taken to improve the timing.

"Similarly initiatives are being taken to make the public grievance addressal system effective," he said.

Gohain, a law graduate, was actively involved in the six-year-long Assam agitation against illegal immigrants in early 1980s.

FIRs should be registered against the L-G and Meena for sitting of files relating to four cases of corruption for the past two years and five months and not taking any action on that.

Earlier in the day, the ACB issued notice to Dikshit asking her to join the investigation into the alleged irregularities in purchasing of water meters during her tenure.

Talking to reporters, Meena said there were allegations that the Delhi Jal Board had purchased 2.5 lakh water meters by flouting tendering norms to favour a private company, adding that the investigation was underway.

Meena said notices had been issued to Dikshit and other officials concerned into the matter.

The rescued deer and her 3days old baby deer those have been presently kept at Garmur Sattra in Majuli. Pic - UB Photos

REGION

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, JULY 7

PAGE 5

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi greet on Eid Imphal, July 6: Chief Minister Okram Ibobi on Wednesday greeted the people on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr.

In his message, the Chief Minister said Eid-Ul-Fitr marks the culmination of Ramzan, the holy month of fasting. The festival highlights the spirit of sacrifice and the joy of sharing and reflects the true spirit of the State's composite culture.

The Chief Minister wished that the ideals that mark the celebration enrich the lives of the people with peace, prosperity and harmony. He also ex-

pressed hope that the festival will unite the people in the spirit of humanity.

At the same time, Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly, Th Lokeshwar Singh has extended greetings and good wishes on the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra (Kang) and Id-ul-Fitr. Extending Rath Yatra greeting, Assembly Speaker Th Lokeshwar wished that the visiting deities bestow peace, harmony and prosperity to the people of the State.

He also wished that the spirit of purity of the Muslims be all pervasive in the minds of the people

Leadership issue lingers on

Forest Dept highlights forest conservation measures

Shillong, July 6: With no last word on unity of legislators in the absence of CLP meeting, the issue of demand for change of leadership maxy linger on in the state. The AICC leader CP Joshi during his short visit to the state on Tuesday could not reach out to the dissident legislators who were absent in the meeting. Joshi left for Delhi on Tuesday evening, and he still maintains that there is no problem within CLP. Prominent among those who were absent in Tuesday's meeting include KHADC CEM PN Syiem, Comingone Ymbon, Kennedy C Khriem ( CLP secretary) , Celestine Lyngdoh, and Ronnie Lyngdoh.

When contacted as to why he skipped the meeting, Syiem said that for him, the issues concerning people come first.

Syiem had convened a meeting on Tuesday morning with stakeholders to address their concerns after they were affected by NGT ban on coal mining.

According to Syiem, the legislators who were absent perhaps were not properly informed.

To a question on the statement of AICC leader Joshi that he is not aware of any differences in the party, Syiem said that the AICC leader should have done some home work.

Meanwhile, party sources said that during the internal meeting held at Congress Bhawan, the Chief Minister dominated the proceedings with other leaders who were present ultimately remaining reluctant to speak out and express their grievances.

According to party insiders, the main functionaries of MPPC were not willing to express many grievances after the Chief Minister painted a rosy picture highlighting the development of the state.

Sources said that however, the lone voices like former Congress legislators Boldness Nongum (West Khasi Hills) and Lahkmen Rimbui spoke about the eroding presence of Congress in both the districts with people getting disillusioned with the functioning of the Congress led government.

A party leader who attended the meeting said that the Chief Minister allegedly blew his own trumpet in the meeting trying to convince the AICC leader Joshi that all is well within the party and CLP. In his address, the Chief Minister also claimed that he was not getting the required support from the party colleagues. To impress the AICC leader, the Chief Minister was present with Joshi at Hotel Pine wood on Monday evening and throughout the day at Congress Bhawan till his departure to Delhi.

Earlier on Monday evening, while the Chief Minister's brother Zenith Sangma accompanied the AICC leader from Guwahati to Shillong, the Congress legislator Cherak Momin, who is close to the Chief Minister accompanied Joshi to Guwahati.

(Agencies)

Imphal, Jul 6: Rampant deforestation in the State has immense effect on the environ-ment. Concerned district administrations in the hill districts have been instructed to take measures to stop cutting down of trees for poppy and ganja cultivations in the hill areas, and to take up large scale afforestation drive, said Addi-tional Chief Secretary (Forest) Sambhu Singh during an interaction with media persons at DIPR complex on Tuesday.

Earlier, addressing the press conference, Sambhu Singh said Forest Department has embarked on a major campaign to save forest and its wealth and as an endeavour to make the State green, DM College and Khuman Lampak Sports complex will be converted to green zones by planting trees. The department is also trying to make the Keibul Lamjao National Park a world heritage site and works have started for it by clearing all encroachers and defining its exact territory. There is a strong need of preserving and conserving forests and to adapt to the environment.

Highlighting the achievements of the department, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest PN Prasad said the Langol reserved forest will be freed of all encroachers. Forest man-

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi of Manipur on the occa- Haji Abdul Salam also sion of Id-ul-Fitr. extended warm greetings Rajya Sabha Member to the people on the oc-

agement was directly controlled by Kings of Manipur who gave the land to the local chiefs in return of revenue and services.

Mani-pur Durbar formed Department of Forest in 1931 and State forest management was done under Durbar Resolution. Since 1962-63 the department came under the charge of a Minister.

The abundance in the diversity of the forests and its resources are attributed to the ideal location of the State in the junction of world's two biodiversity hotspots, the Indo-Myanmar hotspot and the Himalayan hotspot. The forest cover of the state is 16,994 sq km which is 76.11 percent of the State's total area. The tree cover of the State is 243 sq km.

About 721 sq km is under very dense forest cover and 5426 sq km under moderately dense forest area. The area under reserved forests including Wildlife Protected area network is 1,467 sq km. An area of 4,171 sq kms is recorded as protected forests and the rest as unclassed.

Manipur is the only State in the Northeast where the entire forests are managed under the Working Plans prepared under National Working Plan Code 2004, he said.

The State has six major forest types and ten sub types. Majority of the population in the hill dis-

tricts are directly or indirectly dependent upon the forests for their livelihood. The department has urged village chiefs not to sell away forest area to contractors who fell all the trees and the plants without caring for the forest area.

Due to scarcity of water there is a greater awareness for conservation of forests. This year within this month of July, the entire DM College and Khuman Lampak Sports complex will be made green areas as part of conservation of Vanamahotsava. The observation this year will be on the theme, "one family, one tree".

Manipur has two hotspots out of four in the country and 34 in the world. Manipur has unique distinction of possessing flora and fauna from the Himalaya to Manipur on one side to China.

Forests in hill areas are under stress due to shifting cultivation and illegal felling and extraction of other forest produces.

Deforestation in the hill areas has led to soil erosion, landslides and siltation of rivers.

The department is trying to maintain a balance between conservation and fulfilling people's need. The department is trying to evolve a people friendly mechanism to reduce jhum cultivation as it can't be stopped.

The Keibul Lamjao Na-

casion and urged the people to celebrate the joyous occasion by spreading the message of peace, harmony and goodwill.

Major General Shashank Shekhar Mishra, VSM, General Officer Commanding, Red Shield Division, has extended his greetings to the people on the occasion of Rath Yatra and Eid-Ul-Fitr.

The GOC, in his greeting, expressed hope that the festivals will bring all the communities closer and bring peace, harmony and progress.

Manipur Pradesh

After a gap of three months, former RIMS, Department of Paediatrics, Head Prof L Ranbir who had already retired on superannuation was appointed as JNIMS MS by an order issued by the JNIMS Director on April 26 this year. Prof Gopimohon took vol-

untary retirement primarily due to lack of coordination among JNIMS officials.

Starting from the period of the former Director till the period of the incumbent Director, Prof Gopimohon tendered resignation letters four times. But his resignation letters were not approved.

Subsequently, he took earned leave for one month after which he took voluntary retirement.

Even though Prof Gopimohon had retired, there were officials in JNIMS who were eligible to succeed him.

Appointment of Prof L Ranbir as MS when there were officials in JNIMS eligible for the same post was highly questionable, said the

source.

The order issued by the JNIMS Director on April 26 appointed Prof L Ranbir as MS incharge of JNIMS for a period of six months.

According to the service rules of JNIMS, any candidate for the post of MS should not be older than 62 years but Prof Ranbir is now 63 years old.

Before appointment of Prof Ranbir as MS incharge of JNIMS, Health Commissioner who is a member secretary of JNIMS Society sent a proposal to Chief Minister and JNIMS Society president O Ibobi on April 7 this year to engage a senior doctor as MS. The proposal remarked that Prof L Ranbir was well qualified for the post of the MS and the proposal was approved

Imphal, Jul 6: People of one Nungei village who were taking shelter at Lilong Chajing and Iram Siphai went back to their village on Tuesday. Following a series of unwanted incidents since the last couple of months, a tense situation erupted between two communities at Nungei.

Subsequently, people of one village left their homesteads and took shelter at Lilong Chajing and Iram Siphai since last Saturday.

Nonetheless, Chief Minister O Ibobi convened a joint meeting of the two confronting groups at his office yesterday and the two sides came to an understanding.

Before going back to

their village, Nungei people held meetings at Lilong Chajing as well as Iram Siphai.

At Iram Siphai, the meeting was jointly presided

by Relief Committee convenor Sorokhaibam Rome, JAC Nungei president Thiyam Yaima and Wangoi Nagar Panchayat Councillor Pribarta and Meira Paibi leaders. Relief materials donated by different sections were handed over to the displaced people of Nungei before they went back to their homesteads.

People who were taking shelter at Lilong Chajing too went back to their village . CRPF personnel have been deployed at Nungei to avert any unwanted incident. (Agencies)

No mass exodus of Hindus from B'desh: BSF

Forest Dept highlights forest conservation measures tional park was declared as a Ramsar site and the population of Sangai is increasing. The State has also Shiroi Lily National park, Yangoupokpi Lokchao wildlife sanctuary, Kailam Wildlife sanctuary , Jiri- Makru wildlife sanctuary, Buning wildlife Sanctuary and Zeilad wild life sanctuary, some of which are now under final stages of constitution.

About 788.10 sq km area falls under the conservation sites. Manipur Zoological garden and Orchid preservation centre managed by the department cover 1.18 sq km.

The Keibul Lamjao National Park has been declared as an eco sensitive zone and the government is trying to make the park as a World Heritage Park .

The forests of Manipur have been classified as floristic composition, altitudinal variation , tropical semi-ever green and sub tropical pine forests.

Forest Conservation Act, 1980 was enacted to control diversion of forest

Anomalies suspected in JNIMS MS appointment Imphal, July 6: A strong suspicion has been raised about possible anomalies in the selec-tion process of the Medical Superintendent (MS) of JNIMS, the lone medical college run by the State Government.

Former MS Prof Gopimohon took earned leave for one month before taking voluntary retirement. After that, the post of MS was lying vacant for almost three months, informed a well placed source.

Trinamool Congress president MLA Th Shyamkumar, Bharatiya Janata Party, Manipur Pradesh, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Janata Dal Manipur State, Coalition Against Drugs and Alcohol (CADA), Manipur State Minorities Commission Chairperson Dr Syed Burhan-uddin, All Manipur Muslims (Meitei Pangal) Welfare Association (AMPWA) and Lilong Block Congress Committee also wished the peop le on the auspicious occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr and Rath Yatra.(Agencies)

Nungei villagers go back home

by the Chief Minister on April 20. Some quarters have also been questioning as to why the Health Commissioner sent the proposal to the Chief Minister after bypassing JNIMS Society vice-president.

Even though JNIMS was established at the first place with the primary objectives of providing quality health care services and produce greater number of medical professors many anomalies were committed at JNIMS such as promotion of junior doctors after skipping senior doctors, conversion of daily wage staff as contract staff, appointment of Assistant Professors on ad-hoc basis etc, added the source.

(Agencies)

land for non -forestry purposes. Prior approval from the central government is required to take up works in the forest land. During 2015-16 ten cases of forest land diversion were cleared by the central and the state governments.

Forest Department is no longer considered a revenue earning organization and more emphasis is given on conservation of environment and natural resources. This year Rs 370.58 lakh was collected as revenue.

This year 25 state plan schemes were taken up with an outlay of Rs 1159 lakh. The department also took up six centrally sponsored schemes, National Afforestation Programme, National Bamboo Mission, Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat, Development of Orchid Preservation centre at Khonghampat and Green India Mission. The total expenditure for 2015-16 is Rs 7220.36 lakh.

(Agencies)

Shillong, July 6: The BSF has ruled out mass exodus of Hindu minorities from Bangladesh to India following the escalating tension and attacks on minorities being perpetuated by alleged Islamic terror organizations in that country.

The 13 Bangladeshi nationals, (comprising of 12 Hindus and a lone Muslim, had illegally crossed over the international border in South Garo Hills on Sunday to escape such alleged atrocities.

Speaking to The Shillong Times, BSF's, Meghalaya Frontier In-

spector General Pawan Kumar Dubey said that even the former Chief Minister Donkupar Roy had apprehended possible mass exodus of minorities from Bangladesh "but there is no such exodus till date".

He, however, admitted that certain fundamentalists in Bangladesh were trying to vitiate the relationship between the two countries by targeting minorities and creating fear psychosis in them.

He said that BSF was keeping a tab on the border to ensure that there is no mass exodus to India.(Agencies)

NGT ban: KHADC to approach SC Shillong, July 6: The KHADC along with the Hima Nongstoin Land Owners' Coal Traders' & Producer's Association will approach Supreme Court with regard to the NGT ban on coal mining in the state.

This was informed by KHADC CEM PN Syiem.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting organized by the Hima Nongstoin Land Owners' Coal Traders' & Producer's Association, the CEM said, "The KHADC will file an affidavit as a pro forma response so that suggestions put forth by us re-

garding traditional coal mining practices are highlighted again."

"We will depute officers and EMs for a proper consultation with lawyers of Supreme Court so that whatever follows are according to the customary practices of the people of the State and it covers all issues pertaining to coal mining and environment," Syiem said.

He has appealed to the State Government to speed up the process of formulating the all important mining policy.(Agencies)

Red corner notice to track absconding, rape-accused Tripura official Agartala, July 6: A red corner notice would be served soon to track a senior Tripura government official who has remained absconding for nine days after allegedly raping a woman, official said here on Tuesday. The Tripura government, immediately after coming to know of the incident, suspended the official Panna Ahmed, 44, who was Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Sonamura sub-division of Sepahijala district.

"The state government has requested the Union Home Ministry to take necessary steps to issue a red corner notice to track the official," West Tripura district police chief Abhijit Saptarshi told.

"MHA would ask CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) to issue the red corner notice on behalf of the Interpol," he

said adding that they have already issued a warrant of arrest and published a general notice in the local newspapers with Ahmed's photograph.

The official said the lookout notice would also be published in the newspapers published outside the state.

Demanding arrest of the official, various opposition political parties, including the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Trinamool Congress, have been organising protest demonstration in front of the official residence of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and various other places in the state almost every day since June 27.

Ruling Communist Party of IndiaMarxist's state secretary Bijan Dhar told media that if the officer

is guilty, he should be punished.

A Muslim woman filed an FIR with the West Agartala police station here on June 27 that Ahmed, a state civil service official, called her at his private residence here and raped her.

"After getting report from the District Magistrate and police, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar ordered suspension of Ahmed with immediate effect," a top Tripura government official told.

"The government also asked the West Tripura District Magistrate and police authorities to separately inquire into the incident and take appropriate action."

The police have been raiding possible locations to trace the official and question him.

(Agencies)

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, JULY 7

PAGE 6

PM shifted Irani to save his reputation: Sandeep Dikshit New Delhi, July 6: Congress leaderSandeep Dikshit on Wednesday said Smriti Irani embarrassed the Modi government terribly as Minister for Human Resource Development and described her transfer to the textile ministry as an attempt to save the prime minister and his government's reputation.

"Smriti Irani had become a terrible embarrassment for the government. Perhaps, in independent India, she is the worst education minister till date.

So, I think, to save their reputation, the prime minister changed her portfolio," Dikshit

claimed.

Smriti Irani has been replaced by Prakash Javadekar.

On Javadekar, Dikshit said "But even with regard to Mr. Javadekar, his role in the environment ministry had been controversial. He's come out to be completely a pro-industry, anti-forest minister. He's given a large amount of environment clearances in favour of the industry against environment issues. So, we don't know.

He is even seen to be a champion of privatization. So, let's see what he does in the education ministry, I

Activists to counter bail given to Chennai brutes for torturing dog

Activists to counter bail given to Chennai brutes for torturing dog Chennai, July 6 : The two men who flung a dog mercilessly off a roof inChennai were granted bail immediately after they were arrested and taken to the SriPerumbadoor Court on Wednesday. Earlier talking to the media, animal activist Shravan Krishnan said they would counter the bail.

We would definitely take action against them. We would fight and we would make sure that they get the punishment that they deserve. We will counter the bail application if they file it," Krishnan added.

The dog, which is now addressed by animal lovers as 'Bhadra' was thrown off a terrace by a MBBS student.

She miraculously survived the fall but suffered a fracture in one of her hind legs.

She was brought to the Madras Veterinary College in Vepery for medical treat ment today.

The veterinary doctors earlier today conducted a medical check-up on the dog and said at present it is in a state of shock.

In a horrific video, the medical student was seen throwing the dog from a roof.

The video went viral, generating an outcry of disgust and horror.

In the disturbing video, the man is seen holding the dog by the neck, balancing her on the edge of the roof.

The man then goes on to mercilessly drop the dog.

The video ends with the sound of the dog hitting the ground below and howling in agony.

The video even shows the falling of the dog in slowmotion, which indicates the level of insensitivity on part of the man.

However, the nation rejoiced yesterday when reports surface that the dog had survived the brutality and a cry rose to arrest the brutes seen in the video. (ANI)

India has secured release of Keralite abducted in Libya: Swaraj New Delhi, July 6 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said that the Indian Embassy in Libya has secured the release of Regi Joseph, an IT engineer from Kerala, who was abducted in Libya in March.

Swaraj in a series of tweets confirmed the developments.

"Indian Embassy in Libya has secured the release of Regi Joseph an Indian national from Kerala. He was abducted in March this year," she tweeted.

She expressed gratitude to India's Ambassdor in Libya, Azar A.H.Khan, for his efforts in securing the release.

"This has been possible with the efforts of Mr.Azar A.H.Khan our

Ambassdor in Libya," she said.

Swaraj assured that her government is doing everything in ensuring the smooth transaction of process.

"I am trying to tell you all that this is a very delicate matter. We are doing everything that we should do," she said.

The 43-year-old was abducted from his workplace at Souk al Jumaa near Libya's capital ,Tripoli, on March 31.

Regi's wife Shinuja, a nurse at the Tripolibased TMC Hospital, had earlier sought the Indian embassy's help in this matter. The couple have three daughters.

According to reports, on May he was produced in a court and he was able to meet his wife. (ANI)

80, and in days to come, it will expand more," Dikshit told.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expanded his Union Council of Ministers with the addition of 19 new ministers of state.

The new faces inducted are mainly from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Congress leaderSandeep Dikshit don't have much hope."

"When the Modi government came to power, he said, it would be based on minimum gov-

ernment and maximum governance and will keep a small cabinet of maximum 40-50 people and now, it has risen to

The names of those inducted in the cabinet are: SS Ahluwalia, Ramesh Chandappa Jigjinagi, Parshottam Rupala, MJ Akbar, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Anil Madhav Dave, Vijay Goel, Rajen Gohain, Mahendra Nath

Pandey, CR Chaudhary, PP Chaudhary, Ramdas Athawale, Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, Jasvant Sinh Bhabhor, Mansukh Mandaviya, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Ajay Tamta, Anupriya Singh Patel, and Krishna Raj. The decision to expand the Council of Ministers came after taking into consideration a diverse range of factors.

Modi's first major cabinet reshuffle took place in November 2014.

According to the Constitution, a maximum of 82 ministers can be accommodated in the Union Cabinet.(ANI)

Law, agencies will take call on banning Islamic preacher Zakir Naik: Rijiju New Delhi, July 6: Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said, it is not wise on the part of a minister to make announcement on banning controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik who was followed by one of the five Bangladeshi youths involved in the killing of 22 people at Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka last Friday, adding that it is the call of the law and agencies.

"It's not wise on the part of a minister to make an announcement on what actions are likely to be taken. These are matter of the law and agencies who are dealing with it.

We will give all kinds of support in dealing with terrorism," Rijiju told the media here.

He said that India and Bangladesh have been

working closely together for many years, especially related to security related issues.

"The present government of Bangladesh is very favourable to India's concern. That is why, for any action to be taken we have to work together because the threat of terrorism is not limited to one country," he added.

Talking about combating terrorism in the current time, Rijiju stated that the menace has to be fought globally "Our forces are always alert but there are challenges as well. No probe can be done by making announcements. Probe takes place within the frame work of law. As a minister, I can't announce when and on whom the probe will be carried on," he added.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju According to a Bangladesh newspaper, militant Rohan Imtiaz, son of an Awami League leader, propagated on Facebook last year quoting the controversial Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik.

Naik, in his lecture in Peace TV, reportedly urged all Muslims to be-

come terrorists.

Naik, a popular but controversial Islamic orator and founder of Mumbaibased Islamic Research Foundation, is banned in UK and Canada for his hate speech aimed against other religions.

He is among the 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia. (ANI)

Shifting Irani to Textile does not absolve her 'crimes': Kanhaiya on HRD re-shuffle New Delhi, July 6: Asserting that the recent Cabinet shuffling was done keeping the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls in mind and not to fix the errors of the Centre, JNU Student Union President Kanhaiya Kumar on Wednesday called on the newly appointed Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar not to follow in the steps of his predecessor- Smriti Irani.

Continuing his long-drawn attack on Irani, who was appointed as the new Union Textile Minister, Kanhaiya stated that simply shifting her to another Ministry, does not absolve her from her crimes.

"Our simple question is this: How can you ensure justice by simply transferring one minister to another ministry?

By making her the textile minister, her role as the education minister, especially in the Rohith Vemula case, does not lessen her crime. Those who suffered because of her influence be it in the FTII case, Hyderabad University or JNU, have not received justice yet," he said.

However, the JNUSU President admitted that this development was seen as an improvement in the system but added that it was worrying that Javadekar had said he

JNU Student Union President Kanhaiya Kumar on Wednesday called on the newly appointed Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar will consult Irani and continue her works.

"What work is he exactly talking about that he is going to continue? Are you talking about more suicides by dalit students? Or appointing unqualified people to high posts in universities? Or attack students? He has not clarified in this regard," Kanhaiya said.

Emphasizing that he has no animosity with the government but only with the system, he added that Irani's transfer was simply a move to pacify the student body of the nation who were still furious with her and to shift focus from the Rohith Vemula case.

"She has not been 'removed', but has been strategically replaced keeping UP Polls in mind. Since the Dalit community and the student body are still enraged with the, she has been shifted to the Textile Ministry. Changing ministries doesn't change the situation," he said.

Posing questions for Javadekar, who will assume his role as the HRD Minister tomorrow, Kanhaiya asked if he will resolve the issues that Irani failed to solve, which included the removal of FTII Chairman Gajendra Chauhan and the increase in the budget

of the New Education Policy.

Earlier today, shaking off suggestions that she had been demoted in the union council of ministers, Smriti Irani said she is looking forward to her ministerial stint in the textile ministry and is determined to strengthen India's presence in this sector.

"Extended best wishes to @PrakashJavdekar ji who assured that he will build upon the initiatives undertaken by @HRDMinistry in last 2 years," she said in a series of tweets.

Meanwhile, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a vision for education, Javadekar said he will consult with everybody as this was everybody's subject.

"It touches everybody's hearts.

I will discuss with Smriti ji also, who has taken very good initiatives in two-year tenure.

We will have a roadmap clearly," he told the media here.

In yesterday's cabinet reshuffle, the third since Narendra Modi assumed office on May 26, 2014, 19 new cabinet ministers were sworn in.

Javadekar was elevated to cabinet rank and given the HRD Ministry, while Irani was moved out to textiles as it was reportedly perceived that her HRD stint was laced with controversies. (ANI)

PM Modi says his four-nation tour aims at enhancing ties between India and Africa New Delhi, July 6 (ANI): Hours before embarking on a four-nation tour to the African continent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said his tour that aimed at enhancing ties between India and Africa would begin with visit to Mozambique - a brief but key visit.

During his five-day tour the Prime Minister will be visiting Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya.

"On Thursday, 7th July I will be in Mozambique. The aim of my visit is to increase cooperation and boost cultural linkages. I will meet President Filipe Nyusi and hold extensive talks with him. My other programmes include a meeting with Ms. Veronica Macamo, the President of the National Assembly, and a visit to the S&T Park, Maluana, where I will interact with students. I will also interact with the Indian community briefly," said Prime Minister Modi.

He will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Mozambique in 34 years.

Underlining that on the evening of 7th July, he will reach Pretoria in South Africa, which is an important strategic partner with whom India's ties are historical and deep-rooted, the Prime Minister said: "My programmes in South Africa will span across Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Pietermaritzburg. History is witness to how Mahatma Gandhi's stay in South Africa impacted him and the history of the world. He went to South Africa as a lawyer seeking work and returned to India as a strong voice for humanitarian values, who would go on to shape the history of humankind."

"I will have the honour to visit Phoenix Settlement and Pietermaritzburg Station, two places very closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi's stay in South Africa. A visit to South Africa is incomplete without remembering the beloved 'Madiba'. I will also be honoured to visit the Constitutional Hill and Nelson Mandela Foundation, where I would pay my tributes to an icon of human history, who made his country and the world a much better place," said Prime Minister Modi in a statement issued here, adding that during his visit, he will meet President Zuma and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In an effort to boost economic ties between the two countries, the Prime Minister will speak at the India-South Africa business meet. His other programmes in South Africa include a meeting with the Alumni Network in Durban and a reception hosted by the Mayor of Durban, at Durban City Hall.

Noting that South Africa is home to a vibrant Indian community that has made South Africa their home for years, the Prime Minister said: "I will interact with the Indian community a programme in Johannesburg on 8th July. I invite you to share your ideas and inputs for my speech, through the 'Narendra Modi Mobile App'."

Talking about his Tanzania visit, Prime Minister Modi said, "On Sunday 10th July, I will be in Tanzania for a brief but crucial visit to give an impetus to ties with Tanzania, a valued friend in Africa.

"There will be extensive talks with President Dr. John Magufuli, where we will chalk out the road ahead for bettering India-Tanzania relations in a wide range of areas. I will also be meeting 'Solar Mamas', a group of rural women solar engineers from Africa, who have been trained under GOIsupported programmes to fabricate, install, use, repair and maintain solar lanterns and household solar lighting systems in their villages."

He said he would interact with the Indian community as well.

Prime Minister Modi, who will begin his Kenya tour on the evening of July 10, said: "India-Kenya ties have stood the test of time. Both our nations have had very strong peopleto-people ties and both nations have successfully fought colonialism in the previous century."

"My deliberations with President Uhuru Kenyatta will revolve around how India and Kenya can grow their bilateral cooperation. I envision better trade, commercial and cultural exchanges between India and Kenya. The potential is immense and together we seek to harness it.

"In Nairobi, I will offer floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, who is widely revered in Kenya. I shall also pay tributes to Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of Kenya and a towering political figure of Africa."

He noted that the meeting of the India-Kenya business forum would be an important forum to elaborate more on the economic aspect of India's relationship with Kenya.

"A programme that I am keenly looking forward to join is an interaction with students at the Nairobi University," he said.

"In order to deepen ties with the diaspora," said the Prime Minister, "I will address a community programme on 10th July. There is also a meeting with Bharatwallah Alumni Association during the visit. Another programme is the handing over of ambulances and a model of Bhabhatron."

Lawyer, doctor, PhD holder in Modi's Council of Ministers New Delhi, Jul 5 (PTI) : A lawyer, an onco-surgeon and a PhD degree holder are among the ministers who were today inducted in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ministry.

Apart from these, five ministers are law graduates, four have post-graduate degree, five graduates and two are undergraduates.

Out of 19 newly inducted ministers, P P Chaudhary practised law in the Supreme Court while Vijay Goel, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Arjun Ram Meghwal, S S Ahluwalia and Rajan Gohain are law graduates.

Subhash Ram Rao Bhamre is the only minister with a medical background in the newly expanded Council of Minis-

ters. He is a doctor with super specialisation in cancer surgery.

Ministers Krishna Raj, Anupriya Singh Patel, C R Chaudhary and Anil Madhav Dave have postgraduate degree, while M J Akbar, Ramesh Jigajinagi, J a s w a n t S i n h B h a b h o r, Parshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya are graduates.

Mahendra Nath Pandey is the only newly inducted minister who holds a doctorate degree. He is PhD in Hindi.

The other two ministers, Ajay Tamta and Ramdas Athalwale, are undergraduate, as per the information available on the websites of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Will have dialogue, so no necessity of agitation: new HRD Min New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) Asserting that dialogue is the key to avoid agitations, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday said education is not a subject for party politics, as he replaces Smriti Irani who had a controversyridden tenure Speaking to reporters here, Javadekar said he was open to suggestions and consultations with everyone. He lauded the "good initiatives"

taken by Irani and said he will also speak to her to take them forward "I am a product of student agitation, so we will always talk with everybody. So with dialogues in place, there will be no necessity of agitation," Javadekar said Irani's tenure was marked by controversies including JNU row and protests in Hyderabad University fol-

lowing dalit scholar Rohith Vemula's death. There have also been allegations by opposition parties of saffronisation "I accept this (new) responsibility humbly and I will talk to our earlier minister Murli Manohar Joshi," he said Joshi, a former BJP president, is now part of Margdarshak Mandal The HRD minister said he

believes that education should be student-centric and encourage innovation On the new education policy, which is being formulated by the HRD ministry currently, Javadekar said it needs to become more relevant and "we have to make our education system more innovative" He emphasised that standard of education has to be raised Asked about his elevation as

a Cabinet minister, Javadekar said that for taking the responsibility of HRD ministry, "you need to have a Cabinet minister. So o its a technical requirement."

Speaking about his handling of the Environment and Forests Ministry, Javadekar said that he had always worked to empower tribals and any criticism on these aspects is misplaced Asked about reports of Con-

gress' planned agitation on the alleged dilution of Forest Rights Act, Javadekar retorted with an apparent jibe at Rahul Gandhi, asking "Has their leader returned? I don't know. That is their internal issue."

He added that while political parties have a right to put forth their views and agitate, but "there is no case for any agitation (on this issue) as of now".

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, JULY 7

PTI chief vows to press movement against corruption

PTI chief vows to press movement against corruption Lahore, July 6 : Stating that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in coming days will define history in the country, party chief Imran Khan has vowed to press ahead with its movement against corruption in the country after Eid. Addressing party workers at an iftar in Lahore yesterday, Imran said they will lead a movement against corruption in the country.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has long been claiming that corruption was the main issue for the country since ages.

Taking pot shots at

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is currently in London recuperating from a heart surgery, Imran said, "Leadership is missing in Pakistan."

He added that Sharif was scared of his own people, the reason why his vacations abroad.

"Someone who has no credibility can't lead his own people," he said.

Imran also took a swipe at Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai for his recent remark of calling Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a part of Afghanistan.

(ANI)

Pakistan celebrates Eid-ul-Fitr

Pakistanis celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr Lahore, July 6 : Pakistanis celebrating Eid-ulFitr today with joy and fervor after the central moon-sighting committee announced that the Shawwal crescent has been sighted in different parts of the country.

Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Munibur Rehman announced the sighting of the Shawwal crescent, saying Eidul Fitr will be celebrated across the country on Wednesday, reports the Express Tribune.

The announcement was made by Mufti after chairing a meeting of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee at Aiwan-eAuqaf in Lahore.

He said the chances of sighting the crescent

moon was equally divided because of its short life.

The announcement was made well past 9 p.m. local time.

While Gulf Arab countries on Monday announced that the Eid-ulFitr will be celebrated today, few Muslim countries will be celebrating it on Thursday after sighting the moon.

Muslims in Turkey and Russia celebrated the festival on Tuesday, 5 July.

The starting day of Eid varies every year and from country to country depending on geographical location.

The crescent for the month of Shawwal marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.(ANI)

Suu Kyi to meet migrant workers during Malaysia visit Naypyidaw, July 6 : State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will meet with Myanmar migrant workers during her trip to Malaysia in August.

This will be her Suu Kyi's third trip to Malaysia, but first as the de facto head of the new National League for Democracy government.

U Zaw Htay, spokesperson for the state counsellor and the President's Office said that the two bilateral agreements are expected to be on the table for Myanmar migrant workers.

"Both governments' officials are still arranging the [exact] date and the labour ministry will ar-

range the trip. The two labour ministers will be signing the memorandums of understanding," the Myanmar Times quoted U Zaw as saying.

During her visit to Thailand last month, Suu Kyi met with Myanmar migrant workers there.

Labour ministers of both countries also signed two agreements and one memorandum of understanding, covering employment, labour cooperation and border crossing, during her three-day trip in Thailand.

There are an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 Myanmar migrant workers living in Malaysia, most of them without legal documents. (ANI)

PAGE 7

NEIGHBOURS

Obama administration offers help to probe Dhaka terror attack Dhaka,July 6:The Obama administration has offered to extend all possible help to Bangladesh to investigate last Thursday's brutal terror attack in national capital Dhaka, which left at least 20 persons dead, including one Indian.

United States Secretary of State John Kerry wasted no time in offering help to Bangladesh to investigate those behind the killing at a Dhaka restaurant on the holiest day in the Islamic calendar.

The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack within hours of the massacre and posted pictures of five grinning fighters with the IS flag in the background. However, Dhaka was equally quick to deny IS the 'glory' by insisting that the massacre at the

Holey Artisan Cafe was the doing of local militants who had no affiliation with international terror groups.

Think tanks that study terror attacks around the globe say that the answer lies somwhere in between. First, Dhaka would need to conduct an unbiased, clinical and thorough investigation about who the gunmen were and what was their motivation before believing the ISIS claims or the too quick denial by the ruling party.

Second, there is no denying the fact that the western world has by and large ignored the festering radicalism in Bangladesh with its large Muslim population and fractured polity.

As was evident within hours of the attack, American television could barely manage to get half-a-dozen terror experts to lucidly explain the make up of Islamic

cies, Major Zia went underground but has been de facto head of another militant outfit known as the Ansar Bangla Team or ABT. The ABT has been recruiting youth for arms training and inspiring lone wolves to attack atheist bloggers and people from the minority community. The ABT has ideological links to the Al Qaeda and political affiliation to the Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia (no relation to Major Zia).

Bangladeshi authorities have been trying to trace links that Major Zia has with a Bangladeshi national Mohammad Ishraq Ahmed, suspected to have links with both Pakistani and Chinese intelligence, and who they say is providing funding for over-

throwing the democratically-elected government.

Bangladesh intelligence is seeking cooperation from western intelligence organisations to trace both Mohammad Ishraq Ahmed and Major Zia, the money trails and their locations. The U.S. administration is understood to have agreed to assist the Bangladesh Government in locating these two fugitives.

The Awami League leaders speaking to media in Dhaka say they are not very hopeful of finding these two men as they travel often between Pakistan and Hong Kong with the active help from establishments in both those countries. The ball now rests with US state department, if it will actively use its negotiation powers with foreign governments to help in cracking the case of the Gulshan cafe massacre.(ANI)

IS releases video hailing Dhaka attack, threatens more attacks

FIA says they have evidence of Chinese cyber criminals operating in Pakistan

Dhaka, July 6 : Hailing the Dhaka terror attack that killed 22 people, the Islamic State terror group today released a video calling for jihad in Bangladesh and threatening more attacks on crusaders and crusader nations.

The video message believed to be issued from Raqqa in Bangla was first found in an IS-affiliate website and then released on YouTube, reports the Dhaka Tribune.

The video comes as a follow-up to the dreadful attack on a Gulshan eatery in Dhaka last Friday that killed 22 people mostly foreigners.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the video, one of the three speakers said that the group would not stop until establishing Shariah law all over the world.

"The Jihad that has come to Bangladesh

Obama administration offers help to probe Dhaka terror attack fundamentalism in Bangladesh, its position in the Indian subcontinent, it's complicated relationship with Pakistan, links with Wahabi groups and more.

But there is a consensus that even if the IS did not plan, plot and execute the massacre, terror outfits in Bangladesh now have a common cause with the IS and the like. The panIslamic Hizb-ut-Tehrir has been active in

IS releases video hailing Dhaka attack, threatens more attacks now has been promised by Prophet Mohammed," Dhaka tribune quoted the man as saying.

"We will not stop killing the crusaders till then; we will win or die for our religion as martyrs and achieve Sahadaat [martyrdom] ... we don't have anything to lose," he added.

The man also termed the current form of democracy a Shirk or unforgivable crime.

"I want to ask you a question: how do you support this 'Shirk' notion of democracy? Don't you know

that it gives power to people to enforce law and have power whereas the power belongs to Alllah only? [according to the Qur'an]" Another speaker is seen labeling the Bangladeshi government as kafir.

"Since the govt has changed Allah's law and has implied man-made law they are all 'Kafirs' now. It is our religious duty to fight against it.

Crusaders are killing innocents Muslims globally with planes and bomb attacks.So the

Bangladesh seeking to overthrow the secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hassina and establish Islamic rule in its place. It found common cause in 2012 with a disgruntled Bangladeshi Army officer Major Syed Zia-ulHaq who plotted a coup against the Awami League government.

When the coup was unearthed with the help of Indian intelligence agen-

Holey Artisan incident is our revenge to the lost blood of the hundreds and hundreds of Muslims who were killed," the second man said.

The third speaker then urged Muslim brothers and sisters to join the jihad saying it was what they had been dreaming of.

Islamic state reportedly in its 14th edition of Dabiq magazine published on April 13 claimed that they have organisational base in Bangladesh, from where they have plans to attack on India and Myanmar to avenge the persecution on Muslims.

The terror group since September last year has claimed responsibilities for at least 25 attacks killing foreigners, nonMuslim and non-Sunni preachers and police.

Meanwhile, as the probe to the Dhaka terror attack continues, police here said that it had shot dead the pizza chef of the restaurant, mistakenly

thinking he was one of the militants.

According to reports, new details from interviews with the officials and the first information report registered at a Dhaka police station suggest that security agencies were slow to deal with Friday's attack.

So far, police named five Bangladeshi gunmen who stormed the restaurant who have identified as Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Saameh Mubasheer, Khairul Islam and Shafiqul Islam.

Nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, one Bangladeshi-American and two Bangladeshis were killed in the terror attack.

In addition two policemen were also killed while trying to rescue hostages.

The 12-hour-long hostage crisis at the cafe popular with foreigners ended after a two-hour long assault by armed forces' commandos killing six gunmen.(ANI)

Differences deepen as Pakistan Rangers, MQM trade charges Karachi, July 6: The tussle between the Pakistan Rangers and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has escalated with the former accusing the 'political party' of inciting violence through its speeches and the latter blaming the paramilitary force for playing a political role in the name of a Karachi Operation.

Both groups have been trading allegations against each other since March 11, 2015, when the Pakistan Rangers raided the MQM's Nine Zero headquarters.

The force has also claimed to have recovered illegal weapons and arrested some wanted criminals, including a convict who had been sentenced to death in connection with journalist Wali Babar's murder case.

The Rangers, since then, has been accusing the MQM leadership of running a 'militant wing' and collecting extortion in the name

of Zakat and Fitra.

The MQM blamed the paramilitary force for patronising the Afaq Ahmed-led Mohajir Qaumi Movement and former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal's Pak Sar Zameen Party and illegally imposing an unannounced ban on its political and welfare activities.

The latest controversy surfaced after a spokesman for the Pakistan Rangers yesterday, without naming anyone, blamed a political party for creating hindrances in establishing peace in the metropolis.

"The foreign-based leadership in its speeches and statements is inciting a specific group and students to attack state institutions, media organisations, traders and artists and create lawlessness," Dawn quoted Pakistan Rangers spokesman's statement, as saying.

The paramilitary Rangers vowed to continue indiscriminate action against miscreants in Karachi.

"Pakistan Rangers,

lect zakat and fitra for its charity wing, the Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation.

Hussain also condemned the traders and industrialists for donating funds to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan's Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital and not to the MQM.

Differences deepen as Pakistan Rangers, MQM trade charges Sindh, is carrying out action against all those elements who want to create lawlessness in KaraÂchi. All those who received threats are being given full security and all shopping centres and media houses are also being provided special security," the statement added.

Few days ago, the Rangers in a statement asked the government and semi-government organisations in the city to shut down the offices of "political or militant

wings".

MQM condemned the move and said that the "illegal and unconstitutional" directives of the Rangers were against the offices of trade unions and labour associations being backed by the party.

The move by the paramilitary force is being seen against the backdrop of a speech of London-based MQM chief Altaf Hussain recently, where he lashed out at the Rangers for not allowing the party to col-

Angered by Rangers statement, senior MQM leader Dr. Farooq Sattar rejected the formers statement that the MQM had any militant wing.

"As far as I know no political party [in Karachi] has a militant wing," he said.

"The Rangers are trying to hide their incompetence by blaming the MQM and Altaf Hussain. The Rangers are issuing political statements against the MQM," he added.

He said that his party was ready to appear before a military tribunal where it would present evidence of the alleged high-handed manner of the Rangers. (ANI)

Karachi, July 6 : Following the arrest of a Chinese national for allegedly stealing data from an ATM facility of a private bank with the help of a skimming device in Karachi, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has confirmed that it has found evidence about presence of more cyber criminals of the same nationality operating in the city.

An FIA official associated with its cyber crime cell said the agency has received multiple signs and complaints from different banks about similar incidents.

"The most worrying information came from a private bank which said that a transaction had been made from one of its branches in Defence Society through the stolen data," the Dawn quoted him, as saying.

The officer, however, declined to share information about the amount transacted.

"The initial probe suggested that the data was stolen through the same technology that we had earlier detected and which led to the arrest of the Chinese national.

We have obtained information about more men of the same origin still doing the same job," he added.

FIA arrested the Chinese suspect under various sections of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance and the Pakistan Penal Code.

Xie Yi, the suspect, was placed in 14-day judicial remand last week while one of his aides, Xie Rongjing, is still at large.

"We haven't come across or investigated a case of this nature earlier. This case is also unique because the job is reportedly being done by some foreigners who are believed to be part of an organised group," an FIA official said. (ANI)

PAGE 8

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, JULY 7

After the Dhaka Attack: Countering Terrorism in Bangladesh Major Reshuffle Modi replaces Irani with Javadekar, gives Prasad law In a major ministerial shake up two years since he took over, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inducted 19 new faces, elevated Minister of State Prakash Javadekar to cabinet rank and sent him (Photo: ekoprasojo) to replace Smriti Irani in the Human Resource Development Ministry, while also making changes in key portfolios like law, communications and parliamentary affairs. In the exercise, Modi sprang a major surprise and replaced highprofile and vocal Irani, who has been at the eye of storm with former Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, who is credited for being industry friendly.

In another key move he removed lacklustre D.V. Sadananda Gowda of Karnataka as Law Minister and gave the responsibility to Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Gowda has been moved to the ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. As expected, Modi left four major portfolios of Home (Rajnath Singh), Sushma Swaraj (External Affairs), Arun Jaitley (Finance) and Manohar Parrikar (Defence) untouched while senior ministers Nitin Gadkari (Road Transport, Highways and Shipping) and Suresh Prabhu (Railways) have retained their earlier assignments.

Prasad was divested of Communications and allotted Law while Parliamentary Affairs has been taken away from M. Venkaiah Naidu. Naidu, however, has been given additional charge of the I&B Ministry (held currently by Jaitley) apart from his existing Urban Development and Housing portfolio, said an official source. Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar will be the new Parliamentary Affairs Minister also. Assam's Nagaon BJP MP Rajen Gohain becomes Union Minister of state for Railways Irani has been made Textiles Minister, replacing Santosh Gangwar who will be now be Minister of State for Finance. Former bureaucrat Arjun Meghwal, who was inducted in Tuesday's expansion, has also been made Minister of State in this crucial ministry. Among other cabinet changes, Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh from Haryana now would swap portfolios with Steel and Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar of Madhya Pradesh, who will also hold charge of Panchayati Raj. According to sources, newly-inducted Anil Madhav Dave will be the new Minister of State for Environment replacing Javadekar. Vijay Goel, also inducted on Tuesday, will be the new Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Sports and Youth Affairs. M.J. Akbar has been appointed Minister of State for External Affairs. Jayant Sinha, who was junior minister in the finance ministry, now becomes Minister of State for Civil Aviation. Manoj Sinha will now hold the Communications portfolio too as Minister of State (Independent Charge) besides being MoS Railways. The five Ministers of State who were dropped were Sanwar Lal Jat (Water Resources), Nihalchand (Panchayati Raj), Ram Shankar Katheria (HRD), Mansukh Bhai Vasava (Tribal Affairs) and Mohanbhai Kundaria (Agriculture). Katheria has been lately vocal in favour of hardline Hindutva politics. Among other changes, Mahesh Sharma, who was earlier Minister of State for Civil Aviation under Ashok Gajapati Raju, has been left with his independent charge of Culture & Tourism. S.S. Ahluwalia will be the new Minister of State for Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs, sources said adding MoS Agriculture Sanjeev Balyan has been moved as junior minister for Water Resources.

Floods in Assam More Than 80,000 People Reeling Under Assam with its vast network of rivers is prone to natural disasters like flood and erosion which has a negative impact on overall development of the state.

The Brahmaputra and Barak River with more than 50 numbers of tributaries feeding them, causes the flood devastation in the monsoon period each year. The flood and erosion problem of Assam is singularly different from other states so far as extent and duration of flooding and magnitude of erosion is concerned and is probably the most acute and unique in the country. This year over 80,000 people have been affected in the latest wave of floods in four districts of Assam. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), more than 80,500 people are reeling under floods in Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Nagaon and Jorhat districts of the state. The ASDMA said that the Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger mark at Nematighat in Jorhat and Tezpur in Sonitpur district. Also the Dhansiri river at Numaligarh in Golaghat and Jia Bharali river at NT Road crossing in Sonitpur are flowing above the danger mark adding that six temporary bridges have been washed away in Jorhat. The ASDMA also informed that more than 4,100 hectares of crop have been damaged in the flood in these districts. Majuli island in Jorhat district is also reeling with flood waters entering from the Brahmaputra inundating 60 villages. Several timber bridges have been rendered weak due to the rising waters, while several hundred families have left their homes to take shelter on highlands and roads. Lakhimpur district has remained the most affected with the daily flood as over 68,000 persons have been affected in the district on July 4. The ASDMA said that a number of locations in Guwahati too are under water after the heavy rains on sunday. Whereas the Kamrup Metropolitan district administration has indefinitely stopped ferry services on the Brahmaputra in Guwahati due to the rising water level. Weather condition continued to remain very inclement in affected areas as road communication remained disrupted. Last year almost one lakh people have been affected across six districts in the first wave of floods in Assam and nearly 5,000 hectares of crop area have been inundated by flood water.

Bangladesh needs a comprehensive strategy to respond to and prevent future tragedies.

After the unprecedented armed, radicalized Musterrorist attack at an up- lims were of less imporscale restaurant in tance at the time than libBangladesh's diplomatic erating Central Europe enclave on July 1, this is and ending the Cold War. the moment for a com- Harkat ul-Jihad al-Islami plete reassessment of was one such group of counterterrorism in this 'less importance' formed South Asian nation. It in 1980 as part of the took only six armed mili- mujahideen. Returnees tants, claimed by Islamic from the war in AfghaniState, to conduct a stan set up HuJI's shootout, Bangladeshi kill two Tamim Choudhury wing in police 1992. officers, and hold a 12- Today, the U.S. State hour standoff while kill- Department has desiging 20 hostages. Eventu- nated the group as a terally army commandos rorist organization, and were flown in from the has charged it with runnortheast to end the or- ning militant training deal. The government in camps in southeast Bangladesh has certainly Bangladesh. Similar to taken some positive other nations, some of steps, but far more is nec- Bangladesh's rulers essary to halt a fall into chose to use militant Isthe abyss. Bangladesh lamists for short-term now faces a test with glo- political gains at the cost bal ramifications. of long-term devastation.

To provide a historical After brutal attacks in backdrop, Islamists Iraq, Bangladesh, and gained entry into Turkey, we see how unBangladesh after the checked militancy can democratically-elected wreak havoc across the Awami League govern- globe. ment was overthrown in A comprehensive a military coup. In 1979, counterterrorism strategy Jamaat-e-Islami was re- requires an ideological vived as a political party, component. Bangladesh as the military ruler re- is already taking steps in quired allies. Shortly that direction; Maulana thereafter, many from Fariduddin Masoud, Bangladesh went to join chairman of a the mujahideen in Af- Bangladeshi Islamic ghanistan to defeat the scholars' organization, Soviet invasion. U.S. issued a religious decree President Jimmy Carter's in June that condemns National Security Ad- terrorism and militancy. viser Zbigniew The campaign was Brzenzinski once ex- launched last month afplained on CNN how the ter a meeting with lawUnited States organized enforcement officials, and supported this group. and this decree has been He admitted that a few signed by over 100,000

Islamic scholars, legal experts, and clerics, those dedicated to promote the peaceful tenets of Islam.

This Abrahamic religion holds the same roots as Judeo-Christian beliefs; the barbaric terrorism manifested by militants can best be ideologically countered by Islamic scholars who can espouse the legitimate teachings of Islam.

Masoud's religious decree should be distributed from the slums to the high-rises of the nation.

Next, the government's operational strategy requires significant changes. Last month, an anti-militancy drive by law enforcement led to over 11,000 arrests.

However, less than 200 of those arrested have been identified as militants; the rest were drug peddlers and petty criminals. This is unsustainable, as the courts and prison system are not equipped to handle thousands of cases. The government must focus on Islamist militants; this is the highest priority in Bangladesh. In an investigative report by The New York Times, it was revealed that Bangladeshi police have identified the top leadership of two Islamist militant groups, and believe that only by apprehending the leaders and diminishing the allure of fundamentalism can the attacks be halted. It is imperative that the rul-

Bangladesh cafe terrorist attack (Photo: d.ibtimes.co) ing party remove any political obstacles that may hinder the police from conducting their sworn duties.

On a similar note, the Bangladesh Army 1st Para-commando Battalion must be deployed immediately if a similar situation takes place again. This battalion, which has received counterterrorism training from the U.S. Special Operations Command Pacific, has been credited with storming the restaurant and eliminating the terrorists. If the Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh, two paramilitary groups who were among the emergency responders, cannot take similar action, the nation cannot wait once again for the prime minister to give approval to deploy the army commandos.

Administrative mechanisms should be taken to

have the nation's armed forces ready to battle terrorists at anyplace, anytime. As UN peacekeepers, the Bangladesh Army has shown high effectiveness in war-torn lands; it is time to administer peace in their homeland as well.

Finally, it is not merely a coincidence that the Islamist militant attacks started in February 2013, just as the government increased its suppression of the opposition, eventually leading to a boycotted election where only the ruling party stood and won the parliamentary seats. This suppression has continued down to the local level, with ballot boxes being snatched by ruling party members. It is high time to start a dialogue with the opposition; Bangladesh needs all political stakeholders to come together to solve this threat of militancy. The opposition has

called for a national dialogue; if they are truly guilty of fostering terrorism, as repeatedly claimed by the government, call their bluff and see if they are serious about solving this crisis.

Bangladesh is an amazingly resilient land; it has climbed Himalayan heights from the ashes of the Liberation War of 1971 to become a model for economic growth. It is one of the largest suppliers of United Nations peacekeeping forces and the second-largest garments exporter in the world. The nation has come too far and passed through far too many man-made and natural disasters to let the menace of Islamist militancy ruin all the progress made across decades. By implementing an effective counterterrorism policy, the sun will shine again on golden Bengal. Courtesy: The Diplomat

India Steps Up Aid to Cambodia for Demining Cambodia says New Delhi is set to boost its assistance for mine-clearing efforts.

India will provide 15 ees to deal with the dogs. well as several indi- priority in their assistance several countries, including Mozambique, Somamine sniffing dogs to "The minister highly val- vidual countries and in- to the country. ternational and For India, its assistance in lia, and Angola. And New Cambodia to local organiza- this respect is not new. Delhi was in fact one of help the South- Prashanth Parameswaran tions continue to India has made contribu- the original contributors east Asian state with its demining efforts, ued the decision of the make demining a key tions to demining work in to United Nations the Cambodian foreign Indian government to proministry reportedly con- vide 15 mine sniffing dogs (to Cambodia) and firmed yesterday.

On July 4, Cambodian to train 15 Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak employees to control the Sokhonn met with In- dogs," the press release dian Ambassador to reportedly said.

Cambodia Naveen Cambodia is widely cited Srivastava at the minis- as one of the most try. Following their landmine impacted counmeeting, Xinhuacited a tries in the world, with Cambodian foreign min- millions of mines laid istry press release as during decades of conflict saying that India had still uncleared and tens of decided to provide 15 thousands of casualties mine-sniffing dogs to recorded since the 1980s.

Cambodia and to train The Cambodian govern- India will provide 15 mine sniffing dogs to Cambodia to help the Southeast Asian state (Photo: news.xinhuanet) 15 Cambodian employ- ment, United Nations, as

Artificial Floods

Image for representational purpose (Photo:1fr.newzulu)

Sir, Alongwith Guwahati all other towns of Assam experience tough days in summer's rainy season most of the areas remaining inundated. But one must concede that Guwahati is the worst sufferer. Causes behind the artificial floods are many, the main being the irresponsibility of the forest department, corrupt municipality corporation and the high-rises built out of black-money, illegal construction of structures, occupying deep areas by filling earth like Deepor Beel, Silsaku etc. Dibrugarh, too is not lagging behind in respect of being affected. Some areas like Graham Bazar, Santipara, Kalibari, Milon Nagar, Khalihamari (Jail Road, Police Reserve) Boiragimoth to name a few are affected most. While the state government quite logically tries to bring the menace in Guwahati leaving no stone unturned under control the same government turns a blind eye to this

tedious problems confronting the people of Dibrugarh and other towns of Assam. We appeal to our Chief-minister, through your esteemed daily, to pay his attention taking appropriate steps to mitigate the sufferings of the affected people of all other towns of Assam before long.

Yours etc.

Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh

demining operations in Cambodia, a point that foreign ministry officials repeatedly stress.

Demining assistance has also been part of a broadening of defense cooperation witnessed between India and Cambodia over the past few years, which has included more exchanges and visits, pacts, and training. India has provided demining equipment to Cambodia and Indian Army Engineers have been giving annual training to demining companies of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) for nearly a decade now.

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

JOBS & career

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, JUNE 7

Page 9

Tripura University recruits Project Dibrugarh University hiring APDCL Recruitment 2016 - Assam Power Residential Lady Matrons Fellow in Agartala June 2016 Eligibility : M.E/M.Tech(Bio-Medical /Bio-Technology Engg), M.Sc,B.E/ B.Tech(Bio-Medical /Bio-Technology Engg) Location : Agartala Last Date : 11 Jul 2016 Hiring Process : Face to Face Interview Project Fellow in Tripura University Name of the Project : Understanding the impact of phytochemical elemental content on biofilm stimulation by epiphytic bacteria Qualification : M.Sc. with at least 55% marks in the subject concerned or 1st class B.Tech degree in Biotechnology or M.Sc. with at least 55% marks in the subject concerned with GATE or NET Lectureship (UGC CSIR Joint Test) or M. Tech degree in Biotechnology with minimum 55% marks.

No. of Post : 01 Department : Microbiology Fellowship : Rs. 14000/-+ 10% HRA per month Or Rs. 16000/-+ 10% HRA per month How to apply The performance of the scholar will be assessed every 6 months for continuation. Complete bio-data along with mobile number, email id and self attested copies of relevant documents may be submitted to Dr. Shaon Ray Chaudhuri, Principal Investigator either through email or by post to the Dr. Shaon Ray Chaudhuri, Department of Microbiology, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar799 022, Tripura (W), India,Email: shaonraychaudhuri@tripurauniv.in, hod_microbiology@tripurauniv.in on or before 11th July, 2016. Applicants satisfying the minimum qualification required for the post will be intimated on 15th July 2016 and have to appear in the personal interview on 22nd July 2016 at 11 am in the chamber of Head, Department of Microbiology, Tripura University.

Distribution Company Ltd

June 2016

Eligibility : 12th Std. (HSE) Location : Dibrugarh Last Date : 15 Jul 2016 Hiring Process : Face to Face Interview Residential Lady Matrons (Contractual) in Dibrugarh University Minimum Qualification : Higher Secondary in any discipline. Desirable : i) Having experience in management of Hostel/ any other residential academic organization with excellent Administrative capabilities. : ii) Having good communication skills and pleasing Personality with good leadership quality. : iii) The applicant should be ready to stay in the hostel premises and also attend any emergency of the boarders.

No.of Posts: 04 (Post No.1: Reserved for ST (P); Post No.2: UR; Post No.3: Reserved for SC; Post No.4: UR) Salary : Rs. 6000 Age : 30 years and should not exceed 43 years on 01.01.2016.

Application Fee: Demand Draft of Rs.100/-(Rupees One Hundred Only)drawn in favour of the Registrar, Dibrugarh University payable at Punjab National Bank, Dibrugarh University Branch,(Code 994000) Dibrugarh.

How to apply The application form must be submitted to the Assistant Registrar(Admn)i/ c, D.U. along with all the necessary documents(self-attested) and a Demand Draft of Rs.100 drawn in favour of the Registrar, Dibrugarh University payable at Punjab National Bank, Dibrugarh University Branch,(Code 994000)Dibrugarh on or before 15/07/2016.

North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) recruits Medical Physicist/ Staff Nurse/ Senior Stenographer/ Multi Tasking Staff in Shillong June 2016 Eligibility : Certificate Course (ITI), 10th Std. (SSC), 12th (HSC) , M.Sc (Phy) Location : Shillong Last Date : 08 Jul 2016 Hiring Process : Written-test, Face to Face Interview Medical Physicist/ Staff Nurse/ Senior Stenographer/ Multi Tasking Staff in North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) Special recruitment drive for filling up of vacancies for the Persons with Disability (PWDs).

Medical Physicist No. of Post : 1 (OBC) (Reserved for Physically Handicapped) (OL) Qualification : 1. M.Sc in Medical Physics or equivalent from a recognized University. Or 2. (i) M.Sc in Physics from a recognized University. (ii)A post Graduate diploma/ degree in Radiological/Medical Physics from a recognized university/institution.

Pay Band & Grade Pay : PB-3 Rs. 15,600-39,100/- Grade Pay Rs. 5,400/Age Limit : Not exceeding 35 years Staff Nurse No. of Posts : 3 (1- Reserved for Physically Handicapped (OL) & 2- Reserved for Hearing Handicapped) Qualification: 1. Matriculation or its equivalent from a recognized University/Board.

2. Certificate in General Nursing & Midwifery from a recognized Institute or equivalent qualifications for male nurse. 3. Should be registered as 'A' grade Nurse & Midwifery with a State Nursing Council or equivalent qualification for male nurse.

Pay Band & Grade Pay: PB-2 Rs. 9,300-34,800/- GP Rs. 4,600/-

Age Limit: Not exceeding 35 years Senior Stenographer No. of Post: 1 (Reserved for Visually Handicapped) (B.LV) Qualification: 1. 12th class pass or equivalent from a recognized Board/University.

2. Skill Test Norms Dictation: 10 minutes at the rate of hundred words per minute.

Transcription: 40 minutes (English) or 55 minutes (Hindi) on computers Pay Band & Grade Pay: PB -2 Rs. 9300 - 34,800/- GP Rs. 4,200/Age Limit: Not exceeding 30 years Multi Tasking Staff No. of Post: 1 UR (Reserved for Physically Handicapped (OL.OA) Qualification: Matriculation or equivalent pass from a recognized Board/ University OrIndustrial Training Institute (ITI) Passed.

Pay Band & Grade Pay: PB -1 Rs. 5200 - 20,200/- GP Rs. 1,800/Not exceeding 25 years.

Selection Procedure: Only shortlisted candidates will be called for the skill/written test/interview as the Institute deemed fit.

How to apply Complete applications may be sent in the prescribed proforma to the "Recruitment Cell, Establishment Section - III", North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Mawdiangdiang, Shillong - 793018 superscribing "Application for the post of ……………………..". Prescribed proforma of application form can be downloaded in PDF format from Institute's website. The last date of submission of applications is 8th July, 2016. Eligible/suitable candidates are requested to submit their applications in the prescribed format along with attested copies of certificates & testimonials, two copies of recent passport size photograph.

APDCL Recruitment notification about for filling up Chief General Manager job vacancies under Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (ASEB Assam) Successor Companies of the erstwhile ASEB in its corporate office needs dynamic and experienced professionals in Finance and Accounts for filling up the following post.

1. Chief General Manager (F&A) in AEGCL = 1 Job Description and Responsibilities : The Chief General Manager (F&A) post is the top post of Finance & Accounts Wing of AEGCL and report to the Managing Director directly. The of?cer is overall incharge of Finance & Accounts Wing of AEGCL and is responsible for formulating and implementing ?nance policies of the Corporation.

Educational quali?cation : The candidate should posses a degree from a recognized University and should be a Chartered Accountant or a Cost Accountant from a recognized University / Institution.

Experience : The candidate should have not less than 10 years of adequate experience at a senior level of management in corporate ?nancial management and accounts including Cost and Budgetary Control, Institutional Finance and Working Capital Management in large Industrial and Commercial undertakings including Public Sector Undertakings and capable to hold independent charge of Finance and Accounts. Preference may be given to those who have experience in the Power Sector.

Pay and Allowances : Pay Band Rs. 14,200/- to Rs. 45,000/- and Grade Pay of Rs. 7.600/- plus DA @ 125%.

HRA @ 15%, Medical Allowance Rs. 600/-, Electricity Allowance Rs. 750/- as admissible as per Company rules in force from time to time.

Age as on 01-06-2016: " Internal: Minimum 45 years and maximum 52 years " Others: Minimum 45 years and maximum 55 years Application Fee: The candidate should pay the application fee of Rs. 500/- only for General categories and Rs. 250/- only for SC, ST(P) & ST(H) categories. The fee should be in the mode of IPO I Bank Draft Selection Procedure: The candidates will have to appear before the Selection Committee of the Corporation at Guwahati at their own cost.

Submission of applications: Prospective candidates should submit their application with full bio-data, with self attested copies of testimonials along with 2 nos. recent passport size photographs to the undersigned within the candidates should submit their application through proper channel.

Application may also be sent to the following email address: cgmhraapdcl@yahoo.com Last date: 30 days from the date of publication of this employment notice (i.e. 09-07-2016).

‘The Eastern Today’ has taken an initiative to present Questions & Answers to help the aspirants in their competitive exams (SSC, Banks, Insurance, etc.).

1). Which Indian state signed MoU with China Fortune Land Development (CFLD) Company to develop a new industrial township in the state at an expense of 5 billion dollar? a) Punjab b) Jammu and Kashmir c) Haryana d) Madhya Pradesh e) Himachal Pradesh Answer: c) Haryana 2). Recently, which of the following Indian States banned electronic cigarette? a) Andhra Pradesh b) Karnataka c) Tamil Nadu d) Telangana e) Kerala Answer: e) Kerala 3). BRICS Working Group Meeting on Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency begins in a) Chennai b) Mumbai c) Trivandrum d) Vishakhapatnam e) Guwahati Answer: Vishakhapatnam

d)

4). India's first Integrated Defence Communication Network (DCN) was launched. The network has been designed and developed by which IT firm? a) TCS b) HCL Technologies

c) Infosys d) iGate e) None of these Answer: b) HCL Technologies 5). Name the fourth in the series of Follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (FO-WJFAC) launched

by Indian Navy. a) INS Tarmugli b) INS Tillanchang c) INS Tihayu d) INS Tarasa e) None of these Answer: d) INS Tarasa 6). "Exercise RIMPAC 2016" the multilateral naval exercise has started in which country? a) Canada b) Mexico c) USA d) Brazil e) Argentina Answer: c) USA 7). Which city has banned cars that were registered before October 1997 from its streets during weekdays (Mondays to Friday), starting July 1. a) Chicago b) Paris c) Brussels d) Vienna e) New York Answer: b) Paris 8). France has offered to invest how much amount to revive India's combat jet engine project, proposing a joint development

plan that could see the stalled 'Kaveri' gas turbine powering indigenous Tejas fighters by 2020? a) 1 billion Rupees b) 1 billion dollar c) 1 billion Euro d) 1 billion Peso e) 1 billion Pounds Answer:c) 1 billion Euros 9). How many Indian amusement parks have been listed among Asia's top 25 by Tripadvisor? a) 3 b) 4 c) 5 d) 6 e) 7 Answer: d) 6 10). Alibaba launched 'IP Joint-Force System', an online system to track and remove fake products from its shopping platform. This is the IT firm of which among the following countries? a) China b) Russia c) Dubai d) Italy e) None of these Answer: a) China 11). In order to hunt for extraterrestrial life and explore space, China has built the world's largest radio telescope, named a) CAST b) TAST c) FAST d) DAST

e) ZAST Answer: c) FAST 12). Who won the Austrian Grand Prix? a) Lewis Hamilton b) NicoRosberg c) Sebastian Vettel VET d) KimiRäikkönen RAI e) None of these Answer: NicoRosberg

b)

13). Name the Oscarwinning director of 'The Deer Hunter' who died at 77 recently. a) Michael Cimino b) Michel Hazanavicius c) Tom McCarthy d) Elie Wiesel e) None of these Answer: a) Michael Cimino 14). Which of the following Indian state has decided to introduce "File tracking" mechanism to bring in transparency in governance and to allow common people track the position of a file? a) Andhra Pradesh b) Arunachal Pradesh c) Assam d) Bihar e) Chhattisgarh Answer: c) Assam 15). Which of the following Indian state has decided to introduce moral education as a subject for students of Classes VI to XII?

a) Jammu & Kashmir b) Assam c) Madhya Pradesh d) Haryana e) Himachal Pradesh Answer: d) Haryana 16). Who inaugurated a smart model village pilot project at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi? a) Pranab Mukarjee b) Narendra Modi c) Arvind Kejriwal d) Rajnath Singh e) None of these Answer: a) Pranab Mukarjee 17). Mission Kakatiya for restoration of minor irrigation tanks with an objective of water conservation and improving groundwater table is implemented by which Indian state? a) Andhra Pradesh b) Telangana c) Karnataka d) Tamil Nadu e) Odisha Answer: b) Telangana 18). According to Switzerland central bank's latest update what is the India's Rank in terms of citizens holding money with Swiss banks? a) 61 b) 65 c) 68 d) 71 e) 75 Answer: e) 75

19). State Bank of India has inked agreements with the World Bank for a _____ million dollar facility to support gridconnected rooftop solar programme in the country. a) 350 b) 820 c) 550 d) 625 e) 620 Answer: d) 625 20). Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PKVY), a scheme designed to offer skill development to Indians seeking jobs overseas is formalised by Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and a) Ministry of Human Resource Development b) Ministry of Financial Affairs c) Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises d) Ministry of External Affairs e) None of these Answer: d) Ministry of External Affairs 21). Name the mobile app which will be launched by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India through which consumers can check the speed of internet connection on their smart phones. a) 'TRAI MySpeed' b) 'TRAI Speed' c) 'TRAI HighSpeed' d) 'TRAI EfficientSpeed'

Image for representational purpose (Photo: flckr)

e) None of these Answer: a) 'TRAI MySpeed' 22). The Union Sports minister Dr Jitendra Singh announced a grant of _______ lakh for ailing Olympic gold medallist Mohammed Shahid. a) Rs.5 lakh b) Rs.10 lakh c) Rs.15 lakh d) Rs.20 lakh e) Rs.25lakh Answer: b) Rs.10 lakh 23). Name the Former French Socialist Prime Minister who died on July 3 at the age of 85. a) Colin Munro b) Ryan Giggs c) Elie Wiesel d) Michel Rocard e) None of these Answer: d) Michel Rocard

24). What was the theme of the 2016 International Day of Cooperatives that was observed recently? a) Driving Recovery through Co-operative Enterprise b) Co-operatives and Employment Promotion c) Peace-building through Co-operatives d) Co-operatives: The power to act for a sustainable future e) None of these Answer: d) Co-operatives: The power to act for a sustainable future 25). Who presented the Dr B C Roy National Awards for the years 2008, 2009 & 2010? a) Narendra Modi b) Sushma Swaraj c) Rajnath Singh d) Ravi Shankar Prasad e) Pranab Mukherjee Answer: e) Pranab Mukherjeec

BUSINESS

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, JULY 7

Ford Mustang to reach India on July 13 Washington, Jul 6: American motoring icon, the Ford Mustang will officially go on sale in India from July 13. The muscle car was showcased in all her glory at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo following a formal unveils in January. The Mustang has a huge fan following in India, and Ford will be looking to cash in on that by pricing it aggressively.

The prices are expected to start somewhere around the Rs 70 lakh mark. Internationally, it gets three engine options, including a 2.3-litre EcoBoost and a 3.7-litre V6. However, Ford has

Freecharge to make 1,00,000 taxis to go cashless ANI New Delhi, Jul 6: Freecharge in its journey to make wallet ubiquitous in consumer's daily lives will enable 1,00,000 taxis across India to go cashless with Freecharge wallet. The company has bombarded over 15,000 taxi drivers in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to accept payment using their phone in an easy and secure manner in 60 days. Customers can pay by scanning the QR code unique to individual taxi drivers and complete the transaction in just one tap. Consumers and drivers both find paying and receiving money for daily commute creating friction and leading to not so pleasant experiences.

Consumers now will not have to worry about tendering exact change.

Freecharge lets consumers pay in less than 10 seconds using their phone and drivers can easily accept the payment digitally leading to seamless and frictionless payment process.

"Today's consumers demand convenience and we are targeting sectors both in online and offline space which will influence the daily payment habit and shift them from cash to digital payments," said Chief Business Officer Freecharge, Sudeep Tandon. "We have dedicated teams in these three cities who are focused on providing training and helping drivers to register on Freecharge as a merchant. We aim to get 1, 00,000 taxis in the country to go cashless by the end of 2016 by offering a frictionless payment process and help them be part of digital payments ecosystem," added Sudeep Tandon.

Freecharge's superior user interface and a secure network are allowing drivers to use the app with ease and convenience. Once the payment is done by the customer, the money gets credited to their wallet.

The driver can then chose to use the money for bill payments, recharges, transfer the money to their bank account or send money to friends and family using the wallet. With each initiative, Freecharge is contributing to making India a less cash economy.

WAIT IS OVER Internationally, it gets three engine options, including a 2.3-litre EcoBoost and a 3.7-litre V6. However, Ford has confirmed that India will get the rangetopping 5.0-litre V8 only. Specs for this motor stand at 401PS and 515Nm.

The sixth generation of the pony lives up to its roots, incorporating design elements that only a Mustang can pull off. The long nose, the stubby fastback rear and the sloping roof are textbook pony car elements.

American motoring icon, the Ford Mustang will officially go on sale in India from July 13.

Now, Ford says that it 'keeps the front brakes locked while you accelerate to warm the rear tires for enhanced grip'.

confirmed that India will get the range-topping 5.0-

litre V8 only. Specs for this motor stand at 401PS

lives up to its roots, incorporating design elements that only a Mustang can The interiors too are pull off. The long nose, the a blend of retro and stubby fastback rear and modern touches. The the sloping roof are textcircular knobs and the book pony car elements. toggle switches are The interiors too are a the perfect antithesis blend of retro and modto the large touch ern touches. The circular screen infotainment knobs and the toggle system that the centre switches are the perfect console nestles. antithesis to the large The pricing might touchscreen infotainment land it in the zone of system that the centre German coupes such console nestles. Most of as the Audi TT and the interior is draped in the BMW Z4, some premium leather, with a few brushed silthough. ver accents. While the and 515Nm. The sixth Mustang brings in retro generation of the pony elements, let's not forget

that it is a thoroughly modern car. It gets a huge laundry list of features that includes adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, LED headlamps and tail lamps and a dual-zone climate control system.

It also gets this cool tech called 'Electronic LineLock'. Now, Ford says that it 'keeps the front brakes locked while you accelerate to warm the rear tires for enhanced grip'. The pricing might land it in the zone of German coupes such as the Audi TT and the BMW Z4, though.

(Agencies)

OYO signs MoU with Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board ANI New Delhi, Jul 6: India's largest branded network of hotels OYO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) to develop tourism-related hospitality ecosystem in the state. OYO will leverage its expertise in transforming and standardizing hospitality real-estate units and make local home-stays better equipped to suit the need of visitors and tourists. In first phase of this alliance, OYO has already standardized 15 home-stays registered with UTDB. The standardization process will be followed by listing and marketing these properties on OYO's well-established channels. "We are very proud to partner the efforts of the Uttarakhand Government in building a tourism-friendly infrastructure while sustaining

local communities. The pace of our efforts is aligned towards ensuring that while infrastructure is upgraded and standardized, the local ecosystem is not disrupted," said Chief Operating Officer OYO, Abhinav Sinha.

"OYO has built deep expertise in standardizing amenities and guest-experience in the unbranded hotels segment. This tieup gives us the opportunity to transfer these skills and learning's to the state of Uttarakhand," added Abhinav Sinha. On the other hand, CEO UTDB, Shailesh Bagauli said, "Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board is happy to partner with OYO, the leading brand of hotel-networks in the country. We are confident that OYO's expertise in standardizing and marketing large inventories to customers in different parts of India will drive immense value to this partnership." "We look

Chief Operating Officer OYO, Abhinav Sinha.

(Photo: theweek) forward to our joint efforts contributing to increased tourist influx and a better stay experience for visitors to Uttarakhand," added Bagauli. Uttarakhand is not only a preferred destination for families and adventure-travellers, but also a focal point for pilgrims on the Char Dham Yatra. OYO-standardized home-stays are lo-

cated in key towns like Dehradun, Nainital, Mussoorie, Haridwar and Haldwani. Unlike typical homestays, these properties are equipped with standardized OYO amenities to provide a predictable experience to visitors. So, visitors can check-in with the assurance of flat-screen TV, free wi-fi and complimentary breakfast as

well as CCTV cameras for their security. Using the OYO app, travelers can create bookings in as little as five seconds and three taps. With a large network of 6000 hotels present across 180 cities in India, OYO also enjoys strong supply channels. It will connect home-stay owners with vendors and facilitate the procurement of best in quality products at a reasonable price, making the standardization process more costeffective. OYO works in close collaboration with the government and industry bodies towards skills-and capacitybuilding in the hospitality sector. It has previously collaborated with tourism development corporations of Telangana and Kerala, as well as the Government of Andhra Pradesh and CII's Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council for skilling of hospitality staff.

ASUS launches exclusive 'Republic of Gamers' store in Bhubaneshwar ANI Bhubaneshwar, Jul 6: Multinational computer hardware and electronics company ASUS announced the opening of India's second exclusive 'Republic of Gamers' (ROG) store (Subham Infotech) in Bhubaneshwar. Built at 50 square meters, the gamers can visit the store to experience the latest devices, game titles and accessories. The store is equipped with a 'Battle Ground' where a total of six gamers can compete against each other and experience LAN gaming at its best. The store is also furnished with a product demo zone and experience centre where the users can test the

Image for representational purpose. (Photo: pbs.twimg) new hardware. Asus ROG has also organized a 'Counter Strike: Global Offensive' India gaming tournament in Bhubaneshwar at its new store with a total prize pool of Rs. 1,40,000 for Bhubaneshwar. "Our aim has always been to provide the best technological experience to the

consumers and this store is one such step towards our objective. Experiential session is very important for anyone who buys a product. A consumer wants to come and test the device without any obligation of buying the product," said National Sales Manager Asus India, Arnold Su. "There are an increas-

ing number of gamers from cities like Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata, Hyderabad etc. and we firmly believe that such initiatives will help more and more gamers to come and experience the latest technology first hand without having to buy any of these," added Arnold Su. ROG Strix GL502 is a compact 15.6-inch gaming laptop with a stunning display that delivers breathtaking visuals.

Equipped with the latest quad-core Intel® Coreâ"¢ i7 processor and a dedicated, up to N V I D I A  ® GeForce® GTX 980M GPU, Strix GL502 is a gaming powerhouse that delivers smooth performance and highly-detailed

graphics with even the newest, most demanding titles. Combined with its lightweight, ultra-portable design, Strix GL502 enables users to enjoy high-end gaming anywhere. The 'Battle Ground' in the store showcases the latest Asus ROG GL552VW, a mainstream gaming laptop well-equipped with Quad core 6th Gen Intel core i7 (Skylake) and NVIDIA GeForce GTXâ"¢ 900 series graphics. The company also showcased its mainstream and affordable desktop - ASUS ROG G11 which is designed for casual gamers who want a high performance gaming platform that doesn't break the bank.

Ahmedabad-London-Newark flight to be launched by AI Ahmedabad, Jul 6: With an aim to connect more global destinations, leading State-run airline Air India (AI) will launch Ahmedabad-LondonNewark flight from August 15 and Delhi-Madrid in December, and also plans to expand its fleet size in next four years, said a top official. "We will be launching the AhmedabadLondon-Newark flight from August 15 and DelhiMadrid from December as part of our growth plan," Air India Chairman and Managing Director

Ashwini Lohani said in Bhopal. Mr. Lohani arrived in Bhopal to take part in a programme on the occasion of opening of AI area manager's office, which was inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Antony DeSa. "We have launched a number of new flights. We have already launched flights from Delhi for San Francisco and Vienna.

Next year we are planning to launch five-six more flights, including Washington, Scandinavian countries and Africa. We are

heading towards growth," Mr. Lohani said, replying to a question on the issue of profitability. To a query on the current fleet size, he said at present there were 133 aircraft in the Air India group. "In next four years we will have 232 planes," he said. On relaxation in 5/20 rule (five years operation in domestic sector and 20 aircraft) for launching international operations, the CMD, while welcoming it, said ultimately it will benefit the passengers as competition will in-

crease. "It is a good decision as it will enhance competition and will ultimately benefit air passengers. Now any airline having 20 aircraft can launch international operations straightaway," he said. Referring to the issues related to Dreamliner planes, he said there were some problems in its design since the beginning, but it was sorted out. Air India has ordered for 27 Dreamliners and has so far received 21 planes and six more are in the

pipeline. On the issue of connectivity with Bhopal, Mr. Lohani said Air India would make its hub in the State so that more flights will originate from here. When asked if it will be in Bhopal or Indore, he replied at present Air India had more contact with the State capital. On the issue of launching international flights from Bhopal or Indore, he said it will not be available for Bhopal, but it may start for Dubai from Indore in near future. (Agencies)

PAGE 10

Vedanta Limited leads 'India Disclosure Index'

CEO Vedanta, Tom Albanese. (Photo: i.telegraph) ANI New Delhi, Jul 6: Vedanta Limited, a globally diversified natural resources company, has been ranked as India's leading publicly listed company in the India Disclosure Index 2016 report

by FTI Consulting.

Vedanta achieved full scores on all parameters that were studied across the Mandatory Disclosure, Voluntary Disclosure and Composite Disclosure categories, making it the leader of India's top 200 companies.

Vedanta is the only company in the natural resources sector to achieve the highest possible score across all parameters.

Vedanta stands among eight leading BSE 100 companies that attained the maximum composite disclosure score of 10.

The results are testament to Vedanta's commitment to transparency and adherence to global best practice in corporate governance. "Vedanta's leading position in the India Disclosure Index report reflects our commitment to the highest standards of disclosure and corpo-

rate governance. At Vedanta, we follow compliance standards that are on par with our global peers," said CEO Vedanta, Tom Albanese.

"We are committed to leading the way in corporate governance, and our policy is one of transparency and continuous improvement of our disclosure practices," added Tom Albanese. Since the 2015 India Disclosure Index report, Vedanta has significantly improved its ranking, scoring 10/10 in Composite Disclosure, compared to 7.5/10 last year. Vedanta's commitment as a transparent and responsible corporate citizen reflects on the company's emphasis on principles of community dialogue and mutual respect. The approach to disclosure processes goes beyond mandatory legal requirements and includes reporting across a wide range of areas, including sustainable development, safety, employee diversity and inclusion, talent development and senior management succession planning.

TECHNOLOGY Huawei Honor 5C goes for open sale on Flipkart at Rs 10,999

Image for representational purpose. (Photo: grabsparks) Huawei's Honor 5C that was launched late last month is now available for open sale via Honor store and Flipkart.

Honor 5C is available in grey, gold and silver at Rs 10,999. The open sale began recently.

Honor 5C comes with a

powerful Kirin 650 16 nm chipset with MaliT830 GPU. It houses fingerprint identification that unlocks the phone in 0.5 seconds. The phone features 13 MP rear cameras and 8 MP front camera with BSI sensor.

HONOURABLE HONOR 5C Kirin 650 Chipset.

Fingerprint with 0.5 second unlocking speed.

5.2-inch 1920 x 1080p full HD screen.

13 MP Rear Camera.

8 MP Front Camera.

3000 mAh Battery.

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DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, JULY 7

PAGE 11

Women's Kabaddi League: Firebirds 2 Indo-Thai bouts added to hold Storm Queens to thrilling draw Vijender's Asia title fight night top raider with six points.

It was a steady start from both teams as after five minutes the Storm Queens led 3-2. The Fire Birds captain Mamtha Poojari was sent to the bench in the fourth minute and Fire Birds raiders struggled in her absence. The Storm Queens led 5-3 after ten minutes with their defence and attack contributing equally.

Meanwhile, the Fire Birds raiders scored only on raid point and made eight empty raids in the first 12 minutes.

Women's Kabaddi League But their captain Mamtha Poojari came on to score two points, as it was 7-7 at the end of first half.

Storm Queens led 10-8 after 19 minutes and sent Fire Birds skipper Mamtha Poojari to the bench. It was a tight

game as both teams were tied at 10-10 after 22 minutes. The teams looked evenly matched with both defenses trading tackle points as it was 11-11 after 24 minutes.

Storm Queens didn't score a single bonus point but Sakshi Kumari made a crucial do-ordie raid in the 27th minute to lead 14-12.

Mamtha Poojari scored a raid point and bonus point as Fire Birds tied the game at 14-14. Both teams tried to score raid points in the last two minutes but were unable to do so.

Pistorius given six-year Niki Lauda claims Hamilton `destroyed` prison term for murder his dressing room post Baku crash of girlfriend

Oscar Pistorius ANI Johannesburg, July 6 : Former South African Paralympics runner Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to six years in jail for the murder of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013, the High Court in Pretoria ruled on Wednesday.

Pistorius, famously known as the Blade Runner, was released on parole in October 2015 and has been placed under house arrest since then at his uncle's house after serving almost a year in prison of his five-year sentence But the doubleamputee athlete was found guilty of murder after the Supreme Court overturned his previous culpable homicide conviction in December following the state's successful attempt in challenging the verdict.

While delivering her decision in a story that has

attracted intense worldwide attention, Judge Thokozile Masipa said she had considered both aggravating and mitigating factors, such as rehabilitation and murder, and concluded that the latter outweighed the former, Sport24 reported.

Judge Masipa, who heard the original trial, cited this factor as main reason for deviating from the prescribed 15year sentence for murder.

Pistorius has always denied deliberately killing his girlfriend and claimed that he mistook her for an intruder before shooting her dead with four bullets fired through a closed toilet door.

The 29-year-old was taken immediately to jail. Both the prosecution and defence can appeal.

Nick Young's July 4 stint could have taken his hand

Nick Young

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ANI Washington D.C., July 6 : Nick Young came very close to losing his hands during the 4th of July party at his Los Angeles home.

According TMZ.com reports, the NBA star picked up a tube holding a lit artillery shell which exploded then and there.

It was a very close call, but it was lucky for Young that he = escaped from the situation unscathed.

The whole situation is eerily similar to the story of Jason Pierre-Paul, where he describes the moment he blew up his hand in a July 4th fireworks accident.

ANI Johannesburg, July 6 : Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, after crashing at last month's European Grand Prix qualifying, was so upset with himself that he went on to wreck his own dressing room, according to Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda.

Speaking to an Austrian television, the Formula One legend revealed that he was there when Hamilton took his frustration out in his private room in the team's motor-home, Sport24 reported.

He said that three-time Formula One champion Hamilton eventually paid for the damages caused to the hotel room, Sport24 reported.

Lauda also dismissed Hamilton's claims that

PTI New Delhi, Jul 6 : Indian boxing star Vijender Singh's WBO Asia title fight night on July 16 here will also feature two international undercard bouts.

Indian boxer Kuldeep Dhanda, who made his debut in April, will be facing experienced Thai boxer Vachayan Khamon in a six round contest.

"I am fully prepared for my second fight, I know he is an experienced boxer but I am working hard physically and mentally to win this fight.

Fighting as undercard of Vijender Singh will be an exciting moment for me," Dhanda said.

The 39-year old Vachayan Khamon has already played a total of 23 fights, winning 10 of them with 4 knockouts.

Commenting on his fight Khamon said, "I have way more experience than Kuldeep so I am confident about my win.

I am going to give him some strong punches and knock him out in the first

Vijender Singh

round."

Another Indo-Thai fight would be between former amateur junior world champion Sunil Siwach and Natdanai Pengthong.

Aiming for a winning pro debut, Sunil said "I am really excited for my professional debut that too against an international boxer. I am preparing hard from last 4 months and targeting for my first win against Thailand boxer. I am ready to give him a tough time in the ring".

The 22-year old boxer,

from Thailand, is two bouts old and has played three rounds, and hasn't won any of his fights ever since he turned professional.

Pengthong said, "I have lost my previous two bouts, but that does not stop me from winning this time around. I will give in my 100% to win this fight as a professional boxer."

The highlight of the ninth would be the clash between Vijender and Australian Kerry Hope for the WBO Asia title bout.

Singlijan Green Club win Niki Lauda he had buried the hatchet with teammate Nico Rosberg, saying that "it was just for show".

Hamilton finished fifth in Baku while Rosberg went on to win the race last month.

However, Hamilton cut Rosberg's lead in the title race from 24 points to 11 ahead after winning the Austrian Grand

Prix in Spielberg on Sunday.

Mercedes chief executive Toto Wolff severely censured his both drivers after they crashed into one another again in Spielberg and warned that team orders could be imposed in order to prevent more self-inflicted setbacks in the championship.

Sports Reporter opened the account S e c r e t a r y M a n i n d r Dibrugarh, July 6: through striker Sushil a n a t h Saikia.

Singlijan Green Club de- Bag in the 25th minute. Dipuranjan Markary, feated Jalan Nagar Tea Sushil received a pass of Chief executive officer estate by 1-0 in the inau- Pluntus Kakha from the of Sonowal Kachari gural match of the first left flank and found the Autonomous Council Monuj a n d Patra and Senior division football tournament B i s w a j i t Boga Das Sonowal, senior division football back of the net. Jalan executive member of tournament 2016, Nagar Tea estate missed SAKC were present in organised by Dibrugarh some crucial opportuni- the inaugural match.

District Sports Associa- ties. The tournament Tomorrow, Dibrugarh tion at DDSA stadium w a s i n a u g u r a t e d b y F o o t b a l l C o a c h i n g here today.

D i b r u g a r h D i s t r i c t Centre will lock horn Singlijan Green Club S p o r t s A s s o c i a t i o n with Romai Tea estate.

Rohit inspires Bulls to narrow win over Titans in Pro Kabaddi League ANI Hyderabad, July 6 : Bengaluru Bulls came up with an impressive performance to outclass the Telugu Titans 30-28 in the fourth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League here at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium last evening.

Rohit Kumar scored 11 raid points for the Bulls and inspired his team to a huge victory. The Telugu Titans defence made several silly errors and their raiders too had an unimpressive night as they lost in front of their home support.

The Bengaluru Bulls leapfrogged to second spot in the table with 18 points after five games whereas Telugu Titans climbed up to sixth spot with nine points after five games.

Both teams started strongly and traded early punches as Telugu Titans led 3-2 after five minutes.

There were as many 11 empty raids in the first 14 minutes as the game was tied 7-7. Bengaluru Bulls then struck through Vinod Kumar who scored two points as they led 10-7 after 15 minutes. The Bulls then inflicted an all-out in

the 17th minute as they took a commanding 14-8 lead. But Nilesh Salunke made a two-point raid in the same minute to cut the lead down to four points.

Rohit Kumar had a terrific first half as he scored seven raid points to give his team 16-11 lead at the end of first half. Rahul Chaudhari for Titans made only two successful raids out of eight.

Telugu Titans made a few defensive errors in the first five minutes of the second half as the Bulls led 19-12.

Rahul Chaudhari scored his first point of the sec-

Pro Kabaddi League ond half in the 26th minute and followed it up

with another in the next minute as Titans trailed

14-20.

Bulls subsequently made a super tackle to lead 2216. Sandeep Narwal scored two points for Titans with raids but Bengaluru Bulls forced another super tackle in the 36th minute to open an eight-point lead. Rohit Kumar achieved a super 10 with a bonus point in the 37th minute.

Telugu Titans inflicted the first all-out with less than two minutes to as they trailed 26-30. But it was too little too late as Bengaluru Bulls held on to win an exciting game 30-28.

De Villiers delivers first win for Tridents in CPL 2016 ANI Basseterre, July 6 : AB de Villiers and Shoaib Malik scored contrasting fifties as the Barbados Tridents defeated the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots by seven wickets to register their first win of the Caribbean Premier League at Warner Park.

Malik and de Villiers helped the Tridents chase down a target of 163, but there were times where the game could have gone either way.

Meanwhile, this was the third defeat in four home games for the Patriots side who have had a very disappointing series of games at Warner Park. In all of their matches they have competed throughout but one win is all they could manage. They will be hopeful of better returns on their travels over

the coming weeks.

The Tridents chase was begun by Malik who was promoted to open having batted at three in the Tridents opening fixture, and he did a fine job of anchoring the Bajan chase.

There were two early wickets but Malik held firm to make sure there was no panic.

The first of those wickets came when Steven Taylor edged Thisara Perera to the wicket-keeper who could only parry the ball but the deflection looped up to Tabraiz Shamsi at point. The second Trident to fall was Wayne Parnell who was pushed up the order to three and his stay ended when he a drove a ball from Perera straight to long on.

Malik fell for 54 (46) and that brought together de Villiers and Kieron Pol-

AB de Villiers lard with 55 runs needed from six overs. The two men made 58 in 28 balls to win the match for their team. De Villiers finished on 63 (33) a welcome return to form for a man who had not passed 50 in

seven innings before this match, an uncharacteristic lean patch for the South African captain.

The Patriots had an eventful start to their innings when they won the toss and elected to bat. The

very first ball was top edged by Lendl Simmons off the bowling of Parnell but Imran Khan could not hold on to a swirling catch at fine leg. The very next ball there was an appeal for caught behind against Simmons which the umpire gave out.

Parnell picked up another wicket in his next over, this time the Patriots captain was the man dismissed Faf du Plessis caught in the deep. JJ Smuts was brought into the side in the place of Brad Hodge and he too departed inside the batting PowerPlay, bowled around his legs by Malik to leave the Patriots struggling at 40-3 after six overs.

While wickets were falling at the other end Evin Lewis continued the fine form that saw him score a match-winning 73 in the

Patriots last match against the St Lucia Zouks. Here he made a 32-ball 50 as he topscored for his team for the second successive match, combining with Jonathan Carter in a partnership that was worth 54. Lewis departed caught in the deep attempting to hit his third Maximum but he was well caught by de Villiers at deep midwicket.

Carter picked up the pace when Lewis left, but he should have been dismissed on 26 when Ashley Nurse dropped a straightforward catch at long-off. He made the most of his life as he hit three Maximums on his way to 41 as the Patriots managed 162-8, a decent total but not one that they could defend.

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ANI Hyderabad, July 6 : In a tightly contested match, Storm Queens and Fire Birds produced the first tie in the Women's Kabaddi Challenge here at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium last evening.

The Storm Queens were looking for their first win of the season but the Fire Birds held on to share the spoils. The Storm Queens skipper Tejaswini Bai had a disappointing game and scored only one points whereas her counterpart Mamtha Poojari was the

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DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, JUNE 7

Page 12

FASCINATING FACTS

The Lion, the Camel, the Jackal and the Crow There was once a jungle that was ruled by a lion called Madotkata, who had a leopard, a jackal and a crow at his service, along with other animals.

As they did regularly, they were wandering about the jungle one day, when the lion saw a camel at a distance. This camel had separated from its caravan and was feeding itself on the green grass of the jungle.

The lion took a fancy on this animal that he had not seen before, "Let us go and ask this extraordinary animal, where he comes from."

The crow, who flies to far-off places was aware and replied, "Master, it is called a camel and this animal lives in villages. The flesh of this animal tastes good, let us kill it and eat it."

But the lion disagreed, "He does not belong to the jungle, so he is our guest. I will not kill it. Please go and assure him that no harm will be done, and bring him to me".

As per the lion's instruction, they went to the camel and assured him that they were to bring it to the lion. They won its confidence, and they brought the camel to the lion.

The camel stood before the lion and bowed. He also narrated how he had gotten separated from his caravan and how he had reached the jungle.

On hearing this, the lion said, "Oh Camel, if you return to the village you will be made a beast to carry burden again.

Stay in the jungle under my kingdom instead. You can feast on the abundant green grass of the jungle without any fear."

The camel accepted the offer, and they began to live together in peace.

Later one day, the lion got severely wounded in a fight with a mad elephant. Such were his injuries that he could not take a few steps, let alone go out of his for hunting.

Due to lack of food, the lion became weaker. The animals who served him were also starving since they were depen-

Always be on guard when you are in the company of wicked people. Do not be taken in by their sweet words. dent on the lion for their food.

When the lion could not bear anymore, he called them and said, "Go and find any animal that I can prey upon even in my weak condition. This way I can provide food for you, and also for myself."

All the animals wandered about the jungle without any success to find such an animal.

On their way back, the jackal had a plan.

He said to the crow, "There is no point wandering about the jungle when the food is right in front of us. The camel can provide us with the food for all of us for a long time."

The crow replied, "Indeed, what you say is correct. But the master has assured the camel of his safety under his rule. He will refuse to kill him."

The jackal said, "Leave that to me. I will influence the master in a manner that he will agree to feast on the camel. You wait till I return after a discussion with the lion".

The jackal met the lion and said, "Master, we have been looking all around the jungle but could not find an animal for you. All of us have not had food for so long that we can hardly walk properly. Under this circumstance, if you agree to kill the camel, his flesh can provide food for all of us".

The lion disagreed, "Shame on you! How can I kill the camel when he has my assurance that his life will be safe under my kingdom. It is a sin to think

LITTLE SCIENTIST The Coin cleaner What you need " a few old coins (which aren't shiny) " vinegar " salt " bowl " paper towels Activity " Add 1 teaspoon of salt to 1/4 cup of vinegar. " Stir thoroughly. " Place old dirty coins into the bowl. " Wait for 20 seconds and then take the coins out and rinse them in water and dry them with your paper towels. " They should be now be shiny and clean!

Reason: Why? Vinegar is an acid and the salt reacts with the acid in the vinegar which removes the copper oxide that was making your coins look dirty.

Readers can send articles, poems, sketches, stories, travel experiences, achievements etc to editor.easterntoday@gmail.com or can post to The Eastern Today. T.C Borah Building, First Floor, Near to Sankardeva Hospital, Mancotta Road, Chowkidingee.

Dibrugarh, 786001 Assam.

likewise."

But the jackal continued, "Master, it would indeed be a sin to kill him after you have given him the assurance of his safety.

But if he offers himself as your food by himself, it would then not be a sin to kill him and accept his offer."

The jackal continued, "What good are we, if we cannot be of our master's service in his time of need. Please kill one of us for yourself, and the others to save the rest of us from dying of hunger."

The lion failed to justify the jackal and said, "Please do what you think would be in the best for all of us."

After this, the jackal returned to the other animals and declared, "Our master is sick and weak. If something happened to him, there would not be anyone to protect us. We have failed to get any animal after wandering throughout the jungle. The only way now to repay our debts to our master would be to offer ourselves to him. This way the rest of us would be saved from dying of hunger too."

As planned, all of them stood before the lion and bowed.

They informed the lion that they did not succeed to find any animal for their food.

The crow said, "Master, we could not find an appropriate animal for your food. So, I offer myself. Please eat me to save yourself from hunger."

The jackal interrupted, "You

are too small to provide flesh for the master. Even if he agrees your offer, it will not be enough for his survival. Indeed, you have proven your devotion and by offering yourself, you have already freed yourself from the debts of the master."

He turned to the lion and said, "Please accept my offer instead."

The jackal stood humbly before the lion, "Master, please eat me to save yourself from hunger.

If you accept my sacrifice, I will be honoured with a place in heaven".

On hearing this, the lion shook his head in refusal. This way, the other animals started offering themselves, but the lion kept refusing to accept their offer.

The camel who was observing all this thought, "All of them speak beautifully about offering themselves, but the master refuses to kill any of them. I shall seek to impress the master in a similar fashion."

Thinking such, the camel said to the other animals, "You have offered yourself, but the master cannot eat you because all of you are carnivores and belong to the same category as the lion himself. Stand by, for I shall offer myself".

With this, the camel came forward and bowed before the lion.

He said, "Master, you need not kill any of these animals.

Please eat me instead. I offer myself in return to your debts.

I shall find my way to the heaven, if you may please accept my offer".

No sooner had he made the offer, the other animals cheered. Having already been influenced by the jackal, the lion jumped on him. He was killed, and eaten by all the animals together.

The wise indeed say: Always be on guard when you are in the company of wicked people. Do not be taken in by their sweet words.

Photo courtesy: ytimg

1. The RMS Titanic was the world's largest passenger ship when it entered service, measuring 269 metres (882 feet) in length, and the largest man-made moving object on Earth.

The largest passenger vessel is now the MS Allure of the Seas, at 362 metres.

2. The ship burned around 600 tonnes of coal a day - hand shovelled into its furnaces by a team of 176 men. Almost 100 tonnes of ash were ejected into the sea each day.

3. The ship's interiors were loosely inspired by those at the Ritz hotel in London. Facilities on board included a gym, pool, Turkish bath, a kennel for first class dogs, and a squash court. It even had its own on board newspaper - the Atlantic Daily Bulletin.

4. There were 20,000 bottles of beer on board, 1,500 bottles of wine and 8,000 cigars - all for the use of first-class passengers.

5. The Grand Staircase on board descended down seven of the ship's 10 decks and featured oak panelling, bronze cherubs and paintings. Replicas can be found at the Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri.

6. The staircase at the White Swan Hotel in Alnwick, contains banisters from the Grand Staircase of the Titanic's sister ship, the Olympic. The staircases are presumed to have been identical.

7. Only 16 wooden lifeboats and four collapsible boats were carried, enough to accommodate 1,178 people, only one-third of Titanic's total capacity, but more than legally required.

8. There were 246 injuries and two deaths recorded during the ship's 26-month construction in Belfast.

9. Twenty horses were required to carry the main anchor.

10. 100,000 people turned up to see the ship's launch on May 31, 1911.

11. 22 tons of soap and tallow (rendered beef or mutton fat) were smeared on the slipway to assist its unhindered passage into the River Lagan.

12. The ship made two stops after leaving Southampton - at Cherbourg in northern France, and Cobh (then Queenstown) in Ireland.

CRAFTY CRAFTS How to make a rainbow disc spinner You will need " 1 x compact disc " 1 x piece of box card (approx. 15cm x 15cm) " 1 x A4 sheet of paper " 50cm of string " metal skewer " coloured pens " scissors " glue Activity " Use the compact disc as a circle template and trace out: 1.

1 x cardboard circle 2.

2 x paper circles " Now create a pattern on each white circle using coloured textas, pencils crayons or paints; whatever you have handy. " There are two patterns in the video that look great when the disc is spinning. " Glue your coloured circles to either side of the cardboard circle. " Pierce two holes through the centre of the circle, us-

Photo source: kidspot ing the metal skewer. " Thread the string through both holes, to form a loop, and tie off the end. " To spin your disc, hold the string at either end. Spin the disc in large circles to get the string twisted up. Once the string is twisted, pull on either end and the disc should spin. " Watch how your pattern changes when the disc spins.

WHAT AM I ???

LAUGH OUT LOUD There was a family with one kid, Suzie. One day the mother was out and dad was in charge of Suzie, who just turned three.

Someone had given her a little 'tea set' as a birthday gift and it was one of her favorite toys.

Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news when Suzie brought him a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. He praised her good "cooking," so she brought him more.

After several cups of tea and lots of praise from father for such yummy tea, Mom came home.

"Honey, watch this," said Dad and had her wait in the living room as Suzie brought him another cup of tea.

Mom waited, and sure enough, Suzie comes down the hall with another cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up.

"Isn't she just the cutest?"

Mom waited until he had polished off yet another cup of 'tea' before asking, "Did you ever think that the only place a baby can get water is the toilet?!"

Courtesy: santa-bantajokes

FIND YOUR PATH

RIDDLES Q. How many apples can you put in an empty box?

A. ZERO. When you put an apple, it no longer remains empty!

Q. How do you divide 20 oranges equally to 11 girls? No one gets more and no one gets less. All 11 girls should receive equal portions. How? A. Juice the oranges and serve the equal quantity of orange juice.

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Editorial Adviser: Subir Bhaumik

Editor: Ripunjoy Das

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