11 sept by THE EASTERN TODAY

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Vol. 1

Issue 100

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Dibrugarh, Friday, September 11, 2015

5.00

Every Thursday & Sunday

Pages- 12

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AASU launches statewide protest against granting citizenship to ''victims of religious persecution'' in Bangladesh and Pakistan

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ET Correspondent Guwahati, Sep 10

The Asom Gana Parishad on Tuesday issued a stern warning to the centre against granting citizenship to ''victims of religious persecution'' in Bangladesh and Pakistan, saying it will threaten the identity of the indigenous people of the state. The Asom Gana Parishad said it will also endanger the political, economic and cultural rights of the indigenous people.

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were created in the state with liberal funding through SPA. However, delinking of this important window of funding has landed the state in a tight corner not only in completing ongoing projects but also to take up other critical development projects, he said.

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Contd. on Page 4

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Reasonable 4G device Yunique offered by Yu

cmyk

Micromax subsidiary Yu Televentures has unveiled its 4G device 'Yunique' in India for the mass market. The company has an ex-

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Prominent Assamese poet Nilmani Phookan celebrates 83rd birthday

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ET Correspondent Guwahati, Sep 10

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Prominent Assamese poet and academician Nilmani Phookan celebrated his 83rd birthday on Thursday. His work replete with symbolism, is inspired by French symbolism and is representative of the genre in Assamese poetry. His notable works include Surya Henu Nami Ahe Ei Nodiyedi, Gulapi Jamur Lagna, Kobita.

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Contd. on Page 4

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armed wing of the militant group and they are wanted in several cases of attacks on armed forces jawans,” the spokesperson said, adding that the duo were closely associated with the decision to attack Assam Rifles personnel at Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima onMarch 3, 2015. The NIA spokesperson said that the duo are also wanted in subsequent string of attacks on armed forces including the attack on 6 Dogra Regiment Convoy in Chandel district of Manipur on June 4, 2015 in which 18 Army personnel were killed. He added that any person from public, giving any reliable information about the whereabouts of these hard core terrorists, leading to their arrest will be rewarded money reward as mentioned above. The identity of the informer will be kept secret.

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India, Pakistan agree to reduce border tension, open more channels of communication In a significant development, India and Pakistan on Thursday agreed to open more channels of communication for resolving all issues of utmost

military commanders from both sides agreed not to allow escalation of tensions along the Line of Control (LoC). Responding to India's appeal for peace, the Pakistan Army

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Nitish supremacy to succumb with the annoucement of poll dates Expressing confidence of NDA's victory in the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled to be held from October 12, BJP on Wednesday claimed

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Contd. on Page 4

Nepal PM Sushil Koirala in fresh appeal to Madhesi parties for talks

Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala today made a fresh appeal to Madhesi parties agitating

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ET Correspondent Guwahati, Sep 10

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Assam CM commits to revitalising ATCL

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importance between the two sides, increase bilateral engagements and maintain peace along the international border. The development comes as India and Pakistan began Director General-level talks this morning during which the top

Agencies New Delhi, Sep 10

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Amguri Sangstha, Guwahati calls emergency meeting ET Correspondent Guwahati, Sep 10

The Amguri Sangstha, Guwahati has called for an emergency meeting on September 13, at the Amguri Bhawan, Rupnagar, Guwahati from 10 am onwards. The meeting will be held to discuss various issues related to the development of the Amguri Bhawan, and regarding steps to take up for developing the Bhawan further. Contd. on Page 4

12th South Asian Games in Guwahati, Shillong from Jan 10-22 Agencies Shillong, Sep 10

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Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that the State Government is committed to revitalising the Assam Tea Corporation Limited and a plan has been streamlined to achieve this end. Chairing a meeting at his official residence at Khanapara on Tuesday, Gogoi stressed on the need to revitalise ATCL with a view to pursue its objectives more vigorously and to lend

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The North Eastern Council (NEC) is faced with meager budget allocation meant for funding various developmen-

of the central government meant for catering to the eight Northeast States has received meager funds since its inception. “We have a budget allocation of only Rs. 773 crore this year. Contd. on Page 4

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tal projects of the eight States in Northeast India. The new Secretary of the NEC Mr Ram Muivah while holding interaction session with the media here in Shillong, said that the NEC being the most important body

Dmuising Khongirem Shillong, Sep 10

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North Eastern Council faces problem of meager fund allocation

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three accuseds who are currentlyunder judicial custody.At the outset of themeeting, students and teachers of Margherita College presented a sentimental song in memory of Thuking which moved many to tears.A booklet titled 'Padum Pahir Chokuley' intribute to Late Thuking Tikhak was also released.

spoke voicing their condemnation on the dastardly incident which took the life of the young college girl and demanding fast track trial of the

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday announced a cash reward for any information on two NSCN-K militants who are wanted in a case of attack of armed personnel. A NIA spokesperson said that a cash reward of Rs 10 on Niki Sumi, the head of armed wing of NSCN-K while Rs 7 lakh reward has been announced for info on group’s chief SS Khaplang. The spokesperson said that two absconding militants of NSCN-K are wanted in various cases of attacks on armed forces in which many army personnel had been killed in North-Eastern region of India. “S S Khaplang is head of the NSCN (K) group while Niki Sumi is holding the charge of

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Thounsands attend memorial meeting

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Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi with wife Dolly Gogoi visited Shree Shree Madhob Dev, the Dhekia Khuwa Bor Namghor of Teok under Jorhat district today evening as a part of the Assamese holy month the Bhada. Mr Gogoi and wife Dolly Gogoi offered prayers by lighting the holy lamp at the Dhekia Khuwa Bor Namghor. Teok MLA Membor Gogoi was also accompanied the CM. There was also a large gathering who visited the holy place as it is the Assamese holy month the Bhada. ○

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monk of the area. A condolencemeeting was later held wherein leaders of various organizations and prominent citizens of Margherita

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ET Correspondent Guwahati, Sep 10

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ET Correspondent Teok, Sep 10

Doomdooma, Sep10 : A month long programme which was organised in the memory of dr avul pakir jainulabddin kalam ,the former president of india at kordoiguri girls' me school ,came to a successful end last saturday."the programme was organised to inculcate the teachings of dr kalam to the students"pradeep kumar moran ,the headmaster said to the eastern today. The concluding ceremony of the programme was chaired by the headmaster himself who admired the teacers for teaching the students all dimensions of dr kalam's life and deeds. At the end floral tribute was paid .(Correspondent) ○

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NIA offers cash reward for info on wanted NSCN (K) millitants

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Assam CM with wife visits Dhekia Khuwa Bor Namghor of Teok

Programme on President Kalam

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Dhubri, Sep 10 Dhubri Zila Auto-Rickshaw Shramik Sanstha staged sit-in and demonstrated in front of Deputy Commissioner’s office today against Dhubri Municipal Board for allegedly collecting parking tax from the auto-rickshaws without providing parking area in the town. Sanstha also submitted memorandum to Dhubri deputy commissioner, Nazrul Islam and urge upon him to take steps either to stop collecting tax at present or provide. (Correspondent)

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A mega memorial meetingwas held at Margherita College today in memory of Late Thuking Tikhak. It was jointly organized by twenty sixcivil societies and NGOsof Assam. An all faith prayer was also held which was led by Ven.U Gunawantha Mahathero, a senior and prominent Buddhist

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After a long gape of around 7 years, the Solung festival was centrally celebrated with much pomp and gaiety at Ruksin town market today being organized by Central Solung Giidi Celebration Committee headed by President Tamat Saroh and Gen. Secy. Boku Basar. Contd. on Page 3

Auto drivers' protest in Dhubri

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Indrajit Tingwa & Mithun Baruah Margherita, Sep 10

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Special Correspondent Pasighat, Sep 10

Golaghat, Sep 10: In a judgement delivered by the Court of District and Sessions Judge of Golaghat, three murder convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment. Three convicts namely Mahesh Munda, Biswa alias Babu Tanti and Mohan Munda of Kolkhowa village under Bokakhat PS in Golaghat were charged with murder of Dharmndra Munda of the same village on 10 February, 2014. On 9 September, hearing both both parties Golaghat District and Sessions Judge Robin Phukan sentenced the trio to life imprisonment along with a penalty of Rs 3000. (Correspondent)

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Protests over Margherita college student rape-murder gains momentum

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Ruksin celebrates Solung with pomp & gaiety

Life imprisonment for murder convicts

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Members of aasu burning copies of the notification issued by the Centre on Hindu bengalis. Pic - Arjun Mishra

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for the last two and half years. He was also the warden of the junior boys hostel, the report said. The teacher allegedly raped the student following which he was attacked, the school building ransacked and a vehicle damaged by agitators on Monday, Contd. on Page 3

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A district administration in Arunachal Pradesh has suspended the registration certificate of a private school at Geku and ordered its closure following public unrest over

report said. The DDSE was also asked to make arrangements for the immediate admission of the 284 affected students of the Liitung Liimang Public School to nearby schools, it said. The accused teacher used to teach social science and computer up to Class-III in the school

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the alleged rape of a sevenyear-old student by a primary school teacher. In view of the unrest, the Deputy Director of School Education (DDSE), Yingkiong visited Geku on the direction of the Upper Siang district administration on Wednesday , an official

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Agencies Itanagar, Sep 10

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Golaghat, Sep 10: With the view to maintain peace, law and order in Golaghat, the Additional District Magistrate, Golaghat has ordered imposition of section 144 in the district. In the wake of imposition of section 144, a gathering of five or more people at public places, carrying of arms and weapons, dharna, rallies, burning of effigies, sticking bills on walls, pillion riding in two wheelers, etc. are banned. Anyone violating these shall be booked. However in some specific cases section 144 may be relaxed by the SDOs of Bokakhat and Dhansri. (Correspondent)

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Arunachal school ordered to close following unrest over alleged rape

Section 144 imposed in Golaghat

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The 12th South Asian Games (SAG) will be held in Guwahati and Shillong from January 10 to 22 next year and preparations were on for the multi-sporting event in both states. "The South Asian Games will be held from January 10 to 22 in Guwahati and Shillong," Meghalaya sports secretary F R Kharkongor said, adding the state will host seven disciplines, including archery, boxing, wushu, taekwondo, table tennis and badminton and Assam would host 13 other disciplines. Preparation for the Games has already begun in Meghalaya, Kharkongor said. The SAG would see participation of around 2,500 athletes from the eight member-countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

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Bamboo for a Green Economy How can bamboo help countries and businesses shift to more sustainable models, generating benefits

BUSINESS

REGION

NEIGHBOURS

EDITORIAL

clusive partnership with Snapdeal and the product will be made available for sale every week for registered users. Registrations began on September 8 for the first flash sale scheduled on September 15.

that the poll dates announced by the Election Commission was a declaration of the "end" of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's reign. BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said the EC's announcement was virtually an announcement of the saffron party coming to power.

over a proposed constitution to join its drafting process and help find a peaceful way to end the violent street protests that has claimed 33 lives. "Violence can never solve political issues.

for both people and the environment? Ahead of a 'Bamboo business leaders dialogue' today at the World Forestry Congress I want to highlight six ways bamboo can contribute to a green economy.

iPad goes supersize with a Pro variant Mumbai, Sep 10

Apple has announced a new iPad Pro with a larger 12.9-inch screen and a focus on productivity. Recently, the company’s chief executive, Tim Cook, took to the stage of San Francisco’s large Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to announce the new iPad, Contd. on Page 4

PRO PRODUCTIVITY ØApple has announced a new iPad Pro with a larger 12.9-inch screen and a focus on productivity. ØThe iPad Pro is capable of running two full-sized applications side-by-side on the screen. ØMeasuring 12.9 inch diagonally, the iPad Pro’s screen offers 76 per cent more screen area than the current 9.7 inch, with the same 4:3 ratio for its width and length.

ØThe new tablet will use Apple’s new A9X processor, which is 1.8 times faster than the previous generation A8X used in 2014’s iPad Air 2. ØIts graphics performance is twice that of the A8X, which will help drive the large, high-density screen with 5.9 million pixels. ØThe iPad Pro has 10 hours of battery life and has four speakers creating stereo sound.

ØIt will be available in the U.S. in November in silver, gold and space grey for $799 with 32GB of storage, with versions with more memory and 4G connectivity costing up to $1,079. ØApple also released a pixelaccurate pressure sensitive stylus for the iPad Pro called the Apple Pencil. ØThe Pencil is charged via the Lightning Connector directly from the iPad Pro and costs $99.

cmyk

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ET CAPSULES

changes in the wake of transition from Planning Commission to NITI Aayog, Tuki explained that SPA funding by the erstwhile Planning Commission had been a growth driver for creating infrastructure in the state. During the last five years as many as 1498 critical assets

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Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has urged the Niti Ayog to provide a special window of funding for overall growth and development of the state. Tuki

chief minister mentioned that the rationale of this proposal was to ensure completion of several projects which were started under the Special Plan Assistance (SPA) window of the Planning Commission. While explaining the ramifications of the institutional

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called on NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Arvind Panagariya in New Delhi on Wednesday and submitted a proposal "Priority Areas for Development in Arunachal Pradesh" for consideration by NITI Aayog, an official communique said here today. The

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Agencies Itanagar, Sep 10

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Arunachal Pradesh CM Nabam Tuki seeks AGP issues stern special fund from NITI Aayog for development warning to centre

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DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

Aadhar card enrolment kicked off at Seppa Seppa, Sep 10 : Biometric enrolment for Aadhar Card of East Kameng district under National Population Register has begun today at Seppa with the enrolment of Sandeep Kumar Singh, DC East Kameng. To ease out AJYCP protest against alleged ‘syndicateraj’ of forest dept in Jorhat. Pic - Nekib Ahmed

Diamond industry in Surat hit by China slowdown Surat, Sep 10: The slowdown in Chinese economy has adversely affected the diamond industry in India. As per data issued by Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), diamond export from Surat, which by some estimates polishes about 80 percent of the world's diamonds to China, has declined ever since financial crisis hit the neighbouring country. "Due to the crisis in China, the diamond jewellery business has been adversely affected. The polish demand from China in Indian markets has also been affected due to this," said Dineshbhai Navadiya, the regional chairman of GJEPC. More than 5,000 Surat polishers have lost their jobs since June and thousands more could be left without work as the Chi-

nese consumers pull back from luxury purchases, leaving jewellers with stocks of unsold jewellery and gems. Polishers say the Chinese jewellers have defaulted on deals worth millions of dollars. Navadiya opined that the United States could benefit in diamond business in the present scenario. "In diamond industry one who imports in terms of dollars and sells in terms of rupees would face problems and may have to incur losses too," he said. Nearly half a dozen large diamond companies in the city have closed down: a significant hit for an industry that employs nearly a million people in India, two-thirds of them in Surat. Surat polishes cheaper diamonds of less than a carat, but is also known for solitaires single stones - popular with Chinese buyers. (ANI)

Patanjali prepares to enter consumer sector New Delhi, Sep 10: Patanjali Ayurved Limited (PAL), which was founded in 1997 as a small pharmacy is all set to enter the consumer sector. The Ayurveda company is going to bring about structural changes in the consumer mindset towards packaged products, especially in categories such as infant care and sanitation. Seen as the most diversified consumer goods firm in India, bigger than Jyothi Labs and Emami, Patanjali's products could also act as a risk to competition in the long term. The products are priced lower than those of other players in the market and should be able to influ-

`Hawaabaazi`, `Hawalabaazi`, all are `Jumlebaazi`, says Shotgun Sinha New Delhi, Sep 10: Veteran actor and BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday termed the 'Hawaabaazi' and 'Halawalabaazi' comments made by the Congress and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as 'Jumle baazi'. "Hawaabaazi aur Hawalabaazi, ye sab cheezey Jumle baazi hain...Khamosh ( H a w a b a a z i , Hawalabaazi, all these things are 'Jumle baazi')," Sinha told ANI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier had criticised the Congress Party for disrupting Parliament and described them as a group of 'Hawalabaaz' who are terrorised due to strong black money laws initiated by his government. Congress President Sonia Gandhi had earlier said, "It has become painfully clear that most of the pledges made by the Prime Minister during his election campaign were nothing more than Hawa baazi." (ANI)

ence the price-sensitive consumer easily. Patanjali products are also health-driven and have been able to generate more awareness among consumers. As per a report by Nomura, the consumer sector continues to be expensive. The sector average is now 32.6 times. Jubilant Foodworks and Emami are the most expensive stocks, trading at 46.9 times and 38.5 times respectively. Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation roped in Patanjali Ayurved to manufacture some herbal supplements and food products to market in the country and abroad. (ANI)

the exercise the district has been divided and demarcated into various blocks and accordingly, date and venue have been allotted to each block. Enrolment of individuals falling under the particular block or area will be

done on the specific date and venue allotted to the block. DC, East Kameng has made an appeal to the people of the district to come and enroll on scheduled date and venue. And further, he has requested the people to

List Of Phone Numbers Of Nursing Homes Tinsukia City Hospital & Research Centre Category: General Hospital Hospital Address: Gnb Road Near Bujhuri-786125, Assam Pin Code :786125 Phone Number :0374-2333349 Fax :0374-2350026/2339974

Dr.Bawaris Nursing Home Jeevan Jyoti Nursing Home Category: General Hospital Category: General Hospital Hospital Address: Parvathiya Road Hospital Address: Parbatia,Opp Hindi Girls High School-786125, Assam Tinsukia-786125, Assam Pin Code :786125 Pin Code :786125 Phone Number :(0374)2339756 Phone Number :0374-2336319 Fax :0374-2335334 Fax :0374-2350131

Pinewood Hospital Category: General Hospital Hospital Address: Subothoni Road Moniam Dewan Nagra-786125 Pin Code :786125 Phone Number :0374-2300730 Fax :0374-2339730

Help-Line APST BUS SERVICE Ph: 0360-2212338, 0360-2351490 NIGHT SERVICES Name of Routes Departure Distance(km) Bus Fare 1) Itanagar- Shillong ( Daily service) 5:00 pm 510 460/2) Itanagar-Nyapin(Mon, Thu, Sat) 2:00 pm 325 400/3) Itanagar- Aalo (Daily service) 2:30 pm 325 350/4) Itanagar-Daporijo (Daily service from Nlg)12:00 noon 432 470/5) Itanagar - Yingkiong (Alternate day) 01.00 pm 436 550/6) Itanagar - Seppa (Alternate day) 12:00 noon 385 420/7) Itanagar - Khonsa (Sun, mon, wed, thur) 1:00 pm 677 620/8) Itanagar - Namsai (Daily service) 1:00 pm 655 580/9) Itanagar - Koloriang (Alternate day) 2.30 pm 334 400/DAY SERVICE 10) Itanagar - Guwahati (Daily service) 6.00 am 395 350/11) Itanagar - Pasighat (Daily service) 6.00 am 270 250/12) Itanagar - Tirbin (Mon, thu & sat) 5.30 am 328 330/13) Itanagar - Bomdila (Daily except Fri) 6.00 am 346 320/14) Itanagar - Aalo (Daily service) 5.30 am 325 350/15) Itanagar - Sagalee (Sun, Tues & Thur ) 7.30 am 121 135/16) Itanagar - Pakke Kessang (Mon, Wed & Fri)7.00 am 160 200/17) Itanagar-Mengio (sun, tue &Thur) 6.00 am 198 230/18)Itanagar-Kimin/ H-Camp (Daily except Sat)12.00 noon 94 80/19) Itanagar-Gerukhamukh (Daily except Fri)12.00 noon 134 120/20) Itanagar- Balijan (Daily except Sun) 12.30 pm 105 105/21) Itanagar - Sonajuly (Daily except Sun) 01.00 pm 70 80/22) Itanagar - Jote (Daily except Sun) 07.00 am & 01.00 pm 22 30/23) Itanagar- Lakhimpur (Daily Service) 3.30 pm 64 70/-

Bordoloi Avenue, Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh - 786005 Phone Numbers: 0373 - 2302219, 2302225

G M Hospital

Shrishti Hospital & Research Centre Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh - 786 005 Phone: 0373 - 2300024, 2302099

Archana Trauma & Orthopaedics Hospital

Brahmaputra Diagnostics & Hospital

Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh - 786 005 Phone: 0373 - 2302100, 2302099

Assam Medical College

Marwari Arogya Bhawan Hospital Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh Phone: 0373 - 2302872, 2302051

Graham Bazar, A.T. Road Dibrugarh Phone: 0373 - 2322547

Jalan Nagar, Dibrugarh - 786 002 List of Phones numbers: Emergency Room : 0373 - 2300627 Labour Room: 0373 - 2300022 Drug Deaddiction Centre: 0373 - 2302952 Community Medicine: 0373 - 2302994 RIA Centre: 0373 - 2302093

Sanjivani Diagnostic & Hospital

Dr. Pawan Bajaj's Skin Clinic

Aastha Hospital

Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh Phone: 0373 - 2303448, 2303458, 2301904

Sankardev Hospital Mancotta Road, Chowkidinghee Dibrugarh Phone: 0373 - 2327717, 2327715, 2326960

Go ahead and indulge in your artistic self today. You can reorganise your home or work place. Expenses are on the cards. If you have been longing for that expensive dressing table or a study table, buy it. Indulgence is okay sometimes. There are chances of you embarking on a frivolous shopping spree today. Putting two and two together, you may end up spending a small fortune in the afternoon. You will be the last person to tolerate if some one tries to dominate you. Your sweetheart will sugar your soul today. A fruitful day loaded with opportunities awaits you. You will be able to complete all your tasks easily at the work-front. However, you will need to put in extra effort to satisfy others. You will be engaged in discussions with your family members and neighbours later on. It is very likely that your old contacts will come quite handy for you today. At work, your skills in developing a quick rapport with others will help you perform better. People will have a high regard for your honesty. You will excel in social gatherings in the evening. It’s just good business to be on the move and avoid complacency. In fact, it is one of the secrets to success in business. Keep this in mind as today, you might have to be on the move constantly. Monetary situations will be a matter of concern and anxiety in the afternoon, but you are of invaluable support to your peers. Having handled work all day, look forward to an enjoyable evening in a romantic setting. What you wish to do today is to overhaul the looks of your living space. You might want to add some pieces of furniture or some items of decoration that define your personality. Be ready in the evening to be a great performer or probably to lend some valuable help. Call it a proof of the old saying, ‘Blood is thicker than water’, but it is your family that will stand you in good stead today. And in keeping with your grateful nature, you are likely to repay your dues later in the day. Don’t be surprised if your rivals admit to your feats — it’s all in the stars today. Your smoothtalking skills and sugary tone will go a long way in stimulating your partner’s interest in you. You shall be bursting with self-confidence today. On the professional front, your herculean efforts will bear fruit. Domestic affairs will remain harmonious. The perfection in your ideas may not materialise on paper today. And, it shall be evasive even when you get to the job of executing ideas. But keep working, and remain practical later in the day. You’ll be over-emotional during the first half of the day. You’ve been quiet for a long period now, and it will be emotionally and physically exhausting for you to express your tensions, fears, dreams, regrets and sorrows. The other half will be different as you’ll feel energetic and go out of the way to be with others in their tough times. Cleaning up the clutter, either at your home or office, will be priority number one. Grab this chance to impress your boss or spouse and make your personal space squeaky clean. A dinner by candlelight with your beloved will ease your tired muscles.

PRASAR BHARATI (India's Public Service Broadcaster) ALL INDIA RADIO : DIBRUGARH (M.W.529.1m/KHz567 F.M. 101.30 MHz)

AMC Road, Jalan Nagar Dibrugarh - 786 005

Near Indian AirLines City Office Paltan Bazar Dibrugarh - 786 005 Phone Numbers: 0373 - 2303476

ASTRO FOR YOU

You may find yourself unable to take critical decisions on a split-second basis today, and will probably keep second-guessing yourself. Your family will be in focus today. Romance is in the air, and the evening should probably see you spend time with your soul mate.

List of hospitals in Dibrugarh with contact details & phone numbers, Assam Aditya Diagnostics & Hospitals

come and visit the District Statistical Office, Seppa (Nodal Office for registration of NPR and Biometric enrolment) for complete information and convey the message to other so that no one is left behind in this exercise.

Paltan Bazar, Opposite Aditya Hospital Dibrugarh

Dr Damani's Nursing Home Near Circuit House, Dibrugarh Phone: 0373 - 2300928, 2302873

Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights 11-9-15 (FRIDAY)

5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti 6-30 A.M-Bidyarthir Anusthan (Students' Broadcast) 6-50 A.M-Zikir 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali(Assamese Modern Song) 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi(Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-05 A.M- Antara(Composite Programme of Hindi Film Songs) 12-05 P.M-Live Phone-In Surar Satsori 1-10 P.M-Troops Programme 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishimi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 4-45 P.M-News for Arunachal Pradesh 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 7-15 P.M-Chah-Shramikar Aasor (Tea-Garden Programme) 8-00 P.M-Jeewanar Deegh-Bani (Radio Autobiography)-Interview with Dr. Amalendu Guha, Eminent Social Scientist. Interviewer-Dr. Akhil Ranjan Dutta ,Part-4 10-00 P.M-"Satriya Naat Samarooh"-Bhaona-Rukmini Haran.Presented by Shri Shri Madhavdev Krishti Sangha,Letekupukhuri,Narayanpur.Producer-Rupjyoti Dowerah Sd-/H.O.P

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DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

East Siang DC visits flood ravaged Namsing, Mer, and Gadum

Pasighat, Sep 10 : East Siang Deputy Commissioner Isha Khosla along with Mebo ADC Yemling Tayeng, members of District Disaster Management Authority and PRIs today made an extensive tour of all flood affected villages like remote Namsing, Mer and Gadum to have a firsthand knowledge of the plight of flood affected people and assessed the Mebo-Dhola road damages caused by the flood. DC Khosla was shocked by seeing the quantum of damages of Mebo subdivision. At Taratamak, EE (WRD) apprised the DC that a suitable scheme/ DPR has been prepared and already been submitted to the government. While inspecting the Mebo-Dhola road, Khosla instructed the executing agency to maintain quality and long-lasting restoration work whenever necessary fund is made available to them. Concerned over the serious devastation made by the nature’s fury in the areas, she appealed the local people including

PRIs to extend their fullest cooperation and volunteered services to the executing agency during restoration process. While visiting the flood submerged agriculture cultivated lands, the DC directed the Mebo ADC and Agriculture officers to submit damage assessment report soon after receding of floods. She also observed that major damages were occurred to transmission line, electric poles and water supply causing total disruption in these essential services. Khosla instructed the engineers of PHED to clean up all ring wells immediately after receding of floods so that people can have potable water. During her interaction, local leaders of the areas have appealed the DC for advance allocation of rice. She also took stock of lifesaving medicines of the Namsing PHC and gave some basic health tips. Reviewing the situation and measures taken to control probable post flood epidemic, Khosla advised the health officials to adopt

good environmental and effective solid waste management involving communities. Local people lauded the untiring services rendered by the Medical Officer of Namsing PHC Dr. Oson Borang during grim situation in these places and also in villages of bordering Lower Dibang Valley district. At Gadum, ASM Sinhadar Perme appealed the DC for resettlement of the villagers as a part of long term policy and further asked to provide one country boat, which the DC approved immediately, instructing the Mebo ADC to provide on priority. Receiving report from the locals of death of few cattle recently, the DC ordered the veterinary officers to examine the cases and find the root causes. At all places, Khosla urged the education department and local populace to take adequate measures so that normal schooling system in the affected areas is not hampered. She also inspected the restoration work of Siku NH 52 road during the day. (DIPRO)

Tezu befittingly celebrates Solung festival Bishnu Rana Tezu, Sep 10: Solung, the most important festival of the Adi community, was celebrated here amid much fanfare and zest with people from all walks of life, both young and old cutting across all age groups thronging the Amik Ringya Cultural Hall to rejoice the festivities. The festival predominantly relates to agrosocio-cultural and religious activities. The festival is also meant to propitiate Doni Bote and Kine Nane for bumper crop and prosperity of mankind. Though Solung festival was celebrated later than the due date due to certain unavoidable circumstances as highlighted by the Chairman of Solung Celebration Committee, the troubles failed to dampen the revelers' spirit. Men and women, young and old dressed in their rich traditional attire showcased the colour of

their tradition. Famous Ponung dance, folk and modern dance added to the festivities while mouth watering local cuisines tickled the taste buds of the revelers. Clad in traditional Adi attire, Dr Mohesh Chai local MLA as chief guest in his message advised the gen-next to preserve zealously the rich cultural heritage of the tribe. “The festival has much significance as the beauty of Arunachal amid diversity is well showcased in unity and brotherhood. We should be proud to be Arunachalee where a mosaic of our rich culture rightly portrays unanimity while upholding the ethos of patriotism. 21st century poses many challenges for the youngsters with western culture intruding upon the Arunachal culture.” He said. Guest of honour Ved Prakash Surya SP Lohit appreciated the celebrations of various tribal festivals which are believed to

Assam worst affected by flood, followed by Arunachal Pradesh ET Bureau Itanagar, Sep 10 : In Assam, about 16 lakh people have been affected and over two lakh victims have taken shelters in 300 relief camps opened by the state government. Meanwhile, dozens of houses were washed away in Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh in the flood triggered by incessant rainfall over the past week. At least 103 families were affected by the flood at Anpum and Loklung villages under Paglam circle in Lower

Dibang Valley. "A relief camp is being set up at Anpum School ground for the flood victims. Though the water level has receded but erosion is still continuing," Paglam circle officer Tatling Pertin has been quoted as saying. "Many villagers have been dismantling their dwelling houses for fear of being washed away by flood water," the circle officer added. The Yomgo river is reportedly flowing above the danger mark because of the continuous rain for over a week now.

Arunachal Minister and MLA jointly inaugurate 'Exhibit of the Month' in Bhopal ET Bureau Bhopal, Sep 10: Manav Sangrahalaya in continuation to its popular series of ‘Exhibit of the Month’ exhibits one specific object on the dais. In the same series for the month of September, 2015 the ‘Exhibit of the Month’ is “Didjeridu” from Australia. The exhibit of the month has been jointly inaugurated by Shri Thangwang Wangham (Hon’ble Minister Suppy & Transport, Civil Aviation, Science & Technology, Civil Aviation, Govt of Arunachal Pradesh), Shri Gabriel Denwang Wangsu (MLA, Arunachal Pradesh) and Shri Nokkai Wangsham. This exhibition has been compiled by Dr Surya Kumar Pandey (Assistant Keeper, IGRMS). On this occasion Dr Pandey gave detailed information and said “Didgeridoo is probably the world's oldest musical instrument, originating among the aboriginal people of Australia. An archaeological study

of rock art in Northern Australia suggests that the Aboriginal people of the Kakadu region of the Northern Territory have been using the Didgeridoo for at least 1,500 years. According to a myth prevalent among the aboriginal people of Kakadu the first Didgeridoo was made from a eucalyptus tree. They came across a branch that had fallen into a bonfire. One of them noticed that the branch was hollowed out and saw many insects running out of the log narrowly escaping the flames. The Aboriginee picked up the log and pointed it to the sky. By the light of the Moon, he saw all the insects frantically running about and he blew them all out with one huge breath. At that point the hollow eucalyptus branch resonated with the signature low drone. The Aboriginals realized that it is a gift from the gods and he kept the gift and shared it with the generations to come.

Arunachal Minister visits unique indoor and open air exhibitions in Bhopal ET Bureau Bhopal, Sep 10: Today the Hon’ble Minister Supply & Transport, Civil Aviation, Science & Technology, Shri Thangwang Wangham visited indoor and open air exhibitions of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya. After the visit, in his address, he said “You (Manav Sangrahalaya) are doing an excellent job of introducing youth to the nation’s glorious

past and rich culture”. He further said, “The primary idea which came to me after getting the invitation and being briefed by Shri Nokkai Wangsham was of a museum covered in four walls, but this museum has broadened my imagination extensively. I feel full of life in here, I wish to stay for a month. The activities should be increased for providing the heritage and cultural educa-

tion to larger auidience”. On this occasion he gave assurance to provide assistance in building a Wangchu house as an exhibition in the museum. The accompanying MLA, Shri Wangsu said, “I am very far away from my home yet in this museum, I feel like being at home only. Such an heritage can be developed by great team efforts only and you have successfully proved it”.

VKV Neepco to organize ‘Personality Development Camp’ ET Correspondent Duliajan, Sep 10: Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya Neepco Bokuloni would organize a personality development camp for

students of Chi-Chia Bokuloni Girls’ ME School class VIII and Chi-Chia Bokuloni Girls’ High School class IX tomorrow as part of the celebrations

of Universal Brotherhood Day to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s speech delivered in Chicago. The project head of AGBP Neepco

Bokuloni Hamanta Changmai and former headmaster Chi-Chia MV School Sukhaswar Chetia are to grace the programme. One hour Yoga class would also

be conducted by an expert. Group songs, vajans, group discussion on Swami Vivekananda’s contribution to the modern world would also be held.

bring about bumper crops, prosperity and well being of mankind. He also termed the various festivals as symbol of unity among tribes where all wholeheartedly participate in the celebrations. While highlighting the importance of festivals,

Tamiyo Tatak DC Lohit and Chief Patron of the Solung Celebration Committee said that the celebration is a platform where people from all tribes and the mainstream promote secularism, unity and brotherhood. Earlier the MLA hoisted the Solung

festival flag and performed the rituals to unveil the celebration. A gist of Solung was also read out by A Yirang Chairman SCC. MLA including guests also joined a mass Ponung dance and later had a community feast to mark the daylong celebrations.

Arunachal school ordered to close following unrest over alleged rape Contd. from Page 1

following which the teacher was admitted to a hospital, Upper Siang SP (in charge) Doge Jini said. The principal of

the school was also arrested for his attempt to shield the accused, the SP said. The incident came to light when the school was opening after Solung festival and it was time for the board-

ers to return to the school. The victim expressed her reluctance to return to the school making her parents suspicious. The child later narrated her ordeal to her parents, police said.

Ruksin celebrates Solung with pomp & gaiety Contd. from Page 1

Parliamentary Secretary, Industry cum local MLA Er. Tatung Jamoh graced the festival as Chief Guest, while Kaling Dai, ZPC East Siang as Guest of honour. All the ranks and files of Ruksin areas attended the celebration besides representation of various Ponung parties from villages. CSGCC Gen. Secy. Boku Basar welcomed each and everyone saying Solung is a festival of prosperity and wellbeing and we all need to celebrate it with much pomp and gaiety. While CSGCC President Tamat Saroh briefed the attendants about the effort of the committee in managing such a mega event which was abandoned for around seven years. He said that, the location of celebration was prepared with much hardship as the said ground was filled with water all around due

to excessive rain during last week. He urged the concern MLA and others to do needful to develop the said location a better and permanent celebration site. He also gave the reason for celebrating the Solung lately (which is basically from 1st Sept) by saying every individual goes out to their native villages for celebration. While Tonggeng Panyang read out the detail about Solung Mythology. Speaking on the occasion, ZPC Kaling Dai said that, Ruksin a a vital location for East Siang and people maintaining their traditions and customs by such celebration is quite encouraging. Now Pasighat has been selected as Smart City and Ruksin, being the gateway of Pasighat and East Siang will have an important role to play, added Dai. Taking the opportunity, Dai also urged fellow beings of

Ruksin not to create any hindrance in developmental process as coming of Smart City will bring lots more development which will not only concrete in Pasighat township, but will spread across Ruksin, Mebo, Bilat and Rengging as well. Today we yawns for electricity, but our own people opposes for its generation from Siang River by putting hindrance in public hearing for hydro project dams, we will need to shed of such thoughts from our mind and discourage all those who have such notion, added Dai. Echoing the same, Chief Guest Tatung Jamoh also said the same and urged every fellow being of his region to be pro development and be an stake holder in development of the area. He deeply appreciated the effort of CSGCC and assured to do his needful in developing the said celebration site into a better place.

NEHU students demand full-fledged VC

ET Correspondent Shillong, Sep 10 : Students of the North Eastern Hills University (NEHU) today held a black flag meeting in the campus here at Shillong to demand appointment of a full-fledged Vice Chancellor in the university. They even set September 30 as deadline to fulfill their demand or else they would recourse to initiating a democratic agitation. Under the banner of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), students felt that non-appointment of full-

fledged VC, is an insult to them and the NEHU authority. JAC Chairman Mr Pynkmenlang Sanmiet said that the non-seriousness of the central government to appoint VC has affected the functioning of the university. At present, Prof PC Shukla is an acting VC of the university. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has kept silent on this issue posed by the students despite several requests made since 2013. “The central government should immedi-

ately appoint a regular vicechancellor in the University within September 30, or else we will be forced to intensify our agitation.” Sanmiet warned. Hundreds of students took part in the black flag protest in the premises of the university to show solidarity in protest over the absence of regular VC. JAC is a conglomeration of the Khasi Students Union – NEHU Unit, Meghalaya Post Graduate Students’ Union (MPGSU) and NEHU-Students’ Union.

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Talk on cultural and ecological diversity of Dibang Valley held jiko linggi Roing, Sep 10: A talk on cultural and ecological diversity of Dibang Valley’ a presentation delivered at Roing Anchal Samiti Hall by Ph.D scholar of University College of London Sahil Nijhawan on Tuesday at the invitation of an NGO, Kera-aa initiatives for Cultural and Ecological Security (KICES) left the audience spell bound and glued to their seats throughout the lecture. The Anthropology scholar from University College of London (UCL) has been doing research on the relationship between Idu Mishmi community, the local tribe of Dibang Valley and the area’s ecology. He spent two years continuously in the district, laying camera traps in remote locations to extensively study the wild life of the area, learning the local language, the shaman’s chants and intricacies of the local culture. The scholar has a hugely deft scholarly background, with various feathers of academic excellence on his hat. The scholar, Sahil has completed his Manufac-

turing and Automation engineering from University of Delhi & Duke University (USA), Master’s in conservation science & policy from Duke University (USA), done research on Lions & People in Botswana, has a Diploma – In Adanced Spanish, University of Colombia, Bogota. PhD -- In Anthropology University College of London (UCL) In the NE India too, he done research since 2011 in Changlang, Karbi Anglong, Dibang Valley & Bodo Territorial Council. Presently Sahil is on the verge of completing his PhD from University College of London and Dibang Valley has been his chosen location of Fieldwork in since Sept 2013. Recalling his experiences and observations, the PhD scholar concluded that the Idu Mishmi tribe is closely knitted to the area’s ecology. The traditional practises and rituals of the tribe, he found have indirectly helped in the conservation of wild life by discouraging wanton hunting but allowing need-based hunting in order to maintain eco-

Meghalaya Chief Secretary holds poll review meeting ET Correspondent Shillong, Sep 10: Meghalaya Chief Secretary, Mr PBO Warjri held a high level review meeting today on the preparedness with regard to the conduct of General Elections 2015 of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) at Tura. The meeting was attended by officials of Home department, politicians, police, and Deputy Commissioners. The preparations for five districts were

presented through a power point presentation indicating the total number of voters, polling stations, number of Electronic Voting Machines, vehicles, forces and materials required for the smooth conduct of the GHADC polls to be held on 12th October, 2015. The Chief Secretary advised the officers conducting the election to strictly follow the Model Code of Conduct in line with the Election Commission of India.

logical balance.While narrating the folklores, traditional rituals and beliefs of the tribe, he also spoke on the role of the traditional priest or shaman in conserving wild life. The region, due to community efforts, he opined is abound with wild life and is a thriving biological hotspot. According to the photographs reproduced from his various camera traps, eight varieties of Golden Cat were caught in his camera, which he felt is a ‘wildlife wonder’ and is the first time ever recorded in India. Interestingly, he also observed that the evidences produced by his camera traps proved that the community land is overall more abundant in wildlife than the government managed wild life sanctuaries. At the conclusion of his lecture, the scholar exclaimed, “The maker/founder of the Idu belief and traditions must be of the Einstein’s calibre”. The show was followed by question hour in which audience interacted freely with Sahil. Finally the audience was treated to a gallery of breath taking photos taken

by Sahil from the Mathu and Dri valley. The scholar had delivered his lecture on the request of a local NGO, namely Kera-aa Initiatives for Ecological & Cultural Security (KICES), which is in to creating awareness on cultural and ecological issues. Jibi Pulu, president KICES gave a brief note on the intricate relationship of culture and environment, drawing attention towards the global ecological crisis. Dr Mite concluded the show with a vote of thanks in which he called upon the audience not to forget the message contained in Sahil’s presentation. Audiences during the presentation included the newly joined Deputy Commissioner, Ravi Dhawan, IAS and his team of HoDs and other ‘who is who’ of the township like the noted social worker, Jatan Pulu, members of womens’ only NGO, Enjalumenda Women Empowerment Forum, Everester Tine Mena, Church leaders, Anchal chairman, Roing, Raja Linggi, Ex-MLA, Laeta Umbrey, officers, students and public.

Candidates stages Effigies of CM, MP Ajmal and MLA NH 31 blockade Rahman burnt

Dhubri, Sep 10: Aggrieved cadidates who went to appear the written examination staged blocakade on NH 31 at Panbari of Dhubri district following cancallation of examination scheduled to be held at Panbari Police Battalion today for selection of Police Constables. The written xamination was postponed at the instance of Gauhati High Court, an official source said.

Dhubri, Sep 10: Flood and erosion affected people of South Salmara constituency of Dhubri district burnt the effigies of Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, Dhubri MP, Badruddin Ajmal and South Salmara MLA, Abdur Rahman Ajmal allegedly for not distributing relief materials to flood hit people of the constituency and taking absolutely no step to rehabilitate the displaced people who have been taking shelter either on highrise platform or embankments for quite long time.

Amguri Sangstha, Guwahati calls emergency meeting... Contd. from Page 1

Through a press release, Pankaj Gogoi, of the Amguri Sangstha has re-

quested people from Amguri to be present at the meeting, and to give their ideas and suggestions regarding development of the Bhawan. “I

would like to request all the concerned and prominent personalities from Amguri to be present at the meeting, so that they would be able to give their

valuable suggestions and advise,” said Gogoi. For any queries or information related to the meeting, one can call on (0) 9864400539.

Assam CM commits to revitalising ATCL Contd. from Page 1

life to sick tea gardens. The Chief Minister discussed several issues linked with ATCL and emphasised on evolving a strategy for the corporation.

He also reviewed the problems faced by the garden workers and said that the needful would be done to solve the problems. “We will do everything possible to solve the problems of tea garden labourers and we

will jointly formulate a strategy to revive sick tea gardens in the State," Gogoi said. Minister for Environment and Forest and Tea Tribe Welfare Atuwa Munda, Minister for Water Resources and

Scheduled Caste Welfare Basanta Das, Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia, Additional Chief Secretaries R.T. Jindal, and Shyam Lal Mewara and a host of other top officials were present at the meeting.

iPad goes supersize with a Pro variant Contd. from Page 1

alongside a series of updates to the company’s other products including the iPhone, which has got a sharper-resolution camera. Mr. Cook said: “We asked ourselves, how could we take iPad even further? Now we have the biggest news in iPad since the iPad — the iPad Pro the most powerful and capable iPad we’ve ever created.” The

iPad Pro is being marketed as a business or professional tablet, capable of running two full-sized applications side-by-side on the screen. Measuring 12.9 inch diagonally, the iPad Pro’s screen offers 76 per cent more screen area than the current 9.7 inch, with the same 4:3 ratio for its width and length. The new tablet will use Apple’s new A9X processor, which is 1.8 times faster than the previous generation A8X

used in 2014’s iPad Air 2. Its graphics performance is twice that of the A8X, which will help drive the large, high-density screen with 5.9 million pixels. “It’s faster than 80 per cent of the processors of portable PCs that were shipped in the last 12 months, and faster than 90 per cent of the graphics of the portable PC shipped,” said Apple’s Phil Schiller on stage. The iPad Pro has 10 hours of battery life and has four

speakers creating stereo sound. It will be available in the U.S. in November in silver, gold and space grey for $799 with 32GB of storage, with versions with more memory and 4G connectivity costing up to $1,079. Apple also released a pixel-accurate pressure sensitive stylus for the iPad Pro called the Apple Pencil. The Pencil is charged via the Lightning Connector directly from the iPad Pro and costs $99. (Agencies)

India, Pakistan agree to reduce border... Contd. from Page 1

pledged that its troops will observe ceasefire strictly and exercise restraint in the days to come. On Wednesday evening, a 15-member delegation of the Pakistan Rangers arrived in New Delhi for the talks. The team is led by Major General Umar Farooq Burki, Director General of the Pakistan Rangers (Punjab). From the Indian side, the delegation for the talks is led by Border Security Force (BSF) Director General DK Pathak and 22 other officers. The talks reportedly began around 10.00 am and will continue till September 12. The main agenda of the talks is ceasefire violations.

Just yesterday, at least two BSF personnel were wounded in firing in Nowgam sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani Army also fired at Indian positions yesterday along the LoC in Poonch district. The talks, one of the measures agreed upon during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, gain special significance after the National Security Adviser-level talks could not take place due to Pakistan's insistence on discussing Kashmir. The Pakistan Rangers delegation entered India via Attari, and was welcomed by senior BSF officers including DG Pathak. There, they boarded a special aircraft to

Delhi, where the talks are taking place. The Indian delegation to talks also includes officials from the Home Ministry, the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Survey of India. With some 100 ceasefire violations along the India-Pakistan border since the Ufa talks, the issue is likely to dominate the agenda from the Indian side. Till June this year, there have been 199 ceasefire violations by Pakistan. Official figures reveal that around 430 ceasefire violations occurred on the International Border while 153 violations were reported on the LoC in 2014. In 2013, it was 347. According to reports, Pakistan has listed in its agenda a revived role for the United Nations Military

Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) for intervening in ceasefire violations. As per sources, issues Pakistan has placed on agenda also includes the alleged use of objectionable language by troops on the Indian side, and lack of response on simultaneous coordinated patrolling along the border. Pakistan is also expected to raise the issue of airspace violation by suspected unmanned aerial vehicles. Pakistan had blamed India of violating its airspace when it shot down a drone in July. India, however, said the drone was not like any of those in the Indian inventory and appeared to be of a Chinese variety available off-the-shelf.

Bhawan and Batchora of Thukubil Satra inaugurated ET Correspondent Sonari, Sep 10: The Bhawan and Batchora of Thukubil Satra, which is situated along the Towkak River in Sonari in upper Assam’s Sivasagar district, were formally inaugurated by Assam education minister Sarat Borkotoky today. A meeting was held in this context which was co-ordinated by social worker Pabitra Saikia. In his speech, the minister expressed hope that the construction of both the facilities at the satra with a financial assistance of Rs. 20 lakhs from the state government will help the devotees who come

to the satra. On the other hand, the minister also assured the local people that their application to construct public toilets

Members of Charaideo district committee of TAIPA burnt the effigy of prime minister Narendra Modi for the union governments decision to allow migrants from Bangladesh to stay in India. Pic - Mritunjoy Das

This budget allocation is very meager compared with the size of the northeast”, Mr Muivah said. The population of the whole northeast is higher than even South Korea, and with the present budget allocation, it is understood that it would be a problem for NEC to allocate funds to the different states of northeast. “In Manipur, only one road project costs around Rs.

1000 crore, but the total budget of the NEC is only Rs. 773 crore. This is very unfortunate and I will meet up with all the Northeast Chief ministers to implore the central government to allocate more budget for the NEC”, said the new NEC secretary. According to the new secretary of NEC, the small budget allocation in the past may be as a result of the failure to convince the central government. Meanwhile, the Secretary said

Board and Dilip Gogoi, Chairman, Sonari Development Authority were also present during the meeting.

Prominent Assamese poet ... Contd. from Page 1

Nilmani Phookan; was awarded the 1981 Sahitya Akademi Award in Assamese for his poetry collection, Kobita. He was awarded the Padma Shri by Government of India in 1990, and received the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the highest literary honour in India, awarded by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in 2002. He was born in Dergaon in Golaghat district of Assam. He received his Master's degree in History from Guwahati Uni-

versity in 1961. Although he had started writing poetry since the early 1950s. Nilmani Phookan

started his career as a lecturer at Arya Vidyapeeth College in Guwahati in 1964, where he worked

until his retirement in 1992. He was awarded the Assam Valley Literary Award in 1997.

AGP issues stern warning to centre Contd. from Page 1

The AGP's reaction came after the central government issued two notifications in the Official Gazette on Tuesday under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Foreigners Act, 1946. It said that it has decided, on humanitarian considerations, to exempt Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals belonging to minority communities who have entered India on or before December 31, 2014 from the relevant provisions under the two acts, with respect to their entry and stay in India without documents or after the expiry of those documents. The Centre said minority communities in those countries -such as Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Parsis and Buddhists - were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution. The notification said

the issue of regularisation of entry and stay of such Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals in India was under consideration of the central government. The AGP on Tuesday reminded the BJP-led central government that there had been a six-yearlong movement in Assam between 1979 and 1985 against such 'foreigners'. The then central government had agreed to expel all those who entered Assam after March 25, 1971 irrespective of caste, religion and linguistic affiliation, and

North Eastern Council faces problem... Contd. from Page 1

and the remaining portion of the approach road will be considered. Runu Hondique, the Chairperson of Sonari Municipal

that under his stewardship, he would try his best to ensure zero tolerance on corruption with complete transparency. “Somehow, there is a perception among the general public that the NEC may not be honest, and we have to remove this kind of perception”, Mr Muivah said. On the other hand, he said that the NEC from now on, would apply a formula of equal distribution of fund to states based on size and population. “Assam de-

serves to have a bigger share as the biggest state of northeast while Sikkim should not ask much as a small state”, said the secretary adding that other states like Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland are more or less of the same size. He said that NEC allocates fund to States based on their priority projects. “NEC is only monitoring the projects and funds were released to states on installment basis”, said the secretary.

the historic Assam Accord was signed that marked the end of the movement. "The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is defying the clauses of the Assam Accord by issuing the notification and thereby planning to grant citizenship to those foreigners," said AGP president Atul Bora. "The BJP has once again betrayed the people of Assam by defying the clauses of the Assam Accord. We are going to oppose this move of the central government and will oppose this tooth

and nail," he said. Meanwhile in a significant development, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has welcomed the Centre's decision to allow minority refugees from Bangladesh to stay in the country even after expiry of their visas. Gogoi claimed that it was he who sent the proposal to the Centre to provide shelter on humanitarian grounds. He said that Bangladeshi Hindus who have been lodged in detention camps in Assam will be automatically released following the implementation of the order.

Protests over Margherita... Contd. from Page 1 Around twenty thousand people including students from various institutions attendedthe memorial service. Various organizations from Changlang district also attended the meeting. From Miao Sub-Division, the delegation was led by Mrs.Pinna Kitnal Singpho, VicePresidentAPYC cum Advisor APWWS Miao Unit. Mr.Izmir Tikhak from Nampong led the delegation from Jairampur Sub-Division. Meanwhile, the Officer-inCharge Margherita PS Mr.Hiranya Kumar

Borahinformed this correspondent that he will ensure that till the filing of chargesheet, which was likely to take about a month's time but till thenbail willnot be granted to the culprits and incidentally today, the police moved their objection for bail at the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate's court. Borah also rubbished reports that the two other accuseds were absconding and that the said duo had already presented themselves before the police. He also added that two out of the three arrested have confessed to the crime and have blamed Sirajuddin Laskarto have been the main culprit.

6 held guilty for bank robbery, gang busted Agartala, Sept 10: An interstate gang of robbers was busted with the arrest of six people, who are residents of West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, police said in Agartala on Thursday. Around Rs.5 lakh and nine mobile phones were seized from those arrested, aged between 30 and 50 years. "After some incidents of moneysnatching in front of some banks here, police laid traps in and around some bank premises in Agartala and western Tripura's Teliamura and arrested the six people late Wednesday," deputy inspector general Uttam Majumder told reporters. Senior police officials were interrogating the accused and collecting information on them from the West Bengal Police. This arrested gang of robbers came from Kolkata, gang members were looting ATMs, money from different Banks in State. However, full robber gang is yet to be arrested. Only 6 of them are in hands of police at East Agartala Police Station. Police released the names of 6 robbers and they are Sharma Yadav, Sanju Das, Ashish Das, Rakesh Yadav, Kripesh Sing, Sunil Sing. None of them are local resident of Tripura Sharma Yadav, Sanju Das, Ashish Das are residents of Been Bazar, Jalpaiguri, the last 3 are (Rakesh Yadav, Kripesh Singh, Sunil Singh) residents of Chata Pukur, Jalpaiguri. There are another 10 to 12 members in this interstate gang which operates in wide region from Kolkata to Guwahati to North Eastern States and Tripura. Criminals Sharma Yadav, Sanju Das, Ashish Das had been caught by police during the morning hours, whether Rakesh Yadav, Kripesh Sing, Sunil Sing were absconding. Then police after inquiries from 3 of the arrested had come to know that they were hiding at Teliamura. Then Teliamura Police lead by Subinspector Shyama Prasad Das's caught the remaining 3 robbers from Teliamura. (Agencies)

Snakelet found in Health Minister's water bottles, irony it is.. Raipur, Sept10: In one of the most shocking incidents, a snakelet was found in one of the drinking water bottles, which were served to Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh at BJP headquarters here on Wednesday. Reports say that the bottles were packaged under the name of "Aman Aqua". The snakelet was spotted by a lady doctor, who was part of Singh's medical team. While every food item that is to be served to the digni-

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taries is thoroughly checked by the concerned authorities, reports say that in this particular case, the water bottles were served without checking. The Aman Aqua company is owned by Sayed Ali Aman, BJP's Raipur District Minority Cell vice president. Meanwhile, Aman has maintained that when he was presented the bottle, the seal was broken. He alleged that it was a conspiracy against him and said utmost care is taken while packing the water bottles. (Agencies)

Nitish supremacy to succumb with the annoucement of poll dates New Delhi, Sept 10: Expressing confidence of NDA's victory in the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled to be held from October 12, BJP on Wednesday claimed that the poll dates announced by the Election Commission was a declaration of the "end" of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's reign. BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said the EC's announcement was virtually an announcement of the saffron party coming to power. "The wait is over. The dates of elections in Bihar announced today are dates

of the departure of Nitish Kumar. This is the announcement of BJP coming to power," he told a press conference. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who also hails from Bihar, said BJP was happy that the results will be announced before Diwali as the people of the state can celebrate the festival with "promise" of goodgovernance ahead. He said the elections will result in a conclusive win for the BJPled NDA alliance. Taking a dig at Kumar and his alliance partner Lalu Prasad of RJD, Hussain said that they were

speaking the language of 1990 in 2015, a reference to the Grand Alliance's claim that the state will see 'Mandal Raaj-2' if they win.

Harping on the NDA's development pitch to the state, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to take it forward, but Kumar and Prasad wanted to stop Modi. Asked about differences among NDA partners over seat sharing and mahaDalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi's attack on Ram Vilas Paswan of LJP, both BJP allies, Hussain played it down saying they will fight as one cohesive force to oust Kumar. Hussain further made a swipe at Kumar over his criticism of the Centre's decision to hike the Central

government employees dearness allowance by 6 per cent, saying the Bihar leaders suffered from several "Ds" ranging from "DNA to dearness allowance and defeat." Kumar had termed it as a political decision aimed at Bihar polls. The state will have five-phase Assembly elections between October 12 and November 5 and counting of votes will take place on November 8. Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said polls to the 243seat Assembly will be held on October 12, 16, 28, November 1 and 5. (Agencies)

NSD Sikkim drama wins Children forcibly heart of Delhi audience recruited by NSCN(K) New Delhi, Sept 10: A Nepali play 'Hami Nai Afai Aaf' staged by the repertoire artistes of National School of Drama (NSD), Sikkim branch received a standing ovation from the audience in Pooravtar Rashtriya Rang Utsav held in Delhi recently. The play, also staged at Amritsar, Jaipur and Vadordra, was performed during the festival from August 26 to September 1. "It was heartening to witness the audience giving a standing ovation; it has encouraged us. Our team has really worked hard from acting, costume, fabrics and others," said Bipin Kumar, the director of the play. Kumar, a NSD alumnus, is a camp director at NSD Sikkim Theater Training Center based in Gangtok. Kumar informed that 'Gangtok Theater Utsav' would be held from September 28 to Octo-

ber 2 in the capital. The Sikkim theater training center was established in 2011 and has been imparting training to the aspiring, interested artistes. "It was the initiative of the

Chief Minister to bring NSD in Sikkim. The center presently is running in a rented building. Once the government allots a land for the construction of the permanent structure the

artistes would access to more facilities and the courses would also be expanded. We are hopeful that the government would soon give us a land," said the director. (Agencies)

Kohima, Sept 10: The National Socialist Council of Nagaland Khaplang (NSCN-K), a Myanmar-based rebel group has been recruiting school children here at gunpoint, an Assam Rifles official said on Wednesday. "NSCN-K has been continuing with its drive to recruit school children at gunpoint, because the peace-loving citizens of Nagaland have refused to support any form of violence and are not willing to replenish the depleting strength of NSCN-K cadres," Assam Rifles spokesman Shailesh said. In their latest recruitment drive, the official said 15 youths from Nagaland's Phek district were forcefully

taken away by the cadres of Brig Kurichu, commander of NSCN-K's Mobile-V Group, which operates between Phek district and Tsera (Myanmar). "The youngest student recruited is only 41 years of age. These youths were taken to Tsera camp, from where they are sent to Ngiakching camp (Myanmar) for basic military training," Shailesh alleged. Shailesh said the recruitment drive of NSCN-K is in direct contravention to the Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989. He said Article 38 of this Convention requires state parties to prevent anyone under the

age of 15 from taking direct part in hostilities and to refrain from recruiting anyone under the age of 15 years. Moreover, he said such actions of NSCN-K are also preventing children of Naga villages from exercising their Right to Education that is enshrined in the Indian Constitution. The rebel group led by Myanmar-based S.S. Khaplang had unilaterally abrogated the ceasefire with the central government in March, 14 years after signing the agreement. Following the abrogation of the ceasefire, the rebel group has carried out several attacks against security forces in Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. (Agencies)

Gurung dissapproves the interference of Lifeline of Manipur restored as Barak bridge state in GTA matters, warns for a movement became operational Imphal, Sept 10: Stranded goods laden trucks, oil tankers and LPG bullet trucks have started leaving Jiribam for Imphal from today as Barak bridge is now restored. On the other hand, 381 empty trucks, 61 gas bullet trucks, 51 oil tankers which left Imphal for Jiribam had crossed the bridge at around 1 pm today. It may be mentioned that the bridge broke down after a cement laden truck got stuck in the middle on August 25. Speaking at a press conference, Manipur Truck Owners' Welfare Association president H Ranjit said that with the completion of the restoration works of Barak bridge, around 70 goods laden trucks stranded nearby had crossed the bridge with se-

curity escorts of CRPF, BRO and Manipur police today. On the other hand, Imphalbound goods laden trucks are facing a huge inconvenience as quite a long stretch of the highway at Makru area is still in an extremely dilapidated condition, he said. In this regard, Ranjit urged the State Government to ask BRO to immediately revamp this portion. Around 300 goods laden trucks are still stranded between Jiribam and Leingangtabi. All the trucks which have goods below 24 tonnes would be allowed to cross the bridge tomorrow. H Ranjit said that the bridge still shows faulty repairing as many iron runners are uneven. He further said that it would be convenient for the drivers if

weight checkings are done at Jiribam instead of Barak bridge. He said that no harassment must be given to drivers. Ranjit further said that the bridge is being manned by CRPF, BRO and Manipur police personnel so that no truck above 24 tonnes crosses it. Saying that the Government pays attention to NH-37 only when NH-2 is blocked due to bandh or landslide, Ranjit said that the Government must revamp NH-37 to stop relying on NH-2 for transportation of essential commodities and fuel. He also urged the Government to take up all necessary steps for the safe arrival of all the goods laden trucks, LPG bullets and oil tankers to Imphal. (Agencies)

Darjeeling, Sept. 10: Bimal Gurung today alleged the state government's "rampant interference" in the affairs of the GTA and held out as an example the district administration's notice to a handful of building owners who had supposedly flouted construction and security rules. He also said that if people in the hills started a movement to protest the demolition of buildings, the Morcha would support it. The district administration's notice was sent to the five owners to discuss the problem. Some of the buildings had flouted the rule for the maximum height of buildings, which is 11.5 metres in the hills. Two owners were called because their buildings were seen as security threats. The notice was not for demolition. The five building owners were told to stop construction. Also,

the state's decision to send a team to verify all illegal structures in Darjeeling has peeved Gurung. The Morcha chief also does not want the state government to set up a hill campus of the Presidency University in the hills. The Morcha wants a separate central university, not a branch campus, to be made in the hills, as mentioned in the GTA memorandum of understanding. The party has also been upset with the state government as Mamata Banerjee had recently launched a development body for the Bhutia community. The Morcha has said several times that the chief minister was trying to divide the hill people for political gain. Gurung today said: "The last time the chief minister was in Darjeeling, I skipped my prior engagement to be present at her meeting. We

happy with Mamata's style of functioning vis-Ă -vis the hills. Gurung today said "A conspiracy is being hatched by the state government through the district magistrate and the police to dis-

Bimal Gurung have tried our best to have good relations with the state government but every time she has visited Darjeeling, she gave us only pain. Slowly, we have to fight for our ultimate goal." On September 7, a fortnight after Gurung had welcomed Mamata with a bouquet in Chowrasta, the hill party said it was un-

there was "an agitation, our party will support the agitation. A general strike too can be called on the issue." Gurung said that "earlier, when the CPM was in power in Bengal and the GNLF was

Gurung today said "A conspiracy is being hatched by the state government through the district magistrate and the police to dismantle buildings. The Darjeeling municipality had already decided they would not allow new construction to have highrises but we would not touch buildings which have already been built." mantle buildings. The Darjeeling municipality had already decided they would not allow new construction to have highrises but we would not touch buildings which have already been built." He added that if buildings were demolished and

there in the hills, there was no policy to divide and rule the hills". Mamata has also formed development boards for Lepchas, Tamangs and Sherpas. Asked if Gurung would leave the GTA, the hill leader said: "The GTA will keep functioning." (Agencies)

Combination of heritage with science in "SandHI" Kolkata, Sept 10: A threeday exhibition beginning here on Friday will highlight the symbiosis of Indian traditions, such as meditation and music, with science. The SandHI (Science-Heritage Interface) exhibition organised by the IIT-Kharagpur at ICCR here, is a showcase of the institute's SandHI initiative which integrates science with heritage and attempts to apply them in the 21st century. Around 16 projects that are being implemented under the initiative, including those in Varanasi, Kolkata and coastal Odisha, will be on display. "SandHI takes a look at Indian traditions through the lens of science and aims to improve the science," Joy Sen, of

the department of architecture and regional planning, IIT-Kharagpur said here, adding the beneficiaries of the exhibition are over 500 students from 10 city schools.

Among the exhibits is the patron project 'Varanasi', a multi-dimensional exploratory study of the ancient Hindu holy city. Sen said contemporary ideas are being integrated with

cultural elements for tourism revival, city planning, creative economy and other ventures by involving locals and municipal authorities. Similarly, in Kumartuli, the potters'

quarters in Kolkata, students and faculty members are working on heritage tourism by re-exploring the application and range of terracotta technology as a building material in contemporary industry. "For those interested in music, we will highlight the relation between language, music and cognition, the emotive aspects of ragas and bandishes by bringing in signal processing engineers, computer scientists, musicians and musicologists," Sen said. The initiative has been funded by the ministry of human resource development and involves various stakeholders in academia, industry and governance across India. (agencies)

An artisan gives final touches to an idol of Hindu God of architecture and engineering Vishwakarma in Agartala on 10-09-15. Vishwakarma Puja, or Vishwakarma Prayers, which falls on Sept. 18, is a resolution time for workers and craftsmen to increase productivity. PiC - UB Photos

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

PM Modi, Jaitley consistently opposed GST for 7 years: Congress ANI New Delhi, Sept 10 : The Congress Party on Thursday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for blaming the Congress for not allowing the implementation of GST(Good and Services Tax) and said that it was the BJP who opposed the GST implementation for 7 years. "He ( PM Modi) was consistently opposing the GST for seven years, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. It was Congress which brought the GST issue but for seven years Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley opposed its

Why should India be talking to terror-exporting Pakistan, asks Congress

ANI New Delhi, Sept 10: Congress leader Manish Tewari on Thursday asked the Centre as why there was a need for it to speak to Pakistan, which has and continues to export terror across the border. "Why is India talking to Pakistan, they keep exporting terror and we keep on talking to them," Tewari said. The Congress leader told, "The government for the past ten years had a Prime Minister who said that terror and talks cannot go hand in hand. So, they (NDA) should remain consistent on their stand. "Haven't they yet recovered from the Ufa 'gufa', the manner in which Pakistan ran circles around them in Ufa, that they have again entered into a dialogue," he added.

Mann expresses concern over Chicago hate-crime incident

ANI Chandigarh, Sept 10: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann on Thursday dubbed the attack on an elderly Sikh-American in Chicago as extremely unfortunate and asked the concerned authorities to take this issue seriously. "It is sad that a Sikh is attacked in Chicago. It is not for the first time that such an incident has taken place. The people misunderstand us as terrorists because of our outlook," said Mann. "Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal should raise this issue so that such incidents do not happen in the future. The External Affairs Ministry must also take this seriously," he added. An elderly Sikh-American man was brutally injured and called "terrorist" and "Bin Laden" in an apparent hate crime case in Chicago. Inderjit Singh Mukker, a US citizen, was assaulted on Tuesday.

implementation,"Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told media. Surjewala also said the 125 crore people of this country is calling the ruling NDA Government as 'hawabaaj' and 'dagabaaaj'. "What happened to the fake promise of Prime Minister Modi ahead of the Lok Sabha elections of depositing Rs. 15 lakhs into everyone's account after bringing back black money stashed abroad," Surjewala said. "What happened to the promise made to farmers of giving 50 percent profit of the cost? And now

after coming to power, he has brought the 70 crore farmers on the verge of committing suicide. The 125 crore people of this na-

tion will decide who is a traitor," he added. On the OROP (One Rank One Pension) issue, Surjewala said that there is still no clarity whether the ex-servicemen who takes pre-mature retirement will come under the scheme. "Narendra Modi had promised the implementation of OROP within 100 days of him coming to power. On September 5, the announcement on OROP was made. On September 6, PM boasted about that in a public rally in Faridabad. The ex-servicemen is even sitting on 'dharna' from the

last 90 days. No written confirmation has been given yet by the government. There is also no clarity whether the ex-servicemen who take pre-mature retirement will come under the OROP scheme. The 125 crore people of this nation will decide who is a traitor," he added. Prime Minister, who won the 2014 general elections on the promise of an economic revival, earlier lashed out at the opposition for obstructing key reforms like the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Parliament.

Uber rape-case: Senior advocate Gonsalves welcomes SC ruling ANI Mumbai, Sept 10 : Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to set aside an order to re-examine the victim and a dozen other witnesses in the Uber cab rape case and expressed hope that justice would now be meted out to the girl. "We are very happy about the Supreme

Court's ruling. The High Court order had caused a lot of injustice to the girl particularly," said Gonsalves. He also expressed the need for a law that would stop merciless re-examining of rape victims. The Supreme Court has set aside an order to re-examine the victim and a dozen other witnesses accused driver sought in the Uber cab rape to abuse the judicial case, underlining the process. Lifting the

stay on the trial proceedings, the bench also directed the trial court to expeditiously conclude the case without further delaying it. The apex court held there was no valid ground to recall the victim and other witnesses and that the counsel for the accused had already been given opportunity in accordance with the law to examine them.

BJP blames Rahul Gandhi for Congress' downfall ANI New Delhi, Sept 10: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday alleged that Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi is responsible for his party's downfall. BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, who was reacting to Gandhi's recent visits to Assam and Odisha, said the Congress vice-president makes his party weak wherever he goes. "Even though he is the vice-

president of the Congress, he is working like the president. The Congress is a sinking ship and the people sailing on it don't think Rahul Gandhi is capable enough to lead it," he added. Meanwhile, Hussain while commenting on the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls expressed confidence that the NDA would emerge victorious in the battle and said that the grand alliance of JD

(U)-RJD will be outrightly rejected by the people. The Bihar Assembly will go to polls in five phases. Voting for the first phase will be held on October 12, for second on October 16, for third on October 28, fourth on November 1 and fifth on November 5. The counting of votes will take place on November 8. Bihar has a total of 243 assembly seats and 6.68 crore electorate.

Elderly Sikh-American assaulted in Chicago, called 'Bin Laden' ANI New York, Sept 10: An elderly American citizen of Sikh origin and a father of two was brutally assaulted and allegedly called a "terrorist" and "Bin Laden" in an apparent hate crime case in Chicago earlier this week. Inderjit Singh Mukker was assaulted on Tuesday, while heading towards a grocery store. According to reports, the assaulter repeatedly cut off Mukker's car and aggressively abused him before attacking his person. Police in the Darien area of Chicago, has told them that they are investigating the hate crime attack that began as an incident of road rage. Police, however, did not give detailed specifics of the crime committed.

PAGE 6

Kushwaha asks BJP to take final call on seat-sharing for Bihar polls ANI New Delhi, Sept 10: Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha has written a letter to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah and asked the ruling party at the Centre to take a final call on seat sharing for the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls. "We have written a letter to Amit Shah that the BJP should decide the seat sharing. We believe the BJP would do justice to the seat sharing keeping all the parties in the view. We will accept the decision taken by the BJP," said Kushwaha. "It takes time when talks take place and a proper procedure has to be followed," he added

vember 1 and fifth on November 5. The counting of votes will take place on November 8. The Model Code of Conduct has come into force with immediate effect with the announcement of poll dates. Bihar has a total of 243 assembly seats and 6.68 crore electorate.

Jammu BJP MLA stirs controversy, says didn't misuse power ANI Jammu, Sept 10: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Krishan Lal, who was seen crossing a river sitting on the back of his Personal Security Officer three months ago, on Thursday denied all allegations being levelled against him and said that the PSO had been appointed to help him. "He is my PSO, he was hired to help me, right? Who else will help me?" asked Lal. He also rubbished allegations of misusing his powers. "I was fulfilling my responsibility by going to a young boy's pyre, who was killed in the ceasefire violation. The PSO himself offered to lift me on his back. I was just fulfilling my job," he said. Lal was seen crossing a shallow brook in Jammu climbing over his PSO's back. This picture

became a rage on the social media following which he was ap-

proached by media representatives to clarify the incident.

Woman shot dead at McDonald's outlet on Australia's Gold Coast ANI Sydney, Sept 10: A woman was shot dead inside a McDonald's restaurant outlet at Helens vale on Australia's Gold Coast today. The 49-year-old was

shot by a 57-year-old man, who then turned the gun on himself, in the dining area of the restaurant on Siganto Drive. The man was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital with critical head inju-

ries, Queensland Police Services' Detective Inspector Mark White said. The man and woman were known to each other and were both from Maryborough on the Fraser Coast.

Obamas to 'personally' greet Pope upon arrival in Washington

Mukker, a cab driver, was heading to a grocery store on Cass Avenue, when he was accosted, abused and attacked. Mukker was ferociously punched repeatedly in the face; reports quoted

Sikh Coalition Legal Director Harsimran Kaur. He has suffered a cheek fracture and a laceration that required six stitches. He has blackened eyes, bruising and swelling all over his face, Kaur was

quoted, as saying further. She said that Mukker was possibly targeted because he was wearing articles of his faith. The attacker has been taken into custody and is being investigated.

ANI London, Sept 10: President Barack Obama and the first lady Michelle Obamawill greet Pope Francis personally when he will arrive for a historic visit in the U.S. The White House spokesman Eric Schultz said that the 54year-old President along with First lady will welcome Pope to the White House and will discuss about the commitments made to a wide range of issues. The spokesman continued that the President will make the rare trip to Andrews Air

Russia acknowledges it has military advisers in Syria amid tensions with West ANI Washington D.C., Sept 10: Russia has acknowledged that the country has military advisers in Syria amid widening friction with western countries over Moscow's backing for Syrian President Bashar alAssad. The extent to which

when asked as to why the NDA was taking time in announcing the seat sharing for the polls. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar praised Kushwaha and said that his move has further strengthened the NDA coalition in the state. "We are in touch with all our allies the RLSP, the LJP and HAM. The seat sharing will be very respectable. All the four parties will contest the elections together and will win this election in Bihar," he said. The Bihar Assembly will go to polls in five phases. Voting for the first phase will be held on October 12, for second on October 16, for third on October 28, fourth on No-

Russia is supporting Syria has recently come to the fore as unprecedented numbers of Syrian refugees and others from the region stream into Europe. This week, the United States urged Greece and Bulgaria to reject overflight requests for Russian aircraft, fearing

that Moscow seeks to increase its arms shipments to Assad's forces. Russia's Foreign Ministry called Washington's intervention "international boorishness" in a statement Wednesday, saying Moscow only seeks to help the Syrian government fight terrorists.

Force Base in Maryland, following the Pontiff first U.S. visit. Pope Francis, 78,

has confirmed his visit to the United States in November.

Delhi Police registers domestic violence case against Somnath Bharti ANI New Delhi, Sept 6: The Delhi Police on Thursday registered a case against former law minister Somnath Bharti, after he was accused of domestic violence and mental torture by his wife Lipika Mitra. The case has been registered against Bharti under Sections 307, 323 and 498A of the Indian

Penal Code. Lipika Bharti has been married to Somnath Bharti since 2010, but has been living separately from him since 2012 along with the couple's two children in a rented accommodation in Dwarka. Mr. Bharti lives with his mother and brother in the Malviya Nagar area of the city.

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

PAGE 7

NEIGHBOURS

Nepal PM Sushil Koirala in fresh appeal Myanmar's Suu Kyi faces president's to Madhesi parties for talks allies in campaign showdown Kathmandu, Sep 10: Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala today made a fresh appeal to Madhesi parties agitating over a proposed constitution to join its drafting process and help find a peaceful way to end the violent street protests that has claimed 33 lives. "Violence can never solve political issues. I, therefore, reiterate my call to the agitating parties come forward to sit for dialogue," Koirala said. Speaking at a programme here to mark the 101st birth anniversary of Nepal's firstelected Prime Minister BP Koirala, he said the people have "mandated us to draft the constitution through the Constituent Assembly and we cannot dishonour the mandate of the people." "We must shoulder the responsibility entrusted upon us by the people through the second Constituent Assembly," he said. The Parliament is the highest body where all kinds of disputes and issues can be resolved,

Koirala said. He has already twice written to Madhesi parties, who claim to represent the interests of people residing in plains, to hold talks to find a way out to end the political stalemate. The Madhesi parties, disgruntled over the proposal, say the new charter ignores their interests. In protest, the Joint Madhesi Front has enforced a general strike in the plains for the past 26 days and most of the

schools, colleges, markets have remained shutting, hitting the country's economy hard. They demand the seven-province model be scrapped and they be given more representation and rights in the new charter. The new constitution's drafting began in 2008, two years after the end of Maoist insurgency during which about 16,000 people died. "We have already spent eight years since the

election of the first Constituent Assembly and we can no more afford to prolong the transitional period as peace, stability, democracy and development cannot be achieved without promulgating a constitution," Koirala said. He said the government is making all efforts so that the Madhesi parties and other ethnic groups join the drafting process. Altogether 82 members of the Constituent Assembly belonging to Madhesi and some other ethnic groups have boycotted the constitutiondrafting process. Meanwhile, Madhesi leaders of the Nepali Congress demanded that the Prime Minister postpone the drafting process, which formally began on Tuesday, so as to bring the Madhesi parties to the dialogue table. At least 33 people, including eight security personnel, have died during the agitation over the past one month. (Agencies)

Pvt Varsity students' demos hit traffic in Dhaka

Dhaka, Sep 10: Thousands of students of private universities have taken to the streets across Dhaka condemning the police attack on East West University students and demanding withdrawal of 7.5% VAT imposed on tuition fees of the private universities. Following the protest rallies, a huge traffic jam has been created across the capital city, triggering untold sufferings to the commuters. The students are still on the roads in Rampura, Dhanmondi 27, Dhanmondi 9/A, Bashundhara, Shantinagar, Uttara, Ashulia of Savar. The vehicular

Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali sworn-in as Pakistan's new Chief Justice

Karachi, Sep 10: Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamalihas been sworn-in as the new Chief Justice of Pakistan. He was administered oath of office by President Mamnoon Hussain. According to media, Prime Ministe Nawaz Sharif was also present at the ceremony along with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan, former CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif, senior judges and lawyers and military officials. Chief Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja retired on Wednesday after attaini n g superannuation.Justice Khawaja served as the Chief Justice for 24 days. (ANI)

movement came to a halt due to the blockades, reports our correspondents Kamrul Hasan from Dhanmondhi, Mehedi Hasan from Badda and Sadma from Bashundhara Residential areas. Agitating students of East West University are continuing their demonstrations on Thursday, for the second consecutive day, in protest against imposition of 7.5% VAT on the tuition fees. Several hundreds of students took to the street at Rampura Bridge in the capital around 11am and halted vehicular movement on the road, according to TV re-

ports. The students were seen chanting slogans against the imposition of VAT on tuition fees.Meanwhile, the students from Stamford University, Daffodil University, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, United International University and Asia Pacific University are staging protests in Dhanmondi areas.Vehicular movement from Satmasjid Road, Asadgate crossing to Sukrabad crossing, Science Laboratory crossing came to a halt due to the demonstrations.Students of North South University (NSU), International Uni-

versity of Bangladesh blocked the road in Bashundhara Residential area, protesting the imposition of VAT on the tuition fees of the private universities.Students of several universities, including Uttara University and Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology took to the street in front of North Tower in Uttara at about 11:10am.Vehicular movement from Abdullahpur to Natun Bazar of Badda halted due to the protests. In Mohakhali, students of BRAC University staged demonstration on the Gulshan 1-Mohakhali road around 10:25 am.They chanted slogans against the VAT imposition on tuition fees.At least 23 students and the deputy registrar of East West University were injured on Wednesday when the police opened fire and charged truncheons during a student demonstration in Rampura. The incident took place when hundreds of university students blockaded the capital's Badda Link Road near Aftabnagar, demanding the withdrawal of the 7.5% VAT imposed on private university tuition fees. (Agencies)

Pakistan Violates Ceasefire in Poonch Islamabad, Sep 10: There was no let up in ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops as they once again resorted to unprovoked firing from across the Line of Control (LoC) along Poonch district of Jammu and Kash-

mir, forcing Indian troops to retaliate."Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violations in Bhimber Gali sector of Poonch district last evening," Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col

Manish Mehta said today, adding that "no casualty or damage was reported". "The area witnessed ceasefire violations by Pakistan army between 7 PM and 9 PM," he added.Forward posts maintained by Pakistan fired towards the Indian side using automatic weapons and heavy machine guns."Our side retaliated appropriately but no casualty or damage was reported," Mehta said. Pakistani troops have already violated the ceasefire 10 times in September this year.Unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops yesterday on Indian forward positions in the Nowgam sector of north Kashmir's Kupwara district had left two BSF jawans injured. (Agencies)

Pak Journalist bodies condemn killing of Geo News staff Karachi, Sep 10 :Journalists associations in Pakistan have condemned the recent attack on Geo News staff members and a senior journalist in Karachi, and urged the government to arrest the culprits at the

earliest.According to The News International, they also said that they would be staging protests if the government failed to arrest the culpritsUnknown gunmen attacked a Geo News Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG)

van in the Bahadurabad area of Karachi on Tuesday night killing Geo News satellite engineer Arshad Ali Jafari.A senior journalist Aftab Alam was killed in North Karachi a day later after gunmen fired shots at his vehicle. (ANI)

Yangon, Sep 10: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will take her campaign straight to the camp of a close presidential ally today as she tours the country ahead of Myanmar's first general election since the end of military rule. Suu Kyi will visit three towns in Kayah, a sparsely populated, landlocked state on the Thai border, where powerful Minister of the President's Office Soe Thein, the architect of President Thein Sein's economic reforms, is running for a parliamentary seat. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) is expected to win the election, which marks a major shift in Myanmar's political landscape, giving a platform to democratic activists shut out of public life during nearly half a century of strict military rule that ended in 2011.The election is poised to be the country's freest and fairest since 1990 when the NLD won in a rout, only for the junta not to recognize the result. Campaigning officially started on Tuesday. Suu Kyi is to give two speeches close to Loikaw, the state capital, in the afternoon, and a third one in

Bawlakhe, Soe Thein's constituency, in the evening. The NLD's headquarters in Loikaw were abuzz as staff readied banners, hoisted the party flag and polished bronze statues of Suu Kyi and her father, Myanmar national hero General Aung San, ahead of the visit."She is coming here just to support our candidates, because it looks like we are weaker than the rivals," Thaung Htay, 56, a member of the Loikaw NLD chapter, told media. Soe Thein, who is running for an upper house seat as an independent, is one of the top presidential acolytes and most powerful people in Myanmar. He was excluded from the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party's (USDP) candidate lists in July by then-chairman of the party Shwe Mann. Some experts say this contributed to Shwe Mann's ouster from party leadership in a dramatic shake-up of Myanmar's political establishment last month. Shwe Mann was removed from his post in a middle-of-thenight drama after trucks with armed police cordoned off the USDP compound in the capital Naypyitaw. Thein

Sein on Wednesday made his first public appearance since the start of the campaign, meeting leaders of ethnic minority guerrilla groups for ceasefire talks in the capital Naypyitaw. The election will determine representatives of the bicameral parliament and regional chambers for five-year terms.The upper and lower houses will both nominate a presidential candidate, who must secure the support of a majority of mem-

China aims to be first to land probe on moon's dark side Beijing, Sep 10: China's increasingly ambitious space programme plans to attempt the first-ever landing of a lunar probe on the moon's far side, a leading engineer said.The Chang'e 4 mission is planned for sometime before 2020, Zou Yongliao from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' moon exploration department told media. Mr Zou said the mission's objective would be to study geological conditions on the moon's far side, also known as the dark side.That could eventually lead to the placement of a radio telescope for use by astronomers, something that would help "fill a void" in man's knowledge of the universe, Mr Zou said.Radio transmissions from Earth are unable to reach the moon's far side, making it an excellent location for sensitive instruments.China's next lunar mission is scheduled for 2017, when it will attempt to land an unmanned space-

ship on the moon before returning to Earth with samples. If successful, that would make China only the third country after the United States and Russia to have carried out such a manoeuvre. China's lunar exChina's increasingly ambitious space programme plans to attempt first-ever landing of a lunar probe on the moon's far side, says leading engineer

ploration programme, named Chang'e after a mythical goddess, has already launched a pair of orbiting lunar probes, and in 2013 landed a craft on the moon with a rover onboard.China has also hinted at a possible crewed mission to the moon.China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003 and has powered ahead with a series of methodically timed steps, including the deploying of an experimental space station. (Agencies)

US envoy assures support to reconciliation efforts

Colombo, Sep 10 : The Ambassador of the United States in Sri Lanka Atul Keshap assured the Government of the support of the US Embassy in Colombo and the US Government as Sri Lanka works towards reconciliation.Speaking to reporters in Kandy, the US Ambassador said that he had discussions with the Chief Prelates in Kandy and

learned more about Buddhism as well as Sri Lankan culture."I look forward to, during my tenure, of continuing close dialogue with the representatives of the Buddhist religion in Sri Lank," he said.Keshap was in Kandy this week at the same time the Minister of Justice and Buddhasasana was also visiting Kandy. The US envoy said that as

the Government work to advance their of achieving a Sri Lanka that is reconciled and unified and democratic, prosperous and free, with human rights and religious freedom and an opportunity for all, the US Embassy and the US Government will work to try to help advance that vision."And so I am very delighted to start off my first official travels here in Kandy. I look forward to my continuing travels around Sri Lanka," he said.In Kandy, Keshap visited the Sri Dalada Maligawa and paid his respects to the Most Venerable Galagama Sri Aththadassi Mahanayake Thero of the Asgiriya Chapter, Most Venerable Tibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayake Thero of the Malwatta Chapter, and Most Venerable Napana Premasiri Mahanayake Thero of the Ramanna Chapter. (Agencies)

Madras court rejects case on patrol boats to Lanka

Colombo, Sep 10:The Madras High Court Bench closed a public interest litigation petition filed last year against a commercial deal between Goa Shipyard Limited and the Sri Lankan government for supplying two Off-

shore Patrol Vehicles (OPVs) used for surveillance and rescue operations, The Hindu newspaper reported. Justices R. Sudhakar and V.M. Velumani held that there was no necessity for the court to pass orders on the is-

bers. The military - which under the junta-drafted constitution holds a quarter of the seats - will nominate a third.Parliament will then vote on which of the three candidates will be president and the president will form the government. The constitution bars Suu Kyi from becoming president, regardless of the outcome, because she has British children. It also gives the army a veto over constitutional change. (Agencies)

Khaleda Zia appears before court in charitable, orphanage trust graft cases Dhaka, Sep 10: Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Khaleda Zia has appeared before a court in Dhaka in connection with both Zia charitable trust and Zia orphanage trust graft cases.According to the media, Khaleda reached on the premises of the makeshift court at Bakshibazar around 11:00am.When Zia entered the courtoom, special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka Judge Abu Ahmed Jomadar was recording deposition of an eye witness in the cases.The BNP chief is being accompanied by her Special Assistant Shimul Biswas and Personal Secretary Mahabubur Rahman Dew, Syrul Kabir an official of BNP chairperson`s press wing. (Agencies)

Arrested suspects planned to attack Pakistani city Islamabad, Sep 10 : Two alleged members of a banned outfit have been arrested for planning to stage attacks in Pakistan`s Lahore city, police said.During a routine security check, police stopped a car on suspicion but its occupants opened fire and tried to escape while leaving their vehicle behind.They were identified as Asad and Mutahir and police suspected them to be Al Qaeda members. Crime Investigation Agency Superintendent of Police Umar Virk said initial investigation revealed the suspects were planning to attack seven locations in Lahore and were also involved in smuggling arms and ammunition across the country. (Agencies)

sue in view of the submission made by the Centre that the deal was not to sell warships, as contended by the petitioner, but only OPVs intended to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean region. (Agencies)

PAGE 8

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

Spread of literacy

Tripura to attain 100 percent literacy soon Literacy and level of education are basic indicators of the level of development achieved by a society. Spread of literacy is generally associated with important traits of modern civilization such as modernization, urbanization, industrialization, communication and commerce. Literacy forms an important input in overall development of individuals enabling them to comprehend their social, political and cultural environment better and respond to it appropriately. Higher levels of education and literacy lead to a greater awareness and also contributes in improvement of economic and social conditions. It acts as a catalyst for social upliftment enhancing the returns on investment made in almost every aspect of development effort, be it population control, health, hygiene, environmental degradation control, employment of weaker sections of the society. And Right to education is one such important mandates for the Narendra Modi-led government. While millions are yet to come under the literacy bracket, and the government still battles for a digitised, literate, and a financially-able India. Tripura's literacy rate will soon increase from the existing 96.82 percent to 100 percent and the neo-literate would become economically self-reliant in a phased manner. According to Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, after three phases of literacy campaign since 2011, the literacy rate now stands at 96.82 percent and it would touch 100 percent soon. After people become literate, they want to be economically self-reliant. So the government launched a self-employment scheme Swabhalamban - for this purpose. During the three to four years, 15,000 families have not only become selfdependent but also offered scope of jobs to 35,000 to 50,000 people in their farms and trading hubs. Tripura has also gone up from 12th position as per the 2001 census to the fourth position in the 2011 census in literacy among different states of the country. After Tripura attained 87.75 percent literacy in the 2011 census, a government survey conducted by eight district magistrates in August 2012 found that only 131,634 out of the state's 37 lakh people, including those aged 50 and above, remained illiterate. Whereas in India, over 40 crore out of the 121 crore people were illiterate while the central government was gradually reducing allocation of funds for education sector. The present allocation for education was less than five percent. Also as per Tripura education minister, in 1951 Tripura's literacy rate was 15 percent only. And government will also soon launch distance and digital literacy campaign for the illiterate people and to enlarge education scope for the neo-literates. India should learn from China who achieved 95 percent literacy from 20 percent in 1949.

Crimes on the rise Crime…a never ending curse to our society The number of crimes, of all sorts happenings in our society are increasing at an alarming pace. Madhya Pradesh tops the cognizable crime chart released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The state has recorded a total of 2,72,423 cognisable crimes in 2014 under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), reveals the latest NCRB report. A total 28,51,563 incidence of crimes were reported in 2014 which shows 7.7 per cent increase from the 2013 figure of 26,47,722. The NCRB data, which has been categorised under the IPC crime and Special and Local Laws (SLL) reveals a 7 per cent increase from 2013 in the number of accused arrested for murder with the arrest of 69,320 people. Murder, kidnapping, sexual harassments, dowry deaths, child rapes, dacoity and cheating come under the IPC classification while explosive, gambling, immoral trafficking and cybercrime are covered under SLL crime. The data of crime rates in major cities indicate Delhi tops the list as it reported the highest incidence of crimes under the IPC among the major cities in the country followed by Mumbai 40,361 incidence and Bengaluru with 31,892 last year. Crime against women across the country increased by around 10 per cent last year as compared to previous year with total 3,37,922 cases registered in 2014 against 3,09,546 cases in 2013, according to the National Crime Records Bureau's latest report. Despite various steps taken by the Centre and state governments, crime against women across country has risen by 9.16 per cent. As per the report, Uttar Pardesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are the least safe states for women. As per the report, Uttar Pradesh tops the list, with 38,467 cases being registered; followed by West Bengal, 38,299 cases; Rajasthan, 31,151 cases; Madhya Pradesh, 28,678 cases and Maharashtra, 26,693 cases. In 2013, too, Uttar Pradesh registered a maximum of 32,546 cases; followed by West Bengal, 29,826 cases; Rajasthan, 27,933; Maharashtra, 24,895 and Madhya Pradesh, 22,061 cases. Interestingly, as per the 2014 report, Nagaland recorded the lowest crime against women with 67 cases; followed by Sikkim with 110 cases; Mizoram, 258 cases. Surprisingly our very own Assam reported over three per cent of the country's total incidences of cognizable crime under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) during 2014. As per latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there were 94,337 incidences of cognizable crime under IPC in Assam in 2014, contributing to 3.3 per cent of the all-India total of 28,51,563 such incidences. The State reported 1,451 incidences of murder, 1,142 incidences of attempt to murder, 57 of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, 14 of attempt to commit culpable homicide not amounting to murder, 1,980 of rape, 227 of attempt to commit rape and 4,823 incidences of kidnapping and abduction during 2014. In addition, there were 267 incidences of dacoity, 20 of making preparation and assembly for committing dacoity, 1,038 of robbery, 4,954 of criminal trespass/burglary and 12,737 incidences of theft. NCRB figures showed that Assam reported 834 incidences of unlawful assembly, 2,640 instances of riots, including industrial and political riots, 1,952 incidences of criminal breach of trust, 2,956 of cheating, 99 of forgery, 62 of counterfeiting, 743 of arson, 7,583 of causing grievous hurt, including acid attacks, 188 dowry deaths, 3,099 of assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty, one of insult to the modesty of women, 9,626 of cruelty by husband or his relatives and one of importation of girls from foreign country.

Bamboo for a Green Economy ?...Pranjal Kumar Phukan How can bamboo help countries and businesses shift to more sustainable models, generating benefits for both people and the environment? Ahead of a 'Bamboo business leaders dialogue' today at the World Forestry Congress I want to highlight six ways bamboo can contribute to a green economy. Use #1: Bamboo provides a new source of jobs and income A growing body of evidence and examples shows that bamboo brings new jobs and cash to poor rural communities. INBAR, for instance, has facilitated the creation of many women-led enterprises in India that use bamboo to produce lowcost products that have year-round market demand - including charcoal, matches, chopsticks, incense sticks and small household items. Use #2: Bamboo fuels entrepreneurship and new industry In Ethiopia, a growing number of local entrepreneurs are creating businesses to tap and expand the country's one million hectares of lowland and highland bamboo creating jobs and generat-

ing income among rural communities and marginal economies. These entrepreneurs produce cellulose, charcoal, flooring, furniture and other consumer goods. Use #3: Energy and biogas Bamboo holds huge promise for reducing reforestation for firewood production. During discussions at the World Forestry Congress yesterday it was reiterated that much of Africa's deforestation is due to the harvesting of wood for daily cooking, and bamboo plantations

can be harvested and converted to charcoal for home use. Use #4: Low-cost, climate-smart housing In Latin America, affordable bamboo housing for low income communities is part of many local economies. Practical and costeffective bamboo 'home kits' have many uses for improving livelihoods in natural disasters or refugee situations, where rapid building with affordable materials is needed. Use #5: Sustainable

animal fodder unlike food crops that have a seasonal growing cycle, bamboo is a perennial plant that requires less maintenance, very low inputs, and provides a constant source of food for livestock. Use #6: Rapid landscape restoration Bamboo grows to maturity in 3-7 years. A growing number of cases show how it can rapidly restore severely degraded landscapes in poor rural areas, returning life and productivity to the soil, and income for local com-

munities. A recentlydocumented case in Allahabad, India, tells of the rebuilding of rural livelihoods where 80,000 hectares of degraded land were brought back into productivity using bamboo as a pioneer species. The green economy and bamboo: Green economy encompasses all activities or actions that reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, green initiatives that ensure efficient use of natural resources for sustainable development and creation of job opportunities to alleviate poverty. Major elements and their link to bamboo: 1. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere: bamboo acts as a carbon sink and absorbs excess carbon dioxide, thereby, reducing global warming. Bamboo absorbs carbon dioxide and releases over 30% more oxygen into the atmosphere compared to an equivalent mass of trees. This makes bamboo excellent for absorbing greenhouse gases and producing clean, fresh oxygen. Supports MDG to Ensure Environmental Sustainability 2. Efficient use of

natural resources for sustainable development: bamboo supports green initiative, its clump lasts for 40 years, rejuvenates more with regular harvesting, not easily destroyed, when bamboo is harvested, it will continue to grow new shoots from its amazing root system. There is no additional planting or cultivation. Bamboo grows in all sorts of climate zones and soil types where other crops fail. Bamboo grows over 3' (90cm) in height in a day! That's over 1.5" (3.8cm) in one hour! 3. Creates job opportunities to alleviate poverty: This super bamboo can produce a total biomass of 19,000 kg/ha, 9-10 tons of bamboo charcoal per hectare per year, manufacture toothpicks, matchsticks, bicycles, soil erosion control, process fencing poles, panel board, construction, manufacture of wooden products food and shelter. Supports MDGs to Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty, Achieve Universal Primary Education (Author is Regional General Secretary, CaSI Global certification body for CSR & Sustainability. He can be reached at Pranjal_xlri@yahoo.com)

China Base a Threat to India Navy? News that China is considering a Seychelles offer of a base for its ships means a new strategic headache for India's military planners. ? ....Mandip Singh There's been much talk in the media of an apparent offer by the Seychelles of a base for Chinese ships deployed to the Gulf of Aden and the West Indian Ocean, to help combat piracy. While it's not yet clear if the offer has been accepted, Chinese media reports suggest that Beijing is actively considering it as a "resupply" base. China's Foreign Ministry was quick to state that Beijing isn't contemplating a military base in for the Seychelles, adding that it wouldn't "violate" its traditional policy of "not stationing troops abroad." Still, China's quest for a foothold in the Indian Ocean isn't a recent development - and it's one that India needs to watch carefully. China began pursuing its so-called "String of Pearls" strategy in the Indian Ocean in 2001 via the commercial route, constructing the Gwadar port. Subsequently, China won contracts to construct ports at Hambantota on the southern tip of Sri Lanka, Chittagong in Bangladesh

and Kyaukpyu on the east coast of Burma in the Arabian Sea. The Seychelles is a small island country in the Indian Ocean comprising a group of 115 small islands covering an area about 450 kilometers square. The country has a population of just 87,000, but has a huge Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.4 million square kilometers. The country's strategic importance can be traced back to the Napoleonic era, when Britain gained control over the island. Much more recently, the U.S. originally intended to develop a base on the Seychelles' Aldabra Island, but intense pressure from conservationists prevailed, and the United States instead went with Diego Garcia. China, though, despite having diplomatic relations with the Seychelles dating back to 1976, showed little interest in the country until President Hu Jintao visited in 2007. During Hu's trip, no less than five bilateral agreements were signed on economic and technical cooperation, education and investment promotion. Hu's visit for

the first time clearly signaled China's strategic interests in the region. Last week, Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie led a 40member military delegation to the Seychelles - a big enough group to suggest that Beijing is keen to shore up plans for an active presence for the People's Liberation Army in the near future. As part of developing military ties, China gifted the Seychelles People's Defense Forcestwo Y-12 aircraft for surveillance and anti-piracy duties. China is also reportedly training 50 SPDF soldiers in China as part of a military cooperation agreement signed in 2004. All of this will be of particular interest to India. India has actively supported the Seychelles by helping train the SPDF, and has provided a Dornier aircraft, two Chetek helicopters (1981 vintage) and a fast attack craft. Indian ships regularly visit Victoria, and have been active in combating piracy in the waters around the Seychelles. The Indian foreign and defense ministers, meanwhile, vis-

ited the Seychelles in 2010, underlining the importance New Delhi places on having friendly relations with the country. With this in mind, it's clear that the Chinese naval presence in this part of the Indian Ocean is not in India's interest. But what's China's interest in establishing a base in the

Seychelles? For a start, it satisfies China's hunger for a firm foothold in the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles provides the PLA Navy an ideal platform from which to counter any threat to its sea lines of communication from Africa by the U.S. Navy operating out of Diego Garcia in the Indian

Ocean region. In addition, to assist with the resupply, rest and refit of PLAN ships undertaking anti-piracy duties in the region, China requires a large logistics depot, which can be supplied by air and merchant/ naval ships. The Seychelles base could therefore eventually be developed into a permanent naval base.

Havoc of Floods whose houses, granaries, cattle all had been swept away by the floods, books of the school going children also either got totally drenched or swept away. Such marooned people take shelter in relief camps or in temporary sheds made by them on high places. Most of these flood affected people remain either half starved or starved. National electronic media is full of news of Sheena Bora's murder, these medias fail to highlight Assam's flood. It is a good news that Saina Nehwal the Badminton Champion of India donates Rupees One Lac for the flood affected people of Assam. We, the students appeal to our Prime-Minister to pay special attention to Assam's flood Victims. Yours etc. Serena Gogoi Dibrugarh

Proposed Banipur Police Thana

Sir, The flood water played havoc all through Assam, as an inhabitant of Dibrugarh we have now seen the heartrending scene of the floods in Dibrugarh. Some of our relatives' and friends' houses were submerged in water. Some of them stayed in hotels while some others stayed in relatives houses. But the tale of miseries of the entire areas surrounding Khowang made me sad. I asked my 'Deuta' can't we do anything for this poor people

Sir, There are promises galore by our Chief minister. Since the 'Home' portfolio is held by him, it is for him to ensure law and order in the state. Many unsavory incidents have been taking place in and around Banipur Railway station Dibrugarh. About one year ago, a girl was raped and killed by a gang of five boys who had subsequently been nabbed by the Police, of them, one boy died after drowning in a nearby pond while trying to evade police. There was much hullabaloo in the media. The chief minister lost no time to announce that a Police Thana would be set up soon at Banipur. But believe it or not, the long cherished, much hyped setting up of Thana has not been materialized. Pas-

sengers coming from outside or from different parts of Assam, particularly when they arrive at night have a tough time. Many women-related cases, dacoity, swindling and smuggling are very much common in that area. The entire arreas, in and around Banipur Railway station transform into a haven of the anti-socials at night. Leaders of congress itself term the Chief minister, a liar. A news report aired by electronic channel suggests that very soon a new Police Thana will be added to the existing ones of Guwahati, that is Basishtha. This decision may again prove to be a damp squib. Is our Chief minister really a liar? Yours etc. Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh

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, Dibrugarh-786003 (Assam) Ph: 0373-2328944 Web : editor.easterntoday@gmail.com

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

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Reservations should be about equality of opportunity Samrat The agitation by Gujarat's Patel community for inclusion in the Other Backward Classes list has brought the issue of reservations in education and jobs screaming back into the headlines. Reservations and the politics of caste had last collided forcefully with the politics of religion back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Those movements propelled first the Janata Dal and then the BJP to power at the Centre, and in state after state. Similar forces are starting to move again. The demand for reservations by the Patels is being regarded by many as ridiculous because the Patels are not historically disadvantaged. They have long been a dominant community in Gujarat, with wealth and power disproportionate to their numbers. But the Patels are not the only historically dominant community looking for reservations. In Maharashtra, the Marathas are seeking reservations. A demand for reservation for Muslims (who may be disadvantaged now but were not backward historically) has been raised by many people including Asaduddin Owaisi. The Jats, who are a dominant group in much of North India, want reservations. The Gujjars, who don't fit the stereotype of socially backward, have also been fighting for inclusion in the OBC list. It's natural that everyone

should want a piece of the pie. There is no doubt that in the modern world, status flows from wealth. In an earlier era, a penurious Brahmin or a fakir could have respect. Now even Godmen and women need helicopters, Mercedes cars, and celebrity bhakts to count for anything. Otherwise, the Kumbh Mela is full of a million unknown godmen who no one cares about. The fact that money trumps caste when it comes to the modern economy is demonstrated by the status of Dalit millionaires. Rich is a caste; if you dress right, go to the right schools and colleges, and live in the posh part of town, no one will ask you your caste unless you want to marry them. On the other hand, if you are poor and unemployed, you can be a Brahmin but it won't get you any respect. Obviously the people who are slipping down the social ladder will fight back. Agriculture, which the landowning Patels (and Jats, Marathas and Gujjars) practised as traditional way of life, is shrinking and will continue to shrink as India develops; that is the experience of every advanced economy. Today's youth have little choice but to move out of agriculture. The youth who was born in 1994, like Hardik Patel, cannot be expected to cheerfully embrace unemployment and penury because of the good or bad fortune of

their ancestors in centuries past. What caste or community you are born into is something no one can control. It is a matter of chance, or destiny. No child should be penalised for being born in any caste or community, high or low. Justice would be done if every child born in every household, irrespective of caste, community, or eco-

nomic status, got the same opportunities in life. The aim of social justice is not to ensure equality of outcomes; it is to ensure equality of opportunity. The Indian system of affirmative action turns this very basic principle on its head. We don't ensure that all kids go to equally good schools starting from kindergarten. Instead, some children go to fancy schools, and some go

to schools without teachers, toilets, or even classrooms. Some have good, highly educated teachers, plus tutors on the side. Others have nothing. Some have parents who can help them with homework. Others have poor, illiterate and often abusive parents. The inequities in initial conditions heap up higher and higher year after year, until we are left with two entirely

As Millions Of Syrians Flee To Europe, Why Is The Arab World Dangerously Silent? Shruti Sonal "You have to understand, that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land no one burns their palms under trains beneath carriages no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck feeding on newspaper unless the miles travelled means something more than journey." These lines from a heartbreaking poem 'Home' by Warsan Shire sum up the events of the past week, highlighted by the viral spread picture of a Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi lying face down on a Turkish coast as the boat that was supposed to take his family to Greece capsized. Simultaneously there surfaced pictures of a train filled with refugees stopped in Hungary, as a standoff with the police took place. Snapshots of refugees being marked with numbers on their wrist evoked the horrors of Holocaust and pricked the European conscience. As they began walking towards the Austrian border, the Hungary government finally provided train and buses to Vienna and Munich. European governments across the region responded in various manners. While Germany and Austria opened their borders to the refugees, right wing government of Hungary irked many by warning that absorbing too many Muslim refugees will distort the "Christian character" of Europe. David Cameron, under criticism for Britain's inadequate role in sheltering these refugees, promised to take in "thousands more". Banners were put up across European football stadiums saying "Refugees Welcome", along with pictures of volunteers welcoming them with food supplies, train tickets and toys. Even as the debate over whether European Union should

different classes of individuals. Then the state decides to make its belated entry on the scene. The kid who's had it bad all his life is told that he need not worry about marks as much as the other guy, because he's backward. He will be given a seat in engineering or medical college for a much lower test score, and then a job at a much qualifying mark.

ing Syria's Refugee is a Gulf Duty" trended on Twitter, little change in their stance could be seen. In a premature move, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia announced that the adoption of Syrian orphans was banned in the country, prompting Saudi newspapers to publish this news that was widely shared on social media. It is baffling that the Gulf region, especially UAE, which thrives on migrant labour and is the religious centre of Islam has turned a blind eye to providing opportunities to the refugees. Gulf officials and commentators however rejected the criticism, arguing that their countries have generously funded humanitarian aid and given Syrians the ability to work. "If it wasn't for the Gulf states, you would expect these millions to be in a much more tragic state than they are," said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a political science professor in the United Arab Emirates, which he claimed has taken in more than 160,000 Syrians in the last three years. Another question to keep in

mind is whether the refugees are looking towards the Gulf in the first place. Till now, out of the 4 million refugees that have been displaced in the Syrian conflict, 2.1 million have been in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, while another 1.9 million remain in Turkey. As these regions get saturated and U.N bodies working in these regions run out of funds, the refugees have been forced to look for other destinations. As it becomes clearer that the end of war is nowhere in sight, the search for places to settle for a long-term has begun. In this scenario, they tend to avoid the Gulf countries that require visas which are rarely granted, involve a costly process and numerous unwritten restrictions. As BBC pointed out, the only Arab countries where a Syrian can travel without visa are Algeria, Sudan, Mauritania and Yemen, which obviously aren't bright prospects for a settlement. Further, with limited means, the sheer physical distance between Syria and Gulf is a barrier. Another point to keep in

mind is the intense sectarian division in the Gulf that might discourage the refugees from seeing it as a preferred destination. On the other hand, people have seemed to finally save up enough money to sponsor their family to cross Greece and enter Europe. Last summer, Syrians also found the Balkan route to Europe. Even though the journeys remain risky, and in many cases fatal, it seems like a better and more certain alternative than the gulf. It is up to the Arab World and Europe, along with the rest of the world, to tackle this crisis together. While Europe must find a feasible mechanism to give a unified response, the Gulf region must utilise their vast resources to provide rehabilitation. We must not wait to take action only when refugees are walking towards the border, or infants are dying off the coast. Most importantly, one must remember, that the only permanent solution to the crisis is the end of the war itself, an outcome that will need the major players to keep aside their vested interests and think with compassion.

Something like this happened during the Babri Masjid movement. The notion of "righting historical wrongs" is also against a basic principle of justice. It is a communal logic; it suggests that a child born into a community today must pay the price for the "historical wrongs" of his remote forefathers. Compensating the disadvantaged for inherited disadvantages is necessary for social justice. Penalising the privileged for inherited privileges, real or imagined, is not. Social justice is not a zero sum game. If people are treated as individuals, as they should be, then there is no room for any righting of historical wrongs based on community. The principle of righting historical wrongs is really the principle of revenge stretching across centuries. We don't need more of this. What we do need, badly, is a country that gives all its citizens equality of opportunity. That is what our Constitution promises. Article 16 says, "There shall be equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the State." The Article allows for exceptions. The exceptions have continued to grow, and the basic promise of equal opportunity was never really kept. This article was first published in The Asian Age, Mumbai

A Look At Nagaland's History Of Unrest Shows How The Peace Accord Is Not Yet 'Historic' Priyanjana R. Das

have binding requirements in order to ensure an equitable distribution of refugees rose, a question remained: Where was the Arab World in this time of need? As Amnesty International pointed out, the 6 Gulf countries (Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain) have offered to resettle zero refugees. Having the highest standards of living and vast amount of resources at their disposal, their role in the crisis has been next to nothing. Moreover, they cannot claim to be silent spectators in the crisis. As Washington Post pointed out, "To varying degrees, elements within Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the U.A.E. and Kuwait have invested in the Syrian conflict, playing a conspicuous role in funding and arming a constellation of rebel and Islamist factions fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar alAssad." Further these states are signatories of UN's Refugee Convention that obligates them to safeguard them. However even as "Welcom-

Why? Is it because the kid is stupid, and can't secure good marks? No, it's because the system is stupid. After making him lame, it now wants to give him crutches. This carries on for generations. If reservation works to elevate people socially and economically, then why should successive generations need the same benefits? But no political party dares question quotas. Even the communists in India support reservations based on caste rather than class. They say there is an overlap between caste and class. So why not call it class, rather than caste? Why go by Manu's nomenclature instead of Marx's? If the same people are low caste and poor, reservations for the poor would automatically benefit low castes more!Instead of pointing out this obvious fact, the argument of "righting historical wrongs" is trotted out as a final defence. That is dangerous. India's history is long and chequered. Many groups that now consider themselves oppressed have also been oppressors at some time in the past, in some place or the other. Opening the Pandora's Box of "righting historical wrongs" would mean that anyone who feels aggrieved about something that may have happened in the remote past could dredge it up and call for revenge.

Dating back to 1918, a few Nagas came together to form the Naga Club. In 1918, it gave its representation to the Simon Commission to claim a separate nation. The Nagas are a divided people on account of the tribal nature of the society. The territorial spread of the Nagas extends to some areas in Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Before India's independence, the Boundary Commission demarcated the Indo-Burma boundary accounting to some of Nagaland's areas in present Myanmar. The independence of India was followed by the Indian Government integrating the Naga areas with the state of Assam and India as a whole. This decision was not welcome by a section of the Naga leadership who wanted to remain a separate nation and in 1955, the Naga National Council declared the formation of an independent government and launching of a violent insurrection. The government of India responded to it by sending its army to Nagaland to restore peace. The period between 1956 and 1963 was seen to be dominated by a series of negotiations which finally led to the separate existence of statehood, the Nagaland. The military intervention that led to the formation of a state left the rebels with little popular support. This increased the resentment in the rebels, which led to frequent guerrilla activity by the Naga rebels trained in China, Pakistan and Burma. Negotiations to suppress these activities by the rebels who wanted a right to separate nation and identity was carried on in terms of of a Peace Accord signed in the Shillong Agreement in 1975. This accord led to the participation of some of the leaders in civilian politics but some still refused the discourse and formed the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN). The NSCN - IM (IsakMuivah) faction at present is the most influential group in the North East. Over the

years, the outlook of the Muivah faction has evolved and the favourable conditions of a majority government in the centre has put it in a sweet spot to resolve the issue of Nagaland and integrate them culturally to be a part of India while giving them the right to preserve their cultural identity. In the initial years after independence, during the consolidation of India as a nation, Jawaharlal Nehru, the main influence in shaping the attitude of the government towards the tribals, put it : "The first problem we have to face there (in the tribal areas) is to inspire them (the tribal people) with confidence and to make them feel at one with India and to realise that they are a part of India and have an honoured place in it." At the same time he believed that "India should signify not only a protecting force but a liberating one". These were two basic parameters of the Nehruvian approach: 'the tribal areas have to progress' and 'they have to progress in their own way'. The Naga demands overall, are of two kinds, first being their political status. The Nagas have never been willing to give up on their sovereignty. Moreover, the Muivah-Ravi agreement talks of 'shared sovereignty' within the Indian constitutional framework. The second demand looms over the geographical integration of Nagalim. As discussed earlier, the Nagas are scattered over parts of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. The integration of all these areas to form a political identity constitutes the second demand. If the centre gives in to this demand, it will

create a problem in other states that have to give away a part of their land, leading to administrative difficulties. The accord signed by the Modi government talks about the federal relation on the political side being renegotiated which provides for a platform of decisions to be taken on the State, Central and the Concurrent list. The geographical issue, sadly, still remains a live issue on the table with a potential to create further agitation if not taken up soon. The peace accord, often coined a 'historic' accord by the media and the government, still remains troubled with a lot of questions left untouched, unanswered and far from resolved to be termed 'historic' yet. The NSCN Khaplang faction that is largely scattered in parts of Myanmar, is unhappy with India signing a deal with Muivah and therefore undermining their role in the Naga Movement. The Indian government did send a team from Nagaland to Myanmar to speak to the Khaplang faction and renegotiate terms with them but the efforts of both Indian and Myanmar government to get both the parties to sort out the issue couldn't find its way to success. The trans-regional, trans-national and trans-border nature of the matter in question still does not address a lot of issues that stay alive and remain as complicated. It is important for India to understand the identity and autonomy demanded by the tribals and has an understanding that they (tribals) should have an equal contribution to make to the evolution of a common culture, and social and political life of the country.

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

BUSINESS

Reasonable 4G device Colossal outflow witnessed by MFs in August Yunique offered by Yu

Taiwan, Sep 10: Micromax subsidiary Yu Televentures has unveiled its 4G device 'Yunique' in India for the mass market. The company has an exclusive partnership with Snapdeal and the product will be made available for sale every week for registered users. Registrations began on September 8 for the first flash sale scheduled on September 15. Explaining the salient features of the product at a press conference, Amarinder S. Dhaliwal, COO, and Saurabh Sharma, GMProducts, Yu Televentures Pvt. Ltd., said "4G technology would push Internet usage in the coming months to an unprecedented level and consumers, especially the younger generation, would prefer the right devices at the right price. Mr. Dhaliwal said

the company had received a good response to its earlier devices and had sold around one million devices since the first sale. He said the latest Yunique, priced at Rs.4,999, was the world's most affordable HD 4G LTE-enabled smartphone and the company was aiming to sell half a million units by Diwali this year. The 4G smartphone is equipped with a 4.7-inch HD IPS display, Android

Lollipop 5.1 operating system, 1.2 GHz quad core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB memory, 8MP AF rear camera with flash and 2MP FF front camera and 2,000 mAh battery. The company would provide after sales support through 825 authorised service centres across 600 cities. The service would soon be extended to all YU devices, he said. (Agencies)

YU'S 4G Micromax subsidiary Yu Televentures has unveiled its 4G device 'Yunique' in India for the mass market. Yunique, priced at Rs.4,999, was the world's most affordable HD 4G LTE-enabled smartphone and the company aims to sell half a million units by Diwali this year. The 4G smartphone is equipped with a 4.7inch HD IPS display, Android Lollipop 5.1 operating system, 1.2 GHz quad core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB memory, 8MP AF rear camera with flash and 2MP FF front camera and 2,000 mAh battery.

$15m to be raised by Yadav for new biz

New Delhi, Sep 10: Indian e-commerce's bad boy and former Housing CEO Rahul Yadav is close to raising $15 million from entrepreneurs for his new venture - a data analytics cum data viewing company, which will be integrated with 3D viewing and virtual reality format. "Majority of the $15-million mark is pretty much approved in-principal. For funds, he has only approached entrepreneurs he has genuine respect for. He has not, so far, got any corporate entity to invest for his new venture but successful entrepreneurs, who

are ready to back his idea," said a source. The name of the new venture is yet to be coined. Among the entrepreneurs investing in the 26-year-old's new venture are Vijay Sekhar Sharma of Paytm and Sachin Bansal of Flipkart. RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani also met Yadav and is learnt to be interested in his new project. Yadav posted on Facebook that he was meeting Ambani, whom Yadav considers to be his 'hero'. "He met Ambani and although his final approval is yet to come but it appears that Ambani is inclined to bet on Yadav, also seen as

a young maverick by some," the source said. Yadav's new venture is aimed at revolutionising the usage of data analytics and its purpose. "Virtual reality is a very key part of the new venture. Also, the data would be utilised across businesses and it would not just be meant for new age companies," the source said. After a series of controversies, investors of Housing.com had fired Yadav. Later, he had posted on his Facebook page about his new venture as, "All Indian internet companies put together < My next venture. Let me show you a good game this time! Not to earn money but just to show you guys that it can be done. And, that too without sweating much!" Yadav has been controversy's favourite child in the rising e-commerce industry in the country, which started with his public spat with Sequoia investors. It was later followed by giving up his shares of Housing, coupled with asking fellow CEOs of Ola and Zomato to donate half of their shares to employees of their respective companies. (Agencies)

Chinese steel imports set to face toll New Delhi, Sep 10: The government is looking to protect the domestic steel industry from a surge in Chinese imports with the Safeguards Directorate recommending imposition of 20% duty on certain products. The directorate has recommended the levy for 200 days on hot-rolled flat products of non-alloy and other alloy steel in coils of a width of 600mm or more, the finance ministry said in a statement. The move follows repeated calls for protection from a surge in shipments from across the border with Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry raising it in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The domestic steel industry had represented to the government about their financial health deteriorating because of surge in imports of steel at a

price lower than their domestic cost of production. They have been asking for higher levels of protection including imposition of safeguards duties," the statement added. The government can impose safeguard duties if an investigation reveals that increased quantities of shipments "cause or threaten to cause serious injury to the domestic industry". There has been a surge in imports in recent months due to the slowdown in China, which has resulted in the creation

of enormous surplus capacity and a crash in prices. As a result, Indian companies have reduced prices by close to 30% and top companies have reported losses, putting bank loans under strain. The government had earlier responded by raising import duty twice. The recommendations of the DG Safeguards will now be examined by the Board of Safeguards, headed by the commerce secretary Rita A Teaotia amid indications that the duty will be imposed. (Agencies)

Mumbai, Sep 10: Mutual funds witnessed a net outflow of Rs. 46,570 crore in August against a net inflow of Rs. 1,19,060 crore in the previous month. The monthly data of Association of Mutual Funds in India reveals that the outflow under liquid and money market schemes was huge at Rs. 70,489 crore against a net inflow of Rs. 89,978 crore in the previous month. Equity schemes continued to be favourite among investors with a net inflow of Rs. 9,156 crore (including equity linked savings schemes) against

MASSIVE OUTFLOW MF witnessed a net outflow of Rs. 46,570 crore in August against a net inflow of Rs. 1,19,060 crore in the previous month. The outflow under liquid and money market schemes was huge at Rs. 70,489 crore against a net inflow of Rs. 89,978 crore in the previous month. Equity schemes continued to be favourite among investors with a net inflow of Rs. 9,156 crore (including equity linked savings schemes) against Rs. 6,133 crore in the previous month. The net inflow in April-August stood at Rs. 1.58 lakh crore against Rs. 1.01 lakh crore in the same period in the previous financial year. With a huge outflow in August, the total asset base of 44 fund houses declined to Rs.12.56 lakh crore as on August from an all time high of Rs. 13.17 lakh crore as on July 31, 2015. Rs. 6,133 crore in the previous month. According to industry experts, the outflow in August was mainly due to large-scale redemptions under liquid and money market instruments. The net inflow in April-August stood at Rs. 1.58 lakh crore against Rs. 1.01 lakh crore in the same period in the previous financial year. With a huge outflow in August, the total asset base of 44 fund houses declined to Rs.12.56 lakh crore as on August from an all time high of Rs. 13.17 lakh crore as on July 31, 2015. (Agencies)

New $290m India fund started by Kalaari Bengaluru, Sep 10: Vani Kola-led venture capital firm Kalaari Capital has announced a new $290 million (Rs 2,000 crore) fund, its third fund in nine years. The previous fund of $160 million has been fully deployed across over 30 startups. The VC firm has already made a few investments from the third fund. "Though the fund size is bigger, we plan to remain an early-stage fund. While the fund is for five to seven years, we plan to deploy the amount fully in three to four years," said Kola, founder of Kalaari Capital. The investments from its first fund ranged between $1 million and $2 million, but as the valuation of Indian startups grew rapidly, the cheques grew bigger. "We plan to invest $2-5 million across 30 startups

from the new fund, as also participate in new rounds of fund raising by our portfolio companies," Kola said. Kalaari's portfolio companies include successful startups like Snapdeal, Myntra, Urban Ladder, Zivame, Power2SME and Bluestone. The third fund has invested in YourStory, Holachef, Doormint and Industry Buying. "We have exited from some of our earlier investments and our investments have been largely successful. The new fund has been raised from the same institutional investors as our earlier funds," Kola said. Earlier this year, Kalaari roped in former Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata as an adviser. Tata has also invested his personal money in several of Kalaari's portfolio companies, including Snapdeal,

Urban Ladder and Bluestone. Kola co-founded Indo-US Venture Partners, rechristened as Kalaari, in 2006 to fund early-stage ventures in India. The first fund was $189 million. While the first and second had three partners each, the third fund is managed by five partners. Kalaari Capital has $650 million funds under management and has invested in more than 60 startups in the country. Prior to Kalaari, Kola was a successful entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, founding and exiting two companies RightWorks and Certus Software. Several VC firms have raised significant money this year to invest in Indian startups. Accel Partners raised $305 million and SAIF Partners raised $350 million. (Agencies)

PAGE 10

Rs.700 crvia tax-free secured bonds to be hoisted by NTPC Pune, Sep 10: NTPC will raise up to Rs.700 crore through tax-free secured non-convertible bonds. The government has approved the company's raising Rs.1,000 crore through tax-free bonds, including Rs.700 crore through public issue. The company said in a BSE filing that "In pursuance of the CBDT notification dated July 6, 2015, authorising the company to raise Rs. 1,000 crore during the fiscal 2016, of which at least 70 per cent of the aggregate amount is to be raised through public issue, the company is proposing a public issue of its bonds for the issue size." The issue will be for an amount of Rs.400 crore (base issue size) with an option to retain over subscription of up to Rs.300 crore aggregating to Rs.700 crore, the company said. (Agencies)

$28 billion may be crossed by domestic pharma mkt

Pune, Sep 10: Domestic generic drug market is expected to cross $27.9 billion from the existing $13.1 billion, registering a CAGR of about 16.3%, particularly due to approvals by US FDA makers and 21 drugs losing patent by 2019, according to a joint study by Assocham and RNCOS. Generics would account for 85% share in the domestic pharma market by 2020, fuelled by cheap labour, patent cliff of blockbuster drugs and prevalence of lifestyle diseases, according to a study on 'Generic Medicines in India- Promulgating Growth & Access. Generic drugs account for 75% of the domestic pharmaceutical market by value. Drugs for cholesterol control, pain management, anticoagulant, respiratory, liver disorders, depression and lipid regulators are prevalent in the global market. Major export markets for the country's pharmaceutical products are Americas, Europe, China, Japan and Africa. US is the single-largest export destination, accounting for nearly 28% of domestic pharmaceutical exports, followed by the European Union (18%) and Africa (17%), it says. (Agencies) PHARMA MARKET ON THE RISE Domestic generic drug market is expected to cross $27.9 billion from the existing $13.1 billion, registering a CAGR of about 16.3%. Generics would account for 85% share in the domestic pharma market by 2020. Generic drugs account for 75% of the domestic pharmaceutical market by value. Major export markets for the country's pharmaceutical products are Americas, Europe, China, Japan and Africa. US is the single-largest export destination, accounting for nearly 28% of domestic pharmaceutical exports, followed by the European Union (18%) and Africa (17%), it says.

4G handsets to be offered by Rel Jio starting at 2,000 Mumbai, Sep 10: Mukesh Ambani-led energy-to-retail conglomerate Reliance Industries (RIL) is planning to launch fourth generation or 4G-enabled entry-level smartphones for as less as Rs 2,000, bettering the promise of launching such devices for less than Rs 4,000 during RIL's AGM in May. These entrylevel smartphones with inbuilt Jio apps will be sold under the in-house brand 'ReConnect' and will be sold through the network of Reliance Retail, the retailing arm of RIL. The idea is replicate the success of 'Monsoon Hungama', when Reliance Communications (now owned by Anil Ambani) gave away mobile connections along with mobile handsets for just Rs 501 during 2003-2004 to capture the mass market. Re-

liance Jio, the telecommunications arm of RIL, targets to corner 10 crore of the 90 crore consumers in the world's fastest growing mobile market. "We want the entire range of smartphones to be available for the consumers to choose from. Starting from entry-level smartphones

for Rs 2,000 to iPhones for Rs 20,000. There will be various price points to meet the needs of all the consumers," said a Reliance Jio official on the condition of anonymity. Reliance Jio is working with 24 handsets makers and five chipmakers to launch the entire range of

4G...NOW AFFORDABLE RIL is planning to launch fourth generation or 4G-enabled entry-level smartphones for as less as Rs 2,000, bettering the promise of launching such devices for less than Rs 4,000. These entry-level smartphones with inbuilt Jio apps will be sold under the in-house brand 'ReConnect' and will be sold through the network of Reliance Retail, the retailing arm of RIL. Reliance Jio, the telecommunications arm of RIL, targets to corner 10 crore of the 90 crore consumers in the world's fastest growing mobile market. Starting from entry-level smartphones for Rs 2,000 to iPhones for Rs 20,000. There will be various price points to meet the needs of all the consumers. Digital has over 1,300 retail outlets across the country. RIL shares on BSE closed up 3% at Rs 873 in a firm Mumbai market. devices at all price points. A mail sent to RIL remained unanswered till the time of going to print. "The idea is not to make profits on selling handsets. We will sell them at 'noprofit, no-loss' basis and

Oil prices retreat amid ample supplies New York, Sep 10: Oil prices fell on Wednesday as market expected another gain in the US crude inventories. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Thursday will publish its report on crude data of last week. Traders expected to see the US crude inventories to rise for another week, Xinhua news agency reported.

For the week ended August 28, the U.S. crude supplies climbed 4.7 million barrels to 455.4 million, 95.9 million barrels more than one year before, according to EIA's weekly report. Oil prices also fell amid the surplus output from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Even as global crude oil prices fell in 2014 and 2015,

Saudi Arabia increased production and kept its export levels high, enabling it to maintain its market share in these countries, according to a report released by EIA on Wednesday. In the first half of 2015, Saudi Arabia exported on average 4.4 million barrels per day of crude oil to seven major trading partners in Asia, making up more than half

of Saudi Arabia's total crude oil exports over that period. The West Texas Intermediate for October delivery moved down $1.79 to settle at $44.15 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for October delivery decreased $1.94 to close at $47.58 a barrel on the London ICE Future Exchange. (Agencies)

will not subsidize the handsets. We want to ensure that the entire ecosystem of devises are available before the commercial launch," Anshuman Thakur, head of business strategy development at Reliance Jio, had said after RIL's Q2 results in July. Reliance Jio set to disrupt the Indian telecommunications market with the launch of its 4G mobile telephony services across the country in December. The company is planning to use the network of its retail stores to hawk the smartphones. Reliance Digital has over 1,300 retail outlets across the country.RIL shares on BSE closed up 3% at Rs 873 in a firm Mumbai market. (Agencies)

"I am very excited and looking forward to this new experience in my career. To work with some of the biggest names in football like Roberto Carlos, Florent Malouda and John Arne Riise is a dream come true for me,"

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

PAGE 11

Richard Gadze

US Open: Federer, Wawrinka storm to Swiss showdown in semis New York: Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka shrugged off the threat of rain to storm into the US Open semi-finals, while Simona Halep stood up for the younger generation to complete a women's final four that will feature three thirty somethings. Moved from the Arthur Ashe Stadium court to Louis Armstrong to bring Federer's match forward, Wawrinka appeared untroubled by the change of venue, needing just an hour and 47 minutes to repel bighitting South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4, 6-0. Second seed Federer turned in an equally economical effort, brushing aside Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in a tidy 87 minutes to set up an all-Swiss semi-final. The other side of the draw features a battle of the big men, with top seed Novak Djokovic taking on defending champion Marin Cilic. "Emotionally it's not so hard for me," said Federer,

who holds a commanding 16-3 advantage over his Davis Cup team mate and reigning French Open champion. Federer and Gasquet are both armed with elegant one-handed backhands but apart from that aesthetically pleasing stroke, there were very few similarities in their lopsided contest. The 17-time Grand Slam winner could hardly miss and Gasquet all too often played the role of innocent bystander as the Swiss maestro uncorked 50 winners to a mere eight from the 12th seeded

Frenchman. Anderson, meanwhile, lacked the energy he displayed in a fourth round upset of third seed Andy Murray, allowing Wawrinka to dictate play for large stretches of the match. The South African, who leans heavily on his serve, could manage just nine aces and one break point the entire match, which he was unable to convert. In the womens' section, Halep moved closer to a

first Grand Slam singles title after edging Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to

set up a meeting with Flavia Pennetta, who toppled Czech fifth seed Petra Kvitova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to join compatriot Roberta Vinci in the last four. Defying the odds, rankings and age, 33-year-old Pennetta and 32-year-old Vinci etched their names in history by becoming the first two Italian women to reach the semi-finals of the same Grand Slam in the Open Era. With 33-year-old Serena Williams also in the last four, 23-year-old Halep will be conceding almost a decade of experience to her remaining challengers. "Of course we are a little bit old for the age of tennis right now," Pennetta admitted. "But we are here and still fighting." However, the dream of an All-Italian final will require some special magic, particularly from Vinci, who has the daunting task of facing three-times defending US Open champion and world number one Williams. (Agencies)

World No. 1 Saina loses to 18th-ranked Mitani in 2nd round of Japan Open Tokyo: Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap emerged as the lone survivor at the Japan Open in an otherwise disappointing day for India as top shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth made an early exit from the Super Series tournament in Tokyo, on Thursday. Unseeded Kashyap prevailed over World No. 4 Srikanth 21-11, 21-19 in an all-Indian men's singles contest, which lasted 45 minutes, to set up a clash with sixth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei on Friday. Kashyap, who is ranked eight in the world, has a 2-1 record against the World No.7, who had beaten him at the All England this year. It also turned out to be a dismal day for World No.1 Saina Nehwal and World No.12 H S Prannoy as they failed to cross the second round. World Championship silver medallist Saina suffered a 13-21, 16-21 loss to local star and World No. 18 shuttler Minatsu Mitani in the women's singles, while

Prannoy failed to get across Lee Dong Keun and went down 9-21, 16-21 to the Korean. In a repeat of the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold final match, Kashyap and Srikanth clashed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium where Kashyap showed his prowess as he produced a sharp game to

stump his fellow Indian. It was a gruelling battle for the first six points between the two Indians but Kashyap soon opened up a slender 96 lead and then kept increasing the lead as Srikanth failed to catch up to allow the senior pro to pocket the first game. In the second game, Kashyap once again lead 4-

1 early on but Srikanth caught up with a three-point burst and turned the tables after reeling five straight points at 8-8. Srikanth dominated most part of the match after that before a gritty Kashyap produced a six point burst when lagging 15-19 to bang the door on his younger colleague. (Agencies)

Ex-US tennis star Blake mistakenly detained by NYPD New York: Former tennis star James Blake was slammed to the ground, handcuffed and detained for about 15 minutes in New York City before police realized they had the wrong man in an identity theft ring. The incident occurred as Blake, formerly the world's fourth-ranked player, was waiting for a car outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel to take him to the

US Open. Blake said that after being shoved to the sidewalk, he was detained by five white plainclothes city police officers. But the New York native, who is black, stopped short of calling it racial profiling. "I don't know if it's as simple as that," the 35-year-old Blake said "To me it's as simple as unnecessary police force, no matter what my race is. In my mind

there's probably a race factor involved, but no matter what there's no reason for anybody to do that to anybody." Police said Blake had been mistakenly identified by "a cooperating witness" as being involved in a ring dealing in fraudulently purchased cellphones. They added that allegations of excessive force would be investigated by internal affairs. "Once

Blake was properly identified and found to have no connection to the investigation, he was released from police custody immediately," police said in a statement. Blake, who had been scheduled to make a corporate appearance for Time-Warner Cable at the US Open tournament in the borough of Queens, suffered a cut to his left elbow and bruises to his left leg. (Agencies)

Sania-Hingis storm into US Open final

New York: India's Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis stormed into the US Open women's doubles final following a 6-4, 6-1 win over

physio Nitin Patel, Farhart is busy chalking out the senior team's fitness regimen. "It is interesting because even within the Indian team there are differences between the South Indian and North Indian boys. Genetically and structurally they are very different. For instance, the Punjabi boys are strongly built but most of them have very flat feet," Farhart said. He was of the view that the fitness standards of Indian players have im-

New York: India's veteran Leander Paes and his Swiss partner Martina Hingis stayed on course for their third Grand Slam of the year after advancing to the mixed doubles final at the US Open, in New York. Fourth seeds Paes and Hingis got the better of sec-

ond seeds Rohan Bopanna of India and Yung-Jan Chan of Chinese Taipei 62, 7-5. They will play the unseeded American combine of Bethanie MattekSands and Sam Querrey in the final. Paes and Hingis gest names in football like have already won the AusRoberto Carlos, Florent tralia Open and Wimbledon Malouda and John Arne titles this year. (Agencies) Riise is a dream come true for me," added Gadze. Delhi Dynamos gaffer Roberto Carlos said, "Gadze is a gifted footballer with good technique, pace, strength and finishing. I am sure he will play an important role for us this season. On the latest signing, Dynamos President Prashant Agarwal said, "I am very happy to bring him on board. He is a young player and our strategy was to have a fine balance of young and experienced players. With his pace and skills, it will be very exciting to see what Kolkata: In second season he brings to the table. Com- of the Indian Super League bination of Gadze, Adil and (ISL), football world's Dos Santos will be magical who's who are set to step on on the field." (Agencies) Indian soil. First Pele confirmed his visit during the ISL and now it's been reported that the Manchester United skipper Wayne Rooney may join the game's legend. Sourav Ganguly, co-owner of Atletico de Kolkata, has confirmed Rooney's visit by stating, "Rooney will be coming here as part of the ISL. So it will not just be about Pele." It has also been reported that Ganguly has already shot a promo on Rooney's visit to India for the official broadcasters of the ISL. It will go on air soon. While Manchester United don't have any matches to play between November 8 and 20, England will play two crisis. FIFA's reputation friendlies during the same has been severely tarnished period. They take on Spain after 14 sports marketing on November 13 and hosts executives and football of- France on November 17. ficials, including several Whether Rooney will make from Zurich-based FIFA, himself unavailable for were indicted by the United those friendlies is still unStates in late May over cor- clear and so is his date of visit to India. (Agencies) ruption charges. (ANI)

Delhi Dynamos FC add Ghanian Richard Gadze to their line-up New Delhi: Richard Gadze, one of the brightest prospects from Ghana, has been signed up by Delhi Dynamos for the upcoming second season of Indian Super League football. Gadze is one of the youngest players in the squad but comes on board with plenty of first team experience with Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs. The striker was prolific for the Dwarfs last season and was instrumental in their promotion to the first division. Following his performances, he was given a call-up to the Ghanian U23 squad. Gadze was previously a part of the Ghanian squad which won the Wafu Cup in 2013. Commenting on his signing with Delhi Dynamos, Gadze said, "There were a

Wayne Rooney to visit India during ISL ?

lot of clubs interested in me but the project and vision of Delhi Dynamos appealed a lot to me and then it was a very easy decision to make." "I am very excited and looking forward to this new experience in my career. To work with some of the big-

Jordan's Prince Ali declares candidacy for FIFA presidency Amman: Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein has announced his intention to run again for the FIFA presidency, four months after losing to Sepp Blatter in the previous election. The 39-yearold Jordanian stressed that the world soccer's governing body would only change through new leadership, untainted by the practices of the past. Prince Ali said in a speech in the Jordanian capital that they must overcome deep-seated corruption and political deal making in order to reform the crisisridden organization. Prince Ali, son of the late King Hussein of Jordan, is the third candidate to declare candidacy after UEFA chief Michel Platini of France, and former Asia

Indian cricket team's fitness standards have improved: Farhart Mumbai: Insisting that fitness standards in Indian cricket have improved over the years, the national team's physiotherapist Patrick Farhart says he closely monitors each member of the squad as the bodytypes of players differ considerably. Australian Farhart, who took on the Indian team's physio assignment before the Sri Lanka series for a twoyear period, is one of the most sought after names in his field. After replacing India's long-standing

11th seeded Italians Sara Errani and Flavia Pennetta in New York. In the final, they will take on the winners of the second semi-final between fourth seeds

Australia's Casey D e l l a c q u a - Ya r o s l a v a Shvedova of Kazakhstan and the unseeded GermanAmerican combine of Anna-Lena GroenefeldCoco Vandeweghe. Top seeds Sania and Hingis will be looking to win their second successive Grand Slam title, having triumphed at Wimbledon in July. It turned out to be another easy victory for Sania and Hingis, who had got the better of ninth seeds YungJan Chan and Hao-Ching Chan of Taipei 7-6(5), 6-1 in the quarter-finals. There was disappointment though in the Junior Girls Singles category as Karman Kaur Thandi's winning run ended against Dalma Galfi in the third round. The 17-year-old Indian went down against the second-seeded German 6-4, 7-6. (Agencies)

Paes-Hingis enter US Open final, eye third Grand Slam in 2015

proved greatly. " I have seen during my eight years in the IPL that the Indian players have seen the amount of work that some of the young overseas players put into their fitness and learned from that." Having worked with Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, Farhart has a fair idea about the average Indian cricketer, and is keen to know more in order to up the fitness standards of the senior players. (Agencies)

vice-president Chung Mong-joon of South Korea. Blatter, who was re-elected for a fifth term in May as president, stood down from the position amidst an investigation into corruption charges that has plunged FIFA into an unprecedented

South Africa pick spin-heavy squad for India Tests Johanesburg: South Africa will head to India armed with three frontline slow bowlers in their Test squad after recalling leg-spinner Imran Tahir and off-break bowler Dane Piedt for the four-match series, in November. The pair will compete with incumbent offspinner Simon Harmer, while captain Hashim Amla will also be able to call on improving part-timer J P Duminy on tracks that are expected to be typically favourable to turn. "We want to keep all our options open for the Test series," said Cricket South Africa selection convener Linda Zondi. Zondi confirmed that wicketkeeper Dane Vilas will retain the gloves in this format, having taken over from Quinton de Kock in Bangladesh in July. "It is very important that we maintain consistency in our selections and Dane hardly had the chance to make his mark in

Bangladesh where the series was so badly disrupted by the weather." Tahir also returns to the Proteas T20 squad in place of Aaron Phangiso, while there are also recalls for Chris Morris and Marchant de Lange. Rilee Rossouw was ruled out of the T20 squad through injury but should return to full fitness in time for the ODI series. His place in the T20 squad will be taken by new cap Khaya Zondo. The more than two-months' long tour will begin with a 50-over practice game at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla, followed by three T20 Internationals (October 2, 5 and 8), five ODIs (October 11, 14, 18, 22 and 25) and four Tests, starting November 5. In between the visiting South African team will also play a two-day game against Indian Board President's XI in Mumbai on October 30-31. (Agencies) Test squad: Hashim Amla

(captain), Temba Bavuma, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Simon Harmer, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Stiaan van Zyl, Dane Vilas. ODI squad: AB de Villiers (captain), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn. Twenty20 squad: Faf du Plessis (captain), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Marchant de Lange, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Eddie Leie, David Miller, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, David Wiese, Khaya Zondo.

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

Features

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TRAVEL & TOURISM The call of Lansdowne

Ruby Choudhary Lansdowne was our travel destination this summer. It is three and half hour journey from Muzaffarnagar, our place of residence currently. Lansdowne is a hill station situated in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand at the height of 1800 meter. In the past it was called Kaludanda due to dark tinge given by oak and pine trees. Back in 1890 it was renamed Lansdowne, after the then viceroy of India, Lord Henry Lansdowne. Throughout Lansdowne to Kotdwar, road goes with the flow of Koh river. This is one of the cherishing moments anyone can have while travelling through this route. Flowing through the deep forests, the river water carries with it the aroma of various types of herbs that have several medicinal properties. As we entered Lansdowne, long canopies of Oak and pine welcomed us. It seemed like a bollywood picturesque set. Our guesthouse in the cantonment board premises was like small cottage with lovely garden outside. The interior gave us ample hint of cool weather. It was dark polyester bed sheet over the double bed with feather like blanket neatly lying over the bed to wrap around in its warmth. We quickly got refreshed with hot cup of

tea. Putting our sports shoes on, we went on hunting for food joint. Hotel Mayur, in the nearby Gandhi market was the only good restaurant, we were told. Lansdowne is a serene place with mainly cantonment board land and buildings. The population is very small, around 5000. It is the training centre of the Garhwal regiment. Entire Lansdowne is clean and green, which adds to its beauty. It is a perfect destination for a quiet holiday and for rejuvenating mind and soul. There are travel attraction, like Tip n Top, Bulla Lake, Church and temple. Tip n Top: The mystical Himalayan peaks visible from tip-n top, a tourist attraction were the most blissful thing. It is the highest place in Lansdowne. It is surrounded by Oak and pine tree. Bhulla Lake is a popular place. Since it was raining we enjoyed our chai and pakoda out there. Fine drizzle was making the atmosphere romantic all together. The term Bhulla in local Garhwali language means 'young brother'. It is dedicated to the young Garhwali youth of Garhwal RifIes who helped in its construction. It is an artificial Lake having boating facility. Nearby an amusement park and children park , a souvenir shop, café,

Rhinusmita Kakoty Lahkar It's been almost 4 years since our last major one so Sanjib and I are pretty excited. But with us is a little kid, our 3 year old who is not just active but very, very curious. And on the way back, we will have our elder one too with us, an equally active and curious nine-year-old. There is, therefore, a lot more planning and packing to do then usually needed. 'Veteran' road

trippers that we are, Sanjib and I got most of the stuff needed in just one 30-minute trip to the super market. Our conversation: Coffee pouches..check, sugar pouches..not there…doesn't matter..just take a plastic container with cubes…thank heavens for these one cup soup pouches. But shopping trips like this don't happen out of the blue

herbal plant nursery, enclosure for rabbits, a fountain and a bamboo machan is constructed making it a perfect picnic spot. Bhim Pakora is another exciting attraction. It is located 2 Km downhill. Here two rocks lay one above another in perfect balance. The above rock can be moved by single touch but it never fells down. This place has mythology at-

tached to it and is linked to pandavas. It is believed that during their exile Pandavas stayed here. These two rocks were kept by Bhim over here. Darwan Singh Museum is a historical defense museum named after Darwan Singh Negi, who was the first Victoria Cross holder from Garhwal rifles. It contains rarest collection of Garhwal rifles. It is located near the parade ground. Next, we visited the St. Mary Church, which has British architecture. The Sunday morning prayer on the hilltop was the most divine thing I was experiencing. It was constructed in 1895. After 1947 preaching was stopped here due to deterioration. The Garhwal rifles regimental centre has restored it. As it was raining heavily that day we chose to call on our friends and returned the same day to our home town. Our friend, the CEO of Lansdowne Cantonment board area further enriched our knowledge about the area. He informed us, population of Lansdowne in recent years has declined dra-

matically. One of the main reason cited are outmigration due to lack of job opportunity. The population has declined to 5000 only from 19000 within few years. Several training programmes for skill development by the government and Cantonment board are not taken seriously by the locals. However, there are growing opportunities due to recent increase in the number of tourists. Last year the number grew to two and half lakhs. Compared to this the facilities are not much. While returning, I promised to myself to come again to rejuvenate my mind and soul in its serene environment. C o u r t e s y : www.thethumbprintmag.com Ruby Choudhary has doctorate in Geography from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. Rich cultural and academic environment of JNU inclined her to take up academic career. She taught in Delhi University for around five years. She has relocated and left teaching, and currently she is a full time mother.

Manipur Village: The next tourist hot spot

The north-east region has immense tourism potential. In Manipur, the ancient Andro village is gradually becoming a favorite among tourists due to its scenic beauty and the glimpse it provides into the rich tribal traditions. The scenic beauty, good climate and warm hospitality attract tourists to Andro village, which is a hotspot located 20 miles from Imphal in the foothills of Nongmaiching hill. Known for its traditional pottery skills, the small village is now bustling with tourists. Most of the tourist sites reflecting age-old culture and traditions are maintained through community effort of the local villagers. The Santhei Natural Park that has been developed around a water reservoir is a popular picnic spot for locals and tourists alike. The natural beauty of the park and the neighboring gardens attract hundreds of people . Bijoy Singh, a visitor here, said that it would attract more tourists in future. "Andro itself is one of the best places in

Manipur in relation to historical facts. If it comes up to be tourist place, it will be very nice. I have seen the water reserve area, Santhei Natural Park and I liked it very much. Many people from India and abroad will come to this place as it is a nice place," he added. Yumkhaibam sajou Singh, Advisor of Chakpa Panam Garden, said that they aim to promote tourism activity. " I think our localities have the capacity to develop tourism. We have the ambition to promote tourism . Here we are developing an orchid farm to beautify this area. We do not get any aid from any other source but we are just collecting resources through our own efforts," he added. Another major attraction here is the Mutua Cultural Heritage Complex that showcases major tribal traditions and their artifacts. Model houses of various ethnic tribes, wood carvings, stone monuments and various traditional exhibits make it a must see place. The Chakpa Panam Ningthou Meithoupirol Shanglen or Mei Mutaba is another interesting destina-

tion that attracts large number of visitors. It is an age old traditional Hindu temple where the sacred fire lit 1,000 years ago has been preserved and maintained till now by the local community. Surjana, a visitor here, said that tourism will bring employment opportunities. "For the people who live nearby, if tourism develops then the unemployed people can get employment for a better living. And the economy will develop better," he said. "We are feeling very good after coming here. It's a big place and we feel that more activities like boating facilities can be developed so that children can enjoy," added Rashmi Agarwal, another visitor. Manipur has many such scenic locations that can be developed into tourist hotspots. Natural beauty and a rich and diverse culture give the northeast region ample tourism potential that can be utilized to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people in the region. (Agencies)

them, believe me. We will stop for food but sometimes, you do not have a single place (yes, NOT a single place for food) through over many, many kilometres. And then suddenly you come across a small shed selling tea.. you can quickly make some soup or noodles for yourself and the kid. 10. Your camera!! This is a must and you should not forget to take it along. Keep it charged and charge it every evening if you can download the day's pictures on your laptop or on a hard disc and keep it free for the next day. 11. A car charger. Take one with different heads for different phones. 12. Blankets and pillows. It's a long, long way after all and you need to sleep so why not

do it properly? 13. Comfortable shoes or sandals. Be comfortable and do not pay heed to fashion… of course there are fashionable comfortable shoes too but the main focus should be on comfort. Take a change. 14. Some travel games for fun. 15. A flashlight and an umbrella. Well, these are the most essential stuff you can add more. Stuff like binoculars, fishing rods, tents… Once you start, the list gets endless. ultimately it depends on what you are making the road trip for… The most important thing is your spirit of adventure…do not forget to take it along. Courtesy: www.thethumbprintmag.com

Gearing up for a road trip and they are certainly not the beginning. Days before this shopping episode or should I say a couple of months ago, I was surrounded by guide books and maps, trying to plan the best route from our home in Assam to our son's school in Ajmer, Rajasthan. Once I (or we… anyway it's the same thing decided on the route, we started getting route maps ready for our daily route. At the same time, I also

started making a list of things to take, places to stay the nights, spoke to friends for tips. There are probably 101 things that you need to check before it's all done. However, you do not have space for 101 things…so here are 15 things that you must take with you on a road trip with kids. 1. A Global Positioning system (GPS) for your car: We have one by Garmin that we had got in 2010 and luckily it's still working fine although we hardly use it where we stay…It's only in trips like this that we start thinking about it. Your car might already have one pre-installed, If there's no GPS, don't worry, there's always Google maps in your phone. 2. Hard copy of Maps: Yes, I know. It's a bother but still, you never know when your network goes off or the batteries run down. Anyway I guess this is something that makes you feel like you are travelling..just take them for the feel good factor if nothing else! 3. Car Papers: Make sure all your car papers are intact. As you will be travelling through different states, this is very

important. Insurance papers, Pollution check papers, Registration… check, check. 4. Personal papers: Check your credit/debit cards, driving license, passport or any other ID apart from driver's license, medical insurance papers/copies, hotel reservation papers, any prescriptions you may need to fill. 5. A playlist on a pen-drive: We do get radio all across the country but sometimes, you might want to listen to your own choice and it always helps to have a pen-drive full of your favourite songs. Take two if need or three or four, keeping different moods separately. 6. Toiletry case: What all should you put in it? There are so many things that you want to put in but you know you can't so let's stick to the basics that you will absolutely need. Maybe we can leave out the foundation and blusher from the car toilet case. Here's a list: Wet wipes, hand sanitizer, hand wash, a small jar of baby lotion, tooth paste and brushes, hair brush, shampoo pouches, a small jar of shower gel, face wash, lip balm, a lipstick and a kajal pencil. A roll

of toilet paper. 7. Medicine: Take along a few basic stuff. Antacid (we are taking Eno pouches), paracetamol tablets, pain relief tablets (yes, you might need them), any prescribed medication, pediatric paracetamol, anti-histamine and tummy upset medication. Mosquito cream is also there on the list. Nasal spray and Band-aids also please. 8. Sunglasses and sunscreen. 9. Food!! There are so many things you need. As with the rest, you cannot carry everything but the essential. What we are taking is coffee sachets, sugar cubes (would have preferred sachets), hot water flasks, milk powder, juice, single cup pouches of soup, mini oats packets, maggi packets, bananas, oranges, bread, jam, cheese slices, biscuits. Take some boiled eggs too for the day, wherever you find some. a few cans of coke or Red bull does help to keep you awake. so take a few. Take a cooler full of water bottles and drinks likes these. Never take alcoholic drinks along on a road drink..you do not want

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