13th oct 2015

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For business, mail at: md.easterntoday@gmail.com GOOD NEWS The Eastern Today in Khonsa For Your Copy: HAKHUN DIAGNOSTICS

Bank Colony, Khonsa Contact :

Vol. 1

Issue 131

Price -

Dibrugarh, Tuesday, October 13, 2015

5.00

08730849369/ 08471896580/ 03736-222269

Pages- 12

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Political atmosphere hots up in Itanagar 487 kg ivory seized in as Governor J. P. Rajkhowa arrives undercover operation

Contd. on Page 3

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When contacted by this newspaper CM Nabam Tuki while denying confirming any names said that first he will have to consult some senior leaders in the All India Congress Committee (AICC) after which only the matter will be finalized.

“The process will be over by this month itself”, he said.

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Kharsang hosts meeting to counter SC verdict in favour of Chakma-Hajong

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opium and other psychotropic substance in the area. The Singpho and Mossang inhabited N'khumsang area comprising of six villages with 800 inhabitants is the oldest constituent of Miao administrative circle but unfortunately it is the most neglected and

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Pisi Zuaing Lewang, Oct 12

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A meeting was convened by N'khumsang Unit of APWWS yesterday at Lewang on the right bank of Noa Dehing River pertaining to growing peddling and abuse of drugs, ○

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nymity, a senior officer of Assam police told this correspondent that Jiban Moran is likely to come very soon.

The Indian Navy and the 'Battleship' Debate

Rs.500 cr to be raised

by Bandhan from investors by March

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cmyk

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today left for Mumbai to avail advanced

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medical treatment, and he would be looked after in Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. The Chief Minister, Contd. on Page 4

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ET Correspondent Shillong, Oct 12

EDITORIAL

BUSINESS

10 districts. The poll bound districts are Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagariya, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Nawada and Jamui. Over 1.35 crore voters will decide the electoral fortune of 583 candidates, including 54 women in this phase.

last year, INS Kolkata, the lead ship of the P 15-A class, joined the Indian Navy's Western fleet. The excitement surrounding the two war vessels followed the enthusiastic averments of India's political leadership and strategic experts.

existing investors by the end of the ongoing fiscal to fund its business expansion plans.

"Rs.500 crore would be coming by the end of this financial year," said Bandhan Bank CEO and Managing Director Chandra Shekhar Ghosh.

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Despite a bandh called by the proscribed Garo National Liberation Army (GNAL) and boycott by several NGOs, around 75 per cent of voters come out to exercise their franchise in the Garo Hills

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With festive season round the corner, major car manufacturers including Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai Motor and Tata Motors are offering various schemes, Contd. on Page 4

ATTRACTIVE PACKAGING AND DISCOUNTS ØWith festive season round the corner, major car manufacturers including Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai Motor and Tata Motors are offering various schemes, including discounts of up to Rs.37,000 to push up sales.

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Contd. on Page 4

Carmakers offer hefty discounts this festive season Agencies Bengaluru, Oct 12

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against online sale of medicine. On humanitarian grounds, the following pharmacies in Dibrugarh will remain open during the strike: Contd. on Page 4 ○

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File Photo. ○

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Firing between militants and security forces in Tinsukia, no casualties

Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections held today from 7 am till 4 pm in the entire five districts of Garo Hills.

Informing here today, an official from West Garo district administration said that the polling in 788 polling stations

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REGION

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Around 75 per cent voters cast their vote in GHADC

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Newly opened private sector lender Bandhan Bank is looking to raise Rs.500 crore from

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This is the second big Indian destroyer to have been commissioned in the past fourteen months. In August

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Following the demise of veteran leader and former state cabinet minister Prabin Gogoi, a wave of mourning seems to have engulfed the entire district. Many individuals and organisations have mourned his death and expressed condolence to the bereaved family of the departed leader. AGP President Atul Bora,

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Polling for the first phase of the five-phase Bihar Assembly elections began on Monday amid tight security in 49 constituencies spread over

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ET Correspondent Golaghat, Oct 12

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Bihar polls: First phase voting begins in 49 constituencies

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Prabin Gogoi passes away

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Contd. on Page 3

ET Correspondent Guwahati, Oct 12

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ber of Ulfa (I) Brigadier Jiban Moran has been reported to surrender before Assam police. However, their is no official confirmation on it.

On the condition of ano-

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Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, Oct 12

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As a mark of protest against the policy of the central government to give shelter to the Hindu Bangladeshis in Assam, thousands of people shook the air and the streets of Sivasagar on Monday by taking part in the "Satyagrah" called by AASU.

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Warns the central government on the Hindu Bangladeshi issue

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ET Correspondent Sivasagar, Oct 12

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backward. Due to Noa Dehing river separating the area from Miao Township, the area remains completely cut off every summer for five consecutive months annually resulting in villagers succumbing to various predicaments.

Contd. on Page 3

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their claim to form the Council.

Jewel was one of the nine Council members who joined BJP on Friday, reducing the ruling Congress to a minority in the Council. After the DHD-J officially disbanded on November 26, 2012, in Haflong town, Garlosa came overground and joined politics.

He was elected to the NC Hills Autonomous District Council in May, 2013, as an Independent candidate.

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In a major relief for militantturned-politician Mihir Garlosa, a court in Maibang in Dima Hasao district of Assam granted him bail on Monday. Garlosa was arrested in Guwahati on Sunday in connection with a 2008 murder case, two days after he joined BJP. The chairman of the oncedreaded militant outfit Dima

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Hasao Daogah-Jewel/'Black Widow' was held in connection with a case registered in Langting police station of Dima Hasao district of Assam over the murder of former DHD (Dilip Nunisa faction) ultra, Bijon Haflongbar.

Garlosa was taken into custody from his Kahilipara residence within hours of a delegation of BJP members of NC Hills Autonomous Council calling on Governor PB Acharya to stake

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Thousands shake the air taking part in Satyagrah called by AASU in Sivasagar

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Militant-turned-politician Mihir Garlosa gets bail ET Correspondent Guwahati, Oct 12

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N'khumsang Unit of APWWS accelerates fight against drug menace

Assam CM leaves for Major setback to Paresh Mumbai for advanced Baruah as SS Brig. Jiban medical treatment Moran decides to surrender In a major set back to Paresh Baruah, reports of one of the senior most mem-

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The All Adi Students' Union which has initiated steps to bring down all illegal encroachments taking place unabated across the various school compounds/premises of the district, especially in and around the township schools of Pasighat has served a 7 day ultimatum to district adminis-

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tration after their repeated written appeals didn’t bear any results.

Speaking about the problem faced by student community due to such illegal encroachment in the school premises, Nang Gao, Secretary Education, AdiSU said that, even open spaces within the school premises meant for students playing purposes are

Maksam Tayeng Pasighat, Oct 12

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AdiSU serves 7 day ultimatum for eviction of illegal encroachment in school premises

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A nation-wide chemists' strike has been planned on October 14 (till 12 midnight)

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as a mark of protest against online sale of medicine. The strike was called by All India Organizations of Chemists and Druggists supported by Assam Drug Dealers Association

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Oct 12

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Nation-wide chemists' strike on October 14

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and cry among the indigenous people over the verdict. They said that the Supreme Court had considered only one side of the story and did not take into account the rights of the indigenous people. How can a human rights organization pressurise the law enforcing agencies to pronounce a

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In the backdrop of the Supreme Court verdict to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong of Arunachal Pradesh and with the aim to wage judicial battle against the Supreme Court pertaining to its verdict, there was another round of meeting held on Oc-

Kharsang under the chairmanship of Izmir Tikhak. This was a gathering first of its kind where Yobin, Singpho and Tangsa communities have come together to express their displeasure over the verdict of the Supreme Court on 17th September 2015. There was a strong reaction on the part of the three communities present in the meeting against the SC verdict. There has been a hue

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tober 12 2015 and attended by all the ZPM's of the district apart from student unions, Muklom Elite Society, civil societies, women welfare groups, and other senior public leaders from Miao, Jairampur, Nampong, Manmao, Diyun, Bordumsa, Changlang and Kharsang cutting across political affiliations. The meeting was convened at Badminton Club

Lomhom Tangha & Pisi Zuaing Kharsang, Oct 12

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Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, Oct 12

A covert operation conducted by a group of officers from Kerala Forest Department, Wildlife Crime Control

State Forest Department from the start of the investigation was provided by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and its partner International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Contd. on Page 4

ØThere are no discounts on high selling models i20 and recently launched compact sports utility vehicle Creta. General Motors is offering exchange bonus of Rs.20,000 on Beat and Rs.30,000 exchange bonus on Cruze.

ØIn addition, Tata Motors is introducing a special festive season offer under which customers buying Tata cars between October 1 and November 15, stand a chance to win a minimum cash back of Rs.2,000 going up to Rs.50,000.

A fierce encounter took place on Monday at Dirak Sumoni area under Kakopathar police station in Tinsukia district at around 11 am between militants and Assam police. According to sources, based on an input a team of Assam police and commandos led by Addl. Superintendent of police (HQ) Dongal Lamhao had launched an operation at the general area of Hakhati at Assam Arunachal border. Suddenly, the team of police came under heavy fire from across Naodihing river, sources claimed.

Sources in the police added that the team started chasing and fired upon the group of suspected ULFA and NSCN cadres. In the meantime reinforcement reached the spot and a search operation was launched. However, because of time consumed in crossing the river the militants managed to flee. As per sources Rongmon alias Mekuri was roaming in that area since last 2 days.

On the other hand, locals have said that firing took place only from one side.

cmyk

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Golaghat, Oct 11: Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Parishad (AJYP) Golaghat District Committee is to hold its first bi-annual meet on 8 November at Golaghat Mahila Samiti Auditorium. Several events will be held as part of this daylong programme. An open session will be held where the organisation's central adviser Pradip Kr. Goswami will deliver a speech on the topic 'Full Autonomy in the State of Assam is the Only Way towards Overall Development of the Assamese'. In the bi-annual meet, several journalists, intellectuals shall also participate. It was stated in a press release by AJYP's coordinator Nikhil Saikia. (Correspondent)

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AJYP bi-annual meet

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Dibrugarh, Oct 12: A blood donation camp was today organized by Dibrugarh District Congress Committee here at Rajiv Bhavan. Altogether, 15 people donated blood. Members of Youth Congress and NSUI participated in the blood donation camp. The blood donation camp was inaugurated by Abdul Mutlif, vice president of Dibrugarh district congress committee. Javed Akhtar Khan, spokesperson of Dibrugarh district congress committee was also present during the programme. (Staff Reporter)

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Blood donation camp

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Tinsukia, Oct 12: Bhartiya Janta Party Tinsukia district committee has announced plans to launch agitation in front of Deputy Commissioner's office on Tuesday, October 13 at 11.30 am. Speaking to The Eastern Today correspondent, BJP spokesperson Manoj Bora said that the people of Assam are witnessing corruption and failure of state government machinery at all levels.

In protest against the same BJP has decided to go all out, he added. (Correspondent)

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BJP protest on October 13

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ET CAPSULES

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Bureau and Delhi Police led to the seizure of 487 kg of ivory in New Delhi last night.

It is incidentally one of the biggest seizures in India. The much needed technical and field support to the Kerala

Spl Correspondent New Delhi, Oct 12

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The political atmosphere today once again became hot in the state capital Itanagar as Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa arrived ending his official tour. Till date the theory was that since the Governor is out of station, the oath taking ceremony of the new ministers are taking being delayed. It might be mentioned that earlier Chief Minister

Nabam Tuki on Oct 6 had dropped senior and influential ministers Wangling Lowangdong, Chowna Mein, Kamlang Mossang and Kumar Wai from his cabinet allegedly for their dissident activities.

With the arrival of the Governor, people have once again started speculating on who will replace the four ministers and when the oath taking ceremony will take place.

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ET Correspondent Itanagar, Oct 12

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Tirong Aboh, Likha Saaya, Phurpa Tsering and Lombo Tayeng likely to be inducted in Tuki cabinet

PAGE 2

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13

Kasuri book launch: Won't tolerate 'anti India propaganda', warns Fadnavis New Delhi, Oct. 12: In wake of the ink attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni, the organiser of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book launch, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday assured maximum security for the event and warned that no 'anti In-

Golaghat denizens put in efforts towards wildlife conservation A snapshat from the celebration of Mahalaya organised by Banglabashi Yuva Chatra Parishad at Tinsukia.

Pic - Arjun Mishra

Mahagatbandhan's demand for ban of live telecast of PM Modi's rallies shows fear, says BJP New Delhi, Oct.12: Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday said the Mahagatbandhan's demand for a ban of the live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies indicates fear of defeat in the Bihar assembly polls.

Apple to officially step-in India with Croma ANI New Delhi, Oct 12: The Apple Store is ready to debut in India with its signature wooden tables and counters. They will be debuting in India in partnership with Tata owned consumer electronics chain Croma, which will host Apple at six locations as a pilot. Avijit Mitra, CEO of Infiniti Retail, said, "We are proud to partner Apple to launch the Apple Store in India and extremely bullish about it launch." Apple will be set up at five Croma stores in Mumbai, including Malad, Juhu, Oberoi Mall, Phoenix Mall and Ghatkopar. In Bengaluru, this will be at Croma in Jayanagar. The opening is scheduled till Diwali next month. The store design, furniture, fixtures and lighting will the same as that used in Apple stores globally and the sales staff will also be trained by the company. In India, Apple sells through premium resellers who run exclusive brand stores under the franchise model. Devices are also available at multi brand mobile and consumer electronics retail chains and some of the larger neighborhood phone stores.

Apple sold 1.7 million iPhones in India between October 2014 and September 2015, the company's financial year, compared with 1.1 million units earlier, according to market tracker sources.

J-K: Shutdown in valley over Udhampur attack Srinagar, Oct. 12 (ANI): Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has called for a shutdown in the Valley on Monday over the petrol bomb attack on a Kashmirbound truck in Udhampur.

All shops, business establishments, schools, colleges and government offices are closed and public transport is off the roads in the valley today.

Authorities have deployed police and paramilitary forces in good numbers to maintain law and order situation.

The petrol bomb attack lead to an uproar in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Saturday, with the opposition demanding a reply from the ruling BJP-PDP coalition.

According to reports, four people have been arrested in connection with a petrol bomb attack on a valleybound truck in Udhampur so far. (ANI)

"RJD, JD (U) and Congress, all are demanding ban on the live telecast of Prime Minister's rallies and especially on the day when polling takes place," Mukhtar Abbas Naqvitold the media here. "The demand to ban the live telecast is against the 'People

Representation Act', which is the constitutional right of the Indian citizens. This shows that the people demanding this are scared of the defeat," he added. "The Election Commission has assured us that no ban would be put on the live telecast of rallies," he fur-

ther said.

The Mahagathbandhan of the Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress had approached the Election Commission and demanded a ban on live telecast s of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election rallies in Bihar. (ANI)

Amur Falcons to receive a warm welcome in Nagaland Kohima, Oct 12: With the theme "Welcome the incredible Amur falcons" Nagaland is all set to welcome the Amur Falcon as Pangti Village Council (PVC) and Amur Falcon Roosting Areas Union (AFRAU) along with the Forest department which has already begun preparing for the arrival. In his address, Principal chief conservator of forests and head of forest force M. Lokeswara Rao recalled that in 2012 Pangti had suffered a bad reputation due to rampant killing of Amur falcons in the area. He however said that with the efforts of all stakeholders there was a turnaround and not a single bird was "harvested" from 2013 onwards.

He said this effort was appreciated, nationally and globally

and thus Nagaland became the "Falcon Capital of the World".

He said this was the best example of how communities could play a role in conservation. Laying emphasis on ecotourism in the area, Rao said people of the area were now benefitting with the influx of tourists. He recalled that on November 7, 2013 three birds namely Naga, Pangti and Wokha were satellite tagged.

Though Wokha was inactive, Rao said Naga and Pangti were still active and have completed second cycle of migration (44000 km approximately). To commemorate the second anniversary of satellite tagging, he said forest department and Postal department, government of India would be releasing a special cover on No-

vember 7. He urged upon the village communities to continue the good work and to welcome the Amur falcons.

Rao also handed over Rs 25, 000 prize money of Tigerland Biodiversity Conservation award 2015 received from Tiger land film festival to chairmen PVC and Amur falcon roosting association for their commendable work. DC Wokha Robin Lotha; ASP, wildlife warden Dimapur; PVC chairman, Amur falcon roosting association chairman also addressed the gathering The programme was also attended by GBs, NGOs and villagers of Pangti and neighbouring areas. The villagers also sang a welcome song to welcome the Amur Falcons. (Agencies)

ET Correspondent Golaghat, Oct 11: Ongoing deforestation and human-elephant conflicts in Golaghat have been a cause for suffering for the people lately. The increasing incidents of attacks by wild elephants on the one hand and killing of elephants on the other have become common in the Thuramukh area under Nambor Reserve Forest in Golaghat. In the wake of such problems, people residing in the greater Thuramukh area, yesterday came out and took an initiative to create awareness about conservation of wildlife and biodiversity. Yesterday, hundreds of men, women and children of 5 No Thuramukh Grant took out a rally towards Nambor Forest raising the slogan "Save Farming Save Elephant" and also planted two thousand banana and bamboo plants. They first offered prayers to a tree and then planted banana and bamboo plants. They said that the human-elephant conflicts have arisen because elephants are facing lack of food in the forest as a result of which they have been coming out to people's living areas in search of food. In view of this, the people have decided to take this initiative. The Nambor Reserve Forest has already lost its many valuable resources due to deforestation and wood smuggling. The initiative taken by the people of Thuramukh indicates a positive sign and a good message in terms of creating awareness among the common people.

Leopard caged in LTPS campus in Maibella ET Correspondent Sonari, Oct 12: The forest department personnel with assistance from the army last night managed to cage a leopard which had been creating havoc in the Lakwa Thermal Power Station (LTPS) campus, Maibella in upper Assam’s Sivasagar district. It might be mentioned many people including the army person-

nel who had been camping inside the campus had witnessed the leopard moving around on several occasions. Later, the forest department and the army personnel placed a cage inside the campus to trap the animal a few days ago. And on last night the leopard was trapped. It was later released in the Abhaypur reserve forest.

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

book launch. Following the attack, Kulkarni announced that he has no intention of scrapping the book launch and will go ahead with the event. "The event is going to take place at 5:30pm at Nehru Centre, despite the threats we've received from Shiv Sena," Kulkari told the media. (ANI)

ASTRO FOR YOU You will be very active today. Your activities will result in progress and success. However in the evening you will feel the need for some solitude. Pay heed to your moods, and get into a solitary corner to be alone. It’s okay to confide your problems to your dog.

You are likely to remain unconquerable and unassailable throughout the day.

Caution: Stay focussed and avoid frittering away your time and energy. You may face stress at work or in some ongoing project. Expect a relatively serene evening with your beloved.

A hectic and challenging day awaits you. You will be busy with your family members and children, tending to their needs. New deadlines at work may put pressure on you. Love and romance will give you the fuel needed to keep going.

This is a favourable day for you. The chance of a gain from womenfolk.

Surprisingly, your work will be finished without any pre-planning. Ties with bosses and colleagues will be steady without any ups and downs. Some of your dreams may be realised.

Champagne, anyone? A good celebration is in store today as you give a major boost to your reputation in your chosen field. You will bring success and glory to all your associates. Do not be misled by the initial stress of your workplace, as it shall fade away with the passage of day. Let love and affection of your loved ones be the highlight of your day.

Work really hard so that your peers and superiors notice your efforts. However, recognition will not be forthcoming to the same extent. You may relax at the end of the day with the consolation that you have given it your best shot.

Does money really matter when compared to your loved ones? You might be asking yourself this question at some point in time during the day. Chances are high that today, you may be at the receiving end of some sort of financial loss accelerated by someone close to you. Arguments with your siblings over property issues might take centre-stage, but you need to be belligerent towards them in the afternoon. The best advice for today is for you to keep your emotions under check.

Flaunt your sunny side up as the day begins on a cheerful note. You will enjoy cordial relations with people around you. Overall, the day seems to be good. You spend quality time with your beloved. Passion and love may rejuvenate your love life.

Chances are that you shall experiment with your Chi today. Afternoon promises to have an undercurrent of excitement. You will charge up the work environment with your dynamism. Evening will be passionate as your charm works its way to win over many a sweetheart.

Most of us have an idol from whom we derive motivation and inspiration.

Today, you will find your idol and get inspired to perform better. During the later part of the day, you get into a war of words with somebody. Avoid this, otherwise you may have to face some legal consequences. Also, it can hurt your career prospects.

You will take up the road less travelled today. You will find solace in spiritualism. You have worked really hard till now, and it’s time to take a breather.

Spend some time with your friends, unwind yourself, travel to your favourite destination and rejuvenate yourself. By doing so, you will not be wasting time; in fact, you are preparing yourself to bring a better tomorrow.

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

would be held responsible if there was any element of 'anti India propaganda' during the event. "This doesn't mean that we endorse all views expressed in the programme," Fadnavis added. Kulkarni, was allegedly attacked by Shiv Sena workers earlier today for refusing to back down from organising Kasuri's

Your cauldron of conflicts boils over. At work, confrontations with your peers are a distinct possibility. Domestically, property related squabbles with your siblings are possible. Your family will be the cause of some monetary loss today. Keep a calm head.

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

dia propaganda' would be tolerated. "It's our government's responsibility to provide security to all foreigners, diplomats or dignitaries who are allowed on proper Visa.

Mr.Kasuri and the programme will be provided total security," Fadnavis told.

However, the Chief Minister warned that the organisers

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Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights

13-10-15 (TUESDAY) 5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti (Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-25 A.M-Employment News 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) 12-15 P.M-Teachers' Broadcast 12-45 P.M-Sponsored Programme-"Ei Path Hoise Bikashor" 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 4-45 P.M-News for Arunachal Pradesh 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 7-15 P.M-Chah Shramikar Aasor 8-00 P.M-Bijnan Jeuti-1.Talk-"Bharatar Mohakash Abhijan Aaru Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam" by Dr. Paramananda Mahanta, 2.Bijnan Barta by Nabajyoti Borkakati 9-30 P.M-Sahitya Kanan 10-00 P.M-Classical Music Sd-/H.O.P

PAGE 3

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13

Physical target achieved should Mother's Vision continues to serve society commensurate financial target: Mukut Mithi

Roing, Oct 12: “Physical target achieved on the ground should commensurate the financial target,” said Mukut Mithi, MP (Rajya Sabha) while attending the 13th Governing Body Meeting of DRDA Roing at Anchal Samiti Hall here today. He said that the achievement under MGNREGA 2014-15 is very dismal when compared with the target and urged to make some fact finding on it.

He asked the PD DRDA to

play a proactive role to find out where the crux of the problem lies due to which there is difference of heaven and hell in budget and achievement so that it can be properly addressed and performance improved, he added. Mithi also called for rational funding pattern and usage of the fund judiciously.

He further suggested that the Annual Action Plan should be prepared early and the budget should be despatched in

the beginning of the financial year.

Sipi Elapra Linggi, ZPC while chairing the meeting called upon the members present to cooperate and to help find out the lacunas for improving the performance under MGNREGA. However, she informed that during the year 2014-15, number of CGI Sheets has been increased to 60 pieces from 30-40 in the preceding years and good quality CGI Sheets were dis-

tributed to the beneficiaries under IAY. Ravi Dhawan, Deputy Commissioner cum Chief Executive Officer, DRDA suggested the PRI leaders to generate sustainable assets under MGNREGA. He said to the DRDA Roing that the fund should not be kept unutilised.

Tage Tado, PD DRDA while clarifying queries sought the active cooperation from the BDOs for fact finding. He asked the BDOs to make intensive touring and monitoring in their respective blocks. He further assured to bring improvement in the performance of the DRDA Roing.

He also presented the physical and financial achievement of various schemes under DRDA Roing for the year 2014-15 and also presented the Annual Action Plan 201516 which was approved by the house. (DIPRO)

ET Correspondent Aalo, Oct 12: As part of a social service conducted recently by Mother's Vision and representatives of each household from Hissam Colony heaps of debris

Two-day dance and quiz competition held at Namsai

Spl Correspondent Namsai, Oct 12: In order to give a platform to the students of the district to showcase their inherent talents, the All Tai Khampti and Singpho Students Union (ATKSSU) in collaboration with All Namsai District Students’ Union (ANDSU) organised a two-day competitive programme here at Namsai for dance and quiz. On the first day, a

packed Town Hall witnessed the dance competition themed 'Take care of your body; it’s the only place to live in. Say no to drugs, yes to life'.

At least eight groups presented their various dance forms. Chow Mahajini Chowpoo, ZPM Namsai graced the occasion as the Chief Guest on 11th October.

The chief guest in his address appreciated the two student bodies for creat-

ing such a platform to channelize and encourage the young people to display and expose their talent.

Today, quiz competition was held which was participated by seven teams from different high secondary schools. S.K. Nair, ST Science of Government Higher Secondary School, Namsai was the quiz master for the occasion. Deputy Commissioner Namsai R.K.

Sharma, attended the valedictory function and gave away the prizes to the winners in both the dance and quiz competitions. The dance troupe from Venerable Uktara Bethany College, Manmow clinched the first prize followed

by GHSS Namsai and GHSS Innao in the second and third places respectively. In the quiz competition, the official pair from GHSS

Namsai, Chow Ajingta Chowhai and Debrojit Nath won the top prize along with a one year scholarship from Department of Tax and Excise, Namsai. The second and third spots also went to two other teams from GHSS Namsai.

R.K. Sharma while congratulating the winners said, "Winning and losing is an inevitable part of any competition but the foremost idea is to cultivate the spirit of participation in order to equip oneself to face challenges in any arena".

Sharma lauded the organisers for conducting the competitions and said that another competition in collaboration with the District Administration was desirable while at the same time assuring to sponsor the prizes.

AdiSU serves 7 day ultimatum for eviction of illegal encroachment in school premises Contd. from Page 1

not spared by these encroachers whose greed has overlooked the welfare of students. For a student to become a bright one, one has to take up other co-curricular activities also besides classroom education for over-

all growth of student mentally and physically, felt Gao who along with Gen. Secy. Buteng Tayeng has served the ultimatum to evict all encroachments failing which the union has threatened to launch democratic movement.

The schools in question where eviction are re-

quired are GHSS Sille, UPS Paglek, GSS GTC, UPS Jarku, GSS Gandhi etc.

When encroachment has become a chronic issue for government today most of which are hard to evict due to involvement of high profile people in the land grabbings, the voluntary service offered

by AdiSU to district administration and police in evicting the illegal structures in and around the school premises is a welcome move which the government should have praised and helped. Otherwise, be it Pasighat, Itanagar or Naharlagun no one comes to the rescue of government in

evicting the illegal encroachments which have become one of the greatest menaces today. But once initiated, the team AdiSU must keep uniformity in the eviction as in many instances, poor one’s structures are brought down, but rich one’s get spared which is not at all justified.

N'khumsang Unit of APWWS accelerates fight against drug menace Contd. from Page 1

N'khumsang area has aerial distance of only 1 km from Miao Township but owing to absence of surface road communication, the administration and police stationed at Miao faces difficulty to check any social elements in the area. That's the reason why construction of a motorable suspension bridge over Noa Dehing to connect Miao was demanded since many years but despite assurance com-

ing from the state chief minister Nabam Tuki and local MLA Kamlung Mossang, no positive steps in this direction have so far been initiated. The area also falls within the oil operational jurisdiction of Oil India Limited but so far the demand for construction of motorable suspension bridge under corporate social responsibility has fallen on deaf ears. The indigenous people of the area are demoralized and greatly pained at the negligent attitudes of chief minister, local MLA and

OIL towards the oldest human habitats of Miao Circle.

Adding salt to injury, the villagers especially youths have fallen prey to menace of drugs and opium. For first time the local administration and police demonstrated seriousness over the ascending graph of drug peddling and abuses.

Circle Officer, Miao and SDPO Mihin Gambo attended yesterday's meeting at Lewang. Addressing the gathering CO appealed to villagers to stay aloof from addiction and cooperate

with the APWWS in putting a permanent halt to peddling of drugs to the area. He assured every possible help from the administration.

SDPO while citing ill effects of drugs informed that narcotic drugs and psychotropic substance act (NEWS Act) was one of the most stringent laws in the country and that anyone found guilty of peddling and abusing will be dealt with strictly under the Act. While assuring establishment of a police outpost at Lewang, Gambo

said GBs or PRI members shielding peddlers and not cooperating with police in dealing with the crime will also be liable for punishment. APYC General Secretary cum Advisor APWWS Pinna Kitnal Singpho informed that a deaddiction center will be introduced at CHC, Miao for the convenience of drug and opium addicts to start life afresh. ASM Thuing Pisi, GBs, APWWS members from Miao Unit and villagers in large number attended the meeting.

Major setback to Paresh Baruah as SS Brig.

Jiban Moran decides to surrender Contd. from Page 1

In the mean time talking to ET correspondent, a senior intelligence officer said that Jivan Moran was supposed to come at Thapabari basti in Dirak under Kakopather police police station in Tinsukia district. Very senior level police officers including DIG (eastern range) of Assam police Satyen Gogoi and Superintendent to Tinsukia police Mugdha Jyoti Mahanto and villagers had gathered to wel-

come him, the source added.

The source, further, said that Jivan Moran was supposed to cross over the river from Arunachal Pradesh.

However, at the last hour his health detoriated due to which there was a sudden change in plan and he has been taken to a medical facility in Arunachal Pradesh.

If he recovers he will be their within within a day or two.

In the meantime, the firing incident at Dirak earlier in the day by ulfa cadres belonging

to Paresh Baruah faction was an attempt to stop Brigadier Jivan Moran from surrendering to Assam police.

It must be mentioned here that Brigadier Jivan Moran one of the most senior most member of Ulfa (I) health condition was in a very bad shape past few months. Since than his health is detoriated as per sources.

Top sources had confirmed this correspondent that Brigadier Jivan moran along with 15 other Ulfa members

including finance wing chief Ganesh Lahon, Major Rajen Bora were ready to part from Paresh Baruah faction of Ulfa and join Arbindo Rajkhowa faction since four months now. Infact, Brigadier Jivan Moran was in touch with Superintendent of Tinsukia police Mugdha Jyoti Mahanto through another cadre and showed his desire to surrender. Responding to a question by tthis correspondent the Superintendent of Tinsukia police Mugdha

Jyoti Mahanto neither confirmed the report nor denied it. However, Ulfa (I) supremo Paresh Baruah got a smell of mesh in his faction and he restricted movement of few senior ulfa leaders and kept them under watch. If this happens it will be the biggest blow to Ulfa ever since the ceasefire

by Ulfa's 28th battalion followed by ulfa chairman Arbindo Rajkhowa's handover to Indian government alongwith most of the central committe members of Ulfa.

dumped by the entire dwellers of Aalo township on the left side of the road near Aalo Army Brigade, was finally cleared. The members have erected fencing around the cleared site and

planted flowers and trees after clearing the entire garbage. The JCB for clearing of the debris at Hissam colony and another as part of another social service at New Market

Aalo was provided by the T. K. Engineering Company. The NGO has also appealed to all the dwellers of Aalo town not to throw any garbage at the clearance site.

Ultimatum served for renovation of Mirmir Charilai-Balek PWD road Spl Correspondent Pasighat, Oct 12 : Aggrieved over government’s lackadaisical attitude toward people of Bogong with regard to renovation of Mirmir Chariali-Balek PWD road which is lying unrepaired from around the last three decades has served a 10 day ultimatum to the Dy. Commissioner Pasighat today to renovate the said road immediately.

Ultimatum signed by PRI leaders of Bogong I and II Anchal Block said that the road which has been the lifeline of Bogong

villages like Balek, Mongku, Boying, Rasam, Kelek, Gune, Tigra etc. has been neglected by the concerned department which has led to the present dilapidated condition of the road which has worn out so badly that it’s not fit to drive on today. The ultimatum reads that if the renovation works of the said road doesn’t begin within 10 days, the office of PWD Pasighat will be forced to close down as a mark of protest. Informing about their meeting held re-

cently at Boying village on the issue, Okom Yosung ZPM Bogong II cum Chairman PPWC said that the PRI leaders of the Bogong I and II has finally decided to serve an ultimatum to the government drawing their attention. The English Bridge over river Sibo Korong along the Mirmir Chariali-Balek PWD Road was built by British India before Independence condition of which is also very poor and need replacement with RCC Bridge.

Political atmosphere hots up in Itanagar as Governor J. P. Rajkhowa arrives Contd. from Page 1

Highly placed reliable sources in the Tuki government informed ‘The Eastern Today’ that the four MLAs who are likely to be inducted in the cabinet to replaced the dropped ministers are Tirong Aboh, MLA from Khonsa-West, parliamentary secretary for home and sports Likha Saaya, parliamentary secretary of Hydropower Phurpa Tsering and Lombo Tayeng, MLA from Mebo. However, there was no official confirma-

tion on this as all concerning authorities were tight lipped on the issue. When contacted by this newspaper CM Nabam Tuki while denying confirming any names said that first he will have to consult some senior leaders in the All India Congress Committee (AICC) after which only the matter will be finalized. “The process will be over by this month itself”, he said. It has been learnt from sources that desperate to push in his name Likha Sayaa last evening also threw a grand dinner party at his residence in which Tuki,

APCC President Padi Richo and many other ministers, MLAs and top party leaders were present. Richo also did not say anything on the possible new ministers.

“Dropping or inducting new ministers is the sole prerogative of the CM. The party has nothing to do with it”, he said.

Although, Tuki tried to present a picture that the process is yet not over, it has been learnt that the names has already been finalized and it is only a matter of time when Tuki meets the Governor.

Kharsang hosts meeting to counter SC verdict in favour of Chakma-Hajong Contd. from Page 1

verdict in favour of a supposed refugee population whose number is higher than the indigenous people. The indigenous Tangsas, Singphos and Yobins had seriously taken up the issue and have resolved to fight back tooth and nail to reclaim their rights of peaceful existence.

The house had unanimously constituted a Changlang Human Rights Forum to file a review and curative petition against the grant of citizenship to Chakma and Hajong of Arunachal Pradesh with schedule tribe status and ILP exemption. The government had already instituted a law to safeguard the rights and lives of the tribal people in Arunachal Pradesh by enforcing inner line permit system in the state; how can refugees who were temporarily settled due to displacement by the construction of dam in erstwhile East Pakistan now Bangladesh be given permanent recognition as full fledged citizens? He further questioned. The indigenous people fear that the number of Chakma and Hajong people whose numbers have risen to approximately a lakh would replace the sons of the soil; where is the justice for the actual citizens? Another speaker in the meeting questioned. The Tangsa and Singpho citizens will leave no stone unturned to counter the infamous ver-

dict against its own citizens, one opined adding that there should be proper scrutiny of the actual population of the Chakma people in Arunachal Pradesh who were given shelter in six blocks during 1964 to 1969 in Changlang district. The attendants of the meeting were of the view that one group of Chakmas from various regions of the country like Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Assam have populated the state, while another group from Bangladesh directly. The unabated influx of Chakma people into the district in particular and the state in general however could not be ascertained as neither the central government nor the state government had mechanised any yardstick to curb it. In this connection, the house had resolved to seek immediate reversal of the verdict in favour of the actual citizens.

It was also resolved to conduct another round of mass rallies throughout Changlang district. The first phase of rallies under various banners are to be held in Bordumsa, Miao, Changlang and Kharsang. The forum will hold another round of discussions on the subject in 10 days and fix the date for the mass rallies and will also finalize the date to move for New Delhi to file the review petition and meet central leaders. The meeting further said that the verdict of the apex court was in contradic-

tion and violation of East Bengal Frontier Regulation, 1873 Scheduled District Act, 1874, Assam Frontier Tract Regulation, 1880, Assam Frontier Forest Regulation, 1891, Chin Hills Regulations, 1896 and Assam Frontier (Administration & Justice) Regulation, 1945 (1 of 1945).

Changlang District Human Rights Forum comprises of S.J Jongsam, retired CCF as Chairman, Jawra Singpho, Advocate as General Secretary, H. Matcha, retired EAC and Gamja Singpho, retired ADC as Vice Chairmen and Pinna Kitnal Singpho, APYC secy as Assistant Secretary with members from every block including NK Longchang, Changlang North, Dangjung Jugli, Changlang South, Thingnanong Singpho, Innao, Wakhetnong Singpho, Bordumsa, Chizuni Lisu, Vijaynagar, Sethai Sena, Miao, Munglong Ngemu, Kharsang, Khinranong Tikhak, Nampong, Anthony Jugli, Jairampur, Wilson Ronrang, Manmao, and Ram Kumar Mossang of Rima Putok. The Advisers are Kamlung Mossang, MLA Miao, Tesam Pongte, MLA Changlang North, Laisam Simai, MLA Jairampur, Phosum Khimhun, MLA Changlang South, C.C Singpho, S. Ngemu, T. Taiju, W. Tikhak and Komoli Mossang.

PAGE 4

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13

Margherita BJP secretary confident Lakhimpur District Journalist ssociation’s biennial conference concludes of victory in 2016 assembly elections ET Correspondent Margherita, Oct 12: In a show of support, Binod Munda, secretary Margherita BJP Sadar Mandal Committee said, "If Sanjay Kumar Deb gets BJP ticket to contest the Margherita 124 legislative assembly constituency in the upcoming 2016 assembly elections then we all the members of Margherita BJP shall be very happy and satisfied." Binod Munda added that Sanjay Kumar

Deb who has been in the BJP party since the last 20 years has been actively and honestly serving the party while making the party's foundation strong at Margherita constituency.

On the other hand, if Bhaskar Sharma, a social worker of Margherita who is also a strong BJP ticket aspirant for Margherita constituency gets the ticket then also they all shall help him win, said Binod Munda. Everyone includ-

ing Congress, BJP and AGP party candidates from Margherita constituency are eyeing the Tea Garden votes which will predictively decide the winner or loser. Binod Munda said that the Tea Garden votes of Margherita constituency shall never support the Congress party candidate this upcoming 2016 assembly elections as after 68 years of India's independence, the Tea Garden communities continue to be ex-

ploited year after year in Assam. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP Government at the Centre is ushering in new reforms and development for the underdeveloped communities of our country whereas the Congress party its six decades of its rule has only engaged in vote bank politics and so this 2016 upcoming assembly elections of Assam, the Congress party shall bite the dust," said Binod Munda.

AJYP stages demonstration in Sonari ET Correspondent Sonari, Oct 12: The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Parishad (AJYP), Charaideo district committee today staged a demonstration in Sonari demanding proper and immediate implementation of Assamese language in all government and private offices of the state, withdrawal of decision taken by the union government to grant citizenship to illegal Hindu migrants and in support of various other demands. Udayan Kumar Gogoi, the general secretary of the organiza-

tion took part in the agitation held at the Lachit Udyan, here. The agitators carrying placards

also shouted slogans warning all those who are trying to ‘finish’ Assamese language and

culture. Hundreds of members of the organization took part in the programme.

Evergreen Youth Club beats Barail FC 2-0

is peaceful with no untoward incidents taking place since morning till the end of polling at 7 pm. “The polling is peaceful and large numbers of people came out to cast their vote”, said an official.

team in the 80th minute by converting a free-kick from the left flank. However, al-

though Barail FC toiled hard they could not find the back of the net till the last

minute.

Tomorrow, Heaven Blue AC will take on Muoloi Youth Club.

An official said that though the number of EVMs from remote areas is yet to reach Tura, but it is sure that the percentage of polling is more than 75 per cent.

A total of 162 candidates are in the fray for 29 seats.

As many as 79 indepen-

dents are in the fray besides candidates from different parties. Congress contested in all 29 constituencies, NPP (26), UDP (14), and BJP (6) while NCP and GNC contested in only 4 each.

Official sources said that out these polling stations,

255 are hyper sensitive polling stations while 108 polling stations are sensitive.

“It is encouraging that despite the bandh called by banned outfits, shops and people defied it by opening their shops, coming out in the streets”, said an official.

Assam CM leaves for Mumbai for advanced medical treatment Contd. from Page 1

who has stepped in his 82nd year of life on Wednesday suddenly fell ill

while delivering a speech at a meeting of party workers at Tinsukia on September 29 evening. The chief minister’s office then said that the chief minister had

been suffering from dysentery and he fell weak following dehydration. Gogoi underwent bypass surgery in 2010 in Mumbai and after a few months, he ac-

tively participated in Assam election campaign and led his party to victory and became the chief minister. He is supposed to be back in the state on 17th Oct.

Carmakers offer hefty discounts this festive season Contd. from Page 1

including discounts of up to Rs.37,000 to push up sales. Market leader Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) is offering cash discounts, ranging from Rs.5,000 on its hatchback Celerio to Rs.35,000 on entry level Alto800. Besides, the carmaker is giving discounts on other models including Wagon R, Stingray and Dzire but no such offers are on recent launches like Ciaz. “Customers are already responding very positively to our current sales promotion schemes and booking is seeing an uptrend. For the forthcoming festive season the excitement has begun,” said MSI Executive Director (M&S), RS Kalsi. The company has already introduced six festive and limited editions such as Alto 800 Onam edition, WagonR Avance, Swift

Dibrugarh, 12 Oct:The 21st Dr. Jogiraj Basu Memorial Lecture was held on 12th October, 2015 at DHSK College, Dibrugarh. Dr. Aparna Mahanta, Guest Speaker, stated that"Despite political disunity, economically and culturally the states of the northeast region share certain commonalities, obviously the geography, and the environment, the ethnic composition of its people which determined its economic and cultural development and whose effects have persisted over the centuries. It is these continuities that bind the multi-ethnic people of this region together despite political and social animosities." Dr. Mahanta as-

upon the credibility of news, news writer and the source. He declared that he is always vocal in the Assembly on the problems that the journalists always face. He premised to be a part of the struggle of the journalists. Saumarjyoti Mahanta, columnist and prominent essayist was present in the meeting as invited guest. In his lecture he elaborated on the responsibility of journalists and newspapers. Furthermore, he analyzed the contemporary mass media of Assam in the light of international prospects. “Media should strive to create strong public opinion against exploitation and corruption.

Their mission and vision should be objective and pure,” he said. Then Bednidhi, the souvenir of the conference was released in the meeting by Premadhar Borah, the Ex Edu-

cation Minister of the Govt of Assam, Moreover, veteran journalists of the locality namely Jitendra Nath Goswami, Kiran Ch. Sarma, Betharam Bora, posthumously Moniram Borah and Mohan Chandra Bhuyan were felicitated in the programme. Several cultural groups performed cultural programmes in the meeting. On the other hand, on 10 October at 7 pm the delegate cum general meeting was held. The suggestions of Mazithia Wage Board regarding the financial security of the journalists and its enforcement in Assam were discussed in the meeting. Several proposals were taken in the meeting. As part of the meeting Lakhimpur District Journalist Association was constituted selecting Surajit Bhuyan as president and Tutumoni Phukan as secretary for the next two years.

Glory, Alto K10 Urbano, he added. “Many more festive models are in pipeline including automatic and SHVS (Hybrid). And of course, we will soon bring the premium hatchback Baleno to the Indian customers. Bookings for Baleno are due to open next week, after we share the information about the car,” Mr. Kalsi said. Rival Hyundai Motor is offering the maximum discount of Rs.37,000 on its entry level model Eon, followed by i10 and Grand i10 (Rs .7,000 each). The carmaker is also offering discount of up to Rs.28,000 on compact sedan Xcent and Rs.15,000 off on mid-size sedan Verna. There are no discounts on high selling models i20 and recently launched compact sports utility vehicle Creta. General Motors is offering exchange bonus of Rs.20,000 on Beat and Rs.30,000 ex-

change bonus on Cruze. It is further giving off on other models like Sail (hatchback and sedan), multi-purpose vehicle Enjoy and Tavera. “This is a great time to purchase Chevrolet cars, as customers will get the best value for their money along with complete piece of mind giving them a truly satisfying ownership experience,” General Motors India, President and Managing Director, Arvind Saxena said. Japanese car maker Nissan is also offering discounts adding up to Rs.25,000 on Datsun GO+ for orders booked in the month of October. It is also giving benefit worth Rs.22,000 on Datsun Go. “We are celebrating this festive season by offering special benefits to our customers and an attractively priced Datsun line-up for the Indian customers,” Nissan Motor India, Man-

aging Director Arun Malhotra said. Another Japanese carmaker Honda is also offering benefits of up to Rs.47,000 on its compact sedan Amaze and multi-purpose vehicle Mobilio. In addition, Tata Motors is introducing a special festive season offer under which customers buying Tata cars between October 1 and November 15, stand a chance to win a minimum cash back of Rs.2,000 going up to Rs.50,000. The auto major is also looking to launch celebration editions of various models including Bolt, GenX Nano range and Safari Storme, beginning October 13.

This range will be on sale till November 15, 2015.

The company would also introduce Indigo model with special celebration kit and Zest celebration edition as part of the scheme.

serted that the students must know their local history to know themselves better. Dr. Mahanta, in her innovative lecture - "Searching for Continuities in the History of North-East India" stated that a lot of history of Assam can be derived from the use and of areca nuts in Assamese culture and tradition. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Devanjan Hazarika, President of ACTA, DHSK College unit.

Dr. J. K. Mahanta, former i/c Principal of DHSK College inaugurated the meeting. Dr. Sashi Kanta Saikia, Princiapl of DHSK College, welcomed the guests and praised the DHSK ACTA College Unit for successfully organizing Dr.

Jogiraj Basu Memorial Lecture since its inception in honour of the founder Principal Dr. Jogiraj Basu, a renowned linguist, scholar and educationist.

The meeting was graced by the

presence of Dr. Porama Mahanta, Munin Sharma, Sunil Borthakur and other dignitaries as well as by teachers and students of the college.

(Press release)

487 kg ivory seized in undercover operation Contd. from Page 1

Around 75 per cent voters cast their vote in GHADC Contd. from Page 1

to attain their due justice either from employer or from the government. “Journalists have not orchestrated their struggle unitedly to achieve their dues.” He regretted. On the other hand in the meeting which was chaired

by Surajit Bhuyan, the President of LDJA and anchored by Sailan Boruah, the secretary of LDJA, Nitumoni Borah the Chief Editor of Pratidin Time commented that the people’s duty is to keep the journalists true to their profession. He appealed before them to extend their support in their favour. He suggested the journalists to pay heed to self realization, self dignity and dedication for the welfare of the common masses.

Moreover he commented that politicians should exercise tolerance with regard to criticism.

Inaugurating the meeting Bhupen Borah, the MLA of Bihpuria LAC, emphasized

Dr. Jogiraj Basu memorial lecture held at DHSK college

SPORT ET Correspondent Haflong, Oct 12: Evergreen Youth Club beat Barail FC 2-0 in the 11th CEM’s Cup Carnival Invitational Football tournament 2015 organized by Dima Hasao Sports Association here today at N.L. Daulagupu Sports Complex in Haflong. For EYC, Jerry Pulamte opened the account when he beat an opponent’s defender on the right flank and scored in the 7th minute. Albert L. Hmar of EYC scored the second goal for his

ET Correspondent Lakhimpur, Oct 12: “The sole duty of a journalist is to investigate the hidden truth. Their interrogation should be objective and thought-provoking during the hours of investigation,” said Mayur Bora, a prominent essayist and intellectual of Assam, while delivering a lecture in the open session of the biennial conference of the Lakhimpur District Journalist Association held in the Sankar Jyoti Milan Sangha at Bhogpur Charali of the district. Participating as appointed speaker in the extravaganza, Bora deliberately analyzed the trends in the literary and journalistic developments of Assam during the last two centuries. He expressed his disappointment over the financial and physical insecurity of the journalists.

With regard to it he suggested that the journalists must agitate

This haul was the result of a carefully planned ‘Operation Shikar’ in which one Mr Umesh Aggrawal was arrested on October 2. He is suspected to be the kingpin of the illegal trade in ivory as the main buyer of ivory and maker of various artefacts. This came to light from the detailed analysis of call records of middlemen and poachers from Kerala, where wild elephants were poached. The suspect was taken to Kerala where several cases are registered against him.

‘Operation Shikar’ was initiated soon after the discovery of organized elephant poaching in Kerala in the month of June after which two persons, Ajir Brite and Preston were arrested. The investigation team used human and digital intelligence to track the movement of suspects and build the linkages and actionable intelligence was handed over to the strike teams who conducted covert operation through which the two suspects Brite and Preston were nabbed. They used to sup-

ply ivory to Aggrawal.

The trader, Aggrawal is a well to do businessman dealing in art and collectibles was operating his business from a three storied house in a posh locality of Delhi.

A fully equipped carving unit was operational at the basement of his house where the authorities suspect the artisans turned ivory into high valued ivory articles to be exported.

The suspect confessed his involvement in the illegal trade of ivory from the 90s. He used his company ‘Art of India’ which dealt in various artefacts from India to other countries and mixed ivory and ivory articles along with sandstone and resin statues to avoid detection. He also openly manufactured and displayed articles which looked and felt like ivory in various art exhibitions to attract customers for genuine ivory products.

During the course of investigations, he confessed to hiding ivory and ivory articles in a rented room in East Delhi. He also gave a sketch of the location, marking the building in which he kept the ivory and ivory article which was kept

inside his house. He was compelled to move the illegal goods to a safe house to avoid detection of the same from his house after learning about the arrest of Ajir Brite and Preston who supplied ivory to him.

He used one of his employees to organize a room to store the goods. The owners of the house were informed that the goods in the wooden boxes were just plastic items. Umesh used his own SUV and rented vehicles to move the ivory from his house to the secret place, locked the room and kept the key with him. He paid the rent by cash and occasionally checked the goods.

Once the presence of ivory in a secret location was confirmed, a team was formed and moved to Delhi on the night of October 10.

Next day morning, with the help of Delhi police, a trap was laid and the rented room was raided.

The entire examination of goods lasted 12 hours as each item was examined and packed. The operation ended at 12:15 am and the procedure of transportation of the seized items to Kerala was started. Some documents and pen

drives also were recovered from his house which are being examined.

The confession statements, direct and indirect evidences collected from the seizure location in the past few months already provided strong evidences and leads about other people who are involved in the ivory trade.

Umesh also confessed that many Indians were his clients and their details are also being verified. During the investigation it was also discovered that Umesh used to palm off fake ivory substitutes made of resin to unsuspecting clients in the name of ivory.

The IFAW-WTI team member who assisted the enforcement agencies during the entire operation says, “Delhi police provided exceptional support to the entire operation with both the SHOs of Shakarpur and Jaffarabad ensured that the team got the much needed protection and operational support. We also will be ensuring legal support to the case through our expert lawyers to ensure pro-conservation judgments in this case”. The ivory will be transported to Kerala early morning on October 12 by flight and produced in front of the JCM.

Nation-wide chemists' strike on October 14 Contd. from Page 1 Aditya Hospitals, Archana Hospitals, Astha Hospitals, Aziz Diagnostics, Brahmaputra Hospitals, Damani's Nursing Home, HM Hospitals, JJ Memorial Hospitals, MGM Hospitals, Pooja

Hospitals, Sanjivani Drug Centre, AMC, Sanjivani Hospitals, Shankardev Hospitals, Srishti Hospitals, and Urovision Hospitals. Meanwhile, online pharmacies in the country have been cashing in on e-commerce growth.

Online pharmacies in India run on an Internet-based pre-

scription. It’s said that many people sell medicine without prescriptions. Many online pharmacies are supplying medicines such as I-pill, Viagra, MTP kits, anti-depression, sleeping pills, cold and cough syrups without confirming the authenticity of prescription. In June, the organi-

zation submitted presentations to other ministries on this issue. The Central government has not taken steps in this connection and hence the all India body has decided to launch a one day strike on October 14th to create awareness regarding issues pertaining to sale of drugs over the internet.

Prabin Gogoi passes away Contd. from Page 1 AASU Assistant General Secretary Manowar Hussain, BJP Golaghat District President Debajit Bora, Senior Journalists Apurba Ballav Goswami and Rohit Gogoi along with several others have expressed grief over Probin Gogoi's passing away. Prabin

Gogoi was truly a people's leader. He had contributed a lot especially in the sports sector in Golaghat. His death is a great loss not only to regional politics of Assam but also to the society, said Apurba Ballav Goswami. BJP Golaghat district unit expressed deep condolence on the demise of Ex Minister Probin Gogoi. May his soul rest in eternal peace,

said Bishwajit Phukan BJP, Golaghat district. The Assam Chambers of Golaghat also condoled the demise of the departed soul.

The Assam chambers of commerce of Golaghat has urged the busuness community to keep their premises from 8am to 11 am in deep respect to departed soul.

Senior AGP leader and

former Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta condoled his death, and termed the loss a huge to the state. AGP President Atul Bora also condoled his death. Congress Minister Bismita Gogoi, Ajanta Neog, and several other political and non political personalities also paid their homage to Gogoi.

Thousands shake the air taking part....

Contd. from Page 1 Taking part in the protest march, Dr. Samujjal Kr. Bhattacharya, the adviser of AASU said that their organization is not anti-Bengali, but against illegal -Bengalis. He criticized the dirty communal politics played by the BJP by saying that the saffron party is trying to change the demography of Assam with their policies which is going to put the all the original Assamese people may he be Hindu or Muslim to the situation of doom as they are all going to become minority communities.

Its duty of the Central Government to provide constitutional safeguard to the aborigins. We

should try to save the greater Assamese nation with courage and patience. The central has been trying to finish the identity of the Assamese since the time of the partition of the country. Modi too is not an exception. He is going to give Assam the burden of lacs of foreigners by putting aside the sake of her. If central government does not change their decision with still time in hands, then AASU will be compelled to undertake even more fierce agitations in the future.

Narendra Modi had once commented that there is no communal riots in Bangadesh and Hasina Government is giving a good governance there. At such a case why he iss trying to import the hindus from the country by saying that they have

been tortured by the Muslims there? Assam is not a grazing yard for the outsiders and the venture of the central government to try to make Assam so by playing religious politics will not be tolerated by AASU. At a time when there has been a process on the way to update the NRC in the state, the act of importing illegal citizens from Bangladesh in the name of religious politics is anti Assam policy, he said. ASSU will never mercy the ones who try to play with the interest of Assam. The illegal citizens will have to be deported from Assam according to the terms of Assam Accord. Assam agitation was stared from Sivasagar . Assu will not let the sacrifice of 855 martyrs of the agitations go in vein. Dipanka

Kr. Nath, the president of the student union said taking part in the "Satyagrah" that the act of giving the burden of lacs of foreign citizens to Assam without taking the opinion of the people is a crime commited by Narendra Modi. Everyone who has come to Assam after 1971 has to left Assam whether he may be Hindu or Muslim.

Lurin Jyoti Gogoi, the Secretary of ASSU to criticized the policy of BJP and the silent role played by the BJP MPs from Assam. Members of eight other organizations including Ahom Jatiya Gana Manch, TMPK, ATSA, AJYCP too took part in the Satyagrah rally which was taken out from Boarding Filed of Sivasagar town throughout the town and shook the atmosphere with anti BJP slogans.

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13

PAGE 5

REGION

Bihar polls: First phase voting Yechuri congratulates begins in 49 constituencies Oli on being elected as Nepal PM

Patna, Oct 12: Polling for the first phase of the fivephase Bihar Assembly elections began on Monday amid tight security in 49 constituencies spread over 10 districts. The poll bound districts are Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagariya, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Nawada and Jamui. Over 1.35 crore voters will decide the electoral fortune of 583 candidates, including 54 women in this phase.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Giriraj Singh cast his vote in Lakhisarai and expressed confidence that the mahagathbandhan would fail.

"I am sure that the arrogance of Lalu Prasad Yadav is going to take a fall. PM Modi has talked about development and welfare of poor and the people of Bihar are wise enough to take the right decision. The grand alliance is going to fall flat on its face," Singh told ANI. People were seen queuing up since early in the morning to cast their

Truck set ablaze

by Maoists, helper abducted Raipur, Oct 12: Naxals set ablaze a truck and allegedly kidnapped its helper in Chhattisgarh'sNarayanpur district, police said on Monday. "A group of Naxals torched an empty truck of a private transport company and abducted its helper near Bodra nullah under Benoor police station limits late last night," Narayanpur Sub-Divisional Officer of Police C D Tirki said. The vehicle was heading towards Benoor from Narayanpur when about 12 armed ultras stopped it near Bodra nullah. After forcing the the truck's driver and helper to alight they burnt the vehicle, he said. While escaping from the spot after the offence, they allegedly took the helper alongwith them assuring the driver that they would release him after a few hours. However, no communication has been received till now about his whereabouts, the officer said.

Soon after getting news of the incident, security forces were rushed to search the area, he said adding that efforts were on to trace the kidnapped person and the culprits. (Agencies)

Security measures beefed up ahead of GHADC polls Shillong, Oct 12: The State Government has allegedly influenced the internet providers to block the connections thereby affecting the people who were depending on cell phones and other devices including computers, laptops, tablets and ipads in the entire Garo Hills region to intercept the flow of information prior to GHADC polls. The police were earlier keeping a watch on the posts in the social networking sites which heavily depended on internet service. The fear of the police was that the social networking sites can be used by anti national elements to influence the people to abstain from voting at a time when the mainstream media is barred from publishing news related to bandh and agitation. A few Tura residents informed over phone on Sunday night that the entire internet connection was disabled after 9 pm. Attempts to contact West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Pravin Bakshi failed as he did not return the calls. However, a senior police official tactically avoided the question and said, "You can ask the Home Secretary or the Home Minister." A few residents from Tura said the move of the Government to resort to censorship by blocking the internet brought to mind the days of Emergency when Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was in power.(Agencies)

Agartala, Oct 12: CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechuri has congratulated Nepal's new Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and expressed hoped that the relations between New Delhi and Kathmandu would reach new heights. "Well first of all congratulations to Comrade K P Oli, he is an old friend of ours and the chairman of the Communist Party of the Unified Marxist-Leninist with whom the CPI (M) has very good fraternal relations," Yechury told ANI on the sidelines of a votes. "We are voting so that we can obtain good roads, water, electricity and employment. Prices of daily commodities are rising so high that it has become very difficult for us to run the household," a

voter from Bhagalpur told ANI here. According to reports, most of the areas are naxal infested where the polling is underway and in view of this, central paramilitary forces have been deployed at every

booth. For the first time unmanned aerial vehicle Drone will be used by the security forces in remote maoist affected areas.

Commandos will carry out air surveillance by two helicopters. (ANI)

Bihar polls: PM Modi urges people to `vote in large numbers` New Delhi, Oct 12: With the polling for the first phase Bihar Assembly elections underway, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called out to the people of the state to cast their vote in large numbers. "Urging all those voting today in Bihar to vote in large numbers. I particularly urge my young friends to cast their vote," the Prime Minister tweeted.

Polling for the first phase of the five-phase Bihar Assembly elections began earlier today amid tight security in 49 constituencies spread over 10 districts.

Over 1.35 crore voters will decide the electoral fortune of 583 candidates, including 54 women in this phase.

According to reports, most of the areas are naxal infested where the polling is

underway and in view of this, central paramilitary forces have been deployed at every booth. Prime Minister Modi will address a rally in Bhabua today for which the grand alliance had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC), saying that the rally's live telecast would be a violation of the model code of conduct. (ANI)

Bihar polls: Giriraj Singh calls for legislation to make voting compulsory Lakhisarai/ Bhagalpur, Oct 12: Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Giriraj Singh, who cast his vote during the first phase of polling in Bihar on Monday, called for a legislation to make voting compulsory.

"I have voted and I am happy to exercise my right. There needs to be a campaign to make voters aware of their rights.

There should be a law to make people vote," Singh

told ANI after casting his vote here. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nishikant Dubey urged people to exercise their voting right.

"Bhaglapur has similar problems that the entire nation has, like roads, electricity, water, education. To address all these, people like us must make use of their voting right.

If we are voted to power, then we will work towards addressing these problems," Dubey said.

Polling for the first phase of the five-phase Bihar Assembly elections began today amid tight security in 49 constituencies spread over 10 districts.

The poll bound districts are Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagariya, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Nawada and Jamui. Over 1.35 crore voters will decide the electoral fortune of 583 candidates, including 54 women in this phase. (ANI)

Missionaries of Charity, set up by late Mother Teresa, had said in a statement on Saturday that it had stopped adoption at their orphanages two months ago. "This decision was arrived at by the Missionaries of Charity headquarters in Kolkata soon after we received the new "Guidelines Governing Adoption of Children, 2015" issued under a notification from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development," the statement had said. Central Adoption Resource Authority, a wing of the Union ministry of Women and Child Develop-

ing it after ten years, that has to be brought under implementation. And that is a very historic job of the government now headed by K P Oli," he added. Veteran communist leader Oli was yesterday elected as the country's Prime Minister under the newly introduced constitutional system. CPN-UML chairman Oli garnered 338 votes, 39 more than the 299 that he needed to be elected as the Prime Minister while Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala could only secure 249 votes.(ANI)

Ranchi, Oct 12: A day after two security personnel were killed in a gun battle with Maoists in Jharkhand's Godda district, the militants blew up a government school in Latehar district early Sunday. Nobody was injured, police said. According to police, the Maoists, numbering around 50, surrounded a government school situated at Serendag village of the district, around 140 km from Ranchi, and used explosives to blow the school building. Though the school building was damaged, no one was injured in the incident. The Maoists reportedly left a pamphlet, with a warning that schools should not be used by the security forces.

They also demanded that security force personnel staying in a few schools in the district should be removed. (Agencies)

Nationwide 12 hour bandh will be backed by State chemists Imphal, Oct 12: Manipur Chemists and Druggists Association (MCDA) has pledged support to the Nation-wide general strike of All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) to be imposed from 6 am to 6 pm on October 14. The stir has been announced to oppose the move of Central Government to regularize selling of drugs/medicines on internet/web portal by amending Drug and Cosmetics Act. E-pharmacy, an inordinate practice of procuring drugs through online/internet, is a threat to public health, said an MCDA statement.

In another statement, AIOCD president JS Shinde said that sale of medicines through internet is illegal and it violates Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 (Rules 1945) adding that different forums including Drug Consultative Committee have observed that online sale of medicines does not fit in the present framework of law. Online pharmacies can depreciate the drug distribution system in India and can increase the adverse drug reactions, misuse of drugs and drug dependence, irrational use of drugs and selling of poor quality of drugs, he added.

Saying that if a prescription is sent via email to an e-pharmacy, there is no Government machinery to authenticate the prescriber, JS Shinde said that there is no central list of registered medical practitioners

Mamata stands against adoption Kolkata, Oct 12: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday supported the Missionaries of Charity on stopping adoption at their orphanages following a recent change in rule by the Union government. "We fully support Missionaries of Charity and Sister Prema in their decision to opt out of adoption programme.

They have a right to do so," Banerjee tweeted. "The essence of India is unity in diversity. This is the pillar of our great nation," she said. Following revision in guidelines on adoption by the Union government, the

convention on anti-war and anti-communalism in Agartala. "He is an old good friend of India and so we hope the recent unfortunate raptures that had happened in the Indo-Nepal relations‌.

Those issues will also be amicably resolved," he added. Yechury further said Oli has taken the responsibility as the Prime Minister at a very challenging time in Nepal.

"On this republican constitution which they have adopted, which we have congratulated the people of Nepal for finally do-

Maoists blow up Jharkhand school building

ment department has notified the matter on 17 July in 2015.

The move comes after revised guidelines were notified in July making single parents (separated, divorced, unwed mothers) eligible to adopt through online registration of prospective parents. The Women and Child Development Ministry had recently said they would identify those child care homes, which are not complying with the revised guidelines of the Juvenile Justice Act, one of which includes orphanages run by the Missionaries. (Agencies)

(RMPs) with the Government to ensure the authenticity of a prescriber. Moreover, every State has a different policy regarding RMPs, he added. The Government does not have any authentic list of pharmaceutical manufacturers, he said and added that the Government neither has the list of pharmacists nor products as well. Saying that there is no qualified doctor in rural areas of the country, JS Shinde said that in such areas, unqualified doctors would order or prescribe medicines through e-pharmacy if the system is legalised. Quoting a recent news report published in a National daily, JS Shinde said that the rate of ordering pregnancy termination pills online is increasing in the country. Saying that online portals are registered under IT Act, he said that web portals claimed that they are service providers

Online pharmacies can depreciate the drug distribution system in India and can increase the adverse drug reactions, misuse of drugs and drug dependence, irrational use of drugs and selling of poor quality of drugs, AIOCD president JS Shinde said. Saying that if a prescription is sent via email to an e-pharmacy, there is no Government machinery to authenticate the prescriber, JS Shinde said that there is no central list of registered medical practitioners (RMPs) with the Government to ensure the authenticity of a prescriber. and they do not possess any drug licence. However, many web portals promote sale of medicines without guaranteeing the quality of the medicines. Saying that the country has over 7.5 lakh retail pharmacists, JS Shinde said that their service would be totally eliminated if the new system of e-pharmacy is enforced.

However, the Government must not undermine the fact that many pharmacy related courses are being run in the country. Pharmacists are trained professionals who are experts in patient counselling, drug interactions, drug food interactions, doses, schedules, reactions and side effects etc, he said.

(Agencies)

Aloha state level award giving ceremony to come off today in U.K.Academy auditorium Agartala, Oct 12 : Aloha Tripura 5th State Level Competition and Award Ceremony is scheduled to come off on 12th October, 2015, at Umakanta English Medium Auditorium (atthe premises of Shishu Bihar H.S. School).According to the Aloha Tripura Chapter Press release, in 2009 February, Aloha was launched in Tripura to erase the nightmare from the children's of Tripura. In respect of every root cause factors , faced by any children in the field of literacy for Greater Concentration, Keen Listening Skills, Better Memory, Sharper Observation, Improved Analytical Skills, Self- Confidence and Calculation Skills, Better Creative and Imaginative Skills to overcome with the help of Simple

theories, techniques as founded

by Sir Loh Mun Sung after long experiments in Malayasian Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Association (Malaysia) and proved the methods and techniques from Zheiang Abacus Association, headquartered in Hong-shou, China as a great success. Like every year, this year also students from Dharmanagar, Manughat, Ambassa, Khowai, Teliamura, Campaknagar, Udaipur, Bisalgarh, Manubazar and Agartala are participating in Aloha Tripura 5th State Level Competition and Award Ceremony today , at Umakanta English Medium Auditorium (at the premises of Shishu Bihar H.S. School).'ALOHA' Agartala authority in their press release

said that, more than 450 students will participate in it and the fastest with accuracy will be awarded in the evening at the Shishu Bihar H.S. School Auditorium from 6.30 pm onwards. Mr. Ranabir Roy, Managing Director, Aloha Tripura said, Chief Minister , Manik Sarkar has consented to be present in the award giving ceremony as a Chief Guest .

Among others Chief Secretary Y.P. Singh, MLA Ratan Das, Mayor AMC Dr. Prafullajit Sinha, Fr. Kanik Kai, Principal, Holy Cross School. Biswanath Saha, Mayor in Council (AMC) will also be present in the competition and Award ceremony at UK English Medium Academy at Agartala on 12th October. (Agencies)

Demand for the Kalimpong district high on rise, Chettri taking the lead Darjeeling, Oct 12: MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri championing the demand for a separate Kalimpong district said a road map would be chalked out to take forward the cause only after feeling the pulse of the people. On Saturday, the MLA formed the District Demand Committee (DDC) in Kalimpong.

The committee constitutes

representatives from the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist (CPRM), the Hill Congress and Gorkhaland Rastriya Nirman Morcha (GRNM) and different organizations. Chhetri resigned from the GJM party on September 18 in Kolkata. Apparently, the MLA was not happy with the unilateral decision of

GJM president Bimal Gurung to ask the three Hills MLAs to resign, to protest state government interference in the functioning of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). The former GJM spokesperson however refused to resign as a MLA to take up the Kalimpong district issue.

Darjeeling MLA Trilok

Dewan resigned both from the party and as a legislator. However, Rohit Sharma from Kurseong was the only one to toe the party line. The DDC members will visit villages in Kalimpong and also organize a public meeting on October 16 to garner people's support. "As part of our awareness program we will first go to

different villages and talk to people about our demand. This we will do in three days after which we will hold a public meeting Kalimpong town," Chhetri said, today. He added, "The response from people so far is good, however only after the public meeting will we chalk out the road map to take forward our demand". The Com-

mittee will visit places like Jholay, Gairibas, TodeTangta, Samsing, Kumai, Gorubathan, Lava, Pedong, Gitabling, Kafer, Singhchi and Mungsong.

Asked about his former party also taking up the Kalimpong and five other districts demand, the MLA said, "They (GJM) should set politics aside and join, to attain the com-

mon demand. However, it is also true that GJM's demand for other districts may have a negative effect on ours".

Chhetri appealed to people and social organizations from the Darjeeling and Kurseong sub-divisions to lend support to the Kalimpong district demand. (Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

PAGE 6

Shiv Sena's vicious brand of communalism exposed in Kulkarni ink attack, says Mani Shankar Aiyar New Delhi, Oct 12: Disturbed by the ink attack on Observer Research Foundation (ORF) chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni by the Shiv Sena, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Monday described it as its violent brand of vicious communalism and condemned wholeheartedly.

"I am deeply disturbed

Shiv Sena attempting to 'break' India: Brinda Karat Chennai, Oct. 12 : Communist Party of India (Marxist) polit bureau member Brinda Karat on on Monday condemned the ink attack on ORF chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni and said this is competitive intolerance, communalism and politics not to 'Make in India' but break India. Karat also took a jibe at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). "This is a reflection of the atmosphere of total intolerance which is being created by the RSS and its likeminded organisations and the Shiv Sena wants to go one step forward.

This is competitive intolerance, it is competitive communalism, competitive politics not to 'Make in India' but break India.

We strongly condemn it," she told. Kulkarni was allegedly attacked by the Shiv Sena workers earlier today for refusing to back down from organising former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri 's book launch.

Following the attack, Kulkarni announced that he has no intention of scrapping the book launch and will go ahead with the event. (ANI)

at this blackening of the face of Kulkarni and calling it bloody Indian.

This is ridiculous.

Kulkarni and Khurshid Kasuri have been working like I have been working for the peace between the two countries. It is the violent vicious communalism of the Shiv sena," Aiyar told . Aiyar said it is disgraceful that this has

happened. It is unfortunate that an atmosphere of intolerance has been created in the country.

"It is inevitable consequence of this muscular Hinduism called Hindutva which the RSS have been promoting for century. And which has now tragically come to political power," he added. Aiyar further said that these people

Don't vote for shameless in Bihar, says PM Modi Bhabua, Oct. 12: Continuing his tirade against the grand alliance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described his rally at Bhabua as a festival to wake Bihar from its slumber and asked the people of the state not to cast their votes for the shameless. Prime Minister Modi, who was addressing a rally at Bhabua, took a jibe at the grand alliance for approaching the Election Commission with their demand that his scheduled programmes in the pollbound state be cancelled.

"This is not a rally, it is a surge. This is a fair to wake Bihar. Now, I know why I

was not being allowed to come to Bhabua, the large gathering here is the reason," he said, adding that the present government in the state will have to leave now. Prime Minister Modi further said that he could sense some conspiracy in the poll-bound state. "I have a feeling that some conspiracy is brewing in this region and I request the Election Commission to take note. I would request the Election Commission to keep special arrangements in the area before polling," he said. Prime Minister Modi also expressed confidence that the people would vote for

Shiv Sena playing cheap anti-Pakistan politics: D. Raja New Delhi, 0ct.12 : Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja on Monday said that protest by the Shiv Sena against former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book launch is highly deplorable, adding that they are playing cheap anti-Pakistan politics which is not in the interest of the country.

"It shows the Shiv Sena's intolerance and how they are against efforts to build good neighborly relations with Pakistan," he said. Raja said the Shiv sena is doing cultural fascism and playing cheap anti-Pakistan politics

which is not in the interest of the country. "If the Shiv Sena continues to do such things, they will be called a force which is trying to impose fascist dictat on the people. This cannot be tolerated and should be condemnable by everybody," Raja told . The Shiv Sena has been vehemently protesting against Kasuri's book launch, saying it was an insult to the Indian soldiers who had died in the recent ceasefire violations by Pakistan. The Shiv Sena has warned that there would be repercussions if the event was not cancelled. (ANI)

Ankara bomb blasts: Thousands mourn victims, blame Government London, Oct. 12: Thousands of people gathered in central Ankara a day after twin bombings targeted a peace rally in the city to mourn the victims of the attack. Many mourners as well as opposition parties have blamed the Turkish government for failing to provide adequate security measures ahead of the peace rally.

They also accused that the police officers fired teargas

at the victim's families who had arrived to inquire about their loved ones after the bombing, reported The Guardian. The demonstrators, shouting slogans "chief and murderer Erdogan" and "death to fascism," labeled the attacks as a 'terrorist act' by his government. Denying the allegations, the government said that the attack could have been carried out by the

Islamic State, Kurdish militants or radical leftist groups. At least 128 people were killed and more than 200 people were injured in a twin suicide bomb attacks on Saturday in a peace rally organized by several leftist groups, including labour unions and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). No group has claimed any responsibility for the bombing yet. (ANI)

the BJP this time as they are upset with the 25-year rule of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. "I was extremely delighted to hear that the people, who were going to cast their votes, were of the opinion that they want development," Prime Minister Modi said. "If you cheat the people then they would never forgive you," he added. In the first phase of Bihar assembly polls, around 40 percent electorates exercised their right of franchise during the first six hours of voting till 1 pm.

Polling is continuing peacefully amid tight security arrangements. (ANI)

Helicopter crash in Kabul kills 2 Britons Johannesburg, Oct 12: At least two British Royal Air Force personnel have died after a helicopter crashed in Afghan capital, Kabul, the defence ministry said in a statement. The heli-

copter crashed while landing at the headquarters of the Resolute Support international NATO coalition in Kabul. The defence ministry also said that the incident is under inves-

tigation and confirmed that it was not an insurgent activity but an accident. Those killed were from the 230 and 33 Squadrons of the Royal Air Force, the statement added. (ANI)

New Delhi, 0ct.12 : Congress Member of Parliament Deepender Hoodaon Monday condemned the ink attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni by the Shiv Sena, and asked both the Maharashtra Government and the central Government to answer in which direction was the nation heading.

"Sudheendra Kulkarni is a great intellectual and patriot, and this attack on him is very deplorable," he said. "The at-

tack on Sudheendra Kulkarni by Shiv Sena and Eminent writers returning awards to sahitya Akademi points to circumstances which are leading to intolerance in the society with shrinking space for freedom of speech and expression which has been provided to all the citizens," Hooda told here. He also said that these matters are extremely serious and needs introspection. The Shiv Sena has been vehemently protesting against Kasuri's book launch, saying it was an insult to the Indian soldiers who had died in the recent ceasefire violations by Pakistan. The Shiv Sena has warned that there would be repercussions if the event was not cancelled. (ANI)

Sahitya Akademi to hold emergency meet as writers return awards in droves New Delhi, Oct. 12: The Sahitya Akademi will hold an emergency meeting on October 23 to discuss the alarming exodus of literary icons from the fraternity and writers returning their awards. "In the meeting, a decision will be taken after holding a discussion with the committee. One writer representing each language will be present in the meeting," Sahitya Akademi president Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari told the media here. Till now, 15 writers have returned their awards to the Akademi since Hindi writer Uday Prakash first did so last month over the killing of Kannada scholar M.M.

Kalburgi. In another blow to the Akademi, Kannada writer Aravind Malagatt resigned from the fraternity on Sunday.

Earlier, eminent writer Nayantara Sahgal and former Lalit Kala Akademi chairperson Ashok Vajpeyi had returned their Sahitya Akademi awards to protest the 'growing intolerance' in the country.

Kulkarni ink attack: Cong lashes out at Shiv Sena, says it's 'Taliban hooliganism' New Delhi, Oct. 12 : Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday, slammed the Shiv Sena for smearing ink on Sudheendra Kulkarni, Chairman of Observer Research Foundation (ORF), who is organising former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book launch, saying that it was 'Talibani hooliganism' and that Uddhav

Advani condemns Kulkarni ink attack, says 'tolerance must be ensured in democracy' New Delhi, Oct. 12: In a veiled attack on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA regime, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani on Monday said the ink attack on ORF chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni has 'besmirched' the country's name and added that it was a clear case of 'growing intolerance'.

"My colleague Sudheendra Kulkarni was attacked today and I strongly condemn whosoever has done it.

Those responsible for this have besmirched the name of this coun-

are mistaking majority rule for majoritarian rule.

The Shiv Sena has been vehemently protesting against the launch of Kasuri's book, saying it was an insult to the Indian soldiers who had died in the recent ceasefire violations by Pakistan and had warned that there would be 'repercussions' if the event is not cancelled. (ANI)

Congress condemns ink attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni, says intolerance is on the rise

ferent view. This is a most worrying matter for the nation," Advani added. Following the attack on him by the Shiv Sena workers for organising former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book launch, Kulkarni announced that the event will go ahead as per schedule despite all threats. The government had earlier come under sharp criticisms over the Dadri try," Advani told the views and added that of lynching incident with media here. The BJP late there had been a the opposition mounting stalwart further said surge in such cases of pressure on Prime Minthat in a democracy, 'intolerance'. "You can't ister Modi to break his one must ensure toler- attack someone just be- silence on the issue. ance towards different cause they share a dif- (ANI)

Thackeray must control his 'goons'. "Strongly condemn most dastardly attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni

by Shiv Sainiks. Udhav Thakre must control his goons. Full support to Sudheendra," Singh tweeted. The senior Congress leader asserted that such 'intolerance' in India can't be tolerated. "First Ghulam Ali concert and now Kasuri's book launch. We don't want a Desi Taliban in India," he added. Condemning the ink attack on Kulkarni, Singh said

that Kasuri's book launch must be held at all costs and all liberals who are against such 'Talibani hooliganism' must come out to support the event. Shiv Sainiks had earlier smeared ink Kulkarni, as he refused to back down from organising Kasuri's book launch in Mumbai. "As soon as I stepped out of my house and got into my car, around 8-10 Shiv

Sena workers attacked me and threw ink on my face," Kulkarni told . The Shiv Sena has been vehemently protesting against Kasuri's book launch, saying it was an insult to the Indian soldiers who had died in the recent ceasefire violations by Pakistan, and had warned that there would be 'repercussions' if the event was not cancelled. (ANI)

Iraq claims senior ISIS leaders killed in air strike London, Oct. 12: The Iraqi military have claimed to have killed senior commanders of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in an air strike operation by their military.

ISIS chief Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, however, was not among the victims in the air strike. In a statement by the country's war media cell, the air strike targeted Baghdadi's convoy as it was travelling to Karabla, a town near Iraq-Syrian border. According to reports, the strike was conducted with coordination among Iraq's interior ministry intelligence services and the joint operation command centre. (ANI)

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13

NEIGHBOURS

Thai judge to announce verdict in British murder trial in December Bangkok, Oct 12: A Thai judge will announce a verdict in the trial of two Myanmar migrant workers accused of killing two British tourists at the end of the year, a defence lawyer said on Monday, following a trial that has been mired in controversy. Britons Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found bludgeoned to death on the southern island of Koh Tao last year. A post-mortem ex-

Road accident kills 7 in Bangladesh Dhaka, Oct 12: At least seven persons were killed today when a truck laden with rice lost control and plunged into a ditch in Bangladesh. The incident took place early in the morning at Chittagong city, about 260 kms from here, on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway near South Sonapahar area. The deceased, aged between 25 to 45, were travelling in the truck by sitting on the rice bags loaded in it when the accident occurred, bdnews24.Com reported. Police said all the seven victims were killed on the spot. The errant truck was seized but the driver managed to flee the spot. Every year, scores of people lost their lives in road accidents in Bangladesh mainly due to rash driving, improper maintenance of vehicles, poor road conditions among other reasons.

(Agencies)

KP Sharma Oli takes oath as Nepal's new PM Kathmandu, Oct 12: Nepal's new Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been sworn-in at Sheetal Niwas as President Ram Baran Yadav administered oath of office and secrecy to the Prime Minister.According to The Himalayan Times, Oli was elected as the 38th Prime Minister of the country.He secured 338 votes while Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala accumulated 249 votes during the prime ministerial voting held at the Parliament. (ANI)

amination showed Witheridge had been raped.The killings raised questions about the safety of tourists in Thailand, the competence of its police force and its treatment of migrant workers. Lawyers for the accused, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 22, have made police incompetence and mishandling of evidence central to their defence."The verdict will be on December 24," chief de-

PAGE 7

fence lawyer Nakhon Chompuchat told Reuters.

"There is a chance we can still win," he said, adding that inconsistencies in the police investigation, including not sealing off the crime scene properly, could work in favour of the defence.During the trial, which began in July, defence lawyers complained of a patchy police investigation marred by disputed forensics.The trial ended

this weekend with the men alleging they were tortured and sexually assaulted to make false confessions.Rights groups have become involved in the trial and claim the men are being used as scapegoats because of their status as foreign migrant workers in Thailand.Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha agreed last year to allow Britain's Metropolitan police to conduct an inquiry in an attempt to reassure the victims' families that the judicial process was being carried out in a fair and transparent way.The Met refused to hand over a report they had compiled on the police investigation and the two accused men lost a high court challenge in August that sought access to the report.Andy Hall, a Thailand-based activist for the rights of migrant workers who is helping with the defence, said there needs to be an urgent investigation into sexual assault allegations.The defence and prosecution have been given until Oct. 26 to deliver their written closing statements. (Agencies)

Private vehicles in Kathmandu Valley to get petrol on Tuesday

Lawyer's son back in China after failed escape attempt Beijing, Oct 12: The teenage son of a rights lawyer detained in a sweeping crackdown on civil society is under house arrest in northern China after being grabbed in Myanmar while trying to escape to the United States, a family friend said today.Bao Zhuoxuan, also known as Bao Mengmeng, is under 24-hour police surveillance at his grandparents' house in Inner Mongolia and is not allowed contact with the outside world, Liang Bo, a San Francisco-based family friend, said by phone.Bao, 16, is the son of Wang Yu, a lawyer who disappeared July 9 amid a rounding up of dozens of rights lawyers and social activists in a broad crack-

down on groups that seek changes in society and that operate outside the Communist Party. Wang has represented people involved in politically sensitive cases and earlier this year was the legal counsel for one of five women's rights activists jailed over a planned event against sexual harassment. Bao and his father were detained on the same day by police at Beijing's international airport on their way to Australia, where Bao was to attend high school. Bao was released after two days, but his passport was revoked, Zhou said. His parents are still missing.Chinese authorities routinely put pressure on activists by targeting their family

Kathmandu,Oct 12: India's latest "cautious intervention" policy on Nepal, suggesting that election of CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli-portrayed as an "antiMadhes" leader-would further deteriorate the NepalIndia relations is meaningless, experts have pointed out."Obstruction in the supply of essential goods to Nepal is likely to end with the possibility of the newlyelected Prime Minister Oli's India visit immediately after the completion of Bihar elections in the second week of November," said an official at India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "The bilateral relations and the present situation will im-

prove. It will all come down to how Oli approaches the Madhes issue."The MEA official's remarks came in the wake of the eight-point agreement on state demarcation and issues of Madhesi and Tharu communities between Oli and Madhesi Janadhikar ForumLoktantrik Chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar before the UML chief's election to the post of prime minister.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called his newly-elected Nepali counterpart Oli and congratulated him on his election to the post of prime minister, the Indian Prime Minister's Office said on its Twitter page, adding that Modi had

also invited Oli to visit India.About half an hour after Modi's tweet, the MEA issued a formal statement congratulating Nepal on the election of the new prime minister.Prof SD Muni, a Nepal expert, however said the dynamics of Nepal-India bilateral ties would move forward only after India recognises Nepal's new constitution. "I don't think Delhi has any issues with Oli, who had already served as Nepal's foreign minister in the Girija Prasad Koiralaled Cabinet. I don't think he is an anti-Indian leader," said Muni, while expressing hope that the new government under his leadership would address the Madhes

Saudi Arabia rejects sharing administration of Haj with other nations

Kathmandu,Oct 12: In a bid to ease off vehicular mobility in view of upcoming Dashain festival, Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) is to distribute petrol and diesel on ration for private vehicles too in Kathmandu Valley on Tuesday. A total of 125 petrol stations in the valley will provide two-wheelers and four-wheelers five litres and 15 litres, respectively from 12:00 afternoon onwards, according to Shiva Prasad Tripathi, Under-

Secretary at the Ministry for Commerce and Supplies. The consumers have to take their Bill Books along to get the fuel, shared Under-Secretary Tripathi. The NOC had ceased providing oil to the private vehicles following the unannounced blockade imposed by India on Nepal for some two weeks, resulting in a widespread shortage of fuel. In a normal day, the daily consumption of petrol and die-

sel in Kathmandu Valley stands at around 350,000 litres and 450,000 litres, respectively. The NOC had been providing fuel 15 litres of fuel to microbus, 20 to minibus and 30 to buses after the even/odd number plate system was launched.

The NOC has to import some 4,000 kilo litres of petroleum products on a daily basis for the easy and smooth supply of fuel for the vehicles in the country.

(Agencies)

Karachi, Oct. 12: Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki alFaisal has rejected a suggestion to share the administration of the annual Haj pilgrimage with other

Muslim nations. According to the Dawn, the prince stated that administration of annual Haj pilgrimage is a matter of "sovereignty" and "privilege."Saudi

Arab has been facing criticism in the wake of last month's disastrous stampede in Mina, in the outskirt of the holy city of Makkah, which killed over 1,400 piligrims including 114 Indians. Iran, which lost the highest number of pilgrims in the incident, has accused Saudi Arabia for mismanagement and had called for an independent body to oversee the administration of the Haj. However, the prince said that the Kingdom has overcome many problems regarding Haj and will not give up that distinction of being the servants of the two holy places-The people of Makka know their territory the best and one cannot take that away from the people, he added. (ANI)

China foreign minister says supports Syrian sovereignty Beijing, Oct 12: China supports Syria in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity and opposes "easy interference" in other countries' internal affairs, the foreign minister said today while meeting a top aide to Syria's president.Russia last month began striking targets in Syria in a dramatic escalation of foreign involvement in the civil war that has been criticised by the West as an

attempt to prop up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, rather than its purported aim of attacking Islamic State.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Bouthaina Shaaban that China supports anti-terror measures that are in line with international law and have been agreed upon by "the interested country", according to a ministry statement.China "opposes the easy interference in

other countries' internal affairs", Wang added. "At the end of the day Syria's fate should be decided by the Syrian people."More efforts should be made for a political solution, he said. There was no direct mention of either the air strikes or Assad.China generally votes with fellow permanent Security Council member Russia on the Syria issue.China, a low-key diplomatic player in the Middle

policy, in which India has pledged to share the benefits of its economic growth with immediate neighbors - a move seen trying to offset China's influence.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year had avoided Maldives in his tour of neighboring island states. He did not specify a reason but it was seen as avoiding controversy amid political unrest in the Maldives that followed the arrest of the country's proIndia ex-president and Maldives' increasing tilt toward China.Former Presi-

dent Mohamed Nasheed has since been convicted of ordering the arrest of a top judge while in office and sentenced to 13 years in prison. His trial drew widespread international condemnation for apparent lack of due process. Swaraj on Sunday also presided over a forum where India's assistance to construct a training center for Maldives defense forces, military training facilities in India, medical camps and joint exercises were discussed, the statement said.China in recent years has been increasing its presence in the In-

dian Ocean, which India considers to be within its sphere of influence.Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Maldives in 2013 and obtained support from Gayoom for his modern maritime silk road initiative seen as a way of encircling India and controlling port access along sea lanes linking the energy-rich Persian Gulf and economic centers in eastern China.During Xi's visit, Maldives also handed an airport expansion project to China, which had earlier been taken away from India.

(Agencies)

said that Bao and two men helping him leave China were taken by local police in a Myanmar border town on Oct. 6, citing information from the guest house in Mong La.Liang said Bao was with his mother's parents in Ulanhot city. Calls to two numbers for Bao's grandmother were not answered. People who answered calls to Ulanhot police's general and criminal investigation offices said they were not aware of the case.The two men helping him to leave China were Tang Zhishun, 40, an engineer from Beijing, and Xing Qingxian, 49, a human rights activist in the southwest city of Chengdu, Zhou said.

Their whereabouts was unknown. (Agencies)

New Delhi's Nepal policy 'trial-based'

East despite its dependence on the region for its oil, has repeatedly called for a political resolution and warned that military action cannot end the crisis. (Agencies) China supports Syria in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity and opposes "easy interference" in other countries' internal affairs, the foreign minister said on Monday while meeting a top aide to Syria's president.

India says Maldives leader committed to 'India first' policy Colombo, Oct 12: India said that the Maldives leader has committed to an "India first" policy in talks with its external affairs minister, a step that would signal improving ties between the two nations that had soured amid Maldives' leaning closer to China.Maldives President Yameen Abdul Gayoom made the statement in a meeting with India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during his two-day visit to the island nation. Gayoom's comment came after Swaraj stressed India's "neighbors first"

members.After his release the teenager was watched and harassed by police in Beijing, and at times beaten by them, said Liang, who was intending to look after Bao in San Francisco. Beijing police did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.San Francisco-based rights campaigner Fengsuo Zhou, who was involved in the escape plan and was to help Bao seek refuge in the U.S., said: "He has expressed his will to study abroad, and eventually study law, like his mother."Zhou traveled to the Thai capital of Bangkok and grew worried when Bao failed to meet him there last week. He

issues.Meanwhile, a meeting between Nepali Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay and Chinese Ambassador to India Le Yu Cheng has raised some concerns at the South Block. After three unsuccessful attempts, Upadhyay finally managed a meeting with the Chinese envoy at the Chinese Embassy on Friday.Upadhyay, who was accompanied by Tirtha Raj Wagle, the political councilor of Nepali Embassy, clarified, "The meeting was as per the trend of visiting diplomatic officials and fellow ambassadors after I came here as the Nepali ambassador."

(Agencies)

India's Marine police arrests two Sri Lankan fishermen Colombo, Oct 12: India's Marine Police have arrested two Sri Lankan fishermen, who reportedly strayed into Indian waters a few miles off Kodiakarai after their fiber boat developed a technical snag on Sunday.The two arrested fishermen, G. Rooba Das (21) and S. Nishanthan (23) were from Parithithurai near J a f f n a . R e p o r t e d l y, due to rough sea the boat strayed into the Indian waters about eight nautical miles off Kodiakarai, the police said.Fishermen of Arcot Thurai in Nagapattinam district who ventured into the sea found the two Sri Lankans and rescued them. They were handed over to the Indian Navy who in turn handed them to the police. (Agencies)

US security assistance to Pakistan promotes 'inter-operability' Karachi, Oct. 12: A week before Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's visit to Washington, the United States has said that it would continue its security assistance to the country as it promotes 'inter-operability' between both nations to counter terrorism. According to the Dawn, the US State Department has issued a fact sheet on its ties with Pakistan highlighting cooperation between the two countries in various fields. The department explains that the assistance is focused to strengthen the capabilities of Pakistan's security forces to counter terrorism and insurgency.The assistance, which promotes inter-operability with the US, has directly supported Pakistan'scounter terrorism operations, it added. The fact sheet shows that the US has provided USD 265 million in Foreign Military Financing toPakistan this year to develop Islamabad's long-term security capabilities, particularly in the tribal areas. (ANI)

PAGE 8

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13

The Indian Navy and the 'Battleship' Debate Underhand banking blues CBI files case over Rs.6,172 Cr worth of transactions Recently the CBI registered a case against 59 account holders and unknown bank officials and private people as it conducted raids at a Delhi branch of Bank of Baroda dealing with forex in connection with cash deposits of Rs.6,172 crore which were later "sent to Hong Kong". The case under various sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption, was filed as the probe agency raided the Ashok Vihar branch of the bank. Two bank officials - assistant general manager and officer foreign exchange-Delhi- have been named in the case.

The raids took place after the Congress hit out at the Narendra Modi government over the transactions at the branch, saying they were in contravention of rules. Congress leader Kapil Sibal also termed the transactions "a huge black money scam" and asked why Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the Prime Minister's Office "took no action" for over a month since the Bank of Baroda submitted its internal audit report to the government. The Central Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that searches were conducted along with the Enforcement Directorate at three premises including the Bank of Baroda's Ashok Vihar branch, and residential premises of two bank officials whose roles have reportedly emerged in the case. The "incriminating documents" recovered during searches were being scrutinised.

Whereas according to Sibal initial investigations show prima facie irregularities and blatant non-compliance of basic due-diligence involving KYC (know your customer) norms. "What is astounding is that even after the bank's internal audit unraveled the scam and brought it to the notice of the finance ministry, the ministry chose to look away and slept over the entire episode without taking any investigation measures," the former union minister said. And he questioned the silence of the government on this issue. "Why are the prime minister and the finance minister mum in the matter? Why have they not come forward and made a statement as to who is guilty in this huge black money scam?". "Who are these fictitious companies and 59 bank accounts in the Bank of Baroda through which Rs.6,172 crore were siphoned off fraudulently? What connection do they have to BJP?" he asked. "One wonders if this deliberate delay on the part of the central government did not give an opportunity to the perpetrators to get their books in order and manipulate evidence. He said the money was deposited as advance in 59 accounts of the bank and three of the Indian companies were not traceable on the addresses mentioned by them.

Untenable bandh culture The usual outcome of bandh is only 'losses' Even after the Gauhati High Court had in Januray 2010 declared bandhs illegal in Assam and Meghalaya, still there seems to be no end to the list of and reasons behind bandhs in Assam and NE as a whole. Few delegates from the Guwahati High Court have even appealed to the Assam Government to take steps for preventing infringement of fundamental rights of the citizens on account of bandhs.

In May this year, the Meghalaya High Court had in another order also warned the media of contempt charge for carrying news of bandhs, hartals and road blockades. The Arunachal Pradesh government on the other hand informed the High Court that the state suffered a loss of around Rs 263 crores due to bandhs during 2014-15. Submitting a year-wise statement of loss due to bandhs in that state it said while 2012-13 had witnessed the highest loss (Rs 506 crore), the total loss between 2011-12 and 201415 stood at over Rs 1015 crore.

Assam has incurred a loss of at least Rs 2,943 crore due to bandhs called by different groups and organizations in the state during 2014, the state government has discovered following a direction from the Gauhati High Court to carry out a study.

Arunachal Pradesh, on the other hand, suffered a loss of around Rs 263 crore due to bandhs in the same year. The figures along with a sector-wise and district-wise break-up of the losses suffered due to different bandhs were placed before the High Court by the state home department. The High Court had asked the state government to submit details of the losses in connection with a PIL that was filed by a public activist called Arun Pathak in 2012. The Assam government's affidavit also informed the High Court that while different organizations had called a total of 68 state-wide bandhs during 2014, there were as many as nine part-bandhs (like central Assam bandh, upper Assam bandh, etc), 32 district bandhs and 21 local area or town bandhs too.

The loss was calculated on the basis of GSDP at current prices of 2014-15, it said. Worked out by the state planning and development department, the statistics also revealed that Kokrajhar remained the worst sufferer among the 27 districts in terms of economic loss. While Kokrajhar incurred a loss of about Rs 133.68 crore due to 48 bandhs, Sonitpur came second with a loss of Rs 135 crore due to bandhs totaling 35 days. Other districts that suffered major loss due to such bandhs include Kamrup (Rs 103 crore), Kamrup Metro - including Guwahati city (Rs 73 crore), Tinsukia (Rs 82 crore) and Barpeta (Rs 81 crore). Hailakandi district had the least number of bandhs (only three days) in 2014, with the loss working out to around Rs 4 crore.

The usual outcome of any kind of bandh is only violence, death, injuries to persons and properties, financial loss, loss of earnings etc. It's high time that the government should at least take some steps with regard to the non-stop bandhs happening in our daily life. The major impact of bandhs is on the revenue system of any state which comes to a total standstill in the wake of a bandh.

Is the Indian Navy justified in building large warships?

Abhijit Singh The Indian navy recently unveiled the INS Kochi - the second ship of the Kolkata class guided missile destroyers at Mumbai. At 7500 tons of displacement, the Kochi is the one of largest guided missile destroyers ever assembled by an Indian shipbuilding yard. Its cuttingedge weapons and sensors suite - comprising Brahmos cruise missiles, long range surface to air missiles (LRSAM), surveillance and fire-control radars and a towed array sonar - makes it one of the most sophisticated surface combatants to have graced the Indian Navy's fighting fleet.

This is the second big Indian destroyer to have been commissioned in the past fourteen months. In August last year, INS Kolkata, the lead ship of the P 15-A class, joined the Indian Navy's Western fleet. The excitement surrounding the two war vessels followed the enthusiastic averments of India's political leadership and strategic experts, who sought to portray them as India's battleships, meant to assert strategic dominance in the Indian Ocean.

While branding them as "battleships" might border on hyperbole, the commentary surrounding the new acquisitions has certainly triggered a debate in Indian strategic circles about the desirability of building big warships. Following the Kochi's commissioning, critics of big ship construction raised doubts over the economic logic of acquiring expensive naval behemoths.

High cost, time delays, expensive maintenance schedules, and superfluous capability add-ons, they pointed out, makes the construction of large warships a particularly profligate activity.

With a construction cost of over Rs 40 billion ($617 million), skeptics wondered if the new class of ships could deliver value for the money spent, particularly when the Indian navy is vulnerable to the vagaries of budget cuts and in no position to build more expensive combat platforms.

The critics make a valid point. With a peacetime mission comprising primarily constabulary, humanitarian assistance, and diplomatic flag flying, the Indian Navy is unlikely to find ships of the size of Kochi of much use for the missions it is required to perform in the Indian Ocean. With the bulk of its operational energies spent in conducting coastal security and noncombatant evacuation missions - such as the operation in Yemen earlier this year the Navy already has a problem of sophisticated warships carrying out low-end constabulary and benign tasks. The suggestion then

that instead of large redundant war-vessels, India must focus on building light frigates, patrol boats, and utility craft for surveillance and constabulary duties does appear to have some merit.

Navalists, however, summarily reject the critics' projection of future peacetime roles and the big warship's lack of utility therein. Large warships, proponents of big-ship construction claim, go well beyond fighting decisive battles in conflict. By their very nature, they are also a political tool in peacetime.

Besides fighting enemy ships in a conventional farseas face-off, "battleships" are meant to signal political resolve by assuming a forceful posture in distant maritime theaters. By virtue of their sophisticated design and fearsome looks, large modern warships have the ability to project both fire and fear at much greater distances. Their appeal lies in the fact that besides serving as an effective strategic bulwark, they can absorb more punishment than any other naval platform. The thick armor-plating, combined with greater stealth features makes them infinitely more survivable than smaller war vessels.

Indispensable Assets For classical naval thinkers, large warships are indispensable assets in modern day warfare because of their unique capacity to efficiently integrate the foremost innovations in naval technology involving sensors, cruise missiles, unmanned drones and directed energy weapons.

These latest innovations are extremely power intensive

and can only be mounted on large platforms. Moreover, large ships offer greater protection to sophisticated armament and sensors.

Unlike smaller vessels, they do not just depend on maneuverability and close-in weapon systems for defense. Their superior antimissile capability ensures a higher order of survivability from incoming missile strikes.

The more interesting tactical argument in favor of large-vessel construction is the protection such ships afford to onboard sensors and machinery. Large warships have a protective shield that limits the damage to key components from missile and torpedo attacks to a small area surrounding the point of contact. This ensures that a direct hit does not debilitate the entire combat machinery of the ship. By contrast, an attack on a vessel without adequate protection could impact sensitive, deeply integrated technology systems onboard, resulting in a complete shutdown of the command and control systems. Larger vessels also have a greater capacity to accommodate critical passive systems that are invaluable for fleet protection in an anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD).

Supporters also offer a more convincing strategic rationale for building large warships. Big war-vessels, they aver, facilitate a quantum of power projection that small ships cannot ever hope to match. This is especially true in a globalizing environment where powerful nations seek to influence regional perceptions through hard-power

posturing. Indeed, despite an expanding global interconnectedness and the shrinking space for conventional conflicts, navies have consistently engaged in hard-power signaling in critical strategic spaces. In East Asia, for instance, China, Japan, Russia and the U.S. have deployed powerful naval contingents on a regular basis, often on the pretext of carrying out benign patrols. The South China Sea is, in fact, the most revealing example of a strategic build-up involving economically interdependent states, occurring in a perfectly globalizing space.

Maritime disputes in Southeast Asia also illustrate the enduring nature of geopolitics. No matter what the economic context, national maritime forces must perform strategic gameplays to maximize geopolitical gains. But the preservation of political influence in the maritime littorals, supporters argue, needs more than a fleet of small specialist vessels. It requires a powerful navy with aircraft carriers, submarines, and big warships - to both project power and protect the fighting fleet from enemy attacks. Indeed, the general consensus in India's maritime fraternity is that today's naval arsenals, specifically ASCMs, are far more dangerous than the weaponry of yore. Chinese ASCMs capable of being fired from sea, air, or land and traveling at supersonic speeds - can easily target Indian naval assets operating in the Indian Ocean. The makes the case for bigger, sturdier and stronger ships

even more compelling.

The second argument in favor of large warships concerns national brandbuilding. The big and burly INS Kochiis a poster-child for indigenization and the Narendra Modi government's mantra of "Make-in India." The ship has been designed by the Navy's in-house organization - the Directorate of Naval Design - and constructed in the Mazagon Dock Shipyard in Mumbai.

But supporters point out that India isn't the only Indo-Pacific power investing in big ships. The U.S. is building expensive carriers, littoral combat vessels, and other ships, and the Chinese have undertaken construction of two aircraft carriers, whilst significantly expanding their big amphibious ship program. Meanwhile, Japan and Australia have placed large helicopter carriers at the center of their maritime military strategies.

The Indian Navy is not the only maritime force to face huge cost and time overruns in acquiring its big warships. The U.S. Navy, the PLAN, and the Royal Australian navy have all been victims of the same malady. Picture this.

After building the big and expensive aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford - the first in class of three ships - the USN undertook the construction of the large Zumwalt class. Exorbitantly priced at $4.3 billion apiece, the eventual projected cost of these ships is about 50 percent higher than that originally estimated a few years ago.

This doesn't include the mind-boggling figure of

$9.1 billion spent on research and development for the overall project.

The debate over the Zumwalt in U.S. maritime circles, in many ways, mirrors the discussions in India over big warship building. The new destroyer has an awkwardly shaped hull that tapers up to the deck, making it harder to detect on enemy radar - a design feature that now has analysts worried over its seaworthiness. In like fashion, some Indian observers have questioned the INS Kochi's survivability in conflict, an inevitable consequence of its restricted maneuverability on account of its heavy armor.

Yet arguments seeking to negate the logic of large ship production seem misplaced. None of them address core strategic concerns that have led the Indian Navy to acquire a greater number of large combat oriented naval vessels.

Finally, nothing conveys strategic intent as effectively as the big conventional warship. The mere presence of powerful destroyers and frigates brimming with cutting-edge armament and sensors can provide a navy with a decisive psychological advantage in strategic scenarios. It isn't sheer happenstance, navalists point out, that China has been deploying Type 054A guided-missile frigates (equipped with the YJ-83 anti-ships missiles) and submarines for anti-piracy duties in the Indian Ocean.

By sending its most modern combatants for lowspectrum security tasks, Beijing has sought to stamp its political will on the South Asia littorals. By the same token, the U.S. has been unapologetic about deploying its aircraft carriers for humanitarian assistance duties in the Western Pacific, even as it has chosen to deploy its littoral combat ships for functional tasks that can be performed by smaller assets India's maritime managers realize that in the new world, regional perceptions define maritime strategy. Since perception management is a key ingredient of maritime diplomacy, the Indian navy must rely on aircraft carriers and large destroyers for power-projection in the Indian Ocean. This includes capabilities that are used more to attain strategic leverage than actually fight full-scale wars. Given the fractious nature of geopolitics in maritime Asia, big warships aptly exemplify India's growing geopolitical ambitions. Regardless of what the skeptics might then say, the super destroyers are here to stay.

Bribery and Corruption Sir, Bribery exists everywhere and in many different forms, but corruption in India sometimes looks like the civil servants' favorite contest nationwide. Since 2005, India has been ranking around the middle (90 out of 180) in Transparency International's league table of country perception of corruption by the people (including investors, businessmen, etc). Not only does corruption in India worsen poverty, it also drags the whole country's development down by stealing its resources. Corruption in India affects all levels of the society but it's in the administrative one that the biggest damage is done to the people and comes to exacerbate poverty. The most simple daily-routine administrative tasks cannot be performed without a bribe to the civil servant in charge of the paperwork. That creates three kinds of situations: first you don't turn to your government to protect yourself and you get used to getting things done by yourself.

So there's no doubt poverty and corruption are linked.

And corruption in India is quite the thing. In 2003, only 15% of the government's anti-poverty funds reached the poor. Anti-corruption laws have existed

since 1968, supported by agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Central Vigilance Commission and yet‌ failure has been the common point of these efforts. The agencies lack independence and power; of course it'd be dangerous to create a tool that actually works and risks putting its own creators in jail.

Yours etc.

Niharika Saikia Duliajan

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

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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13

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Communal Violence in U.P. Is Being Used To Distract Farmers from The Real Issues Abhishek Jha Politicians would have one believe that incidents like Muzaffarnagar, Atali, or Dadri are spontaneous, sporadic, or natural. But there is a shrewd design to it, and there are lessons to be learnt from these incidents. At the heart of them all lie systemic problems and organised groups that need to be fought if justice and peace are sought Elusive Justice The violence that started two years ago in western U.P. has not stopped and continues to resurface. Justice remains elusive. In the six registered cases of gang-rape, sixteen out of the twenty-two accused are out on bail, a report says.

The accused continue to threaten the victims although the victims live under court-ordered protection. A report by Neha Dixit in Outlook in February this year shows that there is little hope that justice will be delivered even in future.

The police, almost deliberately, delayed registering FIRs of even the small number of women who decided to do so. They delayed filing of the chargesheets by several months, beyond the mandated 90 days, delayed the medical examination by several days, beyond the mandated 24 hours, and the investigating officer Mala Yadavwho was accused of a biased investigation and

colluding with the accusedwas removed from the case as late as November last year. All this has made conviction difficult.

The Law Commission report on capital punishment submitted this year talks specifically about the rights of victims and the role of rehabilitation and compensation in restorative justice.

But for the victims of Muzaffarnagar the hope for any such restoration has already vanished. Despite the Supreme Court order, the State Government failed to provide any financial assistance to the aforementioned rape victims, beyond the amount given to every riot-affected victim.

Inaction of the State There were other lapses on the part of the U.P. government too. The fabricated cases of love jihad, manufactured by the Sangh and the BJP leaders from western U.P., who have been found confessing their involvement in the recent Cobrapost-Gulail sting, had been doing the rounds on local newspapers, several months before the mass violence against Muslims in September. Despite several signs and warnings, the SP government failed to act. Here is one such instance: "The local administration and the Lucknow headquarters were receiving minute-by-minute updates for two weeks before the incident," an Additional

Superintendent of Police, who was present in the Muzaffarnagar area on the day of the Mahapanchayat told me. "We did not need GPS. We needed orders."

Cause and Effect The Jat Mahapanchayat (mentioned above) at Nangla-Mandaur had people brandishing weapons, Sangh and BJP members making virulent speeches, which ended with the violence, on 7th and 8th September 2014, that killed, injured, and displaced hundreds of people.

The Panchayat was held on the platform of Bharatiya Kisan Union with the involvement of BJP members.

It is interesting to note that around 750 farmers had committed suicide in 2013 in U.P., the fifth highest number of such suicides in the country. The sugar industry owed over Rs 2000 crores in arrears for the 2012-2013 period to the sugarcane farmers byNovember 2013. The panchayat for farmerswhich had earlier fought for maximum selling price for farmers- had nothing to talk about the dire condition of farmers at NanglaMandaur.

I bring up the issue of farmer suicides and the money the mill-owners owed to them because it

does have some bearing on the condition of the state right now. The Srikrishna Commission report on the 1992-1993 riots in Bombay does state that the "decline of employment in organised sector and growth of informal sector" was an immediate cause of the riots. The huge debt that farmers incurred due to the payments that were due to them was a frustrating, as attested by the reports on farmer suicides. At this time, the distraction of a "foreign" enemy is both relieving and intoxicating.

The anger and frustration then has a target. A similarity- tempting for me to

make- between the rise of Nazism and that of Hindutva is the conditions prevailing before this rise: Germany was hit hard by the Great Depression, and unemployment was at an all-time high.

Lessons This temptation is not unfounded, though. The farmers had not received their arrears worth Rs 1000 crorefrom last year, till this summer. Coming down from Muzaffarnagar are the districts Meerut, Baghpat, Hapur, and Ghaziabad. A district president of the Bharatiya Kisan Andolan was reported, in August, as saying that these districts

alone had seen some 49 suicides this year. Also, a report in The Sunday Express on 13th September'Bull for Buffaloes'- talks about the troubles that those transporting cattle through these regions have to go through. This reminds one of Atali. The target of the mob there was specifically the house of the two families that were upwardly mobile and defended their right to build a mosque. The story the mob was trying to sell the media afterwards was that of cow slaughter, of which there was no evidence, although slogans asking for the death of those who slaughter cows could be found at regular intervals on the road from Ballbgarh to Atali. There is indeed a politics of economic embargo at work here.

Dadri lies between Ballabgarh and Ghaziabad, and it had a similar trajectory. Soon after, Samadhan Sena started holding meetings in Jarcha (a village in Dadri). The village Pradhan's son, a Muslim, was attacked for opening a shop on 'Hindu' land. Three Muslim men had been beaten to death in Kaimrala two months ago for alleged cattle smuggling.

What then is to be done?

Another lesson can be learnt from one Dr. Cijith, who runs a Hindu Helpline for brainwashing HinduMuslim couples. "We cannot initiate a riot. That

never happens. If I want a riot, I can't just say Hindus and Muslims. They won't do it. No community will do that. What I can do is I can make all the circumstances ready. I can just initiate the people. I can just irritate the people. And the incident has to happen itself," he was found saying in the recent sting operation by Gulail and Cobrapost.

To end this spate of violence one must end the conditions that lead up to it.

The political parties have a duty to those who fund their election campaigns, and the only way to woo the farmers is to engage them in matters other than those that concern them. The duty of those who want peace is then to argue and inform the farmers of their real problems. The Land Acquisition Bill has already disillusioned the Jats in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli. The concern here is that due to the riots the problem of land acquisition might lay forgotten. The same report that informed of this disillusionment also had a BJP leader saying, "The communal atmosphere ahead of the State Assembly polls will be such that Jats will be forced to vote for the BJP." We cannot let this happen. We have paid the price for it numerous times in the past two years. It is high time we bring to practice what we have learnt.

Dalit Vote To Swing Elections In Bihar As Modi A Pill Might Give Instant Relief, But There's A More Effective Bats, Nitish Runs And Lalu Drops The Ball!

Jai Prakash Ojha The upper castes are firmly with NDA. The minorities are looking towards the Grand Alliance. OBCs are too heterogeneous a group to be taken for guaranteed and in all likelihood, their votes are going to be divided. It is in this flux that Dalits are holding the key to power.

In a desperate bid to extricate himself from the beef controversy into which Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu was enmeshed, he played the Dalit card. The indomitable leader blamed PM Modi for being anti-Dalit and in order to buttress his stand, he cited from a book supposedly written by Modi in 2007. He castigated RSS for its attempts to reinforce the brahminical social order and working against the interests of the Dalits and the backwards. For many observers of the state polity, this is hardly surprising as Lalu has no vision to offer to the electorate and wants it to remain frozen in Mandal era. It remains to be seen whether Dalits are going to be swayed by his rhetoric or remain indifferent towards the RJD-JDUCongress combo.

Dalit Disenchantment With Mandal Very few people will disagree with me when I say that it was Lalu who gave voice to the marginalized and the disempowered but then, he forgot to realize the true democratizing potential of Mandal to usher in a social revolution, with the state plunging into lawlessness and deficit in governance - development front. Unlike the other Mandal icon Mulayam who had to deal with a potent Dalit challenge in UP, Lalu enjoyed complete support of both the backwards and the Dalits. The strong socialist traditions of the state had created solidarity on class lines that brought the backwards and the Dalits together. It was

immune to the strong Dalit movement that had surfaced in UP that manifested itself in the form of DS4 and BAMCEF (All India Backward And Minorities Communities Employees Federation) before BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) was born.

Disenchantment with Congress, the growth of social justice politics and lack of alternatives found Dalits siding with the Mandal forces in the state.

Soon contradictions emerged and the rural hinterlands of the state saw conflicts between the upper layers of OBCs, the MBCs and the Dalits.

Some of the most horrifying massacres that took place in Naxal infested Bihar between the lower caste landless and the private militia of landlords happened under the reign of Lalu. The rural power structure remained more or less the same; the only difference was that the caste identity of the feudal elements had changed. The dominant upper OBCs like the Yadavs or the Kurmis were more brutal in their confrontation with the Dalits/MBCs than even the upper castes. Apart from symbolism and shrill rhetoric, the ruling

party never undertook land reforms that would have benefitted Dalits or invested in their educational or economic empowerment. The fault lines between Dalits and OBCs had appeared towards the end of Lalu era.

Nitish, no doubt, gained the support of the Dalits by his clever social engineering moves and creation of Mahadalit category. The Dalits voted for Nitish in the 2010 Assembly and 2009 Assembly Elections in good measure but a major group among them, the Paswans stayed away, instead flocked to the Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP (Lok Janshakti Party). In the 2014 LS elections despite BJP managing significant inroads into Dalit constituency with NDA getting 42 percent vote share, JDU managed a solid 30 plus. RJD mustered only 10 percent.

The Manjhi Factor and the Changed Equations But the scenario has now undergone a sea change since the BJP government came to power at the centre. The underlying solidarity that proponents of social justice had built among the OBCs, MBCs and the Dalits is showing signs of strain.

The MBCs and the Dalits are drifting towards the BJP, as was evident in 2014 LS elections in both UP and Bihar. Nitish contemplated a masterstroke by installing Manjhi, a Mahadalit as the CM to showcase his love for the Dalits and then, in conjugation with Lalu, he tried to revive the Mandal forces. But things turned upside down the moment Manjhi started cultivating Dalit constituency by his pro-Dalit vocabulary, provocative speeches and a slew of measures aimed at Dalit empowerment.

The Dalits became assertive and politically conscious as Manjhi, simply, refused to follow the JDU script. His unceremonious removal from the post of CM did not go down well with the Mahadalit community which held Nitish responsible for the humiliation meted out to a Mahadalit CM. For the Mandal proponents, Dalits are to be treated as vote bank rather than a shareholder in the spoils of power. The Mandalites have never been great fans of Ambedkar; rather Lohia ideology, read socialist cum casteist principle guides them. The Mandal love for Dalits

was a mere eyewash.

Today, both the Dalit parties of the state - Ram Vilas Paswan led LJP and Manjhi led HAM (Hindustani Awam Morcha)- are part of BJP led NDA as social equations continue to change.

The Paswans voted for NDA in a big way in 2014 LS, thanks to LJP and the community to which Manjhi belongs may also pitch in for NDA. The Ravidasis had voted for BSP in good numbers in 2010 Assembly Elections and since BSP has displayed signs of diminishing, in all probability, they may go for NDA in Dalit solidarity. Together, these three castes constitute about 70 percentages of the Dalits who comprise 16 percent of the state population.

There are altogether 23 castes within Dalits.

Dalit polity is showing signs of assertiveness in the state after being lost for two decades within the glare of Mandal. It's inching closer towards Hindutva shows the reconfiguration of social equations with the upper castes, the Dalits and the MBCs coming together to take on Mandal riding on minority support. Don't forget how Mayawati colluded with Hindutva to come to power thrice in UP despite the presence of Mulayam.

It's highly unlikely Lalu's histrionics are going to have any impact on the Dalits as no one seems to be buying the Grand Alliance logic that reservation is going to be scrapped. Whatever, the Modi baiters may say, no one can deny the fact that Modi has outgrown in stature or credibility than Nitish or Lalu. His hectic campaigning in Bihar has made it into a sort of presidential form of election where the NitishLalu duo is pitted against him. The Dalits are hardly going to believe Lalu thanks to the track record he has. Mandal may bear Dalit fury in this Bihar elections 2015.

Way to Cure Anxiety

Betsy Rabyor Anxiety is caused by an overactive mind with repeating thoughts that are fearful. Whatever thoughts we think, generate feelings as an energetic charge in the body muscles. With anxiety, we are fearful or worry about the future or what will happen and then our body muscles charge with adrenaline to prepare us for 'flight'. But there is no real threatening situation in reality, so we do not run which would discharge the adrenaline. With repeated thoughts like this over time, we stay in a highly charged anxious state. The strong fear vibration in our body is physical and this feeling in turn generates more thoughts that are fearful. With anxiety, we are caught in a circle of fearful thoughts, which keeps the body highly charged with adrenaline, and it is hard to stop it or turn it off once we are in the circular trap.

Anxiety is a learned pattern of thinking and emotionally reacting, and comes from the survival strategy we adopted when we were young as a means to protect ourselves from harm in our environment. All mental health disorders with different labels are survival strategies of the same nature, being a combined cognitive and emotional response programming.

In reality, everyone who has not healed their survival strategy has a suppressed mental health disorder, which is the pattern itself. This pattern is learned in our earliest years and exists in our subconscious mind as a programmed response that plays automatically when we feel threatened in life situations. This pattern is valuable for us until the point comes when we need to let it go so we can take another step in our evolution.

When we become aware of 'our old pattern of thinking and emoting' as being problematic for functioning in our daily life, this is a positive thing! We are being

shown a hidden program from our subconscious mind and now that we are aware of it and can see it, the next is we can now do something to remove this old programming, as we no longer need it. With successful erasure of this program, we will be more spontaneous and our awareness will jump to a higher level. So the truth is everyone whom is not awakened is crazy because of this hidden response happening, but it is within societal accepted standards until it blows up with higher energy and one gets the diagnosis of having a mental health problem. But once you see directly that this programmed response is indeed 'craziness', that is your first moment of true sanity!

Getting a mental health disorder is a symptom of an awakening process that is already in progress. All people in their awakening journey will eventually encounter this step and have to learn how to go beyond their programmed survival strategy and erase it.

How to Stop A Panic Attack Or Any Strong Unwanted Reaction The way to diffuse a reaction once it is activated is to diffuse it in reverse order of how it built up. First you release the body tension, because once it builds up it 'triggers' more of the same kind of thoughts, keeping you stuck in the vicious circle, feeling you cannot stop it. Once you relax the body, then the mind will subsequently calm down. Repeated fearful thoughts cause an adrenaline and anxiety charge to build in the body.

If you think fearful thoughts, you will indeed feel afraid. This emotional energy in the body is much stronger than the thoughts themselves. So the way to stop the reaction is to first diffuse the large energy charge in the body that is triggering more thoughts.

First, relax the body muscles and after that tension is gone then your awareness will increase and you can be aware of

your thoughts. Once you can observe your thoughts, then you redirect your focus away from thinking by putting your focus (gazing) upon something that does not need thinking, such as a tree or an object in the room or just by observing your breathing. This takes much practice before you can succeed to stop the reaction fully and you must be willing to let go of thinking. This is a key point, because we are not initially willing to drop this reaction as we have had it for a long time and we chose it to protect ourselves from perceived harm. It is our way of escaping reality. Therefore, it is not easy to drop it, because we get a value out of it, by reacting that way. One has to make a clear decision that the value one gets from reacting this way is no longer worth the price one has to pay to keep it.

When you have reached that point, then it is easy to be willing to drop the old thinking pattern and no longer reinforce it. The less you reinforce the old thinking pattern, the more you give the signal to your brain and body that you no longer need this programming and it will be removed from the subconscious memory - it will be erased. The more you practice, the better you get at it and each time you will have less anxiety and stay calmer.

Then the day will come where you will have full control over the reaction and your anxiety will be gone.

This way to cure a mental health pattern is slow and it will not give the instant relief a pill will. But if you stick with it, you will get improvement on a daily basis. You cannot see the daily changes so much but you will be able to see them on a weekly or monthly basis. The best part is this way will cure the problem, because you will discover the cause and realize you do have the power to go beyond your old program and drop it.

BUSINESS

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13

Surplus in fiscal balance after 8 years New Delhi, Oct 12: For the first time in 8 years, India's fiscal balance turned from deficit to surplus in the month of August, the latest data from the ControllerGeneral of Accounts (CGA) show. The fiscal deficit, the excess of the Centre's expenditure over

its revenues, was (-) Rs. 15,808 crore in August.

The negative figure indicates surplus of revenues over expenditure. In contrast, the Centre ran up a fiscal deficit of Rs. 73,005 crore in August 2014. A sharp surge in the Centre's revenue receipts as well as

a steep decline in its total expenditures made the fiscal surplus possible. The total revenue was Rs. 1,47,022 crore in August against Rs. 71,578 crore in July. In contrast, the total expenditure in August was Rs. 1,31,214 crore against Rs. 1,69,986 crore in July.

August's surplus, though, is not wide enough to offset the Centre's fiscal deficit year to date. During the first five months of the current financial year from April to August, cumulatively its fiscal deficit was Rs. 3.69 lakh crore, which is lower than the Rs. 3.97

A BALANCING ACT Ø The fiscal deficit, the excess of the Centre's expenditure over its revenues, was (-) Rs. 15,808 crore in August. Ø In contrast, the Centre ran up a fiscal deficit of Rs. 73,005 crore in August 2014. Ø The total revenue was Rs. 1,47,022 crore in August against Rs. 71,578 crore in July. Ø In contrast, the total expenditure in August was Rs. 1,31,214 crore against Rs. 1,69,986 crore in July. Ø During the first

Rs.1,000 cr to be invested by FreeCharge Bengaluru, Oct 12: Snapdeal-owned mobile transactions platform FreeCharge plans to spend Rs.1,000 crore in the next 10-12 months as the company aims to position its wallet services as a preferential mode of making payments.

FreeCharge, which had launched its mobile wallet last month in partnership with private sector lender Yes Bank, has two million users of the service. "FreeCharge's mobile wallet has seen a great response from the public and we have crossed the two-million user mark... In the next 10-12 months, we will invest Rs.1,000 crore for marketing and promotional activities to drive adoption and usage of our wallet service," said FreeCharge Chief Operating Officer and Snapdeal Chief Strategy Officer Govind Rajan. He added that a major chunk of the investment will be made during the festive season. (Agencies)

Punjab likely to have Walmart's next store in 2017 Chandigarh, Oct 12: Continuing with its cautious expansion in India, US-retail giant Walmart will open the next cash and carry outlet only in 2017 and is zeroing in on Punjab for that.

The company, which had opened 21st store in India in August after a gap of over two years at Agra, had stated that it would open 50 wholesale outlets in the country within 4-5 years.

"We are working on several (sites) right now. We have signed quite a few properties. I do expect the next one will be in Ludhiana in Punjab," said Walmart India President & CEO Krish Iyer. Asked by when the next cash and carry outlet will open, he said: "Currently we are in the process of working out single window clearance with the Punjab government. When all that goes through all that take two years...around the first half of 2017." Although there is a 'lot of competition' among states for the next store, Mr. Iyer said: "I do expect a little bit of headstart in Punjab."

Walmart had paused expansion in India in 2012 when it was investigating violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act at its Indian arm. It had also called off a six-year partnership with Bharti Enterprises in 2013 and decided to operate cash and carry stores independently in India. (Agencies)

five months of the current financial year from April to August, cumulatively its fiscal deficit was Rs. 3.69 lakh crore, which is lower than the Rs. 3.97 lakh crore in the corresponding period last year. Ø The cumulative fiscal deficit, at 66 per cent of the full-year budget target, is one of the lowest in four years. Ø Last year, the Centre had reached 75 per cent of its full-year budget target by the end of August. Ø The improvement this year is despite a lower realisation of revenues from

the disinvestment route. Ø The healthy 22.8 per cent growth in gross tax revenues so far this year along with the 12 per cent reduction in the subsidy outgo have contributed to the improvement in the Centre's fiscal position. Ø Also, the Centre's total receipts are significantly higher this year on the back of the Rs. 66,000-crore dividend from the RBI, which is the highest in its 80-year history and 22 per cent more than it paid last year.

lakh crore in the corresponding period last year.

The cumulative fiscal deficit, at 66 per cent of the fullyear budget target, is one of the lowest in four years.

Last year, the Centre had reached 75 per cent of its full-year budget target by the end of August. The improvement this year is despite a lower realisation of revenues from the disinvestment route. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had laid down in the budget a target of 3.9 per cent of GDP for this year's fiscal deficit. The healthy 22.8 per cent growth in gross tax revenues so far this year along with the 12 per cent reduction in the subsidy outgo have contributed to the improvement in the Centre's fiscal position.

Also, the Centre's total receipts are significantly higher this year on the back of the Rs. 66,000-crore dividend from the RBI, which is the highest in its 80-year history and 22 per cent more than it paid last year. (Agencies)

PAGE 10

Rs.500 cr to be raised by Bandhan from investors by March

Kolkata, Oct 12: Newly opened private sector lender Bandhan Bank is looking to raise Rs.500 crore from existing investors by the end of the ongoing fiscal to fund its business expansion plans.

"Rs.500 crore would be coming by the end of this financial year," said Bandhan Bank CEO and Managing Director Chandra Shekhar Ghosh.

Bandhan Bank is the first instance of a micro-finance entity in India transforming into a universal bank. It received an in-principle approval from the Reserve

Bank of India (RBI) in April 2014 and the banking regulator's final nod on June 17, 2015. The fund would flow in from existing investors that will help bank to expand its business and network, he said. The existing investors include IFC, SIDBI and Caladium Investment Pte Ltd., a company managed by GIC Special Investments Pvt. Ltd. "Rs. 2,700 crore is nearly in my book and other Rs.500 crore would be coming. With Rs.3,200 crore capital and capital adequacy ratio of 34 per cent, we can sustain growth for

3-4 years," Mr. Ghosh added. The bank, which started operations on August 23, has 523 branches at present. It plans to add 105 more branches in the next 5 months as part of its expansion drive. "We would like to see 628 branches by end of March 2016," he said. Around 70 per cent of the branches are in rural India while 30 per cent are in unbanked rural pockets with 83 lakh customers. State-wise, West Bengal has the maximum number of branches, followed by Bihar and Assam.

(Agencies)

Rs 3k cr targeted by Flipkart from 'Big Billion Days' sale Cab service companies eye New Delhi, Oct 12: India's largest online retailer Flipkart is looking to sell goods worth $500 million, or Rs 3,250 crore, during the five-day 'Big Billion Days' sale, sources privy to the e-tailer's plans said. This comes at a time when the Bangalore-based ecommerce major has seen its gross merchandize value, or GMV, climb up to Rs 2,600 crore for September after having experienced a tepid growth so far this year, sources said. GMV is the value of goods sold on an online platform without factoring in discounts and returns, which e-commerce firms do not disclose publicly.

Its rivals Amazon, which is seen to be doubling down on

the local market, Snapdeal and Alibaba-backed Paytm are also gunning for big business during the festive season, a crucial period for these heavily funded players to shore up numbers in an overall sluggish year for e-commerce sales growth. Web retailers typically make an average of 10-15% as commission from the overall sales depending on each category.

GMV is an important metric to determine the growth of the fledgling Indian online retailers, which have been riding on billions of dollars of investor money without any clear sight of profitability. Mukesh Bansal - head of commerce, Flipkart & chairman, Myntra said- seeking to validate the

GMV numbers did not elicit a response. However, Bansal said in a prepared statement that with 75% of Flipkart's traffic coming via mobile, the company expects the apponly sale to be a seamless experience for its customers this year. Having racked up $3 billion in funds from several investors, Flipkart is now valued at $15 billion. However, this year has not been one of frenetic growth for the company which started off as an online bookstore in 2007.

Both Snapdeal and Flipkart raised multiple financing rounds in 2014 but only managed to raise funds once this year. These e-commerce players have been beset with excessive cash burn in the range

GUNNING FOR A BIG SALE ¢ India's largest online retailer Flipkart is looking to sell goods worth $500 million, or Rs 3,250 crore, during the five-day 'Big Billion Days' sale. ¢ This comes at a time when the Bangalorebased e-commerce major has seen its gross merchandize value, or GMV, climb up to Rs 2,600 crore for September after having experienced a tepid growth so far this year, sources said. ¢ Having racked up $3 billion in funds from several investors, Flipkart is now valued at $15 billion. However, this year has not been one of frenetic growth for the company which started off as an online bookstore in 2007. ¢ Both Snapdeal and Flipkart raised mul-

tiple financing rounds in 2014 but only managed to raise funds once this year.

These e-commerce players have been beset with excessive cash burn in the range of $20-30 million per month, which has led to the need for constant capital infusion from investors. ¢ Most analysts pointed out that Diwali sales would be key for the market to determine which one among Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal is likely to take the pole position.

¢ Last year, Flipkart scooped up $100 million in sales during its daylong Big Billion Day sale, which was fraught with technical snags and left consumers extremely disgruntled. ¢ This year's sale from October 13-17 will be app-only and will see Myntra's participation as well. Flipkart claims it's much better equipped this year and can handle the traffic, which would be spread across five days.

of $20-30 million per month, which has led to the need for constant capital infusion from investors. "Flipkart has been moving away from its inventory-led model to a pure marketplace over the past year, which is one reason for its sluggish growth as it lost a lot of sales due to this big change. They've also stopped a lot of offers on their website focusing only on the app. Overall, it's been a year of transition at the company with a string of senior-level hires and the departure of some of its early employees. What needs to be seen is how they'll sustain last month's spike in GMV, going into the festive season, as exclusive tie-ups, like the one with Motorola, which were money-spinners for the e-tailer, are now available on Snapdeal and Amazon as well," a person familiar with Flipkart's numbers said on condition of anonymity.

Most analysts pointed out that Diwali sales would be key for the market to determine which one among Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal is likely to take the pole position. "It's a very important period for e-tailers and a lot would depend on how Indian consumers behave this year after the notso-great experience they had last year," said Harish H V, partner at Grant Thornton.

Last year, Flipkart scooped up $100 million in sales during its daylong Big Billion Day sale, which was fraught with technical snags and left consumers extremely disgruntled. This year's sale from October 13-17 will be app-only and will see Myntra's participation as well. Flipkart claims it's much better equipped this year and can handle the traffic, which would be spread across five days. (Agencies)

Airlines give first priority to profit than customer service New Delhi, Oct 12: Across the world, airlines are increasing the number of seats in economy class by shrinking seat width, armrests and aisles, and packing in more passengers per inch. The biggest aircraft are being moved to a 10-abreast configuration, which means a row has 3-4-3 seats to maximize revenue. Studies have shown that seat widths of less than 18 inches aren't very comfortable for passengers, but most seats in economy are now 17 inches or less. However, US' Boeing and Europe's Airbus, the two largest aircraft manufacturers, are busy blaming each other about the shrinking seat space. Boeing describes 10-abreast as 'comfortable'. "In contrast to Airbus' products, the Boeing 777 has a wider fuselage that allows for more seats in each row while providing good passenger experience. Airline acceptance of the 777 at 10-abreast has continued to grow over the years, with more than 50% of 777 customers choosing the configuration," said Joanna Pickup, international communications team, Boeing commercial airplanes. She added that Airbus wanted to introduce an A330 at 9-abreast

seating and an A350-1000 at 10-abreast.

"But its fuselage widths haven't changed.

The only 'choice' Airbus is offering is the opportunity to squeeze passengers into the industry's smallest seats." Airbus, however, says its seats aren't a pain in the backside. Airbus' head of strategy Kiran Rao said, "Only Airbus recommends the wider 18-inch minimum seat width in economy. As much as 80% of seats on Airbus aircraft are equipped with 18-inch seats or bigger, while only 20% of Boeing's are." All arguments apart, the push for more seats comes from airline which want to earn more. Adding one more seat to each row means adding 30 to 35 more revenue-generating passengers. Few airlines can resist even if it means making the elbow fights worse between budget flyers. This August, Qatar Airways bought a Boeing 777-300ER with 10 seats a row in economy, joining Emirates and Etihad. An Emirates spokesman said: "The seating configuration in economy is 3-4-3 on most of our aircraft.

Most Emirates' wide-body aircraft (B777 and A380s) are 10-abreast in economy

class." Etihad's wide-body Airbus aircraft have 2-4-2 seating configuration and Boeing wide-body have 3-4-3 seating configuration in the economy section. Among the Indian carriers, only Air India and Jet Airways have wide-body aircraft. Just how important number of seats is to economic viability becomes clear from the fact that Air India ordered eight B 777200 (long-range) aircraft from Boeing in 2006. The 200-LR had just 238 seats as AI wanted to give passengers a luxurious experience, both in economy and business because the aircraft was likely to fly nonstop between India and the US. But with so few seats, Air India kept these planes on the ground and used the 342-seater B777-300 (extended range). Air India recently sold five of the eight 200-LR to Etihad and now plans to use the remaining three for nonstop flights to San Francisco. "We have a 3-3-3 configuration in the economy section of ours B-777s to provide maximum comfort to passengers on long haul flights," said a senior AI official. Jet Airways has 10-abreast on some of its wide-bodies. (Agencies)

expansion with e-cars Bengaluru, Oct 12: It's not just eco-friendly citizens purchasing e-cars for private use, cab service companies too are going the zero-emission way.

Zoomcar, a self-drive car rental company in India, has chosen Bengaluru to take the e-route . At present, the company has four e-cars which are manufactured by Mahindra. Says Greg Moran, co-founder and CEO, Zoomcar: "We want to offer e-cars in the cities we operate in. We've had talks with Tesla (America's automotive and energy storage company) which was to start business in India in 2016. For now, we'll procure a significantly higher number of e-cars from Mahindra for the next one year." With 150 e-cars in its fleet, Lithium Cabs, a Bengaluru-based startup, is completely green. In the business for about six months, it provides pickup and drop facility to four corporate firms in the city.

"By April 2016, we plan to expand our fleet to 500 vehicles. This in itself speaks of the success of electric vehicles (EVs). Our clients are happy because it's non-

polluting," says Sanjay Krishnan, CEO, Lithium Cabs. Once charged, Lithium cabs can cover a distance of 300km. The batteries are usually recharged in the parking space offered by companies availing the cab service.

Sanjay says though Bengaluru has 100 such fast-charging points, factors like reliability, high power tariff and maintenance make largescale use of such vehicles difficult.

"Though Bengaluru has the highest numbers of e-cars on roads, Mumbai is a better market for such vehicles and services because the number of private vehicles there is much lesser than what we see here. Also, pol-

lution due to vehicular density is relatively lower in Mumbai as compared to Bengaluru ," says Sanjay.

Myofficecab, another Bengaluru-based cab service that hit the road in mid-2015, has vehicles which run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and is waiting for Tesla's launch in India. "From the time we started, CNG vehicles have helped us reduce 2,304.43 kg of carbon footprint. We are eager to buy the sedanclass vehicles that run on electricity. Not only will they be able to accommodate more than two persons, they'll also be pollution free," said Bhaskar Chavda, the company's founder. (Agencies)

Sugar output expected to decline in 2015-16 Mumbai, Oct 12: India, world's second largest sugar producer, is likely to witness a shortfall in production in the current sugar year (October-September). According to latest estimates, total sugar output for 2015-16 (October-September) is placed at 26 million tonnes, two million tonnes lower than the previous year. The drop is mainly due inadequate rainfall in Karnataka and Maharashtra. Sugar output in Maharashtra is placed at 8.6 million tonnes in 2015-16 sugar year against 10.51 million tonnes in the previous year. However, Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) has estimated sugar output in Maharashtra at nine million tonnes against its previous estimate of 9.7 million tonnes. In Karnataka, sugar output is placed at four million tonnes against five million tonnes. The industry body, however, estimated sugar production at 4.6 million tonnes. However, in Uttar Pradesh, the second biggest sugar producer, sugar output in 2015-16 is expected to be maintained at last year's level of 7.2 million tonnes against ISMA's projection of 7.5 million tonnes. Total sugar production in 2014-15 stood at 28.1 million tonnes. (Agencies)

DECLINING OUTPUT ¢ India, world's second largest sugar producer, is likely to witness a shortfall in production in the current sugar year (October-September). ¢ According to latest estimates, total sugar output for 2015-16 (October-September) is placed at 26 million tonnes, two million tonnes lower than the previous year. ¢ The drop is mainly due inadequate rainfall in Karnataka and

Maharashtra. Sugar output in Maharashtra is placed at 8.6 million tonnes in 2015-16 sugar year against 10.51 million tonnes in the previous year. ¢ ISMA has estimated sugar output in Maharashtra at nine million tonnes against its previous estimate of 9.7 million tonnes. ¢ In Karnataka, sugar output is placed at four million tonnes against five million

tonnes. ¢ The industry body, however, estimated sugar production at 4.6 million tonnes. However, in Uttar Pradesh, the second biggest sugar producer, sugar output in 2015-16 is expected to be maintained at last year's level of 7.2 million tonnes against ISMA's projection of 7.5 million tonnes. ¢ Total sugar production in 2014-15 stood at 28.1 million tonnes.

‘‘So far this (SA series) would be the biggest test for me. But look everything is in a challenge in itself. Sri Lanka are very good in their own conditions. Playing Australia of course is always challenging. I am happy to playing against teams like South Africa and Australia early on in my career. It is going to make me stronger as a cricketer."

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13

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KL Rahul

SA fined for slow over-rate in first ODI Agencies Kanpur: South Africa were fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during Sunday's five-run victory over India in the opening game of the ODI series in Kanpur. The team's skipper, A B de Villiers, was docked 40 percent of his match fee. "Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fine after AB de Villiers' side was ruled to be two overs short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.5.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel, which relates to minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for

every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount," read a statement from the ICC on its website. "As such, De Villiers was fined 40 per

Australia recall Warner, Johnson for Test training camp ANI Sydney: Opener David Warner and frontline pacer Mitchell Johnson have been called in for a training programme before the upcoming Test series against New Zealand. Confirming the news, Cricket Australia said that Warner, Johnson, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Coulter-Nile were added to the squad of 15-players who were meant to visit Bangladesh. The Australia tour to Bangladesh was called-off due to security and safety concerns. Warner, who suffered from left-thumb injury, has not played since last month's ODI series against England. Meanwhile, Australia had rested

Johnson and Hazlewood following the recent Ashes defeat in England.

Australia's preparations for a three-Test series at home against New Zealand will start from October 13 at Hurstville Oval in Sydney, while they will play their first Test from November 5 at Brisbane. Australia squad - Steve Smith, David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Andrew Fekete, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill, Steve O'Keefe, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Adam Voges

Younis aims to outshine Miandad's Test record at Abu Dhabi

ANI Dubai: Veteran batsman Younis Khan is aiming to become the highest Test scorer for Pakistan by surpassing Javed Miandad, however, admitting that he is nowhere near to the level of the cricket legend.

Younis has scored 8,814 Test runs in 101 matches and is just 19 runs short from eclipsing Miandad's record of 8,832 runs. The 37-year-old said that although it would be great to achieve the record, but he would never be able to achieve the heights which

Miandad had got. The middle order batsman, however, said that his first priority is to be recognized as a Pakistani batsman rather than a record holder.

Younis, who insisted that he would try his best to accomplish the score in the first innings of the opening Test against England, admitted that playing well for his nation was more important. Pakistan will play three Tests, four ODIs and three T20 internationals against England from October 13 in United Arab Emirates.

cent of his match fee, while his players received 20 per cent fines. The Proteas captain had previously been found guilty of minor overrate offences on two occasions in the past 12 months

ons at the tenth spot. With the appointment, the former Borussia Dortmund coach became the Anfield Club's highest paid manager after he signed a three-year contract

ANI Sochi: Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has secured his ninth title of the season by cruising to a commanding victory at the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi. Hamilton took the lead when his Mercedes' team-mate Nico Rosberg retired mid-way between the race after suffering from mechanical misfortune. Reflecting on his triumph, the defending two-time world champion said that he felt really excited as Rosberg was really close to him. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who won last in Singapore, finished sec-

ond ahead of Sergio Perez of Force India. Williams' Felipe Massa was fourth ahead of Vettel's teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

With the win, Hamilton

has clinched his 42nd victory of the Grand Prix and will now be aiming to seize another title in the in the next race in the United States on October 25.

Djokovic India beat Pakistan in Sultan of Johor Cup opener outmuscles Nadal

ANI Johor Bahru: The India Men Junior Hockey team started off their 5th Sultan of Johor Cup campaign on a winning note as they defeated Pakistan 5-1 in Malaysia. India registered their first goal in the fifth minute of the match as a clean pass to Ajay Yadav in the D helped him to flick the ball easily into the nets, giving no chance to the Pakistan goalkeeper to react.

With the initial goal to their name, India intensified

their attack further, keeping the Pakistan defence busy all through. Mid way into the first half, India was awarded their first penalty corner but the opportunity was missed as the Pakistan goalkeeper cleared the danger. Pakistan counter attacked and were given a penalty corner, but they were unable to capitalise as the Indian goalkeeper was alert and in control. India smacked their second goal in the 23rd minute as Dipsan Tirkey from the left

Ex-Indian shuttler hails Jayaram post Dutch GP title win ANI New Delhi: Former Indian badminton player Dinesh Khanna has expressed his pleasure over the victory of Ajay Jayaram in Dutch Open Grand Prix, saying that the victory would serve as a great morale booster for the upcoming tournaments. The former Asian Champion, however, admitted that the Indian shuttler was not playing

`Huge challenge` to manage Liverpool, says Klopp ANI London: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that it will be a huge challenge for him and his coaching team to improve his new club's performance. He insisted that the progress might be a bit slow as the club has not achieved success from long time. Klopp further revealed that owners have not allotted him any specific target for this season, but added that he needs to develop a recognizable brand. The German's appointment came after Liverpool sacked Brendan Rodgers following their poor Premier League performances that put the five-time European champi-

Consequently, the note in 4.2 of Appendix 2 of the Code now applies and this is deemed to be a first offence for the purpose of penalty. If South Africa commits another minor over rate breach in ODIs within 12 months of this offence with de Villiers as captain, it will be deemed a second offence by De Villiers and he will again face suspension. The charge was laid by on-field umpires Aleem Dar, from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, and Vineet Kulkarni, third umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin and fourth (in Perth in November umpire Anil Dandekar.

2014 and during the ICC There was no need for a forCricket World Cup 2015), mal hearing as De Villiers and served a one-match pleaded guilty to the offence suspension during the first and accepted the proposed ODI against Bangladesh in sanction. The second ODI is July," the statement added. on October 14, in Indore.

Hamilton clinches ninth victory of season at Russian GP

worth five million pounds a year. The German will head Liverpool for the first time against Tottenham in their Premier League clash on October 17.

well some months ago but now has regained his form. Dinesh further lauded the 28-year-old, saying that the latter had also performed well in Korea Open where he had beaten one of the top players of the world, Victor Axelsen. Jayaram continued his rich vein of form as he defeated Estonia's Raul Must 2112, 21-18 in 34 minutes to defend his Dutch title. `Injured` Corey ruled out of New Zealand's tour to Australia ANI Wellington: New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson, who is suffering from a back injury, has been ruled out from the upcoming Test series against Australia. Confirming the news, selector Gavin Larsen said that Corey hasn't recovered yet and it would be better for him to continue with his rehabilitation. According to reports, all-rounder Mitchell Santner will replace injured Corey for the upcoming series.

Larsen insisted that it would be good opportunity for Santner, adding that his inclusion would benefit the team as he could bat well and his left-arm-spin would also bring variety to the bowling department. New Zealand will play three Tests against Australia, starting from November 5 at Brisbane.

flank passed the ball to Sumit Kumar who was right in front of the goal box and made no mistake in finding the nets. With a 2-0 lead, Harmanpreet Singh in the 27th minute hit the ball into the opponents D and which was well received by Parvinder Singh passing it to Armaan Qureshi who completed the job cleanly, giving India their third goal. While Pakistan was trying to get some rhythm back, India had another game plan as

they ventured to add another goal right before going into the break. It was in the 34th minute when Parvinder Singh through a brilliant field goal took the scorecard to 4-0 in India's favour. The second half saw a similar game plan by the young Indian side as they continued putting pressure on the opponents. But Pakistan finally opened their account in the 45th minute as Muhammad Dilber scored through a field goal, taking the score to 1-4. Half way into the session, Pakistan had another chance on goal through a penalty corner but was yet again denied by the Indian defence.

In the very next minute India was again on the attack when Harmanpreet Singh from the left flank saw an opportunity with Santa Singh standing right in front of the nets, passing it to him and the later was quick to hit the ball into the goal box. With the 5th goal in their kitty, India yet again upped the ante of attacks as they were seen regularly attacking Pakistan thereafter. It was a great start for the Indian junior team in the tournament.

to win China Open

ANI Beijing: World number one Novak Djokovic continued his dominant run in 2015 as he swept aside third-seeded Rafael Nadal in straight sets to clinch his sixth China Open title at Beijing. The Serbian defending champion overcame the Spaniard 6-2, 6-2 in the title clash that lasted for about one

and a half hours.

Djokovic has now secured his seventh victory out of the last eight meetings against the 14-time Grand Slam winner. Besides, the 28year-old has also clinched three of the four Grand Slam titles this year namely Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open.

KU-AITA Talent Series Tennis Championship kicks off ET Correspondent Jorhat, Oct 12: Dr. Sunil Rai, Vice Chancellor of Kaziranga University inaugurated the KU-AITA Talent Series Tennis championship at the Jorhat Tennis Club this morning at 9.30 am. In his inaugural speech Dr. Rai lauded the initiative of Jorhat Tennis Club and the Kaziranga University in support of sporting activities, and was happy to be associated in the conduct of this national event while assuring his future association with the initiatives of the club. Earlier, renowned sports person and educationalist Dr. Tapan Dutta apprised the gathering that sports, which was earlier treated as extra-curricular activity is now being taken up as co-curricular activity and that grooming of talent from the grassroots level is a step taken up in the right direction by the Jorhat Tennis Club. Prior to that Sri Raktim Saikia, the President of All Assam Tennis Association and Treasurer of All India Tennis Association enlightened the players and the spectators of the five-tier tournament structure of the AITA for junior players of the country from the entry level of Talent Series to Championship Series and then to Super Series and next to National

Series and finally the Nationals which provides the road map to reach the highest level of excellence as per their potential.

Players participating in this tournament hail from Duliajan, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Nazira, Golaghat, NRL, Guwahati, NF Railway and Jorhat.

Day 1 results for Boys Under 12 Years 1st Round are as follows: Anurag Konwar Bt. Amrit Bora (6-3, 6-1); Sandhan Neog Bt. Ruhul Talukdar (6-0, 6-0); Raktim Gogoi Bt. Neehal Rahman (6-1, 6-4); Priyam Bora Bt. Bhargav B Baruah (7-5, 6-

2); Jeet Dutta Bt. Bornil Gogoi (6-0, 6-1); Sidhant Deka Bt. Harshad Bora (60, 6-1); Varun A Kalita Bt. Aditya R Baruah (6-4, 6-4); Abhishek Baruah Bt. Vaibhav Gattani (6-3, 6-4); Shahir Farhaz Bt. Ubhas Kr. Gogoi (7-6, 6-2); Nizar Hussain Bt. Dannis Das (63, 6-2); Debanga P Hazarika Bt. Ayan Borthakur (6-1, 6-0); Andy Thousen Bt. Bitupan Hazarika (6-3,6-2).

Results for Boys Under 14 Years 1st Round are as follows: Rishav Brahma Bt. Raktav

Dutta (6-0, 6-1); Anish P Phukan Bt. Tonmay Das (6-2, 6-1); Andy Thousan Bt. Pratyus Acharya (6-1, 6-2); Ayush J Sarmah Bt. Uday J Das (6-3, 6-1); Spondon Goswami Bt. Tushar Paul (6-1, 6-2); Avinish Baruah Bt. Debanga P Hazarika (26, 6-3,6-2); Sidhant Dutta Bt. Arohan Phukan (6-7, 6-2, 6-0); Ayan Deep Baruah Bt. Antariks Saikia (6-3, 6-4); Swagat Baruah Bt. Aditya Chaudhury (6-2, 6-1); Mirem Chirah Bt. Priayam P Bora (6-2, 6-4).

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13

Features

Page 12

ENVIRONMENT 12 Delicious Foods this Durga Puja This Durga Puja with a rage of prints Festive season is around the corner and what's a better start than Durga Puja. The festive period is a foodie's paradise with plenty of mouth-watering dishes to savour. People can be found sampling delicious Bengali dishes during Durga Puja.

From snacks to sweet dishes, Bengali food has something to offer all food enthusiasts.

Here are 12 Bengali dishes you need to taste this festive season: 1. Luchi and Alur Dom No Bengali breakfast is complete without fluffy, deep fried luchis. They are made with maida,but unlike puris, they have a light golden texture. Luchis can be enjoyed with sumptuous gravies and spicy dry veggies. Hot steaming Alur Dom is a good way to enjoy Bengali food. The spicy flavour of Alur Dom is balanced with steaming hot luchis. The dish makes for a grand breakfast during Maha Saptami.

2. Sandesh

Prepared with milk, sugar and paneer, and decorated with pistachios, almonds and saffron strands, this Bengali sweet dish will melt in your mouth. The nuts give the soft mithai a crunchiness and saffron strands give it a unique flavour. If you haven't had sandesh yet, you should definitely try it out this Durga Puja.

4. Tangra Macher Jhol This spicy Catfish curry is a massive hit amongst Bengalis. Prepared with freshly grounded spices, the gravy is thick and full of flavours. The red chillies bring out a fiery taste in the curry. It is best enjoyed hot with plain steamed rice.

5. Shukto Shukto is an authentic Bengali dish, usually served as the first course of a meal. It is a healthy, wholesome dish prepared with soft brinjals, bitter gourd, sweet potatoes, crunchy drumsticks and bori. The dish is cooked with freshly grounded

spices and milk which give a thick texture to the pasty gravy.

6. Mutton Biryani This dish has a unique smell of desi ghee mixed with rich masalas that you'll enjoy. Juicy tender pieces of mutton cooked in rice and tava, and sautĂŠed spices make it a mouth-watering recipe. With a rich flavour to offer, this dish is a must try.

7. Aloo Potol Posto It is a quick, tasty and light preparation. Potol Posto or Pointed Gourd is cooked in thick poppy seeds and coconut puree with red and green chillies that gives it a hot and rich taste. The perfect amount of salt and sugar gives this beautiful dish a tangy yet fiery flavour.

8. Ilish Macher Jhol Savour your celebrations with this pungent fish curry. This dish is prepared with Hilsa fish in Mustard oil which leaves a tingly flavour in the mouth. Other add on spices, like Nigella

seeds, chillies and fine ginger paste give the flavour an interesting twist. The beautifully cooked fish is crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

9. Keema Muttor This Mughlai minced Mutton gravy with peas has a Bengali twist this festive season. The minced meat is first cooked on medium fire to give it a luscious taste and then freshly roasted spices are added to create a stunning non vegetarian dish. Peas make the dish crunchy with a delicious aroma.

10. Cholar Dal Cholar Dal is a typical Bengali dish prepared with channa dal, especially during ceremonies. The dal is slightly sweet with a nice fragrance due to the presence of rich spices like bay leaf and cinnamon in it.

Coconut bits are added to give it a crunchy texture and a delicious taste. You can enjoy this dalwith luchis and rice.

11. Doi Fulkopi It is a cauliflower dish cooked in spicy yogurt curry. This lip smacking curry is thick in texture and rich in flavours. Wrapped in garam masala, cinnamon, bay leaf, ginger paste and chillies, it has the right amount of moisture that provides a balanced amount of spice to the dish.

12. Mishti Doi No Bengali festival is complete without this delectable sweet curd. This light dish after a meal will quickly cool you down, leaving a delicious flavour behind.

Mishti Doi has a thick and dense texture, just like ice cream. The dry fruits give the yogurt a crunchy flavour.

The mantra for this year's Durga Puja fashion, going by the trends, which has an 'intellectual style quotient', is psychedelic prints in western wear coupled with a heady mix-and-match of fabrics and prints in ethnic wear.

"Jumpsuits and playsuits are must-haves. Shrugs and jackets are expected to be hot. Knee-length dresses in floral prints as well as geometrical prints are very popular," designer and owner of a shop said.

A spokesperson of leading boutique agreed. "Everything will have prints. It is not limited to women's wear but men's wear also," she said.

An official of a Colorplus showroom said prints for men are turning out to be a big hit this puja season.

"We have stocked up on printed shirts in pastels.

Full sleeve shirts in stripes are also in vogue," explained a storekeeper.

Durga Puja, the biggest festival in this part of the world, would be celebrated October 20-24 this year.

According to Hindu mythology, the goddess Durga, accompanied by her four children Ganesh, Kartik, Lakshmi and Saraswati, descends to earth each year to visit her parents. This is the occasion that the puja celebrates.

Durga, it is believed, stays for five days to eradicate evil from earth before returning to her husband, Lord Shiva, at Kailash on Dashami. Durga, the slayer of the demon Mahishashur, sits astride a lion and wields an array of weapons in her 10 hands.

The religious fervour

means ethnic wear is the chosen dress code; women, men and children strut traditional stuff while pandal (marquee) hopping.

Indigenous fabrics like khadi are set to go from simple to sassy as prints like batik are tossed in. "We have got kurtis with batik prints as well as printed cotton (khadi) sarees which offer both design and comfort," said a representative of a renowned Shopping Complex.

The quintessential Benarasi saree - a must have in every traditional wardrobe - is also a rage. "Benarasi sarees with heavy zaree work and embellishments are a perennial craze," revealed a representative of another store.

Sarees from the south are set to up the glam quotient further. "The traditional white saree with gold border is a hit. Besides that, another addition is the Chettinad saree in earthy shades with broad stripes and checks in contrasting tints which will suit the tastes of those who don't want to dress too loud," said a sales representative at a shopping mall.

The show stealers, however, are the ornate golden thread-embroidered white suit pieces set to be sewn into salwars or churidars.

Threadwork is big this puja with boutique coming up with sarees and suit pieces in 'khesheh' work. "The fabric is pure cotton in pastel shades and on that there

are wefts of various colours," explained the boutique spokesperson.

Even skirts get a festive makeover with Fab India coming out with kalidar and ghera styles. Fashion is meant for everyone and men are spoilt for choice.

"Embellished silk kurtas will be the highlight," said a sales executive. Boutiques are also offering men's kurtas in 'khesheh' work.

"Since the fabric is pure cotton, men will find it both comfortable and classy," said the boutique spokesperson. Reincarnations of the humble pant/trouser such as the unisex Jodhpur pants and dhoti pants are making big waves this puja.

With clothes taken care of, women can invest in chunky jewellery pieces.

"Copper jewellery goes well with different textiles and colours," said a store keeper pointing out necklaces, earrings and rings.

Intricate silver trinkets can balance any glamorous outfit. "Jhoomar style earrings are very much in demand both in silver and metal" said a spokesperson. Bracelets of camel bone and those made out of seeds are light on the pocket as well as trendy.

Not to be forgotten are the essential carry-it-all bags and purses. "You can be handsfree while pandal hopping with sling bags and David Jones bags," says an executive. As shoppers get set to grab and run, and as people make up their minds about what to gift friends and family, fashionistas carefully curate their wardrobes. And the dressing games, ahead of puja, have begun. (Agencies)

7 Go-To Outfits You Can 8 Dishes that complete a Culinary trip to NE Never Go Wrong With Considering the fact that men's fashion in India is yet to catch up and people are still afraid to experiment with their looks or outfits, there are some basic outfits which are universal and everyone loves to wear. They look fabulous every time you wear them, no matter how many times it may be. Every time you decide to wear these ultimate dapper outfits, you look your best.

You may be very stylish or fashionable, but there are few occasions where you simply do not want to experiment with your looks and rely upon the tried and tested dapper looking outfits. So we thought we should tell you guys which are these outfits for you to rock in style 1. The Go-To for your best friends wedding Black Slim Fit Suit!

A black suit is a must in your wardrobe. Wedding or no wedding, you really need a black suit for many other occasions as well.

You can wear the black suit for all your business meets and formal celebrations of course.

2. The Go-To for any casual to semi formal occasion - White Shirt, Blue Denims and Brown Shoes!

You'd agree with us that a blue denim-white shirt combination is the most basic combination you can rely on. You will never wrong with this outfit and it always makes for a perfect looking outfit.

3. The Go-To for the next club night or the college meet up - Blue Denim Shirt and Beige Chinos!

Denims are 'the' thing to wear in a club or a casual get-together. It oozes so

much style that you want to wear it again and again with different outfits.

4. The Go-To for a relaxing weekend getaway Patterned Shirt with Camel Shade Shorts!

For a relaxing holiday, you'd prefer wearing something like shorts and topped with a shirt would make it even more smart.

Ditch the jeans and pants for your casual days and opt for shirt and shorts combination.

5. The Go-To for the casual evening dinner party - Blue Pants, White Shirt and Beige Blazer!

Evening parties and dinners demand a bit formal looking outfit and this combination totally gives you that. The blazer just adds more class to the look and will make you stand apart from the crowd.

6. The Go-To for the traditional festivities at home - Beige Subtle Lucknowi Design Kurta Pyjama!

The family demands you to wear traditional ethnic wear for the pooja and other major festivities that take place and you can completely rely on this basic simple kurta pyjama which is not too fancy yet elegant.

7. The Go-To for your brother's 'Sangeet' party - Off White Bandh Gala Sherwani!

You can never go wrong with a bandhgala sherwani for any wedding occasion.

Just grab a knee length sherwani over a suit for wedding functions and you will surely look dapper!

munching on crispy pork that's very juicy inside. The flavors really come out when the pork is smoked with bamboo shoot.

4. Manipur - Iromba One of the trademark dishes of Manipur is Iromba which is prepared using fermented fish. The other ingredients required are mashed potatoes, fresh green leaves and very hot chilies! Iromba is not for the faint hearted as the fermented fish has a strong and pungent taste. In fact, this is the key ingredient in almost all Manipuri dishes.

5. Meghalaya - Jadoh To get the real taste of Khasi cuisine, you need to taste the Jadoh, a dish prepared with rice and meat.

The dish is prepared sans any spice and only green chilies and black pepper are used. You can have jadoh with Tungtap or a dry dish paste.

6. Sikkim - Gyathuk Gyathuk is a popular vari-

Reetasri Bhattacharjee You must have come across scores of reasons why you must visit India's North East immediately. Yes, the region is known for its verdant beauty, winding roads, rolling hills, valleys of blooming flowers, snowcapped mountains and of course the various tribes and cultures. When there is any mention of culture, can food stay far away? Not really. The tribal people of Northeast survive on a simple diet of vegetables and lots of meat. There is very little use of spices, yet every dish is lip-smacking

delicious. We give you another reason for visiting the North East - try 8 unique dishes from the 8 states of the region and make it a culinary adventure!

1. Assam - Khar You are most likely to start your north eastern sojourn from Assam. When you land in Guwahati, the state's capital, do not forget to try out the delicious Khar. The dish is prepared using khar or dried banana ashes. The other ingredients required to prepare khar are raw, soft papaya and pulses. You can also add fish head to the preparation. It is usually a dish

perfect for lunch.

2. Mizoram - Sanpiau Rice is the staple diet of the Mizo and naturally all the delicious delicacies are prepared mainly with rice.

Sanpiau is a snack that is prepared with rice porridge. The other ingredients used in it are fresh coriander paste, spring onions, crushed black pepper, fish sauce and rice powder.

3. Nagaland - Smoked Pork Smoked pork and Nagaland are almost synonymous - as each makes the other famous. If you want to try the traditional recipe, you should be

ety of Tibetan thukpa and you probably know it as Chinese noodle soup. It is an appetizing soup that is also very filling since it usually contains meat, though meat-less variety is also popular.

The Sikkimese use oodles of natural and refreshing spices to make it one great dish.

7. Tripura - Chikhvi Chikhvi is a pork and bamboo shoot preparation.

Bamboo shoots are stir fired and sliced pork are added to it. The flavors of this dish really come out when there is a perfect balance of smokiness and lusciousness.

8. Arunachal Pradesh Zan Zan is an appetizing porridge that is greatly enjoyed with green vegetables and charred meat.

The key ingredients of preparing Zan are millet flour and boiling water.

(Agencies)