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ET CAPSULES Child body recovered Sonari, Mar 14: The dead body of a 6 year old child Gobinda Bhuyan who was missing since Saturday was found floating in the Tiok River, near here today.

Gobinda, son of Biswanath Bhuyan of Tiok tea estate has gone mysteriously missing on Saturday. (Correspondent)

Nomination filed Dibrugarh, Mar 14: Sunil Tanti of the CPI (ML) filed his nominations for the Duliajan legislative assembly constituency in Dibrugarh district elections to which is slated to be held on April 4. The last date for filing of nominations is April 18. (Staff Reporter)

Tinsukia prepares for Assembly elections Tinsukia, Mar 14: The district administration here has started the process for election for LAC number 122, 123 and 125. In a press release, it has been stated that the last date for filing nominations is from 11 am to 3 pm on March 18 while scrutiny of nominations will be done on March 19 and last date for withdrawal of nomination has been set as 21st March.

In the meantime, Election Observer Abhishekananda Rao has arrived in Tinsukia to look after all matters related to expenditure. Any expenditure related complain of any candidate can be brought to the notice of election observer at 09401740518.

It must be noted that LAC 122, 123 and 125 are going to poll on April 4. Counting of votes will be done May 19 and date before which election process would be completed is 21st May 2016 for the 1st phase of legislative assembly elections of Assam.

(Spl Correspondent)

Vol. 1

Issue 278

Dibrugarh, Tuesday, March 15, 2016

CM Kalikho Pul meets public and panchayat delegates from Tezu-Sunpura constituency

“

A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Mar 14

One of my priorities is to build a better relation with our neighbouring Assam and to bring out amicable solution to the boundary issue.

So in trying to reach out to them, I have engaged several high officials from that state in Arunachal,” the chief minister disclosed.

The state government is seriously aiming at attracting outside investments by enacting measures to improve law and order situation in the state and by fast-tracking infrastructure projects, said chief minister Kalikho Pul on Sunday.

Speaking to public and panchayat delegates from Tezu-Sunpura constituency, who had come to meet him, the chief minister said for past many years, the image of the state had taken serious turn affecting the confidence of the investors.

“We have to generate an impression that Arunachal is safe to do business,” said Pul. “We must conduct ourselves in a way to boost investor’s confidence by enabling peace in our region. In the past, companies have been reportedly harassed in the name of donations, issuing threats for works etc.”

Appealing the people for cooperation, the chief minister said: “Peace is prerequisite for development. In bringing peace, people must cooperate with the authority in maintaining law and order. Don’t encourage crimes by sheltering criminals in the name of relatives or community. Also people must keep a sense of responsibility to report any crime in their locality for the author-

CM Kalikho Pul

CM Pul and Tezu - Sunpura constituency BJP MLA Dr. Mohesh Chai during the meeting. ity to take prompt action to prevent further damages.”

Spelling out priority areas of development to take along the investors, the chief minister said, “We will provide all institutional support and legislative backing to attract investments. Also we will carry along all the stakeholders, all the democratic institutions and also reach out to oppositions.”

“We welcome suggestions, feedbacks and also constructive criticisms. We have made available our priorities and activities through all mediums using newspapers, electronic media and social media,” Pul said.

Identifying Lohit-AnjawNamsai belt as the potential areas for investment, the chief minister said improved road connectivity in the region and

a railway line upto Parashuram kund are in the offing.

He said a railroad in the region will facilitate the much needed direct trade-link with the rest of the country.

General public and the district administration of Namsai accorded a warm welcome to Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on his return home. quarter Namsai. Thousands of people thronged to welcome the DCM. Speaking at the reception, Mein outlined his priorities for preventing floods which the area was proned to. He thanked Chief Minister Kalikho Pul for inducting him as the Deputy Chief Minister and alloting him various important departments. Mein is the minister in charge for PWD, Social Welfare,Women and Child Development, Social Justice

Empowerment and Tribal Affairs and Animal Husbandry and Vetrinary. He also highlighted the thrust areas of the new state government and informed regarding the government's women welfare policies and proposal for creation 400 women police stations in the state.

Heads of various departments,GBs, PRI members and the General public attended the reception in large numbers.

House-father Manik Dutta of “Senhatirthaa” a home run

by Jorhat district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) under the aegis of a NGO IMPACT NE, at Chokihaat, JB Jorhat within the Jorhat district near here.

The house-father was sent to Jorhat Central Jail for sexually harassing minor girls from the home from time to time. The house-father was found to be involved in requesting the minor girls for doing such activities which was informed to the CWC. Later CWC filed a FIR to the Jorhat Sadar Police Station who was picked up on Sunday and was booked under section 354/ RW 4 protection from child from sexu-

ally offences 2012 508/16.

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nate the same in the other districts.

With an aim to promote and project Longte as a pan-Nyishi festival to be celebrated in all its inhabited areas, a team of Central Longte Committee (CLC) led by its Chairman, Lokam Kani in a press conference informed that this year, Longte will be celebrated from April 8 to 15 next with CLC taking the lead at Nikum Niya Ground at Nirjuli while nodal joint secretaries will co-ordi-

Expressing gratitude to the people of Koloriang for keeping the tradition of Longte alive, Kani added that for a festival as old as Longte and with unique tradition of non-involvement of the blood sacrificial rituals, Longte needs to be promoted among all members of the Nyishi community for sustenance and growth of its popularity.

Also, adding that CLC has worked out codal formalities in

regards to mode of celebrations, the chairman informed that traditional games and sports events like volley ball, archery and cultural events like Reekam Pada, Longte mega dance, group, duet and single dance/songs would be part of the ensuing festival celebrations for which, April 4 last has been fixed as the last date of application submission. This, he added will be further coordinated at the district/zonal areas by the zonal Joint secretaries of the CLC. Adding on this, the CLC

General Secretary Amit Bengia informed that the celebration of Longte festival among the Nyishis have been reduced to certain pockets. Also, despite its organised celebration starting way back in 1975, the traditional festival has not really catch the popular imaginations of larger section of the community with the exception of residents at Koloriang and some areas under Kra Daadi.

Accordingly, Bengia while maintaining that it is the aim and objective of the CLC to re-

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi along with Water Resource Minister Ms Uma Bharti and Union HRD Minister Ms Smriti Irani among Khiran Rijiju, Neiphiu Rio and others to attend a BJP election rally at the bank of river Doria in Majuli Island on March 25th2016 next, informed party insiders here today.

Hectic preparation is underway to welcome Narendra Modi, who will be the first Prime Minister of India to land in the River Island since Independence and will mark in the history in map of Majuli River Island, informed party insiders.

On the other hand the islanders were expecting blessings from the sattradhikars so that all dreams to save Majuli come true with the blessings of the Prime Minister including Uma Bharti and Smriti Irani as both the ministers are very much needed to know all about the

Country BJP heavy weights will campaign for BJP Chief Ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, who is

geographical locations and its perennial flood and erosion problems along with others, as the PM is very keen to know more about the bright side how to save Majuli known only for flood & erosion.

The BJP candidate who is also the local MP of Majuli Island under Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency Sarbananda Sonowal will file his nomination on March 16th at the office of Narasingha Pawar (IAS) the returning officer of 99-Majuli (ST)LAC who is also the Majuli Sub-divisional Officer (civil) , informed party sources here.

Pre-poll alliance meeting between BJP-AGP held at Guwahati A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Mar 14

Senior leaders of both the AGP and BJP held a crucial meeting at Vivanta by Taj hotel in Guwahati regarding the pre-poll alliance of the two parties. The BJP leaders Ram Madhab, Ajay Jamuwal, Mahindra Singh, Sarbananda Sonwal and Phani Sarma and AGP leaders Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta, Kamala

Kalita and Phanibhusan Choudhary participated in the meeting.

The leaders reportedly also discussed to find ways to contain the rebellion.

The BJP and AGP, which forged an electoral alliance in Assam more than a week ago, are busy trying to contain rebellion within their ranks as disgruntled leaders, who are opposed to the tie-up, have named candidates against the

official party nominees in several districts.

A group of rebel BJP leaders has formed an outfit called Trinamool BJP and named candidates for the 24 assembly seats which the BJP has allotted to the AGP. Similarly, AGP rebels, led by party’s youth wing Chief Sunil Rajkonwar and former Chabua MLA Bhaben Barua, have formed AGP Anchalikatabadi and decision to field candidates in at least 45 constituencies.

Left parties to field 70 candidates in Assam election The joint platform of six Left parties of the state, the Left United Forum has decided to field 70 “common" candidates in the forthcoming assembly elections.

Addresing a press conference here today convener of the united forum Ratul Gogoi said that the six partiesCommunist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI (Marxist-Leninist), Revolutionary Communist Party of India (RCPI), Revolutionary Socialist party (India) and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) have decided to come together to fight the elections.

He also announced the names of the candidates for the seven assembly seats in Dibrugarh district. They are: Hiranya Baruah (Moran),

Diganta Phukan (Dibrugarh), Rajesh Rajput (Lahowal), Sunil Tanti (Duliajan), Meera Tanti (Tingkhong), Suresh Deka (Naharkatia) and Debnath Majhi (Chabua).

The complete list of candidates will be announced soon, he said.

“Our common aim is to defeat the corrupt congress and end its misrule in the state.

We are also against the communal and fascist BJP which has deceived the public by their hollow empty promises.

We stand for the poor, deprived and common masses,” Gogoi added.

“We we fight for the local issues which are plaguing the society for past several years.

Dibrugarh district which has been largely dominated by the tea tribes people but the people has been exploited by the congress government and used them in the election time

for their selfish motive,’’ said Prakash Rajkhowa, District Secretariat of CPM. He said the Congress government has badly failed to meet the demands of the common people. “In the last 15 years Congress has done nothing for the common people of Assam. They have failed to worked for the Sustainable development of Assam,’’ Rajkhowa added. “We appeal to the people to vote for our party to end up the 15 year corrupt congress rule in Assam,’’ he said.

For the first time left party has been contesting from the Duliajan LAC. Sunil Tanti today submitted his nomination paper in Dibrugarh under CPI(ML) ticket. “We will prioritize the local issues in Duliajan. Both Congress and BJP have failed to meet the demands of the common people and done nothing for the tea tribes,’’ said Sunil Tanti.

It may be mentioned that the home was a home since 2012 for children like school drop-outs, street children and rescued child labours at Chokihaat which was with strength of 10 in -house attendance of such children from the district of Jorhat and Sivasagar, informed an official from the NGO IMPACT NE.

Central Longte Committee to promote and project Longte as a pan-Nyishi festival A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Mar 14

also the Union Minister for Sports & Youth Affairs.

Contd. on Page 3

ET Correspondent Jorhat, Mar 14

cmyk

Pages- 12

Bijoy Handique Jorhat, Mar 14

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Mar 14

harassment

The general public and the district administration of Namsai accorded a warm welcome to Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on his return home after assuming the coveted post. Mein was accompanied by Namsai MLA Chow Zingnu Namchoom. The DCM was accorded a tremendous reception at Lekang which is his constituency and at head-

5.00

We have to generate an impression that PM-Modi, Smriti Irani and Uma Arunachal is safe to do business: Pul Bharti to attend rally at Majuli

DCM chowna mein House father sent accorded warm welcome to jail for sexual

Indrajit Tingwa Namsai, Mar 14

Price -

introduce the traditional festival of Longte back to its people, added that the office of CLC will also launch a website to inform and highlight the importance as well as the tradition attached with Longte.

Herein, the CLC general secretary also asserted that the committee would ensure to put a check on the commercialisation of the traditional festival celebration by maintaining a strict regulation of the items and its prices showcased or sold during the celebrations.

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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 15

PAGE 2

ASTRO FOR YOU Aries Now at last you have realised that you have been preoccupied with work at the cost of your family life. Making up to them now is going to take a lot more effort. Be ready to open your purse strings for either eating out, going out for a movie or shopping at the best places.

Taurus You are likely to remain preoccupied with ways to enhance your looks and appearance. A new, stylish hair do, face packs and massages, trendy outfits and accessories could be in store. You will, subconsciously, be doing all that you can do, to get noticed by others. Be sure you will get all the attention and interest your efforts merit.

Gemini You may plan a trip with your family members. You may also invest your money in various financial companies, as securing the future of your family will be foremost on your mind. Moreover, you will also save some hefty amount to meet future needs.

Cancer It is high time that you dedicated yourself to your work. If you are looking to try new things, today may not be a very good day to do so. Stick to doing things the way you have been doing them so far. All you need is a little attitude adjustment. Today, you are likely to meet an old friend and you will get busy reminiscing about your time together.

Leo A challenging day awaits you. You will face some tensions and problems, however this doesn’t mean you will not be able to complete all your work successfully. Your personal life will proceed as usual, however expectations from you at the work-front will increase.

Virgo You will excel remarkably in whatever work you prefer to engage yourself in today. Start a business endeavour in a foreign country will bear fruit. To considerably enhance your self-image, it is necessary to make required improvements in your personal appearance.

Libra Today is a fortunate day for starting new work. You will win the hearts of everyone with your amazing charm. Your house and its arty interior decoration will impress people.

Scorpio You may neglect your personal life to meet expectations at work. A feeling of disappointment may surround you as things do not go according to planning and your efforts may go in vain.

Sagittarius It’s time for invitations and grooving all night long. And even eat like a glutton. But, for a change you are not on a mood to party, though it is unlike you. You reject the idea of socialising and hitting the dance floor.

Capricorn You want to enhance your knowledge by exploring foreign shores, but luck hasn’t favoured you yet. If associated with the Stock Market or speculation, you are likely to make profits.

You will come across many opportunities, but you need to identify and explore them to the fullest.

Aquarius Are you facing a roadblock in your path? Make a minor change in your route, you will find a smooth and clear road once again. The efforts you have made in the past will come to fruition, today. Don’t get satisfied with your current achievements, you still have a long way to keep working hard.

Pisces Happiness shared is double the joy; sorrows shared are half the burden. Your family is the foundation of your success, and it is to them you will turn to in times of failure as well.

With their support, getting back to the top of the game will take no time.

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

Dr. Numal Momin calls 7 lakh Garos of Assam to support BJP ET Correpondent Diphu, Mar 14: Dr. Numal Momin an assistant professor of Guwahati Medical College and resident of Dillawjan locality of Bokajan subdivision of Karbi Anglong district is the BJP nominee for the Assam Assembly election 2016.

“He is the lone Garo community person and a devoted Christian like me to be nominated by BJP in

the checkered history of Assam BJP; he has given plenty of humanitarian service to the people of Assam being a doctor of medicine till now and has resigned from government job recently to begin his next innings as a political leader” said Roton Engti in a press conference held at the BJP office of Diphu yesterday who was the close contender for party ticket from Bokajan.

Dr. Numal Momin in the

Public Relation office issues Circular for Assembly Election in Margherita ET Correspondent Margherita, Mar 14: Margherita Sub Divisional Public Relation office has issued a Circular regarding the Assembly Election where it defines that Candidates can fill their Nomination till 18 March upto 3pm and on 19 March there will be Scrutiny of Nomination papers and 21 March upto 3pm where Candidates can withdrew their nomination.

Sanjeev Kumar Barhoi, Margherita Sub Divisional officer (Civil) said that Margherita Administration is doing all sort of work so that the Election can be held with Free and Fair way at 124 Number Margherita LAC. There are total 161498 Voters where 83351

are Male voters and 78147 are Female Voters and 1352 new voters have been enrolled. Total number of D Voters are 659 and Service voters are 331 which includes 226 Defense Services voters and 87 Armed Police Force voters.

Abhishek Anand Rao Election Expenditure Observer of Tinsukia District who on 13 March visited Margherita and talked with the officials of Margherita Administration regarding the Assembly Election.

Margherita Administration has given a Landline number 03751272065 and request all the citizens of Margherita to call at this number for query or to give any information.

Mahim Hajarika files first nomination for Lakhimpur LAC

Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights 15-3-16 (TUESDAY) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha 6-15 A.M-Classical Music (Flute Recital) 6-50 A.M-Tokari Geet 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi (Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-05 A.M-Antara (Composite Programme of Hindi Film Songs) 12-30 P.M-Geetimanjari 1-10 P.M- Troops Programme 2-00 P.M-Sponsored Programme-"Jaga Grahak Jaagaa" 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-45 P.M-Programme in Mizumishimi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 6-15 P.M-Ganya Raaijor Anusthan 7-15 P.M-Chah Sramikor Asor 8-00 P.M-Krira Jagat 9-30 P.M-Sahitya Kanan 10-00 P.M-Question Hour in Parliament Sd-/H.O.P

Muhim Hazarika, candidate of Gana Shakti party submitted nomination to Debeswar Malakar, Lakhimpur deputy commissioner at their office. Pic - Ranjit Kakoty

ET Correspondent Lakhimpur, Mar 14: The maiden nomination of Assam State Assembly Poll 2016 was filed in Lakhimpur today. It was filed by Mahim Hajarika, the MLA candidate for No.111 Lakhimpur Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC) from Sanmilita Gana Shakti, Asom.

He submitted this to Returning Officer cum Lakhimpur District Commissioner Debeswar Malakar at 2pm in his office.

For this purpose of filing his nomination, around five thousand supporters of Gana Shakti, coming from different parts of the constituency as-

sembled at the playground of Konwar Gaon near North Lakhimpur town.

They brought the candidate in a procession walking along a distance of four kilometre and arrived at the DC office. They heaved the environment shouting slogans in favour of the Gana Shakti and Mahim Hajarika.

Earlier he spoke a few words addressing the gathering and appealed them to work hard in order to make him winner. After filing the nomination Hajarika expressed his confidence in an interaction with the media persons that he would win the seat.

press conference gave a clarion call to the 7 lakh Garo people of Assam to extend their whole hearted support to BJP in this election “for ousting corrupt Congress and AUDF” from gaining power.

“BJP has showed unusual respect to the Garo community of Assam by filing a person from this community hence it is the moral responsibility of all Garo people of Assam to reciprocate the largesse of BJP by supporting it in the

coming election. I like to make it clear that RSS has nothing to do with selection of BJP nominee, it is done by party high-up and it is the miss propaganda of certain people.

Everybody has right to seek party ticket in a democracy but only one will get it, our party is fully united and committed to win Bokajan seat” said Dr. Momon.

It may be mentioned here that candidature of Dr.

Massive raids conducted by excise dept and police in Sonari

The excise department along with police conducted raids at various destinations in Charaideo. Pic - Mritunjoy Das

ET Correspondent Sonari, Mar 14: The excise department along with the police conducted raids at various destinations in Charaideo district today following media reports of a flourishing illegal liquor trade rampant in and around Sonari town.

Deputy commissioner Monimala Phukon Borthakur today ordered the raids after media reports stated that due to the flourishing illegal and illicit liquor trade Sonari, once known for its literary and cultural icons like Parbati Prasad Barua and Ambeswar Chetia Phukon has turned into a liquor town.

Following the orders from the DC and mounting pressure from the media to act, a special squad led by Sanjib Saikia, deputy director, excise department assisted by a police team raided locations in the daily market at Bhojo

Charali and in and around the State Bank of India, Sonari branch and destroyed several dens of illicit liquor.

The team also confiscated several units of India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) stocked illegally in these illegal liquor dens. Media persons were also present during the raids. Later, the team raided locations in and around the Sonari College and Sonari – Namrup bus stand and recovered huge quantity of illegal and illicit liquor.

Later, the team raided Sikha Hotel located near Star XI club during which the owner Montu Kar and the customers fled. However, later the team also raided the residence of Kar and apart from recovering several units of illegally stocked IMFL also managed to arrest Kar. The team also raided several locations on the Sonari – Namtola

Awareness programme on personal and public hygiene held at Dibrugarh A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Mar 14: An Awareness Programme on Personal and Public Hygiene under the aegis of Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of M.D.K. Girls’ College was held at Nandeswar Chakrabarty High School, Dibrugarh today.

The awareness programme touched on some relevant aspects of health and hygiene like – safe drinking water, personal cleanliness, oral hygiene, pollution, clean environment, etc. The introductory message was delivered by Prof. Pallavi Barooah, HoD of Home Science, M.D.K.G College and Working President of

PTA, wherein she focused on the objectives of the programme. An active member of PTA, Ms Deepali Das offered some useful tips on daily exercise and Yoga for healthy living with some demonstrations.

The awareness programme was attended by the members of PTA and students of M.D.K.G College along with the teachers of the school and over 150 school students. The programme ended with a lively interactive session with the audience.

In a same time another programme was also held in the same venue where the Women cell of ACTA, MDKG College Unit

organised a talk on Assertion of women’s Rights: The Problems & Duties of women which was delivered by Prof. Ratna Dutta, Associate Professor in Department of Assamese. She commented that the fact that the inequality of the dos and don’ts between a girl and a boy is deeprooted in our social system which has adverse effect on gender parity. She stressed the students that they should take initiative to change this system. The students took active part in the interactive session after the talk. Dr. D.K Bhuyan, Principal of MDKG College in his speech stressed that the girls should always be con-

scious and take active role regarding the maintenance of their rights and status.

A documentary film produced by Prof Ashwini Machey, Assistant Professor of Dept. Of Economics on the brutal rape and murder of a student of Margherita, T. Tikak in 2015 was shown. This evoked an active response among the students.

The programme was anchored by Dr. Manashi Sharma, President of Teachers Unit. The interactive session was anchored

by Dr. Anita Sharma, Secretary, Teachers Unit and Dr. Phirmi Bodo, Secretary, Women’s Cell, Teachers Unit.

Momin shocked group of party aspirants and their clique, but the outburst subsided almost immediately failing to garner support from the bulk of the party supporters.

Dr. Momin will clash with seating Congress MLA of Bokajan Klengdung Engti who is also the son of seating MP of autonomous hill districts of Assam Biren Sing Engti and 2 times MLA of Bokajan Jagatsing Engti of HSDC.

Awareness Programme Personal and Public Hygiene under the aegis of Parent Teacher Association of M.D.K. Girls’ College held at Nandeswar Chakrabarty High School in Dibrugarh

Road and destroyed several litres of illicit liquor.

Five persons were arrested during the raids conducted today. They are Montu Kar, Sandip Das, Tuladoi Kurmi, Maya Malakar and Putukon Dehingia. In all 62.150 litres of IMFL and 59 litres of country made liquor were confiscated and 7 cases were registered. Later, country made liquor production den was evicted at Log Line of Bortimon under Udayshri gaon panchayat.

Conscious citizen of Sonari has expressed satisfaction over the raids conducted by the excise department along with the police. “We also express our gratitude towards the Charaideo district administration and the media for their role against the menace. We do hope that the raids will continue”, Pabitra Konwar, a resident of Sonari said.

Gana Shakti party files nomination ET Correspondent Dhemaji, Mar14: Gana Shakti a local political party with independent status who achieved majority in last MAC (Missing autonomous council) election last time today on the first day of nomination, filed a nomination of its candidate Bhuban Pegu, who is an exMLA of the constituency. 114 Jonai (ST) assembly was last represented by Pradan Baruah, where Bhuban Pegu lost the contest.

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 15

PAGE 3

College toppers felicitated Bharatiya Janata Party National General Secretary Ram Madhav visits Arunachal; assess current political situation in the state

ET Correspondent Roing, Mar 14: On Sunday, the Mishmi Students Union Tezu organized a felicitation programme at IGG college Tezu during the valedictory function of Reh-

Tam, the joint festival of the Mishmis of Lohit and Dibang Valley.

General secretary of the Idu Mishmi Cultural and Literary Society, Rajiv Mihu at-

tended the occasion as the chief guest; CALSOM general secretary, Suresh Tayeng as the guest of Honour. The event also witnessed the felicitation of college toppers.

K G Kenye declared elected RS MP from Nagaland PTI Kohima, Mar 14 : Consensus candidate of the ruling NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland, K G Kenye has been declared elected unopposed to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Nagaland.

Kenye was the lone candidate who filed nomination for the vacant seat from Nagaland on the last date of

withdrawal of candidature today, the returning officer of the polls, N Benjamin Newmai said.

The 60-member state Assembly has 48 NPF, 4 BJP and 8 Independent MLAs. While BJP as an ally of the NPF-led DAN government has extended support to the NPF nominee for the lone seat, the eight Independent

MLAs are also with the NPF. Election if necessary was to be conducted on March 21.

The lone Rajya Sabha seat from Nagaland had fallen vacant following the demise of sitting MP Khekiho Zhimomi in November last year. His tenure was to end in April.

Workshop on marketing of oranges and large cardamom held at Tezu

A Staff Reporter Itanagar Mar, 14: The Bharatiya Janata Party National General Secretary, Shri Ram Madhav, who is also central in-charge for 08 North-East States and the Organization In-Charge for 08 North East States, Shri Ajay Jamwal, addressed series of party meetings with the rank and files of State BJP Leaders, Heads of Frontal wings - Morchas and Cells, Regional Presidents and District Presidents, Party Legislators and senior leaders in a hectic schedules here today on March 14, 2016 and reviewed the current political situations and organization matters in the state.

Earlier the Zonal Organization Secretary, BJP NE States, Shri Ajay Jamwal on his maiden visit was given a warm welcome by the party karyakartas and leaders, here at Hotel Donyi Polo Ashoka, Itanagar. State President, Shri Tai Tagak presided the programme.

National General Secretary, Ram Madhavji, speaking on the occasion has called upon the party leaders of the state and legislators to work for strengthening the party organization building trust and confidence and team works of various frontal wings of the party with the State Team headed by the State President. We may have difference of opinions and when we understand the common issues and common goals beyond personal interests certainly we are following the party ideology and principle while expressing confidence the frontier state has bright future and the party gives preference

on emotional relations and intimacy above political considerations, which would not address the realities here including other NE States, and party cadres and elected representatives should live up to the expectation of people and deliver development initiatives benefitting countrywide also percolate down to the people of Arunachal Pradesh also.

National General Secretary hailed tremendous progress of Party organization in the state and achievements made during the tenure of present incumbent State President, Shri Tai Tagak and his team and said we matters most on works over words - governance over governments and said we all should not overlook it while expressing party's confidence and optimism in forming next governments in the states of Assam and Manipur going for Vidhan Sabha poll now and said waves doing in the ground level situations there favourable for BJP government, and said the Modi led government at the centre is committed to its "Act East" policy and proper shaping of development initiatives for the NE states and as such party organization has to be strengthened and organized so that development reach out to the people.

He also called upon the party workers and leaders to reach out proper information to the people on the various developmental programmes and policies initiated by the NDA Govt. at centre under our beloved Prime Minister, so that people could participate in

the governance.

While addressing on the occasion the Zonal Organization Secretary, Ajay Jamwal said confidence seen in the party cadres reflects the strength of party organization in the frontier state and told that for him Arunachal Pradesh has been like my home state and he had travelled across that state earlier and people here are peace loving, helping attitude and have excellent hospitality in them and so good politics can prevail upon for the faster development of this god gifted natural resources rich state and appealed all to build trust and confidence and work hard to strengthen the party organisation and establishing a strong party base in the

state with mutuality and team works.

The State President, Shri Tai Tagak addressing on the occasion expressed his confidence that with the joining of Shri Ajay Jamwal as the new Organizational Chief for the North East States would boost the party's state unit and in the absence of Zonal Organization Chief small hilly states of the NE have been if the difficult situation. With the changed political situation and tenure of present incumbent state President already exceeded, he called upon the party cadres and leaders remain prepared to sail with the new situations, challenges and opportunities ahead and thanked all for their cooperation and untir-

Triangular fight between Left, Congress, BJP in Barak Valley Workshop on marketing of oranges and large cardamom held at Tezu

ET Correspondent Tezu, Mar 14: A one day workshop on marketing of oranges and large cardamom was held yesterday in I.G.G College, Tezu with a joint collaboration of Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) and Amik Matai Society, a prominent NGO working in the field of rural entrepreneurship and rural livelihood generation in Lohit and Anjaw Districts.

The workshop was attended by a group of sixty students from arts, science and commerce faculties and faculty members. The objective of the workshop

was to motivate the participants to tap entrepreneurial opportunities available in the areas of processing, packaging and marketing of oranges and large cardamom through value addition.

Inaugurating the workshop, Principal Dr. Tasi Taloh laid emphasis on the need to explore and involve in entrepreneurial activities by the youth than eyeing on government jobs or low paid jobs.

Vivek Salwan, an MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kolkata through his explorative presentation

gave extensive inputs relating to entrepreneurial opportunities related to oranges and large cardamom ranging from business proposal preparation, using satellite imagery to explore the availability of raw materials, disintermediation, organic certification, using web technology for better marketing of the produces attracted intensive participation from the students and faculty. The Coordinator of the EDC, Dr. K. Rajendra Babu and the Vice-Principal of the College, S.C. Pradhan also participated in the deliberations of the workshop.

IANS Silchar, Mar 14: While the Left parties are finalising `seat adjustment` with the Congress in West Bengal for the forthcoming assembly polls, they will be decrying their `friendly` party`s "misgovernance" in the neighbouring Barak Valley region.

The Bengali-dominated region in southern Assam will see a triangular contest between the Left parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the assembly polls which are to be held in two phases: on April 4 and 11.

The Barak Valley region has three districts -- Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi -- and 15 seats in the 126member Assam assembly.

Silchar, itself an assembly constituency, is the nerve centre of the region.

The 15 constituencies will vote in the first phase on April 4.

Six Left parties would field candidates in 58 assembly constituencies in Assam, including some seats in Barak Valley region, said Bijan Dhar, a member of the central committee of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

The other five parties are Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Revolutionary Communist Party of India, Forward Bloc, and Revolutionary Socialist Party.

"The Left parties would

contest against both ruling Congress and the BJP. They would highlight 15 years of misgovernance in Assam by the Congress," he said.

The CPI-M would contest elections in 19 constituencies in Assam, including the crucial Silchar seat where it has fielded its trade union leader Supriya Bhattacharjee, he said.

Silchar, along with Karimganj North and Karimganj South, has a close political association with the adjoining Leftruled Tripura.

The BJP has renominated for the Silchar constituency sitting legislator Dilip Kumar Paul who bagged the seat in 2014 by elections.

The Congress has yet to select its nominee from five

contenders: party general secretary Rajesh Deb, former district president Arun Dutta Majumdar, former union minister Santosh Monhan Dev`s wife Bithika Dev, his daughter Bharati Dev, and former chairman of Silchar municipal board Tamal Banik, sources said.

"Central leadership seriously wants to win Silchar seat. The party will field a strong candidate here," Lok Sabha member from Silchar Sushmita Dev said.

Sushmita is another daughter of Santosh Monhan Dev and held the assembly seat before being elected for the Lok Sabha.

The CPI-M had last won the seat in 1978. Since that time Congress and BJP won the seat four times each.

ing support to lead the BJP to new height of achievement in his short tenure and hopes that the party shall uphold the same spirit in the coming times.

The Leader of BJP Legislature party in his address has called for giving concluding task for the elections of next State President in time with the changed time and situation and citing that the MLAs have already communicated their unanimous opinions on it.

Earlier the State General Secretary Adv. Dominic Tadar extended the words welcome to the central leaders, the gathering and delegates who were present on the occasion.

JD(U) to contest Assam Assembly poll, Nitish to campaign PTI Guwahati, Mar 14: Janata Dal (United) has decided to contest the upcoming Assam Assembly elections and its leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would campaign for the party in the state, said a JD(U) press release here.

For finalising the list of the party candidates, JD(U) national general secretary Arun Kumar Srivastav is scheduled to arrive here today, the release said.

Srivastav would hold discussions with sections of people before finalising the list, it said.

We have to generate an Top JNU panel recommends rustication of Kanhaiya, 4 others impression that Arunachal is safe to do business: Pul Contd. from Page 1

“Our farmers are always at the mercy of middle men who take away huge profit.

Now with opening of railroads, farmers can sell their product directly to the major cities of India,” said Pul with the hope that farmers will be hugely benefitted.

However, to reap the benefits of development, the chief minister said “People have to make way for development to come. For development, we require land and unless people are ready to part with it, the process of development cannot speed

up.”

Another key area, the chief minister focused on was to maintain inter-community and inter-state harmony. Acknowledging it as priority for the region, Pul earnestly appealed the people to find ways of community discourses and practices that will support peace-building endeavours.

“One of my priorities is to build a better relation with our neighbouring Assam and to bring out amicable solution to the boundary issue. So in trying to reach out to them, I have engaged several high officials from that state in Arunachal,” the chief minister disclosed.

New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI) A high-level committee of JNU has recommended rustication of Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and two other students for their alleged role in a controversial event last month at which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

Sources, however, said a decision on the recommendation by the panel will be taken by Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and Chief Proctor A Dimri after a thorough scrutiny of the suggestions.

A meeting of the university's top brass chaired by the Vice Chancellor today discussed the report following which the varsity issued show-cause notice to 21 students including Kanhaiya and Umar, who were found guilty of having violated university rules and

discipline norms.

The committee was formed on February 10 to probe the event organised to protest hanging of Afzal Guru, the Parliament attack convict.

Kanhaiya, Umar and Anirban were arrested on charges of sedition in connection with the programme. Kanhaiya was released on bail from Tihar on March 3 while Umar and Anirban are still in judicial custody.

"The high-level committee has recommended rustication of five students after its investigation over a month's time.

However, the final call in this regard will be taken by the Vice Chancellor and Proctor's office," sources told PTI. The university had on March 11 revoked the academic suspension of eight students including Kanhaiya after

completion of the probe by the five-member panel. It was decided to keep them under suspension from academic activities till the inquiry was over. However, they were allowed to stay in the hostels.

The panel, which was granted three extensions before it finally submitted its report, also faced difficulties in the probe as students refused to depose before it demanding that the enquiry be constituted afresh.

The varsity, however, turned down the demand and maintained that the students will be given three chances to appear before the disciplinary committee and, if they fail to do so, the committee will finalise its recommendations on the basis of evidence available, eyewitness accounts, students' deposition, if any, and other material available on hand.

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 15

PAGE 4

Sensitization of Electors to increase voter’s turnout at Rangia ET Correspondent Rangia, Mar 14: Kailash Kartik District Election Officer and SDO(c) Rangia has planned several innovative ideas to increase the voter’s turnout by motivating the electors particularly the new voters, youth and women throughout the Rangia and Kamalpur LAC and to ensure greater participation for a stronger democracy.

ing of votes.

As a part of this plan he has planned for implementation at the field level for awareness and sensitization of electors of this election district. This is informed by the DEO Rangia in a meeting held on Monday.

Mrs. Sikha Saikia SDIPRO, Senior citizens, Bank officials, Student organizations like AASU, AJYCP etc, non political organizations and Press persons were the participants of the meeting.

Mr. Kartik, DEO also requested the officers and staffs of different Banks to impose their personnel ideas to sensitization the voters through banners, posters and hoardings according to their own choice.

According to the DEO Rangia banners for Sensitization of electors will be displayed in all prominent places of Rangia and Kamalpur LACs. Street Play and street corner focusing on enrolment and casting of votes will be held on the roadat both the LACs. More over Special awareness drivewill be organized in local colleges for the new voters focusing on enrolment and cast-

Besides, sensitization through FSL (Fixed Loud System) will be done.Besides; appeal of District Election Officer will be distributed man to man through bulk SMS, Face book page, whats app with the help of information technology will also be sent to electors of the entire LACs District Returning officer.

He also planned to convert 3/ 4 polling stations of both the LACs as model polling station where there will be all facilities including drinking water, medical, separate arrangements for senior citizen, pregnant ladies, differently challenged voters, mother small kids.

Mobile medical van will be kept ready in different points of both the LACs, he announced. He also requested all the senior citizens, different organizations and Press persons to make success the festival of democracy and free and fare poll.

Removal of posters etc. in Kamrup as per Model Code Conduct ET Correspondent Rangia, Mar 14: In view of the ensuing Assembly Election, the Kamrup Election District administration has taken required action against banners, posters and hoardings put up unauthorizedly by political parties and defacement of public properties where official permission have not been taken.

The Administration has ensured the removal and de-

facement of political advertisements in almost all the parts of the District. So far about 7000 nos. of posters, banners, kiosks, party flags and defacement of public and private properties was removed in the Kamrup Election District.The Administration has also removed hoardings highlighting the achievements of Government as per the guideline of Model Code of Conduct.

Flying squads and SST to keep strict vigil in Kamrup ET Correspondent Rangia, Mar 14: In the run up to the Assembly Election, the Kamrup Election District Administration has taken various steps to facilitate free and fair Assembly Election in the District.

The District administration

is keeping strict vigil and has started vigorous monitoring process. Flying squads and Static Surveillance Teams are being active throughout the District to ensure that political parties or candidates do not indulge in any activities to influence voters.

Candidates to open a separate bank account ET Correspondent Rangia, Mar 14: The DC and DEO of Kamrup Vinod Seshan in order to facilitate monitoring of election expenditure have requested all intending candidates to open a separate bank account exclusively for the purpose of election expenditure.

In an appeal DC & DEO stated that the account shall be opened any time at least one day before the date on which the candidates intends to file his nomination papers and requested to submit the details of bank account by the candidate in writing to the Returning Officer at the time of filing his/ her nomination.

The Bank account can be opened either in the name of the candidate or in the joint

name with his/her election agent for the purpose of election expenditure.

The DC and DEO further pointed out that all election expenses shall be made by the candidate only from this bank account. For this purpose all money to be spent on electioneering shall be deposited in this bank account irrespective of its funding from any source including candidate’s own fund.

He further appealed all concerned candidates to comply with the Election Commission of India’s instruction and to submit a certified copy of the bank account statement along with the statement of account of expenditure at the time of filing of the Abstract Statement after declaration of results.

Consumers’ Legal Protection Forum to organise public meeting cum awareness camp A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Mar 14: To create awareness among the common people about consumer rights and laws on the eve of World Consumer Rights Day, Consumers’ Legal Protection Forum (CLPF) is organising a public meeting cum awareness camp in collaboration with Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Dept.

Retired Officers Associa-

tion, Assam on 15th March at Dispur Super Market, Guwahati From 3pm.

CLPF stated in a press statement that there will be an open forum session in the program where the victim consumers can discuss about the various day to day problem they have to face as a consumer. Legal expert of Consumers’ Legal Pro-

tection Forum will provide Free Legal Aid to the victim consumers in this programme. An awareness lecture on World Consumer Rights Day‘s this year theme “Antibiotics off the Menu” will be deliver by Advocate Ajoy Hazarika Secretary, Consumers' Legal Protection Forum & Governing Council Member of Consumer Coordination Council, New Delhi .

11 passengers including five students injuried ET Correspondent Dhubri, March 14: 11 passengers including five students sustained serious injuries when they were travelling from Kokradanga to Hatsinghimari the a auto-

rickshaw which turned up side down at the outskirt of Kokradanga under Kharuabandha police station of South Salmara district in the morning today.

The mishap took place

while driver attempted to take over a vehicle.

Driver fled away from scene reportedly driving the auto without incense, a police source said.

'Fair and Lovely' phrase is racist, says FM New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI) Government today hit back at Rahul Gandhi for his 'Fair and Lovely' jibe, saying it reflects a "racist mindset", even as it sought support of Congress for passage of bills like GST and bankruptcy with a contention that India can grow faster in "absence of obstructionism".

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also responded to attack on the government over Vijay Mallya leaving the country amidst loan default, saying there was a "question" as to whether the "legal system" had acted as a "hurdle" in loan recovery and enabled the "escape" of the defaulter.

Replying to a debate in Lok Sabha on the General Budget 2016-17, he also rejected demands for rollback of 1 per cent excise duty on jewellery saying it was in preparation for unveiling of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which hopefully will "come soon".

The House later passed the Appropriation Bill complet-

ing the first phase of the Budgetary exercise for 2016-17.

While talking about black money, Jaitley referred to the 'Fair and Lovely' comment made by Gandhi while speaking in the House last week.

Without naming the Congress Vice President, the Finance Minister said, "I have no problem with this phrase.. But this phrase is politically incorrect. It shows a racist mindset that what is not fair is not lovely."

He went on to add, "Worldover people frown on use of such a phrase. In any case I will pass it off as ignorance."

Gandhi had used the phrase while alleging that the government had brought the blackmoney disclosure scheme in the Budget to enable conversion of black money into white.

Jaitley insisted that the government's proposal was not an amnesty scheme,

Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme (VDIS) or any concession, unlike the schemes brought by other governments earlier.

Noting that the global environment was a challenging one, the Finance Minister said the country needs to rise above party lines to maintain the distinction of being the fastest growing large economy.

of Katarbasti under Kakopather panchayat in Tinsukia district.

The commanding officer of 7 Madras regiment of Indian army inaugurated the community hall for public use. With this, not just the long demand of the people of this backward area, far

Seeking support of the Congress, he said "the country needs bankruptcy law. Hope the joint committee will soon give its report so that it gives the right of transfer the management. So that incompetent can exit, jobs are saved and more competent can take on the businesses". .

away from development even after 68 years of Independence, has been met but it is a step to help the villagers to organize marriage and festival functions in a much better way. Several villagers were present on this occasion and thanked the army for this step.

BJP leader quit

KMSS activists take out a padajatra demanding land documents in Sivasagar. Pic - Firuz Ahmed

ET Correspondent Sonari, Mar 14: Naresh Bundel, IRS who has been appointed as election expenditure observer for Sonari and Mahmora LAC has warned all concerned against giving or taking bribe during the election period.

During a meeting with officials engaged with the poll process held at the Charaideo DC office premises, Bundel said that there are strict provisions

under the IPC for either taking of bribing somebody and actions will be initiated accordingly. He also appealed towards the officials to create awareness about the voting process among the voters and mass people.

The DIPRO has informed that anybody who wants to lodge any complaint to the election expenditure observer can call him directly on his mobile – 09166680749 or 07861937300.

Assam party offers insurance to workers against poll violence IANS Guwahati, Mar 14: The AIUDF of Lok Sabha member Maulana Badruddin Ajmal has offered its workers insurance against election-related violence in Assam.

All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) leader and Lok Sabha member from Barpeta, Sirajuddin Ajmal has asked party workers to buy accidental insurance policies paying just Rs.716, which will get them Rs.2 lakh in case of any injury and Rs.5 lakh in case the insured person is killed in pollrelated violence.

"Some Congress and BJP workers might resort to violence during the polls. We have witnessed such violence in the past," said Sirajuddin Ajmal, who is the brother of party chief and Dhubri Lok Sabha member Badruddin Ajmal.

Sirajuddin Ajmal also offered to pay the Rs.716 himself if a party worker is too poor to pay the premium.

AIUDF spokesman Champak Kalita said insurance companies have started this accidental insurance scheme strictly adhering to the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (IRDA) and the rules laid down by the Election Commission.

"There is no harm in taking the insurance policies and it is not a violation of EC guidelines," said Kalita.

The 126 constituencies of Assam will go to polls in two phases -- 65 constituencies on April 4 and 61 constituencies on April 11. The AIUDF has 16 legislators in the outgoing assembly. This time, the party plans to put up candidates in 60 constituencies.

Election Control Cell launched in Lakhimpur ET Correspondent Lakhimpur, Mar 14: With a view to conduct the State Assembly Poll-2016 fair and free manner in Lakhimpur, a Complaint Cell cum Election Control Cell was launched in Lakhimpur District Deputy Commissioner's Office.

Any complaint regarding the election can be lodged in the Cell contacting over Telephone No. 03752245761 as per report DIPRO Sanjeev Kumar Baruah.

Election Observer arrives in Lakhimpur ET Correspondent Lakhimpur, Mar 14: Milan Kumar Singh, the Observer from Election Commission in order to monitor the election expenditure of MLA candidates arrived in Lakhimpur recently.

Singh, who is a bureaucrat of Indian Revenue Service (IRS) visited the Election Control Cell of the district and interacted with the officials there after he had arrived in the district.

He will be available in District Circuit House. He can be contacted regarding election expenditure over his personal Mobile No: 9957307487.

Safety Week observes at Nagaon Paper Mill

"We compare ourselves with global standards, we are doing good. But if we compare ourselves with own standards we can do better in a more helpful global environment and domestically in absence of an obstructive environment," he said.

Army constructs community hall for people of Kakopathar Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, Mar 14: In continuation with its efforts to reach out to the people of north - east, the Dah division of Indian army today handed over a community hall, constructed by army under "operation sadbhawana", to the people

Expenditure Observer in Sonari

ET Correspondent Kokrajhar, Mar 14: Former president of Kokrajhar district unit of Bharatiya Janata Party, Binati Bala Basumatary resigned from her party membership today.

Basumatary submitted her resignation letter to the state party president citing personal reason. She was Kokrajhar district BJP president for 2011-2015, who had gained strength of the party through her strong leadership in the district.

Basumatary's quit of the party ahead assembly election would draw a setback party strength in the Kokrajhar.

Basumatary is likely to join ruling BPF party within couple of days, said a close aid of Binati.

45th National Safety Week observed at Nagaon Paper Mill A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Mar 14: The 45th National Safety Week, observed at Nagaon Paper Mill (NPM), Kagajnagar on 4-11 March witnessed a series of activities including administering of safety pledges, wearing of safety badges by the employees, safety essay writing competitions, display of safety banner & posters with discussions over various industrial safety related issues.

The celebration kicked off with the hoisting of safetyday flag by Paban Kumar Bhuyan, chief executive/

consultant (technical) of the NPM, a unit of Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited on 4 March 2016. It was followed by the pledge taking ceremony administered in Hindi, Assamese and English by Ashok Kr Roy, acting general manager (works) in presence of employees’ representatives Ananda Bordoloi and Atul Mahanta.

The winners of various competitions were honoured by the high level NPM officials including GK Choudhury, inspector of factories, Nagaon. Karan

Konwar, a contract worker for Das electrical working under the electrical department was appreciated for his recent brave works to protect human life in a critical situation.

The concluding meeting was addressed Rajesh Kr Jha, Dhiren Borah, Lalit Raj, Nilakshi Konwar, and JN Gogoi with others where NPM safety manager Dwijen Thakuria welcomed the guests and explained the importance of the safety related observations in the industrial avenues.

Expenditure meeting cum training programme held at Morigaon ET Correspondent Morigaon, Mar 14: With a view to monitor the expenditure of the candidate and to curb any attempt of luring the voters with money power or other incentives in connection with the ensuring Assembly Election of various political in the three Legislative Assembly Constituencies (LACs), namely, 79 Jagiroad, 80 Morigaon and 81 Laharighat, an Election Expenditure Monitoring Cell was recently formed in Morigaon District under the Chairmanship of the Nodal Officer of the Expenditure Monitoring Cell and Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad NFH Hussain where a meeting cum training programme was held today at the conference Hall of

Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Morigaon.

Various teams formed under the Expenditure Monitoring Cell. Three Assistant Expenditure Observer for the three LACs have been designated, they are- Branch Manager of the Bank of Baroda, Morigaon Randir Kumar for 79 Jagiroad LAC, Branch Manager of LICI, Morigaon Pranab Roy for 80 Morigaon LAC and Branch Manager of Bank of Baroda Gasaguri Branch for 81 Laharighat LAC. Other teams under the Expenditure Monitoring Cell are Video Surveillance Team, Video Viewing Team, Accounting Team, Control Room/Hot line Cell, Media Certificate and

Media Monitoring Cell, Flying Squads and Static Surveillance team have been briefed in length about the crucial roles to be by them for conduct of the free and fair election in the District.

The Assisting Officers of the Election Expenditure Monitoring Cell are- Circle Officer of Mikirbheta, Palash Ahom, Circle officer of Bhuragaon, Dyotiva Bora and FAO (Finance and Accounting Officer) of DC’s Office, Dhiraj Das. The Circle Officer of Laharighat Satyajt Chetia gave a power point presentation on the duties and responsibilities of various teams formed under Election Expenditure Monitoring Cell.

REGION

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 15

Mukul to present State budget today

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma Shillong, Mar 14: Against the backdrop of the NGT ban on coal mining continuing for the second year affecting the economy of the State coupled with the Centre’s withdrawal of special block grants to Northeastern states including Meghalaya thereby adding to the financial crunch, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who holds the Finance portfolio, is set to present the State budget on Monday.

Sources said that the government is also under pressure to increase allotment to various departments to accelerate development.

The district councils have been seeking their

share of taxes from various government departments.

Last week, the GHADC had conducted out a special session to discuss the State budget to be placed in the Assembly on Monday. The main point of discussion was the impact of the upcoming state budget on the GHADC. According to Chief Executive Member Denang Sangma only Rs 57 lakh was paid to GHADC as royalty collection under Transport department while the GHADC was to get around Rs 25 crore including interest.

Sangma said the same is the case with several other departments.

(Agencies)

Manipur blockade: Tear gas shell injures woman

PAGE 5

MeECL owes NEEPCO Rs 441 cr power dues Shillong, Mar 14: In what can be termed as a sorry state of financial mismanagement, the Meghalaya government has an outstanding due of more than 440 crore rupees to NEEPCO, which if not cleared soon, may force NEEPCO to regulate power supply to the State.

NEEPCO officials informed that the State government has unpaid dues of around Rs 300 crore and surcharge

amount of around Rs 141 crore.

According to the officials, NEEPCO had even agreed to waive 60 per cent of the surcharge amount as per the request of the chief minister on the condition that Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) will pay the dues in three installments, which however did not happen.

Now since the State gov-

At present, NEEPCO provides around 151 MW of power to Meghalaya and incase of failure on the part of the State government to pay the amount within this month, NEEPCO may regulate power supply to Meghalaya from April 1, 2016.

NEEPCO ernment has not fulfilled the commitment, NEEPCO is now forced to withdraw the waiver.

Last year, MeECL had cleared some dues in installments of Rs 10 crore and Rs 15 crore.

It is learnt that Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have already taken advantage of the one-time settlement system to avail the waive amount

Imphal, Mar 14: A 42year-old woman was injured after she was hit by a tear gas shell canister when the police tried to disperse a mob which had blocked the arterial Imphal-Jiribam national highway in Senapati district, a police official said Monday.

The blockade, put Sunday by the Joint Action Committee (JAC), was continuing Monday.

JAC Members converged at Namthanjang in Senapati district Sunday, blocking movement of goods trucks carrying essential supplies

for the land-locked state, the official said.

Police used teargas shells to enforce a passage for the trucks coming from Jiribam side of Western Manipur, he said.

The injured woman, Hoikim Hokip, was rushed to RIIMS hospital and is reportedly out of danger.

The blockade along the national highway was put to protest against the arrest recently of three Church functionaries of the village by security personnel, the chairman of JAC T Kamei said. (Agencies)

HNLC sets deadline for initiating peace talks Shillong, Mar 14: The HNLC has asked the State government to come out clear on its peace initiative within a month.

“The Government of Meghalaya should come out clear on the peace initiative within a months’ time with effect from March 13, 2016.

If the outcome is positive including appointment of interlocutors then we shall not boycott Independence Day celebrations and prove that we are sincere and committed,” HNLC publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw said in a press statement on Sunday.

“We boycott Independence Day and Republic Day, but we have not engaged ourselves in killings and kidnapping as is happening in other parts of the State. It is more than a year that the Meghalaya government had assured to appoint interlocutors but till date they have failed to yield any results,” HNLC said.

Accusing the State government of putting the blame game on the Union government, HNLC said other groups engaged in peace

talks with the State government are found to be indulging in extortion, kidnapping and killing.

The outfit said that if Meghalaya government finds it difficult then the outfit will use ‘other means’ to communicate directly with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It is learnt that NEEPCO’s financial condition is not satisfactory and the Corporation is in urgent need of finance to sustain itself in the region.

(Agencies)

Time for adopting revolutionary Imphal - Jiribam character with mass line: Left indefinite shutAgartala, Mar 14: The ruling CPI(M) today called for adopting a revolutionary character with a mass line and fight against Hindutva forces, at the two-day brain storming session of the extended state committee here.

Tripura Chief Minster Manik Sarkar, also a Politburo member of CPI(M), delivered the inaugural speech explaining the resolutions of the plenum held in Kolkata in December last.

Sarkar noted in his speech that the organisational plenum in Kolkata had resolved to build a revolutionary

be foiled only by building a strong organisation and unity of the working classes.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) party with a mass line, state Secretary Bijan Dhar told reporters after the session.

"To achieve our goal, we need to consolidate the party among all sections of people, bring qualitative change in the

workstyle of party workers and set up an intimate relation with the masses," Sarkar told the participants.

He said the preachers of 'Hindutwabad' were out to destroy the unity of the proletariat and that could

The plenum had also decided to build up a strong movement against the nexus of feudal lords and capitalists, he added.

Dhar presented a draft plan on strengthening of the party in the state in line with the party plenum resolution.

He said the special meeting was convened to undertake programmes in the state that are compatible with the resolutions of the plenum and to implement these to give CPI-M a revolutionary character.

"We want to achieve socialism but remaining in power for long time, we felt the necessity of an ideological campaign among party activists and masses so that we do not deviate from our ideology," he said.

Dhar said the meeting also decided to strengthen the party on the principle of democratic centralism, fight against all social evils and maintain peace and tranquillity and harmony between the tribals and non-tribals in the state.He said, altogether 366 delegates, including 46 women participated in the meeting. (Agencies)

Manipur government faces another temporary market fiasco

Manipur blockade: Tear gas shell injures woman

offered by NEEPCO. Sources also said that NEEPCO is keen to withdraw the power regulation to Meghalaya even if Meghalaya government pays one installment for the outstanding due.

Imphal, Mar 14: The Manipur government may have to close down a new temporary marketing complex here which was built to house women vendors whose shops were damaged in the January 4 earthquake.

Women vendors said customers don't come to the temporary market at B.T. Road which has no parking space and is already surrounded by numerous street vendors.

"What can we sell there if there are no customers," Shakitombi, a woman vendor said.

Leihaobi, another vendor, said the temporary market was ill-conceived.

"The construction of the temporary market was never announced in advance. We were never taken into confidence," she said.

The market with sitting capacity for 2000 women vendors was inaugurated on Friday by the state's Works Minister K. Ratankumar. He told the vendors to make the best use of the temporary market while the permanent complex is being constructed near the old Assembly complex in the city.

On the day of the inauguration, just four women vendors sold handloom clothes and the following day there was

Manipur government faces another temporary market fiasco

just one vendor.

The temporary arrangement was necessitated after two blocks of Imoinu market were damaged in the January 4 earthquake.

The damage drove the women vendors out but

only temporarily. They have since reoccupied the unsafe, quake-damaged building of the Imoinu market.

Imoinu market is part of the Mothers' Market complex, an iconic, 150year-old market of

Imphal.

The state government had engaged experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Roorkee to get advice on whether the damaged buildings could be restored or should be demolished.

The women vendors were seen doing brisk business in the unsafe buildings.

The temporary market fiasco is a repeat of what happened in Thangal market area where too a similar project had to be scrapped midway after the government faced widespread protests led

by BJP legislator Khumukcham Joykishan.

(Agencies)

Sonia asks dissidents not to hurt Congress in Manipur Imphal, Mar 14: Congress president Sonia Gandhi is reported to have told 25 “dissident” legislators of the party in Manipur not to rock the party’s boat ahead of the assembly polls next year and work for the return of the party to power.

The HNLC also said that they have expressed time and again their desire to eschew violence and come to the negotiating table but they are being provoked by the Police department which is interested in derailing the peace talks.

Gandhi did agree, rather vaguely, to their demand for sacking some ministers in the Okram Ibobi Singh government who have had little to show in terms of performance, a source said.

“We are committed to peace and we have shown that through many gestures, including a unilateral ceasefire on March 21, 2015. We are not looking for war at the negotiating table, but peace with social justice. We have the sincere hope that the government will not repeat past scenarios,” HNLC said, adding that if this happens then they will be compelled to take to the path of violence once again. (Agencies)

About 25 legislators of the ruling Congress were camping in New Delhi, seeking an audience with Gandhi.

However, their “dissidence” has mainly to do with their desire to have a shot at a ministry in the state before it goes to polls next year.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

For months, the dissidents have been demanding a major reshuffle so that they could be inducted into the cabinet and some of the current ministers dropped. One prominent legislator who is confident of getting a ministerial berth said, “We assured the party president of unflinching support to Ibobi Singh so that he becomes the chief minister for the fourth term”.

Another dissident said on Sunday that they never demanded a change of leadership as they have full confidence in Chief Minister Ibobi Singh.

Yet another dissident, seeking anonymity, said Gandhi promised them that their demand that Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam Gangmei be either dropped from the ministry or stripped of the post of the state

Congress president would be looked into.

That could eventually become an excuse for “Against the ‘one man the dissident Congress one post’ policy, legislators to desert the Gaikhagam has been the party. deputy chief minister Thus the crisis in with several important Manipur unit of the portfolios and PCC Congress is still loompresident all these years. ing.

Our party president has assured us to look into Some of the dissident it,” he said. lawmakers had said the wind in the state now Sources close to favoured the Bharatiya Gaikhangam, however Janata Party (BJP) and said the party is unlikely that they might be lookto change the years old ing for greener pastures. system when assembly BJP state president elections are round the Thounaojam Chaoba corner. has been saying that many Congress memDissidents target bers are approaching Gaikhangam, a Naga, him for admission into for another reason: He the party. That may not was one of the Congress be entirely an empty legislators who had claim since politicians signed in 2005 a memo- and retired bureaucrats randum demanding in- of all hues have been tegration of the “Naga joining BJP. inhabited areas” of Meanwhile, Ibobi Singh Manipur with and Gaikhangam are Nagaland. maintaining a studied silence. (Agencies)

down disrupts normal life Imphal, Mar 14: The indefinite Imphal-Jiribam highway bandh (shutdown) called in protest against the arrest of three church functionaries of Namthanjang village came into effect yesterday midnight affecting normal traffic on this route.

Large number of trucks were seen stranded along the Highway at New Keithelmanbi Village.

Stones were placed on the highway, fire was lit at the mid of the road, disrupting traffic movement.

Villagers of Namthajang, Keithelmanbi under Sapermaina Police Station, Sadar Hills, Senapati District called the indefinite bandh along the Imphal-Jiribam Road ( NH 37 ), following the apprehension of three villagers by Sapermaina Police.

Bandh supporters claimed that Police has apprehended the villagers on the instigations of one ex village secretary.The arrested persons are claimed as the Treasurer of Namthanjang Rongmei village church Gaikhamlung Gangmei (42), Deacon Geihempou Kamei (50) and Secretary Namthanglung Riamei (40).

It is said that they were arrested by a team of Sapermeina police station at around 7 am of March 8 on fabricated charges but police claimed that they were arrested at around noon of March 9.

A large of women folk blocked the road and shouted the slogans demanding immediate release of the arrested without any condition.

A large contingent of Manipur Police including women IRBs, Manipur Rifles came and cleared the road. As per reports, the police forces has dispersed the agitators by firing tear gas shells. (ANI)

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 15

PAGE 6

Delhi Govt. releases NCT's Sixth Economic Census report New Delhi: Mar. 14 : There were 8.75 lakhs establishments working in Delhi during 2013, as compared to 7.58 lakhs establishments in 2005 at the time of the fifth Economic Census, registering an annual growth of 1.94%. Also, out of 8.75 lakhs enterprises, only 12,441 (1.4%) were in the rural area and 8.63 lakhs (98.6%) were operated in the urban area.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said this while releasing a report on the Sixth Economic Census for Delhi conducted by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics in collaboration with the Central Statistics Office, Government of India, during February-June, 2013.

As per the Sixth Economic Census report, out of the total, 4.77 lakhs (55%) of establishments were having no hired worker and the remain-

ing 3.98 lakhs (45%) having at least one hired worker, while average number of persons employed in the establishment with hired worker worked out to 6.1 as against 1.3 in the establishments with no hired worker.

Sisodia pointed out that out of 8.75 lakhs establishments, around 7.96 lakhs (91%) establishments were under private proprietorship, while around 4.70 lakhs (53.7%) worked outside household with fixed structure and remaining 4.05 lakhs (46.3%) were operated outside household without fixed structure or inside household.

Nearly 7.9 lakhs (90%) of total establishments were of employment size class 1-5, followed by 57,200 (6.5%) of size class 6-9, 29,101 (3.3%) of size class 10-99 and 1,516 establishments (0.17%) were having employment 100 and

LS Ethics Committee flags Rahul on nationality

Rahul Ghandi New Delhi, Mar 14: The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee headed by BJP veteran LK Advani has served notice on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on his alleged dual nationality issue, BJP MP Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Monday.

"The ethics committee has served Rahul Gandhi a notice and will act on the matter only after a reply from the Congress member," Meghwal told reporters here.

"Rahul Gandhi has been issued notice to seek his response on why he declared himself a British citizen. The complaint was received by the Speaker (Sumitra Mahajan) and she has forwarded the complaint to the ethics committee," said Meghwal, a member of the panel.

In response, the Congress said Rahul Gandhi's Indian nationality can never be questioned.

"The matters being examined

by a parliamentary panel or any decision on this should be considered confidential. But Mr (Rahul) Gandhi need not prove his credentials as an Indian," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters here.

Surjewala said the government was trying to malign the image of the Congress and counselled that the government should instead focus on bringing back to the country the likes of liquor baron Vijay Mallya.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, however, said the Congress needs to clarify on the matter.

The 15-member committee headed by Advani includes Arjun Meghwal, Kariya Munda (both BJP), B Mahtab (Biju Janata Dal), Ninong Ering (Congress) and Akshay Yadav (Samajwadi Party).

Reservation will continue: Govt. counters Opposition charge New Delhi, Mar 14: With RSS saying there should be no reservation in jobs and education for the affluent, the government today said there is no rethink on the present social and caste-?based reservation policy and it will continue.

“It is the stated policy of government that present arrangement of reservation will be maintained,” Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in response to SP and BSP members raising concern over remarks by some RSS leaders on Sunday.

RSS, Jaitley said, “Has also not talked” of scrapping or changing the present reservation policy.

Earlier, Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) alleged a conspiracy in doing away with the present reservation system.

Mayawati (BSP) said the Constitution has clearly defined the criteria for giving reservation to SC/ST and OBCs and now RSS functionaries were talking of the quota being based on economic criteria. She was referring to RSS general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi’s remark at the organisation’s camp at Nagaur in Rajasthan on Sunday.

Jaitley responded this, saying

“he has not said that.”

Soon after listed papers of the day were laid on the table, Opposition members led by SP, BSP and JD-U were up on their feet raising the issue.

Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said the Chairman has disallowed a notice under rule 267

by Naresh Agarwal (SP) seeking suspension of business to take up the issue.

When members persisted with the issue, he said RSS is a private organisation.

“Why are you worried about that?”

While Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) said there is no difference between RSS and government, Mayawati said statements on the quota issue have been made since BJP came to power. Responding to this, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said it was a clear view of the government that “reservation should continue” and “RSS has not talked about scrapping it”.

“There is no question of removing reservation for SC/ ST. RSS has also called for strengthening reservation, not ending it,” he said.

Kurien said the government has given an assurance and the House should carry on with the listed business. (PTI)

ber of 10 lakhs (33.2%) people, followed by 8.6 lakhs (28.4%) in trade and 1.8 lakhs (5.9%) in transportation and storage.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia more, it pointed out.

Sisodia said nearly 30.2 lakhs people (27,610 in rural areas and 29.9 lakhs in urban area) were working in 8.75 lakh establishments in Delhi during 2013 with an average of 3.45 people per establishment - out of 30.2 lakhs, about 3.8 lakhs (12.5%) were female and 26.4 lakhs (87.5%) were male workers.

The Deputy Chief Min-

ister pointed out that as per the Economic Census, the maximum number i.e. 3.7 lakh establishments (42.3%) were engaged in trade, followed by 1.56 lakhs (17.8%) in manufacturing activity, 72,572 (8.3%) in transportation and storage and 48,051(5.5%) in accommodation and food service activities.

On the other hand, the manufacturing sector engaged a maximum num-

He said for the first time the information on handicraft and handloom establishments was collected in Sixth Economic Census - the total number of handicraft/ handloom establishments has been reported as 9,260 with 35,553 people engaged (an average of 3.8 workers per establishment).

ments, North-West district 93,297, north-east district 86,597, east district 80,061, south-east district 75,049, north district 73,724, Shahdara district 71,738, South district 57,126, southwest district 42,166 and the lowest in New Delhi with 38,153 establishments, says the report.

In terms of number of people employed, again, Central district excels with around 6 lakhs (19.8%) of the total employment, followed by south-east with 3.5 lakhs (11.7%).

The Deputy Chief Minister said 70,434 (8%) of total establishments were managed by women entrepreneurs in Delhi, employing around 1.6 lakh people.

Central Delhi district shows the highest number of establishments (1.5 lakh), followed by West Delhi district with 1.06 lakh of establish-

The first Economic Census was conducted in 1977, followed by 1980, 1990, 1998 and 2005.

The Economic Census includes all types of entrepreneurial activities in the field of agriculture, except crop production and plantation, as well as non-agriculture, except Public Administration and Defence. (ANI)

Talent ki baarish in Delhi New Delhi, Mar 14: The two-day auditions for India's Got Talent were recently held at Delhi Techno logical University and saw about 1,200 people from various parts of North India come to prove their mettle. Even the rain didn't dampen their enthusiasm as they queued up at the registration desk, and sang and danced while waiting.

One of them was Ratan Kumar, who had come from Chandigarh. "We've been given two minutes.

I'll sing a medley of songs by Rafi and

Kishore.

Main aaj ke zamane ke gaane bhi ga sakta hoon, par rap nahi kar sakta," he said.

Choreographer Alex X Jawed, who had auditioned last year as well, told us, "Last year, the judges gave me good feedback, so I don't know why I wasn't selected. I'm back to try my luck," he said, adding, "I'll be performing a hip-hop number while wearing high heels." Kaithal (Punjab)based Ankit, a Class VIII student, told us, "I'll be doing some robotic

moves, which I'm sure judges will like. I've been practicing for the last three months and my costumes have little bulbs, which will add to my dance routine."

Apart from solo aspiring contestants, groups like Guru Nanak Fouji Pipe Band from Bathinda and Dimple Group from Jhansi were there to win the judges over with their rhythmic beats and acrobatic moves, respectively.

A promotional shoot for the reality show was also done with the aspiring

contestants. "Kuch aur na sahi, do second ke liye toh TV pe toh aaunga," said Rishi, a dancer.

"Dilliwale bahut energetic hote hain. Kai log judo, karate, taekwondo perform karne bhi aaye hain aur saath mein bulbs bhi laaye hain. Such shows allow people to believe that their talent can take them places,"said a member of the production team, adding, "Par kayi log sirf copy karte hain. They think what worked for contestants last year will work for them this year."

(Agencies)

Never compared IS to RSS, says Azad

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad New Delhi, Mar 14: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday denied having compared the Islamic State terror group to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded an apology for his purported remarks.

As soon as the House con-

vened in the morning on Monday, angry BJP members were on their feet demanding an apology from Azad for his reported analogy Azad, in his clarification, taking a dig at the BJP said that for the ruling party, “everyone is a terrorist besides themselves”.

He also placed in Parlia-

ment a CD of his speech made at an event on Saturday and read out sections from it, which he said had been distorted by the media to portray that he had compared the IS with the right-wing RSS. “Please listen to the CD and judge, “ he told the House.

Reading out from his speech, Azad said that India is “going through very difficult times” and also applauded the artistes who had returned their awards in protest against "rising intolerance".

He said there is no fight between Hindus and Muslims in the country and that both religions are against radicalism. They are against extremist groups “like” the Islamic State and “We oppose them as much as we oppose the RSS,” the Leader

of Opposition in Rajya Sabha added.

The BJP is welcome to move a privilege motion against him, Azad said, adding “I never compared the two”. He said, “We must oppose all fundamentalist groups, and those who are anti-secular.

All secular minded groups should unite in the fight for secularism..India is for all religions.”

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his response, said that the entire world knows about the IS and its brutality.

“In the whole world, the one group that is spreading terror is the IS – and to compare that to any other organisation…,” he said, adding that Azad has unthinkingly given the IS "respectability" with his remarks. (Agencies)

Vijay Mallya row: Congress gives notice in Rajya Sabha New Delhi, Mar. 14 : The controversy surrounding liquor baron Vijay Mallya who faces charges of money laundering, is set to rock the Parliament today as the Congress Party on Monday gave a notice on the matter in the Rajya Sabha.

The Congress has been attempting to corner the Centre over Mallya saying that the government was framing innocent people while offenders such as the former Kingfisher boss were allowed to leave the country.

"A non-bailable warrant has been issued now. Earlier, a red corner notice was

issued and later withdrawn.

The entire government is trying to frame innocent people. In OROP they have arrested Wing Commander Sharma, Kanhaiya Kumar for falsely indicted. So, the government is hell bent of framing the innocent and they allowed people like Vijay Mallya to leave the country," Digvijay Singh told ANI here.

Earlier, a Hyderabad Court issued non-bailable warrants against Mallya and defunct Kingfisher Airlines' Chief Financial Officer A Raghunath and directed that the duo should be produced before the court on April 13.

The Congress earlier asserted that the liquor baron was 'made to abscond' since a lot of 'powerful' people would be in trouble if he opened his mouth.

"The reason why Mallya was allowed to abscond is because if he is investigated or if he decides to open his mouth, a lot of very powerful people in this county will be without their clothes," Congress leader Manish Tewari told ANI. Mallya, who is currently in the United Kingdom and is being sought out in India over charges of money laundering, claimed that the banks gave him loans after evaluating all aspects, adding that he is not

trying to evade the law enforcement agencies but is on a personal visit.

In an e-mail interview with the Sunday Guardian, the business tycoon said he feels that he has already been branded a criminal in the country and, therefore, it was not the right time for him to return.

The government had earlier told the Supreme Court that Mallya had left India on March 2 following which the bench issued notice to him and sought his response within two weeks on pleas filed by a consortium of banks seeking direction for freezing his passport and his presence before the apex court. (ANI)

Media divided over JNU unrest

Media divided over JNU unrest New Delhi, Mar. 14: The periodical 'Views on News' feels that the media was divided over the recent Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) episode, which broke on March 9 over the raising of 'antinational' slogans in the varsity campus followed by the arrest of students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of sedition.

The February 9 meeting was held to mark the third anniversary of the execution of 2001 Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru.

Some in the print media chose to look at the legal issues involved while some were critical of the BJP-led NDA Government's handling of the situation. The electronic media, however, posed uncomfortable questions relating to Kanhaiya's arrest while some attempted to give it the colour of national outrage.

The entire issue, which should be have been sorted out in the campus, was given a political

colour by a few unwarranted elements, says Ajit Pillai, the author of the leading article..

The attacks on Kanhaiya and journalists covering the proceedings at the Patiala House Court complex by a group of lawyers, who accused the press of being soft towards 'anti-nationals', escalated the matter.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union and the Left Parties who backed students group distanced themselves from those who indulged in anti-national activities.

But the worst part was that instead of attempting to calm down the situation, the leaders of various political parties began the blame game. The government was accused of hyping the incident and using a section of the media to gain political mileage out of the incident.

The ruling BJP at the Centre, however, made its stand clear and said that anti-national activities in the nation would not be tolerated. (ANI)

Ishrat Jahan case: Govt. constitutes high-level team New Delhi, Mar. 14: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday constituted a high-level team headed by Additional Secretary (Home)B.K. Prasad to look into the issue of missing files in the alleged encounter of Ishrat Jahan.

The committee will look into how the draft of the second affidavit went missing and who drafted it.

The Home Minister had last week told the Lok Sabha that many documents related to the preparation of the Ministry of Home Affairs' second affidavit in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case were missing and an internal inquiry had been ordered.

He also said the MHA is conducting an internal inquiry on missing documents from the Ishrat affidavit file.

He further stated that the two letters written by the then home secretary (G.K. Pillai) to the Attorney General are not traceable. The draft of the second affidavit that came from the Attorney General in which the then home minister P. Chidambaram made changes is also missing.

The Gujarat Police on June 15, 2004, shot dead three men and a woman - 19year-old Ishrat Jahan while they were allegedly on a Lashkar mission to assassinate then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh However, a probe conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team found it to be a fake encounter.

According to the Home Ministry officials, the first affidavit in the case was filed on the basis of inputs from Maharashtra and Gujarat Police besides the Intelligence Bureau where it was said that the 19-yearold girl was a Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT) activist but it was ignored in the second affidavit.

The second affidavit, believed to have been drafted

by Chidambaram, said that there was no conclusive evidence to prove that Ishrat was a terrorist.

Former union home secretary G. K. Pillai had claimed that as home minister Chidambaram had recalled the file a month after the original affidavit, which described Ishrat and her slain aides as LeT operatives, was filed in the court. (ANI)

UAE says fighter jet missing in Yemen Dubai, Mar 14: A United Arab Emirates fighter plane taking part in Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has gone missing said the UAE armed forces in a statement today.

The statement was given on the state news agency WAM without giving any further details, reports Dawn.

The statement said that the jet taking part in the fighting was lost.

The coalition of Arab states with Riyadh and entered Yemen's civil war a year ago, in an attempt to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi position after Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh ousted him from power.

As per reports, at least two jets from the alliance have crashed since the start of the campaign.(ANI)

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 15

PAGE 7

NEIGHBOURS

Oli advised to prioritise major deals in China Kathmandu, Mar 14: Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has been advised by senior officials to prioritise bilateral cooperation deals during his upcoming visit to China, the media reported Today.

At a meeting called by Oli on Sunday evening for suggestions ahead of his China visit which begins on March 20, the officials suggested that Nepal should give priority to developing long-

Bangladesh's Daily Star editor secures bail in defamation case Dhaka, Mar.14 : The editor and publisher of the Bangladesh paper -Daily Star - Mahfuz Anam, on Monday secured bail in a five crore Taka defamation case lodged against him in the country's Gazipur District.

Senior Judicial Magistrate of Gazipur Iqbal Masud granted bail after Anam appeared before the court and sought bail.

A defamation case was filed by Gazipur district's education secretary for the ruling Awami League, Amanat Hossain Khan, on February 17.

This defamation case was among the 79 lawsuits filed against the editor in 53 districts, seventeen of which includes petitions that sought to sue Anam for sedition.

The case against Anam began days after he made a comment on a talk show on February 3, about a lapse in his editorial judgment in publishing some reports, based on information given by the Taskforce Interrogation Cell during the 2007-08 caretaker government rule, without being able to verify those independently.

Local and international journalist denounced the cases leveled against him citing barrage on the freedom of expression.

(ANI)

B'desh ministers tender apology over CJ criticism Dhaka, Mar 14 : A senior Bangladeshi cabinet minister today offered an "unconditional apology" a week after the Supreme Court ordered him to personally appear along with another minister to explain their "contemptuous comments" against the Chief Justice over the 1971 war crimes trial.

"My client has sought the court's mercy for his comments as he respects the top court, chief justice and all other justices," food minister Qamrul Islam's counsel Syed Mamun Mahbub said.

The minister's apology came a day ahead of his scheduled appearance in the dock along with liberation war affairs minister A K M Mozammel Haque, summoned by the full bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

But his counsel said he submitted before the court Islam's apology in writing which also sought rescheduling of the date for his appearance as he currently was outside the country on an official tour to Malaysia.

"He will certainly be present if the court fixes a date after March 16 for appearing before it (on his return home)," Mahbub said as Haque's counsel also informed the court that he too would submit a similar plea soon.

The apex court in an unprecedented move on March 8 had summoned the two senior ministers to clarify their "contemptuous comments" for criticising chief justice Sinha over the appeal hearing of Jamaat-e-Islami leader and 1971 war crimes convict Mir Qashem.

Speaking at a discussion on March 5, Islam had called for a new bench that he said should exclude Chief Justice Sinha to hear Qashem's appeal.

Sinha's displeasure at the work of International Crimes Tribunal's investigators and prosecutors in the war crimes cases, including Qashem's, had been seen by Islam as a 'broad hint' that the accused's death penalty may not be upheld, bdnews24.com reported.

Islam had alleged that the chief justice openly spoke in the language of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami by questioning the quality of the war crimes investigation.

Haque supplemented him at the same function saying the chief justice should not be a part of the appeal hearing process against Qashem but their comments sparked an uproar in political and judicial arenas.

"Their (two ministers) comments undermined the dignity and prestige of the Supreme Court and the chief justice's office and their unholy and contemptuous comments stunned the judges of the top court," Sinha said while passing the order summoning the two.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also today snubbed the two ministers for "embarrassing" the government by their remarks saying the government did not agree with their "private comments". (PTI)

term cooperation with China, Xinhua news agency reported.

Former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai emphasised the significance of seeking economic cooperation in the fields of trade, infrastructure development and foreign direct investment in Nepal from China.

Madhav Prasad Ghimire, a former foreign minister, was of the view that the Nepalese leadership should talk to the Chi-

Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma nese side about Nepal's need to diversify its commerce and trade.

"People have high expectations from your visit to

China this time. Our trade and commerce need to be diversified as per the changed context," Ghimire said.

Another former foreign minister, Prakash Chandra Lohani said the prime minister should make efforts towards finalising the Transit and Transportation Agreement as well as an agreement on importing petroleum and gas.

Responding to the suggestions from the former

officials, the prime minister said that he wants to take bilateral relationship with China to a greater height.

"The prime minister said that his visit will be fruitful in enhancing bilateral ties.

He is hopeful that this visit will add a new avenue in fostering our excellent bilateral relationship," the prime minister's foreign relations expert Gopal Khanal said. (IANS)

India, Maldives talk counter-terrorism

India, Maldives talk counter-terrorism

New Delhi, Mar14: Amid concerns over militant groups like ISIS attempting to radicalise its citizens, the Maldives

Monday said it is in talks with India for setting up a bilateral counter-terrorism mechanism to combat the menace.

Maldivian Foreign Secretary Ali Naseer Mohamed, who held talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar over the weekend on a host of issues, said that discussions on setting up such a mechanism were ongoing.

"The mechanism we are discussing with India is a bilateral one and our security and intelligence cooperation is mainly bilateral. It is a continuing discussion. The two countries are sharing ideas on how to make it operational. We have to

work out the details," Ali told reporters here.

He asserted that the Maldives and India have a common interest in stopping radicalisation, counter-terrorism and addressing such issues.

Maldivian High Commissioner to India Ahmed Mohamed said, "There is a discussion between the Indian government and the Maldives on establishing a cross-border mechanism to address this issue and already the Maldives has institutionalised the pro-

cess. We will be soon forming the mechanism."

Asked how many Maldivians are believed to have travelled to West Asia to fight with the Islamic State and other terror groups, the Maldivian foreign secretary said the country's intelligence agencies estimate that the total number of those that have gone to West Asia to engage in "illegal warfare" is less than 40.

Ali said the Maldives feels it is extremely vulnerable to the threat of radicalisation.

(Agencies)

SAARC Council of Minister meeting begins in Pokhara

SAARC Council of Minister meeting begins in Pokhara Pokhara ,Mar.14: The four-day foreign ministerial-level meeting of the 37th South Asian Association Regional Cooperation(SAARC) has begun at Hotel Grand of Pokhara in Kaski district in Nepal today.

A meeting of Joint Secretary -level programme committee is being held on the first day.

The meeting will dwell on road and air network, energy development, cooperation on control of terrorism, poverty alleviation, common trade and youth unem-

ployment, among others reports the Himalayan Times.

Delegates representing different countries of the SAARC are present in the meeting.

India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also be attending the SAARC ministerial meet.

The standing committee of the SAARC, which is a Foreign Secretaries-level forum, will be held on March 16.

These meetings will prepare the ground for the session of Council of Ministers. (ANI)

25 Central Working Committee members elected by Nepali Congress

Myanmar Parliament finalises historic election Nay Pyi Taw, Mar 14: The Myanmar Parliament on Monday finalised preparations for this week's election of the country's next president and vice presidents -- the first candidates nominated democratically following decades of dictatorship in the country.

A committee of the bicameral legislature, formed after democratic elections of November 8 last year, plans to issue later on Monday a report on the suitability of the three candidates vying for the top executive positions in the country, reported the Myanmar Times.

The National League for Democracy, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, wrested majority in

both houses of parliament enabling them to present last week two of the three presidential candidates, with a third being nominated by the army.

Htin Kyaw, the NLD nominee from the lower house, is being touted as the next president in the voting scheduled for Tuesday, EFE news reported.

The other two nominees are Henry Van Thio of the NLD, who has been proposed by the upper house, and Lieutenant General Mying Swe, nominated by the army.

Suu Kyi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1991, explained last week that she nominated Kyaw for his loyalty, training and experience, adding that the ap-

Myanmar Parliament finalises historic election pointment of Thio, who belongs to the Shan ethnic minority, was in the interest of national reconciliation.

A parliamentary committee will assess whether the candidates meet the requirements set by the Constitution, including proof of their long resi-

dence in the country, knowledge of military affairs and no foreign relatives.

Suu Kyi is not eligible to run for president as she married a British professor Michael Aris, who died in 1999, and has two sons, Alexander and Kim, both British passport

holders.

The last Burmese military junta ceded power in 2011 to a like-minded government, led by Thein Sein, a former general of the old regime who initiated a series of political and economic reforms that led to the lifting of sanctions by the European Union and the US in 2011.

The November elections were the first democratic polls after decades of military dictatorship (19622011).

However, the Constitution, approved in 2008, accords the military certain privileges, including 25 per cent reservation in parliament and priority in the selection of the Armed Forces' head and defence and interior ministers.

(Agences)

Heavy rains kill nearly 50 in Pakistan Islamabad, Mar 14: Nearly 50 people have been killed and 80 others injured in Pakistan due to accidents triggered by torrential rains wreaking havoc in the country, officials said on Monday.

The downpour started in Balochistan on Thursday and expanded to other provinces where heavy rainfall has been reported

throughout the weekend, killing 49 people in the country, officials said.

The seasonal downpour began in Balochistan province on Thursday and hit other parts of the country subsequently where sporadic rainfall is still going on.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority

(NDMA), 18 people were killed in Balochistan, 15 in tribal regions, 10 in Punjab and six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Another 80 people were injured and 75 houses destroyed in these rain- affected areas.

Officials said that the death toll may rise as some of these areas may not have been reached by

the authorities so far.

Majority of the people died after their houses collapsed.

There are also reports of heavy damage to wheat crop in south Punjab.

The rain on Monday stopped in most of the areas but the meteorological department has predicted for another heavy rain spell which

may begin by the middle of the week and continue for at least a couple of days. Flash floods in hilly areas are also expected.

Torrential rains and flooding killed over 80 people and affected nearly 300,000 people in the country during the rainy season last summer. (Agences)

China evades reply to presence of its troops in PoK Beijing, Mar 14 : China today dodged a direct response to reports of presence of PLA troops at a forward post in the PoK and said it "regretted" that the media keeps "popping up" stories of incursions into the Indian side of the LAC.

forward post opposite Nowgam sector in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In response to another question on reports of recent incursions of PLA troops on the Indian side in the Ladakh sector, Kong said "there is no such thing as going beyond the border".

"I have not heard about the incident you mentioned," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kong said at a media briefing here, replying to a question about the presence of People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops at a

"We deeply regret that the media keeps popping up the relevant issue.

The bilateral relationship (between India and China) has maintained sound momentum of development. Friendly cooperation is the main-

stream of the bilateral relationship.

"We hope that the relevant media would report objectively about China-India relations and do more to improve the friendly relationship between the two sides," he said.

At the same time Lu reiterated Beijing's stand on the Kashmir issue, saying that "China's position on Kashmir issue is consistent".

tries should properly resolve it through negotiations and consultations," he added.

Asked whether presence of PLA troops is connected to the work related to the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, over which India has conveyed its protest, Lu merely reiterated China's stand on the Kashmir issue.

"We believe that the relevant issue was left over by history between India and Pakistan. We maintain that the two coun-

India has conveyed its protest to China on the corridor connecting China's Xinjiang province with Pakistan's Gwadar port as it goes

through PoK along the Karakoram Highway.

China in the past maintained that the corridor which is part of its Silk Road initiative is aimed at improving the people's livelihoods and in no way affects status of the Kashmir issue.

Both the sides have established Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to discuss the issue of incursions and aggressive border patrols by their troops along the 3,488km long disputed border.(PTI)

25 Central Working Committee members elected by Nepali Congress Kathmandu, Mar.14 : The Nepali Congress (NC)Election Committee on Monday announced the names of 25 candidates who have won the Central Working Committee membership under the open category.

As informed by the election commission of the NC, among the 3148 votes, Shekhar Koirala collected a maximum of 1,848 votes, Khum Bahadur Khadka collected 1,846 votes and Prakash Man Singh collected 1,795 votes, reports the Himalayan Times.

Ninety candidates in total had filed their candidacy in the election for the posts in the Central Working Committee (CWC) held on

March 6.

NC has already elected elected Sher Bahadur Deuba as its new president, Shasanka Koirala as its General Secretary and Sita Devi Yadav as its Treasurer in the recent election at party's 13th General Convention.

Fourteen posts from provincial representation are yet to be finalised and is reported to be finalised in the evening.

However, a Muslim candidate, six women candidates and five candidates from Janajati, Madhesi and Dalit group each has been finalised by the party as of now. (ANI)

Pakistan: FIA releases advertisement asking citizens for proof against RAW Karachi, Mar.14 : The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan has asked its citizens to provide evidence against the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) through advertisements in several leading national dailies.

The move came after Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar announced on Thursday that a committee, comprising members of the FIA, has been formed to investigate allegations raised by Sarfaraz Merchant against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

According to the Express

Tribune, Nisar while addressing a press conference in Islamabad, said that Merchant had alleged the MQM is involved in money-laundering, criminal activities, and has connections with the RAW. He asserted that the ministry has also given advertisements in major national dailies asking people to provide evidence against the MQM. The ministry had on March 8 directed the Pakistan's investigating agency to probe the allegations levelled against the top leadership of the MQM. (ANI)

Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar

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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 15

Think West: Modi's Visit to Saudi Arabia Consumer Rights Customer is the king The issues relating to consumer welfare affects the entire 2.0 billion people residing in every nook and corner of the world since everyone is a consumer in one way or the other. Ensuring consumer welfare is the responsibility of the government. Accepting this, policies have been framed and the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, was introduced. A Photo: blogspot separate Department of Consumer Affairs was also created in the Central and State Governments to exclusively focus on ensuring the rights of consumers as enshrined in the Act. This Act has been regarded as the most progressive, comprehensive and unique piece of legislation. In the last international conference on consumer protection held in Malaysia in 1997, the Indian Consumer Protection Act was described as one "which has set in motion a revolution in the fields of consumer rights, the parallel of which has not been seen anywhere else in the world." The special feature of this Act is to provide speedy and inexpensive redressal to the grievance of the consumer and provide him relief of a specific nature and award compensation wherever appropriate. The aim of the Act is also to ensure the rights of the consumer, viz. the right of choice, safety, information, redressal, public hearing and consumer education. The Act defines the consumer as one who purchases goods and services for his/her use. The user of such goods and service with the permission of the buyer is also a consumer.

However, a person is not a consumer if he purchases goods and services for resale purpose.

After the set up of Consumer Protection Act in India which was set up in lieu of protecting the interest of Indian consumers, it proved to be a milestone in the protecting consumer rights. With the implementation of this act, there arouse the need for establishing a consumer council and several other authorities who would work towards settling the disputes of the consumers and any other connected matters. With the advancement in technology and more practice of electronic transactions, there were need of setting of proper standard policies and laws in linked to the electronic transactions done by the consumer and there were several disputed cases lodged that led to the establishment of E-Commerce Consumer Protection Act. The rights of the consumer are well defined in the established law that are defined by different agencies like Government, the established consumer courts and other voluntary groups that work hand-in-hand in the safeguard of the consumers. These agencies work in accordance to consumer protection act in India. These consumer protection laws have been designed for the safety and transparency of the information of the consumers in the market. These laws also help in any kind of fraud that could happen in any type of business.

Both the Consumer Protection laws and e-Commerce Consumer Protection Act that are formed by the government have also been designed in interest of the consumers.

In this business world it is believed that 'Customer is the king'. And in a way it is true for the trade. If the product is not sold there is a loss. That is why customer rules the market. However, to save the customer from cheating, duplicity of the product and other problems, consumer rights are there to protect them anytime.

Cybercrime Biggest challenge for India With increasing dependency on technology - be it cell phones, tablets or laptops, a new breed of techsavvy fraudsters is coming out with new and more innovative ways of carrying out cyber attacks, thus posing a new set of challenges. Cyber crime has been increasing at an alarming rate in India. The number of cyber crime cases registered under the IT Act in 2011 were 1791, an 85% increase since 2010. Hacking has been one of the most commonly used methods of cyber attack. According to a National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there has been a tremendous rise in the number of hacking incidents reported in India. The number of hacking cases registered under the IT Act increased from 510 in 2010 to 983 in 20111. As per PwC analysis, this number is expected to increase to 1450 in 2013, a 184% since 2010.

As per report, Assam recorded 533 cyber crime cases in 2013 and 2014. According to 2013 data, the incidence of cyber crime jumped by 450 per cent compared to the previous year's figure, recording 154 cyber crime cases, while the number of persons arrested was just two. In 2014, cyber crime rate jumped by 146.10 per cent, with a total of 379 cases. A corresponding improvement, though, marked the number of the arrested, which stood at 351. But the conviction rate was not encouraging. Also according to Cyber Crime Awareness and Victim Counselling Assam (CCAVCA), an NGO engaged in combating cyber crime, dissemination of information for responsible and informed usage of cyber technologies is critical to building capacities to prevent and deal with incidences of cyber crime more effectively. It can be said as the biggest challenge these days with development and access to technology across the globe.

Cyberspace is increasingly being used to radicalize young minds, With increasing inter-connectivity in the world, many challenges are there and thereby must find ways to tackle these challenges and address the security loopholes in the networks,

New Delhi has made no secret of its interest in ties with Riyadh.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a resounding victory in the Indian general elections in 2014, leaders from around the world rushed to congratulate the new prime Kabir ministerelect of the world's biggest democracy. In the Persian Gulf, however, the reaction was cautious. Egypt and Qatar were initially the only two countries from that region to congratulate Modi on his win.

According to analysts in the region, Modi's personal reputation among the public and polity alike in the Gulf has suffered because of the riots between Hindus and Muslims that took place in Gujarat while he was chief minister of the state in 2002.

However, Modi's meeting with Saudi Arabia's sixth king, the late Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia later in 2014 made clear that even if the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had reservations, India was too important to risk upsetting relations.

A trip to Saudi Arabia next month will be Modi's second visit to the Gulf after a previous stop in UAE. It comes at a turbulent time.

The Syrian crisis, the war in Yemen, the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which has helped depress global oil prices, are all events with direct implications for Indian interests.

The India-Saudi relationship has historically been

cordial, based on mutual needs and transactional interests. There are nearly 2.5 million Indians working in Saudi Arabia, and nearly 7 million working in the larger Gulf region.

Taneja India also imports nearly 80 percent of all its oil, with much of it coming from Saudi Arabia.

The two pivotal diplomatic events between Riyadh and New Delhi have taken place within the last decade or so, namely the Delhi declaration (2006) and the Riyadh declaration (2010). The former was a historic moment, as then King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud became the first head of the House of Saud to visit India in 51 years.

During his visit and following consultations with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his administration, the two countries revisited ties to strengthen cooperation and engagement. More importantly, this visit also laid the groundwork for much greater security, intelligence sharing and counterterrorism cooperation.

The new era of relations paid dividends with the 2012 deportation of Syed Zabiuddin Ansari aka Abu Jundal, a wanted name in India with links to the Indian Mujahideen and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-eToiba (LeT). Ansari was accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the 2010 Pune bombing, and was believed to have aided in several other terror strikes across India.

His delivery to India by Saudi Arabia caught many

analysts off guard.

The Delhi and Riyadh declarations clearly played important roles in bridge-building between the two countries. The inclusion of security and counterterrorism elements in bilateral ties is significant, particularly given the influence Riyadh can exert over Pakistan (Pakistan's prime minister and army chief have visited Saudi days before Modi's visit). However, Saudi Arabia is adapt at diplomatic ruses and plays on its core interests in a much brasher manner than India is perhaps used to.

This will pose a challenge for Indian policies towards a more "East-looking" House of Saud, specifically if the question of addressing issues with Pakistan comes heavily into play.

Still, the positive developments have continued. In December last year, the Saudis deported Mohammed Assadullah Khan (aka Abu Sufiyan), a terrorist with established links with LeT. Khan was arrested by Riyadh after Indian and Saudi security agencies shared intelligence. In February this year, Saudi Arabia also deportedone Muhammad Abdul Aziz, known as the "godfather of the jihadist movement in Hyderabad."

Aziz was reportedly on the run for more than ten years. Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force for the first time in August last year made a staging visit to Saudi Arabia while on route to military exercises in the United Kingdom.

This stopover was seen as highly symbolic for India-

Narendra Modi, PM of India (Photo: thediplomat.)

Saudi ties in the security sphere.

'Think West' At a recent speech in New Delhi, India's Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar used the term "Think West" when describing India's policy outreach towards the Gulf. It suggests a new push towards more concrete strategic policies for West Asia.

"If the eastern front is building upon longstanding policy, the western one is relatively more recent conceptually, even if India has had a historical presence in the Gulf. The Indian footprint there has resulted in a community of 7 million that is an impressive source of investment and remittances. But it was an evolutionary happening that was relatively autonomous of strategic calculations. Our energy dependence on the region was also dictated more by mar-

kets than by policy," Jaishankar said. "The interplay among these (Gulf) nations actually offers us new avenues of cooperation. I can confidently predict that 'Act East' would be matched with 'Think West.' " This "Think West" approach may be very timely. Saudi Arabia, like its compatriots in the Gulf, is now actively looking east to develop its core interest, selling oil. As growth in Western economies slows and the U.S. becomes energy self-sufficient thanks to its shale revolution, the markets with the greatest thirst for Middle East's oil lie in Asia, and are led by the likes of China, India, Japan and South Korea. This fact alone now warrants these economies taking a greater interest in the complicated and daunting task of understanding the Middle East in all its complexity.

Meanwhile, Riyadh is increasingly interested in investing abroad. Saudi Aramco, the state's national oil company is reportedly already mulling an investment in Indian refineries to boost its Asian footprint.

Modi's visit is aptly timed to pitch for a larger Saudi economic footprint and to make more space for Indian interests. When King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz died in January last year, New Delhi announced a day of mourning in his honor, signaling the emphasis India was placing on its ties with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-India dynamic is a layered cake, with many levels of agreement and disagreement.

Currently ties are headed in the right direction, and it now remains to be seen what kind of new push, if any, Modi himself can bring to this engagement.

Courtesy: The Diplomat

India Opens Door to Japanese Assistance in Andaman and Nicobar Islands For the first time, India is accepting foreign infrastructure assistance on the strategically important islands.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal, northwest of the pivotal maritime choke point at the Strait of Malacca, are an immensely valuable geopolitical asset for India, particu- Ankit larly as it looks to 'Act East' and play an increasingly more visible role in the eastern Indian Ocean and beyond. The islands host an Indian tri-service command, the first of its kind, positioning them as an important outpost for the Indian military. For the first time, New Delhi has opened the door to collaborating with Japan on developing and upgrading civilian infrastructure on the islands.

The New York Times reports that the two countries are discussing a

modest project to build a 15-megawatt diesel power plant on South Andaman Island. India and Japan have been strategically converging over the past decade, since they declared a StraGlobal Panda tegic Partnership in 2006. As the report notes, by opening talks with Japan, India is shifting on its longstanding policy of rejecting foreign investment on the strategically important and sensitive islands.

Even though the projects in question are "not of a big scale, and not of a big value," according a senior Indian official who spoke to the Times, the acceptance of Japanese assistance is significant in itself.

As their partnership has matured over the years, Japan has become a con-

Venkatesh K via Wikimedia Commons siderable source of foreign investment for major infrastructure initiatives in India. Notably, Tokyo is partly underwriting the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, which is among the largest infrastructure projects in the world.

Moreover, India continues

to be a major recipient of Japanese official development assistance (ODA) loans. Since 2010, Japanese ODA loan aid to India has been increasing every year.

China's increasingly assertive behavior in the East and South China

Seas and its simultaneous pursuit of civilian port infrastructure along the Indian Ocean littoral has in part driven New Delhi and Tokyo closer together. Since 2012, the two states have held regular bilateral naval exercises (JIMEX) and, starting last year, Japan became a permanent member of the U.S.-India Malabar series of exercises. Japan is also in talks to sell New Delhi maritime patrol aircraft, though that deal has run into some roadblocks lately.

From the Times' report, there's little to suggest that Tokyo and New Delhi have broached the subject of possible cooperation on projects that could have military applications in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands soon. Indeed, the coop-

Advertise the sanctioned posts at the earliest.

Image for representational purpose (Photo businesstech)

Sir, Through the column of your daily esteem, I would like to bring to the notice of all the unemployed youths of this state that through some resolute source it has come to my knowledge that 16 posts of UDC and 5 posts of Research Assistant is laying vacant in the Department of Planning. These posts were mean to be advertise for the financial year 2015-16 and the financial year is about to end but still concerned department have not yet advertise those posts. I have an apprehension that the concerned department is trying to adopt the same policy like the other line departments pick and choose policy for their individual benefits which is a common practice being pre-

vailing in our state. Therefore, I on behalf of all the unemployed youths of this state would like to appeal our Honourable Chief Minister, Honourable Governor and Secretary of Planning to intervene in this regard and direct the concerned competent authority to advertise the said posts at the earliest so that every unemployed youths of this state gets the equal opportunity to compete for said posts in a free and fair manner.As unemployment is a serious issue now-a-days, the Government should look onto this matter

eration so far involves Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan's aid agency, which is involved in several projects of a similar nature across India. JICA could become involved in infrastructure projects of a larger scope on the islands in the future now that India has opened the door.

With recent reports also suggesting that the United States and India are nearing an agreement on military logistics cooperation after over a decade of talks, the Andaman Islands may become increasingly visible on Asia's naval landscape over the coming years. That agreement may be concluded during U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's scheduled April visit to India.

Courtesy: The Diplomat

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

Letters to the editor and articles should be sent to : The Eastern Today Chowkidingee, Near Sankardeva Hospital Mancotta Road, Dibrugarh786003 (Assam) Ph: 0373-2328944 Web : Yours etc, Unemployed youth of this state editor.easterntoday@gmail.com

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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 15

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Prospect of Tourism in Changlang District of Arunachal Pradesh Part-II In view of the pathetic economic conditions of the electorates, this district still needs acute attention from the state as well as from the centre from other angles to be able to accommodate their grievances.

Such areas can be tourism sectors if the whole district is brought under the purview of tourism circuits thereby allowing private and public sectors alike to invest in the tourism. There use to be a tourism fest before held under the banner of Namdapha and Pangsau Pass but it had to be stopped for the reason best known financial shortages. Now the moods of the denizens almost remain blunt to participate in these two

events even if there is some scope for resumption of those festivals.

But the only remedy left is with the tourism department to revive such events in future which will not only provide platform for attraction of tourist but will also arise opportunities for employment in tourism sector.

The tourism sector is the only way out where the whole vacuum can be filled up.

The Khimyang circles is one where one can see a salt spring and large cardamom plantations apart from its scenic beauty across the circles.

The horticulture sector that lies in the border with Burma in the North and Assam in the south, Nagaland on the west

and Lohit in the east is also booming. If it is given due importance by the centre then, it will become a revenue generated hubs in the long run.

should directly navigate the projects meant for Border areas development without a middle man as it is not meeting the required targeted vision. No matter how m u c h The state Lomhom Tangha funds be gives funds allocated for Border under area development nor- any heads, it is not going mally called as BADP, to reach the poorest of but one wonders is the the poor unless, the tourdevelopment really hap- ism sectors are given due pening which was meant importance so that the to be utilized for infra- poor citizens can earn structure projects? We their livelihood through as a poor villagers do not the sectors. have much idea about BADP projects, but ac- Also the climatic condicording to some poor vil- tion of Khimyang circle lagers, the state govern- is very much congenial ment are spending the which remains favorable funds through their agen- throughout the year. The cies according to their temperature falls to whims and fancy. The nearly 5 degrees celsius Central Government in the winter and below

20 degrees in the summer providing favorable climate round the clock.

The Khimyang circle too had been upgraded to EAC Headquater but it is heartening to say that the government servant hardly remains in the office premises. The peon is the only person who looks after the property of the offices.

The point is this, if the administration do not function well then where is the medium to expand tourism sectors in such a beautiful place like Khimyang for tourism industry. Another virgin tourist destination is there called Vijoynagar which lies 157kms from Miao sub division in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Khimyang hills (Photo:changlang.nic.in) There are two routes to reach Vijoynagar, one is

by Dibrugarh Airport through small and medium sorties and another route is by Miao sub division either by helicopter or by foot march for six days. The native who lives here are mainly Lisus and

Yobins tribes who had been recently granted Schedule Tribe status in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

However some Gorkhas especially the retired Armies are believed to have settled there right from the rec-

ognition of this circle.

The Vijoynagar which was disconnected from the rest of the world for nearly 40 years had recently been sanctioned a road communication under the ambit of PMGSY recently and is under construction since then.Contd

India's Democracy Is In Grave Danger If We A boom in the business of Continue To Abuse The Sedition Law literary agents in India "With great power, comes with this word. cal." Gandhi himself was great responsibility." The But what does Sedition a victim of this law durquote has been attributed mean? ing the struggle for the to many - from Voltaire For us students of the freedom of India. He eloto Uncle Ben in 'Spider- sciences, we have dealt quently criticised the law Man'. Simply put, it tries with the likes of Ruther- in the following words: to put forward the idea ford and Mendeleev, "Affection cannot be that when manufacone acquires tured or great power, Kasturi Saikia and Bidisha Chetia regulated by he/she needs the law. If to transform himself into Newton and Darwin. But one has no affection for a responsible person and we have never had the a person, one should be understand the impor- good fortune of coming free to give the fullest tance of his thoughts and across sedition and the expression to his disaffecactions, so that his/her various other sections of tion, so long as he does great powers are put to Indian Penal Code. So not contemplate, promote good use and are not li- here, we make an attempt or incite to violence." able to be used for 'bad'. to break this word down. He went on to describe However, history forces The meaning of sedition the law as "the prince us to contemplate if great has been quite vaguely among the political secresponsibility inherently explained even after mul- tions of the Indian Penal tiple amendments to its code designed to supfollows great power?

In the last few days, we definition. And obviously, press liberty of the citihave come across inci- the arbitrariness of it zens." dents where people in important positions - offices with the power to impact the society at large - have gone against this idea and have made matters worse for everyone, including themselves. One might be surprised by the irresponsible way of handling matters pertaining to the events seen unfolding in (Photo: therepublic) Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi resulting in slapping of the gives more power to the Once, during our school charge of sedition, under despotic rulers to use the days, we had to write an Section 124-A of the In- law in their own way essay on 'unity in diversity' dian Penal Code, on some against whoever they in the context of our counwant to. The law of se- try India. Proudly, we of its students. dition dates back to the listed down the various Section 124-A of IPC 1860s, when Thomas languages, religions and reads as : Whoever, by Babington Macaulay ethnic backgrounds of the words, either spoken or drafted the Indian Penal people of the country. The written, or by signs, or by Code for the first time. dance forms, the lanvisible representation, or After the partition of guages and the traditional otherwise, brings or at- British India, it was in- garb of the people of Intempts to bring into ha- herited by its successor dia and the significance tred or contempt, or ex- states, India and Paki- attached to each and evcites or attempts to excite stan. An argument could ery one of these 'diversidisaffection towards the be made that various ties' was included. In spite Government established sections of the IPC are of that, we argued, the by law in India, shall be in contradiction with the national anthem still manpunished with [imprison- Constitution of India, aged to invoke a deep ment for life], to which considering that the lat- sense of pride in all of us fine may be added, or ter had been drafted for which was what kept the with imprisonment which an independent India, sense of unity thriving may extend to three where the idea of a among all these diverse years, to which fine may democratic republic rein- groups. forces the virtues of Jusbe added, or with fine.

Sedition is a word whose tice, Liberty, Equality and As we grew up, we beexistence in the Indian Fraternity, whereas the gan to comprehend the Penal Code has been former is an inheritance intricacies in our definifound objectionable by a of our colonial past. tions of 'unity' and 'diverlot of people. A significant sity'. We began to underlot vehemently oppose it, Even at the time of stand that each region of and yet, a handful of oth- India's struggle for inde- the country had a differers will still support it to pendence and during the ent history attached to it. death, mostly for their making of the Indian There was an explanation own convenience. Be it Constitution, the likes of as to why they were the television, comprising of great visionaries such as way they are. It made us anchors screaming in Mahatma Gandhi and appreciate the complicahigh decibels, or the print Jawaharlal Nehru were cies attached to the differmedia printing the word against the law of sedi- ent issues faced by all the in bold, everyone seems tion dismissing it as "ob- communities and regions to be having quite a time noxious" and "impracti- of the country. And de-

spite these differences, they still feel a sense of belonging to the country called India.

But the people of India today are inquisitive, vibrant and curious. They have realised the limitations of 'rote learning' and want to form ideas of their own. This, of course, will bring along with it a series of questions thus challenging the accepted truths and established practices which may be a little discomforting for the unthinking conformists but isn't that, after all, a sign of progress and a part of the evolution of 'learning'?

The advancement of technology in the era of globalisation has brought an awareness of multiculturalism among people because of which they can analyse a situation today in a more critical manner, thus raising important and fundamental questions while also challenging stereotypes and prejudices. The young mind no longer look at an issue from a single perspective but from a spectrum of them. The younger lot is seeking sensible answers. And this is exactly where the older (and supposedly, the wiser) lot, which holds the seat of power at the centre, the Government, that is, falters.

After independence, there was a realisation to look at the law of sedition closely, lest it be against the freedom of one's expression or speech. Some may argue that there has to be a limit to what a person can say or cannot say. True, in fact, everyone should exercise the right amount of control over which words flow out of their mouth.

And when it comes to questioning your country and its rulers, there lies a very thin line of difference between dissent and treason. But unless we have a proper understanding of the meaning of both the terms and what they stand for, it would be highly inappropriate to term anything as 'sedition' and slap charges against the common man in the name of the law. Political dissent may sometimes go to the extent of using violence.

And that is exactly when

laws such as sedition are required to come into play.

However, we must not forget that peaceful dissent on the other hand, is the mark of a free society which is inevitable for a nation state to grow. It is worth noting here that the country which gave us this law of sedition the United Kingdom - has itself done away with this law citing the reason that even the occasional use of this law may have a negative impact on the freedom of speech of a citizen.

The government often resorts to force and takes the easy way out to maintain what is known as 'public order'. But they should be able to face the perpetrators head on. For that, they should be able to identify a real perpetrator. They should be able to differentiate between a 'misdemeanour' and a 'heinous crime'.

This calls for an importatnt role that needs to be played by the other state organs such as the judiciary. A horizontal set of checks and balances is the need of the hour, lest the executive become nothing but a despotic branch. It is the constitutional duty of the government to strike a balance between the security of the state and the rights of individuals without having to compromise one for the other.

It is time we come out of the narrow closet of ideas of 'nationalism' and 'Indian Culture', and prevent ourselves from putting the larger goals such as upholding the principles of democracy at stake. For it will be a dangerous delusion if we continue to believe that the use or rather, the abuse of a law as arbitrary as Section 124-A of IPC cannot drive the people of the nation into a revolution and a dreadful retaliation against the state. Today, in this context, let us remember the constitution makers of our country who painstakingly made the longest written constitution in the world, leaving it to their successors to redesign the document with a changing world.

Courtesy: Youthkiawaaz

They may be new on the timers - a majority of Indian literary firmament, these with established but they are here to stay. publishers."In the first For publishers looking to month of 2016 itself, we bet on the next, potential were close to selling 20 new titles," big selling aus a y s thor, Aditya Gargi Gupta Kanishka Mukherjee would seem to tick all the Gupta. right boxes - he is an Mita Kapur's Siyahi too, MBA from an IIM, a reports a good year with start-up entrepreneur and 31 new authors, and anhis 2013 book Boomtown other 10 who've come is a pacey, good read. back to it with fresh Yet, when he'd finished manuscripts. Siyahi has writing Boomtown, also made 51 deals - 13 Mukherjee had little idea for international rights, 14 what to do. He didn't translation rights and 24 know any commissioning India rights. Literary editors, how to get his agents not just ensure a manuscript across to book finds a publisher, but them, or make sure they also negotiate translation read it. Being the enter- rights, the rights for other prising kind, he read up markets, film and TV on the subject and de- rights, and now, gaming, cided that he needed an says Kapur. agent to represent him. What is driving the rise He got himself one - of literary agents? "LiterMumbai-based Purple ary agents are essential

been edited. Often, agents just throw everything at you, hoping some of it will stick. There's no real qualitative difference from unsolicited submissions," she says, pointing to how established agents in the West have fullfledged editorial teams, work with authors and build relationship of trust with publishers. "It's still a nascent phenomenon here," she says. Which is perhaps why so many well-known Indian authors - Rana Dasgupta, Vikram Seth, Pankaj Mishra, Amitav Ghosh, Aravind Adiga, Arundhati Roy, et al - work with agents abroad.

"Uneven or poor quality is a matter of taste," counters Gupta of Writer's Side. "Also, if quality was of so much importance, then all titles liked by com-

Image for representational purpose (Photo: static.dnaindia.)

Folio, started by Urmila Dasgupta, and in three months, he had a deal with Rupa.

Purple Folio is just one of several literary agents that have opened shop in India in recent years.

Prominent among these are Kanishka Gupta's Writer's Side and Red Ink, started by Anuj Bahri who runs the popular Bahrisons book store in Delhi. Then there are Siyahi by Mita Kapur and Jacaranda; AitkenAlexander Associates India, the local chapter of a leading UK-based agency, and Priya Doraiswamy's Lotus Lane Literary, which operates out of New Jersey.

Business is booming, if you go by the business the agents report. In 2015, Writer's Side notched 100 deals for its authors, 37 of them first-

in a publishing ecosystem where it is increasingly a writers' market and publishers are preferring to source represented manuscripts rather than unsolicited submissions.

It is a win-win scenario," says independent publishing consultant Jaya Bhattacharji Rose. In line with practices in the West, publishers like Hachette in India too have stopped accepting unsolicited submissions.

With so many people writing books these days Kapur gets eight-nine manuscripts a day, 95 per cent of which she rejects - the life of agents is a busy one.

While agents are useful, one leading publisher who does not want to be identified, said that in terms of quality they are of questionable value. "Many a time, the manuscripts that agents send haven't even

mission editors should be backed with offers. In reality, some of these good books don't get past sales and marketing teams," he adds.

Dasgupta of Purple Folio feels the problem in India is the lack of a sustainable revenue model for agents, who typically get 10%20% of advance. Given the poor quality of most first drafts, she says, agents often need to put in a lot of work to rewrite or suggest changes, doing the same work that a publishers' commissioning agent would do. "But when it comes to an Indian agent, what happens to that feedback and those cheques for a rewrite? There is no salary and the commission is pitiful, but ask for a fee and you are immediately lambasted for being a crook.

Why?".

Courtesy: Dnaindia

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 15

BUSINESS

Air India join hands for three Boeing 777s worth $155 million Bengaluru, Mar 14: Air India has tied up loans worth $155 million (over Rs 1,000 crore) to make pre-delivery payment for three Boeing 777 planes, amid the national carrier making efforts to expand its fleet with new aircraft.

The airline, which is making efforts to turn around its fortunes, is expected to start inducting the three new aircraft in early 2018.

Currently, the carrier has 15 Boeing 777s in its fleet - 12 of them B777300ERs and the rest B777200LRs. A senior official said the carrier will take loan to the tune of $155 million from Deutsche Bank at a "very competitive" interest rate towards making pre-delivery pay-

Govt. increase drugs under price control to over 800 formulations Bengaluru, Mar 18: The government has increased the number of drugs under price control to over 800 formulations, bringing medicines used for treatment of diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, analgesics and cardiovascular diseases under its purview. Officially confirming addition of over 200 formulations under price cap, the Department of Pharmaceuticals has notified amendment of the Schedule I of Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2013 for substituting the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) 2011 by NLEM 2015.

"Earlier 628 drug formulations were under price control under NLEM 2011, now it has been increased to over 800," said a senior official.

When asked for comment on its implications on the pharma sector, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance Secretary General D.G. Shah said: "The exact impact on the industry will be known only when the average ceiling price on these drugs, which have been brought under the control, is decided by NPPA." The process of fixing the ceiling prices could take another two months, the official said.

In December 2015, a core committee constituted by the Health Ministry had added 106 medicines while 70 were deleted in a revision of the NLEM 2011 and expanding the list of national list of essential medicines to 376 from 348. The 106 drugs added to the national list of essential medicines included that for Cancer, HIV/AIDS, cardiology and Hepatitis C among others. A variety of drug formulations are derived from these essential medicines, which satisfy the priority healthcare needs of the population and are listed with reference to the various levels of healthcare namely primary, secondary and tertiary. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is mandated to fix or revise prices of controlled bulk drugs, formulations and to enforce prices and availability of the medicines in the country besides monitoring prices of decontrolled drugs in order to keep them at reasonable levels.

(Agencies)

ment for three Boeing-777 planes. The three aircraft are to be delivered to the carrier between JanuaryMarch, 2018.

In December last year, Air India had sought proposals from banks and financial institutions for loan towards pre-delivery payment requirements for three Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft. Under the terms of the agreement signed with Boeing Company, Air India has to pay 15 per cent of the gross cost of the aircraft as advance payment 24 months prior to delivery.

Earlier, the carrier had sought deferment of the delivery of the three Boeing 777-300ER planes,

A JOINT VENTURE Air India has tied up loans worth $155 million (over Rs 1,000 crore) to make pre-delivery payment for three Boeing 777 planes, amid the national carrier making efforts to expand its fleet with new aircraft.

Image for representational purpose only. (Photo: policymantra)

The three aircraft are to be delivered to the carrier between January-March, 2018. In December last year, Air India had sought proposals from banks and financial institutions for loan towards pre-delivery payment requirements for three Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft.

The airline, which is making efforts to turn around its fortunes, is expected to start inducting the three new aircraft in early 2018. Currently, the carrier has 15 Boeing 777s in its fleet - 12 of them B777-300ERs and the rest B777-200LRs.

Earlier, the carrier had sought deferment of the delivery of the three Boeing 777-300ER planes, which are part of its 68-aircraft order placed with the US aircraft-maker in 2006.

It had placed orders with Boeing for 68 aircraft - 27 Dreamliners, 15 B777300ERs, eight B777-200LRs and 18 B-737-800s. The airline has so far taken delivery of 21 Dreamliners, 12 777-300ERs, eight B777200LRs and 18 B-737-800s

which are part of its 68aircraft order placed with the US aircraft-maker in

2006. It had placed orders with Boeing for 68 aircraft - 27 Dreamliners, 15 B777-

300ERs, eight B777200LRs and 18 B-737800s. The airline has so

far taken delivery of 21 Dreamliners, 12 777300ERs, eight B777200LRs and 18 B-737800s. Following the downturn in the global aviation sector, the delivery of three B777-300ERs was postponed in 2008 as there was no "cancellation" clause in the original purchase agreement with Boeing Company.

Then in September 2015, Air India decided to take delivery of the remaining three planes as per the 2006 purchase agreement while rejecting a proposal, made by Boeing, to convert them into single-aisle planes. The US aircraftmaker had offered that it would convert the order into that for 11 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. (Agencies)

Tariff rates to be increased as service tax levy on spectrum: Cellular Operators Association Mumbai, Mar 14: Industry body COAI said the proposal in Finance Bill 2016 to declare spectrum allocations as services will result in a tax burden of Rs 77,000 crore for operators and is likely to hurt consumers as they have to pay higher tariff rates if the load passed on to them.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) further said this will also have an adverse impact on the government's 'Digital India' initiative and financial inclusion plan. "The service tax levy on spectrum assignment means that during auctions lined up for June-July, where reserve price is around Rs 5.36 lakh crore, the indus-

Image for representational purpose only. (Photo: gstindia)

try will have to cough up minimum Rs 77,000 crore as a service tax. This is a substantial financial burden on the industry which is reeling under debt," the COAI said in a statement.

The Finance Bill 2016 has

proposed that assignment of spectrum and subsequent transfer thereof to be declared as a service under Section 66E of the Finance Act, 1994. It has said that all government services have been made

liable to service tax and to be paid by the recipient on a reverse charge basis with effect from April 1, 2016. "If the costs were to be passed on to the end consumer, it would not only result in a significant increase in the cost of telephone services, but also have an adverse impact on the Digital India initiative, as well as, the financial inclusion plan of the government," the COAI said.

Further, the government has proposed that the Cenvat Credit of the tax so imposed on such assignment is proposed to be deferred over the life of the licence period. The COAI said deferral of credits will mean that the industry will be burdened by a minimum effective

cost of Rs 40,000 50,000 crore. "It is worth noting that what is meant to be a 'zero cost' in the cenvat credit system for any operator who has adequate output service tax, will convert up to a 71 per cent cost of the tax imposed.

The cost on account of deferral of credit would severely impact the health of the telecom industry," the industry body said.

Credits of service tax imposed in respect of received services are available immediately on receipt of invoice or payments for services. Even in case of capital goods, benefit of credit is available within an average period of six months, over two financial years, the COAI said. (Agencies)

190 days is the new limited time for obtaining environmental clearance for projects New Delhi, Mar 14: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the NDA government has brought down to 190 days the time taken for obtaining environmental clearance for projects, from the 600 days that it took during the UPA rule.

He said the Centre's aim is to further reduce this period to 100 days. "During the UPA government, the average period for environment clearance was 600 days.

However, my ministry has now removed the delay and reduced the period to 190 days. The government wants to further reduce it to 100

days," the Environment Minister said in a press conference here. Claiming that Modi Government has approved hundreds of development projects in the last 21 months by striking a balance between environment protection and development, Javadekar said, "We will not just provide ease of doing business as usual, but we will provide ease of doing responsible business without any delay and that is our assurance."

While listing out the key projects in Maharashtra, which have got approvals of his ministry, Javadekar said, "Mumbai

Coastal Road project, which was pending for years, has been cleared and will help reduce the pollution of Mumbai and will give boost to the public transport."

"Then, the proposed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial in the Arabian Sea. It was promised by the UPA but it could not deliver it. The project has received a nod from our ministry," he said.

Javadekar added that projects like Sewri-Nhava Sheva Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, many coal mining projects, sewage treatment

Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar. (Photo: livemint)

project for Mula-Mutha river in Pune, two landing of JNPT freight railway and many road projects in the state have received clearances from the ministry.

"The government is committed for environmental safety and sustainable development by providing adequate safeguards," Javadekar said.

(Agencies)

PAGE 10

Kundariya assures to talk to PM

Gujarat MP and Union minister, Mohan Kundariya.

(Photo: intoday)

Ahmedabad, Mar 14: Gujarat MP and Union minister Mohan Kundariya said he will take up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the excise duty issue raised by striking jewellers in an effort to resolve the matter. The Lok Sabha MP from Rajkot said he will take along other MPs from Gujarat, a major gems and jewellery hub, for a meeting with Modi. Kundariya met the agitating jewellers in Rajkot, around 200 km from here. Jewellers across Gujarat and other parts of the country are on an indefinite strike since the last ten days to protest the proposed 1 per cent excise duty on gold and diamond jewellery and also mandatory PAN card clause for purchases of Rs 2 lakh and above. After meeting the

jewellers, Kundariya told reporters that both BJP as well as the Center is trying hard to resolve the issue.

"Being the MP of Rajkot, I met these jewellers today to know their problems. Jewellers across India are agitating against the proposed excise duty. I have told them that both BJP as well as the Central government are trying their best to find a solution." "In the coming days, all the MPs from Gujarat will meet the PM and make a representation about this issue.

We will see this issue is resolved," said Kundariya, the minister of state for agriculture. Jewellers are demanding a rollback of the proposed excise duty (made in Union Budget) and also the decision to make mandatory the PAN card clause.

(Agencies)

Outlook for telecom sector revised by Ind-Ra New Delhi, Mar 14: India Ratings and Research revised its outlook for telecommunications services to stable-to-negative from stable for 2016-17 as it expects the introduction of Reliance Jio to intensify competition, squeezing market share and operating profitability or EDBITA margins of existing players.

"Ind-Ra expects competitive intensity to increase as Reliance Jio contends for market share out of the existing pie of subscribers which are being serviced by incumbent operators. Data market will be first to face the impact of increased competition resulting in a decline in data average revenue per users," according to a report by the ratings agency. India Ratings expects voice revenue to moderate in the coming financial year on stagnant minutes of usage due to market maturity and further competition in call realizations. Data tariffs will also see a major correction due to the launch of Reliance Jio, it said, adding that the benefits from higher data volumes as well as subscriber growth will be "back-ended." Additionally, the operators' debt profile will deteriorate as they are likely to incur high capex on

Image for representational purpose only. (Photo: trak)

network expansion and acquisition of additional spectrum through trading, largely to compete with Reliance Jio. "The competitive intensity will increase as Reliance Jio readies for a launch backed by a cashrich parent‌Reliance Jio has incurred aggregate prelaunch capex of around $15 billion (Rs 980 billion) signifying the magnitude of its potential reach and capabilities," according to the report. Further, spectrum is expected to drive consolidation in the sector, helped by recent guidelines allowing spectrum sharing and trading transactions within industry participants. This will help smaller players to monetise their spectrum assets while bigger players enhance their spectrum holdings, it said. "A few spectrum trading deals were reported in FY16 which will gain further momentum in FY17," according to the report. (Agencies)

50 better looking 'zero base' mobile sites Mercedes-Benz to boost up to be installed by BSNL sale by 'Luxedrive' New Delhi, Mar 14: To demonstrate that communication can be delivered with good aesthetics, state-run BSNL plans to install 50 'zero base' mobile towers, which are better looking and multi-functional. The concept of a 'zero site' is that it can be used as a wi-fi hotspot, street light and camera and the radio units can be hidden inside the pole or underneath.

"We are focusing on zero base towers as if you see in India, the skyline is scattered with so many towers and it sometimes become an eyesore. We are also looking for a tower which could have multi functionalities like it can work as an wi-fi hotspot, it can work as a light emission tower, it can work as a camera plus

tower," said BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava.

He said during his recent visit to Mobile World Congress, he witnessed solutions provided by equipment makers Nokia,

Ericsson, Huawei and ZTE regarding the zero base towers. "We will ask for quotes from all these players for zero base towers...Initially we will begin with 50 towers to demonstrate that how

ZERO BASE MOBILE SITES To demonstrate that communication can be delivered with good aesthetics, state-run BSNL plans to install 50 'zero base' mobile towers, which are better looking and multi-functional.

The concept of a 'zero site' is that it can be used as a wi-fi hotspot, street light and camera and the radio units can be hidden inside the pole or underneath.

BSNL is focusing on zero base towers as if you see in India, the skyline is scattered with so many towers and it sometimes become an eyesore. They are also looking for a tower which could have multi functionalities like it can work as an wi-fi hotspot, it can work as a light emission tower, it can work as a camera plus tower.

communication can be delivered with good aesthetics and good looking features," Shrivastava said. He added the cost will be a little higher than normal towers but as active infrastructure is allowed to be shared, the cost can also be shared among the operators and the city can look much cleaner.

"Slowly we can replace all ugly looking towers which are spoiling the skyline to a very good camouflaged eye soothing towers," he added. The companies are expected to submit their quotes in March and in next six months, BSNL will come out with some kind of concept for the same. The average cost to set up a mobile tower is anywhere between Rs 8-10 lakh.

(Agencies)

Kolkata, Mar 14: India's largest luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz, kickstarted its customer engagement programme LuxeDrive - in Kolkata.

The event which focuses on adrenaline, gourmet and design offers a distinguished luxury brand experience to existing and prospective customers through thrilling drive experiences in the car, cuisine and fashion. After Kolkata, LuxeDrive will travel to Vizag Vijaywada, Chennai, Bengaluru and Nasik.

Speaking about the event, Roland Folger, managing director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, "Kolkata is emerging as a key luxury destination and an important market for us increasingly. This market has given an impetus

to the overall luxury market in the eastern part of the country. We have witnessed a strong preference for our products in this market and we have posted a strong double digit growth in 2015," he said.

LuxeDrive, Folger explained, was aimed at providing a unique luxury opportunity to discerning guests and potential patrons, to experience a comprehensive luxury experience that is synonymous with the Three Pointed Star. "Our philosophy is to engage with our guests through such platforms and enhance the affinity towards a marquee brand like MercedesBenz. We intend in 'Winning' the hearts and minds of our guests and brand enthusiasts by creating

new avenues of customer fascination and delight," he said, The LuxeDrive showcased the technical expertise and superior performance of MercedesBenz range of vehicles, through a series of selfdriving exercises on a specially designed test track. Managed by a team of expert drivers, various vehicle dynamics and features were experienced by participants in both offroad and on-road conditions.

Fashion label 'Gauri Khan Designs' done up by Gauri Khan, who associated with Mercedes-Benz for the first time, created high levels of excitement among guests. Additionally, the culinary delicacies whipped up by the talented chef Ritu Dalmia pampered the guests at LuxeDrive. (Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 15

Features

PAGE 11

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE Eat blueberries to keep Alzheimer's at bay Common causes of lower back pain ANI There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease, but treatments are available to help delay its development. Now, a recent study has found that the blueberry, already labeled a 'super fruit,' can be the new weapon in the war against this condition.

The fruit is loaded with healthful antioxidants and these substances could help prevent the devastating effects of this increasingly common form of dementia, the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center scientists reported.

Team leader Robert Krikorian said that the new findings corroborate

cial effects could be due to flavonoids called anthocyanins, which have been shown to improve animals' cognition.

Eating blueberries can help in treating Alzheimer's disease (Photo: medicalnewstoday)

those of previous animal studies and preliminary human studies, adding further support to the notion that blueberries can

have a real benefit in improving memory and cognitive function in some older adults. He noted that blueberries' benefi-

The team conducted two human studies to follow up on earlier clinical trials.

Krikorian said the two studies indicate that blueberries may be more effective in treating patients with cognitive impairments, but may not show measurable benefit for those with minor memory issues or who have not yet developed cognitive problems. The study is presented at the 251st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Active surveillance recommended for low-risk prostate cancer who didn't suffer from prostate cancer were also studied.

Image for representational purpose only (Photo: aninews) ANI For most men with lowrisk prostate cancer, Active Surveillance (AS) with regular testing to check for cancer growth instead of immediate curative treatment like surgery or radiotherapy leads to a better overall quality of life, as per a recent study.

In fact, the Quality of life (QoL) is about the same as for men who do not have cancer.

Detailed questionnaires followed the quality of life of 427 patients (out of the 628 originally contacted), aged between 66-69 who were diagnosed with lowrisk prostate cancer and were followed up for between 5 and 10 years after initial diagnosis.

121 of the patients chose active surveillance, whereas 74 had surgery and 232 had radiotherapy.

A reference group of 204 men of the same ages

Lead author Dr Lionne Venderbos from Erasmus University Medical Center said that they found that men on active surveillance experienced better prostate-related health than men who underwent radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy.

This showed up as better urinary function, less urinary incontinence and better sexual function.

Furthermore, he added that they found that the quality of life of men on active surveillance was similar to a group of men without prostate cancer.

This is interesting because men on active surveillance still live with untreated cancer as compared to men in the reference group who do not have cancer. The monitoring combined with in-

Simple natural remedies for treating Eczema!

Dealing with skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis can be tough considering the unbearable discomfort that an individual has to go through.

Eczema, also known as dermatitis, is a medical condition in which the skin becomes inflamed or irritated. Symptoms range from skin rashes to bumpy rashes or skin swelling, redness, blisters, dark colored patches of skin, dry and sensitive skin, itching, oozing.

While there is no known cure for eczema, there are treatments aiming to control symptoms.

Below are a few natural remedies that are thought to be effective in managing this medical condition: *Apply coconut oil onto the affected areas and let it dry. Make sure that your hands are clean and rinsed with water. You can use this home remedy throughout the day as required. *Apply a thin layer of honey on the affected areas. You can leave it on

for 20-30 minutes then rinse off with cool water.

Reapply whenever you feel like it. *Another home remedy for eczema is cornstarch and oil. You can mix cornstarch with oil to make a paste. Apply this to over

a peeler. Boil them till they are soft to make a paste. Apply this paste to affected areas and leave it on for 15 minutes.

Rinse with cool water. *Mix turmeric powder with water to cleanse the affected areas.

Applying coconut oil on affected parts (Photo: cdn.vkool)

affected areas and let it stay for 20 minutes.

Rinse it off with warm water. Using a clean towel, pat them dry. Repeat as required. *Aloe vera gel is another useful remedy for eczema. It is even effective when mixed with vitamin E oil. *Take 2-3 organic carrots and peel them using

Curcumin, the active ingredient found in turmeric contains anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties. *One thing that individuals with eczema need to keep in their mind is keeping their baths and showers under 10 minutes because excessive bathing removes the oils that keep the skin moist.

Almost everyone has lower back pain at some point in their lives. Having low back pain can be intense and can make you impossible to perform your tasks.

While the exact cause of the pain is not clear, a back muscle strain or ligament strain can cause acute lower back pain.

Sometimes, trauma such as a fall or an automobile accident can lead to lower back pain.

Here are some of the factors that can possible cause low back pain: *Strains - Heavy lifting may strain back muscles and spinal ligaments, simultaneously making

time to sit on to complete the tasks should learn to bend properly to help decrease the pressure on the spine.

Poor sitting posture is one of the common causes of lower back pain (Photo: idealphysicaltherapy) your low back pain. *Poor sitting postures is one of the culprits for low back pain.

Poor posture can put unnecessary pressure on

your discs and cause low back pain. *Frequent forward bending can be another mistake as it can increase pressure on your spine.

People whose jobs require extreme amounts of

To keep your back healthy or prevent back pain, you should learn to improve your physical condition while practicing a proper body mechanics.

Besides that, it is important to know the factors that can trigger the pain.

Health benefits of Tulsi

formation on the low-risk nature of men their disease may partly explain the similar quality of life.

Venderbos further said that when choosing treatment, it is important that men think about the potential side-effects that are related to immediate curative treatment, like becoming incontinent or losing the ability to have an erection.

When considering active surveillance they should try to imagine whether living with untreated cancer would cause any stress or that the follow-up visits lead to stress instead of reassurance. Balancing the advantages and disadvantages per type of treatment, will make that a man choose that type of treatment that fits his wishes and preferences best. The study is presented at European Association of Urology 2016, Munich.

*Degenerative conditions such as spinal stenosis, arthritis can cause lower back pain. Other conditions like spondylitis, spondylosis, kidney and bladder problems, pregnancy, cancer can result in lower back pain.

Tulsi, the magical herb (Photo: ndtvimg) Tulsi is also known as the queen of herbs. Due to its holistic properties Tulsi is widely used in many ayurvedic and naturopathic medicines. Not only its leaves but also its flower has the properties to fight a number of diseases.

A single Tulsi plant can help you get rid of ten health problems.

1. Fever: The juice of Tulsi leaves is very useful as it helps to bring

down the fever.

2. Common Cold: Chewing Tulsi leaves on an empty stomach will help you get rid of cold and flu.

3. Sore throat: Boil few Tulsi leaves in your drinking water and use it for gargling in case of a sore throat. It is also very useful for the patients who are suffering from asthma and bronchitis.

4. Headache: Headache due to heat is very common. So just make a

paste of the basil leaves and sandalwood and apply it to the forehead. Its cooling effects will definitely make you feel relaxed and calm.

5. Eye problems: Black basil juice plays a very important role for eyes diseases. A few drops of black basil juice in the eyes can cure sore eyes.

6. Dental problem: Mix the dried leaves of basil powder with mustard oil to make a paste, mas-

sage your gums with that paste and you can also use this paste for brushing your teeth as it will help to prevent bad breath and disease like pyorrhea.

7. Skin disorder: The juice of basil can also be used to cure several skin problems such as - leucoderma. 8. Insect bites: Insect bites are very common especially during the monsoon season, hence the paste of the root of basil can be applied on that area where insect bites with its stings.

9. Kidney stone: A mixture of honey and juice of basil leaves will result in expelling renal stones through the urinary tract.

10. Reduces stress: Nowadays, stress is very common in our day-today life. If you don't want to have a stressful life then try to eat 12 leaves of basil on a daily basis.

These leaves work as an "adaptogen" or anti-stress agent. (Agencies)

5 Tasty Recipes from Mizoram Mizoram is among the north the pork, chopped chilly eastern states loved by and pour a small amount of tourists for the amazing and water. Simmer after putting diverse natural splendor. a lid on the pan. When the The hilly landlocked state dish gets dry, add the baby has a population of mixed spinach leaves and stir. ethnicity that is Serve with seamwelcoming and Arnab Ghosh ing rice or sticky hospitable in rice. nature. Even the cuisine of Chhum Han Mizoram is quite enchant- This is one of the most ing. It is hardly as fiery or popular vegetable dishes in tangy like that of neighbor- Mizoram households. This ing states. They use both is a preparation of mixed vegetables and animal meat steamed vegetables that to make tasty dishes. Local can be served with rice. You herbs are also used to make will need ingredients like a Mizo dishes. The major cup of Broccoli florets, 2 cooking methods used are cups of chopped Cabbage, steaming and boiling.

2 sliced carrots, chopped Below listed are 5 popular tomatoes, shredded ginger dishes in Mizoram: and salt.

Mizo Vawksa At first, steam all the vegThis is basically stir fried etables together. You may smoked pork with Baby even microwave them. The Spinach and Oyster Mush- heat water in pan and add rooms. You will need chopped tomatoes and ginSmoked pork chunks, ger. Simmer for some time. crushed garlic, ginger, Oys- Then add steamed vegter mushrooms, chopped etables along with salt.

Green chilly, salt and pep- Cook for a few minutes and per to cook this dish. serve the dish hot.

At first, you will have to Misa Mach Poora shred the smoked pork This is a tasty grilled shrimp chunks into smaller pieces. dish popular in Mizoram.

Heat up some oil in pan and You will need half a pound sautĂŠ fry the crushed gin- of shrimp, salt, two dozen ger and garlic for a while. Peppercorns, Mustard Oil, Then add the cleaned oys- Coriander Powder, Lime ter mushrooms and sprinkle Juice and Pepper Powder. salt. After a few minutes add At first, you will have to

Lip smacking dishes of Mizoram (Photo: nelive) peel, clean and devein the shrimps. Marinate the cleaned shrimp in a mixture of turmeric powder and salt for some time. Boil water and put the coriander powder and peppercorns in it.

Then add the shrimps and cook for a while. The drain the water and place shrimps in a bowl. Pour a small amount of oil on boiled shrimps. Heat a frying pan and pour some oil in it. Grill the shrimp on both sides.

Before serving the shrimp, you can sprinkle lime juice on top.

Cauliflower Stalk Bai

Bai is a major dish in Mizoram and here are quite a few variations of it. This is a tasty Bai dish you can try. You will need Cauliflower stalks, florets, cubed potatoes, Green Beans, Red Chillies, salt and cooked rice. You will also need small amount of baking soda.

At first you need to boil salt and baking soda in water.

Then add the rice and stir for some minutes. Next, pour all other ingredients.

Cook till everything become soft and mashed. Adjust the salt as per need before serving.

Hmarcha Rawt This is tangy and spicy chilly chutney Mizo people prefer having with main dishes. Hmarcha Rawt is also quite easy to prepare and takes just a few minutes. You will require green and red chillies, salt, raw onions and a dash of grated ginger.

You will have to roast the chilies on a tawa slightly.

Then grind the chilies to make a paste. Mix this with chopped raw onions and grated ginger. Mix it well and serve with meals. Courtesy: Nelive

cmyk

cmyk

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 15

PAGE 12

Rohit Sharma completes hattrick at ESPN Cricinfo Awards PTI New Delhi, Mar 14 : Flamboyant opener Rohit Sharma today won the prestigious Maruti Suzuki ESPN Cricinfo award for the third year in a row with recently-retired Black Caps legend Brendon McCullum winning the newly constituted 'Captain of the Year' award.

The awards were given for stand out performances across three formats for the year 2015.

Rohit, who has won the award for his ODI double hundreds in 2013 and 2014, has won it this time for playing the 'T20 Innings of the Year'.

Rohit's innings of 106 against South Africa at Dharamsala, has been

been constituted this year but we will be continuing with it from now on," ESPN Cricinfo editor Sambit Bal told PTI.

Rohit Sharma rated as the best batting effort after voting from an eminent jury panel comprising former international captains like Ian Chappell, Courtney Walsh, John Wright, Mahela Jayawardene.

The others in the panel were Ajit Agarkar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Russell

Arnold, Mark Nicholas.

McCullum, who retired this year after breaking Viv Richards' 30-year old record for fastest Test hundred, deservingly got 'Captain of The Year' award for leading New Zealand to ICC World Cup final.

"This is an award that has

Wenger upset by Arsenal's FA Cup exit

Arsene Wenger ANI Johannesburg, Mar 14 : Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that he felt 'sad' after his side's hopes of winning the FA Cup title for a third consecutive year

were crushed following a 21 quarterfinal loss to Watford at the Emirates Stadium.

Second-half goals from Odion Ighalo and Adlene Guedioura were enough for

Watford to book their place in the semifinals.

Wenger, whose side replied through substitute Danny Welbeck with two minutes left, said that their fantastic run came to an end on a day where they felt that their performance deserved a win, Sport24 reported.

With the defeat, Arsenal's hopes of clinching silverware this season seem to be fading fast as they are eight points behind leaders Leicester City at the top of the Premier League and are trailing 2-0 against Barcelona in the Champions League with second leg to be played on Wednesday.

Hazlewood believes Australia should play more T20 games ANI Johannesburg, Mar.14 : Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood believes that his side are lagging behind the other teams when it comes to the shortest format of the game, suggesting that his T20 side would serve better if they play more matches before heading into big tournaments.

Hazlewood's comments came after his side suffered a threewicket defeat at the hands of weakened West Indies in the warm-up match on Sunday ahead of the World T20.

The 25-year-old said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side had prepared well for the tournament by playing a lot of T20 games, Sport24 reported.

Hazlewood, however, said that his side were getting better in the format, but added

The award for 'Best Test Innings' went to current New Zealand captain Kane Williamson for his 242 against Sri Lanka at Wellington.

"This was one category where there was a close fight between Williamson and Dinesh Chandimal's

Tim Southee's 7/33 against England in a World Cup game in Wellington was the best ODI bowling effort, while David Wiese's 5/23 against West Indies got him award for best bowling in T20 Internationals.

Mustafizur Rahaman was adjudged Best Debutant of the year for his stellar show against India in ODIs last year.

Schumacher wanted to `disappear` from public eye before tragic accident ANI Melbourne, Mar 14 : Michael Schumacher's manager has revealed that the Formula One legend wanted to vanish from public attention months before his tragic skiing accident.

Sabine Kehm said that the Schumacher had expressed his wish to disappear from the media spotlight during a lengthy conversation with the German, news.com.au reported.

She added that it was for the same reason that both she and Schumacher's family have remained tight-lipped about his cur-

Michael Schumacher rent condition.

Schumacher, who has a record 91-race wins, has been going through his painfully slow recovery at his Swiss lakeside home after being injured while skiing during a French Alps vacation.

Klitschko-Fury rematch likely to be held in June ANI Johannesburg, Mar 14 : Former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko's management has confirmed that they are in negotiations with current champion Tyson Fury to hold a rematch in Austria which is likely to take place on June 4.

Josh Hazlewood that there was still a room for improvement.

Fellow paceman John Hastings also expressed his views on their preparation for their upcoming T20 pinnacle campaign.

Hastings said that Australia

Mirza-Hingis end Indian Wells campaign with shock loss

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis ANI Indian Wells, USA, Mar 14 : Defending champions Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis crashed out of the Indian Wells Masters after suffering a shock straight sets defeat in the women's doubles event here on Monday.

The top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair suffered a 7-6(7), 6-4 defeat at the hands of American-Russian

England fast bowler Stuart Broad won the 'Best Test bowling' award by biggest margin of votes for his demolition act of 8/15 in the fourth Ashes Test in Nottingham where Australia were shot out for 60 in first innings.

match-winning hundred against India at Galle," Bal said.

The ODI's innings of the year award went to AB De Villiers for his world record hundred off 31 balls against West Indies at Johannesburg. De Villiers scored 149 in that innings.

duo of Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva in the second round contest that lasted one hour and 32 minutes.

This was Mirza and Hingis' first straight-sets loss since the summer of 2015.

Mirza and Hingis' 41-match winning streak came to a halt after they were beaten in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open last month.

had got a pretty settled T20 team after the South Africa tour, adding that he hopes that the players would execute their skills well in the tournament.

Australia will begin their World T20 campaign against New Zealand at HPCA Stadium Dharamsala on March 18.

The Ukrainian boxer saw his nine-year reign as world champion come to an end after suffering a unanimous points defeat against Fury, who claimed the WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight titles in Dusseldorf last

Cricket Club of Dibrugarh, Pioneers win Sports Reporter Amar Das took two wick- before being all out.

Dibrugarh, March. 14: ets each conceding 12 and Rohit Paswan and Cricket Club of 20 runs respectively.

Pradip Pandey scored 11 Dibrugarh (Green) beat In reply, Navarang runs each.

Navarang Sangha by 57 Sangha were bundled out runs in the Rajanu Bora for 46 in 14 overs. Rajiv For Pioneers Club, Ebu Second division cricket Shah scored 30 off 21 Hussain claimed three tournament organized by balls with two bound- wickets for 17 runs in 4 Dibrugarh District aries. Amar Das contrib- overs. Zibran Hussain, Sports Association at uted 12 runs.

Ahasen Ali and A.R. DDSA stadium ahman B-Division Cricket tournament R here today. took two Batting first, CCD For CCD, Pankaj Saikia wickets each.

(Green) scored 103 all out bagged five wickets for 9 In reply, Pioneers Club in 17.4 overs. Ritutraj runs in 3 overs. Debojit eased past the target in Gogoi scored 35 off 37 Baruah took four wick- 15 overs by scoring 84 balls, hitting four bound- ets conceding 7 runs in runs losing three wickaries while Diganta 4 overs. ets. Gitu Singh scored Talukdar contributed 34 37 off 37 balls with four off 37 balls, slamming In another, match Pio- boundaries while four boundaries. neers Club defeated Ahasen Ali contributed For Navarang Sangha, Navoyuk Sangha by 15 runs.

Subhadeep Ghosh hauled seven wickets. Electing Rahul Verma took two six wickets for 19 runs in to bat, Navoyuk Sangha wickets for Navoyuk 4 overs. Amit Mondal and scored 82 in 17.5 overs Sangha.

Kristina Mladenovic rips into `cheater` Sharapova over drug violation ANI Melbourne, Mar 14 : French tennis player Kristina Mladenovic has launched a blistering tirade on Maria Sharapova, saying that the beleaguered Russian is being viewed as a ' cheater' after she tested positive for a banned drug at this year's Australian Open.

Mladenovic admitted that Sharapova's revelations made her think whether the five-time Grand Slam deserved what she had won until now, news.com.au reported.

The 22-year-old continued her relentless attack saying that Sharapova has no excuse for what she had done, adding that the Russian tennis star was neither 'nice nor polite'.

She, however, expressed her satisfaction over the efficient functioning of the anti-doping program from which not even topplayers can escape from being caught.

Earlier in the week,

Kristina Mladenovic Sharapova announced that she had tested positive for meldonium, the banned substance which she had been taking since 2006 for health issues.

Meldonium was placed on the banned list by the World Anti-Doping Agency from this year.

Following the announcement, Sharapova has been provisionally suspended

from the sport by the International Tennis Federation and saw major sponsors like Nike, Tag Heuer and Porsche sever ties with the Russian.

The former world number one had also dismissed suggestions that she was warned five times about changes to tennis antidoping rules before testing positive.

Mike Tyson`s Las Vegas palace up for grabs Wladimir Klitschko

November, Sport24 reported.

However, Klitschko had announced that he would invoke his contractual option of a rematch against Fury in a bid to avenge the shocking loss.

ANI Washington D.C., Mar. 14 : Mike Tyson is thinking of a change, so he is selling his huge Las Vegas palace for 1.5 million dollars.

The 49-year-old boxer has lived in the 5,800-squarefoot pad since 2008, but now he is moving out of the five bedroom, six bathroom mansion for a

bigger place, reports TMZ.com.

Mike Tyson

His mansion also has three fireplaces, a wine cellar, media room, hot tub, infinity pool and a waterfall in the front entry way.

Tyson's realtor claimed that the whole place was remodeled earlier this year.

India commence WT20 title bid with NZ game PTI Nagpur, Mar 14 : The superb build-up run has made India the clear favourites for an unprecedented second World Twenty20 title but the in-form hosts will have to guard against complacency when they take on a spirited New Zealand in their campaignopener here on Tuesday.

No host country has won the T20 world title in the last five editions and none has repeated a title triumph, but India's settled combination, led

by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and familiarity with the conditions

make them the odds-on favourites to script history.

The 2007 Champions, India go into the Super 10 Group 2 clash against New Zealand with their tails up as the number one ranked team in the world.

India have been on a roll in the shortest form of the game, winning their last seven outings which included a 3-0 whitewash of World 50-over champions Australia in the latter's backyard.

They then went on to win the Asia Cup on a canter after beating Sri Lanka at home 2-1.

The five consecutive

India cricket team

wins in Dhaka, including in the summit clash against Bangladesh that led to their continental supremacy in the T20 game, has given the team a huge morale boost.

However, Dhoni's men

will be wary of the fact that they have never beaten New Zealand in T20s in four outings in the past including once during their stunning title run in the inaugural edition in 2007 in South Africa.

But in home conditions, India would be a big threat to the rest of the competitors, including New Zealand.

The minor hiccup in India's build-up to this competition was their loss to South Africa by four runs in a practice match and this was perhaps a wake-up call for the team to avoid being complacent.

India do have the wherewithal and the personnel to script history and a win in Tuesday's opening game at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha would give them the ideal momentum to take

on the challenges ahead head-on.

Virat Kohli has been in terrific form, in the last two months. On top of his game, the Test skipper has made four halfcenturies in seven innings, and two other scores in the 40s, besides leading four successful run-chases.

With an average of over 50 after 38 matches, he remains one of the players who will be feared by the opposition along with the equally talented Rohit Sharma who is set to play in his sixth WT20 championship.

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