16th feb 2016

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ASSENG/2015/64205

Vol. 1

Issue 250

US-ASEAN SUMMIT: PREPARING FOR A NEW NORMAL

Dibrugarh, Tuesday, February 16, 2016

PASSPORT ITANAGAR

SEVA

Page 8

ET CAPSULES

KPLT cadre nabbed Diphu, Feb 15: Diphu police arrested one KPLT (Karbi Peoples Liberation Tiger) cadre after injuring him near Diphu town when he came to collect pay-off amount from a school teacher today afternoon.

According to police of Diphu town outpost, they had previous information about the extortion demand.

A school teacher, Pancham Singha was asked over to pay a certain amount of extortion sum allegedly by KPLT militants at a location in Taralangso village near Diphu town where the 42 Karbi Youth Festival is scheduled to begin from tomorrow. Diphu Police laid an ambush near the place and around 1.00 PM when the cadre draw closer to collect the money police tried to grab him but ultimately had to shoot him near his left knee to overpower him. Police has identified the cadre as Rukason Timung (35) and has been admitted in Diphu civil hospital for treatment.

(Correspondent)

Students appeared in HS Exams Golaghat, Feb 15: The students enthusiastically gave their first paper of HS Examination 2016 in all the streams. The students of Arts Science and Commerce gave the exam after a lot preparation. Their number of students appeared in the HS exam are- as 6647 in Arts, 774 in science, 484 in Commerce and 37 in Vocational.

Dr. Subhalakshmi Rajkumari gave her best wishes to all 7870 students of Golaghat District. (Correspondent)

NPCC Ltd. donates vehicle Aalo Feb 15: In a simple ceremony that held in the office premise of the District Medical Officer, an ambulance meant for Mechuka Community Health Centre was handed by West Siang DMO, Dr. Marbom Basar today.

The said ambulance was donated by National Projects Construction Corporation Ltd., a government of India Enterprise under Ministry of water resources Guwahati, under CSR scheme. The ambulance will fulfill the long felt need to cater services of the people of Mechuka sub-division for emergency purpose.

(DIPRO)

KENDRA

Price -

5.00

IN

19% DECLINE IN JANUARY'S PASSENGER CAR EXPORTS FROM INDIA

JNU ROW: GOVT. ISSUES CLARIFICATION, SAYS ACTION ONLY AGAINST 'ANTINATIONAL' PROTESTS

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Dissident MLAs stake claim to Lawyers attack scribes, form the Government in Arunachal JNU students, teachers A staff Reporter Itanagar, Feb 15

A Joint delegation of 32 members of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly led by Kalikho Pul along with leader of Opposition Tamiyo Taga called on the Governor, JP Rajkhowa at Gandhi Hall, Raj Bhavan, Itanagar today and submitted a Memorandum staking claim to form the Government in the state.

A day before yesterday, the deposed Chief Minister of the state, Nabam Tuki has said any such move of installing a government comprising dissident Congress MLAs and BJP by revoking President's rule in the state will be "completely unconstitutional". It will be in violation of law as the matter is already before the Supreme Court he contended and warned of political instability and law and order problems in Arunachal Pradesh if a "khichdi" government is formed in the state.

The former Chief Minister accused Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, of conspiring with the dissident Congress MLAs. “He has sponsored the MLAs, providing security to them and destabilising my government. He had succeeded in it, he said.

A press release from the Raj Bhawan today stated that the

WILL ARUNACHAL SEE A LIGHT? Governor has assured the joint delegation of 32 MLAs to put forward their claims to form the Government to the President of India for information and direction if any after duly examining and consulting legal experts.

Governor has assured the joint delegation of 32 MLAs to put forward their claims to form the Government to the President of India for information and direction if any after duly examining and consulting legal experts.

The statement added that it is for the President of India to make a decision on reviving the life of the Assembly by revoking the suspension order and also to revoke the President Rule.

The Governor hoped that there will be a stable, solid and democratically elected people’s Government in the State on revocation of the President Rule, the statement added.

On 14 February 2016, APCC President Padi Richo in a letter to the Governor urged him not to allow the dissident

Deposed Chief Minister, Tuki has warned of political instability and law and order problems in Arunachal Pradesh if a "khichdi" government is formed in the state. group to form government.

“The case regarding the 14 disqualified MLAs is pending in Supreme Court," APCC President Padi Richo said. "Tuki is having a majority in the CLP and no other person, whether any MLA or disqualified person, can claim to be the leader of CLP or approach your good office for staking claim, even with the support of any other political party, Richo added.

Leader of the Opposition, Taga, who also came along with other 10 BJP MLAs, submitted a Memorandum stating unconditional support to Kalikho Pul. “In affirmation of this support (their support) to Kalikho Pul, we, the eleven members belonging to the BJP in the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly,

Contd. on Page 3

AP YC responses to Pul's claim over Govt A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Feb 15

The Arunachal Pradesh Youth Congress (APYC) ridiculed the stake claimed by Kalikho Pul – who has been expelled from the Congress party - to form the government in Arunachal Pradesh.

The APYC claimed that the self-proclaimed chief ministerial candidate of the dissident Congress MLAs, Khaliko Pul, has already been expelled from the Congress party and the matter is sub-judice in the Supreme Court, and further questioned on how an expelled person could be invited to form the government. "This will be unconstitutional and a mockery of democracy", opined the Congress frontal wing.

Gabriel Denwang Wangsu and Wanglam Sawin.

elections had to be discontinued.

Arunachal BJP today decided to keep close watch on the possibilities of Government formation amidst the battle in the Supreme Court. A press statement from the party informed that the they are gearing up the party organization activities across the state and the state team shall be immediately leaving for 55-Khonsa East and 58-(ST) Kanubari (ST) Assembly constituencies to assess the preparedness of the local party units for the upcoming bye-elections in view of the rejection of the petition by the supreme court filed by the disqualified MLAs Shri

In an extended State Office Bearers meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party Arunachal Pradesh held at the party HQ, Itanagar today decided that the party District units will be reorganized where ever the organizational elections could not be conducted and they shall be asked to function as fullfledged District units as party activities has to be carried forward uninterruptedly.

The meeting was presided by the State President Tai Tagak while State Office Bearers, Morcha Heads and other senior leaders were present in the meeting.

The party reiterated its stand that the fluid political situation forced upon the state is the handiwork of the Congress infightings dishonoring the mandate given by the people during the last elections held on April 09, 2014.

The party in charges of the respective Districts will soon be moved into the Districts to assess situations for consensus opinions where the District

The press release stated that the previous Congress state govt. spearheaded by former CM Nabam Tuki have been in

Violence broke out in the Patiala House court complex when groups of lawyers on Monday thrashed journalists and students and teachers of JNU while the political slugfest over the arrest of the university's student leader snowballed with BJP chief Amit Shah targeting Rahul and Sonia Gandhi on the issue The Congress hit back at Shah, saying those once "externed by the Supreme Court over criminal charges" should not teach patriotism to the party, which has played a "stellar role" in freedom move-

On the penultimate day of competitions, India continued to be perched at the top with 289 medals (173 gold, 86 silver and 30 bronze) PTI Guwahati, Feb 15

Arunachal Pradesh is all set to host the upcoming Film, NorthEast 2016, scheduled to be held here from February 17 to 20 next at Annex Lawn, Indira Gandhi Park.

The boxers hardly broke a sweat to scoop all the seven gold medals up for grabs, while shooters ended their campaign with an outstanding tally of 25 gold medals to ensure that India’s reign at the top remained unhindered in the 12th South Asian Games in Guwahati on Monday.

cmyk

Contd. on Page 4

A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Feb 15

The four-day film extravaganza is being organized by Film Secretariat and Film Federation of Arunachal (FFA) and is being sponsored by the Arunachal Government.

Boxer Shiva Thapa (IND) and W Ruwan Thilina (SRI) in action during final men boxing match of ongoing 12th South Asian Games in Shillong. Pic - UB Photos

As many as 75 films from Northeast India will be screened during the festival which includes six films of Aribam Syam Sharma - a legendry film maker from Manipur, three children’s

ment.

Rahul himself attacked the BJP and RSS, saying they do not have respect for diversity of the nation's culture and wanted to control everyone's views In a significant turn in the probe, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi said police have so far found "no evidence linking the LeT" to the controversial event at the JNU to mark protest against hanging of Afzal Guru that triggered the crisis The Delhi Police a few days ago had pinned a purported tweet of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed in an alert over Twitter

As a result of which the factional feuds in the Congress got deeper and deeper despite people’s mandate. Therefore, the BJP expressed concern over the situations as to how the previous Congress Government had cheated the people, the release added.

films, 10 films from SRFTI, Kolkata, and the best film from host state, informed festival director Moji Riba in a press conference held today at Arunachal Press Club.

Besides the film screening events, side events are also in line like workshop on pitching films and accessing funding and one-on-one proposal evaluation by NFDC deputy general manager Raja Chinnal, workshop on sound design by SRFTI Prof. Abhimonyu Deb, and others.

The festival will also have competitive sections of short films, documentary, feature films, and debut feature respectively. Eight feature film

He justified the arrest of Kumar, claiming that he had raised anti-national slogans during the event.

On the ground, the JNU students on Monday boycotted classes while teachers decided to follow suit from tomorrow.

Continue and More stories Page 6

ultimately had to commit suicide,” Gandhi said while addressing a rally here.

“The same thing happened in IIT where a certain group of students speak something about the Dalits and what the Centre does is they tag them as anti-national,” he added.

Gandhi also voiced his support for Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, presently in police custody after being arrested on charges of sedition.

Contd. on Page 3

trouble since February 28, 2014 mega reshuffle and imposed simultaneous poll in the state with the sudden dissolution of State Assembly just a day after the announcement of Lok Sabha poll by the ECI on March 05, 2014 while the State Assembly Budget session was meanwhile taking place from March 04-10, 2014 and got reduced to March 06, 2014.

asking students not to get carried away by anti-India rhetoric. On Sunday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had claimed that the JNU event had the backing of Saeed that set off a storm of protests from the Opposition

Rahul Gandhi takes on RSS, says ‘murderers’ can’t preach nationalism

Affirming that Nabam Tuki is the only CLP leader as desired by the AICC and the rank and file of the party, the APYC assured that he has the support of 31 Congress MLAs,

Arunachal BJP gears up for upcoming Bye-Election in Khonsa East & Kanubari Assembly Constituency A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Feb 15

PTI New Delhi, Feb 15

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Jorhat. Pic - UB Photos ANI Jorhat , Feb 15

Launching a scathing attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the people, who shot dead Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi, are not well placed to preach others about the concept of nationalism.

The Congress vice-president, who arrived here today on a two-day visit to Assam, alleged that it was the people from the RSS, who shot three bullets in the chest of Mahatma Gandhi.

“These are the same people, who used to ask for forgiveness

Boxers, shooters’ golden sweep Arunachal Pradesh set to host the keeps India on top at SAG Film Festival, NorthEast 2016

On the penultimate day of competitions, the Indian contingent continued to be perched at the top with 289 medals (173 gold, 86 silver and 30 bronze).

Pages- 12

entries, nine debut feature entries, 22 short film entries and 17 documentaries will be screened, informed Riba. The winner of the short, debut feature and documentary film will bag trophy and cash award of Rs 2 lakhs each while the winner of feature film will bag cash award of Rs 5 lakh along with a trophy.

To celebrate the maiden Film, NorthEast 2016 festival, which Riba disclosed will be a biannual event, in a grand manner reputed artist and performances like River Symphony, Nise Meruno - classical pianist, Thang Ta, Taba Chake-finger style guitarist, Borkung Hrangkhawl- Rapper from Tripura, etc will perform during the award ceremony.

in front of the British. And today these people are telling others to take the license of nationalism from them. I don’t need any license from such people,” said Gandhi.

“I want to tell these people the more they try to suppress the youth of this country, the more they try to force their ideology, the youth of this country will stand against you in the same manner,” he added.

He also used the recent JNU incident to target the RSS. “What the government is doing is they call a student in Hyderabad University (Rohith Vemula) as ‘anti-national’ and order the university to throw him out of the campus. They pressurise him so much that he

“The JNU president gave a very good speech of about 20 minutes where he talked about the poor, the marginalised section of the society. What the BJP-led Centre does is calls him ‘anti-national’ and arrests him. Wherever the youth talk against the RSS, their ideology, they tag them as anti-national,” said Gandhi.

“It seems that they have the license of nationalism. Only they can say that who is ‘nationalist’ and who is ‘anti-national’,” he added.

The Congress vice-president also used the occasion to reach out to the people in poll-bound Assam, saying the people associated with the RSS come to the state and voice opinion that there should be one ideology in the entire nation.

Contd. on Page 4

BJP supporters protest outside district office Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, Feb 15

BJP on Monday once again found itself amidst in house protest after supporters of the saffron party from Digboi protested outside parties district office opposing Suren Phukan candidature from digboi. This protest is a result of the unofficial leakage of party candidates names which was later denied by BJP district president Sarbananda Sonowal.

Speaking to ET correspondent BJP spokesperson from

Tinsukia district Manoj Bora said that party members were opposed to giving ticket to Suren Phukan and insisted to field a candidate from tea tribe community.

Their reasoning was that if a non tea tribe community candidate is given ticket party will loose this seat, Bora added.

He said that party district president have noted that their concerns. They were told that their concens will be raised before appropriate authority after which they turned calm, said Bora.

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Dalam Studio Near parking stand Khonsa

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

ASTRO FOR YOU Aries Today you will land up in a tricky or hazardous situation. You will feel compelled to wade against the tide, which may not be such a productive thing. Nothing seems to be going your way. Take some time off for yourself to relieve the stress.

Taurus Today you are going to focus on enhancing your looks and appearances. Instead of trying to seek satisfaction from within yourself you will be flaunting your fine clothes, your hairstyles. A visit to a beauty parlour cannot be ruled out. Your new looks will make you tremendously confident and impressive and will make others see you in a now light. Have no fears. You have a great day ahead.

Gemini Even though it is for your own benefit, you will spend the day safeguarding the sentiments of others. Not too uncharacteristic, but unusual nonetheless. For most part of the day, you will be away from your family, mostly on a trip for business or leisure purposes.

Today, family takes a backseat and having a successful career will be the only thing on your mind.

Cancer The workaholic Bull will have more on their plate than they can chew. They will be under so much work pressure that their otherwise robust shoulders may wilt under pressure. You need to take it easy, and learn to say no. Also, this is just a temporary phase and as long as you stay cool, nothing can defeat you.

Leo You will relentlessly try to find means to progress at the workplace today. You will remain steadfast in your resolutions. You will not allow those working under you to slack. You will need to let go of your inhibitions and fears to be happy in life. You will receive the benifice of highly placed superiors.

Virgo Confidently take on the challenges that in all likelihood will test your business abilities, especially the ones that are related to your investments and monetary matters. You will most probably come up with novel ideas to solve long-pending issues, and this will be very effective.

Libra Your social status will increase now. Today is an auspicious day for venturing in new business or changing your profession. For those involved in the fields of interior designing, or running beauty parlours, now is an especially bountiful time for making progress in your business.

Scorpio You are a visionary and today you work towards building a successful future. But, expecting an instant result would be unfair. You need to have patience to bring in those dynamic changes in your life. Wait and watch, the patience would reap sweet fruits!

Sagittarius The cloud of worries is likely to keep you gloomy today. Try to burst that cloud, and take a decision that would help you to solve your troubles. There may be some delay, if you want the situation to get back to normal. However, you would be the one who would benefit at the end of the day!

Capricorn Not everyday is the same day. And, today is one of those days when you feel extremely confused. While you won’t be able to get rid off negative emotions, your hard work will be paid off and lay a strong foundation for future. You’ll not understand whether to feel good about your achievements or experience sadness of confusion.

Aquarius Cooperative and supportive, your colleagues will help you improve your performance at work. Also, your creativity will win you praises from one and all. The day will have a perfect end as you will spend quality time with your friends and family.

Pisces Ferdinand the Bull would be the cartoon character that would most aptly describe you today. Calmness will be second nature to you, and wisdom will ooze from your pores.

Communal harmony is something dear to your heart, and your amenability will see you achieve it.

PRASAR BHARATI (India's Public Service Broadcaster) ALL INDIA RADIO : DIBRUGARH (M.W.529.1m/KHz567 F.M. 101.30 MHz) Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights 16-2-16 (TUESDAY) 5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti (Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-30 A.M-Bidyarthir Anusthan 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Highlights of 12th South Asian Games 8-30 A.M-North East News Bulletin in English 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi (Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-00 A.M-Jilar Rehrup 9-05 A.M- Antara (Composite Programme of Hindi Film Songs) 12-15 P.M-Teacher's Broadcast 12-30 P.M-Geetimanjani 1-10 P.M-Troops Programme 1-50 P.M-Adhunik Geet 2-30 P.M-Western Music 3-10 P.M-Selfie From North East 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 4-45 P.M-News for Arunachal Pradesh 5-00 P.M- Live Coverage of Closing Ceremony of 12th South Asian Games 7-15 P.M- Live Coverage of Closing Ceremony of 12th South Asian Games (Continued) 9-30 P.M-Sahitya Kanan Sd-/H.O.P

BURNING EFFIGY OF RAHUL GANDHI

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ABVP stages protest at Titabor ET Correspondent Jorhat, Feb 15: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students’ wing of BJP took out a protest procession before over Rahul’s visit to Titabor shouting ‘Rahul Murdabad’ for supporting Afjal Guru, the kingpin of Parliament Attack.

The ABVP protesters carried placards, BJP flags near the venue of the Congress rally where after an hour Rahul Gandhi along with the Chief Minister of Assam, APCCI president Anjan Dutta was about to address the gathering.

All protesters were cor-

Operation Sadbhawna conducted free veterinary aid camp in Doomdooma ET Correspondent Doomdooma, Feb 15: As a part of operation Sadbhawna a free veterinary aid camp was conducted by the Dao division of Indian Army at Talpathar village. Army and civil veterinary doctors rendered free service in the camp which benefitted the residents of 12 villages of the area.

A total of 614 domestic animals and 3519 poultry birds were treated in the camp.

Free medicines and vaccines were provided to the livestock to prevent the diseases.

Complaint against BSF officials ET Correspondent Dhubri, Feb 15: A case was filed today in the court of Dhubri Chief Judicial Magistrate against BSF officials by Minu Begum of Patamari border village under Dhubri police station of the district. She alleged in the complain that some BSF officials picked up three motor bikes from her residence and misbehaved with her. However, a BSF official denied the allegation leveled by the Minu Begum.

doned off by the security forces and a number of 22 ABVP members were arrested and did not allow them further to spoil the atmosphere where over seventy thousand people gathered around the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex Titabor, waiting for the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

According to eye witness, it was due to timely action taken by the security forces which further did not allow for a clash between the two Congress and non-congress.

The arrested ABVP are likely to be released by late at night after random interrogation.

Mega Miss Assam 2016 beauty contest Risha Sarmah (1st Runners Up) Sheng Lung Nayani (Winner) and Meghna Baruah (2nd Runners Up) at Dibrugarh.

Pic - UB Photos

CM Tarun Gogoi Prospects 7th Medical College in Assam ET Correspondent Nagaon, Feb 15: Prospects of a 7th Medical College in the state became bright when Chief minister Tarun Gogoi accompanied by Rackybul Hussain, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister, Dr. Nazrul Islam, Health Minister, Dr. Durlav Chamuah, local M.L.A. and Gautam Bora, M.L.A laid the foun-

dation stone of a medical college at Mahakhuli, about 3 kms from Nagaon. The decision to open the college in Nagaon is the outcome of a commitment made by the chief minister made during his budgetary speech about six years back. In his speech the CM castigated his bête noire Himanta Biswa Sarma holding the view that the latter was responsible for

creating mess in health sector.

It may be mentioned here that the site was earlier selected for running the District Headquarters hospital, Bhogeswari Phukanani Civil Hospital, by shifting the latter from the building where it is now functioning and for which infrastructure was built about 18 years ago. However, the Civil

Hospital cannot be shifted to the site and instead an urban health centre was opened here and for many years the infrastructure was too used for accommodation of military and paramilitary forces stationed in the town to quell extremist related violence. Later the government also declared its intention to open a paramedical college on the site.

Tai Language Teachers Deprived for Twenty Year ET Correspondent Golaghat, Feb 15: Another picture of Government’s attitude towards appointment of teachers is barely exposed.

In a press meet this picture was exposed by the All Assam Selected Non Appointed Tai Language Teachers Association. The Association’s General Secretary, Madan Burhagohain in the press meet at Pragati Chora in Golaghat stated that one hundred selected Tai Language Teachers have been deprived from appointment by three governments for Twenty years.

He told that in the year

1995 the government led

by Hiteswar Saikia conducted examination in response to the demand of Purbanchal Tai Sahitya Sabha for appointment of Tai Language teachers in the areas of the state where majority of Ahom community people lived. As per the instruction Purbanchal Tai Sahitya Sabha sent lists of qualifying candidates to the government but due to objection raised by the Tai Ahom Students Union regarding the list the government withheld appointments.

After that, this organisation was formed and both Purbanchal Tai

Sahitya Sabha and All Assam Selected Non Appointed Tai Language Teachers Association began to raise their demand for appointment. In the year 1999 the Asom Gana Parishad led State government responded to the demand and conducted interview for the said posts .

But later the AGP Government cancelled all appointments. Again in the year 2001 when Tarun Gogoi led congress government came into power conducted district wise interviews but no further step was taken. Thus the selected one hundred teachers have been deprived for the last twenty

years. In the press meet one remarkable point was stated that out of one hundred selected Tai Language Teachers some of them are expired without getting appointment.

Madan Burhagohain criticized present CM Tarun Gogoi as Anti Ahom CM as they had a faith on him as an Ahom and thus he would understand their problem and gave them justice. He added that the Tai language is a connecting language of South East Asian countries and the state government such ignorant attitude is really unfortunate and shameful.

Political temperature in Doomdooma ET Correspondent Doomdooma, feb 15: The political temperature has gone high in Doomdooma along with entire Assam ahead Legislative Assembly poll that is to be held in the coming months. The 125 no. Doomdooma Constituency was in bag of

Congress since independence but in the 2011 election the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP ) won the election and Dilip Moran became the MLA. It is important to mention here that before him Durga Bhumij from Congress was MLA and in 2011 when he did not get

the party ticket, he contested as independent candidate and due to division of votes between the Congress Candidate Rupesh Gowala, who is the secretary Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS )and him , the crown of victory went to the BJP MLA .

Durga Bhumij is still a powerful leader of Tea Tribes and popular among Hindi and Bengali community.

The Congress has expelled Bhumij for six years though later he was brought again to Con-

gress. The committee has instructed that Durga Bhumij and Rupesh Gowala both will work for the victory of Congress yet the common man is not convinced.

A cold war for Congress candidature is on between both and is known to public.

Preparation afoot for celebration of Ali Aye Ligang to strengthen Adi-Mishing brotherhood Spl Correspondent Pasighat, Feb 15: The preparation for Ali Aye Ligang festival which will be celebrated here at Solung Ground on 17th February Wednesday to strengthen Adi-Mishing brotherhood of both Arunachal and Assam are afoot.

ABVP activist burning effigy of AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi for politicizing the JNU incident in Dibrugarh. Pic - ET Photo

BEAUTIES IN DIBRUGARH

While briefing the importance of celebrating Ali Aye Ligang of Mishings here at Arunachal and Solung of Adis at Assam, Okom Yosung, President, Ali Aye Ligang Festival Celebration Committee, said that, this effort of celebrating Ali Aye

Ligang here is to strengthen Adi-Mishing brotherhood and its greater unification.

He also said that, Ali Aye Ligang was celebrated here last year and Solung was also celebrated at Jonai, Assam and the trend will continue.

In this effort of Adi-Mishing unification, parent organization of Adis, Adi Baane Kebang, Arunachal and Mishings of Mishing Baane Kebang, Assam, several other frontal organizations of both the tribes are actively making it successful. Adis of Arunachal living across the foothills of Siang and Dibang valley, Mishings of

Assam living across the flood plains of Brahmaputra are said to be having same origin records of which are still intake in the migration tract history of Adis. Kangir Jamoh, President, ABK and Promananda Chaigia, President, Mishing Baane Kebang are gracing the festival as Chief Guest and Guest of honour, informed Yosung who is playing pivotal role in unification of Adis and Mishings.

Ali- Aye-Ligang is an agriculture-based festival of the Misings celebrated on the first Wednesday of ‘Fagun’

(between January and February) month every year. The literal meaning of Ali- AyeLigang stands for first sow-

ing of roots and fruits in which ‘Ali’ stands for seeds, ‘Aye’ for Fruits and ‘Ligang’ for sowing.

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

PAGE 3

WASE uprooted opium Passport Seva Kendra in Itanagar plantation at GTC Pasighat ET Correspondent Itanagar, Feb 15: Making Passport is a hard situation that everyone need to face.

But with the establishment of the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh today, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has kept its assurance of providing PSKs to all Northeast states of India within early 2016.

Addressing officials and media persons at the inaugural function, Guwahati Regional Passport Officer B Bhushan Kumar informed that the PSK would reduce the painstaking hours of travel as the centre would cater to all passport-related services to the people of Arunachal.

WASE uprooted opium plantation at GTC Pasighat ET Correspondent Pasighat, Feb 15: The Women Against Social Evils (WASE) held a drive against opium cultivation on February 14 last and up-

rooted several acres of opium plantation at GTC Pasighat.

Around 25 women of the WASE group, accompanied

by APSCW Member, Oter Ering Tayeng burnt opium plants and said that they would continue their fight against such social evils in future too.

Drugs awareness camp conducted at kharsang ET Correspondent Kharsang, Feb 15: A Drugs awareness camp was conducted on 13th February 2016 at Inspection bungalow, kharsang under the aegis of an NGO called Freedom home with its registration no SR/ITA/5207 in collaboration with Geo enpro petroleum limited successfully.

The psychiatrist, Dr. B.

Drastic improvement is required: Governor to BSNL CGM ET Bureau Itanagar, Feb 15: Shri T. Durga Prasad, Chief General Manager (CGM), North East-II Telecom Circle, BSNL, Dimapur called on the Governor Shri JP Rajkhowa at Raj Bhavan, Itanagar on 15th February 2016. General Manager, BSNL, Itanagar Shri Dilip Siram accompanied the CGM in the meeting.

The Governor told him that drastic improvement is required in the telecommunication network coverage in the State. He emphasized that District Headquarters along with ADC, EAC and CO headquarters must have proper telephone and mobile coverage. Sharing his experiences during the visits to Bumla Pass, in Tawang, the Governor said that special focus must be on border areas. Such steps will not only help the people to communicating but also secure the territorial integrity of the country.

The Governor advised the BSNL officials to take proactive steps to enhance the network for steady and uninterrupted call facility.

The Governor also directed other works department like, PWD, PHED etc to have proper coordination during expansion of road width as BSNL fibre cables are damaged during such works.

Earlier, the BSNL's North East-II Telecom Circle CGM briefed the Governor on the facilities provided by BSNL in the State. He also briefed on the constraints including, high microwave and satellite spectrum charges, poor electric power supply in exchanges and mobile towers etc. He suggested for VSAT hub in Itanagar and provision for cable duct along transArunachal highway by MoRTH, Govt of India.

Borthakur, MBBS, DPM, Dibrugarh was the consultant and counselor who treated nearly fifty hardcore addicts from various corners of the district.

ever had played a philanthropic role through small CSR scheme which made the newly registered NGO like freedom home a grand debut in its endeavor.

The district administration had extended the logistic support which was the real ingredients behind the success of the camp. The Geo enpro petroleum limited as

“I thank each and every one who had stood beside me in fulfilling the ever needed camp in this drugs affected circle” said the president of the NGO.

BCYA calls attention to depleting forest cover A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Feb 15 : The Balijan Circle Youth Association (BCYA) today submitted a representation to Principal Secretary of Forest and Environment Dr Shashi Kumar to draw his attention towards the depletion of forest cover in Balijan circle.

The association claimed that some locals of Balijan in connivance with unscrupulous individuals and groups are involved in smuggling timber using sophisticated sawing machines on daily basis while forest officials remain mute spectators.

Informing that many poachers have also been mercilessly hunting for wild animals and birds in and around Balijan circle, the BCYA alleged the forest officials of negligence in delivering their assigned duties and of remaining absent from their

assigned posts. Upset at the lack of a nursery for aforesation, the association also painted a grim picture of the defunct forest check gates and sentry huts which are meant to keep check on smuggling and trafficking of forest products.

Highlighting the lack of environmental awareness campaigns in Balijan, the association appealed to the principal secretary to take stringent disciplinary action against erring officials, and requested that adequate fund be released for maintenance of official establishments, nursery and to issue orders to ensure regular patrolling to curb poaching, and keep a check on smuggling, especially in check gates at Tengabari/ Lenka, Hollongi, Kokila and Chessa-Sonajuli under Balijan circle.

“Initially, the PSK will accept 10 appointments a day and would gradually increase the number of appointments per day” said B Bhushan.

However, he cautioned people against using touts or other off-track means to get a passport. Mukesh Kumar Pardeshi, Joint Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs and Chief Passport Officer, who had arrived from New Delhi to inaugurate the PSK, in-

tomers.

If anyone is found charging more than Rs 100 for filling up forms, people can file a complaint against the service provider.

As police verification takes up a lot of time in acquiring a passport, Mukesh said that those who submit their PAN cards, Aadhar cards and voter identification cards will receive their passports sooner and the police verification will be carried on the sidelines.

Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) in Itanagar formed that he wanted to checkup on the PSK personally and was happy at the work done. With the establishment of the centre in Itanagar, 26 states and seven union territories of India now have PSKs. “After travelling from New Delhi to Itanagar, I understand how difficult it can be to travel all the way to another state to apply for a passport. This PSK will help save time, trouble and money for everyone” said Mukesh Kumar.

Highlighting on the value and benefits of a passport,

India has the third highest number of passport holders, with five to six percent of the total population possessing a passport. China has the highest passport holders followed in second by the USA. In 2014, India had one crore passport holders. It increased by 20 lakhs in 2015 and in 2016, the MEA hopes that the number will increase by 15 to 20 lakh more people.

Two firefighters reached the site of accident immediately and managed to extinguish the fire after about four hours. East Siang Deputy Commissioner Isha Khosla, DDSE Obuk Panor and EAC (Sadar) T Padung visited the school this morning and took stock of the extent of damage caused by the fire. DC Khosla has ordered magisterial enquiry to ascertain the actual cause of the incident and instructed all the headmasters and principals of schools to alert their chowkidars to attend duties

Deputy Passport Officer, Tsering also extended his gratitude to everyone involved in making the longawaited requirement of the people of Arunachal a reality.

Fire guts down Arunachal's oldest school sincerely so that such incidents are not repeated in the future. She assured that police patrolling would be intensified and ban late hours loitering of students in and around school premises and all sensitive government installations.

Providing details to the DC, IGJHSS Principal T Tamuk informed that all answer scripts of English, Agricul-

ture, History, Physics (Theory) and Accountancy of IGJ, Mebo, DEM and Sille higher secondary schools kept for coding, evaluation and tabulation were completely burnt into ashes.

He also informed that question papers of Social Science, English, Hindi and Science of class-IX and question papers of Biology,

Contd. from Page 1

Chowna Mein along with 4 other MLAs, namely CT Mein, Zingnu Namchoom, Wangki Lowang and Honchu Ngandam, who were claimed to be with the other group of the Congress Party, also submitted a Memorandum stating

The stall highlighting & showcasing the tourism potential of Arunachal Pradesh through various medium received numerous queries from potential tourists. excellent opportunity to interact with the visitors and promote the tourist opportunities available in Arunachal Pradesh.

On the sideline of Destination North East 2016, the APTOA Team had a deliberate discussion with Secy. DoNER and MoT Officials in promoting & development of Tourism of the state, through activities like FAM Tours, Road Shows and also submitted details tour packages for whole of North Eastern states. The Team also had a courtesy call with Mr. Kiren Rijiju, MoS Home, Govt. of India at his office and

appraised him about Tourism development & growth in the state. The APTOA team requested him to involve his good office to bring in promoters from around the country and also coordinate with various Ministries involving right stakeholders for actual growth & development of Tourism in the state. He showed keen interest and gave assurance to mobilize and create a platform to have threadbare discussion inviting Pioneers in Tourism and Hospitality sector along with reputed investors and asked APTOA to conduct and chalk a detail program for a convention within this year.

Chemistry, Mathematics, Hindi, Pol. Science, Economics, Geography and Business Studies of Class XI were also blazed into ashes. Expressing shock, Lok Sabha MP Ninong Ering and local MLA Kaling Moyong termed the incident as unfortunate and assured the school fraternity that the matter would be taken up with appropriate authorities. Executive mem-

bers of All Arunachal Teachers’ Association, East Siang unit met DC Khosla this evening to place their grievances and appealed to her to set up an enquiry committee urgently to nab the culprit(s) at the earliest.

Among others, former minister Bosiram Siram, Chief Councilor Denong Tamuk, Councilor Kaling Doruk also visited the school.

(DIPRO)

Dissident MLAs stake claim to form the Government in Arunachal hereby sign this document and we urge you to kindly invite Kalikho Pul to form the Government in the State as soon as the Proclamation under Article 356 is revoked or whenever it ceases to operate”, the Memorandum stated.

Many Travel writers, Print & Electronic media have shown interest to write more about Arunachal through their medium. A huge crowd was seen on last day with the stall running out of information materials brought by both Arunachal Tourism and Tour Operators.

Destination North East was an

Common Service Centres have also been established for people lacking in computer and internet knowledge. They can get enrolled for a fee of Rs 100. The chief passport officer cautioned that this fee cannot be increased but can be reduced if the service provider wants to get more cus-

Mukesh also thanked the state and central government for providing their unceasing support in the establishment of the PSK and also to Dr. Joram Beda, who is the nodal officer of the PSK project.

Pasighat, Feb 15: A colossal fire gutted down five rooms of Independent Golden Jubilee Higher Secondary School (IGJHSS), Pasighat, Arunachal's oldest school, established in 1947.

Reportedly, five rooms comprising of two classrooms, exam branch (Confidential room), office establishment room and CBSE Cell were completely demolished in the fire that occurred on Sunday at around 2 AM.

ET Bureau New Delhi, Feb 15 : The three day ‘Destination North East’ Festival 2016, organized by the Ministry of Development of North East Region (DoNER) and Ministry of Art & Culture came to an end with the Arunachal Tourism stall getting a record number of visitors. Many high profile dignitaries visited the stall including Mr. Navin Verma-IAS, Secy. DoNER, Mr. M. P Bezbaruah-IAS Former Secy.

MoT, Govt of India, Ms. Mini Prasanna-Jt. Dir. MoT, Ms Karya Bagang MLA Chayangtajo.

showcasing the tourism potential of Arunachal Pradesh through various medium received numerous queries from potential tourists. The overwhelming response is a reminder of the huge tourism potential of the State.

Interested citizens can apply online with required documents and after paying a fee of Rs 1500, they can avail an appointed date and exact time to arrive at the PSK for further verification and formalities.

Fire guts down Arunachal's oldest school

Destination North East Festival 2016 ends today with Arunachal Stall getting a record no. of Visitors

Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh under the guidance of Ms. Adong Moyong, Resident Tourism Officer, New Delhi along with members of Arunachal Pradesh Tour Operators Association & Hoteliers from Arunachal Pradesh led by Mr. John Panye, President APTOA (Tribal Adventure Tours), Mr. Bengia Mrinal, Vice President (BAC Voyages), Mr. Tadar Robin, (Mercy Tours & Travels), Ms. Toko Yanki, (Hotel Toya) and Mr. Tarh Takar, (Hotel Benjamin) participated in the festival from 12thFebuary to 14th February 2016. The stall was inaugurated by Mr. Kiren Rijiju, MoS Home, Govt. of India and Dr. Mukul Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya on the first day itself. The stall highlighting &

Mukesh said that a passport is an important document which not only allows us to travel outside the country but also increases our credibility within the country.

He advised Arunachal Deputy Passport Officer, Lobsang Tsering to conduct awareness campaigns in colleges and disseminate the benefits of holding a passport.

that they are with Kalikho Pul. They reaffirmed their “support to the leadership of Kalikho Pul to be the head of the council of ministers that may be sworn in” at the end of the President’s rule”.

The two Independent MLAs, Paknga Bage and Tsering Tashi also submitted a Memorandum extending their support to Pul. They affirmed their “support to Kalikho Pul to be the leader of the house and to be the next Chief Minister of the State whenever the Proclamation under article 356 of the Constitution that is currently operatives is revoked or

ceases to be operative”.

The Governor advised the 32 MLAs ad also those currently staying outside the State to be in the State and attend to the welfare of the people who elected them.

Pul, Chowna Mein, Wanglin Lowangdong , TN Thongdok and Tamiyo Taga briefed the Governor on the status of their respective party position. Taga in his brief speech made it clear that the BJP would be supporting a Congress Government led by Kalikho Pul as the leader and had no intention to form a BJP led Government.

AP Youth Congress responses to Pul's claim over Govt Contd. from Page 1 following the disqualification of 16 MLAs by Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker, Nabam Rebia. "The APYC and the Congress party do not require the support of 11 BJP MLAs to form the government as the party has absolute majority in the state assembly", said APYC spokesperson Niglar Veo, adding that the Congress and the BJP are the principal opponent political parties in the country, and a political marriage between

the two as alliance partners in the government is not possible.

The frontal wing also questioned on how the BJP leaders could claim that the present political instability in Arunachal Pradesh is due to infighting within the Congress party when the BJP MLAs are supporting the dissident Congress MLAs to form the government.

Citing that the matter is subjudice after the Supreme Court's intervention and that

the matter is unlikely to be disposed of in the coming few days, the APYC demanded that the governor must not entertain such unconstitutional and illdesigned move of the dissident group, as it would create more political chaos in the state.

3 "The judgement of the Supreme Court will be complied with by the parties involved" said Veo and urged on the governor not to commit another blunder by openly taking sides, but to remain a neutral body and as custodian of the Constitution.

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

PAGE 4

Patriotic People’s Front Assam demands against alleged anti-India elements in JNU A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Feb 15: Expressing shocks over the recent developments erupted from the New Delhi based Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus with a section of students indulging in anti-national activities, a forum of patriotic people urged the authority to take stringent actions against the anti-India elements.

Regretting that a prestigious institute like JNU has virtually turned into a hotbed for separatist activities, where some of the students showed the audacity to organize a meeting to raise slogans against the hanging of Afzal Guru, the Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA) also asked the people to be cautious over such developments.

The participating JNU students termed the execution of Guru on 9 February 2013 as a ‘judicial killing’. They also shouted slogans adorning Guru, who was punished for his involvement in 2001 Indian Parliament attack and subsequent

‘Anti-poor’ PM Modi talks about future and not present: Rahul Gandhi

murders after exhausted judicial process, as a 'martyr'.

The meeting was organized on 9 February to commemorate Guru’s execution. Next day another commemorative meeting was organized at Press Club of India in New Delhi, where too anti-India slogans were raised. The press club authority had immediately stopped the press conference turned lousy congregate and expelled the concerned member who booked the space in the club auditorium misleading them.

ANI Jorhat, Feb. 15 : Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged the ‘anti-poor’ BJP- led government at the Centre has failed to fulfill the promises it made to the nation, adding that the Prime Minister is more concerned about the business class and is least bothered about the downtrodden.

The northeast India based patriotic forum appreciated the Delhi press club authority for its prompt actions against the elements propagating anti-national outlook and also fervently urged the club authority to celebrate patriotic events like Independence Day and Republic Day in its campus regularly as it is observed by various media organizations across the country.

“Narendra Modi keeps making big statements and slogans like ‘Make in India’, ‘Connect India’, ‘Clean India’ etc. Every tenth day, he comes up with big slogans. But you will never see his photograph with the poor people of this country. You will never see him meeting the poor and downtrodden,” Rahul said.

The Congress vice-president, who was addressing his party workers at Gohpur in Assam’s Sonitpur district, also alleged that Prime Minister Modi has failed to fulfill the promises made to the nation during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

“Modi ji doesn’t care about the poor and downtrodden.

He only cares about some selected businessmen. He keeps on talking about the future and doesn’t speak about the present. Today, there is inflation in the country and what he talks about is making promises which he would be doing in the future,” he added.

The Congress vice-president, who arrived in Assam today on a two day visit,

also alleged that Prime Minister Modi only helps the businessmen and not the poor.

“He never fulfils his promises. You will never see a picture of him with farmers, holding hands of laborers. The BJP always make an Indian fight with another Indian,” he said.

The Congress vice-president would also be addressing rallies at Bihpuria and Titabor today. He will take part in a padyatra at Sivsagartomorrow and also address a public rally.

Gandhi’s visit is expected to boost up the party’s morale ahead of this year’s assembly polls in Assam.

Rahul Gandhi takes on RSS, says ‘murderers’ can’t preach nationalism Contd. from Page 1

“If there is one ideology then what will happen to the diversity of this country.

There is different ideology in every state and that should be respected,” said Gandhi.

“They said that the BJP would come in full majority in Bihar. They had to taste defeat and Narendra Modi ji never visited the state after the elections.

They ran away from there because the people of Bihar

told them that the RSS will not rule the state. The people of Bihar will rule the state,” he added.

The Congress vicepresident’s visit to the state comes days after BJP president Amit shah blamed the incumbent government in the state for the continuing infiltration from Bangladesh.

Shah, who visited Assam last week, said that the BJP was determined not to let the illegals’ infringe upon the rights of people in Assam and the Bodoland re-

gion.

He also said Assam had been left behind on the development front the past 15 years when the Congress was in power.

The BJP president termed the alliance between his party and the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) a historic one and said it will go a long way in ensuring development in the state.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has been projected by the BJP as its chief ministerial candidate.

Chowkham Army camp conducts Boxers, shooters’ golden sweep Sadhbhavana and Youth Guidance activities keeps India on top at SAG Staff Reporter Mahadevpur, Feb 15: Indian Army officials from Chowkham in a press statement said that Army camp of Chowkham organized various Sadhbhavana and Youth Guidance activities at Mahadevpur. The Army Medical camp was organized where a specialist medical officer, with assistance from local community health centre treated approx 500 patients. The medical officers also educated the patients and visitors about various precautions and prevention to be followed for maintaining a healthy body.

Speaking to the correspondent, he said that they have also organized a lec to attract the youth towards the Indian Army at Jawahar Navadaya Vidalya, Mahadevpur. The Youth were enlightened about various entries to the Indian Army. The highly motivated

Golaghat District Journalist Association submitted Memorandum to the DC

Contd. from Page 1 Sri Lanka were second on the table with 174 medals (25 gold, 59 silver and 90 bronze, followed by Pakistan (90 medals = 11 gold, 33 silver and 47 bronze).

Besides, the boxers and shooters’ good show, the Indian women’s football team also won the gold medal, defeating Nepal 4-0 in the summit clash.

Chowkham Army camp conducts Sadhbhavana for the public at Mahadevpur Youth was quite inquisitive to know more and promised to join Indian Army.

“The local populace was highly contended and ap-

preciated the efforts displayed by the army camp and the event was a huge hit with the youth as well. A series of events of this kind

CM Gogoi requests Defense Minister to set up Defense Production in Assam

ET Correspondent Golaghat, Feb 15: Some anti social elements have targeted two senior journalists of Dergaon in Golaghat.

The elements have printed some leaflets to malign public images of the two journalists. A senior journalist of Dergaon and vice president of Golaghat District Journalist Association, Padmalochan Nath were targeted by anti social elements.

A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Feb 15: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today requested Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar to set up a major defense production unit in the State.

In a letter to the Defense Minister today, Chief Minister Gogoi said the setting up of a defense production unit in Assam would not only enable the people of the State to get a share of employment opportunities like other parts of the country but also strengthen the growing emotional bond of the local people with the

They printed some leaflets assassinating his character and spread it in Dergaon town a few days back. After that another journalist of the area and organizing secretary of Golaghat District Journalist Association, Jagat Sonowal has been targeted in the same way. Seeing such kind of attack and character assassination of representatives of the fourth pillar of the state the Golaghat District Journalist Association demanded an immediate inquiry into the matter and to book the culprits as per the law.

Restrictions on use of microphones and loudspeakers after 10 pm

A memorandum was submitted from the President of Golaghat District Journalist Association, Apurba Ballav Goswami and General Secretary Rohit Gogoi to the Deputy Commissioner in this regards.

will go a long way in bridging the gap between local populace and the Indian army” said army official.

A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Feb 15 : Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today directed the Deputy Commissioners to enforce restrictions on use of microphones and loudspeakers after 10 pm in public places in view of the ongoing Higher Secondary final examination from today and the forthcoming High School Leaving Certificate and High Madrassa examinations commencing from February

armed forces.

The Chief Minister pointed out that in spite of the sizable deployment of armed forces for protecting the nation from foreign aggression and in combating insurgency through the Unified Command structure, there is no major defence production unit in the State for development and production of arms, ammunition and defense equipment. “It is felt that a major defense production unit should be set up in our State so that Assam is not left out of the

18.

The order that comes into force tonight has been passed by the Chief Minister so that students do not feel disturbed by the noise pollution from the microphones and loudspeakers.

The Chief Minister directed the Deputy Commissioners to enforce the order strictly until further orders.

Governor conveys greeting on the occasion of Oriya A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Feb15: The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Shri JP Rajkhowa in a press statement conveyed his sincere greetings to the people of the State on the festive occasion of ‘Ojiyele or Oriya’, festival of the Wancho tribe. He expressed hope that the festival would strengthen the emotional integration, and mutual understanding amongst the

people, foster the cause of communal harmony, unity in diversity and further bring prosperity and happiness in the society.

“On this auspicious occasion, I join my Wancho brethren in offering my humble prayer to Almighty ‘Rangwa’ to shower on each one of us with his choicest blessing” said Governor.

purview of the Make in India policy as well as the policies for Defense Procurement and Defense Production which are aimed at establishing a vibrant domestic defence manufacturing sector,” he said.

Gogoi, while pleading Parrikar to consider the setting up of the major defense production unit in the State favorably, said the State Government would provide all the necessary support on priority, including land for the purpose.

Assam Govt. to launch scheme for the BPL A staff Reporter Guwahati, Feb 15: The State Government will launch a new scheme for the BPL students with focus on the girl students.

In a statement today, Chief Minister Gogoi said that the new scheme will benefit the BPL students passing out in Matriculation examination so that they can pursue higher studies. The scheme will focus on the girl students.

The Chief Minister hoped that the students appearing in the Higher Secondary final examination in Commerce, Arts and Science streams commencing today and forthcoming High School Leaving Certificate and High Madrassa examinations would be able to put up good performances thus resulting in increase in the pass percentages.

The boxers were the stars of the show today in Shillong with all the 7 men in the final notching up mostly comprehensive victories.

Commonwealth Games silver-medallist L Devendro Singh (49kg) began India’s gold rush when he thrashed Pakistan’s Mohib Ulla at the SAI campus in North Eastern Hill University on the outskirts of the city.

The London Olympics quarterfinalist was adjudged the winner on a split decision of 2-1.

Next man in was 35-year-old former national champion Madan Lal (52kg) and he too prevailed over another Pakistani opponent in Mohammad Syed Asif to be adjudged 3-0 winner.

World No.2 and World Championships bronze-medallist Shiva Thapa (56kg) was the fan favourite of the day and he impressed the boisterous crowd to prevail over Sri Lankan W Ruwan Thilina.

(69kg) survived a closely— fought contest against Afghanistan’s Rahemi Alla Dad to win 3—0.

with 25 gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze. Bangladesh are at a distant second with one gold, three silver and three bronze.

At the shooting range in Guwahati, Indian shooters made yet another clean sweep on the final day to sign off with a staggering 25 out of 26 gold medals on offer.

Gurpreet made up for his disappointing sixth-place finish in the 10m air pistol event on Saturday by winning the gold in 25m rapid fire pistol event today.

The Olympic medal prospect prevailed over his opponent with some feisty uppercuts and was adjudged 3-0 winner unanimously.

Rio Olympics bound Gurpreet Singh shot gold in men’s individual 25m rapid fire pistol with a total of 28 hits on target, while Sweta Singh grabbed another yellow metal in women’s individual 10m air pistol event with a total score of 194.4 even though she was shooting with her spare gun at the Kahilipara Shooting Range here.

Bashir Ghulam Mustafa of Pakistan took the silver with 24 hits on target while another Indian Vijay Kumar, who had won a silver in this event in 2012 London Olympics, bagged the bronze.

Another from the Indian boxing hub of Haryana, 20year-old Dheeraj Rangi, who had secured a silver medal at the World Military Games in South Korea last year, defeated Pakistan’s Ahmed Ali in the 60kg gold medal bout.

Another Olympics quota holder Heena Sidhu had to be content with the silver in the women’s 10m air pistol event with a total score of 192.5, while 18-year-old Chandigarh shooter Yashaswini Singh Deswal took the bronze.

Experienced boxer Manoj Kumar, the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, was also adjudged winner in an unanimous decision of 3-0 against Dinidu Saparamadu of Sri Lanka in the 64kg category.

India also took a gold each in both the team events to sweep aide any competition from other countries in the discipline.

Against the aggressive Lankan who was aiming for head butts, Thapa had a defensive strategy to avoid his initial blows.

World no.6 Vikas Krishan (775kg) put up a brave front, fighting through flu to down Pakistan’s Tanveer Ahmed.

Commonwealth Games medallist in Mandeep Jangra

India gave away just one gold — to Bangladesh — in the discipline. The home shooters ended the competition

In the women’s 10m air pistol finals, there was tough competition among the three Indians, exchanging leads among three of them.

But towards the end, Sweta had established good lead over her two Indian rivals after young Deswal had a horrendous series of two shots of 8.3 and 7,7 which cost her dear.

Sidhu was not at her best in the finals and she had just five shots of 10 plus scores out of 20 attempts, besides having poor shots of 8.8 each.

For Sweta, this was the worst ever performance despite winning the gold as she had to shoot with a spare gun.

10th General conference cum election of TWS concludes Maksam Tayeng Pasighat, Feb 15: The 10th General Conference cum Election/Selection of Tayeng Welfare Society (TWS) was concluded yesterday which started from 12th February at Borguli village under Mebo SubDivision, some 35 KM from district HQ here.

The conference was started unfurling the flag and observed two minutes pin drop silence as a condolence to all the ancestors and forefathers of Tayeng clan which is one of the most populous clan of the Adis.

Galaxy of delegates of Tayeng from various districts and blocks like Yingkyong, Maryang, Dambuk, Roing, Namsai, Itanagar, Assam etc attended the conference where several importance issues concerning Tayeng Clan and its betterment and improvement was discussed at length by the members ranging from ordinary villagers to two legislators of Tayeng clan, Lombo Tayeng, MLA Mebo and Gum Tayeng, MLA Dambuk.

Stressing on issues like focusing on human resource development by encouraging educational supports to students of its clan by every member.They maintained

Cultural Program at the General Conference of Tayeng Welfare Society that Tayeng clans are lacking behind in any competitive examination of state and central government services despite its sizable population. The complete ban of intra clan marriages among the larger Tayeng clan was also given stressed and anyone violating the ban order would be dealt seriously. Gum Tayeng, MLA Dambuk also spoke and given stress upon strengthening Tayeng clan and complete the historical migration tract records data compilation as she along with her husband late Jomin Tayeng had taken interest

on the subject who also visited the various sites of migration tracts at Upper Siang.

A book named ‘Genealogy and Migration Tract of Tayeng’ authored by Er. Geyon Tayeng, Secretary General of Tayeng Welfare Society (2009-15) was also screened through PowerPoint presentation during the conference which was liked by all. According to his book written out of complete research work over migration tract record of Tayeng clan, Er. Tayeng narrates the origin of

Tayeng as Bomi which is located in the Nyingchi area of Tibet. Bomi is still widely used to describe Padams of Adis and is located across the North-East of Polo Yorbe (Kepang La Pass).

The book is worth reading and authored has used various sources like oral history and other present day modern techniques.

The conference concluded with a good note by the selection of new executive members for the session 2016-19. Ajem Tayeng and Er. Bomma Tayeng was selected as President and Secretary General respectively.

Higher Secondary exam commences

The state Higher Secondary (HS) Examination is slated to commence from 15th and will continue till 29th February

Kolkata, Feb 15: The state Higher Secondary (HS) Examination is slated to commence from Monday and will continue till 29 February.

Around 16 lakh candidates will be appearing for the examination this year in 47 subjects from 649 centres across the state. Like in the Madhyamik examination, female candidates across the 16 districts in the HS exam outnumber their male counterparts by 15,000.

The Council of Higher Secondary Education has arranged for stricter invigilation after reports of rampant cheating in the Madhyamik exami-

nation surfaced. No one will be allowed with mobile phones inside the examination centres.

Teachers and invigilators are also not allowed to carry mobile phones within the venue,the authorities of the council said. The examination venue supervisors will be given identity cards.

The control room and help desk have been made operational, where candidates can directly contact the authorities in case any untoward incident occurs.

They can seek information regarding the examination by calling up the toll free number 18001039341.(Agencies)

BHEL fully commissions 101 MW power plant in Tripura

State-run BHEL on Monday Tripura, Feb 15: Staterun BHEL on Monday said that it has commissioned a 101 MW gasbased Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis, in Tripura.

"The power plant has been commissioned at Monarchak, 66 km from Agartala city. The order for the Advanced-class gas turbine-based 101 MW CCPP was placed on BHEL by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO)," the company said in a press release.

The Gas Turbine of 65.4 MW rating of the project was earlier commissioned

by BHEL in March.

With the commissioning of the 35.6 MW Steam Turbine, BHEL has now commissioned the 101 MW CCPP. The gas for

the project is being supplied from the fields of ONGC. Due to infrastructure constraints in transporting Over Dimensional consignments, multimodal transportation was used by BHEL for ensuring safe transportation the equipment to the site.

BHEL's scope of work in the project included supply of Gas Turbine, Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG), Steam Turbine, Generators and state-of-the-art Controls & Instrumentation (C&I), including plant civil work.

Being a gas-rich state, the major share of the power requirement of Tripura is met through gas based projects.

With the commissioning of this project, the share of BHEL supplied sets in the installed power generating capacity of Tripura state has gone up to 88 per cent, with BHEL having supplied 1,000 MW of generating equipment so far.

In the recent past, BHEL has contributed to capacity addition in the state of Tripura by commissioning two sets 363 MW each at the gas-based OTPC Palatana project, totaling to 726 MW.(Agencies)

Mizoram Assembly budget session from March 15 Aizawl, Feb 15: Budget session of the Mizoram Assembly will commence from March 15 and would be held till March 31, Additional Secretary of the Assembly S.R. Zokhuma said.

The Business Advisory Committee meeting on Monday decided that Governor Lt. Gen Nirbhay Sharma would deliver his address onMarch 15 and Finance Minister Lalsawta would present the budget on March 17, Zokhuma said.

Demand-wise discussion of the budget would commence from March 22 and would be concluded on March 30, he said.

PAGE 5

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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

34th Agartala Book fair inaugurated, large crowd right from day one Agartala, Feb 15: The 34th Agartala Book fair got off to a flying start here at Agartala on Sunday afternoon with hundreds of people thronging the fair complex in front of Umakanta Academy English medium school. Altogether 121 including 35 local book sellers and publishers opened stalls in the fair, which will continue up to February 25 next.

Other than Tripura booksellers from Kolkata, Assam, Delhi, Goa, Kerala and Bangladesh participated in the fair.

The inaugural programme was attended by a host of dignitaries including Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Bhanulal Saha and eminent Bangladesh painter and artist Mohammad Hasem Khan.

In his speech as chief

guest the Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, focused on the importance of book fair as a major cultural event and the deepening socio-economic and political crisis in India. Sarkar expressed his concern over consistent violation of constitution and rule of law by the party ruling at centre. He however did not specifically named the BJP or central government but raised the issue of intolerance and religious fundamentalism and in which the Book Fair can play a major role in uniting the people against all these.

"Against intolerance based on the ideology of secularism for strengthening the unity of mankind we should be able to move ahead. To spread all these amongst the citizens of our state the book fair should be dedicated.

What I feel is that in the

The 34th Agartala Book fair got off to a flying start here at Agartala on Sunday

present situation of our country this book fair is very much necessary, related and relevant," said Sarkar. "In the name of Hindu religion the manner in which a malign chapter is being attempted to be brought forward, we feel that this is an insult of Hinduism and damaging it. Those who believe in Hinduism and have read the religious texts can anyone show where there is any

mention about that people from other religion should be hated and at any cost and if necessary with force be converted into Hindu religion. Where is this mentioned? Is there any other bigger Hindu Indian then Vivekananda?" he added.

In the inauguration programme, ICA Minister Bhanulal Saha, special secretary of ICA department Soumitra

Bandopadhya and director of ICA department Shantanu Debbarman also delivered their speeches. Focused on youth and children, the annual festival is organised by the Information Cultural Affairs (ICA) Department of Tripura with the cooperation of the state publishers.

Book lovers consider the fair to be a golden opportunity for getting the best collection of their favourite writer which they rarely get to see in the Agartala market during the other time of the year. Subash Singha Ray, a book lover from Bangladesh said: "Those who are engaged with books are tolerant, mankind loving and patronise democracy, culture and lenience. There shall be differences in views and outlooks but books shall unite us in one platform.

Lui-Ngai-Ni begins with cultural extravaganza TR IB officer murder Zeliang endorses Naga integration campaign Ukhrul, Feb 15: The two- day celebration of Manipur Nagas' seed sowing festival, LuiNgai-Ni began today with traditional lighting of sacred fire at TNL ground, Wino Bazar, Ukhrul. Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang, who graced the opening session of the Lui-ngaini celebration called upon the leaders of Naga from Manipur, Nagaland, Assam and Arunachal Pra-desh to meet together and organize a common Naga festival in the North East region of India with appropriate name.

TR Zeliang appreciated the UNC for organizing the combined Naga festival in Mani- pur like Oriah festival is organised for the Nagas of Arunachal Pradesh.

Zeliang said that the celebration of a common festival will act as a platform to strengthen the integrity and oneness of Naga brethren living across the borders.

The Indian

Government's understanding of the Naga issue and its acceptance to resolve the issue through peace- ful dialogue is welcomed, Zeliang said while adding that the Nagas are yearning for a permanent solution. Exuding confidence that the framework agreement signed on Aug 3, 2015 would be an important step towards the realisation of Nagas aspiration for permanent solution to their issue, the Nagaland CM urged all Nagas to support and extend cooperation so that a permanent solution is worked out.

Although the Nagas are scattered and divided by artificial political boundaries, they have shown enough desire to integrate and live under one single administration, he said. TR Zeliang also termed the three Bills passed by the Manipur State Assembly in August last year as an attempt by the Manipur Govt to consolidate the valley area for the com-

ing Assembly election.

He urged the NPF MLAs who have tendered their resignation over the passage of the three Bills to pressurise the Speaker to accept their resignation in order to fulfil the demand of the tribals to withdraw the 'anti-tribal Bills.'

"My visit to Manipur is to strengthen the relationships and bond of brotherhood among the Naga brethren in all sphere and to uphold the NPF's principle of cultural, socioeconomic and political aspirations in all the Naga inhabited areas," Zeliang said. UNC president Gaidon Kamei in his presidential speech reiterated the Nagas' support to the ongoing IndoNaga dialogue. The Naga political solution cannot be bartered under any circumstances, he said.

He said that the UNC strongly opposed the three 'anti-tribal Bills' passed by the Manipur Govt last year. Gaidon said the Bills are unconstitutional and they in-

accused killed in Meghalaya

Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang, who graced the opening session of the Lui-ngai-ni celebration

fringe on the rights of the tribals which resulted in the loss of nine innocent lives in the course of protest against the Bills. He also stressed the uniqueness of the Naga seed sowing festival. Guest of honour Major General Srenivas, IG AR (South) expressed delight with the rich traditions and culture of the State and said they are the pride of the nation.

Earlier, before the opening of the festival, TR Zeliang unveiled the LuiNgai-Ni monolith at TNL office gate in the presence of all tribes' leaders. He was accom-

panied by Nagaland Home Minister Y Patton and Road and Bridges Minister V Kikheku Swu. Over 1800 delegates from 16 tribes of Manipur attended the festival. Traditional shows, trumpet blowing were the main highlights of the inaugural session.

The UNC, as a mark of expressing the highest traditional respect and appreciation, gifted Mithun to the chief guest. Yesterday, UNC president Gaidon Kamei hoisted the LuiNgai-Ni festival flag at the celebration venue.

(Agencies)

Agreement dubious, Says Anand Imphal, Feb 14: The frame-work agreement signed be- tween NSCNIM and the Centre's BJP Government poses serious challenge to the existence of Manipuri people as a nation, remarked MLA RK Anand.

He was speaking at an annual meeting of office bearers, workers and advisors of programme coordinating committees of all polling stations of Naoriya Pakhang- lakpa Assembly Constituency

held at his residence .

He questioned the BJP Government's motive to disintegrate Manipur and create disunity among the people. Manipur was literally put on fire when the previous BJP Government signed a cease fire pact with NSCN-IM with the clause 'without territorial limits'. In the subsequent people's uprising, 18 lives were lost.

Taking serious note of BJP's alliance with hillbased Naga People's

Front (NPF), RK Anand asked whether the alliance would disintegrate Manipur or protect the State. BJP should stop playing 'divide and rule' policy.

Many BJP Ministers and MPs came to the State and went back without doing anything beneficial to the State. As they are only good at rhetoric, BJP will never come to power in Manipur. Biren who was also present at the meeting hailed

Health and Family Welfare Minister Phungzathang Tonsing for speaking the 'truth' that the three Bills passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 31 last year are not antitribal. Stating that hill people of Manipur need more leaders like Phungzathang, Biren asserted that it is not the hill people but leaders who have been creating problems and issues. Pointing out that Deputy Speaker

Preshow Shimray and MPCC president Gaikhangam have already clarified that the three Bills are not antitribal, Biren called upon all the people to shed communal outlook and agenda but concentrate on upholding the integrity and unity of Manipur. He went on to claim that Congress will retain power after the next Manipur Legislative A s s e m b l y election.(Agencies)

The finance minister had earlier announced that he would present the regular budget, though the Centre did not fix the state annual plan size.

The actual sitting of the coming budget session would be 12 days, Z o k h u m a added.(Agencies)

Imphal, Feb 15: Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev laid the foun-dation stone of Manipur Ved Vidyapeeth on Sunday at Chaar Hazare of Senapati district, about 25 Kms from the State capital. MLA of Sekmai Assembly Constituency Kh Deven- dra, MLA of Thangmeiband A/C Kh Joykisan, president of BJP Manipur Pradesh Th Chaoba and trustees of the Ved Vidyapeeth attended the

function.

After conducting the rituals of the ceremony, Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev addressed the huge crowd.

He stated that the 'Ved' has scientific importance and is universally accepted by all.He claimed that the 'Ved' is a secular Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev platform for each and ev- laid the foun-dation stone of ery community to do well Manipur Ved Vidyapeeth on Sunday for the better- ment of humans. He stressed on the crowd gathered there. teachings of Ved and The conceptual proposal chanted mantras with the of the Manipur Ved

Vidhyapeeth was made

by ADSYS architects and the Bharat Swabhiman and Patanjali Yog Samittee donated Rs 1 crore for the construction of the said school.

Meanwhile, Th Chaoba showed his appreciations to Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev for his generosity and stated that the Manipur Ved Vidhyapeeth will give a boost to the education sector of Manipur. Kh

Shillong, Feb 15: Meghalaya's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos have killed a leader of a militant outfit involved in the kidnapping and murder of an Intelligence Bureau officer and a cloth merchant, police said on Monday.

The commandos shot dead Sengbath D. Shira, a senior member of the A'chik Songna An'pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK) militant outfit, on Sunday in Kemdang village in South Garo Hills district, bordering Bangladesh, Inspector General of Police (Operations) GHP Raju said.

However, six or seven militants escaped after a brief exchange of fire.

"The combing operation is still on in the area and other adjoining areas to track the escaped militants," Raju said. Shira was wanted by Meghalaya Police for the kidnapping and killing of Intelligence Bureau officer Bikash Singh and cloth merchant Kamal Saha on September 24, 2015, besides for his involvement in several extortion and abduction cases in the insurgency-ravaged districts of Garo Hills region.

ASAK militants kidnapped Singh and Saha, when they were travelling in a public vehicle towards Baghmara from Rongara. The two bodies were recovered a month later. In the recent past, Meghalaya Police have arrested three militants for their involvement in the killing of Devendra said the educa- Singh and Saha and tional institute will pro- burying their bodies. vide opportunities for students to have both spiri- "We are still tracking the tual and academic learn- movement of the other ing.

ASAK militants involved directly and indiLater, Yoga Guru Baba rectly in the killings," Ramdev also visited the Raju said.

CRPF Group Centre (Nagaland and Manipur ASAK is a breakaway sector), Langjing and faction of the Garo Nataught Yoga to officers of tional Liberation Army, CRPF, jawans and family a terrorist outfit and was members of the CRPF formerly known as the personnel. (Agencies) GNLA(F). (Agencies)

Ramdev lays Ved Vidyapeeth stone Budget session of the Mizoram Assembly will commence from March 15

Later year there were 400 stall in the Bangladesh Book Fair but this year the number of stalls had increased to 600 and during January the fundamentalists conspired to burn the entire Bangladesh but still people came out to buy books."

Writers and publishers are also very happy about the fair doing good business. The objective of this fair is to generate reading habits among the youths, encourage writers and publishers as hundreds of books are released on the occasion.

In spite of the new generation attracted towards internet and e-book every year there is an increase in selling of books during the fair. The Agartala Book Fair started in the year 1981 and is the only state government sponsored fair in the country. (ANI)

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

PAGE 6

JNU row: Govt. issues clarification, says PM calls Opposition action only against 'anti-national' protests leaders for discussion New Delhi, Feb. 15: Maintaining that the Centre was against only a 'handful' of people responsible for the current state of unrest at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday said that the government had problems with students protesting only when it was 'anti-national'.

"Because of the act of some people, a reputed institute like the JNU is facing disrepute. I think that instead of condemning a mistake, trying to fix the issue is what is adding fuel to fire. We don't believe that all the students at JNU are indulging in

wrongful activities, but yes there are a handful who are the root of this problem, so that needs to be condemned ," Naqvi told.

He asserted that the slogans, which were chanted at JNU against the hanging of Afzal Guru, were in no way the works of the people with 'nationalist' mindset. "We don't have any objection to students raising their voice and protesting, but the reason behind it is important. If an anti-national activity has happened and action is being taken against it and someone protests against it then it is unfortunate," Naqvi said.

police remand ends.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju called for no obstruction in the investigation that is underway over the JNU campus row. "Extreme leftist minded people will keep talking drivel against the nation, but the police should be allowed to continue with the investigation and there should be no obstruction," Rijiju told the media here.

Meanwhile, JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who has been arrested and charged with sedition for allegedly raising anti-India slogans, will be produced before a Delhi court today as his three-day

Kanhaiya Kumar raised anti-national slogans: Bassi

Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi New Delhi, Feb. 15: Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi on Monday said there is clear evidence that Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar was chanting 'anti-national slogans' during last week's protest in the varsity.

"There is clear evidence that Kanhaiya was raising anti-national slogans and was also giving anti-national speech which comes under 124 (A). He was part of this unlawful activity. Interrogation and investigation is still on. We will analyze his interrogation and

the result will be put on public domain soon," Bassi told the media here.

"We have taken all information from him (Kanhaiya). We are gathering more information and all accused will be arrested," he added. The police commissioner further said the evidences collected so far suggest that the ABVP was opposing the programme.

"But if it is found out that they were also raising antinational slogans then action will be taken against them also," he added. Bassi further said the tweet on Hafiz

Saeed was blasphemous and tried to incite youth against the lawfully established government of India.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said yesterday that the Afzal Guru event was "supported by terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed".

"What happened at JNU has been fully supported by Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed.

I appeal to all political parties that whenever such situations arise where antiIndia slogans are raised, the entire nation must speak in one voice," he said.

As the comment led to opposition anger, the Home ministry clarified that Rajnath Singh's remarks were based on 'inputs from different agencies'. The ministry clarification also followed reports that Singh and the police were misled by a tweet purportedly from a twitter handle in the name of Hafiz Saeed.

On Sunday, Pakistani newspaper The Dawn reported the Hafiz Saeed handle was fake.

Hafiz Saeed's Twitter handle was blocked a long time ago.

(ANI)

Kumar was arrested on Friday allegedly for raising anti-India slogans at an event organised by students on the JNU campus to commemorate the death of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was executed in 2013.

He was sent to three-day police custody after the Delhi Police told the court that they wanted to probe his alleged links to 'terrorist groups'.Kumar was arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy and sedition under Sections 124A and 120B of the Indian Penal Code.

(ANI)

Lawyers attack scribes, JNU students, teachers Contd. from Page 1

The university also sent a status report to the HRD Ministry, saying eight students identified by them as shouting slogans at the event But it is not clear from the the registrar's report whether Kanhaiya Kumar, the JNUSU President, who has been slapped with sedition charge, was among those who allegedly shouted anti-India slogans

Groups of lawyers attacked journalists, students and teachers of JNU and unidentified people in and outside the court dubbing them as anti-nationals A Delhi BJP MLA O P Sharma, who happened to be in the complex, also joined a group of lawyers in beating up a person, identified as CPI activist Ameeque Jamai, who was taken to Tuglaq Road police station.

Karat defies BJP, says will wear 'anti-national' badge with honour New Delhi, Feb. 15: With the JNU protests taking a political colour post Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's claim that the event had the backing of LeT chief Hafiz Sayeed, CPI (M) leaderPrakash Karat on Monday questioned the Centre's definition of nationalism and said that they would prefer to wear the 'anti-national' badge with honour.

The former CPI (M) general secretary, who visited the JNU campus to meet the protesting students, extended his party's support to their cause. "It has become a much wider issue for the society because this is not a clash of ideas between different groups of students. It is the government and the establishment directly intervening

during the times of emergency.

CPI (M) leaderPrakash Karat

to set the agenda to change the framework of our education system and values," Karat told the media here.

"They were not unpatriotic by any chance. We do not accept their definition of nationalism, their version of nationalism. If they call us antinational, we wear it with a badge of honour," he added. Karat further said he is visiting the varsity as a former student, adding that the situation in the JNU is worse than

The students are protesting over the arrest of JNU student's union president Kanhaiya Kumar on the charges of sedition. Kumar was arrested after he allegedly made a speech against the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru.

The agitating students today raised slogans against the Delhi Police, asking them to leave the campus. The CPI (M) leaders, including Sitaram Yechury, have been demanding Kumar's release. Yechury has even accused the BJP of trying to carry forward the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's ideology. (ANI)

SC upholds Army's Major fire at Make in India event, 'Command and Exit Policy' CM orders comprehensive inquiry New Delhi, Feb. 15: The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Army's 'Command and Exit Policy' but asked the government to create 141 additional vacancies for promotion of Combat Unit officers.

Under the 'Command and Exit policy', the infantry and artillery officers were given priority while giving promotions. The Centre had filed an appeal in the apex court against the Armed Forces Tribunal

order of quashing the 2009 Command Exit Promotion Policy in the Indian Army.

The government had in the last hearing given a proposal to create 141 additional vacancies for promotion of the officers of combat support units, to also accommodate officers aggrieved by the Army's 2009 promotion policy, which gave preference to those posted in Artillery and Infantry divisions.

(ANI)

Fire brigade vehicles were immediately rushed to the spot. No casualty has been reported so far.

However the stage and equipment were completely destroyed in the fire.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that a comprehensive inquiry into the incareer with Nestle in cidence of fire will be 1981, Banga spent the conducted to ascertain next 13 years working in reasons. jobs spanning sales, mar- "Very unfortunate occurketing and general management. He later joined PepsiCo and was involved in the launch of its international fast food franchises in India as the economy liberalized.

Mumbai, Feb. 15: The residents of Mumbai Banga, who also has a will find commuting keen interest in social slightly difficult on development issues, is Monday, with the city's a regular speaker at auto rickshaw union various fintech and having called for a strike leadership conferences. in protest against ReHe has been honoured gional Transport Office's with the Padma Shri in (RTO) decision to raise renewal charges for auto 2016. (ANI)

Ajay Banga calls on PM Modi New Delhi, Feb. 15: President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MasterCard, Ajay Banga, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter's official 7, Race Course Road (RCR) residence here on Monday.

Banga, who is the also the chairman of US-India Business Council (USIBC), had earlier metPrime Minister Modi in September last year during his visit to the United States.

Beginning his business

Mumbai, Feb.15: A major fire broke out at the stage of Cultural programme of 'Make in India' here at theGirgaum Chowpatty on Sunday evening. The entire stage set up for the programme was destroyed due to the fire. All the celebrities and dignitaries were safely taken out from the venue.

A major fire broke out at the stage of Cultural programme of 'Make in India'

rence of fire in cultural program organised by GoM at Mumbai. No casualties reported and no one is injured. 14 Fire engines, 10 Water Tankers, and all Sr. Fire Officers are on site. Fire now totally under control. Program called off," Fadnavis said in a series of tweets.

"Venue was evacuated immediately. Traffic management allowed

early dispersal without any trouble. A fire safety audit was conducted prior to program and all SOPs were followed. A number of fire fighting equipments were kept stationed at venue," he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also spoken to the Maharashtra Chief Minister and enquired about

The strike, which has been called by Mumbai Auto Rickshaw Taximen's Union, is likely to have a big impact of suburban Mumbai, as city's taxi drivers are also set to join the strike.

According to reports, the government has raised the cost of permits to Rs 15,000. The Auto Drivers' union allege that the cost of renewal of permit has also been raised.

The union has demanded that cab

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, (ANI Photo)

ANI New Delhi, Feb.15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has convened a meeting of leaders of major political parties tomorrow to seek their cooperation for the smooth functioning of Parliament in the Budget session, which will begin next week.

Prime Minister Modi has invited leaders of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha of major political parties on Tuesday morning.

of Parliament on February 23. The Railway Budget will be presented on February 25 while the Union Budget will be presented on February 29.

The government is keen to push its legislative agenda, thwarted in the last two sessions, while the Opposition is all geared up to target the ruling dispensation on a host of issues, including the suicide of PhD scholar Rohith Vemula and imposition of President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Budget Session of the Parliament will begin on February 23.

While the first session will continue till March 16, the second session will take place from April 25 to May 13.

The ongoing political crisis in Jammu and Kashmir is also likely to be raised by the Opposition during the Budget Session.

The government has been critical of the Opposition for blocking President Pranab the House proceedings Mukherjee will ad- and important legisladress the joint session tions.

'Two zeroes cannot add up to hero': BJP on Congress-DMK alliance

the incident. According to eye witness, a dance performance was going on and suddenly the stage was on fire.

Shiv Sena chief Udhav Thackeray, Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Amir Khan, Hema Malini, Vivek Oberoi and others were present when the incident took place.

Prakash Javadekar The Make in India Week is being organised in Mumbai, which brought together industrialists from different parts of the country to discuss ways to make India the world's manufacturing hub.

The Indian government wants global and domestic companies to manufacture in the country in an effort to boost employment and bring down expensive imports.

(ANI)

Auto rickshaw strike set to affect commuting in Mumbai on Monday and taxi permits.

on Budget Session

aggregators should be banned, besides taking action against vehicles who are involved in unauthorized ferrying of passengers. They have also demanded that auto rickshaw drivers and owners be given recognition of "public servant". (ANI)

Chennai, Feb.14: With the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) forming alliance for the upcoming polls in Tamil Nadu, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar said 'two zeroes cannot add up to hero'.

he added.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had yesterday formally announced that his party would fight the assembly polls in an alliance with the DMK. After parting ways before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the two parties announced their coming together.

"We have an alliance and we will come with our NDA alliance very soon," Javadekar said.

"As far as CongressDMK joining, I can only say that two zeroes don't add up to hero, and therefore, it will not make an impact.

Unlike in the past, the Congress apparently had no preconditions for joining the alliance this time, especially since the DMK is likely to apportion seats keeping in mind the need to accommodate more parties such as DMDK, IUML and perhaps other smaller outfits.

People of Tamil Nadu have been frustrated with the politics they have witnessed over half a century and they want change and fresh start,"

The Tamil Nadu polls are expected to be a largely three-cornered contest, with the AIADMK and allies and a BJP-led alliance as the other fronts. (ANI)

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

PAGE 7

NEIGHBOURS

Terror-hit Pakistan University reopens Peshawar, Feb 15: Amidst tight security, Pakistan's prestigious Bacha Khan University reopened on Monday, nearly a month after Taliban militants stormed the varsity in the country's restive northwest and killed 21 people, mostly students. Vice-chancellor Fazal Rahim Marwat welcomed students in the university campus in Charsadda town which is located about 50 kilometres from Peshawar.

"Enough measures were in place to foil any further attack. We are satisfied with the security arrange-

Lankan Navy arrests 17 local fishermen engaged in illegal fishing Colombo, Feb 15: The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested seventeen local fishermen for allegedly engaged in illegal fishing practices. Naval personnel attached toRapid Action Boat Squadron(RABS) Headquarters in Kalpitiya arrested 17 local fishermen with 5 Fiber Glass.

Dinghies engaged in illegal fishing using banned fishing nets in the Uchchamuniya and Kimbulbokka sea areas on 13th February 2016.

The arrested persons and the items were handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries for further investigations, reports Lanka Page.

Seven pairs of diving fins, 5 GPSs, 18 Conch Shells and 31 Oxygen Tanks were also taken into custody during the arrest. The use of purse seine (Laila & Surukku) nets is banned in Sri Lanka.

Earlier this month, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development said that the fishing activities carried out by using Laila and Surukku nets are strictly proscribed and if such an incident is detected, craft along with fishing gear are liable to be confiscated. (ANI)

Lahore bound train crushed van ,8 killed Hyderabad, Feb.15: Eight people, including a woman were killed when a van was crushed under wheels of the Lahorebound Fareed Express at an unmanned railway crossing near Allah Dino Saand railway station on Sunday night.

Four others were seriously injured and reported to be in critical condition. One person in the van escaped the accident. The dead and injured belonged to the same family. They are said to be farm labourers.

Hyderabad railway station superintendent Shamsuddin said Fareed Express had left the station at 10.05pm. It collided with the van between Allah Dino Saand and Detha railway stations about half an hour later.

The Director General of Health Services, Sindh, Dr Hassan Murad Shah, told Dawn that seven bodies and the four injured were taken to Tando Jam taluka hospital. Later the critically injured were shifted to the Liaquat University Hospital. Ambulances and rescue teams took part in rescue efforts. (ANI)

ments at the campus," Marwat said.

Bacha Khan University (BKU) has planned special lecturers to relieve the students of the "psychological trauma" and start their normal studies, he said.

Security clearance has been given to the BKU and that eight policemen will be stationed on the university premises and a mobile van will be deployed outside. Four female university employees would be tasked with keeping an eye on female students, Charsadda district police officer Sohail Khan said.

Amidst tight security, Pakistan's prestigious Bacha Khan University reopened on Monday

"The threat to the educational institution is not over yet. Not only the BKU but institutions are at threat but it does not mean to close everything forever," he said.

He said police and army were tackling militancy directly and smashing their networks and arresting facilitators.

Earlier, on January 25, BKU briefly reopened

before closing down indefinitely.

On January 20, four heavily-armed terrorists attacked BKU named after the iconic Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in the volatile Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Authorities have arrested four facilitators who helped the attackers enter Pakistan and took them to Mardan city. They had entered Pakistan from Afghanistan via the Torkhum border. However, the main facilitator, "terrorist A", who received and made arrangements for the attackers at Torkhum border

checkpost is still at large.

Officials claimed that the attack on BKU was planned and controlled from Afghanistan as the phone call of commander Omer Mansoor, who later claimed responsibility, was made from Afghanistan.

The BKU assault came about an year after terrorists attacked an army-run school in Peshawar that killed nearly 150 people, most of them students.

The Pakistani military intensified an ongoing offensive, named operation Zarb-e-Azb, against extremists in the tribal areas after the 2014 attack.(Agencies)

Israel ex-PM Olmert begins jail term

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Jerusalem, Feb 15: Disgraced former Prime minister Ehud Olmert on Monday became Israel's first ex-premier to be jailed as he began serving a 19-month sentence in the biggest corruption scandal in the Jewish nation's history. 70-yearold Olmert entered Ma'asiyahu Prison in Ramle Monday morning, nearly two months after the apex court upheld his bribery conviction.

Hours ahead of his incarceration, he insisted that while he accepted the sentence, he was innocent of taking bribes, the Times of Israel reported.

"As prime minister I was entrusted with Israel's security, and now I am the one who is about to sit

behind bars. You may well imagine how this transformation is painful and strange to me," Olmert said in a short video released shortly before he departed for the prison.

"At this time I want to say that I deny outright the charges relating to bribery attributed to me," he said.

"It is also important for me to note that all the charges do not touch on the time of my tenure as prime minister. It is with a very heavy heart that I accept the sentence no one is above the law," he concluded.

A Jerusalem court last week added another month behind bars to his jail term after he pleaded guilty to obstruction of

justice in various cases against him. The plea deal was the first admission of wrongdoing by the former premier and Jerusalem mayor, who has consistently maintained his innocence throughout eight years of legal proceedings in various graft cases.

Olmert admitted to trying to persuade his former secretary not to testify against him in the Holyland scandal and of trying to buy her silence, and a second affair involving cash infusions from US businessman Morris Talansky. In December, the Supreme Court reduced Olmert's sentence from six years to 18 months in prison, and acquitted him on one of the charges, bringing an end to what was dubbed the largest bribery scandal in Israel's history.

The Holyland scandal refers to a housing project of high rise buildings over a hilltop overlooking the city. In 2010, Olmert was named the key suspect in the case and was accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels for helping developers get the project past various legal and planning obstacles.

Olmert, who was prime minister from 2006 to 2009, was sentenced in May, 2014 to six years in prison on two separate charges of taking bribes.

He was forced to resign as premier in 2009 when the corruption allegations surfaced. He was also fined 1 million shekels (about $250,000) in 2014 for receiving some 500,000 shekels ( $125,000) in bribes through his brother in the Holyland case during his tenure as Jerusalem mayor before becoming prime minister.

A total of 13 government officials, developers and other businesspersons were charged in three separate graft cases linked to the scandal.Among those convicted included former Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupolianski and Danny Dankner, former chairman of Bank Hapoalim, Israel's second-biggest bank.

Olmert expressed regret that his term as prime minister concluded under the shadow of a police investigation. "Today I am a former prime minister who stands to serve a prison sentence," he said

in the video.

"This is an unusual and grave development, which some will see as confirmation of the Israeli democracy's might. But in the same breath I would like to raise the possibility that the legal case against me snowballed due to non-judicial reasons.

Perhaps once time passes the public could examine this sad moment through critical and balanced eyes," he said. The former premier also rejected charges of bribery saying "I made mistakes, but they were not criminal in nature". Olmert had to go through the same procedure as every prisoner when he entered the prison and was allowed to bring with him the same clothing and personal effects as other prisoners four pairs of underwear, four pairs of socks, two towels, two tracksuits, a single-sized blanket and cover, two bedsheets, a pillow case and personal hygiene products. He can keep his identity card, up to 1,500 shekels (less than $400) in cash, and religious articles and books.(Agencies)

Rise of 'Islamophobia' in West fuelling radicalisation: Pak UN ambassador Lahore, Feb.15: Pakistan's United Nations Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi called for an effective 'preventive strategy' to deal with violent extremism while stating that the rise of 'Islamophobia' in the West had fuelled the process of radicalisation.

Lodhi made the statement while participating in the General Assembly debate on the recently announced UN Secretary General's Plan of Action

to Prevent Violent Extremism "Economic deprivation, political injustice, social exclusion and marginalisation of people need to be addressed not only in the local context but also in the wider international context," she said.

"The international community, in particular the United Nations, already has a responsibility to address these issues. Doing so, diligently, will

also address the drivers of violent extremism and the conditions conducive to terrorism," Lodhi added. Asserting that the rise of 'Islamophobia' in the West had fuelled the process of radicalisation, she accused 'xenophobic politicians' of trying to build their political strength by spreading fear and deliberate mischaracterisation of people of other faiths.

"This has so far gone unchecked and unfortu-

nately unprincipled, xenophobic politicians have sought to build their political fortunes by spreading fear and deliberate mischaracterisation of people of other faiths or culture," Lodhi said.

She stated that Pakistan was grateful to note that the international community was finally acknowledging the need to go beyond security and military-centred counter-terrorism measures and

adopt a more comprehensive approach.

"Pakistan has long advocated this so that the underlying factors that drive terrorist violence are addressed in their entirety," Lodhi said. Deploring any attempt to associate extremism and terrorism with any country, race, religion, she urged the international community to ensure that this was fully reflected in their national and international actions. (ANI)

Quetta girl commits suicide after principal rejects examination forms Quetta, Feb.15: An Intermediate student from Balochistan's Killa Saifullah district, who led a protest against suspension of classes at her college owing to a shortage of female teachers, committed suicide on Friday after the college principal allegedly refused to send her examination forms to the board.

A despondent 17-year old Saqiba Kakar ingested poisonous pills in the Muslim Bagh town of Killa Saifullah district, her family

classes because there were 'no female teachers at the school'.

Saqiba's brother Aizazullah Kakar said that in the wake of the principal's decision his sister lost hope and committed suicide by taking poison.

An Intermediate student from Balochistan's Killa Saifullah district

members said on Sunday. The girls, who had travelled all the way to

Quetta last year to stage a protest, said the principal had cancelled

He informed that his sister repeatedly requested the principal and college administration to send her examination form, but the principal refused on the ground that she did not have the required atten-

dance for appearing in the exams.

Principal Abida Ghous has withheld examination forms of three other girls, he said appealing to the authorities to intervene in the matter.

Abid Baloch, the district police chief of Killa Saifullah, said an investigation is under way. The deceased was buried on Friday and the incident was reported to the police on Saturday. (ANI)

China, South Korea to discuss Korean peninsula issue

Officials from China and South Korea on Tuesday will discuss the current situation on the Korean peninsula

Beijing, Feb 15: Officials from China and South Korea on Tuesday will discuss the current situation on the Korean peninsula, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei on Monday.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui and South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam will cochair the seventh high-

level strategic dialogue scheduled on February 16 in Seoul, Xinhua quoted Hong as saying.

The two sides are expected to exchange views on bilateral relations, the current situation on the Korean peninsula and other issues of mutual concern, said Hong.

The sixth high-level strategic dialogue was held on June 3, 2013 in Beijing. (Agencies)

Afghan CEO says Taliban should stop using children for their own goals Kabul, Feb.15: Afghanistan CEO Abdullah Abdullah on Monday reiterated his call to the Taliban to join the peace process, but also slammed the insurgen group for using child soldiers in their ongoing war against the government.

Addressing guests at a ceremony to mark the 27th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet Union troops from Afghanistan, Abdullah said that the government had a zero tolerance policy towards those who use children in their battles.

H e added that Taliban should stop using children for their own goals and let

children live their childhood. Speaking on the Soviet war in Afghanistan, which lasted for ten years from 1979 to 1989, Abdullah said, 'We still suffer from the aftermath of that defeat. There is still insecurity in the villages of our country.'

Abdullah said victory against the Russian Invasion of Afghanistan was a tremendous achievement but, the aftermath had not been good for the nation.

He went on to say that the defeat of the Soviet troops in Afghanistan 'inspired other nations in the region to become free and live in peace'. (ANI)

Afghanistan CEO Abdullah Abdullah on Monday reiterated his call to the Taliban to join the peace process

Lankan President visits Japanese 'Ship of the World' Nippon Maru Colombo, Feb.15: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena visited the Japanese cruise ship Nippon Maru, which arrived at the Colombo Port on Sunday. The Nippon Maru, is carrying a contingent of over 243 youth of various nationalities including Sri Lankan, as part of the 'Ship for World Youth' (SWY) program, arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday (14) after three years.

The 120 youth from Japan and 120 from Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and UAE are part of the program.

The ship will be in Sri

Lanka for four days, reports Lanka Page website.

A group of 12 youth represents Sri Lanka at the 28th edition of the program. Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Kenichi Suganuma, and Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe accompanied the President.

The purpose of the program, which is run by the Government of Japan is to broaden the global view of Japanese youth to promote mutual understanding and friendship between Japanese and foreign youth, as well as to cultivate the spirit of international cooperation.

(ANI)

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena

PAGE 8

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

US-ASEAN Summit: Preparing for a New Normal Organ donation

Can the U.S. and ASEAN find common ground on the South China Sea?

Learn to love for others

The element of signaling the Sea (ITLOS) is sched- therefore provide an opsurrounding the first U.S.- uled to hand down this portunity for the creation ASEAN summit in March over the status of of a Code of Conduct in Sunnylands, California maritime features in the the South China Sea. was strong. The White South China Sea dispute, Hedging Game House decision to host a flashpoint involving The tribunal decision will ASEAN leaders at the China and five ASEAN also likely have repercussame venue where U.S. members, through which sions for the ability of President Barack Obama half the world's trade ASEAN members to unite previously received Chi- passes. Not surprisingly, in addressing the issue. nese president Xi Jinping then, this issue is expected This could further erode symbolized the increas- to top the agenda during the credibility of ASEAN ingly t h e centrality, a concept that pivotal meet- requires members to be role the Emirza Adi Syailendra i n g united, given that full conU . S . a s sensus is needed to was according ASEAN as U.S. achieve any result under an institution. and ASEAN leaders ex- the various ASEAN Visiting Laos and Cambo- plore ways to respond to mechanisms. dia, U.S. Secretary of the growing tensions in the The majority of ASEAN members wish to maxiState John Kerry laid region. some of the groundwork With almost no conver- mize trade and investment for the Sunnylands sum- gence of views between ties with Beijing while mit. With Laos as ASEAN China and the Philippines maintaining a close secuchair this year, many ob- (or other players) on the rity relationship with servers worry about a re- arbitration case, the deci- Washington. However, peat of ASEAN's failure in sion on the seven submis- members countries have 2012, under Cambodia's sions the Philippines subchairmanship, to agree to mitted in 2013 is likely to a communiquĂŠ on the dis- usher in a new normal. putes surrounding the The tribunal has no intenSouth China Sea. Kerry's tion of resolving the overconsultations were thus lapping claims in their enimportant to encourage tirety, but it will provide a Laos and Cambodia to decision on two main isshow unity in response to sues: the validity of China's growing China's nine-dashed line assertiveness in the re- claim and the maritime stagion. This is an important tus of the claimed areas, prerequisite to pushing for such as whether Taiping/ effective implementation Itu Aba is a rock or an isof the Declaration of Con- land, and thus whether it duct and early conclusion can generate Exclusive the Code of Conduct in the Economic Zone (EEZ)/ South China Sea. Continental Shelf status.

Although the extent of The recent freedom of conflicts and tensions navigation operation on may depend on the actual January 30, during which ruling by the judges, Asiathe guided-missile de- Pacific countries are stroyer USSCurtis Wilbur acutely aware that the a range of positions when sailed within 12 nautical judgment will set the tone it comes to the Sino-U.S. miles of Triton Island in and language that will be rivalry. These positions the Paracels, controlled by used on this issue. be broadly placed into China but also claimed by Although doing business in can one groups.

Vietnam, also highlighted Southeast Asia is impor- Mostofofthree the claimants, but the U.S. efforts to build tant to its domestic most notably the Philipmomentum. While China agenda - to be a moder- pines and Vietnam, have reacted with predictable ately well-off society by been highly critical of outrage, Vietnam ex- 2049 - Beijing is likely to China. The Philippines has pressed its support for the adopt a policy of ignoring elected to renew the Enright of innocent passage legal battles altogether. hanced Defense Cooperathrough its territorial wa- Bureaucratic politics con- tion Agreement with the ters in accordance with strain China's foreign U.S., despite domestic international law. policy mandarins from criticism on the question Although it is unlikely that the summit will produce Although it is unlikely that the sumany definitive statements, for the U.S. this meeting mit will produce any definitive stateis important in two ments, for the U.S. this meeting is senses. First, the unprecimportant in two senses. First, the edented summit reflects unprecedented summit reflects Obama's personal belief in the importance of engagObama's personal belief in the iming Southeast Asia counportance of engaging Southeast Asia tries via overarching rulebased regional institutions countries via overarching rule-based in order to balance its biregional institutions in order to ballateral engagement with ance its bilateral engagement with allies. Second, it is an opportunity to convey to a allies. domestic audience the rising relevance of Southeast taking more conciliatory of sovereignty and exAsia, a message that positions. panding content. This deneeds to be delivered if Nonetheless, at a time cision was motivated by U.S. engagement in the when China is attempting anxiety at China's growregion is to be sustained to reach out to ASEAN to ing assertiveness in the under Obama's successor. promote its Maritime Silk South China Sea. As for The New Normal Road and Asian Infra- Vietnam, although an alliThe summit is set to dis- structure and Investment ance remains out of reach cuss a broad range of is- Bank initiatives, Beijing given resistance from sues, from maritime secu- will find it hard to strike a hardline elements, relations rity cooperation to tech- balance between eco- with the U.S. are increasnological entrepreneur- nomic engagement with ingly warm, and China is ship. Right now, however, ASEAN and maintaining a factor in this. all eyes are on the deci- its stance on the South sion that the International China Sea disputes. The A second group of ASEAN Tribunal for the Law of ITLOS decision may members, notably Indone-

Organ donation is the process of giving an organ or a part of an organ for the purpose of transplantation into another person. In 1994, the Government of India passed the Transplantation of Human Organs Act that legalized the concept of brain death and, for the first time, facilitated organ procurement from heart beating, brain dead donors. In India, matters related to health are governed by each state. The Act was initiated at the request of Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Goa (who therefore adopted it by default) and was subsequently adopted by all states except Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Despite a regulatory framework, cases of commercial dealings in human organs were reported in the media. An amendment to the act was proposed by the states of Goa, Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal in 2009 to address inadequacies in the efficacy, relevance and impact of the Act. The amendment to the Act was passed by the parliament in 2011, and the rules were notified in 2014. The same is adopted by the proposing states and union territories by default and may be adopted by other states by passing a resolution.

However, this concept has not caught on well in India for want of public education and awareness.

This in turn is perpetuating the commercial sale of human organs due to

the widening gap between the demand and supply. Thousands of lives are lost in India annually from heart and liver failure since transplantation of unpaired organs like heart, liver and pancreas is either difficult or impossible from living donors. This is only possible on a large scale if these organs are available from cadaver donors.

In the United States, in 2004, there were over 14,000 organ donors - an increase of 695 donors (7%) over 2003. During this time the number of cadaver donors grew by 11% to 7,152, the largest annual increase in deceased donors in the last 10 years. In 2005, the number of kidneys transplanted from cadavers was 9,914, while the number of patients who received transplants from living donors was 6,563.

India is struggling with acute shortage of organs for transplantation. It is estimated that more than a million people suffer with end stage organ failure, but only a handful of 3,500 transplants are performed annually. At least 15 patients die every day waiting for organs and every 10 minutes a new name is added to this waiting list. Undoubtedly, the demand far outstrips the availability of organs.

And no one can escape the harsh reality. Awareness on organ donation is therefore the only way out of this depressing scenario. The more potential donors there are, the more the likelihood of organs becoming available to save lives. Unfortunately, very people in India have any idea about organ donation, or how they could potentially help after their deaths.

Timber smuggling Destroying nature will put our own lives at risk In Northeastern India, timber smugglers are becoming a big threat to forest guards and the ecosystem as well. Forest officials are finding it hard to fight back due to lack of equipment. Say for example, forest guards posted near the Garbhanga Reserve Forest bordering India's Assam and Meghalaya states are facing security threats from timber smugglers. According to the forest guards in Assam, timber smugglers from neighbouring Meghalaya cross over and harass officials and locals in the area. Forest officials are of the opinion that they are finding it very difficult to fight back due to lack of proper equipment. The miscreants also destroy shops and houses located in nearby areas. It is estimated that in the last six years, around 40 percent of the forest's trees have been felled. Largescale timber smuggling is fast depleting the reserves and playing havoc with the ecosystem. It is estimated that in the last six years, around 40 percent of the forest's trees have been felled. Large-scale timber smuggling is fast depleting the reserves and playing havoc with the ecosystem.

It seems more or less depleted as precious trees are being allegedly chopped illegally by timber smugglers every day. Animals such elephants, leopard, deer, monkeys and wild pigs stray out from Upper Division Forest Reserve in search of food as trees have become less. Kotha Forest Reserve is a rain forest once famous for valuable trees but today the trees are found no more because of rampant timber smuggling. Felling of trees is being done with impunity during the night and it is dangerous and difficult to stop the smugglers.

In the South Garo Hills of Meghalaya, the Baghmara reserve forest is one of the most densely forested areas, where timber smugglers take advantage of the monsoon to fell the trees and push them down the Simsang river, which flows into Bangladesh. The reserve forest is home to a wide variety of fauna, including elephants, marbled cat, hoolock gibbon, leopard, Malayan giant squirrel and clouded leopard, among others. There has been tremendous demand of timber in the neighbouring country and many Bangladeshis are involved in smuggling timber from the Balpakram National Park in the South Garo Hills, according to the police. Wildlife activists said smuggling of timber continues despite border fencing as smugglers mostly use the riverine route. Ironically, very little has been done to either study or protect these areas in the past. The largest number of bio-diversity hotspots in the Asia, as well as the country is also found here. Also a large number of valuable wildlife resources are yet to be enumerated strictly in accordance with facts and figures.

The environmentalists and the conscious peoples of this region say that these forests having boundless natural wealth which will shortly turn into a 'desert,' if such wanton destruction continues unchecked.

sia, Singapore, and Thailand, have been very keen to maintain strategic autonomy. Nevertheless, with a massive influx of Chinese investment, countries such as Indonesia that are in dire need of infrastructure have been struggling to preserve their neutrality. After work started on Indonesia's first ever high-speed rail link, a controversial Chinese project that will connect Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia announced another megaproject that will be led by a Chinese state-owned electricity company. Although the Indonesian government has attempted to preserve its neutrality, for instance declining Beijing's invitation to conduct military drills in the South China

suggests that relations between the two are warm.

Nonetheless, there is reason to question whether U.S. support for ASEAN centrality will outlive Obama's administration.

Many worry that the next U.S. leader will be focused on domestic issues, or on the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. The diversity of political systems and attitudes towards human rights in ASEAN are another impediment for the U.S. government, which is often seen by its domestic constituents as too soft towards the non-democratic members of ASEAN. Still, Southeast Asia is certainly attracting the attention of other regional pow-

Source: mb.com.ph/wp-content Sea late last year, the country is clearly drawing closer to China.

The third group includes Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos (CML), all countries determined to avoid any position that puts them directly at odds with China.

Many observers concluded that Cambodia's failure in 2012 to agree on a communiquĂŠ owed to its decision not to corner its most important economic partner.

The gaps between these already divergent positions are only likely to widen after ITLOS announces its decision, with a new round of friction likely. This will motivate claimants to step up their efforts to reassert their claims and to bolster security ties with external powers, especially the U.S. and Japan. Claimants such as Vietnam, depending on the outcome of the Philippines' case, may start their own legal processes. Members will also pressure various ASEAN meetings to address the challenges that China's claims present. This will put the non-claimants in the difficult position of having to choose between their fellow ASEAN members and China.

Outliving Obama's Presidency The U.S.-ASEAN meeting

ers, such as Japan, India, China, South Korea, and Australia. Whether it is India's Act East policy or Australia's "More Jakarta, Less Geneva," recent moves have signified the rising importance of the region. And in terms of the U.S. rebalance, Southeast Asia is a vital avenue for engaging China.

such as climate change.

Since assuming office, Obama has sought to institutionalize U.S. relations with Southeast Asia countries. The signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 2009, for instance, provided an opportunity for the U.S. and Southeast Asia to move substantially closer.

China's race to modernize its navy to support its territorial claims in the South China Sea poses an imminent challenge, not only for the claimants but also for the U.S., which has an interest in preserving freedom of navigation. Creating a meaningful Code of Conduct has become increasingly important.

However, with many ASEAN members embroiled in domestic politics, such as the regression to militarism in Thailand, a high-profile corruption case confronting the Malaysian government, and endless political tussles and infighting between oligarchs in Indonesia, ASEAN finds itself leaderless.

Yet many ASEAN members remain cautious about U.S. engagement in the region. Some worry that the U.S.-led TransPacific Partnership (TPP) will challenge the ASEANled Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Although the nature of economic arrangements are not necessarily zero-sum, the TPP has certainly diluted the focus of some ASEAN members.

This makes the U.S. presence imperative to encourage meaningful discussion in the various ASEAN forums. However, the approach must be such that regional middle powers are able to take the lead.

This is important to en-

Ticket imbroglio

Source: Clipartfreecollection.

sure bottom-up centrality in ASEAN. It is also important to allow ASEAN members, and especially the CML, to maintain their strategic autonomy. Indeed, the U.S. plan for deeper bilateral cooperation with the CML is vital for their economic diversification and their ability to develop a more independent foreign policy.

Despite the centrality of China in Washington's Southeast Asia policy, Kerry's statement in Cambodia has attempted to carefully delineate the importance of ASEAN. Southeast Asia is an important trading and investment partner for the U.S., and there are other critical issues that the U.S. can address with the bloc,

Sir, Any political party irrespective of whether congress or BJP is all set to get devastated by a serious problem centering round selection of candidates in different constituencies. In BJP, this problem is all the more palpable. This task, we believe, is not a cake walk.

Many contenders scramble for a ticket from almost all the constituencies.

Sometimes, it appears, this scramble for ticket may turn into a conflagration that would be difficult to extinguish. The congress, too, is in the grip of the same problem, it is apprehended. But the intensity in the congress is comparatively less than what is confronted by the BJP. Perhaps, a

Meanwhile, at last year's ADMM-Plus gathering in Kuala Lumpur, the decision not to issue a joint declaration was driven by the disappointment of the U.S. delegation at the exclusion of mention of the South China Sea disputes.

Clearly, U.S. diplomacy will be tested by an increasingly divergent ASEAN, and by the need to preserve ASEAN centrality, which is vital to create a rules-based AsiaPacific. 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.

strong high command in the congress makes a difference. Unless the BJP tightens its grip, the matter may go haywire, it will be difficult to bring the Letters to the editor matter arising out of distribution of and articles should ticket under control. Only a planned be sent to : The strategy worked out to defuse such Eastern Today situation well ahead of the distribution Chowkidingee, of ticket may save the occasion. Else, the entire strategy will get disarrayed Near Sankardeva and far from going to the people seek- Hospital Mancotta ing vote, the party will remain busy Road, Dibrugarhsetting its own house in order.

786003 (Assam) Ph: 0373-2328944 Yours etc.

Ashok Bordoloi Web : Dibrugarh editor.easterntoday@gmail.com

p O

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

Page 9

ed

Bhogdanga- Life beyond the fence India and Bangladesh and were allowed to pass shared a peculiar history through only designated and geography of en- check points. They ran claves. It is a long twisted the risk of being arrested tale of certain areas find- for not carrying passport ing themselves in trans- while crossing the interterritorial setting. En- national border. As the claves are fragments of enclave dwellers had no one country totally sur- voting rights, both India rounded by another. The and Bangladesh lost intertrans-territorial setting est in their cause. means an The life of area being Parvin Sultana the enclave geographidweller is cally located in one coun- subject to law but is untry but politically and le- protected by the law. gally belonging to another. They are left invisible in While there are a few the eyes of the state. enclaves in countries like State machinery is Norway and Belgium, present as a punitive there were 111 Indian en- force in these enclaves claves in Bangladesh and but never as an agent of 51 Bangladeshi enclaves development. During the in India. bird flu epidemic of 2009, poultry owners whose The situation within the chickens were destroyed enclaves has always were compensated. But been grim. Being sur- this benefit was not exrounded by the territory tended to the enclaves. of another country, to However border guards travel to their home state, often enter these enpeople have to cross in- claves to catch anti-social ternational borders and elements who use this take necessary permis- area as a hideout. sion for doing so. Along with this, due to the ab- The enclave situation simsence of access to the mered for a long time. home country the people Political compulsions ofhave been systematically ten pushed this problem denied of basic amenities. to the backburner.

They are practically pris- Bangladesh had more Inoners in these enclaves as dian enclaves. Any talk of they cannot procure land swap meant India documents required for and Bangladesh would travelling to their so- give up their claims on the called motherland. area of enclaves within their territories. This The problem of enclave meant India would have dwellers began with the to give up claim on more introduction of passports land. This did not go down and visas in 1952. They well with states like lost their limited mobility Assam and West Bengal.

Another aspect of the Land Swap Deal was to give option to the enclave dwellers on choosing their country. They could accept the citizenship of the host country or move to their home country.

Hence the residents of Indian enclaves could travel to mainland India and be given Indian citizenship. Many showed concern that this would pave way for illegal immigrants to move into India. This was accentuated by the fact that the question of illegal immigration continues to be an important one in the political discourse of northeast.

While a bill to address the problems of the enclave dwellers was formulated as back as in 1974, political compulsions and opportunism put it on the backburner. Another concrete step was taken by the UPA government in 2011, but BJP then in opposition played up the sub nationalist feelings of people from Assam and Bengal and thwarted the bill. It was only after BJP came to power in 2014, they decided to go ahead with the Land Swap Deal.

While the passage of the bill and the signing of the treaty have a potential to address the problems of enclave dwellers after all these years, the unnecessary delay showed how political parties undermined the problems of enclave dwellers in front

of electoral compulsions.

At a time when the first step towards solving the problem of enclaves has been taken, there is another peculiar problem of an Indian 'exclave' facing the country.

A village called Bhokdanga in Golokganj of Dhubri district is a narrow strip of land barely 50 metres in breadth protruding in Bangladesh.

Bhogdanga and Fauskarkuti are two villages which fall outside the fence. They are surrounded by Bangladesh and the inhabitants enter Indian land through a BSF check gate which is closed at 4 p.m sharp.

These villages are surrounded by Kacher Kuti, Shaber Kuti, Kanur gaon, Shiver Haat, Balabari and Angler Kuti of district Kurigram of Bangladesh.

A visit to the village which has around 125 families with a population of around 750 brought to the forefront a case of serious absence of basic amenities. Residents are mostly Koch Rajbongshis with a few Muslim families. They have one mosque with two makeshift temples in a close proximity to each other.

For small things the villagers have to cross the check gate, register there and then go to the market in Nalia which is at a distance of 4-5 km. The two villages are connected by a wooden bridge which was con-

structed after much delay. Even then the bridge is not very high and gets inundated during floods.

There is no primary health centres. There are two schools but one school is yet to have a proper shed for students.

The residents spoke with much caution with military personnel around.

Dependent on the military's goodwill for all kind of emergencies, they kept quiet about whether they had to face any harassment from the military. The residents are issued a gate-pass by the BSF. While talking about the law and order situation, an elderly resident Haleswar Roy recalls that some years back people from across the border used to come and loot. Cases of robbery were common. Around five years back some robbers came and tied him up and stole his four cows. When BSF intervened, three cows were returned.

With nothing to mark the border except some pillars, animals often crossover to the other country.

This leads to skirmishes also. Mayuri Bala Barman, a local resident tells us that few days back her ducks crossed over and were captured by people there. The BSF again had to intervene to ensure they were returned. Birkanta Roy, who is a school teacher

Source: The Diplomat

and teaches in one of the primary schools says that he has moved to Golokganj town with family although he originally is from Fauskarkuti. Upward social mobility led to people moving out of this border village.

People were mainly engaged in agriculture, fishing with very few in government jobs. Haleswar Roy further lamented that yearly floods are devastating and the villagers have to live in terrible conditions during those times with no help from the authorities. Keen to witness the exchange between the people of the two country, me and my fellow researcher wanted to stay overnight.

But we were strictly told that permission will not be granted and leaving us on our own might be a threat to our safety. We could see people from the neighbouring country keenly observing us from a few metres distance.

In the few hours that we

spent in the two villages made us realize that these people lived in equally precarious conditions like the enclave dwellers.

After 4 p.m they are at the mercy of the neighbouring village people of Bangladesh.

The location beyond the fence have denied them basic civic amenities and pushed them to a position between a well and a deep sea. Turned into prisoners in their own homes, their mobility is strictly regulated. To go over to India they have to cross a check gate and they cannot go to markets within a walking distance because it happens to be in a different country. However interference from the other side is frequent. BDR personnel and Bangladeshi people protested against the installation of pillars with solar flood lights in the villages. They also did not want the bridge to be constructed on the pre-

tence that no construction should be carried out within 200 metres of the border on either side.

The villagers are caught between the devil and the deep sea. The distance from Indian land and the proximity to Bangladesh have worked against their interests. Bound to their land for livelihood, villagers can give up their claims only if compensated properly. Looking at the condition of the people, one is forced to wonder that if the problem of enclaves took more than six decades to be solved, the possibility of the villagers being shifted and rehabilitated seems distant.

Courtesy:nezine (Parvin Sultana is working as an Assistant Professor in Pramathesh Barua College in Gauripur, Assam. Her research interest includes Muslims in Assam, Development and the Northeast, Gender etc.)

Air pollution claims DNA as history and sophistry 5.5m lives annually

source: cdn1.sph.harvard.edu

Poor air quality claims 5.5 million lives worldwide annually, with more than half of these deaths occurring in China and India.

Taking a deadly toll on us, poor air quality claims 5.5 million lives worldwide annually, with more than half of the deaths occurring in two of the world's fastest growing economies, China and India.

Power plants, industrial manufacturing, vehicle exhaust and burning coal and wood all release small particles into the air that are dangerous to a person's health.

The University of British Columbia research found that despite efforts to limit future emissions, the number of premature deaths linked to air pollution will climb over the next two decades unless more aggressive targets are set.

Researcher Michael Brauer said that air pollution is the fourth high-

est risk factor for death globally and by far the leading environmental risk factor for disease, adding that reducing air pollution is an incredibly efficient way to improve the health of a population.

Researchers from Canada, the United States, China and India assembled estimates of air pollution levels in China and India and calculated the impact on health. Their analysis shows that the two countries account for 55 per cent of the deaths caused by air pollution worldwide. About 1.6 million people died of air pollution in China and 1.4 million died in India in 2013.

In China, burning coal is the biggest contributor to poor air quality. Researcher Qiao Ma, who found that outdoor air pollution from coal alone caused an estimated 366,000 deaths in China in 2013, said that the study highlights the ur-

gent need for even more aggressive strategies to reduce emissions from coal and from other sectors.

In India, a major contributor to poor air quality is the practice of burning wood, dung and similar sources of biomass for cooking and heating.

Millions of families, among the poorest in India, are regularly exposed to high levels of particulate matter in their own homes.

India needs a threepronged mitigation approach to address industrial coal burning, open burning for agriculture, and household air pollution sources, said Chandra Venkataraman of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

The study has been presented at the 2016 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).Courtesy:dnaindia

The first Jewish settlers in India arrived about 1,500 years ago from West Asia. Over time, as they married and mixed into the local populations, their original pedigree got progressively diluted and was dyed deeply in the South Asian hue, says a team of geneticists who compared the genetic layout of contemporary Indian Jews with native Indians as well as of Jews living in West Asia.

This is no groundbreaking news. The finding is more or less in line with what conventional historians have long suspected, based albeit on flimsy evidence. What is new, however, is that now there is scientific evidence backing this claim.

Researchers at the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) used clues called genetic markers (essentially spelling differences between any two DNAs) to reconstruct a genetic history of the Indian Jews.

The study, published recently in Scientific Reports, found that while markers on chromosome Y, which is passed on from father to son, and mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited only from the mother, linked them tenuously to one another through their West Asian origins. However, markers on other chromosomes, which carry the full genetic blueprint, suggest deep roots in the south Asian stock.

Scientists are increasingly using genetic history to illumine the dark corners of humans' shared

past, which a traditional historian could only interpret vaguely using remnants of ambiguous or unreliable oral, written or archaeological data.

Even as genetic histories fill crucial gaps in traditional historical accounts, they are, as Princeton science historian Keith Wailoo put it, "lending renewed authority to biological conceptions of human difference and providing fodder for national debates over belonging, self-definition, and political power". For instance, one school of

historians believes that the caste system in India became more rigid and clarified during colonial rule. However, in 2009 scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and CCMB reconstructed the genetic history of various caste and tribal groups and found little dilution in some genetic lines, suggesting that the caste system is of ancient vintage.

The study also found that all Indians were a hybrid of two ancestral groups

that preceded the arrival of both Indo-Europeans and Dravidians, thus countering the popular view that north Indians descended from Aryans from Central Asia and south Indians from Dravidians.

Genetic archeology is not without its pitfalls though, as illustrated by the science writer Nicholas Wade's controversial book A Troublesome History, in which he used data on human genetic differences to claim that variation in IQ among

various races is an outcome of natural selection. But geneticists, on whose work Wade based his claims, denounced the book as "inaccurate and incomplete account" of their research.

Fetishing DNA as the cipher of all origins has also led to a comic exploitation of the age-old question: "Who am I?". Anyone can now get their genetic histories unscrambled by ancestry companies for as little as Rs 15,000. In a world marked by a pervasive feeling of alienation, it's not odd to feel a little flattered by a probable kinship with famous figures like King Charlemagne or Sage Agastya. The truth, alas, is most such genetic deciphering is imprecise at best and fallacious at worst. The reason is simple. Tracing back your pedigree unfolds in a geometrical progression, with the number of ancestors doubling every generation until the family tree begins to look more like a complex labyrinth where anyone or every one could be your ancestor. As the 2009 CCMB study demonstrated, all Indians are complex mongrels bred from two ancient ancestral lines.

Curious as we are about our origins, human pasts are hopelessly tangled in the twisted ciphers of DNA. Genetics can at best illumine a few dark corners of our lineage. It is perfectly legit to imagine yourself as related to a famous clan or a notorious horde. For that you don't have to line the pockets of pedigree hunters.

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

BUSINESS

19% decline in January's passenger car exports from India Mumbai, Feb 15: Passenger car shipments from India declined 18.85% to 33,909 units in January due to challenges in top export markets like Algeria, Europe and neighbouring countries.

Indian car makers had shipped 41,787 units in the same month of the previous year.

"We are facing issues in Algeria as they have brought in some changes in technical regulations.

We have visited the country to sort out the issues.

It is bothering us," said Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Deputy Director General Sugato Sen. In 2014-15, Indian companies exported passenger vehicles (PVs) worth $293 million (nearly Rs

Rs 2,000 crore to be invested by Tata Steel SEZ for development of infrastructure in Odisha Gopalpur, Feb 15: Tata Steel SEZ said it plans to invest about Rs 2,000-2,500 crore for development of infrastructure at Gopalpur in Odisha in the near term.

"We have already spent Rs 1,000 crore to set up a 55,000 TPA high carbon ferro chrome plant and development of infrastructure. Going forward we will invest Rs 2,000 -2,500 crore for the development of further infrastructure in the SEZ," Tata Steel Managing director T V Narendran told reporters on the sidelines of Make in India conference here. The SEZ, which is a 100% subsidiary of Tata Steel, has received clearance from Odisha government for setting up an industrial park. "We got nearly 3,000 acres of land and Tata Steel is already (an) investor in the said unit by setting up ferro chrome plant, which is expected to be commissioned in the near future," Narendran said. This is the first time that the Tata group is coming up with a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). UK-based Meggitt recently decided to produce defence vehicles at Gopalpur, Odisha. Defence equipment makers will also be a big focus for the SEZ, Arun Misra, Managing Director, Tata Steel Special Economic Zone, said adding that more companies in defence sector are expected to come following the government initiative to encourage manufacturing as part Make in India campaign.

The company is in discussions with investors in China and some South-East Asian countries have evinced interest in investing in the SEZ, Mishra added. According to him the industrial park will start putting up factory sheds in 3-4 months period and clearance for setting up unit will be given within 15 days period. (Agencies)

2,003.53 crore) to Algeria. Besides, PVs worth $158 million (nearly Rs 1,080.40 crore) were exported to Sri Lanka. UK shipments accounted for $335 million (nearly Rs 2,290.73 crore).

In the April-January period this fiscal, car exports have declined by 5.22% to 4,39,208 units as against 4,63,391 units in the corresponding period of last fiscal. When asked if the auto industry expects some headway regarding relaxation of regulations in Algeria, Sen said, "I don't think they will budge from their stand, we will have to adjust accordingly." In Sri Lanka, the Indian car exporters are facing high taxation issues while Europe, the biggest market

DECLINING EXPORT Passenger car shipments from India declined 18.85% to 33,909 units in January due to challenges in top export markets like Algeria, Europe and neighbouring countries.

Indian car makers had shipped 41,787 units in the same month of the previous year.

Similarly, Maruti Suzuki India's (MSI) exports during the last fiscal declined by 36.25% to 6,467 cars compared to 10,145 units in January 2015.

Japanese car maker Nissan also saw its exports decline 11.29% to 8,892 units last month from 10,024 units during the year-ago period.

During January, exports of passenger vehicles, including vans, utility vehicles and cars, declined 6.72% to 42,084 units from 45,114 units a year earlier.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor's exports of passenger cars declined 56.69% to 738 units while Volkswagen reported nearly 14.73% decline in shipments to 6,230 cars.

In 2014-15, Indian companies exported passenger vehicles (PVs) worth $293 million (nearly Rs 2,003.53 crore) to Algeria. Besides, PVs worth $158 million (nearly Rs 1,080.40 crore) were exported to Sri Lanka.

UK shipments accounted for $335 million (nearly Rs 2,290.73 crore). In the AprilJanuary period this fiscal, car exports have declined by 5.22% to 4,39,208 units as against 4,63,391 units in the corresponding period of last fiscal.

for compact cars from India, is still recovering

from a slump, he added.

During January, exports

of passenger vehicles, including vans, utility ve-

Tata Steel won 'best in class for manufacturing' at 'Make in India' week ANI Mumbai, Feb 15: American publishing company, Time Inc announced the winners of the inaugural TIME India awards, honouring leaders for manufacturing excellence in India, at the Make in India week here.

McKinsey & Company is the knowledge partner for the awards. The awards encompassed three categories: Best in class manufacturing, manufacturing innovator of the year and young maker of the year. Tata Steel won the award for best in class for manufacturing, while Hero MotoCorp was named the manufacturing innovator of the year and Yogesh and Rajesh

Agrawal of Ajanta Pharma Limited were declared winners of the TIME India Young Maker of the Year. Norman Pearlstine, the chief content officer for Time Inc. announced the winners at a ceremony here, at which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honour. The awards launched a weeklong series of events to mark the Indian Government's 'Make in India' initiative to boost the country's manufacturing sector. "The recipients of the first TIME India awards are world-class companies that are making a real impact on the rapidly growing Indian economy. We are pleased

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Source: media2 to recognise them for their efforts during 'Make in India' Week," said Pearlstine. "In the coming years many Indian companies may take the big leap to become global multinationals. Winners of the future will be companies that not only 'Make in India' but "Make Better

and More Efficiently in India", said Rajat Dhawan, director, McKinsey & Company. The winners were selected among nine finalists, who were determined from a pool of approximately 3,000 manufacturing companies after extensive evaluation of qualitative and quantitative

parameters. The finalists were announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January.

A jury of leading international business figures led

by Norman Pearlstine selected the winners of the TIME India Awards in each category. Judges included General Electric vice chairman John Rice, Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, ICICI Bank Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Chanda Kochhar, Renault and Nissan Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn, TIME Assistant Managing Editor Rana Foroohar, and Kevin Sneader, Chairman, Asia, at McKinsey & Co.

Chandilya not quitting AirAsia India: Fernandes Mumbai, Feb 15: AirAsia India CEO Mittu Chandilya is not quitting the airline, AirAsia Group chief Tony Fernandes said as he announced that the 2-year old Indian carrier would "shortly" add two aircraft as part of its fleet expansion plans. "I read about Mittu calling it quits from you guys. I absolutely deny it. There is no substance to the rumours," the Malaysian airline group chief told reporters at the Make in India week here. Uncon-

firmed reports had a few days ago said that Mr. Chandilya has put in his papers. To questions on the loss-making airline's much-delayed fleet expansion plan, Mr. Fernandes said two more planes would be inducted "shortly and a dozen later" but did not put a time line to these deliveries. AirAsia India, which currently has six Airbus A320-200 planes, is a joint venture in which Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd holds 49 per cent, Tata Sons Ltd 41 per cent and

BOB posts a loss of Rs. 3,342 crore Pune, Feb 15: Bank of Baroda - the country's second largest lender reported a Rs.3,342 crore loss during the Oct-Dec quarter, as compared to 334 crore profit during the same period last year as bad loans surged. This is the highest-ever quarter loss posted by an Indian lender. Most lenders have reported weak earnings for the third quarter after the Reserve Bank of India directed them to classify many accounts as non-performing that were identified by the regulator during an Asset Quality Review (AQR). While RBI gave banks two quarters for making the provisions BoB has made the entire provisioning in the third quarter. Fresh slippages during the quarter was at Rs.15,603 crore as compared to Rs.3,042 crore during the same period of last year. This has resulted 463% increase in bad loan provisioning requirement

hicles and cars, declined 6.72% to 42,084 units from 45,114 units a year earlier. During the last month, the country's top car exporter Hyundai Motor India recorded a 56.66% drop in exports to 4,335 units from 10,003 units in January 2015.

Similarly, Maruti Suzuki India's (MSI) exports during the last fiscal declined by 36.25% to 6,467 cars compared to 10,145 units in January 2015. Japanese car maker Nissan also saw its exports decline 11.29% to 8,892 units last month from 10,024 units during the year-ago period.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor's exports of passenger cars declined 56.69% to 738 units while Volkswagen reported nearly 14.73% decline in shipments to 6,230 cars. (Agencies)

to Rs.6,474 crore. The gross non-performing as-

E S T I M AT E D LOSS BOB reported a Rs.3,342 crore loss during the Oct-Dec quarter, as compared to 334 crore profit during the same period last year as bad loans surged. This is the highest-ever quarter loss posted by an Indian lender.

Fresh slippages during the quarter was at Rs.15,603 crore as compared to Rs.3,042 crore during the same period of last year. This has resulted 463% increase in bad loan provisioning requirement to Rs.6,474 crore.

The gross non-performing asset of BOB increased 64 per cent to Rs.38,934 crore which was 9.68 per cent of total loans.

set of the bank increased 64 per cent to Rs.38,934 crore which was 9.68 per cent of total loans. The provision coverage ratio of the bank was at 52.7 per cent.

The bank has made treasury gains of Rs.530 crore during the quarter.

"Our sense is that the worst is over," said P.S. Jayakumar, managing director and chief executive officer of Bank of Baroda during the post earnings conference, while referring to the fact that the bank has made the entire provisioning as required

by RBI in Q3. Despite reporting heavy losses, Mr Jayakumar said it has enough capital to support its business growth for the next 18 to 24 months. The capital adequacy ratio of the bank was 12.18 per cent, including 9.04 per cent of common equity TierI capital. (Agencies)

Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace Pvt. Ltd the rest. On the issue of 5/20 rule to enable an Indian carrier fly abroad, Mr. Fernandes said "all I am looking for is the ease of doing business.

I hope basically your aviation sector is made easy".

The rule allows only those Indian airlines which have a 20 aircraft fleet and have operated on the domestic sector for five years to fly abroad. Besides 5/20 rule, he said "your airports are

very costly and your fuel taxes are one of the highest. Please make businees easier to do." He replied in the affirmative to questions on further capital infusion in AirAsia India but did not elaborate. AirAsia India and Tata-Singapore Airlines venture Vistara are the prime opponents of the 5/20 rule, which is being supported by almost all major Indian carriers. Regarding reported disagreements between the partners of AirAsia India, Mr. Fernandes said the Tatas

17% to $3.15 dip in gas price might be witnessed in April New Delhi, Feb 15: Natural gas prices in India are likely to decline 17 percent in April to USD 3.15 per unit, further straining economics of developing discoveries in deep sea. As per the new gas pricing formula approved by the NDA-government in October 2014, gas prices are to be determined on a semi-annual basis and calculated based on a volume weighted average of rates in gas surplus nations of the US, Canada and Russia, based on the twelve-month trailing average price with a lag of three months. Using benchmark prices for the period of January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015, gas price for the period April 2016 to September 2016 is likely to be about USD 3.15 per million British thermal unit as against USD 3.82 currently, sources said. On a netcalorific value (CV) basis, the gas price is likely to be USD 3.50 per mmBtu as compared to USD 4.24 currently.

Goldman Sachs had in a recent report stated that "Indian domestic natural gas prices that are linked to prices in gas surplus economies remain materially below the

costs to develop marginal and deep-water fields and hence do not incentivise exploration and production capex." This has resulted in Indian producers potentially losing USD 2 billion annually in value added assuming they can replace imports entirely, it added.

"We believe the current gas price regime is not incentivising domestic capex sufficiently as we expect prices under the current formula to decline in 2016-17 while cost for new deep-water discoveries ranges between USD 6 to USD 7 per mmBtu," Goldman had said.

Gas price in India, it said, is lower than USD 9 per mmBtu in China, USD 10.5 in the Philippines, USD 6.5 in Indonesia and USD 8 per mmBtu in Thailand and Malaysia.

Sources said going by current price trends, gas price may rise marginally to USD 3.32 (on gross calorific value or GCV basis) in second half of 2016-17 fiscal. They may further rise to USD 3.36 per mmBtu and USD 3.42 in the first and second half of 201718 fiscal and would be around USD 3.45 in the following fiscal. (Agencies)

were "a fantastic partner" but parried questions on some objections allegedly raised by the third partner, businessman Arun Bhatia, in a board room battle which had reportedly erupted recently. On whether the Group had "underestimated" the Indian aviation market, Mr. Fernandes said "never. But we are taking time to understand it better. ... And aviation is a long-term business and we are here to for the long-term as well." (Agencies)

PAGE 10

India an investment spot: Cisco CEO John Chambers

Cisco executive chairman, John Chambers.

Source: tctechcrunch2011 Washington, Feb 15: Betting big on India as an investment spot, Cisco executive chairman John Chambers suggested businesses not to 'miss the bus' as the country is in sync with the speed of innovation in the current digital age. "Eighteen months ago, I said if you want to bet on one country, it is India as the country is in sync with the speed of innovation in the current digital age," Chambers said at the CNN Asia Business Forum 2016 organised as part of ongoing Make in India (MII) Week here. Noting that every company in this world would become technologybased, Chambers said 40% of non-tech companies running today will disappear in the next 10 years.

"Anticipating the market and adapting to change in market dynamics, India is moving at a fast pace in the digital era," he said as per CII statement. Chambers

noted that regardless of political divides, Indians have to come together for growth. "If you still haven't invested in India you may miss the bus," Chambers said. Yesterday, he had said, "When you think about India the opportunity is very simple to become the manufacturing hub for Asia". "The ability to do that in auto-motives in which you are making huge progress, to expand that to electronics, to expand that to hi-tech and pharmaceuticals is within our grasp". He had said that Cisco, a USbased networking company is likely to set up its first manufacturing plant in Pune. "India will become a country that will leapfrog your counterpart in global basis and India will be a country that no longer follows what others have done but leads in terms of innovation and leadership," Chambers had said.

(Agencies)

Rs 800 crore to be invested in Odisha for hotel, food park by ITC Bhubneswar, Feb 15: Diversified group ITC is looking to invest Rs 800 crore in Odisha over the next few years to set up a hotel property and a food processing park in the state, a top official said. "We are planning to invest Rs 800 crore in Odisha for a hotel and a food processing park industry," said ITC Chairman and Managing Director Y C Deveshwar on the sidelines of the Make in India Week in Mumbai. He said the hotel property will come up in Bhubaneshwar, while the food processing park details are being worked out. Nearly, Rs 630 crore will be invested in the food processing park and the rest of the money will be invested in the hotel, he added. With its genesis in the tobacco industry, the Kolkatabased company has diversified into multiple sectors including hospitality and con-

sumer goods. It operates a chain of star hotels. Apart from these two investments, the company is also looking at investments in the agro forestry side in Odisha, Deveshwar said. "Till now we were testing the waters and getting our plans ready. Now it is time to start," Deveshwar said, when asked about its existing investments in the eastern state. Apart from the investments in Odisha, Deveshwar said the plan of investing Rs 25,000 crore across verticals over five years is also progressing with work on 20 projects being on and 16 more being planned.

Deveshwar said he expects consumer demand to pick up

by July, majorly on the rural demand going up on receipt of MNREGA payments, an expected good monsoon and a push in government spending. (Agencies)

Lowering of Bt. seed price pleaded by TS cotton farmers

Image for representational purpose only. Source: peterandsharda Hyderabad, Feb 15: Cotton farmers of Telangana want the committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to recommend lower maximum sale price (MSP) of Bt. cotton seeds. "They suggested an MSP of Rs.400 to Rs.600 per packet (of 450 grams).

The existing price of the seed is Rs.930," said P. Sugunakar Rao, farmer representative in the committee and national general secretary of BJP Kisan Morcha. Speaking after an interaction with leaders of various farm-

ers' association, many of them affiliated to various political parties, Mr. Rao said that the farmers were agitated about the Bt 2 cotton seeds not living up to promise of tackling pest attacks. The farmers, he said, had sustained heavy losses because of the bollworm (pest) attack and questioned the pricing policy of the seed producers, which included royalty fees.

Even while refraining from suggesting an ideal MSP, in view of being a member of the committee, he said that the meet-

ing with Telangana farmers, from five districts, is to be followed up in coming days with the cotton farmers of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Assuring that he would place the views of farmers before the committee, Mr. Rao said that the panel was expected to meet this month-end and decide on the MSP. In doing so, it was also required to take into account the need for the company to have resources to undertake research on producing seeds in tune with Indian climatic conditions. The committee has been formed, under the provisions of the Cotton Seeds Price (Control) Order, 2015, for recommending the MSP of Bt. cotton seed for 2016-17. Figuring in the nine-member committee, chaired by Joint Secretary (Seed) to the Central Department of Agriculture, is the Agriculture Secretary to Telangana Government.

(Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

Features

PAGE 11

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE Health benefits of guava! Five best foods for Asthma diet Guava is a fruit which is loved by all because of its unique flavour, fragnance and also good for health. The fruit contains rich amount of nutrients, antioxidants, vitamin C and lycopene which are necessary for maintaining overall health.

Here are some health benefits of guava: Diabetes Regular consumption of guava reduces the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes because of the high level of dietary fi-

Fruity Guava. Source: indiabright ber in it which further reduces the absorption of sugar by the body.

Boosts immunity The fruit contains rich amount of Vitamin C

which helps in fighting off several viruses and bacteria thus boosting the immune system.

Good for eyes It is good for eyes as the

fruit contains Vitamin A, which is a well-known eye sight booster.

Stomach Guava is good for stomach because of its astringent and anti-microbial properties. It is highly recommended to eat the fruit during diarrhea or dysentery.

Prevent cancer Guava contains rich amount of antioxidants which helps in reducing the risk of developing prostate cancer and further fighting the free radicals that cause cell damage.

While there's no specific diet that can cure asthma, the food choices that you make can have a huge impact in managing the overall treatment plan. Experts believe that an anti-asthma diet may help reduce the symptoms. Here's a list of foods that can help fight asthma naturally: Avocados - An excellent anti-asthma food. The glutathione in avocadoes has been shown to protect cells against free radical damage and to detoxify foreign substances such as pollutants.

Bananas - Research suggests that a banana a day

Apples to keep your lungs healthy. Source: lesserevillife could keep asthma away due to high fiber content in it. Researchers found that children who ate just one banana a day had a

34% lower risk of developing asthmatic symptoms such as wheezing.

Spinach - High intake of this leafy green vegetable

has been linked to a reduced risk of asthma. Spinach contains high amount of vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and magnesium, which are all considered as asthma fighting nutrients.

Turmeric - One of the best herbs to help prevent and treat asthma due to the presence of anti-inflammatory medicinal properties in it.

Apples - Apples have been shown to provide powerful protection against asthma. Researchers linked these beneficial effects of apples to their high concentration of flavonoids.

Recipes from the Garo Hills Top-notch Restaurants in Gangtok There are various tribes ingredient in a container point. The raw papaya who stay in the beautiful and simmer. The water and chicken will have own hilly state Meghalaya and will come out when veg- juices that is used for boilthe Garos are among etables are heated. Cook ing. Keep on stirring and prominent ones. Garo on low heat until the fish add a small amount of recipes are quite tantaliz- turns quite soft. Serve it water if required. Cover ing and rice is their staple warm with rice. and cook on low heat till Do'0 chicken gets really tender. food. Apart from rice, they Arnab Ghosh Modipol Serve it hot with rice.

This is a Garo Na'kam Baring belati also use stuffs like millets, tapioca, meat dish where chicken is Chutney types like chicken, pork cooked along with raw This Garo dish is basically and duck to make those papaya. You will need a dryfish chutney in which delicious dishes. To cope about 250 grams chicken, roasted tomatoes are with cold climate of the regions, Garo people love eating spicy dishes made with plenty of chilies.

Below listed are some of the traditional and yummy recipes from Garo Hills: Gal'da Na'kam This is a tangy dish made with dry fish and a local green vegetable. You will need to use dryfish called Na'kam to cook it. For 100 Delicious recipes from Garo Hills. Source: nelive grams of dryfish, you will need 3 cups of Galda-a chopped ginger, salt, 1.5 used. You will need 2 tolocal vegetable. The other cup chopped raw pa- matoes, 10 dry fish, a few ingredients are green chil- paya, chillies, cooking crushed garlic pods, musies and salt. soda. tard oil, salt, chopped chilAt first, you will need to Add everything in a pan ies. wash and cut the veg- and put on low flame. Do At first, roast the dry fish etables. Then mix every not add water at this and tomatoes on fire. En-

sure the tomatoes become blackened post roasting.

Scrape the blackened skin of roasted fish. Now mix tomatoes, garlic, salt, chillies and the dry fish in a pestle and crush them well. This should be like a fine paste. Now, mix the mustard oil. Serve this chutney as a side dish.

Wak Jo.krapa This is a tangy and dry pork dish enjoyed often by Garo people. You will need 500 grams pork along with ingredients like chopped tomato, 2 chilies, chopped onions and garlic, cumin and turmeric powder, salt and oil.

At first, you need to cook the pork in its own fat until it is tender. Then in a pan, fry the onions and add cumin and turmeric powder. When onions become brownish, add the pork with other ingredients in the pan. Simmer and cook until the meat becomes brownish and the dish is almost dry. Serve this with rice. Courtesy: Nelive

Makeover for your home While most people start with their cleaning regime on schedule, a few still haven't found enough time to do up their home, thanks to erratic work hours. Moreover, major home changes need to be planned and budgeted in advance, and a week is too short a time for the same. Here are a few simple ways to change small things in the house for a quick visual makeover.

Cushion covers Vibrant cushion covers brighten up your home.

Make sure you have enough cushions at home the couch in the living

turquoise and indigo are best to stir up your mood.

Spread them all over your home and they look effortlessly beautiful.

Vibrant curtains If you have huge French windows, make sure you have full-length curtains to adorn them. These curtains make up a major portion of walls in your living room as well as other parts of the house.

Choose gorgeous curtains in sheer, net and brasso for a rich feel. Make sure the curtains are not thick, so that they filter enough light during the day. Re member to buy some artistic curtain holders that

A quick makeover for your home. Source: michaelstriblinginteriors

room, the recliner, the baithak, side tables, etc.

Choose vibrant colours and artistic designs for a fabulous look. Colours like orange, red, fuchsia pink,

will also add to their charm to your home.

Add paintings and artefacts Wall decor, small artefacts on coffee tables

or side tables or different types and sizes of paintings are great accessories.

Paintings make for beautiful collectibles for your home. And, who says you only need works from the most famous painters to decorate your home?

There are several artists n the city you can source from. Take a walk down art galleries and you will find paintings in acrylic and watercolours and sculptures in different shapes and sizes. In addition to being classy and artistic, they also lend a new feel to the walls.

Change the position of furniture Try shuffling your furniture around. Shift the couch to the other corner of the living room. Get the bed-side tables out and adorn them with artefacts or buy simple cane furniture to replace the heavy furniture at home for a quick makeover. In fact, you can also interchange stuff as per your choice; the wooden chest that sat in your bedroom to store cushions can be used as a coffee table; while the regular coffee table can be shifted to a corner to accommodate artefacts and candles.

Get a bookshelf

It's time to arrange your books at the beginning of the year. Buy a nice bookshelf, not a very big one but something that suits your needs and budget.

Opt for wall-mounted ones which can cover up blank walls without adding to the clutter on the floor. Arrange your books and you are set.

Play with lights Create dramatic effects by using interesting lights round your house. Lighting elements to add that extra celebratory touch.

Playing with lights is the best thing to refurbish your home.

Using lamps in warm colours like yellow or orange for neglected corners would make your home look mysteriously gorgeous.

Use lighting gadgets that let you change the colour and tone of the room.

Floral fun Bring in this vibrant season by incorporating floral motifs into the decor items at home. Whether it's the print on your cushions, the applique on your curtains, wall stickers and bathroom decals or even floral designs on furniture pieces like chairs and drawers, flowers usher in a sense of cheeriness into the makeover.

In and around Sikkim, the momos. The momos are picturesque capital city of served with goat cheese Sikkim, there is plenty of and salad. The restaurant things to see. However, also has a cozy ambience the tourists can do much and it is located on MG more than exploring the Marg's older part. centers of the state's rich Parivar Restaurant Buddhist heritage and ex- Not every tourist in periencing awesome Gangtok will be particunatural beauty. Gangtok larly interested in local has a number of cuisine. If restaurants and Arnab Ghosh you want to eating joints that get a taste of woo tourists polar north and south Inwith varying food dian dishes in the city, choices. From authentic Parivar restaurant is your Tibetan cuisine to popu- best option. Whether you lar North Indian dishes, want piping hot Idlis, you can find it all in the tangy sambar and North famous restaurants in the Indian thalis, this restauhill city. Along with di- rant is a good choice. Loverse range of foods, you cated at Gangtok's MG may also savor regional Road, it stays open from alcoholic beverages in 9 am to 10.30 pm.

Gangtok.

Café Culture Below listed are the top If you want to treat your eating joints and restau- taste buds to authentic rants in Gangtok, most of Sikkimese dishes, head to them being located on the Café Culture. It is a multi busy MG Marg: cuisine restaurant though.

Nine Native Cuisine You may try out popular If you want to savor deli- dishes like Tibetan meat cious Tibetan dishes pies and Shyaphale while cooked in authentic man- listening to lively sound ner- this is the place you tracks here. Some visitors should be heading to in also love the Fried Gangtok. The majority of Chicken with Salad. This visitors gorge on dishes like eatery is located in hunan chicken, Mushroom Gangtok's Secretariat Kachi, and chicken Road.

Baker's Café This is a restaurant that witnesses a huge number of tourist footfalls in Gangtok. While the luscious pastries and Viennese coffee are famous here, you can also try other dishes. It is ideal for bakery food lovers. You

Gangtalk, you get a cozy décor as well. Try out the steaming momos and nonveg dishes in this increasingly popular eating joint.

Located at MG Marg of Gangtok, this eatery stays open from 11 am to 11 pm.

Tangerine This tastefully decorated

Nine Native Cuisine. Source: nelive may also try out the hot dogs, garlic toasts, baguettes and the lemon iced tea. It is ideal that you choose a window-side table so that you get a breathtaking view of mountain valley while gorging on the sumptuous dishes.

Gangtalk If you want to savor some authentic and delicious Tibetan foods in Gangtok, this eatery is a good choice. At

Lounge Bar & Grill is a part of hotel "The Chumby Residency'' in Gangtok.

The Japanese-style enticing bar area is its USP. You can try out dishes like stuffedtomato curry, North Indian Tandoor and Hunan dishes.

You also can refresh yourself with a cup of locally brewed tea. Located on Tibet Road, it is relatively quiet than eateries in adjacent MG Marg marketplace. Courtesy: Nelive

Decorate the corners of your room To beautify your house, you need accessories of different kinds. We suggest a few that are easy on the pocket and also on maintenance.

A rocking chair A rocking chair with a jungle-styled upholstery will set the corner up. To glam it up, you can also decorate the chair with a stuffed animal toy.

Go green A garden environment can be created with a hanging creeper or a croton in a small pot, or a few bamboo shoots in a small glass bowl filled with water on a curved corner shelf. This can be decorated with artefacts like a conch shell and bright-hued shells on a glass plate. The bamboo shoots are believed to bring good luck. If the place is not sun-lit, the artificial can replace the natural. Home is where the heart lies and your heart is where your loved ones reside. Hence, the shelf can also be decked with a heart-shaped digital photo frame displaying photographs of you and your family.

Set up colourful lights A set of paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling at different heights, illuminating

Stylizing the corner with floral effect. Source: columbiaaef the figurine of a white plaster of Paris fairy or a wooden doll at night, will be a treat to the eyes.

Floral delight An oval or round marble or granite table top mounted on a polished branch can be adorned with a porcelain vase exhibiting flowers of vibrant colours. An earthen bowl of water with flowers and floating

candles in it, will be an artistic add-on. Battery-fitted candles are also good options.

A showpiece waterfall A small waterfall showpiece with artificial water flowing and generating mist will add to the aesthetic beauty.

A melange of artefacts and decorations A multi-coloured designer earthenware pot, a paper

made animal such as deer, a money plant with moss stick and a creative lamp can also be used to redefine the style statement of your corner.

Other adornments Exotic masks or a Kashmiri wall plate, a sleek oil canvas, an antique gramophone and a traditional hookah can further upgrade the decor.

(Agencies)

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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

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India beat Sri Lanka by 9 wickets Visakhapatnam, Feb 15 : In a perfect preparation for the upcoming Asia Cup T20 and ICC World Twenty20, India thrashed Sri Lanka by 9 wickets to win the series 2-1 in the third and deciding Twenty20 International at Visakhapatnam on Sunday. The win also helped India win the three-match series 2-1 and maintain their numero uno position in the ICC Twenty20 ranking. Hero of the match Ravichandran Ashwin produced a dream spell to taking four wickets in a mind-blowing opening spell. India's victory was set up by Ravichandran Ashwin, who took 4 for 8 to end with the best bowling analysis by an Indian in T20 cricket.

After opting to field, India skipper Mahendra

PCB fines Riaz, Shehzad for heated spat in PSL match PTI Karachi, Feb 15: Pakistan players Wahab Riaz and Ahmed Shehzad have been fined 40 per cent and 30 per cent of their match fees and given a warning by the Cricket Board after being found guilty of heated onfield altercation during a PSL match in the UAE. The incident happened in the fifth over of the match between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi when the two Pakistani players pushed each other and exchanged harsh words.

While Shehzad was fined 30 per cent of his match fee, Riaz was penalised 40 per cent of his game earnings by match referee Roshan Mahanama. "The players have been asked to behave as such incidents hampers the image of Pakistan cricket as millions are watching the PSL around the globe," a PCB official said.

"Physical contact is a serious offence and we don't take it lightly, this time the players have just been cautioned privately since they were fined by the match referee," the official added.While Wahab has been named in the Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup and World T20 the national selectors have sidelined Shehzad for not showing consistent form.

typical yorkers as Sri Lanka were shot out for a mere 82, their lowest ever score in T20.

Dhawan and Rohit approached the minuscule 83-run chase chase with caution.

Singh Dhoni handed out the new ball to Ashwin and he responded with two wickets in the first over of the match. In his third over, Ashwin got rid of debutant Asela Gunaratne and soon the Lankans were gasping at 21 for five with left-arm

IOS will manage Ishan's endorsements and brand associa-

back Shanaka by going through his defence. After that Raina scalped Sachitra Senanayke and Thisara Perera in a space of three balls.

Jasprit Bumrah then bowled Dilhara Fernando with one of his

CCD players with the Winning trophy at DDSA stadium in Dibrugarh on Monday.

Pic - ET Photo Sports Reporter Dibrugarh, Feb. 15: Cricket Club of Dibrugarh beat Dibrugarh Cricket Coaching Centre by six wickets in the final match of the Rajanu Bora Senior Division cricket tournament organized by Dibrugarh District Sports Association at DDSA stadium here today. Altogether, eight teams participated in the tournament.

Put into bat, DCCC were bowled out for 101 in 34.2 overs. Chowmeen Chow kow Baruah top scored with 38 off 81 balls with three boundaries to the fence.

Debanjan Tinsina contributed 25 off 52 balls with a lone boundary and Deepak Gohain chipped in with 17

off 14 deliveries, hitting two fours.

For CCD, Jyotiraditya Chetia scalped three for 17 in 4 overs and Phanindar

Rajanu Bora cricket Sonowal took two for 21 in 5 overs.

In reply, CCD managed to score 102 by losing four wickets in 26.2 overs. Saurav Baghwati remained unbeaten on 37 off 50 balls, hitting five boundaries to the fence.

Salim Ahmed also remained unbeaten on 24 off 35 deliveries with four fours.

Nitesh Raute picked up two for 31 in 20 overs while Sunil Lachit and Deepak Gohain took one wickets each for

DCCC. Saurav Baghwati was adjudged man of the match.

Krishanu Sarkar was given best batsmen award while Dipen Gogoi took away the best bowler for DCCC. Debanjan Tinsina was given a special memento for his maiden century against Auronodaya Unnayan Samity. On the other hand, Jahalukpara Boys' Club took away the best discipline team award.

DDSA President Jamshed Khan, Secretary DDSA Munindranath Saikia, Joint secretary Debojit Chetia, Anjan Baruah, Rajiv Gogoi and Nobojyoti Mohan were present during the prize distribution ceremony.

North East Frontier Railway Headquarter in Semis Gurpreet, Sweta win gold as India signs off with record haul

PTI Guwahati, Feb 16: Indian shooters made yet another clean sweep on the final day to sign off with a staggering 25 out of 26 gold medals on offer in the 12th South Asian Games in Guwahati on Monday. Rio Olympics bound Gurpreet Singh shot down the gold in men’s individual 25m rapid fire pistol with a total of 28 hits on target, while Sweta Singh grabbed another yellow metal in women’s individual 10m air pistol event with a total score of 194.4 even though she was shooting with her spare gun at the Kahilipara Shooting Range in Guwahati. Sweta said her gun got problems in the trigger and she had to shoot with her spare gun on Monday. Another Olympics quota holder Heena Sidhu had to be content with the silver in the women’s 10m air pistol event with a total score of 192.5, while 18year-old Chandigarh shooter Yashaswini Singh Deswal took the bronze. India also took gold each in both the team events to sweep aside any competition from other countries in the discipline. India gave away just one gold to Bangladesh in the discipline. The home shooters ended the competition with

IOS signs India U-19 captain Ishan Kishan for three years PTI New Delhi, Feb 15: India's under-19 cricket captain Ishan Kishan has been signed by leading sports management group IOS Sports and Entertainment for a period of three years. An emerging cricketer from Jharkhand, who led the Indian team to the final of the recently-concluded U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, is the second cricketer after Suresh Raina to have been exclusively signed by the group.

"I am fortunate to be associated with IOS, my focus now will completely be on performing better and cementing my place in the senior national squad," said Ishan. The promising wicketkeeper-batsman has signed a three year commercial deal with IOS for his worldwide representation rights.

paceman Ashish Nehra taking the fifth wicket. At half-way mark, the visitors had managed to put on board only 54 runs.

The wicket was assisting spinners and Dhoni had no hesitation in giving the ball to Jadeja and Raina. Soon Jadeja sent

Shikhar Dhawan continued his impressive run of form with a disciplined 46 not out, while Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane played their parts in the chase. Rohit was out LBW to the impressive Dushmantha Chameera for a run-aball 13. However, Dhawan and Rahane ensured that India suffered no further blows with some measured batting.

Dhawan hit a six and four to end the match in style as India retained their top spot in the ICC T20 rankings.

Cricket Club of Dibrugarh annex top title

tions, corporate profile, patents and digital rights, images, visibility on social networking sites and merchandise."We are proud to have added Ishan to our portfolio. The promising youngster has the potential to be among the top cricketers of the next generation," said IOS MD and CEO Neerav Tomar.

IOS also manages sportspersons from different disciplines like badminton star Saina Nehwal, boxers Vijender Singh and MC Mary Kom, wrestler Sushil Kumar and shooter Gagan Narang among others. Ishan has scored 736 runs in 10 matches including one century and five half-centuries in the first-class cricket.

The 17-year-old left-handed batsman made his debut in the Ranji Trophy against Assam in December 2014 while playing from Jharkhand. Ishan is also a part of team Gujarat Lions for the upcoming IPL 2016.

Gurpreet Singh

Sweta Singh

25 gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze. Bangladesh is at a distant second with one gold, three silver and three bronze. Gurpreet made up for his disappointing sixthplace finish in the 10m air pistol event on Saturday by winning the gold in 25m rapid fire pistol event on Monday. Bashir Ghulam Mustafa of Pakistan took the silver with 24 hits on target while another Indian Vijay Kumar, who had won silver in this event in 2012 London Olympics, bagged the bronze. Gurpreet said he was happy that he got through to his final shots, which has been creating problems for him of late. “I am happy that I got through the final shots. My coach told me before the final to-

day to just relax and open up during the final shots. He said I may not win a medal but ensure that I remain relaxed during the final shots.

I am happy I did that,” Gurpreet said after the event. “This is an international event and to be able to do well in a competitive environment is good for me.

No doubt, the upcoming four World Cup legs would be tougher and I am looking forward to take part in all of them. I have to improve my score,” he added.

In the women’s 10m air pistol finals, there was tough competition among the three Indians, exchanging leads among three of them.

But towards the end, Sweta had established good lead over her two Indian rivals

after young Deswal had a horrendous series of two shots of 8.3 and 7.7 which cost her dear. Sidhu was not at her best in the finals and she had just five shots of 10 plus scores out of 20 attempts, besides having poor shots of 8.8 each. “I did very well in the qualification. But I have to work on the finals and sort it out before the Rio Olympics. I will do that. I am not taking part in the Bangkok leg of the World Cup but will take part in the three other World Cup legs,” she said. For Sweta, this was the worst ever performance despite winning the gold as she had to shoot with a spare gun. “I won gold and in that sense I am happy. But this is my worst performance and I have been having problems with my gun all through these Games. My gun had problem in the trigger and I shot today with my spare gun. I will change the brand of my equipment,” she said. Asked about her future plans, Sweta said, “I could not qualify for the Olympics.

For me, Rio Olympics dream is over. I will have to work harder to qualify for the next (2020) Olympics from next year onwards. “I will start everything after changing my gun,” she added.

Sports Reporter Dibrugarh, Feb. 15: North East Frontier Railway Headquarter entered into the semifinal by defeating Katihar Railway Division by seven wickets in the quarter final match of the NF Railway inter Divisional cricket tournament organized by Tinsukia Railway Divisional sports Club at TDSA stadium today.

Put into bat, Katihar scored 134 in 35.1 overs before being bowled out. Ravi Sankar Das

scored 33 off 40 balls with six boundaries and Nilesh Kumar

Inter Division Cricket Singh contributed 27 off 39 deliveries, hitting three boundaries and one six.

For North East Frontier Railway Headquarter, Chiranjib Sangma scalped three for 32 in 6 overs. Ayan Mazumdar, Niraj Tiwari, Dipak Puniya took two wickets each respectively.

In reply, North East Frontier

Railway Headquarter scored 136 for loss of three wickets in 21.4 overs. Niraj Tiwari top scored with 50 off 32 balls, slamming five boundaries and three maximums.Chiranjib Sangma contributed 30 off 37 deliveries with five boundaries and Utpal Medhi scored 28.

Nilesh Kumar Singh took two for 9 in 4 overs. Tomorrow, North East Frontier Railway Headquarter will play North East Frontier Railway BG Construction

Admin mess demotivating boxers: Mary Kom PTI Shillong, Feb 15: Concerned about the administrative logjam in Indian boxing, Olympic bronzemedallist M C Mary Kom today said future seems dark for the country's pugilists, who are losing motivation to train. India does not have a national federation after the International Boxing Association (AIBA) terminated Boxing India last year. The sport is being administered by an ad-hoc committee. The five-time world champion hoped the administrators would put their house in order before the much-anticipated Rio Olympics in August this year.

"Yes, they (the boxers) are all demotivated. There's no competition, so it's very frustrating. Whatever effort they're putting is of no use.

They're being patient enough but the future is dark for them without any competition. If there's no National Championship, we won't have any new boxers that mean no hope for future. Future will be dark," Mary Kom told PTI. "For seniors at least this South Asian Games have come up and the qualification (Zonal Olympic qualifiers in Qian'an next month) is coming up. That's why we're trying hard. Or else it will just be reduced to 'timepass'," she quipped. How-

ever, Mary Kom strongly believed the sport won't die.

"It won't die but they're suffering. They will not go immediately change their game.

Every athlete will be happy if the family is in order."

Asked whether she's upset, Mary Kom said: "Why should I? It's not my problem; I'm doing my duty to qualify for Olympics. Not getting exposure is not my problem." Mary Kom has a new team provided by the Olympic Gold Quest in Coach Chhote Lal Yadav, senior physiotherapist Poornima Raman Ngomdir and sports science expert Nikhil Late and she expressed confidence that she would qualify soon.

We are always top contenders in shorter formats: Dhoni PTI Visakhapatnam, Feb 15: The emphatic triumph over Sri Lanka giving a perfect start to their World Twenty20 build-up, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his side will be one of the top contenders at the showpiece even though some top batsmen are yet to get enough time in the middle.

Due to India's deep batting, not all the batsmen have got enough runs and overs under their belt in the last six T20 matches. Dhoni himself and comeback-man

Yuvraj Singh have hardly spent time in the middle both in the series against Australia and Sri Lanka. "Everybody has not got the chance to bat.

But you will keep facing this problem because our batting line-up is deep.

We will have to try and give bating to players, who have not batted so far but people who are batting close to 6, 7 or 8, they will have to play big shots because that is going to be certainly be very important for us," Dhoni said after seriesclinching nine-wicket win against Sri Lanka

at home are also a comforting factor for them for the World Twenty20 starting March 8.

here last night.

"It's not how many runs you have scored at that time but may be if you are facing only 3-4 balls and you can get 10-15 runs, that will be a real benefit," he said. Dhoni said familiar conditions

"We are always a top contender when it comes to the shorter format.

Also the World Cup being held in India, the spinners will come into action and that gives us added benefit and also the exposure of playing IPL over here. Out of eight seasons we have played seven here and all of that will count," he said. The Indian captain said the key will be to get the dangerous batsmen in the opposition out early.

"What the shortest format does is that it narrows down the difference between two teams.

You have to keep the big hitters (of rival team) out of the game. Also in a knockout game you have to be at your best, you can't have an off day because once the knockout stage starts, it's more like lottery cricket, I feel more consistent to be important."

Dhoni said it was helpful to have someone like Jasprit Bumrah in the side, who can bowl yorkers in the death overs and give the team

an option to hand the ball to someone like Ashwin early. But he said identifying death bowlers in the 50 -over format were more crucial than in T20s.

"It does, but usually you would keep two overs of someone like Bumrah or Ashish Nehra for the death overs. In 50 overs you have to be more careful, you have to keep 2-3 overs of the spinner if the death over bowler is not bowling well; you have to bring him in.

What it does, you end up not using a bowler or spinner.

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