18 november 2015, wednesday

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www.eastern-today.com For your copy of The Eastern Today in Changlang please contact:

Ph. No.-08471896580/ 09402905002

ASSENG/2015/64205

Vol. 1

Issue 163

Women Empowerment in India

Dibrugarh, Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Decline in export for 11th month in a row

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Seven IAF operational Advanced Landing Grounds in Arunachal in a month The Indian Air Force is readying to fully operationalise seven Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in Arunachal Pradesh after almost two years of repair and reconstruction, a move that promises to provide a major boost to the country's operational capability. The Rs 720-crore project to develop ALGs got an impetus in 2013, when the state government and the forces witnessed massive construction and development on the Chinese side along the 1,080-km border. The area remains a bone of contention between the Indian and Chinese forces where the line of actual control acts as the de facto border. "All seven ALGs, except Tawang will be

ON THE VERGE OF OPERATIONALISING 7 ALGs Of the seven ALGs, the one in Walong was inaugurated last month. The rest include ALGs in Mechuka, Vijoynagar, Tuting, Passighat, Ziro and Aalo.

The ALG in Tawang once operationalised it will allow for the landing of C-130J Super Hercules, the latest addition to the air force's transport aircraft.

IAF is readying to The Rs 720-crore These ALGs will have project to develop ALGs got an fully operationalise seven Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in Arunachal Pradesh after almost two y e a r s o f re p a i r a n d reconstruction, a move that promises to provide a major boost to the country's operational capability.

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Decline in export for 11th month in a row

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ET Bureau New Delhi, Nov 17

Price -

impetus in 2013, when the state government and the forces witnessed massive construction and development on the Chinese side along the 1,080-km border.

All seven ALGs, except Tawang will be developed

by December this year.

night landing capabilities that could prove a big asset to the forces manning the borders.

These

landing

grounds will also be used by the civil flights, providing a fillip to infrastructure and tourism in the region.

developed by December this year," Air Marshal SB Deo, commanding-in-chief of Western Air Command, said.

Of the seven ALGs, the one in Walong was inaugurated last month. The rest include ALGs in Mechuka, Vijoynagar, Tuting, Passighat, Ziro and Aalo. The ALG in Tawang is yet to reach completion, but once it does it will allow for the landing of C-130J Super Hercules, the latest addition to the air force's transport aircraft.

These ALGs will have night landing capabilities that could prove a big asset to the forces manning the borders. These landing grounds will also be used by the civil flights, providing a fillip to infrastructure and tourism in the region.

Contd. on Page 3

Dear Editor, I had earlier heard and dismissed a lot of stories recounting the ill-treatment of Arunachalee people travelling through Assam. A few days ago I had to face a horrific situation due to a few corrupt, heartless and callous personnel of the Assam Police, while travelling from Itanagar to Pasighat with my 7 month old baby. Just after crossing Dhemaji, our Tata Winger was suddenly stopped by two men holding large stones, standing in the middle of the road. Those men falsely claimed that our Winger had hit and run over a biker back on the way and was running away. When our driver tried to reason with them, they pulled him out of the vehicle and started pushing and punching him left and right. Soon, a large mob gathered and blindly joined the beating without even knowing the story.

Contd. on Page 3

ET CAPSULES Vodafone tower Changlang, Nov 17: Tesam Pongte, MLA, Changlang - North will inaugurate Vodafone service in the district headquarters town on Wednesday at 11 am. An official of the company said that people of the town will now be able to use mobile as well as internet services of Vodafone.

Pongte said that the introduction of Vodafone services in the town will be big boost in terms of improvement in telecommunication services. (Correspondent)

AGCL contributes Rs 30 lakh to CM’s relief fund

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Guwahati, Nov 17: Chairperson of the Assam Gas Company Limited Amiya Gogoi handed over a cheque of Rs 30 lakh to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi as contribution to Chief Minister ’s Relief Fund at the latter’s official residence at Khanapara on Monday. Moreover, the Company also paid Rs. 1,69,14,480 as dividends to the Chief Minister for the year 2014-15. The Chairperson was accompanied with Managing Director of Assam Gas Company Limited A.K. Sarma.

(Staff Reporter)

23rd ABK General Conference witnessed several major resolutions Maksam Tayeng Pasighat, Nov 17

The 23rd Adi Baane Kebang General Conference which was held at Mechuka from 11th to 14th November concluded with major decisions taken in favour of overall welfare of Adi communities residing in various part of the state.

Contd. on Page 3

Arunachal Assembly Speaker incriminated in fraud, sexual assault case ET Bureau Guwahati, Nov 17

Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Nabam Rebia has been accused of fraud and sexual assault by a woman who was in a live-in relationship with him. The woman has alleged that Nabam Rebia has made false promises of marrying her since 2011, back when he was an MLA. She has also accused him of abusing her both mentally and physically. According to local media, the woman also alleged that he started distancing himself from her once he was appointed the speaker of the Arunachal Pradesh state

Assembly and has refused to acknowledge her as his wife, despite having told her that she is his legitimate wife since the

last 4 years. The woman says that he forcefully tried to have his way with her several times back when he was an MLA and then repeatedly pressurised her to undergo abortion. On top of that, Nabam’s family also damaged her reputation by engaging in a false disinformation drive which made daily life difficult for her as she had to face society’s scorn on a daily basis. She has filed an FIR against Nabam at Itanagar police station on Sunday. She has also decided to take the matter to the state’s governor appealing him to remove Nabam, from the post of the speaker of the assembly.

Satyam Sewa Samity demands white paper on the renovation of North Lakhimpur Civil Hospital ET Correspondent Lakhimpur, Nov 17

Satyam Sewa Somity of Lakhimpur today raised a strong demand to release a white paper on the rejuvenation of the deplorable condition of North Lakhimpur Civil Hospital (NLCH) by submit-

ting a memorandum to the Joint Director of Health Services, Lakhimpur. It is to be noted that the NLCH is the principal health institution for the thousands of people of North Assam along with the people of neighbouring State of Arunachal Pradesh to undergo medical treatment. Most

NDFB(S) Sonitpur Platoon Commander gunned down Tapas Samaddar & Shambhu Boro Rangia, Tezpur, Nov 17

NDFB(S) today suffered a major setback when at about 8 am in general area Batasipur of Sonitpur district, Khamkhang Sonitpur Platoon Commander of the terror group was gunned down by the Army in a joint operation with the Assam Police. The Army had got specific intelligence that

Khamkhang was moving in the area, acting on which an operation was planned to nab him, but on being challenged by the troops he lobbed a grenade and opened fire and in the ensuing exchange of bullets he was neutralized. It is a major success in the fight against terror as it was reliably learnt that Khamkhang’s name was being considered by the Contd. on Page 3

of the poor people of this region cannot afford medical treatment either in Guwahati due to extreme expenditure or in Dibrugarh due to poor road communication and there being no bridge to cross the river mighty Brahmaputra.

Contd. on Page 4

G-20 to combat terrorism, tackle uneven global economic growth unitedly

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Anup Chetia to be produced in chief judicial magistrate's court in Guwahati A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Nov 17

In a major development, ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia, will be produced in the chief judicial magistrate's court in Guwahati either on Tuesday or Wednesday. In this regard, Chetial will be brought from New Delhi to Guwahati by plane tomorrow. He was originally scheduled to arrive at Guwahati today, but was delayed and will arrive tomorrow. The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday transferred ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia to Guwahati from its custody in New Delhi. The central agency

has taken Chetia on a six-day transit remand, which will end on Wednesday. The Assam government has made a formal request to the Centre to hand over Chetia to the Assam Police as he is wanted in several cases in the state.

Chetia was extradited from

Within days of exposure of illegal cottages at Dibru Saikhowa National Park by The Eastern Today, the forest department finally evicted all the 20 cottages established by Prasanna Das, a private businessman alleged to have close links with Congress MLA from Chabua Raju Sahu.

Speaking exclusively to The Eastern Today correspondent, Range officer of forest department Vijoya Dahotia confirmed the action and said the eviction took place after the notice was served to Prasanna Das following an inquiry report holding him guilty of

violating Forest Wildlife Act, 1970 and encroaching upon a national park which is a protected area. However, he denied commenting on further action being taken on the businessman. Earlier, both the deputy commissioner of Tinsukia Puru Gupta and forest department had taken cognizance and ordered separate inquiries. The forest department inquiry report was submitted within 24 hours upholding The Eastern Today news report published with the title "Commercial cottages invade Dibru Saikhowa National Park, forest department in the dark" in the first week of November.

However, the report of the inquiry ordered by the deputy commissioner is yet to be made

Kaziranga Park being encroached daily: NGT New Delhi, Nov 17

The National Green Tribunal today pulled up the Assam government for failing to restrain construction in the 'NoDevelopment Zone' in

Kaziranga National Park, saying the boundaries of the protected area were being encroached daily.

"Every day boundaries of Kaziranga National Park is being encroached. Houses, hotels and industries are being

A joint of army personnel from the Chongkham army camp, Assam Police and Arunachal Pradesh Police arrested a hardcore and wanted criminal from Sadiya and recovered a country made pistol from him. Sources said that Bijoy Chetia alias Dholu

Contd. on Page 4

Lt Gen Devraj Anbu takes over command of Gajraj Corps

Contd. on Page 4

Agencies Kohima, Nov 17

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Nov 17

public. In the meantime, several organizations and wildlife lovers have shown concern over exploitation of Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, one of the 19 biodiversity hotspots in the world and the largest national park of Assam. They have raised questions as to how come a private businessman entered Dibru Saikhowa National Park and built over two dozen commercial cottages while forest department and district administration claimed ignorance about such invasion and exploitation of the park.

They have alleged that such a mighty work cannot be undertaken without collusion of district administration and

constructed in protected areas.

We don't understand what is the Assam government doing in the matter," a bench headed

by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar said.

Nagaland Hardcore criminal arrested Newspapers Published With Blank Editorial Space Five newspapers in Nagaland were published with their editorial spaces blank to protest what they termed an effort by the Assam Rifles to suppress freedom of the media in the state. The Nagaland Press Association (NPA), a conglomerate of journalists and non-journalists, also extended support to the editors in their protest against the paramilitary force.

Contd. on Page 3

Bangladesh last Thursday and taken into custody by CBI for a murder case in Assam in 1986, in which he is allegedly involved. Chetia's counsel Bijon Mahajan said he could be produced in the chief judicial magistrate's court in Guwahati either on Tuesday or Wednesday. Chetia is expected to join the ongoing peace talks with Ulfa, but it is unclear whether he will be on board at the upcoming round of talks on November 24. The CBI is probing the murder of excouncillor of Golaghat, Deboksi Dhar Chaudhury, who was killed by Ulfa rebels on August 29, 1986. Chetia is alleged to be involved in its criminal conspiracy.

Bold reporting by The Eastern Today compels forest dept. to evict illegal cottages from Dibru-Saikhowa National Park Rishu Kalantri Tinsukia, Nov 17

An Open Letter Sharing a Painful Experience

Pages- 12

Chetia, a resident of Sadiya in upper Assam's Tinsukia district was arrested by the security forces from Sadiya. He was a wanted criminal for both Assam and Arunachal police for several cases of robbery, extortion, illegal possession of weapons etc. Chetia has been handed over to the police for further investigation.

Shambhu Boro Tezpur, Nov 17

Lieutenant General Devraj Anbu, AVSM, YSM, SM took over command ofthe prestigious Gajraj Corps on today.

Commissioned in the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in Jun 1980, the General has had a distinguished military career in which he has execute important Command and Staff appointments in India and abroad.

Contd. on Page 3

Senior VHP leader Ashok Singhal dies

Dal price spurt steepest in a decade New Delhi, Nov 17

The sharp spike in dal prices may be among the biggest worry for Indian households but a study by Crisil has shown that there is a spurt every three years, although this year's increase is the steepest in a decade. While lower production results in supply-side constraints, higher incomes, particularly in rural areas which have resulted in higher protein consumption, has increased demand. And, Contd. on Page 10

PORING OVER INCREASE IN DAL PRICE The sharp spike in dal prices may be among the biggest worry for Indian households but a study by Crisil has shown that there is a spurt every three years, although this year's increase is the steepest in a decade.

And, add a weather shock to the arithmetic and the result in a price rise.

While lower production results in supply-side constraints, higher incomes, particularly in rural areas which have resulted in higher protein consumption, has increased demand.

Three consecutive monsoon shocks– deficient southwest monsoons in 2014 and 2015 affecting the kharif season output, and weather disturbances in March 2015 affecting rabi output – have hurt overall pulses production.

Pulses prices have spiralled in years when there have been adverse supply shocks as is the case this fiscal.

At the same time, global pulse prices are elevated and the rupee is weak, suggesting that resorting to imports could provide limited comfort to domestic price.

Also, over time, production of pulses has failed to catch up with demand. Output has grown less than 2% average in the last 20 years, while acreage has grown even lesser at 0.8%. Not surprisingly, yield rose only 0.9%.

Agencies New Delhi, Nov 17

Senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal died at a hospital in Gurgaon near Delhi today.

The 89-year-old leader was admitted to the Medanta Medicity Hospital in the city on November 13 in critical condition.

Contd. on Page 3

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Raj Communications Near SBI bank Changlang

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DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

AASU stage huge protest rally at Morigaon

Activists of AASU led by advisor Dr. Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya, Dipangka Kumar Nath and GS Lurin Jyoti Gogoi take out protest rally against Central Govt. decision to grant citizenship to illegal migrants of Bangladesh and Pakistan in the country in Morigaon.

Pic - UB Photos

Dalim Phukan Morigaon, Nov 17: As many as six thousand

people under the banner of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and 27 other eth-

nic students’ unions of Assam took out a huge protest rally here at Morigaon

(Central Assam) today and vehemently protested the Central Government’s latest move declaring all Hindu Bangladeshi coming over to India up to 2014 as refugees and settling them in Assam.

The AASU leadership along with the all tribal student bodies like Tiwa, Karbi, Bodo, Adivasi, etc. vehemently criticised the BJP government’s latest move to detect illegal Bangladeshis based on religion. The protesters later staged dharna in front of the Morigaon Deputy Commissioner's court and sent a memorandum to the President of India to detect and deport the illegal Bangladeshi residing in Assam based on Assam

Accord which was signed on August 15, 1985 between the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and AASU. Later, talking to newsmen, Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya, Adviser alleged that Narendra Modi led BJP government has pursued the policy of “Na Hindu Bideshi Bhabet" (NonHindu are foreigners) which is not acceptable for the people of Assam.

AASU will go against the communal politics of BJP and it demands to detect and deport the illegal foreigners from Assam as per the provision of Assam Accord, said Samujjal Bhattacharya.

Satriya Sanskriti Divas observed in Sonari Pro talk Gogoi, the former adviulfa sor of AASU, Chakrapani Patiri, leccadre turer of Sonari College, Surjya Kumar Borah, President of Charaideo arrested Press Guild, Mritunjoy

ET Correspondent Sonari, Nov 17: Asom Satra Mahasabha’s Satriya Sanskriti Divas was observed at the Sree Sree Thukibil Satra on Sunday under the joint aegis of Charaideo District Satra Mahasabha and the people of Thukibil area.

The daylong

programme got underway with the unfurling of the district satra mahasabha flag by President Himakanta Buragohain while the flag of the organizing committee was unfurled

by Monika Goswami.

The sradhanjali programme was initiated by Dipak Baruah,

secretary of the Asom Satra Mahasabha. Putul Saikia, Achyut Tamuli, Prasanta Dutta and Ratul Dutta took part in the programme. Later, the cultural programme and the religious meet was inaugurated by Ranjan Mahanta, the convenor of the Kendriya Sanchay Punji. Tapan Kumar

Das, President of Sonari Press Club and a host of other dignitaries took part in the programme.

Dehanaam was performed by artists from Milijuli Dehanaam Team and some other artists.

Later in the evening, Sankarjyoti Dehanaam Team of Thukibil Satra performed dehanaam.

The lighting of lamps in the houses were initiated

by Promud Mahanta, secretary, Charaideo district satra mahasabha and Prafulla Bora, working president of the organizing committee.

Preparations on to observe education minister Sarat Borkotoky’s silver jubilee tenure as MLA ET Correspondent Sonari, Nov 17: Brisk preparations are afoot in Sonari town to celebrate state education minister and Sonari MLA Sarat Borkotoky’s completion of 25 years as the people’s elected representative from Sonari. It might be mentioned that Borkotoky, who was former Principal of Dolebagan Higher Secondary School has been represented Sonari LAC from Congress since 1991. The congress camp in Sonari is naturally ju-

Bolero pick-up stolen from Tinsukia Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, Nov 17: Vehicle lifters yet again struck Tinsukia on Monday and took away a Bolero pick-up vehicle (AS 23 BC 3270) from L Saikia Road of the town. According to sources, the owner of the vehicle has lodged an FIR with Tinsukia police station that he had parked his Bolero pick-up van outside his residence in the night and was shocked to see the vehicle not there in the morning. In the meantime police has constituted a team to crack the case but till the time of filing this report no breakthrough has been made so far. However, the GPS system attached with the vehicle revealed that the vehicle was in Nagaland in the night, added a source. It must be mentioned that theft cases are on the rise in Tinsukia since the past 2 years. On the other hand in many such cases it has been seen that vehicle owners do not make parking provisions at their home or most of the builders illegally convert parking space into shops and godowns forcing vehicle owners to park their vehicle on the road-side, hence becoming easy prey to vehicle lifters.

bilant and is leaving no stone unturned to prepare for the two day celebrations which gets underway from Nov. 21. The programme is organized by the Sonari Town, Sapekhati and West Abhaypur Block Congress Committees of the Congress party at the Naphuk tea estate playground. The programme will get underway with the unfurling of the flag and swahid tarpan. Anuj Borkotoky, general secretary, Sivasagar district congress committee will

flag off the procession at 9 am. On the second day, the formal march past will be displayed by the members of Seva Dal after the unfurling of the flag. Borkotoky and his wife Bina Borkotoky will be welcomed to the venue at 10 am. After felicitation of the guests, the compilation on the veteran politician will be released by former union minister and Dibrugarh MP Paban Singh Ghatowar and state agriculture minister Rockybul Hussain. The

docu feature prepared on the minister will be screened at 12-15 pm.

The open session will get underway from 1:30 pm.

Apart from Hussain and Ghatowar, state Pradesh Congress Committee President and MLA Anjan Dutta, state assembly speaker Pranab Gogoi, parliamentary secretary Sushanta Buragohain and MLAs Ardhendu Dey, Sarat Saikia and Debabratta Saikia will also take part in the programme.

A cultural programme will be held in the evening.

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

G M Hospital

ET Bureau Tinsukia, Nov 17: A pro talk ulfa cadre Bhuban Dahotia, a resident of No.1 Shantipur village under Doomdooma police station in Tinsukia district and son of Gojen Dahotia was arrested by a joint team of army and police from Shantipur village today. One pistol and some live rounds have been recovered from his possession. He has been arrested in connection with case No. 486/15 and booked under section 25 1 A / 27 Arms Act.

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

Brahmaputra Diagnostics & Hospital

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

Assam Medical College

Marwari Arogya Bhawan Hospital

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

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

Sanjivani Diagnostic & Hospital

Dr. Pawan Bajaj's Skin Clinic

Aastha Hospital

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

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

This one of those ordinary days that, somehow, do not turn out too well. Unexpected expenses, that could totally upset your budget, cannot be ruled out.

Something or the other is likely to give you an uncomfortable stomach upset.

Take your medicines on time, and exercise moderation and discretion while deciding what and how much you should eat. On no account should you be eating out.

You had better start sharing your feelings with your family today. Also, it’s time to tell your family about your current financial status. It will help you feel better. Your energy levels will soar and you will approach everything with renewed vigour. Your spouse will bring good luck to you.

The extraordinary way in which you do things will earn you many admirers.

Superiors at work will laud you for your commitment. Evenings will be funfilled and entertaining. Look to relax with some meditation or music… or both.

Archana Trauma & Orthopaedics Hospital

Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh Phone: 0373 - 2302872, 2302051

Boy! Are you ambitious today or what! You plan meticulously and perform impeccably. However, you will progress at snail’s pace. But don’t lose heart.

You may not have a halo around your head, but that most certainly does not deter you from playing the spiritual card today. On this auspicious day, it is through religious scriptures that you satiate your desire to attain the intangible.

Spend some time meditating on the finer aspects of life; you will be amazed at the answers such contemplation can throw up.

AMC Road, Jalan Nagar Dibrugarh - 786 005

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

ASTRO FOR YOU

You will display a special attention towards beloved ones. This is an apt time for a frank chat on vital issues with your life part-ner. You never allow heart to dictate terms to mind, yet today will be sentimental with your wife. Today is the day to feel myriad emotions.

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

A devotee of Chath maya on the way to forest ghat on the occassion of Chath puja at Tezpur on today. Pic - Saurav Bor Kataki

Paltan Bazar, Opposite Aditya Hospital Dibrugarh

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

A wistful day lies ahead of you. This day, just like ‘on the summer day that we flew kites’, may be the standard when it comes to wanting to have a better future. A sea of change in your outlook is on the cards, thanks to your sweetheart’s noble gesture today.

You shall groom yourself all prim and proper today. The thought of how you look dominates your mind today. You are likely to capture the imagination of people – both at work and at social gathering. Cash will exit left, right and centre from your pockets on account of fun and entertainment.

Dark and gloomy shall be your temperament for most part of the day today.

But the afternoon may just see the skies clearing. The apparent mood change; will mainly be because of good news from abroad and business profits from your partner.

People may call you a busy bee, but that you admittedly will be. Work will demand your undivided attention, but the good thing is you will quickly get done with pending work one by one. In fact, you will be left with plenty of time in the evening which you are likely to spend romancing with your sweetheart.

In fact, if you are lucky enough, your affair could take a new turn today as a physical relation is on the cards.

It is your lucky day today! Whatever you will wish for, it will fall into your lap, be it name, fame, money or love. During the second half of the day, you will keep yourself occupied with your hobbies like reading, writing, playing active role in discussion groups or research.

You will find yourself ecstatic now that certain important projects you have been slaving over are nearing completion. You will implement new strategies and will hope that everything goes according to plan. You will experience intimate moments with your partner. On the whole, it will be a peaceful and productive day.

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

18-11-15 (WEDNESDAY) 18-11-15 5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti (Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-50 A.M-Ashtamir Naam 6-30 A.M-Bidyarthir Anusthan 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali (Assamese Modern Song) 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi (Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-05 A.M- Antara (Composite Programme of Hindi Film Songs) 12-05 P.M-Surar Satsori 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 4-45 P.M-News for Arunachal Pradesh 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 7-15 P.M-Karpumpuli 7-35 P.M-Ujjwal Bhabishyat 8-00 P.M-Parikrama 10-00 P.M-Sponsored Programme-"Suriya Geetere Sonowali Asom" Sd-/H.O.P

PAGE 3

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

Jeevan Jyoti Nursing Home to bear further treatment expenses of baby, to shut down baby care unit Rishu Kalantri Tinsukia, Nov 17: n a major development, the baby girl who received severe burn injuries due to negligence of Jeevan Jyoti Nursing Home in Tinsukia was referred to Dibrugarh on Monday night for treatment with the expenses borne by the nursing home. This came to be, after, hundreds of family members, friends and members of ATASU Tinsukia unit gheraoed the nursing home this evening following their diktat of referring the baby girl to an advacned hospital without mentioning the

cause for referral.

According to sources, the guardian of the baby girl asked the nursing home to mention the reason and the treatment for which the baby girl is being referred but the nursing home management refused to do so. This prompted scores of people who gathered there to gherao the nursing home and finally both the parties reached an agreement according to which the nursing home will undertake all the expenditure that will be incurred for the treatment of the child even if she needs to be sent to America

and that the nursing home will shut down their baby care unit till the time it is upgraded make up to the mark, claimed sources. In the meantime, sensing trouble, huge police personnel reached the nursing home to ensure that law is not broken.

Finally, the parents agreed to take the baby girl to a private nursing home at Dibrugarh after the owner of the nursing home Dr Ramjilal Ladha assured them to fulfill the above demands and arranged for an ambulance with nurse to accompany the baby child.

National Press Day observed at Haflong ET Correspondent Haflong, Nov 17: With the rest of the country, the Information and Public Relations Department, Dima Hasao, Haflong celebrated National Press Day with the theme ‘Impact and importance of cartooning and caricature as a medium of expression of opinion’, at its office complex, Haflong on Monday. On this occasion, a meeting was held with the District Information and Public Relations Officer Smt Purabi Phonglo in the chair who was accompanied by senior journalist Anup Biswas, Surjya Thaosen, Samsul Alam and L K Hengna. Besides, all working media persons and cameramen were present in the programme along with the staff of information and

Next year on Chhath Puja would be a holiday A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Nov 17: Extending his Chhath Puja greetings, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said from next year, Assam Government would declare holiday on Chhath Puja. Addressing the devotees at Sukreswar Ghat on the occasion of Chhath Puja this evening, Gogoi said when he assumed power in 2001, his Government adopted a simple mantra to infuse development in the State by involving all sections of the people. Gogoi said that his development model is paying dividends and Assam is on the path of progress with involvement of people from all walks of life irrespective of caste, creed and religion. The

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi addressing the devotees on the occasion of Chhath Puja at Sukreswar Ghat, Guwahati on November 17, 2915.

Chief Minister also said using the demographic mosaic of the State to the

fullest extent, Assam has developed on different fronts and people are

23rd ABK General Conference witnessed several major resolutions Contd. from Page 1

The conference started with unfurling of ABK flag

by President Kangir Jamoh followed by a Mega Dance themed on natural beauty of Mechuka by ABK Secretary General Bodong Yirang, vocals rendered by Mongol Libang and choreographed

by Smti Omem Darang Pertin. Jhony Pinggam, Chairman Organizing Committee and Komi Rida, President Shi-Yomi Banggo ABK Unit led the conference by presenting welcome address and vote of thanks respectively. Secretary General Bodong Yirang presented the Annual Report of ABK from January 2014- November 2015, while President Kangir Jamoh released the ABK Souvenir “Yaro Moobang” compiled under the leadership of Aling Pinggam, President

ABKYW. While Tayi Taggu, Chairman Hydro Power and Surface Communication presented a report of handing over of the hydro projects over River Siang to NEEPCO and NHPC from private companies. Tabung Ering, Chairman Doying Gumin Construction Committee updated the conference about its status. While, Chief Councilor PMC Denong Tamuk spoke about importance of Pasighat as Smart City and the role required to be played by every Adi to ensure Pasighat’s selection in the first top 20.

While Tony Pertin spoke on alteration of ABK bye-laws in terms of ABK Tuting Conference/AIIMS. Getom Borang, Taki Gammeng, Mida Pertin, Yasen Bunyi and Kopsi Panor also spoke on the occasion. The major resolutions taken during the conference include: in toto implementation of Adi

Kebang Ayon in every Adi dominated areas, implementation of use of marriage symbol for married men and women by wearing ABK designed Bangle or Ring (Kopung-Kosi), proposing state government for road connecting Mechuka, DambukMebo-Mariyang with creation of more new districts, re-opening of Domla Pass trade route, objection of handing over of NH-52 stressing Raneghat-Bomjir from BRO to State PWD and most importantly, objection of use of Adi traditional dresses like “Nok Sondorong, Gol Pota, Dudap, Parey kana Gale etc” by other tribes and any use of the same by others in film shooting/write up would be required to mention it as of Adis’, informed Geyon Tayeng, compiler Drafting Committee of the conference.

Nagaland Newspapers Published With Blank Editorial Space Contd. from Page 1

English dailies Morung Express, Eastern Mirror and Nagaland Page and vernacular papers Capi Daily (in Angami dialect) and Tir Yimyim (in Ao dialect) were published with their editorial spaces blank yesterday as a mark of protest. The Nagaland Post, meanwhile, carried an editorial opposing the Assam Rifles' diktat. They were protesting against a letter purportedly sent by the Assam Rifles to the editors of

all local dailies on October 24. The letter allegedly warned newspapers against carrying statements made by militant groups, specifically the NSCN(K), reminding them that the outfit had been declared an "unlawful association" by the Union Home Ministry. "Any article which projects the demands of NSCN(K) and gives it publicity is a violation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1957, and should not be published by your newspaper," the letter had said. The NSCN(K) had ab-

rogated the 14-year-old ceasefire with the Centre in April. Meanwhile, Nagaland Press Association president K Temjen Jamir today said, "The Assam Rifles is not here to govern, but only to perform their assigned duty. They are supposed to maintain peace and as media persons we are also trying to promote peace.

We must work together," he said. Apex students body in the state, Naga Students' Federation also condemned the "malicious effort" of the Assam Rifles to curtail the freedom of press.

reaping the fruits of development. Gogoi also reiterated that in the development of Assam the Hindi speaking people contributed immensely.

The Chief Minister said to redress the grievances of the Hindi speaking people and to expedite their allround development, Government has completed all the formalities to constitute a Development Council.

“Assam is for all and no discrimination will be tolerated in the State”, Gogoi said. Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Anjan Dutta, MLA Captain Robin Bordoloi along with a host of other dignitaries was present on the occasion.

NDFB(S) Sonitpur Platoon Commander gunned down Contd. from Page 1

NDFB(S) hierarchy for appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the group in place of Bidai, in order to rejuvenate the group and recover the flagging morale of the cadres which is at its lowest ebb at the moment, because of the relentless operations being conducted against them by the security forces.

It is also pertinent to mention that this individual had become a synonym of terror in the area and he was particularly known for kidnapping for ransom, extortion and terror killings. He was a key figure involved in planning and execution of the gruesome killings of innocent Adivasis by the group on 23 December last year. A pistol, live ammunition and other warlike stores were recovered from the slain terrorist.

public relations department. DIPRO Purabi Phonglo lighted a holy lamp to mark the occasion and was followed by other guests and media persons present in the programme.

At the outset, DIPRO Purabi Phonglo explained

the genesis of National Press Day in 1966 by Press Council of India, which is being observed in different ways and under themes.

DIPRO Mrs Phonglo articulated the impact and importance of cartooning and caricature as a medium

of expression of opinion in present times. Speakers comprising Anup Biswas, Surjya Thaosen, L K Hengna, Samsul Alam, Nirmal Singh, Pankaj Deb and others opined in favour of covering the cartooning and caricature in a constructive way for the

welfare of the societies, besides members of the Haflong press club informed that District Administration had issued a notice giving allotment of site for office of Haflong press club. Some budding media persons explained their interest of enjoying cartooning equally as other reports and stories covered by different printing and electronic media. Moreover, staff of DIPR – Mrs Purnima Hakhmaosa and N C Sharma also spoke on the occasion.

Most of the speakers including Jet Nunisa and others appreciated DIPRO and staff for organising the programme, which gave opportunity of a get together for media persons, at a time when for their busy schedule they cannot share experiences and meet with each other.

Seven IAF operational Advanced Landing Grounds in Arunachal in a month Contd. from Page 1

"The local populations and local government has provided support to a great extent in the

venture and this will also provide further impetus for tourism," said Deo. Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha had last month said at a conference that the upgradation ALGs

would enhance the economic development of the Northeastern region.

A similar exercise is being undertaken in Ladakh. Currently the Air Force has one

Senior VHP leader Ashok Singhal dies Contd. from Page 1

He was suffering from respiratory problems for over a month. Hospital sources said Singhal's condition was critical and he was on ventilator support in the ICU. In a message posted on Twitter, PM Narendra Modi has said "The demise of Ashok Singhal ji is a deep personal loss. He was an institution in himself, whose life was centred around serving the nation."

The VHP is an affiliate of the BJP's ideological mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the RSS. A bachelor and an RSS pracharak all his life, Singhal, adopted an aggressive style in the "kar

sewak" campaign in the build up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December, 1992. A metallurgy engineering graduate from Banaras Hindu University, he pitchforked the organisation in the Ayodhya Ram temple movement and sought to internationalise it by recruiting supporters and organising branches world wide. The overseas supporters contributed immensely to the VHP campaign. Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, VHP leader Praveen Togadia, Maninderjeet Singh Bitta, chairman, All-India AntiTerrorist Front, and a few state leaders visited the hospital on Monday to

enquire about Singhal's health. Togadia had also visited the hospital on Sunday along with Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and union ministers Rajnath Singh and Uma Bharti.

Mr Singhal was at the forefront of the VHP's campaign for a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya where the Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992.

Mr Singhal was earlier admitted to Medanta on October 20 after his condition deteriorated. He was flown in to Delhi from Allahabad in an air ambulance. He was discharged on November 11.

operational ALG at Daulet Beg Oldi. Plans are afoot to develop one ALG at Nyoma and extend the Kargil airfield to enable fighter operations.

Lt Gen Devraj Anbu takes over command of Gajraj Corps Contd. from Page 1

He has participated in Indian Peace Keeping Operations (IPKF) in Sri Lanka, United Nations Peace Keeping in Namibia, Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist operations in Manipur and Jammu & Kashmir. He was awarded the Sena Medal Gallantry for operation in Siachen Glacier.The General has also been awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and YudhSeva Medalfor his distinguished service.

An Open Letter Sharing a Painful Experience Contd. from Page 1 Some passengers got out and tried to tell them that our vehicle had not hit anybody on the way.

The angry mob also started to push and punch the passengers. My 7 month old baby was in my arms, wailing.

I was terrified when a woman in the mob demanded in Assamese that the ladies in the vehicle also be pulled out and beaten. But just then, the Assam Police arrived and I heaved a sigh of relief, as I believed that men in uniform would certainly handle the situation with proper reason.

But all my shock from the incident on the road turned

into more dismay when we were brought to Dhemaji PS along with the vehicle by around 6 pm. There, the policemen searched the vehicle for any dent or scratches as proof of the said hit and run case. But they couldn’t find any proof in the vehicle; which incidentally, was a brand-new one. Then, the OC (Dhemaji PS), who was in an inebriated condition, decided to arrest the driver, who was already beaten black and blue by the mob, and seized his vehicle; leaving us, the ten innocent passengers totally helpless and stranded in the now deserted town. It was already 9 pm. When I requested the OC to help us at

least to get another vehicle to Pasighat, which we were willing to pay for; he shouted and used unparliamentary words against me in Assamese. When I politely asked for his name, he threatened to lock me up with my baby for the whole night.

I, along with the other passengers, had no other option but to wait outside in the compound of the police station for the whole night.

Had it not been for one good Samaritan, who drove down his car from Pasighat to pick up his daughter, who was one of my co-passengers. He gave me and another two ladies lift in his over packed car up to Pasighat. I reached home with

my baby around 12:30 midnight.

As I am writing this letter now, my baby is burning with high fever, perhaps due to the hunger, cold and shock from that night. I am writing this letter as a way of giving vent to my anger and frustrations.

As the mother of a 7 month old child, I can only spit and curse that alcoholic, heartless, OC of Dhemaji PS for all those sufferings that my little baby went through. But on second thought, I prefer to hold back all my bitterness, as I believe that there is a supreme seer up there, who will punish such wrong doers someday.

Mrs. Mitinam Dai Pasighat

Swachh Bharat cess on taxable services, a big blow to common man: Assam CM A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Nov 17: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said the recent decision of the Central Government to levy 0.5 Swachh Bharat cess on taxable services has dealt a severe blow to the common man. In a statement here today, Chief Minister Gogoi said that the present dispensation at the Centre in the name of economic reforms has adopted anti-people policies. “Instead of

imposing taxes on the common man to mobilise funds for Swachh Bharat campaign, it would have been wiser to involve the people actively through other ways to make the campaign a success,” he said. “With the aim of capturing power, the Modiled Government made plenty of promises to the people never to be fulfilled.

The prices of essential commodities have been spiralling out of control

hitting the common man hard,” he said. Gogoi said that the common man is yet to see the dawning of ‘acche din’ promised by the BJPled Government and instead undergoing days of misery and hardship. “The present dispensation is hell bent on making the lives of common man more miserable and making lives of rich and the affluent rosier. Acche din is not for the aam aadmi but for the rich and affluent,” he added. The Chief Minister

wondered how India can shine if the common man lives in abject poverty. “The anti-poor policy has created a chasm between the Government and the people.

If the plight of the common man remains pitiable, how could India’s image among comity of nations ascend?”

Gogoi quipped. Gogoi said that the BJP had to bite the dust in the Bihar elections only because of its antipeople policies. “The humiliating defeats the BJP

suffered in Delhi and Bihar elections have failed to open its eyes and the recent hike in prices of essential commodities is a pointer,” he added. The Chief Minister further said that petrol and diesel prices have soared despite fall in their prices in international markets. “The Central Government has failed to keep a tight leash on the prices of petrol and diesel despite fall in their prices in international markets,” he added.

Assam govt to take up special scheme for overall development of weaving industry MP Tasa donates Rs 2 lakhs towards community hall

A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Nov 17: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that the Government will take up a special scheme for overall development of weaving industry in the State.

This was assured by the Chief Minister to a delegation of Sualkuchi Tat Silpi Sanstha that met him at his official residence recently. Gogoi said that the scheme to be taken

up by the Handloom & Textiles Department will incorporate new design and techniques to make the traditional handloom products more colourful and attractive. The Chief Minister said that yarn is being distributed to the weavers so that they can become strong economically. The Chief Minister asked the delegation to work on a cluster basis for

development of the industry and urged them to adopt other means of livelihood to enhance their income. The Chief Minister assured the delegation that the State Government would not allow the age-old weaving industry of Sualkuchi to die down and would continue to provide support and assistance so that it becomes vibrant and resilient.

In this connection, Gogoi told the delegation that he would ask Minister for Handloom & Textiles, Bismita Gogoi to visit Sualkuchi to take stock of the situation there and to redress the grievances of the weavers who are facing problems. CM refutes allegation Meanwhile, Chief Minister Gogoi strongly refuted allegation in a section of the Press that he had asked

the delegation to take recourse to dairy farming instead of weaving. Terming the allegation as totally false and baseless, Gogoi said that he had told the delegation that the Government would take up a new scheme for the overall development of weavers, including that of Sualkuchi. Gogoi said that the Government is mulling to set up a silk yarn bank at

Sualkuchi to ensure adequate supply of various silk yarns to weavers. Gogoi said that a local MLA did not play a proactive role for development of Sualkuchi weaving industry for which there is proliferation of cheap Banarasi silk and that he is instrumental in damaging the age-old weaving industry by helping vested circles to set up other industries.

Bijoy Handique Jorhat, Nov 17: Jorhat Lok Sabha MP Kamakhaya Prasad Tasa donated Rs 2 lakhs for construction of community hall at the premises of Chakonedhora Bhura Namghar at Club Road in Jorhat district here today. The foundation stone laying ceremony was led by Ananda Chandra Dutta, a

prominent scientist of Jorhat district, in the presence of Jorhat district BJP vice president Mirdu Pawan Das, Jorhat Minority Morcha president Parveez Mahandi, senior BJP district executive Rintu Kumar Baruah and goan panchayat president Irin Ahmed among several other noted personalities from the BJP.

PAGE 4

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

AJYCP stages two-hour sit-in demonstration at Margherita

ET Correspondent Margherita, Nov 17: Asom Jatiyotabadi Yuba Chaatra Patishad (AJYCP) Margherita Regional Committee today staged a sit-in demonstration for two hours at Ledo Samabhai Samity permanent office situated at Hamukjan Kalibari, Ledo under Tinsukia District.

Kanchan Bora, General

Secretary of AJYCP Margherita Regional Committee in this connection said that Ledo Samabhai Samity have their permanent office at Hamukjan Kalibari, Ledo but they are using rented temporary office at Ledo Bazaar. Ledo Samabhai Samity’s controversial president Subrato Rai and Secretary Phatik

Gogoi have an unholy nexus with Margherita Sub Divisional Officer (Civil) and Margherita Food and Civil Supplies Department officials and get huge kickbacks from them and that is why Ledo Samabhai Samity has not moved to its original office which is now in a dilapidated condition inaugurated by the then AGP Gov-

ernment Tourism Minister Jagadish Bhuyan 15 years back, alleged Kanchan Bora. Government supplied items like rice, atta and kerosene end up in the hands of the black marketers which are very easy to procure from the Ledo Samabhai Samity temporary office at Ledo, Mr. Bora added. “AJYCP earlier took up several agitation programmes so that the Ledo Samabhai Samity office is shifted but Margherita Administration has only been a mute spectator, and if Margherita Administration does not take the matter seriously, we would take up a democratic agitation programme,” said Kanchan Bora. A memorandum was submitted to the Margherita Sub Divisional Officer (Civil) which was received by Dilip Terang Extra Commissioner Margherita, Government of Assam.

AND THE WINNER IS...

Women Fitness Model Competition First Winner From Left Jantrika Bharali Middle 2nd Winner Dimpi Taya From Right 3rd Winner Prajukti Baruah Programe Organised By " YUGANTAR " Group Under National Ammser Body Building Association Sivasagar. Pic - Firuz Ahmed

Chhath Puja in full swing ET Correspondent Golaghat, Nov 17: Festivity and serenity was witnessed today as part of the Chhath Puja organised

by Nav Yuva Shakti at Dhansiri river bank.

Meanwhile, the puja observers performed rituals. A huge puja pandal was erected in which idols of Lord Surya was placed and was worshipped by the people. Comic character Motu Patlu mascots were of much attraction for many children near the puja pandal. Many people came up with temporary momand-pop shops giving it a fare like look. Golaghat DC Anowarul Haque toured the place and inspected the security provisions along

with fire safety and other NDRF services and instructed perfect implementation of the same. A special programme was organised by Nav Yuva Shakti in which the distinguished people of various communities were felicitated, viz., Madan Lal Khetan, noted businessman and social worker, physician and religious person Dr Manas Roy, educationist cum social worker Apurva Borgohain and businessman namely Parshuram Shukla among others. People from various walks of life came to attend the puja. The president Jaydeep Gupta and Secretary Krishna Gupta offered good wishes on the occasion.

History, Geography subjects to be made compulsory in secondary education N. Patnaik Nagaon, Nov 17: “History and Geography subjects will be compulsory in secondary education for which forty marks will be allotted to each along with twenty marks in social studies”, said Sarat Barkataki, Education Minister of the State while speaking at Nowgong College yesterday. Speaking as chief guest at the 34th biennial conference of the Assam College Principals’ Council, Barkataki further said all the vacant posts lying in different provincialised colleges of Assam will be filled up very

soon for which necessary steps have been taken. He also called upon teachers to desist from working as correspondents to different newspapers as no government servant can work as a reporter. He further announced SEBA will have two zonal offices, one at Jorhat and the other in Barak valley. He too urged college principals to submit utilization certificates in time against the grants received by them from the state government. Speaking as distinguished guest in the meeting, Rockybul Hussain said a lot of development

has taken place during Congress rule in the state and there is a great difference between the days of late 90s and the days during 2001 to 2015. The state government has now provided liberal grants for infrastructure development of educational institutions for which development in education has been possible. The meeting was presided over by Dr. Balendra Kumar Das and was attended among others

by Dr. Mridul Hazarika, VC, Gauhati University, Paban Barthakur, Principal Secretary, Dept. of Education to the Govt. of Assam, P. Jidung.

Raj Bhawan clarifies on its Chhath puja grips Jorhat ghats Doomdooma MLA vehicle allegedly hitting scooty ET Correspondent Tarajan puja mandir thronged the venue and Jorhat, Nov 17: Chhath pukhuri, Neematighat, festivities are slated to inaugurates Chhat puja was celebrated Titabor Chariali ghat, continue till Wednesday Ghat auditorium across several ghats in Mariani Bhogdoi ghat morning. Elaborate Jorhat district with great etc. The market was pomp and gaiety with the devotees making offerings to the Sun god at Janata ghat, Bhospuri ghat, Ananda Nagar ghat, Pujadubi ghat,

Devotees of Chhath Puja took their place near river of Brahmaputra on the occasion of Chhath Puja at Dibrugarh Kasari Ghat. Pic - UB Photos

filled with fruits, flowers while tight security has been put in place. In Jorhat, the ghats and the Jorhat city wore a festive look as devotees

A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Nov 17: The attention of the Raj Bhavan has been drawn by a news item which appeared in the electronic media on Monday and in a section of the print media on Tuesday. The news in brief states that a Raj Bhavan Maruti Van hit a Scooty with two young ladies on it on Monday at Ujan Bazar and that the ladies sustained injuries and were sent to GMCH. The news further states that the driver of the vehicle was not in possession of a Driving

arrangements have been made and security has been tightened CCTV surveillance installed, informed Satis Rai, one of the organizers of the Janata ghat here said.

Devotees offering prayer to the setting sun God at Doomdooma. Pic - Manoj Kr. Ojha

Devotees offering prayer to the setting sun God at Jorhat. Pic - Nekib Ahmed

Chhat Puja celebrated in entire Kamrup district Tapas Samaddar Rangia, Nov 17: Chhat puja (worship of Sun) has been celebrated in the entire Kamrup district along with the rest of the country. The festival of worshipping the Sun god was observed at Rangia, Amingaon Soalkuchi, Hajo, Chhaygaon and Bako in Kamrup district with a 2-day colorful programme. The programme will be concluded till tomorrow. A cultural programme will also be organised at night. The festival is observed with devotional fervour and gaiety. Thousands of devotees throng the bank of river Barolia, Brahmaputra and Jaljali. The devotees will also worship the Sun tomorrow early in the morning.

ET Correspondent Doomdooma,Nov 17: A newly constructed Chhat Ghat auditorium was inaugurated by local BJP MLA Dilip Moran at Uchamati Chhat Ghat today. The MLA formally cut the ribbon and dedicated it to the society. The people looked happy to see their long demanded wish fulfilled. It is worth mentioning that last year on the same Ghat, the MLA had

constructed stairs at the cost of Rs 3 lakhs and today he contributed an auditorium constructed at the cost of Rs 7 lakhs to the society. On this occasion, a meeting was held by the organizers of Chhat Puja Committee that is Akhil Assam Bhojpuri Yuva Chhatra Parishad in which MLA Dilip Moran was felicitated. A Sarai and a phulam Gamosha were presented to the MLA.

Kaziranga Park being encroached daily: NGT Contd. from Page 1

The bench said these constructions in the protected areas of the park, which is famous for single-horned rhinos, are blocking the elephant corridors.

It asked the state government to file a reply by November 23 on the state Environment Impact Assessment Authority's (SEIAA) report justifying the Environment Clearance given to Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) for con-

struction of a boundary wall for a golf course and a township.

The Tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Assam resident Rohit Choudhary seeking directions to immediately demolish the wall constructed by NRL and stop tree felling so as to prevent degradation of the environment. Choudhary has alleged that NRL, a joint venture between Bharat Petroleum, Oil India and Assam government, has illegally built a two-km long boundary wall for a golf course

around their township which has obstructed elephant movement causing the death of an elephant calf in May. The tribunal had on October 9 pulled up NRL for cutting trees to construct a boundary wall for a golf course in the 'No-Development Zone' in Kaziranga National Park, saying its forest clearance was an "abuse of law".

It had asked the Assam government to inspect the site and submit an inspection report in this regard. The DFO

of Golaghat Division had stated that the land acquired by NRL was in clear violation of the established laws, rules and conditions. The Tribunal had earlier restrained Numaligarh Refinery from carrying out any construction activity in the national park and directed Assam government to submit original records of documents including any environmental clearance and clearance from National Wildlife Board given to the refinery.

License. Without verifying the facts the news has stated that the vehicle in question, Maruti Van bearing Registration No.: AS-01-AY-2593 belongs to the Raj Bhavan and that it is wrong on the part of the Raj Bhavan authorities to allow a driver without a valid license to drive its vehicle. The PRO to the Governor now desires to clarify on behalf of the Raj Bhavan that the said Maruti Van bearing Registration No.: AS-01-AY-2593 belongs to Police Reserve and not to Raj Bhavan. The vehicle along

with driver from Police Reserve only is made available to Raj Bhavan as and when required.

Therefore, it is for the concerned Police authorities to ensure that they provide a vehicle with valid documents and with a driver possessing a valid license. The name of the Raj Bhavan has been unnecessarily dragged into the matter. It is, therefore, appealed to the media to restrain from projecting the name of Raj Bhavan in bad light.

Bold reporting by The Eastern Today compels forest dept. to evict illegal cottages from Dibru-Saikhowa National Park Contd. from Page 1

forest department officials and so demanded an inquiry into the angle of officials’ involvement apart from violation of forest wildlife act. They have also demanded that the

report be made public and strict action be taken against all officials who colluded with the businessman and allowed the state of affairs to reach such a stage and also demanded action against those officers who did not perform their duty. The

organizations and wildlife lovers have also demanded strict action against the businessman apart from eviction of all the cottages. Now, it is to be seen what action the district administration and state government take to set a precedent.

Satyam Sewa Samity demands white paper on the renovation of North Lakhimpur Civil Hospital Contd. from Page 1

So the NLCH is the only source and ray of hope for them. Despite being so, the hospital is too deplorable in condition to expect treatment worthy of suggestion.

Therefore, Raju Singha, the President of Satyam Sewa Somity along with his colleagues, expressing their concern over the pathetic condition of the NLCH for favour of the suffering patient as well as the problems of the district, submitted a memorandum having a twelve-point demand to MGVK Bhanu, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Govt of Assam drawing his attention while he was on a official visit to Lakhimpur

District on October 9. Out of these demands, eight were with regard to the hospital so as to ensure supply of sufficient life saving drugs, supply of ‘blood separation machine’ for the treatment of dengue patients, to repair the CT scan machine, to provide ultra sound machine, to provide incinerator, renovation of Post Mortem house, development of baby ICU room and to start constructing works of proposed Medical College at Lakhimpur soon.

Responding the demands, the Additional Chief Secretary sent a letter Vide No. ACS/CM/7/2015/4205 to the DC of Lakhimpur on October 17 instructing necessary steps be taken to resolve these problems. As per the instruction, the DC

requested through a letter Vide No. LDC.88/2015/62 the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Health) and the Joint Director of Health Services to look into the matter and to take follow up action for redressal of the demands as early as possible. However, as of now, there has been no update in this regard. So, the Satyam Sewa Somity appealed to the Joint Director to release a white paper within five working days informing which problems out of the eight have been resolved.

Otherwise President Raju Singha threatened to initiate strong agitation shortly.

However he thanked MGVK Bhanu for his immediate response to the Somity’s memorandum by submitted it to the concern.

PAGE 5

REGION

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

Swadeshi tea for Queen Darjeeling, Nov 17: Unwittingly or otherwise, Narendra Modi has given Queen Elizabeth a gift with a Swadeshi message. The Indian Prime Minister gifted the British queen tea from Darjeeling's Makaibari estate, the only hill garden never owned "by the components of the Raj", according to the manufacturer. The British are credited with bringing tea to Darjeeling and making the brew grown in the hills famous. A. Campbell, a British doctor with the erstwhile East India Company and posted in Darjeeling, is believed to have brought Chinese tea plant seeds to Darjeeling in the 1840s. He started a tea nursery at Beechwood, which is now a congested area in Darjeeling town. In 1856, Alubari Tea Garden, the first garden in the hills, was set up. Three years later, Makaibari garden opened. Makaibari Tea Estates in Kurseong was set up by Girish Chandra Banerjee in 1859. He belonged to a zamindar family

from Borai, about 100km from Calcutta. On Friday, Modi tweeted: "Also presented to Her Majesty some award-winning Darjeeling tea from Makaibari tea estate in West Bengal & fine organic honey from J&K." According to the estate website, "For more than a century and half, Makaibari has been tended by four generations of the Banerjee family; the only estate in Darjeeling to never have been owned by components of the Raj. Makaibari, was the first tea factory in the world, built by the pioneering G. C. Banerjee, the founding father of Makaibari Tea Estates, in 1859. …" It was not known, however, if the Prime Minister was aware of Makaibari's history.

Makaibari has some firsts to its credit. "The tea garden was the first tea factory in the world, which was set up in 1859 by my great grandfather, Girish Chandra Banerjee, the founding father of Makaibari tea estates," said Swaraj Kumar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Queen Elizabeth shake hands at Buckingham Palace in London on Friday.

Banerjee, better known as Rajah, the chairman of the Makaibari Tea and Trade Company. He added that Modi's decision to gift the garden's most expensive tea, Silver Tips Imperial, came as a surprise. "The tea was Silver Tips Imperial and his (Modi's) decision to gift

our tea came as a surprise to me. Last year, the highest price that Silver Tips Imperial had fetched was Rs 1.12 lakh a kilogram. But we normally retail it from the garden for Rs 20,000 a kilogram," Rajah said. Sources said Rs 1.12 lakh a kilogram was the highest price that

Darjeeling Tea has ever fetched. According to Rajah, Silver Tips Imperial is "handmade semi-fermented light liquoring Oolong tea" and the garden manufactures it in a small quantity.

"We produce very little, about 500kg, of Silver Tips Imperial, while annually, we

produce about 1 lakh tonne of made tea. This is because we only have four to five picks for the tea in a year," he said. Makaibari claims that the tea is manufactured from green leaves plucked only on full moon days and nights. Only Makaibari garden produces the variety.

The brew, which was served among participants and staff members of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, is one of the most recognised tea varieties from Darjeeling. Today, Makaibari, which is known as an "organised farmland of seven villages" is spread over 573 hectare, of which only about 250 hectare are under tea cultivation. The rest is forest cover. The garden employs 636 workers. Last year, the Makaibari Tea and Trade Company entered into a "strategic" partnership with a Calcutta-based group, The Luxmi Group, with an eye on strengthening the brand. (Agencies)

Amit Shah's much hyped rally cancelled

Chief Minister of Meghalaya Dr Mukul M Sangma released the Festival Booklet at First Edition of the four days Shillong International Photo Festival 2015 organized by St Anthonys College, Mass Media Department in collaboration with Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Meghalaya at the premises of St Anthony College in Shillong. Pic - UB Photos

SIT arrests two youths with answer key of HTET Sachin Sehrawat Sonepat, Nov 17: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) led

by ASI Rajbir arrested two youths from near the Murthal flyover on GT road late last evening and reportedly recovered an answer key of the question paper distributed in the Haryana Teachers Eligibility Test (HTET) held on Sunday. The arrested youths identified as Jasmer of Hasanpur village and Nishu of RK Colony at Murthal village were today produced here in the court and were sent into two days of police custody by the court. According to SIT incharge, Inspector Sandeep Kumar, after receiving specific information that two youths were having answer key of the HTET paper and had sold it to many people, a SIT team nabbed the youths and recovered an answer key from their mobile phones. During preliminary interrogation, the youths confessed that they had purchased the answer key from one Ravi of RK Colony by paying Rs 80,000 and they had sold it among six others for Rs 80,000 each with the assurance that the amount would be paid if the answer key was found correct. “Authenticity of the answer key is being examined and the team is looking for the key supplier Ravi after taking the alleged accused in two days of police custody,” SIT incharge said.

Kolkata, Nov 17: The catastrophic defeat of the BJP in the Bihar Assembly poll might have resulted in the cancellation of party president Amit Shah's muchtouted rally, but the party's state leadership asserted that the drubbing would only have a 'temporary' impact. The leadership is confident that it will not be long before the party workers will have their morale restored.

"It is obvious that the Bihar poll verdict will have a temporary impact in Bengal. If we had won, it would have a temporary impact too. Politics in Bihar and Bengal are different cups of tea. In Bihar it is caste-based politics, but in Bengal it is development politics versus TMC's reign of terror," BJP state president Rahul Sinha said. Shah's rally, scheduled

to be held in Kolkata on November 30, was officially called off on Thursday and in its stead the party would organize a protest-march on that day to be attended by Siddarth Nath Singh and Kailash Vijayverge. BJP national secretary Singh too agreed that win or loss in a neighboring state might have a temporary impact.

"We have been winning Bihar since 2005, but did that have an impact in Bengal? So how will it now make a difference?" Singh said. However, Rahul Sinha had sung a different tune on October 28 when he claimed that the BJP would concentrate on West Bengal after the Bihar election. The BJP leader-

ship had even claimed that after the party emerged victorious in Bihar Assembly elections, it would sound the death knell for the ruling Trinamool Congress in Bengal.

A senior state BJP leader, considered to be close to RSS, said on the condition of anonymity that the party in Bengal was in a "complete disarray".

"There are several factors at play right now. The central leadership right now don't want to jump the gun in Bengal," the leader said.

The BJP leader also felt that there was a growing dissent in the rank and file over outsiders, who had joined the party in Bengal after 2014, being given important positions at the expense of old-timers.

(Agencies)

Five 'trafficked' children returned home Agartala, Nov 17 : In yet another goodwill gesture, the Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB) today formally handed over five children to its Indian counterpart- BSF at Muhurichar in Belonia subdivision today.

All the children are belonged to 8- 11 years old.

The children include Seerup Hussein (08), Saheb Choudhury (09),Taheer Choudhury (06), Naseem (4 ½) and Abir Choudhury (11). All of they are residents of Purba Gokulpur under RK Pur police station. Sources said that the five children were found missing from their home. After searching for long time, the parents of these children didn't find any trace of their children and prompting them to lodge an FIR with the police. In their complaint, they stated their children were last spotted with one Rehena Begum, resident of the same locality on October 24 noon. She took all

these children to show them a procession of Muharram. Police suspected the children were trafficked through the bordering area of Sonamura of Sepahijala District. Following inputs from the BSF authority, authority of Companyganj police of Bangladesh successfully managed to arrest the allegedly accused Rehana Begum in an allegation of trafficking five children to Bangladesh on October 26.

Reportedly, accused Rehana Begum hailed to her son's Mohammed Ali Hussain house at Gokulpur village under Udaipur police station in Gomati District. Getting the news of the children today, Udaipur SDPO Ratan Das, OC Dibyendu Roy along with the families of the children rushed to Muhurichar Chedk Post.

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) handed over the children to SDPO at 7 pm. (Agencies)

NFNS Submits Memorandum to Home Minister on ?

Gorkhaland? Formation Darjeeling, Nov 17: National Federation for New States (NFNS) Delegation led by Munish Tamang met Union Home Minister Sh. Rajnath Singh today.

The delegation reminded him of the Gorkhaland promise made by his party in the 2014 manifesto. The delegation also stated that the demand for cre-

ation of new state is not a regional demand and it should be made part of the national debate.

The delegation included leaders from Bundelkhand, Vidharbha, and Bodoland. A memorandum was also presented to the Home Minister.

NFNS will also meet the Prime Minister and the President of India. (agencies)

LK Advani, Shatrughan Sinha invited for Nitish Kumar's swearing-in ceremony as Bihar CM: Reports Patna, Nov 17: Veteran BJP leader LK Advani and saffron party MP Shatrughan Sinha have been invited for Nitish Kumar's oath-taking ceremony as Bihar CM to be held here on November 20, as per media reports.

The ceremony will be held at Patna's Gandhi Maidan. Sinha has been publicly praising Nitish in recent times and has been at loggerheads with a section of BJP leadership. He has been openly criticising party's Bihar poll strategy and its stand to not fix responsibility

post the defeat. Yesterday, Sinha had said in Nagpur that he had only spoken the truth even as he took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the number of seats the party has won under his watch. On the other hand, Advani along with three other senior BJP leaders issued a statement to the media after party's debacle in Bihar polls saying that those who had led the campaigning should also take take responsibility for it.

The statement to the media had also stated that

Nitish Kumar to be roped in as Bihar CM for the fifth time on November 20

internal democracy was being compromised in the BJP. However, reports also said that no invitation had been sent to any other BJP leader, including PM Modi and party president Amit Shah. Top political leaders including Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi, chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, UP CM Akhilesh Yadav are expected to attend the event. And it goes without saying that

Lalu Prasad Yadav will be one of the main guest. His party RJD made a spectacular comeback in Bihar after 10 years winning 80 seats out of the 101 that it had contested. The Grand Alliance (JD-U, RJD and Congress) swept Bihar by winning 178 seats with BJP-led NDA managing to bag only 58 seats in the 243seat House. On its own the BJP won a mere 53 seats. Nitish's JD(U) won 71 seats and Congress ended up with 27 in its kitty. (agencies)

Centre decentralising power to safeguard people’s interests, says Javadekar

All CPIM party member nominations submit ahead of Tripura civic polls in Agartala.

Pic - UB Photos

ET Correspondent Shillong, Nov 17: The Union Minister of State for Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar today said the Modi Government is decentralizing its functions to speed up and also to ensure safeguard of the people’s interest.

Speaking at a function organized by the Regional Office of the Union Ministry for Forest, Environment and Climate Change dedicating its office building to the nation, Javadekar said the Government has taken the decision to give more power to the regional offices in clearing various projects located in forest areas.

He said in the past clearing of projects used to take a lot of time, as all they filed would have to be clear by the Centre.

“The situation is different now, as the regional offices have been given the power to clear all the projects of public importance within the forest areas of 40 hectares”, Javadekar said, adding that in the previous years, numerous projects could not be cleared for months and years, as they had to be decided by New Delhi.

In view of this decision, the regional offices have been able to clear approximately 800 cases across the country, out of which, the Shillong Regional Centre has been able to clear 36 cases so far. With a view to protect the environment and keeping the people’s interest in mind, the Government has decided to set up an Empowered Committee to look into various aspects of the for-

est and land system, particularly in the autonomous areas of Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council, which are different from the rest of the council. “In Meghalaya, there is the Government, community and individual lands which needed to be studied in depth before coming up with some decision”, the Minister said.

“We need to look into the issue of environment, the people’s interests and sustainable development before taking decision”, he said. Expressing concern over exploitation of minor produces of the indigenous people by middlemen, Javadekar said there is a need to provide Minimum Support Price to these farmers citing Madhya Pradesh as an

example. Speaking on the occasion, Meghalaya Forest Minister, PS Tynsong informed that 77 per cent of the total geographical areas are forest covered area, which earns the state, as being one of the best forest covered states in the North Eastern Region. Tynsong, however, clarified that due to the peculiarity of the landholding system in the state, the forest area under the Government is only 5 per cent and the rest belonged to the community, clans and individuals. Tynsong handed over a letter to the Union Minister to bail out some of the issues relating to forest management.

Later, the Union Minister interacted with the Chief Executive Members the three autonomous district councils and the farmers.

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

PAGE 6

G-20 to combat terrorism, tackle uneven global economic growth unitedly New Delhi, Nov. 17: The leaders of G20 have decided to tackle global uneven economic growth and reaffirmed their commitment to fight terrorism unitedly.

In a communique released at the end of the two-day G-20 summit at Antalya in Turkey last night, they noticed that risks and uncertainties in financial markets still remain and observed that geopolitical challenges are increasingly becoming a global problem. However, the G-20 has reaffirmed its earlier goal of achieving two percent additional GDP growth by 2018. On Climate Change, it reiter-

ates its commitment to limit global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius above current levels, as mentioned in the Lima Call for Action.

The communique favours an ambitious, fair and balanced outcome in the Conference of Parties CoP-21 meet to be held in Paris on the issue. The leaders have reinstated their faith on the World Trade Organization as the backbone of the multilateral trading system and have urged to fully implement the Bali Package that aims at lowering global trade barriers. To tackle the problem of transferring profits to tax ha-

vens, the G-20 has developed a package under the "Base Erosion and Profit System" project. It urges the automatic exchange of tax-related information system to come into force by 2018. The document also calls for intolerance to corruption and deny safe havens to illegally acquired wealth. It

notes that the ongoing refugee crisis is a global concern and seeks to encourage global contribution in managing the crisis. Seeking early implementation of the International Monetary Fund's governance reforms, the communique endorses global food security measures. On the remittance front, it seeks

to reduce the charges for people to send money back home to five percent. The G-20 final communique accommodates several concerns India have been raising in various multilateral forums for long. Being the largest recipient of remittances, Prime Minister Narendra Modi insisted on lowering the charges and its inclusion in the document is considered a positive development. The passage on tax evasion is an area of comfort as collective movement under the "Base Erosion and Profit Shifting" project has been included to plug the loop-

holes. The notes on trade, labour, infrastructure and corruption also reflect the viewpoints of India. In a separate statement, the G20 leaders have condemned terrorism and resolved to choke terror funding, share information and take action for better border management.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday departed for New Delhi from Antalya after attending the G-20 Summit. Before leaving for New Delhi, Prime Minister Modi extended his gratitude to Turkish President Recep Erdogan for the hospitality during his stay. (ANI)

Congress defends Salwan Media to host fifth edition of Aiyar, accuses BJP of Knowledge Economy Conference in February 'false propaganda' New Delhi, Nov. 17: ence will also recognize economy in the region multilateral organizations.

New Delhi, Nov. 17: The Congress on Tuesday defended veteran party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar over the controversy on his alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview.

Congress leader Tom Vadakkan urged the people to not 'fall prey' to Bharatiya Janata Party's false propaganda. "I have just received a report from my party saying the Mani Shankar Aiyar has flatly denied having said anything of that sort. He has sent us a link to establish beyond doubt that he has said no such thing," he told. "If the propaganda machinery of the Bharatiya Janata Party is working overtime, I beg to differ. People of India can go to these

links and establish what Mani Shankar Aiyar has actually said and not fall prey to BJP's propaganda machinery," he added. The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) today slammed Aiyar for his comments, terming it as 'absolutely appalling'.

Aiyar who went to Pakistan before the Bihar Assembly polls, allegedly said in an interview to a Pakistani channel, that Islamabad should help India in defeating Prime Minister Modi .

(ANI)

Toddler gets head stuck in Hyderabad school lift, dies

Hyderabad, Nov.17: In a tragic incident, a nursery girl student died after her head got stuck in the lift of a school building in Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad on Tuesday morning. The child, Syeda Zainab Fatima Jaffery, (three-and-ahalf-years-old) came to the Star Kids Premium School in the morning.

Meanwhile, the case has been registered against the school management and they have been taken into the custody. "As per

a preliminary enquiry, at around 9 a.m., a teacher was accompanying a few students from the ground floor to the third floor. The girl was caught in the grills of the moving lift," DCP, East Zone, D Ravindra told reporters. "We have taken the complaint and we have registered the case. We are also calling the District Educational Officer and we will also examine whether they have got permission or not. We will take stern action as per the law," he added. Tension prevailed at the school after people and relatives of the girl gathered at the spot and demanded action against the school management.

(ANI)

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious initiave the 'Make in India' week, Salwan Media Ventures will host the 5th edition of its annual 'One Globe: Uniting Knowledge Communities' conference on February 5 and 6 next year at the Imperial Hotel here. The conference aims to build a 21st century knowledge economy in India and South Asia. This year's focus will be on the progress made on Prime Minister Narendra Modiled government's bold initiatives to transform India through "Digital India", "Make in India", "Smart Cities", "Entrepreneurship" and "Skill India". In its fifth anniversary, One Globe knowledge confer-

and honor the organizations, entrepreneurs and startups that have contributed to building a 21st century knowledge economy through "Digital India", "Make in India", "Smart Cities", "Entrepreneurship" and "Social Impact". The One Globe conference is putting together an eminent jury and details of these award nominations will be announced shortly. Harjiv Singh, Convener, One Globe Knowledge Conference and Founder and CEO of Salwan Media, said that India and South Asia need to make rapid strides in the area of education, skilling, and developing infrastructure to enable the creation of a 21st century knowledge

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's exemplary vision has given a new direction and fillip and has brought the world attention to these issues. It is our privilege that One Globe conference has emerged as a platform that not only chronicles such developments but brings together global learning and best practices from a multitude of fields like academics, industry, politics, research, armed forces, civil society and others to take this growth agenda forward," he said. One Globe conference provides its delegates the opportunity to hear, meet and network with an array of senior government ministers, thought leaders and decision makers from global corporations and

The conference will include key-note sessions, panel discussions, spotlight sessions, chats with businessmen, government officials, academic professionals, educators, policy makers, influencers and entrepreneurs from all over the world. On the second day, the conference will also feature an education fair organized by Brain Gain Magazine, the leading online study abroad magazine in India and South Asia. It will provide a platform for foreign universities to directly engage with students from top schools in Delhi NCR who are interested in studying abroad, their parents and young professionals looking at options for further studies. (ANI)

Brother of 13/11 'mastermind' pleads innocence, says was not involved in attack Sydney, Nov. 17: Mohamed Abdeslam, brother of the Salah Abdeslam who is 'wanted' as the primary suspect and alleged mastermind behind the Paris carnage has denied any involvement in the attacks and said that he and his two brothers were 'normal'. According to the Sydney Herald, he pleaded his innocence to the media after he was released from police custody in Belgium and said that he was incorrectly accused of committing an act of terrorism' "I

have not in the slightest way been connected to the operation in Paris. I have worked for the local council for 10 years and I've never had a problem with anyone.

My parents are completely shocked by the tragedy. My two brothers are normal and I have never noticed anything strange," Abdeslam said after his release. Massive raids are being conducted to capture suspect fugitive Salah Abdeslam, who is wanted by the police following the deaths of 129

people in the Paris terror attacks on Friday. His brother Ibrahim Abdeslam blew himself up outside the cafe Comptoir Voltaire, which was part of the series of

attacks in the French capital.

Mohamed Abdeslam, who is the third brother, was freed without charge after being questioned by officers. (ANI)

Balasaheb Thackeray's memorial will inspire people, says Maharashtra Govt.

Mumbai, Nov.17: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that a plot near the mayor's bungalow at Dadar will be used to build a memorial in the memory of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, and added that it would inspire people to emulate his con-

tribution to society while he was alive. "Selected Mayor Bungalow which is located in Shivaji park of Dadar will be used to build Bala Saheb's memorial. The memorial will be set up on similar lines to the memorial of the first chief minister of Maharashtra, Yashwantrao Chavan,"

Fadnavis told media at a press conference here. "A foundation stone will also be setup, which will be headed by Uddhav Thackeray. The memorial will remind the people of the values followed by Balasaheb and the work done by him in Maharashtra and the entire country," he

a news channel in Pakistan.

"Mani has criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party and said it is not the proper dispensation in power which can take India further on the road to development and progress, and that it may divide the country, there is nothing wrong in that. That is his personal view. We can't attribute

too much to his expression," NCP leader Majeed Memon told.

"He has not violated any law. Nobody from the BJP is entitled to call him 'anti-national' only because he has made this statement," he added.

Memon further pointed out that in a democracy one has the right to disagree with the ruling

party and if Aiyar has done it, then there is nothing wrong in that. Aiyar, who went to Pakistan before the Bihar Assembly polls, said in an interview to the Duniya TV channel, that Islamabad should help India to remove Prime Minister Modi from power if it wants relations between the two countries to progress. (ANI

Mumbai, Nov. 17: The chairman of the Mumbai branch of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Sudheendra Kulkarni, on Tuesday dismissed Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modimade in an interview to a Pakistani news channel, as completely 'illogical'. "I completely disagree with Mani Shankar Aiyar on his statement that for IndiaPakistan dialogue to resume, Prime Minister Modi and his government should be removed. It's completely illogical," Kulkarni told here. He said that Prime Minister Modi should restart the dialogue process with Pakistan in a meaningful way. "Mani Shankar

Aiyar should not have said this statement.

When we were together in Karachi, when this issue came up in one of the television discussions, I said that I don't agree with Mani Shankar Aiyar," he added. Aiyar, who went to Pakistan before the Bihar Assembly polls, said in an interview to the Dunya TV channel, that Islamabad should help India in defeating Prime Minister Modi and ensure that the Congress is back at the Centre. (ANI)

Deluge to continue soaking Tamil Nadu for next two days

New Delhi, Nov. 17: The low pressure area now centered over southwest Bay of Bengal adjoining north Tamil Nadu- South Andhra Pradesh coasts is continuing to cause heavyto-very-heavy rain in Tamil Nadu and at isolated places over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, and South Interior Karnataka on Tuesday.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along & off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh coasts as strong wind, speed reaching 35Ă‚-45 kmph

gusting to 55 kmph would prevail along and off the coasts on Tuesday. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a warning for very heavy or extremely heavy rains for today in these regions. It is predicted that heavy rain would occur tomorrow at isolated places over south Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.

Heavy to very heavy rains are expected for the next two days also at isolated places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh. The heavy floods have so far claimed 95 lives in Tamil Nadu. (ANI)

Confirmed: Russian passenger plane was 'bombed' by terrorists London, Nov. 17: Confirming former reports, the Russian intelligence announced that the Rus-

scattering of the fuselage parts of the plane," Bortnikov said. The Russian Security Ser-

sian passenger plane that crashed over the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt last month had been bombed.

Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia's FSB security service, told a meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin that the attack on the plane was 'unequivocally a terrorist attack'.

"During the flight, a homemade device with the power of 1.5 kilograms of TNT was detonated. As a result, the plane fell apart in the air, which can be explained by the huge

vice (FSB) also said that traces of explosives were found in the plane's debris, confirming it as an attack of terror that killed all the 224 passengers in the flight. Putin has reportedly vowed revenge and has ordered his special forces to hunt down the perpetrators.

The Kogalymavia A231 crashed over the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt on October 31 killing all 224 people on board the plane making it the deadliest air accident in modern Russian aviation history.

(ANI)

added. Bal Thackeray passed away on November 17, 2012 as a result of a cardiac arrest. Thackeray began his professional career as a cartoonist with a English daily and founded the Shiv Sena in 1966 with the intent of fighting for the rights of the natives of the Maharashtra. (ANI)

Lampooning Modi or BJP does not make Aiyar 'anti-national': NCP New Delhi, Nov. 17 : Defending Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's right to lampoon and criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP as an Indian citizen, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday said there was no way he could be described as 'anti-national' for airing his views with

Aiyar's statement ' completely illogical', says Sudheendra Kulkarni

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

4 get death penalty for raping, killing girl Dhaka, Nov 17: A Dhaka court has awarded death sentence to four persons for raping and killing thirteenyear-old girl Zakia Akter Champa of Faridpur in 2012.Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal 4 Judge Abdur Rahman Sarder passed the order on Tuesday. The convicts who got the death penalty were Md Shamim Mandal, Md Babul Hossain alias Rajib, Zahidul Hasan alias Jazid and Akash Mandol. Of the convicts, Rajib and Akash are on the

run.The court acquitted Mousumi of the charges.According to the verdict, on December 13, 2012, the victim was taken away from a wedding ceremony of her sister by the convicts in Faridpur town. Later, they killed her and hanged the body with a tree.On December 15, the victim's brother Md Hasibul Islam filed a murder case with Kotwali police station accusing five people.Police submitted the charge sheet on May 20, 2013. (Agencies)

Order on Mujahid's review plea Wednesday Dhaka, Nov 17: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court will give its order on the review petition of condemned war criminal Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid on Wednesday.A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha fixed the date on Tuesday.On October 14, Mujahid sought review of the SC verdict that upheld the capital punishment earlier this year after hearing their appeals challenging the war crimes tribunals' verdict.However, the bench will not be hearing the review plea filed by war crimes convict BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury on Wednesday.On Monday, on the Supreme Court website, the hearing on Mujahid's plea is placed second and Salauddin's plea was at number three in the cause list.On November 2, the SC deferred until November 17

tion and a few other documents aimed at enhancing bilateral ties will be signed during the visit.Cooperation in combating terrorism and ways to promote bilateral ties will come under discussion as both the leaders will exchange views on global and regional situation.A high-level delegation comprising premier's special assistant Syed Tariq Fatemi, foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz, adviser on aviation Shujaat Azeem and other senior officials will accompany Nawaz on the two-day visit.The

NEIGHBOURS

Sri Lanka, Bhutan agreed to deepen cooperation Colombo, Nov 17:Sri Lanka and Bhutan have agreed to deepen cooperation following the first session of the Foreign Office Consultations between Sri Lanka and Bhutan which concluded in Colombo yesterday .The Bhutan delegation was led by Tshering Dorji, Foreign Secretary, while Ms. Chitranganee Wagiswara,Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Sri Lanka delegation.The Consultations were convened following the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding signed during the visit of the Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay in April 2015. It may be recalled that the highlight of the visit was the gift of the Bo Sapling

of the Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi in celebration of the 60th Birth Anniversary of the Fourth King of Bhutan.The discussions focused on further intensifying bilateral cooperation in the areas of Education, Health, Aviation, Tourism, Hospitality, Trade and Economic Cooperation, and Cultural & Religious Cooperation.

The field of education was extensively reviewed, and it was agreed to provide more opportunities for Bhutanese students to pursue educational and professional development and training at various higher education and technical institutions in Sri Lanka. Currently around 200 Bhutanese students pursue the

MBBS and other programmes in Sri Lanka.The parties also agreed on the need to explore opportunities to enhance trade and economic cooperation. Both sides agreed to work within the existing regional framework of SAARC such as SAFTA and SATIS as well as BIMSTEC and to estab-

lish stronger links between Chambers of Commerce of Sri Lanka and Bhutan.A decision was taken to finalize a bilateral Air Services Agreement at the earliest paving the way for air connectivity between Sri Lanka and Bhutan. It was also agreed to deepen cooperation in the field of health. Sri Lankan

China's two-child policy evokes poor response from couples the hearing on the petitions after the death row convicts' lawyers moved the petitions seeking time to make preparations to place arguments.

The International Crimes Tribunal issued execution warrants for him on October 1, a day after the SC released the full verdicts.In July 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal handed down death sentence to 67year-old Jamaat leader Muhajid and also jailed him for life and sentenced him to five years in prison in five separate war crimes charges.On June 16, 2015, the Appellate Division delivered its judgement, upholding death for the Jamaat secretary general.

(Agencies)

Nawaj to visit Uzbekistan today Islamabad,Nov 17: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left for Uzbekistan today to further deepen the multifaceted ties between the two countries.During his stay in Tashkent, the prime minister will meet President Islam Karimov to exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.A joint declara-

PAGE 7

visit is part of the regular high-level exchanges between the two brotherly countries who enjoy cordial and warm relations.Pakistan and Uzbekistan share similar views on major regional and international issues and collaborate closely in United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Countries, Economic C o o p e r a t i o n

Organisation and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.The prime minister's visit to Uzbekistan is reflective of this priority and broader commitment to further strengthen Pakistan's engagement with Central Asia.The visit would provide an important opportunity to cement and consolidate cooperation in the fields of energy, trade, regional connectivity, culture, tourism and people-to-people contacts, while also exploring new areas of collaboration. (Agencies)

Beijing, Nov 17: China's new two-child policy has evoked a poor response from young couples as they are reluctant to have a second child due to the high cost of living, an official survey has found. The survey, conducted by staterun China Youth Daily among 3,000 people, more than half of them women, found that although 46 per cent of the respondents expressed a willingness to have a second child, 52 per cent said they are worried that having one more children would reduce the standard of living they now enjoy.

The unenthusiastic response from public after vigorous implementation of the controversial one child policy is regarded as setback for China's plans to arrest its demographic crisis and create a big pool of labour force in the next few decades.People are vocal in expressing reluctance to have a second child and the policy has also evoked poor response. Lei Lei, a Beijing resident whose daughter is two-year- old, said she does not want to give birth

to another child. "The cost of raising a child is high, and having another child will add to our already heavy financial burden," the 28-year-old said. However, Wang Libo, a professor of population studies at Shenyang Normal University in Northeast China's Liaoning province, said that raising a second child does not necessarily lead to a lower standard of living.

"Having another child doesn't mean parents have to buy a brand-new set of everything for the new baby. Many things used by the first child, can be shared," she said.

But Wang Haifeng, whose son is in fourth

grade, disagreed, saying she believed that "children's education is actually the major field of cost". "My son's tutorial classes alone cost me 30,000 to 40,000 yuan (USD 6670) each year.

We also have to bring him out for trips and traveling in hopes of broadening his horizons. I don't think we can afford a second child," Wang said.

Official estimate that the two-child policy which is expected to come into effect from early next year will generate 30 million labour force by 2050 besides increasing economic growth rate by 0.5 per cent. The change in policy is expected to mean over 30 million

more people in the labor force by 2050 and an decrease of two percentage points in the share of elderly of Chinese population, Wang Peian, deputy head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) said recently.

Statistics from the NHFPC shows the population aged between15 to 64 in China is around one billion in 2015 and will reduce to 830 million by 2050. Only 13 per cent of 1.45 million eligible parents applied for permission to have second child under earlier policy to permit couples from one child families to have a second child. By the end of May, 1.45 million couples with one parent being an only child had applied to have a second baby from all over the country, NHFPC official as saying. The poor response to the limited relaxation reportedly prompted the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) to end decade long one-child policy which will enable over 90 million couples to have a second child.

(Agencies)

Fuel crisis hits construction of hydropower projects Kathmandu, Nov 17: The fuel crisis has hit the construction of hydropower projects across the country. Six plants being developed by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and its subsidiaries have stalled due to lack of gasoline and construction materials resulting from an undeclared Indian embargo. No work has been done for the past few weeks, the NEA said.

"The construction of the projects has come to a complete halt," said Mukesh Kafle, managing director of the NEA, the state-owned agency responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the country. "The unavailability of petroleum has shattered our dream of making the country free of load-shedding within the next two years. All these projects are certain to be delayed which also means they are looking at cost overruns." National pride project Upper Tamakoshi has been the hardest hit by the ongoing blockade.

First, the construction work at the project was totally halted for six

months by the April 25 earthquake. Now, it has received another blow due to lack of gasoline.

"Tamakoshi was right on track, and we were expecting that it would be completed by mid-January 2016. It seems now that the target won't be achieved," said Kafle, adding that not only the project but the construction of transmission lines to evacuate the power generated by it too had been affected by the unavailability of fuel. According to Kafle, the 456 MW project will be delayed by at least a year due to the misfortunes it has suffered back-to-back. The Energy Ministry's aim to end loadshedding within the next two years counted primarily on the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project. Likewise, another big project, the 111 MW Rasuwagadhi Hydroelectricity Project, has been hamstrung by the fuel shortage. Rasuwagadhi is a subsidiary of Chilime Hydropower Company. Two other Chilime subsidiaries that have been affected by the petroleum crisis are the 42.5 MW Sanjen Hydro-

electric Project and the 14.8 MW Sanjen (Upper) Hydropower Project. All these three projects are located in Rasuwa district, one of the areas that suffered greatly due to the April 25 earthquake and aftershocks. Similarly, work has stopped at the 14 MW Kulekhani III, where 95 percent of the civil works have been finished and electro mechanic equipment has been imported.

"The project was running late due to the tardiness of the contractor. And now the petroleum crisis has compounded its problems," Kafle said. The Darchula-based 30 MW Chameliya Hydropower Project, where work had been affected after the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) ruled

that there had been massive embezzlement of funds, has been further delayed due to the fuel crisis. Meanwhile, president of the Independent Power Producers Association Nepal (Ippan) Khadga Bahadur Bisht said that a number of projects in the pipeline projects could be expected to be delayed due to the unavailability of gasoline, even though they had not done a study of the effects of the ongoing blockade. "There is a chain effect. And private sector projects too are among the ones that have been affected," Bisht said, adding that the overall crisis had been adding to the woes of this power hungry nation.

(Agencies)

doctors and academics in the Medical education were invited to work in Bhutan while the Bhutanese side requested to explore the possibility of Post-graduate training for Bhutanese doctors in Sri Lanka. Matters pertaining to the regional and international cooperation, including SAARC and BIMSTEC, were also e x t e n s i v e l y reviewed.The six member Bhutanese delegation included Ambassador of Bhutan to Sri Lanka Pema Choden, Signye Dorji, Deputy Chief Programme Officer of the Ministry of Education and senior officials of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Bhutan in Dhaka. Sri

Lanka's delegation included Anura Jayawickrema, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine, Wasantha Ekanayake, Secretary, Ministry of Buddhasasana, M a d h a v a Dewasurendra, Addl.

Secretary, Ministry of University Education and Highways, R.M.S.P. Ratnayake, Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, Maj. General Milinda Peiris, Vice Chancellor of Sir John Kotalawela Defence University, as well as senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Industry and Commerce and the Sri Lanka Institute for Information and Technology. (Agencies)

Myanmar MPs back in parliament after Aung San Suu Kyi's election victory Yangon,Nov 17:Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party has returned to parliament fresh from a landslide election victory, but still cautious over the delicate power transition ahead.

Aung San Suu Kyi was mobbed by dozens of journalists as she arrived on Monday, but declined to make any comment.The National League for Democracy party (NLD) bulldozed the current army-backed ruling party, taking nearly 80% of seats in the

that will run until at least the end of January.Observers predict a fevered period of political horsetrading, centred on the uncertainty over the presidency as the country creeps out of the shadow of the military.Aung San Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from leading the country, but has vowed to rule from "above" the next president, who she will select following her NLD's win in the 8 November polls.But with a months-

polls.That result is set to dramatically reshape the political landscape of a country controlled for half a century by the army.But the ruling Union Solidarity and Development party, whose MPs also returned to parliament, will continue to dominate the legislature at a final session

long gap before the new NLD lawmakers take their seats, senior party figures are on guard for any signs of political trickery from a chastened military establishment. "We don't think the transition will be 100% perfect," NLD spokesman Win Htein told . (Agencies)

Report on over 5000 missing submitted to UN group Colombo,Nov 17:A report which includes details on over 5000 missing people was handed over to United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

The report was handed over to the visiting UN group by the Dead and Missing Person's Parents Front.Ananda Jayamane, the convener of the Dead and Missing Person's Parents Front, said that the report contains several details, including information pertaining to all those listed as missing in the report, and other documents.United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances member Ariel Dulitzky had told the Dead and Missing Person's Parents Front that they will study the report and respond on the next

course of action to be taken.A few members of those reported missing were also present when the report was handed over.The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances began meetings in Colombo last week as part of its official visit to Sri Lanka which will conclude tomorrow.During its mission, the UN experts were to study the measures adopted by the State to prevent and eradicate enforced disappearances, including issues related to truth, justice and reparation for the victims of enforced disappearances.They were also looking to gather information on cases of enforced disappearances, including those pending before the Working Group.(Agencies)

PAGE 8

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

Corruption and black money India claims zero tolerance According to Narendra Modi, India has zero tolerance for black money and corruption. In this connection the Prime Minister sought international cooperation at the G20 summit for the return of illicit money to the country of origin. The BJP-led government has faced criticism for its failure to deliver on its promise to bring back all the "black money" stashed in foreign banks.

A drive to trace undisclosed assets held abroad yielded only Rs 3,770 crore from 638 declarations.

Making an intervention at a G20 session in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya, Modi said the grouping must continue to give priority to combating corruption. He further added, India has zero tolerance on corruption and black money and as a result have enacted a new law to deal with undisclosed assets and income kept abroad. India had also launched a drive against domestic unaccounted money and will "soon bring out a legislation on public procurement".

Also, Modi referred to the need for greater international cooperation for the return of illicit money to the country of origin and the need to address the barriers of excessive banking secrecy, and complex legal and regulatory frameworks. It was a call to all countries to implement the "Common Reporting Standard based on Automatic Exchange of Tax Information" to strengthen global efforts.

Commending the G20 for its efforts to build a more resilient and open global financial system, Modi expressed that higher capital requirements should not become a constraint on promoting financial inclusion or functioning of the banking sector in developing countries. Indeed, effective supervision and better use of technology can reduce capital requirements and this brings forth the idea how important cyber security is for the protection of the banking infrastructure. Modi also called on the US to ratify the 2010 International Monetary Fund (IMF) quota reforms as he is of the opinion that IMF should remain a quota-based institution and not depend on borrowed resources.

Taming price rise When will the Government get a grip over it Today, India is facing many problems - the problem of corruption, the problem of unemployment, the problem of illiteracy, the problem of population, so on and so forth. The problem of rising prices is one of the most important problems that Indian is facing now. Resolving this problem would constitute a two-fold solution in terms of checking the rising prices and, if possible, to bring the prices down.

It seems that Narendra Modi led BJP government is playing with the feelings of the common man. It was not much earlier when the petrol price was cut down by 50 per cent but again recently petrol and diesel prices were raised again. Not to say about the price of the pulses whose prices have reached the heights of the sky. Now a recent Assocham report also said that price of rice may also increase. The economists are of the opinion that growing economy of the country has given rise to the rising prices and that such an economy causes inflation. In times of inflation, purchasing power runs ahead of purchasable goods.

In other words, in a growing country, the supply of money increases at once but the supply of goods takes time to increase. Again the population has increased.

This has further increased inflation. Meanwhile, because of growing population, the current level so corruption is increasing.

There is another cause of rising prices. The production of consumption goods has been very slowly rising. Our plants are also responsible for the present food situation. High targets were set to be achieved in defence and development. Levels of outlay on the development were suggested. No consideration was given to the existing state of economy. The pressure on real resources has been increasing. The gap between the return and investment also has its effect upon the present price situation. In these times of rising prices, the rich got richer and poor, poorer.

The rich own the means of production. They pay the labourers handsomely. But they take with the left hand what they give with the right hand. The cost of goods swells up. The prices naturally go up. What his master gives him, the market takes.

Rising prices encourage hoarding, profiteering, black-marketing and corruption. They discourage export. They cause devaluation of currency. Lastly, they seriously disrupt equitable distribution of wealth. The problem is very dangerous. It needs measures - both short and long term, to be adopted.

These measures include an appeal mixed with threat to the sellers, raids on go downs and other hoards of grains, seizing of black money, a cut down by Rs 400 crores in central expenditure, increase in bank rates to 5%, opening of fair price shops, rationing of provisions, imports of food-grains from foreign countries, curbing of unproductive expenditure by the Government, readjustment in the scale of pay and emphasising on small plants. The short term measure will help the government to hold the price-line.

The long term measures will help the government to withdraw the huge amount of money pumped into circulation during the last year.

The Indian government should at least control prices of the commodities which are of daily use.

Rice, pulses, milk, etc. are the basic food components of any Indian household. Prices of such things should be within the limits.

Women Empowerment in India Pranjal Bezborah Empowerment is not giving power to people.

Rather it is releasing the knowledge, experience and motivation they already have. It is an enabling act that makes people confident to discover and use their own competence, abilities and skills to better their future.

In this knowledge driven economy and inquisitive society, information, knowledge and ideas play an important part as inputs in almost all the socio-economic, technological, scientific and business processes.

For almost all innovative and enterprising acts, people need new and different ideas. Experts have identified information, autonomy and 'action within a boundary' as valuable inputs for facilitating empowerment of different sections of the society. These three keys to empowerment are simple and easy to understand, but they are difficult to put into everyday action. Secondly, the three keys need to be viewed as operating in dynamic interaction with each other. While giving and sharing information is the critical first step, empowering people take all three keys with a constant shifting in emphasis as needed.

Education is a powerful potent instrument of empowerment since it provides ground and opportunity to the learner to actualize his/ her potentiality under human influence and guidance in an interacting situation. Information, autonomy and acting according to the script or boundary, in fact, comprise the indivisible components of the social process of education. Education empowers human beings by imparting appropriate and relevant information or knowledge because it is the knowledge acquired and assimilated by the people that give them the ability and power to make right choice and decision.

Autonomy is having the competence to think for oneself. Boundary acts as a script of a play, and it is like guidelines and structure, which are essential in the beginning

of the journey to empowerment. Nothing is static in the empowerment process. The boundaries we are talking about will continue to grow. Boundaries have the capacity to channel energy in a certain direction. It is like a river. If one takes away the banks, the river would not be a river any more. Its momentum and direction would be gone. New boundaries help everyone learning to act with responsibility and autonomy.

Empowerment is about change, choice, and power. It is a process of

its Human Development Index. Overall, evidence is mounting that improved gender equality is a critical component of any development strategy.

It is generally accepted that women are disproportionately represented among the world's poorest people. In its 1995 Human Development Report, the UNDP reported that 70 percent of the 1.3 billion people living on less than $1 per day are women. According to the World Bank's gender statistics database, women have a higher unemployment

ganized in which women from the developing and underdeveloped countries introduced the concept of empowerment as a counter project to the integration concept for advancing women. In order to ensure equal access and increased participation in political power structure for women in India, 73rd and 74th Amendment (1993) to the Indian Constitution gave a breakthrough. Government of India celebrated the year 2001 as "Women Empowerment Year".

Several

the extension of this reservation in legislature and in the Parliament is being hotly debated.

But legal and institutional measures for ensuring equality for women are necessary but not sufficient conditions. As far as the social and economic indices for the status of women are concerned, women, particularly rural women lag far behind men. This is so in data relating to literacy rates, percent distribution of persons by general educational levels, women per 100 men in university education,

change by which individuals or groups with little or no power gain the power and ability to make choices that affect their lives. The structures of power-that has it, what its sources are, and how it is exercised-directly affect the choices that women are able to make in their lives.

Research done by UNDP, UNIFEM, and the World Bank, among others, indicates that gender inequalities in developing societies inhibit economic growth and development. For example, a recent World Bank report confirms that societies that discriminate on the basis of gender pay the cost of greater poverty, slower economic growth, weaker governance, and a lower living standard of their people.The UNDP found a very strong correlation between its gender empowerment measure and gender-related development indices and

rate than men in virtually every country. In general, women also make up the majority of the lower paid, unorganized informal sector of most economies. These statistics are used to justify giving priority to increasing women's access to resources on the grounds that women are relatively more disadvantaged than men.

Evans M mentioned, "Women constitute half of the World's population, perform nearly twothird of its work hours, receive one-tenth of the World income but own less than one-hundredth of the World's property."

Women empowerment is a global issue. It gained momentum in recent decades. The issue of empowerment of women came up in the light when United Nations declared 1975 to be "International Women's Year". In 1985, an international conference in Nairobi was or-

programmes like Mahila Samridhi Yojana, Balika Samridhi Yojana, etc, were implemented and seen as the step towards empowerment of women in India.

If we look at the institutional and legal measures adopted in India in order to ensure equality for women and equity for them, India does not lag behind other countries in this respect. Regarding the institutions of marriage among Hindus, we have the law banning Polygamy, increasing the age of marriage, Prohibition of dowry and the law permitting divorce and alimony for women. The Hindu Succession Act, 1956 has ensured equal right of inheritance for women. Uniform civil code has been enacted in India. In order to ensure political rights for women, 33 percent reservation of seats have been ensured in local self government bodies whereas

percentage of girls attending schools in comparison to boys, work participation rates of men and women, percentage of women engaged in household work which are treated as non-productive sector and the like will reveal that women are much more disprivileged than men in all sectors of economic activities. The components of health and nutrition data relating to women also reveal that women are more vulnerable than men. These are revealed through data relating to life expectancy rate, infant and child mortality rate, total fertility rate, sex ratio, maternal mortality rates, places of birth and nutrition and calorie expenditure for women.

A nation cannot be progressed if the women are left behind. It is as same as a

bird cannot fly on one wing. Women's empowerment is directly linked with overall development of the country. Empowerment implies a state of mind, it reflects self-confidence and selfreliance. Empowerment essentially means decentralization of authority and power. Women empowerment enables autonomy and control over their lives. Hence, women empowerment is crucial for the development of any country.

Undoubtedly the awareness of women in India has improved. Most of them are now aware of their rights; they know how to raise their voice against injustice and right to get their due from the society. They are trying to change the mindset of the people who treat women as inherently weak, sinful and a liability. With the rapid change in society, women have also tried to elevate their status.

There are evidences to remind us that considerable advancements were made by women through education and technology. But, in spite of so much of accomplishments, the most burning and sensitive issue in today's world is the status of women. Though not very fast, the educated women have emerged as a force in the society and are challenging the old and non-beneficial traditions of the society.

The development process has not engendered male-female equality to date, and perhaps it never will; but it certainly will not even move societies in the direction of equity unless the interrelationships are recognized. The political reality of the general powerlessness of women is very obvious, and the equality of power of men and women will come only as the result of the combined efforts of progressive men and aggressive women. Men must be progressive in using the skills, authority and power that are available to them to initiate equity strategies for women, and women must be aggressive in seizing opportunities and in demanding greater choice, more voice and improved well-being.

How these demands are actually pressed depends on the contexts of time and place.

Of Acid Attacks

Sir, Some persons with a despicable and abominable mindset do dangerous mischief with some young girls - bruising them physically and psychologically for life. Generally, it is seen that some young boys when they feel that they can win over a beautiful girl - in an absolutely unilateral love affair,

when rejected do harm to the girl. They cannot attack in India. Attack on foreign girls must be bear the fact that the said girl would happily be reprehended in the strongest of the term. married. They either kill the girl or get her bruised for life out of vengeance in a show of brutality. To Yours etc. bruise or rather convert the girl into some ugly Ashok Bordoloi looking, these persons with a criminal mindset Dibrugarh resort to throwing acid on the face of the girl or to some other body parts maintaining a dogmatic 'Dog in the manger policy' when rejected to serve their draconian purpose. The recent acid attack on a Best Letter Russain girl at Benaras is a case in point. At a time, The best letter of the month in the Letter to when Government leaves no stone unturned to the Editor section will be awarded an amount drive home the efficacy of hospitality through adof Rs 200. So please keep writing. vertisement on TV by popular actor Amir Khan with the quotation from the Veda, 'Atithi Deva Bhavah', certain persons with distorted mentality Letters to the editor and articles should be sent to : are up and doing to tarnish the image of India in The Eastern Today the eyes of the world. We humbly suggest the power Chowkidingee, Near Sankardeva Hospital that be to toughen the provisions of the Act metMancotta Road, Dibrugarh-786003 (Assam) Ph: ing out exemplary punishment to such culprits so 0373-2328944 that none can muster courage to destroy the life of Web : editor.easterntoday@gmail.com a young girl. There are many victims of such acid

Op

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

Paris Terror Attacks: France Now Faces Fight Against Fear And Exclusion The attacks that took place at a series of venues in Paris on November 13 are already the deadliest on French soil since 1945. At least 127 people have been killed in six different places. Reports say that another 100 are in 'absolute' critical condition. Police have reported that eight people believed to have carried out the attacks are also dead - seven by blowing themselves up.

It was not as though France had not prepared itself to face such a tragedy.

Anti-terrorist measures have been at their highest level in Paris since January, when two brothers attacked the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12.

This was obvious to any bystander over the past few months. Armed soldiers have become part of the Paris experience. Yet the government's security plan, the plan vigipirate, was not enough to stop what is so far believed to be the most organised and coordinated attack Islamic State has perpetrated outside its territory. Details are still thin

on the ground, but IS has claimed responsibility.

President Franรงois Hollande has blamed the group and made it clear that he sees this as an act

Aurelien Mondon of war.

As scenes that were indeed reminiscent of war spread across the centre of Paris, Hollande declared a state of emergency. He announced a series of radical measures such as re-establishing border controls.

Schools and universities have been closed.

Meanwhile, there was the blizzard of unconfirmed information that's to be expected in such a situation.

The climate of fear was reinforced by the 24-hour news media's tendency to not only relate the facts - as messy and incomplete as they are - but to encourage speculation.

Even as the attacks were still underway, commentators could be heard discussing what could happen next and what type of attacks we could, or indeed should,

expect. The sense of panic only intensified with the proliferation of amateur videos on social media.

Emergency Measures More than ever, it will be key to take a cautious approach to explain and analyse the events and their ramifications.

Entertaining a climate of fear and paranoia could have serious consequences.

Emergency measures are indeed necessary at present, but they must remain emergency measures. If they become permanent, they will send France down a deeply dangerous road.

French politics has become deeply cynical, and the electorate has lost faith in its leaders. Many politicians will attempt to profit from this climate. Nicolas Sarkozy has already called for more drastic measures to be put in place. Some will also promise salvation by closing borders. They will call for a return to a mythical, good old peaceful France, overwriting the country's history and its constant and violent flux between reaction and revolution.

To prevent such appropriations and long-term consequences, it is crucial not to jump to simplistic conclusions - as happened after 9/11, an event that has already been invoked many times.

This would be playing right into the hands of the terrorists themselves. A war of civilisations is the very fantasy IS and its ilk are trying to construct. They seek to enshrine divisions between an imagined 'us' in the West, standing together for a loosely defined version of democracy, and "them", attempting to appear a united force in an area torn apart by years of war.

Falling for this narrative would offer IS exactly the false image of unity it wants to propagate. It would also be a dangerous simplification of who 'we' are - at the expense of anyone who acts or thinks differently. Accepting such divisions will impact our own community, building walls between all those sharing the same space, be it a city or a country. As was the case in the January attacks, it will be essential not to fall

Don't Bank On Your Bank, It May Be Hoodwinking You In The Name Of Home Loans Why is it easy for banks in India to take the youth for costly and risky rides particularly in the context of increased demands for home loans with onesided loan agreements?

The answers should be obvious: Banks in India are still unregulated and a law unto themselves; the youth who account for half of India's population are poorly informed about many things, particularly matters involving money and finance, and do not have the time and patience to know these things, caught as they are in the fast pace of life in a world of fast-paced globalization.

The manner in which banks hoodwink customers to take home loans while, at the same time, creating provisions to escape responsibility for the mortgaged properties by forcing borrowers to go for insurance keeping in line with the policies of the banks, failing which banks themselves take policies and debit the premiums to the borrowers' loan accounts is an alarmingly exploitative trend without any legal basis.

The most appalling aspect is home loan insurance. As this seems egregious, I will give the Canara Bank home loan agreement policy here as an illustration.The bank forces borrowers to sign loan agreements across the table without giving them copies in advance; thereby not allowing them to take informed decisions. The bank's arbitrariness is writ large in clause 21 of its agreement form, which is excerpted below: "The borrower/s shall adequately insure the schedule property for the full market value against risk of fire, war, riots, civil commotion, strike, accident, risk and also such other purposes as may be prescribed by the law for the time being in force and as required by the Bank and keep the policy always current by

duly and punctually paying the premia [sic!] from time to time and to assign

himself/herself/themselves of his/her/their own accord take all steps like

Radhakrishnan Puthenveetil the benefits in insurance policy thereof to the Bank.

The Bank shall be entitled for all the benefits of all such policies.

The Borrower/s hereby agree/s and undertake/s to do everything to transfer and effectively vest in the

Bank the benefits of all such policies. The Borrower/s further agree/s to indemnify the Bank against loss by reason of damage or destruction or loss to the schedule property from any cause whatsoever for reason of claim by third party in respect of the same.

The Bank is at liberty and is not bound to effect such insurance at the risk, responsibility and expenses of the Borrower/s with any Insurance Company only to the extent of the value of schedule property as estimated by the Bank and that in the event of insuring the schedule property, the Bank shall not be considered or deemed to be responsible or liable for non-admission or rejection of the claim wholly or in part whether the claim is made by the Bank or by the Borrower/ s. It is expressly undertaken by the Borrower/s that he/she/they shall

initiation of filing claims/ furnishing necessary information to the Bank/insurance Company without being informed of details of loss/damage for any reason whatsoever. In the event of rejection of claim either wholly or in

part on account of loss/ damage to the security, the Borrower/s shall be liable to repay to the Bank the entire outstanding liability without requiring the Bank to proceed in the first instance against the Insurance Company."

The clause excerpted above refers to "prescribed by the law". A law is a piece of legislation brought into force, in the case of nationalized banks only by Parliament; but there is no law enacted as mentioned in this clause.

Though the insurance documents are in the bank's custody, there is no commitment in the agreement form that the bank will claim the insurance amount. The clause is arbitrary, evasive, onesided, vague and whimsical.

More often than not the bank has its own insurance tie-up, which the borrowers may not know.

The borrowers are not even apprised of the need

for insurance. Without even getting the borrower's consent, the bank takes insurance cover on its own and debits the amount to the borrower's loan account. In doing so, it does not care for the established norms.

In the Do's and Don'ts for property insurance, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has stated on its website: Don't allow anyone else to fill your proposal form; and no kind of loan should be bundled with other products, insurance policy is a separate product.

The website of United India Insurance Company has mentioned: Fill the proposal form yourself and give complete and factual information.

False or misleading information could lead to disputes at the time of a claim. Do not sign a blank proposal form or leave any portion unanswered.

Having taken all legal safeguards from the borrower such as title deed mortgage, collateral guarantee, and undertaking by the employer, where is the legal provision to have additional protection to the mortgage with insurance taken by the bank at the borrower's cost? If the bank has passed on the responsibility of insurance claim to the borrower, what is the need for it to take the insurance policy and keep it with them?

When the policy taken is in the bank's custody how will the borrower make an insurance claim? How can the bank take an insurance policy on the property mortgaged, without the form being filled up and signed by the borrower? These questions remain unaddressed.

The banking ombudsman set up by the RBI is ineffective, and its weight is on the side of the banks. Aggrieved bank customers hardly get any justice or have any effective grievance redress mechanism.

The media has extensively reported this and also the home loan, insurance, and bundling rackets. Can the RBI governor rein in the erring and egregious banks, and live up to what he said a month ago: "My name is Raghuram Rajan and I do what I do"?

Page 9

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for seemingly reassuring but ultimately self-defeating strategies such as scapegoating.

We can expect many to make despicable connections between terrorists and the various communities in France who have been targeted in recent years by a rise in xenophobia. That logic increasingly has been legitimised by opportunistic politicians, commentators and sections of the media.

Exclusion Not The An-

swer Indeed, in January, many such voices demanded that members of France's 'Muslim community' show their opposition to the attacks.

Those calls often came from well-meaning people.

But they showed a deeply discriminatory attitude now commonplace in France, where a particular group one as diverse as any other - was stereotyped and associated with its most extreme members.

We can expect these ir-

rational suspicions to appear again after these attacks. Every move made by Muslims in France, will be scrutinised. Some will also point to refugees - even as many are themselves fleeing IS. In the coming days, weeks and months, it will be crucial that we avoid lapsing into that fear. If we do, we will only summon more fear and paranoia, incur ever more stringent laws limiting liberties for all, and inflict more pain through discrimination and

segregation on those already suffering from exclusion. All these things will in turn provide further recruitment propaganda for extremist groups.

No matter how obvious it seems to many of us, it will be worth repeating that it is not Muslims, immigrants or refugees who are responsible for the attacks, but handfuls of fanatics wanting us to continue down a terrible path of mistrust, exclusion and curtailment of basic freedoms.

Leadership is constantly being on a mission to improve other people's lives The essential ten aspects of a true leader are said to be the following: 1. Nothing happens without a leader.

2. Nothing begins without a leader.

3. Nothing improves without a leader.

4. Nothing develops without a leader.

5. Nothing changes without a leader.

6. Nothing progresses without a leader.

7. Nothing succeeds without a leader.

8. Nothing unites without a leader.

9. Nothing finishes without a leader.

10. No follower emerges without a leader.

What makes a leader lose an election? It is one of the most difficult questions to answer often for most of the leaders. There are different areas to retrospect upon so that it can be mended before it is too late. However, only a few conscientious candidates dare to assess the reasons for their failures. There are different levels that need to be taken care of to ensure that the lackadaisical does not occur in those areas. Most leaders fail to win the election after he or she has served the electorate for a certain terms if the following groups of people in his close proximities are not checked and replaced. For instance, if the spouse of the leaders are involved directly in the affairs of the leaders especially when the matters of distribution of contract works and appointment comes up, the real problems surface when the MLA's have become a mere puppet at the hands of their spouse and as it is the electorate did not vote him to power to be sidelined in his responsibilities towards them. Many Members of Legislative Assembly have been seen loosing an election due to over interferences of their spouses in the affairs of the political dealings of the candidates after the coveted chairs are captured. The second most important peoples are his or her inlaws. These people tend to breach the trust by again interfering in matters of transfer and posting of the government staff and by

feeding their representatives with false information

ticultural avenues to earn good deal of money. The question is where do they get money to buy Scorpios and JCB's and build multi

and electorate creates misunderstanding and finally the candidates lose the election for not being able to maintain the Perichoresis.

whereby their representatives are compelled to act upon. Most son-in-laws will play a role in the policy making of a leader sometimes; however, many have been seen misusing the trust of their father-in-laws in the political dealings in a democracy. They tend to earn as much as they can for themselves not bothering about the poor electorate when opportunity comes their way. If such people in the teams are not instructed well then the faith once reposed might dispose them. The third group of peoples are the close immediate party workers who sometimes indulge in siphoning off of public money meant for development of the constituencies by direct nexus with government executing agencies. When the executing agencies and the party workers of the representatives who are responsible for bringing the welfare schemes in the constituencies into fruitful utilizations of the funds so allocated involves in corruption then the winning streaks of the representative as well as the development will be at stake. Martin Luther King Jr. once said there are guided missiles but misguided men. Funds flow in but misguided men divert them to their own pockets.

Evidently these political leaders do not own their own companies nor do they have agricultural and hor-

storied bungalows? Do they have trees with money as its leaves? I don't think so.

They siphon off public money in direct nexus with the highly syndicated triangular partners, i.e., he, the executing agencies and the representatives of the electorate.

The representatives are the midfielder but the party workers and the close kith and kin are the co-players in the whole episode whereby perfect combination among them is necessary to achieve the targeted vision.

Now leaders with the vision of common goals, impartial, educated, selfless, people friendly, approachable are highly sought after in the societies. The development has come to a complete halt not because of lack of funds but due to lack of proper blue print.

Who should be getting the benefits, elected or electorate? The state economies are being distributed among the big wigs of union leaders, political leaders, bureaucrats and militants leaving the poor citizens empty stomach.

The development of the state is only on paper nowadays, the real development can only be achieved when the electorate becomes conscious and agitate when development does not take place.

Sometimes, lack of coordination and communication between the elected

The real leaders do not pursue the artificially fed vision of the immediate party workers but he pursues the purpose that appeals to them. Many elected leaders have failed to fulfil the desires of the workers which are insatiable in themselves and got dismantled before they re-structured himself for the next election. The real leaders should not only take a responsibility or a credit but also a blame.

Leadership is not a measure of how many people serve you but it is a measure of how many people you serve.

A true leader is one who leads others to leadership.

They are constantly on a mission to improve other people's lives. The leaders should know that they are not a manager; they are not here to manage the people but here to lead the people towards social, educational, cultural, political and economic prosperities. They should know the difference between leaders and the managers.

Manager thinks of the next position but leaders think of the next generation. A leader has a long term view but a manager has a short term view. A manager thinks about the bottomline but a leader thinks of a horizon. A manager sees a present but a leader sees a future. Managers focus on doing things right but leaders focus on doing the right thing.

Lomhom Tangha

BUSINESS Decline in export for 11th month in a row Majority in Taskbucks

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DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

New Delhi, Nov 17: Exports contracted for the eleventh straight month, but a sharper decline in imports helped narrow the trade deficit. The bad news was the 17.5% fall in exports to $21.3 billion in October, data released by the commerce department showed. But, the good news was that the pace of decline had slowed compared to over 20% contraction in August and September. But, it may be early to spot a trend of the worst being over.

Government officials have blamed the slowdown in several parts of the world for fall in exports. Similarly, during October, imports fell over 21% to

CHRONOLOGICAL DECLINATION Lower crude petroleum prices pushed down the import bill by more than 45% to $6.8 billion in October, while nonoil imports fell almost 10% to $24 billion.

The fall in exports was largely due to fall in petroleum product exports, again a function of international oil prices

Exports contracted for the eleventh straight month, but a sharper decline in imports helped narrow the trade deficit.

The bad news was the 17.5% fall in exports to $21.3 billion in October.

Retail inflation pushed up by food, services New Delhi, Nov 17: Wholesale inflation remained in negative zone for the 12th straight month and was estimated at 3.8% although the gap with retail inflation, which was estimated at positive 5%, narrowed marginally. A lot of it has to do with the way the two indices are constructed. In the case of wholesale price index (WPI), for instance, food items have a relatively smaller weight than they have in the consumer price index (CPI). Food is a part of both the primary articles group as well as of manufactured goods in the WPI. But primary food articles (like vegetables, fruits, eggs or raw meat) have a 14.3% weight assigned to them and food products (like biscuits, flour or bread) have under 10%, making a total of less than 25% weight for all food items put together. Thus, three-fourths of the WPI consists of non-food items.

"There is a sharp decrease in metal prices and there is a disinflationary trend in manufactured goods, which is reflected in WPI," said D K Joshi, chief economist at Crisil. In contrast, the CPI attaches much more weight to food - at over 46%. In addition, housing has an over 10% weight in urban areas. So, changes in rental value and most leases come with a clause allowing for around 10% annual escalation - are reflected. Then, there are other services, such as health, education

and recreation, which usually see periodic increases in prices. For instance, at the start of every academic session, most schools increase fees. All of these get reflected in the CPI, but not in WPI. SBI chief economist Soumya Kanti Ghosh, however, believes that CPI too may not be reflecting the true price picture. One, he said, pulses were the main driver of inflation. "CPI inflation is currently being driven entirely by a narrative called 'pulflation'," he said in a note. In addition, he warned that there may be an element of over-statement given that discounts in the e-commerce space may not have been captured accurately. "We have (SBI) constructed a price index that takes into account the prices being offered by online mega stores and have re-estimated the CPI inflation. Our results indicate that only by considering the discount prices and that too for a select group of products, the CPI inflation would be at least 25 basis points lower than the actual CPI numbers," the note said. That's a view even the RBI's Technical Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy shared when in September it pointed out that "with vendors engaged in e-commerce offering low prices, retail inflation may be lower than what the headline number suggests". Even so, it cannot be anywhere near as low as the WPI numbers suggest. (Agencies)

Dal price spurt steepest in a decade Contd. from Page 1

add a weather shock to the arithmetic and the result in a price rise. "Pulses prices have spiralled in years when there have been adverse supply shocks as is the case this fiscal. Three consecutive monsoon shocks - deficient southwest monsoons in 2014 and 2015 affecting the kharif season output, and weather disturbances in March 2015 affecting rabi output – have hurt overall pulses production. At the same time, global pulse prices are elevated and the rupee is weak, suggesting that resorting to imports could provide limited comfort to domestic price," Crisil said in a report. An analysis of the data since 2005 showed that there was a price shock in 2006 when high economic growth and NREGA, resulted in higher income levels and drove up demand for proteins and prices of pulses. Then, in 2010, drought affected sup-

ply, while rural wages remained high and so did dal prices. Two years later, delayed rains once again showed its impact in the dal mandis. "Over time, supply of pulses has failed to catch up with demand. Production remained stagnant for nearly seven years since fiscal 2004, while demand accelerated, causing per capita availability of pulses to decline and prices to spiral. Although there was some policy push to production after 2010, yields have remained low because of weather shocks, low irrigation cover and lack of access to latest production technologies. Pulses account for about 20% of area under foodgrain production, but less than 10% of foodgrain output. Also, over time, production of pulses has failed to catch up with demand.

Output has grown less than 2% average in the last 20 years, while acreage has grown even lesser at 0.8%.

Not surprisingly, yield rose only 0.9%," the agency said.

(Agencies)

But, the good news was that the pace of decline had slowed compared to over 20% contraction in August and September.

Similarly, during October, imports fell over 21% to $31.1billion on account of a fall in commodity prices.

While overall exports fell by $4.5 billion, $3.25 billion was accounted for by oil products such as petrol and diesel.

The other contributors were gems and jewellery and engineering goods with total shipments in October valued at $4.6 billion.

$31.1billion on account of a fall in commodity prices. Lower crude petroleum prices pushed down the import bill by more than 45% to $6.8 billion in October, while non-oil imports fell almost 10% to $24 billion. The fall in exports was largely due to fall in petroleum product exports, again a function of international oil prices. While overall exports fell by $4.5 billion, $3.25 billion was accounted for by oil products such as petrol and diesel.

The other contributors were gems and jewellery and engineering goods with total shipments in October valued at $4.6 billion. (Agencies)

bought by Times Internet New Delhi, Nov 17: Times Internet, India's premier digital products company and part of the Times of India Group, has acquired a majority stake in Taskbucks - a mobileonly tasks marketplace, which matches consumers with brands and enterprises on its unique platform. Companies offer tasks to consumers, who are rewarded for completing these micro tasks, via the Taskbucks marketplace. Taskbucks is currently on Android only, and has reached nearly 5 million downloads without marketing, adding over 1million new users each

Sprite Zero market to be examined by Coca-Cola now Bengaluru, Nov 17: Buoyed by the success of its sugar-free fizzy drink Coke Zero, US beverage maker Coca-Cola is planning to test market Sprite Zero here, the zero-calorie option of one of the world's largest selling lemon-lime drink. Sprite is India's biggest soft drink brand by volume sales -a position it occupied last year by overtaking Thums Up, which is also a Coca-Cola brand. On the impending launch of Sprite Zero in India, a CocaCola spokesperson said: "We keep evaluating various beverage options that best meet consumer needs. However, at this point, we are not in a position to comment on a specific beverage or our plans around it." The diet soft-drinks market in India has remained a niche category. It is estimated to be around Rs 300 crore (having tripled from its size of around Rs 120 crore in 2010) compared to the Rs 14,000-crore domestic soft-drinks mar ket.

However, Coke Zero's launch last year seems to have boosted the category, which has grown by around 39% since

then, compared to a CAGR of 12-13% between 2010 and 2014, according to industry experts, who quoted data from research firm Nielsen. "Coke Zero has become a Rs 40-crore brand within around 10 months of its launch," said an industry expert.

Debabrata Mukherjee, VP, marketing & commercial, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia said: "We have been surprised by the strong consumer traction and high rates of conversion, from trials to repurchase of CocaCola Zero. What is important is that it is perhaps showing the way for a lot of consumer

brands in the diet and light foods category -a category that has not met with a lot of success in the Indian market." The diet category in India has proven to be tricky for most companies to crack. For instance, Coca-Cola's rival PepsiCo launched its baked snack brand Aliva with much fanfare in 2012 only to pull it off the shelves due to lack of consumer interest. "The diet category still has a long way to go in India.

While snacking, Indians still prefer to indulge," said Arvind Singhal, retail expert and founder of

Yogaguru Ramdev now to take on Adidas, Nike with yogawear line After Maggi, yogawear line to hit market soon Haridwar, Nov 17: After taking on Nestle's Maggi with instant noodles, Ramdev's Patanjali has readied a strategy to challenge the might of global sportswear giants Nike and Adidas with its foray into yogawear.

The spiritual guru will soon launch health drinks such as Powervita to take on Horlicks and Bournvita, babycare and beauty products, along with an oil-free variant of noodles under the Patanjali brand. "Our yogawear Vastram will be made of khadi. MNCs have always misled consumers in India. We want to take them on with our products that come with the goodness of Ayurveda and are priced affordably. We will be a Rs 5,000-crore company this year. We have grown by over 150% over last year," Ramdev said. Ramdev's trump cards for the success seem to be low-pricing of his products and an iron-grip over traditional methods of manufacturing, namely

Ayurveda. Hinting at a popular brand of honey that comes for around Rs 122 for a 250gm bottle, Ramdev said Patanjali honey is priced at Rs 70 for the same 250gm bottle. The atta noodles are priced at Rs 15 compared to similar products from other brands that come for Rs 25.

Ramdev claimed the demand for Patanjali noodles is far outstripping supply.

"We will set up five plants in Delhi NCR, Maharashtra, MP, UP and Karnataka to manufacture our products."

Arvind Singhal, retail expert and founder of Technopak, said Patanjali products enjoy a phenomenal presence in households across the country. "Look at how the company has grown. ITC's FMCG business is around Rs 5,000 crore. Patanjali has disrupted the FMCG space with simple products that promise the goodness of tradition," he said. Brand expert Harish Bijoor said Ramdev's spiritual-guru image resonates well with con-

sumers. "He has got his branding spot on. He has gone back to the basics. His ads are rustic, he talks about the products. I'm excited about Ramdev. He could turn out to be the silent MNC killer of the future," he said. Apart from selling products through more than 5,000 Patanjali Chikitsalaya & Arogya Kendras, Patanjali has tied up with Reliance Fresh and Big Bazaar, among other modern trade outlets. The company has also created a unique marketing model where ad agencies such as Mudra is creating campaigns at a low cost and stars like wrestler Sushil Kumar is working as brand ambassador for free. "They are doing it because a significant percentage of our profits from Patanjali products will go towards funding charity projects for underprivileged children," said Ramdev. (Agencies)

Technopak. Sprite Zero has the same sweeteners as in Coca-Cola Zero Aspartame and Acesulfame - and was originally known as Sugar Free Sprite when it was first created in 1974. At present, CocaCola sells two diet beverages in India, Diet Coke and Coke Zero. In the test-marketing phase, Sprite Zero is expected to be sold only in 300 ml cans, which is a preferred pack for the company for its diet products. The company is likely to test market it in South Indian cities, where Hindustan Coca-Cola, its bottling arm, has a robust distribution network.

(Agencies)

month virally.

Taskbucks is ranked in the top 50 Android apps in India, as per Google Playstore rankings.

Taskbucks (DigiSmart Digital Media Pvt Ltd) is a Gurgaon-based company, founded in 2014 by Kumar Apurva who has over 15 years of new media and start

up experience in the field of Internet & mobile space. Taskbucks currently offers brands the option for app discovery, user retention, referral tasks, offer signups, and social content sharing, as promotions that they can offer consumers.

(Agencies)

49% in power arm to be sold by Rel Infra Mumbai, Nov 17: Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra) plans to sell 49% of its power generation, transmission and distribution businesses related to its Mumbai operations to Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), one of the largest pension fund managers in Canada, for an undisclosed amount. RInfra's Reliance Energy, which distributes power to nearly 30 lakh consumers in Mumbai suburbs and had a revenue of Rs 7,700 crore in fiscal 2015, will be carved out into a separate entity in which the Canadian pension fund will buy the stake, a release from R-Infra said. In 2003, R-Infra had bought over the erstwhile BSES Ltd, which managed the power generation, transmission and distribution businesses in Mumbai suburbs and merged it with itself. The latest deal is practically demerging the BSES's businesses again. Sources say PSP Investments could pay anywhere around Rs 3,500 crore, valuing RInfra's Mumbai energy business at over 7,000 crore. The deal includes the 500MW Dahanu power plant of Reliance Energy. Compared to the enterprise value of the deal for only the Mumbai

business, which is pegged at Rs 15,000 crore, the market capitalization of R-Infra at Monday's close was Rs 11,000 crore. The two entities have sig ned an exclusivity agreement which is valid till March 31, 2016. "The proposed transaction is subject to due diligence, definitive documentation, applicable regulatory and other approvals and conditions.

Accordingly, there can be no certainty that a transaction will result," the release said. The amount raised by RInfra will be used to retire part of its debt. Sources said of the Rs 16,000 crore debt that R-Infra currently has on its books, Rs 8,000 crore will be moved to Reliance Energy's books. Post the deal, of the Rs 3,500 crore that R-Infra will get from the Canadian pension fund, Rs 3,000 crore will go to retire debt, bringing down the tota debt on R-Infra's books to Rs 5,000 crore. This deal is part of R-Infra's overall strategy to become debtfree by 2016. The company is also in the process of selling its cement and roads business. After the announce ment, the R-Infra stock on BSE rallied nearly 6% to close at Rs 418 in Monday's relatively strong market. (Agencies)

TECHNOLOGY Lenovo Vibe P1 Price: Rs. 15,999 Key Features " Performance Octa Core, 1.5 GHz Snapdragon 615 2 GB RAM " Display 5.5 inches (Large) Full HD , Very sharp " Camera 13 MP Primary Dual-color LED Flash 5 MP Front " Battery 5000 mAh, Li-Polymer 44 Hours talktime (3G) Everything you ever desired for Display, Configuration and OS The Lenovo Vibe P1 comes wrapped in a silver and black clad body and features a 5.5inch Full HD IPS LCD display with a resolution 1,080 x 1,920 pixels. It has a brilliant Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.5GHz, octa-core processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and runs on Android v5.1 (Lollipop). It surely is going to be a delight for those who want to run high-end applications on their phones. It also comes with a Fingerprint sensor.

Camera and Storage The device is packed with a 13MP rear camera with a dual LED flash. It also has a 5MP secondary camera to take good quality selfies. It can take HD videos as well. It has an internal memory of 32GB to store ample songs, videos, photos etc and can be further expanded up to 128GB with a microSD card. So, you need not worry about deleting your special memories.

Connectivity and Battery The Lenovo Vibe P1 manages to make people swoon on the connectivity front as well.

Loaded with almost all possible connectivity options such as GPRS, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, and GPS for those who are reliant on the internet majorly. It has bluetooth and USB support to connect it to other devices. To ensure that the users have access to uninterrupted entertainment, it is powered by a massive 5,000mAh, Li-Polymer battery which also supports quick charging.

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

Features

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FLORICULTURE

2-15 days depending upon the prevailing climatic conditions and species used.

flower arrangements, baskets, bouquets, table arrangements etc. Among

flower products for comparatively longer time and utilize maximum benefit of the money spent.

Processed products: Processed products include essential oils, absolutes, concrete, petal jam (rose, rhododendron), jelly, ready to serve beverages, wine, floral tea, rose hip juice, poultry feed, insect repellent, floral dyes, petal embedded handmade paper, cosmetics like calendula cream, rose water, rose cream etc.

Pharmaceutical and

Dry flower products: Dried flowers have been exported for the last 40 years to USA and Asian countries. The dry flower export from India has a share of around 70 percent of total export; therefore there is a great scope of drying the flowers grown in local area and to convert them into everlasting value added products like dry

different dry flower products out pot pourri is a major dry flower export item.

Besides this there are press dried flower products including greeting cards, bookmarks, swaths, paper weights, wall hangings, table tops, table mats, etc.

Most of these dry flower products have a shelf life of 6- 9 months therefore, consumers can enjoy these

neutraceutical compounds: Due to globalization international competition is increasing, people are becoming more conscious, therefore use of natural ingredients is increasing in food and pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, the flowers pigments like carotenoid, xanthophyll, anthocyanin etc. are being used in food industry and com-

Value addition in flowers is the latest trend in urban areas

Due to change in lifestyle the demand for flowers is increasing day by day especially in urban areas.

During the peak season, festivals, religious ceremonies, Valentine's day, marriages etc., there is a great demand of flowers and farmer get a good price, but in case of glut or off season the demand is less and supply is more in which case farmers do not get remunerative price. Due to their highly perishable nature, most of these flowers are going waste, therefore, value addition is a very good alternative to avoid wastage and utilize the glut. Value addition means

increasing the value of a raw product anytime between harvesting and sale of the final product through changes by processing. Any product can be considered value added if it is grown by a farmer and increased in value by labour and creativity. The consumers are willing to pay more for the value added products compared to raw ones. Value addition includes preparation of products from fresh flowers like cut flower arrangements, bouquets, garlands, corasage, wreaths, buttonholes, floral, jewellery; petal embedded handmade paper, dried flower arrangements like

wreaths and wall swatches, painted gourds, sachets, pot pourris; products made up of press dried flowers like greeting cards, wall hangings, sceneries, table tops, book marks, paper weights, etc.

Value addition also offers an opportunity of making processed flowers products like jam, jelly, beverages, rose water, gulkand, gulroban, floral dyes, floral tea (rose, chrysanthemum, jasmine, hibiscus) etc. Besides this a number of products like essential oil, perfumes, insect repellants, cosmetics, pigments like xanthophylls, carotenoids, luteins, anthocyanins, etc. which have neutraceutical properties and pharmaceutical compounds can be prepared from the flowers.

For successful value-addition it is recommended that goods that utilize local resources and fulfill the gap in the market be carefully identified. Adding value adds to the cost of production, but careful planning and test marketing can significantly increase the net return of a small-scale floriculture enterprise. Value-addition

Festival of Harvest celebrated in Nagaland HORTICULTURE After harvest comes the merry making and feasting-Pughoboto public ground recently took centre stage in displaying the full gaiety associated with the Naga agrarian way of life.

Young and old alike from 24 villages under Pughoboto sub-division in Zunheboto district converged at the public ground to celebrate the second edition of ThuwuNi, a festival aimed at economic growth, and Ahuna, one of the premier festivals of the Sumi Nagas. The unique festival was introduced in 2014 to enhance farmer confidence in production and marketing.

Thuwu-Ni literally means to grow or to progress.

Every person who attended the two-day festival, resembling more of a village fair, had his or her share of fun and opportunity - sell local produce, witness fairy queens doing the cat walk, sing along with top Naga musicians and catch up with old friends from neighbouring villages over a cup of tea or pounded rice water from one of the stalls.

And yes, for a Rs. 500 lottery ticket, you get oncein-a-lifetime chance to win a Toyota Innova and other chic cars or simply invest Rs. 30 in the spinning wheel and take home a kilo of local pork if fortune is on your side.

The festival kicked off right after dawn with Nagaland State Minister for Roads & Bridges, Y Vikheho Swu, flagging off the cross country race.

Traditional fire-making replaced the lamp-lighting ritual in the inaugural ceremony held at the public ground, which was also graced by Nagaland State Minister for Forest, Ecology, Environment & Wildlife, Dr. Niekiesalie Nicky Kire and Parliamentary Secretary for Art & Culture, Eshak Konyak.

Vikheho Swu, who also represents the 13 Pughoboto assembly constituency seat, in his inaugural address, explained the concept and vision of Thuwu-Ni. Highlights of the day's festivities included greased pole climbing, 'Puxa Kuxu' (hopping competition) for young girls, under-12 football tournament, badminton tournament and the famed 'Akikiti' (Sumi kick fight).

Dr. Nicky also launched the 'Eco Rides Cycle Network', a novel concept initiated by Vikheho Swu, to create awareness on cleaner environment through distribution of cycles to the people of the villages. The first day of festivity extended well into the night with finalist of Femina Miss India 2015, Rewati Chetri, Miss World Beauty India 2015, Imlibenla Wati, wooing

the audience with their beauty and wit and a host of local musicians keeping alive the beat in the hearts of the audience long after the music stopped playing.

Thuwu-Ni is a conscious initiative by a group of people to make a collective effort towards enhanced economic outcomes and improved social conditions by optimizing production capacity and fully realizing the potentials and skills of the local people in all fields. The definitive purpose of the festival is to eradicate the chronic economic dependence on external dynamics, facilitate the prospective and alternative avenues of employment for the youth and ultimately, to build a productive, progressive and conscientious society rooted in diligence and industriousness. The festival celebrated in the form of a fair, was a veritable showcase of finished products, both agriculture and otherwise, to a broad spectrum of prospective consumers and visitors from both within and outside Nagaland State. Side by side with opening of stalls by all 24 villages, entertainment in the form of display of indigenous games, traditional love song competitions and concerts were conducted to keep the festive spirit alive.

C o u r t e s y : Northeasttoday.in

ensures high premium to the grower, while providing more acceptable quality products for the domestic and export market, and encourage the customers to buy such products. The three main reasons for value addition are: utilization of excess produce and elimination of waste; stabilizing farm income by adding profits; and finally affording an outlet for creativity. There are different modes of value addition.

Fresh flower products: It includes two types of flower arrangements; firstly cut flower arrangements like bouquets, baskets, bunch, buttonaire, corsage etc.; secondly loose flower products like garland, floral strings, pomanders, wreaths, floral jewelry, etc.

Recently, the floral jewelry concept has become very popular among brides especially in metropolitan cities on mehandi event of marriage, as the floral jewelry will be matching to dress and light in weight, convenient to use and there are no chances of jewelry theft. Since the fresh flowers have limited shelf life, these can be enjoyed from

pounds like lutein, vincristine, catharanthine, vitamin C extracted from rose hips are being used in pharmaceutical industry. Carotenoids are the major source of pigment for poultry feed. The pigment is used in feed for intensification of yellow colour of egg yolk and broiler skin and increase the lutein content which is good for health. There is a tremendous scope of converting the flowers into different value added products depending upon the need, desire and condition of the flowers. Moreover, the fresh and dried flower products can be used even for interior decoration. By making use of value addition technology, wastage can be avoided during the glut period and farmers involved in the flower cultivation can earn better remuneration. Value-addition ensures high premium to the grower, while providing more acceptable quality products for the domestic and export market.

There are three main reasons for value addition: utilization of excess produce and elimination of waste; stabilizing farm income by adding profits; and finally affording an outlet for creativity Value Addition and still dried flower industry is rapidly expanding; and adds enriched value to the flourishing industry. India is one of the leading countries in the dry flower exports and major export destinations of Indian floriculture products.

Courtesy: Floriculturetoday.org

Fish lovers dig into Manipur's biggest fest PISCICULTURE Ningol Chak-kouba, the biggest festival of Manipur, is an occasion when fish lovers here dig into their choice of bony platter till they can spoil their insatiable appetite for more.

This year it was special as certain varieties of the state's indigenous fishes, which had almost disappeared from the markets for the last few decades, had made a comeback, adding more spice to Ningol Chakkouba.

This is actually a festival of the married women, who on this day, dressed in their colourful best, visit their natal homes with fruits and sweetmeats for a family reunion and enjoy delectable delicacies with their brothers. Nostalgic moments strengthen the bond of love and affection between brothers and sisters.

They return with heart-filled blessings,

simple gifts like kitchenware, clothes and also money. This year Pengba, Ngaton, Khabak and Meitie Sarenag were found in larger quantities in the local markets compared to that in the previous

years. All credits for that to the fish farmers' unrelenting efforts in breeding and rearing the indigenous species.

"The prices of Pengba and Khabak are high, but I managed to buy a few kilos for my two sis-

ters and their children.

We had a sumptuous meal," said A Joykumar Sharma, an Imphal resident.

Fish farmers should be encouraged to ensure massive production of rare varieties.

Much like the previous years, state fishery department held a fish fair in Imphal recently, where rare, native varieties were sold.

Manipur needs over 40,000 metric tons of fish every month but it produces only 30,500 metric tons, a source said and added that the remaining quantity is brought from other

states like Tamil Nadu and Assam.

Agriculture minister Md Nasir said the government has taken several steps to promote rearing of indigenous fishes. Under a central government scheme, cage culture has been set up at Loktak Lake to increase fish production in the state, the minister said and added that the department was planning to set up a permanent fish market in Imphal city. Cultural programmes, cinema shows and musical concerts were held at various localities in the valley districts. (Agencies)

cmyk

cmyk

"We are glad that the tournaments are happening in our backyard it will give us more time to get used to the pitch and home support will also be a big factor. The boys are positive and enthusiastic and are looking forward to playing in both the tournaments."

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

Sardar Singh Indian Hockey Captain

PAGE 12

Mount Sinai School and CFC(B) register victories 1st Wangnia Pongte Memorial Football Tournament ET Correspondent Changlang, Nov 17: In today's matches of the 1st Wangnia Pongte Memorial Football Tournament at Changlang. Mount Sinai School thrashed WC Pongte 51while CFC(B) annihilated Yankang FC 10-0. In the first match of the day, Mount Sinai School were all over WC Pongte like a rash from the very beginning with Phangro Sawin scoring in the 10th minute to open the scoring in the 10th minute. There were a series of attacks on WC Pongte’s goal but they unable to get the ball past the goalkeeper. After halftime, WC Pongte managed to equalize in the 47th minute through Phangdung Sawin but it seemed to fire up the opposition team more as after that goals seemed to come at regular intervals for Mount Sinai School. They scored in the 49th minute to take the lead again through Phangro Sawin.

Hanglin Diwen scored two goals in the 50th and 56th minute to make it 4-before L. Solo made it 5-1 in the 77th minute when he scored from a long ranger. The second match of the day was another onesided one as Changlang Football Club(B) gave Yankang FC a lesson in football by demolishing them 10-0. Chukam Haisa and Demrao Taidong accounted for all ten goals as both scored four and six goals respectively. The first goal of the match came in the 11th minute when Chukam Haisa found the back of the net. The

lead was doubled in the 14th minute with Demrao Taidong scoring. He added his second and third goals in the 19th and 28th minute. Haisa made it 50 by scoring in the 34th minute. After halftime, CFC(B) domination continued with both Haisa and Taidong adding to their tally. Taidong found the back of the net in the 59th, 68th and 69th minute while Haisa scored with a stunner in the 50th minute.

The coach-cum-player of CFC(B) R. Chaitang, who played as a midfielder set up the ball for the strikers wonderfully. He was unlucky not to score as his long range efforts were just wide of the goal.

Demrao Taidong was declared as the hero of the match. Tomorrow, Lawang FC will take on Namtok football team while Rangrinkan FC will face Sabban United.

Results Mount Sinai School beat WC Pongte 5-1

CFC(B) defeat Yankang FC 10-0

Today’s Match Lawang FC Vs Namtok football team Rangrinkan FC Vs Sabban United.

Top- An action moment from the first match (Below) A shot from the second match played today. Pic- ET photos

Assam need 95 more runs to topple Delhi ET Bureau Dibrugarh, Nov 17: Assam need another 95 runs to beat Delhi at the Barsapara cricket Stadium after ending the day at 70/3 chasing 165 runs for their third outright victory this season.

Resuming at 101/4, Delhi folded their second essay for 172 as they lost wickets in a heap. The two overnight batsman played with caution and went on accumulating runs before they lost two wickets off consecutive balls to Amit Verma. The Delhi team lost their last four wickets for the addition of mere six runs as they slipped from 166/6 to 172 all out. Syed Mohammad cleaned up the tail as he finished with 3/49. Amit Verma picked up three for 42.

Chasing 165 runs to

win, Assam lost two quick wickets as Delhi's opening pair of Saina and Sangwan claimed the wickets of Pallav Das and Swarupam Purkayastha for 5 and 0 respectively. Rahul Hazarika and Amit Verma then steadied the innings by nullifying the new ball and putting up on a solid partnership.

Verma was dismissed

by Mannan Sharma just before stumps to break the partnership. When stumps were drawn, Hazarika and Arun Karthick were at the crease on 30 and 13 runs respectively. Assam the newly promoted team will consolidate their place at the top half of the points table in Group B if they can get the remaining runs on the last day of the match.

Selection Trail for 1st Ever State Mini Olympic, 2015 ET Correspondent Changlang, Nov 17: The selection trail for badminton, table tennis and chess to select the Changlang district team for the 1st Ever State Mini Olympic, 2015 to be held at Itanagar from Dec. 2 will be held on Nov 20, informs Kumar Doka, District Sports Officer, Changlang. The selection for badminton will be held at the

Community Hall, table tennis will be held at Women's and Children Club and chess will be held at old Changlang Club.

The football team will be selected from the ongoing Wangnia Pongte memorial football tournament. The Mini Olympic organised by the Arunachal Olympic Association will be held at Itanagar from Dec. 2 to 6.

Belgium's match against Spain called off amidst security concerns (ANI): Belgium's friendly match against Spain has been called off due to increasing security concerns following deadly attacks in Paris. Confirming the news, the Belgium Football Association revealed that after having conversation with the competent authorities and the Spanish national team, they have decided to cancel the match for the time being.

The Belgium FA further expressed their regret, saying that they completely understand the disappointment of fans, but added that players' security holds utmost importance. According to reports, the Ministry of the Interior's Crisis Centre had ordered the match to be cancelled. Belgium, the world's number one team, was set to host the reigning European champions on Tuesday but the recent terrorist attacks in Paris forced cancellation of the match.

Aus-New Zealand second Test ends in a draw Agencies Perth: The second Test between Australia and New Zealand ended in a draw on Tuesday, with the tourists 217 runs short of their victory target of 321 on a raindisrupted fifth and final day at the WACA. The tourists had scored 104 for two when bad light brought an end to the game, leaving Australia 1-0 up in the series going into the third Test in Adelaide courtesy of their 208-run win in Brisbane last week. Australia skipper Steve Smith had declared for the fourth time in four innings in the series an hour before tea after the hosts had made 385 for seven. New Zealand's 624 had given them a 65-run first-innings lead over Australia's 559-9 declared.

Mitchell Johnson took two for 20 on his final day as an international cricketer after announcing his retirement earlier. The pacer, who made his announcement before the start of play, summoned up one last spell of raw pace to dismiss both New Zealand openers and was chaired off the pitch by his team mates. Earlier, Johnson was welcomed by a guard of honour of applauding New Zealanders when he came out to the crease and illustrated his batting skills with a bright 29 from 45 balls. The 34year-old was the first of the two batsmen to depart caught behind off Tim Southee (4-97) after lunch with Peter Nevill (35) following him back to the dressing room. It was not too long before Smith's loud whistle called Mitchell Starc (28 not out) and Josh Hazlewood (2 not out) in to get ready to take the new ball. Johnson led the Australians back onto the pitch on his 73rd and final Test and had bowled

eight deliveries without conceding a run before the rain forced an early tea. He resumed after the delay and soon sent Tom Latham (15) back to the dressing room after an attempted hook ended up

i n the hands of Josh Hazlewood at long leg.

Martin Guptill (17) was Johnson's 313th and final Test victim when a fast rising delivery saw him spoon the ball to Joe Burns at short leg.

Aus speedster Johnson announces retirement Agencies Perth: Pacer Mitchell Johnson, one of Australia's greatest fast bowlers, announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday, saying he felt this was the 'right time' to do so. The 34-year-old left-armer, the 2009 and 2014 International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Year, ended his career with 313 test wickets. He also took 239 wickets in 153 oneday internationals at the cost of 25.26 apiece and 38 in 30 Twenty20 internationals.

Johnson, who was struggling through the two Tests against New Zealand with just five wickets at an average of 64 heading into day five of the WACA Test. "I feel now is the best time to say goodbye," the 34-year-old veteran of 73 Tests said in a statement ahead of the fifth day's play at Perth's WACA Ground. "I have been lucky

enough to have had a wonderful career and enjoyed every moment of playing for my country. It's been an incredible ride. But the ride has to come to an end at some point and to do so here at the WACA is very special. I've given the decision a lot of thought. Beyond this match, I'm just not sure that I can continue competing consistently at the level required to wear the baggy green (cap)," the pacer added. The pacer asserted that he had given his everything to the team and was proud of his achievements and he would always treasure the victory of an Ashes series and the World Cup. "My career has certainly had its up and downs but I can honestly say I have given it my all and am proud of everything I have achieved. To win an Ashes Series and a World Cup is something I will treasure forever."

Mokalbari Tea Estate tame Hazelbank Avik Chakraborty Dibrugarh, Nov 17: Mokalbari Tea Estate (B) edged past Hazelbank Tea Estate 3-1 in the Arun Jalan memorial prize money intergarden running trophy football tournament 2015 organised by Mokalbari Kanoi Tea Estate in association with Dibrugarh District Sports Association here today at Mokalbari Tea Estate playground in Dibrugarh. Altogether, 22 teams participated in the tournament.

Mokalbari Tea Estates

opened their account through Bishnu Mora in the 15th minute. Bishnu Mora had

Inter Garden Football tournament deftly converted a pass from the left flank. Meanwhile, Ganesh Tumang of Mokalbari Tea Estate scored the second goal in the 22nd minute. At the lemon break, Mokalbari Tea Estate were leading with two goals. When the match restarted Hazelbank Tea Estate

pulled one back through Kartick Bhumij in the 65th minute.

In response, Mokalbari Tea Estate again came into the game by scoring their third goal in the 78th minute through Kartick Karmarkar. Kartick had converted a pinpoint pass from the right flank from Bishnu Mora.

Tomorrow, Dinjan Udulguri Tea Estate will take on Chabua Udulguri Tea Estate. The match officials on the day were referees: Rituporno Konwar; Pradeep Saikia (Asst. ref); Indrajit Chetia and Ajit Neog.

16th servo masters golf commences in Digboi Laxman Sharma Digboi Nov 17: The 16th Indian Oil Servo Masters Golf 2014 commences from 18th to 22 nd November 2015 here at the historic Digboi Golf Links being organised under the aegis of the professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and hosted by AOD Digboi.

Addressing the media here at the office of the Golf Links, Sampath Chari the Tournament Director PGTI told that the field boasts of top ten professionals such as Rolex Rankings former Champion Shamim Khan, Shankar Das, Mukesh Kumar (6 times Champion), Sanjay Kumar, Rookie Udayan Mane, Sujan Singh Harendra Gupta and Om Prakash Chouhan all all being the multiple Winners on the PGTI. The field would feature a total 89 players including 87 professionals and two ama-

teurs. The top fifty 50 players and ties would make a cut after round two. Meanwhile, the four local professionals in the field are Binod Gogoi, Biren Karmakar, Deven Bhumij and Rashidul Ahmed. Both the amateurs in the field, Deep Raj Chetia and Zakir Hussain hail from Digboi. Thanking the IOC AOD for partnering the PGTI in staging the much prestigious tournament beside keeping the prize purse of the tournament handsome at 30 lakhs,Mr.Chari said “ The IndianOil Servo Masters Golf, has over the years, played a pivotal role in promoting professional golf in the North-Eastern region of the country. We look forward to a fascinating week of golf as the leading Indian professionals tee it up at the serene Digboi Golf Links.”

However, Rajiv Kalita the General Manager HR AOD

and Chairman of the organizing committee said that promotion of sports by Indian Oil is aimed at providing opportunities for stable sports career. Highlighting the beauties of the landscape located amidst prestine location surrounded by lofty hills on its three sides, he added that the course was quite ready and the golfers would enjoy to the fullest making the event a memorable one beside promoting the sports cause of the organisation.

Meanwhile talking to the Sentinel, a highly placed official at AOD told that the Indian Oil has been striving seriously and promoting the cause of various sports items including cricket, football, chess, badminton etc. on various fronts for different age groups to encourage the deserving talents and escalate them to the professional international arena to bring

laurals for the Indian oil and nation as a whole.

He also shared that a new policy has already been in effect designed recently to absorb the young talents from and provide them monthly schoolarship too to encourage the fresh budding bloods and promote the cause of sports subsequently taking them as tenure-based players and finally promoting them to be professionals of international repute and make IndianOil proud.

Meanwhile, Amitava Mishra the General Manager I/C Indain Oil remarked' The 16th Edition of IndainOil Servo Masters Golf speaks Indain Oil's comkitment to the promotion of this unique sport while caring for and sustaining nature in this heritage oil town of Digboi despite the rapidly changing times being experienced by the industry. The growing

popularity of the the Digboi event upholds commendable efforts of IndainOil and PGTI together. I send across wishes of success for this prestegious golfing event of Indai'. Meanwhile, 4 of the top 10 golfers of the PGTI Merit List are participating making it 89 players in all from different corners of the country including the international golfers abroad like Sri Lanka Australia and South Korean vying for the Mastership 2015 and with the prize purse of the tournament being 30 lakhs, more of the professionals are expected to find way into the tournament making it a finest episode ever played and tougher for the contenders.

However, the prize money of the tournament includes 15 percent for the winner amounting to Rs 450000, 10 percent for the second amounting to Rs.300000

while 5.998 and 4.998 percentages for the third and the fourth position holder at Rs. 179940 and Rs. 149940 respectively. The tournament slated to be inaugurated on 18th morning would conclude on 21st next with ProAM event slated on the 22nd.

It may be added here that the venue, the picturesque Digboi Golf Links, is a golfer’s delight. The course is a one of its kind in terms of ambience as it is situated among the lush tea estates and thick forest of eastern Assam. The historic Digboi Golf Links is bordered by the Dehing forest reserve on three sides and the magnificent Patkai range of mountains on the fourth. This 72 par course with a yardage of 6329 could also be termed as the best in the north-eastern part of the country due to its magnificent layout.

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