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ASSENG/2015/64205

Vol. 1

Issue 308

Dibrugarh, Sunday, April 17, 2016

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Pages- 12

Arunachal Govt to re-introduce One arrested in connection cargo choppers for airlifting of with Pengeri violence PDS foodgrains ET Correspondent Digboi, Apr 16

Emphasizing on the need to have dedicated efforts in ensuring food security to the people of the state especially the poor and needy people residing in the remote and inaccessible border areas, Chief Minister, Kalikho Pul who is also the Minister of Food & Civil Supply is planning to make complete overhauling of PDS System in the state.

In a high level meeting with the officers of the Food & Civil Supply Department on Friday evening, critical issues impending the smooth implementation of National Food Security Act 2013 and further distribution of food grains to the NFSA beneficiaries in districts were discussed.

Chief Minister asked the department to put up the proposal for creation of 9 posts of District Food & Civil Supply Officers for lately created districts namely Kra-

ET CAPSULES

2 persons missing Demow, Apr 16: Two persons went missing in Demow River under Demow police station today. According to the sources, three persons were on a boat which was coming from Raisai towards Dehajan when the boat was swept away due to the current. One among the three managed to swim across and saved his life. However, the two others Srimanta Gogoi (22) of Demow Dehajan and Sachin Das (20) of Deburgarh Borboruah went missing. Rescue efforts were on. (Correspondent)

Pul announces incentives Itanagar, Apr 16: To the much delight of the Indian Forest Service aspirants of the state, Chief Minister Kalikho Pul has announced to give incentives to the IFoS aspirant in line with the UPSC/CSE qualifiers in learning that candidates for CSE and IFoS has to go through a single Common Screening Test conducted by UPSC. The Prelims as well as Mains qualifiers of IFoS Exam conducted by UPSC shall be given same amount of incentives of Rs 2 lakhs to Prelims qualifier and Rs 3 lakhs to Mains qualifiers by the state govt. (CMO)

Bolero lifted Doomdooma, Apr 16: A Bolero was stolen surprisingly enough while it was parked within a 100 metres radius from Doomdooma police station today.

According to sources, the vehicle (AS-23-BC-2539) belongs to Anil Agarwal of Wood Road, Doomdooma.

The vehicle owner has registered an FIR at Doomdooma police station in this connection. (Correspondent)

One electrocuted

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Doomdooma, Apr 16: One Bireswar Moran (52) of Kesharguri was electrocuted as he came in contact with a fallen 11 kv wire on Friday.

According to sources, Moran had gone to search for his cows at night as the weather took a rough turn with heavy rainfall accompanied by hail storm. While returning, he accidentally fell upon the wire which had fallen due to the strong winds and was critically injured. He succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital. (Correspondent)

Daadi, Upper Siang, Siang, Lower Siang, Dibang Valley, Kurungkumey, Anjaw, Namsai and Itanagar Capital Complex to meet up the shortage of officers in the department as there is no sanctioned post of DF&CSO in these districts till now.

It was also decided to amalgamate the Directorate of Supply & Transport with the Directorate of Food & Civil Supplies. This has been decided to meet up the man power requirement for successful implementation of NFSA. As there has been lots of a lacuna in the present system of PDS, govt decided to create Arunachal Pradesh Civil Supplies Transport Corporation (APCSTC) to carry out the works of transportation and wholesale nominee for the entire state. He asked the department to expedite the creation of APCSTC at the earliest.

Govt also reviewed the terms and conditions for the appointment of PDS Carriage

Contractor and decided to discontinue the separate Wholesale Nominee. By doing this, govt eliminates the provision for Wholesale Nominee Commission system. From this year, only Carriage Contractor shall be appointed and drawal, storage and distribution across the district shall be part of the duties and responsibilities of the carriage contractor.

To see that none of the districts face food scarcity, the govt has decided to review the allocation of foodgrains to the districts. It was decided to minimize allocation of PDS rice to rice producing districts and to add more to the districts that totally depends on supply of PDS Rice and do not have no local rice production like Tawang, West Kameng, Kurung Kumey, Upper Subansiri, Dibang Valley, Anjaw, Longding and Tirap districts.

It was also decided to re-introduce air-lifting of Essential Ration Commodities (ERCs) to the CPO Centres in the remote outpost in order to do

away with the head load system. In this regard, CM directed the departmental authorities to send a proposal for airlifting of foodgrains to airfed locations for further submission to Govt of India for placement of Cargo helicopter for the purpose.

The govt further decided to install Point of Sale (PoS) devices starting with the FPS of the Capital Complex and District Headquarters having network connectivity for online updating and monitoring of the PDS rice distribution. To meet up the procurement, installation and operation of Point of Sales devices an estimated proposal of Rs 2.00 crore has been made for onward submission to DONER Ministry. It was decided that the remaining FPSs in districts shall also be covered in phase wise manner on improvement of network connectivity.

As made mandated by the Govt of India, AADHAAR seeding of the NFSA beneficiary database will be done as

it is being monitored in weekly basis by PMO Pragati meeting.

Aadhaar seeding will be helpful in de-duplication to eliminate bogus and ghost ration cards and to ensure delivery of benefits to the consumers.

To ensure that there is sufficient stock of food to all the districts, the govt further decided to establish FCI depots in all the district headquarters, to allocate Food Security Allowance to all the Deputy Commissioners well in advance and to give relaxation of time from one month to three months (quarterly) for payment of Food Security Allowances.

To facilitate the poor beneficiaries, govt decided to introduce DBTL for direct transfer of subsidy amount of foodgrains to the bank account of the beneficiary in the Capital Complex and urban pockets where network connectivity and banking facilities are available after ensuring cleanliness of beneficiary data through Aadhaar and Bank Account seeding.

State government reviewing disaster management plan CM Kalikho Pul ET Bureau Itanagar, Apr 16

In the wake of the recent earthquake and major floods that rocked the region, the state government is reviewing its disaster management plans to increase its preparedness level for any eventuality.

This was informed today by the Chief Minister Kalikho Pul in a review meeting called by the Arunachal Governor JP Rajkhowa held here at the Raj Bhawan.

To raise the preparedness level, deputy commissioners have been instructed to report on the status of their respective districts at sub-division, circle and village level on hourly basis, informed the CM. For bringing out effective communication, he urged to

maintain hotline communication at all administrative levels, and to keep a helpline number open 24X7 to reach out to people in distress.

To deal with disasters especially at the time of monsoon, the CM informed that the state government has established state emergency operation centre (SERC) and the district emergency operation centre (DEOC), which is available for call 24X7.

He also issued instructions to the deputy commissioners to spread awareness and to encourage citizens for disaster risk reduction and building disaster-resilient communities.

On the recent disaster that occurred in various districts, the CM informed that reports from all the affected districts

were availed within an hour of the occurrence for which the relief funds would be released shortly.

Advising to conduct mock drills for the citizens, the CM asked to issue basic dos and dont’s for spreading awareness on precautions needed to be taken at the time of disaster.

For the purpose, he asked to involve NCC and scouts & guides volunteers.

He further urged that disaster awareness exercises must be conducted on regular interval and not only when it is imminent, saying that we can’t wait for the disaster to happen.

The CM informed that two districts namely Lohit and East Siang have been selected as pilot districts for implementation of the National School

Safety Programme, sponsored by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

On manpower availability for disaster preparedness, he informed that NDRF and the State disaster response force (SDRF) with more than 800 personnel are in the state of alert armed with life saving tools and equipments.

He thanked the Governor for calling an emergency meeting on the disaster level preparedness, on which the state government had conducted several meetings earlier. The CM lauded him for calling the meeting at the right time, which was the need of the hour.

He said the instructions, guidelines and advises of the Governor will be fully carried out to deal with the disaster risks reduction.

Strengthen organisation at grass-root level: Gao ET Bureau Itanagar, Apr 16

After officially taking over charge of state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Tapir Gao, the new party president on Saturday called upon party workers and functionaries to work dedicatedly for the betterment of the party during the inaugural of the two-day BJP state executive meeting at Hill Top Community Hall here today.

The two-day meeting will include taking charge as new state president by Tapir Gao, review of previous SEM, organisational reports from district presidents and morcha heads, discussion on economy, political and resolution thereof.

Encouraging them to work sincerely and wholeheartedly, the new party president said, “Every party worker should think as if they are party president and work selflessly for the welfare of the party”. Gao, who earlier represented Eastern parliamentary was also national secretary under the leadership of Nitin Gadkhari as BJP presi-

Tapir Gao dent.

On being asked what differences people could expect from his leadership, the state BJP president said, “My primary concern is to consolidate the organisation set up in the state and establish BJP as an organization-based strong political party”, he said before adding that “We have witnessed lots of political ups and down and change of guards

and there is no ideological commitment. Other political parties in Arunachal Pradesh should also focus on establishing strong base at the grassroot to root out corruption.”

The new-BJP president also urged the party workers, including legislators, PRI members and councilors to be techsavvy to propagate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies and schemes across the state so

that it reaches to the common people.

Assam Lok Sabha MP Ramen Deka in his address also appealed to the party workers to cooperate and support the new state BJP president to make BJP strong in the state. He hoped that Gao would able to bridge the centre and state in pursuit of development.

Outgoing BJP President Tai Tagak expressed hope that under the leadership of Gao, the party would touch new heights in the days to come. Tagak in his farewell speech highlighted the various achievements during his tenure as party president.

Earlier, both outgoing and new presidents officially welcomed the councilors from Pasighat, who joined the party recently. Former CM Geogang Apang, Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly Tumke Bagra, party legislators, councilors and party functionaries from across the state were among other present during the inaugural day of two-day state executive meeting.

One identified as Samar Das (52) son of Purna Chandra Das resident of Dwarmara Village Line no. 10 under Pengaree Police Station in Tinsikia District of Upper Assam has been arrested by Pengaree Police here this morning in regard to his involvement in 11th Pengaree Violence in Tinsukia District where 11 innocent people died leaving 20 injured.

According to Police sources, based on individual evidences in persons as well as video clippings and convincing footages, Mr Das who has been a worker in Dwarmara TE Estate has been arrested on the ground of illegal trespassing and designing the said riots committed in prosecution of common object causing voluntarily grievous s injuries and damage to property.

According to sources, the Police have been leaving no stone unturned to unearth the

Accused Samar Das cause of the riot and explore all possible fronts to ascertain the exact nature of crime and, party and intention involved in committing the said heinous crime. However, Interrogation with the accused was being carried out and more arrest to this effect was being expected.

It may be recalled here that at least 11 people were killed and 20 others injured at Pengaree in Tinsukia district of Upper Assam on Monday last after a mob went on a rampage at a local police station, demanding the handover of people arrested on twin mur-

6-yr long Assam Agitation was sponsored by RSS A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Apr 16

Attacking the RSS and the BJP in the Assam, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today alleged that the six-year long Assam agitation against Bangladeshi infiltrators was sponsored by the RSS. This was stated by the chief minister at Guwahati to the media.

"The Assam agitation was sponsored by the RSS. BJP leaders Atal Behari Vajpayee

and Arun Shourie were the guides,” said Gogoi, and he added that, "It is a known fact that the Assam agitation was originally against all outsiders but was later changed to oppose only Bangladeshi infiltrators to suit the RSS”.

Gogoi further claimed that RSS had provided funds for the agitation.

"The AASU was getting funds from the RSS. All funds for the agitation were given by the RSS, and they had come to exploit the sentiment of the common people and the Con-

gress will continue to fight such divisive forces, whether in power or not,” alleged Gogoi.

The Chief Minister alleged that the RSS was trying to reopen the wounds of Assam agitation by making former Congress minister and BJP leader Dr Himanta Biswa Sharma raise the matter of pushing back year for detection of Bangladeshis from 1971 to 1951.

Contd. on Page 3

Three among, RPF personnel held with fresh rhino horn ET Correspondent Jorhat, Apr 16

A joint police team led by Ms Gayatri Sonowal, sub-divisional police officer, Titabor, acting on a tip of apprehended three persons with a 1.5 kg fresh rhino horn from near NaAli Dholi bridge here this morning.

According to Sonowal after getting specific information that three persons, after getting down from Down inter-city express at Mariani Junction and took a Maruti Van from the station and was travelling to-

wards Jorhat side via Titabor from Mariani railway station the Van bearing registration number AS03M-2513 along with the 1.5 kg fresh rhino horn.

The three persons were identified as Aminur Rahman from Mariani, Sanjay Kumar Hazarika from Mariani, while Surjya Thakuria an Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, who hails from Dibrugarh.

The police suspected the horn to be of the rhinos which was killed on April 9 and 13th under Burapahar Range near Borghup Camp at Segunbari of Kaziranga National Park.

The joint operation team led

by Ms Gayatri Sonowal is a success story for the Jorhat police team today, at a time when the Central Government had termed the recent killing of rhinos in Kaziranga National Park as a serious issue, for which the central government asked to take stringent action against poachers, asked the state government to recruit people for the Rhino Task Force (RTF) to control the menace which was approved

by Environment Minister Prakash Javedkar recently.

Contd. on Page 3

Three day Water Festival Sangken ends ET Bureau Itanagar, Apr 16

The popular three-day annual Water Festival of the Theravada Buddhist of the State locally known as Sangken which begun on April 13 ended today marking the Theravada Buddhist New Year.

Celebrated in the month of April every year, Sangken was observed with lots of enthusiasm and religious fervor and in a very special way by the Tai Khampti, Tikhak Tangsa & Singpho people residing in various parts of the State particularly in Namsai and Changlang districts. Water throwing or dousing one another water is the distinguishing feature of this festival and is done for all first three-day of the festival. Merit making,

Son-Fra a water ceremony of pouring and bathing Buddha statues with scented water

through lungkong or water fountain, Contd. on Page 3

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ET Bureau Itanagar, Apr 16

der charges. According to Assam police sources, thousands of people from the tea tribe community armed with sharp traditional weapons gheroed Pengaree police station early in the morning. They demanded that the accused of the Pengaree double murder be handed over to them. When the police did not give into their demand the mob went on rampage.

To control the mob, the police resorted to baton charge and fired in the air, the sources said.

Meanwhile, a bullet hit an overhead high-tension electric wire causing it to fall over the mob. Ten people died on the spot, two died later while 20 others were injured who were occupying their sick bed at AMCH and Tinsukia Civil Hospital receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, a case has at 26/ 16 has been registered at Pengaree Police Station and the accused has been prosecuted u/s 143,147,148,149,447,448, 427,325,324, 394 and 511 IPC.

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, APRIL 17

PAGE 2 ASTRO FOR YOU Aries You may want to meet up with friends you haven’t met in a long time, and the stars indicate that you will have great fun. Your enthusiasm will add a glow to whatever you do.

Your sincerity in approach is what makes it special.

Taurus You will focus on nurturing the positive aspects of your life today. You might exhaust yourself mentally trying to set things straight. It would be better to brainstorm with someone close to you or approach people whom you have differences with. The nitty-gritty is fine, but do not forget the larger picture.

Gemini Routine work bores you, and today you will go all out to break free from the shackles of boredom. The results, however, may not be as dramatic. You will have to depend on your children, if any, to rescue you from the tyranny of routine. Monetary gains can be expected either in the form of inheritance of ancestral property or as increment in your basic salary.

Cancer Today may not be a productive day for you. Though there may not be any major loss, you may feel a little lost and would like to be left alone. If you have kids, you may suffer from the empty nest syndrome with your kids not at home.

Leo Your pride and self-confidence will help you to excel in whatever task it is that you take up today. Other people will also praise you. You will buy new clothes and other possessions that you have been desiring since a long time.

Virgo Family matters. And matters of family matter more. Your negotiation skills are supreme and you shall bring harmonious ends to disputes today. Life has taught you to be balanced and level-headed, and you strongly believe that there is progression in opposition.

Libra Today promises to be a joy ride for your hidden gourmand side. Relish what you eat, and thank God for the good luck. Career wise, however, you may find yourself standing at a crossroads. But, the good part about that is there shall be many paths to choose from. And, who knows the art of balancing better than you. The latter half of the day promises to bring some monetary gains.

Scorpio Try to take a chill pill as you may be worried about petty issues today. Do not let them hinder your happiness and take a toll on your health. However, the day looks promising towards the end. Friends are just a phone call away, call them and set out for a destination unknown to destress and rejuvenate.

Sagittarius Providence smiles upon you today. Catching a film with your beloved today is a very good idea. Chances are you may have a nice outing along with your friends or family. In either case, the load in your wallet is likely to lessen, steadily if not dramatically.

Capricorn Though you leave no stone unturned to identify the opportunities coming your way, you need to keep your guards on whenever you are a part of a legal matter. Financially, you’re likely to bear some heavy losses, and if you’re a dealer or a broker, the chances of suffering from them are even higher. Take some precautionary measures well in advance.

Aquarius You have changed your approach towards life from materialism to mysticism. Your friends and family members are pleasantly surprised to see this change. Later on the day, you may plan to visit a temple or other religious places. You are on the right track, keep on going, you’ll find the solace your have been seeking.

Pisces You are striving hard to influence your destiny. You are not going to kneel down without a fight against heavy odds. With persistent efforts you will succeed in achieving your goals. While victory is a given, hard work will be necessary. In brief, today will be a challenging day for you.

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 17-4-16 (SUNDAY) 5.35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti 6.10 A.M-Swasthaya Charcha 6.20 A.M-Bargeet 6.40 A.M-Bhajan From Films 6.50 A.M-Folk Music (Bihu Geet) 7.15 A.M-Aajir Dinto 7.30 A.M-Geetanjali 8.35 A.M-Surar Panchoi (Assamese Films Songs) 9.00 A.M-Antara (Hindi Films Songs) 9.20 A.M-Seuji Chora(Children Program) 12.05 P.M-Surar Satsori(Request Song) 01.10 P.M-Ghar Jeuti (women Program) 2.30 P.M-Western Music 3.45 P.M-Program in Mizumishimi 4.05 P.M-Program in Khampti 4.25 P.M-Program in Wancho 5.00 P.M-Program in Idu 5.20 P.M-Program in Tengsa 5.40 P.M-Program in Nocte 6.15 P.M-Ganya Raijor Anusthan(Rural Program) 7.15 P.M-Chah Sarmikar Asor(Tea Garden Program) 7.45 P.M-Juye Pora Son(Interview with Eminent Person) 9.30 P.M-Feature Rangali Bihur Roop Ras

After the hectic electioneering, Assam CM Tarun Gogoi takes much needed break A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Apr 16 : After hectic days of campaigning, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is taking a much-needed break by unwinding in his own inimitable way by visiting market places, shopping mall, dropping in at friends and well-wishers’ homes, meeting people at his official residence, teeing off at a golf course and hopping from one bihutoli to the other.

Taking off from his usual hectic schedule, the Chief Minister has been making social visits, interacting with people at his official Koinadhara residence, dropping in at his friends and relatives’ residences, playing golf and hopping from one bihutoli to the other. Despite inclement weather the Chief Minister went

to the Narengi Golf Course at around 8 am today dressed in casuals teeing off for quite some time.

Returning home, Gogoi took some time off to interact with young promising singer of Indian Idol Junior 2 famed Nahid Afrin and her family who turned up to wish Rongali Bihu greetings to the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister discussed the finer nuances of singing with the singing sensation and wished her a bright future.

Gogoi had a photo shoot with her and her family and even posed for selfie.

At the Latasil Bihutoli on Wednesday, Chief Minister Gogoi grooved to the beat of drum, pepa and gogonaand played the drum, much to the delight of the dancers

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi playing Golf at Narengi Golf Course at 51 Sub-Area in the city.pic - ub photos

and audience alike. At his friends and relatives’ residences, the Chief Minister sat for hours reminiscing the good old days, savouring the pithas made on special occasion like Bihu.

On Thursday Gogoi went to Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport to see the Royal couple Prince William and Princess Kate off after their two day visit to Assam.

On Sunday, the Chief Minister accompanied by his wife Dolly Gogoi will be visiting his home district Jorhat to spend time with his relatives and close friends. Gogoi is likely to return on Tuesday before he takes off to Delhi on Friday where he will stay at the national capital for a couple of days.

Dibrugarh student wins Hailstorm victims vandalized "Priyadarshini 2016" award Baidyagarh GP office A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Apr 16 : Chiranjit Buragohain, a student of B.A. 4th Semester in the Department of Geography of Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi has recently awarded the "Priyadarshini 2016" award for his best performance in all cultural and academic activities held in his college.

This achievement of his has bought in pride for Assam and entire North East as well. His skill in dancing and choreography is a God-gifted talent in him. Besides his excellency in studies, the talent for all kinds of cocurricular activities in him is indeed a praise worthy matter.

For grooming up his talents he is presently admitted in the school of Danceworx Learning, New Delhi where he is undergoing training in various dance forms like Ballet, Contemporary and Jazz Funk. He is the only son of Mohen

ET Correspondent Rangia, Apr 16 : Venting their deep agony and dissatisfaction over Gaon Panchayat (GP) members of Baidyagarh GP of the sub-division, irate villagers of the GP this afternoon entered the GP office premises and damaged the furniture, windows, doors subsequently vandalizing the office in protest against the non-co-operation and non-attending of the victim villag-

ers sufferings following the recent hailstorm menace which caused serious damage to many households and families in which 300 families were affected.

Tulsibari police arrived the site and brought the situation under control.

Circle Officer of Rangiya, Bimal Deka visited the affected areas and took stock of the situation on behalf of the civil administration.

Road mishap claims two Buragohain, who is an engineer in the Department of ASEB, Dibrugarh and Runu Borgohain. He originally hails from Bokota, Gohain Gaon, Sibsagar.

From his young age he participated in various school activities like

dance, skit, drama etc in the school and proved to be a versatile actor as well as a good dancer. In his acting skill he has also proved himself as a good actor and once he played the protagonist in an Assamease play “Joymoti’’ and proved himself as a good actor.

ET Correspondent Tezpur, Apr 16 : In a road accident that took place last night at Parwa Chariali here two persons identified as Dhan Rajkhowa and Abdul Khalek were died on the spot. Sources said

that the duo deceased were trampled by Tezpur bound truck bearing registration number AS- 12G-6147 while they were walking along the NH 37 (A). However, though the driver of the truck escaped police later intercepted the vehicle.

AASU celebrates Mukoli Bihu

Sd-/H.O.P

ET Correspondent Sivasagar, Apr 16: Like previous years, Sivasagar District Students' Union organized a Mukoli Bihu celebration with a daylong programme at the Boarding field here on Saturday.

On the occasion, the flag of the union was hoisted by the former Principal of Sibsagar College Dr Prakash Kotoky and

Swahid Tarpan was offered by SDSU secretary Samiran Phukan.

The bihutoli was made colourful by the presentation of respective traditional Bihu dances. The Mukoli Bihu was inaugurated by Sivasagar District Development Commissioner Abhijit Baruah. A cultural function was also held in the evening.

Girls Are Singing Bihu Songs At Sivasagar Open Bihu Today

Sonitpur district chapter KMSS resigns NAAC peer team visits Rang-Frah Govt. College, ET Correspondent Tezpur, Apr 16 : Being displeased with the activity of President of KMSS, Akhil Gogoi, members of Sonitpur District chapter of it today resigned from their all posts providing another major setback to the peasant’s body after the resignation by it’s secretary general Kamal Medhi from the organization.

In a press conference held today here after resigning from the organization as president of the district committee, Prashanta Baisya alleged that following nepotism of Akihl Gogoi and central executive Chitra Gogoi, the Sonitpur

District Committee of KMSS were in a displaced state. “Particularly during the pre-poll moment the role of the duo deserving the major port folio was quite doubtful as they directed us to campaign against BJP stating it is a communal party, but they never told us to whom we should cast our votes falling us in a dilemma which compelled us to think that Akhil Gogoi and Chitra Gogoi were motivated by Congress.” He alleged adding after the formation of Ganamukti Sangram Samittee KMSS’s activities started getting confused.

“Instead of taking forward the real movement attached

with the common disadvantaged people Akhil Gogoi and some of this associates started giving priority to political matters which defamed the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samittee that was widely accepted by all fronts of the society. In Sonitpur we voiced against rampant corruption in different departments, but they used to compromise with the issue for earning few extra bucks. Therefore we have got dissatisfied and today resigned from the organizations.” He maintained and added that despite this break up they would take forward the issues that were taken up earlier.

Changlang for cycle-2 assessment and acreditation ET Correspondent Changlang, Apr 16: Peer Team constituted by NAAC (National Assessment and Acrediattion Council) visited Rang-Frah Government College, Changlang for Cycle-2 Assessment and Accreditation of the college recently. The team comprised of Chairperson Prof.

J. Prabhash, Professor & Director, School of Social Science, Department of Political Science, University of Kerala, Member Coordinator Prof. Manju Jaidka, Department of English, Punjab University,

Chandigarh and Dr. Sasi Kanta Dash, Principal

Bharathidasan Government College for Women,

Puducherry. The Peer Team interacted with faculty and

visited hostels, library, laboratory and other facilities of the college. Other stakeholders from village community, administration, alumni held interactions with the Peer Team. Further they were acquainted with the strengths and weakness of the institution and analyzed the mechanism adopted for quality improvement. At concluding Exit meeting the Peer team Chairperson and members shared their views and suggested various constructive measures for the advancement of the college.

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, APRIL 17

PAGE 3

Chief Minister Kalikho Pul meets Corps Commander Lt Gen D Anbu, assures support in securing international border ET Bureau Itanagar, Apr 16 : Chief Minister Kalikho Pul today pledged his full cooperation to the Indian Army, to assist and to provide inputs in securing the international borders.

The assurance from the chief minister came during his talks with Lieutenant General Devraj Anbu, Corps Commander, 4 Corps held here at Chief Minister’s Office.

Lauding the Army and the people of Arunachal of having a unique relation, the CM termed both as the defenders of the borders, adding “while the Army does it militarily, the people through its

political and cultural presence”.

He emphasised on having a flawless army-civilian cooperation and mutual trust, which could be achieved by confidence building measures on both sides.

Also, the CM stressed on JCOs and jawans to be sensitised so that civilian population are not dealt with impolitely.

As confidence building measures, he called on the Army to play pro-active role during disasters, road communication disruptions and emergency patient evacuation – with clear standing instructions to avoid any local level confusion.

For land to be used for

defence purposes, the CM assured to provide full assistance with re-

gard to land acquisition and other clearance process. He, however, sug-

gested the land compensation rates to be uniform across the state to avoid

any public discord, and to be in relative to the rates of national highways and other compensation packages.

The CM also informed that the state government would adopt a single window clearance process for land acquisition.

In this regard, he informed that all the MLAs and the deputy commissioners have been instructed to cooperate with the Army and also to take care of the compensation packages so that people are adequately compensated.

Strongly reiterating for the defence roads to be built and maintained by the BRO, the CM informed that MoRTH has

been approached for the two important highways Joram-Koloriang and Demwe-Hawai to be handed over to the BRO. Also he stressed on quality works for which he urged the Army to work together with the state government.

To provide basic services to the defence and paramilitary forces guarding the international border, the CM requested the Army to write to the PMO, defence minister and to the home minister to push for ‘forward area facilities’. He informed that in this regard, he had met the PM and had urged for a special package for border areas.

For recruitment to the de-

fence services, the CM urged for a permanent recruitment centres at Tawang for the western zone and Tezu for the eastern zone of the state.

Besides bringing employment opportunities, he assured that local youths will form a committed force who knows the terrain well.

The corps commander urged that the roads in interior pockets of Tawang district near the international border needs immediate attention. He urged the CM for maintenance of the JangdaThingbu road and requested for a bridge over Tawang Chu River towards Bramdungchung Gompa.

Let us hope for the best and prepare for the Pul announces incentives worst: Governor and Disaster Preparedness ET Bureau Itanagar, Apr 16 : The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Shri JP Rajkhowa reviewed the Disaster Management and Disaster Preparedness in the State at Raj Bhavan, Itanagar on 16th April 2016. Chief Minister Shri Kalikho Pul, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Chowna Mein, Chief Secretary Smt Shakuntala Gamlin, Shri Hage Khoda, Commissioner to Governor, Shri Hage Kojenn, Commissioner Disaster Management, Addl Secretary cum Director Disaster Management Smt Y.W. Ringu and IGP Shri Nabin Payeng along with Shri Shiv Om, Commandant, 12 Bn, National Disaster Response Force, Doimukh and Shri Tojo Karga, Commandant 1st AAP Bn & Nodal Officer, State Disaster Response Force and SP Fire Service Shri Kime Aya attended the high level meeting.

Reviewing the meeting, the Governor called for preparedness amongst the people to face any eventuality in case of disaster. He advised the State Government officials to mobilise volunteers and train the youth on disaster response pro-

ET Bureau Itanagar, Apr 16: To the much delight of the Indian Forest Service aspirants of the state, Chief Minister Kalikho Pul has announced to give incentives to the IFoS aspirant in line with the UPSC/ CSE qualifiers in learning that candidates for CSE and IFoS has to go

6-yr long Assam Agitation was sponsored by RSS cedure, starting from village level groups. He said that mock drills must be conducted involving students, volunteers, general public and elders in public places so that they prepare themselves how to response during earthquakes or any natural calamities. Army and paramilitary personnel, NGOs must be involved.

Control rooms must be set up immediately and activated round the clock. Communication network must be strengthened and mobile dispensaries and ambulances kept in place. Let us hope for the best and prepare for the worst, he added.

The Governor

emphasised on safety audits be carried out along with survey of buildings and other important infrastructures.

Going through the State Disaster Management Committee, the Governor suggested that senior officials of PWD, Power, Education, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary may be included along with representatives from NGOs. He also suggested that Disaster Management meeting must be held immediately in the districts and ADC headquarters.

The Governor stressed that in the line of NDRF, such unit with dedicated and fully equipped

trained people must also be stationed in different districts.

Participating in the discussion, Chief Minister Shri Pul briefed the Governor on action taken after the 13th April quake.

He said that fund has been released to districts for addressing any disaster in the future.

The Chief Minister informed that helicopters will be pressed in service during the time of disaster and helipads are going to be upgraded.

Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Chief Minister Shri Chowna Mein said that 13th April quake was an eye opener

for all and people must prepare themselves for any such challenges in future. He added that elected representatives must actively involve in creating awareness on disaster response procedures. The Deputy Chief Minister, who has recently returned from tour to Eastern part of the State, said that flood situation is grim in those affected areas.

Chief Secretary Smt Gamlin briefed the meeting on the overall Disaster Management and Disaster Preparedness. During her PowerPoint presentation, The Chief Secretary suggested for survey of

buildings by scientist of IIT Roorkee. She said that there is a need for additional human resource especially to man the State Emergency Operation Centre 24X7X365 and Emergency response vehicles for DDMOs. Dedicated State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in the state with proper search and rescues equipments must be in place. There is a need to implement and execute the Building Bye Law in the ground.

offerings to monks are some other attraction to enjoy the festivity of Sangken festival.

The three-day festival saw people splash and douse each other in water, which symbolized spiritual cleansing in order to begin the New Year free from impurities. The water also symbolizes fortune and purity that is said to clear all diseases, sins and bad luck.

During the Sangken, water is used for washing homes, Buddha statues, the ropes of holy manuscript, Bodhi tree, the hands of monks and feet of elderly people and soaking friends and passers-by.

During Sangken people dress up and light candles and burn incense

sticks at shrines where every lay devotees pay homage to offer thanks for the Buddha's teachings and to invoke the blessings of the Buddha for peace, harmony, good luck, good health and protection from the evil influences of Chow Khunkiew. Distribution of homemade delicacies likes tongtep (sweet wrapped in leaf), Khaomo-sen (fried rice cake), Khao-tek to families and friends adds more colour and vigor to the festival.

This year, as per the Theravada Buddhist Astrological prediction (Sangken Cha), Sangken which commenced on April 13, Wednesday by bringing out the statues of Lord Buddha for installing at temporary shrine at exactly 10:43:52 PM ended on April 16, Saturday by

taking back the statues of Lord Buddha from temporary shrine to its original place at 02:48:34 AM today. For this complete three days the statues of Lord Buddha was placed facing towards the south direction as it was believed that with the beginning of Sangken on April 13 at 10:43:52 PM the God of misfortune known as Chow Khunkiew entered earth from East adorned in red riding on buffalo holding bunch of flower in his right hand and water pot in his left hand going towards the South direction. Thus, the Lord Buddha statues were placed facing towards south to ward off the evil influences of Chow Khunkiew. This year as per Sangken Cha, the good day of the week will be Thursday and Satur-

day will be the bad day for this whole year.

Sangken was also celebrated with traditional gaiety in different places of the State; At Tengapani (Noy Chenam), the celebration of Sangken was led by Ven. Vimalatissa, Abbot of Kongmukham (Golden Pagoda) Monastery where the delegates of World Tipitika Foundation Thailand, members of Tai Khampti Literary & Heritage Society and Namsai youths alongwith the villagers of nearby areas flock in huge number gleefully to join with the novice and monks of Kongmukham Monastery for the Fraloung ceremony. Fra loung ceremony is the process of installation of statues of Lord Buddha in temporary shrine brought out from its

original shrine on the day of beginning of Sangken and kept for three-day completely until Sangken ends. The WTF delegates later distributed books and CDs on Tipitika and joined-in with others for Son-Fra (process of pouring and bathing the statues of Buddha with water).

At Empong, Many revellers from far and wide thronged the Empong Buddhist Vihara for the last three-day festival to celebrate their fortunes for the coming year and to see Sangken's festive best. Empong Monastery is famous and popular as Ti-Met(Holy place) as it is believed that the statue installed in there has special place65Devotees in huge numbers participate in Son Fra (to bathe the Buddha) and monk with scented floral water as a

Contd. from Page 1

The Assam Accord of 1985, signed at the culmination of the agitation

by All Assam Students Union (AASU) that had led the movement and Congress government at the Centre, had fixed March 31, 1971, as the date for detection of Bangladeshi infiltrators in the state.

Gogoi said he wanted the date fixed in the Accord to be adhered to and appreciated the present AASU leadership for The Chief Secretary em- supporting the 1971 deadline. phasized on State DisasReferring to the reter Mitigation Fund for ported surge in support long term Disaster preparedness and mitigation activities.

Three day Water Festival Sangken ends Contd. from Page 1

through a single Common Screening Test conducted by UPSC. The Prelims as well as Mains qualifiers of IFoS Exam conducted by UPSC shall be given same amount of incentives of Rs 2 lakhs to Prelims qualifier and Rs 3 lakhs to Mains qualifiers by the state govt. (CMO)

mark of homage. The more spiritual aspect of the Theravada Buddhist New Year can be seen here.

At Itanagar, The last three days of the festival was a sight to be seen in the Theravada Buddhist Temple where revellers from other communities also joined in the celebration to douse each other with scented water and to pay their homage to Buddha. The Theravada Buddhist Society Itanagar ensured 6all arrangement for smooth conduct of the water festival here in capital.

The water festival Sangken was also celebrated with traditional and religious fervour in Namsai, Tezu, Rima Puttok in Changlang, Chongkham and Phaneng in Namsai dist.

for the BJP-led alliance in the just concluded state polls, Gogoi said he was confident of the Congress winning 65 seats out of total 126 and forming the government for the fourth straight term.

"However, if the people give us the responsibility to sit in the opposition, we will fulfil that responsibility with full commitment," he added.

The Chief Minister said he has started review of all development activities after the lull due to the election process, adding that he will continue to work for the people with top priority.

Three among, RPF personnel held with fresh rhino horn Contd. from Page 1

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday directed T.Y.Das, Additional Chief Secretary (Govt of Assam) to probe the death of two rhinos-one on 9th April Saturday which was cut off live, from the adult female rhino under Northern Range of the Goarpal Forest Camp in Goarpal area in Kaziranga National Park. After choppingoff live from the horn the female rhino, was battling for life for over 24 hours died on the next day.

Soon after a gap of three nights on 13th April again, greedy poachers took the advantage of the Royal Guests who was still at Kaziranga for second

night on 13 April-when security forces were busy and managed to kill the adult male rhino and took off its horn, while security managed to recover huge amount of .303 rifle ammunition from the site where the carcass was recovered at Burapahar Range under Borghup Forest Camp in Segunbari area of the KNP. According a senior KNP official said, that in past three months sixteen days only poachers managed to kill rhinos and took off its horn, putting its toll to seven (7), which is taken as a very serious issue for the KNP employees and officials deputed in Kaziranga which has become a big challenge for us for several reasons behinds, which is difficult to speak out.

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, APRIL 17

PAGE 4

Dabur India Limited to boost economic growth of the locals in through Balipara Industrial Growth centre.

Shambhu Boro Tezpur, April 16 : At a time when industrialization in the region has been given top priority for checking burning issue of unemployment problem in the region, India’s one of leading FMCG Companies with Revenues of over Rs. 7,806.4 Crore & Market Capitalization of US $5 Billion is going to start a multi crore project in Balipra Industrial growth centre near Balipara in Sonitpur District to reflect the employment generation among the local unemployed youths besides production of variety of their products. The world’s largest Ayurvedic and Natural Health Care Company having a legacy of quality and experience of

over 131 years, started the big budget project in the aforementioned location on April 14 last performing the preliminary function bhumi puja in presence of Director, Dabur India Ltd. Sahrukh Khan, Vice President, Operation, Dabur India Ltd., rajib Ranjan, general Manager of the company, Subudh Sinha, GM (HR), Partha Ganguli, Company Executive, GS Pathak, Project manager, AB Sarma among others.

It is to be mentioned here that the Balipara Industrial growth centre in Ghoramari-Balipara area covering about 1450 bighas of land area came into force for the project of industrial growth for mitigating unemployment problem among the unemployed youths of

the region, during the first AGP regime. One local social worker Deben Narjary said that people of the area particularly the Boro people donated their land to the Department concerned with an expectation of employment generation among the local youths through the mega project. However, it was not executed due to the lack of proper policy of the department concerned to boost up the assignment. “Though “NIXIL” a Pharmaceutical company Ltd. started a project in the site for producing medicine at very beginning, later became defunct following rumor of insurgency problems in the area.” He mentioned adding the administrative building having required every facili-

ties constructed with a big budget is lying useless for many years. At the same time, also a world leader in Ayurveda with a portfolio of over 250 Herbal/ Ayurvedic products Dabur India is widely appreciated by one and all in the area for taking up a multi-crore project to institutionalize the large area lying unutilized over the last many years through their proposed project.

Talking with this correspondent, the company personals informed that production of flagship brands with distinct brand identities, besides employment of locals in the construction work and in various posts after the mega project starts functioning will be the top priority of the company.

Highlighting the business

CELEBRATING BIHU

achievement of the company with an international repute, the officials also said that Dabur today operates in key consumer products categories like Hair Care, Oral Care, Health Care, Skin Care, Home Care and Foods.

“We have a wide distribution network, covering over 5.8 million retail outlets with a high penetration in both urban and rural markets. Our products also have a huge presence in the overseas markets and are today available in over 60 countries across the globe. Its brands are highly popular in the Middle East, SAARC countries, Africa, US, Europe and Russia.

Dabur's overseas revenue today accounts for over 30% of the total turnover.” They claimed.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Jayanti Celebrated at ONGC Assam Asset ET Correspondent Nazira, Apr 16 : ONGC Assam Asset celebrated 125th Birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar with great enthusiasm.

The programme was organized at ONGC, Nazira and Ambedkar Park, ONGC Colony, Sivasagar in collaboration with All India SC ST Employees Welfare Association. The program began with the garlanding of Dr. Ambedkar statue. Rich floral tribute was paid to the great son of the world.

Speaking on the occasion as chief guest Mr. V. P. Mahawar, Director (Onshore), ONGC paid rich tribute to the Chief Architect of the Constitution of India. Mr. Mahawar informed the

gathering about the basic philosophy of Dr. Ambedkar and suggested AISCSTWA to come out with welfare programs for the up-liftment of the society where ONGC

can actively participate and support the noble mission.

Mr. A. K. Srinivasan, Director (Finance), while paying rich tribute to Baba Saheb, informed

Provide logistic support: Governor to Corps Commander

ET Bureau Itanagar, Apr 16 : Corps Commander 4 Corps Lt. General D. Anbu, AVSM, YSM, SM called on the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Shri JP Rajkhowa at Raj Bhavan, Itanagar on 16th April 2016. They discussed on overall security of the State, particularly the western sector of Arunachal Pradesh, which comes under 4 Corps.

The Governor appreciated the Army for their noble gestures in the past for the people in border areas. He advised the Corps Commander take up more Sadbhavana Projects in the State to instil better cordial relationship between the security forces and civilian population of the Frontier State. He called for medical, ration, educa-

tional and logistic support from the Army to benefit the people residing in the border areas.

The Governor called for Army’s quick response and assistance during the time of natural calamities, while referring to rescue of tourists in the Sela Pass area of Tawang District a few days back, who were trapped on the road due to sudden heavy snowfall. He said that early response of the Army will save many lives and properties.

With their strong and well established communication network, the force can also help in communicating SOS messages of the affected people as well as the concerned disaster management authorities, State and Central Governments. It will be of great help to the State Govern-

ment in providing necessary requirements to the affected people so as to enable them to cope with the prevailing situation.

He suggested for raining the local youth as volunteers to cope with natural calamities, like floods, earthquakes, heavy landslides due to cloud burst etc.

The Governor asked the Corps Commander to maintain road communication at all costs especially during the rainy season, which would not only facilitate the troop movement but also transportation of food items etc. for the civilian population.

Responding to the request from the Corps Commander, the Governor assured that Raj Bhavan will definitely facilitate any proposal of the Army, in this regard.

the gathering about the ideology of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and his stupendous work for the welfare and betterment of the society.

Mr. D. D. Misra, Direc-

tor (HR). has conveyed his message on the occasion through video message.

Mr. Budhin Deuri, Executive Director, ONGC, Assam Asset while speaking on the occasion urged the gathering to follow the path shown by Dr. Ambedkar and work together with concerted efforts for the benefits and upliftment of the society.

Mr. A. K. Vij, Designated Asset Manager, ONGC, Jorhat Asset, Mr. P. R. Mili, President CWC, AISCSTEWA and Mr. B. C. Das, Chairman of Nazira/Sivasagar branch & Regional Vice President, CWC and Mr. Subhash Payeng, Treasurer CWC also spoke on the occasion. The event was attended by a large numbers of ONGCians and people from the surrounding areas.

Jorhat sounded high alert along river Bhogdoi ET Correspondent Jorhat, Apr 16: Jorhat sounded high alert along the river Bhogdoi that flowing from Nagaland as water flows down stream touching major area of the Jorhat district while Puthi river flowing through Teok with Jhanji river flowing through Sivasagar and Charaipani river flowing through major areas in Titabor as due to incessant rain for past several days at hill tops in Nagaland following which several areas within the district of Mokokchung is being flooded following which government of Nagaland is planning to leave the water

downstream by opening the switchgate at three points following which the rivers might be over flooded so the administration had sounded high alert firstly along the rivers that flowing from Nagaland side, informed Dijwendra Gogoi the district information and publicity officer here today.

The DIPRO through his statement requested the people of the district to remain alert as water in the river Bhogdoi might raise at any moment which everyone need to be aware so that a situation like 1977 may be repeated too.

Rangia Petrol depot closed down ET Correspondent Rangia, Apr 16: Sudden closure of the only petrol depot following non-renewal of its license , the only functional oil depot near Nakul village of Rangiya following nonrenewal of its trade license, customers of the same are facing lots of problems in getting fuel their vehicles for the last four days here.

A section of oil black marketeers selling petrol or diesel in open in much higher rate. The business, as continued from earlier at several places at the

very nose of civil administration, seemed to extended as users had no other option than to procure at the rate of the former following he nonfunctioning of the said petrol pump. SDocivil Kalisah Karthik N told this correspondent administration had looked into the problem and it would take another few days to solve the problem with the oil depot. He further told, required steps would be initiated to look into the open black sale of the fuel by a section of fraudulent money makers.

From Top to bottom - Union minister Sarbanada Sonowal celebrating Bihu at his Chabua Mulukgaon residence; Girls perform Bihu in Duliajan; traditional egg fight at Demow; traditional jeng bihu at Majuli and Assam singing sensation Zubeen performs along with a co-singer at the Latashil Bihu Function in Guwahati. Pix by - Arjun Mishra, Surajit Gogoi and UB Photos

REGION

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, APRIL 17

PAGE 5

Garia puja being Style of functioning dilemma for Mukul, PN Syiem celebrated across the state Agencies Agartala, Apr 16 : Garia Puja, the biggest festival of the tribal in Tripura is being celebrated with pomp and gaiety across the state. Thousands of people are thronging in to the pandels made with uniquely crafted bamboos to offer their puja and also to participate in the mela and cultural programmes being organized beside most of the pandels.

The state level Garia Puja festival was organised at Manikyabari of Atharabhola ADC village under Killa block of Udaipur. Inaugurating the festival Governor Tathagata Roy highlighted the high spirit of everybody's welfare involved with Baba Garia.

He said Garia puja is the cementing factor for bringing amity and harmony among different section of the society cutting across tribal, nontribal and religious differences. Chief Guest on the occasion the rural development minister Naresh Jamatia said the apple of the Garia Puja

is not confined within any community. The annual number of the Jamatia Hoda's mouthpiece 'Baisu' was released on the occasion.

The state level festival was organized by the Jamatia Hoda, the highest body of the jamatia community which has a tradition of its existence for long 425 years. This community is the custodian of the images of Garia and every year the high priest of the community presides over the annual event. The seven day long procession with the two images of Baba Garia is the main attraction of the festival where thousands of people participate.

Rampada Jamatia, president of the Baba Garia Mission, said the main aim of the festival and puja is to pray peace for all. He also recalled the glorious role the Jamatia Hoda played in the state in containing insurgency and its contribution for bringing peace in other insurgency ravaged states of the region.

Hailstorm wreaked havoc Agencies Bishnupur, Apr 16 : Hailstorm wreaked havoc in Phubala and Sunusiphai area under Bishnupur district on Thursday at around 6.30 pm.

festival of the area as majority of the melon crop were destroyed by hailstones yesterday. He has appealed the authorities concerned to monitor the damages incurred in the storm.

Huge hailstones damaged crops and buildings in the areas.

Sunusiphai Farmer's club president L Shyamkumar said summer crops of 15 farmers at Sunusiphai Maning Leikai (approximately 40 paris) have been destroyed in the hailstorm yesterday.

About 70 houses were reportedly damaged as hail- stones perforated tin roofs.

He expressed disappointment that the club will not be able to organise the annual Water Melon

Houses of Warepam Ingocha, Warepam Sanatombi Devi, Oinam Yaima Singh, Oinam Ibohal Singh, Oinam Sanjoy Singh and Salam Babuyaima Singh of Sunusiphai Mayai Leikai and Phubala Maka Leikai received major damages.

AGENCIES Shillong, Apr 16: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and his critic Chief Executive Member of KHADC P N Syiem are facing the same dilemma of being questioned for the their style of functioning.

While on Tuesday last, Independent MDC from Mawhati James Sylliang had accused the KHADC CEM of being dictatorial and authoritative, the latter on Friday said that he used to take decisions collectively.

On the other hand on Wednesday, after the cabinet meeting, a ques-

weekly market day at Haflong the villagers from far flung villages who come to Haflong market to sell their vegetables and collect their daily needs found untold difficulties while negotiating with the strong and heavy rain and hailstone.

People remained confined to their respective residences as the rain and hailstone didn't allow them to come out of

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma expect my colleagues to take care of concerns of the party members" As far as KHADC is con-

cerned, the accusation of Sylliang, who was deprived of Trade and Enforcement portfolio in

the Executive Committee (EC) is that CEM had allotted two toll gates on lease without consulting the EC. Earlier, some MDCs had also alleged that there was inequitable distribution of central funds of over Rs 130 crore to the MDCs as major chunk was allotted to Syiem and his close associates.

However, according to CEM, the toll gate was set up to check the leakage of revenue as the report of CAG had pointed out huge leakage of revenue due to the free movement of coal laden trucks.

Factory of spurious consumer items closed in Manipur IANS Imphal, Apr 16 : Activists in Manipur are up against manufacturers of spurious food items who make a good fortune but pose a grave threat to public health, selling repackaged outdated items bought from other states.

A group of activists in Manipur on Friday raided the factory of Ajay Prasad from Bihar. He was doing a roaring business in Manipur and some other northeastern states, allegedly in spurious food items. The activists shut down his business forever.

It may be noted that the north eastern states have become a dumping

ground of various spurious Indian-made foreign liquor, medicines and edible items.

Various consumer items with expired date of consumption are collected from cities like Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai and brought for sale in the north east states.

One of the student activists said: "Food inspectors in most of these NE states are conspicuous by their absence and inaction. It is the student activists who seize the food items which are highly injurious to health."

"There had been complaints about suspicious looking medicines and

contaminated bottles," a medical representative said.

Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) and other activists of International Peace and Social Advancement (IPSA) and Kangleipak Students' Association raided the street factory owned by Prasad at Khurai Ahongei in Imphal West district.

IPSA president Luwangcha Chingkhei said: "The raid was conducted on receiving complaints from some consumers. We found empty printed packets of popular brand names of various consumer items.

"The modus operandi is that sub-standard and injurious food items are stuffed in these packets for sale to the gullible consumers."

He said there were huge quantities of used and odourless tea leaf sacks perhaps collected from hotels and restaurants. It is mixed generously and packed in "Kaziranga tea" manufactured in Assam.

Confessing to the crime of selling such a harmful consumer items, Prasad reportedly told the activists that he had bought a packaging machine two months ago.

He also said various biscuits, which expired long

time ago are packed in new packets for sale through the region.

During recent raids, it was found that popular brand ice creams were manufactured at roadside factories using dirty drain water. Shops and houses divert washrooms' effluents to the drains, from where criminals draw water for manufacturing the ice cream.

Ingredients of the ice creams were found full of flies and maggots inside the street factories during the raid.

Food inspectors and police were not available to comment as yet on the raid of the street factory of Prasad.

NPF issues show cause notice to Neiphiu Rio AGENCIES Dimapur, Apr 16: In a sharp contrast to the talk of reconciliation within NPF, the party high command appears to be gunning for the leadership of the rebel group who came close to toppling the TR Zeliang-Dr Shurhozelie NPF legislature that was reduced to minority in January 2015.

After NPF leader and former minister Imkong L.Imchen was suspended from the party; NPF

Heavy hailstone and incessant rain hit normal life at Haflong ET Correspondent, Haflong April 16 : Heavy hailstone and incessant downpour at Haflong brought the normal life to a grinding halt on Saturday.

There was a warning from the Disaster Management authority of Dima Hasao that during last 48 hours there would be heavy rain in Dima Hasao.

Today being Saturday, the

tion was asked by a scribe to the Chief Minister on critics questioning his style and functioning with specific reference to the views of former Congress leader Frankenstein Momin.

In his reply, Sangma explained that before becoming the Chief Minister, he used to be always with the party men, but "people thought I was befriending party leaders to topple the government which was not true".

According to Sangma, after becoming the Chief Minister, his focus was on "work, work and work and nothing else. Now I

their residences. The rain, thunder and hailstone were so heavy and strong that people experienced night like situation even in afternoon. Though there has been no serious damages reported so far but people are worried and alerted others also to be careful about any untoward situation followed by the incessant rain in the district.

A rally organized by the Joint Action Committee, Seng Longkmie, in condemnation against crimes against women in Upper Shillong. Pic - UB Photos

founder-member and three-time chief minister and current Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio, was served with a show cause notice by the NPF Disciplinary Action Committee(DAC) on April 13,2016 based on "numerous complaints" against him "from various corners".

Press Bureau said the DAC, after examination of complaints, found Rio involved in the following : "anti-party activism, orchestrated and

harboured dissident movement within NPF party, camped at his private forts; being instrumental in lodging complaints before the Judicial Magistrate against the chief minister; violated party constitutional provisions by being absent on four consecutive times from party meetings and "heinously" initiating to topple the present government and campaigning maliciously against the party president, even after party rec-

onciliation". DAC had confirmed beyond doubt that Rio had been indulging in anti-party activities and for which he was served with a show cause notice and why disciplinary action should not be initiated against him.

It was learnt that Rio had replied to the notice on April 15. NPF said Rio had stepped down as chief minister on his own volition to contest the Lok Sabha despite pleas from party legislators and workers to recon-

sider his decision.

It said Rio promised to work whole heartedly for early solution of the Naga political issue and take up various developmental activities for the state. However, NPF central said, Rio instead deviated from his commitment by devoting time, energy of giving false hope and commitments to many, if they support his mission for change of leadership of the present state government.

Regarding the allocation of funds, Syiem said that though the Centre had released the money to the state government, the same was yet to be allocated by the government to the Council "We have not identified the areas and constituencies as the fund is yet to be released by the state government", the CEM said A senior party leader commenting on the matter said that when politicians are in high positions, criticism is bound to come on their performances and style and functioning which need to be tackled cautiously.

Regional parties to meet Centre, direct funding of ADC sought Agencies Agartala, Apr 16 : The regional parties , INPT and IPFT, will leave for Delhi soon to press for more autonomy and direct funding for ADC by centre.

Jagadish Debbarma, general secretary of INPFT, felt that the recent sanction of a special project for ADC worth Rs 176 crores by Centre has enthused them and the party feel that Centre will not stand in the way of further empowering of ADC . 'The matter has been discussed in a recent meeting of our central committee and a delegation of our leaders may visit Delhi soon to meet the union ministry of home affairs to discuss the issue' said Jagadish. Similarly, the regional IPFT is also planning to visit Delhi for a discussion with Centre over empowering of ADC. 'The trouble is that funds meant for ADC are disbursed by the state government and lots of political pulls and pressures play on to this' said senior IPFT leader Benoy Debbarma , reiterating his party's demand for direct central funding of ADC

by Centre.

Mayang Imphal locals clash with police Agencies Imphal, Apr 15: Police fired several rounds of tear gas shell to disperse local protesters and JAC members who stormed Mayang Imphal police station demanding the unconditional release of a person who was pulled up by the police at about 12.30 am today in connection with the lynching of two youths by a mob recently.

Large number of irate locals of Mayang Imphal Thongkhong and JAC members stormed the Mayang Imphal police station soon after they came to know that one Khagembam Ibungo (43) s/o (L) Achouba of Mayang Imphal Thongmakhong has been pulled up by the police.

According to the police officer of Imphal police station, Khagembam Ibungo was pulled up for questioning. Ibungo is said to be the owner of

the Activa Moped which three youths reportedly attempted to steal resulting in the lynching of two of them.

The angry locals and JAC members despite the CrPC 144 imposed by the DC Imphal West came out in large number and carried out the protest in front of Mayang Imphal police station along Mayai Lambi.

A large number of police personnel deployed in the area swung into ac-

tion to prevent any untoward incident.

After s solution evaded the two parties, a confrontation broke out between the police and protesters at Mayang Imphal bazar area.

Local protesters pelted stones and resorted to the use of slingshot. Police fired tear gas shells and mock bombs in retaliation. The confrontation lasted for about 10 minutes.

Police later pushed all the protesters back to

their respective area and brought the situation under control.

Speaking to mediapersons, S Mohan member of the JAC against supporters of thieves at Sangai Sabi Mayang Imphal said that if Khagembam Ibungo, owner of the Activa Moped, is not released without condition they will not remain silent and will launch various forms of agitation.

He also warned the State Government not to arrest five individuals who were allegedly involved in the mob incident which led to the death of two youths. He said the mob did not comprise of the five persons alone.

He also said that all of a sudden the mob was formed soon after the thieves were caught.

He stated that if the Government bows to the pressure of another group and arrest the five persons then the JAC

along with other bodies will not remain silent and take out various forms of agitation and the Govt will be held responsible for any outcome.

Mayai Lambi road remained deserted as most of the passenger service vehicles and other private vehicles remained off the roads while all the shops and business establishments remained closed at Mayang Imphal area.

Police personnel in large number were seen deployed at various important junctions of Mayang Imphal area to prevent any kind of untoward incident in the area.

Four companies of CRPF, two companies of IRB, one company of Mahila Battalion IRB, commandos from Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal and Bishnupur have been stationed in the area.

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, APRIL 17

PAGE 6

Sexual transmission of Zika virus confirmed ANI Washington D.C, Apr 16 : A team of researchers has confirmed that the Zika virus can be transmitted sexually.

The analyses by researchers from Inserm, the Paris Public Hospitals (Bichat Hospital, AP-HP), Aix-Marseille University and the National Reference Centre for Arboviruses have shown 100 percent genetic correlation between the form of the virus present in a man who contracted the virus in Brazil and that of a woman who had never travelled in the epidemic

Congress will eradicate drug menace from Punjab: Rahul Gandhi Zirakpur (Mohali, Punjab), Apr. 16 : Reiterating his stand on the prevalent drug menace in Punjab, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday assured that if the Congress government comes to power in the state, the drug problems will be eradicated within months, as the current state government was turning a 'blind eye' to the dilemma.

"Drugs are and have been a very serious problem in Punjab. The Akalis made fun of me the last time I came here and said that but it is the truth. Raising the issue of drugs is not against Punjab. Saying that the Akalis are not taking action against drugs, is not against Pubjab," Rahul told the media here ahead of his meeting to discuss issues related to Assembly polls next year with the Party.

He further asserted that when the Congress party comes to power in the state, action will be swiftly taken on the menace and the results will be seen within months, as the situation will completely change.

Rahul accused the state government of simply avoiding and ignoring the the problem at hand.

Stating that he wants to extend all help possible for the betterment and the development of Punjab, he added that Punjab is the heart of the nation and help must be given to the state in every way possible.

"The challenge now is that there are thousands of farmers in Punjab whose money must be given to them without delay. Punjab's farmers feed the entire nation, so the most important thing is taking care of them," Rahul said.

"Congress party stands together and we want to give a new government to Punjab which is sensitive, concerned about the future of its youth, takes care of farmers, and re-starts the old industries," he added.

Congress faced defeat in the 2007 and 2012 Punjab Assembly polls and hopes at tasting victory in 2017. (ANI)

area, but who had sexual relations with him.

For the first time, and to take things further, French researchers have been able to culture the infecting virus from two people seeking a consultation for suspected ZIKA infection.

Specimens of urine, saliva and blood were taken from a man who returned from Brazil, and had contracted the virus there. The same specimens were taken from a sick woman who had sexual relations with this man, but who had never travelled to an epidemic area.

While the virus was detected in the urine and saliva of the woman, analysis of the specimens

showed that it was absent from the blood and saliva of the man, making it unlikely that transmis-

sion occurred by these routes.

The researchers then tested his semen for the virus and detected high viral loads at 15 days and at 3 weeks after the patient's return from Brazil.

The virus from both persons was individually sequenced (using a saliva sample from the woman and a semen sample from the man) for genetic analysis. Examination showed 100 percent correlation between the two genetic sequences. Apart from 4 mutations, all of them "synonymous," the nucleotide sequences

both encoded an identical form of the virus.

"Our work confirms, using molecular analyses, that sexual transmission of the Zika virus exists, and should be taken into consideration when making recommendations, due to its persistence in the semen several weeks after infection. The period for which men should systematically have protected sexual relations (even oral) needs to be defined," explained researcher Yazdan Yazdanpanah.

These results are published in The New England Journal of medicine.

India's Constitution a living document, not relic cast in stone, says president ANI Bhopal, Apr.16 : President Pranab Mukherjee said Saturday that the Constitution of India is a living document and should not be treated or seen as a relic cast in stone.

Inaugurating the Fourth Retreat of Judges of the Supreme Court at the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal today, President Mukherjee said the retreat will provide a forum to discuss contemporary challenges that the country faces today along with global and transnational elements of legal disputes and adjudication.

He said discussion and reflection of this nature is important, as well as necessary, to enable

judges keep pace with times and be able to deliver fair and effective justice in a rapidly changing world.

The president described the judiciary as one of the three important pillars of India's democracy, and as the final interpreter of the Constitution and laws.

"It helps in maintaining the social order by swiftly and effectively dealing with those on the wrong side of the law. As an upholder of the Rule of Law and enforcer of the right to liberty, the role of the judiciary is sacrosanct. The faith and confidence people have reposed in the judiciary must always be maintained. For justice to have meaning to the

people, it must be accessible, affordable and quick," he said.

"We have a written Constitution in India, which is a living document, not a relic cast in stone. It is a Magna Carta of socioeconomic transformation. The apex court of India has continuously been interpreting the mandate for good governance enshrined in the Constitution on the altar of contemporary situations and challenges facing the country, whether due to global winds of change or from within," he added.

"This has not been merely an exercise in interpretation of laws or legal order, much less an exercise in edifying jurisprudence; it has cap-

tured the ethos of our developing society as it has evolved from the colonial shackles to a social order replete with the essence of human dignity, of aspirations of a populace maturing into a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic as mandated by the makers of our Constitution," he said.

The President said given the circumstances of our developing country, our judiciary has enlarged the scope of justice. For the enforcement of fundamental rights, the Supreme Court through judicial innovation and activism has expanded the common law principle of 'locus standi'. It has been made possible for courts

to permit anyone with sufficient interest and acting bonafide to maintain an action for judicial redress, and to activate the judicial process.

He emphasized that at the same time, judicial activism should not lead to the dilution of separation of powers. Each organ of our democracy must function within its own sphere and must not take over what is assigned to the others.

"The balance of power between the three organs of the state is enshrined in our Constitution.

TheConstitution is supreme. The equilibrium in the exercise of authority must be maintained at all times," the President said.

EU Parliament criticises worsening minority situation in Pakistan ANI Brussels (Belgium), Apr.16 : European Parliament, in its plenary session held on April 14, took Pakistan to task for the country's abysmal human rights record with regard to treatment of the Christians and other minority communities.

The debate in the plenary session took place in the context of the recent attacks on the Christian community in Lahore on Easter day in 2016 that resulted in the killings of more than 70 individuals, including 30 children.

The MEPs criticised the dismal record of Pakistan in terms of minority protection, and viewed the Lahore attacks in the

backdrop of innumerable previous instances of attacks on minorities in the country.

Josef Weidenholzer, a professor of social policy, said this was not the first time that Pakistan was being discussed in the European Parliament in the context of state of minorities in the country. Cristian Dan Preda, a Romanian political science professor, remarked that the recent attack on Christians in lahore showed a lack of tolerance when it comes to granting minorities a minimal freedom of speech in Pakistan.

The MEPs also called for the removal of the controversial blasphemy laws in Pakistan and

called for the release of Asia Bibi. Michaela Ă… ojdrova, a member of the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats), said that Asia Bibi faced persecution for professing her right to free faith.

The MEPs called upon the European Union to ensure the protection of human rights of the minorities and other vulnerable groups in Pakistan.

Alberto Cirio also of the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) stated that EU must defend human rights in Pakistan, and as part of this must also show its concern towards the struggles of the people of Baluchistan and urged

the International Government to pressure Pakistan to stop supporting terrorism.

Marie Christine Vergiat, a community organizations' activist and a French politician, also stated that the Pakistan government supported terror groups, and called upon the EU to exert pressure on Pakistan by using the GSP agreements.

The MEPs came down heavily on the Pakistani government for failing to provide adequate security to minorities in the country, and for the constant attacks on minorities time and again.

Dan Belder stated that the discourse of hate in Pakistani schoolbook

against minorities must be removed immediately. Islamic schools mushroom hated against Minorities, so the EU must monitor aid to Pakistani education system. Belder further said that government of Pakistan had failed to provide adequate security to minorities.

Charles Tannock, a British politician, psychiatrist, and Member of the European Parliament for London for the Conservative Party, categorically stated: "We have debated religious extremism in Pakistan for some time now and I do hope there is now a will in this country for some change."

Restrictions remain in force in Kashmir AGENCIES Srinagar, Apr 16: Curfew-like restrictions continued for the fourth day in parts of Kashmir following killing of five persons in security forces action since Tuesday, even as mobile Internet services have been snapped across the Valley.

Strict restrictions have been imposed in some areas in north Kashmir,

including Kupwara and Handwara towns, to maintain law and order, a police official said.

He said restrictions also continued in some police station areas of Srinagar city as a precautionary measure.

The affected police station areas include Maharajgunj, Khanyar, Nowhatta, Rainawari, Safakadal and Maisuma, he said.

The restrictions were imposed following death of three persons during protests against alleged molestation of a girl by a soldier in Handwara town on Tuesday.

Another youth was killed in Drugmulla area of Kupwara during protests against the Handwara incident a day after.

In the fresh spate of violence yesterday, 18-yearold Arif Hussain Dar was

killed while three others sustained bullet injuries when army opened fire to disperse stone-pelting protestors outside a camp in Nathnusa area of Kupwara, 100 kms from here, the official said.

Mobile Internet services across Kashmir have been completely snapped to curb rumour mongering, the official said.

More than 40 security forces men were injured

in the clashes yesterday, the official said.

Despite severe provocations, the deployment on ground exercised maximum restraint, he said.

He said incidents of stone-pelting were reported from Mir Mohalla, Hyhama Chowk, Kralpora in Kupwara, Kralgund, Magam in Handwara and Cement Bridge, Baramulla yesterday.

Continue to push Operation Akarsh, exhorts Andhra CM PTI Vijayawada, Apr 16 : With 11 MLAs of the Opposition YSR Congress coming into its fold so far, the ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh has decided to give a push to the Operation Akarsh, it launched a couple of months ago.

"Invite all like-minded leaders into the party and make them partners in the (states) development process," TDP supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu exhorted his party colleagues today.

Naidu remarks came amid reports that at least half a dozen more MLAs belonging to the YSRC were ready to cross over to the ruling party, unable to stand the "autocratic attitude" of their leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

The TDPs intention appears to be depleting the lone Opposition of considerable strength in the Assembly and mar its chance of winning one

Rajya Sabha seat in the biennial election due next month.

Speaking to ministers, legislators, and his party colleagues through teleconference this morning, Naidu said no injustice would be done to those who have been serving the party for long even if leaders from other parties join in.

"No problems will arise with the entry of leaders from other parties. The number of Assembly seats in the state will increase (from 175 to 225), so nobody needs to worry," he added.

The TDP chief also asked his party leaders to work together with newcomers "without inhibitions" and take part in development and service activities.

"Service (to people) should be the guiding spirit. If we serve people well, they will be ready to return us to power even for four or five terms. Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh are examples in this regard," Naidu observed.

Swaraj to Take Up Death of Indian Students, Bizman on Russia Trip PTI New Delhi, Apr 16 : On the eve of her visit to Russia, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said that she will take up the death of two Indians in a fire tragedy and killing of another Indian in that country during her talks with the authorities. Swaraj on Saturday left for a two-nation three-day visit to Iran and Russia.

She will go to Moscow from Tehran on Sunday where she will participate in the annual Foreign Ministers' meeting of RIC (Russia, India and China). "I am going to Moscow. The final investigation report into

fire tragedy in which we lost Pooja Kallur and Krishma Bhonsle is on my agenda.

"I will also take up the matter of Yasir an Indian national from Srinagar who was killed in Kazan (Russia)," Swaraj said in a series of tweets. Besides attending the RIC meeting, she is also expected to have a bilateral meet with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.

Two Indian girl students were killed in a fire at the Smolensk Medical Academy in western Russia in February while a Kashmiri businessman died after being attacked by unidentified men last month.

Distressed by loss of lives, damage caused: PM Modi on Japan earthquake

New Delhi, Apr. 16 : Offering his condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the deadly earthquake in Japan where almost 23 people were killed, Prime Minster Narendra Modi on Saturday said that he was distressed by the loss of lives and the damage caused by the quake.

"Distressed on the loss of lives & damage caused by the quake in Japan. My thoughts are with bereaved families & prayers with the injured," the Prime Minister tweeted.

Meanwhile, residents in

Japan are grappling with aftershocks as emergency crews scramble to rescue survivors trapped under rubble.

At least 23 people died in the latest Kyushu earthquake as a powerful 7.0magnitude quake hit the area today.

Two days earlier, a 6.2.magnitude quake rattled the area, killing nine people. This brought the total death toll from both earthquakes to 32.

Both earthquakes left 968 people injured, according to the disaster management office. (ANI)

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, APRIL 17

PAGE 7

NEIGHBOURS

India looks to corner China on Jaish chief Masood Azhar AGENCIES New Delhi, Apr 16: As foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and NSA Ajit Doval look to meet their Chinese counterparts next week, India has mounted a diplomatic offensive to corner Beijing for its decision to again block a UN ban on Pathankot attack accused and Jaish-eMohammad chief Masood Azhar.

Addressing a UNSC open debate on threats from terrorism, India has demanded that the secret veto provision in the alQaida, Taliban & ISIS Sanctions Committees be revisited to prevent its misuse by members.

The procedures of unanimity and anonymity resulted in lack of accountability, India's permanent representative to

the UN Syed Akbaruddin said in his address. China has used the same to block the ban on Azhar.

Official sources said the issue of Azhar will dominate the agenda of meetings which Swaraj and Doval will have with Chinese leaders next week. While Swaraj is expected to have a bilateral meeting with her counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of RIC trilateral in Moscow on April 18, Doval will meet state councilor Yang Jiechi in Beijing three days later.

While India had taken up the Azhar issue with China at a fairly high level, as foreign secretary S Jaishankar had said earlier, in the absence of any response from Beijing, the gov-

Four more Indonesian seamen abducted off Philippine coast

India too big to be ignored: former S'pore minister

ANI Jakarta, Apr.16 : Indonesia's foreign ministry has in a statement confirmed the abduction of four seamen by the Abu Sayyaf militant group off the Philippine coast.

The Foreign Ministry issued a statement Saturday that said Abu Sayyaf rebels had hijacked an Indonesian tugboat TB Henry and a barge Cristi at around 6 p.m. local time on Friday in waters bordering Malaysia and the Philippines.

It said both vessels were on their way to Tarakan in North Kalimantan from Cebu, the Philippines.

The foreign ministry said that six of the ten crew members, however, managed to escape. One of them, however, was injured by the gunmen.

Friday's abduction comes a month after 10 Indonesian sailors were kidnapped.

Nepali Congress not in hurry to join govt. says Prakash Man Singh Kathmandu, Apr.16 : Nepali Congress (NC) leader and former deputy prime minister Prakash Man Singh on Saturday said that his party was not in hurry to join the government.

Asserting that Nepali Congress could also carry out works for the people and the country sitting in the opposition, Singh said that the NC's joining the government was only a propaganda spread by the ruling parties while speaking in a New Year greetings exchange and calendar unveiling programme organised by the NC Constituency-7 committee here.

He also clarified that although the erstwhile NCled government had wanted to conduct the local body elections, it could not due to lack of political consensus.

"The local bodies' election should be held as early as possible now," the Himalayan Times quoted him as saying.

Singh instructed the party cadres to get down to work in implementing the policies and programmes endorsed by the party. (ANI)

PTI Singapore , Apr 16: Underlining that India is too big to get ignored, Singapore's former foreign minister George Yeo has said the strategic "sweet spot" the country has found itself in is helping it attract investment and extend global influence in all directions.

In a lengthy foreword to a new book, "India Rising: Fresh Hope, New Fears" by veteran jour-

ernment is now looking to Swaraj and Doval to convince the Chinese that their intransigence on Azhar would hurt attempts by the international community to fight terrorism.

Akbaruddin said each of the 15 members on the committees now had a veto and none except

nalist Ravi Velloor, Yeo said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has surprised many by the brilliance of his foreign policy, keeping all external forces in dynamic balance.

Yeo, who himself played a key role in the Singapore-India relationship first as trade minister, then foreign minister, said "India is too big to be ignored, yet not so powerful to be considered a threat by any of the

these 15 members were told who had wielded the veto in a specific instance.

"The general membership of the UN is never ever formally informed of how and why requests for listing terrorists are not acceded to,"Akbaruddin said.

"Counter-terror mecha-

major powers."

"The country can also be expected to maintain its traditional independence in foreign policy," he said.

"There is no danger to the US and Japan that India will get too close to China. But there is also no danger that India can be made use of by others to contain China. I agree wholeheartedly with Ravi (the author) that India is now in a strategic sweet spot courted by

nisms such as the sanctions committees that act on behalf of the international community need to build trust, not engender impunity by the use of this form of a 'hidden' veto," he added.

Akbaruddin's remarks come against the backdrop of China once again blocking a bid by India to ban Azhar following January's terror attack on the Pathankot airbase. China had at the last moment stopped the UN sanctions committee from designating Azhar a terrorist, maintaining that the case 'did not meet Security Council's requirements". The UN had banned the JeM in 2001 but India's efforts for slapping sanctions on Azhar after the 2008 Mumbai attacks also did not fructify as veto-

everyone," Yeo wrote.

"This can help India attract investment, export to the world and extend its global influence in all directions, including Southeast Asia," said Yeo. The book details the key events in the decade that led to the rise of Modi as prime minister.

The book includes insider accounts of events such as the removal of National Security Ad-

wielding China did not let the request go through, apparently at P a k i s t a n ' s behest.Akbaruddin said the UN was uniquely placed to provide the platform necessary for real cooperation and coordination in the common fight against terrorism but the Security Council alone could not sufficiently respond to tackling terrorism.

"This cooperation needs to encompass norm-setting, rule-making as well as practical and specific ways to counter terrorism.

It is for this reason we feel that the actions of the Security Council alone, no matter how effective in responding to identified threats, cannot provide a sufficient response to the global scourge of terror," he said.

viser MK Narayanan, the resignation of navy chief DK Joshi, how India handled the crisis in Sri Lanka and the Mumbai attack, and the tense relationship between UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The book will be released in Singapore on April 21 by Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, the architect of Singapore's close ties with India.

Lanka will revert to U.S. human rights after thorough analysis Colombo,Apr.16 :The Sri Lankan government has said that it will give its views regarding a report released by the United States Department of State on the country's human rights situation last year after studying the report thoroughly.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Harsha De Silva has said that the government will express its views on the report on Sri Lanka in the 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices published by the U.S. Department of State after a thorough analysis, reports Lanka Page website.

The executive summary

of the report on Sri Lanka said that widespread impunity continued in Sri Lanka last year for the crimes committed during the armed conflict and other crimes committed following the end of the conflict, particularly for cases of torture, sexual violence, corruption, and human rights abuses.

The government arrested a number of military and police personnel and other government officials implicated in human rights violations for the crimes committed during the armed conflict.

The report noted that the government arrested and detained a number of military, police, and

other officials implicated in old and new cases that included the killing of parliamentarians and the abduction and suspected killings of journalists and private citizens.

President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Min-

ister Rani Wickremesinghe has taken number of measures to address the past human rights abuses and accountability as well as to promote reconciliation.

State Minister of Fi-

nance, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena further said that the previous government failed to engage with the international community to resolve misconceptions but now Sri Lanka's approach has changed.

Regardless of the findings in the report, during the recent past, there has not been anything serious on the matter of democracy and human rights in Sri Lanka, so there is no need for fear, the State Minister said.

He said the Europe has commended the new government's engagement in protecting human rights and the establishment of democracy in the country. (ANI)

Pak removes offensive references from textbooks: Ambassador Jilani Washington, Apr.16 : Pakistan has been steadily reforming its education system and has also removed a number of offensive references from its textbooks, Pakistani Ambassador to United States Jalil Abbas Jilani said in his reply to a US report about objectionable material in Pakistani textbooks.

While reviewing the report 'Teaching Intolerance in Pakistan', Ambassador Jilani noted that the report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) was a follow-up to an earlier study.

The report concludes that majority of examples of religious intolerance found in 2011 textbooks had been removed, reports Dawn.

The ambassador added that he considers this an incremental but positive change.

'Teaching intolerance in Pakistan', was released at the National Press Club in Washington.

It urged Pakistan to reconsider its education policy and stop teaching material that creates hatred.

This kind of education closes all doors for a new generation of Pakistani Muslims to see

a peaceful future with Hindus of India and it provides a rationale to treat Pakistani Hindus as outsiders.

Pak removes offensive references from textbooks: Ambassador Jilani

The report claims that the textbooks portray non-Muslim citizens of Pakistan as sympathetic towards its perceived enemies: Pakistani Christians as Westerners or equal to British colonial oppressors and Pakistani Hindus as Indians.

Ambassador Jilani said education was a provincial subject in Pakistan and the report had acknowledged progress made in at least two provinces.

(ANI)

Pak. army takes over operation 'Zarb-i-Aahan' in Punjab's Rajanpur

ANI Lahore, Apr. 16 : Pakistan Army has taken charge of the ground and aerial offensive inPunjab's Rajanpur against the notorious Chottu gang announced the military's media wing, ISPR, on Saturday.

Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa announced on Twitter that army troops have been deployed in the Kacha areas and have taken charge of Operation 'Zarb-i-Aahan'.

"Army troops deployed.

Take over charge of op.

Cordon reinforced, Police & Rangers already in op will cont to participate under Army. Whatever

resources required, will be employed to accomplish mission. Updated Info about op will be shared regularly," he tweeted.

The army formally launched the grand operation against hardened criminals on Friday and also resorted to shelling at their hideouts in the troubled riverine area of Rajanpur district.

A senior security official said that Helicopter gunships were used to hit suspected positions and bunkers set up by criminals affiliated with the Chotoo gang, reports Dawn.

Meanwhile, the army has imposed curfew in some areas from duskto-dawn i.e from 6 p m to 6 a m.

Afghan air strike kills 41 suspect ISIS loyalists in Nangarhar province ANI Kabul,Apr.16: At least forty-one suspect loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group have been killed in an Afghan airstrike in eastern Nangarhar province in Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the airstrike was carried out in Achin district around on Thursday night, reports TOLO News.

This comes as both the Afghan and United States forces in Afghanistan have stepped up operations against the loyalists of the terror group amid concerns that they are trying to expand foothold in the country.

The US Air Force dropped

251 bombs and missiles targeting mainly the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group in Afghanistan during the months of January and February.

Although Afghan forces still depend heavily on US air power for both logistics and close combat support, the local air force has been building up its strength as more pilots and air crew qualify and more aircraft are delivered.

Afghanistan's fledgling air force has been building up its capacity since the withdrawal of the NATO-led coalition from most combat operations in 2014.

Khaleda Zia's advisor Shafik Rehman being probed by Detective Branch ANI Dhaka,Apr.16: Detectives picked up Shafik Rehman, an advisor to Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia, from his Eskaton residence in Dhaka this morning.

An eminent journalist, Rehman has been taken to the Detective Branchheadquarters Maruf Hossain Sardar, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said.

A team of plain-clothes policemen detained

Rehman, 80, from his residence in connection with a case filed with the Paltan Police Station, reports Daily Star.

Law enforcers entered the house identifying themselves as Boishakhi television reporters but before leaving with Rehman they informed the family members that they were detectives, BNP Joint Secretary General Rizvi claimed.

BNP condemned Rehman's detention and demanded his immediate release.

14 Nepali migrant workers return from Malaysia ANI Kathmandu, Apr.16 : At least 14 Nepali illegal migrantsreturned home from Malaysiaat the initiative of Nepali Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

The illegal workers were kept at various detention camps after being 'undocumented' and returned yesterday, after the Nepali mission arranged free-plane tickets with financial support

from the Foreign Employment Promotion Board, reports the Himalayan Times.

According to Nepali Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, as many as 501 'undocumented' workers have returned to Nepal on free tickets. The migrant worker becomes illegal in another country generally if they lose their passports, or flee their country.

PAGE 8

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, APRIL 17

The Panama Papers and Women's Rights in Pakistan

Royal Tour Visit to Assam The Assamese New Year of Bihu began and it is a time of song, dance and merry-making among most of the state's 31 million people. And during this Prince William and Princess Kate (Photo: India.com) visited Assam and enjoyed their harvest festival at the Kaziranga National Park, in Assam. The couple had already visited Mumbai and New Delhi on a weeklong tour of India. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the vibrant festival of song and dance near the Diphlu River Lodge adjacent to Kaziranga National Park.

The royal couple arrived at Tezpur on a two-day visit where they were entertained with Assam's folk dance Bihu and Jhumur dance of the tea tribes and they also observed the tradition of offering a 'horai' (bell metal plate with a stand) of 'paan-tambul' (betal nuts) with 'dokhina' (offerings) to the 'Gurujona' (God) for peace and prosperity of all.

Prince William and his wife, the former Kate Middleton, spent several hours at the Kaziranga National Park in hopes of drawing attention to the plight of endangered animals, including the park's 2,200population of a rare, one-horned rhinos. The animals are under threat from wildlife poachers and habitat loss. Already this year, six rhinos have been killed for their horns, after 20 were poached in 2015. They also enquired about the anti-poaching measures and if they were satisfied with the efforts. Prince William enquired about the challenges they faced in their efforts to keep the animals safe from poachers and if they required superior weapons. The royal couple was joined by a park official acting as a guide on a tour across dirt tracks, tall grasslands and thick evergreen forest. They met a group of forest rangers and wildlife wardens at an anti-poaching camp inside the 480square-kilometer (185-square-mile) reserve, which is also home to other endangered species including swamp deer and the Hoolock gibbon. It was at the initiative of Lady Curzon, the conservation efforts to protect the one-horned India rhino started at Kaziranga forest in the year 1901. Since then it has been a long story of successful conservation and today the rhino population in Kaziranga Park stands at over 2300 though poaching remained a constant threat. And according to Chief Minister Gogoi the State is grateful receiving the Royal couple for the first time to the State. Prince William and his wife also expressed appreciation of the warm and unique hospitality of the people of Assam and appreciated the Bihu, Jumur dance and other unique facets of greater Assamese culture presented before them. The Royal couple also appreciated the pristine and matchless hand-woven attires presented to them by the Chief Minister.

Water Train Humanitarian Gesture for Parched Latur The Marathwada region in India's western Maharashtra state is reeling under the worst drought in decades. Around 400km from the financial centre of Mumbai, the region has been getting insufficient rains for the past three years. In 2015, it received only 49 percent of what is considered a normal amount of rainfall. Some parts received even less: a meagre 35 percent of normal rainfall. Farmers, most of whom grow sugarcane and cotton, both water-intensive crops, are the worst hit. Yields suffered and cumulative losses over three years pushed many farmers to the brink and some, unfortunately, beyond. Locals say the current situation is worse than the 1972 drought, which was considered the worst drought in living memory. Distress migration from villages is happening on an unprecedented scale and only the children and the old could be found in many villages. More than 1,100 suicides among farmers were reported in the region last year, and 216 more took this extreme step between January and March 21, 2016, according to the divisional commissionerate in Aurangabad.

To deal with the deepening crisis, the government has deployed a special train to carry drinking water to Latur, the biggest city in the three worstaffected districts of Beed, Latur and Osmanabad, and another will be pressed into service soon. Staterun Indian Railways is running the trains-each carrying more than half a million liters of water-to the Latur region in western Maharashtra from the city of Miraj, 343 kilometers away. The state is experiencing its second drought in as many years with at least two months to go until the monsoon is due to arrive. Reservoirs are running dry and the local administration in Latur is rationing water. The offloading of the water began at a dried up well belonging to a local farmer near the railway station, after which it was transported by pipes to a filtration plant. After filtering it and making the water potable, it was sent to the intended remote villages in tankers. The initiative was taken by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu a few days ago as many parts of his home state reeled under severe water crises, especially villages in Latur district, which has a population of around 2.45 crores. Following Prabhu's directives, 50 tank wagons, similar to the ones used to transport oil and milk, were sent to Kota workshop (Rajasthan) on April, they were thoroughly cleaned and sent for the onward journey to Sangli. The Indian Railway is also planning to make a few more similar need-based trips to quench the thirst of Latur villages, the schedules of which are not yet finalised.

The leaks could force Pakistani government's hand on the Women's Protection Act. Imran Khan, chairman of eration in the province that Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf has long been its political (PTI), the country's second hub could dent its vote largest party according to bank, considering that the 2013 general elections, many of its MNAs and is demanding the resigna- MPAs are believed to be tion symp a o f Prime Kunwar Khuldune Shahid thizMiners of ister Nawaz Sharif, fol- various militant outfits in lowing revelations last the province. week in the Panama Pa- Also, the arrest of the Inpers that the Sharif family dian spy from Balochistan, has millions of dollars coupled with the failure of worth of offshore invest- teams from India and Pakistan to work in tandem ments.

Khan, who isn't satisfied over the Pathankot attack by the judicial commission investigations, has meant formed by the PM, wants that the establishment is the Supreme Court's chief putting the civilian govjustice to head the inquiry. ernment under more heat He has given Sharif a to abandon the long stalled deadline of April 24 to negotiations with New form an independent com- Delhi. mission following which Even before the Panama he has threatened to march Leaks, many senior PMLtowards the Sharif family's N leaders - including the residence in Raiwind, Sharif family - were Lahore. beinginterrogated by the In 2014, Khan staged a National Accountability 126 day sit-in inside the Bureau (NAB) over corcapital, demanding ruption charges.

Sharif's resignation over In the meantime, the Isalleged corruption and lamist groups have united election rigger. against the ruling party The Panama Papers have over its recent liberal come at a time when the policymaking. And it is ruling party Pakistan Mus- these Islamist parties that lim League-Nawaz (PML- can throw the PML-N N) is already under pres- leaders a much-needed sure on multiple fronts. lifeline, amidst the multiThe military operation pronged political turmoil, launched in Punjab fol- especially if the governlowing the Lahore attack ment succumbs to their on Easter Sunday show- loudest demands. cased fractures in the frag- In February, the Punjab ile civil and military rela- legislative assembly tions. Meanwhile, the passed the Protection of PML-N fears that the op- Women Against Violence

Act 2016, commonly known as Women's Protection Act (WPA). The act was shunned by Islamist groups, with the advisory body Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) deeming it "un-Islamic."

Earlier this year a bill curtailing child marriages had to be withdrawn after the CII condemned it.

Last month, representatives from 35 Islamist parties, led by Jamaat-eIslami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF), unanimously opposed the Women's Protection Act calling it contradictory to Islamic teachings. The conference announced that the Islamist parties would spearhead countrywide protests, if the WPA isn't retracted by March 27.

Pro-Mumtaz Qadri riots erupted in the capital on March 27, coupled with the Lahore bombing that killed 75 people on the same day.

On Monday, parliamentarians from JI and JUI-F combined to defer two bills designed to stop honor killings and sexual abuse. While the two bills have been sent back to a committee for further discussion and should be considered in the next parliament sitting, it's evident that the Islamist parties - spearheaded by JI and JUI-F - are pressuring the government to retract progressive legislation with regards to women rights.

Image for representational purpose (Photo: bbci) What makes their move all the more opportunistic is the fact that PML-N needs JUI-F, its coalition partner in the federal government, to help pass an amendment to the accountability law to curtail the powers of the NAB. It is these Islamist parties that can help PML-N minimize the dent in its conservative vote bank owing to the Punjab operation.

Hence, with the Panama Papers allegations and PTI's protest movement on the cards, the PML-N needs Islamist parties on board not only to resist the pressure asserted by NAB and the establishment, but also to dampen the reverberating calls for PM Sharif's resignation, spearheaded by Imran Khan.

Despite the ongoing war

of words, PPP is likely to support the PML-N leadership to 'safeguard democracy', just like they did in 2014. But unlike two years ago, the ruling party is under duress from multiple quarters and would hence need more parties on board.

The question now is whether the government will use the Women Protection Act as the bargaining chip to gain the Islamist parties' support.

On April 5, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and JUI-F Head Fazlur Rehman agreed to form a panel to recommend amendments to the WPA. Should these amendments undo clauses pertaining to domestic violence - believed to be the major bone of contention in the standoff with Islamist parties - the government can

win extensive political support to ward off the pressure exerted by Panama Leaks, NAB and the potential alienation of the conservative vote bank.

If the government succumbs to the pressure and sacrifices its stand on the rights of women - and minorities - it would undo many of the positives achieved over the past 16 months vis-Ă -vis religious moderation and tolerance in a country that continues to reel from jihadist terror.

Standing firm on the recent ideological reforms amidst the current political hostility would be the ultimate test of Nawaz Sharif's mettle and his ability to transform Pakistan into the progressive state that he claims to envision.

Is al-Qaeda Back in Afghanistan?

They never left Al-Qaeda is ostensibly the and other things," reason the United States Stanekzai said. "They are got involved militarily in not talking too much.

Afghanistan more than a They are not making press decade ago. But as the war statements. It is a big in Afghanistan pro- threat." gressed, alT O L O Qaeda re- Catherine Putz news reported earceded as a target and seemingly as an lier this month on a recent active player. When NATO assessment that Osama bin Laden was militant groups were ackilled in 2011 in neighbor- tive in 20 provinces. The ing Pakistan, the group map included showed seemed to be at a nadir. dots indicating Taliban But this week, acting Af- activity in 15 provinces, ghan Defense Minister al-Qaeda activity in five, Masoom Stanekzai told a and ISIS (Daesh on the leading news channel that map) in two (obviously, al-Qaeda was resurgent. some provinces have mul"They are really very ac- tiple groups active within tive. They are working in them). The concentration quiet and reorganizing of al-Qaeda activity is themselves and preparing along the eastern borderthemselves for bigger Paktia, Paktika, Khost, attacks‌They are work- Nuristan, and Kunaring behind other net- where "militants who are works, giving them sup- apparently associated port and the experience with al-Qaeda are looking they had in different to establish military places. And double their camps." resources and recruitment Major General Jeff

Image for representational purpose (Photo:s1.ibtimes) Buchanan, the deputy chief of staff for operations in Afghanistan, agreed with Stanekzai. He told that intel assessments from as recently as last year pegged al-Qaeda numbers at 50-100, "but in this one camp we found more than 150."

"There's not thousands of them," he said, "but clearly in remote parts of Afghanistan there are al

Qaeda leaders we're concerned about and what they're capable of doing."

Last October, the United States raided and destroyed a pair of al-Qaeda training camps in Kandahar. General John F. Campbell, who led the NATO's Resolute Support mission until early March, told the Washington Post after the raid, "This was really AQIS, and probably

the largest training camptype facility that we have seen in 14 years of war."

Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn commented in the Long War Journal at the time: "The U.S. military has not answered an obvious question: How did al-Qaeda establish two training camps along the Afghan-Pakistan border in a province that is supposedly secure from the Taliban?"

Afghanistan has no shortage of militant groups, but some get more mediatime than others-which warps general perceptions. There's also history to complicate matters.

The Taliban sheltered alQaeda as it planned and executed the 9/11 attacks, but when the United States invaded it not only crushed al-Qaeda but swept the Taliban from power. While the old guard still lived, the assumption was that the two groups were no longer

Scam Haunted UPA

Image for representational purpose (Photo: healthylivingheavylifting)

Sir, People of the country are well aware about the scams of huge magnitude that rocked the boat of the country quite severely during the regime of the UPA. It now appears asif the ghost of the scams is still haunting the UPA long after it was shown the door by the NDA if report published in a section of the press is anything to go by. The report suggests that Juseppe Orsi, the former Chief of the Fin Meccanika company was Convicted by a court of Italy's Milan and was jailed for four and a half - years for the scam involved in the sale of 12 V.V.I.P Helicopter to India. Bruno Spegnolini, the former Chief Executive officer of the Augusta west land, a sister concern of the Fin Meccanika com-

close. CNN put it like this, "The Afghan militant group was thought to have regretted its decision to harbor Osama bin Laden before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, because it led the U.S. to launch a war to remove them from power."

But following the death of bin Laden in 2011 and the revelation last year that Mullah Omar had died in 2013, ties improved. In August, it was reported that Mullah Mansour, the new Taliban leader, had accepted an oath of allegiance from bin Laden's deputy, Ayman Zawahiri, who had assumed control of the network after his death.

Comments made by Campbell last October ring true, still: "What I think you have to do is challenge your assumptions here‌ Things change, and what was good here in 2010 or 2011 may not necessarily be good today as far as the enemy."

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

So please keep writing.

pany too was jailed for 6 years for the same scam involved in the sale of the Helicopters to India. Incidentally, though the Indian media were abuzz Letters to the with the scam involved in the purchase editor and articles of Helicopter at that point of time when the scam got unveiled, it got ebbed should be sent to : The Eastern Toaway with the passage of time.

day Chowkidingee, Near Sankardeva Hospital Mancotta Road, Dibrugarh786003 (Assam) Yours etc. Ph: 0373-2328944 Ashok Bordoloi Web : Dibrugarh editor.easterntoday@gmail.com

JOBS & career

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, APRIL 17

Page 9

Tezpur University UN Academy Junior Non-Teaching Posts Recruit- College, Udalguri. ment Tezpur University.

Last Date: 22/04/2016.

Applications in the prescribed form are invited from eligible candidates for the following posts in Tezpur University: (1) Internal Audit Officer (Deputation) (2) Deputy Director (Training & Placement) (3) Public Relations & Information Officer (4) Technical Assistant (Computer Centre) (5) Library Assistant (Central Library) (6) Laboratory Assistant (for Departments of Food Engineering & Technology) (7) Laboratory Assistant (Chemical Sciences) (8) Machine Operator (Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering) How to apply: Completed applications in the prescribed format along with necessary enclosures are to reach "The Registrar, Tezpur University, Tezpur-784 028" on or before 22.04.2016. The envelope containing the application should be superscribed "Application for the post of ... (name of the post)".

Application Fee: A non-refundable application fee of Rs. 200/- (Exempted for SC/ST/PWD) in the form of Demand Draft only drawn on any nationalized bank in favour of The Registrar, Tezpur University, payable at Tezpur, must be submitted along with the application. The Demand Draft should not have been drawn before the date of issue of this advertisement. Candidates shall write their names and the post applied for on the reverse of the Bank Draft. IT professional Jobs in IDS Guwahati IDS- an IT service provider company Last Date: N/A. IDS- an IT service provider company is looking for an IT professional with working experience in VB.NET& SQL Server 2005/2008 at Guwahati.

Name of post : Executive IT No of post :One(1) Pay : Negotiable /based on present CTC. Educational Qualification: Degree/Diploma in computer science Key Responsibilities: Installing, configuring, and managing SQL Server 2005/2008.

SQL Server backup, restoration, patching and upgrades of databases.

Performing replication, clustering, performance tuning and optimization Transaction Log shipping and SQL mirroring.

Also s/he will have to visit many different departments and varied clientele & provide on-spottechnical support.

Technical skills : SQL Server Support and Maintenance User Support and interface maintenance Performance Monitoring and Tuning Troubleshooting and debugging Production implementation Process monitoring Upgrades General Application Support How to apply: Please mail your CV to idsrecruitment2016@gmail.com Please mention your expected salary & preference for part time/ full time position. Assistant Professor in UN Academy Junior College, Udalguri

Last Date: NA. Application are Invited for the following posts of faculties in UN Academy Junior College, Udalguri.

Name of post: Assistant Professor Departments: Science:- Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Geology, Biology Arts:- English, Political Science, Education, Economics, History, Logic & Philosophy How to apply: Contact Us 9707799628 / 9957046498. & Send Your CV at fulsingh.tezpur@gmail.com unacademyudalguri@gmail.com

Military Engineer Services Tradesman Recruitment,[463 posts] Military Engineer Services.

Last Date: 26/04/2016.

Military Engineer Services has issued notification for the recruitment of following posts of Civil Motor Driver, Chowkidar, Safaiwala, Meter Reader, Caneman, Store Keeper-II and Peon.

Name of the Post: Mate (Tradesman) No of Posts: 463 1. Civil Motor Driver (Ordinary Grade): 81 Posts 2. Chowkidar: 85 Posts 3. Safaiwala: 49 Posts 4. Meter Reader: 52 Posts 5. Caneman: 24 Posts 6. Store Keeper-II: 86 Posts 7. Peon: 86 Posts Educational Qualification: Candidates should possess Matriculation or equivalent exam with valid Civil Driving License for post 1, Matriculation or equivalent exam for post 2, 3, 6, 7, (10+2) examination for post 4, Matriculation or equivalent exam or ITI for post 5.

Age: Candidates age should be between 18-27 years as on 19-04-2016. Age relaxation is applicable 5 years for SC/ ST, 3 years for OBC, 10 years for PH (OH/ HH), 13 years for PH (OH/ HH)+OBC, 15 years for PH (OH/ HH)+SC/ ST & for others as per Central Govt rules.

Selection Process: Candidates will be selected based on written examination & skill test.

How to Apply: Eligible candidates may send their application on plain paper in the prescribed format along with admit card in duplicate affixing self attested passport size photograph on it, self attested copies of relevant certificates, two self addressed envelope of size 28 cm X 12 cm with postage stamp of Rs. 60/affixed on each envelope for CMD, one self addressed envelope of size 28 cm X 12 cm with postage stamp of Rs. 60/- affixed on each envelope for remaining all posts to the concerned address as given in the notification on or before 19-04-2016 by 1700 hrs & 26-04-2016 by 1700 hrs for remote areas. Superscribe the envelope with Name of the post i.e., D'Man, Store Keeper-II, CMD (OG), Peon, Chowkidar, Safaiwala, Meter Reader & Caneman along with Category (UR/ SC/ ST/ OBC/ PH) in BlockCapital letters.

Studying Architecture after 10+2 We have published about Experts. The COA is remedical, engineering, de- quired to keep the Cenfence and hotel manage- tral Government inment entrances and how formed of the standards one can appear in those being maintained by the examinations. This time institutions and is emwe shall publish about ar- powered to make recomchitecture entrances mendations to the Govwhich can be appeared ernment of India with rea f t e r gard to passing Ranjan K Baruah recognisenior tion and secondary exams. We de-recognition of a qualiare thankful to our read- fication. ers for their calls and Some of the institutes feedback to make this take admission through column better.

JEE marks like some of Architecture Entrance: the IITs and some NITs. There are about 423 in- Students have to appear stitutions, which impart in JEE for getting admisarchitectural education in sion into these leading inIndia leading to recog- stitutes of the country. nized qualifications. The After qualifying in JEE standards of education aspirants need to qualify being imparted in these in AAT or the Architecinstitutions (constituent tural Aptitude test. The colleges/departments of paper consists of an Apuniversities, deemed uni- titude test that is mandaversities, affiliated col- tory to clear for admisleges/schools, IITs, NITs sion to B.Arch. colleges. and autonomous institu- Apart from JEE, students tions) is governed by may also take admission Council of Architecture in some of the architec(Minimum Standards of tural institutes through Architectural Education) NATA. Regulations, 1983, which NATA: National Aptiset forth the requirement tude Test in Architecture of eligibility for admission, (NATA) is being concourse duration, stan- ducted by the Council of dards of staff & accom- Architecture, being the modation, course content, competent & final auexamination etc. These thority for the purpose of standards as provided in fixing norms and stanthe said Regulations are dards for architectural required to be maintained institutions and having the by the institutions. The necessary expertise to COA oversees the main- hold a Common Aptitude tenance of the standards Test in Architecture, at periodically by way of national level to provide conducting inspections a single window system through Committees of for appearing in aptitude

test and to facilitate institutions, students and public at large for admission to First year of 5 year B.Arch Degree Course at all recognized Institutions all over country.

The purpose of conducting NATA is to provide a single scheme of examination for holding aptitude test and to facilitate prospective students all over the country to apply for admissions in architecture

tions based on NATA. The NATA also ensures that the eligibility criteria for admission to five year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) degree course, as prescribed by CoA and duly approved by the Central Government, are strictly adhered to and followed all over the country in Architectural Institutions.

It measures the aptitude of the applicant for spe-

been acquired over a long period of time and that are related to specific field of study, i.e. Architecture.

NATA 2016 Registration form can be filled and submitted online from this website by payment of NATA fees of Rs. 1250.00 (+ Processing Charges).

Exams Update: MAT: Management Aptitude Test (MAT) is a standardised test being

approved MAT as a national level test in 2003.

Any B-School - national or international - can consider MAT Score as an admission input based on the Score Cards issued to the candidates. The largest test of its kind in the nation, MAT will continue to be your passport to over 600 B-Schools across India. Candidate can choose any one of the two options to take the test: Paper Based Test or Computer Based Test and the test would be held on 1st and 7th May. Last date for filling up of the

Image for representational purpose only (Photo: edunuts) seats in institutions spread across the country while the actual admissions shall be carried out only by the concerned designated authorities of the respective states/institu-

cific field of study, i.e.

Architecture. The test measures drawing and observation skills, sense of proportion, aesthetic sensitivity and critical thinking ability that have

administered since 1988 to facilitate Business Schools (B-Schools) to screen candidates for admission to MBA and allied programmes. Govt. of India, Ministry of HRD

form is 16th April.

PAT: Online Applications are invited from the candidates who are permanent Resident of Assam for appearing in the Polytechnic Admission Test

Various Jobs in Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, March 2016 [17 posts] Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) Last Date: 5 days.

Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of School Education & Literacy, Govt. of India, invites applications in the prescribed format, from eligible Indian nationals for filling up the following 24 posts for its Hqrs. Office at Noida and Regional Offices located at Bhopal, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Patna, Pune and Shillong.

1. Audit Assistant : 03 posts, Pay Scale : Rs. 9300-34800 grade pay Rs. 4200/2. Hindi Translator : 05 posts, Pay Scale : Rs. 9300-34800 grade pay Rs. 4200/3. Stenographer : 06 posts, Pay Scale : Rs. 5200-20200 grade pay Rs. 2400/4. Lower Division Clerk : 03 posts, Pay Scale : Rs. 9300-34800 grade pay Rs. 4200/Application Fee : Rs. 400/- (no fee from Women/ SC/ST/PH/ Women and Ex.- Servicemen candidates) in the form of Bank DD in favour of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti payable at NOIDA. How to Apply: Application in the prescribed format should be send within 30 days (published on 12/03/2016 i.e. last date is 09/04/2016) and 40 days for the candidates from far-flung areas to The Deputy Commissioner (Admn.), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Hqrs., B-15, Institutional Area, Sector-62, Noida - 201307, District Gautam Budha Nagar (UP).

Engagement of Apprentice Trainees in BSNL, Assam Graduate Engineer Apprentice Qualification: The applicant must possess a B.E/B.Tech degree from a recognized engineering college/ university in anyone of the following disciplines. i Telecommunication, ii.

Electronics, iii. Radio, iv. Computer, v. Electrical. vi. IT (Information Technology) vii. Instrumentation OR M.Sc (Electronics)/M.Sc. (Computer Science) from a recognized institution/university No.of Posts: 05 Stipend : Rs. 4984 Diploma Holder in Engineering Technician Apprentice Qualification: The applicant must possess Three years Engineering Diploma in Telecommunication/Electronics/Electrical/Radio/Computer Engineering ,Instrumentation, Information Technology from a Central Govt./State Govt. recognized institution or B.Sc (Electronics)/(Computer Science) in Electronics from a recognized institution/university.

No.of Posts: 35 Stipend : Rs. 3542 Period of Training : The period of Apprentice training will be limited to one year only.

Age Limit : 18 years Reservation of seats: The reservation for candidates belonging to SC/ST category will be as per Rules applicable for the State of Assam

(PAT- 2016) for admission into Diploma Courses in the Polytechnics of Assam / outside Assam (against seat allotted by Govt. of India) for the session 2016-17.

Last date for applying for PAT is 20th April.

Fellowships Update: Rotary Peace Fellowship: Each year, Rotary selects up to 100 individuals from around the world to receive fully funded academic fellowships at one of our peace centers.

These fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and all internship and field-study expenses. In just over a decade, the Rotary Peace Centers have trained more than 900 fellows for careers in peace building. Many of them go on to serve as leaders in national governments, NGOs, the military, law enforcement, and international organizations like the United Nations and World Bank.

Two types of peace fellowships are available which includes master's degree or professional development certificate.

SBI Youth for India: State Bank of India's Youth for India is a 13 month long programme that enables India's brightest young minds to work on rural development projects with experienced NGOs. SBI YFI offers a wide range of projects that cover the entire gamut of rural development.

Fellows can either choose to work on an existing project or can implement a new project

in a focus area of the partner NGO. SBI YFI ensures that necessary support and guidance are made available to the fellows. Supported by State Bank of India, the fellowship offers the best platform in the country to follow your heart and help solve rural India's most pressing challenges. Last date of applying is 10th June and aspirant may apply online.

Scholarships Update: Scholarships for Girls: The Parasol Foundation Trust is providing an Israel-India Leaders Scholarship to get an MBA at the Tel Aviv University and develop an Israel-India venture.

Applications are currently being accepted from Indian women who are aspiring entrepreneurs or social entrepreneurs. Last date for sending application is 1st May. Inlaks Scholarships: Inlaks Scholarships provide the opportunity to young people with exceptional talent in any field to broaden their vision abroad and improve their skills to operate in society, thus making them a future vehicle of change in their environment. The scholarships are of two types: university courses and specific programs. Scholarships are granted at top American, European and UK institutions, for funding requirements including tuition fees.

(Ranjan K Baruah is a career mentor and can be reached at bkranjan@gmail. for any career related queries )

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, APRIL 17

BUSINESS

Blue Dart Express reports 17% growth in FY16 STANDALONE GROWTH

Bluedart Managing Director Anil Khanna. (Photo: indianshowbiz) Pune, Apr 16: Logistics major Blue Dart Express reported a 17% growth in standalone net profit at Rs 40.49 crore for the fourth quarter (Q4) ended March 31, 2016, helped by cost efficiency measures and focus on an

Jabong launches 'Jabong Shopper Number 5' campaign for mobile users ANI New Delhi, Apr 16: India's leading online fashion etailer, Jabong has launched its 'Jabong Shopper Number 5' sale campaign today. In an effort to strengthen the already established user base of the Jabong app, every fifth shopper that shops using the mobile application will get 100 percent cash-back on a minimum purchase of Rs. 500. The campaign, which will run over a course of ten days will also give the highest purchaser a chance to win a triumph bike while the daily highest spender stands a chance to win an Apple iphone.

Speaking about the Jabong Shopper No 5 sale campaign, Sanjeev Mohanty, CEO and MD of Jabong said, "The idea behind "Jabong Shopper No 5 sale campaign is to provide an opportunity to our customers to have a seamless user experience while shopping through the mobile application. The campaign not only offers our customers a chance to shop for the best international and local brands on the app but also gives them an opportunity to avail attractive offers." A pan India initiative, Jabong Shopper No 5 sale will be supported by radio, outdoor and social media campaigns slated to go live today. The outdoor promotion will be targeted at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, and Chandigarh. Jabong's offline promotion will include a mix of high impact properties such as hoardings in prime locations. Jabong Shopper No 5 sale campaign comes after the e-fashion major recently revamped its top leadership by hiring an array of industry experts. Jabong, which is the only Indian company to be a foundation member of ethical trading initiatives, was ranked as the leading fashion retailer among India's most trusted ecommerce brands in 2015 in one of India's leading business dailies.

online retail market. The firm had clocked a net profit of Rs 30.74 crore in the year-ago period, it said in a BSE filing. Its total standalone income rose by 10% to Rs 629.74 crore during the JanuaryMarch quarter of last fis-

Logistics major Blue Dart Express reported a 17% growth in standalone net profit at Rs 40.49 crore for the fourth quarter (Q4) ended March 31, 2016, helped by cost efficiency measures and focus on an online retail market.

For the entire 2015-16 fiscal, Blue Dart's standalone net profit rose to Rs 189.88 crore compared to Rs 126.84 crore in 2014-15, while total standalone income rose to 2,553.86 crore, from Rs 2,268.50 crore during the same period.

The firm had clocked a net profit of Rs 30.74 crore in the year-ago period, it said in a BSE filing. Its total standalone income rose by 10% to Rs 629.74 crore during the January-March quarter of last fiscal against Rs 571.01 crore in the same quarter in 2014-15.

During the year ended March 31, 2016, Blue Dart handled over 1,594.79 lakh domestic shipments, 8.94 lakh international shipments and over 595,623 tonnes of documents and parcels across India and 220 countries globally.

cal against Rs 571.01 crore in the same quarter in 2014-15. On the performance, its Managing

Director Anil Khanna said, "It has been a tumultuous financial year for the express industry

and as a business Blue Dart continues to face insurmountable challenges every day." However, the firm has displayed a modest performance due to its focus on cost rationalisation and efficiency to increase EBIT margins even under difficult economic conditions, he added. "We have aggressively championed the business to consumer (B2C) segment, especially e-tail, without any dilution to the business to business (B2B) business," Khanna noted. For the entire 2015-16 fiscal, Blue Dart's standalone net profit rose to Rs 189.88 crore compared to Rs 126.84 crore in 2014-15, while total standalone income rose to 2,553.86

crore, from Rs 2,268.50 crore during the same period. Khanna said, "We will steer our business further through automation and technology enhancement, by strengthening our network and improving our service quality while continuing with our insanely customer centric culture with the support of our highly enthused and passionate team." During the year ended March 31, 2016, Blue Dart handled over 1,594.79 lakh domestic shipments, 8.94 lakh international shipments and over 595,623 tonnes of documents and parcels across India and 220 countries g l o b a l l y.

(Agencies)

Aston Martin launches 'Rapide' in India ANI New Delhi, Apr 16: In collaboration with one of India's eminent luxury car dealerships, Performance Cars, Aston Martin has launched its most promising 'Rapide' for the automotive India enthusiasts.

"The British marquee luxury sport automobile producer is especially excited to introduce the revamped 2016 model of the best selling Rapide to Indian target audience as it offers unprecedented power and comfort at an extremely attractive price," said General Manager Aston Martin, Neil Slade.

"India has been a market of strategic importance for Aston Martin and we

are very delighted to launch the new Rapide in the country. Aston Martin has been very responsive to the demands of the Indian consumers and have therefore launched the new Rapide especially for India," added Neil Slade. The new generation 6.0 litre AM29 V12 engine churns out an incredible 510 bhp, which propels the Rapide from 0-100 km/h in just 4.6 seconds and to a top speed of 306 km/h. Featuring the new Aston Martin AMI III Infotainment system, the 2016 Rapide delivers seamless control of audio, navigation, telephony and vehicle information at the drivers fingertips. Speaking on the

Infinity Cars Managing Director, Lalit Choudary.

(Photo: zigcdn) decision to introduce this exceptional new performance automobile to the Indian market, Infinity Cars Managing Director,

Lalit Choudary said, "It is no secret that the Indian automotive enthusiast is amongst the most knowledgeable and discerning in

the world today. It therefore makes perfect sense to launch the new Rapide in the country." The earlier Aston Martin Rapide has already garnered exceptional appreciation and following amongst Indian enthusiasts, making it the highest selling four door sports car in the country accounting for over 50 percent of the Aston Martin cars sold in India. The new Rapide will be offered in India at a special price starting Rs. 3.29 crores (ex showroom Thane).

This makes it very attractive for a buyer who is looking for a super powerful, hand crafted, V-12 four door luxury sports car.

Infosys reported better-than-expected 16 percent rise in the Q4 net profit Bengaluru, Apr 16: Infosys Ltd, India's second- largest IT services firm, reported better-thanexpected 16 percent rise in the fourth-quarter net profit and forecast strong revenue growth for the current fiscal on new client additions. Consolidated net profit at Rs 3,597 crore in the January- March period of last fiscal was 16.2 percent higher than Rs 3,097 crore net earning in the same period of 2014-15, the company said in a

statement. Turnover rose 23.4 percent to Rs 16,550 crore in the fourth quarter of 2015-16. On a sequential basis, Infosys' net profit rose 3.8 percent from Rs 3,465 crore in the October-December quarter while revenue was up 4.1 percent from Rs 15,902 crore during the same period.

Infosys said sales will rise between 11.8 percent and 13.8 percent in US dollar terms in the 2016-17 fiscal year that began on April 1. Rev-

enue will grow between 11.5 percent and 13.5 percent in constant currency terms, indicating a faster growth rate than the industry average as the company shifts to high-margin digital services business. Industry body Nasscom had in February forecast a 1012 percent growth for IT and software services exports in 2016-17. Under Vishal Sikka, the company's focus has been artificial intelligence, adding new con-

Dhoni quits as brand ambassador of Amrapali group Mumbai, Apr 16: Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has resigned as brand ambassador of realty firm Amrapali, days after a social media campaign by unhappy residents of the company's Saphhire project in Noida went viral. The residents had tagged Dhoni in their tweets, asking him to either disassociate himself from the builder or force it to ensure completion of pending work.

"Dhoni is no longer our brand ambassador... This decision was taken mutually by him and us as his name is getting sullied in a controversy which is not in his control and despite the company's sincerest assurances to buyers to sort out matters to their satisfaction," said Amrapali Group chairman and managing director Anil Sharma. Earlier this week, Dhoni had said in a press conference that he would take up the matter with the builder and it must deliver on its promises. "... if you see the economy... it is quite tough for the builder as of now. But at the same time, whatever is promised, I think it needs to be met," he had said. About 900

Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. (Photo: pictures.zimbio) families have moved in, but civil and electrical work in many towers is still incomplete, according to the residents. The residents' association had alleged, among other things, that electrical panels were open, wires were hanging, and firefighting equipment, sprinklers and alarms were non-functional. They said their complaints were ignored by the management, which led them to tag Dhoni on Twitter with #AmrapaliMisuseDhoni last week. Amrapali's Sharma said a controversy about some minor fitment prob-

lems was unnecessarily blown out of proportion.

He said only a few of the families had problems, which would be addressed soon. He also argued that the delay in the project was mainly due to the restriction on construction activities by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) between November 2013 and August 2015. Interestingly, a parliamentary committee had recently recommended a maximum punishment of five years' jail and a fine of Rs 50 lakh for celebrities appearing in misleading advertisements and endorsements. (Agencies)

tracts and keeping hold of staff to boost sales.

This together with acquisitions has helped turn around Infosys that was losing share to rivals like Tata Consultancy Services and Cognizant.

Infosys, whose board in February extended Sikka's term as Chief Executive by another two years to 2021, added 89 clients in the last quarter, including 5 large clients who pay more than USD 50 million annually. Sikka is eyeing revenue of USD

20 billion by 2020, more than double of USD 9.5 billion sale in 2015-16.

"Over the course of this year, we saw this strategy of bringing automation and innovation to our clients, on a foundation of learning and education, start to show results in the organic growth of our client relationships, in our win rates in large deals, and in the types of projects we are seeing in strategic areas where we never participated before," he said. (Agencies)

'Made in India' K10, K7 smartphones unveiled by LG India New Delhi, Apr 16: South Korean electronic giant LG launched two new Kseries smartphones in India - the K7 and K10 - pricing them at Rs 9,500 and Rs 13,500 respectively. Reiterating its commitment to the Make in India initiative, these two smartphones were locally- manufactured even as the company targets to manufacture 1 million phones in India. The company will be manufacturing phones at its Noida facility in partnership with GDN Enterprises. "We want to tap the huge potential for smartphones in the country and the K-series will be the first ones to be manufactured in India," LG Electronics India Managing Director Kim KiWan said. Besides LG, companies such as Micromax, Lava, Gionee, OnePlus and Xiaomi have started as-

sembling their devices in the country. The LG K7 comes with a 5-inch in-cell touch display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon P r o c e s s o r, 1.5GB RAM and 8GB storage.

It also has a 5MP rear camera, a 5MP frontfacing camera and 2125mAh battery. It supports 4G LTE and will be available in Titan, Gold, and White colours. On the other hand, the LG K10 features a 5.3-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) resolution display and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM, has an inbuilt memory of 16GB, 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. The K10 is backed by a 2300mAh battery and will be arriving in three colour variants White, Indigo, and Gold. (Agencies)

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Kyocera to sponsor touring car race

Manfred Sauer, Managing Director at Kyocera Display Europe GmbH. (Photo: evang) ANI Kyoto/Neuss (Japan/ Germany), Apr 16 :Japanese technology group Kyocera is acting as a sponsor at the TCR Germany racing event for the first time in 2016.

This upcoming season, the Kyocera logo will emblazon two Honda Civics at the ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship (TCR Germany for short).

Kyocera is an automotive components supplier with over 30 years of expertise that has provided numerous passenger cars with instrument cluster displays, on-board monitors, head-up displays and telematic and electronic automotive devices. "For us, sponsoring these vehicles marks the beginning of our increased involvement with motorsports. At the same time, this serves to emphasise the importance of the long-standing partnerships", says Manfred Sauer, Managing Director at Kyocera Display Europe GmbH. TCR Germany is being held for the first time this

year and will close the gap between formula racing and rallying in the future. The approximately 330-horsepower vehicles will be driven at seven weekend racing events in 2016, held in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. Kyocera takes advantage of ceramic's properties - resistance to abrasion and heat - when manufacturing automotive components. The company offers various functional parts based on a wide range of proprietary technologies, such as high frequency, liquid crystal, optics and ceramic materials. These parts include IC packaging, camera lenses, antennae, displays and connectors; which are used for various electronic applications in the motor vehicle sector. "We are looking forward to our involvement in one of the most diverse racing series. This cooperation provides us with an excellent opportunity to showcase our services and expertise in the automotive industry," adds Manfred Sauer.

ShopClues launches Penta-T Pad laptop ANI New Delhi, Apr 16: ShopClues, India's first and largest managed marketplace announces an exclusive launch of Penta T - Pad laptop for Rs. 10,999 exclusively.

The Penta-T Pad is a two in one laptop with Intel® Atom x5 processor, which offers faster processing speed than any other competitor in the given price range (Clock Speed: 1.44 GHz). The detachable laptop has a functionality of both a tablet and laptop and is targeted for the Indian consumer who wish to carry a light weight, multi-purpose and a technologically advanced device at an affordable price. The battery endurance has also been designed for people on the move and is suffi-

cient for a day and easily lasts for five to seven hours of intensive usage.

It comes with a screen size of 10.1 inches with a screen resolution of 1280*800 pixel and has a touch type module with 10PointCapacitive. The model supports 2 GB RAM with 32 GB ROMFLASH expandable till 256 GB. The laptop comes pre-installed with Win10, through which a user can install and enjoy Windows Native Apps. It also has a back camera with five mega pixel, which is best among its competitors in the given price range. The product is also being offered with a bundle pack of 3G dongle (14.4 Mbps) having six months of Aircel internet connectivity at a price of 11,599.

AMAZING FEATURES ShopClues, India's first and largest managed marketplace announces an exclusive launch of Penta T - Pad laptop for Rs. 10,999 exclusively.

The Penta-T Pad is a two in one laptop with Intel® Atom x5 processor, which offers faster processing speed than any other competitor in the given price range (Clock Speed: 1.44 GHz).

The detachable laptop has a functionality of both a tablet and laptop and is targeted for the Indian consumer who wish to carry a light weight, multipurpose and a technologically advanced device at an affordable price.

The battery endurance has also been designed for people on the move and is sufficient for a day and easily lasts for five to seven hours of intensive usage.

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Harbhajan appreciates Dhoni's decision to snap ties with Amrapali

Harbhajan Singh ter that the builders did not provide the Indian cricketer with Villas as promised after the 2011 World Cup. "Well done @msdhoni for dropping #Amarpali

builders as brand ambassadorship..they didn't gave us VILLAS they announce after 2011 worldcup win," he tweeted.

"Atleast they should

Maxwell reprimanded for showing dissent during IPL match PTI New Delhi, Apr 16 : Kings XI Punjab batsman Glenn Maxwell was reprimanded by match referee Roshan Mahanama for showing dissent at an umpiring decision during his team's crushing eightwicket defeat against Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League cricket tournament match yesterday.

The press release issued stated,"In the VIVO IPL match in Delhi last evening, Glen Maxwell of Kings XI Punjab was reprimanded by the Match Referee for showing dissent at the umpire's decision. Max-

Glenn Maxwell well admitted to the level 1 offence (Article 2.1.5 of the IPL Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials) and accepted the sanction."

Maxwell had a particularly poor match as he was out without scoring and gave away 11 runs in the only over that he bowled.

Anthony Martial thanks Van Gaal for showing faith

Anthony Martia ANI London, Apr.16 : Manchester United star striker Anthony Martial has expressed gratitude to manager Louis van Gaal for showing faith in him, saying that the Dutchman has played a major role in his

overall development as a player.

"The boss has shown a lot of faith in me and the fact he has played me in so many games has allowed me to make progress and come on as a player," Martial was quoted as saying by

FIFA chief Infantino to visit Russia, Qatar

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IANS Zurich, Apr 16: FIFA president Gianni Infantino, will pay an official visit next week, between April 19 and 22, to Russia and Qatar, countries organising future editions of the football World Cups in 2018 and 2022, respectively.

FIFA announced on Friday that its new president will begin his two-day visit to in the Russian capital on Tuesday, where he will visit the Luzhniki stadium and hold several meetings with officials of the organsing committee of Russia 2018, reports Efe. During his stay in Moscow, Infantino is also going to attend a special

meeting on Wednesday with the board of the Russian Football Union where they are going to discuss preparations for the championship.

Following the meeting, the FIFA president will travel to Doha, where he plans to meet with Qatari government officials.

goal.com.

The 20-year-old Frenchman has been one of the few brightest sparks in an otherwise demoralizing campaign for United, scoring eight goals in 26 Premier League appearances.

Martial, who joined the Old Trafford from Monaco in September, believes his season had gone reasonably well under the guidance and influence of Van Gaal.

"On a personal level, it has gone reasonably well. There are occasions when I could have done better. I could have been more clinical, scored more goals and made more assists. Now it is down to me to keep going so I can help the team as much as I possibly can," he added.

United are currently standing fifth in the league table.

give them houses who paid...may be announcing a villa for us was a publicity stunt," said the 35-year-old offspinner.

Last week, Dhoni offered his support to protesting Amrapali residents, saying promises made to the people should be met, irrespective of the problems being faced by the real estate group.

The first phase of project 'Sapphire', launched in 2009, at Noida Sector 45 was completed, but civil and electrical work in many towers is yet to be done.

ANI Johannesburg, Apr.16 : Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has expressed his disappointment over repeated criticism made against him due to his side's inconsistent performance this season.

United have advanced to the semi-finals of the FA Cup following their victory against West Ham, but are still struggling to secure a top-four Premier League finish.

This has put Van Gaal's job under scrutiny, with former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho still being linked to take over at the Old Trafford.

Man City not scared of facing Real in CL semis, says Pellegrini ANI London, Apr.16 : Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has said that his side hold no fear of facing Real Madrid after being drawn to play against the Spanish giants in the semifinals of the Champions League.

It seemed that Pellegrini, who was sacked by Real in 2010 after one season in charge, is eager to take revenge from his former club by knocking them out of the Champions League.

The 62-year-old said Madrid might be the most important team in the world, but City also consist of some really good players who can

add trophies to their shelf, the Mirror reported.

Hoping to see the Etihad Stadium club in the finals of the championship, Pellegrini asserted that his side are going to play with the same positive goal scoring approach as they have been playing so far.

The Chilean manager, however, admitted he was relieved to see Barcelona out of the Champions League, pointing that Real do not pose the same threat as that of the former.

City will play their first leg of the semi-final clash against Real at home ground on April 27.

criticism than the managers of the rival teams, Sport24 reported.

Admitting consistency was a key factor for claiming title, Van Gaal insisted that repeated injuries of his players had restricted his side to turn into a consistent team.

However, Van Gaal believes that his side could still secure a good position in the league and hold a chance to achieve the FA Cup glory.

Louis van Gaal runs until the summer of The Dutchman, whose 2017, argued that he had contract with United already received more

Rosberg edges past Ricciardo to grab Chinese GP pole position ANI Johannesburg, Apr.16 : Mercedes driver Nico Rosbergsecured his first pole position of the season for the Chinese Grand Prix after edging past Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo in the qualifying at the Shanghai International Circuit.

The German driver, who is aiming for his sixth straight victory, finished the race in one minute and 35.402 seconds, despite using a harder tyre than his rivals, Sport24 reported.

Rosberg's teammate Lewis Hamilton, who made an early exit from qualifying due to engine problem, will start Sunday's race from the last after he was slapped with a five-place grid

Nico Rosbergsecured penalty over change in his Mercedes' gearbox during Bahrain race.

Meanwhile, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen finished third ahead of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Rosberg is currently leading the drivers'

championship table by 17 points after registering two back-to-back wins at Australian GP and Bahrain GP. The Chinese Grand Prix will see the F1 reverting back to its 2015 qualifying format, which will be followed throughout the season.

India to take on Australia in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final today ANI Ipoh (Malaysia), Apr. 16 : India will take on Australia in the final of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament at Ipoh in Malaysia today as India stormed into the final yesterday evening beating Malaysia 6-1.

India stamped their authority on the hosts to finish ahead of New Zealand in the standings in a must-win last round-robin league fixture.

Two other matches will also be played out today.

Defending champions New Zealand will clash with hosts Malaysia for the Bronze medal, while Paki-

Manuel Pellegrini

United, which are still trailing by four points from fourth-places Manchester City, will next lock horns with Aston Villa on Saturday.

stan will face Canada for the fifth position.

In the tournament, Australia finished with the maximum 18 points from six outings, followed by India with 12

points and New Zealand with 11 points.

Australia have won this title a record eight times and India claimed the honours five times.

Upbeat Delhi Daredevils face stiff challenge from RCB PTI Bengaluru, April 16 :Riding high after an emphatic victory against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), a rejuvenated Delhi Daredevils (DD) will aim at posing a serious challenge to a formidable Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) when the two teams square off in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter, here on Sunday.

After being battered in the first game, Daredevils have comeback strongly with an eightwicket win over KXIP but they will now be facing RCB, who have also notched up a comprehensive 45-run win over

Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening game.

On paper, RCB is a far better side with the most prolific batting line-up in IPL that boasts of skipper Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Shane Watson.

Not to forget the presence of young talent Sarfaraz Khan and domestic heavyweight Kedar Jadhav.

But, Delhi has experience in their bowling ranks with Zaheer Khan leading the pack showing what is still left in his armoury. Currently India's best leg-spinner, Amit Mishra has time and again risen upto the occasion as he did

Royal Challengers Bangalore against KXIP with figures of 4/11.

Together, they will like to stop RCB from going all-out on a ground, whose boundaries are

too short for comfort.

De Villiers (82) and Kohli (75) added a whopping 157 runs in their win against Sunrisers and it will be a

challenge for Mishra and Zaheer to stop the duo from sending them on a leatherhunt.

But, it is the Delhi batting that will be put to test as they floundered in the first match getting all-out for 98 and then went untested in the second game as the target was a meagre 112.

Looking for an elusive title, RCB will like to come out all guns blazing.

For academic interest, RCB are placed second in the league -table with two points from a game whereas Delhi have identical points, having played a game more.

With the league just starting off, the table is of

little or no consequence.

Kohli, who set Chinnaswamy Stadium on fire by scoring a 51ball-75 against Hyderabad, will like to carry on the good form for his team.

Considered as one of the best batsmen in the world at present, Kohli has been in supreme form, having amassed 273 runs in five ICC World T20 matches, bagging the 'Player of the tournament' award, apart from being named captain of the ICC World XI. De Villiers, who cracked 82 off 42, would also like to continue the good work he had been doing for the franchise over the years.

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ANI New Delhi, Apr.16 : Veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh has heaped praise on India's limited-overs skipperMahendra Singh Dhoni after he resigned as the brand ambassador of real estate group Amrapali over their failure to complete a project as promised to the people.

Dhoni's decision to cut ties with Amrapali came days after the residents of a housing project took to social media, asking the skipper to disassociate himself with the brand.

Lashing out at Amrapali, Harbhajan revealed on micro blogging site Twit-

Constant criticism leaves under-fire Van Gaal upset

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PAGE 12

Next Film of Shankar Debut music video album of Amit Borua announced Soukadhara's released

Close on the heels of making 'Grief on a Sunday Morning' last year, independent filmmaker Shankar Borua has just announced his new film titled 'The Curiosity Shop'.

To be filmed entirely in Guwahati (Assam) this summer (June-July 2016), it is based on an original story and screenplay by Borua himself. Talking about his new film, Shankar Borua said: "The Curiosity Shop is an urban tale, both bright and bleak, set in contemporary Guwahati. It is an expansive narrative about the capacities of human beings to be both brutally evil and sublimely kind. In the midst of naivetĂŠ and childhood innocence lurks dark deeds of deviousness and unspeakable brutality.

A book store called 'The Curiosity Shop', where a lot of the drama unfolds, is the metaphorical theater where these two worlds collide." In addition to seasoned theatre actors Anupjyoti Choudhury and Krishna Sharma as well as

Shankar Borua, a rising star independent filmmaker of Assam. (Photo: Magicalassam) debutants Samrat Bora, Ribhu Ranjan Baruah and Satya Doley, the film's cast includes the usual suspects from Grief on a Sunday Morning - Upamanyu Boruwa (who has recently also been cast in Sange Dorjee's new film 'River Song'), Prasant Saikia, and Lakhinandan Boruah.

Adrita Priyam, daughter of well-known actor Bhagawat Pritam, is the child actor in the film. The

crew includes director of photography Prayash Sharma Tamuly, editor and di colorist Ratan Sil Sarma, art director Anup Hazarika, sound designer Debajit Gayan, unit production manager Manoj Mishra, and assistant directors Lakhinandan Boruah and Diganta Konwar. 'The Curiosity Shop' is presented

by Mimir's Spring in association with The Assam Motion Picture Company.

Upcoming talent Amit Soukadhara made his music debut with the recent release a music video album, 'Saheba'. The album was formally released by cultural activists Bhagawat Pritam, Manuj Baruah, Munin Bora, J P Das and Dwipen Borah at a function held at Guwahati Press Club last week. 'Young artists like Amit must get involved with the musical and cultural world as it brings freshness into the industry', said one of the dignitaries at the event. The album contains five tracks that have been composed by the singer himself. The songs have been written

by Jyoti Boruah and Lissa Tamuli. Amit has seen this project through several stages including audio mixing. The songs

This Bihu season, Amit Soukadhara's 'Saheba' hopes to kiss the pillars of success. (Photo: Magicalassam)

'Mouna', 'Joli Joli', 'Saheba', 'Jiban' and 'Dil Ki' have also been rendered by him. The video part of the album saw the involvement of director Rakesh Sharma and Editor Ambarish Borkotoki

Bhaskar Hazarika's 'Kothanodi' has been honoured with many prestigious award of Assam and India as well. It is one such Assamese film which is been successful in bringing back the good old of Assamese film industry back.(Photo: Kothasobi) Sudheer Palsane, exposes the Bodo community, their lifestyle and tradition. In the category of languages other than that specified in Schedule 8 of the Constitution, Nilanjan Datta's Arunachali film 'The Head Hunter', produced by Splash Films Private Limited, has been awarded as the Best Wancho Film. The film revolves around an old man from a forgotten tribe in India dreaded for the practice of head hunting. It narrates the situation when government decides to build a road through a forest and a Wancho person tries to protect his forest. The film questions whether deforestation and development necessarily need to go hand-in-hand. In the non-feature film category, Samujjal Kashyap's 'Tezpur

1962', produced by Films Division of India, was declared the Best Investigative Film. The film based on a book by journalist Mrinal Talukdar paints a vivid sketch of Tezpur, a small town in central Assam, which was caught unawares as the 1962 war between India and China took an about turn. The civil administration was completely paralyzed and security forces left the town and its people to fend for themselves.

With no other option left, the people of Tezpur began to evacuate the town leaving behind everything they owned.

Infact, Tezpur is regarded as the only town of independent India which was evacuated for fear of war. 'Tezpur 1962's cinematography is handled by Nahid Ahmed and Samujjal Kashyap.

Nargis faints on the sets of 'Azhar' Nargis Fakhri collapses while filming a song sequence for her upcoming film 'Azhar'; makers incur losses of around Rs 35-40 lakh. Nargis Fakhri, who will soon be seen essaying a pivotal role in the upcoming film 'Azhar', collapsed while shooting a song sequence for the film and a doctor had to be summoned. Says a source, "The film's shoot wrapped up a while ago,

but the makers wanted to film an additional song which is the recreation of the popular song 'Oye Oye' from 'Tridev' (1989).

The actress was filming the sequence at a film studio when, suddenly she collapsed and a doctor had to be called. Nargis was running high fever as well and the unit had to pack up. This ended up costing a loss of around Rs 35-40 lakh to the mak-

ers." When contacted, Nargis says, "I was ecstatic to shoot the song, but suddenly during the shot I felt giddy and uneasy. I was beginning to feel feverish as well and the producers summoned a doctor on set immediately. But my fever had shot up and thus I had to rest and head back home.

Since the film's release is a month away, I will be back on set tomorrow."

Changmai's studio 'Sound City'. Amit has returned to the State solely for his album. He also worked as a location Sound Recorder in Rakesh Sharma's Assamese feature film 'Anuradha'. Amit is currently working on Rang Channel's popular comedy serial 'Oi Khapla' and was also involved with an Assamese video song 'Niribili Jonakk' which was rendered by a Manipuri singer.

'Saheba' is Amit's first venture and he hopes that the Assamese audience will accept his album and his work will be appreciated. Amit has already performed in various Bihu functions all over Assam. He is ready to participate in the various Bihu functions across the State.

Andhra Pradesh Tour- TICKLE YOUR TASTE BUDS ism makes Ajay, Kajol Mutton Fry brand ambassadors

Rajat Kamal Award bagged by 'Kothanodi' for Best Assamese Film Bhaskar Hazarika's 'Kothanodi' has been honoured with the Rajat Kamal Award for Best Assamese Film at the 63rd National Film Awards that were announced on March 28. The film has genuinely electrified critics and audiences at the festival circuit, making his state and self proud. In rare achievements for an Assamese filmmaker, the film broke new ground when it was screened at the 20th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and BFI London Film Festival 2015. Awarded for it's stylish, poetic content, the film produced by Anurupa Hazarika, interweaves four iconic fables from Lakshminath Bezbaruah's 'Burhi Aair Sadhu' into one adaptation, with a generous amount of magic realism thrown into the narrative.

The film with a stellar cast of artistes like Seema Biswas, Adil Hussain, Zerifa Wahid, Urmila Mahanta, Kopil Bora, Asha Bordoloi among others, is cinematographed by Vijay Kutty. Both the producer and director of 'Kothanodi' will be given Rs 1,00,000 each along with the Rajat Kamal. Manju Bora's 'Dau Huduni Methai' has been declared the Best Bodo Film. The film is about the suffering of innocent Bodo villagers due to rampant militancy and violence. The film produced by Shankarlal Goenka and cinematographed by

who was assisted by Bratatee Kashyap and Samar. The cinematography has been handled by Rituparna Sarma and Prabin Basumatary. The key role in the videos have been essayed by Suraj

Deka, Lashmi Medhi, Juvashni Borah, Tanaya, Anandraj, Subham, Nibha, Jadav, Parash, Puja, Alishmita, Barasha, Kabita, Samujjal, Liza among others. The album has been produced by Amit Soukadhara himself.

Amit, son of Bhavaniprasad Soukadhara and Jyotiprabha Boruah Soukadhara, had learnt music under Munin Bora and then pursued sound engineering form Jyoti Chitrabon in 2010. After passing from Jyoti Chitrabon, he worked with Bhagawat Pritam as an assistant music director and was associated with various serials of 'Rang', the local entertainment channel. Then he moved to Mumbai and worked as a Foley recorder in Debajit

This couple of B-Town has stands united inspite of so many ups and downs in their career. (Photo: st1.bollywoodlife) Leading actor Ajay Devgn and his actress wife Kajol will serve as brand ambassadors of Andhra Pradesh tourism, an official statement said on April 12.

Ajay met Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

He showed keen interest in the development of new state capital Amaravati and its tourist attractions.

According to a statement from the chief minister's office, the actor said he, along with his wife Kajol, were ready to be ambassadors of Amaravati and

the state tourism. Naidu welcomed the offer and hoped that their contribution would further promote tourism in the state.

Ajay also expressed interest in setting up entertainment and media city in Amaravati. He along with his team gave a presentation on the proposed project.

Naidu told the actor his plans to develop the capital as one of the best cities in the world. He assured all assistance from the government for the proposed entertainment and media city.

Ingredients 500 gms mutton, chopped in small pieces 1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste 1 tsp turmeric powder 2 tsp chilli powder 4 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 cup water Salt to taste 2 Tbsp ulavacharu paste (optional) For the base: 3 Tbsp oil 6-7 cloves 1 inch cinnamon stick 6-7 green cardamom 2 tsp garam masala 10-15 curry leaves 1 onion, finely chopped 4-5 sliced green chillies Fresh coriander, for garnishing Method Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a pan and lightly brown the mutton to seal the juices.

Add the ginger garlic paste, salt, chili, ulavacharu paste (optional) and turmeric powder.

Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium flame, stirring at intervals.

Add the water and pres-

Mutton Fry goes very well as a starter and a side dish as well. (Photo: i.ytimg)

sure cook for 20-25 minutes or 4-5 whistles, till the mutton is tender.

For the base: In another pan, heat the oil, add cinnamon stick, green cardamom and cloves and let them splutter.

Mix in the green chillies, then add the onions and curry leaves.

Saute for 5-6 minutes and season it with salt.

Cook on low heat for 6-8 minutes, till the onions are soft.

Then add the cooked mutton to this base and mix well.

Sprinkle in the garam masala and cook for 7-8 minutes. Till all the flavors combine together.

Garnish with coriander.

Serve hot with rice.

Mikhail Bora enters BIGG BOSS Bangla One of the most controversial murder mysteries of the country, the high profile Sheena Bora murder case created a huge uproar in the Indian media with its mind boggling twists and turns at every development. The case changed its entire flow when Mikhail Bora, Sheena's younger brother revealed that his mother Indrani Mukerjea posed as Sheena's sister for a long time, conspiring to kill them both. This gave the police a huge go ahead in zeroing on the culprit and soon, Indrani was arrested for the murder of her 25-year-old daughter. This immense publicity has now landed the victim's brother Mikhail Bora as one of

the contestant of the much followed show Bigg Boss Bangla.

Hosted by Bengali actor Jeet, Mikhail could be seen in the second installment of the show doing household chores like a pro. Sources say that Mikhail was approached by the team of Bigg Boss Bangla to be one of their contestants, even though he was a bit apprehensive at first. Talking about Mikhail's decision to enter the show, his grandfather's caretaker Rupom Deka says, "With the first episode of the show being already aired, people are giving a good feedback to the show."

Giving an insight into what prompted Mikhail to enter the show, Rupom

Big Boss, a high TRP show has recently signed Mikhail Bora as a candidate in the Bangla version of the show. (Photo: oneindia) hinted that besides a financial crisis, letting the people to see through the façade of the murder mystery and know the real Mikhail is one of the pur-

pose behind him joining the popular show. As per reports, Mikhail will reportedly be getting Rs 50,000 per week. One of Mikhail's school friend

(name withheld) says, "Mikhail entering Bigg Boss Bangla is nothing but a publicity gimmick and an easy way to rope in some money. After the arrest of Indrani, Mikhail led a very unstable life with various ups and downs and was in a dire need of cash. The controversial Bigg Boss seems to be the answer for all his troubles!" Will Mikhail's presence in the controversial Bigg Boss 2 Bangle House take the show's TRP to a new height?

Will some unheard stories of the Sheena Bora murder case pop up as this show progresses? Will he be the one to survive till the end? These are some answers which only time will tell.

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