19th jan 2016

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ASSENG/2015/64205

Vol. 1

The great Northeastern arms trail

Issue 223

Dibrugarh, Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Indian education makeover

Page 8

Price -

5.00

Pages- 12

system

GDP growth of 2016 GDP expected at 7.8%: Nomura

Delhi HC seeks reply from Kejriwal Govt. over management quota row

Page 9

Page 10

Page 6

SC to examine validity of Arunachal Govt. leaving no stone unturned governor decision on assembly to fulfil development aspirations of North East: PM Modi “ Bodo groups want The court that the resolution by the 11 Bharatiya Janata Party legislators and two independents was sent to governor and not the secretariat of the state assembly as provided under the rules of the business.

The Supreme Court on Monday said that it would examine whether the decision of Arunachal Pradesh Governor J.P.Rajkhowa advancing the assembly session to December 16 to take-up the resolution for the removal of Speaker Nabam Rebia was valid or not.

"If the preponment of the session by the governor is bad, then everything flowing thereafter would be bad. Then we will consider only that," said a constitution bench comprising Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Justice N.V.Ramana.

A senior counsel Kapil Sibal JP Rajkhowa tion of the issues to the validity of the governor's decision to advance the session to December 16 instead of waiting till scheduled date of January 14.

It said this as senior counsel Kapil Sibal told the court that the resolution by the 11 Bharatiya Janata Party legislators and two independents was sent to governor and not the secretariat of the state assembly as provided under the rules of the business.

Contending that governor could not have acted on a resolution by the opposition BJP MLAs and two independents, Sibal said that the governor could only convene the session of the assembly on the advice of the government which had happened when January 14 was fixed as the date.

However, one of the respondents represented by senior counsel Shekhar Naphade had reservation over the bench's decision to limit its examina-

Governor Rajkhowa by his December 9, 2015, message had advanced the date of the convening of the assembly session saying that the first item

ET CAPSULES Man arrested with 6 gm brown sugar in Tinsukia Tinsukia, Jan 18: Tinsukia police on Monday arrested one person with 6 gms of brown sugar.

According to sources, based on a tip off the police laid a trap and picked one S. Ahmed from near ASTC bus stand while he was walking. Police recovered 6 gms brown sugar from his possession.

During interfacing he has informed police that he bought brown sugar from Dibrugarh.

Earlier, Makum police also arrested one person with brown sugar following a tip. It must be noted that increasing number of cases of brown sugar and opium have raised concerns. (Correspondent)

1 drowned Rangia, Jan 18: The dead body of one Rihan Boro, noted farmer of village Rangia Bhatkuchi Goriakoth was recovered from a pond. He died when he was taking bath in the pond. He was 78. He was also a social worker and a priest. He leaves behind his wife and 2 sons. (Correspondent)

to be considered would be the motion of no confidence against the speaker.

Besides this, governor in his message had said that until the session was prorogued, no presiding officer would alter the party composition of the house.

The court in a poser asked Sibal whether Speaker Rebia, as a matter of "constitutional propriety" should not have desisted from exercising his powers in disqualifying 14 rebel legislators knowing well that resolution expressing no-confidence in him has been moved.

At this, telling the court that interpretation of the constitu-

tion has to be to facilitate the functioning of democracy and not to pit one constitutional authority against the other, Sibal said: "Supposing there is a clear cut case of violation of the tenth schedule (of the constitution), should he (speaker) not act." The tenth schedule provides for the disqualification of lawmakers on grounds of defection.

The apex court is hearing three petitions questioning, besides other things, the role of the Governor Rajkhowa in the power play in the ongoing political crisis in Arunachal Pradesh involving Congress' rebel lawmakers Aand BJP MLAs on one side and the supporters of Chief Minister Nabam Tuki on the other.

ANI New Delhi, Jan 18

“I am eagerly awaiting my 2-day visit to the Northeast.

Will participate in various programmes in Sikkim & Assam and interact with citizens. A conference of State Agriculture Ministers is being held in Gangtok. Am particularly delighted that the conference is being held in Sikkim,” he wrote in a series of tweets.

He added that the Conference of Agriculture Ministers would focus on sustainable development, organic farming and ecotourism.

PTI Itanagar, Jan 18

The food processing industry in Arunachal Pradesh needs to be promoted aggressively as it is a sunrise industry and full of potential, Arunachal Pradesh Planning Secretary Sonam Chombay, Secretary (Planning) said here today.

"Food Processing Industry is a sunrise industry which has the potential of dramatically improving rural livelihood opportunities and briding the rural-urban divide," Sonam said while ad-

He said food processing industry is critical for the development of the country as it establishes vital linkages between the two pillars of economy - agriculture and industry.

He also asked for a constructive partnership which would transform the food

processing sector of the country and thereby also transform the fortunes of Arunachal Pradesh.

He urged to work in tandem to promote development of viable agribusiness and agro industry based on different agro climates and regions of the country with emphasis on institutional strengthening and capacity building across the value chain.

While praising ASSOCHAM for bringing this important agenda into notice by organizing the conclave, Sonam touched on

ET Bureau Guwahati, Jan 18

Security system being beefed up following the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting to be held tomorrow at Khanapara play ground in Guwahati. Pic - UB Photos

ANI New Delhi, Jan 18 The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) leaderships have decided to fight the upcoming Assam assembly polls together.

Contd. on Page 4

Attending a meeting in New Delhi yesterday, state BJP Presi-

various topics like attributes of a successful entrepreneur, challenges faced and the support and assistance provided by the government, educational institutes and apex industry bodies like ASSOCHAM. He also said that the agro climatic condition of Arunachal Pradesh is suitable to agricultural and horticultural crops, and that a strong and effective food processing sector would play a significant role in employment generation as well as harnessing and exploiting local resources.

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The state government has sanctioned 2 Crs. for restructuring of fire ravaged Daying Ering Higher Secondary School, Pasighat. This was informed by the PMC Chief Councilor Denong Tamuk today while chairing a coordination meeting at the auditorium of the said school in presence of Advisor to Chief Minister Bosiram Siram, ZPC Kaling Dai, DDSE Obuk Panor, Dy. Chief Councilor Kaling Darang and councilors, Principal, VicePrincipal and teaching staffs. In his address, Tamuk informed that receiving information the state's Education Minister Tapang Taloh has expressed shock and his concern over fire mishap that devoured seven rooms of the school in the wee hours and immediately sanctioned Rs. 2 Crs. for reconstruction of a well planned RCC multistoried building on priority. The Chief Councilor himself on behalf of PMC assured to provide 20 chairs and a computer as immediate relief. He

also assured to launch a special cleanliness drive in the school.

Before concluding his deliberation, Tamuk advised fire distinguishers and other protective measures in all institutions and government installations, adding that foul play cannot be ruled out.

Advisor to Chief Minister Bosiram Siram sought magisterial inquiry before the cleanliness drive and urged the engineering departments to restore water and power supply immediately in the school to bring normalcy. Appreciating the administration, Siram informed that he had good discussion with the DC and DDSE for immediate relief. He asked to prepare list of requirements and proposal and to submit to the DC so that administration can forward to the government. The DC is proactive and has assured to manage to provide computer and printer, cyclostyle/copier machine, some desks & benches etc at the earliest possible so that day to day class room and office transactions are not hampered.

Siram asked the DDSE to alert Chowkidars of all schools to

guard all institutions properly so that such accidents are not repeated in future. He handed over ten thousand cash to the Principal on the occasion.

Very upset ZPC Kaling Dai extended his thanks and gratitude to the education minister for his prompt and favourable action. He urged the minister and former education minister Bosiram Siram to mobilize the issue at higher level so that fund is released immediately and construction work is started soon.

DDSE Obuk Panor who

worked for a long in the said school as Principal informed that the matter has already been discussed with the superior authorities and he would leave no stone unturned for restoration process.

Advisory note on preventive measures to avoid such accident in future have already been given to all the school authorities, he further added.

Senior citizen and Ward5Councilor Kaling Doruk also donated ten thousand rupees from his own pocket and urged the administration and munici-

pality to clear all debris to have a fresh feeling in minds of the teachers and students. He further assured to pressurize the local MLA and administration for immediate relief grant.

Dy. Chief Councilor Kaling Darang who also local councilor of the area informed that Loksabha MP Ninong Ering would visit the school on Jan-24 next and extend all possible help from his discretionary fund.

Principal AP Rukbo and VicePrincipal Aroti Padung Pada also spoke and shared their views.

dent and Union minister Sarbanand Sonowal said that both the parties have decided on it in a joint meeting. The Chief of Bodoland Peoples Front Hagrama Mahilary said that the NDA government has assured to give 1000 crore rupees for the development of Bodoland Territorial Council.

Mahilary also announced to support the BJP in non-Bodoland

Territorial Council areas in upcoming polls.

BJP national president Amit Shah, state president and Union Minister Sarbanand Sonowal along with senior leader Ram Madhab were present in the meeting. On the other hand, BPF leaders Hagrama Mahilary, Chandan Brahma and Biswajit Daimary attended the meeting

Gogoi appears in court for defamation case filed against him by Himanta A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Jan 17 Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday appeared in a court here in connection with a Rs 100-crore defamation case filed against him by BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sharma.

The Chief Minister appeared in the Civil Judge No.1 Court with his Cabinet colleagues and some Congress MLAs, while party workers gathered in strength in the court area.

Coming out of the court, Gogoi told reporters that “The court fixed the next date of hearing on February 8 next, when we’ll submit our objections.”

“I am a law abiding citizen.

There is no difference between a Chief Minister and others. Responding to the court summon, I appeared in the court today. There is an allegation made against me.

We’ll fight back,” he said.

Govt. grants 2 Crs for restructuring of fire ravaged DEM Hr. School ET Bureau Pasighat, Jan 18

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Assam, three Bodo organisations have once again raised the statehood issue and demanded Centre clear its stand on the long-pending demands of the Bodos by tomorrow.

Contd. on Page 4

BJP, Bodoland Peoples Front to fight Assam polls together

“In Gangtok I will also visit an exhibition of organic products and interact with organic farmers. I envision the Northeast to be a hub in this,” he added.

Food processing to be promoted aggressively in Arunachal dressing a day-long conference on 'Linking Prospective Food Entrepreneurs with Government schemes and market', organized by ASSOCHAM in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

Modi govt to clear stand on statehood by tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that he was eagerly awaiting his twoday visit to the northeast and added his government is leaving no stone unturned to fulfil the development aspirations of the region.

State government has sanctioned 2 Crs. for restructuring of fire ravaged Daying Ering Higher Secondary School, Pasighat.

This was informed by the PMC Chief Councilor Denong Tamuk today while chairing a coordination meeting at the auditorium of the said school in presence of Advisor to Chief Minister Bosiram Siram.

Hon’ble Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi with Congress leaders on way to appear before Session Court in connection with a Rs 100 crore defamation case filed against him by BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sharma in Guwahati . Pic - UB Photos Sharma’s lawyer said documents were placed before the court pertaining to the status of Sharma as only a witness in the CBI list on the Saradha case and a document from USA’s New Jersey Court that there was no mention of Himanta or any politician from

Assam in the FBI complaint petition before that court in the Louis Berger case.

Sharma had filed a Rs 100crore defamation case against Gogoi on the grounds that Gogoi had levelled corruption charges against him on the said two cases.

Youth constructed Diesel engine

Chandan Sharma with his Pawan Putra.

Pic - Vinod Singh ET Correspondent Dhemaji Jan 18

A 25 years old youth Chandan Sharma constructed a diesel engine in a

remote village Shyamjuli of Dimow under Dhemaji district. He had a dream from his childhood and aspects for his first flight on 26th Jan 2016.

cmyk

IANS New Delhi, Jan 18

PAGE 2

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

ASTRO FOR YOU Aries If you are involved in monetary matters, today you will find yourself weighing the benefits. A loan that you have applied for may be sanctioned.

Taurus This day you will have an urge to take a trip, be it a small one. You will enthusiastically make detailed plans and arrangements, arranging for funds and getting in touch with all those you desire to take along.

Gemini Today may not be very meaningful and productive for you, though you will get to spend plenty of quality time with yourself in the afternoon, which may not necessarily be to your liking. By evening, you may feel a little extra sensitive.

Cancer You are likely to be at your inventive best today. You are likely to taste success, much to the delight of your colleagues at work and loved ones back home. However, experience counts, and if you are a beginner at something, you may face problems in your new venture.

Leo There are chances of conflict on the home front today. However you will be able to solve these problems owing to your understanding nature. However, these conflicts would likely not have cropped up if you would have paid more attention to your family.

Virgo Avoid all kinds of prejudice and do not allow intolerance to enter your mind today. In all likelihood, you will look around yourself in search of love and affection. You will do well to keep negativity at bay as otherwise it may cow you down.

Libra Unleash the artist in you today! Don't be surprised if you happen to discover a love for the fine arts. The stars bestow on you refined aesthetic sense. As a result, your penchant for interior decoration is sure to get a boost.

Scorpio Today, there may come up situations which may test your patience. However, it would be wise to sit and sort out all the differences with your colleagues or family members or your partner.

Sagittarius You are in a dilemma today. You may find yourself standing at crossroads, and your decision power does not seem to help you much. You are likely to become controversy's favourite child; this may add fuel to the fire. Be wise, and take guidance of experienced people.

Capricorn Though less, you will get money from your investments and other resources. Don't ignore pending projects; complete them at the earliest so that you will have clear picture about your requirements and responsibilities.

Aquarius You are already overloaded with work. On the top of it, people around you will conveniently put their share of load on your back, and you will take it most of the times.

You, however, will not get bogged down by the additional responsibilities.

Pisces Arguments lead nowhere, and why argue when, at the end of the day, you can step back and watch them end up with egg on their faces, break a leg, get crushed under a falling safe, or otherwise suffer the numerous disasters you wish them to, for disagreeing with 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 19-1-16 (TUESDAY) 5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti (Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-50 A.M-Tokari Geet 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali(Assamese Modern Song) 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi(Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-05 A.M- Antara (Composite Programme of Hindi Film Song) 12-15 P.M-Teachers' Broadcast 12-45 P.M-Sponsored Programme-"Ei Path Hoise Bikashor" 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 4-45 P.M-News for Arunachal Pradesh 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 6-15 P.M-Ganya Raaijor Anusthan 7-15 P.M-Chah Shramikar Aasor 8-00 P.M-Kriora Jagat -Dialogue on "Sarbabharatiyo Parjyayat Asomor Badminton Kheluoi".Participants-Nurul Akhtar Hussain and Monibaba Hatibaruah 9-30 P.M-Sahitya Kanan -1.Short Story by Rajib Baruah, 2.Self Composed Poem Recitation by Samir Shankar Dutta

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Jyoti Prasad remembered in Guwahati ET Correspondent Guwahati, Jan 18: A host of legendary international artists from across the globe today paid rich tributes to the legendary doyen of Assamese cultural milieu Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla on the occasion of Silpi Diwas at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati as part of the ongoing OFAIES, 2016.

Narayan Konwar, Secretary, Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra paid floral tributes to the portrait of Jyoti Prashad Agarwalla in the morning on the occasion of the doyen's birth anniversary.

The ongoing event OFAIES, 2016 is orga-

nized by the Olympic Fine Arts Association (OFAA), Finland, in association with Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra with support of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Assam.

The weeklong event will conclude on the 22nd of January where master artists were seen performing live in the Kalakshetra in the first of its kind Exhibition and live paintings to be hosted by India.

MGVK Bhanu, Addl.

Chief Secretary, Home & Political, Assam also paid a visit to the exhibition and witnessed the live paintings of the Olympian artists and was mesmerized by seeing

the exchange of ideas happening with the local artists. He said "the cultural exchange will go a long way in helping the budding artists of our region to learn intestacies of different forms of painting and professionally established artists too will find a good platform to interact and swap ideas". Some 30 established artists from 18 districts of the State have taken part in the interaction programme.

Mon Thet, an artist from Myanmar has poured his rich tribute to the legend of Assamese art and culture as he painted a portrait of Jyoti Prashad Agarwalla in Acrylic on Canvas titled: "My Honour to the Legend".

Silpi Divas being observed at Bhupen Hazarika Kolabhumi in Tezpur. Pic - UB Photos

First time DHSK college hosting DU inter college youth festival A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Jan 18: Preparations for hosting Dibrugarh University Inter College Youth Festival, 2016 are nearing completion at DHSK College, which will be hosting the event for the first time.

More than two thousand students of colleges affiliated to DU will be participating in the event and the Organizing Committee has made sufficient facilities for lodging-fooding of the same.

The Committee has brief that DHSK College Boys’ Hostel has been newly renovated and prepared for this upcoming mega event.

A provision for drinking water and electricity has also been made. An open stage as well as a food court has also been constructed at the large open space at the backyard of the college.

Lalchand Kanoi Auditorium has also been newly renovated for the event. The different competitions will be

A photo of DHSK college, Dibrugarh. held simultaneously at seven stages within the college premises. For reception of participants and professors in-charge, the Organizing Committee has appointed a team of volunteers. Inter College Youth Festival, 2016 will begin from Januray 21 to 23. Flag Hosting will be done at 7.30 a.m. on January 21 followed by cultural possession at 8 a.m., inaugural meeting at 10 a.m. Competitions will

start from 11 a.m. at RUPKONWAR (Main Stage) where participants will compete for Jyoti Sangeet, Bishnu Rabha Geet; SUDHAKANTHA (Room 2) : venue for Borgeet, Bhajan, Kheyal, Gazal competition; RASARAJ (Room 6) : venue for Khol, Tabala, Violin, Sitar, Mandolin, Gituar and Flute competition; BONKONWAR (Open Stage) : venue for

Folk song (Solo and Group) competition; BAGMIBAR (Sankardev Sabha Kakhya) : venue for Debating and Elocution competition; KALAGURU (Gallery 3) : venue for Painting and Collage competition. From 1.00 p.m. competitions will ensue at BONKONWAR (Open Stage): venue for Dhol-Pepa-Gagana competitions. From 4.00 p.m. competitions will begin at RUPKONWAR (Main Stage): venue forMimicry.

From 5.00 p.m. One Act Play competitions will be held atRUPKONWAR (Main Stage).On 22nd January Competitions will start from 10 a.m. at RASARAJ (Room 6) : venue for Poetry Recitation c o m p e t i t i o n ; SUDHAKANTHA (Room 2) : venue for Bhupen Hazarika Geet and Modern Song competition; RUPKONWAR (Main Stage) : venue for Parbatiprasad Geet and Jayanta Hazarika Geet competition; BONKONWAR

(Open Stage) : venue for Folk dance, Classical dance and Creative dance competition; BAGMIBAR (Sankardev Sabha Kakhya) : venue for Quiz competition; KALAGURU (Gallery 3) : venue for Installation and Cartooning competition. From 1.00 p.m. Spot Photography competitions will ensue at the aforementioned venue. From 4.00 p.m. Mime competition will begin at RUPKONWAR (Main Stage). From 5.00 p.m. One Act Play competitions will be held at RUPKONWAR (Main Stage).On 23rd January at 10.00 a.m. Clay Modelling & Rangoli competitions will be held at KALAGURU (Gallery 3).

Chorus competition will be held at BONKONWAR (Open Stage). Prize distribution ceremony will be held at RUPKONWAR (Main Stage) from 1.00 p.m.T hisis for the first time that Inter College Youth Festival is being hosted by a college in Dibrugarh.

Two books by promising Meghalaya CM meets Rajnath in Delhi writers released at Sonari ET Correspondent Guwahati, Jan 18: The Centre on Monday assured the Meghalaya government of all possible help to bail out the state from the law and order lapses. Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma received the assurance when he called on Union home minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Monday.

Dr Sangma, who met Singh for 40 minutes apprised the Union home minister of the prevailing law and order

A view of two books released during a book releasing programme organized at the ACKS office premises on Sunday. Pic - Mritunjoy Das ET Correspondent purpose of the meeting was Rotiprava Gogoi. On the Sonari, Jan 18: Two books elaborated by young drama- other hand, another compiwere released during a book tist Dipen Baruah. A compi- lation of writings of Dr. Rita releasing programme orga- lation of one act play by 10 Dutta, a lecturer from the nized at the ACKS office playwright of the recently Dept. of Assamese of Sonari premises on Sunday, here. declared Charaideo district College was released by Dr. The programme was pre- entitled ‘Charaideor Natak – Sabyasachi Mahanta, HOD, sided over by Rotiprava 1’ edited by Dipen Baruah Dept. of Political Science, Gogoi, former Vice Princi- and Dr. Rita Dutta and pub- Sivasagar College. Students pal of Sonari College. At the lished by Panchajanya, a of Sonari College performed outset, floral tributes were Guwahati based book pub- various cultural programmes paid to Rupkonwar lishing house was released on the occasion of Silpi DiJyotiprasad Agarwalla. The by literary pensioner vas.

situation where an intelligence bureau officer was kidnapped to be killed later apart from a number of kidnapping cases within a short spell of time.

Both they were believed to have agreed on a number of measures to firmly deal with the situation. The meeting assumes significance where the militants have yet to free seven Assamese traders who were kidnapped from North Garo hills four days back.

First Round of Intensive Pulse Polio at Tawang Tawang, Jan 17: First Round of Intensive Pulse Polio Immunization was conducted for Tawang District today. Altogether 104 nos.of booths were set up in the district for the purpose, with 42 nos. in the Headquarter. The booths were mostly set up in the Schools and Anganwadi Centres for facilitating large

public outreach. Total 3711 nos. of children between the age group of 0-5 years were administered the vaccine.The campaign which has been the initiative of Health Department was supported by District Administration, Education Department, ICDS, All India Radio, 305 Field Hospital, GREF and SSB. (DIPRO)

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Special guest internationally acclaimed musician Nise Meruno (L) and his choir Zowe Madrigal perform song during 3rd Cadenza, a musical extravaganza organized by Promiti Pukhan & her pupils at Pragjyotish ITA Machkowa Guwahati. Pic - UB Photos

PAGE 3

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

NID IPPI 2016 in the district

Shantidoot Motor Cycle Rally educated ‘Spirituality’ a way of life Spirituality a ray of hope for addicts to revive themselves- CK Namshoom

Aalo, Jan 18: The first round of IPPI 2016 was conducted across the district on 17th Jan last. More than 280 Polio Booth was set with a target to immunize 10500 children age 05 years. In the district HQ president APWW Aalo unit, Mrs Marbom Bagra inaugurated the polio drops

administration to children in presence of DFWO,MS,GH Aalo, Principal Govt. Nursing school Aalo, faculty members ,doctors, nurses and prominent social worker and Secretary General APWW Aalo unit Miss Hoksum Ori. The invitation of APWW Aalo unit President

Nabam Tuki directed East district administration to assess the losses incurred and submit the report

Pulse Polio begins in Siang and East Siang districts

Itanagar, Jan 18 : Expressing deep concern over the fire mishap that devoured seven rooms of Daying Ering Higher Secondary School, Pasighat in the wee hours of Sunday, Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has directed East district administration to assess the losses incurred and submit the report soon for releasing the relief fund.

However, taking strong note of repeated fire mishaps, the CM appealed to the masses to take precautionary measures as this being dry season such incidents could often occur because of negligence.

The CM also directed all the DC to create mass awareness to take preventive measures to prevent such mishaps.

14 assam rifles organises pulse polio drive Changlang, Jan 18: The Annual Pulse Polio Immunization programme was launched in Changlang in conjunction with the District Hospital on Sunday by 14 Assam Rifles. Two drops of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) was administered to around 138 children in and around Changlang,Saching and Yongchik. The Assam Rifles staff including a doctor and nursing assistants administered the drops to the children at the vaccination booths set up by the unit hospital and also counseled the parents on child nutrition and care. All vaccinated children were marked with a ink on their left index finger. The drive was a onerous initiative to spread the message of child health and well being in an attempt to ensure a safer and brighter future for the next generation.

and Secretary General to inaugurate such programme is to send a message to the society as a whole for concerned of all mother to discharge responsibility to ensure polio vaccination to all children, Dr. Kengo Ori DFWO, Aalo supervised the vaccination programme.

(DIPRO)

Bishnu Rana Namsai, Jan 18: In an attempt to sensitize ill effect of Drugs and its de-addiction through Rajyoga Meditation, 9 (nine) days ‘Shantidoot Motor Cycle Rally 2016’ which was flagged off by Ravi Dhavan DC Lower Dibang Valley on 8th Jan last wrapped up peacefully here at the town club Namsai amid glittering ceremony. Most reverent Chow CK Namshoom Chief of Khampti, various senior citizens both men & women from Khampti community took part showing their concern over the dreaded substances and its early remedy.

During the 9 days of Rally several school, villages and public places were covered and educated them through power point presentation,

Pamphlets and Posters against the killer diseases.

The Rally was held under the aegis Prajapita Brahmakumaris Iswariya Vishwa Vidhalaya (PBIVV). Expressing serious apprehension over the way the Drugs are deepen in the community, CK Namshoom as a chief guest said that the contraband substances are serious cause of concern for the community. “The youth being largely affected and is alarming for the community as the future citizen is in stake. If this way the trend goes the minority community will virtually get extinct. Every few days our youth gets killed in drugged state, we don’t have immediate panacea to get rid of from these drugs iniquity.

We desperately needed a

Health Camps at East Kameng District Pasighat, Jan 17 : East Siang Deputy Commissioner Isha Khosla today inaugurated the Pulse Polio immunization booth at the General Hospital, Pasighat in presence of JDHS Dr. Kabang Lego, DMO Dr. M Perme, Hospital Superintendent Dr. YR Darang and staff members administering the vaccine to few children, below five years of age in the district.

DC Khosla on the occasion instructed officers to conduct the programme with perfect planning to achieve 100 percent target and also

urged them to check that no child was left in the district without administering the oral polio vaccine.

According to East Siang DMO Dr. Perme, 7,525 children below 5 years of age were immunized pulse polio drops on the first day in Siang and East Siang district. Elaborate arrangements have been made to organize pulse-polio immunization programme in Siang and East Siang districts today. Adequate staffs have been deputed to all PHCs and CHCs to make the program successful, added Dr. Perme.

Review meeting of NERCORMP with all Partner NGOs at Changlang held Changlang, Jan 17: With the advent of the New Year, the Office of the NERCORMP District Support TeamChanglang, A runachal Pradesh under D Khuala Vaiphei, Project Manager has very successfully distributed Motor Cycles to its 13 Partner NGOs.Mrs Marina Kenglang, Zilla Parishad Chairperson inaugurated the Distribution Ceremony. “As NERCORMP is quite practical & promising in its approach, the people of Changlang district are very fortunate to have it here. In such short time,

NERCORMP has made its prominent presence in every nook & corner of the district with its wide range of developmental activities” said the ZPC.She further urged the staff of both NERCORMP & all the Line departments to work in collaboration for successful implementation of the project. Also present in the event were G K Paul ChoudhuryEAC & District Level Officers from various Line Depts. Later, it was followed by a Review meeting of NERCORMP with all Partner NGOs.

East Kameng, Jan 18: The district Health Society has organised a series of Health Camps under the Banner of NMMU in Pipu circle of East Kameng District. The Camp started at Pipu HQ. and at Kote Camp ended at Kote camp.

The camp was lead by DRCHO Dr. K. Lapung, Dr. S.K Suman SMO SG, Dr. Nima Bodi MO Dr. K. Soping MO and other paramedical workers, ASHA Facilitator and ASHAs also attended the camps and mobilize the villagers.

During awareness meeting, awareness on major health indicators was

given by Dr. K. Lapung DRCHO and Dr. K. Sopin, on Antenatal Care (ANC), Institutional delivery, Exclusive Breast Feedings, Immunization of children and Pregnant Women and various methods of Family Planing Services at the setup and on general health and hygiene, the objectives and importance of IPPI were also highlighted during the meeting by the DRCHO. The awareness meeting was followed by Health check up, 210 patients were treated with free medicines, ANC check up and immunization was also done in the camp.

way to end this dangerous trend”, he rues. The spiritual organization of this kind is a ray of hope to overcome our society from the vicious cycle of addiction, he further hopes. Chow C Namshoom retired ADC as a guest of honour also felt the need of more NGOs and Spiritual organisation to belt out the district from its adverse affect.

Tewa Manpong Councillor Pali Vidhaya Pith Chowkham also felt to set up more rehabilitation centre to rehabilitate the addicts. “We are working hard and rehabilitated 20 numbers of addicts during the month of December 2015 and 100 are in process but lack of funds and delay to release installation from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Govt of

India worried bit. This sort of organisation would felicitate support in our endeavour to make our areas a drug free”, hopes Monpong.

Director of PBIVV Tinsukia Rajyogini Satyawati stressed the need to educate ‘Spirituality’ to develop will power, stress free living, personality development and for peaceful, healthy & happy life and for

Coarse wollen blankets distributed in Doomdooma ET Correspondent Doomdooma, Jan 18: In a pious mission launched by Maharaja Agrasen Seva Samiti, a dozen of coarse woolen blanket were distributed among the poor and the needy last night at greater Doomdooma as a

severe cold wave has gripped Doomdooma along with the state. The president of the organization, Dinesh Goyal told this correspondent that the mission will continue till there is improvement in the weather conditions.

Tinsukia players for national handball ET Correspondent Doomdooma, Jan 18: Four boys namely Lilambar Moran, Dhurbajyoti Saikia, Saurabhjyoti Moran and Nabajyoti Moran who were selected for the state handball team from Tinsukia district, has left this evening for Jharkhand

by Saraighat Express from

Guwahati. They will participate in the 32nd National Sub junior Handball Championship that is to be held at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand from January 19 to 24. This was stated in an official statement issued by the Tinsukia District Handball Association.

self realisation and god realisation. She urges everyone to visit the nearest Brahmakumaris Meditation Centres for Rajyoga practice to evolve a fresh and new lifestyle.

Overall 29 youths including in-charge of Roing PBIVV BK Gitamoni, Tezu BK Jayanti, Namsai BK Beauty as well as brother and sister and member from Sadiya (Assam) joined the Rally.

Death condoled ET Bureau Khonsa, Jan 18: A W/T message No.KBR/PR/ ESTT/16 DTD 8/1/2016 has been received from ADC Kanubari stating that Ex-Anchal Samiti Chairperson Kanubari Anchal Samiti Wango Atraham expired on 7th January, 2016 in an accident while crossing Tissa river near Chattong - Chasa village. He is survived by 1 wife and four children. He was a prominent public leader of Kanubari Sub division very cooperative and assisted the Local Administration whenever situation warranted including boundary dispute matter.

The officers/staff of ADC office, Kanubari condoled his death.

Free Neoropsychiatric GGKSA & DCSG appeals PM not to Grant proposed Re-Scheduling camp at Khonsa of Tribes in hill district Khonsa, Jan 18: A 3day free neoropsychaitric consultation camp will be held at the District Hospital, Khonsa from Jan. 19 to 21.

The consultation will be provided free. However, cost of medicines have to born by the patients.

The camp will be conducted by Dr. Pakha Tesia and Dr.(Mrs) Sonali Shinde Tesia.

The treatment shall be done with the patients relating to 1) Mind depression 2) Addicted with drugs/ Kani / Alcohol 3) Mental problem and 4) Abnormalities

due to certain shocked or accidental cases. The administrator of Tirap News and an active social worker Gawang Sumpa has appealed to all fellow Tirapians/ Wancho Jan to please avail the golden opportunity by bringing their near & dear ones in the 3 (three) days consultation camp on stipulated date and time. Both the Psychiatrists Dr. Pakha Tesia and Dr.(Mrs.) Sonali Shinde Tesia have came here long way from Shillong only to help poor Psychiatric patients of Tirap and Longding region.

ET Correspondent Haflong Jan 18: Greater Guwahati Karbi Students' Association (GGKSA) and Dimasa Students' Community, Guwahati (DSCG) in a joint press release have expressed serious concern and appealed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to grant the proposed re-scheduling of tribes in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao Hill District till Autonomous State issue is solved.

It is said that in the latest issue raised of proposed declaration of Schedule Tribes (Hills) to the

Schedule Tribes (Plain)

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to BTC area scheduled on January 19, 2016, the ST (P) of which had later marched to the ST(H) areas namely Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong - has created a feeling of fear and insecure among the existing ST (H) communities.

The press release further pointed out that if rescheduling of tribes in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao is granted then it will rather create problems instead of solution to highly volatile and res-

tive hilly region of Assam.

President of GGKSA Mr Bikram Hanse and President of DSCG Mr Dhoniraj Jorasa while welcoming the proposal to grant more autonomy with some economic development packages to BTC by Prime Minister Narendra Modi; they hinted that if such aforesaid proposals be granted and announced for Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao Hill District during his visit to the State would cause serious concern among existing ST(H).

SPORTS 3rd edition of CM Trophy on football and volleyball (Men & Women) tournament Koloriang, Jan 17 : The 3rd Edition of CM Trophy on Football and Volleyball (Men & Women) Kurung Kumey District Level Tournament was concluded at Sangram General Ground on 17th (Sunday) January’2016.

In the event: Football men final, 21-Koloriang Assembly constituency defeated 19-Nyapin Assembly Constituency by penalty Shootout 4-2 and Football Women final, 19-Nyapin defeated 21-Koloriang by 2-0 and Volleyball men fi-

nal 21-Koloriang Assembly Constituency defeated 19 Nyapin Assembly Constituency by 25-10, 25-20 and 25-23 and Volleyball women, 21-Koloriang Assembly Constituency defeated 19 -Nyapin Assembly Constituency by 25-23, 25-18 and 25-19. The District Level winner team is representing Kurung Kumey District at State Level CM trophy-2016 Attending the closing function of the tournament, Smt. Mamata Riba, Deputy Commissioner, Kurung

Kumey District , Chief Guest, congratulating all winning teams of Football and Volleyball (Men& Women) under the aegis of the Chief Ministers Trophy called upon the youth of the district to take full benefits envisioned under Chief Ministers Flagship Programmes, Government of Arunachal Pradesh for development of its youth, like Chief Ministers Talent Award programme, Chief Ministers Skill Development Programmme , Chief Ministers Agriculture M e c h a n i z a t i o n

Programmme, Chief Ministers Mission Mode Programme on Tea & Rubber, Chief Ministers Universal Health Insurance Scheme alike to the Chief Ministers Trophy on Sports.

The Deputy Commissioner also advised the winner’s team players to exhibit beautiful game and beautiful spirit while representing the district at the state Level tournament of 3rd Edition CM Trophy-2016 in the banner of Kurung Kumey District. Public and Panchayati Raj leaders , Youth Groups and besides

others Shri M. Tato, SDO Sangram, Shri Tai Tach, DDSE, Shri M. Taipoidia, Dy. SP i/c SP and Shri Jill Gyamar, DSO , Er. Bamang Chai, DPM attended the programme. Cash prizes along with Certificate and trophies were given away during Prize distribution function. Mr Nangram Palo was adjudged best player Football Man, Miss Tadar Yami ,best player Football women, Mr. Bamang Tadap Best player Volley Ball Men, Best player Volley ball Miss Bamang Ana .

(DIPRO)

Popular Assamese cine actress Barakha Rani Bikhoya at Duliajan on 18/01/ 2016. She was here to attend the AASU's Swahid Divas program in front of main industrial gate of Oil India Limited. Pic - Rafique Uddin Ahmed

PAGE 4

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

Organisations protest murder of Dipali Tantabai, demand punishment of culprits

A view of protest rally organized by Several organizations. Pic - Mritunjoy Das ET Correspondent Sonari, Jan 18: Several organizations in Sonari today took out a protest rally demand the identification, investigation and punishments of the culprits who are behind the killing of Dipali Tantabai, a 12 year old girl who was working as a maid servant in advocate Dalilur Rahman’s residence. Dipali died under mysterious circumstances on Jan. 11 which had sparked anger among various organizations of Sonari who took out the protest rally today.

eration, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Parishad, ATASU, Chah Janagusthio Jatiya Mahasabha, and Other Backward Class Sanmelan etc took part in the rally.

Members of All Adivasi Students Association of Assam, Sonari unit, All Assam Tea Tribes’ Students Association, Sonari unit, Sonari regional unit of AASU, Sonari units of Bengali Yuba Chatra Fed-

They also raised various slogans in support of their demands. Later, the protestors submitted a memorandum to the SDO – Civil demanding strict punishment of the culprits who killed the girl, an immediate compen-

The programme started from Sonari College at around 1 pm and passing through the main thoroughfares of the town converged in front of the office of SDO – Civil, Charaideo. The protestors while terming the death of the girl as a case of murder demanded a proper inquiry and strict and exemplary punishment into the incident.

sation of 10 lakhs for the family of the deceased girl and appropriate action against the advocate who despite knowing the girl to be a minor employed her as a maid servant thereby breaking the rules of child labour.

The protestors also demanded registration of all maid servant employed in various households of the sub division. It might be mentioned that Dipali, youngest daughter of Hemkanta Tantabai, a resident of Naphuk Singoritoli was found hanging in the bathroom of advocate Dalilur Rahman at around 4 pm on Jan. 11. A simultaneous petition demanded inquiry of the death has also been submitted at the Sonari police station by the family members of the girl.

Asam will elect AIUDF government in 2016: Ajmal

Shilpi Divas celebrated in Lakhimpur with full gaiety and fervor ET Correspondent Lakhimpur, Jan 18: Different organisations and institutions of Lakhimpur District observed the 'Shilpi Divas' yesterday with full gaiety and fervor. One of the oldest social institution of the district, 'Batari Butala Parijat Sangha' observed the death anniversary of the immortal artist Jyoti Prasad Agarwala with a day long program in befitting manner.

The program began with the unfurling of Sangha's flag by the President Manik Saikia at 9am. Then Rubul Dutta and Dulamoni Phukan, the president and the secretary of the Shilpi

Divas Celebration Committee along with the people of the village Salal Gaon collectively paid deep floral tribute to the portray of Jyoti Prasad Agarwala. The Committee organised several competitions on the occasion.

evening, a cultural night of dance and singing performance based on Jyoti Sangeet was held from 7pm.

On the other hand, the North Lakhimpur Regional body of All Assam Student Union too observed the day with a daylong program.

The Drawing competition in upper and lower category commenced from 10am. It was followed by Go-asyou-like, Recitation and Jyoti Sangeet competition in both categories. Journalist Ranjit Kakoti administered the Quiz Competition participating as Quiz Master at 3pm. After lighting the earthen lamps in the

The flag of the union was hoisted by the President Dhanmoni Dutta and the Smrity Tarpan was rendered

by Secretary Pulin Konwar.

Educationist cum literateaur Hemendra Kumar Gogoi offered floral tribute to the portray of the artist along with several eminent personalities. Then the 'Soor Bahini' visited round the

Assamese film actress Barsha Rani Bishaya performing a dance cultural program during central Silpi Divas by All Assam Students Union at Laipuli in Tinsukia. Pic - UB Photos North Lakhimpur town along with the outskirts of the town. The program con-

cluded with the lighting of earthen lamps in the evening.

Free Operation Camp started from 18 Jan to 22 Jan Central Hospital, NEC at Margherita ET Correspondent Margherita, Jan 18: A Free Operation Camp which started from 18 January to 22 January was today inaugurated at Central H o s p i t a l , N E C Margherita.The Free Operation Camp was organised by Vivekananda Kendra Arun Jyoti, Arunachal Pradesh and North Eastern Coalfields Coal India Limited,Margherita in association with Remote area Medical Corp,United States of America.Sri Jugal Kishore Borah General Manager NECF Coal India Limited,Margherita was present today as a Chief guest and lighted the lamp.Other Guest of honours such as Sri AK Bharali General Manager (Environment) NECF Coal India Limited, Margherita,Dr Binit Kumar Baruah Medical Director Vivekananda Kendra NRL Hospital Numaligarh,Dr Robin Saikia Chief Medical officer,Central Hospital NEC,CIL Margherita, Dr Gangadhar Maddiwar Volunteer member of Remote area medical,Sri Ganesh Kurmi,Prant Saha Sanchalak Vivekananda Kendra Assam Prant, Sri Hamjong Matcha retired ADC of the Government of

A view of free operation camp during the Central Hospital, NEC at Margherita. Pic - Mithun baruah Arunachal Pradesh,Sri Rupesh Mathur State Coordinator of Vivekananda Kendra,Arunachal Pradesh.While many renowned doctors Team from India and Abroad also came such as Dr Gangadhar Maddiwar General Surgeon from USA, Dr Satish Tatawar General Surgeon from Chandrapur, Maharashtra,Dr Vijay Wartingar General Surgeon from USA, Dr Krishna Deshpande General Surgeon from USA,Dr Anuradha Kulkarni Anesthesiologist from USA,Dr Vinayak Kulkarni Gastroenterologist from USA,Dr Harish Pariani Medicine

Specialist from USA,Dr Tina Pariani Specialization on Geriatrics from USA,Dr Reshma Ramesh Child Specialist from USA and Mr Ashok Glenn Sarkar Nurse Anesthetist from USA.Dr Robin Saikia CMO of Central Hospital,NEC,Coal India Limited Margherita said in his welcome address that total 11 Free operation camps were held at Central Hospital NEC,Coal India Limited,Margherita and shall do treatment for the better development of our Society.Sri Jugal Kishore General Manager of NECF,Coal India Limited, Margherita said in his speech that to reach God is

to serve the Humanity.At Central Hospital, NEC Margherita total 300 Surgical operations were Conducted successfully and Coal India today have 80 Hospitals all over India with 5600 Beds.Sri Jugal Kishore Borah said that through CSR many programmes were held under Coal India ltd.Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan and providing Best Education Facilities to many youths of our Society.Sri Borah said in his speech that youth from the remote village areas Coal India shall trained 40 to 50 in Medical ways so that we can Generate Employment for them.Again

Dr Gangadhar Maddiwar General Surgeon from USA said in his speech that Remote Area Medical Corp,USA from many years have been providing free operation camp all over India and mainly patients from Remote areas of Arunachal pradesh are taken extensive care from us.In The five days Free Operation Camp patients from Greater Margherita Region and remote areas from Arunachal Pradesh states shall come and be benifited said Dr Robin Saikia Chief Medical Officer of Central Hospital NEC,Coal India Limited, Margherita.

Silpi Divas observed Govt. leaving no stone unturned in Doomdooma to fulfil development aspirations of North East: PM Modi

ET Correspondent Rangia, Jan 18: The public of Assam will elect AIUDF candidates for their next government in 2016.

This was announced by AIUDF Supremo and MP of Dhubri Maulana Badaruddin Ajmal on Monday in a rally held at Khandikar play ground under Rangia constituency.

The rally was presided over

by Paresh Baishya, President of the Rangia district unit of the party. He criticized BJP and congress government as anti minor-

ity government. According to him congress and BJP are two sides of the same coin.

Ajmal also slammed Gogoi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for doing nothing for the public of Assam. PM Modi is good for lecture but bad for work, Ajmal said. His government will solve the Bangladeshi problem immediately after formation of AIUDF govt.

No land will be allotted to Bangladesh he announced.

There will be no alliance with Congress in the upcoming assembly poll,

Ajmal declared. If AIUDF forms the next government all the illegal migrants will have to leave Assam, Ajmal promised in his speech. He also criticized APCC president Anjan Dutta and Agriculture minister Rockybul Hussain as the agent of BJP. Selim uddin Borbhuyan, exMLA, Aminul Islam and Derajuddin Ahmed also addressed the rally. Earlier, a memorandum for the development of Rangia constituency was submitted to the AIUDF Supremo by the .President of Rangia district unit.

ET Correspondent Doomdooma, Jan 18: Silpi Divas, which is observed throughout the state to commemorate the death anniversary of Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla on Jan. 17 was also observed by various organizations at different venues in Doomdooma town. The Rupai Branch Committee of Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra

very much precious. This will be a true tribute to the great cultural icon." He also paid his floral tributes towards Rupkonwar by garlanding the picture portrait of Jyoti Prasad.

The Doomdooma Press Club Secretary Manoj Dutta who also spoke on the occasion also laid emphasis for the youths of Assam to come forward and save the

Contd. from Page 1

The Prime Minister will also interact with the youth of Assam, students of IIT, NIT and central universities of the northeast on the second day of his visit.

“Tomorrow I will be in Assam where I will interact with the youth of Assam, students of IIT, NIT & central universities of the Northeast. Tomorrow I will

Contd. from Page 1 members of vehicle driver who was killed at Mon by miscreants few days ago and his vehicle taken away, and also Amguri and Geleki too.

The district Congress team took stock of the Gabhoru Parbat, Naginijan and Rongkham where the situation is still tense after criminals from Nagaland side took away few numbers of ox and goats from the area. Since then the situation remained tense as the MP’s interference with the locals is necessary, said the district congress secretary.

The team during their visit distributed over 50 blankets, medicines, food items like bis-

cuits, glucose, dry fruits to elderly people as well as to children of the area. The team was shocked over MP Kamakhkya Prasad Tasa’s blind eye attitude for the border residence whom the BJP MP assured for proper drinking water service as well as medical facilities. But soon after the poll results he remained exactly the opposite which was very strange to the visiting team of the congress party. The irate people further said that they will not allow the saffron party to visit their areas on or before the Assembly election this year, as informed by Pankaj Bilas Kaushik-the general secretary of the DCC (district congress committee).

Prime Minister Modi will visit Sikkim and Assam from January 18-19. He is also scheduled to visit an orchid display and a seasonal flowers exhibition in Gangtok.

He will also attend State Agricultural Ministers Conference on sustainable development, organic farming and eco-tourism in Gangtok.

The two-day conference was inaugurated by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh at Chintan Bhawan yesterday.

Bodo groups want Modi govt to clear stand on statehood by tomorrow

MP Tasa is heavily flayed by border residence, says Congress Secretary ET Correspondent Jorhat, Jan 18: Jorhat district Congress Committee general secretary Pankaj Bilas kaushik heavily flayed Jorhat Lok Sabha BJP MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa for not keeping his told promises which he made during poll campaign before the Lok Sabha election.

A district congress committee team led by Pankaj Bilas Kaushik visited all the border sectors between Jorhat, Golaghat and Sivasagar and met the residence who had been passing sleepless night last few days in areas of Medulajan under Borhulla Police station. The team even met people at areas of Namtola and met the family

address a public meeting of tribal communities in Kokrajhar and a youth rally in Khanapara, Guwahati,” he wrote in another tweet.

Parishad (AJYCP) with its sister organization observed the day in a befitting manner by offering tributes to the great cultural icon of Assam.

The programme started with the flag hoisting by Homen Moran at 10.30 am. Jury Bhutan performed the Sahid Tarpan. On the occasion, Tinsukia District Journalist Association President Sri Anuj Kalita who was invited as the chief guest said, "Due to the onslaught of globalization, the Assamese culture is at stake. By following the path of Rupkonwar, the youth of Assam can preserve our indigenous identity which is

cultural identity of the state. Competitions on Jyoti Sangeet, drawing etc was also held as part of the programme. 40 artists were felicitated in a separate programme.

On the other hand, the Doomdooma Town Committee Chairman garlanded the statue of Rupkonwar at the Auto Stand of the town. Assam Sahitya Sabha, Doomdooma unit President and veteran journalist Arjun Barua lit the earthen lamp. The chief guest Prakash Dutta spoke on the life and deeds of the artist. On the occasion, Agrasen Sewa Samiti and Marwari Yuva Manch had decided to beautify the surrounding area.

The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), the National Democratic Front of Bodoland-Progressive (NDFB-P) militant group that favours negotiations, and Peoples Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement (PJACBM) were together in reiterating the demand for a separate Bodoland state.

"The Bodos have been agitating for many years for a separate state. Over 7,000 people have lost lives during the Bodo

movement. Our demand is for a separate state under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution," ABSU president Promod Boro said on Monday.

"We have seen the creation of new states of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in the past. During Congress government`s rule, Telengana was created.

However, nothing has been done for a separate state for the Bodos," Promod Boro said.

NDFB-P general secretary Gobinda Basumatary

said Bodo people were awaiting eagerly the Prime Minister`s visit.

"A Bodoland state was on the BJP election manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. But nothing was done to fulfill the demand even as the party formed the government at the Centre," Basumatary said.

PJACBM convener Jebraram Moshahary said the civil society group hoped Modi would patiently consider the legitimate demand for a separate state.

KHADC to file spl leave petition in apex court against HC order

KHADC to file spl leave petition in apex court against HC order

Shillong, Jan 18: Asserting that the State government had no business setting rules for the traditional heads, KHADC Chief Executive Member P.N. Syiem said a Special Leave Litigation will be filed before the Supreme Court with regards to the High Court ruling on traditional institutions."As of now we are in no hurry to convene a special session but we have to expedite the matter in the Supreme Court," he said, while reiterating that the government had no duty to make laws for headmen who are empowered by the district council.

Syiem's reaction comes in the wake of the recent ruling of the High Court of Meghalaya wherein it recommended that the State government should bring in a suitable and comprehensive legislation to settle the controversies connected with the issue once and for all. The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Uma Nath Singh and Justice T.N.K. Singh said that until a suit-

able legislation or anOrdinance during the pendency of the Bill, is brought by the State government, the directions passed by the single Bench headed by Justice S.R. Sen on December 10, 2014, will remain in force.

The Court also observed that the traditional institution of headman needs to be brought within the purview of the provisions of the Right to Information Act since this institution acts as a tool of governance at the grassroots level and is also being assigned an important role in implementing various programmes and schemes of the Central government as well as the State.According to the Court, the State should also include the headman under the definition of 'Public Servant' for the purpose of prosecution under the provisions of criminal law, particularly, the Prevention of Corruption Act in the case of allegations of committing any financial irregularities or any other economic offences. (Agencies)

ANLA militants exchange fire with police in Shallang; one shot dead Tura, Jan 18: One unidentified militant has been shot dead by Shallang police during an encounter with a group of A'chik National Liberation Army ultras in Shallang area of West Khasi Hills which borders East Garo Hills district early yesterday morning. Shallang police raided a hideout of ANLA militants who were taking shelter with their leader identified as Marbaniang at a village calledNongaldro which is located 15 km from

Shallang police station.

The raid was launched at approximately 5:45 AM to apprehend the militants who opened fire as soon as they spotted the approaching police party.

After the exchange of fire the militants led by Marbaniang fled taking advantage of the surrounding thick jungles.

Marbaniang is a former GNLA cadre who was arrested by police and sent to jail. He was released on bail last year after which he returned to his criminal activi-

written to Ingty and the PHE chief engineer PHE demanding disciplinary action against the JE identified as Sainborsing Lyngdoh.The victim had also filed a case with Mawlai police station.

According to the victim, after the case was filed the accused absconded but later got an interim bail from the District Council Court.The victim alleged that she was slapped by the JE on January 5 at around 10:30 PM after she had refused to accede to his demand for some commission from a PHE scheme. (agencies)

ANLA militants exchange fire with police in Shallang

Bangladesh force to set up new outposts on India border Agartala, Jan 18 : Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) have agreed to beef up security and construct at least 10 new border outposts (BOPs) on the India-Bangladesh border to check militancy, crime and trafficking, a BSF official said today.Officials of the Border Security Force (BSF) and BGB met for five days at the BSF's Tripura frontier headquarters at Shalbagan, 15 km north of here, and discussed matters related to the international border.

The five-member BGB delegation was led by Colonel Sajjad Hossain while the BSF team com-

prised Deputy Inspector General of Panisagar sector D.K. Sharma and Teliamura Sector DIG Rajeev Sinha and senior officers."The BGB officials informed us on the construction of new BOPs facing Tripura and Mizoram," BSF's Tripura frontier Deputy Inspector General and chief spokesman D.S. Bhati told media.He said the BGB will also further tighten security along Tripura and Mizoram frontiers."The proposed BOPs in the mountainous Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) will help contain terrorism in the north-eastern states since most camps of Indian insurgent groups, in-

cluding Tripura militants, are located in south-east Bangladesh's CHT," Bhati said."Both sides agreed to increase vigil along the border to foil attempt by militants and other antinational elements to disrupt internal peace. Besides, emphasis was also given to curb trans-border smuggling," the BSF officer said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and

Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina discussed the border issues, including curbing of border crimes and terror activities, during Modi's visit to Dhaka on June 6-7 last year.Four north-eastern states of Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam (263 km) share an 1,880-km border with Bangladesh. (Agencies)

"Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) have agreed to beef up security and construct at least 10 new border outposts (BOPs) on the India-Bangladesh border to check militancy, crime and trafficking", BSF official

LBC centenary celebration culminates

PHE 'slapgate': Inquiry ordered Shillong, Jan 18: Principal Secretary in charge PHE, P.W. Ingty, on yesterday said he has asked the chief engineer of the department to examine the allegation of a woman contractor being allegedly slapped by a junior engineer of the department.

"We will examine the complaint and as per the findings we will take necessary steps including action against the engineer since an FIR has already been filed," Ingty said.

The alleged victim had

PAGE 5

REGION

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

Missionary Tiyong Longkumer invoking God's blessing on the youth of Longsa village during the specia youth service

Dimapur, Jan 18: Thousand of youths attended the special youth service on the concluding day of the Longsa Baptist Church (LBC) centenary celebration at Longsa village, Sunday. According to LBC, speakersTemjensangla NCS and Dr Awala Temshi, challenged the youths to be humble by receiving Lord Jesus Christ and glorify God through their thoughts, speeches and actions.The special youth service was held at the Longsa Baptist Church as part of the centenary cel-

ebration of LBC. Administrator, Temjensangla, spoke on the topic "Towards a new horizon". While urging the youths to be like the character of Joseph, Temjensangla asked the youths to live humbly, fear the Lord and lead a life of integrity. She added that just like Joseph, if one leads a humble life and have faith in God, he or she would surely be rewarded. She also urged the youths to have a sense of humanity and "be truthful to God, truthful to oneself and truthful to one's

colleagues".Administrator of Straightway Christian Mission Centre, Dr Awala Temshi spoke on the topic, "Witnessing Christ in one's own field". She pointed out that with the advancement in technology, the world was moving at a very pace rate, and during the process, majority of the people failed to maintain the relationship with God. In this regard, Dr. Awala urged the youths to be obedient and lead a clean lifestyle by maintaining a spiritual relationship with God. Missionary Tiyong Longkumer offered a special dedicatory prayer on the Longsa village youths.

Earlier, in the Sunday devotional service, the main speaker was Tsuknung, founder of Servanthood Bible College, Dimapur, who spoke on the theme of the centenary celebration, "Whetting the Kingdom of Light". Longsa Baptist Church also adopted 3-point centenary resolution which was

unanimously endorsed by Longsa citizens. Among the three resolutions, basing on this centenary celebration, the entire Longsa citizens resolved to join hands together and continue to undertake more vigorous on church missions. LBC also resolved to construct a commercial complex as a memorial of the first two converts from Longsa village Repjenyuba and Sakusangba. The construction work would be completed within five years, and all the income generated from this commercial building would be used for missionary works. LBC also resolved to donate Rs 2 Lakhs to the ABAM International Mission; Rs 5 Lakhs to Longsa Baptist Church and the remaining amount for the construction of "Repjenyuba & Sakusangba memorial commercial complex" from the remaining balance of LBC Centenary Fund. (Agencies)

ties and joined the ANLA, revealed Meghalaya police.After the Sunday morning encounter, police recovered the body of a suspected militant with a shotgun from the hideout of the militants.Militant groups and criminal gangs alike operate in the Shallang area to target the coal trade in the area.Since the area is vast with limited police presence and close to the Garo Hills border, armed groups take advantage and commit crime before fleeing into the wilderness. (Agencies)

One unidentified militant has been shot dead by Shallang police during an encounter with a group of A'chik National Liberation Army ultras in Shallang area of West Khasi Hills which borders East Garo Hills district

Govt. failing to protect minorities: NPCC Dimapur ,Jan 18:NPCC president, K. Therie has hit out at the state government for failing to protect minority communities living in Nagaland.In a statement Therie said the public have the right to look to the state government for safety and security of life and property. He cited the case of the recent killing of a businesswoman (Ritika Mehta), saying the government had "deliberately" failed to protect he from her perpetrators.

Therie said the failure to prevent murder of late Ritika was "gross negligence".

Late Ritika Mehta succumbed to fatal injury on

competence but also suspicious."Therie said late Ritika was a humble and peaceful entrepreneur, who was also a lawful abiding subject of Nagaland and a citizen of India. Pointing out that she had registered complaints of intimidation and threat with the state government as well as with the ceasefire monitoring chairman, he said both the centre and state governments were therefore aware of the danger. Maintaining that late Ritika Mehta was murdered in broad daylight and the family members were left wide open in danger, NPCC president said in 2015 alone, five non-

the neck after she was shot at by unidentified miscreants in Dimapur on December 14, 2015.NPCC president K. Therie also demanded that the state government pay compensation and swing into action to immediately bring perpetrator(s) to book and deliver justice.He said failure to arrest perpetrator(s) despite of CCTV evidences even after one month was "not only in-

Nagas, who were most peaceful subjects of Nagaland and from business communities, were murdered.He said though the state government condemned some cases, the justice has however been denied, adding that there has been neither life sentence, death sentence nor any compensation "despite the nearly daily murders, assassinations and killings." (Agencies)

Rabiram Narzary's BPPF Manipur's border hospitals bring succour even to poor Myanmarese merges with BPF Kokrajha , Jan 18: In the run-up to the Assam Assembly elections, Rabiram Narzary's Bodoland People's Progressive Front (BPPF) on Sunday merged with BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland People's Front (BPF) at a rally in Kokrajhar district.

BPPF supremo Rabiram Narzary with his general secretary Dilu Sharma and ten district committees, besides hundreds of supporters merged with the BPF in presence of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief and BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary and other senior leaders.

Rajya Sabha MP Biswajit Daimary, former ministers Chandan Brahma and Promila Rani Brahma were among others who attended the rally.

"I am delighted to announce that Rabiram Narzary's BPPF has merged with the BPF party today. We welcome this positive development. With the joining of senior Bodo leader and former ABSU (All Bodo Students Union) president Rabiram Narzary, BPF has become stronger," Mohilary said.

Announcing Rabiram Narzary's name as the BPF candidate for the Kokrajhar West Assembly constituency and Milon Boro for the Bhabanipur constituency, Mohilary said BPF on its own was going to contest all 16 seats of the Bodoland Territorial Administrative Districts (BTAD) area with peace and development as its main poll plank. "Respecting people's interest, security and unity among various communities, I

joined Hagrama-led BPF party and now we will work together for a model BTC as brothers forgetting the past," Rabiram Narzary said.

Narzary on Sunday also dissolved the BPPF party publicly and stressed on a peaceful political atmosphere and co-existence taking into confidence the people living in the area and all round development of BTAD. Rabiram Narzary had become BPPF president when it was formed in 2005 till the party suffered a vertical split into BPPF(R) headed by Narzary and BPPF(H) headed by Mohilary, the chairman of erstwhile militant outfit Boro Liberation Tiger, owing to differences in ideology after the first election to the Bodoland Territorial Council in 2005.

(Agencies)

Imphal, Jan 18: Revamping of hospitals in Manipur's border districts of Chandel, Churachandpur and Ukhrul in northeastern India are not just helping locals but also benefiting poor Myanmarese settled along neglected border areas.

Okram Ibomcha, the director of health department, Manipur, is working towards revamping the border hospitals and overseeing the presence of doctors and paramedics in these remote areas where there are virtually no accommodation and basic amenities.

Three junior doctors are posted at the Public Health Centre (PHC) at Parbung in Churachandpur district.

As IANS visited this neglected border village, there was just one doctor.

He said that since the healthy mountain tribals hardly require hospitalisation, each of the doctors stay there on a 15-day rotation basis. At the village, the presence of nurses and other staff was also small. There were just two indoor patients.

Kwatha, a border village, can boast of one public health centre (PHC) where one woman delivered a healthy baby in candlelight some days ago. Other PHCs in Ukhrul district have also started functioning normally.

In the recent past, the tribals there used to get medical help from the military hospitals of the Assam Rifles. In the absence of a hospital at Poi in Ukhrul district, the villagers get help from a small hospital of the Assam Rifles there. From time to time, the Assam Rifles has been issuing press releases on medical camps in these interior areas and saving snake bite victims.

K. Rajo, director of Family Welfare Department, Manipur, said: "We are planning to cover 3.50 lakh children on Sunday's polio campaign. We have issued motorbikes to the paramedics for travelling in the remote areas where there is no jeepable road."

He said it is clear that many children from across the border will come to the transit points like bus stands, market places,

clubs where these bikers shall be rushing. Ibomcha, however, has ensured round the clock service to the people in these border districts by seeing to it that the doctors and paramedics are present there.

As there are no proper quarters, most of the doctors and nurses are staying in unoccupied rooms of the hospital complex. Besides, absence of water, power and other basic amenities is common problem. Nandakumar, who had to deliver a baby in candle light and torch light, said: "If basic amenities are provided we could render meaningful service."

In the absence of clean water, mountain stream

water has to be used and it is risky.

Besides, the doctors said the serious patients have to be rushed to major hospitals in the district headquarters or Imphal. As there is no ambulance facility or bus service the family members of the patients have to hitch a ride in the trucks or if lucky, a station wagon.

Though Moreh, the border town in Chandel district where there is legalised border trade, has a major hospital, people did not feel benefited as expected.

There were reports that the doctors and staff used to stay at their homes in and around Imphal, leaving the pharmacists and some nurses to hold the fort in their absence. That is why

Win Oo, a displaced MBBS doctor from Myanmar, opened his four-bedded clinic in the Moreh market to treat the Myanmarese villagers.

He was one of the prodemocracy activists who fled to Manipur along with hundreds of others shortly after the upheaval on August 8, 1988.

A security officer posted at Moreh told IANS that police no longer arrest Myanmarese nationals who come to the border hospitals for treatment.

In the past, some of them were arrested and sent to jail.

Apart from the Look East policy the Myanmarese government allows Indian tourists and traders to go up to Tamu, five km from the international gate for shopping. These Indians do not have to produce any travel documents except to pay Rs.10 each as "immigration fee". But then all of them have to return to Manipur by evening and in the past those who overstayed were detained. (Agencies)

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

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Delhi HC seeks reply from Kejriwal Govt. over management quota row New Delhi, Jan.18: The Delhi High Court on Monday sought reply from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government by January 26 over the petition filed by private schools, opposing the decision to scrap management quota in schools. The High Court said that if the ruling AAP improves the conditions of the government schools then there would be no fight for admissions in private schools. The next hearing of this case will take place on January 28.

Terming the move by

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as "absolutely illegal, arbitrary, whimsical and unconstitutional", the schools had argued that the government order is contrary to and violates various judgments of the Supreme Court and the High Court, and impacts the autonomy of private unaided schools to regulate their admissions.

The writ petition, filed by the Action Committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools that comprises 400 schools, has requested the court to is-

Rijiju to speak at 'Asia' Values and Democracy' symposium in Tokyo

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju

New Delhi, Jan.18: Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju will deliver the inaugural address at the 'Asia' Values and Democracy' symposium in Tokyo, Japan on Tuesday. The symposium has been jointly organised by the Japan Foundation and the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) in collaboration with the Japanese foreign ministry.

It is a follow up to the "Hindu-Buddhist Conference for conflict Avoidance and Environmental Consciousness" that was organised by VIF in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation and Tokyo Foundation in New Delhi in the first week of September, 2015. This initiative has come from the talks that Prime Minister Narendra

Modi had with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in which they identified conflict and environment as the two major challenges facing the world on Monday.

The symposium in Tokyo will be attended by approximately 600 people representing 13 countries. Prime Minister Abe will address the inaugural function, where a video message from Prime Minister Modi will be played. The symposium will attract renowned Asian political, social, academic, and religious leaders to explore the values that have formed the basis of democracy and inter-state relations in Asia. Rijiju is also scheduled to visit the ancient Buddhist temple of Todaji at Nara, Japan on January 20, before departing for India on January 21. (ANI)

No official communication from PDP over govt. formation: Nirmal Singh Jammu, Jan. 18: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Monday said that there was no official communication that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti has asked for more time to decide on government formation in the state. "We have read in newspapers that the PDP will make an alliance with the BJP, but there is no official communication that Mehbooba Mufti has asked for more time to decide on government formation," he told.

He also expressed hope that the government would be formed soon in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The situation is now clear and hopefully some positive results will come soon," he added.

Earlier on Sunday, Mehbooba chaired a fivehour core group meeting of the PDP to decide the future course of action over government formation.

As per reports, the PDP has authorised Mehbooba to take final decision on government formation and she would be holding deliberations with ally BJP in coming days. The BJP has so far maintained that they have no problems with the PDP and were waiting for alliance partner's decision on government formation. (ANI)

Chief Minister Nirmal Singh

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought reply from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government by January 26

sue a writ, order or direction quashing the government's order and asking the government to pass further orders grant-

ing relief to them.

The Delhi government had earlier scrapped management quotas for admissions to private

schools, a move that offers more seats for those seeking general admission. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said it was important to remove the management quota, dubbing it as "the biggest scam" in India's education system. "There will be only 25 percent reservation for economically weaker sections; the rest 75 percent will be made available to the general public. We noticed during our inspection that a few schools have made just 25 percent seats available for the general public. We

are now opening 50 percent more seats for them," said Kejriwal.

"We found 62 unjust criteria, which we have declared null and void.

Schools can redraft criteria of admission points and it should be just, transparent and fair.

They cannot reserve seats or decide admission criteria according to their whims and fancies," said Kejriwal. In December, the Delhi government allowed private schools to decide their own admission criteria and update the same on their websites. (ANI)

Pollution in Ganga: NGT reprimands Centre, UP Govt.

New Delhi, Jan.18: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday reprimanded the Centre and Uttar Pradesh Government over pollution in the river Ganga. The NGT said the slogans of the Centre as well as the state government are contradictory to the actions being taken.

The green panel had earlier directed the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Governments to identify "seriously polluting" industries located on the banks of the Ganga and apprise it about "quantity and quality" of discharge generated by them in the

river.

Earlier, the NGT had directed the Centre not to release funds for cleaning the river from Gomukh to Kanpur without its nod, chiding the two states for failing to identify the serious polluting locations. Before that, it had banned use of any kind of plastic from Gomukh to Haridwar along Ganga from February 1.

It had also slapped a penalty of Rs. 5,000 per day on erring hotels, dharamshalas and ashrams spewing waste into the river. It also

banned camping activity in the entire belt of Kaudiyala to Rishikesh on the banks of Ganga in Uttarakhand till the regulatory regime comes into force, but permitted the adventure sport rafting with immediate effect.

The tribunal passed a slew of directions to keep the river pollution free. It held that if any hotel, dharamshala or ashram releases their domestic waste and sewage into Ganga or its tributaries, then it shall be liable to pay environmental compensation for causing pollution of the river at the rate of Rs 5,000 per

day.

Besides the plastic ban, the tribunal also prohibited throwing of any municipal waste, construction and demolition wastes into Ganga and its tributaries while announcing that violators will have to pay an environmental compensation at the rate of Rs 5,000 per incident. The green bench further held that all the seriously polluting industries, which are operating without consent of the Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board, would be closed with immediate effect. (ANI)

Punia condoles Dalit scholar's death, to meet Hyderabad Univ. students New Delhi, Jan. 18: P.L. Punia, the chairman of National SC/ST commission, will visit University of Hyderabad on Monday to meet the protesting students after one of the five expelled scholars committed suicide last night by hanging himself. Punia condoled the student's death and assured that his sacrifice would not go in vain.

"Through the media we got to know that Dalit scholars and the students associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarti Parishad (ABVP) had a fight following which the university made a onesided decision against the Dalit students. They were staging a protest since then and last night one of them committed

P.L. Punia, the chairman of National SC/ST commission

suicide," Punia told .

Punia revealed that he had asked for a report on the expulsion of the students on January 13 through which he could intervene in the matter.

"On 13th we had asked for a report through our state office so that we could intervene in the matter. The report has not been received yet, may be because of Pongal holidays. So, today again I have asked

for the report urgently.

And I have decided to go to Hyderabad and to talk to the people on the spot and take a look at the real problems and who was at fault," he added. One of the five dalit scholars, expelled from the University of Hyderabad 12 days ago, hanged himself to death last night.

25-year-old Rohith Vemula, who belonged to Guntur district of Amravati, was doing his PhD in science technology and society studies for the past two years, before the scholar allegedly got involved in a tiff between two student groups in August last year. The five researchers were supported by 10 other students' outfits on the campus including ASA, Students Federation of India, Dalit Students Union and

National Students Association among others.

On Sunday, the students from each of the outfits had started relay hunger strike asking the university administration to take back the students all of whom hailed from backward socio-economic backgrounds. The students protested against Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya.

The students demanded the revoking of the suspension of the five Dalit research scholars. They also demanded Dattatreya's apology for interfering in University matters and branding the students of University of Hyderabad as casteists, anti-nationals and extremists. (ANI)

Nobody deserves Bharat Ratna if NTR doesn't: Gajapathi Raju

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju

New Delhi, Jan. 18: Describing Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founderpresident and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N T Rama Rao as a 'multi-faceted person', Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Monday said if the former doesn't deserve the prestigious Bharat Ratna then nobody does.

"He wanted the human beings to rise and his concentration was more towards Telugus, who were not able to come forward, not able to eradicate poverty... So, he came and helped them, gave them political power. If he

doesn't deserve the Bharat Ratna then I don't think anyone deserves the Bharat Ratna," Raju told here.

"We have plenty of memories. We have good fortune of working together. He is much senior to me in age.

He was a multi-faceted person. He was very simple," he added. Politicians, film industry stalwarts and fans of legendary Telugu actor NT Rama Rao on Monday took to Twitter to pay tributes to the megastar on his 20th death anniversary. The TDP had earlier urged the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour, on NTR. (ANI)

Govt. leaving no stone unturned to fulfil development aspirations of NE: PM Modi New Delhi, Jan. 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that he was eagerly awaiting his two-day visit to the northeast and added his government is leaving no stone unturned to fulfil the development aspirations of the region. "I am eagerly awaiting my 2-day visit to the Northeast. Will participate in various programmes in Sikkim & Assam and interact with citizens. A conference of State Agriculture Ministers is being held in Gangtok. Am particularly delighted that the conference is being held in Sikkim," he wrote in a series of tweets.

He added that the Conference of Agriculture Ministers would focus on sustainable development, organic farming and ecotourism. "In Gangtok I will also visit an exhibition of organic products and interact with organic farmers. I envision the Northeast to be a hub in this," he added. The Prime Minister will also interact with the youth of

Assam, students of IIT, NIT and central universities of the northeast on the second day of his visit.

"Tomorrow I will be in Assam where I will interact with the youth of Assam, students of IIT, NIT & central universities of the Northeast. Tomorrow I will address a public meeting of tribal communities in Kokrajhar and a youth rally in Khanapara, Guwahati," he wrote in another tweet. Prime Minister Modi will visit Sikkim and Assam from January 18-19. He is also scheduled to visit an orchid display and a seasonal flowers exhibition in Gangtok.

He will also attend State Agricultural Ministers Conference on sustainable development, organic farming and ecotourism in Gangtok. The two-day conference was inaugurated by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh at Chintan Bhawan on Sunday. (ANI)

AIADMK misusing criminal defamation clause, says Karunanidhi's lawyer Gurmeet Ram Rahim in Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Chennai, Jan. 18: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M. Karunanidhi's lawyer Saravanan on Monday said that his client had appeared before the Principal Sessions Judge of the Madras High Court in connection with a criminal defamation case filed against him by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, and added that the latter was misusing the legal clause for her own benefit.

"He has appeared to the court in response to summon issued to him in the defamation case filed by the Chief Minster. He marked his presence to highlight even thought

there was an option of opting out or dispensing with his appearance. He said he will appear before the court to highlight how this criminal defamation is rampantly misused by this AIADMK government.

So, he made his appearance today," Sarvanan told here.

"The appearance has assumed significance in this case..The opposition doesn't have the power to criticise the government in power. These were the pertinent question raised by the Supreme Court. But inspite of that, the government have gone ahead and filed the defamation," he added.

Karunanidhi appeared in a

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M. Karunanidhi's lawyer Saravanan

Chennai court earlier today in a defamation case filed against him. He said the defamation case is an attempt to threaten publications that do not support Jayalalithaa's ruling AIADMK. The case was filed in November last year after the DMK mouthpiece Murasoli re-

produced an article first published in a popular Tamil magazine "Anantha Vikadan." The chief minister has alleged that the article is defamatory. Principal Sessions Judge M. Athinathan had last month asked Karunanidhi and editor Selvam of DMK's mouthpiece 'Murasoli' to appear before the court on January 18, while hearing the criminal defamation cases filed against them by the state government.

The City Public Prosecutor had alleged that Karunanidhi wrote an article in 'Murasoli' about theAIADMK Government's performance in the last four years, which per se was defamatory.

(ANI)

trouble for dressing up like Lord Vishnu Chandigarh, Jan.18: Days after the controversial arrest of comedian Kiku Sharad for imitating Gurmeet Ram Rahim on a television show, the All India Hindu Federation has filed a complaint against the self-proclaimed godman for dressing up as Lord Vishnu in a video. "A day before yesterday, a video ofGurmeet Ram Rahim had come to my mobile through social media. In the video, he is seen dressing up as Lord Vishnu.

That hurt my feelings," All India Hindu Federation chief Nishant Sharma told.

The complaint has been registered in the Zirakpur Police Station and an investigation is underway.

Nishant, however, said the case has not yet been filed by the police. "We called a meeting. Today we are going to meet the DGP and if the complaint is still not filed then we will approach the court," Nishant said.

"We have always worked to carry forward the ideology of sanatan dharm and we will continue to do so," he added. He also said they have requested that a case should be filed against the godman for hurting religious sentiments. (ANI)

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

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NEIGHBOURS

Experts: Dhaka not ready for major trembler Dhaka, Jan 18: Experts and administrators alike had this to say about Dhaka's readiness to face a major earthquake: It isn't.At a conference today jointly organised by the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Plan International, there was consensus that the city, and indeed the country, have much to do to achieve a satisfactory level of earthquake preparedness."Dhaka is not ready for it," DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq told meeting attendees at a convention centre in the capital's Gulshan neighbourhood.

"No one, including the city corporations, is truly prepared for a high magnitude

First session of the CPRC to begin on Jan.18 Colombo, Jan 18: The first session of the Committee of Public Representations on the Constitution (CPRC) will be held in Colombo from January 18 to 22 from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m at Visumpaya, staple street, Colombo 02.

The public are invited to present their proposals and opinions for the new constitution at this session which is open for all. The committee requests from thepublic to provide their proposals in writing with a summary if those are presented orally.The committee members will visit across the island to gather public opinions. Proposals also could be submitted via the telephone, fax , e-mail and websites. These sources will enable the Sri Lankans overseas to express their ideas,the committee said.The final report prepared by the committee will be submitted to the Parliament before the end of April. (Agencies)

Five security personnel dead in IED blast in Pakistan Karachi, Jan 18 : At least five security personnel have been killed in an improvised explosive device ( IED) blast in Margut area in Pakistan's Quetta on Monday. According to The Dawn, two security personnel have been injured in the blast where forces' vehicle was targeted by a remotely-detonated device, rescue sources said.

Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least developed province, has remained under the grip of violence for over a decade which has claimed thousands of lives. (ANI)

Dhaka not ready for major trembler earthquake."Professor Dr ASM Maksud Kamal who chairs the department of the disaster science and management at Dhaka University said the country was in need of a comprehensive national disaster management

programme.

"Despite much paperwork, implementation has been insufficient. Existing and new measures must be implemented," he stressed.

Prof Maksud said major earthquakes in the region seemed to occur at 100-

year intervals. "Since the last big earthquakes were centred on or near Srimongol in 1918 and 1922, another big earthquake is probably due soon."The 1918 trembler registered 7.4 on the Richter scale. The 1922 quake had a magnitude of 7.2."We have identified 13 high risk areas, as far seismic activity is concerned. The risk zones include Srimongol, Sylhet, Cox's Bazar and Tangail's Modhupur," Prof Maksud said.In addition to seismic activity in Nepal and India's north-eastern Seven Sisters states, the Bangkok Post reported on Mon-

Earthquake-preparedness measures to date ¨ 2008 Standing order on disasters ¨ 2009 National and Dhaka city Contingency Plan

¨ 2012 Disaster Management Act ¨ 2010-2015 National Plan for Disaster Management day that three earthquakes of magnitudes 3.5 to 3.9 have jolted neighbouring Myanmar. No damage was reported."Everyone needs to get involved with awareness and preparedness, including the

city administration. We need to know what might happen, we need to model scenarios, we need to run drills and prepare emergency responders," the DNCC mayor said. (Agencies)

PM finally invites teachers for a talk Dhaka, Jan 18:After a week of teachers' strike at all public universities of the country, the prime minister has invited the teachers for a meeting about their ongoing movement demanding a separate pay scale.The meeting with Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to be held around 4:30pm today, said Farid Uddin Ahmed, the president of Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association (FBUTA).He added that leaders from Dhaka University Teachers Association would also join the FBUTA Executive Council members at the meeting.

Farid Uddin expressed his hopes of getting a positive solution from the meeting as the teachers have long been demanding to talk directly to the prime minister regarding the crisis on the eighth pay scale."We have sent letters at least six times to the Prime

Minister's Office for getting a permission to meet her, but our requests had repeatedly been denied."He alleged that a group of bureaucrats were against any meeting or discussion taking place between the premier and university teachers. Farid Uddin said the teachers would present their logical demands to Sheikh Hasina at the meeting.Earlier yesterday, on the seventh day of indefinite work abstention, the FBUTA president and secretary general submitted a written proposal to Education Secretary Sohrab Hossain with some alternative demands from the teachers.

FBUTA Secretary General ASM Maksud Kamal said: "The ongoing crisis will be solved promptly as we have submitted an alternative proposal to the ministry that would preserve due respect of the university teachers."FBUTA lead-

Sheikh Hasina

ers finalised the written proposal in a meeting at Dhaka University Teachers Club in the afternoon.Last Tuesday, following a meeting with FBUTA leaders, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid expressed hopes of a quick solution to the ongoing crisis.Since January 11, public university teachers have been on a strike over pay scale grievances. No

classes took place during this time, but ongoing exams were held according to the schedule.The teachers have been protesting the recently implemented Eighth National Pay Scale since May 2014, advocating their four-point charter of demands that includes formation of a commission to initiate an independent pay scale for public university

teachers.Their four-point demand also includes the immediate revision of the national pay scale, keeping senior professors and senior secretaries of the government at an equal level of payment.

Meanwhile, a Supreme Court lawyer filed a writ petition with the High Court yesterday challenging the legality of the ongoing public university teachers' strike.The lawyer, Yunus Ali Akond, prayed to the court to direct the government to take steps to ensure the teachers withdraw the strike and direct the teachers to attend their classes within 24 hours.In the petition, Yunus said teachers can go to the court if there is any discrimination in their salary and dignity but cannot boycott classes as education is a fundamental right which students were being deprived of because of the strike.The court is likely to hear the petition today, he said. (Agencies)

Anti-Terrorism Court Acquits Musharraf in Bugti Murder Case Islamabad, Jan 18 : Pakistan's former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf was today acquitted by an anti- terrorism court in the murder case of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.The court in Balochistan's provincial capital Quetta acquitted former president Musharraf, ex-provincial home minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani and Qaumi Watan Party chief and member of National Assembly Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao.

After the announcement of the decision by Judge Jan Muhammad Gohar, the lawyer representing Bugti's son Jamil Bugti,

ATC acquits Musharraf in Akbar Bugti murder case

Sohail Rajput, announced his decision to challenge the judgment of the court, the Dawn reported."They should have been convicted and I do not understand why the court set them free," Rajput said."We are not satisfied with this judgement and we will challenge it," Rajput told reporters out-

side court.Musharraf, 72, was indicted in the case in January 2015.The court also rejected the request

by Jamil to order exhumation of the body of his father to confirm that the body buried in Dera Bugti was that of Akbar Bugti.In a separate application, Jamil had requested the court to summon the members of a parliamentary committee who had met Akbar Bugti following the violence in Dera Bugti in March 2005 in which dozens were killed.Jamil had named Musharraf, former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former Governor of Balochistan Owais Ahmed Ghani, ex-interior minister Sherpao and oth-

ers for the murder.

Bugti, former chief minister of Balochistan and head of his tribe, was killed in 2006 in a military operation ordered by Musharraf who was president and army chief at the time.His killing sparked nationwide protests and further fuelled an armed insurgency that began in 2004 in Balochistan.Two co-accused - Musharraf's then interior minister Sherpao and ex-provincial home minister Nusherwan - were also indicted for their alleged role in the murder of Bugti.Musharraf never appeared in the court during the entire legal process which had been in

progress since 2009. He was also absent when the charge-sheet was read out in the court.Musharraf came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999, deposing then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Facing impeachment following elections in 2008, Musharraf resigned as president and went into self-imposed exile in Dubai.The ex-army chief is facing a slew of court cases after returning from five years of self-exile in Dubai to contest the general elections in 2013 which he lost.He is also facing trial in high treason case for abrogating the constitution in 2007 and illegal detention of judges same year. (Agencies)

Transmission line set to be completed by January-end Kathmandu Jan 18: The construction of the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur cross-border transmission line is set to be completed this month, allowing Nepal to import another 90 MW of electricity from India, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) said.The state-owned power utility had planned to finish erecting the power line by mid-January but has been encountering delays.

"We have finally been able to resume the construction work. Going by the current pace of progress, we should complete the project by the end of January," said Kanhaiya Manandhar, head of the NEA's transmission directorate.The NEA is currently engaged

in erecting five towers in Dhanusha and Mahottari districts. The task was estimated to be completed within two-three weeks, but the protest launched by the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha slowed it down.

"Despite the ongoing agitation, we have succeeded in expediting the construction work," Manandhar said.Nepal has to construct 112 out of the total 354 electricity pylons in the transmission line which is 129.5 km long. Apart from small tasks on the Nepal side, the construction work has been completed, according to the NEA. The Indians have already finished their portion of the project. According to the power utility, it can begin

receiving power from India as soon as the remaining work in Nepal is completed.The completion of the project is expected to reduce load-shedding hours some. NEA sources said the new 132 kV power line would provide some relief, but if a 440 kV transmission line had been built, Nepal would have been able to import up 1,000 MW.According to the NEA, the generation of electricity by governmentowned run-of-the-river projects has shrunk to around 340 MW due to a decrease in the flow of water in the rivers during the winter season.

Likewise, the amount of power being fed into the national grid by independent power producers

Three Chinese war ships arrive at Sri Lanka's Colombo port

(IPPs) has dropped to around 150 MW. Energy imports from India total 200-220 MW.According to the Ministry of Energy, Nepal's electricity requirement amounts to around 1,300 MW. This means the NEA system has a deficit of around 590 MW. The NEA is facing a severe challenge in managing the load this winter as energy demand has soared while 75-80 MW have gone off the national grid due to the damage caused by the April 25 earthquake.

A fuel crisis has delayed maintenance work at these projects and prevented

them from resuming production at full capacity.Likewise, the blockade imposed by the southern neighbour for the past four months has increased demand for electricity significantly. With LPG disappearing from the market, the most popular energy for cooking, people have had to turn to electric appliances like induction heaters, cookers and rice cookers leading to a sharp rise in electricity demand.

The increased load on power transformers has led to a large number of them exploding in the Valley.(Agencies)

NEA is currently engaged in erecting five towers in Dhanusha and Mahottari districts

Three Chinese war ships arrive at Sri Lanka's Colombo port

Colombo, Jan 18: Sri Lanka Navy, in accordance with naval traditions, ceremonially welcomed three Chinese naval ships arrived at the Port of Colombo on Sunday. Three People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) ships, "Liuzhohu", "Sanya" and "Qinghaihu", arrived at the Port of Colombo on a goodwill visit on 17th January 2016, the Sri Lanka Navy said.

The Commander of the Task Force and Deputy Chief of Staff of the South Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy, Rear Admiral Yu Manjiang and the ships'

Commanding Officers are due to pay a courtesy call on the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne at the Naval Headquarters in Colombo on Monday.As a gesture of goodwill and friendship, the ships' complements will take part in a friendly soccer and basketball match with the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) at Welisara Navy base.Prior to their departure on 21st January, the visiting Chinese ships are due to conduct a Passage Exercise with SLN craft with a view to share professional expertise between the two friendly navies. (Agencies)

Pak PM Nawaz Sharif visits Saudi Arabia, Iran to ease tensions Islamabad, Jan 18: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief General Raheel Sharif today embarked a visit to Saudi Arabia and Iran to ease tensions between them. People in Pakistan and abroad await the outcome of the initiative taken by Nawaz Sharif to bring the two rivals to the negotiating table.

Nawaz Sharif will lead a high-level delegation to Saudi Arabia and Iran on 18-19 January to exchange views on regional and international issues, a foreign office statement said on Sundaykistan Prime Ministaz Sharif.

ReutersThe statement did not mention if Nawaz Sharif would fly directly from Riyadh to Tehran or make separate visits to the two countries.With Raheel Sharif in the delegation, the visit has assumed added importance and it is hoped that Pakistan would make a serious attempt to defuse tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia.The foreign office in its statement said Pakistan was deeply concerned at the recent escalation of tension between

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif

Saudi Arabia and Iran."The prime minister has called for resolution of differences through peaceful means, in the larger interest of Muslim unity particularly during these challenging times," the statement said.

Pakistan had consistently advocated the policy of promoting brotherhood among member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the statement said.The execution earlier this month of a Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir Al Nimr, who was a fierce critic of the royal family, sparked tensions bordering almost on hostility between the two countries.Riyadh snapped diplomatic relations with Tehran after its embassy in Iran was set ablaze by protesters.(Agencies)

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief General Raheel Sharif today embarked a visit to Saudi Arabia and Iran to ease tensions between them

China launches online system to check Living Buddhas authenticity Beijing, Jan. 18 : China launched an online system to check the authenticity of Living Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism today, as a growing number of fraudulent Buddhas have been known to swindle money.The official websites of the State Administration for Religious Affairs www.sara.gov.cn and www.tibet.cn - will be nodal reference points to certify the authenticity of Living Buddhas.

The first group of 870 verified Living Buddhas was published on Monday.This is the first time information on the country's religious leaders is accessible via the Internet.The 7th Drukhang Living Buddha, Drukhang Thubten Khedrup, who is the vice president of the

Buddhist Association of China (BAC), said that he was very happy with this development to promote transparency at the association and regulate reincarnation issues for Living Buddhas. The BAC said the system, which can be used both on computers and mobile phones, publishes detailed, accurate information on living buddhas, including photos, names, religion names, monastic titles, date of birth, religious sects, numbers of living buddha certificates and resident monasteries.Originated in the 13rd century A.D., the reincarnation of Living Buddhas is a unique inheritance system in Tibetan Buddhism. Since 2010, the BAC began to issue certificates to Living Buddhas. (ANI)

PAGE 8

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

The great Northeastern arms trail

Bird Flu Over 8,000 Birds Culled in Tripura Bird flu is a fatal disease of chickens, turkeys, guinea fowls, and other avian species, especially migratory waterfowl. This virus that causes the bird infection can mutate to infect humans. It is a contagious disease and spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets while coughing and sneezing. The flu is different from a cold and the symptoms can vary from a mild disease with little or no mortality to a highly fatal, rapidly spreading epidemic depending on the infecting virus strain, host factors and environmental stressors.

With a fresh outbreak of bird flu being reported in Tripura, the mass culling of more than 8,000 chicken and ducks began in the western part of the state, officials report. After the death of some chicken, ducks and birds officials have sent samples to various local and outside laboratories. And the National Institute of High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal has confirmed the samples from the government farm are positive for H5 strain of Avian Influenza. And as a result it has been decided to immediately commence the culling of birds and destruction of eggs and feed material among other things so as to control further spread of the disease without loss of time. It has also been decided that all the ducks and poultry birds would be culled within a radius of 1 km of the focus of infection, including the neighbouring villages. According to the official, in addition to the culling, surveillance would be carried out over a further radius up to 10 km to monitor further spread of infection, if any. The northeastern state of Tripura was first affected by avian influenza in April and May 2008, forcing the authorities to cull several lakh poultry birds.

The bird flu has resurfaced Tripura, bordering Bangladesh, after three years. India has culled 6.4 million birds due to bird flu since 2006. Experts point out that cross-infection to humans is still relatively rare and usually occurs where people have been in close contact with infected birds. But fears remain the aviation flu could combine with a human strain to produce a mutation that is more dangerous and difficult to control. In February, three people were tested for bird flu and 10,000 chickens slaughtered in Britain's first outbreak of the H7N7 strain in seven years. There have been several outbreaks of the H7N7 flu in China and 18 months ago it was found in Italy. During the Italian outbreak in August 2013, three poultry workers became infected with the virus, developing conjunctivitis. More than 1 million chickens and other poultry were culled during the Italian crisis.

Cricketers again in controversy Non-bailable warrant against MS Dhoni in magazine cover case These Indian cricketers have it so easy. They get paid crores of rupees for things they do on the field and things they do off the field. They drive around in swanky cars and live in palatial houses served by liveried staff.

They also have their houses stoned, their effigies burned, their partners blamed for a bad day in the field and then there's this: issue of a non-bailable warrant for a 'morphed' image that portrays Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the Hindu deity Vishnu, holding branded shoes and what not. There are several things wrong with this situation. Firstly, the FIR in this case was registered in 2013 in an overly burdened justice system. Secondly, it is mildly disturbing that a High Court judge does not understand the difference between an advertisement and the cover of a magazine while passing a moral judgment. Thirdly, the absurdity of thinking that a two-thousand-year-old religion truly not withstand the 'onslaught' represented by the image in question. Fourthly, the implication that India's most successful cricket captain has no regard for the sentiments of the people of India's majority religion when he belongs to it himself (or should that be Himself?).

And lastly, this validates the defense of all things Hindu by one Y Shyam Sunder, a gentleman from Vishwa Hindu Parishad who identifies himself as a staunch believer of Hinduism and Indian culture. There is no question that there is a higher burden on those in the public domain to behave responsibly. Yet, when we hold them to unreal standards is when it is time to question the fabric of our society.

According to reports doing the rounds, MS Dhoni has been asked to be present in court on February 25 for the case. A court in Ananthapur issued a non-bailable warrant against cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in connection with a case of hurting religious sentiments by posing as Lord Vishnu on the cover photo of a magazine.

Dhoni, who leads the Indian cricket team in Australia for a limited-over series, had appeared as Indian god on the cover page of 'Business Today' in one of its 2013 editions.

Dhoni has been asked to be present in court on February 25 for the case. In September last year, the Supreme Court had stayed criminal proceedings against Dhoni. It had also issued a notice to social activist Jayakumar Hiremath, who had filed the case against the cricketer. The Karnataka High Court, however, refused to quash the case, prompting Dhoni to file an appeal in the apex court. Most cricketers in Dhoni's position would not have thought twice about doing the same, yet very few will actually defend his rights or that he is innocent of intent. That is a scary thought. The best case scenario is that this is all proven hopelessly wrong. The worst case scenario is that the next Sania Mirza will be even more victimized and that the next time we lose a cricket series overseas, television sets are smashed under the full glare of the cameras of the Indian press. The part played by our colleagues in the media in creating this scenario cannot be underestimated.

Imagine if we didn't cover, debate and then follow up every frivolous PIL or complaint against a celebrity -- and yes, in the view of this writer, this one is frivolous.

Imagine the freedom that might afford a judge to dismiss the case from her or his docket rather than have to justify 'public sentiments'. Imagine the complete lack of motivation for the 'culture police' to act. That is about as likely to happen as a Test victory at the WACA, Perth.

Yet, it did happen eight years ago under Anil Kumble's captaincy, so there might be hope for our friends in the media still. It can be argued, probably correctly, that such a depiction of icons in other religions might have caused far more violent reactions. However, if we are going to argue that cricket is also a religion in India, then this too, is no way to treat a cricketing deity.

Subir Bhaumik It is a first for India -and a development considerably more significant than the extradition of mafia don Chota Rajan, whose utility as a counter-foil to Dawood has been increasingly in doubt.

India has finally succeeded in securing the extradition of a Thai gunrunner Wuthikorn Naruenartwanich alias Willy to stand trial in India -- something Delhi has so far failed to do with the Purulia armsdrop mastermind Jan Christien Nielsen alias Kim Davy .

During the first round of interrogation conducted by the NIA, Willy has finally blown the lid on the $ 1.2 million deal that he had signed with the NSCN(I-M) chief of procurement, Anthony Shimray alias Nikhang Shimray.

One cannot think of a more successful handling of a serious case with trans-regional implications than this one and full credit should go to the NIA officers who doggedly pursued the case in a Thai court with solid evidence.

The Indian media seems to have completely missed out the story.

Peter and Indrani Mukherjee's money trail is important for tax authorities - but the arms trail to China through South-east Asia is no less important because it has serious security implications. But this was a story our anchors did not want India to know because they did not get to know of it.

Exactly a decade after the failed attempt to smuggle a huge consignment of weapons through Chittagong, fresh evidence has now surfaced that the NSCN (I-M) had planned to use the Bangladesh coast to bring in a similar, though not as big a consignment, through Cox's Bazar in late 2010. All this while they were in negotiations with the Indian government.

The weapons recovered on 1 April, 2004 in Chittagong port area had to be carried off in ten trucks and could arm a whole military brigade.

Now, India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) has garnered all

details of a plan by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) to land a huge consignment of weapons south of Cox's Bazar in late 2010.

The consignment of 1000 Ak series rifles , 50 universal machine guns and as many rocket launchers alongwith an assortment of ammunition was supposed to be loaded in a ship at Beihei port on China-Vietnam border in the South China sea and brought to Cox's Bazar to be carried inland into northeast India.

The plan was cancelled after NSCN's chief of procurement Anthony Shimray alias Nikkhang Shimray, who had struck the deal with Chinese suppliers, was nabbed by Nepal police and handed over to India in the summer of 2010.

The NIA has filed the charge sheet in an Indian court against Shimray and three others but one of them has turned approver and spilled the beans.

Then the NIA moved a court in Thailand and secured the extradition of Bangkok-based gunrunner Wuthikorn Naruenartwanich alias Willy to India after receiving 'robust evidence' about his efforts to mediate the arms deal between the NSCN and Chinese arms manufacturers.

Willy's appeal failed because the NIA had done its homework and the evidence it produced in the Thai court was seen by the judges as 'conclusive' of his complkicity.

Willy was brought to Delhi last week to stand trial for negotiating the deal between the NSCN and Chinese ordnance companies for supply of weapons worth between $ 1.2 million.

Though the NSCN has not fought against Indian forces since 1997, its fighters have been involved in factional feuds and turf battles with other breakaway Naga rebel factions and separatist groups representing other communities who oppose the NSCN's plans for a 'greater Naga state'.

Some suspect arms trading in the murky conflict zones of Northeast.

Anthony Shimray, who has lived in Thailand for most of the last twenty years, was said to be the NSCN's chief of procurement.

His name surfaced in the

2004 Chittagong arms cases, when prosecutors there found some evidence of his involvement with ULFA military wing chief Paresh Barua in trying to smuggle in a huge consignment of China-made weapons through the port city in Bangladesh Barua and Shimray were said to have stayed in the same hotel on the day the Chittagong police seized the ten-truck consignment in the port city.

But the trail on him went cold and could not be seriously pursued by the Bangladesh prosecutors.

Following Shimray's interrogation in India , Willy's involvement in the deal with the Norinco subsidiary surfaced.

Norinco is China's leading state-owned ordnance firm.

India and Thailand signed in May 2013 a treaty for extradition of fugitives wanted for terrorism, trans-national crimes and economic offences. That was one of the successes of Manmohan Singh's quiet diplomay in the neighborhood, though the soft-spoken economist did not brag about it .

After that, India got a red corner notice issued against Willy through the Interpol and the Thai 'trader' was arrested in September 2013 from his home in Bangkok.

The NIA says Shimray paid an advance of $ 800,000 in April 2010 to a Bangkok-based company run by Willy to source rocket launchers, grenades, assault rifles and ammunition for the NSCN and its allies from a weapons supplier in mainland China.

It says Shimray had been frequently travelling to Beijing to seal the arms deal.

A senior NIA official said the agency has got hold of emails exchanged between NSCN (I-M) leaders and Willy about the proposed deal to bring in the huge consignment in 2010 that include more than 1000 AK series rifles , machine guns and rocket launchers .

The NIA says it also has evidence of $700,000 paid to a Chinese firm by Willy for the deal.

The middleman who introduced Shimray and other leaders of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland to Willy is now a witness in the case after turning approver.

According to NIA chargesheet, Willy put

Chittagong arms haul (Photo courtesy bdnews24.com)I the NSCN leaders in touch with one Yuthna, a representative of Chinese firm TCL. TCL was a go-between for Chinese defence giant Noricno, the NIA suspects.

For the deal, Shimray had paid $100,000 to Willy in May, 2009. Later more funds were sent to TCL through Willy.

The NIA has electronic receipt of the payment.

Shimray also received $800,000 in Bangkok from NSCN , out of which $ 700,000 was paid to TCL via Willy.

Rest of the sum was paid to Thai shipping agent Kittichai of Intermarine Shipping Company of Bangkok for transporting the weapons to Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.

NIA officials say that a definite money trail exists as payment to Chinese firm was made through normal banking channels via a leading private bank's branch in an African country.

NSCN has parked its funds in bank accounts across several African nations, they say.

The several separatist rebel groups in India's troubled Northeast have sourced their weapons from the black markets of South-East Asia in the aftermath of the Vietnam War until they turned to the Chinese in the last decade.

But the Chinese arms have been brought by sea and off-loaded in the Bangladesh coast before the separatist rebels from India's northeast would carry them on their shoulders into the region through the hilly terrain, evading Indian forces.

In April-May 1995, the Indian army launched a successfdul operation against such a large

rebel column after they had picked up a huge consignment of weapons at Bangladesh's Wyakaung beach south off Cox's Bazar.

The operation christened "Golden Bird" led to the arrest of 118 rebels by the Indian army, even as 38 of them were killed in a series of encounters in the northeast Indian state of Mizoram.

The interesting thing about the Shimray plan is that the Naga rebel leader was planning to use the Bangladesh coast to smuggle in the weapons into northeast India even after the government of Sheikh Hasina had come to power in Jan 2009 and started a crackdown against northeast Indian rebels.

Senior rebel leaders like ULFA chairmnan Arabinda Rajkhowa, his foreign secretary Sasadhar Choudhury , deputy military wing chief Raju Barua, UNLF chief Raj Kumar Meghen, NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary and ATTF chief Ranjoit Debbarma were all nabbed by Bangladesh agencies and quietly handed to India to stand trial.

Only Paresh Barua, now sentenced to death with 13 others in the 2004 Chittagong arms cases, managed to escape from Bangladesh.

"The fact that Shimray managed to line up the armsdrop in the Cox's Bazar region in late 2010 much after the crackdown by Hasina government indicates the northeastern rebels still had sufficient contacts and resources in that area to plan the drop," said former Indian DIA deputy chief Major-General Gaganjit Singh. " Our boys are trying to

dig out those links and once we have them , we will inform our Bangladesh counterparts. They will be surely interested," the official said.

So, despite the tough verdict of the 2004 Chittagong cases, in which two former ministers and two former intelligence chiefs were sentenced to death alongwith Paresh Barua , Indian intelligence says it has reasons to believe the northeastern rebels still have a covert network in the Cox's Bazar region.

"Or else why would Shimray plan his armsdrop there a year after Hasina's government has started the crackdown," Gaganjit Singh said.

He said his agency suspects Islamist radicals in Bangladesh could be involved with Shimray-- as they were possibly involved with Barua -- in sharing the inducted weapons on premium payment.

The Willy extradition is a clearly a feather in the NIA's cap and a resounding success for our cyberintelligence . Good that no one bragged about it.

Courtesy:www.nezine.com (Subir Bhaumik is a former BBC Correspondent and now works as Senior Editor of Dhaka-based bdnews24.com. His books on Northeast " I n s u r g e n t Crossfire" and "Troubled Periphery" are well acclaimed. His forthcoming book "Agartala Doctrine" is being published by Oxford University Press. )

'Don't Underestimate The Power‌‌..'

Sir, There is an interesting anecdote, about how our people's representatives move to the interior areas of the village once in every five years. Only on election time, the representatives (M.L.As and Ministers) suddenly remember the people and visit them for vote.

Once, it so happens, a minister visits a family in an interior place and starts conversing with the members masquerading asif he (the minister) is a near and dear one of the family. Suddenly one son appears on the scene. The minster pretends to be surprised, saying the growth of the boy is stunted, further he says that there is no difference between the boy he sees now and the one he saw last time. The parents burst into laughter saying that the boy whom the minister saw last time is their first son and the one he sees now is their third one. During the span of five years two more sons had been born. Our Chiefminister, too, suddenly wakes up from slumber as the election is nearing and starts crying for the poor, declaring number of bonanzas for them. Above all, one cannot help laughing in one's sleeves at some hoard-

ings that read, 'Don't underestimate the power of the common men'.

Yours etc.

Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh

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

Letters to the editor and articles should be sent to : The Eastern Today Chowkidingee, Near Sankardeva Hospital Mancotta Road, Dibrugarh-786003 (Assam) Ph: 0373-2328944 Web : editor.easterntoday@gmail.com

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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

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Indian education system makeover Nidhi Garodia India has a very rich heritage.

The Vedas, Upanishads, Scriptures, teaches us high values of life. In ancient time preaching of values were utmost important to become a better member of the society. The education system was simple but of great significance, skills were taught to serve the society rather than to satisfy ones individual desires. We see glimpse of the ancient educational institutes 'Gurukul' in many mythological movies & shows. It encourages simple living high thinking.

It aims at molding of men character for battle of life.

The concept of Purushartha emphasized

the right way of living. The four purusharthaDrama(righteousness), Artha (wealth),Kama (physical well being), Moksha (spiritual freedom) leads the man's life in right direction. Value system in ancient education depicts, that man is given freedom to acquire wealth (artha) and physical well-being (kama) but it should be in righteous way (dharma) to attain ultimate goal of life (moksha). Education was verbal and the main purpose of education in ancient India was self- realization and divine perfection. Earlier the teachers 'Guru' were given the highest respect, they were the 'upanayana' meaning holding the pupil with him

as in a womb, impregnates him with his spirit, and delivers him a new birth. Subjects like theology, philosophy, art, military education, public administration, etc, were taught to the students.

Children those belonging to higher caste group were privileged to acquire education, lower caste children were encouraged to learn their father trade affairs. With the coming of foreign invaders in the Medieval India many new elements were added to Indian education system.

Many Muslim schools 'Madrassa' were open.

In the British rule the modern education system was introduced by Lord Macauley in 1835. The purpose of change in edu-

cation system was to prepare Indian clerks for running local administration, as it was costly and impractical to import Englishmen to occupy increasing number of subordinates post in the administration. In 1844 English was made compulsory for Government job, as a result the tradition Indian education system was withered, many traditional occupations were obsolete, and India was forced towards modern education, this lead to alarming problem of erosion of our culture. Most of our scriptures and preaching are written in Sanskrit, with English being the forced compulsion made the native away from our origin language

Anti-Abortion: Biblical Stand Yumri Taipodia Life is the most precious for us, as it is given by God. Exodus 20: 13 restrain us from slaughtering human beings, which also forbids infanticide.

But rampant termination of fetus is prevailed in every society. It is essential to wage a war against those who are involved in such heinous crime. Parents and doctors should know whether they are saviors or killers? With love, are they not supposed to provide security to the inno-

cent babies in the womb?

Scripture and science states human life begins at the moment of conception. Thus, readers may find the response to the query from Christian perspective, why do people abort? What are the reasons behind this drastic step, how they kill and what will be their consequences?

Terminology: The word 'abortion' comes from the Latin verb 'Abortus' which denotes to 'miscarry.' It means abortion is untimely birth miscarriage. It means purposefully termination of unborn baby or it may be unknowingly damage of fetus. That connotes abortion is deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. It may arrest the development of an embryonic organ by using artificial method.

History of Abortion: Israelite historical account shows before 1400 BC, there was no reference of abortion. However, it is found in Egypt and Mesopotamia civilization around 2000 BC, when some drugs caused

miscarriages.

The Assyrian codex of 1100 BC declared abortion was a punishable offense. Persian law of 600 BC states abortion as a willful murder. In New Testament period, abortion was practiced in the Greek and Roman society. Even the Jews historian Josephus mentioned issue of abortion in his writing.

Cause for Abortion: People opted abortion on the manifold grounds. It may be damage of contraceptive device, living relationship and broken relationship. Unwanted

or unplanned baby may develop in their womb which leads them to take this heinous act. In another cases physician may suggest that there are abnormal growth of fetus which may lead to physical defect after birth, or risk in mother's health. In additional case, due to rape, the victim gets pregnant which leads them to abort. Further, though a family may plan to have child but due to untimely death of spouse, directs them to take this wrong step.

Technique of Abortion: Usually there are five methods to abort.

First Vacuum Suction technique is to push or sucks out living embryo which is less then twelve weeks. Second method is called Prostaglandin. By injection or passed prostaglandin apply the chemical to block the passage of oxygen and other nutrients food in the womb which are required for the baby. Then baby detaches from the womb and pass out as tiny dead body. In Salt Poison method mixed salt and glucose are letting in the

womb to drowned baby.

In Curettage method conceived baby more them twelve weeks, is sliced into tiny pieces in the womb. Hysterectomy four months old baby in womb is removed by cut open from the mother's stomach.

Baby dies after few hours.

Consequences of Abortion: Problem does not end in abortion; it just replaces one set for another. Women who aborted may have psychological problems.

They may feel guilty,

which may result mental breakdown and in turn they need to take psychiatric treatment. Often, they may try to commit suicide or have an anxiety, depression, sense of loss, anger and nightmares. Abortions have a chance of damage to the uterus which prevents them from becoming mother. In social life too, they will have bad remarks. People may fear them killed as they have their own babies. She may be counted as a heartless person. Spiritual life will also be affected.

They will often feel guilty which may lead them to decline in religious activities.

Statistics Report: There are abortion clinics in many metropolitan cities.

Over 50,000 abortion murders take place in India every day. In another words 20% of pregnancy deaths are from abortions. The abortion of the female fetuses and female infanticides are accountable for major difference in sex ratio.

Christian Response to Abortion: The Bible

stands in anti-abortion. It is God who knit the fetus in the womb (Ps 139: 13, 15; Job 10: 8). He is the God of unborn baby too (Is 44: 2a). Before God, fetus and our life have an equal values (Lk 1: 3641). He knew every fetus by name (Jer. 1: 5).

It means human life or personhood begins at conception. Unborn child does not harm us. It is not good for us to kill innocent individual. Since this act will lead God to hate us (Prov. 6: 16-17). So, it is church obligation to apply right solution on this hot issue. Church can

give pre-marital/marital counsel. They should teach right usage of sex drive and family planning.

They can give counsel to the parents of the unborn/ unwanted child. Church can adopt unwanted children in home/orphanage.

Overall, Christian should pray and support those who are the path finder in social campaign against abortion.

Conclusion: The practice of abortion is strongly opposed in the scripture.

It may be permissible in medical ground when the mother's life is under risk or fetus health is abnormal (writer's views). That too is, if a person, does not have enough faith to receive the healing or for healing the baby. He/she may carry out as per the advice of medical practitioner. Whatever situation may be, abortion is killing. No killer can enter in heaven. God is the life giver, so, He only can decide people's fate. A person who does so, not only take life rather put themselves in the place of God. Thus, abortion is violation of God's law and it is a horrible sin.

'Sanskrit'.

Modern educationists of modern India consider value based education system of ancient India as religious preaching, but in true sense it is beyond religion. Today's education system imparts training then wisdom. Skills are nurtured whereas values are forbidden. Pupil are trained in a particular sector & left to struggle in the life battlefield to incorporate values they desire to acquire. Modern education has developed India in scientific and democratic thoughts. It has opened doors for liberal and rational thinking. However the system got derailed, education at all level from preliminary to secondary to higher

is just a store-house of knowledge discouraging creative thinking.

India surpasses the west on cultural issues, whereas west led the world in the advancement of science and technology. An amalgam-

ation of eastern culture and western methods, thinking, advancement in science and technology would create a sound education system. It will be good if the forces of both are combined and an ideal education system be evolved for future

generation.

Reference: " https:// latasinha.wordpress.com " ijellh.com/importance-and-rolevalue-education-ancient-india/

8 Easy Ways To Save Money If You're A Perpetually Broke Student Shambhavi Saxena Being a student in India is often synonymous with living on a tight budget, especially when 'home' is far away from your school or college. Our bank accounts are our lifelines, but too many of us know that crushing feeling when an ATM screen flashes those deadly words at us: 'INSUFFICIENT BALANCE.' But there are ways around this.

1. Monitoring Remember washing down that fancy meal with a tall glass of guilt and mild panic? Or ignoring that bad feeling that accompanies you on your much too regular dhaba visits? The first and most important step is to track your expenses. You're going to need to spend the first month of your semester collecting all the bills and receipts handed to you. Then you sit down and go over where you're spending and how much. Consider downloading a free money managing app like Buxfer to get a better idea on where you can cut down.

2. Food Eat at home or at your mess (since you're paying a mess fee anyway), or cook your own meals if you live alone. Take away menus may look convenient, but your wallet is going to disagree.

Even if you limit yourself to ordering one 'cheap' meal, at ?200 a day, that's still roughly ?6,000 a

month! Mess food or cooking will bring that down to between ?17002500 each month.

Money saved: ?3500!

Also, pro-tips: (i) don't go grocery shopping on an empty stomach or the urge for unnecessary stuff will overpower you, (ii) and try to buy your food in bulk for a better deal.

3. Clothing Don't shop cheap! Yes, it may seem like you're getting more out of less, but multiple small little, 'guilt-free' purchases (stuff you get for ?200) can build up to over ?5000 in one semester alone! And they're going to be unwearable pretty soon. Instead, a one-time purchase of great quality jeans, boots and such will last you longer. Variety is nice, but savings are nicer.

4. Electronics If you're living in a flat, you know the headache of electricity bills and water bills. Regardless of what price range your current government has set, you should make a habit of unplugging devices not in use. Check your fridge settings and change seasonally for optimum use and saving.

How would you like to see your electricity bill of, say ?1000 drop to ?500?

Shift to LED lighting!

They're brighter than incandescent bulbs, last for 30,000-50,000 hours, and take the strain off the environment. Oh, and

don't leave your laptops on charge when they're at 100%. Not doing so might cost you a hefty bill and your laptop!

5. Study Material You can cut spending on your textbooks and readings by half when you buy them second-hand or off senior students.

Based on my own experience, if you spend ?900 a semester and up to ?7500 in four years on just texts, you can bring that down to ?3750. Not bad, right? Those who can, should invest in scanned textbooks and PDFs. Also, share the love folks, help your peers save money too!

6. Transport This is crucial since students have to do a lot of intra-city travel, whether it's to coaching or just urban exploration. But monthly fuel bills of ?3000, or cab fares of ?300 on weekends (?1500 per month!) can drain your account. Taxi apps are useful for late night soirĂŠes and airport pick-ups, but when you can cover the length of Delhi in under ?30, why wouldn't you!? This is an actual option in cities that have a Metro service.

Also, use the bus! Even the fanciest of them (like Delhi's low-floor buses) charge ?25 for over 12 km. Even with daily commuting, you'll be spending less than ?2000 a month. Also, waking up earlier and walking to places costs nothing!

7. Waste Management Segregating your waste is not just about being environmentally con-

scious, identifying and cutting out useless packaging. You can actually exchange your cardboards and paper waste to a raddiwala for cash at roughly ?10/kg. That translates to ?100 a semester. Kabadiwalas will also buy metal and glass waste from you at similar rates. Alternatively, upcycle them into useful items that also look really cool.

8. Recreational Substances Okay calm down, we're not asking you to go cold turkey, and we're not telling you you're the devil for doing these things, but hey, if you can save money by cutting down on cigarettes and the like, you should! An average smoker will spend about ?1500 on cigarettes, monthly.

That's a whopping ?54,000 during just your under-graduation! Cutting back on the smokes by even a third can save you ?17820. You can actually buy a decent netbook with that. In fact, it can even cover your food costs (at ?3000 per month) for a little over one semester!

It's always a good idea to keep aside money each month for emergencies or miscellaneous expenses, and you might face some temptation to break into this pool (or 'mad money,' as I like to refer to it), but if you follow the above tips, you're sure to match the amount in no time. And remember, a rupee saved is a rupee earned!

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

BUSINESS

GDP growth of 2016 GDP expected at 7.8%: Nomura New Delhi, Jan 18: Sharp contraction in factory output is just an "aberration" and underlying industrial growth is still positive, Nomura has said in a research note, adding that the country is expected to clock a GDP growth of 7.8 percent in 2016. According to the global financial services firm, the contraction in industrial production was significantly below expectations and the December industrial production growth should rebound. Industrial production contracted 3.2 percent in November, its sharpest decline in four years. "Given rising external headwinds, the industrial recovery is likely to

remain gradual. Still, we expect India's GDP (market prices) growth to rise to 7.8 percent in 2016 from 7.3 percent in 2015...," Nomura said in a research note. The report noted the gradual rise in growth numbers would be largely led by low commodity prices (which is positive for corporate profits), improving discretionary demand, gradual transmission of past rate cuts and higher public investment in infrastructure.

Moreover, normal monsoon in 2016 should also support rural demand.

"December industrial production growth should rebound, but the Chennai flood effect will also

Ravi Menon appointed as CEO of Indian asset management arm

Ravi Menon, newly appointed chief executive of Indian asset management arm..Source: www.fsb.org

Mumbai, Jan 18: HSBC has appointed Ravi Menon as the chief executive of its asset management arm in the country, after the elevation of Puneet Chaddha as business head for South East Asia. Menon, who joined the group in 1998, currently serves as the head of strategy and planning for HSBC India and was appointed as a director on the board of HSBC Asset Management India last year, HSBC said in a statement.

The company primarily deals with the mutual fund and portfolio management services businesses. Welcoming Menon, HSBC Asset Management's Asia Pa-

cific Chief Executive Pedro Bastos said the company is committed to capitalise on opportunities presented by "increasing wealth accumulation and diversification in Asia" and will continue to grow its presence. Menon's appointment is effective from February 1 and he will be reporting to Bastos, it said. His responsibilities will include ensuring adherence to the HSBC Group's requirements and regulatory standards in the country, the statement said. He replaces Chaddha, who was appointed as chief executive of HSBC Global Asset Management Singapore and head of the business in South East Asia in November last year.

(Agencies)

Facebook posted 27% revenue rise in India Washington, Jan 18: According to filings with the Registrar of Companies, Facebook posted a 27 percent hike in its revenues in India. It reported numbers to Rs. 123.5 crore during the year to March 2015 from Rs. 97.6 crore a year earlier.

However, the social media firm earned less than Rs. 9 per user on an average in the country, its secondlargest market outside the United States, where it earned Rs. 630 per user. The revenue from India is negligible for the Californiaheadquartered firm, which

clocked USD 12.5 billion (nearly Rs 84,000 crore) in global sales and is pushing for a free internet plan in the country to take on search engine firm Google. According to experts, marketers are gradually looking to spread their budget across social media platforms and mobile applications. Facebook's latest venture, Free Basics, a plan to make parts of internet available for free by convincing local telecom companies such as Reliance Communications to cover data charges, could be a game changer. (Agencies)

partly weigh on industrial output," Nomura said in the research note. The report further noted "the sharp contraction in industrial production is an aberration, as underlying industrial growth is still positive, though industrial production growth appears to have lost some momentum towards the end of 2015." On growth, Nomura said: "We expect India's GDP (market prices) growth to rise to 7.8 percent year-on-year in 2016 from 7.3 percent in 2015". Nomura expects CPI inflation to average 5.4 percent in 2016, versus 5.8 percent earlier. "Excluding the one-off technical rise

EXPECTED GROWTH Ø India is expected to

Ø The gradual rise in

headwinds, the industrial recovery is likely to remain gradual. Still, India's GDP (market prices) is expected to rise to 7.8 percent in 2016 from 7.3 percent in 2015.

growth numbers would be largely led by low commodity prices (which is positive for corporate profits), improving discretionary demand, gradual transmission of past rate cuts and higher public investment in infrastructure.

(due to pay commission), we expect underlying CPI inflation to be stable at 5 percent in 2016," it said. On monetary policy, it said that RBI is likely to go for a

25 basis point repo rate cut to 6.50 percent, owing to lower commodity prices and slower industrial momentum. "Although an inter-meeting cut cannot be ruled out,

clock a GDP growth of 7.8 percent in 2016.

Ø Given rising external

ANI New Delhi, Jan 18: Nestle India, which has partnered with Standard Chattered Mumbai Marathon, will see Fauja Singh as the face and symbol of '100 Years and Running' campaign. In an initiative to salute his incredible spirit, Nestle India will also release two inspiring short films titled "Running with India" featuring the 'Marathon Man'. As a part of the campaign, the latest film being launched before the Mumbai marathon, talks about his passion for the country and his excitement of running with India. The first film was launched at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, which celebrates Fauja Singh, the legend and his achievements. In the latest film, Fauja Singh is

Fauja Singh, the new face and symbol of '100 Years and Running' campaign of Nestle India.

Source: a.espncdn.com

heard saying, "I have won marathons across the world and beaten records but in India I have come to win hearts. The joy of running in India has al-

ways been different and something special which keeps me going." On the occasion of the release of the latest short film, Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Nestle India said, "The Running with India' is worthy testimony to Fauja Singh's achievements as an incredible Marathon Runner whose love for the country and passion for running remains unmatched." "His indomitable spirit, as an iconic 104-year old marathon runner, is representative of grit and determination that have enabled him to consistently create new benchmarks breaking all records. Nestle is in India for 103 years and is continuing the journey with commitment, dedication and passion," added

4,785.04 crore to Rs. 2,63,328.64 crore. Mortgage lender HDFC's m-cap slumped by Rs. 4,159.95 crore to Rs. 1,81,372.05 crore while that of CIL

Ø India's GDP (market

prices) growth is expected to rise to 7.8 percent year-on-year in 2016 from 7.3 percent in 2015. our base case is for an April cut. Beyond that, we expect the RBI to stay on hold as there are upside risks to its medium-term inflation target," it said. (Agencies)

Suresh. Having set several world records in marathon running, Fauja Singh is a living legend who continues to inspire people of all age groups. He is the world's oldest marathon runner and is often referred to as "Turbaned Tornado".

His is an exceptional story of achieving the unachievable and a perfect example of living healthy and happy. Narayanan adds "We are privileged to have Fauja Singh Ji in the Mumbai Marathon and glad to be '100 years and Running' in India. It requires a lot of hard work, passion and commitment to meet all challenges and stand strong while we set out with new goals. Nestle India is as committed as Fauja Singh Ji. We are running like him for over 100 years and will continue to do so."

Net profit of Rs 309 crore for first three quarters of FY 15-16 posted by Karnataka Bakn Kochi, Jan 18: City based Karnataka Bank has posted a net profit of Rs 309 crore for the first nine month period ended December 2015 against Rs 317 crore for corresponding period last year, which is 2.69 % lower on y-o-y basis. For the stand alone third quarter ended December 2015, Bank has earned a net profit of Rs 96.91 crore as against Rs 106.94 crore during Q3 of 2014-15, noted P Jayaram Bhat, chairman and managing director of the bank. The operating profit for nine month period ended December 2015 is Rs 600.16 crore as against Rs 533.92 crore during the corresponding period of previous year, registering growth of 12.41%. Net interest income for nine months period ended December 2015 increased by

Rs 65.61 crore from Rs 877.53 crore to Rs 943.14 crore, registering y-o-y growth of 7.48%. Bank has clocked business turnover of Rs 82,592 crore as on March 31, 2015, registering a y-o-y growth of 9.92%. Deposits rose to Rs 49,664 crore registering y-o-y growth of 10.86%. Advances rose to Rs 32,928 crore registering y-o-y growth of 8.54%. Current Account, Savings Account deposits increased by Rs 1,791 crore from Rs 10,738 crore to Rs 12,529 crore and constitutes 25.23% of total deposits [23.97% as on December 2014]. The capital adequacy ratio stood at 11.67% [under BASEL III] against the regulatory requirement of minimum 9%, Jayaram Bhat noted.

Gross NPAs stood at Rs 1,187 crore and consti-

P Jayaram Bhat, chairman and managing director of Karnataka Bank.Source: www.thehindubusinessline.com tuted 3.56% of total advances as on December 31, 2015. Net NPA stood at Rs 791 crores representing 2.41% of net advances as on December 31, 2015. "I am happy that tested conservative approach has helped us to

dropped by Rs. 1,800.16 crore to Rs. 2,00,986.72 crore. Similarly, the valuation of Sun Pharma went down by Rs. 1,708.69 crore to Rs. 1,89,135.18 crore and

that of HUL fell by Rs 1,655.36 crore to Rs 1,74,007.67 crore. In stark contrast, the m-cap of Infosys surged by Rs. 17,812.81 crore to Rs.

GREAT LOSS ØThe combined market valuation of seven of the top-10 most valued Sensex firms

declined by Rs 48,762.5 crore last week, with IT bellwether TCS taking the steepest hit. Ø While TCS, HDFC Bank, CIL, Sun Pharma, ONGC, HDFC and HUL suffered losses in their market capitalisation (m-cap), RIL, Infosys and ITC emerged as gainers. Ø Software major TCS, which reported a lower-than-expected 14.2 per cent growth in net profit for the October-December quarter on Tuesday (January 12), witnessed an erosion of Rs. 26,354.48 crore from its m-cap, which stood at Rs. 4,46,006.36 crore. Ø The market valuation of ONGC plunged by Rs. 8,298.82 crore to Rs. 1,87,835.79 crore and that of HDFC Bank dipped by Rs. 4,785.04 crore to Rs. 2,63,328.64 crore. Ø Mortgage lender HDFC's m-cap slumped by Rs. 4,159.95 crore to Rs. 1,81,372.05 crore while that of CIL dropped by Rs. 1,800.16 crore to Rs. 2,00,986.72 crore. Ø Similarly, the valuation of Sun Pharma went down by Rs. 1,708.69 crore to Rs. 1,89,135.18 crore and that of HUL fell by Rs 1,655.36 crore to Rs 1,74,007.67 crore.

2,61,897.63 crore and that of RIL jumped by Rs. 15,904.53 crore to Rs. 3,47,615.95 crore. Infosys on January 14 reported a better-than-expected 6.6 per cent rise in its third quarter net profit and raised its annual revenue growth forecast. Meanwhile, ITC added Rs. 321.46 crore in its market capitalisation to take it to Rs. 2,52,151.15 crore. The pecking order of the top-10 list showed that TCS stood at number one position despite taking a big hit in m-cap, followed

by RIL, HDFC Bank, Infosys, ITC, CIL, Sun Pharma, ONGC, HDFC and HUL. On a weekly basis, the benchmark BSE Sensex fell by 479.29 points, or 1.92 per cent, to 24,455.04, its weakest closing since May 30, 2014, while the broader NSE Nifty lost 163.55 points, or 2.15 per cent, to 7,437.80. (Agencies)

2016 Budget to see tax-friendly regime for startups: Jaitley

production growth should rebound, but the Chennai flood effect will also partly weigh on industrial output.

Fauja Singh to be face '100 Years and Running' campaign

Rs. 48,763 crore in m-cap by top 7 companies; TCS hit hardest Bengaluru, Jan 18: The combined market valuation of seven of the top10 most valued Sensex firms declined by Rs 48,762.5 crore last week, with IT bellwether TCS taking the steepest hit.

While TCS, HDFC Bank, CIL, Sun Pharma, ONGC, HDFC and HUL suffered losses in their market capitalisation (m-cap), RIL, Infosys and ITC emerged as gainers. Software major TCS, which reported a lower-than-expected 14.2 per cent growth in net profit for the October-December quarter on Tuesday (January 12), witnessed an erosion of Rs. 26,354.48 crore from its m-cap, which stood at Rs. 4,46,006.36 crore. The market valuation of ONGC plunged by Rs. 8,298.82 crore to Rs. 1,87,835.79 crore and that of HDFC Bank dipped by Rs.

Ø December industrial

PAGE 10

tide over the situation.

Gain in operating profit is mainly on account of increased interest income which is again an indication of growing asset base. Higher taxation provision pulled down the profit," he said. Nevertheless growth management deserves special attention.

NPA pruning exercise undertaken during the quarter has given much needed respite.

Bank is gearing up for digital transformation in all aspects of Banking in line with KBL Vision 2020 for its all-round transformation. Bank has network of 1,882 service outlets comprising of 702 branches and 1180 ATMs spread across India and is poised to increase its number of outlets to 2,000 by the end of March 2016.

(Agencies)

ANI New Delhi, Jan 18: In line with the government's commitment to create a favourable ecosystem to boost entrepreneurship, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has promised to roll out a tax-friendly regime in the upcoming Budget for startups.

He said the government and the RBI will add to the bankers' ability to lend to startups, in the process giving a boost to private investment. "We have already worked on an entrepreneur friendly

taxation regime. There are some steps that can be taken up by notifications, which would be taken forthwith. Others require legislative provisions, which can only come as part of the Finance Bill when the Budget is presented in order to create a friendly taxation regime for startups," said Jaitley at the Startup India programme. However, he also said that the government will also launch a ' Stand Up India' scheme under hitch bank branches will lend to women and SC/ST entrepreneurs.

Business class flyers in AI to get meals served in thalis Kolkata, Jan 18: This is the most traditional Indian thing to make a debut on an airline after the sari worn by airhostesses of some carriers. Air India is going to start serving meals in thalis to passengers in business class of its domestic and international flights very soon, said airline chairman Ashwani Lohani. However in one departure from the tradition of thalis, AI will use "high quality" plastic thalis and not steel ones.

"The food will be both veg and non veg," said Lohani, in relief to meat lovers who were recently told that AI will serve only veg meals on flights of up to 90 minutes from this year. "We are upgrading the on board ex-

perience for passengers.

While the focus is on all round excellence, the quality of meals is being especially upgraded.

That is why we shifted from serving cold veg snacks on flights of up to 90 minutes to hot meals," Lohani said. An intense competition had broken out in the full service space of India with the arrival of arrival of Tata-Singapore Airlines (SIA) JV Vistara. In fact the very day the Tata JV announced its brand name in November, 2014, and promised to offer "athithi devo bhava" service on that, Jet said it will turn all full service.

Jet promised to have the "best domestic full-service product in India."

(Agencies)

Airline chairman, Ashwani Lohani.

Source: ebangla.in

Diesel locomotives to soon haul Indian Railways Jaipur, Jan 18: In a first for Indian Railway, diesel locomotives will soon haul trains by drawing power through overhead wires on an electrified route, with the public transporter embarking upon manufacturing dual-mode engines. "We will be manufacturing dual-mode locomotives to run trains on diesel and also by drawing power through overhead wire on electrified route," said a senior Railway Ministry official involved in the project. Railways will manufacture five dual-mode locomotives of 4500 horse power (HP) capacity each at Diesel Locomotive Works in Varanasi as a pilot project.

Though similar locomotives are operational in the US and South Africa, it

will be a first in India, the official said. Currently, 52 percent of total trains are on diesel traction. Diesel locomotives are generally replaced by electric engines on electrified route causing delays. "However, with the acquisition of dual-mode locos, there will be no need for changing the locomotive for electric traction as the same diesel engine will be utilised on electrified route," he said. A dual-mode locomotive is estimated to cost about Rs 18 crore, while a 4500 HP diesel locomotive costs about Rs 13 crore.

The proposal has been forwarded to the Research Design and Standard Design (RDSO), the research wing of Indian Railway, to finalise specifications. "After the RDSO approval,

DLW will be manufacturing five such locos on a pilot basis. The locos will be pressed into service on certain electrified routes on a trial basis," said the official. The dual-mode locomotive will be heavier than the diesel locomotive and is expected to run at a maximum speed of 135 km per hour. A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, while in an electric locomotive, the engine moves on power drawn through a pantograph mounted on the roof of the train. Pantograph is an apparatus mounted on the roof of an electric train, tram or electric bus to collect power through contact with an overhead wire.

(Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

Features

PAGE 11

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE Authentic Fish Cuisine from NorthEast The seven sister states of minutes and you have a Mizoram, Manipur, healthy, finger-lickingNagaland, Assam, good fish treat, the BamTripura, b o o Meghalaya Moupee Debroy s t e a m e d a n d fish.

Arunachal Pradesh are Nagaland Fish stew home to over 200 tribes, If steamed fish seems too most of whom trace their bland you can always try roots to South East Asia. the fish stew made with Along with their unique some Assam skin juice, culture and tradition, their garlic chili paste, sour bua food habits also typify belamning, spinach, fish, their distinctive ethnic red chili powder and a specialty. Rice and fish hint of sugar. Follow the are the staple though pork usual method of frying and other meats do not spices in oil, adding spinlag behind. The Jaintias, ach and the Assam skin Garos, Khasis, Nagas, juice after which you add Bodos, Kacharis, Mizos fish and stir. Sprinkle red and Angamis, to name chili, a bit of sugar and only a few prominent salt and serve with ones, relish fish based steamed rice. dishes. Presented here Nagaland fish bamboo are the pick of authentic shoot curry fish-based dishes from A fish curry you can get North East India that will anywhere but Nagaland enrich your culinary ex- fish bamboo shoot curry perience. Try them. You is a delicacy rare to find. might just fall in love.

Get some rohu fish and Nagaland's Bamboo slice into pieces. Slice tosteamed fish matoes. Dice 2 large onMaking this dish is sim- ions and a cup of bamplicity itself. Simply clean boo shoots. Marinate fish and slice fish and place in ginger garlic paste to them in a bamboo basket which you add some salt, with slivers of ginger, turmeric and red chili bamboo shoots if you like powder. Heat mustard oil and some herbs and put in a deep pan and lower them in a bamboo basket fish into the oil and fry with a lid. Steam for 10 until brown. In another

dish, heat oil, add onions, tomatoes and bamboo shoots and simmer until reduced. Add fried fish, stir and enjoy with rice or just plain.

Nga Atoiba Thongba Manipur This tongue twister is a fish curry from Manipur that includes potatoes and onions. Select fish of your choice. Dice one onion and 2 tomatoes as well as one potato. Wash and slice fish. Rub it with turmeric and red chili powder. Make a paste of onion, a small finger of ginger and a few cloves of garlic and add turmeric, coriander, red chili and cumin seed powder.

Heat oil in a pan, fry ginger-garlic-onion paste until cooked and then add fish. Cover with water and simmer and then add potatoes, tomatoes and a cup of fresh green peas.

Cook until well done.

Your Nga Atoiba Thongba is ready to be devoured.

Tungtap from Meghalaya Tungtap has nothing to do with tongue or tapping except that this hot dry fish paste chutney does make your tongue feel as

if it is on fire. You can replicate it using locally available dry fish or dry shrimps. Dry roast them in a pan and set aside.

Take one onion, dice into small pieces. Take 2 hot green chilies and half spoon of red chili powder.

Make a paste. Grind dry fish to powder. Mix everything together with a little bit of salt to taste and you would have pungent chutney that goes well with rice and meat or fish dishes.

Iromba from Manipur Sounds formidable, but it is a spicy hot fermented fish dish from Manipur, so beloved of natives as a main meal and as a side dish! It is easy to prepare.

Boil and mash one potato.

Slice 200 grams of mushrooms. Then, steam and mash one tomato. Take 500 grams of shrimp (fermented in soy sauce if you can stand the smell) and marinate with salt, turmeric and red chili.

Heat oil in a pan, add dry red chilies a handful and fry until crisp and set aside. Now add freshly chopped spring onions and shrimps to oil in the pan and stir fry over high heat until brown and dry.

Take one slice of fish and fry until brown. Crumble fried red chilies with the mix and enjoy with rice.

Irombais hot, very hot (depends on the red chilies you choose).

Masor Petu - Assam Sounds formidable, but masor petu is nothing more than simple pungent fish intestines with rice.

It is easy to prepare. Buy a large fish and remove its intestines (known in Assamese as Petu) with care. Wash intestine exteriors and interiors in running tap water. Chop into little bits and keep aside after rubbing with salt and turmeric. Prepare one cup of rice and keep aside. Chop one onion and a couple of green chilies. Put some mustard oil in a pan, add some chopped garlic, onion and green chilies and sautĂŠ till light brown followed by the chopped intestines, red chilli and turmeric powder and stir fry until cooked. Add salt and rice and a dash of lemon juice, garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy.

Kosoi bwtwi - Tripura Difficult to pronounce Kosoi bwtwi is a typical Tripura broth made using

Source: Nelive.in Berma or fermented dried fish along with green beans. Boil water and add crushed garlic, green chilies, chopped onion, chopped green beans and the berma. Boil for about 10 minutes and eat with rice.

Arunachal Pradesh Pasa Fish Soup A simple, healthy and tasty dish Pasa, the fish soup of Arunachal Pradesh comprises of leafy vegetables, Assam

skin juice, garlic-chili paste, dried red chilies, salt, fish and sugar. Fry garlic chili paste in oil; add vegetables, fry till tender, add Assam skin juice and then the fish; add water and cook till done. Eat with rice. Another variation is to fry fish and boiled rice in oil with addition of spices to make fried fish rice.

Mizoram Poora Mach Mizoram's Poora Mach is a delectable fish dish that

is simple to make and healthy as well. Get some fresh water fish, cut into large pieces, rub salt and lemon juice and keep aside. Make a paste of mustard seeds and another paste of chilly, green chilly, salt, garlic and coriander leaves.

Mix both pastes with some mustard oil and apply to fish slices. Wrap them in banana leaves and put them in a wood fire. Courtesy: Nelive.in

Green leafy vegetable intake Tips to get rid of household pests naturally! lessens risk of glaucoma ANI A recent study says that leafy vegetables such as lettuce, spinach and kale and nitrate-rich vegetables are associated with lowering the risk of primary open-angle glaucoma by 20 to 30 percent.

Glaucoma is a condition which can affect sight, usually due to build up of pressure within the eye because fluid cannot drain away.

This new study found people who ate a nitraterich diet had lower levels of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), a rare condition which involves chronic or acute sudden painful build-up of pressure in the eye.

The researchers followed

Source: d3i3l3kraiqpym.cloudfront.net

up participants biennially in the prospective cohorts of the Nurses' Health Study (63,893 women; 1984-2012) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (41,094 men; 1986-2012). Eligible participants were 40

years or older, were free of POAG, and reported eye examinations. Information on diet was updated with questionnaires.

During follow-up, 1,483 incident cases of POAG

were identified. Participants were divided into quintiles (one of five groups) of dietary nitrate intake (quintile 5, approximately 240 mg/d; quintile 1, approximately 80 mg/ d). The researchers found that greater intake of dietary nitrate and green leafy vegetables was associated with a 20 percent to 30 percent lower POAG risk; the association was particularly strong (40 percent50 percent lower risk) for POAG with early paracentral visual field loss (a subtype of POAG linked to dysfunction in blood flow autoregulation).

The study has been published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Nobody likes to live in a house which is host to common pests such as as cockroaches, fleas, termites, ants, mice, etc.

These creepy crawlies not only give you nightmares when they bump into you at night, but can cause various health problems, including cancers. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent, discourage and treat common household pests naturally. Try these simple tips below: Houseflies Get a clear plastic bag filled with water and hang this bag at your outdoor entrances. This is one of the simplest and effective ways to get rid of pesky flies.

Ants While there are natural ant repellants, lemon juice, peppermint, garlic

Source: ste.india.com or cinnamon are some simple remedies to keep ants from invading your home. Leave any of the said items near areas where ants seem most active.

Cockroaches A common problem for most households. The best way to get rid of cockroaches is keeping your house clean.

Vacuum regularly and block the spots where they get inside. Use bay leaves, garlic and cucumber slices in the affected areas to deter cockroaches.

Rats and mice Peppermint oil is considered safe both for humans and animals. Put a few drops of peppermint oil on some cotton balls

and leave them in the areas where the mice are living.

Also, use 'catch and release' trap that will capture mice but won't harm the animals.

Seal up holes and areas in the house that can allow mice to come in.

Store food and garbage properly in sealed containers while keeping your home, especially kitchen crumb free and clean.

Bed bugs Wash all bedding in hot water to kill bed bugs in your sheets and pillows.

The best way to prevent bed bugs is to apply nontoxic diatomaceous earth near bed bug activity.

Also, if there is a bed bug infestation, a thorough cleaning and vacuuming of the room should be done.

Coffee can help to stick to fitness regime Colour psychology for your home

Source: i.telegraph.co.uk

Struggling to stick to fitness regime? Have a cup of coffee! According to an interesting study, the use of caffeine could help people stick to their fitness plans. Researchers said that reducing perception of effort during exercise using caffeine (or

other psychoactive drugs like methylphenidate and modafinil) could help people to stick to their fitness plans.

"Perception of effort is one of the main reasons why people find it difficult to stick to their fitness plans," said professor Samuele

Marcora, director of Research at University of Kent in the United Kingdom.

Marcora pointed out that perceived exertion is one of the main reasons why most people choose sedentary activities for their leisure time.

Together with lack of time,

physical exertion is one of the main perceived barriers to exercise, the researchers explained.

Compared to watching television (zero effort), even moderate-intensity physical activities like walking requires considerable effort, they added.

Marcora suggested that the use of caffeine or other psychoactive drugs to reduce the perception of effort during exercise can make the healthy choice easier.

He also stated that whilst there is no strong ethical opposition to the use of psychoactive drugs to help quit smoking (nicotine) or treat obesity (appetite suppressants), the negative perception of doping in sport may prevent the use of stimulants and other psychoactive drugs to treat physical inactivity, which is responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity. The paper was published in the journal Sports Medicine.

(Agencies)

Most of the time, when we think of interior decoration, we only have the aesthetics in mind and so, whatever - according to our sensibilities - looks the most appealing to us, goes into the decor scheme.

But psychologists, vaastu consultants, feng shui experts and colour therapists say that the colours you are using in your house could have a profound effect on your emotional state. Colours could actually be used like a tool to leverage one's behaviours and emotions.

Colours schemes that work best A vaastu and feng shui professional consultant states, "The year 2004 was a year when a lot of energy changes happened.

So people who have homes made that year of after, should follow a certain theme. Even if you have done a renovation

after 2004, including changing the floor of the house etc., you should follow this - use a light coloured theme in the entire house." She suggests, "Off-whites, a touch of pink or peach should be used extensively. You could also opt for metal-

Colours can clam you down A clinical psychologist says, "I have had depression patients who have changed their house colours and reported to have felt much better.

Subtle colours have a deep impact on the psyche and

Source: hgtv.com

lic colours like gold and silver." If one feels angry and irritated most of the time they should opt for whites and gold to experience peace of mind.

they play an important role in helping to calm you down completely."

What you need to avoid Dark heavy colours like dark pink, dark violet,

dark peach, dark green provokes the fire element in the house and hence should be avoided. Painting your walls only with browns should be avoided.

Try these remedies * There are some homes that have a lot of fire experiences like bursting or breaking of bulbs, pressure cooker bursts etc., they should use a combination of browns and dark blues to calm down the fire element. * If there are too many disputes and fights in the house you must a bunch of have fresh or artificial pink flowers. You could also use violet flowers or a combination of pink and violet flowers. * If you feel irritable and angry in rooms that have very bright colours you could switch to light coloured rooms. Paint the walls in light shades of whites. (Agencies)

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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

PAGE 12 Federer eases past Basilashvili to reach Australian Open second round

ET Correspondent Margherita, Jan 18: Jan 18: Dulijan Cricket Academy today beat Cricket Club of Dibrugarh by five wickets in the 10th Nandadhar Bordoloi All Assam Cricket Tourna-

ANI Melbourne, Jan.18 : World number three Roger Federerproduced an imperious form as he raced into the second round of the Australian Open by claiming a straight-set sumptuous victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia on Monday.

The Swiss maestro swept Basilashvili aside 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in a thrilling opening round that lasted for one hour and 12 minutes.

With the win, Federer has now set up his second round clash with 35th-ranked Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov, against

Duliajan beat Cricket Club of Dibrugarh by five wickets

Roger Federer has also progressed through to the next round by thrashing Pablo Carreno of Spain 6-2, 75, 6-2.

whom he has won both of their last encounters.

Meanwhile, controversial Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios

Bordoloi Cricket

Put into bat, Cricket Club of Dibrugarh scored 118 for 9 in stipulated 30 overs. Pranab Mech scored steady 20 off 41 balls with the help of three boundaries and Kamakhya Saikia contributed 16 off 25 balls with one four and one six.

ment organized by Margherita United NGO at Margherita Public High School ground in Tinsukia district. Altogether, eight teams participated in the tournament.

For Dulijan Cricket Academy, Bharat Newar scalped three for 16 in six overs and Romario Sharma took two for 26 in five overs.

In reply, Dulijan Cricket

Djokovic thrashes Hyeon to ICC launches `Cricket for Good and Team kick start Oz Open with a bang Swachh campaign` with UNICEF, BCCI

ANI Brisbane, Jan. 18 : World number one Novak Djokovicdisplayed rich vein of form as he kicked off his Australian Opencampaign with a straight-set win over Chung Hyeon of South Korea to advance to the second round of the tournament on Monday.

The defending champion out-

classed the South Korean teenager 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in a thrilling opening round that lasted for about two hours at Rod Laver Arena.

Meanwhile, third-seed Roger Federer will also aim to progress through to the next round when he will take on Georgian player Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round today.

ANI Dubai, Jan.18 :The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reaffirmed its commitment to the spirit of cricket and bringing about positive social change through the sport as they have launched Cricket for Good and Team Swachh campaign in partnership with UNICEF and the BCCI. Team Swachh, which is the first of a series of collaborations between the ICC and UNICEF under the aegis of Cricket for Good, aims to build a social movement for sanitation and toilet use, thereby leading to an open defecation-free India.

Expressing his views on the launch, ICC Chief Executive, David Richardson said they are committed to work with UNICEF, with an aim to improve the health, education, nutrition, protection and sanitation of children.

"ICC and UNICEF together will engage the broader cricketing

Djokovic thrashe

community to empower children and adolescents and will, in particular, during the many ICC events over the next five years, develop and implement various community outreach programs and initiatives in collaboration with coaches, cricketers and cricketing personalities," Richardson said.

"Building up to the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016, there will be an eight host city tour starting next month that will use exciting cricket-based sanitation and hygiene games to engage with school children. During the event itself, there will be coaching clinics with participating teams."

The initial focus of the collaboration in India will be to improve sanitation. With the largest number of people still defecating in the open, more than 564 million - poor sanitation can cause diarrhea, which accounts for more than 300 deaths in children under five years ev-

ery day in India.

The idea of team and team play is at the core of the Team Swachh initiative. And it starts with the power of cricket teams and the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016. For the event teams and any other team to be successful, all the different members - different players, coaches, doctors, etc. have to work together to achieve their goal.

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, said, "Similarly, ending open defecation-achieving sanitation for all in India, takes a genuine team effort in which all relevant actors - from the Government of India to people practicing open defecation, from role models to international development partners - play together as one team."

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Anurag Thakur

said that the BCCI is pleased to join hands with ICC, UNICEF and take forward the initiative of 'Swachh Bharat' started by honourable India Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Team Swachh presents a creative and collaborative platform to make the nationwide movement a resounding success. The ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 will bring together the collective efforts of the BCCI, ICC and UNICEF towards the mission with the help of awareness programmes."

"I'm sure that the coaching clinics, which will see active participation from the leading cricketers of the world, will inspire and encourage my fellow Indian citizens to contribute to this wonderful initiative," he added.

UNICEF regional director for South Asia, Karin Hulshof said he hopes that this collaboration would help to harness the reach and power of cricket.

Academy scored 119/5 in 19.3 0vers. Chanikya Sharma quick fired 55 off 23 hitting five sixes and five fours while Pritam Dev Nath contributed 17 off 30 balls laced with four boundaries.

For Cricket Club of Dibrugarh, Kalyan Gogoi took two for 12 in 3 overs and Phanindar Sonowal took one wicket.

Chanikya Sharma of Dulijan Cricket Academy was adjudged man of the match.

Margherita strongly plays on Day I Sports Reporter Dibrugarh, Jan 18: Margherita were in a commanding position against Charaideo on the first day of the J.K. Baruah (under 19) Inter District Cricket Tournament Organised by Assam Cricket Association at TDSA stadium today.

Put into bat, Margherita were all out for 259 in 76.5 overs. Rajat Khan scored 94 off 123 balls hitting thirteen fours and Sohail Siddique scored 77 off 205 balls

laced with fourteen fours to the fence. Pintu Gowala contributed 43 off 37 balls with three maximums.

For Charaideo, Yakub Ansari and Ridip Mohan bagged three wickets each conceding 34 and 44 runs respectively.

In reply, Charaideo scored 31/2 in 18 overs at stumps. Jintu Gogoi and Mujibur Ali unbeaten at 7 and 0 run each respectively. Rajat Khan and Sunam Gari took one wickets each.

ET SPECIAL COVERAGE GOOD START MONTESSORI HOUSE OF CHILDREN House No. 14 Near P-Lane, Milan Nagar (West), Dibrugarh Cell + 7578868994, 7086618103

First time in Dibrugarh, a fully equipped Montessori with trained Teachers

GOOD START Montessori House of Children is founded in loving memory of our dear father Late Chandra Kumar Khati for whom teaching was a passion. He dedicated his life towards the service of mankind as a devoted, sincere and loving teacher.

VISION To make an environment for the child to Explore, Experiment and Excel continually, adapting the environment in order that the child may fulfil his greatest potential -- physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to become a successful citi-

zen of tomorrow.

MISSION Mission at GOOD START is to spread " the Montessori way of child learning through explore, experiment and excel" What makes a Montessori education unique? In a Montessori classroom, students experience a holistic, child-centered program that

has at its core a profound respect for the individual child and an understanding that each child is unique and develops at his or her own pace.

Children are encouraged to choose and work with developmentally appropriate materials in a prepared, supportive learning environment

where success is built-in and where the surroundings are both orderly and attractive. In this setting, learning becomes its own reward, and children are evaluated on the basis of their individual progress, not in comparison to their peers. One of the most distinguished features of the Montessori educational method is its extensive use of manipulative materi-

als. These multisensory, sequential, and self-correcting materials provide concrete learning experiences and facilitate the students' grasp of abstract ideas. Another unique aspect of the curriculum is the manner in which all subjects are integrated with one another to create a universal-or cosmic education. * Mixed-age group classrooms from Play group , which promote cooperative learning, peer teaching, and interaction. * Prepared classroom environments to recognize and respond to the range of interests and capabilities of students by offering engaging, hands-on and self-paced learning and research activities. This is offered in all of the basic curricular areas as well as in French, music, art, physical education, and practical life skills. * A harmonious atmosphere that provides children with the skills and knowledge to build a community and manage conflict and change in a peaceful manner. *GOOD START Montessori House of Children aims at providing stimulating and positive learning environment for children in

the age group 2 ½ - 5 ½ years .We are equipped with techniques that ensure all round development of a child in the most effective manner. * In the Montessori learning environment children pass through stages rather than in Years:

Stage I : Play Group (2 ½ - 3 ½ yrs) Stage II : Group B (3 ½ -4 ½ yrs); Stage III : LMH (4 ½ -5 ½ yrs) Stage IV : UMH (5 ½ -6 ½ yrs).

GOOD START Montessori House of Children is founded in loving memory of our dear father Late Chandra Kumar Khati for whom teaching was a passion. He dedicated his life towards the service of mankind as a devoted, sincere and loving teacher.

We have ventured to start a Montessori House of Children in this part of Dibrugarh with an objective of imparting education purely based on the unique methodology of Dr. Maria Montessori who believed "Education is a natural process carried out by the

child and is not acquired by listening to words, but by experiences in the environment " GOOD START Montessori House of Children functions with its qualified and experienced teachers under the able and expert guidance of Mrs Sharda Khati who holds Montessori Training Diploma from the reputed institution "Calcutta Montessori Centre", Kolkata. Mrs. Khati has enriched herself with teaching experience of more than 20 years.

Smaller class sizes ensure more time one-on-one and an overall positive school experience We Provide the children with opportunities to enjoy singing, dancing, music, story telling and simple drama and help them develop their skills through offering a vast range of materials and activities for the purpose.

Our excursion program includes trip to Post office, Hospital, museums , libraries, galleries, mall, perks and other historical exhibits.

We are equipped with doll house, storytelling

room, outdoor play ground with swing, sandpit, slide, sea sow monkey ladder etc In Good Start Montessori Houses of children, children are admitted at the age of two-and-a-half years. When they leave at the age of six, they have with them the basics of learning - knowledge of the world around them, the ability to write, the ability to read, and the ability to perform the four arithmetic operations (addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division).Several of the subjects like history, geography, sciences etc are introduced to them as items of human culture.

Worth much more than all these is the sense of selfworth and the self-esteem that they develop. Selfworth and self-esteem are what that makes a child happy. Sense of freedom and independence is a great advantage to life. Discipline becomes part of his life, self imposed. There is no bitterness about it.

Our teachers are Montessori trained. Smaller class sizes ensure more time one-on-one and an overall positive school experience.

It provides him with the

necessary base to face the rigors of life positively throughout life.

We Provide the children with opportunities to enjoy singing, dancing, music, story telling and simple drama and help them develop their skills in the above mentioned areas. We offer a vast range of materials and activities for the purpose For instance - Percussion instruments, Keyboards are available in the class-rooms.

We believe in this and provide our children with a mini library. This will help them to inculcate good reading habit. Besides, children are allowed to carry the library books of their choice to home where they can share the joy of reading with their parents.

Our excursion program includes trip to botanical gardens, libraries, galleries, mall, parks and historical exhibits.

Printed, Published and Owned by NIKH KHOPI and Printed at PEE GEE(India) Ltd., C/O Asomiya Khabar Pulibor, Jorhat-785006 and Published from T.C Borah Building, 1st Floor, Next to Sankardeva Hospital, Mancotta Road, Chowkidingee Dibrugarh-786001, Assam. Email: editor.easterntoday@gmail.com. For advertisement: advt.easterntoday@gmail.com

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