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ASSENG/2015/64205
Page 12 Vol. 1
Issue 285
Dibrugarh, Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Opposition Congress stages walkout in Arunachal Assembly Congress says Pul Govt. is illegal and corrupt
PTI Itanagar, Mar 21
The Opposition Congress in Arunachal Assembly today staged a walkout during the Obituary reference to formerLok Sabha Speaker Purno Agitok Sangma, terming the session as "illegal".
A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Mar 21
Out of the total 15 Congress MLAs, nine members led by former Home Minister Tanga Byaling, attended the inaugural session of the Budget Session. This is for the first time when Congress MLAs from the Nabam Tuki camp attended the Assembly session after Kalikho Pul was sworn in as the chief minister of the state on February 19 after months of political instability in the frontier state. When Speaker Wangki Lowang initiated the obituary reference, Byaling participating in the discussion, termed the session as "illegal" pointing out that no assembly session could be summoned when the case is pending in the Supreme Court. Contd. on Page 3
ET CAPSULES Attempt to rape, accused gets 7 years imprisonment Tinsukia, Mar 21: A man, identified as Mothang Chutia (65 years approx), was sentenced to seven years imprisonment with a fine of rupees two thousand or six months addition jail on Monday by District and Session Judge for attempting to rape a minor girl in 2013. The court handed over the sentence following their conviction. The incident took place when two minor girl had gone to the accused house in the village, Barekuri Nau-motapung, when the accused locked them and attempted rape. (Spl Correspondent)
Members of the Arunachal assembly paying obesience towards the departed soul of former Lok Sabha speaker P.A Sangma. ET Photo.
Pul introduces two key bills PTI Itanagar, Mar 21
Chief Minister Kalikho Pul introduced two important government bills-- Arunachal Pradesh Tourism (Trade Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2016 and Arunachal Pradesh Right to Public Services Bill, 2016-- during the budget ses-
sion of the assembly today. The Arunachal Pradesh Tourism (Trade Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2016 would help in safeguarding the interests of tourists visiting the state and ensure sustainability of tourism growth in the state besides helping in formalizing the largely informal sectors of
tourism industry through registration and certification. Under the Bill, a few officers of the Tourism department would be vested with magisterial powers, including the power of compounding, in case of cheating, overcharging, harassment, pestering and touting faced by the tourists. Contd. on Page 3
After boycotting the eight assembly budget session today, the nine Congress MLAs talked explicitly to the press persons later in the evening while reiterating that the PPA led coalition Govt. with the BJP is illegal. Senior Congress MLA and former home minister Tanga Byaling said, “We walk out because we are challenging the advancement of the assembly session by the Governor on 16th and 17th December, 2015, without the consultation with the Chief Minister and Council of ministers, in the Supreme Court. And the verdict is awaited, so every activity done by this Govt. is illegal. As long as there is no result from the court, we termed this as illegal. How much ever you are doing, we termed this all as illegal. Contd. on Page 3
Administration bids farewell to ‘Team Rangoon’ Arunachal turns shooting-friendly destination for Bollywood: Vishal Bhardwaj ET Correspondent Pasighat, Mar 21
Renowned Bollywood filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj desired to return Pasighat with more films to shoot in picturesque Arunachal Pradesh while participating a farewell cum dinner party along with British actors Richard Muccabe and Alex last evening at the "The Serene Abode conference hall", hosted by the DC Isha Khosla. Away from fancy foreign locales, unexplored Arunachal will attract Bollywood filmmakers with its rustic essence, Contd. on Page 3
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Gogoi ridicules Jaitley; terms BJP's claim for forming govt in Assam as the saffron party's day dream A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Mar 21
Congress Legislature party leader Tarun Gogoi ridiculed senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s comment that the BJP is on a strong wicket in the ensuing Assembly polls in Assam and termed it as the saffron party’s day dreaming adding he said people of Assam will never endorse the party’s divisive politics as the State is attuned to the philosophy of Shankardeva and Ajan Fakir for social harmony. In a statement here on Monday, Gogoi said, “BJP and its ideologue RSS’s philosophy which patronise division is alien to the people of Assam and they have out rightly rejected it. Patronising such a divisive politics in the State and an indifferent treatment meted out to the people of Assam will never enable the BJP to make an inroad in State politics.” Taking a dig at the BJP, Gogoi said though the people
of Assam posed their faith in the BJP in the last Lok Sabha Elections, the party is proved to be a total disaster and poured cold water on the hopes of the people of the State. Citing a series of injustice done to the people of Assam, Gogoi said the BJP led Central Government after coming to power withdrawn the Special Category Status granted to the region way back in the year 1969. Moreover, the Centre has also suspended the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy thereby putting a spanner on industrialisation in the State. The new dispensation at the Centre has also changed the funding pattern and put a tab on the social security schemes like MGNREGA, IAY and Anganwadi Centres etc. The Centre has showed its indifference to the State by registering its strong resistance in releasing fund for flood and erosion management. Even the Ministry of DoNER experienced fund crunch thereby causing a
slow down to the development of the State. Upping his ante against the Centre, Gogoi said Modi Government’s anti-Assam policy is visible in the Union Budget also which granted Rs 17,400.88 crore under fourteenth fiancé commission’s allocation of Rs. 9,180.03 crore thereby depriving Assam of its rightful claim of Rs. 1779.15 crore. Moreover, Centre’s antiAssam policy caused the State to lose Rs. 10,000 crore as oil royalty. In view of the above, expecting the people of Assam reposing faith in the BJP must be a day dreaming on the part of the party, Gogoi exuded. Fresh from humiliating defeat in Bihar and Delhi, BJP is also on the threshold of yet another drubbing in Assam as the people of Assam have realised that for the State to rub its shoulder with the advanced and developed States of the nation, they need development and not mere rhetoric.
Morale boost for Congress as party clinches both Rajya Sabha seats A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Mar 21
In a significant victory and boost for the Congress party ahead of the 2016 assembly election, the Congress today won both the Rajya Sabha seats from Assam, election for which was held on Monday. Former Union minister Ranee Narah and former state minister Ripun Bora were elected to the Upper House. Three candidates were in fray for the two seats. Two ruling Congress leaders, Contd. on Page 4
Mahabir Join (Ind) congratulates Ranee Narah (Cong) after her victory in Guwahati . Pic - UB photos
Congress announces its second list, 2 sitting MLAs left out A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Mar 21
Officials of the district administration and ‘Team Rangoon’ members.
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee today announced the second list of candidates for Assembly elections in Assam for the second phase of the state assembly election. The list has surprisingly left out two sitting MLAs—Guwahati
East MLA Robin Bordoloi and Guwahati West MLA Hemanta Talukdar. The list of candidates declared today are: Akon Bora in Dispur, Dr. Matiur Rahman Mandal in Mancachar, Wajed Ali Chowdhary in South Salmara, Abedul Zaman in Dhubri, Sushil Kumar Roy in Gauripur, Abdus Subahan Ali
Sarkar in Golakganj, Sabana Akhtara in South Bilashipara, Amrit Hajeda in North Bilashipara, Ashim Hajeda om Gossaingaon, Shankar Prasad Ray in Bongaingaon, Biswajit Ray in Bijni, Abdul Hai Nageri in Abhyapuri North, Chandan Sarkar in South Abhyapuri,
duct, irrespective of any political party they might belong too. It further mentioned that administration has taken action against all political party as per guidelines of election commission of India and has not allowed any political party to put hoardings, banners and posters at public places.
press conference on Sunday by BJP minority cell president at Guwahati alleging that the district administration of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Sibsagar are biased towards congress and removed only BJP hoardings. It must be noted that Tinsukia district administration had removed large number of hoaridngs, mostly BJP, as they were put up at public places violating model code of conduct.
State government keen to learn from Bhutan’s success in hydropower development Tinsukia administration rejects BJP allegation Impressed at the rapid achievement of Bhutan government in tapping hydropower resources, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Kalikho Pul expressed its eagerness to adopt their developmental model in the state too. “If Bhutan could develop its hydropower resources keeping its ecological damages at bare minimum with adequate com-
Pul felicitating a member of the Bhutan delegation
pensation and rehabilitation to affected people; such model could be easily adopted by us,” said the chief minister sharing his optimism to senior level official delegates from Royal Govt of Bhutan, who were on their one day visit to Arunachal. “In my opinion, the Bhutan’s success story in development of hydro projects, could be replicated successfully in Arunachal, as both the region has similar cultural and
geographical landscapes,” he said. The chief minister particularly expressed his keen interest on learning the system of land compensation, types of dams being built, nature of ownership of hydropower projects and the measures taken for environmental and cultural preservation with economic development taking side by side, being followed in Bhutan. Contd. on Page 4
Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, Mar 21
The district administration of Tinsukia has out rightly rejected BJP minority cell president's charges of biasness towards congress party. In a media statement on Monday, Tinsukia district administration has clarified that they have removed only those hoardings, banners and posters which violates the model code of con-
The administration press statement comes following a
Previous Years are as follows:
22 March is World Water Day
Let's save water as it means jobs Ranjan K Baruah
cmyk
One of the most precious requirements for living organism is water. We can't think of life without water. Though there is more water than land but absence of abundant fresh water is a glo-
bal concern. It is more than building block of life. It is more than just essential to quench thirst or protect health; water is vital for creating jobs and supporting economic, social, and human development. Today, half of the world's workers - 1.5 billion people work in water-related sectors. Moreover, nearly all jobs, regardless of the sector, depend directly on water. Yet, despite the indelible link between jobs and water, millions of people whose livelihoods depend on water are often not recognized
or protected by basic labour rights. As the water is related to jobs ,so, this year's theme for water day is ' Better Water, Better Jobs'. This year's World Water Day theme focuses on the central role that water plays in creating and supporting good quality jobs. World Water Day is marked on 22 March every year. It's a day to celebrate water. It's a day to make a difference for the members of the global population who suffer from water related issues. It's a day to prepare for how we manage water
in the future. In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March as the first World Water Day. 23 years later, World Water Day is celebrated around the world every year, shining the spotlight on a different issue. Join the movement. International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. An international day to celebrate fresh-
water was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/47/193 of 22 December 1992 by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993, in conformity with the
recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) contained in Chapter 18 (Fresh Water Resources) of Agenda 21. There is no doubt that every drop is precious. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to preserve water. We can contribute in many ways to conserve water. There are different campaigns around the world which focuses on water. As this year's theme is related to
water and jobs hence there is another perspective to conserve water means better water means more jobs. Let us all contribute towards water preservations and conservation. As climate change is bringing more problem, so we have to contribute towards conservation of water for ourselves and for every living and nonliving things which needs water. (With direct inputs from UN Publication and published on the occasion of Water Day and feedback may be sent to bkranjan@gmail.com)
2015: Water Is Health 2014: Water and Energy 2013: Water Cooperation 2012: Water and Food security 2011: Water for cities: responding to the urban challenge 2010: Clean Water for a Healthy World 2009: Shared Water Shared Opportunities 2008: Sanitation 2007: Coping with Water Scarcity 2006: Water and Culture 2005: Water for Life
cmyk
A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Mar 21
Contd. on Page 4
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 22
PAGE 2
Silky koch finally gets legal AGP-BJP organised public rally at Naharkatia recognition of her marriage ET Correspondent Naharkatia, Mar 21: A public rally was organised jointly by the unit of the BJP and AGP at Nagaon tinali auditorium on Sunday where full support was assured to the AGP candidate, Naren Sonowal by the leaders and workers of both the parties.
The road for victory this time may not be so easy in the coming election for Prnanati Phukan of 120 Naharkatia Constituency who was elected for last 20 years. The decision of an alliance between the BJP and AGP for the upcoming election in the state is still creating disap-
pointment and confusion among the workers of both the parties. But in 120 Naharkatia Constituency, the AGP-BJP is not leaving any stone unturned to defeat the Congress this time.
the parties to work together and give full support to the alliance. The chief guest of the meeting Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal said that Congress government for the last 60 years has given nothing to the Kusumbar Tarai Gogoi people of the state exof the AGP appealed to cept corruption and party workers of both false promises. He ap-
ASTRO FOR YOU Aries You are enthusiastic about mixing with people today, and you will feel like combining business and leisure. You will be encouraged to take part in group activities as you have the ability to work and have fun at the same time. Taurus This day you will be prone to be stubborn and uncompromising in your business and professional dealings and thereby inviting unnecessary problems. The day will turn out well for executives and administrators. Gemini You will let your personal likes and dislikes cloud your judgement today. Don’t let that happen, or you may lose a worthy friend. Cancer You wish to display your social prestige and monetary clout in front of your relatives. But you have to pay a heavy price for that. Your past experience will teach you something, which will stand in good stead for future dealings. Leo You will try to take up new projects to the best of your abilities today. You will be able to successfully tackle all your tasks today. You will face a little instability in your personal relationships, but will be able to solve all issues successfully. Virgo You will realise the need to make monetary arrangements for some unforeseen financial instability that may occur in the future. Your leadership qualities will be appreciated by people around you. Libra There will be good news coming from friends or relatives living abroad. Your working ability and efficiency will make you popular in the office today. In the day today you shall have a variety of good and bad experiences. Scorpio In all probability, you are set to shine out as a man of care and kindness. Shut the doors on worries and open the windows to let merrymaking and happiness sweep you off your feet today. Sagittarius Keeping all the work aside, you may be painting the town red today. Falling in love is exciting, isn’t it? However, for all those who are already in a relationship. Impress ‘the special one’ with a bouquet of red roses and make up for all the petty fights during the day. Capricorn Actions speak louder than words. Your sincere efforts and honest intentions will motivate others also to put in their best. You’ll be like a friend, philosopher and guide to them. People will follow you, but it has a darker side to as many will even over take you. Aquarius You will take the road to spirituality today and give a miss to materialism. You will visit temples, other religious places, and spiritual leaders to find answers for some of your questions. It will, however, take a while for you to distinguish between mysticism and materialism, and understand that you can have the best of both worlds. Pisces You will not take matters to heart needlessly today, and will instead calmly evaluate the bitter words of others to see if there is a grain of truth in them somewhere. This is a good practice and one that should be continued.
Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights 22-3-16 (TUESDAY) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha 6-15 A.M-Classical Music (Flute Recital) 6-50 A.M-Tokari Geet 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi (Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-05 A.M-Antara (Composite Programme of Hindi Film Songs) 12-30 P.M-Geetimanjari 1-10 P.M- Troops Programme 2-00 P.M-Sponsored Programme-"Jaga Grahak Jaagaa" 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-45 P.M-Programme in Mizumishimi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 6-15 P.M-Ganya Raaijor Anusthan 7-15 P.M-Chah Sramikor Asor 8-00 P.M-Bijnan Jeuti 9-30 P.M-Sahitya Kanan 10-00 P.M-Classical Music Sd-/H.O.P
The meeting was also attended by Krishnmoni Chutia, AGP district secretary Punakan Baruah.
ET Correspondent Golaghat, Mar 21: Silky Koch of Germany finally gets legal recognition of her marriage from Indian government as she was staying with her husband with a tourist visa which was got expired. Silky Koch, a German girl who got married to Abani Koch of Barpathar in Golaghat last year had to suffer a lot for legal recognition of their marriage.
Silky met Abani Koch of Barpathar in Golaghat on Facebook and later they felt in love with each other and finally they got married on May 20 last year. But their marriage was performed with traditional and social way and so they did not have legal recognition or any registration. Silky came to Assam with her tourist visa which got expired and she had to face a situation of leaving this
country. However both Abani and Silky applied for registration of their marriage at the Marriage Registrar Office in Golaghat. But the absence of permanent Marriage Registrar made a delay to their marriage registration. At last on March 14 the Marriage Registrar Apurba Kumar Nath registered their marriage and thus Silky and Abani become husband and wife legally.
Army apprehends cadre of Traditional chang competition held at Golaghat MTFA in Kokrajhar district ET Correspondent Golaghat, Mar 21: Marwari Samellan of Golaghar organised a Traditional Chang Competition yesterday night at Marwari Patty in Golaghat at All Assam basis in the memory of Late Bijoy Dhandharia. Lightning of Lamp was done by Dwipen Dutta and Manik Bora. The teams from Jorhat, Naharkhatia, Tengaghat, Aamgudi, Sivsagar,
Tinsukia and Golaghat took part in the above said Samellan. The Judges were Navratan Nagori, Madan Kalani and Dr. Gokul Khandelwal. The first prize was bagged by Golaghat, second by Jorhat and third by Aamgudi, respectively. The winners were awarded with trophy, certificate and prize money. The function was ended with a vote of thanks from Pawan Baheti.
ET Correspondent Rangia, Mar 21: Based on specific information, Army and Kokrajhar Police launched a joint operation on 21 March 2016 and nabbed one cadre of Muslim Tiger Force of Assam (MTFA) from general area Khutamari in Kokrajhar district. The apprehended individual was identified as Mojammel Hoque, who was involved in extortion and other subversive activities in the area. One Pistol along with one live round was recovered from the apprehended cadre.
Fifteen candidates filed nominations for four LACs in Darrang ET Correspondent Mangaldai Mar 21 : With only a single day left for filing of nominations , a total of fifteen candidates today filed their nominations against four assembly constituencies under Darrang election district . According to Election Rahul Ch Das, Election Officer Mangaldai, 65 Kalaigaon and 66 Sipajhar constituencies recorded maximum of five nominations each while SC reserved 67 Mangaldai recorded the minimum nominations of two. On the other hand three candidates filed nominations for 68 Dalgaon LAC. The candidates who filed nominations today included former legislator Maheswar
Boro from BPF in Kalaigaon , Binanda Kr Saikia from BJP in Sipajhar , Gurujyoti Das from BJP in Mangaldai and Mojibur Rahman from AIUDF in
Dalgaon among others. Earlier several thousands of supporters of all the political parties escorted their leaders through the streets of the town to the Deputy
Commissioner's office amidst tremendous fun fare , enthusiasm while dancing , beating of drums , shouting slogans and showing banners in their support.
Sonitpur District Mech Kochari Unnayan Parishad to extend their support to congress ET Correspondent Tezpur, March 21 : The Sonitpur District Mech Kochari Unnayan Parishad to extend their support to congress party after a commitment given to the community by the National Political party to fulfill certain demands including creation of an autonomous council if it retains in the power. In a press release,
PRASAR BHARATI (India's Public Service Broadcaster) ALL INDIA RADIO : DIBRUGARH (M.W.529.1m/KHz567 F.M. 101.30 MHz)
pealed all the people to come forward and cast their votes for BJP-AGP alliance party if they want a corruption free state.
Secretary of the SDMKUP, Saiteswar Mech stated that as per the decision of the Parishad after a pre-poll discussion between the Congress party and the central committee of the Ethnic Body having based on certain issues including creation of an autonomous council for the community if it retains in the power the
Parishad decided to ex- No- Sootea LAC under tend their support to the the Tezpur Election DisCongress party in the en- trict. suing poll. “We urge particularly Keeping pace with the the tribal and the comsame decision, the mon people Sonitpur District Com- in general living in the mittee of the Parishad has constituency to vote for also decided to extend the Congress Candidate their support to the Con- for the greater interest of gress Candidate all round development of Praneswar Basumatary the area.” He said in the contesting from the 75 release.
Liquor seized at Jamuguri ET Correspondent Tezpur, March 21 : In a joint operation conducted by Central Excise led by Asstt. Superintend of the Central Excise, Barasha Baruah Bodoloi 800 cases of illegal liquor made in Arunachal Pradesh were seized from the residence of one Jadab Ojha of Jamuguri-Sorubhugia village today in the morning. He was later arrested on charges keeping the illegal godds at his residence.
Road mishap claim one. ET Correspondent Tezpur, March 21 : In a road mishap one Bhoira Tanti (32) of Phulaguri area under Rangapara PS in Sonitpur District died on the spot while another two persons namely sonata Bawri and Manuel Tanti sustained serious head injury in a road accident occurred near Phulaguri centre last night. The injured duos were rushed to the Tezpur medical college.
Council employees demand salary before election ET Correspondent Haflong Mar 21 : Demanding pending salary for 9 months, exemption from election duty and clearance of pending salary before election, the N C Hills Autonomous Council employees took out a procession from NCHAC office and marched through the major parts of Haflong township up to VEER Sambudhan Statue and concluded at the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Dima Hasao on Monday. The N C Hills Autono-
mous Council Employees Union had earlier decided to launch agitation programme from 21st March demanding their salary phase wise. Today's programme was a part of their agitation
programme. The President of the NCHACEU Sri Prasanna Hasnu said the employees are suffering a lot for non-payment of their salaries for the last 9 months. Children of these employees are the worst
sufferer since their parents are not getting salaries months together. He also disclosed that after today's meeting with the employees members further course of action would be decided. Later they submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Dima Hasao stated that life of Council employees has become miserable due to non-payment of salaries therefore they requested the Deputy Commissioner to exempt the council employees from the election duty. Earlier, on Friday, Sri
Kelendra Daolagupu, Executive Member, NCHAC in a press meet disclosed that the present executive committee has been working hard for the payment of salary of the employees and there was every possibility to release the payment of salary within very few days. He while appealing to the employees said if there is any hindrance in the ongoing process of making payment of salary, the Executive Committee could not be held responsible for the delay or obstruction in the payment of the salary.
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 22
PAGE 3
SELP of RIGGS, Bhutan delegates at RGU
modules are of 6 months duration and the present delegation is the 6th of its kind called the 6th Senior Executive Leadership Program (SELP-6) and is on a learning north-east India delegation from the Royal Govt. of Bhutan. The group comprises of engineers, planners, bureaucrats, technocrats, judges, economists, auditors, teachers, consultants, managers, media persons, faculty and staff of RIGSS. Quoting popular adage, “journey of thousand miles starts with the first and single step” he concluded with the remark that ‘we are here to benefit from the vast expertise of RGU in many fields.” Earlier, the coordinator of the interaction program and Finance Officer incharge Prof. Amitava Mitra welcomed the delegates and led the felicitations of the visitors, while the vote of thanks was proposed by the
Registrar Prof. Rachob Taba.
Massive Plantation Drive Conducted within Aalo Township
Administration bids farewell to ‘Team Rangoon’
A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Mar 21: The RGU fraternity has hosted a 35 member strong delegation from Royal Institute for Governance and Strategic Studies, Phuentsholing, Royal Govt. of Bhutan in a simple yet impressive function at the university’s mini auditorium today in presence of hosts of faculty members and officers of the university. The function marked formal interaction and discussion rounds for an hour wherein souvenirs were also exchanged. The VC in his remark said that this is an important academic programme wherein both the institutions will benefit and a good beginning for academic pursuits together. In his short deliberation he introduced the varsity and its achievements. He also spoke about the recent introduction of choice based credit system in the PG courses and se-
mester system in under graduate level in all the colleges. He also highlighted about some of the best practices of the university, such as tapping of best talents of the country, up to date syllabus as per the need, conduct of exams and declaration of results and also on the ongoing major projects being run by the university amounting to more than 27 crores of rupees. He further emphasized on the academic collaborations to be undertaken in the field of languages, culture and biodiversity. The head of the delegation Chewang Rinzin of RIGSS, Bhutan briefed about the purpose of their visit to the university and informed that RIGSS, a 2013 established institute of Royal Govt. of Bhutan is entrusted with the task of training leaders of diverse fields in governance and to act as a think tank of the country. Their course
Aalo, Mar 21: The concerns of the people for town beautification especially who donated land for establishment headquarter came to fore when representatives from Panya, Pakam, Dego, Bogdo, Rigo, Loyi, Lollen, Kamduk, Kamchi, Kami, Lomi, Ado and land donors committee Aalo township organized a massive Plantation Drive from Nehru Chowk to Pakam Tinali on 20th March last. Around 400 numbers of plant saplings of different varieties were planted on both sides of RCC pavement voluntarily to inculcate consciousness among citizen on deforestation and meet the alarming level of pollution resulting in health
Contd. from Page 1
hazards. The organization expressed their gratitude to Shri Nyali Ete DFO and Shri Lomkar Kamchi, Forest Ranger of Aalo Forest division for being cooperative by providing free saplings and fencing wire. The society also appreciated the
endeavor and proactive role played by some individuals and societies like RCCN, Mothers Vision voluntarily for constantly working for the cause of the town and promoting Swachh Bharat Abhiyan everywhere in the district. (DIPRO)
GJCMCC Performs Dirr Minnam- A Traditional Way to dispel Bad Omen Aalo, Mar 21: The Dirr Minnam, a traditional practice to keep away famine, ill luck and bad omen normally performed before celebration of Mopin Festival was held at Gumin Kiin under the leadership of Shri Doi Ado and Henrik Basar, President and Secretary
The interactive session was very lively and informative as there were lots of enthusiastic queries from the visitors on the issues ranging from potentiality of hydropower, political situations and students politics in the state to RGU’s major collaborations, contributions, efforts of the university towards protection of endangered languages, border trade and cross cultural and strategic studies of the neighbouring nations, functioning and administration system of RGU, scholarships and stipends to the students and financial positions and funding of the university. The Vice-Chancellor, officers and faculty members of the university attended to the volleys of questions. The visit culminated with the round of the main pockets of the university by the visitors.
Golden Jubilee Central Mopin Celebration Committee on 20th March last. This ritual is an old practice in the past but not observed by many these days. Since the Galo community is celebrating its Golden Year of Mopin festival this time around, the traditional
system was revived with zeal and traditional fervor this time. All Committee members and representatives from various sectors of Aalo congregated at Gumin Kiin and marched towards confluence of Sipu and Yomgo River for purification.
quaint surroundings, hovels and amazing people, he said adding that East Siang's beauty and its people mesmerized the "Rangoon Stars" and will turn the place a shooting-friendly destination. Shooting here can prove cost effective and Pasighat in particular will be popular among the filmmakers for its natural locale, cheap production cost, no star-struck crowd, calm life with people emphasizing on their day-today work rather than crowding around vanity vans, said Bhardwaj. On behalf of "Team Rangoon," Bhardwaj conveyed gratitude to the East Siang administration in particular and the state as a whole for coordination and hospitality. DC Khosla on the occasion felicitated Bhardwaj with Adi Galuk, Khada and memento. Giving warm sendoff, the DC assured for single-window clearance and hassle-free system in near future too. Khosla appreciated the director to rediscover the state for his future film shoots and hoped that more and more filmmakers will come to shoot their films here for their favorable destination after 'Rangoon'. She also expressed hope that there will a boost in tourism sector as well as income generation for the locals as they will get more works on the set with film crews.
WASE activists and JNC girls hostellers destroys marijuana Spl Correspondent Pasighat, Mar 21: As a part of their continued effort, the activists of Women Against Social Evil (WASE) along with girl hostellers of Jawaharlal Nehru College, Pasighat has destroyed marijuana plant on Saturday morning that were growing inside the premises of the new girls hostel. The growing of marijuana inside the hostel premises was a concern and hence, with the initiative of WASE the hostellers accompanied the drive, informed Joya Tasung Moyong, General Secretary of the NGO.
the activists of Women Against Social Evil (WASE) along with girl hostellers of Jawaharlal Nehru College at Pasighat
One day workshop cum interaction session on ecce held at Namsai
One day workshop cum interaction session on ecce held at Namsai Indrajit Tingwa Namsai 21 Mar : A one day workshop cum interaction session on Early Child Care and Education (ECCE) was held at the Solung Mopin Ground hall at Namsai under the restructured Namsai Chongkham restructured ICDS on 19 March last. A large number of Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) from Namsai and Chongkham ICDS project attended the
programme.CDPO,Lekang ICDS, Gramsewikas and Supervisors were present during the programme. Smti.W.Khimhum, CDPO Namsai at the outset welcomed all the delegates and briefed about the objectives of the programme. She urged the AWWs to perform their duties regularly and sincerely with compassion as the department was working for the all round
development of children during the most crucial and important period when development of eighty percent of the brain takes place. Under the restructured ICDS, Anganwadi Centres should be a vibrant child centric centre she added. On the occasion the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Arunachal University of Studies Pof. Dr.Vijay Lanksmi Pandit spoke on childhood disabilities and pre-
vention, while interacting with the AWWs, she expressed her happiness to see the enthusiasm and dedication of the grassroot workers and extended her willingness to help them in counselling and motivation whenever required. Dr.Pill Dipen, DRHO, spoke on exclusive breast feeding, Infant & Young Child Feeding (IYCF) and was of the opinion that in this context Arunachal Pradesh was far better than other states while also informing regarding the new immunization schedule including the pentavalennt injection introduced in the state. The programme concluded with the practical sessions on preparation of Teaching Learning Materials (TLM),learning aids from low cost and locally available materials, teaching rhymes,songs and simple games. CDPO, Namsai Smti.W. Khimhun extended her thanks to the participants for cooperation and making the programme a grant success.
Opposition Congress stages walkout in Arunachal Assembly Contd. from Page 1
"You may convene the session as per your whims but the matter is still subjudice in the apex court.... We termed it as illegal and will not attend it," Byaling said before leaving the House with other Congress members present including
Pani Taram, Techi Kaso, Mama Natung, Nikh Kamin, Nyamar Karbak, Tapang Taloh, Dikto Yekar and Karya Bagang. Reacting to the move of the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Wangling Lowangdong said the assembly was functioning as per the provisions of the Constitution and laid down
procedures of house. "There is nothing illegal as in a democracy majority counts.... The present Peoples' Party of Arunachal (PPA) government is being supported by majority of the members," he added. Pul along with 29 dissident Congress MLAs on March 3 merged with PPA.
With the defection, the Congress in the crisis-hit state was reduced to 15 MLAs with an effective strength of 58 after two Congress MLA resigned. The BJP which has 11 MLAs in the 60-member House along with two independents members is extending outside support to the Pul government.
Pul introduces two key bills Contd. from Page 1 The Bill would also streamline the activities of tourism in the state within set framework, standardization of facilities and protocols and to bring about tourism activities legally within the administration of the Tourism department.
Right to Public Services Bill, 2016 would deal with systematic and time bound delivery of services for all government servants. It would also ensure rightbased approach by empowering the public with the right to receive delivery of services within stipulated time lines.
the citizens to access government services and obtain information in a unified and simplified manner and enabled government to provide the required services seamlessly.
The Bill would also enable
The Chief minister also laid the Arunachal Pradesh Indian Medicine Council (General) Rules, 2015 and presented the Appropriation Accounts and
MLA Pani Taram while clarifying the Congress party stand said, “The Congress party is challenging over the advancement of the assembly. Every activity done by this Govt. where in the judgment is awaited is illegal.”
der SIDF which amounts to Rs. Five crore each assembly constituency. But this present Govt. has cancelled that and instead allocating the money under SIDF to individuals’ project here in Itanagar,” Taram said.
He highlighted the controversial development scheme under the State Infrastructure Development Fund (SIDF). Taram said the cabinet under the former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has passed the SIDF smoothly and has allocated development fund to every constituency on need base. The work and fund have been sanctioned and approved by the concerned department. “However the present Govt. has cancelled all these schemes. During president rule the Governor has written to all district administration to prepare the proposal with the consultation of the local MLA for implementing the schemes un-
MLA Karya Bagang said for her constituency, the maintenance of road which is for 81 kms, the allocating of fund is Rs. 4 laks 91 thousand. “But in capital Itanagar, that too for a lane that leads to a private hotel which is hardly two kilometres, the Govt. has allocated Rs. six crore. Is this legal?” the MLA asked.
Finance Accounts for the year 2014-15. The House also adopted the motions moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Wanglin Lowangdong regarding election of members to serve the committee of Public Accounts, committee on Estimates and committee on Public Undertakings.
Girl allegedly raped, police rescued the accused from public chastisement Congress says Pul Govt. is illegal and corrupt The Arunachal Pradesh
ET Correspondent Digboi, March 21: One identified as Pahi Chetia daughter of Lobita Chetia resident of Moran bamboobari village in Dibrugarh District was allegedly raped by Abusaleem Nanda (42) of Padumuni village in Sarupather in Golaghat District here early this morning in Borbil no. 3 under Digboi police Station in Tinsukia District. According to sources, the victim had come to Digboi to get her eyes treated from a superficial tantric Nanda who was staying in a rented house in Digboi and had been fraudently cheating the innocent villagers and people in and around claiming to cure
any diseases using super natural forces. Meanwhile, the villagers told that the incident occurred early this morning when the victim was asked to come to his room alone for the treatment and after sometime the victim came out crying with unbuttoned shirt at which the villagers sensing the devilish act chastised the so called self designed tantrik. However, the timely intervention of team Digboi police rescued the alleged rapist and averts the situation from getting worse. Meanwhile, the locals along with Chhatra Mukti
Sangram Samiti and Tai ahom Student Body staged demonstration near Digboi Police Station shouting anti-police slogans for favouring the culprits and demanded compensation to the victim who had been sent to Tinsukia Civil Hospital for medical formalities.
lating the existing law of the land. According to him, both the victim and the accused were sent for medical formalities and subsequently the alleged rapist was booked and prosecuted under the law registering a case at 50/16 u/s 376 IPC.
Talking to the Eastern Today, Chandan Milli the Inspector of Digboi police Station told that the victim was already wounded graciously and once the person however dreaded criminal he or she may be if comes under police custody the law does not allow anyone or any group to further decide the legal course of action thus, vio-
Meanwhile, Gauranga Dey the investigating officer told that he has been leaving no stone unturned to investigate all the pros and cons related to the incidents and examining all the valid evidences and possible circumstances leading to the commission of the crime if committed and assert the exact nature of the crime.
Contd. from Page 1
SC is the highest judiciary and if SC said that it is legal (the advancement of the assembly) then we also will say legal. Nobody follow the constitution especially the BJP party. By force they are making this govt. and no officials is interested in this govt. All public schemes have been turned into individual schemes.” Byaling also said that both cases (14 MLAs disqualification case and advancement of assembly case) are reserved in high court and supreme court and he confirmed that the Congress MLAs are not going to sit in this entire session. “Since the beginning we have been following the law. We didn't do anything outside of the system,” Byaling added.
“If this is not corruption then what is this? Common public has been deprived. School maintenance and hospital maintenance in Pul’s district received two crores each, whereas in other constituencies there were no fund allocation. I want to ask
the planning department whether you have misguided the Govt. or the planning dept is working under the pressure of the Govt.,?” Taram spoke sharply. Itanagar MLA Techi Kaso said, “I don't mind if you allocates money for my constituency for the overall development of the public but it was not that way. As the MLA of the capital, I will not allow that the public fund be used for the benefit of the individual. We will not allow this to happen even if we need to fight this legally, we will do it.” MLA Mama Natung said, “I asked this to the Govt., why other constituencies didn't get fund? You can de-recognise our constituency if you cannot provide development equally. The people from my constituency and I will go to any extent to protest against this illegal activities.”
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 22
PAGE 4
Oil Shikshya Ratna Puraskar & Oil Award conferred ET Correspondent Duliajan, Mar 21: Oil India Ltd. under its educational CSR initiatives has been awarding "OIL Shikshya Ratna Puraskar" honoring the exemplary service of teachers of government schools and colleges under Government of Assam since 2013. At the same time, under "OIL Awards" instituted in the year 2006, OIL has been honoring all State rankholders in HSLC & HSSLC from OIL operational areas of Assam encouraging the meritorious students. OIL awarded both OIL Shikshya Ratna Puraskar2015 and OIL Awards-2014 at a glittering ceremony held on 21st March 2016 at Duliajan Club followed by a Teachers' Workshop. The Shikshya Ratna Puraskar consisted of cash incentive of Rupees One Lakh and a citation to each awardee presented on the occasion. OIL Awards consisted of cash incentive of Rs 15,000.00 (HSLC) and Rs 20,000.00 (HSSLC) to each awardee
along with a certificate of proficiency. The ceremony was graced by Shri Biswajit Roy, Director (HR&BD), OIL, Shri J K Borgohain, Resident Chief Executive, OIL and senior officials of Oil India Limited. The ceremony was also graced by eminent educationalist Dr. Mridul Hazarika, Vice Chancellor of Guwahati University as Guest of Honour along with reputed trainers from the field of education. The event was attended by more than 400 people including teachers, students, media persons, Oilindians, etc. Shri Biswajit Roy, Director (HR&BD), OIL congratulated the six recipients of the OIL Shikshya Ratna Puraskar and extolled their commendable contribution towards imparting quality education to the children. He stated the objective behind initiating the Award i.e. to inspire the teaching fraternity and acknowledge their exemplary contribution in nation building. He also congratu-
lated the students who were conferred OIL Award for their exemplary performance in HSLC and HSSLC examination 2014. Extending his greetings to the winners Dr. Mridul Hazarika, Vice Chancellor of Guwahati University stated that "The OIL Shikshya Ratna Puraskar is a great tribute to the teachers' fraternity". In his speech, Dr. Mridul Hazarika cited the role of teachers in nation building, their passion to nurture knowledge and to gen-
erate the spirit of inquisitiveness among the students. He congratulated the teachers on their deserving recognition and complimented OIL for taking up the initiative of recognising contribution of teachers' fraternity and their role in nation building. Shri J K Borgohain, RCE, OIL while congratulating the six recipients of the award also cited the various other projects undertaken under OIL's CSR that caters to the socio-economic development of people in OIL's op-
erational areas. He assured that Oil India through CSR initiatives like Shikshya Ratna Puraskar would continue inspiring the teaching fraternity from this region to aspire for greater accomplishments as they play a dynamic role in empowering the youth. The six teachers whom the OIL Shikshya Ratna Puraskar-2015 was conferred were: 1.Mr. Prabin Chandra Barman, Guwahati Refinery High School, Guwahati
2.Ms Jharna Saikia, Public High School, Dibrugarh 3.Mr. Diganta Bhajani, Mechaki ME School, Tinsukia 4.Ms Archana Borah, Bejbari L.P. School, Lakhimpur 5.Mr. Khagendra Nath Chetia Phukan, Mankata M.E School, Dibrugarh 6.Mr. Sarat Ch.Chiring Phukan, Dangari H.S.School, Tinsukia It may be noted that the names as recipients of OIL Shikshya Ratna Puraskar 2015 were announced
through press advertisement on Teachers' Day, 5th September, 2015. Earlier the teachers had submitted their self-nomination for the award against a press advertisement released by OIL. IL&FS (Education) was entrusted with the task of scrutinizing the entries and conducting the selection process through a Jury comprising of distinguished members from education fraternity and representatives from Dibrugarh and Guwahati universities. The twelve students whom the OIL Award-2014 was conferred were: 1.Miss Smitakshi Goswami HSLC, 2014 S a l t Brook School Dibrugarh 2.Mr Sannidhya Sharmah HSLC, 2014 B V F C Model High School, Namrup 3.Miss Rashmi Rekha Borah HSLC, 2014 Little Flower HS School, Dibrugarh 4.Mr Kashyap Gogoi HSLC, 2014 Dikshu High School Dikshu 5.Miss Wasfiya Mazid HSSLC ( Science), 2014 Salt
Voters to have a close watch of the Hagrama call political game in 2 major LACs of Assam upon Bodos to ET Correspondent Golaghat, Mar 21: For the upcoming assembly elections in the state of Assam, two major legislative assembly constituencies are becoming remarkable where many political thinkers and voters will be watching the political game closely in the constituencies. The two major constituencies are 95 Golaghat LAC and 96 Khumtai LAC. In these two constituencies two of state cabinet ministers of the ruling Congress party will be contesting where from 95 Golaghat LAC, the State PWD Minister Ajanta Neog will be seen contesting. She is the present MLA of this con-
3 nominations withdrawn Spl Correspondent. Tinsukia, Mar 21: Altogether 3 nominations named Rupesh Gowala and Niren Moran, duo from Doomdooma LAC and Arun Sahu were withdrawn in 3 LACs of Tinsukia district, namely, Tinsukia, Digboi and Doomdooma, putting the total candidature for 3 LACs to contest election to 25.
BRWC to host International Women’s Day ET Correspondent Dergaon, Mar 20: A day long International Women’s' Day is going to be observed for the 2nd year by the Dergaon belonging Brahmaputra Regional Women Safety Committee at Brahmaputra valley on 27th March as a awareness camp. In connection with the women's day observation, social plantation, painting, citation of Rabha and Choliha poem including open meet etc. are scheduled to be performed. Cultural night on singing song by radio artist Sanatan Guwala will be entertained along with a drama Jagoron, which will be played for awareness against atrocity on women.
stituency and it will be her third consecutive term. Ajanta Neog was first elected as an MLA from Golaghat constituency in the year 2001 at that time Golaghat was in a devastating condition. But Ajanta Neog changed the face of Golaghat after taking charge as an MLA where she first focused on development of infrastructure in the town. She took initiative to build a strong road network for a good connectivity. Her continuous efforts gradually changed the scenario of Golaghat. Every nook and corner in the town and its nearby areas got well built
pitched roads. She then focused on development of education, culture and sport sectors. Golaghat had many achievements in these sectors later on. Golaghat Stadium and Indoor Complex, Amateur Theatre Society, Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital got new and developed look and ongoing projects of an Engineering College and an ITI are some of the milestones that Golaghat will have under her efforts. The people of Golaghat had elected Ajanta Neog consecutively for three terms for her developmental works. But at the same time allegations raised against her by the opposition that Ajanta
Neog could not get success in industrial development and solving the unemployment problem. This time AGP-BJP alliance candidate, Bitupon Saikia has contested against Ajanta Neog from Golaghat constituency but the people still seems to have great faith and better hopes for Ajanta and yet the opposition has not be able to raise strong issues. On the other hand in the 96 Khumtai LAC, State Cultural Affairs minister and present MLA Bismita Gogoi have filed her nomination and simultaneously from the opposition Mrinal Saikia too filed his nomina-
Anti-Migrant Forum to host a bike rally against illegal migrant ET Correspondent Dergaon, Mar 21: A source of Anti Migrant Forum informs that a bike rally will march-up to the Deputy Commissioner of Golaghat tomorrow from Dergaon town. The Anti Migrant Forum has been collecting public
signatures from different district of Assam with the objective of protesting against illegal migrant from Bangladesh and safeguard of Assam on the base of the 1951 Act. Social workers Jinti Khaund, Anup Bhagowati,
Rajen Pujari, Apurba Sarma Nabo Bora and Satyajit Hazarika along with many supporters are likely join the rally where they will submit the papers of public signatures to the governor of Assam through the Golaghat Deputy Commissioner.
Congress announces its second list, 2 sitting MLAs left out Contd. from Page 1 Sivsaran Basumatary in Dudhnoi, Abdul Kalam in East Goalpara, Abdur Rashid Mandal in West Goalpara, Abdul Fasal Nasiruddin in Jaleshwar, Anurupa Hannan in Sarbhog, Rajiv Das in Bhabanipur, Sailen Kalita in Patasarkuchi, Abdur Rahim Ahmed in Barpeta, Abdul Khalek in Jania, Sherman Ali in Baghbar, Jakir Hussain Sikdar in Sarukhetri, Sukur Ali in Chenga, Nandita Das in Boko, Rekibuddin Ahmed in
Chaygaon, Naba Talukdar in Palashbari, Niren Deka in Jalukbari, Babita Sarma in Guwahati East, Juri Sarma Bardoloi in Guwahati West, Dulu Ahmed in Hajo, Pranjit Chowdhary in Kamalpur, Ghanashyam Kalita in Rangiya, Rabindra Biswash in Tamulpur, Pradyut Bhuyan in Nalbari, Diganta Barman in Barkhetri, Nilomoni Sen Deka in Dharmapur, Tulsi Manash Rabha in Boroma, Indrajit Kumar Saikia in Kalaigaon, Joynath Sarma in Sipajhar, Basanta Kumar Das in Mangaldoi, Ilias Ali in
Dalgaon, Bibekananda Doloi in Jagiroad, Junjunali Baruah in Marigaon, Najrul Islam in Lahorighat, Sasikanta Das in Raha, Anuwar Hussain in Dhing, Gautam Bora in Batadroba, Md Nurul Huda in Rupohihat, Durlav Samuwa in Nagaon, Suresh Bora in Barhampur, Rockybull Hussain in Samaguri, Bindu Ganja in Kaliabar, Alhas Wasiruddin Laskar in Jamunamukh, Ardhendu Dey in Hojai and Netra Ranjan Mahanta will comtest in Lumding constituency.
Morale boost for Congress as party clinches both Rajya Sabha seats Contd. from Page 1 including a former Union minister, and one oppositionsupported Independent candidate had filed nomination for the two Rajya Sabha seats from Assam. Former Union minister Ranee Narah and former state minister Ripun Bora filed the
nomination as ruling Congress candidates. While Bora will be the first preference candidate for Congress, Narah will be the second one. The third nomination was filed by businessman Mahavir Jain, with the support of opposition Bodoland People’s Front (BPF). However surprisingly, the BPF at the last moment to-
day announced that the party will not vote Jain. “Jain has all along been playing a double game on this issue. He has sought our support, and at the same time he has been seeking support from the Congress,” said BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary. Mohilary said that, he is aware that Jain has meet Con-
gress president Sonia Gandhi and has sought support for his victory. Terming it as a massive victory, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Anjan Duta said that this has once again proved the strength of the Congress, and will continue its good show in the state assembly election.
State government keen to learn from Bhutan’s success in hydropower development Contd. from Page 1 He requested the visiting delegates to inform the King of Bhutan of such desire being expressed by the state government. Planning for future exchanges, Pul also requested them to bring back with them the affected people, senior people and government officials from Bhutan, who being part of their success story,
could share their experiences with the people of Arunachal. Urging Bhutan to be a partner in the development of Arunachal, he expressed that a strong trade and commercial ties between the two regions could be developed by establishing border trading centres across the border between the two. “It is necessary for us to establish close friendship and cooperation with each other and to cooperate closely on issues relating to border trade,
tourism and cultural exchanges,” said the chief minister. To boost border trade, Pul informed that the state government is working on establishing road networks across the international borders in Arunachal. Also strongly focusing on development of tourism sector for Arunachal, he hoped that the state could learn from the success story of Bhutan in promoting tourism. To promote cultural ex-
changes, the chief minister informed that various language schools would be opened across the international borders to learn the language of neighbouring nationalities. The 35 Bhutanese High Official Delegates from various ministries of Royal Govt. Of Bhutan is on 7 days friendly relation tour to North Eastern States including Arunachal Pradesh to strengthen ties with the neighbouring states and to explore possibilities of border trades and cultural exchange.
tion from the same constituency as a BJP-AGP alliance candidate. In the Khumtai constituency Bismita Gogoi is a popular leader having a strong hold in the society. She even got promoted to state minister for her performance record. But now people alleged that she spent very less time and focus to solve the problems in the constituency. In this perspective one thing is sure that in the Khumtai LAC this election will be a neck to neck competition between Bismita Gogoi and Mrinal Saikia and overall the political scenario in these two constituencies will be attractive.
7 candidates of political parties files nominations in Morigaon ET Correspondent Morigaon, March 21: Altogether seven candidates from different political parties have filed their nominations papers in three Assembly constituencies namely Jagiroad, Morigaon and Lahorighat in Morigaon district today. Among the candidates who filed the nomination papers notable are- Rama Kanta Deori, CEM, Tiwa Autonomous Council on BJP ticket and former MLA and CPI leader Munin Mahanta at Morigaon, Piyush Hazarika (BJP) at Jagiroad and Jadu Pator of AGP- BJP alliance at Jagiroad. Independent candidates Ramen Nath and Dr Dhiren Nath also filed their nomination papers in Morigaon constituencies of Assam.
vote for BJP
ET Correspondent Diphu, Mar 21: BTC supremo Hagrama Mohilari today called the Bodo voters of Karbi Anglong to vote in favor of BJP in all the 4 assembly constituencies of this autonomous district in a public meeting attended by more than ten thousand people at Goroimari stadium of Langhing around 110 kilometer from Diphu today.
nominee Joy Ram Engleng, this constituency is represented by 20 thousand Bengali and 15 thousand Assamese, 12 thousand Garo, 6 thousand Tiwa votes. According to preliminary assessment 51 thousand Karbi vote will be split into 3 fractions, the vast number of other community vote which has distinctly swayed against Congress possibly will benefit BJP.
BJP stalwart leader Heminta Biswa Sharma was present in the meeting; Kachari Samaj President Ratnaswar Basumatary presided over the high voltage assemblage which was eagerly awaited both by Congress and BJP, lone Bodo representative and elected Member of Autonomous Council in the Congress led Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Sarat Bramha shared the dais with Hagrama adding woes in Congress camp.
Hagrama’s declaration is likely to affect the Congress Bidya Sing Englang contender contesting from Diphu seat in the same way where 58 thousand Karbi vote will be shared by HSDC, Congress and BJP. 18 thousand Bodo vote, 20 thousand Bengali, 11 thousand Assamese, 11 thousand Hindi speaking, 10 thousand Nepali, 7 thousand Garo, 5 thousand tea tribe will decide the outcome.
Today’s development came as a rude shock for both Congress and HSDC in the triangularly contested Howraghat and Diihu constituency as 18 thousand Bodo votes in Diphu and 17 thousands in Howraghat has remained deciding factor of this two seats. Howraghat seat where seating Minister Khorsing Engti is contesting against BJP
But in this seat with vast ethnic diversity BJP remained in leading position in last Lok Sabha election without the Bodo support, the vital support has certainly boost its wining prospect. In the jam packed meeting both Hagrama and Himenta Biswa Sharma expressed their confidence that BJP will clinch Diphu, Howraghat and Bokajan seat with huge margin.
Brook Academy, Dibrugarh 6.Miss Ashwini Buragohain HSSLC ( Science), 2014 Salt Brook Academy, Dibrugarh 7.Miss Ipsita Gogoi HSSLC (Science), 2014 Salt Brook Academy, Dibrugarh 8.Miss Shruti Kashyap HSSLC (Science), 2014 Salt Brook Academy, Dibrugarh 9.Miss Tulika Gogoi HSSLC ( Arts ), 2014 Amguri College, Amguri 10.Miss Prerona Baruah HSSLC ( Arts), 2014 Salt Brook Academy, Dibrugarh 11.Miss Trishna Boruah HSSLC ( Arts ), 2014 Salt Brook Academy, Dibrugarh 12.Miss Sunny Shreya Dutta HSSLC ( Arts ), 2014 Salt Brook Academy, Dibrugarh The award ceremony was followed by a Teachers' Workshop conducted by resource persons of IL&FS (Education). Around 300 teachers from OIL's operational areas participated in the workshop.
Assam: Three detained, Gelatin sticks, detonators seized Cachar, Mar. 21 (ANI): In a joint operation, the Assam Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Tuesday seized 47 gelatin sticks and 69 electric detonators from a steam boat and detained three people in this connection. The Cachar district Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) and the CRPF personnel conducted a raid at Fulertol Ghats and seized 47 gelatin sticks and 69 electric detonators kept in an abandoned bag in the boat. Further investigations are on.
Nomination Filed in Rangia ET Correspondent Rangia, Mar 21: All total 11 candidates filed their nomination at Rangia District Election office ie. SDO civil office on Monday one day before the last date of filing the nomination. BJP candidate Bhabesh Kalita, Vice president of AGP and EX Minister Thaneswar Baro as independent candidate and Abdul Samad Chowdhury as AIUDF candidate were among the candidates who had filed their nomination today on the other hand Satya Brata Kalita AGP and Madhabi Kalita from TMC were also filed their nomination.All the candidates who had filed their nominations at Rangia reached the SDO civil office accompanied by thousands of supporters with Band party, Bihu dance and colorful procession. The candidates and their supporters turned the election procedure as festival of Democracy. MP Ramen Deka accompanied both AGP and BJP candidate at Rangia
37 in Lakhimpur and 18 in Dhemaji District to jump into fighting line in State Assembly Election ET Correspondent Lakhimpur, Mar 21: In the first phase poll of the Assam State Assembly, a total of 37 MLA candidates finally set ready to contest in the four LACs of Lakhimpur district representing various political parties and independent candidates. It was ascertained today being the day of the withdrawal of nomination. Out of them 14 candidates are to contest in No. 111 Lakhimpur LAC, they are- Utpal Dutta of AGP -BJP Alliance, Arup Kalita of CPI, Joy Prakash Das of Congress, Uday Sankar Hajarika of Trina Mool BJP, Mahim Hajarika of Sanmilita Gana Shakti, Asom, Minakshi Gohain Bruah of Trina Mool Congress, Fazlur Rahman of Voters
Party International, Dipak Chetia of AIUDF. The independent candidates are Ex-Congress MLA Ghana Burhagohain, Nanda Kishor Maheswari, Dilip Dutta and Mahim Konwar. Though Nitu Saikia filed his nomination representing New All India Congress, his nomination was cancelled during the scrutiny. A total of fifteen candidates filed nominations in this LAC. On the other hand, elven candidates in No. 110 Nowboicha LAC areRao Gajendra Singh of AGP-BJP Alliance, Jayanta Khaond of AGP, Sanjay Raj Subba of Congress, Mamun Imdadul Haque Choudhury of AIDUF,
Anupam Chutya of SUCI and the independent candidates are Seemanta Baruah, Safiqul Islam, Saheba Ahmed, Dilwar Hussain, Pavan Majhi Sautal, and Dr. Debabrat Gogoi. A total of six nominations were filed in No. 109 Bihpuriya LAC of Lakhimpur. Out of them independent candidate Tuleswar Pegu withdrew his nomination today ExEducation Minister of AGP Govt. Premadhar Borah will fight the battle this time from Asom Sangrami Mancha. The others are sitting Congress like MLA Bhupen Kumar Borah, Debananda Hajarika of AGP-BJP Alliance and Sunder Deori, Gargy Deori are independent
candidates. On the other hand, a total of seven candidates submitted their nominations in the No. 112 Dhakuakhna LAC of Lakhimpur District. All of them will contest in the Election in this LAC. They are are Naba Kumar Doley of AGP-BJP Alliance, Jyotika Pegu of SUCI, Bharat Narah of Congress, Dilip Choudhury nominated by District AGP of Dhakuakhona (Independent), Dr. Rajendra Nath Pegu of Liberal Democratic Party, Bhumi Ranjan Doley (Independent) and Lakhinath Sonowal (Independent). A total of eighteen candidates of the two LACs of Dhemaji District, vizDhemaji and Jonai, nine in each, will contest in the Election.
REGION
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Tripura to be free of open defecation by next March: Official
NSF martyrs day commemorated
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 22
Agartala, Mar 21: The Tripura government has announced it will declare the Northeastern state free of open defecation by March next year, a top official said here on Monday. "All the 1,118 villages of Tripura would be declared as free of open defecation under the Swachh Bharat Mission by March 2017," drinking water and sanitation department chief engineer Bishu Kumar Debbarma said. "The mission to declare entire Tripura as open defecation free state was undertaken in the outgo-
ing financial year (201516) by providing 92,047 individual household latrines (IHHL). To achieve the goal,
241,004 IHHL would be given during the ensuing fiscal (2016-17)," he said. Debbarma said of the
816,751 households in the gram panchayat and village committee areas, 433,423 households required individual household sanitary latrines until 2012. The villages outside the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) have gram panchayats and the villages within the TTAADC have village committees. The TTAADC, formed in 1984 under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, governs two-thirds of Tripura's 10,492 square km area. The official said that Rs.559 crore were re-
quired to achieve the goal of total sanitation. "Rural people including the tribals are now very conscious about the harmful and unsafe affect of open defecation," Debbarma said, adding Tripura probably would be the first among eight Northeastern states to be declared an open defecation free state by March next year. Adequate funds have been allocated in the 2016-17 fiscal's budget, presented by the state's Finance Minister Tapan Chakraborty in the ongoing session of the Tripura assembly on March 18.
No cabinet reshuffle in 100 disabled persons registered Manipur, says minister with employment exchanges Aizawl, Mar 21: One hundred persons with disabilities were registered with the Special Employment Exchanges in Aizawl, Lunglei and Saiha during 2015-16, state Social Welfare Minister P C Lalthanliana today said.
Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh Imphal, Mar 21: There will be no reshuffle in the Manipur cabinet, minister K. Ratankumar said on Sunday, as Congress president Sonia Gandhi summoned Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and his deputy Gaikhangam after a group of 25 dissidents demanded dropping of "non-performing ministers". "There is no question of reshuffle in the state. All differences could be thrashed out through negotiations," Works Minister Ratankumar, known to be a close associate of Okram Ibobi, said at a public function here. "The party high command has not given any directive for a reshuffle," he said. Okram Ibobi has had two rounds of talks with Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi over the dissidents issue, but they were inconclusive. The ruling Congress has 48 legislators in the assembly. The group of 25 dissidents are demanding complete reshuffle of the ministry and enforcement of the 'one man one post' policy so that Gaikhangam is either
dropped from the ministry or relieved of the state unit presidency. Sources said the demands of the dissidents "remain unchanged" and it was not immediately known what prompted Ratankumar to say there would be no reshuffle, as he was not the government spokesperson. The dissidents are also demanding dropping of some "non-performing ministers" including Ratankumar. Manipur is scheduled to go to the polls in February 2017. Most of the dissidents are hoping that through a cabinet reshuffle, they get to become ministers with an eye on the forthcoming elections. In the past, Ibobi and his associates never yielded to the dissidents. However, this time, the dissidents have made it known that they may take some other steps since they cannot go empty handed to the voters. Ibobi and Gaikhangam may meet Sonia Gandhi on Sunday night or Monday morning, and are expected to return here by Monday evening.
In a written reply to a question from Lalrinawma of the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF), Lalthanliana said 69, 21 and 15 people with disabilities were registered with Aizawl, Lunglei and Saiha Special Employment Exchanges respectively. He added that 25 people with disabilities were being
‘KHADC has power to regulate headmen’ Shillong, Mar 21: The State Government and the KHADC are on the same page when it comes to the right to regulate the powers and functions of the headmen. The State Government too is of the view that it is the Council which is authorized by the Sixth Schedule to the Indian Constitution to regulate the powers and functions of headmen. This was informed by Ranjan Mukherjee, the State counsel and Supreme Court lawyer. Mukherjee said on Sunday that following the verdict of the Supreme Court on the headmen issue on February 12, the State Government has filed a reply as per the direction of the Court. The verdict of the Supreme Court came following the hearing of the Special Leave Petition filed by the KHADC.
Mukherjee said that the stand of the KHADC and the views of State Government converge on the point that the district council has the power to regulate the powers and functions of headmen as per Para 5 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India. In the February 12 order, the Supreme Court had pointed out that those occupying the posts of headmen may continue to function subject to various instructions framed by the district council as per the Sixth Schedule to the Indian Constitution. “Until further orders, the persons occupying the post of headmen may continue to function subject to the various instruction framed by the Autonomous District Council as per law under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution
of India,” the order had said. The Apex Court had also asked the State Government counsel to submit a proposal on as to which parts of the January 13 High Court order/ directions will be implemented by the State Government to ensure that “Fundamental rights of the of the citizens, particularly the right to reside freely in any place of their choice, is not adversely affected by the action of any statutory authority including the headmen.” The Apex Court, while issuing notices to concerned parties, had fixed the matter for hearing after six weeks. The January 13 order of the High Court had earlier recommended a series of measures to be initiated by the State Government including framing rules for the functioning of headmen.
In the brief address at the spot, NSF president Subenthung said 30 years back two students sacrificed their lives while NSF protested against the introduction of IPS cadre in Nagaland and over the ex-
tension of the disturbed area belt from 5-10 km in international border. He said everyone will die one day but the matter of importance was how he died. He said later late Zekope Krome also succumbed to injury on August 15 1987. Pastor Pochury Baptist church Kohima Rev. Zhiwhuotho Katiry offered the prayer during commemoration observance. Later, NSF president Subenthung, NSF general secretary Boveio Poukai Duo and ASU vice president Meguo Ratsa laid
wreaths at the three graves. It may be mentioned that on March 20, 1986, late Kekuojalie Sachü, a student of Government Higher Secondary School, Seikhazou and late Vikhozo Yhoshü from Mezhür Higher Secondary School, were shot by the NAP while joining the NSF in protesting against the introduction of IPS cadre in Nagaland and over the extension of the Disturbed Area Belt from 5 kilometers to 20 km. Every year, March 20 is commemorated as the NSF Martyrs Day.
Assembly Civilian driver killed Mizo passes Supplein GNLA ambush mentary Demand given unemployment allowances by the state government. In reply to another query, Lalthanliana said there were 29 students in the Special Blind School in
Durtlang near Aizawl run by the Samaritan Society but the salaries of the 10 teachers and one nonteaching staff were being paid by the Social Welfare department.
State submits names of 41 erring mine owners Shillong, Mar 21: The names of as many as 41 mine owners were submitted to the NGT recently by the State Government for illegal extraction and transportation of coal. Speaking to The Shillong Times on Sunday, State Government counsel in Delhi, Ranjan Mukherjee said that besides the names of coal mine owners, names of more than 300 other violators were also submitted before NGT. The next hearing on the issue will be held on March 30. According to Mukherjee, the 63-page report submitted to NGT cited the names of 41 mine owners and investigation will be carried out against them by the police. He said that besides invoking section 188 IPC (disobedience to Government order) which has the provi-
Kohima, Mar. 20 (NPN) : Naga students’ Federation (NSF) commemorating the 30th NSF martyrs day paid homage to late Vikhozo Yhoshü and late Kekuojalie Sachu on Sunday at the NSF Martyrs park Kohima attended by NSF officials, ANCSU, ASU and martyrs’ family members.
sion for only one month imprisonment and Rs 200 fine, cases will be registered under Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984, section 3 (2) d, which is related to the damage resulting in setting up of mine or factory at public place. The State Government has also decided to re-constitute the names of local commissioners who were appointed by the NGT to check the violations of ban on rat hole mining. “As some local commissioners did not take interest in carrying out their entrusted task, we will be suggesting a few more names to the NGT,” Mukherjee said. He said that the NGT primarily wanted to focus on the names of mine owners whose mines were used for illegal extraction of coal and its transportation.
During the last hearing on March 17, the NGT had allowed the coal dealers to pay the royalty up to March 31 for the transportation of coal by May 15 even though the State Government had asked for April 15 deadline. However, Mukherjee said that the miners’ organizations are free to move NGT if they still want to seek more time for payment of royalty as the option before the government has been exhausted, and it will be embarrassing for the government if it again seeks extension as the government plea in this regard was rejected by NGT during the hearing on March 17. During the last December 23 order, the NGT had made it clear that after the completion of the deadline to transport the already extracted coal the remaining coal will be auctioned off.
Shillong, Mar 21: A civilian driver, who was transporting security personnel in a truck, was killed following an IED blast at Bokchung village in West Khasi Hills on Sunday afternoon.
when the security personnel were being transported in three vehicles including the truck to carry out counter insurgency operations in certain areas of West Khasi Hills.
Police said that the driver of the requisitioned truck identified as Lupen Basumatary from Machpara Dorangre, Goalpara in Assam succumbed to his injuries sustained in the IED blast carried out by suspected GNLA militants. The truck, meanwhile, was partially damaged. The incident took place
However, there were no injuries to police personnel and a platoon of CRPF with officers who were travelling in a public vehicle. The police officials from the district rushed to the spot with reinforcements. Police recently recovered 70 IEDs from Garo Hills exposing risks involved in carrying out counter insurgency operations against militants.
Aizawl, Mar 21: Mizoram Assembly on Monday unanimously passed the Supplementary Demand for grants for the current fiscal (2015-16) amounting to Rs. 1,126.99 crore. The Supplementary Demand was presented in the Assembly on Thursday last by the state Finance Minister Lalsawta along with the state annual budget for 2016-17. Meanwhile, the discussion of the budget was taken up in the legislature on Monday and would be concluded in the evening while the budget is scheduled to be passed on March 30.
Villagers resist militants in Manipur Imphal, March 21: Villagers in Manipur appear to be fed up with the unending extortion by militants who have ostensibly signed defacto peace pact. Some militants calling themselves members of two Kuki outfits, which had come overground after signing pacts with the state and central governments, have been extorting money from workers engaged in building a nine-kilometer road in Imphal East district. On Sunday, two such militants came to the work place looking for a worker named Rajesh. Usually, a
leader of the workers is asked to collect money on their behalf from the contractor. However, the worker rushed out with his licenced double barrel gun. On seeing him with the gun, both the militants fled, informed sources said. "Next time I may not be so lucky since the militants are armed to the teeth," Rajesh told the media. "These groups had signed the suspension of operations with the government and as such they should be
restrained," he added. There have been allegations of extortion and kidnappings against the militants which are in contravention of the ground rules of the suspension of operations. In most cases, the outfits simply deny the charges. More than 20 outfits have come overground but the government has not initiated talks with any of them. In Chandel district, people had taken out processions demanding shifting of the designated camps of such militants.
Five-day NSD’s ‘Bal Sangam’ concludes in Agartala Agartala (Tripura), Mar.21 : A five-day programme ‘Bal Sangam’ concluded here Sunday with the note that more such programmes should be held on a regular basis to encourage children to continue traditional performances so as to preserve our cultural heritage in this rapidly changing world. After New Delhi, the cultural fiesta for the first time organised here at the Nazrul Kala Setra by the National School of Drama’s Sanskaar Rang Toli , Theatre-in-Education Company, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.
Some nine groups from across the country, with special focus on the northeast and folk theatre performed folk dance, martial arts, acrobatics, street-play performances. The main objective of Bal Sangam is presenting a spectacular and unique confluence of performances by children of various folk and performing traditions. The festival also includes art and craft workshops of activities like origami, pottery, paper puppet-making, and various tribal arts. In the festival, different regional folk performances, apart from Tripura, like
Manipur Tribal Dance, pung cholam, Maibi jagoi, Manipur performing organization’s Thang chungoi chainaba, Maibi Laiching Jagoi, Mizoram’s sarlamkai, srkthithiang Lam, Chai, Assam’ s Bihu, Lailung Khan, Jeng Bihu, Rajasthan’s folk song – Sufinna Kalam, West Bengal’s patta nach, Ranpa Raibens , Kashmir’s Dhamaali, Bhand tchook, Bacha Nagma dance, Bhavesh chhau Nritya Kala Kendra, Jharkhand’s Ganesh Vandana, sindu uo sindhu, chalo dilli, Arunachal Pradesh’s Monpa dance were performed which is essentially a cultural mela with an edu-
cation objective. The festival is an ensemble of various performing traditional art forms that are presented by children belonging to traditional performing families, guruparamparas and institutions. According to the organisers, ‘Bal Sangam’ is about sharing, learning, teaching, enriching and gaining confidence for showing our indigenous cultural identity and is a unique effort to expose the children and young citizens to real strength of Indian folk and traditional performing arts to understand
the roots of Indian heritage and cultural treasure. Meantime, the participants expressed that such programme is a great learning medium for children to explore and be sensitive toward Indian folk and traditional performing arts and moreover, a wonderful platform to not just perform, but learn, travel and share. The ‘Bal Sangam’ festival was first started in 2001 with performance of Indian folk and traditional arts by children from different regions of the country. Nearly 85 groups have participated and showcased around 672 performances till date. (ANI)
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 22
J-K deadlock: Mehbooba to meet PM Modi in Delhi New Delhi, Mar. 21 : With the uncertainty over the formation of a government in Jammu and Kashmir refusing to die down, People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti arrived here on Monday afternoon to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The state is under Governor's rule since the death of chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed three months back.
MEHBOOBA MUFTI
Mehbooba was in Delhi last week during which she held talks with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah. However, as per reports, her meeting with the Prime Minister failed to take place and she returned to Srinagar.It has been learnt that the PDP MLAs will go in a huddle on March 24 in Srinagar.Former chief minister Omar Abdullah, in the meantime, held a meet with Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra in Jammu, which assumes significance as
uncertainty over the government formation is deepening. Interacting with reporters, Omar said, " Mehbooba Mufti is rushing to Delhi is her last ditch effort to safe her party, because she has realised that if PDP doesn't form a government on terms and condition set by the BJP, her party will split. And if her party splits, she would be in much weaker position than she is today. Clearly she is trying to safe her party." (ANI)
Drug ban: HC to hear pharma firms' pleas on March 28 New Delhi, Mar. 21 : Giving interim relief to pharmaceuticalcompanies, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday decided to hear the matter on March 28.The high court had earlier stayed the Centre's notification banning drugs manufactured by Abbott India
and Macleods Pharma till Monday.The government had banned 344drug combinations over the weekend, including Abbott's codeine-based cough syrup, after a government panel found they had 'no therapeutic justification'. (ANI)
PAGE 6
'Not only Muslims, even secular Hindus are scared': Congress New Delhi, Mar 21 : Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government was creating an atmosphere of fear in the nation and said that not only Muslims but even the secular Hindu is scared presently.Citing examples of the recent communal episodes, Azad told ANIthat he had never seen the nation so tensed while stating that the thoughts of secularism prospered even during the regime of former prime minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee. "The situation is getting worse. In Jammu, a truck was carrying coal but it was alleged that it was carrying cow and after that it was set on fire. Kitchens are being checked, that what is cooking; like mess of Aligarh University is being checked, The kitchen of Kerala house in Delhi was raided to see whether beef is being cooked or not," he said, asserting that all limits have been crossed."Two men in Jharkhand were hanged over the rumour
Ghulam Nabi Azad that they had bought cow for beef. Every animal is not bought for eating purpose. Muslims need cows for the same reason any non-Muslim wants. So now, a Muslim cannot
buy a cow," he added. Further slamming the government for not taking adequate steps to curb the situation, Azad said, "This is jungle raj. No action is being taken against the defaulters. The Prime minister is not taking any action against the ministers. Amit Shah did not take action against the MLAs or MPs, such incidents have spoiled the atmosphere of the country, there is stress and mistrust in the nation, we have never had such an environment in the nation.""At the time of Congress tenure
New Delhi, Mar.21 : Amid the brewing controversy over 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' slogan, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday asserted the slogan has no religious connotation and added that it was just a way to salute the motherland."I wonder why this debate is going about 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. It is a commitment to the nation. When you say Bharat Mata Ki Jai, you are saying Jai to the nation. we are saluting our motherland," Naidu said. "Bharat Mata Ki Jai has no religious connotation. It is salutation to the people. I want to make it
North Korea since February has fired 15 various projective over four occasions. Monday's launch is the second one in less than a week the
North Korea fires five short-range projectiles Pyongyang has launched projectiles.It had fired two ballistic missiles near Sukchon county, South Pyongan province, on the country's west coast on Friday. The launches come amid joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea, which has angered Pyongyang.The Security Council had earlier two weeks ago imposed strictest sanctions
The Congress yesterday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to put a check on growing communal hatred in the country while emphasizing that an environment of 'mistrust' was being created for electoral gains."With great dismay, I am impelled to observe that such episodes of mob violence
seem to give a spectacle," he wrote."Of some parts of world where democracy doesn't exist not of India-which is respected as vibrant democracy governed by rule of law," Azad added.The Congress leader in his letter also said that normal transport and trading of animals from one place to another should not be targeted.Earlier on Saturday, the Jharkhand Police arrested five suspects in connection with the killing of two cattle traders, who were found hanging from a tree. (ANI)
'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' has no Protect cows but religious connotation: Naidu don't kill humans:
very clear it is not simply saying the slogan. When you say 'Jai Ho Bharat' then people living in India should all be encouraged, they should all be given the needed support and their interests have to be taken care. By saying 'Bharat
Mata Ki Jai', we reiterate our commitment to the fellow citizens of the country," he added.AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi had stirred a hornet's nest by rejecting RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's suggestion that the young
generation be taught patriotic slogans like 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' stating that he won't chant the slogan "even if a knife is put to his throat"."I don't chant that slogan. What are you going to do Bhagwat sahab?" Owaisi said at a public rally in Latur.Leaders of various political parties, including the BJP and Congress, have condemned Owaisi's stance.Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted with chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' slogans as soon as he climbed the stage by people sitting in the audience when he went to deliver the inaugural lecture at the World Sufi Forum on March 17.(ANI)
North Korea fires five Molestation case: Delhi HC to hear short-range projectiles Kumar Vishwas' plea tomorrow Seoul, Mar. 21 : North Korea on Monday fired five unidentified shortrange projectiles from an area to the south of Hamhung city, South Hamgyong province, despite strict UN sanctions, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).The JCS in a statement said that the projectiles flew about 200 kilometers towards the sea to the east of the Korean peninsula, from between 3:19 p.m. to 4:05 p.m. The JCS had previously reported the launch of four projectiles. The statement also said that Seoul was closely tracking and monitoring the situation and was maintaining full readiness posture.
or even at the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, such incidents never occurred. Leave the Muslims, even the secular Hindu is scared today," he added.
to North Korea after it carried out its fourth nuclear test in January and fired a rocket in February.Despite drawing flak from UN, the US, Pyongyang remains adamant on it move.Kim Jong-Un, the supreme leader of North Korea, had last week ordered multiple ballistic missile launches and a nuclear warhead test drawing concerns about the regime's relentless move.(ANI)
New Delhi, Mar. 21 : The Delhi High Court on Monday agreed to hear Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kumar Vishwas' plea against a lower court order to file an FIR against him over an alleged molestation charges by an AAP volunteer.The matter will be taken up for hearing tomorrow.Earlier in the day, Vishwas approached the High Court against
the order of the lower court. A Metropolitan Magistrate's court had last week ordered the police to register an FIR against the AAP leader based on the woman's complaint. The Delhi Police had earlier in its status report filed before the court said that nothing was found to substantiate the allega-
tions levelled by the AAP volunteer against Vishwas.According to reports, the complainant had stated that Vishwas had made sexually coloured remarks and made advances towards her. She also alleged that the accused had molested her in different cities during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections campaign and then a few months later. (ANI)
ED attaches Girna sugar mill to Bhujbals's money laundering case Mumbai, Mar. 21 : Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal's money laundering case took a fresh turn on Monday after Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached Girna sugar mill, along with land worth Rs 55 crores, to the former Maharashtra minister's case.The Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court had on Thursday sent
Bhujbal to judicial custody till March 31.The former Maharashtra deputy chief minister was arrested on March 14 in connection with the Maharashtra Sadan scam. The Enforcement Directorate had on February 1 arrested former lawmaker Sameer Bhujbal, nephew of Chhagan Bhujbal, in a money laundering case in Mumbai after the agency conducted multiple
searches in connection with the probe against Bhujbals and others.The Maharashtra ACB had earlier filed two FIRs against the Bhujbals and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act ( PMLA) to probe the DelhibasedMaharashtra Sadan scam and the Kalina land grabbing case. (ANI) Caption : Chhagan Bhujbal's
CPI (M) New Delhi, Mar.21 : CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury on Monday trained his guns at the BJP-led NDA Government over the recent Latehar incident where two cattle traders were found hanging from a tree and said innocent humans should not be killed in the name of nationalism."The victims were taking cattle to the cattle fair, such fairs happen everywhere in the country.You want to protect cows, you protect them but does that mean killing human beings," Yechury told ANI here. "The government needs to answer to why such incidents are taking place, but they won't. They will not answer questions related to security concerns, they will not answer that how and why harmony in the country is is being torn. This is not nationalism," he added.Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, had earlier criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modiled government for not putting a check on in-
CPI (M) LEADER SITARAM YECHURY
creasing communal hatred in the nation. Citing examples of the recent communal episodes, Azad said that he had never seen the nation so tensed while stating that the thoughts of secularism prospered even during the regime of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.Five people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident where two Muslim cattle traders were found hanging from a tree on Friday morning in Jhabar village under Balumath Police Station area of Jharkhand's Latehar district. (ANI)
Jharkhand coal scam: CBI court defers its judgement till Mar. 28 Ranchi (Jharkhand), Mar. 21 (ANI): A Special CBI Court on Monday deferred its judgement till March 28 in a coal scam case pertaining to allotment of a Jharkhand coal block to Jharkhand Ispat Pvt. Ltd (JIPL).The case involves JIPL and its directors R.S. Rungta and R.C. Rungta, who are accused of acquiring the coal block allegedly on the basis of false and forged
documents. The court had on March 21 last year framed charges against them for the alleged offences punishable under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using a forged document as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). (ANI)
10 militants gunned down Quantity, quality and equality required in Balochistan operation to ensure Right to Education: Ansari
Kohlu (Pakistan), Mar. 21 : At least 10 suspected militants and two security personnel were killed in a gun battle in Balochistan's Kohlu district area on Monday.The clash between militants and security forces took place after Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Frontier Corps (FC) launched a search operation acting on a tip-off to wipe the militants.Two Balochistan Liberation
Army (BLA) commanders Jamir and Baloch Khan were killed in the operation. A spokesperson for FC said the suspected militants belonged to a banned outfit and were previously involved in attacks on security forces, target killings and other terrorist activities.
Last month, at least two suspected militants were killed and 35 others rounded up in
Quetta in a search operation, which was launched after a deadly suicide attack in the city a day ago.On February 6, at least 12 people, including four paramilitary FC troops, were killed and 37 others injured when a suicide bomber targeted an FC convoy in Quetta.A faction of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Khurasani Group, had claimed responsibility for the attack. (ANI)
New Delhi, Mar. 21 : Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari on Monday said quantity, quality and equality are the three sides of the triangle required to ensure Right to Education.Vice President Ansari, who was addressing the National Stocktaking Convention being organized by the Right to Edu-
cation Forum here, said the decline in state funding in the key social sector programmes, including education, is of particular concern.He said the Right to Education Act remains a remarkable achievement, which provides access, equity and inclusion for all children, despite the shortcomings in its implementa-
tion. The Vice President said the Right to Education Act has shown promising developments in the last six years.He further said that a critical appraisal of the functioning of the Right to Education reveals that large gaps exist in its implementation including the quality of education being pro-
vided; the high number of drop-outs and out of school children and the absence of equity in education.The Vice President said that the experience gained in operating the RTE for the past six years should inform the correctives to reduce the gaps - monitoring the implementation of the Act needs to be taken more se-
riously. "Vibrant partnerships among the departments and organizations concerned with children; acceleration of poverty reduction programmes of the Rural Development and ensuring that the state governments get the Panchayati Raj institutions appropriately involved," he added. (ANI)
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 22
NEIGHBOURS
Myanmar's Suu Kyi to control govt as party head - party spokesman Yangon,Mar 21: Myanmar democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi will steer the incoming government of her National League for Democracy (NLD), staying on as party head, and is unlikely to take a formal position in the government, the party said on Sunday.Myanmar's parliament last week elected Htin Kyaw, a close friend and confidant of the Nobel peace prize laureate, as president, making him the first head of state since the 1960s who does not hail from a military background.Suu Kyi led the NLD to a historic landslide election win in November, but a constitution drafted by the former junta bars her from the top office because her two children and her late husband do not have Myanmar citizenship.Suu Kyi has vowed to defy the constitution described by
'Khaleda's remarks being distorted to mislead public Dhaka,Mar 21: BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said party chief Khaleda Zia's statements are being distorted to mislead the people of the country.He made the statement while addressing a press conference at the party's Nayapaltan office in the capital on Monday afternoon.Fakhrul said: "Khaleda Zia's statements are being distorted to mislead the people."At the council, Khaleda said the next national election will be held under the caretaker government in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may take part but if it is held under the present government then BNP will not take part in it." Protesting prime minister's comment, the BNP leader said: "We hoped the ruling party and its president would congratulate us for successfully holding the council to strengthen democracy. But, unfortunately we have observed that they are making evil efforts to make people confused by twisting our madam's [Khaleda] comment." (Agencies)
Maung, the NLD spokesman and one of its leaders, told Reuters late on Sunday."It's the same here. She will lead the (ruling) party so, she will (by extension) lead the government formed by that party," said the spokesman, in the most detailed remarks on the issue by a senior NLD politician to date.He did not elaborate on the party's plans.
Suu Kyi senior NLD members as "ridiculous", pledging to run the country from "above the president". The party has not clarified how such an arrangement would be implemented, fuelling speculation about possible positions Suu Kyi
might assume after the government takes office on April 1."Taking positions is not that important any more...In the United States there are many famous lawmakers in the parliament who are very influential, but they don't take any position in the cabinet," Zaw Myint
Win Htein, another top NLD leader and Suu Kyi confidant, told Reuters in November Suu Kyi could be "something like Sonia Gandhi". Suu Kyi herself said in October that her plan was not "quite like that", but she did not provide details on her plans.Gandhi is the Italian-born widow of the late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. As leader of the Congress party, she dominated the government of
Jakarta, Mar 21:Indonesia on Monday protested the Chinese coast guard's retrieval of a ship while it was detained for fishing illegally in Indonesian waters.An Indonesian fisheries ministry patrol ship had intercepted the Chinese vessel on Saturday within Indonesia's exclusive economic zone which overlaps with the southernmost reaches of the South China Sea, according to Indonesia. Eight crewmen were detained.The fishing vessel Kway Fey was being towed when a Chinese coastguard vessel collided with it, allowing its
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi escape. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters after meeting with a
senior Chinese diplomat that the government wants Beijing to explain its actions. Marsudi said China's coast guard "violated our sovereignty" and called on China to respect international law.China's expansive claims to most of the South China Sea have raised tensions with several Southeast Asian countries, especially as China reclaims land on reefs and builds infrastructure in disputed areas.Indonesia is not involved in the territorial disputes and Marsudi said that had not changed. But authorities are con-
Nepal, China ink free trade agreement, transit treaty Kathmandu, Mar. 21 : Nepal has signed a host of agreement, including free trade agreement and transit treaty, with China.The agreement was signed between Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Shama Oli and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.The Nepal PM's Foreign Affairs Adviser, Gopal Khanal, informed that China has decided to provide soft loan for the construction of an international airport in Pokhara and a bridge over the Simikot-
Nepal has signed a host of agreement, including free trade agreement and transit treaty, with China.The agreement was signed between Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Shama Oli and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang
Hilsa road section, reports Himalayan Times. Oli is presently on a weeklong visit to China where he will call on Chinese President Xi Jinping. He is also scheduled to address the scholars, academics, business people and students at Renmin University on the theme 'Nepal- China Relations in the Context of Belt and Road Initiatives'.The Prime Minister is scheduled to return on March 27 from Chengdu. (ANI)
already passed by the National Assembly in January but the oppositioncontrolled Senate rejected it. There was major opposition to privatise PIA and bloody clashes occurred between police and PIA employees' trade unions when the government announced the privatisation plan. The government plans to split PIA into two companies and sell the control of its core business to a global airline. PIA has been running into losses for years and the government says it is not possible to turn it around with the current system of management. The upper house Senate and lower house National Assembly will meet jointly in the parliament house. According to the agenda, seven bills will be presented in the Joint Session for passage
including the most important bill about PIA's proposed privatisation. According to the Constitution, if a bill passed by one house is rejected by the other, then either it is killed or government can get it passed through a joint sitting if it commands overall simple majority of the combined two houses. Other bills being adopted at the joint sitting include Anti-Rape Laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, Anti-
Honour Killing Laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, and Privatisation Commission (Second Amendment) Bill. Most of these bills were sponsored by the opposition but were not passed as the government had opposed them. Under the deal, the opposition will not oppose government legislation on PIA in return for support for enactment of its favoured laws. (Agencies)
Flight operations of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were suspended for over a week last month due to a countrywide strike by its employees against the planned privatisation of the loss-making airline.
Sri Lanka demonstrates commitment to combat maritime piracy and armed robbery
former Prime Minister Mahmohan Singh before it fell from power in 2014.Myanmar's powerful military holds a quarter of parliamentary seats and the constitutional right to nominate one of the three presidential candidates. Its candidate, retired general Myint Swe, last week became the country's first vice president.Relations between the armed forces and Suu Kyi will define the success of Myanmar's most significant break from military rule since the army seized power in 1962. The NLD spokesman said that on Monday presidentelect Htin Kyaw would speak in parliament about reducing the number of government ministries. Last week the NLD said it would slash the number of ministries by about a third to 21. (Agencies)
Indonesia protests China's retrieval of illegal fishing ship
Pakistan parliament to clear decks for privatisation of PIA Islamabad, Mar 21 : Pakistan's government today convened a joint session of the two houses of Parliament to adopt several important bills, including one for the privatisation of the country's ailing flag carrier. Flight operations of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were suspended for over a week last month due to a countrywide strike by its employees against the planned privatisation of the loss-making airline. The protest was launched on January 26 but turned violent when at least two PIA workers were shot dead in clashes with security forces outside the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. The bill aims to set up the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation as a public limited company. It was
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cerned an increasingly assertive China might enlarge its claims to include Indonesia's Natuna Islands. Indonesia's military chief has said it was strengthening its forces there.Indonesia has destroyed dozens of foreign ships for illegally fishing in its waters, and maritime and fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti called on Beijing to stand against illegal and unregulated fishing.Local media reported a similar incident in 2013 when a Chinese patrol vessel snatched back a detained Chinese ship from Indonesian control.(Agencies)
Sri Lanka demonstrates commitment to combat maritime piracy and armed robbery Colombo ,Mar 21: Demonstrating strong commitment to combat maritime piracy and armed robbery at sea in the region, Sri Lanka along with twenty other countries took part in a symposium and a high level meeting held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) in Singapore on 18th March 2016.The Sri Lankan delegation, led by State Minister of Defense Ruwan Wijewardene, included the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne, senior naval officers, and officials from the Ministry of Defense. Participants at the High Level Meeting, chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Don Pramudwinai, discussed issues surrounding maritime piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia focusing on strengthening re-
gional cooperation and coordination among governmental agencies and industry, and enhancing partnerships, among others.The ReCAAP, a multi-lateral agreement among 20 countries, remains as the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery in Asia. It was finalized on 11 November 2004 and entered into force on 4 September 2006. The twenty Contracting Parties to ReCAAP are Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Denmark, India, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, The Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Vietnam.The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC) was established under the Agreement, and was officially launched in Singapore on 29 November
2006. It was formally recognized as an international organization on 30 January 2007.At the 10th Governing Council Meeting of the ReCAAP ISC which was held from 15-17 March 2016 in Singapore and hosted by the Singapore Government, Governors from the ReCAAP countries commended the ReCAAP ISC on achieving further milestones in research and analysis, capacity building, engagement and co-operation with other organizations with interests in combating piracy and armed robbery against ships. Both High Level Meeting and the Symposium had been successfully concluded with valuable deliverables, high level representations from Member Countries, and a large number of attendance from the maritime community at the Symposium demonstrating ReCAAP?s strong relevance to the regional and international maritime community. (Agencies)
Security stepped up in twin cities ahead of Pakistan Day Islamabad, Mar. 21 : Ahead of the Pakistan Day celebrations on March 23, security has been stepped up intwin cities with the police launching search and combing operations.Based on instructions from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Cellular services were suspended in parts of Islamabad on Monday for parade rehearsal. The internet service providers (ISP) had already informed their customers that internet services will be shut down from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.The police have been searching hotels, guest houses, slums and other areas for security purposes, reports the media.The Federal Police had in March last year issued a statement claiming a terrorist attack targeting the Pakistan Day Parade had been foiled.
Security stepped up in twin cities ahead of Pakistan Day The parade was going to be held after a seven-year hiatus and there were speculations that the Chinese President would witness
the event.Meanwhile, the Islamabad Police have asked the citizens to remain vigilant and reach out to thepolice with numbers is-
Bangladesh AG served legal notice over his age appointedAttorney General Alam under Article 64 (1) of the Constitution, which says that the President shall appoint a person as AG who is qualified to be a SC judge.
Bangladesh AG served legal notice over his age Dhaka, Mar. 21 : Bangladesh Attorney General Mahbubey Alam has been sent a legal notice by Supreme Court lawyer Yunus Ali Akand, asking
him to explain under what authority he has been holding the office as he was above 67 years of age. Akand issued the notice saying the President
In the lawyer's notice, it is mentioned that Alam had turned beyond 67 years on February 17 and he cannot hold the office any more.Akand said that he would file a writ petition seeking necessary order if Alam does not reply to the notice in 24 hours, reports the Daily Star. (ANI)
sued by them.For the smooth functional of the celebrations, traffic is also being diverted across the city. (ANI)
Three Indians arrested for violating local visa regulations Colombo,Mar 21:Three Indians have been arrested for violating local visa regulations at two different locations, the police media unit said today.The police said that two Indians were arrested in Kattankudy while selling textiles and another Indian was arrested in Mannar selling sarees and salwar kameez.All three Indians were in the country on tourist visas and so are prohibited from doing business.The Indians are to be produced in court today.
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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 22
Bangladesh confused over Indian stance on Paresh Barua Poll game
Subir Bhaumik
Fingers crossed till the V-Day
Two senior Bangladesh intelligence officials attended the Dhaka launch of my book ' Agartala Doctrine' on March 2 and shared their angst with me over confusing signals from India over what to do with rebel leader Paresh Barua. Even the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a trusted friend of India, is sometimes upset with the confusion that Indian flip-flop creates . The Bangladesh intelligence officials told me that their agents have tracked down the two bodyguards-cumcooks of ULFA's separatist faction chief Paresh Barua. I managed to extract the details from them about these two youngmen from Karatkhil in Noahkhali Alamgir Hossain , son of Hassam Ahmed , with a Bangladesh passport number AA8392264 that shows his date of birth as 2nd January 1986 and his cousin Golam Nabi with a Bangladesh passport number AA 1463448 that shows his date of birth as 15-2-86 . Both these young men are
cartoontree
Though the victory march of the Bharatiya Janata Party that began in 2014 was brought to a halt in 2015 with major setbacks in the Delhi and Bihar Assembly elections, there seems to be a reversal of that trend for the party in Assam. In the politically most significant Northeast state, the contest is going to be mainly between the two national parties, a strong BJP versus a weak Congress, with the regional political players in the state - the All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and the Bodoland People's Front (BPF, now in alliance with the BJP) - playing marginal roles. The BJP has had a successful start. It has taken over the political space vacated by the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), once the state's ruling party, and with its alliance with the BPF there is a strong possibility of it winning the forthcoming Assembly elections. During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won seven of the 14 Lok Sabha seats with 36 per cent votes, the Congress won three seats with 29.5 per cent votes, AIUDF won three seats with 14.8 per cent votes, while the Kokrajhar seat was won by an Independent candidate. The AGP was completely marginalised, polling 3.7 per cent votes, only marginally higher than the 2.1 per cent votes of the BPF. The BJP also has the advantage of contesting against a divided Opposition with most parties busy
tackling their own difficulties. The Congress is facing a 15-year anti-incumbency. Its vote share declined by nearly 10 percentage points between the 2011 Assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Its support base has been eroded significantly. Simple electoral arithmetic suggests that if the BJP manages to repeat its 2014 performance, it can win 70 of the 126 Assembly seats, well beyond the number required for forming the government. There is hardly any indication of the state's political scenario having changed significantly in any way since 2014, and the BJP still remains much more popular than other political parties. That said, there has been some decline in the BJP's popularity on account of the Narendra Modi government's failure to act on its poll promises. The strong 34 per cent Muslim voters spread across the three regions of the state but concentrated mainly in the Barak Valley (37 per cent) and Lower Assam bordering Bangladesh (46 per cent) have moved significantly towards the AIUDF. It is mainly due to the division of the Muslim vote between the Congress and the AIUDF that the former performed badly in this region, polling only 23 per cent votes. What is bound to add to the Congress' woes is the recent defection of a large number of sitting MLAs - all have joined the BJP. The negative image of the Congress at the national level makes it difficult to attract new, popular politicians. If the non-BJP parties decide to contest the election separately without any alliance, it is likely to pave the way for a BJP government in the state. Even if the BJP's vote share declines by a few points from what it was in 2014, it may still be comfortably placed to win due to a divided Opposition.
Flydubai crashes in Russia Heavy winds as passenger jet crashes As per Russian officials all 62 people aboard a passenger jet flying from Dubai to southern Russia were killed when their plane crashed on its second attempt to land at Rostov-on-Don airport. The plane came down inside the airport's perimeter, about 250 meters (yards) short of the start of the runway. The plane's wing hit the ground on its second attempt to land and burst into flames, according to Rostov region's emergency ministry.Grainy pictures from a security camera pointing towards the airport, which were broadcast on Russian television, showed a large explosion at ground level, with flames and sparks leaping high into the air. According to weather data reported by Russian state television, when the FlyDubai plane first tried to land, winds at ground level weren't dangerously strong, but at an altitude of 500 metres (1,640 feet) and higher they reached a near-hurricane speed of around 30 metres per second (67 miles per hour). Later,
when the plane crashed, winds near the surface reached 22 metres per second (49 miles per hour) and could have been even stronger at altitude. The crash is the budget airline's first since it started flying in May 2009. It last suffered a major safety incident when one of its planes was shot at while landing at Baghdad airport on Jan. 27, 2015. Whereas Flydubai said in a statement that there were 44 Russians among the 55 passengers, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbek. Four children were among the dead. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered for assistance to be given to the relatives of those killed. The Flydubai airline had a clean safety record before the accident. It started flying in June 2009, with a fleet of new Boeing 737s, one of the world's most widely flown planes. It suffered an incident when one of its planes was shot at while landing at Baghdad airport on Jan. 27, 2015. The aircraft that crashed was just over five years old.
originally cadre of Islami Chatra Shibir , the studentyouth affiliate of Jamaat-eIslami, the hated party in Bangladesh because it opposed the country's independence and sided with Pakistan's brutal occupation army during the 1971 Liberation War. Paresh Barua is a wanted man in Bangladesh and the present government is trying to bring him to justice. He has been convicted in the 2004 Chittagong ten-truck arms case and awarded death penalty. Since he has not come over to the country to appeal against the verdict, the order to hang him until death stands and if he is arrested in Bangladesh, he will hanged within 72 hours. Two former ministers Motiur Rahman Nizami and Lutfur Zaman Babbar and two former intelligence chiefs Rezakul Haider Chowdhury and Abdur Rahim have appealed against their death penalty. Suffice it to say, Paresh Barua cannot enter Bangladesh without jeopardizing his life and limb. But since Bangladesh intelli-
Paresh Barua, the fugitive 'commander-in-chief' of the anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam.
gence is worried over possible revenge attacks on Bibiyana gas fields in Sylhet and other commercial-economic targets, they had mounted an operation to trap his two Bangladesh bodyguards who are believed to come home from Barua's hideout at Tengchong on Sino-Burmese border during ID festival. Though this is not hard information but speculation, I have reasons to believe, having closely followed the way Bangladesh intelligence and security agencies operate , that Alamgir and Nabi would be used either to trap Barua or entice him to visit Bangladesh to revive
Paresh Barua is a wanted man in Bangladesh and the present government is trying to bring him to justice. He has been convicted in the 2004 Chittagong ten-truck arms case and awarded death penalty. his bases specially the Sherpur base zone, that have been ruthlessly demolished by Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion . The seizure of huge quantity of weapons including Stinger anti aircraft missiles last month has rattled Barua who had asked his fighters to cache them in the hope of using them in the event of a change of regime in Dhaka. But just when such an operation had been put in motion and a high alert sounded to trap Alamgir and Nabi, media reports began to suggest that Sri Sri Ravishanker was trying to mediate between the Indian government and Paresh Barua . Though that effort finally
failed and Barua went to town saying terms offered by the Art of Living guru were not acceptable to him , it came at the wrong time because it gave Bangladesh the impression that Delhi was making a major effort to bring the rebel warlord to the table. The agencies involved in attempts to neutralize Barua by trapping his Bangladeshi bodyguards were asked by their political masters to stand down because Dhaka was not keen to play the spoiler . At informal liaison levels, the impression was conveyed that India was keen to generate a consensus in the ULFA leadership as it finalized a political accord with
the pro-talks ULFA faction in the rundown to the elections in Assam in April. Operation Barua was shelved by Dhaka. This came when the BJP got Sri Sri Ravishanker open a line to Barua to 'manage' him before the polls, he did show some interest in talking before reasserting his old terms that he talks only if Assam's sovereignity is discussed. But this bonhomie, though it did not last, was good enough to confuse Dhaka. It would not be easy for Bangladesh agencies to revive OPS BARUA because Alamgir and Nabi's family members under pressure from local police and RAB could well have alerted their sons in far off Tenchong. A cat has nine lives - Barua may have fifteen or more. The 'goalkeeper of the Assam revolution' has lived to fight another day. Courtesy: Nezine ( Subir Bhaumik is a veteran BBC journalist and author of three well acclaimed books on India's Northeast including the "Agartala Doctrine" that has just been published)
Assam's anti-witch hunting crusader Birubala Rabha is all set to start a much-needed shelter for the victims of the menace Anti-witch hunt campaigner Birubala Rabha is a household name in Assam. Her sheer grit against a formidable violent mob that supports the primitive practice of witch-hunting in her community has made her an example for many facing excommunication and death threats, particularly women. Birubala, who has been fighting the menace since the 1980s, is now all set to take another vital step forward. Her campaign, Mission Birubala, is all set to set up a much-needed shelter for the victims of witch hunt. The State Government has come forward to give her land to set up the shelter house on an eight bigha plot in Rombuk village of Goalpara district. The proposal has been recently approved by District Land Advisory Committee.
"It is disheartening that rescued victims, when sent back to their villages, face the same treatment. They need medical treatment after having undergone a trauma. Worse, their wards are humiliated when they go to school," Dr Natyabir Das, the coordinator of the Mission says. There are instances when children of those branded witches drop-out of school. The shelter in Rombuk village will include a counselling centre too, he adds. The effort at rehabilitation began when Goalpara Deputy Commissioner submitted a proposal to the Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Assam's Revenue, Disaster Management department. Birubala, the chief functionary of the Mission who has been fighting tooth and nail to eradicate this superstitious evil from the State, spearheaded the campaign. As many as 600 members in 13 districts of the State Branded as witches, supported her. On March the victims including 3, the land settlement their families are invari- document in favour of ably ostracised from Birubala was sent to the their villages. "To pro- Goalpara Deputy Comvide shelter to the dis- missioner. sociated lot and their wards is top priority," In 2013, a proposal for says Birubala. The allotment of a plot of land shelter will also impart measuring five bigha at them training in various Dudhnoi Revenue Town fields as a part of skill to Mission Birubala was upgradation and reha- sent to the State Governbilitation. ment for final approval but
Birubala Rabha; Mission Against Witch Hunting
following objection from some villages an alternate proposal was sought. Birubala says what matters most for her Mission is generating employment opportunity for victims. The body therefore has chalked out plans to initiate agriculture farming, including fish culture at the plot, to ensure economic security and make them selfdependent. The branding of people as witches, highlights Das, is an easy way for rich landowners to grab the land of tribal people. The heinous trend, he says, could be traced to the transition period, that is the initiation of liberal economic policy in the country in 1991. The scientific proof that there is nothing like a witch has failed to make any dent in remote areas. Das says the belief is
deep rooted in some farflung areas in Goalpara district where Health Department was not allowed to administer polio vaccinations. "We were obstructed from carrying out a polio administration camp because of villagers' belief on treatment through traditional medicine. With the help of a college principal we could motivate the villagers." According to Birubala, another problem is that women are being used by their menfolk to oppose antiwitch hunting activities. "When our group organises an awareness meet, a section of women stand in the way," she says, adding, "This in effect help the perpetrators." In all this, one man is the most important -the village headman. The 'gaonburah' wields tremendous power in areas which are far away
from the Administration. His orders are not flouted. Where such superstitious beliefs like witch hunting exists, the village head could play a pivotal role. "There is an instance when we gently got a village head in Goalpara replaced because of his stick-in-the mud attitude," says Das. To give a thrust to the anti-witch hunting campaign, the Mission has constituted working cells in various colleges of the State, including in the Dibrugarh University. Since students from various parts, including remote rural areas, come to study in colleges they can be good anti-witch hunting ambassadors. "If they fail to convey the reality in their villages, they can inform us and we will join their efforts," says Das. Going down the memory lane to explain how her mission started, Birubala mentions that her mentally challenged son made her disbelieve the superstitions prevalent in tribal societies. "In 1985, my son Dharmeshwar was predicted by the Deodhani that his end is imminent and he will die in a couple of days. My son is still alive." She says that incident made her reject all traditional beliefs. Arpana Bora, coordi-
Hard Nuts To Crack Sir, We have a Bihu song addressed by a young girl to a young boy that goes like this, "Aanak Dekhuyai Ketera Mariba, Vitori Neriba Betha' meaning that, abuse showing others, but love me covertly. This particular song finds its full manifestation on what goes on between Rokibul Hussain, the congress heavy weight and Badaruddin Ajmal, the AIUDF Chief. In the public meetings addressed by Ajmal, he never spares Rokibul giving him the worst epithet possible and Rokibul Hussain also pays him back in his own coin. But with the nearing of the election, the picture starts unfolding by degrees. On the very next day, when Rokibul's Panjabari residence had been raided by Income Tax department, an aspirant of ticket for the Jamunamukh constituency after being deprived of the ticket made a startling revelation in his address before a large gatherings that the AIUDF Chief
Badaruddin Ajmal had given two suitcases to Rokibul. Rezaul Karim Choudhury himself was an eye witness. Abruptly the name of Rezaul Karim Choudhury had been deleted from the 1st position among the ticket aspirants replaced by Basiruddin Laskar, comparatively a weak nominee just to pave the way for Ajmal's son to win. The incident of handing over the suitcase took place on March 12 in the 'Samrat' Hotel, Delhi. These politicians besides being shrewd, are hard nut to crack. One can never feel their pulse. In the backdrop of all that had happened, election of Mahabir Jain to Rajya Sbaha appears a distant dream. Common people harbor doubt, how far the candidate of the BJP, as many comment on Jitu Goswami's tainted career will be instrumental in winning the seat. Yours etc. Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh
nator of Mission Birubala in Upper Assam says the problem is more serious in Upper Assam because many incidents go unreported. "Here the victim is subjected to undergo mental torture for a long period. So the matter remains under the wrap for many occasions," Bora says. Usha Rabha, an assistant functionary of the Mission, calls for enactment of the law for Prevention and Protection from Witch-Hunting at the earliest in Assam. The Assam Government should follow States like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, which have special laws to deal with such cases. For her outstanding struggle against witchhunting, Birubala's name and photo has found a place in the book entitled "1000 Peace Women Across the Globe." The book was published in Switzerland. Courtesy: Nezine (Kishore Talukdar is an independent journalist based in Guwahati. His areas of interest include Development journalism and Environment journalism. He can be contacted at tdrkishore@gmail.com)
Best Letter The best letter of the month in the Letter to the Editor section will be awarded an amount of Rs 200. So please keep writing.
Letters to the editor and articles should be sent to : The Eastern Today Chowkidingee, Near Sankardeva Hospital Mancotta Road, Dibrugarh786003 (Assam) Ph: 0373-2328944 Web : editor.easterntoday@gmail.com
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To win something, we must be willing to sacrifice: MC Mary Kom She is India's foremost woman pugilist, who dominated the ring for over a decade. Mary Kom is a force to reckon with be it inside the ring or outside of it. As she prepares to don the gloves for one last time in the upcoming Rio Olympics, IBNS-TWF correspondent Sudipto Maity finds out her current state and preparations ahead of the world's highest sporting event How hopeful are you of winning a medal in Rio? I am very confident about winning a medal at Rio. I fully concentrate on my training and I am giving my best effort. After all, it is Olympics and the completion will be tough, even the qualifying rounds. Winning or not will be decided by my hard work and Almighty God, who is in control. Tell us a bit about your preparation. How is it shaping up? I spend most of my time at the National Training Camp. It's been more than two months that I am away from home. I train with different coaches and sparring partners. Besides national camp, I also train separately with trainers of my choice. I am grateful to the Ministry of Sports for seeing into all my needs towards my training, also my team for all the supports, in terms of planning, suggestions and logistic arrangements. You have already said that you'll retire post the Rio Olympics, are you going to reconsider that decision? As of now, NO. But let us see if there be a brighter platform. What is the plan from here on? What do you plan
to do post retirement?
maintain it well along with being comfortable and fit. For this reason, I carry with me local rice which is rich in starch, adequate supply of Herbalife's Formula 1 Mix Shake to supplement my requirement and Afresh Energy drink to stay energetic and alert throughout my training.
For the moment, my complete concentration is on training for the Rio Olympics in August. As the saying goes, "change is the only constant thing". One of my ambition is to give a fillip to boxing in India. Towards this, I have set up a Boxing Academy in Manipur where I will personally train my students and will try to give the academy/foundation the best shape I can. The academy is sponsored by SAI and powered by Herbalife.
Mary, once you retire, those are big gloves to fill. Who do you think will do it? I cannot say a word on this. Honestly, I am sometimes disappointed seeing the performances of my juniors. I don't say they are weak or hopeless, but I expect them to beat me, taking into account my health condition and age. But they still aren't able to. At the same time, like every profession, performance improves with practice and experience. I believe good and better boxers will come up with proper guidance.
Women were only allowed to contest in and from the 2012 London Olympics, do you think if it was done earlier (allowed) you could have won some more Olympic medals? Surely, I could have bagged more and better medals if Women's boxing was included in Olympics earlier than 2012. How do you prepare yourself before a game? How do you motivate yourself? Firstly, nothing can be achieved without efforts. And to win something; we must be willing to sacrifice something. I have made a lot of sacrifices to achieve my current state. Secondly, it is important to identify one's
MC Mary Kom, India's foremost woman pugilist Photo:static.sportskeeda strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and work towards developing them. My passion for boxing and the sharp focus in training are my two strong pillars. This will be my last attempt for Olympics, and I need to do/give my best‌
this is how I motivate myself. Talk to us about your diet. Sportspersons need loads of energy and strength to endure throughout their games. And boxing, being a high endurance
sport, energy and strength are at the top of the ladder. Upon that, boxing involves certain limits on our body weight; we cannot go lower or higher from the limit lay. As for me, once I start training, my weight goes down tremendously. I need to
the country in retiring. Would you want your kids to take up boxing, or say any other sport as a career choice? Children today are more informed and their exposure to things are very different compared to our days. It is entirely upto my children what they wish to do with their future. I am here to support and fuel their dreams and aspirations.
Winning all those gold medals and competitions, do you think you too could have pulled off Vijender's plan, given how successful he is now? Why didn't Mary Kom turn professional?
How does it feel to have Herbalife as your sponsor? Are you using any of their products? I have a personal level relationship with Herbalife for a long time now. Herbalife has always stood by me. I have always appreciated their concerns towards me and my family. They are a part of my family. I am happy to have been associated with Herbalife. As I said earlier, Herbalife is partner of my boxing academy too. As for products, I use Formula 1, Afresh energy drinks, protein powder (sometimes)and cosmetic products as well. Looking back into your life, so far, state your all time high moment.
It involves personal interest into it. Moreover, I have better plan for myself and
Though small, my first achievement in the 1st World Women's Boxing
Championship held at Pennsylvania USA, in 2002 winning Silver remained one of the most exciting moments for me as it was my first experience in International level. After 10 years, winning Olympic medal in 2012 remained my all time high moment. In any sport, emotions run high and things can sometimes go against your way. How important is it to respect a decision and not let emotions take a front seat? How do you plan to tackle such a situation? Everybody in every field wants to win and is hard to accept loss/defeat. When I lose, it is hard for me too. But life is all about hits and misses.I always console myself saying, this is a game. Losing and winning are a part of it. Even if I lose today, I can still win tomorrow. It's all about perseverance, determination and staying at it that it crucial. What's your mantra for success? Hard work, passion, firm determination, confidence and faith.I have experienced miracles in my own life, especially on my wounds and situations. We shouldn't ignore God's blessings. Courtesy: IBNS/Trans World Features
A Look At What Govt. Needs Despite Rave Reviews, Why Was The Film 'Aligarh' Shunned By The City It Is Named After? To Do To Protect Rights of Persons With Disabilities Mohammad Rafay Qadri
Misbah Ul The twenty-first century witnessed its first human rights treaty that was chiefly concerned with disability in the form of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(UNCRPD) in the General Assembly in 2007. India was among the primary members which signed and ratified it which makes it mandatory for the Indian state to bring its domestic laws in consonance with the Disability Convention. The BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which has formed the government at the Centre with a thumping majority, had also promised during its election campaign to protect the rights and interests of the weaker sections of society. This is the appropriate moment for this government to facilitate the enactment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPD) Bill with necessary amendments. This bill was introduced in the upper house of the parliament two years ago. It was subsequently referred to a standing committee for review due to the demands of activists throughout the country because of its retrograde undertone. It was considered to be against the spirit of UN convention. An Effective Institutional Framework The bill proposes to replace the existing office of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) by a National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) at the national level and State Commissions at the
state level by replacing the State Commissioners. It provides for a multi-member body with a Chairperson as its head which is somewhat similar to National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and National Commission for Women. This is indeed a welcome step in terms of ensuring an effective institutional framework for the most deprived and neglected citizens of the country. But there are obvious and serious lacunae in this bill which the government needs to address before it gets a green signal on the floor of the parliament. The major contention is that like the existing CCPD, the proposed NCPD may also be headed by an able-bodied person. This means that it is not necessary that a person with disability will the head this institution, which will ironically be dedicated to the empowerment of persons with disabilities. The UN convention explicitly directs the ratifying members to ensure not only the representation of the interests and voices of disabled persons in the institutions but also to promote the inclusion and representation of disabled persons themselves, especially in those institutions which work to promote their rights and interests. Therefore, given the commitment of India's Constitution to empower weaker sections in our society and ensuring their adequate representation in public institutions, the National Commission solely dedicated for protecting and promoting the rights and interests of the disabled, must be headed by a competent, capable, indepen-
dent and impartial person with disability. In the NCPD, which is proposed to be a multimember body, the majority of its members must necessarily be disabled persons. To ensure the efficacy of NCPD it should be provided constitutional status. Its decision and findings must be binding on concerned parties and not merely recommendatory. To ensure independence and autonomy it must be detached, in the form of a separate wing, from the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEP) and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE). An Empowered Body The other key limitation to the proposed NCPD is that it has only recommendatory power. Besides, it also lacks punitive power. It cannot direct anyone to strictly comply with its decisions. This may often result in non-compliance with its decisions and with authorities only complying with the same if and when they wish to respect its moral authority. This may render this watchdog institution toothless which is also the case with the existing office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.
Marriage With Reality According to the latest census, 2.21% of Indians are persons with disabilities which is a highly underestimated figure given the fact that almost half of Indian children are chronically malnourished which is one of the dominant reasons for acquiring any disability. India's social and cultural atmosphere also prevents most families
from disclosing any sort of deformity of their members because of the obvious stigma attached to disability. It has also been admitted recently by the Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment that this government will undertake another head count of the disabled soon because of the faulty counting techniques and other factors. Even by conservative estimates, India may have around 10 to 15% of its population which is disabled. It is also well known that we are still far behind in terms of physical infrastructure as compared to the advanced economies. In this context, the physical accessibility to India's judiciary is not adequate for disabled citizens. To address this serious accessibility concern for the disabled and providing them their basic right of access to justice, instead of scrapping the existing office of Chief Commissioner, as proposed in the draft bill, it will be in the interest of both the Indian state and its disabled citizens to continue with this institution. It could be dedicated solely for the purpose of grievance redressal by sorting out the issues of inadequate infrastructure and limited staff which have hitherto plagued the normal functioning of this watchdog body. If India really wants to ensure justice and empower its citizens with disabilities, then it must have a strong and effective institutional framework which can truly provide unhindered democratic and civil rights to its millions of disabled persons.
Aligarh', the movie, which portrays the story of an Aligarh Muslim University professor has sadly found few students interested in watching it, let alone taking up the cause of the movie. The movie, for very strange reasons, is not being screened in Aligarh city as a section of city politicians as well as one Muslim outfit have voiced anger against the title and the subject of the movie. Only one show of the movie was run in a multiplex in Aligarh city on the 26th of February, the day it was released all across India. Before we discuss the inertia regarding the movie in the AMU campus, let's have a look at the movie, its story, and its connection with the university and the city. 'Aligarh' documents a brief period in the life of Professor Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras. He was a noted professor of Marathi in the Department of Modern Indian Languages. He lived a very lonely life, mostly confined to his apartment in the Medical Colony, always engrossed in listening to music, reading or writing poetry. His poetry collection even fetched him a literary award conferred by the Maharashtra government. One day in February 2009, he was filmed while having consensual sex with a rickshaw puller in his apartment by some local media persons. The film traces Siras' story from here. Since homosexuality was and is a crime in our country and AMU happens to be ultra sensitive about such moral issues, Siras was suspended from his job. He was later even forced to vacate his official residence. He
struggled to find accommodation in the city and was even tortured in many ways by some university officials. Very few from the university fraternity sympathised with him. But, he found an empathiser, and later a close friend, in a journalist who comes from Delhi to tell his story to the world. Encouraged by journalists and activists, he fought against his suspension and his rights as a homosexual citizen. Luckily, while his case was being fought, Section 377 of IPC, which criminalises homosexuality, is struck down by the Delhi High Court and he went on to win his case in Allahabad High Court. Ironically, just after the verdict is announced in his favour and the homosexual community begins celebrating the relief granted to him, he is found dead in his rented accommodation in the Durga Wadi neighbourhood of Aligarh. The cause of his death, according to police, was possibly suicide because of consuming poison. The story of Siras' struggle to find acceptability given his sexual orientation in Aligarh is very sensitively handled by director Hansal Mehta. Siras' character was marvellously essayed by Manoj Bajpayee, with fine assistance from Rajkumar Rao who played journalist Deepu in the movie. 'Aligarh' won rave reviews from almost all leading film critics in India. Aseem Chhabra in his review said, "Aligarh is a very important film, a milestone in the history of Indian cinema that should start the much needed conversation how India treats a visible and yet often ignored minority group."
A still from the film Aligarh However, the film failed at the box office despite having good ratings from critics. Of many reasons behind its commercial failure, one important factor could be the lack of interest shown by the AMU community towards the movie. 'Aligarh' was supposed to generate maximum interest among AMU students and teachers as the story of the movie is based in the university itself. Even in Aligarh city, it was expected that people would like to watch a movie named after their hometown. But, as the movie was about to be released, the city mayor Shakuntala Bharti declared it to be painting the city in bad light. "This movie is against our culture. It is against the syncretic Ganga Jamuni culture of this city. It will bring a bad name to our city," she said and called for a ban on the movie in the city. Hence, when it was released in some Aligarh cinema halls, few people booked its tickets. Later, all cinema halls refused to show the movie. Two AMU professors, including film critic Asim Siddique, saw the film on the very first day of its release. "There were only a handful of people watching the movie that (Friday) evening. In all probability, the owners of the theatres have stopped showing the movie on their own because of
some perceived threat," Siddique said. A similar lack of interest in the movie was witnessed among the student community in AMU. Student organisations like Aligarh Activist Society didn't show any inclination to challenge the 'ban' on the movie in Aligarh. These student bodies otherwise bat for many issues, even those very remotely connected to Aligarh or the university campus. One reason though might be that many other issues like that of JNU, Rohith Vemula etc. have been on students' mind these days, and thus they forgot to discuss 'Aligarh'. Nevertheless, the widespread silence over a movie about the campus and even titled 'Aligarh' not being screened in the city and the student community sitting idle is hard to digest. Students have to come forward for the sake of 'Aligarh' so that this great piece of art can see the light of the day in the city it seeks to narrate a story about. While this article was being written, there were reports of some students and teachers running online campaigns to get the movie screened in the Kennedy Auditorium of the university. If this happens, it'll be wonderful and will make up for some of the damage done to the movie. Courtesy:Youth ki awaaz
BUSINESS Long 18-day strike ended by jewellers, PAGE 10
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 22
6% rise in country's coal supply; assurance by government to no rises to 370 million tonnes in Apr-Feb harassment by excise department
Nagpur, Mar 21: State-run miner Coal India supplied 370.80 million tonnes of fuel to the power sector during April-February this fiscal, higher by 6.4 per cent than that in the same period last year. Coal India (CIL), which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal production, had dispatched 348.34 million tonnes (MT) of the dry fuel during AprilFebruary 2014-15. The dispatches by CIL in February also increased marginally by 1.8 per cent to 33.929 MT compared to 33.337 MT in the same month of 2015, according to the official data. Coal dispatches rose during the period under review on the back of increase in production of CIL and improvement in evacuation of the dry fuel, according to industry analysts. CIL has
RISING SUPPLY patched 348.34 million tonnes (MT) of the dry fuel during April-February 201415.
ØThe dispatches by CIL in
February also increased marginally by 1.8 per cent to 33.929 MT compared to 33.337 MT in the same month of 2015.
ØCoal dispatches rose durImage for representational purpose only. (Photo: theatlantic)
ØState-run miner Coal In-
dia supplied 370.80 million tonnes of fuel to the power sector during April-February this fiscal, higher by 6.4 per cent than that in the
same period last year.
ØCIL has achieved 9.2 per ØCoal India (CIL), which cent increase in production
accounts for over 80 per this year so far, against an cent of the domestic coal average of 3 per cent growth production, had dis- over the last five years.
Over Rs 11,000 crore in equities infused by Foreign Portfolio Investors in March Bengaluru, Mar 21: Overseas investors are raising their bets on Indian market as they have pumped in over Rs 11,000 crore into the domestic equities so far this month on continued hopes that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would bring down the monetary policy rate. However, they pulled out Rs 1,027 crore from the debt markets during the period under review. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have turned net buyers of equities in March after pulling out a massive Rs 16,648 crore from the market in the previous two months. Inflows accelerated on expectations that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would reciprocate to the government's commitment to fiscal prudence with a rate cut sooner than later, market analysts said. In addition, a sign of recovery in the global market has raised optimism among market participants, they
Image for representational purpose only. (Photo: financialexpress) added. According to the data available with depositories, FPIs invested Rs 11,166 crore in equities during March 1-18, while Rs 1,026 crore was withdrawn from the debt market in the same period, leading to a net inflow of Rs 10,140 crore (nearly $1.5 billion). Prior to that, FPIs had pulled out Rs 11,126 crore from equities in January and Rs 5,521 crore in February
ing the period under review on the back of increase in production of CIL and improvement in evacuation of the dry fuel.
on account of continuous fall in crude prices and fears of a global slowdown. Capital inflows by FPIs are often referred to as hot money due to their unpredictability though the funds continue to remain one of the key drivers of the stock market. In 2015, FPIs had brought in a net Rs 17,806 crore in equities and Rs 45,856 crore in bond markets. (Agencies)
achieved 9.2 per cent increase in production this year so far, against an average of 3 per cent growth over the last five years. Fuel supply by Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) in April-February 2015-16 increased by 23 per cent to 43.098 MT, over 35.034 MT in the same period last fiscal, the official data showed.
The government is targeting coal production of 1.5 billion tonnes by 2020. Of this, Coal India is looking at an output target of one billion tonnes. The government is aiming to provide 24x7 power by 2019 by creating cost-effective infrastructure which will be sustainable and inclusive of clean energy solutions. (Agencies)
Mumbai, Mar 21: After continuing for 18 days, jewellers have finally called off their strike after the government assured them they will not be harasssed by the excise department in collecting a new tax. The jeweller's body went on strike after the government reintroduced a 1-percent excise duty on gold jewellery after four years. Talking to media, Mohit Kamboj, president of India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA) said, "We have called off strike. From tomorrow jewellers
will open shops." He also said that since government has assured them that they will face no harassment at the hands of excise department, though excise duty won't be waived off, they have decided to end strike. According to IBJA, in a meeting, it was decided that a high-level task force will be set up under the leadership of former Chief Economic Adviser Ashok Lahiri to sort out procedural issues. The task force will have three industry representatives, a legal expert and
Mohit Kamboj, president of India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA).
Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) officials as its members. (Agencies)
Rs 450-crore IPO of Infibeam hit markets today
2016 to witness 78% increment in online shopping: Assocham-PwC Pune, Mar 21: Average online purchases are expected to increase by 78% this year on the back of attractive deals and aggressive marketing of merchandise, says a report. "Unfazed by slowdown, average online purchases are expected to increase by 78% in 2016 from 66% in 2015 due to attractive deals and aggressive marketing of everexpanding range of merchandise from clothes to jewellery, from electronics to books," said the AssochamPwC report. About 55 million consumers purchased something online in 2015 and the number is expected to grow to 80 million this year with better infrastructure in terms of logistics, broadband and Internetready devices, it said. Factors contributing to the growth of e-commerce include aggressive merchandising and discounting from flash sales and daily deals, more online loyalty programmes and increasing popularity of smartphones and tablet computers among consumers, it said. "The smartphone and tablet shoppers will be strong growth
drivers. Mobile phones already account for 11% of ecommerce sales, and their share will jump to 25% by 2017," the report said. It added that the overall ecommerce industry, valued at $25 billion has been growing at a compounded annual growth rate of about 35-40% each year and is expected to cross the $100 billion mark in five years. "E-commerce is big business and getting bigger every day. Online shopping has been embraced by Indians with close to 8-10 million adults making a purchase via the Internet in the last year," Assocham Secretary General DS Rawat said. The report said computer and consumer electronics, along with apparel and accessories, account for the bulk of India's retail e-commerce sales. These will contribute 40% of the total retail e-commerce sales in 2016 from the current level of 35%. "Event tickets, music, consumer electronics, games and consoles, sports equipment, flowers, insurance, home appliances and furniture saw strong growth in the last year," it added. (Agencies)
Image for representational purpose only. (Photo: techulator) New Delhi, Mar 21: Online shopping portal Infibeam Incorporation hit the capital markets today to mopup Rs 450 crore through an initial share plan, becoming the first e-commerce firm to tap the IPO route. The company has fixed the price band at Rs 360-432 per equity share for the initial public offer (IPO). The initial share-sale programme will conclude on March 23. As per Draft Red Herring Prospectus, Gujarat-based Infibeam plans to come out with public issue of equity shares worth up to Rs 450 crore. Infibeam competes with Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal and others in the e-commerce space. The capital markets watchdog had
already announced a new set of easier norms for listing of startups on a separate platform of stock exchanges. However, Infibeam has decided to go for listing on the main board. Started in 2007, Infibeam runs several e-commerce services like Infibeam.Com, BuildaBazaar, Incept and Picsquare. The company has proposed to list its shares on NSE and BSE. Last week, the company said two bankers - ICICI Securities and Kotak Mahindra Capital - had exited from its public issue. However, the firm did not disclose any reason for their withdrawal, but reports suggest that this has happened over differences on pricing and tim-
ing of the IPO. Now, the issue is being managed by SBI Capital Markets and Elara Capital India. Infibeam plans to utilise the IPO proceeds towards setting up of cloud data centre and shifting and setting up of registered and corporate office of the company. In addition, the funds will be used for setting up of 75 logistics centres, purchase of software and for other general corporate purposes. So far this year, four firms HealthCare Global Enterprises (HCG), Quick Heal Technologies, TeamLease Services and Precision Camshafts - have already hit the Dalal Street, while the IPO of Bharat Wire Ropes is currently underway. (Agencies)
Tax settlement scheme of Ola hopes newly-launched service retro to open from June 1 'Micro' to overtake Uber in India New Delhi, Mar 21: Government will open from June 1 its one-time offer to settle retrospective tax disputes involving firms like Vodafone and Cairn Energy after rules are framed for them to pay principal tax and get waiver from interest and penalty. The rules framed for implementation of the scheme shall be notified in the Official Gazette shortly and shall include a form as well as particulars and declarations to be made, government sources said. The scheme, they said, will open on June 1 and will not be an open-ended scheme. Its closure date will be decided by the Revenue Department later. The details of the scheme will be issued once the Finance Bill, 2016 is approved by
Parliament in second leg of Budget session beginning April 25. Sources said companies would have to provide a proof of withdrawal of "any proceeding for arbitration, conciliation or mediation or any notice thereof under any law for the time being in force or under any agreement entered into by India with any other country or territory outside India whether for protection of investment or otherwise." The company would also have to furnish an undertaking waiving its right to seek or pursue any remedy or any claim in relation to the specified tax which may otherwise be available to it under any law or under an agreement with any country. The company availing of the offer would
have to pay the principal tax amount within 30 days of the designated authority determining the amount payable by the declarant. Also any amount paid in pursuance of a declaration shall not be refundable under any circumstances. The rules once framed would be placed before both Houses of Parliament for any modification the law makers may want to make. Announcing the one-time scheme of Dispute Resolution for companies which are facing tax demand for retrospective amendment to I-T Act, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had in his Budget speech said: "They can settle the case by paying only the tax arrears, in which case liability of the interest and penalty shall be waived." While
Vodafone faces a total of Rs 14,200 crore in tax, interest and penalty over its 2007 USD 11 billion acquisition of Hutchison Whampoa's India telecom business, Cairn Energy has been asked to pay a total of Rs 29,000 crore as tax on alleged capital gains made on a 2006 internal business reorganisation. Both the firms have challenged the tax demands and have initiated international arbitration. Sources said the government was of the view that the arbitrations are not just time consuming but were also costing the government a lot besides getting India a bad name. The settlement scheme was proposed to put an end to all of it. (Agencies)
Hyderabad, Mar 21: Taxihailing app Ola expects its newly-launched affordable service 'Micro' alone to overtake rival Uber in terms of a number of rides in a month's time. Engaging in a war of words, the Softbank-backed company claimed that Micro, which is available in seven Indian cities, is on track to match the number of total rides of Uber in India within a month. "In three weeks, we have put up a category (Ola Micro) which is already 50% of all of Uber's daily bookings in the country. The rate at which Micro is growing, it will be larger than their entire brand within a month," said Ola chief marketing officer and head of categories Raghuvesh Sarup. Also, Micro in merely three weeks has achieved the same number of rides
what Ola took around three years to achieve, he added. Ola launched the Micro category a few weeks back, pricing it cheaper than its most affordable 'Mini' segment at about Rs 6 per kilometre. Micro is available across Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune and will be launched in other cities as well, Sarup said. Interestingly, Uber President Asia Eric Alexander, in an interview, had said the company is on the verge of overtaking Ola in India. "In January last year, we were at 5% market share. Now, we are right at the edge of 50%. Within next 30 days, we would beat them (Ola). We will surpass them very, very shortly," he had said. An Uber India spokesperson added that "the growth and
All 700 Mhz spectrum might not be auctioned in one go by DoT Mumbai, Mar 21: The Department of Telecom (DoT) is unlikely to auction the entire spectrum in 700 Mhz as it feels telecom operators may not bid aggressively for the band due to high reserve price. Also, a DoT committee has found some anomalies regarding the base price suggested by regulator Trai, which requires further clarification. According to a DoT official, the committee has already
prepared its report, which will be discussed by the Telecom Commission in its meeting scheduled for March 28. The official said DoT committee is of the view that all the available spectrum in 700 Mhz should not be put up for auction as it might not get sold. The DoT is soon going to write back to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) for clarifications on a host of issues regarding the
upcoming spectrum auction, the official added. Trai in its spectrum pricing recommendations for the next auction had suggested a record base price of Rs 11,000 crore per Mhz on allIndia basis. Spectrum in 700 Mhz is considered more economical for providing telephony services compared to other bands like 900 Mhz or 1800 Mhz. Analysts feel given the evolving ecosystem around the
new bands and steep pricing, they expect limited participation from the telecom companies in the upcoming spectrum auctions. Ratings firm ICRA expects spectrum worth Rs 60,000-80,000 crore to be sold in this auction, which would add to the already sizeable debt levels of the industry. Trai has suggested a plan for spectrum sale, expected to be held in July, which has a potential to fetch Rs 5.36
Image for representational purpose only.
lakh crore. It will be the biggest-ever auction in terms of value and is more than double the gross revenue of the telecom services industry. Telecom service providers had a gross revenue of Rs 2.54 lakh crore in 201415. According to Trai paper, the cost of delivering mobile services in 700 Mhz band is approximately 70 per cent lower than 2100 Mhz frequency, which is widely used for 3G services. (Agencies)
momentum are phenomenal. We are incredibly excited to see the progress we are making in India." She highlighted that Uber's most affordable offering -- UberGO -- is priced at Rs 5 per km in several cities like Chandigarh. Sarup said Ola has achieved a ten-fold growth in the number of rides it performs on a daily basis across categories. He, however, declined to disclose the number of rides that the Bengaluru-based company completes on a daily basis. According to sources, Micro already accounts for 20-35% of Ola's own daily booking depending on the city. "When we design a product, we keep in mind that it is achievable and sustainable. It is the most affordable product in the market and it ensures
that the driver partners also get more bookings. So, the economics work out," he added. Ola claims it holds 75% of the Indian app-based taxi-hailing market, with over 3.5 lakh driver partners on its platform across the country. Asked if the product will compete with its own Ola Mini and autorickshaw categories, Sarup said every segment has a particular use case. "If you look at Ola Prime, it is targeted at those who want to get work done on the go and there is Wi-Fi made available in the car. Micro, on the other hand, will help us get many first time users who are yet to use our platform," he said. Ola's solutions are 'Made for India' and it believes that this country needs hyperlocal, India-specific innovations, he added. (Agencies)
Rs 510 crore to be raised by Indiabulls Housing Finanvce via non-convertible debentures Pune, Mar 21: Indiabulls Housing Finance recently said it will raise Rs 510 crore by issuing non-convertible debentures through a private placement. The issue will open on March 23 and close on the same day, the company said in a BSE filing. "Under the plan, the company will issue 5,100 secured non-convertible redeemable debentures
with a face value of Rs 10 lakh each... aggregating to Rs 510 crore, on private placement basis, pursuant to a special resolution passed by shareholders of the company held on September 7, 2015," it said. The tenor of the issue varies from 719 days to 1,083 days, bearing coupon rate in the range of 9.4935% to up to 9.4953%. (Agencies)
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MARCH 22
Features
PAGE 11
HEALTH & LIFESTYLE Safety tips to protect your skin from Holi colours The festival that we all have been waiting for is just round the corner. Smeared in rich and vibrant hues, Holi brings colour, unrestrained joy, a promise full of warm days and new beginnings. But it also brings with itself problems - a lot of skin related problems. If it's true that the colours used in Holi causes a lot of allergies, irritations and break-outs later on, it is also true that with a little precaution and by following these simple tips, you'll be able to save yourself from any such occurrences. Here's how you take care of your invaluable skin. Read on and thank us later1) While you dig out old clothes from your wardrobe, make you sure what you wear during the festival covers the maximum of your body so that there will be less of skin exposed. 2) Smear your exposed body parts with cold cream or oil. The grease and slipperiness of the oil will not let the harsh colours settle deep into your skin.
you from getting a severe tan. Also, you can use herbal colours to play with. These are easily available in the market. 4) Keeping yourself hydrated is the trick. So keep drinking water, juices as well as glucose, should you feel the need of ree n e rg i s i n g yourself. Dehydration causes your skin to dry a n d c o m bined with harsh chemicals,
the colour might seep into your skin. 5) For your ears and lips,
you can use Vaseline or lipbalm respectively to keep them moisturised throughout. Using Vaseline under your nails is also advisable. Dry skin causes the pores to open wide; keeping them tinted and moisturised will do you good. 6) If, while playing Holi, you feel itchiness and irritation make sure you wash the body part immediately with cold water. If the itching still persists, make sure you get it checked with a dermatologist. 7) Once you have enjoyed a playful session with your near and dear ones, it's time to move to the most difficult partre-
3) Make sure that you apply a waterproof sunscreen lotion too as it will protect
moving the colours. It is advised to remove them while it's still wet. Dry colours are difficult to get rid of. However, don't panic if the colours have dried, it will come off eventually with each shower. 8) Apply a moisturised soap with lukewarm salt water and add a drop of baby oil to it. Remember, you should never rub your face or your body vigorously. It will not help you in removing colours but will cause damage to your skin. A mix of gram powder (besan) with milk can also be used to remove traces of colour. 9) Moisturise your entire body thoroughly after the bath. Aloe-Vera oil or a good moisturiser for the same. 10) Lemon is considered to have natural bleaching properties. So rubbing lemon wedges on your face and body is also a good option. However, moisturise your skin thoroughly after you have applied lemon. Use a toner too as it will help you reduce the chemical change in your skin from Holi colours.
Useful hair care tips for Pre And Post Holi Holi is a festival of food, friends, colors and enjoyment. People in different parts of the nation play Holi with Chemical and Artificial colors. People put different artificial colors in the pool which mixes with the water causing a reaction to your hair. The hair and skin are bound to get spoiled with the direct contact of these chemicals. So, in order to save your hair from different chemical reactions, here are some essential tips for Pre and post Holi celebration. Hair care before the Holi 1. Oil Massage Make sure that you apply sufficient oil. It has to be mixture of warm coconut oil & Castor Oil. This will help your scalp and hair stay nourished and save your hair from dry chemical colors. 2. Root Mask Make sure that the roots of the hair are masked. As hair is most prone towards the chemical reactions, they
tend to become extremely dry. So, to avoid this situation you have to apply a root mask to save them from getting dry and discolored. 3. Cut Off Split-ends It is must to chop off your split hair as the split ends would damage the hair more. 4. Avoid Shampoo You must avoid doing shampoo a day before going to play the Holi. By doing this you scalp would not loose the essential oils present on the hair and on the scalp. This will be a natural way to avoid hair fall. 5. A Nice Hair Style
You can always put up a bun by bringing all the hair tied up. Else you can always go for the tight braid as keeping the hair loose might weaken your hair. 6. Cover Your Hair It is must for you to cover your hair by bandanna or cap as the direct application of colors will affect your hair. By cover-
ing the head/hair, the scalp and hair would stay unharmed. Hair Care after the Holi 1. Soak fenugreek seeds in four table spoon of curd and apply to the scalp for not more than 30 minutes. Wash your hair. 2. Use plenty of water and wash your hair with mild soap or make sure you firstly wash your hair with only plain water and then wash it with mild shampoo. 3. After the wash, make sure that you apply lemon juice to the hair and scalp. This will restore the essential acid-alkaline balance in your hair and scalp. 4. Apply hair oil after the hair dries. This is to ensure that the hair remains hydrated and do not lose its moisture. On the other hand applying oil would nourish the scalp. So, enjoy your Holi without being worried about your hair.
Five simple ways to overcome stress! Nowadays, stress has become very common and everyone of us experience it at some or other point in life. Tiring jobs, faulty eating habits, pollution are some things that leads us to stress. Here are some easy tips to overcome stress:
Walking Walking is the best and easiest form of exercise accessible to us. One should walk daily to stay fit and healthy. Moreover, walking significantly contributes to enhanced mental health and helps you get rid of stress. Positive thinking
Meditation Meditation is the best things that you can do to keep stress at bay. 30 minutes of focused meditation daily helps people to be resilient under stress. Sleep well Having adequate amount of sleep is very essential to lead a stress free life. A sleep for 7-8 hours is a must to relax your mind and reduce stress levels.
Positive thinking also plays a major role in getting rid of stress. Thinking positive helps your mind ease anxiety and helps you remain calm and happy. Eating healthy Eating well plays an important role in maintaining good health. Eating blueberries, salmon and almonds is believed to help in combating stress.
Meditation can keep stress at bay (Photo: dailymail)
Simple tips for men to keep themselves fit So what if you are the sole bread-earner in the family? It is clearly not the escape route to follow a unhealthy routine. You might be spending 10-12 hours doing business and rest of time time looking after daily household chores but you can still follow a healthy rountine simultaneously. No need to alter your timetables. All the men can stick to it and still lead a healthy and disease-free life. Wondering how? Read below: Early to bed and early to rise In simpler words, it is essential to get enough and proper sleep. For that you should make it a point to hit sack early at night and also wake up early in the morning. Lack of proper sleep can surely deteriorate your mental as well as physical health. Consume healthy diet Consuming a mixed bag full of carbohydrates, proteins, fresh fruits and veg-
etables is a must if you want to stay fit. Eating a balanced meal which includes all these things will definitely make you a healthier individual. Consume food on time and avoid junk foods. Take plenty of fluids Keeping your body hydrated all the time is a must and you should ensure that you follow it religiously. It acts as a natural cleanser for the digestive system and also helps in flushing
out toxins through sweat and urine. Consuming 810 glasses of water along with fresh fruit juices is a must. Checks-ups This is not something that you need to follow on a regular basis. You can take some time out for it bi-annually or even annually but make sure that you do it. Go for physical check up tom make sure that everything is perfect.
Easy hacks for home cleaning Keeping your house dirtfree and making sure it stays maintained is an uphill task. Especially, when you have a bigger house, and several things to take care of, up keeping the home becomes all the more difficult. Here's how you can make it easy. Line windows with mosquito nets Opt for mosquito nets that are pasted on the window panes with velcro or the pull up screens. These nets not just keep mosquitoes at bay, but also help keep dust away, as it filters the air that gets into your house from the windows. In fact, it also prevents
small insects and dust particles from getting in, which helps keep the house clean without too much effort. Do not opt for small or complicated designs Although, we all like small artefacts or delicate carvings on furniture, these are not very cleanliness-friendly. Small complicated designs help dust to settle down easily and are equally difficult to clean, unlike flat and big surfaces. especially carved furniture or very small decor elements also attract cobwebs and need cleaning on a regular basis, if not they make the house
look shabby. Keep curtains intact when not at home Curtains are not just an element of beautification, since they are available in various styles and patterns, but they also prevent dirt and dust from entering. Make sure you always have your windows covered with curtains whenever you are not at home (when you are at work or even during the day). They not just keep the house cool, but dust usually gets stuck to the fabric of the curtain, all you need to do it wash them make the house look clean. (Agencies)
'Fish' depression out of your body Feeling blue? You may want to add fish to your diet as a recent study has revealed that healthy fat found in oily fish, such as salmon and trout, tuna, mackerel, herring and swordfish, can help you with depression. The new meta-analysis supports the link between intake of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, the kind found in fish, and reduction in major depressive disorder (MDD). The meta-analysis includes 13 studies with 1233 participants and, according to the authors, showed a benefit for EPA and DHA comparable to effects reported in metaanalyses of antidepressants (see Figure 1). The effect was greater in studies supplementing higher doses of EPA and performed in patients already on antidepressants. Lead author Dr. Roel
Fish can help you with depression (Photo: amazonaws) JT Mocking from University of Amsterdam said that omega-3 supplements may be specifically effective in the form of EPA in depressed patients using antidepressants. This could be a next step to personalizing the treatment for depression and other disorders. Additionally, this study
underscores the importance of EPA and DHA omega-3s for overall health and well-being, and supports an existing body of research on the connection between omega-3s and depression. The study is published in Translational Psychiatry. (ANI)
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Afridi likely to be sacked as Pak skipper post World T20 ANI Karachi, Mar.21 : Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is likely to be sacked from the post of T20 skipper after the conclusion of the ongoing World T20 in India.
stan Cricket Board ( PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan slammed Afridi for his dismal performance during the high-voltage clash against India and said that the board would start looking for a new skipper after the conclusion of the tournament, the Express Tribune reported.
The news comes in the wake of Pakistan's heart wrenching six-wicket defeat at the hands of archrival India in the T20 format's pinnacle event. Following the defeat, Paki-
Shahid Afridi
Afridi failed to replicate his good performance as he had displayed during their win against Bangladesh in
their World T20 campaign opener and eventually got dismissed after smashing mere eight runs from 14 balls. Ahmed Shehzad (25) and Shoaib Malik (26) were the only two batsmen, who provided some resistance for his side. The 2009 World T20 champions will now lock horns with New Zealand at the Punjab Cricket Stadium in Mohali on Tuesday.
Rather think about Djokovic thrashes occasion, focused on Raonic to defend situation: Yuvi Indian Wells title New Delhi, Mar 21: His small knock of 24 against Pakistan was worth its weight in gold and Yuvraj Singh said that his "focus was on right things" like batting according to the demands of the situation rather than get overwhelmed by the vociferous capacity crowd at the Eden Gardens. "I wanted to bat according to the situation no matter how big the occasion was. It was important to focus on right things. I just wanted to watch the ball and rotate the strike and I was able to do that. Unfortunately, I could not finish the game. Virat is in sublime form and Dhoni came and finished the game," Yuvraj told bcci.tv on team's six-wicket win over arch-rivals in group league match of World T20. Once a flamboyant batsman, the elder statesman of the team now has a different role of playing second fiddle to younger batsmen in the side.
He had a match-winning partnership against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and now a 61-run stand that sealed it at the Eden gardens, the other night. "My job is to play a few balls and then play my attacking game. We were under a bit of pressure after losing the first game (against New Zealand). (In that match) we did not bat the way we wanted to. Here we lost three quick wickets which put us under pressure. We needed to get a partnership and the 50 plus stand with Virat took the pressure off us," said the 35year-old veteran left-hander. Yuvraj is happy that the team has got its confidence back which it will carry into the next match against Bangladesh. "I am happy that team won as it was important to get the confidence back. The next match is against Bangladesh and hope that we continue in good form."
ANI Johannesburg, Mar.21: World number one Novak Djokovic continued his dominant run as he eased past Milos Raonic of Canada in straight sets to lift the BNP Paribas Open crown for the third straight year here on Monday. The 28-year-old defending champion claimed an emphatic 6-2, 6-0 triumph over his Canadian compatriot in a one-sided summit showdown that lasted for one hour and 17 minutes.
Djokovic forward in the upcoming matches as well.
Jubilant after winning the title for the fifth time, Djokovic said he felt glad to be able to raise his level with each passing tournament, Sport24 reported.
It was Djokovic's third title of the season, having started the year with the win over Rafael Nadal in Doha before clinching his 11th Grand Slam at Australian Open by beating Andy Murray.
Djokovic further insisted he would try to follow the same kind of routine as he had been doing so far and would continue to put his best foot
The triumph also saw the Serbian champion equalizing his record with Nadal on 27 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns.
Sunil Chhetri to miss India’s 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier vs Iran New Delhi, Mar 21: Influential skipper Sunil Chhetri has been ruled out of India’s Fifa 2018 World Cup qualifier against Iran owing to a groin injury, dealing a body blow to the beleaguered outfit’s prospects of putting up a fight. The match for the Russia 2018 World Cup Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 is slated to be played in Tehran on Thursday. A 22-member team on Monday left for the forthcoming game. Six players from the list of 28 probables, including injured
striker Chhetri, didn’t travel with the squad. “We had to take some bold decisions and we have to travel to Tehran without our influential captain Sunil Chhetri,” national coach Stephen Constantine said. “He will be badly missed.” Chhetri has been ruled out following a groin injury which he had picked up in the I-League. “The injury is such that it requires him to take necessary care and that requires him to stay back in India and get treated,” Constantine said. A disappointed Chhetri
couldn’t recall as to when he last missed an international match due to injury. “I was sitting at my room trying to recall as to when I last missed a national team match for injury. It’s so disappointing. It’s such an important match for us and I still can’t believe that I would be missing it,” Chhetri said. “The gaffer had a chat with Gigy sir (team physio Gigy George) and decided to leave me out of the squad to enable me time to get treated and get ready for the next game,” he said.
“At the moment it is obviously not a good feeling to have missed the bus but maybe in the long run, it will probably be for good.” Meanwhile, Chhetri lauded Constantine’s initiative of summoning Dhanpal Ganesh and Robin Singh to get their rehabilitation assessed, monitored, checked and advised by the medical staff of the national team. Besides Chhetri, TP Reheneesh, Rino Anto, Allwyn George, Malsawmzuala and Md. Rafique have been dropped for the match against Iran.
`Record-breaker` Bale shines as Real hammer Sevilla in La Liga ANI London, Mar.21 : Real Madrid striker Gareth Bale has become all-time leading British goal scorer as he smashed his 43rd La Liga goal to help his side trounce injury-hit Sevilla 4-0 at Santiago Bernabeu.
Azarenka bursting with pride after dethroning Serena at Indian Wells
Bale has surpassed Gary Lineker's record of 42 goals in 103 games for Barcelona. The match also saw star striker Cristiano Ronaldo missing a penalty before eventually scoring a goal after the half-time. Real remained in a commanding possession throughout the match, with forward Karim Benzema getting the first goal for his side in the sixth minute to put them in lead. Ronaldo (64th minute) and midfielder Gareth Bale (66th minute) then smashed a goal each within the span of two minutes to make it 3-0 against the visitors. Just four minutes before the full time, Rodriguez Jese gave his side a perfect finish by netting the fourth goal for his side with his fellow substitute James Rodriguez, the Guardian reported. With this win, Madrid have reduced the gap with their neighbours Atletico Madrid in second place to one point while Sevilla have slipped to sixth spot. They will next face La Liga leaders Barcelona at Camp Nou on April 2
Serena Williams ANI Johannesburg, Mar. 21 : After upsetting world number one Serena Williams in the finals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, eighth-ranked Victoria Azarenka has admitted that she feels proud after claiming the title and believes her hard work is paying off. The 26-year-old produced an imperious form as she stunned Serena 6-4, 6-4 to capture the title for the second time and 19th career singles titles overall.
the leadership of skillful Sardar and he will be assisted by Danish Mujtaba, Chinglensana Singh, Manpreet Singh, S K Uthappa, Harjeet Singh. While Sunil, Talwinder Singh, Mandeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Nikkin Thimmaiah will form India's forwardline. With the 2016 Rio Olympics few months down the line, the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup will serve has as a barometer to measure the team's preparation for the most important sporting event of the year. "India has a good record in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and we would like to keep it that way. Being an Olympic year, this tournament assumes special importance as it will give us an idea where
Hockey India today announced an 18-member Indian team led by Sardar Singh that will take part in the 25th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. we stand. Playing against good teams like Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan and not to forget hosts Malaysia will give the team critical competition exposure. It
will be a good opportunity trying out new things and new combinations in the tournament to see if they work," said Sardar Singh. In preparation for the tourna-
The summit showdown, which lasted for about one and a half hour, also saw Serena committing 33 unforced errors and five
double faults, Sport24 reported. Expressing her views on her defeat, Serena said she failed to execute her game plans properly. With the win, Azarenka has also denied Serena a chance to become the first threetime winner of the Indian Wells women's event. The victory also helped Azarenka to make a return to the top ten in the world for the first time since 2014, climbing up to the eight spot.
Pakistan's Unpredictability Don't expect much from Pakistan in World T20, says Makes It Challenging: NZ Coach Shahryar Khan Karachi, Mar.21 (ANI): Following Pakistan's heart wrenching defeat at the hands of arch-rival India in the World T20 clash at Eden Gardens, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan has called on his countrymen not to expect much from the team in the ongoing tournament. Pakistan on Saturday suffered a six-wicket loss at the hands of the hosts, which was their 11th overall defeat against India in the World T20s and the World Cups. Pointing out at the team's failure in claiming wickets against Mahendra Singh
Dhoni's side, Shahryar lashed out at the inclusion of fast bowler Mohammad Sami in the playing XI and said it would have been better if Shahid Afridi would have gone in with a spinner,the Express Tribune reported. Expressing his views on head coach Waqar Younis, the 81year-old said that the latter's contract would end in June and that the board would rethink whether to sustain him or not. The 2009 World T20 champions will now lock horns with New Zealand at the Punjab Cricket Stadium in Mohali on Tuesday.
Hockey India names 18-member team for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup New Delhi, Mar 21: Hockey India today announced an 18-member Indian team led by Sardar Singh that will take part in the 25th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from April 6 to 16. Besides India, New Zealand, 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Australia, Pakistan, Japan, Canada and hosts Malaysia will be taking part in the annual tournament. While Sardar Singh will lead the team, S Sunil will be supporting him as the vice-captain. Besides two goalkeepers - Harjot Singh and Akash Anil Chikte, the squad will have five defenders: Rupinder Pal Singh, Jasjit Singh Kular, Kothajit Singh, Surender Singh, Harmanpreet Singh. The midfield will be under
Reflecting on her win, Azarenka said that she was extremely aggressive during the match and pointed out that she managed to use her serves in the way she always wanted to do so. The Belarusian also insisted that she had started aiming for big goals which is helping her in shifting the momentum on the big stage.
ment, the Indian men's team is currently undergoing a training camp that started on March 7 at the SAI Centre in Bangalore. "The boys have been working hard as a unified unit and are geared up for the tournament ahead. Azlan Shah will be good testing ground for us right before the Rio Olympics and will be very crucial for the team. We are focused on improving the game technically and implement the right strategies," said chief coach Roelant Oltmans. One of the concern areas of the Indian team has been the tendency to concede late goal. "In the past we have conceded late goals that have taken away the games from us. We want to eliminate that particular weakness. We
have been working on it for some time now, which we will be able to put to test in the tournament," he added. India have enjoyed a good run in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. They won the prestigious tournament five times in 1985, 91, 95, 2009 and 2010, while they earned bronze on six occasions and finished runners-up once in 2008. The round-robin format will help the team get decent amount of competition exposure under its belt. It will also give them an opportunity to gauge the fitness level, since the conditions in Ipoh around this time of the year will be extremely hot and humid. The Indian team has shown considerable improvement in the fitness levels in the past couple of year.
Mohali, Mar 21: New Zealand may be on a roll having notched up two big wins in the ICC World Twenty20 but coach Mike Hesson today sought to downplay the hype surrounding his team, saying tomorrow's match against Pakistan will be a challenge because of their unpredictability and pace attack. Victories against favourites India and Australia notwithstanding, Hesson said they guarantee nothing.
"We don't think too far ahead of ourselves, we had a couple of good games of cricket against some good sides, I think we have played pretty well, but it doesn't guarantee that you are going to play well next time. It's important we train well today and prepare as best we can," Hesson said addressing a press conference on the eve of the match. Asked if he thinks Pakistan are an unpredictable side, the coach replied in affirmative. "Yes, they are unpredictable, but very skillful." He pointed out that the opponents have got a variety of left-arm pacers in their bowling attack. "Their bowling attack, in particular, is very challenging. I think Pakistan certainly pose a different challenge with the pace they have and their bowling attack is completely different than what we have faced in the last couple of games." At the same time the coach also said, "We are fortunate enough we played against
New Zealand coach Mike Hesson them in recent times. I think as a batting unit, they are relatively predictable the way they play, and that certainly provides us with opportunities with the ball." New Zealand have emerged as one of the strong contenders to lift the coveted trophy on April 3. Another win and they will be in the knockout stages of the mega-event. While the spinners stood out in both games with a bagful of wickets on pitches that aided turn, left-arm fast medium bowler Mitchell McClenaghan proved to be Australia's nemesis with a three-wicket burst in hilly Dharamsala. To another question, Hesson said they pick the squad to suit all conditions. "I think perhaps in the past, we have tried to play the New Zealand way in the sub-continent, in terms of what has worked well for us. I think during this tournament till date, it's only two games, but I think we have adapted a lot better than perhaps we have in the past. That said, this pitch will create different challenges for us, first of all we will have to read it properly," he said.
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