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ASSENG/2015/64205

Vol. 1

Issue 227

Indian Ocean: India Deploys New Sub-Killer Planes to Counter Chinese Subs

Dibrugarh, Saturday, January 23, 2016

Price -

5.00

Beef, Free Speech And More: 7 Heated Topics That Will Continue To Be Debated In 2016

Kiran Global launches green cement

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Page 10

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Pages- 12

Mrinalini Sarabhai left indelible mark on Indian classical dance: President Page 6

Unedited video of the meeting of the Assam Poll battle picks up as Rahul Gandhi Arunachal Governor with Tuki surfaces set to visit Upper Assam after Modi’s visit A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Jan 22

Governor seen to be harsh with one of the Minister A staff Reporter Itanagar, Jan 22

As the dates for the Assam assembly polls draws near the poll battle in upper Assam is gradually picking up. After the BJP announced that PM Narendra Modi who is also the saffron brigade’s No. 1 Campaign master will kick start the party’s poll campaign in upper Assam for the ensuing state assembly polls by addressing a party workers meeting at Moran on Feb. 5, the Congress today revealed that party Vice President and MP Rahul Gandhi will visit upper Assam and addressing poll rallies in the third week of February and also embark of a ‘Padya Yatra’ to garner support for his party.

A video, claimed to be the original unedited video of the face-off between Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki with his council of Minister and Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa in a meeting held at Raj Bhawan last month surfaced today in a regional media website and is being circulated widely in social Medias. In the video, the Governor who earlier has in a press release claimed to have been threatened and abused is seen initially as stern and later actually quite abrasive with one the Minister.

At the beginning Nabam Tuki calmly claimed that the Governor’s order to pre-pone the assembly session was “unconstitutional”, Rajkhowa said he had issued the order as per provisions of the Constitution, and after consulting legal experts. He said the government could explore legal options to challenge the order.

The commotion at the meet-

ET CAPSULES

Tuki extends greetings on National Day of Patriotism A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Jan 22: Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has extended warm greetings to the nation on National Day of Patriotism. Paying rich tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, an integral part of the history of India’s fight for freedom and whose birthday is observed as the National Day of Patriotism, Tuki said that Netaji’s greatest achievement was the deep sense of national unity that he was able to kindle in his countrymen and the profound love and loyalty, he was able to inspire in his army.

The CM also remembered and paid rich tribute to all the great freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for a free India we live in today.

He also salute the valiant arm forces for their sheer patriotism in guarding our borders and paid respect to those who laid their lives in the line of their duties while guarding our motherland.

Cultivation of Opium destroyed Tinsukia, Jan 22 : Jagun police on Friday destroyed huge cultivation of Opium at Wary no 1 village along Assam - Arunachal border.

The operation was led by Jagun police outpost incharge.

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It may be mentioned that in past 2 weeks several cases of opium and brown sugar has surfaced in Tinsukia district. (Spl Correspondent)

A part of the video footage of the meeting between the Governor and Tuki with his council of Ministers has surfaced in national media ing went high when one of the ministers questioned the Governor as to who will be responsible if any unwanted incident happens in lieu of his immediate order to pre-pone the assembly session. The governor replied sternly that those who provoke and promote will be held responsible. To his reply few ministers started shouting that he is the one who is promoting it.

meeting blamed Tuki and his council of Ministers that they have threatened and abused him, until security personnel escorted the Governor to safety. A Raj Bhavan press release further claimed that some ministers were about to “physically restrain” the Governor.

“Not willing to listen to the Governor, questioning his authority and judgement.

It is to be mentioned that the Governor, next day of the

A part of the video footage of Education Minister allegedly heckling Governor has

surfaced in national media which the minister later alleged that the Governor himself have outsourced the edited version of the video to the media with an intention to malign his image and that of others who were in the meeting.

In a press meet, Tapong Taloh further clarified that his reaction was spontaneous after the Governor showed very unruly and arrogant behavior towards Chief Minister and the council of Ministers.

Regional office of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways shifted to Assam from Arunachal CM Tuki expresses Disappointment ET Bureau Itanagar, Jan 22

Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has expressed his deep sense of disappointment over the move of the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) to shift its Regional Office (RO) from Itanagar to Tezpur in Assam. In a letter to Union Minister of MoRTH Nitin Gadkari, Tuki mentioned that this unilateral decision of the Ministry to move out the RO to Tezpur is contrary to the long term interests of the success of important ongoing road projects in the state, especially those under the ambitious Trans Arunachal

Highway Package.

In the letter, Tuki categorically mentioned as follows; “This move has come at a time, when the Hon’ble Prime Minister has time again reiterated the commitment of the NDA Government towards the overall development of the North Eastern Region with added emphasis on improving connectivity.

Your good self was also kind enough to highlight this during your visit to the state a few months ago. This kind of a unilateral action is contrary to the spirit of this commitment. You would appreciate that it is imperative that a project like the Trans Arunachal Highways - not-

withstanding its scale and importance - be effectively monitored regularly by a nodal arm of the MoRTH. The RO at Itanagar was operating with this mandate and taking care of the several issues related to the same in coordination with the implementing agencies of the State Government.

I am apprehensive that the shifting of the RO to Tezpur can potentially jeopardise the interests of the Trans Arunachal Highways project and also other important road projects in the state.”

The Chief Minister requested Gadkari to review this decision on priority.

Anjan Dutta nority by playing vote bank politics with them. This time they will vote for us because they have understood that AIUDF cannot give protection to them,’’ said Dutta.

Dutta added that BJP have made alliance with Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) which is a small party and they were quite sure that they will not secure enough seats in the coming election and now they are busy in forging alliance with the other small parties.

When asked about Himanta Biswa Sharma, Dutta replied that he was a ‘betrayer’. He betrayed AASU in the past and now he betrayed us. “He (Himanta Biswa Sharma) is‘garbage’ and we are happy that he is not with us anymore,’ he said. Dutta said, “Before the election some of the leaders of BJP will join Congress but we won’t disclose the names now”. He said this time the position of BJP is not good in upper Assam and they will manage to win two to three seats.

Five persons including an army jawan caught for blackmailing Tinsukia based businessman Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, Jan 22

The Indian army on Thursday night arrested four people, including an army jawan, for blackmailing a Tinsukia based young businessman after posing themselves as central government officers assigned to unearth black money hidden by the businessman.

The arrested were identified as Salem of ASC Battalion of

Indian army posted at Bomdila, Sapan Das and Abingdon Singh of Dinjan, Suvijay Bhattacharjee of Tinsukia. The victim, Nimesh Agarwal an industrialist, is a native of Tinsukia.

black mailing the businessman to save him from the enquiry.

However, the businessman informed Dinjan army who arrested them from approach road to Dinjan army headquarters, Mahanto added.

According to Superintendent of Tinsukia police Mugdha Jyoti Mahanto, Salem posed himself as an officer of Indian army on special duty who was assigned to unearth black money hidden by the businessman and in turn was

He said army has arrested three persons excluding the jawan and we have asked them to hand over the jawan as well.

We came to know about this development only after army caught four person, said SP

Mahanto and added that Police has registered a case (Tinsukia PS 94/16) and arrested one person identified as Khirod Sonowal of Borguri in Tinsukia.

According to sources, the accused demanded rupees one crore from the businessman.

The entire plot seemed to have inspired from Akshay Kumar starrer bollywood film where he and his team poses as CBI officers and cheat big businessman.

Research is based on higher education, says Tezpur Varsity VC programmes. This was attended by the students and faculties of Kaziranga University.

The preliminary course work seminars and school wise induction is scheduled on 23rd and 24th January 2016.

ET Correspondent Jorhat, Jan 22

Kaziranga University hosted the inauguration program for Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) programmes for School of Social Sciences, School of Basic Sciences, School of Computing Sciences, School of Engineering & Technology, School of Business today at its campus. The ceremony was inaugurated by Prof. (Dr.) Mihir Kanti Chaudhuri, Vice Chancellor, Tezpur University in the gracious presence of Chancellor Shri M.D Khetan, Vice Chancellor Dr. Sunil Rai, President, NEKF Dr. P.K.Mishra and dignitaries like Dr. Swapan K Pramanik, Former Vice Chancellor, Vidyasagar University; Dr. M.K. Padmanabhan, Director of India Centre for Research

and Innovation of Virginia Tech, USA; Dr. Ashok Ullal, Prof. Emeritus, Reutlingen School of Business, Germany; Dr. Subrata Borgohain, Prof.

Petroleum Technology, Dibrugarh University.

Speaking at the occasion, Chief Guest, Prof. (Dr.) Mihir Kanti Chaudhuri, Vice Chan-

cellor, Tezpur University said, “Research is the base of any higher education”. He further added that without research, there is no meaning of any higher education and educational institutes or universities for that matter.

Today, the ceremony marked the induction and enrolment of 30 PhD students for various

Known as the TCS-ION Campus, Kaziranga University has created a benchmark of excellence in providing industrial based educational interface for Engineering and Management students through its technological domain partners like CMS, Multisoft Systems, etc with proven placement track record. It is important to mention that the University’s industry-academia collaboration with various International Universities helps KU students to sharpen their conceptual and contextual insights to help them understand global prospective and standards.

How an activist forced Arunachal Govt to reduce fees for copies under RTI Nabam Pali, a young RTI activist from Arunachal Pradesh was felicitated last week, for having sought legal intervention, compelling the state government to reduce fees to Rs.2 from Rs. 10 for obtaining copies of documents under the Act ET Bureau Itanagar, Jan 22

The official website of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh has this announcement, declaring that it has reduced the fees for information procured under RTI from Rs10 to Rs2: “In the State of Arunachal Pradesh, the High Court directive has reduced the fees for information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from Rs10 per page (A4 size) to Rs2 by re-amending

the RTI rules vide Government of Arunachal Pradesh Notification No.AR-47/2014 dated 13 November, 2014. The Guwahati High Court, Itanagar Permanent Bench, Naharlagun while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Pali Nabam challenging the high fee charged for obtaining information under RTI in the state, has directed the state government to reduce the fee from Rs10 per copy to Rs2.”

The young activist Nabam Pali, from Arunachal Pradesh, has been fighting the case since

THE HIGHLIGHTS The young activist Nabam Pali, from Arunachal Pradesh, has been fighting the case since 2012 as he found the fees of Rs.10 per page of information too steep In 2012, he asked for 57,570 pages of documents pertaining to the Integrated Child Development Service scheme, which is one of India's largest programmes

for early childhood development.

He was asked to pay

Rs 5,75,700 by the Public Information Officer of the Office of the Child Development Project.

Initially when he started filing RTIs in 2007-08, the officers used to charge him Rs. 50 for an application

2012. He filed a writ petition in the form of PIL. The High Court ordered the state government to address the grievance of the petitioner within three weeks of the order, the AP government notified the revision of fees.

is one of India's largest programmes for early childhood development. He was asked to pay Rs5,75,700 by the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Office of the Child Development Project, which he did pay with the help of friends.

Nabam Pali, like other citizens of the state, found the fees of Rs10 per page of information document too steep, particularly when, in 2012, he asked for 57,570 pages of documents pertaining to the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) scheme, which

As per last week’s news reports in various dailies of Arunachal Pradesh, Pali, while thanking the Arunachal RTI activist Forum (ARTIAF) for felicitating him, stated that the road was very tough for him.

“When I initially started filing

RTIs in 2007-08, the officers used to charge me Rs50 for an application, which was not right and I had to spend a huge amount of money as treasury challan to get the information. I somehow managed to arrange the money then but what about the poor ones who cannot afford it,” said Pali showing records of him paying Rs3.40 lakh and Rs1. 21 lakh in two instances as treasury challan to get information.

Contd. on Page 3

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At one instance, when Tapong Taloh, Minister of Education requested him to listen him first, the Governor raises his voice while questioning the minister how could he order him.

Addressing media persons at the circuit house, here, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President and MLA Anjan Dutta said that the dates of Rahul’s visit is not final, but he will be visiting upper Assam during the third week of February. Apart from Rahul Gandhi, a host of other senior Congress leaders will also visit upper Assam during the next few weeks to campaign for the party, Dutta said.

Dutta said that the micro booth management will benefit the congress party in the upcoming election and the party will get enough seats with the help of this technique. Dutta told newsmen that they would not go for alliance with AIUDF. “The people of lower Assam has not faith in the AIUDF which have betrayed the mi-

PAGE 2

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

ASTRO FOR YOU Aries You are going to have the time of your life; that is if you make the right plans. At work, there will be the usual ups and downs. But plan the evening well and you may surprise yourself.

Taurus As concerns of your future grip you, you will start working on a method to improve things today. It is a day of moderation and there will be neither an insurmountable problem nor a eulogistic high to brag about by the end of it.

Gemini A day when you get the opportunity to show what stuff you are made of. By afternoon, you will be in your elements and will feel almost invincible. Your optimism will rub off on your colleagues and the atmosphere at the workplace will be nothing short of electrifying.

Cancer There is a sound prospect that you will work hard to improve the welfare of your children.In the afternoon, you may hear good news about their academic success.

Leo If you are the one who sets the corporate mantra each morning, then know that today, your mantra will be fabulous, and will be chanted by many in your organisation. Being a business magnate might not be the easiest thing, but you are who you are, and you are good at it.

Virgo Trouble is lurking just round the corner and waiting to waylay you. At work, you will find yourself in a high-spirited mood and will be helpful to your colleagues. You might end the day in the company of family members recollecting the happy days you have spent in each other’s company.

Libra An extended family is a boon, especially when it comes to charting out some success.

Okay, maybe it’s not Don Corleone calling the shots in your favour; but expect to get a favourable base from your relatives for the same. Bring your luck with you to work, and keep smiling Scorpio The Dons in the office may bypass your superiors and probably make you run around as an errand boy. You are likely to impress your superiors with your brilliance. Evening, though, will ring out the exhaustion of the morning.

Sagittarius Simple living and high thinking, will be your mantra today. Approach your work with innovative thoughts and diplomatic words. Later in the day, family, friends and relatives revel in the attention that you shower on them.

Capricorn The day will have a bundle of things to offer today, some good, some not so good. At work, you are likely to overlook the most obvious things, and come across some unexpected ones. But as dawn turns to dusk, a pleasant surprise may get you all pepped up.

Aquarius It always pays to have extra cash, and in that regard, you will be a happy person today!

You may carefully update and crosscheck your financial position. Of course, there are people who don’t share your happiness and will try to advise you to the contrary.

Pisces A good day is in the offing. You are likely to receive news you will be glad to share and celebrate with your family. A few pending deals are likely to be finalised in the afternoon, and there are indications you will need to go off on a short visit for business purposes later on in the day.

PRASAR BHARATI (India's Public Service Broadcaster) ALL INDIA RADIO : DIBRUGARH (M.W.529.1m/KHz567 F.M. 101.30 MHz)

BPF rally at Kalaigaon on Jan 22 Shajid Khan Tangla, Jan 22: At a time when the election scenario is up and every other political parties are playing blame game. BTC Chief Hagrama Mahilari along with other top BPF leaders attended a mammoth election rally organised at Ranthali Bagisa Stadium,Kalaigaon on January 22 .More than fifteen thousand people attended the rally in support of BPF candidate Maheswar Baro.

The rally had been one of the biggest election rally in the district.On the occasion Hagrama Mahilari said that BPF would work according to people's need and desire.Criticising BJP,he said their party doesn't make false promises.

He said that many party could very much make great promises during election time,just to be forgotten later.He also did not spare its ally Congress,saying that congress thought only for a few upper Assam districts in the past.

According to him BPF believed equality and justice to all the districts of Assam.He further said that the success of congress party was possible only for the support of BPF. On the issue of ST status to six ethnic groups of Assam, Hagrama said that he is pretty sure that BJP

6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha 6-15 A.M-Classical Music 6-50 A.M-Lokageet 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto 8-35 A.M-Surar Satsori 9-05 A.M-Antara 12-15P.M-Teachers' Broadcast 12-30P.M-Hindi Film Songs 2-00 P.M-Sponsored Programme-"Jaga Grahak Jaagaa" 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-30 P.M-Mishing Geet 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 Raijor Anusthan 7-15 P.M-Yuvavani 7-45 P.M-Daakpakhili 8-00 P.M-Ekalabya (Sponsored Programme of K.K.H.S.O.U) 8-30 P.M-Geetor Shorai 9-30 P.M-Radio Serial

Sd-/H.O.P

goveenment at the centre would give the ST status to the communities.

Hagrama promised that his party would open up 50-100 SHG in the nonBTC areas. He remarked that Congress has betrayed the people and so excluding 16 Assembly in BTC they have lended their full support to BJP. Coming to the 1000 crore package Hagrama remarked that though PM Modi in his recent visit to Kokrajhar didn't declare it.

In the coming budget the 1000 crore package would find its place.

He further declared that from the package community halls in every townships, auditoriums in Kalaigaon and Tangla College, Railway overbridge s at Tangla, Goreswar and Basugaon this year,drainage system in Kalaigaon town, bridge over Nonai river at Tia Phukuri,bridge over

Indefinite Karbi Anglong strike call creates wide spread panic Sushanta Roy Diphu January 22: Karbi Student Association ( Mirjeng Kro and Rajen Enghee faction), Karbi Youth Development Organization , Karbi Farmers Association, All Karbi Youth Union and United Farmers Committee called indefinite Karbi Anglong strike ( bandh) from 14th January demanding withdrawal of sixth Schedule (hills) status to the Bodo community people residing in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao autonomous district of Assam has created wide spread panic among all section people of the two district, fearing adverse socioeconomic impact on the society.

Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights 23-1-16 (SATURDAY)

Hagrama addressing the BPF rally at Kalaigaon. Pic - Shajid Khan

Till now neither ruling Congress nor BJP has intervened in the whole issue and the Bodo frontal organizations are also maintaining stoic silence. No social organization has impeded the strike call for imprecise period at this moment. The JACAS (Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State) however has left a leeway to crack the issue. While interacting with

the media Chairman of JACAS Khorsing Teron said that both the schedule enlisting the tribes of Assam into various categories so that the Karbi community which doesn’t enjoy ST (H) status outside the scheduled area is granted the position throughout the nation and the same may be applicable for the other tribes also living in hills area.

Chief Executive Member of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council has meanwhile appealed all the organization to take up the issue through negotiation and not to resort to agitation program me like strike or bandh.

Meanwhile Karbi Anglong district administration has also expressed its concern over the indefinite period strike call at a time when the groundwork of the National Register of Citizen is going on in war footing. Mukul Gogoi, Deputy Commissioner of Karbi Anglong discussed the whole issue with the agitating organizations and appealed them not to resort to strike which will seriously perturb the effort of NRC work in the district.

The Historic Junbeel Mela Dalim Phukan Morigaon, Jan 22: The historic Junbeel Mela, a significant traditional fair which is held annually at the weekend of the Makar Sannkranti known as Magh Bihu in Assam cmmenced with a three days programme yesterday.

The Mela started during 15th century under the then Gobha tribal king.

Over six thousand hills people from Meghalaya and adjacent areas of Assam came to Jonbeel Pathar in Morigaon district and they built temporary sheds. They exchanged their agricultural products with the plains tribes today. The tradi-

tional barter system of trade is still in vogue in junbeel Mela. The hills people exchanged their usable household items with the plains people .

He said that Modi has promised to re-instill Rupsi airport bordering Kokrajhar and Dhubri which was last functioning during World War 2.Modi has also promised to make CIT Kokrajhar a Deem University.

He also said Bodos living in Karbi Anglong and Dima-Hasao would get ST statys so would Karbis residing across the state would get ST status.

Biswajit Daimari,BPF MP (Rajya Sabha) also addressed the rally.Thanking the mammoth crowd, he declared that 65 Kalaigaon LAC would be occupied by BPF. Daimari remarked that without BPF's help no political party can form government. He also said that in electronic media critics

very often hits Hagrama Mahillary.

He further remarked that APCC President Anjan Dutta and CM Tarun Gogoi are not in good terms.He also said that the term Non-Bodo very often used is baseless. Such terms creates division among people.He said that BTC is part if Assam and so as Assamese the first official language in BTC offices.

He also said that there are Muslim teachers teaching Bodo language in schools of Kojrajhar.The rally was also addressed by Maheswar Baro,BPF candidate of 65 Kalaigaon LAC.Several top BPF leaders namely- Kamali Basumatari MLA Panery LAC,Lwmsraoa Daimari,EM,BTC;Bonjar Daimari EM BTC; and Jagadish Sarkar EM,BTC,Nerson Boro Deputy Speaker BTC attended the rally.

ET Correspondent Golaghat, Jan 22 : The students , teachers and local people of an area in Golaghat town today came out on roads to protest which created attention of the public . The reason of the protest was not usual it was a unique protest.

The students, teachers of Bengali High School in Golaghat have been continuously suffering from the terror of a gang of monkeys.

The monkey gang most often interrupted the classes by entering into the classrooms, snatching tiffins and important documents and other things in the school and created a wave of panic among the schoolchildren.

Similarly the local people were also had to suffer a lot.

So today the students and teachers locked the classrooms and came out to protest along with local people of the area and demanded the district administration to take necessary steps to stop the terror of monkey gang and submitted a memorandum.

Illegal saw mills seized ET Correspondent Golaghat, Jan 22: The Forest Department in Golaghat has taken a drive against sawmills running illegally in different parts of the district . Today a team of forest officials from Golaghat searched and seized four sawmills in Badulipar area which were running illegally. Several eqipments were seized from the saw mills. However the officials could not able to detain any owner of the saw mills.

Radha - Krishna sewa of Pub Nambarbhag attracts crowds

Radha - Krishna sewa of Pub Nambarbhag attracts crowds.

Ramen Kalita Nalbari, Jan 22 : The 21 st Sabha mahotsav of Pub Nambarbhav in Nalbari district is being held with a five day programme from January 21 .

The programme was started with the flag hoisting by Govinda Ram Barman,president of the Pub Nambarbhag Sabha Mahotsav.The sabha mahotsav was formally inaugurated by Ambikacharan Barman,a social worker from Guwahati.

The newly constructed sabhaghar was inaugurated by noted social worker Sidheswar Sarma while Ganesh Tamuli ,chairman of

the Northeast cancer hospital and research institute lighted the ceremonial lamp of the Sabha mahotsav.A Radha-Krishna Sewa was also performed where 35 pairs of child Radha Krishna took part in ritual attire.

The traditional Radha Krishna sewa attracted thousands of visitors from all walks of life.The Radha Krishna sewa inaugurated

by Sarat Barman of Sri Sri Jaihari Pitar Than attracted thousands of visitors.On the occasion of the Sabha mahotsav a felicitation meeting was held with Govinda Ram Barman in the chair.

The meeting was addressed

among others by Ganesh Tamuli,a social worker from Guwahati,Partha Pratim Hazarika,senior journalist of The Assam Tribune,Bitumani Devi ,chairman of Nalbari Zilla Parishad.One Brajen Barman,Secretary of Pub Nambarbhag Unnayn Smiti explained the purposes of the meeting.

Earlier noted social worker Sidheswar Sarma formally inaugurated the newly constructed Sabha ghar of the Harimandir at a cost of Rs 10 lakh provided by Ganesh Tamuli.Tamuli also constructed the main temple at a cost of Rs 20 lakh. The Sabha mahotsav will come to an end on January 25.

Governor directs NCHAC Chairman to summon emergent meeting

This was followed by Community fishing at the Junbeel, a natural water body by the local tribal people at the behest of the Gobha king Dip Sing Deo Raja. The tribal sing, dance and several cultural functions are held on the occasion.

The Junbeel Mela is a historic Mela of Assam where tradional customs are still prevalent and showed unity and integrity of the hills and plains people.

Kalpani river at Jhargaon, bridge at Balipara near Tangla, Hostel for the students of Adivasi community at Udalguri.

Monkey terror in Golaghat

Tiwa women exchanging their commodities by barter system, as part of the Jonbeel Mela. Pic - UB PHOTOS

ET Correspondent Haflong, Jan 22: Following a letter from Sri Debojeet Thaosen MAC N C Hills Autonomous Council on behalf of 16 (sixteen) members of the council of N C Hills that stated that the present Chief Executive Member of NCHAC has lost the confidence of majority of the majority of the members of the NCHAC, the Governor

of Assam, P.B. Acharya has directed the Chairman of North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) to summon an emergent session of the Council within 31st January 2016 and also directed that the notice for the same should be issued within 25th January 2016 to the members of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council to

take appropriate action in accordance with the rules and procedures enumerated in the Assam Autonomous District (Constitution of District Council Rules, 1951.

It is learnt that the present CEM Sri Niranjan Hojai had also claimed to have confidence of majority executive members.

PAGE 3

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

Statehood Day held at Tawang Tawang, Jan 22 : A meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner, Tawang Sri. Duly kamduk to devise plan for the successful conduct of 'Clean Arunachal Fortnight'Campaign ( 1st Feb'16 to 13th Feb'16) as a curtain raiser to the much awaited 30 years of Arunachal Pradesh Statehood Day 2016 was held today. During the meeting, the Sector-In-Charge of the 25 nos. existing sectors constituted for carrying out social service in the entire township during second Saturdays, were asked to

Review meeting held at Ziro Ziro, Jan 22: A review meeting was held in the office chamber of Deputy Commissioner, Ziro on 21st January' 2016 to finalize U-DISE '2015-16 and to discuss on preparation Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B) '2016-17.

The meeting was chaired

by Sri Kanki Darang, Deputy Commissioner, Ziro in the presence of Sri Yumlam Tana, Dy. Director of School Education, Ziro. All the DPCs of SSA & RMSA, BEOs and intervention coordinators were present in the meeting.

The Deputy Commissioner, Ziro advised to check all the data of UDISE properly before freezed. So that in consistency of data may not be found. Further, he advised to open a Whats App group among staffs of Education Department for convenience in sharing data and other correspondence.

Dy. Director of School Education, Ziro directed all the BEOs and intervention coordinators not to leave station till completion of AWP&B' 2016-17.

mobilize the residents of their respective areas for active participation. DC informed that three best performing sectors would be awarded during the Statehood Day Celebration 2016.He advised that school children be made aware about the importance of cleanliness for a clean and healthy environment during morning assemblies.

He further asked the Head of Departments to direct the officers serving outside the Headquarter for actively participating in the campaign.

A District Level meeting chaired by Deputy Commissoner , Tawang regarding the conduct of National Deworming Day was also held today.During the meeting, DMO , Tawang apprised that mass deworming of children aged 1-19 years would be done on 10th Feb'16 in the schools & anganwadi centres and that the mop up round would be conducted on 15th Feb'16. While stressing on full coverage, DC cautioned the possibility of those not enrolled in schools/

A NEW BEGINING

anganwadi centres being left out. He advised to chalk out a suitable strategy to avoid the same during the coordination meeting to be held on 27/1/16.

During discussion, DMO, Tawang informed that Mission Indradhanush (phase2), a plan to strengthen the Routine Immunization has been completed for Tawang District. While taking stock of the activities of Health department, DC advised for regular conduct of DLVMC meetings and submission of reports thereof. DIPRO.

Governor greets the people of the State on the occasion of National Patriotism Day shall give you freedom’.

By this, he urged upon the fellow Indians to make the Supreme Sacrifice for making India free from foreign domination, he added.

A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Jan 22: The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Shri JP Rajkhowa has extended warm greetings to the people of the State on the occasion of National Patriotism Day, which commemorates the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

The Governor expressed hope that the celebration will strengthen the sense of patriotism amongst all.

In his message, the Governor said that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose has been a great symbol of Patriotism, who infused the spirit of unity amongst all Indians, who encouraged all to rise above religious, factional and regional barriers and prepare themselves to fight for and to sacrifice self for the common cause of India’s freedom from the shackles of British imperialism and fight for their

The Governor wished that the youth of the State and Nation would continue to be inspired by Netaji’s leadership, ideals and sacrifice in the service of the Nation.

JP Rajkhowa

rights. He further said that Netaji has always instilled sense of leadership and personal sacrifice. He organised the Indian National Army (IMA) and commanded it in order to physically fight the British and throw them out of India. He is famous for the appeal and promise made to the people of India – ‘Give me your blood, I

On this special occasion, I join my brothers and sisters of Arunachal Pradesh in paying our glowing tribute to the Netaji and all other freedom fighters of our Country. May their spirit of sacrifices and commitment, reinforce the bond of brotherhood and nationalism among the people of this Frontier State and inspire us to continue as the Sentinels of freedom, in this easternmost State of India, the Governor wished.

Mahindra KUV100 lunched at Tezpur. Pic - UB Photos

Tirap achieves 93.01 % in 2 days first round IPPI Khonsa, Jan 22 : Along with rest of the country, the district health society Tirap has also conducted IPPI campaign in the district on 17th January, 2016 followed by 2 days of house to house visits by the vaccinators. All in all 5341 children (0 to 5 years) were administered with two drops each of Polio vaccine in 121 booths and mobile teams in all different blocks of the district. The total percentage coverage for the first round of IPPI in the district was 93.01.%.

Taloh inspects fire ravaged DEM Hr. Sec School

The 2nd round of IPPI Campaign is scheduled to velopment of Pasighat, he be held on 21 st Feb. added. In his deliberation, the 2016. minister informed the gathering that the present government is enjoying absolute majority in the assembly. Fight for constitutional right is going on but truth always wins. There is no chance of change of leadership or formation of alternative government for the state, added the minister.

Taloh inspects fire ravaged DEM Hr. Sec. School Pasighat, Jan 22: To boost the morale of the teachers and students, the state's Education Minister Tapang Taloh along with DC Isha Khosla DSE Lendo, President of AAPSU Kamta Lapung and host of local leaders and officers today inspected the fire-ravaged DEM Hr. Secondary School, Pasighat.

Later in an interactive meeting with the school community, Minister Taloh said that schools are not built overnight, so this was a most tragic circumstance and as a minister of education he felt very shocked finding the burning down of the school. Seeing ground reality, he suspected that miscreants have set ablaze the school on the night of Jan-17. Condemning in the strongest possible language, minister Taloh said, "We consider education is the backbone of the society and a necessary tool for pov-

erty alleviation. Destruction of the school has hurt the sentiment of our peace loving citizens. There can be no ifs and buts or conditions and government will not spare miscreants for the unpardonable act. No one can demoralize the spirit and courage our dedicated teachers and students and my ministry is committed to take forward education revitalizing their morale." He directed the local administration for thorough investigation so that culprits are booked and exemplary punishment is given immediately.

Taking privilege on the occasion, the education minister said "Teaching is a lifelong commitment and teachers are creators of the society. They should take pride in teaching and impart quality education to students through their sincerity and dedication. Posting in the Pasighat township is a mat-

ter comfort and privilege while many teachers are working in hard places for years together.

In many remote villages, our children are waiting for their teachers. Teachers posted at Pasighat should try to impress their authorities with their quality services. responding to Dy. Chief Councilor Kalind Darang's appeal, the minister informed that teachers in all schools will be made available soon after new recruitment process. The minister also informed that the Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has expressed concern over repeated fire accidents occurred in Pasighat.

He immediately approved two crores for rebuilding of DEM Hr. Sec School and further assured to release some suitable amount shortly. The minister also threw lights on achievements of the education department in particular. The CM has always shown special care and given priorities for overall de-

DC Isha Khosla in her brief address informed the minister that timely intervention of fire brigade could prevent massive damage. Magisterial inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the root cause of the accident, she informed. It is our testing time and we must defeat all odds to provide uninterrupted education to our children, said the DC adding that PHED has been instructed to provide outlet below the every overhead tanks of the township to provide easy access of water supply to the fire fighters, during disastrous situation.

AAPSU President Kamta Lapung donated fifty thousand for welfare of the school and assured to continue to extend support to the student community.

Among others, DSE Lendo, ZPC Kaling Dai, Chief Councilor Denong Tamuk, Dy. Chief Councilor Kaling Darang, Principal AP Rukbo and VP Aroti Padung also spoke and shared their view on the occasion. (DIPRO)

While suggesting to the parents of 0 - 5 years aged of children Dr. N.

Lowang, DMO, Khonsa repeatedly said that Polio has no cure, two drops

every time is the only protection adding that please ensure that no child aged

0 to 5 years are missed out for the polio drops in our District. (DIPRO)

How an activist forced Arunachal Govt to reduce fees for copies under RTI Contd. from Page 1

When contacted by Moneylife, Pali said, “Officers of various departments used to charge huge fees to give out information, which is unjust but they did so because they want to hide information so the poor cannot file RTIs. That was the reason I filed a PIL in a single bench High Court at Naharlagun requesting them to reduce the application fees to Rs2 from Rs10 as the charge to file an RTI in many states are very less and even free in some.”

In its order, the High Court stated, “…the petitioners have challenged the provisions of the

Arunachal Pradesh Right to Information (6thamendment) Rule 2010 whereby the rate of per page intimation was increased from Rs2 to Rs10.

Having regard to the objectives and reasons for which the Right to Information Act was promulgated is frustrated because of such exorbitant rate in respect of information to be provided to the applicant.”

“Mr K Ete, learned Additional Advocate General, Arunachal Pradesh, upon instruction, submits that such increase has been made as per the cabinet decision dated 15 July 2010.

As per his instruction, the rate was earlier fixed at Rs5 in 2005. Thereafter, it

was reduced to Rs2 and now by the impugned amendment, the rate is fixed at Rs10. He submits that as per his instruction, the cabinet is desirous of revisiting the matter regarding such fixation of rate.”

“In view of the above submission, the PIL is disposed providing that the cabinet and for that matter the appropriate authority of the state government may consider the grievance raised in the writ petition as expeditiously as possible, preferably within three months. If the petitioners remain aggrieved by the decision to be taken by the authority, it will be open for them to pursue

such legal remedy as may be available to law.”

Arunachal Pradesh, Department of Administrative Reforms, promptly acted upon the HC verdict and on 11 November 2014, notified that “for information in the form of communication, letter etcRs2 per page; for other than priced publicationRs2 per page; For information on CD or DVD – actual price; Inspection of records – free for the 1st hour and for the subsequent each 15 minutes, Rs5.”

It has been a long struggle, says Pali, before his campaign was converted into action by the government.

1st Kameng River Festival gets underway at Seppa Seppa, Jan 22 : The 1st Ever Kameng River Festival began with a Colorful note with song & Dance indigenous games & sports etc with inauguration of the festival at Tasamorang Seppa by the Parliamentary Secy Government of Sikkim D.N. Sharpa & Parliamentary Secy PWD Government of Arunachal Pradesh Alo Libang who attended as Chief Guest & Guest of Honour yesterday.

Among other attended during the inaugural programme were the Director tourism

Govt of Sikkim N Pradhan and his entire Sikkim team, Honble Parliamentary Tourism Mama Natung ,Hon’ble parliamentary Secy.

Health & Family Welfare & Fishery Madam Krya Bagang , Chairman Hydro Power Cooperation Tungri Effa, Director Tourism Government of Arunachal Pradesh Karma Lekni, Host Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar Singh, consent to grace the occasion as a special invitees respec-

tively .

of Tourism sector.

While addressing during the inaugural function Parliamentary Secy Government of Sikkim D.N Sharpa assured to provide technology support from Government of Sikkim to boost tourism industry in Arunachal Pradesh. He also exhort the organizing team to cooperated the PHED, Fishery Deptt , Police Force, Health care Deptt , & accommodation team for smooth growing

DC Sandeep Kumar Singh urged the people of Seppa to keep clean the Kameng River by not dumping the wasted in the river and also appeal to the people to have tolerance adding., The where there is no peace their can’t be visit the tourist while maintain the health of tourist.

Hon’ble Parliamentary Tourism Mama Natung expressed the advantage of the Tourism visit in the

state. He urged that the people of Seppa to respect the visitors from different State & Countries which will be more benefitting for the us and earn good income source for livelihood in the inaugural function.

During the festival 5(five) major tribes of East Kameng District were participated i.e Nyishi , Sajolang , Aka, Galo and Puroik Community .

(DIPRO)

PAGE 4

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

Sarbananda inaugurates Bhouna Samaroh in Majuli ET Correspondent Jorhat, Jan 22: If BJP is voted to power we will come up with an all out effort to save Majuli as well as to take it’s cultural heritage to a new height, so give us a chance so that we can whip out corruption and work for development, said Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Sports and Youth affairs while delivering the inaugural speech at the Sadou Asom Bhouna Samaroh organized

by Shri Shri Auniati Sattra at the Moni Kanchan Rangomancha Khetra at the Sattra premises near here.

The Union Minster, who inaugurated the inaugural bhouna performed by the priest of Auniati Sattra was

highly appreciated and praised by the Minister among other Sattradhikars (head priest) who were present during the inaugural session. The Minister further said that good days will be coming soon after the UNESCO accepts our dossier for recognition of Majuli into the World Heritage Tag map. He said, Prime Minister Narendra Modiji has been taking special interest for upliftment of this unique land in this earth, both geographically and culturally and the efforts of the BJP led government will only increase if BJP is voted to power in the ensuing Assam assembly elections. Earlier, in the morning today Auniati

Sattra -Sattradhikar Dr. Pitambor Deva Goswami hoisted the Bhouna Samaroh main flags and 23 other flags representating 23 teams coming from various places from Sadiya to Dhubri, while noted Space scientist Dr. Jitendra Nath Goswami released the souvenir while Majuli MLA and former state minister Rajiv Lochan Pegu inaugurated the traditional cultural exhibition within the sattra premises. A total of 23 teams from Sadiya to Dhubri has been taking part in the competition of the Bhauna Samaroh which is to be held for 12 consecutive days that was kicked off from this evening at the Moni Kanchan Rangomancha.

Monkeys suspected to be poisoned in Majuli Island ET Correspondent Jorhat, Jan 22: Atleast two male adult monkeys were found dead while five others were stated to be unwell after consuming suspected poison mixed with gram in Kamalpur village in Kamalabari in Majuli subdivision of Jorhat district here today. The two dead monkeys were first spotted by locals under a mango tree as both were lying dead with slight saliva bubbles round their mouth, said Atul Das, the Majuli Forest Beat Officer, who was investigating the actual cause of the primates.

Das said when we found both the dead monkeys in the same area it was suspected to be a poison case or they might have taken something wrong, when we tried to find out whether there may be more dead

then we tried to see and proceed towards the nearby adjacent bushes and forests belonging to the villagers which was a distance between 500 to 700 metres but we were surprised to see at least five monkeys all looking of the same age were sitting in another mango tree but we tried not to disturb them but they looked little uneasy and made movement as the saw any human beings.

tual result, while about the sick monkeys we will be able to know their condition

by Saturday morning.

We left them undisturbed and we will check tomorrow morning if anything goes wrong we will definitely know, said the Forest Officer. We did not disturb them but carried the carcasses of the dead monkeys for post mortem and its specimen has been sent to Jorhat and by Monday we will be able to get the ac-

The Kamalpur area near Kamalabari is being terrorized by monkeys as the population of the primates is over 3000. The people were fed up with the monkey business since couple of years but several local residences claimed that the two monkeys died due to severe cold which is very unique in this season.

“Today if we disturb them they might flee and we will not know if they disappear from the area in fear because two dead may be from their family for which they might be sitting in the tree together and might be mourning” the Forest officer said.

Two day consultative workshop at Don Bosco Institute

Police efforts nails timber mafia, back to back success by police exposes illegal timber business Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, Jan 22 : Pengri police on Thursday night recovered two numbers hollong logs and seized a Tata DI vehicle from Tarani reserve forest in Tinsukia district.

ET Bureau Guwahati, Jan 22: Two day consultative workshop to understand perspectives on youth development in North East India has been concluded at Don Bosco Institute.

ticipated and discussed on various youth issues including problems being faced by youth. Amitav Nath from Quest Alliance discussed about their intervention and school programme.

This workshop has been organised by Quest Alliance and Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS) for young people and organisation working for the youth development on 21st and 22nd January. Youths from different states of North East had par-

Augustine Ng from Quest Alliance explained the activities of Quest Alliance Employability program in different parts of the country.

Netaji Basumatary, Regional Manager of IGSSS while welcoming the participants also mentioned about the intervention

of IGSSS related to youths in states like Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Ranjan K Baruah from North East Youth Foundation has mentioned about activities being carried out by the organisation as challenges being faced while working in North East.

Quest Alliance has been working on joyful learning, life skills, foundations skills for youth employability, career development and education. This entire workshop was coordinated by Dharani Payeng, Youth Officer of IGSSS.

Health Department of Lakimpur all set to implement Intensive Pulse Polio Immunisation Program on 24th January ET Correspondent Lakhimpur, Jan 22: The Government of India is going to implement Intensive Pulse Polio Immunisation(IPPI) Program in two phase on 24 to 27th January and 21to 23rd February.

Lakhimmpur District Health Department is all set to implement the same on 24th January. A total of 3368 health workers will administer two drops of polio vaccine to each child out of 1,52,034 between the age group zero to five years. Already 173 Booth Supervisors, 34 Sector Supervisors, 14 Block Supervisors and 4 District Supervisors are engaged for the smooth and successful

conduct of the program. It is to be noted that Poliomyelites, widely known as polio, is one of the most contagious and fatal disease. It not only paralyses the human resource infecting during the childhood but also affects the national economics and the social life. Though India was declared Poliofree country on 27 March, 2014 by virtue of Routine Immunization Programs, but there are still cases of Polio in the African country Nigeria and the neighbouring country Pakistan and Afganistan. In such circumstances, there was a fear of the re-emergence of polio in India in the coming days till the

time even one case of Polio exists in the world.

Therefore the Govt of India has again planned to implement this immunisation program nation wide on the mentioned days to minimise the fear of the re-emergence of the disease. Dr Gunin Kumar Gogoi, the District Immunisation Officer and Dr Jogananda Das, the Additional Chief Medical Officer appealed the people of Lakhimpur to extend their support to make the program successful by bringing their children of mentioned age group to the nearest Polio Booths in order to administer the two drops of polio on vaccine on 24th January.

vehciles in the direction, however, the lights of the vehicle alerted timber mafia who ran away from the scene and hide the vehicle, Wary added.

muddy due to rain we recovered the vehicle hidden at a house and recovered the other end of the rope used for cutting the logs.

Based on information we moved in two

He said, we recovered two logs and following the wheel trail as it was

We have inputs coming which shows that a SULFA from Bordumsa

is involved in the case and we are further investigating it, Wary said.

It should be mentioned that day before police had arrested 4 persons and seized two vehicles with hollong logs in Tarani reserve forest.

Don’t hand over NH-52 to PWD from BRTF: PBNH-52 BC Maksam Tayeng Pasighat, Jan 22: While reiterating their repeated demands and appeals made before both state and central government upon not to hand over National Highway 52 stretching from Pasighat in East Siang to Bomjir at Lower Dibang Valley to state’s Public Work Engineering Department from existing Border Road Task Force (BRTF), the Pasighat-Bomjir NH-52 Bachao Committee

(PBNH-52 BC) has met Chief Engineer, Brahmank here at Raneghat yesterday.

PBNH-52 BC Chairman Todol Pertin while recalling about their submitted various memorandums to state PWD Minister, Lok Sabha MP Ninong Ering, Chief Minister Nabam Tuki and even Union Minister MoRTH Nitin Gadkari not to hand over the construction and maintenance work of NH-52 from Pasighat to

Bomjir apprehending low quality work and project delay, urged Chief Engineer, BRTF, Anil Kumar to pursue the matter from their side also. Pertin, who is spearheading the committee objecting handing over of the said road project to state PWD from BRTF said that, the quality of the work will get compromised as PWD doesn’t have their own men and machineries to take such a big project. On the part of BRTF, Kumar as-

Security tightened for Republic Day in Jorhat ET Correspondent Jorhat, Jan 22: The police administration in Jorhat is leaving no stone unturned to ensure tight security for the Republic Day celebration. All exit and entry points into the district and the city has been put under the scanner and round the clock vigil is maintained as security forces are conducting regular search operations in and around the vulnerable areas.

Jorhat is a known town for regular movement of VIPs, VVIPs, senior officials from Indian Army, Assam Rifles, Indian Air Force, ONGC, OIL India Ltd., and others into the district, thereby proper security is essential, a senior police official said.

Sources from the security forces further said that security scenario for the Up-

Two day consultative workshop at Don Bosco Institute

According to officer in charge of Pengri police station Jai Shankar Wary, they received an information of timber mafia movement between Kathaguri and Pengri.

per Assam districts have been tightened in and around the OIL installations site at Borhulla, Gorajan, Panikhati, and ONGC headquarter at Cinnamora as several banned outfit had called to boycott Republic Day celebrations.

In most of the parade ground like in Majuli subdivision at its Goromur headquarter parade ground, Titabor sub-division-Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, in MarianiBapuji Stadium and at Jorhat Kachari Maidan security has been enhanced while security in and Jorhat Military Station, Indian Air Force Station in Rowriah has been put on high alert.

Police and security forces have also started river patrolling in between Majuli

PM Narendra Modi all set to declassify secret files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on Sunday New Delhi, Jan 22: On the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on Saturday, the Central government will declassify some of the secret files relating to him. The secret files on the legendary freedom fighter will be put in public domain tomorrow by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had last year announced that his government will declassify some of the secret files on Netaji on his birth anniversary.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the files related to the life of Bose would be made public when he met Netaji's family members (on October 14 last year). This would be started by the Prime Minister on January 23," Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said.

Family members of Netaji and some leaders are expected to be present on the occasion.

On October 14 last year, Modi had promised to declassify Netaji files when he met 35 members of Bose's family at his official residence.

"The process of declassification of files relating to Netaji will begin on January 23, 2016, Subhas Babu's

ferry ghats and Jorhat Neematighat as Majuli had always been a strong hold for Ulfa militants in the past.

On the other hand section, 144 has been imposed on the entire border belt between Nagaland and Assam starting from sector A, B, C, and D battalion and Commando force from border outposts were pressed into patrolling and has been kept on high alert and movement of only two will be allowed on foot while pillion riding has been banned throughout the district including other hyper sensitive zones between the border belt of the two states, informed sources from the IGP (operation) of the CRPF headquarter, in-charge of Upper Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Karbi Anlong here.

sured to remain as executing agency of the project if MoRTH is determined to do the remaining uncompleted portion of the road through global tender. BRO is ready and is well equipped to do such work as done before all these days giving good road to the people of the state and the country.

It is worth adding here that, the people of this hill state has became conscious upto this extent today that if the work is handed over to the

PWD, the work quality will get compromised for sure.

The portion of the same road at Assam side from Harmuti to Banderdewa has got almost fully ruined and weathered after it was handed over to the PWD. So appeal made by PBNH52 BC representing the voice of people of this side of Arunachal Pradesh need to be heard as the said road is strategically important too being bordering with China.

Arunachal nominated as one of the best performing states in enhancing power potential A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Jan 22: Union Minister of Power Piyush Goyal has nominated Arunachal Pradesh as one of the best performing states for its contribution to the Power Sector for the 3rd Annual Economic Times Power Focus Summit 2016 scheduled to be held on the 23rd of February 2016, New Delhi. In a communiqué to Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, Rajeev Mishra – Project Head of the Economic Times Power Summit 2016 informed that the State Government will be felicitated by the Union Power Minister on the occasion in recognition of the initiatives the State Government has taken to enhance the power potential of the State. The communiqué stated that “Given the fact that the Government is now seeking at generating Green Energy by 2030, we would like to felicitate the State of Arunachal Pradesh who

among the other states has all the potential to stand among the top state contributors. We are pleased to announce that this year again your Great state has been nominated by the Hon’ble Minister of Power.”

It may be mentioned that Arunachal Pradesh was also felicitated in the 2nd Annual Economic Times Power Summit 2015 held in New Delhi last year.

The Summit this year will witness the participation of 100 + senior visionaries, policy makers and industry leaders to discuss solutions that will help Power Sector chart future course of actions to meet the burgeoning power demand. This summit will also witness a high level panel discussion on the theme “Celebrating Excellence in Power Sector” calling upon the Ministers, Bureaucrats and stakeholders from the Power industry on a common platform.

10 more AMEF cadres surrender courtesy NGHVF

birth anniversary," Modi had tweeted after an hourlong interaction with the family members who sought making public the documents, hoping questions about his mysterious disappearance seven decades back would be answered.

The demand for declassification of secret files with the Centre had gathered momentum, especially after the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal declassified 64 files in its possession last year.

The great freedom fighter's daughter Anita Bose Pfaff meanwhile said that she believes her father died in the air crash in Formosa (now Taiwan) on August 18, 1945, en route to Japan.

While speaking to 'Hindustan Times', Anita expressed her displeasure over the theories floated over Netaji's death and termed them 'asinine'. She said she was annoyed with the theories which say that her father survived the plane crash and and lived as “Gumnami Baba” in the post independence era.

Anita is convinced that the great freedom fighter died in the plane crash and demanded a DNA test to be done on his remains kept at Renkoji Temple in Japan.

Tura, Jan 22: Continuing the enormous progress made by the North Garo Hills Vigilance Forum (NGHVF) ensured the surrender of another ten members of the Achik Matgrik Elite Force (AMEF) today in the village of Samgrak in NGH in the presence of a host of police, villagers as well as other dignitaries.

The surrender was brought about by the Forum after villagers from where the ten cadres of AMEF belonged as well as their families sought the assistance of the forum in helping them to come over ground.

Church elders as well as NGO members had sought the surrender of other outfit members ever since the surrender of the outfit’s chairman and commander in chief in the month of December.

The surrender ceremony started at about 12 pm and ended about an hour later and was witnessed by more than 5000 people from the village as well as those that neighnboured it. It was at-

tended by the local MLA Cherak W Momin of Kharkutta, DIG police – SS Kynjing, DC of NGH – SC Sadhu, SP of NGH Raghavendra Kumar, ASP – Abraham T Sangma, SDPO, NGH – Echeng Bhutia along with members of the vigilance forum and Church elders.

The ten cadres of the outfit that surrendered today have been identied as Saljatchi Marak, Bulthul Marak, Banjrang Sangma, Jhony Marak,Premanear Marak, Aron Marak, Nibirth Marak, Tawan Marak, Jagol Sangma and Sengjan Sangma.

The cadres surrendered 1 LMG, 2 AK pistols, 1 SBBL gun along with an assortment of ammunition, pistols, demand pads and mobile phones.“I am very happy by the decision taken by the people who surrendered today as it gives a chance for peace to usher in Garo Hills. I appeal to all to come forward in the same way so that Garo Hills itself can breathe easier. Everything can be solved through

talks and it is our earnest appeal to all to take the opportunity to help in the peace process”, said local MLA, Cherak Momin.“We have continued our efforts at ensuring those that have lost their way are able to return to the mainstream.

Today’s surrenders is a part of our efforts at bringing normalcy to the people of NGH and will hopefully bring forward more people to the mainstream”, said Wilness Marak, a member of the NGHVF. Echoing the thoughts of his collegue, Tengrak Marak, the president of the NGHVF said, “We are always open to people to come forward for talks and are willing to help those that want to come forward. We hope they do for the sake of Garo Hills and peace”.“We are serious about peace this time and we want to let everyone know that we are willing to help but they should not take things for granted and commit acts that are going to harm Garo Hills. We are happy to be able to bring about change and will continue to do so. We stand for peace”,

Women's polo tournament held on Manipur Statehood Day

Manipur Government recently organised a women's polo tournament as part of its statehood day celebrations

Imphal, Jan. 22: To popularise Polo, the Manipur Government recently organised a women's polo tournament as part of its statehood day celebrations.

Imphal city came alive with some breathtaking strokes made by women polo players from Manipur and the United States.

The five-day tournament was organized by the Manipur Government and the All Manipur Polo Association. "As a spectator, it is nice watching the game. The tournament will not only help them to develop the game, but also enhance their discipline. The players will get to know each other and it will help to develop the sport," said Gangabali, a spectator The Manipur Government is laying special emphasis to popularise polo among women in

the state. There are plans to develop a national women's polo team, with major participation by players from Manipur.

"Our aim is to build a women's polo team for India and since Manipur is the birthplace of polo, we have a lot of potential for the women's team," said Tansen Konjengbam, Secretary, All Manipur Polo Association.

"Women's polo is coming up really good in the U.S. and I am happy to see that people have started to play here. I think everyone should be treated equally and women should have as many chances to play as the men do," said Carly Persano, an American polo player. Such international events not only promote sportsmanship but also empower women to create a niche for themselves in the field of sport. (ANI)

PAGE 5

REGION

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

PM Modi grants ST status to Bodos, Karbis and Mikirs Gangtok, Jan. 22: On his recent visit to northeast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Bodos, Karbis and Mikirs would hence forth be included in the Scheduled Tribes list.

Prime Minister Modi also laid emphasis on organic farming and information technology. He also announced Sikkim as the country's first organic state and asked others to follow it to ensure a healthy future. Modi also announced an airstrip at Rupshree in Dhubri district bordering Kokrajhar, that it would be upgraded to an airport for

both Air Force and civilian use.

In Guwahati, the Prime Minister also unveiled the plaque for the foundation of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIT), Guwahati. In his address to students of IIT, NIT and central universities of the North-east, the Prime Minister said the 21st century was the century of knowledge.

"He came to IIT Guwahati for the first time especially for the campaign 'Start-up India'. He stated that India has a very talented youth and the country should produce everything here

Prime MinisterNarendra Modi announced that Bodos, Karbis and Mikirs would hence forth be included in the Scheduled Tribes list.

only. The Prime Minister's words were very inspiring," said a student.

"We got good inspiration from the Prime Minister.

We are trying to do something good for our country and there is much talent in IIT Guwahati. If good students do not mi-

grate to foreign countries and research here, then it will be very good for our country," said another student. On his visit to Gangtok city in Sikkim, Prime Minister Modi laid emphasis on the promotion of organic farming.

He declared that Sikkim, which is nestled in the Himalayas, has become the first fully organic state by converting around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land into sustainable cultivation.

Modi said he hoped that people across the country would adopt organic farming. He also said that there

Tripura youth acquire skill development training in leather products Agartala, Jan. 22: Twenty young men and women were recently given skill development training in leather productsin Agartala, Tripura.

The training was undertaken in the Arundhuti Nagar Industrial Estate of West Tripura District.

It was facilitated by the NB Institute of Rural Technology in association with state's Welfare for Minorities Department.

"Here, most of the trainees are from those families who had been traditionally making leather goods but were not progressing technically.

Hence, for technical support the government of Tripura has started this

leather training institute so that their skills can be developed," said Kalisankar Nayak, a trainer.

"In the beginning they learn to make leather bags and after six months of training we will teach them how to make shoes.

You can take my example. After training, I got a job here. Moreover, this is a common facility centre and so if they want, they can continue to work here and I have done that.

If there is willingness then surely they shall get work," said another trainer, Sampa Das. The students undergo year-long training that includes both theory and practical. Adequate

equipments and machinery are available at the training centre so that the young artisans learn how to design the right products for the right market and also how to develop their designs in the most efficient way.

The trainees also receive a monthly stipend of Rs 1200 during the training.

"I am a first semester student of Ram Thakur College. In present situation getting any government job is very tough so taking this training by which I can make a living and become self dependent in the future and help my parents. We can also start self-help-group or a business," said Supriya Das, Trainee "For the last six months, I have been learning to

Twenty young men and women were recently given skill development training in leather productsin Agartala

make various kinds of bags like ladies bags, purse, handbag, China bag, diary bag etc. I am taking the training because it will be useful in future and I am interested in starting a business of making bags," said another trainee Archana

Rishidas.

The government is giving emphasis on developing skills of the youths to make them self-reliant. The opening of production units will generate more employment opportunities in the region. (ANI)

Get Rid of Morcha, Woman entrepreneur encourages youth to Insists Trinmool Darjeeling, Jan 22:The Trinamul Congress today appealed to the people of Darjeeling hills to give the party a chance in thecoming Assembly polls and refrain from voting for the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha which had "fooled" them in the previous elections.

The ruling party today virtually kicked off its election campaign in the hills at Mirik, around 50km from Siliguri, which the state had said would be upgraded from a block to subdivision.Trinamul secretary general Partha Chatterjee, MP Abhishek Banerjee, minister Arup Biswas and former footballer Bhaichung Bhutia spoke at a public meeting organised at Alley Ground here. The common tone was an appeal to the hill residents to support Trinamul so that development process could be expedited in the hills."Seeing the overwhelming response of the residents of the hills here today, I can assure the chief minister that we are going to win the upcoming elections here. I appeal to

the residents here not to bow in front of the Morcha, which is trying to lure you with money power. The Morcha and the BJP have made false commitments regularly.

Time has come to give them an apt reply. If leaders seek your votes, you just promise them votes. When the elections come, cast your vote against them and for Trinamul. This way, you can fool them, like what they did to you after securing your votes in the previous elections," Banerjee told a gathering of over 3,000 people.In their attacks, the Trinamul leaders focussed on the Morcha and S.S. Ahluwalia, the BJP MP of Darjeeling.

"Bimal Gurung has realised his ship will capsize soon and he will have to fly from the hills. When the chief minister had said she would turn Darjeeling into Switzerland, many people had laughed at her. But today, these people are singing a popular Hindi song ' Tum to thahre pardesi, saath kya nibhaoge' while they address the BJP MP here," minister Biswas said.( Agencies)

Get Rid of Morcha, Insists Trinmool

become self reliant in Manipur

Twenty-seven-year-old Nongmaithem Momita

Imphal, Jan. 22: Twenty-seven-year-old Nongmaithem Momita who hails from Yaiskul Chingakham Leirak is one of the Manipur's most promising entrepreneurs, and is running a food processing unit.

After her post gradua-

tion in commerce, she expanded her mother's business and launched 'Mom's Goo Goo Food', a food processing unit in June 2015. She employs a staff of five people and plans to further expand the business.

"At first my mom, dad

and I were part of this business. My mom would do the cooking and my dad would help in the packaging and then I would sell it to the retailers. Now, we are able to provide employment opportunities to five to six women in our locality and there are many more who are willing to work in my unit but due to lack of funds or some other issues we cannot hire them. However, we will soon employ them and further increase the production," said Momita.

"When I started for the first time, this business was very small. I used to buy two to three kilos of meat and prepare it alone. Sometimes, my husband used to

help me in packaging and I would sell it only for Rs. 10 per packet.

Now, we have different ranges of products because of my daughter's hard work," said Nongmaithem Luxmi, Mother of Momita.

The unit produces items like dry meat with spice, dry meat with bamboo shoot, dry meet shingju and pork meat pickle. These products are also available in the local shops.

"It is very good. Now we have only four items and we are planning to produce more other items. I am earning around 6000- 7000 per month. Before I used to depend on my husband but now I have my own income so I manage my

own expenditure and other household requirements," said Chongtham Ongbi Sunita, a staff "If we produce more products and improve the quality then there is a chance that we can export. The food quality is very good and it's very hygienic. We have not registered any complaint about the product," said Pholendro, a retailer customer.

The Centre's 'Skill India' initiative will motivate more women entrepreneurs from the northeast to start new ventures.

It will also help boost the economy and generate more employment opportunities.

(ANI)

SAG Shillong leg flagged off on Statehood Day Shillong, Jan 22: Meghalaya yesterday celebrated its 44th statehood day with chief minister Mukul Sangma flagging of the Shillong leg of the 12th South Asian Games here at sun rise and hundreds of people participated at the run with the SAG torch.Sangma and Sports Minister Zenith Sangma formally received the relay torch from SAGShillong CEO and other officials before handing it over to ace sportspersons including pugilist Mary Kom. Addressing a gathering before the flagging off the run at Iewrynghep,

Sangma said the SAG event in Shillong will boost the enthusiasm of the people of the state especially those who are in the field of sports.Along with the Chief Minister, five times world boxing champion Mary Kom led sportspersons in carrying the torch all the way to Polo grounds where Chief Secretary P B O Warjri received the torch.

Besides this, there are other programmes to mark the statehood day.Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended greetings to the Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura - all celebrating

statehood day on Thursday - saying, "I wish these states the very best in their development journey." Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan extended greetings to the people and prayed for lasting peace and prosperity for its people.

He said the state is small but has immense potential due to the green cover, water and mineral resources and its talented people."We should all resolve to put in our best efforts to see that Meghalaya emerges as a premiere state of the country."

In another programme, IT Minister A L Hek

Mukul Sangma gave laptops to meritorious students who passed the board exams last year.A flower show,

a mini carnival for children and a local food festival were also organised. (Agencies)

was a need to ensure the farmers got proper guidance in this regard. "We need to make special arrangements for farmers' guidance to fulfill their requirements and make arrangement for marketing of their products. If a block or a district succeeds then it (organic farming) will spread to adjoining areas automatically," said Prime Minister Modi.

The Centre has specially focused on development related schemes in the Northeast region and thePrime Minister's recent visit gives impetus to this initiative. (ANI)

PM Modi gifts electronic aid to 'divyaang' in Varanasi Varanasi, Jan. 22 : P r i m e MinisterNarendra Modi gifted electronic aid to differentlyabled people in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Friday. Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Modi also expressed his concern for the people, who got injured in the bus on their way to this venue. He said that the government would make adequate arrangements for treatment of those injured in the accident.

The Prime Minister lauded Lord Loomba and his wife for their contribution for the betterment of widows.

He also recalled the inspirational speech given by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe during his visit to India. "A few days ago, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came here to Kashi. At a recent speech, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke about Kashi, Maa Ganga and his thoughts during the Aarti. His words will make every Indian proud. I thank him for the kind words he said on Kashi and on the Ganga," he said.

(ANI)

Man arrested for eloping with girl Agartala, Jan. 21: Police today arrested a crazy for marriage person from Garjanmura under RK Pur police station. Ajit Nama, who was married eloped with his sister in law- Dipika Sarkar on January 16 and started life afresh.

Worried by the sudden development, Ratna Nama, mother of Dipika lodged an FIR against Ajit. Based on the compliant, police today carried out raid and arrested the crazy for marriage person from his newly found house. Police said the girl, who was rescued during the raid, was handed over to her family. The incident stunned the local people.( Agencies)

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

PAGE 6

Mrinalini Sarabhai left indelible mark on Indian classical dance: President Court asks police to file New Delhi, Jan. 22: PresidentPranab Mukherjee on Friday condoled the passing away of Indian classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai, saying she left an indelible mark on Indian classical dance as an eminent danseuse.

In a condolence message to her daughter, Mallika Sarabhai, President Mukherjee said, "I am sad to learn about the passing away of your mother, Mrinalini Sarabhai left an indelible mark on Indian classical dance as an eminent

danseuse, choreographer and teacher. Educated at Shantiniketan and a disciple of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, she was trained in Bharatnatyam, Kathakali and Mohiniyattom.

Dance was her life, passion and existence."

"Mrinalini Sarabhai believed that the power of dance, music, arts and literature must be experienced by the common man. She was a poet and author as well as a dedicated activist who fought against dowry deaths, suppression of women and child labour," he

PresidentPranab Mukherjee added.

The President also said that Sarabhai exemplified the fighting spirit of

her mother and freedom fighter, Ammu Swaminathan and her sister Lakshmi Sehgal,

who was Commander-inChief of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 'Rani of Jhansi Regiment' of the Indian National Army.

"She was also of inspiration and support to her husband, Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian Space programme," said President Mukherjee. "In recognition of her invaluable contribution to Indian classical dance and arts, Sarabhai was honoured by the nation with several awards, including Padma Shri in 1965 and Padma Bhushan in 1992. Her

death leaves a void in the world of creativity and performing arts which will be difficult to fill.

Her tireless efforts to spread Indian classical dance around the world will be always remembered," he added.

President Mukherjee further added "Please accept my heartfelt condolences and convey the same to the rest of your family members. I pray to the Almighty to give you and other members of the family strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss". (ANI)

'Agitating' VIMSAR Opposition equates Kejriwal to Congress for missing 1984 files doctors put stir on New Delhi, Jan. 22: The riots. hold till Jan. 31 opposition on Friday The Bharatiya Janata Bhubaneswar, Jan. 22: The agitating doctors of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Science and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla have decided to put their stir on hold till January 31.

The decision in this regard was taken at the general body meeting of the Junior Doctors' Association on Wednesday.

Members of the Association and resident doctors of the institution, who

had joined hands with the doctors, also unanimously agreed to join work from Thursday.

The development is presumed to be result of Wednesday's meeting between the Association delegation and Health Minister at Bhubaneswar. About 450 junior doctors and house surgeons ofBurla Medical College have been on strike for the last 11 days.

(ANI)

BSF beefs up boat check posts on Punjab riverine border Ajnala, Jan.22: The Border Security Forces (BSF) has beefed up boat-related patrolling and check posts along the riverine border that separates India and Pakistan to prevent infiltration and smuggling operations.

The BSF has identified around 140 porous gaps along the border in Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. For instance, in the 553-km-long riverine belt through which the rivers Ravi, Sutlej and Beas flow and keep changing their courses, the BSF has introduced improvised systems to augment the security apparatus. Boat patrolling and check posts are deployed along the Radcliffe Line at night.

The Radcliffe Line was announced on August 17, 1947 as a boundary demarcation line between India and Pakistan upon the Partition of India. It was named after its architect, Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who, as chairman of the Border Commissions, was charged with equitably dividing 175,000 square miles (450,000 square kilometres) of territory with 88 million people.

Today its western side still serves as the IndoPakistani border and the eastern side serves as the India-Bangladesh border.

The riverine border has been a challenge for bor-

der guards to stop smugglers and other unwanted activities. In the past, the BSF has not only seized contraband drugs and fake currency but also gunned down many smugglers and recovered arms and ammunition from them.

BSF officials say that border fencing at some places have got damaged because of the water pressure.

Inspector General of the Border Range of the BSF Anil Paiwal said, "We have a round-theyear planning and strategy for overall domination of the border, especially at riverine gaps.

The planning includes physical obstruction, deployment, lighting and alarm system etc.

We also undertake 'boat nakas' on country made as well as motorboats in the river. For elaborate security, our commanders have the strategies and deployment for the domination of areas and our jawans are on a high state of alert." According to available data, between 2010 and 2014, the BSF seized 367 kilograms of heroin and 119 arms.

The drug menace in Punjab is reportedly of a very high level and authorities are hard pressed to counter it. A report also says that the consumption of synthetic drugs is more than that of heroin in Punjab. (ANI)

The Border Security Forces (BSF) has beefed up boatrelated patrolling and check posts along the riverine border

slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the alleged missing files of the 1984 Sikh riots, saying the former was 'hand in glove with the Congress'.

"Kejriwal is hand in glove with the Congress on the Sikh riots issue.

They are interested more in politics than in delivering justice to Sikhs," Manjeet Singh GK, a leader of the Akali Dal told.

"This shows the commitment of Kejriwal to the 1984 riots, he only wants to make it a political issue," he added. Singh further said that the Aam Aadmi Party is no less than Congress, as because they never allowed a probe to occur in the

Party also sought an explanation from the Delhi Chief Minister if report is correct. "Questions are going to be asked, as to why are these papers allegedly missing. Why has this happened during this tenure," BJP leader Nalin Kohli told.

"I think in this case there should be specific answer and responsibility should be fixed," he added. According to reports a file on constitution of the SIT to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh carnage is reportedly missing from Delhi Home Department since March 16, 2015.

The file was reportedly marked to then city home minister Jitender Singh Tomar, now on bail in a

action taken report on SRK and Salman

Bollywood actors Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan

New Delhi, Jan. 22: A Delhi court on Friday asked the police to file an action taken report on a plea against Bollywood actors Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan for allegedly hurting religious sentiments during an episode.

A criminal complaint was lodged against Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and a TV channel for allegedly hurting sentiments of devotees by entering the sets of a temple wearing shoes while shooting for Bigg Boss 9.

The next hearing in the

case is on February 12. Petitioner and advocate Gaurav Gulati demanded action against the two actors and the channel for disrespecting the sentiments of the devotees.

According to him, Shah Rukh and Salman were seen wearing shoes on the sets of temple of goddess Kali while shooting for an episode of Bigg Boss where the idol can be seen in the background. The complaint against the two actors was filed in Roop Nagar Police Station.

(ANI)

BJP creating melodrama on Netaji files: Singhvi Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal case over his fake degrees. The "missing file" issue surfaced at a critical juncture for the Aam Aadmi Party, as it plans to contest the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections.

The AAP government has time and again raised the 1984 anti-Sikh riots issue. It had recently given an additional Rs.5 lakhs in compensation to

families of the riot victims. However, senior lawyer H S Phoolka, today said the missing files of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) related to the 1984-anti Sikh riots ordered by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during his 49day-old government had no bearing with the current SIT formed by the Centre. (ANI)

New Delhi, Jan. 22: Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of creating a melodrama over declassification of Netaji files and said that the government must do what it wants without further ado.

Singhvi further asked why the BJP-led government took two years to declassify the files.

"If they want to declassify the files, why did they take two years? They just want

to just play politics on it.

Why are they creating so much melodrama on it," he told.

Singhvi also commented on the Hyderabad Dalit scholar's suicide asserting that the culprits should be brought to book. He also said that irrespective of whether Rohith Vemula was a dalit, the way he was treated was wrong. He further said, "We shouldn't defame the memory of dead person calling that he wasn't a dalit." (ANI)

Third JWG meetings on sub-regional cooperation Sunanda Pushkar died of between BBIN held in Dhaka Alprax drug overdose

The third meetings of the Joint Working Groups (JWG) on sub-regional cooperation was held in Dhaka on January 19 and 20.

New Delhi, Jan. 22 : The third meetings of the Joint Working Groups (JWG) on sub-regional cooperation between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) on water resources management and power/hydropower and on connectivity and transit was held in Dhaka on January 19 and 20. The Bangladesh delegation was led by Tareq Md. Ariful Islam,

Director General (South Asia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Bhutanese delegation by Karma P Dorji, Director, Department of Hydropower and Power Systems, Ministry of Economic Affairs; the Nepalese delegation by Prakash Kumar Suvedi, Joint Secretary (South Asia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the Indian delegation respec-

tively by Abhay Thakur, Joint Secretary (North) and Sripriya Ranganathan, Joint Secretary (BM), Ministry of External Affairs.

The discussions at the meeting were cordial, constructive and forward looking, with many new initiatives for deepening sub regional cooperation identified and deliberated upon. The JWG on water resources management and power/hydropower carried forward earlier discussions on scope for power trade and inter-grid connectivity cooperation in future power projects and water resources management between the four countries.

Specific hydropower projects under BBIN framework that could be concretized on equitable basis were discussed. It was decided that an experts group would be con-

stituted for exchanging best practices in water resources management and on specifics of the identified projects, power trade, inter grid connectivity, flood forecasting and other areas of possible cooperation.

The JWG on connectivity and transit reviewed progress under the BBIN MVA and made recommendations relevant to this process. It was agreed to commence discussion on the possibility of having a BBIN rail agreement drawing on the draft SAARC regional rail Agreement template. It was also agreed that land ports/ land customs stations crucial for sub regional trade and transit would be given priority attention by all four countries. The next meeting of the JWGs would be held in the second half of 2016 in India. (ANI)

Missing 1984 SIT file leaves me shocked and disgusted: Patra New Delhi, Jan. 22: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sambit Patraaccused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of playing politics on the issue of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and added that it was absolutely shocking to hear that a file related to the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has gone missing for the last ten months.

"Mr. Arvind Kejriwal, when he was contesting the Delhi elections, played politics on the 1984 Sikh riots. In fact, he said he wanted to set-

up a SIT at the earliest, and today we learn, it is absolutely disgusting and shocking to learn, that the file which was meant to set up the SIT is missing. It has been missing since the last 10 months and no one cared to think as to where the file was or is," he said.

Patra said Kejriwal was busy getting involved in international and national politics and hence losing out on Delhi. "It shows what the real nature of politicking in Delhi is, what the real nature of the politics of Mr. Arvind Kejriwal is.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sambit Patra

Only announce and do nothing about it.

Anyways Mr. Arvind Kejriwal has no time for any kind of work in Delhi because he is absolutely engaged and busy in international and national politics. With all kind of

visits in Hyderabad and Dadri, it is but natural that if you are engaged in all kinds of activities other than Delhi, you will naturally miss out the files which are very important for establishing the SIT for 1984 riots," he added.

The Aam Aadmi Party government has landed itself in a mess in the wake of reports stating that a file related to the constitution of the Special Investigation Team to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh carnage has been missing from the Delhi Government's home department since March 16, 2015. (ANI)

Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor

New Delhi, Jan. 22: Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, died of poisoning due to an overdose of the anti-anxiety drug Alprax, an AIIMS medical board has said in its report.

According to a report by national daily Indian Express, the report states, ".

The circumstantial recovery of empty Alprax tablets (27 tablets) and report of FBI, which shows that presence of Alprax in stomach and its contents, spleen, liver, half of each kidney, blood sample, as well as urine wet clothing, bed cover and bed sheet, confirmed the death due to 'excessive ingestion of tablet alprazolam."

The medical board's report states that the FBI re-

ported the presence of lidocaine, an antiarrhythmic drug of heart which may cause fatality if administered intravenously.

The medical board has also stated Pushkar was discharged in a perfectly healthy condition on January 14, 2014, from Kerala Institute Medical Sciences, and was never diagnosed as a case of lupus despite thorough investigation in several laboratories.

On an email claiming Pushkar had lupus and was consulting a doctor practising in Dubai, the medical board has stated it was a "desperate effort to mislead the investigation by a doctor who is not even a specialist of lupus and merely a child specialist". (ANI)

SC orders CBI probe of BSP MLA Raju Pal's murder New Delhi, Jan. 22: TheSupreme Court on Friday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the 2005 murder ofBahujan Samaj Party MLA Raju Pal. On January 25, 2005, unidentified gunmen sprayed Pal's vehicle with bullets, injur-

ing him and several others. Pal died while being taken to hospital.

Former Samajwadi Party MLA Khalid Azeem was declared the prime accused in the murder and was arrested by the police in 2011. He was later released on bail. (ANI)

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

PAGE 7

NEIGHBOURS

EU, Lanka disscuss UNHRC resolution implementation Colombo, Jan 22: The EU has highlighted the need to address human rights issues in Sri Lanka as the two sides discussed the full-implementation of the UNHRC resolution on alleged rights abuses during the final phase of the civil war with Tamil rebels. In a meeting of the Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights under the European Union-Sri Lanka Joint

Commission here yesterday, the two sides recognized the full implementation of the UN Human Rights Council resolution of October 2015 as a priority.

Senior officials from Sri Lanka and the EU exchanged views on ongoing consultations on the establishment of domestic reconciliation and accountability mechanisms, the ministry of foreign affairs said.

Pak court lifts ban on rare bird hunting

Pak court lifts ban on rare bird hunting Islamabad, Jan 22: Pakistan's Supreme Court today, lifted a ban on hunting of a rare bird, houbara bustard, whose meat is prized among Arab sheikhs as an aphrodisiac. The ban was imposed by former chief justice Jawwad S Khawaja on August 20, who also ordered the cancellation of all existing permits issued by government to Arab rulers.The federal and provincial governments in October had challenged the ban, pleading that sustainable hunting should be allowed. A five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali lifted the ban in a verdict on the review petitions.

Though the decision was not unanimous and there was one dissenting note

by Justice Qazi Faez Isa who opposed the bench's order. The petitioners had pleaded that issuing hunting permits to Arabs dignitaries was part of foreign policy. The attorney gen-

eral (AG) Salman Butt asked the Supreme Court to allow "sustainable hunting" of the bird. Pakistan enjoys good ties with Arab rulers who love hunting houbara. Its meat is considered having aphrodisiac value.People from the Gulf travel to Balochistan province every winter to kill the houbara bustard using hunting falcons. The issue of hunting came into limelight after a report in 2014 showed Saudi prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud killed over 2,100 houbara bustard in a cruel 21-day campaign in clear violation of his permit to hunt only 100 birds. Houbara bustard is listed in the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Bonn Convention, and is declared as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The meat of houbara bustard is considered as having aphrodisiac qualities by the Arabs. (Agencies)

3 killed, 9 injured in Morang police firing Kathmandu, Jan 22: At least three persons were killed in police firing in Rangeli Bazaar and Dayaniya in Morang on Thursday-first deaths in the eastern Tarai district during the five-and-a-half-monthlong Madhes agitation.The deceased were identified as Draupadi Devi Chaudhary, 60, of Rangeli-4, Mahadev Rishidev of Bardanga-2 and Shivu Majhi of Dayaniya-9 of the district. Morang Chief District Officer of Toyam Raya confirmed the deaths.

Death toll in the ongoing Tarai protests has now reached 57, according to records of the Home Ministry.At least nine persons, who have sustained bullet injuries, are receiving treatment in Koshi Zonal Hospital and Golden Hospital in Biratnagar and BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan. Tension flared up in Rangeli, the old district headquarters of Morang, after Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) activists attempted to disrupt a programme organised by Youth Association of Nepal (YAN), youth wing of the ruling CPN-UML.Clashes ensued after police stopped the SLMM activists who were heading towards YAN's programme venue.UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel, Minister for Youth and Sport Satya Narayan Mandal and UML leaders Shankar Pokharel and Mahesh Basnet among others at-

tended the programme. Police said they were forced to use force to avert any untoward incident, as the protesters wielding batons and home-made weapons marched towards YAN's programme venue.Police had to open fire into the air and lob tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd. Police said the protesters were wielding swords, spears, arrows, batons and other home-made weapons.Among the deceased, Chaudhary was a Rastriya Prajatantra PartyNepal activist. She received bullet injuries near Kali Temple as she came out of the house for some work.

After clashes in Rangeli, the SLMM activists torched two buses ferrying UML supporters in Dayaniya. Security personnel used force after protesters torched the vehicles without letting the passengers get off.According to Inspector Surendra Prakash Shrestha, SLMM activists had taken six UML activists under control, who were later rescued by security personnel.Madhesi Morcha cadres also vandalised houses of two UML cadres in Rangeli on Wednesday night.Tension erupted in Rangeli since Wednesday after the SLMM decided to disrupt YAN's programme, which earlier organisers had said would be attended by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. The prime minister, however, did not attend the programme. (Agencies)

Sri Lanka Flag

Sponsored by the US, the UK and other countries, including Sri Lanka, the

resolution calls upon Colombo to establish a credible judicial process,

with the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers and authorised prosecutors and investigators, to go into the alleged rights abuses. Both the Lankan army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are accused of atrocities in the civil war that ended in 2009. The 28-member EU also highlighted the importance of addressing human rights issues, including sexual and gender

based violence, torture and the protection of persons belonging to minority groups as well as the need to combat corruption. The Joint Commission provides a forum for regular and structured bilateral engagement under the EU-Sri Lanka Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development of 1995. The next Working Group meeting would be held in Brussels within the next one year.

(Agencies)

Pak, Afghanistan Need to Work Together to Tackle Taliban: WH Islamabad ,Jan 22:Pakistan and Afghanistan need to work together to effectively overcome the Taliban challenge, the White House said, a day after the militant group massacred 21 people, mostly students, at a popular Pakistani university."The conclusion that we've drawn here is.That the Taliban poses a security threat to both countries, and that the nations of Afghanistan and Pakistan are going to be able to more effectively confront that threat if they're able to more effectively cooperate," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters yesterday.Earnest said the US has long been supportive of the reconciliation process between the Afghan government and the

Taliban.

He said the US is hoping to facilitate better co-operation between the two South Asian neighbours. As part of that role, US Vice President Joe Biden held a trilateral meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Davos yesterday to discuss the recent r e c o n c i l i a t i o n efforts.During the meeting, Biden reaffirmed US support for reconciliation and improved bilateral ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan."Any sort of decisions about how the continuation of those talks and any sort of agreement that could be produced by those talks about whether or not that's in the interest of those countries to pursue - those

are decisions that will be made by the leaders in those two countries, as it should be," he said.

But the US will continue to play the role that it has played for some time now in supporting reconciliation talks that are led by those individual countries, he added.Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the US have called on all Afghan Taliban groups

to start talks with Kabul to find a political solution to the longrunning conflict in the wartorn country.On Wednesday, heavily-armed Taliban militants stormed the Bacha Khan University, named after the iconic Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, in Pakistan's KhyberPakhtunkhwa province and opened fire on students and teachers, killing 21 people.

(Agencies)

Pakistan and Afghanistan need to work together to effectively overcome the Taliban challenge, the White House said, a day after the militant group massacred 21 people, mostly students, at a popular Pakistani university

Bangladeshis among 4 ejected from US flight for Muslim appearance Dhaka, Jan 22: A flight attendant kicked four men, including two Bangladeshi nationals, off a recent Toronto-to-New York flight for looking too Muslim.The four -Faimul Alam and another flier, whose identity could not be confirmed, are Bangladeshi Muslims, one is an Arab Muslim and Shah Anand a Sikh from India - were all ordered off the flight.However, the other two had been identified by their initials as WH and MK.According to a new $9m federal lawsuit, the appearance of the four Brooklyn men made the captain uneasy.

The four fliers from Brighton Beach were among six long-time pals who spent several days in Toronto this December, New York Daily News reported on January 18.The report said the four had booked different flights home but they later decided to return on the same American Airlines flight which was scheduled to fly around 2pm.Of them, Shah Anand and Faimul Alam, paid $75 to switch to the flight that their other two friends had booked.WH and MK also changed their booking by paying $70 for an upgrade to business class.They were assigned seats in the first and third row, respectively.

Shah Anand and Faimul switched seats with strangers after boarding, so they could sit next to each other.Later, a white female flight attendant asked WH to get off the plane, said the

lawsuit which was to be filed Monday in a Brooklyn Federal Court.

"I thought it was an evacuation or something, so I didn't think nothing of it, but then she told me to take my bags, and when I went back into the plane I saw I was the only one standing," WH, a fashion designer, told the Daily News in an exclusive interview.The flight attendant then asked MK, who works as a construction worker, to leave.Passengers surrounding Shah Anand and Faimul made racist comments and clutching their children "as if something was going to happen," the suit charges."Then we were asked to get our belongings to get off the aircraft," said Faimul Alam, a general contractor who runs his own construction company.

Faimul Alam, other Bangladeshi flier, the Arab Muslim and Anand were all ordered off the flight.

However, the other two one Hispanic and the other, Pakistani - had fallen asleep and were not kicked off, they claim."They were told to 'just be peaceful,' making it seem like they were a threat, making other passengers uncomfortable and wanting to get off the flight," said Tahanie Aboushi, who represents them.When they got off the plane, a jittery agent from American Airlines told them they made the crew uncomfortable."She said the stewardess and the captain felt uneasy with us being on the flight," W.H.

The four men were among six longtime pals who spent several days in Toronto

said. "There were inconsistencies of our behaviour travelling as a group, because two of us upgraded and two of us didn't.""They did not cite any basis of inappropriate or boisterous behaviour; their situation wasn't a security issue or threat," charged Aboushi.

"It's the plaintiffs' position that the reason they were taken off the flight is because this is blatant discrimination."On the other hand, MK said he asked the agent if they were thrown off because of their appearance. Faimul Alam has a darker complexion while WH has a beard.

Anand was wearing a turban and a beard, in keeping with his Sikh tradition.The agent said their appearance "did not help," according to the suit.The flight took off, leaving the four men behind.The gate agent told them they had to wait to see whether the captain and crew of the next flight would agree to let them on board, they claim."They said it was protocol," said Anand, who works as a per-

sonal banker.The captain of the flight that Anand and Alam had originally booked agreed to take the four men to LaGuardia Airport.They are each seeking $1m in compensatory damages and $5m in punitive damages.Under federal guidelines, airlines are accorded the latitude to stipulate when flight captains may and may not refuse to transport a passenger. The pilot and flight crew in this case were contracted through Republic Airlines, a source said.The men are also suing Republic Airlines and American Eagle, which were operating the plane under the banner of American Airlines. Republic and American Eagle could not immediately be reached for comment."I have travelled many times and never thought this would happen to me," said W.H., who is reconsidering a trip to Amsterdam because of this experience. "It never crossed my mind that I would ever feel discriminated against. I felt like a criminal." (Agencies)

Beijing plans to build new schools with air purifiers Beijing, Jan 22: The plan, which must be approved by the central government, is designed to combat high levels of toxic gases and harmful particles found in the city's air. Concerned parents have been clamoring for added protection at the city's schools."Schools must guarantee students' safety and get permission from their parents before installing," Xian Lianping, the head of Beijing Municipal Education Commission."If schools

and districts can afford air filters, they can install them," Xian added.

Beijing has issued two "red alerts" this winter due to severe pollution. Schools are closed during the alerts, and children are encouraged to stay indoors.

Fast growth helped propel China to become the world's second-largest economy.

But the rapid urbanization and industrialization also meant plenty of polluting factories.The World Bank estimates the total cost of air

and water pollution is equivalent to 6% of Chinese GDP each year. That includes the impact on health, along with damage to natural resources, such as ruined crops from acid rain.

President Xi Jinping announced a five-year plan to

tackle pollution in September 2013, with the aim of reducing the country's reliance on coal-fired power stations.

Critics, however, say the government is not moving quickly enough to reduce pollution levels. (Agencies)

Education authorities in Beijing plan to include air purification systems as a standard feature in new schools, according to reports in Chinese state media.

India, Pakistan secretary-level talks to be held soon, says official

India, Pakistan secretary-level talks Islamabad, Jan 22: The secretary level talks between India and Pakistan will be held soon, said foreign office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah. The secretary-level talks were scheduled to take place on January 15, which was called off in the wake of Pathankot airbase attack.

"The meeting is going to be held in the near future and both sides are in touch in this regard," said Khalilullah while holding a weekly briefing at the Foreign Office on Thursday. In a pre-dawn attack on January 2 on the airbase, seven Indian security officials were

martyred while six terrorists were killed. There has been heightened vigil along the Indo-Pak border after the Pathankot attack.

The BSF had been criticised for failing to curb the infiltrations and also not acting enough against the drug mafia which thrives along this border. Read More: BSF guns down Pakistan infiltrator at Pathankot The BSF has decided to step up its vigil and ensure that infiltrations come to a halt.

The defence ministry too after the Pathankot attack had said that those who fail in their duties along the border must be made accountable.(Agencies)

Myanmar's army-backed gov't frees 20 political prisoners Yangon ,Jan 22:Myanmar's militarybacked government released 20 political prisoners Friday, months before it is scheduled to hand over power to an elected pro-democracy party.The released detainees said prison authorities declared that they were among 101 prisoners including common criminals who were released from Insein Prison in Yangon's northern outskirts."Early this morning, the prison guards called the names of 20 political prisoners and told us to pack up and get ready to go back home," said Soe Zaw, a 44 year-old political prisoner released Friday after fourteen months in prison, "Our families were not informed.

More than 1,300 political prisoners have been freed by President Thein Sein's military-backed government, which took power in 2011 after an election that marked an end to almost five decades of direct military rule. Activists say several hundred political offenders are still detained or await trial.Visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this week urged the government release all re-

maining political prisoners.Myanmar is set for a change of government after the National League for Democracy party of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won an easy majority in last November's general election, dislodging Thein Sein's Union Solidarity and Development party, which was widely considered a proxy for the military."There shouldn't be any political activists in prison in this government's so-called democratic country," said Aung Myo Kyaw, a spokesperson for the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent human rights organization.

According to the group, 272 political activists were arrested in 2015, of whom 180 have been imprisoned.

At least four activists were detained in the past few months over postings on Facebook."There are a lot of political prisoners still in prison. I cannot be happy because many of our fellows are still inside," said Ba Myint, a political prisoner released Friday. "We hope other political prisoners are released soon, too."

(Agencies)

Myanmar's army-backed gov't frees 20 political prisoners

Sri Lanka Navy releases 102 Indian fishermen Colombo, Jan 22: Over 100 Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan authorities for illegally poaching in its waters have been handed over to the Indian Coast Guard, the navy said. The 102 boarded Coast Guard Ships "Durgavati" and "Amaya" north of

Kankasanthurei in northern Sri Lanka on Thursday.The Sri Lanka Navy often arrests Indian fishermen for violating the international maritime boundary and entering the island nation's waters. India and Sri Lanka are divided by a narrow strip of sea. (Agencies)

PAGE 8

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

Ebola Virus Infection

Indian Ocean: India Deploys New Sub-Killer Planes to Counter Chinese Subs

Prevention is better than cure

Two Poseidon 8I aircraft have recently been dispatched to the strategically-located Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.

Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes bleeding inside and outside the body. As the virus spreads through the body, it damages the immune system and organs. Ultimately, it causes levels of blood-clotting cells to drop. This leads to severe, uncontrollable bleeding. The disease, also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever or Ebola virus, kills up to 90% of people who are infected. The most recent Ebola-related death in Sierra Leone and the fact that we know the reservoirs of Ebola still exist, underline why we must learn lessons from the devastating impact of the crisis and ensure we are better prepared for infectious disease outbreaks. The world is still worryingly underprepared for potential future health threats and a change of mindset is required to ensure we invest in research and development today to protect ourselves in years to come. The latest major Ebola outbreak began in West Africa in 2014 and has killed 11,315 people, mainly in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Nearly 30,000 cases have been reported as of January 3.

Deaths were also reported in Mali, Nigeria and the U.S. The vaccine announcement comes just two days after Sierra Leone, one of the countries worst-hit by the outbreak, quarantined 109 people after a death from Ebola. Hours before the death, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that active transmission of the virus had ended in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. Survivors of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) may suffer from complications such as vision, hearing and joint pain, even months after their discharge, scientists, including one of Indian-origin have found. The findings are based on clinical and laboratory records from patients at a clinic in Sierra Leone, one of the West African countries hit hardest by the Ebola outbreak. Patients who had a higher Ebola viral load when diagnosed had a higher rate of eye inflammation and new vision problems. Researchers said the findings may suggest that while the Ebola virus is rapidly cleared from most bodily fluids after resolution of the acute disease, it might persist in "immunologically privileged sanctuary sites" - certain bodily fluids such as semen and the vitreous humour fluid of the eyeballs.

Nonprofit organization Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has signed a $5 million deal with U.S. drugmaker Merck for an Ebola vaccine to protect the public against a future outbreak. The vaccine, which Merck is developing, would be used in emergencies or further clinical trials. Merck will make 300,000 doses of the vaccine available for use in clinical trials beginning in May 2016 and will be submitted for licensure by the end of 2017.

Modi visits BTAD Part of election agenda As per the sayings of our PM Narendra Modi, youths from the Northeast have been inducted into the Delhi police during its recent recruitment drive.

The announcement made by the PM regarding recruitment of Northeast youths was in the offing as the central government decided last year on the move, geared to protect people from the region from harassment in the capital. The announcement was part of several other measures announced by the PM. Election to Assam's 126-member Assembly is expected to be held in April-May along with four other states. The decision to recruit youths from the Northeast in the Delhi police was first mooted by the Bezbaruah committee, formed after the death of Nido Tania from Arunachal Pradesh in the capital, following a severe beating. According to a report, the Bezbaruah committee had recommended that 600 people from the Northeast should be inducted in the Delhi police. However, the Home Ministry, who oversaw the functioning of the committee, decided to induct 160 youths from the region, 20 each from every state, including ten men and ten women. According to the views of Modi, youth from the Northeast should be recruited in the Delhi Police and the process has already begun. During the recent recruitment in Delhi Police, it was ensured that youth from the North East were given priority and many have been appointed from the region. Modi also announced that the people of Karbi community living in the plains of Assam and Bodos living in hill areas would be granted tribal status and the process has already started. The Prime Minister announced that the issue of declaring the Bodo-Kacharis living in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts and the KarbiMikirs in the plains as Scheduled Tribes will be soon approved by the Cabinet and then passed in Parliament. Addressing the rally, organised jointly by BJP and its new ally Bodoland People's Front for the upcoming Assam Assembly polls, he said BJP will ensure all-round development of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) areas which have been "betrayed" by Congress. Modi said he had talks with BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary on the problems of the area.

What is not known till now is that, are all these good things happenings just because of the coming 2016 Assembly elections or is the centre really kind and generous enough to love the backward people of our state. The BPF is believed to have a strong presence in Kokrajhar and its neighbouring areas. The party has been in power in Bodoland Territorial Council since its inception in 2003. In 2006 Assembly polls, the BPF had won 11 seats and joined the Tarun Gogoiled government as a Congress ally. In 2011 polls, it had won 12 seats and again joined the Gogoi government. However, in 2014, BPF broke off the alliance with the Congress. Announcing other initiatives, the Prime Minister said a central technical institute located in Kokrajhar would be given the status of a deemed university, the Sealdah-Guwahati Kanchenjunga Express will be extended up to the Barak Valley while the Rupsi Airport in Dhubri will be taken over by the Indian Air Force.

Franz-Stefan Gady raeli) Searcher-II unIndia has deployed two of its most advanced maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare aircraft, the Poseidon 8I, at a military base in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, located in the Indian Ocean, The Times of India reports.

The deployment comes as a response to repeated forays of Chinese conventional and nuclear submarines into the Indian Ocean, according to Indian defense officials who spoke to The Times of India on the condition of anonymity.

The two aircraft are just about to complete their two week deployment at India's farthest military outpost, 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) away from the Indian mainland.

In addition, the India has also deployed drones at the island. "Navy and IAF [Indian Air Force] are also deploying their (Is-

manned aerial vehicles to the islands on a temporary basis," the defense official said.

The Andaman & Nicobar Command is India's first and only theater command, yet, according to the defense official, "not much progress" has been made to expand the military infrastructure in order to accommodate a division-sized military force on the 572-island chain, which extends over 720 kilometers (447 miles).

"As of now, amid turf wars among Army, Navy and IAF as well as fund crunches and environmental concerns, ANC has just over an infantry brigade (3,000 soldiers), 20 small warships and patrol vessels, and a few Mi-8 helicopters and Dornier-228 patrol aircraft," The Times of India reports.

As I reported previously

Indian war planes. Source: newsonair.com (See: "India Inducts First Squadron of Anti-Submarine Warfare Plane"), the Indian Navy inducted its first squadron of Boeing P-8I Poseidon aircraft at Rajali Naval Air Station in southern India, about 70 kilometers off Chennai in November 2015.

In January 2009, India

became the first international customer for the P8I aircraft, an export variant of the P-8A Poseidon, designed and built by Boeing to replace the U.S. Navy's aging P3 fleet, with the signing of a $2.1 billion contract for the purchase of eight planes. The first plane

was delivered to India in May 2013. All eight planes are currently operational and have been inducted into the Indian Navy.

In July 2015, India announced that it will acquire four additional P8-I aircraft from the United States. "The case for acquisition of another four

P-8Is is in the final stages.

P-8Is can operate from Port Blair (naval air station INS Utkrosh) to keep tabs on the entire region," according to the Indian defense official.

The Indian Navy explains in a press release that the P-8I aircraft "is equipped for long range anti-submarine warfare, anti -surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of broad area, maritime and littoral operations." The aircraft is armed with Harpoon Block-II missiles, MK-54 lightweight torpedoes, rockets, and Mark 82 depth charges.

The P-8I aircraft are also equipped with a Telephonics APS-143 OceanEye aft radar and a magnetic anomaly detector, and are data-linked with Indian submarines patrolling the Indian Ocean, to which they can pass on the location of enemy vessels in the event of a conflict.

India: Trouble in the Air Residents of New Delhi are literally choking to death. Can authorities solve the pollution problem?

Neeta Lal On December 24, 2015, people in India's capital city of New Delhi - already considered the world's most polluted city - woke up to a nightmare. Pollution levels across this city of 25.8 million had reached such alarming levels that they were classified in the most "severe" category of PM 2.5 and PM 10. The former had shot up to 295 micrograms per cubic meter and the latter 470, against the recommended upper limits for the two pollutants at 60 and 100 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively.

These toxic levels of pollution exceed those of the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai, internationally notorious for their pollution, and have some severe ramifications for human health. Delhi's air is redolent of diesel fumes from motorized vehicles, which are now designated as a class I carcinogen by the World Health Organisation and can lead to lung cancer.

According to medical experts, the city's pollution has also led to a startling spike in the cases of respiratory illness, skin and eye allergies, cardiac arrest, memory loss, depression, and chronic lung damage.

Four out of every 10 children in the capital also suffer from severe lung problems.

"The city's air is a slow poison that is ruining people's health," states Dr J.C. Suri, HOD of

pulmonology and sleep medicines, Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. "The current scenario is extremely worrisome as the citizens are getting exposed to noxious air on a daily basis and for long hours. Vulnerable groups like children are the worst off."

As if this isn't ominous enough, air pollution is responsible for 10,000-30,000 deaths in Delhi annually and is the fifth largest cause of death in India according to the "Body Burden 2015" report by the Centre for Science and Environment, which measures pollution levels in the country.

Delhi suffers from what a University of Surrey study describes as a "toxic blend of geography, growth, poor energy sources and unfavorable weather that boosts its dangerously high levels of air pollution."

So dire is the situation that Greenpeace has called for an urgent "Clean Air" action plan for Delhi with focused targets, clear timelines, and demonstrable accountability towards public health. An Air Quality Index (AQI) evaluation - which uses numbers and color codes to show air quality -compared PM 2.5 concentrations between July to November 2015 in Chinese cities like Jinan, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou with those in Indian cities. It showed most Indian cities have exceeded China's levels, notably Delhi.

Greenpeace India also found that infrastructure to monitor air pollution is abysmal in India, despite

the severe pollution. Compared to an average of four real-time air quality monitoring stations in all big cities in the U.S., around five stations in the major cities across Europe, and eight stations in major Chinese cities, India has an average of just two.

Classified as the world's fifth "megacity," Delhi's exponential growth has been fuelled by fume-spewing industries, an influx of migrants, and a dramatic upward spiral in the number of motorized vehicles. It is predicted that the number of road vehicles in Delhi will surge from 4.7 million in 2010 to nearly 26 million by 2030. The city's total energy consumption - supplied mostly by polluting coal and thermal power plants - rose 57 per cent from 2001 to 2011.

Yet prioritizing clean air is low on the political agenda.

Given lackluster attempts at controlling pollution by both national and state governments, the judiciary has often had to take on the mantle of environmental activism. The courts' intervention has resulted in landmark judgments, including one that pushed for the use of compressed natural gas in the city over diesel.

Under severe public and media pressure, a raft of measures have now also been adopted by the Delhi government. These include whittling down the number of automobiles running on diesel, and strictly enforcing the National Green Tribunal's decision to ban any vehicles older than 15

years from New Delhi's roads.

Road Rationing Delhi has also embarked on an ambitious road-rationing initiative that is running between January 1 and 15, aimed at vacuum cleaning roads and making an early switch to Euro VI emission norms. This scheme has been tried in several cities Beijing, Bogota, Mexico City, Paris, and Sao Paulo.

Delhi's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has built a case for the move through a public sensitization campaign, even roping in schoolchildren to pressure their parents to opt for public transport or bicycles over private vehicles.

The exercise hopes to take half of Delhi's vehicles off the roads each day during the time period. This, Delhi's Transport Minister Gopal Rai believes, will halve vehicular pollution, reducing the overall pollution levels in the city.

However, environmentalists say that focusing exclusively on vehicles will result in ignoring other villains, such as industrial production or the burning of waste in the open, which also contribute significantly to messing up the city's air. While vehicle emissions account for about 63 percent of the city's total pollution, industries and thermal power plants are responsible for a significant 29 percent .

Burning of dry leaves, plastic, and other forms of waste along road sides add to toxic carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions. Doctors say inhaling

A man wearing masks to save himself from pollution.Source: rack.3.mshcdn.com these fumes is at least 10 times more harmful than inhaling the smoke emitted by vehicles.

Environmentalists assert that Delhi should also take a leaf out of China's book and follow a formal mechanism of issuing pollutionrelated alerts to its citizens.

Authorities in Beijing put out an "orange alert," warning citizens to stay inside and suspending outdoor activities in schools whenever the pollution spikes. In fact Beijing has a four-level alarm system that imposes restrictions on outdoor activities, use of personal vehicles, and emissions from factories and power plants depending on how poor the air quality is.

Dr. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Centre for Science and Environment, feels that alongside strong steps to bring down pollution levels, bolstering the existing public transport system is also critical.

"Rationing the use of two wheelers is also important," she says. "The twowheelers comprise 54 per cent of Delhi's vehicular fleet and making them follow the odd-even formula will be vital to reducing

pollution levels further."

However, transport experts feel such an experiment can succeed only if last mile connectivity is augmented by providing cycling tracks, increasing the number of state-run buses, improving travel safety for women, and adding to the fleet of metro feeder buses as is the case around the world.

Thirteen of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in India and they will be carefully watching the Delhi experiment. For now, state institutions, government officials, the chief justice of India, and even central ministers from opposition parties, though exempt from the odd-even rule - have come on board to support the Delhi government's initiative by carpooling to work.

The coming together of stakeholders and the political foregrounding of air pollution augur well for the city.

But experts feel that this momentum needs to be sustained and a holistic approach adopted to tackle the hydra-headed monster that is Delhi's pollution.

Neeta Lal is New Delhibased senior journalist and editor.

C o u r t e s y : thediplomat.com

Assam - Election - Watch Sir, 'Assam Election Watch', a conglomeration of several voluntary organizations appeal to the voters of Assam not to yield to any pressure of money or muscle power.

A report published in certain news papers displayed a list of rich M.L.As and from the list, it transpires that Anjan Dutta, the APCC president is the richest of all M.L.As. The details of the properties have been worked out for the list from the 'Affidavit' submitted before the designated officer at the time of election. Besides being the last refuge of the scoundrels, Politics is now the most profitable business, where politicians befool the commonmen. The bureaucrats squeeze out money meant for the poor, lion's share of which goes to the politicians at whose behest they dance. If these bureaucrats fail to meet the demands of their boss (Politicians), they are sure to face the unpleasant music.

One example of how the bureaucrats keep their boss happy is Amarendra Nath of excise department. There are myriad of examples. From the news item, it also transpires that there are 10 MLAs who are involved in criminal cases and that Anjan Dutta is one of them. As far as we know, the election commission made it clear that any person involved in criminal cases cannot con-

test in election. It is ironical that the law makers are the first ones to break laws. The Co-ordinator, 'Assam Election Watch' Tasadduk Ariful Hussain deserves kudos for cautioning the people.

Yours etc.

Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh

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

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

p O

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

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Beef, Free Speech And More: 7 Heated Topics That Will Continue To Be Debated In 2016 We might have ushered that - what will hardliners into a new year, but the thrive on! baggage of 2015 contin- We are an agenda-based ues. Accept it or not, as nation. Like it or not - we Indians we love to cling to love our share of controcontroversies, argue irra- versies and yes we don't tionally in the name of de- let them die an easy death. bate, love something and 1. Truce With Pakistan detest it the very next - A Distant Dream? minute.

Political doublespeak has 2015 o n l y was a Amrit Mann Grewal made rather matters interesting year - with its worse for the impending long list of debates and Kashmir row. Accept it or controversies. Some were not, we will never know new and definitely caught what happens behind our attention; others were closed diplomatic doors. pretty much the same - 2015 was a troublesome just moulded to suit a dif- year for Indo-Pak relations ferent audience with with continuous ceasefire pretty much - the same violations and militant atroot cause. tacks. We blame them for There are some issues that attacks, then out of nowill never die in this coun- where PM Modi surprises try, or let's say if they die, us with his friendly gesa certain strata will have tures towards Nawaz nothing left to do. If the Sharif and then again we Ram Mandir controversy hear of cold vibes bedies down and we finally tween the two. Every govhave a solution, imagine ernment in power has how jobless some of our committed to 'resolve' the politicians will be. Noth- issue, but do we really ing to crib about, no one understand the problem? to blame!

Is it about religion, region, Imagine if there is finally history or simple ego a solution to the impend- clash? There is still a lot ing Kashmir issue - what to fix between the two will we fight with Pakistan nations. Only time will tell over? How will we cri- if that ever happens. tique Modi's handshake 2. To Love Modi Or Hate with Nawaz Sharif? Leave Kejriwal

Love them or hate them, but you definitely cannot ignore these two men.

While one debunked electoral theories and won an emphatic election to be in power, the other re-defined the word 'common man' and entered a fierce, unforgiving world of politics to change rulebooks.

Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal have their own set of lovers and detractors and a distinct approach towards resolving issues.

Pitted against each other by political pundits, both have scripted electoral history and have tasted enormous public support. Both leaders also enjoy an online Army of soldiers who love to slug it out on Twitter which to me is pretty hilarious.

Be it Modi's foreign trips or Kejriwal's 'odd-even' rule, both have managed to remain in the limelight and so has the debate around who's better. Well, it seems the power battle is here to stay and so is the leadership debate between India's top two politicians.

3. To Be Straight Or Gay In a nation where the 'right-wing army' is up in arms against 'lovers' on something like a Valentine's Day - imagine the plight of

homosexuals. Section 377, which makes sex with persons of the same gender punishable by law, has been the most debated topic in the country. To choose a partner of one's own preference is nothing short of a crime in this country.

The ability to walk with their head held high and a freedom to openly acknowledge their sexual orientation seems to be a farfetched dream.

While a majority of Indians have an 'opinion' and 'judgement' on homosexuals, I wonder how many of us stand up against issues that really need to be heard and acted upon.

Good or bad, the debate around the freedom to choose seems to continue.

Rape laws - someone listening?

4. The Appetite Fight I call 2015 - the year of the beef. The beef ban, widespread protests and lynching of a Muslim man for possessing beef, definitely was a low point for all of us. Not only was this a sign of growing intolerance in the country but a poor reflection of how we judge a sect over its choice of food.

The controversy hit headlines, resulting in widespread debates on right and

On 'Children' Angelina Robertson In school we were given a poem called 'Children' by Nancy Keesing, and had to pen an essay analysing it, and saying how the poem was memorable. We had to include its themes and use TOMPLIST (a device that helps analyse poems) - T for Theme, O for Orientation (of the author), M for Meaning, P for Purpose, L for Language, I for Imagery, S for Structure and T for Tone. We also had to defend our analysis and interpretation of the poem using visible quotes. We were made to write in a particular essay format called PEAL - Point, Evidence, Analysis and Link (to the next paragraph/point of the same paragraph). Anyway, we discussed this poem in class, and turns out that my interpretation of the poem wasn't really what our teacher expected. Anyway, I think I defended my opinion and interpretation well, so I decided to share it with you. First of all, here is the

poem for you to judge yourself: Long-summer scorched, my surfing children Catch random waves or thump in dumpers, Whirling, gasping, tossed disjointed.

I watching, fear they may be broken That all those foaming limbs will never Re-assemble whole, together.

All under such a peaceful sky.

All under such another

sky The pictures show some village children Caught at random, tossed, exploded, Torn, disjointed, like sticks broken, Whose jagged scorching limbs will never Re-assemble whole together.

And here is what I think of this poem: The poem 'Children' by Nancy Keesing leaves a hollow feeling in the reader because of the strong emotions of devastation highlighted by the powerful imagery and carefully selected language which contributes to the main themes of violence around the world and how often bystanders are too scared to intervene and to stop gruesome wars.

The powerful imagery in this poem makes readers shudder when they read about how the children brutally died 'under such a peaceful sky'. The stark

contrast between the sky and the sea below it is very shocking and rather sad.

The use of the word 'such' simply emphasises this same contrast - it reveals the grief of the speaker as s/he probably wonders how something so grotesque and sad could happen under something so beautiful, and due to this strong contrast of the tranquil sky and the limbless children, this event seems much more grim.

The excellent use of lan-

guage devices to evoke feelings of grief in the reader is clear when the speaker talks about how the limbs would never 'reassemble whole, together', in the form of a refrain.

What leaves a lasting effect on the reader is the brilliant use of the comma, the slight pause after the word 'whole'. The pause separates the phrase into two parts and allows the word 'together' to seem somehow distant and actually not together, which reinstates the main idea of disunity. However, are the children mentioned before simply children? Maybe not. Keesing subtly places a metaphor in the poem when the speaker talks about his/her 'surfing children'. Maybe those aren't simply frolicking kids; maybe they signify our world as a whole.

Therefore, the author doesn't simply mean that the children's limbs are disjointed - it stands for the disunited people of the world, floating apart in each other's blood and tears.

The themes of this poem

are violence and wars, and the individuals who grieve and sympathise with these wars, but are far too afraid to speak out against them.

The speaker represents all those frightened individuals when s/he is simply 'watching, fear[ing] they might be broken'. The speaker simply watches on, frightened and deeply concerned, but helpless. The author tries to tell us that that is exactly how we shouldn't be - we should be able to freely express our

beliefs and punish what we assume to be morally wrong as a society (for a valid reason). The author tries to tell us that violence will be the end of us all if this continues. Respecting each other's beliefs and opinions, we humans must unify and put a stop to this hate.

The word 'hate' has become so common that nobody thinks of it as a serious issue anymore. People fling it around casually to express their feelings about things or people they dislike. The words 'violence', 'war', and 'bloodshed' mean nothing to us, as does the phrase 'Citizens killed'. We are taking this abuse far too lightly - we must resist it.

But if we are not together as a species, how will we understand which mistakes to correct? Yes, freedom of speech, free will and liberty are all very important. We have simply misinterpreted these concepts to be that we must condemn anyone with opposing beliefs. No. Of course people will disagree with you - there are seven billion of us out here! We simply have to live with this disagreement, and not mercilessly slay whoever contradicts any of our own beliefs. We must unite and work together to survive on Earth. We must unite to maintain peace.

But, most importantly, we must unite because if we don't, eventually, we will be blown apart and left as jagged, scorching limbs who will never re-assemble whole, together.

Our teacher told us about how the poem was actually about a parent, worrying about his/her rebellious children drowning in the ocean while worse disasters happened to other undeserving, innocent children in a village somewhere, probably mocking parenthood. I was very surprised to know what a dramatic difference there was between my interpretation and my teacher's. I obviously see more reason to my own, although the other one makes sense, too. I'd be fascinated to learn about my classmates' understanding of the poem, and anyone else's, too. From my perspective, it was rather sad and serious. Maybe it wasn't meant to be like that, but that's okay. I mean, snowflakes are pretty, right? And not one of them is the same as a n o t h e r. C o u r t e s y : northeastreview.wordpress.com

wrong. State governments made bizarre bans - giving the ban a communal angle and adding fuel to fire.

The entire 'beef khao, beef mat khao' (eat beef, don't eat beef) issue snowballed into a national debate, leading to of course no solution. This one too, I believe will live a long life.

5. All In The Name Of God - Ram Mandir Or No Ram Mandir This one is epic. Controversial, ironic in a way and fodder for political rivalry - the Ram Mandir debate is not seeing the end of the tunnel anytime soon.

Right-wingers have time and again reinforced their will to 'rebuild' Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. With the current government in power, the momentum for the controversy has surely gathered momentum. BJP leaderSubramanian Swamy was recently quoted as saying that the construction of the temple will begin towards the end of 2016.

One wonders what that land really wants - a mosque, a temple or just some peace. Only time will tell! For now, this one is here to stay.

6. The Curious Case Of Aarushi Talwar's Mur-

Source: www.pagalparrot.com der 2015 once again re-ignited the whole 'whodunnit' debate on the controversial 2008 Aarushi Talwar murder case. Avirook Sen's book, 'Aarushi' and Meghna Gulzar's film 'Talvar' once again brought to limelight discrepancies in the investigation done in the highly controversial case.

Innumerable theories, botched-up investigation with an ambiguity over what really happened has only left a sour taste. For now, Rajesh Talwar and his wife, Nupur are in jail. I

wonder will we ever find out what happened on that the night of 15-16 May of 2008. Till now, it just seems to be a mockery of justice.

7. Free Speech - Kya Kahein Kya Na Kahein?

Though new, this one managed to make headlines all through 2015.

For me, the whole intolerance debate seemed to have missed the core point. While Shah Rukh Khan was advised to go to Pakistan, Aamir Khan was shunned for his comments and asked to leave the country with his family.

The Indian censor board also scripted history in 2015 with its bizarre policies. While a 'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3' is allowed to openly proclaim itself as a 'porn film', poor James Bond fights it hard to kiss on Indian screens. (No prize for guessing which would have been shot better).

One wonders why nothing happens to the venomous tongues of leaders like Kailash Vijayvargiya and Prachi Sadhvi, who give the word 'speech' a bad name.

Why Are There So Few Dalit Entrepreneurs?

The Problem Of India's Casted Capitalism Kathryn Lum for The Conversation In July last year I was in Gandhinagar, the capital of the Indian state of Gujarat, at the monthly meeting of a credit cooperative. It has 1,300 members, all drawn from Dalit families at the bottom of India's caste hierarchy. It's the kind of organisation where you might expect to see a host of entrepreneurs and business people in charge, but of the nine board members sitting around the table, just one was a businessperson.

Most are serving or retired civil servants, and the pooled resources of the credit society are used principally for loans for marriage, housing, and higher education. When I asked why there were so few active entrepreneurs, there was an uncomfortable silence, before a torrent of comments revealed the widespread discrimination Dalits face in being able to access credit from both public and private banks. This is casted capitalism at work, or rather, failing to work.

Caste Of thousands The credit cooperative in Gandhinagar is part of a broader Dalit cooperative movement, but it hasn't solved problems of access to capital, and the realities of business life for Dalits are still harsh. While all sectors are difficult for Dalits to enter into, some are almost completely closed to them, such as owning a restaurant in a non-Dalit area or opening a dairy business, where according to numerous Dalit sources in Gujarat, the dominant caste Patels are preferred.

This discrimination extends into other areas as well, such as medicine, with openly Dalit doctors receiving fewer uppercaste patients. The lone businessman in the group said he did not face problems as a share broker, but it quickly emerged that he dealt with the stigma by adopting the surname Mehta, linked to the wellrespected and highly educated professional community in India, the Jains.

That way, he explained, clients are automatically more at ease.

In fact, it appears that the price of business success often hinges on staying firmly inside the 'Dalit closet'. The sole woman

in the group had also encouraged her son to change his surname. If you have a Dalit surname such as Rani, this is not an uncommon scenario.

Other Side Of The Fence A short distance north of Gandhinagar, in the city of Ahmedabad, I witnessed a similar scene, but this time among the dominant caste Patels. They were meeting, not in a credit cooperative but, in one of their village or 'gam' associations. The Patels are dominant politically and economically in Gujarat.

Traditionally peasant farmers, they have experienced great social and economic mobility, and are

all odds had transformed themselves into wealthy businessmen (and sometimes businesswomen), from very humble beginnings. The tone is often triumphant, alluding to how the free market is liberating Dalits from centuries of oppression, accomplishing in a short period of time what the Indian government failed to achieve through quota systems in the public sector.

This assumption of an inherent meritocracy and 'caste blindless' in the free market led some Dalit leaders to argue that capitalism will sound thedeath knell for the caste system.

often not even be considered as potential business partners.

Free financial markets are presumed by some to be great levellers, where ambition and hard work clear away obstacles, but just like all other areas of social life in India, capitalism is profoundly casted. Young Dalit men I spoke with said that many Dalit youth do not even aspire to be entrepreneurs due to a lack of role models in their communities.

Relatively new Dalit organisations, such as the Dalit Chamber of Commerce and Industry, need to be strengthened so that there are more active branches across the country. Ultimately, build-

now associated with business sectors such as textiles and diamonds. While the gams predominantly function as sub-caste marriage circles, they also serve as informal business networking associations.

The Kadva Patel gam members stress their internal solidarity and ethos of mutual self-help. Here, young men entering business for the first time can turn to fellow gam members for low-interest loans, as well as mentorship and contacts. While a Dalit surname is a potential obstacle in establishing oneself as an entrepreneur, a Patel surname opens doors and indeed is a mark of pride for those who bear it.

There have been success stories for Dalits, and prominent ones at that.

Soon after the liberalisation of the Indian economy in 1991, articles began appearing in the Indian and foreign press describing rags to riches stories of Dalits, who against

Some also assertthat Dalit entrepreneurship will lead to greater social acceptance as they start to ascend the economic ladder.

This is comforting, but entirely false. The opening of the Indian economy has enabled a small number of Dalit entrepreneurs to make it to the top, but the majority continue to encounter institutional and social discrimination that translates into a share of business ownership that is not proportionate to their population. The 2005 Economic Census shows that Dalits in India own just 9.8% of enterprises despite constituting 16.4% of the population. And the vast majority of these are small single-person businesses.

Free And Fair Markets Speaking with dominant business people in Gujarat, it becomes clear that Dalits are seen as untrustworthy, synonymous with government benefits, rather than seen as serious business partners.

While it is common in business for caste groups to mistrust each other, Dalits will

ing the social and economic capital of Dalits across India is a long-term process that needs dedicated government support and deeper grassroots initiatives that provide networking opportunities and financial support.

Promoting Dalit pride is another important long-term strategy, so that a new generation can visualise a future in which setting up a business does not mean turning their backs on their communities. The idea that the free market will act as an antidote to the caste system is wildly optimistic; it is time to recognise that the market economy's dominance by upper and locally dominant castes makes business a terrain in which the majority of Dalits struggle to gain a foothold.

This article is part of The Conversation's Business + Economy series.

Kathryn Lum is a Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

BUSINESS

Kiran Global launches green cement Chennai, Jan 22: Kiran Global Chems Ltd, a leading manufacturer of a key ingredient for a number of industries, has introduced its indigenously-developed Geocement, which, the company claims, will be stronger than normal Portland cement and not require water for mixing or curing.

Geocement, which is made out of industrial wastes, comes in two-part packing - 35 kg Geocement powder and 15 kg Geobinder liquid.

Both can be mixed at construction sites like normal cement with aggregates like sand. It doesn't require water. Geocement will be available in many variants depending on application needs. It has also introduced Geocrete, a Geocement concrete made

with its powder and binder for various industrial applications. Geopowder is a mineral compound blended with bye-product materials like fly ash, rice husk ash, slag, activated clay, alumina in the geopolymer formation.

Geobinder is a specially formulated alkaline activator that acts as binder to the powder. Price of Geocement will be slightly higher than normal cement, but it promises lower finished building cost and less construction time and labour.

"Geocement will have a direct impact on burning down the emissions levels significantly given the fact that cement contributes about 65 per cent of global warming. For every tonne of cement produc-

Rejoice with ShopClues' 4th anniversary sale

Source: i1.wp.com ANI New Delhi, Jan 22: ShopClues, India's first and largest managed marketplace is offering a delightful array of deals for its loyal customers to mark its fourth successful year. Customers can avail heavy discounts on its top-rated categories such as electronics, home and kitchen, fashion and general merchandise.

Speaking on the celebratory sale, CEO and Co-Founder ShopClues, Sanjay Sethi said, "This

year has been exceptionally positive for us at ShopClues. We have recently concluded our fresh round of funding which has pegged our valuation at over USD one billion and now we're celebrating our 4th anniversary." "We want to share the jubilation with our customers through the fourth anniversary sale and to that end we have unveiled revolutionary offers at 1/ 4th the price across our website and mobile app," added Sethi.

Gold gains more on global cues Mumbai, Jan 22: Riding on positive global cues and increased buying by jewellers at the domestic bullion market, gold continued its upward journey and rose by another Rs. 210 to Rs. 26,900 per 10 gram at the bullion market recently. Silver followed suit and moved up by Rs. 250 to Rs. 34,650 per kg on increased off-take from industrial units and coin makers.

Bullion merchants attributed the gains in the precious metal to a firming trend overseas where gold extended its rally above $1,100 an ounce as investors seek protection from the selloff in equities and commodities. Globally, gold rose 0.3 per cent to $1,104.02 an ounce in Singapore. Further-

more, increased buying by jewellers to meet wedding season demand supported the upside, they said.

In the national capital, gold of 99.9 per cent and 99.5 per cent purity advanced Rs. 210 each to Rs. 26,900 and Rs. 26,750 per 10 grams, respectively. The precious metal had gained Rs. 340 on Wednesday.

Sovereign also edged up Rs. 100 to Rs. 22,500 per piece of eight grams.

Tracking gold, silver ready also jumped Rs. 250 to Rs. 34,650 per kg and weekly-based delivery traded higher by Rs. 280 at Rs. 34,640 per kg. Silver coins too spurted Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 50,000 for buying and Rs. 51,000 for selling of 100 pieces on uptick in wedding season demand. (Agencies)

tion, there will be about 800 kgs of CO2 emission. Though some countries have been engaged in development and piloting of green cement, we are the first one to come out with green cement for commercial use.

This is a result of over three years of in-house R & D and we have patented our technology," said M S Jain, Founder of Kiran Global Chems Ltd. N.C.Rufus, Chief Executive Officer of Kiran Global said that Geocrete would be suitable for high temperature applications and would be fire resistant upto 700oC. The Chennai-headquartered company will initially be taking the e-commerce route to sell its

GEOCEMENT PROSPECTS Kiran Global Chems Ltd, a leading manufacturer of a key ingredient for a number of industries, has introduced its indigenously-developed Geocement.

Geopowder is a mineral compound - blended with bye-product materials like fly ash, rice husk ash, slag, activated clay, alumina in the geopolymer formation.

The company claims, will be stronger than normal Portland cement and not require water for mixing or curing.

Source: thehindu.com

Price of Geocement will be slightly higher than normal cement, but it promises lower finished building cost and less construction time and labour.

products and will target south Indian states in this calendar year. Also, Kiran Global is drawing up Rs.200 crore manufacturing expansion programme, under which it plans to set up 12 geobinder units, 12 geopowder plants, 2 pre-

cast concrete units and 4 big grinding units across the country. The expansion, which will help cut logistics cost, will result in four million tonnes of capacity with a potential to fetch a turnover of Rs.2,000 crore by 2018-

19. The company has an in-house R & D centre, accredited by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, and has been conducting geopolymer research in collaboration with leading research institutes. (Agencies)

Sharp India shares smack upper circuit Mumbai, Jan 22: Shares of Sharp India rose nearly 20 per cent hitting the upper circuit, after reports emerged that Foxconn has offered 625 billion yen ($5.3 billion) to buy its debt-laden Japanese parent Sharp Corp. Last month, Sharp India said its parent is exploring sale of its holdings in the India unit without naming the potential suitors.

Sharp Corp owns 75 per cent of Sharp India as of September-end.

Sharp India has a manufacturing and R&D unit in Pune. The manufactur-

Source: content.indiainfoline.com ing plant makes televisions, air-conditioners, refrigerators and microwave ovens.

Sharp has three companies in India. Besides the listed Sharp India, which is into

manufacturing, it has two wholly owned subsidiaries: sales and marketing arm Sharp Business System and research arm Sharp Software Development. Sharp India reported revenue of Rs 189.04 crore in fiscal 2015. The Wall Street Journal reported that Taiwan's Hon Hai Percision Industry Co, a unit of Foxconn Technology Group, has offered $5.3 billion to buy Sharp Corp and has no plans to replace top management.

Sharp Corp was saddled with a total debt of 791.8 billion yen as of Septem-

ber 30, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The Osaka-based company has booked more than 1.1 trillion yen in losses over the past four financial years as stiffer competition from South Korean and Chinese rivals undercut its business.

Sharp India shares rose 20 per cent to Rs 48.35, locking in an upper-circuit on BSE. Its parent Sharp Corp surged as much as 25 per cent in Tokyo and ended recently trading 6 per cent higher. Previous tie-up talks between Hon Hai and Sharp fell through in 2012. (Agencies)

Ratan Tata spends in FirstCry New Delhi, Jan 22: Top industrialist Ratan Tata has invested in baby care eCommerce platform FirstCry, continuing the slew of investments he has made in various startups globally. The Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons and Senior Advisor to IDG Ventures India, has invested an undisclosed amount in his personal capacity into Brainbees Solutions, which owns the FirstCry.com brand, the company said in a statement. FirstCry is omnichannel player with presence across desktop, mobile and offline routes offering baby and maternity

products in India. It started operations in 2010 and has over 2 million customers. It has over 150 FirstCry branded franchisee offline stores across 100 cities in the country. "Our vision is to simplify parenting by creating the necessary ecosystem and we have outgrown competitors to become the dominant driver in this space across mobile, online & offline channels," Brainbees Solutions founder and CEO Supam Maheshwari said. A positive nod from a business leader of Tata's stature is a great vote of confidence in the way FirstCry has created the ecosystem and validation of the business approach leading to definitive

Ratan Tata. Source: media2.intoday.in path to profitability, he added. Brainbees has raised USD 69 million in capital over multiple rounds from marquee investors including IDG Ventures India, SAIF Partners, Vertex Ventures, Valiant Capital and NEA. Ear-

lier this week, Tata invested in online coupons venture, Cashkaro. The top industrialist has been aggressively investing in startups, ranging from ecommerce firms to cab aggregators. He has invested in firms like Snapdeal, Kaaryah, Urban Ladder, Bluestone, CarDekho, Sabse Technologies, Xiaomi, Ola and DogSpot.in. Tata, who served as the Chairman of Tata Sons for over two decades until his retirement in 2012, is also associated with some venture capital funds as advisor, including Kalaari Capital and Jungle Ventures. (Agencies)

Krishnapatnam Port recommences servicing capesize vessels Chennai, Jan 22: Krishnapatnam Port has resumed servicing capesize vessels after a gap of over 50 days. Recently, the port received MV Percival with 1.57 lakh tonnes of coal from South Africa.

had stopped handling them as rains and floods caused siltation at the dock and the draft level got reduced to 13 to 14 metres. This affected the port's operations adversely. Till then, the port handled ten cape vessels each month ferrying about 15 lakh tonnes of coal.

Capesize vessels are the world's largest dry cargo ships and since November Krishnapatnam Port

Gangavaram is the other A company official said to port that can handle simidock capesize vessels, lar capacity vessels. To ports should have enough restore normalcy, the

width and deep draft of 18 metres.

Krishnapatnam Port was one of the few ports on the east coast that had deep water terminal to handle vessels with two lakh dead weight tonnage capacity.

Revv expands to south India Bengaluru, Jan 22: Selfdrive car rental company Revv has announced the introduction of its service in Hyderabad with a fleet of 50 cars, including hatchbacks and luxury sedans. Operating on a standard hub model, the Hyderabad office of the company will deliver the cars to the customers from anywhere in the city, it said. Now the company is planning to launch its services from Bengaluru in the next 2 weeks, it added Revv was set up in July 2015 by Karan Jain and Anupam Agarwal, two ex-Associate Partners of McKinsey.

on a shift in consumer behaviour towards renting instead of owning assets such as cars. To make it convenient for its customers the company is offering doorstep delivery of cars even for hourly rentals. For making its op-

The company is betting

step delivery of cars even for hourly rentals.

erations viable, Revv equips its car delivery executives with a foldable electric scooter that fits in the boot of every car, and becomes a cost-effective, quick and environmentfriendly way of getting back to the parking hubs.

Karan Jain, Co-Founder & COO of Revv said, "We see an enormous potential in the city and can easily envision it becoming a 250300 car market for us, within the next one year.

We are also in the process of our third launch within

REVV BENEFICIARIES Ø Car rental company Revv has announced the introduction of its service

in Hyderabad with a fleet of 50 cars, including hatchbacks and luxury sedans.

Ø Operating on a standard hub model, the Hyderabad office of the com-

pany will deliver the cars to the customers from anywhere in the city.

Ø Now the company is planning to launch its services from Bengaluru in

the next 2 weeks.

Ø To make it convenient for its customers the company is offering door-

the next 2 weeks. Thereafter, we will be on a spree to add 1-2 cities every month to obviate the need for car ownership across the country gradually. " The company is already providing its service in Delhi-NCR. In an age of Ola and Uber which have transformed the point-to-point transportation needs of the public, self-drive car rental service are picking up for weekend leisure trips with family and friends or for many intra-city work or leisure related travel. Over a dozen players are now catering to this emerging business. (Agencies)

port officials, with the help of in-house dredgers, removed the silt and achieved the draft of 18 meters in 50 days as against the usual six months taken for such a task. Anil Yendluri, Director and CEO, Krishnapatnam Port, congratulated his dredging team for bringing back the port operations to normalcy. (Agencies)

PAGE 10

Alankit Ltd to beef up printing of plastic Aadhaar cards in India

Source: aninews.in ANI New Delhi, Jan 22: Alankit Ltd, a leading eGovernance service provider in India announced that it is going to beef up printing of PVC Aadhaar Cards across the country through its offices. The company is going to make this facility available for people at their convenience. Authorized representatives from Alankit would be printing plastic Aadhaar cards (PVC Cards) on the spot at various locations where Alankit has its offices.

PVC or Plastic Aadhaar Card is the printed form of Aadhaar details on a plastic sheet that serves same as the copy of original Aadhaar card, which is easy to carry, maintain and also acts as an identity card. The cards are printed using the eKYC service of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

The person will have to provide the credentials of his Aadhaar number, the registered mobile number or his/her biometric details (either fingerprints or iris scans) on the basis of which the online verification process would be carried out. On successful verification and authentication, the PVC Aadhaar cards would be printed and handed over to the person.

Speaking on the initiative, Ankit Agarwal, Managing Director, Alankit Ltd says, "We hope that this facility of Plastic Aadhaar Card printing is going to be useful for people. We have our own specially trained processing and printing staff, who are going to help people to avail this service across the country." People can visit Alankit's offices across the country and get their paper Aadhaar card converted to plastic Aadhaar card without much hassle.

Roll-over prize for air travellers New Delhi, Jan 22: With lowering of global crude prices, petrol prices my not have fallen proportionately, but international fliers are indeed reaping the benefits of low Air Turbine Fuel prices. The international airlines have flooded the Indian market with discounted tickets as plunging oil prices have lowered their operating costs, despite the rupee's fall. In the last one month, big global players like Qatar, Emirates, Etihad, British Airways, Jet and Air India had come out with special offers. According to travel portal Yatra, BA special offer return fares for DelhiNew York start at Rs 64,000 against their usual Rs 88,000. Qatar Airways was offering return fares of about Rs 54,000 on this

route. Similarly, Yatra said Etihad was offering DelhiLondon-Delhi for about Rs 29,000 instead of the usual Rs 41,000. Qatar Airways recently concluded a travel fest where it was offering discounts of up to 50% on its entire network. Similarly, Emirates was offering fares starting at Rs 19,000, Rs 34,000 and Rs 52,550 to the Gulf, Europe and Americas, respectively, till recently.

Airlines like BA are still offering special fares-Rs 45,000 and Rs 64,000 for India-UK and US (East Coast) return tickets - if bookings are made by the end of this month. The report added that Gulf carriers, whose offers got over recently are also likely to come with other discounts in coming days to tap the coming summer travel from India.

(Agencies)

Source: cdn.oneindia.com

SoftBank spends Rs 100 crore more in Housing.com New Delhi, Jan 22: Japanbased SoftBank has invested an additional Rs 100 crore in Housing.com to drive the growth of the realty portal. Announcing the fresh funding, Mumbaibased Housing.com said that "it has secured a fresh round of funding from SoftBank, its largest investor." "The new Rs 100 crore infusion will well-capitalise the company to drive its new strategy and growth plans," Housing.com said in a statement. The company did not disclose the SoftBank's increase in stake after the fresh infusion of Rs 100 crore.

SoftBank had over 30 per cent stake in the portal.

Founded in 2012, the portal

had raised so far over USD 100 million in capital from leading investors, including SoftBank, Nexus Ventures, Falcon Edge and Helion Ventures.

"Softbank is one of the world's largest and most successful investors.

Their continued support as both investors and advisors to Housing.com is invaluable to us and signifies their long-term commitment to the company," Housing.com CEO Jason Kothari said.

Housing.com has established a focused strategy on buying and selling homes, the largest and most lucrative segment of the real estate market.

With 85 million visits in

2015 and 1.7 verified listings to date, Housing.com said it is building scalable revenue streams around its world-class product, market leading demand and supply, and is also going deeper in the value chain towards facilitating and fulfilling transactions.

The portal had acquired an online community for real estate (India Real Estate Forum), a popular CRM for d e v e l o p e r s (HomeBuy360), and a data analytics and due diligence company for real estate (Realty Business Intelligence). These acquisitions would be leveraged to further the company's strategy and growth plans, it said. (Agencies)

Features

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

Page 11

WOMEN’S Saree Styles Inspired by Dresses of NE India The seven states of the ven pattern stitched to the North East India compris- sides of the chador. The ing of Assam, Nagaland, style of wearing a mekhla Manipur, Mizoram, is also different in that the Tripura, bottom Moupee Debroy portion is Meghalaya a n d wrapped Arunachal Pradesh are around the waist and home to over 200 tribes tucked in while the Mekhla who have developed weav- end is tucked into this boting into distinct styles ex- tom portion and the rest is emplified in the saree. draped around the body. It Sarees use cotton or silk as is more like a half saree the basic fiber and have and the draping of the pallu traditionally been dyed us- over the shoulders is simiing natural colors to the lar to the Gujarati style of yarn. To add to the beauty wearing a saree. As for the of the sarees, next they patterns, these are bold and weave a pattern or print the motifs use round-petalled saree with various motifs. buti as well as plants and Mekhla animals in bold sizes. The Sarees in the North East of Mekhla is now being redeIndia may not have the tra- fined as high fashion apditional 5 to 6 yard length parel. or width of sarees preva- Colors and materials lent in other parts. The used in sarees in North style of draping may also East be different. The Assamese The most common materiMekhla chador is more of als used are pat silk, muga a large shawl than a saree silk, eri silk and cotton. It in the regular sense. A has long been a tradition mekhla saree may be made for women of the tribes to from muga, pat silk or cot- weave fabrics for home ton as the fabric and these use and over the years incorporate woven de- tribes across the North signs. A mekhla may be East have perfected this further adorned with a wo- art, using vegetable based

dyes. Colors most often seen in fabrics are natural fabric color with red, black, purple, white, yellow, green and turquoise the most favored. Of late, synthetic dyes are used more widely because of ease of use and lower costs. In some areas wool is used as the fabric.

Almost without exception the design is woven into the fabric, never printed.

Usually the background is kept plain and un-dyed.

One of the most prized sarees with distinctive North East style is the muga silk saree with a large end piece and narrow borders, sometimes incorporating zari work.

Tripura sarees Though Tripura women wear traditional attire they also make use of cotton Jamdani sarees that feature intricate weft wearing to create geometric and floral patterns in highly contrasting colors. The butidar saree, on the other hand, employs extra weft to create projected designs that are geometrical or floral with a solid border. The

jacquard saree employs extra warp to create simple designs on the body and the border. The geometric pattern style used in sarees is fast catching on in other parts of India.

Meghalaya style The Garos of Meghalaya are practical, working women and would find the traditional saree too cumbersome. Their style of saree is to drape an eking around the waist topped by a blouse. She may also wear a dakmanda or a lungilike piece of cloth embellished with floral patterns and broad borders. You can wear a short saree with Meglalaya style design, wrap it around your waist and drape the short end around your neck and shoulders to project a distinctly different style.

Arunachal dazzle Arunachal women usually are not familiar with sarees but their weaving style and patterns can be transplanted into sarees to give a dazzling, revolutionary style. The apatamis, Mishimis and Adi tribes excel at weaving using

What You Need To Know Before You Get Bangs!

Every girl often asks herself (and her friends) if she should get bangs.

They look amazing and fun and bring a chic spin to your look. But that doesn't mean that bangs are for everyone. Which is why we always think about getting them but never actually do. Definitely do not make the cut on a whim, there are plenty of important things to consider before you get a stylish new fringe, and no, we don't mean your face shape.

We tell you everything you should factor in before getting bangs - it really is such an important decision, after all!

1. Your Hair Texture And "Hair Issues" Make All The Difference You may be thinking cute Zooey Deschanel blunt bangs but could end up with something totally different thanks to how your hair behaves on a regular basis. A heavy, box fringe like that works best on thick hair, while a softer, wispy fringe looks great with fine hair. You may not end up with the bangs you wanted if you don't think it through. Be realistic about your hair texture, talk to your stylist who will advise you best on how long/ short you can go with your hair type. Curly haired girls can also rock bangs, contrary to popular belief!

2. Are You Ready For This Kind Of Commitment?!

Be honest with yourself.

It takes a certain amount of time and effort to look fringe-fabulous. That means waking up earlier to style your bangs, getting used to your hair cutting down your vision and basically battling with wind and humidity

Source: content14.popxo.com

on a daily basis (they will be your bangs' worst enemy!). You definitely won't have a wash and go style, your bangs will require some styling and primping to get them looking decent.

3. You Will Eventually Learn How To Style Them It takes a certain amount of trial and error to get your fringe looking great. If you always had center-parted hair and suddenly take the plunge and get blunt bangs, it will definitely take some time for your strands to adjust and sit properly.

Styling it well also comes with practice; you'll learn that your flat iron will make it look too flat while blow drying will make it a bit too bouncy. Don't worry, you'll strike that perfect balance soon. Blow dry your bangs immediately after your shower for better results.

4. You Will Need To Wash And Trim Your Hair Way More Often We told you they were high-maintenance! Unless you want to be com-

pletely blind, you need to trim your bangs every few weeks to help keep them in shape and looking great. Don't worry, it's much cheaper than getting a whole haircut or trimming all your hair.

Also, your fringe will tend to get oily much faster and more easily than the rest of your hair, which means you'll need to factor in more hair washes. If you're a lazy girl, stock up on dry shampoo or simply tie the rest of your hair out of the way and wash your bangs in the sink.

It won't take you more than 5 minutes!

5. You Might Have To Change Up Your Makeup Routine When you look past everything else, bangs really do look lovely and add drama to your face.

Pair them with the right makeup to help flatter them. Don't overdo the eye makeup, it can look a tad much with your dark fringe. Keep your makeup clean and simple, to help compliment your bangs best.

Cute winged liner and some lipstick is enough

to work well with your stylish fringe.

6. You Can Fake Them To See How They Look The most important concern we all have when we think about making the cut is we don't know for sure how we would look with a fringe. Well, you can try faux bangs to see if you like the look and just how different you do look. Watch this easy video to learn how to do it and make the right decision before your next haircut appointment.

7. To Bang Or Not Bang?

There may be days where they just don't behave and drive you mad (that's what hair bands are for!), but your fringe will help give you a head-turning new look without chopping off the rest of your hair and can definitely help you look extra glam. If you've always wanted them, you should just get them.

Who knows? Maybe you'll love your new look so much you'll want to keep them forever!

natural animal and cotton fiber and the design style is to use angular patterns and zig zag lines in bold dark and contrasting colors. Transplant triangles, circles, squares and wavy lines to sarees and you get razzle dazzle funky looks.

Be sure to top it with a typical chain of blue beads adoring the sleeveless chemise. If you are bold enough to experiment, the North East is inspirational.

Manipuri magic Manipuri women wear a variety of dresses such as the innaphi, a form of transparent shawl wrapped around the upper body and the phanek, a dress like a sarong covering the lower part. A phanek with stripes becomes aMayek naibi and if it is embroidered it becomes a Chin-Phi. Fashion designers draw inspiration from the phanek and the sarong to create a striking ensemble that, if you dare, can be attention catchers. Wear a stylish phanek, embroidered or with striped patterns and top it up with a longer than usual innaphi that becomes

Source: Nelive.in your Manipuri magic saree.

One of the likeable things about a saree is how flexible it is. Women in the North wear it a bit differ-

ently from women in the South and in the West. The patterns are more or less the same. However, fusing North East dress styles and patterns into saree styles transforms this staid ap-

parel into a magical, fusion, cool and hip attire for the modern generation.

Take to it and create a sensation at parties and celebrations.

Courtesy: Nelive.in

Home Remedies to treat Dark Patches & Uneven Skin Tone Pigmentation is one the most common skin problems faced by women all over the world. Although not a serious problem, it can be detrimental to selfesteem. Pigmentation is basically skin discoloration in the form of dark or light patches, usually occurring on the face caused by a change in the production of melanin. But don't let it bring you down.

Dark patches, blemishes, uneven skin tone? Not any more! Get rid of pigmentation problems with these easy home remedies.

Largely there are 2 types of pigmentation: hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation. Hyperpigmentation leads to brown spots or dark patches on the skin.

Hypopigmentation leads to light patches on the skin. Prolonged sun exposure, genetics, and allergies can also cause pigmentation.

Note: Sunlight worsens pigmentation, so don't forget to slather on the sunscreen before you leave the house!

1. Pow-Pow Potato!

Potatoes are those magical carbs we dread eating in the fear of weight gain, but if applied topically they will change the clarity of your skin. Potatoes work very well on lightening the skin, especially pigmented areas, dark spots and blemishes.

Method 1 - Slice up a potato, rub it on your skin daily for a few minutes and watch those dark spots disappear.

Method 2 - You can even use potato juice with a cotton pad on affected areas or mix it up with Fuller's earth for a spot treatment.

2. Honey And Lime or Lime And Turmeric A combination of honey and lime is good for your face too! Lime has natural bleaching properties and honey contains moisturizing properties. Together this is a power packed home remedy for pigmentation.

Method 1 - Mix lemon juice with 1 or 2 teaspoons of honey and apply this to your skin.

Method 2 - Lime and turmeric works too. Add 1 tablespoon of turmeric to 1 tablespoon of lime. Apply on the affected area and rinse thoroughly with cold water.

With lime, always remember to apply this at night and not during the day. Those with sensitive skin should do a patch test first.

3. Red Onions To The Rescue Red onions work wonders for pigmentation, dark spots, freckles and blemishes.

Method - Rub some onion slices or apply onion juice on the affected area for 10 minutes and wash thoroughly.

4. Tomato, Oatmeal And Yoghurt Just like lime, tomato and yoghurt also act as natural bleaching agents; oatmeal serves as a gentle skin scrub.

Step 1 - Add 2 teaspoons of oatmeal and half a teaspoon of yoghurt to to-

Aloe boosts skin regeneration, helps soften and lighten the skin, eases suntan and helps combat dryness.

Step 1 - Slice up an aloe leaf and rub the gel directly on your skin. Leave this on overnight or wash off before you go to bed.

Step 2 - Adding Vitamin E to this mixture is optional, but it will certainly boost skin healing and rejuvenation.

6. Ever Cool Cucumber Cucumber is very helpful in reducing pigmentation, fading freckles and blemishes. It cools and tones your skin too.

Step 1 - Take 1 tablespoon of cucumber juice with 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and mix well.

Step 2 - Apply it on your entire face or spot treat.

Wash this off after 15-20 minutes.

7. Apple Cider Vinegar Apple cider vinegar is excellent when used on skin.

It has skin lightening

oily skin.

8. Zesty Oranges Orange peel contains citric acid, which has great bleaching properties and aid skin renewal. It can help to get rid of dark patches and pigmentation.

If you do not have fresh orange peel, orange peel powder works too.

Step 1 - Add 1 teaspoon each of lemon juice, honey and milk to 1 full tablespoon of orange peel powder.

Step 2 - Combine all the ingredients and apply to the entire face or affected area. Rinse off by massaging in circular motions.

Repeat up to 3 times a week until you see changes in your skin tone.

9. Chandan Ka Chaal Sandalwood is known to enhance the complexion and cool the skin, making it look more youthful over time. It works as an effective blood purifier and helps fight blemishes and the appearance of dark

Source: boldsky.com mato juice to create a thick paste.

Step 2 - Apply this on the problem areas for a maximum of 20 minutes and rinse off in gentle circular motions to exfoliate your skin.

You can use this on a daily basis to quickly get rid of pigmentation.

5. Magical Aloe Vera Aloe is a truly magical plant. It offers solutions for a host of skin problems.

properties and is also a great astringent for skin.

Step 1 - Mix equal amounts of apple cider vinegar and water.

Step 2 - Dab this on the affected area and leave it on for about 5 minutes.

Rinse off with lukewarm water.

Do this twice daily for a few weeks. You can also use apple cider vinegar as a skin toner. It is great for those with acne prone and

patches.

Step 1 - Mix 2 tablespoons of sandalwood powder with rose water to form a thick paste.

Step 2 - Apply this over the affected areas and leave for 30 minutes.

Wash off with warm water and pat dry.

You can follow this remedy once or even twice daily for a few weeks until you see a change in your skin tone.

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DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

PAGE 12

Anderson fires Kiwis to T20 series win over Pakistan ANI Wellington, Jan.22 : Corey Anderson produced an all-round performance to help New Zealand claim a 95-run win in the third and the final T20 match against Pakistan and, thereby clinched the three-match series 2-1 here at Westpac Stadium on Friday.

Opting to bat first, New Zealandposted an imposing 197-run target for Pakistan, thanks to Anderson's quick-fire knock of 82 not out. The swashbuckling southpaw smashed six boundaries

Corey Anderson and four sixes in his 42ball innings.

Earlier, opener Martin Guptill provided the initial thrust by blasting 42 off just 19 deliveries,

De Villiers optimistic about beleaguered Proteas' Test future ANI Johannesburg, Jan. 22 : South Africa captain AB de Villiershas insisted that he is optimistic about his embattled side's Test future despite enduring a string of failures in the longer format of the game this summer.

The swashbuckling batsman, whose side are currently trailing 0-2 to touring England side in the fourmatch series, admitted that losing big players had affectedSouth Africa in the ongoing series, pointing to the absence of injured pace

spearhead Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.

However, De Villiers asserted that there was enough depth to take the team forward and called for some patience and time to allow inexperienced players to settle into their roles, Sport24 reported.

Ahead of the inconsequential fourth Test starting on Friday, De Villiers expressed that they would hate to lose 3-0, adding that it was time for them to wake up a little bit and to start playing proper cricket.

while captain Kane Williamson made 33.

In reply, Pakistan lost wickets at regular junctures as they were bundled out for mere 101

runs despite some resistance by wicketkeeperbatsman Sarfraz Ahmed (41).

For the hosts, Adam Milne and Grant Elliott bagged three wickets each while Anderson, who was adjudged as the Man of the Match, claimed two wickets for his side.

The trio were well supported by swing specialist Trent Boult who also chipped in with a wicket.

The two sides will now head into the threematch ODI series, starting from January 25 in Wellington.

JBC beat Dibrugarh Railway Sports Reporter Dibrugarh, Jan 22: Jhalukpara Boys’ Club beat Dibrugarh Railway Cricket Club by 130 runs in the Rajanu Bora Senior Division cricket tournament organized by Dibrugarh District Sports Association at DDSA stadium here today.

Altogether, eight teams participated in the tournament.

Opting to bat, JBC piled up

206 in 34.4 overs before being bowled out. Wasim Ahmed top scored with 59 off 62 balls hitting seven boundaries and one six while Nanak Singh smashed 39 off 36 balls laced with four fours. Sandeep Sharma chipped in with 24 off 22 balls with two boundaries.

For DRCC, Dipankar Raidengia bagged four for

30 in 4.4 overs. Nazimella Khan and Jayanta Rasally took two wickets each by giving away 44 and 47 runs respectively.

In reply, DRCC bowled out for paltry 76 in 20.3 overs.

Jayanta Rasally scored 24 off 36 balls with three boundaries and one six.

For JBC, Wasim Ahmed scalped four for 8 in 5

overs. Nanak Singh and Abhishek Pareek shared three wickets each conceding 14 and 16 runs respectively.

Wasim Ahmed was adjudged man of the match.

Tomorrow, Dibrugarh Cricket Coaching Centre will play Duliajan Cricket Academy.

Shuttler Sindhu romps into Malaysia Masters semis Penang (Malaysia), Jan.22 (ANI): Ace Indian shuttler P.V Sindhu stormed into the semifinals of the Malaysia Masters after thrashing her Indonesian opponent Lindaweni Fanetri in the women's singles event on Friday.

in a thrilling quarter-final match.

Meanwhile, Ajay Jayaram and Srikanth Kidambi will also aim to seal their semi-final berths when they take on their respective opponents in the quarterfinal contest of the men's singles event today.

The two-time bronze medallist at World Championship took just 29 minutes to outclass her Indonesian rival 21-10, 21-10

India need to grab crunch moments, asserts Kohli ANI Sydney, Jan. 22 : Star batsman Virat Kohli has cited India's failure to capitalise on crunch moments as the biggest reason to trail 0-4 against Australia in the fivematch one-day international series and called on his battered side to get smarter in terms of finishing off games.

The tourists suffered demoralising debacles so far in the ongoing tour as they failed to defend three back-to-back 300-

plus totals before squandering a good chance to chase down in the fourth match in Canberra.

fastest batsman to register 25 ODI tons, also insisted that his side are aiming to finish the tour on a strong note.

"We have failed to capitalise on crunch moments.

If we were mentally bogged down we won't be able to compete at all.

We need to be smarter about how to close games down," Kohli told reporters ahead of the inconsequential fifth and final ODI in Sydney.

The right-handed batsman, who became the

"We will try to win remaining four games. We are looking the series as a tour of eight games (three T20s). It might make us feel much better about where we stand if we do well from here on," Kohli added.

Virat Kohli

"We've played good cricket so far but haven't capitalised on important

moments. I feel we have been very competitive on the field. Results could have gone either way if you see the all four games.

We have not been able to close games off. That is something you need to learn as international cricketers. I am certain guys will take learning out of this. No one wants to tour abroad and lose games after playing so well. It hurts even more," he observed.

ET SPECIAL COVERAGE DU Inter College Youth Festival charms visitors as participants come up with unique performances A udience at Dibrugarh Uni versity Youth Festival were charmed by the performances of participants taking part in vocal, dance, one act play competitions. Participants showcasing their unique talents have challenged the commonly held notion that today's youth is on the verge of destruction.

Sudarshan Baruah, a participant and student of Subansiri College, has remarked that "I am participating in Inter College Youth Festival for the first time and I am very much delighted about it."

Parishmita Baruah, an-

other participant from Sibsagar Commerce College has opined that "The DHSK College family has taken all the pains to give each and every participant a warm and cordial reception."

Jyotishmita Bora from Madhavdeb College has glady informed that "Stepping into DHSK College, a temple of knowledge, has imparted a novel experience to me.

I am delighted by the meticulously designed programme schedule as well as the wonderful college campus."

Suravi Konwar from Sibsagar Commerce College has expressed her

opinion that "I am so happy at the facilities provided to the participants

by DHSK College." Likewise several participants have expressed their satisfaction before Dr S.K. Saikia, Principal of DHSK College. Another important attraction for the participating students is the Edu Fair which is being organised for the first time in D.U. Inter College Youth Festival.

The Organizing Committee has invited Mody University of Rajasthan, Subharti University of Bangalore and Ghousia College of Engineering of Karnataka to participate in the Edu Fair.

13 One-Act Play performed at Inter College Youth Festival M

aximum number of One-Act-Plays were staged yesterday at the Inter College Youth Festival. 13 One-Act Plays were enacted on the newly renovated stage of Lal Chand Kanoi College Auditorium and this is unprecedented in the history of DU Inter College Youth Festival.

Kareng Bepir Hanhi, Kali Jugar Bhauna, Lajja Jot Thamaki Roisil, B a s u d h a i b y a Kutumbakam, Ghar, Baputi Hahun, Ajamil Sarit, Adak Deki Uthil Gaa, Deushal, Tej Ranga Sakulu, Rang Birang, Kufa, Tumi Muk Beya Paisila Neki Deuta were respectively performed by the following

groups - Hareng, Tingrai, Champawati, Burhi Dihing, Brahmaputra, Dhansiri, Manash, Jiya Dhal, Beki, Bor Dikorai, Mitong, Na Dihing and Kalang.

Swapna Amar Surjya Muki Phul, Pagala, Dhritarajya, Hanmati, Aranya Katha, Era Barit Goje Bon, Ragging 85, Badhya Bhumit Emuthi Junak, Mulyayon, Hepahor Ghor, Rang Berong, Bibah Prastab, and Peghali will be staged tonight by the following groups - Dikrong, Jiya Bharali, Rupahi, Meleng, Kapili, Boroliya, Pohumara, Sonai, Dudhnoi, Moridhol, Siligurijan, Kalajal, and Puthimari.

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